Article dispenser
AssigneeOddzon, Inc.
InventorsDonald A. Marini, Gerald A. Sciarini
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An article dispenser is disclosed for dispensing articles, such as pieces of candy, out a dispensing opening in the dispenser. Articles are stored in a storage chamber inside the dispenser. An inclined flipper plate forms the bottom of storage chamber. A flipper arm is positioned near the bottom edge of flipper plate. An actuator is included for vibrating the flipper plate and flipper arms causing the articles to slide down the flipper plate onto the flipper arms where they are flipped up onto a dispensing slide located above the storage chamber. Articles flipped up onto the dispensing slide are dispensed out of the dispenser through the dispensing opening.
Claims19
An article dispenser for storing and dispensing articles, said article dispenser comprising:
- a storage chamber for storing articles, said storage chamber having a bottom;
- a flipping plate which forms said bottom of said storage chamber, said flipping plate having a top edge and a bottom edge and being inclined, wherein said articles rest upon said flipping plate when held in said storage chamber;
- a flipper arm located near said bottom edge of said flipping plate;
- a dispensing slide located adjacent said flipper arm and above said storage chamber bottom;
- a dispensing opening at one end of said dispensing slide opposite said flipper arm;
- and
- a switch activated electric motor operated actuator for causing said flipping plate and said flipper arm to vibrate further causing articles resting on said flipping plate to slide down and off said inclined flipping plate onto said flipping arm which flips said article up onto said dispensing slide for movement out said dispensing opening.
An article dispenser for storing and dispensing articles, said article dispenser comprising;
- a storage chamber for storing articles, said storage chamber having a bottom;
- a flipping plate which forms said bottom of said storage chamber, said flipping plate having a top edge and a bottom edge and being inclined, wherein said articles rest upon said flipping plate when held in said storage chamber;
- a flipper arm located near said bottom edge of said flipping plate;
- a dispensing slide located adjacent said flipper arm and above said storage chamber bottom;
- a dispensing opening at one end of said dispensing slide opposite said flipper arm;
- an actuator for causing said flipping plate and said flipper arm to vibrate further causing articles resting on said flipping to slide down said inclined flipping plate onto said flipping arm which flips said article up onto said dispensing slide and out said dispensing opening;
- and
- a first cam operably connected to said actuator and said flipping plate, wherein said actuator causes said first cam to rotate thus causing said flipping plate to vibrate.
An article dispenser for storing and dispensing articles, said article dispenser comprising;
- a storage chamber for storing articles, said storage chamber having a bottom;
- a flipping plate which forms said bottom of said storage chamber, said flipping plate having a top edge and a bottom edge and being inclined, wherein said articles rest upon said flipping plate when held in said storage chamber;
- a flipper arm located near said bottom edge of said flipping plate;
- a dispensing slide located adjacent said flipper arm and above said storage chamber bottom;
- a dispensing opening at one end of said dispensing slide opposite said flipper arm;
- an actuator for causing said flipping plate and said flipper arm to vibrate further causing articles resting on said flipping to slide down said inclined flipping plate onto said flipping arm which flips said article up onto said dispensing slide and out said dispensing opening;
- and
- a spindle operably connected to said actuator;
- a gear operably connected to said spindle;
- a first cam operably connected to said gear and said flipping plate;
- a second cam operably connected to said gear;
- a lever operably connected to said second cam and said flipper arm;
- wherein said actuator causes said spindle, said gear, said first cam, said second cam and said lever to rotate thus causing said flipping plate and flipper arm to vibrate.
A candy dispenser for storing and dispensing pieces of candy, said candy dispenser comprising:
- a storage chamber for storing said pieces of candy;
- a flipping plate forming a bottom of said storage chamber;
- a flipper arm located adjacent said flipping plate;
- a dispensing slide in cooperation with an opening in said candy dispenser, said dispensing slide being located adjacent to said flipper arm and above said storage chamber;
- an electric motor operably connected to said flipping plate by a hear and a first cam, said motor further operably connected to said flipper arm by said gear, a second cam and a lever;
- a switch for activating said electric motor, said activated electric motor causing said gear and first cam to rotate thus causing said flipping plate to vibrate so pieces of candy slide toward and make contact with said flipper arm, said activated electric motor also causing said second cam and lever to rotate, which causes said flipper arm to vibrate thereby flipping the pieces of candy onto the dispensing slide, whereupon the pieces of candy slide out of said opening in said candy dispenser.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.