Beverage lid dispenser
OwnerKenneth T. Walsh, Nicholas R. Walshinventors
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The current invention is a lid dispensing device and method of use comprising a base unit, a lid holder operatively connected to the base unit, a blade operatively mounted to the base which moves between a first position and a second position, the blade supporting a stack of lids by engaging a first lid in the stack of lids while the blade is in the first position, and the blade allowing the first lid to fall through an aperture in the blade away from the stack of lids, and still support the remaining stack of lids as the blade moves to the second position.
Claims18
A lid dispensing device comprising:
- a base unit;
- a lid holder operatively connected to the base unit;
- a blade operatively mounted to the base unit which moves between a first position and a second position;
- wherein the blade has opposite first and second faces and opposite first and second ends,
- a first cutout on the first face near the first end, a second cutout on the first face near the second end which intersects the first cutout and is larger than the first cutout, a third cutout on the second face near the second end, a fourth cutout that is larger than the first cutout on the second face near the first end which intersects the third cutout, and the cutouts on the first face and the cutouts on the second face intersect to form an aperture through the blade;
- a groove in the cutouts approximately parallel to the faces of the blade near the intersection of the cutouts for allowing a disk rim to pass from the first cutout to the third cutout;
- a stack of lids supported by the blade by engaging a first lid in the stack of lids while the blade is in the first position;
- and
- wherein the blade allows the lid to fall through an aperture in the blade, away from the stack of lids, and still support the remaining lids as the blade moves to the second position.
A blade for use in a disk dispensing device, the blade comprising:
- opposite first and second faces and opposite first and second ends;
- a first cutout on the first face near the first end;
- a second cutout on the first face near the second end which intersects the first cutout and is larger than the first cutout;
- a third cutout on the second face near the second end;
- a fourth cutout that is larger than the first cutout on the second face near the first end which intersects the third cutout;
- wherein the cutouts on the first face and the cutouts on the second face intersect to form an aperture through the blade;
- and
- a groove in the cutouts approximately parallel to the faces of the blade near the intersection of the cutouts for allowing a disk rim to pass from the first cutout to the third cutout.
A method of dispensing a drink lid from a lid dispenser comprising the steps of:
- causing a blade having opposite first and second faces and opposite first and second ends, a first cutout on the first face near the first end, a second cutout on the first face near the second end which intersects the first cutout and is larger than the first cutout, a third cutout on the second face near the second end, a fourth cutout that is larger than the first cutout on the second face near the first end which intersects the third cutout wherein the cutouts on the first face and cutouts on the second face intersect to form an aperture through the blade and a groove in the cutouts approximately parallel to the faces of the blade near the intersections of the cutouts for allowing a disk rim to pass from the first cutout to the third cutout, which is part of the dispenser, to slide from a first position to a second position thereby causing a second lid in a stack of lids to be supported by the first face of the blade and a first lid in the stack to fall from the blade and be dispensed;
- and
- allowing the blade to return to the first position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.