DISPENSER FOR GROUPS OF NESTED ARTICLES

• US 3,747,803 A
• Filed: 12/23/1971
• Issued: 07/24/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Alfred W. Zoepf, Charles R. Hood
• Original Assignee: Alfred W. Zoepf, Charles R. Hood
• Inventors: Zoepf, Alfred W., Hood, Charles R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Reeves, Robert B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kocovsky, Thomas E.
• Application Number:
  US05/211,266
• Time in Patent Office: 579 Days
• Field of Search: 221/176,251,293,296,281
• US Class Current: 221/251
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 59/063 comprising lifting means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/04 in which magazines the articles are stored one vertically above the other
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/16 Delivery means

Abstract

An apparatus for dispensing substantially uniform groups of substantially identical nestable articles from the lower end of a generally vertical stack of nested articles. Clamping means are provided for holding the residuum of a stack of articles in a gravity-feed magazine while the lowermost group of articles is lowered on a support member. Means are provided for synchronizing the operation of the clamping means with the movement of the support member so that the stack is progressively lowered as successive lowermost groups are dispensed from the lower end of said stack. Means are also provided for dislodging the lowermost group from the support member after the group has been lowered far enough to become unnested from the lower end of the residuum of the stack. Further means are provided for unnesting the articles comprising a dispensed group from each other so that they are randomly scattered onto suitable receiving means such as a plate, platter, or the like.

Claims

1. An apparatus for dispensing substantially uniform groups of substantially identical nestable articles from the lower end of a substantially vertical stack of nested said articles, said stack consisting of a lowermost group and a residuum, said apparatus comprising:

a frame structure;

a generally vertically extending magazine secured to said structure for gravity feeding said stack downwardly therethrough, said magazine including means for replenishing said stack by adding articles to the top of said stack;

residuum clamping means operable between an engaging position and a non-engaging position for supporting said residuum in said magazine while at said engaging position, and for not restricting vertical movement of said stack within said magazine when at said non-engaging position;

a movable support member configured to nestingly engage the lower end of said stack when juxtaposed subjacent thereto;

operating means for moving said support member between an up position immediately subjacent the lower end of said magazine and a down position, said up position of said support member being so disposed relative to said clamping means at said engaging position when said stack rests on said support member at said up position and said clamping means is at said engaging position, the lower end of said residuum is engaged by said clamping means and said lowermost group is intermediate said residuum and said support member;

means interconnecting said clamping means and said operating means for progressively lowering said stack, and means for operating said clamping means in timed relation with moving said support member downwardly so that while moving said support member towards said down position said lowermost group is lowered on said support member while said residuum is supported by said clamping means whereby said lowermost group is unnested from said residuum, said means interconnecting said clamping means and said operating means including means for maintaining said clamping means at said engaging position whenever said support member is displaced from said up position and for operating said clamping means to said non-engaging position when said support member is at said up position whereby said residuum assumes the identity of said stack by being dropped the height of said group onto said support member after said support member has returned to said up position after said lowermost group has been lowered therefrom on said support member and dislodged therefrom;

means for dislodging said lowermost group from said support member while thus unnested from said residuum, said means for dislodging said lowermost group of articles from said support member comprises a first inclined panel having a shaped notch therein through which said support member passes while moving from said up position to said down position, said shaped notch being smaller than the plan view of said articles being dispensed whereby the edges of the articles being lowered on the support member are intercepted by areas of the inclined panel contiguous to the shaped notch whereupon the articles are unnested from the support member and slide down the first inclined panel; and

, means for scatter dispensing a group of articles onto suitable receiving means, said means for scatter dispensing comprising a discharge chute comprising an upper chute section and a lower chute section, said upper chute section comprising said first inclined panel having side members extending upwardly from the longitudinal edges thereof, said second chute section comprising a second iNclined panel having its upper end disposed subjacent the lower end of said first inclined panel and having side members extending upwardly from its longitudinal edges, said chute sections being angularly positioned relative to each other forming a sharp, descending corner at their juncture which must be negotiated by groups of articles being dispensed whereby the nested articles in such groups are induced to become unnested.

2. An apparatus for successively dispensing substantially uniform portions of nestable articles from the lowermost end of a substantially vertically extending stack of like, nested articles, said apparatus comprising lateral stack support means, a pivotally mounted strut, a support block secured to the distal end of said strut, said support block being movable between an up position and a down position by pivotally moving said strut, said support block being shaped to support said stack of nested articles when at said up position and to lower a portion of said articles as said strut is pivotally moved towards its down position, clamping means for providing temporary vertical support for the portion of the stack of nested articles disposed above the lowermost portion of said stack of articles whenever said support block is displaced from its up position, a discharge chute having an inclined member having a shaped notch therein through which said support block passes as said support block moves between said up and said down positions, and operating means adapted to cycle said support block from its up position to its down position and return it to its up position whereby a portion of nested articles is lowered on said support block from the lowermost end of said stack of articles, are subsequently disengaged from said support block as said support block moves downwardly through said shaped notch, and finally slide down said inclined member.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said discharge chute comprises two inclined chute sections angularly disposed relative to each other forming a sharp, downwardly canted corner at the juncture therebetween, said corner acting to unnest said articles comprising said group of articles sliding down said discharge chute whereby said articles are scatter dispensed from the lower end of said discharge chute onto suitable receiving means held therebelow.

