GB2270907A - Apparatus for storing and dispensing articles - Google Patents

Abstract

Apparatus (1) for storing and dispensing articles arranged in a vertical stack, comprising a cabinet having a base (2), and article, e.g. plate, carrier (6, 10) mounted for up and down movement within the cabinet and a heater (40) mounted beneath the carrier (6, 10). The apparatus further includes vertical guides (15) for guiding articles carried in a vertical stack on the carrier (6, 10) during up and down movement of the latter, the guides (15) being adjustable to adjust their radial spacing from a vertical axis (16) passing through the heater (40). Each guide (15) has a foot portion 18 which is offset outwardly of the guide in 7 relation to the axis 16. <IMAGE>

Description

Apparatus for storing and dispensing articles This invention relates to apparatus for storing and dispensing articles, e.g. crockery articles such as plates, arranged in a vertical stack.

A known device for storing and dispensing a vertical stack of crockery articles is disclosed in GB-A-1596779.

This known device includes a floating carrier for supporting the stack of articles and which is moveable vertically upwards and downwards between an uppermost position which it is intended to adopt when it supports no articles and a lowermost position which it is intended to adopt when it supports a full stack of articles. Adjusting means in the form of vertically disposed tension springs extend between the carrier and the top of the device for adjusting the position of the carrier to maintain the uppermost article in the stack of articles at a predetermined height adjacent the top of the device. This known device includes adjustably mounted vertical guides angularly spaced about a vertical axis for guiding the stack of articles carried on the carrier during up and down movement of the latter.The spacing of the vertical guides from the vertical axis can be adjusted to accommodate vertical stacks having different diameters or transverse dimensions. It would be desirable to provide such a known device with a heater for heating the articles carried in the vertical stack. However, if a heater is positioned at the bottom of the device, the vertical guides, which extend fully to the bottom of the device, would interfere with the heater when the guides are adjusted for small diameter vertical stacks.

Another known device for storing and dispensing a stack of vertical articles is shown in GB-A-1326830. This known device incorporates adjustably positionable vertical guides. However, these guides also extend fully to the bottom of the device and render it difficult for an article heater to be positioned at the bottom of the device when the guides are adjusted for use with a small diameter vertical stack of articles.

Another known article storing and dispensing device is shown in US-A-3033633. This known self-levelling dispensing device incorporates a heater positioned at the bottom of the device. However, no adjustable vertical guides are described for enabling the device to be adjusted to accommodate differently sized article stacks.

The present invention seeks to provide improved apparatus for storing and dispensing articles arranged in a vertical stack, the device having an article heater and being adjustable for use with vertical stacks of different transverse dimensions.

According to the present invention there is provided apparatus for storing and dispensing articles arranged in a vertical stack, comprising a cabinet having a ' base, a carrier for carrying articles and mounted for up and down movement within the cabinet, the cabinet having a top opening for removing articles carried by the carrier, and a heater mounted beneath the carrier, wherein the apparatus further comprises ajustably mounted vertical guides angularly spaced about a vertical axis which passes through said heater, the guides serving to guide articles carried in a vertical stack on the carrier during up and down movement of the latter, each vertical guide having a vertical guide surface parallel to said vertical axis and a foot which is offset from its associated vertical guide surface and is positioned radially outwardly of the heater relative to the vertical axis, the bottom of each of said vertical guide surfaces being positioned above the top of the heater and each vertical guide being adjustable to adjust the spacing of its vertical guide surface from said vertical axis.

By providing each vertical guide with a foot offset from the vertical guide surface, it is possible to position the vertical guide surface above, and radially inwardly of, the radially outer extremity of the heater. Thus the heater does not interfere with the vertical guide surfaces of the vertical guides when the latter are positioned for accommodating small diameter vertical stacks.

Conveniently each vertical guide is mounted on the device at its lower and upper ends by, respectively, a lower axle part forming the, or part of the, foot and an upper axle part, the upper and lower axle parts sharing a turning axis disposed parallel to, and spaced from, the vertical guide surface, each vertical guide being turnable about its associated turning axis for adjusting the radial spacing of the vertical guide surface from the said vertical axis.

