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US 5,964,373 AGranted
Dispenser apparatus
AssigneeATL Associates Limited
InventorHaydon Squires Hucknall
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
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AssigneeATL Associates Limited
InventorHaydon Squires Hucknall
Estimating the term…
Dispensing apparatus for dispensing individual articles (50) at a dispensing station (A) from a line of the articles stored one-behind-another on a trackway (10) comprises a conveyor belt (16) on which the articles rest. Belt (16) is connected at one end to variable force springs (19) beneath the trackway (10) and at its other end to a follower or pusher plate (13). When the springs (19) are tensioned by moving the plate (13) away from the dispensing station to load the device the conveyor (16) exerts traction on the articles stored thereon tending to move them toward stop means (20,34) at the dispensing station. When an article (51) is removed from the dispensing station (A) the conveyor (16) moves up the remainder so that a next article is positioned at the dispensing station (A) against the stop means (20,34). Ramps (22) at the dispensing station project the article thereat from the dispense to facilitate its removal. In one embodiment the trackway (10) and conveyor (16) are incorporated in a cassette (28) one end wall (34) of which constitutes the stop means. The ramps (22) are positioned opposite a slot (35) in the cassette adjacent this end wall (34) so as to project an article at the dispensing station (A) from the cassette. In another embodiment two conveyor means (16,16A) are provided, articles being located in openings (37) therefore along one of the conveyors (16A) and resting upon the other conveyor (16).
Apparatus for dispensing discrete articles (50) arranged one-behind-another, the apparatus comprising an elongated, flexible conveyor means (16) having first and second runs which change direction about roller means (14) in the region of said dispensing station (A), means (19) biassing the second run to tend to draw the first run toward the dispensing station (A) so that, with said articles in contact with said first run, when a leading article (51) is removed from the dispensing station (A), the remaining articles (50) will be moved incrementally toward the dispensing station (A), the first run of the conveyor means applying traction to all of said remaining articles (50), stop means (20,34) being positioned to arrest said leading article (51) at the dispensing station (A) pending its removal, characterised in that the conveyor means (16) is visible where it changes direction about said roller means (14) from a position on the side of the dispensing station (A) remote from said first run of the conveyor means (16) and in that the conveyor means (16) has indicator means (27) on the surface thereof exposed to view at the dispensing station (A) which indicator means (27) varies along the length of the conveyor means (16) such as to provide at the dispensing station (A) a means (27) of visually monitoring the length of the first run of the conveyor means (16) and thus the number of articles remaining on or in the apparatus after one or more articles (50) have been removed therefrom.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.