Credit card dispensing and positioning apparatus
First Claim
Patent Images
1. Apparatus for accurately dispensing and positioning a flat member onto a predetermined area of a surface, comprising:
- support means for supporting a stack of flat members, each flat member having a leading edge, said support means including a support plate on which said stack of flat members is supported and at least one shuttle pressure bar slidably mounted for substantially vertical movement above said support plate and in front of said stack of flat members so as to limit escape only of the lowermost one of said flat members from said stack, under said at least one shuttle pressure bar;
pusher means for pushing out the leading edge of the lowermost one of said flat members in said stack under said at least one shuttle pressure bar;
gripper means for gripping said leading edge of said pushed out flat member; and
control means for controlling said gripper means to grip said leading edge of said pushed out flat member, to move over said predetermined area of said surface and to then release said gripped flat member so that the latter drops onto said predetermined area of said surface.
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Abstract
Apparatus for accurately dispensing and positioning a credit card onto a predetermined area of a surface, includes a support tray which supports a stack of cards; a pusher assembly including a pusher plate which pushes out a leading edge of a lowermost one of the cards in the stack; gripper jaws which grip the lowermost edge of the pushed out card; and a control assembly which controls the gripper jaws to grip the lowermost edge of the pushed out card, to move over the predetermined area of the surface and to then release the gripped card so that the latter drops onto the predetermined area of the surface.
88 Citations
26 Claims
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1. Apparatus for accurately dispensing and positioning a flat member onto a predetermined area of a surface, comprising:
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support means for supporting a stack of flat members, each flat member having a leading edge, said support means including a support plate on which said stack of flat members is supported and at least one shuttle pressure bar slidably mounted for substantially vertical movement above said support plate and in front of said stack of flat members so as to limit escape only of the lowermost one of said flat members from said stack, under said at least one shuttle pressure bar; pusher means for pushing out the leading edge of the lowermost one of said flat members in said stack under said at least one shuttle pressure bar; gripper means for gripping said leading edge of said pushed out flat member; and control means for controlling said gripper means to grip said leading edge of said pushed out flat member, to move over said predetermined area of said surface and to then release said gripped flat member so that the latter drops onto said predetermined area of said surface. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. Apparatus for accurately dispensing and positioning a flat member onto a predetermined area of a surface, said flat members having opposite side edges, a rear edge and a leading edge, said apparatus comprising:
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support means for supporting a stack of flat members, said support means including a support plate on which said stack of flat members is supported and tray means positioned above said support plate for holding said stack of flat members in a predetermined position on said support plate, said tray means including first and second side plate means spaced from each other and positioned above said support plate for guiding said opposite side edges of said flat members in said stack, and front guide means positioned above said support plate for guiding said leading edges of said flat members, said front guide means including at least one shuttle pressure bar secured to at least one of said first and second side plate means and vertically movable therealong; pusher means for pushing out a leading edge of a lowermost one of said flat members in said stack; gripper means for gripping said leading edge of said pushed out flat member; and control means for controlling said gripper means to grip said leading edge of said pushed out flat member, to move over said predetermined area of said surface and to then release said gripped flat member so that the latter drops onto said predetermined area of said surface. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. Apparatus for accurately dispensing and positioning a flat member onto a predetermined area of a surface, said flat members having opposite side edges, a rear edge and a leading edge, said apparatus comprising:
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support means for supporting a stack of flat members, said support means including a support plate on which said stack of flat members is supported and tray means positioned above said support plate for holding said stack of flat members in a predetermined position on said support plate, said tray means including first and second side plate means spaced from each other and positioned above said support plate for guiding said opposite side edges of said flat members in said stack, front guide means positioned above said support plate for guiding said leading edges of said flat members, and rear guide means for guiding said rear edges of said flat members, said rear guide means including a first rear guide secured to said first side plate means and a second rear guide secured to said second side plate means, each said first and second side plate means including at least one slot, and said first and second rear guides are slidably connected in said at least one slot of said first and second side plate means, respectively, and include securing means for releasably securing said first and second rear guides in selected positions in said at least one slot to adjust said tray means for different size flat members; pusher means for pushing out a leading edge of a lowermost one of said flat members in said stack; gripper means for gripping said leading edge of said pushed out flat member; and control means for controlling said gripper means to grip said leading edge of said pushed out flat member, to move over said predetermined area of said surface and to then release said gripped flat member so that the latter drops onto said predetermined area of said surface.
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Specification