Preferably the lower axle part is mounted in said base and the upper axle part is mounted in a top panel of the apparatus.

Preferably each vertical guide has associated therewith a plurality of first engaging means circumferentially spaced apart from each other in an arc centred on the turning axis and second engaging means, the first and second engaging means being interengageable with each other in selected, adjusted positions on turning of the vertical guide about its turning axis into selected positions, one of said first and second engaging means being fixed to the vertical guide'and the other of said first and second engaging means being fixed relative to the turnable vertical guide. Conveniently, the first engaging means comprise a series of holes formed, for example, in the base of the cabinet.In this case, the second engaging means comprises a pin fixed relative to the foot, spaced from the turning axis and interengageable in a selected one of the series of holes, the vertical guide being vertically moveable upwards, to enable the pin to be lifted out of the selected hole, and subsequently the turnable and then lowerable so that the pin enters a different hole.

Conveniently, each vertical guide includes spring means urging the vertical guide into its lowermost vertical position.

Conveniently the heater comprises a fan heater, for example of the type described in GB-A-1598333.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of apparatus according to the invention for storing and dispensing a vertical stack of articles: Figure 2 is a schematic view of part of the apparatus shown in Figure 1 illustrating adjustable vertical guides of the apparatus; Figure 3 is a detail of the apparatus shown in Figures 1 and 2 and illustrating an upper mounting of one of the vertical guides; and Figures 4a and 4b are details showing a foot of one of the vertical guides of the apparatus shown in Figures 1 and 2.

The Figures show an apparatus, generally designated 1, for storing and dispensing a vertical stack of articles (not shown), such as plates or other crockery articles. The apparatus 1 comprises a thermally insulated cabinet having a base 2, side walls 3 and a top panel 4 with a circular opening 5 therein. A rectangular, horizontally disposed, floating platform 6 is suspended by a plurality of tension springs 8 releasably attached, at their upper ends, to upper spring retaining elements 7 at the top of the cabinet and, at their lower ends, to lower spring retaining elements 9 fixed around the periphery of the floating platform 6. An article supporting plate 10 is supported on the platform 6 via the intermediary of compression spring means 11, for example in the form of a coil spring. A vertical stack (not shown) of articles, e.g. plates, is intended in use of the apparatus to be supported on the plate 10.

Four vertical guide rods 15 are at least approximately equally angularly spaced apart about a vertical axis 16. Each vertical guide rod comprises a turned over, downwardly extending upper end Fart having a vertical axle part 17, a lower foot comprising a downwardly extending lower vertical axle part 18, and an intermediate vertical guide part 1 providing a vertical guide surface.

Each pair of axle parts 17 and 18 are aligned about a separate turning axis 20 which is spaced from the intermediate vertical guide part 19. The upper vertical axle part 17 is turnably received in a hole 22 formed in the top panel 4. The lower vertical axle part 18 is turnably received in a further hole 23 formed in the base 2. By turning each vertical guide rod 15 about the turning axis 20, the radial spacing of the intermediate vertical guide part 19 from the vertical axis 16 can be adjusted.

The lower vertical axle part 18 defines a foot offset from the vertical guide surface of the intermediate guide part 19. Attached to the lower vertical axle part 18 is a retaining lug 25 which is disposed diametrically opposite the vertical guide part 19 and which lies in a common axial plane containing the vertical guide part 19 and the turning axis 20. The retaining lug 25 has a downwardly extending retaining pin 26 parallel to, and radially spaced from, the turning axis 20. The retaining pin 26 is received in one of a number of circumferentially spaced apart holes 27 disposed arcuately in the base 2 about the hole 23. Each vertical guide rod 15 can be lifted so as to move the pin 26 out of the selected hole 27. The vertical guide rod 15 can then be turned about the turning axis 20 and the retaining pin 26 re-positioned in a different selected hole 27.By adjusting the angular positions of the vertical guide rods 15 in this manner, the radial positions of the vertical guide surfaces of the intermediate vertical- guide parts 19 can be adjustably positioned to accommodate stacks of articles having different transverse dimensions. The upper mounting of the upper vertical axle part 17 is shown in more detail in Figure 3 from which it can be seen that a spring 30 is positioned between the underside of the top panel 4 and a washer 31 held on the end of the vertical guide rod 15 by a nut 32. The spring 30 serves to urge the vertical guide rod 15 downwardly but permits vertical upward movement of the guide rod.

A heater 40, e.g. a fan heater of the type described in GB-A-1598333, is mounted on the base 2 beneath the floating platform 6. Ideally the heater 40 is centrally mounted relative to the vertical axis 16 which passes through the heater.

As can be seen in Figures 1 and 2, the lower vertical axle part 18 of each vertical guide rod 15 is positioned radially outwardly of the heater 40. However, the vertical guide surface of the intermediate vertical guide part 19 can be positioned above, and radially inwardly of, the heater 40. Thus, the vertical guide rods 15 can be adjusted to accommodate and provide guiding surfaces for vertical stacks of articles having radial or transverse dimensions which are relatively small compared with the width of the heater 40.

Thus by providing each vertical guide rod 15 with an offset foot, the guide rods can be turned about their turning axes 20 so that the apparatus can be adjusted to accommodate stacks of different transverse dimensions. The adjustment of each vertical guide rod 15 is simple and effective and the guide rods do not interfere with the heater 40 even when adjusted to guide small diameter article stacks since the effective vertical guide surface of each guide rod 15 terminates above the fan heater 40 and is movable over the fan heater without interfering with the latter.

Claims (1)

1. Apparatus for storing and dispensing articles arranged in a vertical stack, comprising a cabinet having a base, a carrier for carrying articles and mounted for up and down movement within the cabinet, the cabinet having a top opening for removing articles carried by the carrier, and a heater mounted beneath the carrier, wherein the apparatus further comprises ajustably mounted vertical guides angularly spaced about a vertical axis which passes through said heater, the guides serving to guide articles carried in a vertical stack on the carrier during up and down movement of the latter, each vertical guide having a vertical guide surface parallel to said vertical axis and a foot which is offset from its associated vertical guide surface and is positioned radially outwardly of the heater relative to the vertical axis, the bottom of each of said vertical guide surfaces being positioned above the top of the heater and each vertical guide being adjustable to adjust the spacing of its vertical guide surface from said vertical axis.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which each vertical guide is mounted on the device at its lower and upper ends by, respectively, a lower axle part forming the, or part of the, foot and an upper axle part, the upper and lower axle parts sharing a turning axis disposed parallel to, and spaced from, the vertical guide surface, each vertical guide being turnable about its associated turning axis for adjusting the radial spacing of the vertical guide surface from the said vertical axis.

2. Apparatus according to claim 2, in which the lower axle part is mounted in said base and the upper axle part is mounted in a top panel of the apparatus.

4. Apparatus according to claims 2 or 3, in which each vertical guide has associated therewith a plurality of first engaging means circumferentially spaced apart from each other in an arc centred on the turning axis and second engaging means, the first and second engaging means being interengageable with each other in selected, adjusted positions on turning of the vertical guide about its turning axis into selected positions, one of said first and second engaging means being fixed to the vertical guide and the other of said first and second engaging means being fixed relative to the turnable vertical guide.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4, in which the first engaging means comprise a series of holes.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5, in which the holes are formed in the base of the cabinet.

7. Apparatus according to claim 5 or 6, which the second engaging means comprises a pin fixed relative to the foot, spaced from the turning axis and interengageable in a selected one of the series of holes, the vertical guide being vertically moveable upwards, to enable the pin to be lifted out of the selected hole, and subsequently to be turnable and then lowerable so that the pin enters a different hole.

8. Apparatus according to claim 7, in which each vertical guide includes spring means urging the vertical guide into its lowermost vertical position.

9. Apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, in which the heater comprises a fan heater.

10. Apparatus for storing and disposing articles constructed and arranged substantially as herein described with reference to, and as illustrated in, Figures 1 to 3, 4A and 4B of the accompanying drawings.