EP3478602A2

EP3478602A2 - Distributor of irregularly shaped cylindrical products and their extraction procedure

Info

Publication number: EP3478602A2
Application number: EP17891685.4A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Sorin Petru Popa
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2016-07-01
Filing date: 2017-06-27
Publication date: 2019-05-08
Also published as: EP3478602A4; WO2018132027A2; RO131494A3; RO131494B1; WO2018132027A3; RO131494A0

Abstract

The invention relates to a process and a dispenser to be mounted on the wall, for the distribution of individual, non-uniform cylindrical products, similar in shape but irregular, such as cotton buds for ear cleaning, intended for use in a personal bathroom or in public places such as at the hairdresser's and barber's, in medical consulting rooms in polyclinics or hospitals, in public toilets, in hotel or hospital bathrooms or the like. According to the process, when pressing button (7), the pusher / puller is actuated (8) by the spring (9) which compresses and actuates the pusher / puller (8) that pushes the bud from the seat (4) and thus the first product (2.1), will move to the area of channel (5) and in the maximum displacement position of the button (7), the product (2.1) will fall through the channel (5), will slip through the slot (6) and will reach the supports (10) ready to be picked up by the user, and the cycle can be resumed as needed. The assembly of the device for the individual extraction of small products, for the implementation of such a process, is composed of a tank (1) specially built for the form of irregularly shaped cylindrical products (2) and a subassembly (3) which contains at the top a seat (4) for a single product, laterally a channel (5) for the falling of the product, at the bottom a slot (6) for the exit and sliding of the product and a driving system for extracting one product at a time, consisting of an operating button (7), attached to a pusher / puller (8), a spring (9) and the supports (10) for the positioning of the bud extracted. When the button is pressed, one of the products in the tank will descend to the lower area where it can be grasped and used.

Description

DISTRIBUTOR OF IRREGULARLY SHAPED CYLINDRICAL PRODUCTS

AND THEIR EXTRACTION PROCEDURE

The invention relates to a dispenser/distributor of small products of cylindrical irregular form such as cotton buds for ear cleaning and a procedure for their extraction, the wall-mounted distributor, that can be used in the personal bathroom or in public places such as at the hairdresser's and barber's, in medical consulting rooms in polyclinics or hospitals, in public toilets, in hotel or hospital bathrooms or the like.

Background of the invention:

Nowadays, there are various devices for dosing/distributing different products, conceived for a multitude of products of different shapes.

One of the best known and used is the saccharine dispenser: by pressing the lid, a pill slips into a trough and exits through a bottom opening, in a part of the dispenser body. It is a small device but it has the disadvantage that it cannot be used for products of cylindrical shape, all the more so for those with irregular shape.

A product dispenser consisting of a base support with a spring for driving products discharged from a tank by pressing a button is known from the document US 200310024939 Al .

There is also known a dispenser according to U.S. patent 4998644 that distributes toothpicks by pressing them out lengthwise. It is quite difficult to use the system because of the risk that the products could become entangled in the space for a single product, thus blocking the system. We also know the "Article dispensing apparatus" in accordance with US 6425495/ July 2002 patent, according to which various articles stored in a container, can be accessed through various movements of a lid with a figurine, lifting, storing, or picking articles. The disadvantage of this dispenser is that it is very complex from a constructive point of view and requires many maneuvers, which leads to a lack of ease of use and its exposure to more frequent failures. Another well-known equipment is a cigarette vending machine in accordance with the US patent 5450980, but this is a complex device used for sales of different brands of cigarettes, which involves the selection of cigarettes according to the brand and their distribution against payment. Also, we know "The coin operated automated machine that dispenses individual items, such as cigarettes, candy" according to patent ROl 10998. The invention relates to a coin operated machine intended for the distribution of cigarettes, candies, etc., of similar products, by piece, used in particular for the sale of such products in public places. The coin operated automated machine consists of an electronic counter which gives commands to a mechanism step by step, after the introduction of the appropriate number of coins, which causes the two relays disposed on the front and the rear walls of the automated machine to attract each other (to connect). By means of the articulated levers and limiters, the relays perform the automatic release of the product and its free fall into a channel. At the same time, through a contact, the assembly is reset and the relays are released, and brought back to their original positions, while the product line falls one step. Given the fact that it is a large and automatic distributor, it has the disadvantage of a complicated and expensive construction that consumes electricity, designed to be used in public spaces, public houses, fixed areas for coin based use, so it does not allow its presence at any consumer's table.

