GB2309452A

GB2309452A - Apparatus for dispensing and storing goods

Info

Publication number: GB2309452A
Application number: GB9609497A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Patricia Anne Fell
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1996-01-23
Filing date: 1996-05-07
Publication date: 1997-07-30
Also published as: GB9609497D0; EP0959740A1; JP2000503862A; CA2243246A1; AU1451597A; WO1997026812A1; GB9601287D0

Abstract

A gravity fed dispenser for cylindrical articles is disclosed having a circuitous path made by ramps 1. An outlet 4 has a dip 3 by which means articles are pushed up to the outlet by gravity.

Description

APPARATUS FOR DISPENSING AND STORING OF GOODS This invention relates to apparatus, eg cabinet for housing multi-layered stock and dispensing and storing of stock. In particular examples, the invention can be embodied in display cabinets for retail use by the self-service retail shops, eg supermarkets etc.

Normally, cylindrical tins/cans stocked by self service retailers or others are arranged on shelves for their customers to remove and place in their baskets etc.

A conventional arrangement is piled one on top of the other or left stacked in the packaging with the polythene removed, and each stack takes up a substantial width and depth on a supermarket shelf. The depth that is practical to provide is limited to the hand-reach of a customer.

The conventional arrangement of stacking shelves can waste much time and space.

There is also known a special dispenser for goods such as 'Polo' mint cylinders from a cartridge mechanical device in which the stock of goods falls downwards when one of them is removed. However, such devices often rely on the customer pulling open a drawer to remove the next goods in line and are usually coin operated. In further known dispensers of such products, the goods are arranged in a cartridge and fall towards a dispensing point where they can be removed one after another by a customer or customers.

Also known is a can dispensing rack suitable for a domestic setting, which can be placed on a kitchen refrigerator or table or worktop, with a pair of sloping rails and retaining sidewalls, for containing about ten soft-drink cans and as each one is removed at the front, the rest roll along to present the next one for removal at a desired time.

Also known are the electrically-charged dispensing apparatus, such as coin operated soft drink machines.

There remains a need for improved apparatus to facilitate multi-layered stacking and dispensing of cylindrically shaped goods such as tin cans in food stores.

According to the present invention there is provided an apparatus eg a cabinet, housing a multi-layered stacking and dispensing device that presents one or more of the goods for a customer to take, in such a way that when the presented goods are removed from the apparatus by a customer, a replacement from the remaining goods within the passageways above are moved into the position previously occupied by the goods so removed by the customer, by a roll-down, roll-up action, whereby another can is located in the apparatus at a presentation point for removal by the next customer. The act of removal by the next customer triggers instant movement of the cans throughout the multi-layered stack by which the remaining cans roll down and the next in line is rolled up again to arrive at the presentation point.The multilayers are partitioned into columns by suitable dividers within the cabinet.

The presentation point of the invention can be arranged in such a way that the motion of a can propelled towards the presentation point in the base guide channel (curvature) is of an upward motion so that the weight of the cans in the curvature will propel the first can forward to the desired point for a customer to extract it by hand. This can be achieved without the need for an electrically powered arrangement.

The apparatus of the invention can be arranged in any of a large range of sizes to suit the size and turnover of the retail shop concerned i.e. table top models or shop floor models.

Examples of the invention are further described non-limitively (and without affecting the generality of the foregoing disclosure) with reference to the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a doored dispensing cabinet in accordance with the invention comprising of a base and upper pan incorporating the special arrangements described therein.

Figure 2 is a cross section on the Fig II-II of Fig I and shows a multi-layered stacking system and illustrates the passageways and curvature leading to the aperture.

Referring to the drawings the cabinet comprises wedges 1 with wedges 1 and/or trays 2 co-operate to create a clear zig-zag passageway for cans to roll along and down through the multi-layered apparatus in to the base guide channel being a curvature 3 leading up to the dispensing aperture 4.

For safety, advertising and for highlightin contents of tins a hinged door 7 may be supplied to each column 5 as illustrated in Fig I.

In order to fill one column 5 the door 7 is opened and first the cans must be emptied through the aperture 4 to part-fill the base guide-channel (curvature) 3, so when the second passageway is full by emptying with a tray of cans or by placing the cans through the front manually on to wedges, these cans will roll down to communicate with the base guide channel 3 and pushes the first can up to the desired point (aperture 3) ready for removal by the customer. The remaining passageways are to be filled in the same manner as the second passageway - the last to be filled must be the one at the top of the apparatus.

The invention extends to modifications and variations of what has been described, such as will be apparent to the skilled reader, and in particular the disclosure extends to all combinations and subcombinations of the features shown and mentioned.

Claims

1 A free standing apparatus for dispensing and storing goods eg for stacking/housing stock in multi-layers above and below the aperture, and dispensing goods of cylindrical shape, that presents one or more of the goods for a customer to take in such a way that when the presented goods are removed from the aperture by a customer, a replacement from the remaining goods held within the passageways are moved into the position previously occupied by the goods so removed by the customer, by a roll-down, roll-up action provided by the curvature of the base guide channel whereby a can/object will be presented at the presentation point for removal by a customer, and the act of removal by the customer triggers movements by which the remaining cans/objects roll down and the next in line is rolled up again to arrive at the presentation point.

2 Apparatus for dispensing and storing goods, as claimed in Claim 1 wherein trays, wedges means are supported by supports provided by a suitable divider which will be used to create separate columns throughout the requested size of the cabinet or enclosure which the stacking device will be housed.