Cutlery dispensing assemblies and methods
First Claim
1. A cutlery dispensing assembly configured to dispense at least two pieces of cutlery, comprising:
- a chassis; and
a skewer mechanism disposed at least partially within the chassis and configured to contain a stack of the cutlery, wherein the stack of the cutlery comprises a bottom piece of cutlery and at least one other piece of cutlery and wherein each piece of cutlery has an opening through which the skewer mechanism is configured to pass, the skewer mechanism comprising;
an elongated body configured to pass through the opening of each piece of cutlery in the stack of the cutlery; and
a lever extending from elongated the body, the lever configured to move between a first position in which the lever retains a separated piece of cutlery, and a second position in which the lever releases the separated piece of cutlery from the lever, wherein the bottom piece of cutlery becomes the separated piece of cutlery after it has been separated from the stack of the cutlery.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Cutlery dispensing assemblies and methods for making and using same. In some examples, the cutlery dispensing assembly can include a chassis comprising a backbone, an upper support frame located at an upper end of the backbone, and a base located at a lower end of the backbone. A skewer mechanism can be at least partially disposed within the chassis and configured to contain a stack of the cutlery. The stack of the cutlery can include a bottom piece of cutlery and at least one other piece of cutlery. Each piece of cutlery can have an opening through which the skewer mechanism is configured to pass. The skewer mechanism can include an elongated body that is configured to pass through the opening of each piece of cutlery, and a lever extending from elongated the body. The lever can be configured to move between a first position in which the lever retains a separated piece of cutlery, and a second position in which the lever releases the separated piece of cutlery from the lever, wherein the bottom piece of cutlery becomes the separated piece of cutlery after it has been separated from the stack of the cutlery.
55 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A cutlery dispensing assembly configured to dispense at least two pieces of cutlery, comprising:
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a chassis; and a skewer mechanism disposed at least partially within the chassis and configured to contain a stack of the cutlery, wherein the stack of the cutlery comprises a bottom piece of cutlery and at least one other piece of cutlery and wherein each piece of cutlery has an opening through which the skewer mechanism is configured to pass, the skewer mechanism comprising; an elongated body configured to pass through the opening of each piece of cutlery in the stack of the cutlery; and a lever extending from elongated the body, the lever configured to move between a first position in which the lever retains a separated piece of cutlery, and a second position in which the lever releases the separated piece of cutlery from the lever, wherein the bottom piece of cutlery becomes the separated piece of cutlery after it has been separated from the stack of the cutlery. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A cutlery dispensing assembly configured to dispense at least two pieces of cutlery, comprising:
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a chassis comprising a backbone, an upper support frame located at an upper end of the backbone, and a base located at a lower end of the backbone; a cutlery landing surface connected to the chassis between the upper support frame and the base; and a skewer mechanism disposed on the chassis and configured to contain a stack of the cutlery, wherein the stack of the cutlery comprises a bottom piece of cutlery and each piece of cutlery in the stack of the cutlery has an opening through which the skewer mechanism is configured to pass, the skewer mechanism comprising; an elongated body having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is connected to the chassis, and the second end is configured to pass through the opening of each piece of cutlery in the stack of the cutlery; a lever disposed on the second end of the body, the lever configured to move between a first position in which the lever is configured to retain a separated piece of cutlery on the cutlery landing surface, wherein the bottom piece of cutlery becomes the separated piece of cutlery after it has been separated from the stack of the cutlery, and a second position in which the lever is configured to release the separated piece of cutlery from the cutlery landing surface to a user; and a singularizing mechanism configured to separate the bottom piece of cutlery from the stack of the cutlery in response to movement of the lever between the first position and the second position. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification