EP0464005A1 - An automatic dispenser for sweets - Google Patents
An automatic dispenser for sweets Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP0464005A1 EP0464005A1 EP91830262A EP91830262A EP0464005A1 EP 0464005 A1 EP0464005 A1 EP 0464005A1 EP 91830262 A EP91830262 A EP 91830262A EP 91830262 A EP91830262 A EP 91830262A EP 0464005 A1 EP0464005 A1 EP 0464005A1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- rotor
- dispenser
- sweets
- container
- hollow body
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Withdrawn
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Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47F—SPECIAL FURNITURE, FITTINGS, OR ACCESSORIES FOR SHOPS, STOREHOUSES, BARS, RESTAURANTS OR THE LIKE; PAYING COUNTERS
- A47F1/00—Racks for dispensing merchandise; Containers for dispensing merchandise
- A47F1/02—Racks for dispensing merchandise; Containers for dispensing merchandise for granulated or powdered materials, i.e. bulk materials
- A47F1/03—Dispensing means, e.g. with buttons or handles
Definitions
- the present invention relates to an automatic dispenser for sweets, of the type designed for association with a container positioned above.
- the art field of automatic dispensers suitable for sweats, confectionery and similar edible products embraces a type of device consisting substantially in a set of dispensing elements revolving in guides internally of a cylindrical chamber, of which the axis is horizontally disposed, and affording radial pockets into which the sweets drop from a container above through an opening formed in the cylindrical wall of the chamber. The sweets which fall into the pocket are released from the cylindrical chamber by manual rotation of the dispensing element.
- dispensers of the type in question derive substantially from the fact that smooth operation can be guaranteed only when the sweets dispensed exhibit a stable roundish shape with no projecting corners or edges, matched to the size and geometry of the dispensing pockets; otherwise the revolving elements will be likely to jam. Disadvantageously therefore, such a dispenser cannot be utilized for sweets of random shape or of soft consistency, or those likely to deform in any way under the weight of the mass of sweets above, since this would constitute a risk of their jamming in the radial pockets of the dispensing element and preventing its operation.
- the object of the present invention is to eliminate the drawbacks outlined above.
- a dispenser as characterized in the appended claims, which is of the type designed for association with a container of sweets, positioned above, and comprises a rotor buried in the mass of sweets and rotatable about a horizontal axis, and detent means associated with and allowing stepped rotation of the rotor between stable at-rest positions.
- the dispenser further comprises a hollow body positioned above the rotor, of which the lateral surface affords an opening directed toward the rotor in such a way that with each:discrete rotational movement the sweets are able to recede freely into the void encompassed by , the hollow body; thus, a sufficient headspace is provided to accommodate the dimensional bulk of the sweets, the resistance offered to the movement of the rotor by the amassing sweets is minimized, and the sweets are subjected to a more delicate action without becoming defaced or deformed in any way.
- the advantages of the invention consist essentially in the fact that, during the movement of the rotor, the sweets can arrange themselves automatically in the dispenser according both to their shape and size and to the deformability of the substance from which they are confected.
- the dispenser according to the present invention features better regulated operation, free of the risk of jamming, and a widened scope of utilization.
- 1 denotes an automatic dispenser for sweets, in its entirety, of the type designed for attachment to the bottom end of a vertically disposed container 2, and comprising a tubular chamber 3 associated with a connector 4 of conical shape by means of which to effect the attachment to the container 2.
- the tubular chamber 3 houses a rotor 5 with radial vanes 6 invested directly by the mass of sweets, rotatable about an axis 5a disposed transversely to the axis of the container 2 and designed such that a predetermined quantity of sweets will be taken up between two adjacent vanes 6 each time a handle 7 is operated manually to produce the necessary rotation, and ejected subsequently from the dispenser 1.
- the radial vanes 6 of the rotor 5 are fashioned in an elastically deformable material in order to reduce the stress on the sweets during rotation.
- such means 8 comprise a rotating element 9 rigidly associated with the rotor 5 and affording a set of peripheral projections 10 of which at least two, immediately adjacent, are engaged by at least one element denoted 11 whenever the rotor occupies a stable at-rest position; the element 11 in question is shaped so as to match the profile 12 of the two adjacent projections 10, and tensioned elastically, in such a way as to impose a permanent restraint on the angular movement of the rotor 5.
