BELT DRIVE FOR DISPENSING CUTLERY AND RELATED METHODS

• US 20120145735A1
• Filed: 11/01/2011
• Published: 06/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GPCP IP Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: Dixie Consumer Products LLC (KOCH Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: Walters, Richard S., Erickson, Nathan J.
• Granted Patent: US 10,595,647 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 221/1
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 1/10 having mechanical dispensing means , e.g. with buttons or handles
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 59/067 articles being separated substantially perpendicularly to the axis of the stack
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 59/068 by means of endless elements

Abstract

A dispenser for dispensing cutlery may include a housing configured to contain a plurality of utensils for dispensing, a dispensing mechanism that includes at least one belt configured to be driven and separate a utensil from a stack of utensils, and at least one drive mechanism configured to drive the at least one belt. The dispenser may further include a receptacle configured to receive the utensil separated from the stack of utensils.

Claims

1. A dispenser for dispensing cutlery, the dispenser comprising:

a housing configured to contain a plurality utensils for dispensing;

a dispensing mechanism comprising;

at least one belt configured to be driven and separate a utensil from a stack of utensils in a direction substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the utensil,

at least one drive mechanism configured to drive the at least one belt; and

a receptacle configured to receive the utensil separated from the stack of utensils.

2. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the dispensing mechanism comprises at least one pair of pulleys around which the at least one belt is driven.

3. The dispenser of claim 2, wherein the at least one drive mechanism is operably coupled to at least one of the pair of pulleys.

4. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the dispensing mechanism comprises at least two belts, wherein the at least two belts are spaced from one another such that the stack of utensils may be received between the at least two belts.

5. The dispenser of claim 4, wherein at least one of the at least two belts is configured to support the stack of utensils.

6. The dispenser of claim 4, wherein the at least two belts are configured to support the stack of utensils.

7. The dispenser of claim 4, wherein the at least two belts comprises four belts, wherein a first pair of the four belts is spaced from a second pair of the four belts, and wherein the stack of utensils may be received between the first pair of belts and second pair of belts.

8. The dispenser of claim 1, further comprising an actuator operably coupled to the drive mechanism and configured to activate the drive mechanism.

9. The dispenser of claim 8, wherein the actuator comprises at least one of a rotatable knob, a button, a switch, a bar, a lever, an electronic sensor, and a crank.

10. A method for dispensing cutlery from a dispenser, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of utensils for dispensing;

indexing at least one belt associated with a stack of the plurality of utensils such that a utensil is separated from the stack of utensils in a direction substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the utensil; and

providing access to the utensil separated from the stack of utensils.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein indexing at least one belt comprises indexing at least one pair of pulleys around which the at least one belt is driven.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein indexing the at least one belt is facilitated by activating an actuator operably coupled to a drive mechanism configured to drive the at least one belt.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein providing a plurality of utensils comprises providing a plurality of separably coupled utensils.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein providing access to the utensil comprises providing a receptacle positioned to receive the utensil separated from the stack of utensils.