Another known device is that used for the distribution of toothpicks which also has a small reservoir where the toothpicks are held and an opening through which toothpicks can be extracted manually after overturning and shaking the device. The disadvantage is that several toothpicks may be present at the opening, that can become clogged, and others toothpicks can be touched when extracting one.

To the same end, to distribute products of cylindrical shape for example sticks, cigarettes or other thin cylindrical objects, there are well known devices called dispensers or distributors. Thus, we know the device under patent number 4998644 of. March 12, L991 and a device for the distribution (dosing) of cigarettes under number 2562666 of July 31, 1951 both from the USA. There is also the applicant's patent ROl 23262 Bl/January 15, 2008, relating to a device for cylindrical thin products, which consists of a product ejection subassembly composed of two components, a base and a movable part, containing a product tank of a specially designed shape and a product driving system, a spindle with pinch roller and gear driving and sliding on the rack where, when activating the movable sub-assembly of the device, one of the products contained in the tank is driven by the pinch roller and is ejected through the ejection port outside.

The technical problem that the invention proposes to solve consists in maintaining products compact and free from accidental touching and releasing them one at a time, given that ear cleaning buds have cotton wool of different dimensions and the structure of the wool determines their grasping, through a manual operation with a lightweight, small, mobile, reliable, simple device, easy to use and easy to put on the wall, which allows the user, without the use of added elements (coins, tokens, etc.) to have it close at hand, anytime, in the bathroom, public toilets, hotel bathrooms, medical consulting rooms, etc., on the wall, because it is not bulky (such as existing boxes) and which, just by pressing a button, in a simple and convenient way, provides a hygienic bud without opening the packaging and without subjecting the other buds to the outside environment such as dust, moisture or even viruses, therefore in conditions of maximum hygienic protection.

The solution to this problem is that the dispenser made according to the procedure is provided with an ejection system of only one product at a time from a removable reservoir subassembly located above an extraction-driving subassembly, comprising a seat on which the first product is located, a button, a spring and a pusher, which together act on the first product pushing it into the channel and which, through an exit slot, reaches some supports at the user's fingertips.

The dispenser of thin products of irregular cylindrical shape, according to the invention, overcomes the drawbacks presented above in that it has a lightweight construction, being a small device made of plastic injection material, inexpensive and reliable, easy to achieve and multiply, made of two components, a product tank subassembly and an assembly for the individual extraction of thin irregular cylindrical products, capable of extracting from the package of cylindrical products a product of irregular cylindrical shape and of placing it outside the package so that it can be grasped by the hand, at the user's fingertips, designed by applying the method of individual release of an object of irregular cylindrical shape, at a single push of the button of the device, so that upon its release the product is ejected in such a way as it can be taken by hand, without touching the other similar items in the device. Through the application of the process and the dispenser (device) according to the invention, the problems in the background of the invention are solved, the disadvantages mentioned above are overcome and the following advantages of the device according to the invention are obtained:

- a dispenser of thin products of cylindrical irregular form is made available, which allows the use of the products without unpacking the package and the unaltered preservation of the products remaining in the package, in better septic conditions unlike those offered by the unpacked package:

-a dispenser which allows extraction and obtaining a product in safe hygienic conditions is made available.