- detent means 5 comprise two such shaped elements 11, associated rotatably with corresponding ends 13a of a pair of parallel levers 13 that are disposed one on either side of the rotor axis 5a and pivotably anchored by the remaining ends 13b to the fixed structure of the dispenser.
- the levers 13 are interconnected by a spring 14 attached at points between the opposite ends 13a and 13b, in such a way that the shaped elements 11 are urged permanently into contact with the rotating element 9.
- the automatic dispenser further comprises a hollow body 15 enveloped by the mass of sweets, positioned above the rotor 5 and supported rigidly from the conical connector 4 by way of relative arms 18, of which the lateral surface 17 affords an opening 16 directed toward the rotor 5; thus, each time the vanes 6 rotate, sweets accumulating between the hollow body 15 and the rotor 5 are able to recede through the opening 16 and gain the interior of the hollow body 15, which affords the space necessary to accommodate their bulk in any eventuality.
- the hollow body 15 is cylindrical and associated with the connector 4 in such a way as to project toward and into the container 2 above.
- the hollow body 15 is by no means indispensable to efficient performance of the invention, especially in the event that the container 2 is not filled to capacity; in this instance, the resulting headspace will enable the sweets to return upwards and thus minimize resistance offered to the rotation of the vanes 6.
Abstract
An automatic dispenser for sweets, attached to the bottom of a container (2), comprises a rotor (5) coupled to a detent mechanism (8) and rotatable about an axis (5a) normal to that of the container; the rotor (5) is buried directly in the mass of sweets and designed to take up and dispense a given quantity with each rotation allowed by the detent.
Description
- The present invention relates to an automatic dispenser for sweets, of the type designed for association with a container positioned above. The art field of automatic dispensers suitable for sweats, confectionery and similar edible products, embraces a type of device consisting substantially in a set of dispensing elements revolving in guides internally of a cylindrical chamber, of which the axis is horizontally disposed, and affording radial pockets into which the sweets drop from a container above through an opening formed in the cylindrical wall of the chamber. The sweets which fall into the pocket are released from the cylindrical chamber by manual rotation of the dispensing element.
- The basic drawbacks encountered with dispensers of the type in question derive substantially from the fact that smooth operation can be guaranteed only when the sweets dispensed exhibit a stable roundish shape with no projecting corners or edges, matched to the size and geometry of the dispensing pockets; otherwise the revolving elements will be likely to jam. Disadvantageously therefore, such a dispenser cannot be utilized for sweets of random shape or of soft consistency, or those likely to deform in any way under the weight of the mass of sweets above, since this would constitute a risk of their jamming in the radial pockets of the dispensing element and preventing its operation.
- Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to eliminate the drawbacks outlined above.
- The stated object is realized in a dispenser as characterized in the appended claims, which is of the type designed for association with a container of sweets, positioned above, and comprises a rotor buried in the mass of sweets and rotatable about a horizontal axis, and detent means associated with and allowing stepped rotation of the rotor between stable at-rest positions.
- According to the invention, the dispenser further comprises a hollow body positioned above the rotor, of which the lateral surface affords an opening directed toward the rotor in such a way that with each:discrete rotational movement the sweets are able to recede freely into the void encompassed by , the hollow body; thus, a sufficient headspace is provided to accommodate the dimensional bulk of the sweets, the resistance offered to the movement of the rotor by the amassing sweets is minimized, and the sweets are subjected to a more delicate action without becoming defaced or deformed in any way.
- The advantages of the invention consist essentially in the fact that, during the movement of the rotor, the sweets can arrange themselves automatically in the dispenser according both to their shape and size and to the deformability of the substance from which they are confected. In short, the dispenser according to the present invention features better regulated operation, free of the risk of jamming, and a widened scope of utilization.
- The invention will now be described in detail, by way of example, with the aid of the accompanying drawings, in which:
- fig 1 and fig 2 are front and side elevations, respectively, showing part of a dispenser embodied . according to the present invention;
- fig 3 shows the invention in plan and on smaller scale, with certain parts omitted better to reveal others;
- figs 4 and 5 are the respective sections through IV-IV and V-V in fig 3.
