Motorized candy dispenser

• US 5,791,514 A
• Filed: 02/09/1996
• Issued: 08/11/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Oddzon, Inc. (Hasbro Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cap Toys, Inc. (Kid Brands Incorporated)
• Inventors: Kirk, Karl D. III, Mulhauser, Paul, Fontayne, Diego
• Primary Examiner(s): SKAGGS JR, H GRANT
• Application Number:
  US08/599,076
• Time in Patent Office: 914 Days
• Field of Search: 221/24, 221/76, 221/79, 221/81, 221/86, 221/88, 221/89, 221/281, 221/225, 221/232, 221/266, 221/75, 221/155
• US Class Current: 221/81
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/54 about vertical axes

Abstract

A dispenser having a housing for dispensing candies therefrom and having a rotatable raceway therein with a plurality of turntables disposed within the housing and on the raceway, with each of the turntables including a compartment sized to accommodate a candy to be dispensed, and a drive motor for driving the raceway and coupled to the turntables for rotating the turntables and for revolving the turntables within the housing to transport the candies to a dispensing station.

Claims

1. A hand held candy dispenser comprising:

a housing having a top and a bottom, said housing being adapted for receiving candies to be dispensed at a first station and defining a second station at which candies are to be dispensed from said housing, said housing top being transparent,

a plurality of turntables in a single circular array disposed within said housing, each of said turntables including a compartment sized to accommodate a candy to be dispensed, said turntables being visible through said transparent top, and

drive means operatively coupled to said turntables for continuously rotating said turntables and for continuously revolving said turntables within said housing as said candies are transported from said first station to said second dispensing station.

2. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein said housing comprises a bottom shell and a transparent top shell.

3. A dispenser comprising:

a housing for receiving objects to be dispensed and defining a station at which objects are to be dispensed from said housing,

a plurality of turntables disposed within said housing, each of said turntables including a compartment sized to accommodate an object to be dispensed, and

drive means operatively coupled to said turntables for rotating said turntables and for revolving said turntables within said housing to transport objects to said dispensing station,

said housing comprising a bottom shell and a top shell, and

wherein said drive means includes;

a first gear in said bottom shell, and

a raceway mounted to revolve within said bottom shell, said raceway providing a second gear disposed about its inner periphery and providing means for rotatably mounting said turntables for engagement with said first gear.

4. The dispenser of claim 3, wherein the drive means further comprises:

a drive motor and a gear train having a drive gear engaging said first gear for revolving said raceway, and wherein said second gear imparts rotational motion to said turntables to rotate said turntables while the raceway revolves within said housing interior.

5. A motorized dispenser comprising:

a bottom shell having a first gear disposed about its interior periphery,

a top shell mating with said bottom shell to define therewith a housing interior, the top shell having a magazine mounted to its exterior surface for communication with the housing interior, said top shell having a circumferentially located discharge opening therein,

a plurality of turntables within said housing interior, each of the turntables including a compartment sized to accommodate an article to be dispensed,

drive means operatively coupled to said turntables for imparting rotational motion to said turntables and for revolving said turntables within said housing interior, and

a discharge mechanism that discharges the objects from said turntable compartments through said discharge opening when said associated turntable revolves to said-discharge opening.

6. The motorized dispenser of claim 5, and wherein said magazine is removeably mounted to said top shell.

7. The motorized dispenser of claim 6, and wherein said magazine includes a transfer means at a first end for transferring articles to said turntables.

8. The motorized candy dispenser of claim 5, wherein said drive means comprises:

a raceway mounted to revolve within said bottom shell, said raceway providing a second gear disposed about its inner periphery, and said raceway providing means rotatably mounting said turntables for engagement with said first gear.

9. The motorized dispenser of claim 8, wherein said drive means further comprises:

a drive motor and a gear train having a drive gear engaging said second gear for revolving said raceway, and wherein said first gear imparts rotational motion to said turntables to rotate said turntables while said raceway revolves within said housing interior.

10. A motorized dispenser for dispensing articles comprising

a hollow housing defining a discharge opening,

a raceway assembly enclosed within said housing,

motor means for revolving said raceway within said housing,

a plurality of turntables mounted on said raceway each said turntable defining a compartment for an article,

means for rotating each said turntable relative to said raceway,

means mounted to the outside of said housing for transferring articles into said housing and to said compartments at a first position of revolution of said raceway, and

means for discharging articles from said compartments at a second position of revolution of said raceway which is remote from said first position.

11. The motorized dispenser of claim 10, and wherein said raceway assembly includes a first gear for engagement with said motor means for revolving said raceway assembly within said housing.

12. The motorized dispenser of claim 10, and wherein said means for rotating each said turntable includes a second gear in said housing, and each said turntable comprises a gear in engagement with said second gear.

13. The motorized dispenser of claim 10, and wherein said means for transferring articles includes a transfer barrel and a magazine, and wherein said magazine biases articles to said transfer barrel, and said transfer barrel is mounted to transfer articles received from said magazine downwardly into said housing and to said compartments.

14. The motorized dispenser of claim 13, and wherein said discharge opening is a window and said means for discharging articles from said compartments comprises a spring operated ejector for discharging articles through said window at said second position of revolution.

15. A motorized dispenser for dispensing articles comprising:

a hollow housing defining a discharge opening,

a raceway assembly enclosed within said housing,

motor means for revolving said raceway assembly within said housing,

a plurality of turntables mounted on said raceway assembly, each said turntable defining a compartment for an article,

means for rotating each said turntable relative to said raceway assembly, and

means for forcibly ejecting articles serially from each said compartment, said means comprising spring means mounted in said hollow housing and means on said raceway assembly for biasing said spring means between a first inactive position and a second active ejecting position and for releasing said spring means to forcibly eject an article in said compartment from said housing.

16. The motorized dispenser of claim 15, and wherein said raceway assembly includes a first gear for engagement with said motor means for rotating said raceway assembly within said housing.

17. A hand held candy dispenser comprising:

a housing having a top and a bottom, said housing being adapted for receiving candies to be dispensed at a first station and defining a second station at which candies are to be dispensed from said housing, said housing top being transparent,

a plurality of turntables in a single circular array disposed within said housing, each of said turntables including a compartment sized to accommodate a candy to be dispensed, said turntables being visible through said transparent top,

drive means operatively coupled to said turntables for continuously rotating said turntables and for continuously revolving said turntables within said housing as said candies are transported from said first station to said dispensing station, and

means for transferring candies from the outside of said housing into said housing at said first station for transport to said second station.

18. The dispenser of claim 17, and wherein said transferring means is releasably secured to said housing.

19. The dispenser of claim 18, and wherein said transferring means comprises a magazine and a transfer barrel and said transfer barrel is mounted on said housing to transfer candies received from said magazine downwardly into said housing and into said turntables.