Cart locking and dispensing device
AssigneeFreetail Technologies Ltd.
InventorArye LEVIN
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A device for dispensing and locking carts disposed in a stack, comprising: a dual-lever mechanism, comprising: a locking lever which is blocking movement of a first cart of a plurality of carts disposed in a stack when in open position; a base adjacent to said locking lever which is movable forward and backward with respect to the stack; and a dispensing lever mounted on the base which is blocking movement of a second cart of the plurality of carts when in open position; and a drive belt driving the plurality of carts in parallel to movement of said base by moving forward and backward in coordination with the base.
Claims16
A device for dispensing and locking carts disposed in a stack, comprising:
- a drive belt driving a plurality of carts disposed in a stack in a forward and backward motions via a connection element which is connecting at least one of said plurality of carts to said drive belt;
- and
- a dual-lever mechanism, comprising:
- a locking lever having an open position in which said locking lever is locking a first cart of said plurality of carts from being removed from said stack, and a closed position in which said drive belt may drive said plurality of carts in a forward and backward motions;
- a base adjacent to said locking lever which is movable forward and backward with respect to said locking lever and in parallel to movement of said drive belt;
- and
- a dispensing lever mounted on said base, said dispensing lever having an open position in which said dispensing lever is blocking movement of a second cart of said plurality of carts relative to said first cart, and
- a closed position in which said second cart may be removed from said stack or added to said stack;
- wherein when said locking lever is in said closed position and said dispensing lever is in said open position, said drive belt and said base may move simultaneously to drive said plurality of carts.
A method for accepting a cart into a cart stack, comprising:
- holding a first cart of a plurality of carts disposed in a stack by a locking lever, said locking lever is tin an open position so said locking lever is blocking said first cart from being pulled backward to be removed from said stack;
- changing position of a dispensing lever from a closed position which allows a second cart to be added into the stack, to an open position wherein said dispensing lever is blocking said second cart from being pulled back out of said stack;
- changing position of said locking lever from said open position to a closed position;
- moving said dispensing lever forward to push said second cart into said stack;
- simultaneously driving said plurality of carts forward by a drive belt and moving said dispensing lever forward to push said second cart with said plurality of carts;
- changing position of said locking lever from said closed position to said open position so said blocking lever is blocking said second cart from being pulled backward to be removed from said stack.
A method for dispensing a cart from a cart stack, comprising:
- holding a first cart of a plurality of carts disposed in a stack by a locking lever, said locking lever is at an open position so said locking lever is blocking said first cart from being pulled backward to be removed from said stack;
- changing position of a dispensing lever from a closed position to an open position;
- changing position of said locking lever from said open position to a closed position;
- driving said plurality of carts backward by a drive belt so said first cart is blocked by said dispensing lever from being pulled backward to be removed from said stack;
- changing position of said locking lever from said closed position to said open position so said locking lever is blocking a second cart from being pulled backward to be removed from said stack;
- and
- changing position of said dispensing lever from said open position to said closed position to allow said first cart to be pulled backward and be removed from said stack.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.