Cup dispenser for vending machines
First Claim
1. An apparatus of a type that dispenses a lowermost cup from a stack of nested cups, comprising:
- a housing;
a case rotatably mounted within said housing, wherein said case includes an upper member and a lower member, and said upper member is fixed to said lower member;
a plurality of dispensing means, pivotally mounted within said case, between said upper member and said lower member, for dispensing the lowermost cup from the stack of nested cups;
an adjusting means for adjusting said plurality of dispensing means relative to said housing to accommodate an under-rim cup diameter of the nested cups; and
an actuating means for actuating said plurality of dispensing means to dispense the lowermost cup from the stack of nested cups.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention provides an apparatus that dispenses a lowermost cup from a stack of nested cups. The cups are disposed within an opening formed through an annular housing, and a group of cam assemblies project inward from the housing to support and selectively dispense the cups. Alignment holes are formed through the housing and the cam assemblies to facilitate proper alignment of the cam assemblies relative to one another during assembly of the dispenser. The cam assemblies move inward and outward relative to the opening to accommodate cups of different under-rim diameters within a given range. In particular, the cam assemblies move in an arc and pivot relative to the housing and thereby remain satisfactorily aligned relative to the center of the opening over a wider range of under-rim cup diameters.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. An apparatus of a type that dispenses a lowermost cup from a stack of nested cups, comprising:
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a housing; a case rotatably mounted within said housing, wherein said case includes an upper member and a lower member, and said upper member is fixed to said lower member; a plurality of dispensing means, pivotally mounted within said case, between said upper member and said lower member, for dispensing the lowermost cup from the stack of nested cups; an adjusting means for adjusting said plurality of dispensing means relative to said housing to accommodate an under-rim cup diameter of the nested cups; and an actuating means for actuating said plurality of dispensing means to dispense the lowermost cup from the stack of nested cups. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An apparatus of a type that dispenses a lowermost cup from a stack of nested cups, comprising:
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a housing; a case rotatably mounted within said housing; a plurality of dispensing means, pivotally mounted within said case., for dispensing the lowermost cup from the stack of nested cups; an adjusting means for adjusting said plurality of dispensing means relative to said housing to accommodate an under-rim cup diameter of the nested cups; and an actuating means for actuating said plurality of dispensing means to dispense the lowermost cup from the stack of nested cups, wherein said actuating means includes a ring mounted within said housing and rotatable relative to said case and said housing. - View Dependent Claims (10)
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11. An apparatus of a type that dispenses a lowermost cup from a stack of nested cups, comprising:
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a housing; a case rotatably mounted within said housing;
a plurality of dispensing means, pivotally mounted within said case, for dispensing the lowermost cup from the stack of nested cups;an adjusting means for adjusting said plurality of dispensing means relative to said housing to accommodate an under-rim cup diameter of the nested cups; an actuating means for actuating said plurality of dispensing means to dispense the lowermost cup from the stack of nested cups; and an aligning means for facilitating alignment of said dispensing means relative to one another during assembly of the apparatus. - View Dependent Claims (12)
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13. An apparatus of a type that dispenses a lowermost cup from a stack of nested cups, comprising:
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a housing having an opening formed through said housing; a plurality of dispensing means mounted within said housing and projecting at least partially into said opening to selectively support and dispense the lowermost cup; an adjusting means for adjusting to what extent said plurality of dispensing means project into said opening to accommodate an under-rim cup diameter of the nested cups, wherein said adjusting means contemporaneously pivots and revolves said plurality of dispensing means relative to said housing; and an actuating means for actuating said plurality of dispensing means to dispense the lowermost cup from the stack of nested cups. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. An apparatus of a type that dispenses a lowermost cup from a stack of nested cups, comprising:
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a housing; a case mounted within said housing; a plurality of dispensing means, pivotably mounted within said case, for dispensing the lowermost cup from the stack of nested cups; an adjusting means for adjusting said plurality of dispensing means relative to said housing to accommodate an under-rim cup diameter of the nested cups; an actuating means for actuating said plurality of dispensing means to dispense the lowermost cup from the stack of nested cups; an aligning means for aligning each of said plurality of dispensing means relative to said case prior to mounting of said case within said housing; and a holding means for holding each of said plurality of dispensing means in alignment with said case prior to mounting of said case within said housing. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification