Cup-supplying apparatus

A cup-supplying apparatus for supplying tapered cylindrical cups stored in a stack, comprising:

• a plurality of cup dispensers, each of which supplies a lowest cup from stacked cups to a predetermined position;
• a unit for generating a cup-supplying force;
• a plurality of members, each of which transmits said cup-supplying force to a corresponding one of said plurality of cup dispensers;
• and
• means for selecting one member from said plurality of members to be supplied with said cup-supplying force from said cup-supplying force generating-unit;
• wherein said cup-supplying force generating-unit generates said cup-supplying force which is then transmitted to said one member selected by said selecting means, so that said corresponding one among said plurality of cup dispensers supplies said lowest cup to said predetermined position;
• and
• wherein each of said plurality of cup dispensers is provided respectively with a lever for receiving said cup-supplying force;
• said cup-supplying force generating-unit comprises a motor and a cam which is rotated by said motor;
• each of said plurality of members is a slider provided between said lever and said cam;
• and
• said selecting means is a mechanism for moving said cam up and down, so that said cam is rotated at a position level at which said slider is positioned to transmit said cup-supplying force to said lever of said corresponding one of said plurality of said cup dispensers.

A cup-supplying apparatus for supplying tapered cylindrical cups stored in a stack, comprising:

• a rotatable ring member having inside thereof a circular inner portion for supporting said stack of cups, said member being capable of rotating around an axis, diameter of said inner portion being varied in accordance with rotating of said member within a range predetermined according to diameter of said tapered cylindrical cups;
• means for separating a tapered cylindrical cup in lowest position in said stack from others stored in said stack and allowing said tapered cylindrical cup in said lowest position to drop, according to rotating of said rotatable ring member;
• means for rotating said rotatable ring member, including a lever attached to and rotatable together with said rotatable ring member around said axis of rotating thereof and a pin fixed to said lever in rotatable end portion thereof;
• a reciprocally-moving member capable of reciprocal movement in a first direction and in a second direction with a predetermined stroke, being driven by a driving force supplied by a source thereof;
• and movement-transmitting means for transmitting said reciprocal movement of said reciprocally-moving member to said rotatable ring member to cause said rotatable ring member to rotate clockwise and anti-clockwise,
• said movement-transmitting means comprising pin-engaging means for engaging said pin with said reciprocally-moving member, whereby said reciprocally-moving member is engaged with said means for rotating said rotatable ring member by way of said pin fixed to said lever and said pin-engaging means, wherein:
• said pin-engaging means comprises range-varying means which allows said range of rotating of said lever corresponding to said pre-determined stroke of said reciprocal movement of said reciprocally-moving member transmitting means to be varied, whereby said range of rotating of said rotatable ring member is determined by said range-varying means.