- a dispenser which is a simple and efficient device, which allows for the extraction of a product from the tank, convenient and at the consumer's fingertips is made available:

- a dispenser which is easy to maneuver by actuating a button or lever by a single movement is made available:

- a dispenser which is a device of a simple construction, a small and light (lightweight) device is made available:

- a dispenser with a simple and inexpensive construction is made available;

- a dispenser which is made of plastic material by the method of injecting the component parts and then bonding them, therefore cheap, eas to achieve and multiply by industrial means is made available.

A first embodiment of the invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1-3 which represent:

Fig 1 Front, side and top view of the dispenser assembly;

Fig 2 AA section through the dispenser;

Fig 3. The kinematic scheme.

The invention will be explained for an embodiment, namely a wall-mounted dispenser designed to extract and distribute small, cylindrical irregular, thin and similar products, one by one, such as hygienic buds for ear cleaning according to the invention, dispenser shown in an overall view in Figures 1, 2, 3 and conceived in the form of an assembly composed through the joining of two detachable subassemblies, a tank 1 containing the products and a driving subassembly 3.

An embodiment of the dispenser, according to the invention, presented in Fig.l and Fig.2, is a wall mounted device consisting of a subassembly of parallelepiped shape - a tank (1) made of transparent material, specially built for the form of irregularly shaped cylindrical products (2), the tank that keeps the products one above the other on a row so that they are arranged in a single row, vertically, that has a bottom opening designed to allow the passage of only one product, only a single cotton bud, and a subassembly (3), which contains at the top a seat (4) for a single product, delimited at the bottom by the casing of the spring, laterally (on the left side) by a channel (5) for the failing of the product, a slot (6) at the bottom for the exit and sliding of the product and a driving system for extracting one product at a time, consisting of an operating button (7), attached to a pusher (8), which is an integral part of button (7), a spring (9) and the supports (10) for the positioning of the bud extracted from the device.

The process according to the invention is explained in relation to the kinematics of the system which is disclosed in Fig. 3, namely 3.1, 3.2, 3.3.

As shown in Figure 3.1, at the beginning of the process, tank (1) is full of products (2), placed one above the other and the first product 2.1 is positioned in subassembly (3) in seat (4), both channel (5) and the slot (6) being empty, and the operating button (7) not being pressed, the pusher (8) is in the rest position, to the right, spring (9) is relaxed, and there is no product on the supports (10), and the driving system is in the rest position.

When pressing button (7), according to Fig.3.2, the pusher (8) is operated by compressing the spring (9); the pusher will block the opening at the bottom of tank (1) and will push the bud from seat (4) and thus, the first product 2.1 existing in seat (4) of the dispenser will move to the left, to the area of channel (5) and in the maximum displacement position of the button (7), the product (2.1) will fall through the channel (5), will slip through the slot (6) and will reach the supports (10), ready to be picked up by the user.

On releasing button (7), according to Fig.3.3, spring (9) relaxes, pushing button (7) in its initial position, releasing the opening at the bottom of tank (1), through which the next product 2.2 will fall in seat (4) in the place of the first product, after which all products 2.2 - 2.n, from tank 1, will descend one position, and the extracted product 2.1 will be on the supports (10) ready to be picked up by the user.

The extraction is made one product at a time, every time the button is pressed, until there is no product left in the tank.

This is possible due to the shape and location of the two components, tank (1) in relation to the subassembly (3) which contains the driving system.

The operation can be repeated as many times as we want until the products in the tank have finished, without any negative effect of products depletion on the operation of the components or products.

The component parts of the dispenser can be made of plastic and therefore the production costs can be extremely low. The pieces are made by injection molding, and for each piece one mold for plastic injection will be made.

In another embodiment, each product can be extracted by pulling it, channel (5) being placed in front of the device and the product being pulled into the channel when the button is pressed.

