Cutlery Dispenser and Method of Dispensing Cutlery
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method for cutlery storage and use, comprising:
- housing a plurality of cutlery pieces in a dispenser comprising;
a storage chute for containing a plurality of cutlery, wherein each piece of cutlery has a handle end and a food-contact end; and
a dispense mechanism comprising at least two cams, each cam comprising a resting surface and a displacing portion, andcontacting the cutlery piece at a first location with the resting surface of a first cam;
contacting the cutlery piece at a second location with the resting surface of a second cam, anddischarging the cutlery piece from the dispenser using the displacing portion of the first and second cams.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A cutlery dispenser comprises a storage chamber adapted to retain a plurality of cutlery therein; an ejector for sequentially ejecting the plurality of cutlery from the storage chamber; an actuator for driving the ejector; and a sensor for triggering the actuator in response to an event.
47 Citations
20 Claims
-
1. A method for cutlery storage and use, comprising:
-
housing a plurality of cutlery pieces in a dispenser comprising; a storage chute for containing a plurality of cutlery, wherein each piece of cutlery has a handle end and a food-contact end; and a dispense mechanism comprising at least two cams, each cam comprising a resting surface and a displacing portion, and contacting the cutlery piece at a first location with the resting surface of a first cam; contacting the cutlery piece at a second location with the resting surface of a second cam, and discharging the cutlery piece from the dispenser using the displacing portion of the first and second cams. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
-
-
10. A method for cutlery storage and use, comprising:
-
housing a plurality of cutlery pieces in a dispenser comprising; a storage chute for containing a plurality of cutlery, wherein each piece of cutlery has a handle end and a food-contact end; and a dispense mechanism comprising at least two cams, each cam comprising a resting surface and a displacing portion, and contacting the cutlery piece at a first location with the resting surface of a first cam; contacting the cutlery piece at a second location with the resting surface of a second cam; discharging the cutlery piece from the dispenser using the displacing portion of the first and second cams; and presenting the handle end of the discharged cutlery piece for retrieval by a user. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
-
-
16. A method for cutlery storage and use, comprising:
-
housing a plurality of cutlery pieces in a dispenser comprising; a storage chute for containing a plurality of cutlery, wherein each piece of cutlery has a handle end and a food-contact end; and a dispense mechanism comprising at least two cams, each cam comprising a resting surface and a displacing portion, and contacting the cutlery piece at a first location with the resting surface of a first cam, contacting the cutlery piece at a second location with the resting surface of a second cam; discharging the cutlery piece from the dispenser using the displacing portion of the first and second cams; presenting the handle end of the discharged cutlery piece for retrieval by a user; and retaining the food contact end of the discharged cutlery piece in the dispenser until released upon retrieval by the user. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
-
Specification