4. An apparatus for dispensing substantially uniform groups of substantially identical nestable articles from the lower end of a substantially vertical stack of nested said articles, said stack consisting of a lowermost group and a residuum, said apparatus comprising:

a frame structure;

a generally vertically extending magazine secured to said structure for gravity feeding said stack downwardly therethrough, said magazine including means for replenishing said stack by adding articles to the top of said stack;

residuum clamping means operable between an engaging position and a non-engaging position for supporting said residuum in said magazine while at said engaging position, and for not restricting vertical movement of said stack within said magazine when at said non-engaging position;

a movable support member configured to nestingly engage the lower end of said stack when juxtaposed subjacent thereto;

operating means for moving said support member between an up position immediately subjacent the lower end of said magazine and a down position;

means interconnecting said clamping means and said operating means for progressively lowering said stack, and means for operating said clamping means in timed relation with moving said support member downwardly so that while moving said support member towards said down position said lowermost group is lowered on said support member while said residuum is supported by said clamping means whereby said lowermost group is unnested from said residuum; and

means for dislodging said lowermost group from said support member while thus unnested from said residuum, said means comprising a first inclined panel having a shaped notch therein through which said support member passes while moving from said up position to said down position, said shaped notch being smaller than the plan view of said articles being dispensed whereby the edges of the articles being lowered on the support member are intercepted by areas of the inclined panel continuous to the shaped notch whereupon the articles are unnested from the support member and slide down the first inclined panel.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said up position of said support member is so disposed relative to said clamping means at said engaging position that when said stack rests on said support member at said up position and said clamping means is at said engaging position, the lower end of said residuum is engaged by said clamping means and said lowermost group is intermediate said residuum and said support member, said means interconnecting said clamping means and said operating means includes means for maintaining said clamping means at said engaging position whenever said support member is displaced from said up position and for operating said clamping means to said non-engaging position when said support member is at said up position whereby said residuum assumes the identity of said stack by being dropped the height of said group onto said support member after said support member has returned to said up position after said lowermost group has been lowered therefrom on said support member and dislodged therefrom.

6. The dispensing apparatus of claim 4 further comprising means for scatter dispensing a group of articles onto suitable receiving means, said means for scatter dispensing comprising a discharge chute comprising an upper chute section and a lower chute section, said upper chute section comprising said first inclined panel having side members extending upwardly from the longitudinal edges thereof, said second chute section comprising a second inclined panel having its upper end disposed subjacent the lower end of said first inclined panel and having side members extending upwardly from its longitudinal edges, said chute sections being angularly positioned relative to each other forming a sharp, descending corner at their juncture which must be negotiated by groups of article being dispensed whereby nested articles are induced to become unnested.

7. An apparatus for dispensing substantially uniform groups of substantially identical, nestable, frangible, saddle-shape articles from the lowermost end of a substantially vertical stack of nested said articles, said stack consisting of a lowermost group and a residuum, said apparatus comprising:

a frame structure;

a generally vertically extending magazine secured to said structure for gravity feeding said stack downwardly therethrough, said magazine including means for replenishing said stack by placing without dropping, additional said articles on the top of said stack;

residuum clamping means operable between an engaging position and a non-engaging position for supporting said residuum in said magazine while at said engaging position, and for not restricting vertical movement of said stack within said magazine when at said non-engaging position;

a movable support member configured to nestingly engage the lower end of said stack when juxtaposed subjacent thereto;

operating means for moving said support member between an up position immediately subjacent the lower end of said magazine and a down position through an intermediate position, the distance between said up position and said intermediate position determining the height of said group;

means interconnecting said clamping means and said operating means for progressively lowering said stack, and means for operating said clamping means in timed relation with moving said support member, said means interconnecting said clamping means and said operating means including means for maintaining said clamping means at said non-engaging position while said support membEr is moved from said up position to said intermediate position to lower said stack, and means for positioning and maintaining said clamping means at said engaging position to hold said residuum while said support member is moved from said intermediate position to said down position and then moved upwardly to said up position whereby said stack is progressively lowered an incremental distance equal to the height of said group without dropping said stack, and said clamping means supports said residuum while said group is lowered therefrom on said support member and disengaged therefrom; and

, means for dislodging said lowermost group from said support member while thus disengaged from said residuum.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein;

said means for replenishing said stack includes an open top end and a full length slot whereby a quantity of articles can be telescoped downwardly into the magazine through said open top end while being supported on suitable ancillary means therefore extending through said slot; and

said means for disloding said lowermost group of articles from said support member comprises a first inclined panel having a shaped notch therein through said said support member passes while moving from said up position to said down position, said shaped notch being smaller than the plan view of said articles being dispensed whereby the edges of the articles being lowered on the support member are intercepted by areas of the inclined panel contiguous to the lineament of the shaped notch whereupon the articles are unnested from the support member and slide down the first inclined panel to a delivery point.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising means for scatter dispensing a group of articles onto suitable receiving means, said means for scatter dispensing comprising a discharge chute comprising an upper chute section and a lower chute section, said upper chute section comprising said first inclined panel thereof, said second chute section comprising a second inclined panel having its upper end disposed subjacent the lower end of said first inclined panel and having side members extending upwardly from its longitudinal edges, said chute sections being angularly positioned relative to each other forming a sharp, descending corner at their juncture which must be negotiated by groups of articles being dispensed whereby nested articles are induced to become unnested whereby the articles of a dispensed group are scattered onto suitable receiving means upon merging from the lower end of said second chute section.