- In the drawings, 1 denotes an automatic dispenser for sweets, in its entirety, of the type designed for attachment to the bottom end of a vertically disposed
container 2, and comprising atubular chamber 3 associated with aconnector 4 of conical shape by means of which to effect the attachment to thecontainer 2. - According to the invention, the
tubular chamber 3 houses arotor 5 withradial vanes 6 invested directly by the mass of sweets, rotatable about anaxis 5a disposed transversely to the axis of thecontainer 2 and designed such that a predetermined quantity of sweets will be taken up between twoadjacent vanes 6 each time ahandle 7 is operated manually to produce the necessary rotation, and ejected subsequently from the dispenser 1. - Advantageously, the
radial vanes 6 of therotor 5 are fashioned in an elastically deformable material in order to reduce the stress on the sweets during rotation. - 8 denotes detent means by which rotation of the
rotor 5 is restricted to discrete steps. - In a preferred embodiment, illustrated in fig 1, such means 8 comprise a rotating
element 9 rigidly associated with therotor 5 and affording a set ofperipheral projections 10 of which at least two, immediately adjacent, are engaged by at least one element denoted 11 whenever the rotor occupies a stable at-rest position; theelement 11 in question is shaped so as to match theprofile 12 of the twoadjacent projections 10, and tensioned elastically, in such a way as to impose a permanent restraint on the angular movement of therotor 5. - In the preferred example of fig 1, detent means 5 comprise two such
shaped elements 11, associated rotatably withcorresponding ends 13a of a pair ofparallel levers 13 that are disposed one on either side of therotor axis 5a and pivotably anchored by theremaining ends 13b to the fixed structure of the dispenser. Thelevers 13 are interconnected by aspring 14 attached at points between theopposite ends shaped elements 11 are urged permanently into contact with the rotatingelement 9. - The automatic dispenser further comprises a
hollow body 15 enveloped by the mass of sweets, positioned above therotor 5 and supported rigidly from theconical connector 4 by way of relative arms 18, of which thelateral surface 17 affords anopening 16 directed toward therotor 5; thus, each time thevanes 6 rotate, sweets accumulating between thehollow body 15 and therotor 5 are able to recede through theopening 16 and gain the interior of thehollow body 15, which affords the space necessary to accommodate their bulk in any eventuality. - In the preferred example illustrated, the
hollow body 15 is cylindrical and associated with theconnector 4 in such a way as to project toward and into thecontainer 2 above. - The
hollow body 15 is by no means indispensable to efficient performance of the invention, especially in the event that thecontainer 2 is not filled to capacity; in this instance, the resulting headspace will enable the sweets to return upwards and thus minimize resistance offered to the rotation of thevanes 6.
Claims (11)
1) An automatic dispenser for sweets, of the type associated with a container, positioned above, characterized
in that it comprises a rotor (5), rotatable about an axis (5a) disposed transversely in relation to the axis of the container (2) and invested directly by the mass of sweets in an enclosure affording headspace sufficient to allow the sweets to recede upward each time the rotor (5) is operated, and detent means (8) associated with the rotor (5), by which the rotation of the rotor is caused to occur in discrete steps; and
in that with each discrete step, a predetermined quantity of sweets is taken up by the rotor (5) and distanced from the container (2).
in that it comprises a rotor (5), rotatable about an axis (5a) disposed transversely in relation to the axis of the container (2) and invested directly by the mass of sweets in an enclosure affording headspace sufficient to allow the sweets to recede upward each time the rotor (5) is operated, and detent means (8) associated with the rotor (5), by which the rotation of the rotor is caused to occur in discrete steps; and
in that with each discrete step, a predetermined quantity of sweets is taken up by the rotor (5) and distanced from the container (2).
2) A dispenser as in claim 1, comprising a hollow body (15) positioned above the rotor (5) and enveloped by the mass of sweets, of which the lateral surface (17) affords an opening (16) directed toward the rotor (5) in such a way that the sweets occupying the space between the hollow body (15) and the rotor (5) are afforded access to the interior of the hollow body during operation of the rotor.
3) A dispenser as in claim 1, wherein the rotor (5) is embodied with vanes (6) by which the sweets are taken up and distanced from the container.
4) A dispenser as in claim 3, wherein detent means (8) comprise:
- a rotating element (9) rigidly associated with the rotor (5) and exhibiting a plurality of peripheral projections (10);
- at least one shaped element (11) urged elastically into contact with at least two adjacent projections (10) of the rotating element (9) and serving thus to impose a restraint on rotation of the rotor (5).