The dispenser, according to the invention, in another embodiment, is a wall mounted device consisting of a subassembly of parallelepiped shape - a tank (1) made of transparent material, specially built for the size of irregularly shaped cylindrical products (2), the tank that keeps the products one above the other on a row so that they are arranged in a single row, vertically, that has a bottom opening designed to allow the passage of only one product, only a single cotton bud, and a subassembly (3) which contains at the top a seat (4) for a single product, delimited at the bottom by the casing of the spring, in front of the dispenser, a channel (5) for the falling of the product, at the bottom a slot (6) for the exit and sliding of the product and a driving system, for extracting one product at a time, consisting of an operating button (7), attached to a puller (8), which is an integral part of button (7), a spring (9) and the supports (10) for the positioning of the bud extracted from the dispenser; when the button is pressed, the product is pulled into the channel.

Claims

1. Dispenser of products of cylindrical irregular form, to be mounted on the wall, equipped with a system for the extraction of a single product at a time characterized in that it contains a detachable tank (1), made of transparent material, specially built for the form of irregularly shaped cylindrical products (2), which are to be extracted, built in a parallelepiped shape, tank that keeps the products one above the other on a row, vertically, so that the buds are aligned from top to bottom, that has a bottom opening through which only one product can pass to a subassembly (3), allowing the extraction of only one product, at a time, by pulling or pushing, subassembly (3) which contains at the top a seat (4) for a single product, delimited at the bottom by the casing of the spring, laterally, by a channel (5) for the falling of the product, at the bottom by a slot (6) for the exit and sliding of the product and a driving system, for the extraction of a product, consisting of an operating button (7), attached to a pusher/puller (8), an integral part of button (7), a spring (9) and the supports (10) for the positioning of the extracted bud, to be picked up by the user.

2. Dispenser according to claim 1 characterized by the fact that the tank (1) is specially constructed for the form of irregular shaped cylindrical products (2) which are to be extracted, built in a parallelepiped shape that keeps the products one above the other on a row, vertically, so that the buds are aligned from top to bottom, that has a bottom opening through which only one product can pass, when attaching the tank to a subassembly (3) allowing the extraction of only one product, at a time, by pulling or pushing.

3. Dispenser according to claim 1 characterized by the fact that a driving subassembly (3) is composed of a seat (4) for a single product, laterally a channel (5) for the falling of the product, at the bottom of the subassembly a slot (6) for the exit and sliding of the product, delimited to the right and, respectively, at the front, b a pusher/puller (8), delimited at the bottom by the casing of the spring (9), the next product being above, and a driving system, for the extraction of a product, consisting of an operating button (7), attached to a pusher/puller (8), an integral part of button (7), a spring (9) and the supports (10) for the positioning of the extracted bud, ready for being picked up by the user.

4. Process for extracting a small cylindrical product, irregularly shaped, from a tank (1) made of transparent material, specially built for the form of irregularly shaped cylindrical products (2), arranged in a single row, vertically, one above the other, that has a bottom opening so that only one product can pass through a subassembly (3) which at the top contains a seat (4) for a single product, delimited at the bottom by the casing of the spring, laterally a channel (5) for the falling of the product, at the bottom a slot (6) for the exit and sliding of the product and a driving system, for the extraction of a product, consisting of an operating button (7), attached to a pusher / puller (8), an integral part of button (7), a spring (9) and the supports (10) for the positioning of the bud extracted, characterized by the fact that when pressing button (7), the pusher / puller is actuated (8) by compressing the spring (9) and it (8) pushes the product (the bud) from the seat (4) of the dispenser where it is located, from the moment the tank is attached, the first product (2.1), that moves towards the channel area (5) and in the maximum displacement position of the button (7), the product (2.1) falls through the channel (5), slips through the slot (6) and reaches the supports (10) ready to be taken by the user, after which, on releasing the button (7) and returning to its initial position, according to Fig.3.3, spring (9) relaxes, releasing the opening at the bottom of the tank (1), through which the next product (2.2) falls into seat (4) in the place of the first product, after which all products (2.2 - 2.n), from tank (1), will descend one position, while the extracted product (2.1) will be on the supports (10) ready to be taken over by the user.