5) A dispenser as in claim 4, wherein the profile of the shaped element (11) is complementary to the profile (12) of the projections (10).
6) A dispenser as in claim 5, wherein the shaped element (11) is associated rotatably with one end (13a) of a lever (13), of which the remaining end (13b) is pivotably anchored to a fixed part of the dispenser, and tensioned by a spring (14) attached to the lever (13) at a point between the two ends (13a, 13b).
7) A dispenser as in claim 3, wherein the vanes (6) are radially disposed.
8) A dispenser as in claim 3, wherein the vanes (6) are embodied in elastically deformable material.
9) A dispenser as in claim 4, wherein the rotor (5) is accommodated internally of a tubular chamber (3) in which the sweets accumulate.
10) A dispenser as in claim 2, wherein the hollow body (15) projects toward and into the container (2).
11) A dispenser as in claim 2, wherein the hollow body (15) is cylindrical in embodiment.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
IT00356490A IT1242538B (en) | 1990-06-22 | 1990-06-22 | AUTOMATIC CANDY DISPENSER. |
IT356490 | 1990-06-22 |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP0464005A1 true EP0464005A1 (en) | 1992-01-02 |
Family
ID=11109799
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP91830262A Withdrawn EP0464005A1 (en) | 1990-06-22 | 1991-06-14 | An automatic dispenser for sweets |
Country Status (4)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP0464005A1 (en) |
IE (1) | IE912121A1 (en) |
IT (1) | IT1242538B (en) |
PT (1) | PT98056A (en) |
Cited By (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO1997008977A1 (en) * | 1995-09-06 | 1997-03-13 | Erik Strid | A dispenser for sweets |
FR2885120A1 (en) * | 2005-04-29 | 2006-11-03 | Thierry Quezel | Food product e.g. olives, distributing device, has tub with groove receiving lid to assure joint between tub and lid, where tub has axle on which extruded shaped movable pallets are fixed and front part with narrowed arc of circle shape |
Citations (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US1876332A (en) * | 1931-08-03 | 1932-09-06 | Mabey Electric And Mfg Company | Peanut dispensing device |
FR1100544A (en) * | 1954-05-12 | 1955-09-21 | Dispenser for peanuts and all other small items | |
DE1962650A1 (en) * | 1968-12-24 | 1970-07-09 | Combustion Eng | Waste incineration plant |
-
1990
- 1990-06-22 IT IT00356490A patent/IT1242538B/en active IP Right Grant
-
1991
- 1991-06-14 EP EP91830262A patent/EP0464005A1/en not_active Withdrawn
- 1991-06-20 PT PT98056A patent/PT98056A/en not_active Application Discontinuation
- 1991-06-20 IE IE212191A patent/IE912121A1/en unknown
Patent Citations (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US1876332A (en) * | 1931-08-03 | 1932-09-06 | Mabey Electric And Mfg Company | Peanut dispensing device |
FR1100544A (en) * | 1954-05-12 | 1955-09-21 | Dispenser for peanuts and all other small items | |
DE1962650A1 (en) * | 1968-12-24 | 1970-07-09 | Combustion Eng | Waste incineration plant |
Cited By (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO1997008977A1 (en) * | 1995-09-06 | 1997-03-13 | Erik Strid | A dispenser for sweets |
FR2885120A1 (en) * | 2005-04-29 | 2006-11-03 | Thierry Quezel | Food product e.g. olives, distributing device, has tub with groove receiving lid to assure joint between tub and lid, where tub has axle on which extruded shaped movable pallets are fixed and front part with narrowed arc of circle shape |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
IT1242538B (en) | 1994-05-16 |
IT9003564A0 (en) | 1990-06-22 |
PT98056A (en) | 1993-06-30 |
IE912121A1 (en) | 1992-01-01 |
IT9003564A1 (en) | 1991-12-22 |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
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PUAI | Public reference made under article 153(3) epc to a published international application that has entered the european phase |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009012 |
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AK | Designated contracting states |
Kind code of ref document: A1 Designated state(s): BE DE DK ES FR GB GR LU NL |
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STAA | Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent |
Free format text: STATUS: THE APPLICATION IS DEEMED TO BE WITHDRAWN |
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18D | Application deemed to be withdrawn |
Effective date: 19920703 |