US2006982A - Dispensing mechanism - Google Patents

Description

July 2, 1935. 1.. v. ARONSON 8 DISPENSING MECHANISM Filed Nov. 12, 1950 INVENTOR louis VAmnsm Patented July 2,1935

UNITED STATES aooao'az msrsnsmo miomlmsu' Louis V. Aronson, Newark, N. 1., asslgnor to Art Metal Works, Inc., Newark, N. 1., a corporation of New Jersey Application November 12, 1930, Serial No. 9,083

6 Claims. (Cl. 312-76) In invention relates to a device or mechanism operable for transporting or conveying articles from one region to another.

More particularly, my invention relates to 5 mechanism for dispensing any suitable articles such as ordinary cigarettes, such articles being hereinafter generally termed a -cigarette" or cigarettes.

My invention, in a prominent phase thereof, relates to mechanism for conveying cigarettes one by one from a more or less inaccessible region to one which is readily accessible.

Further advantages, characteristics and features of my invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing.

My invention resides in the dispensing mechanism, the conveying device and the features of construction of the character hereinafter described and claimed.

For an understanding of my invention and for an illustration of one of the many forms thereof, reference isto be had to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view, partly broken away, of dispensing mechanism constructed in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse, vertical sectional view, partly in elevation, of the conveying mechanism shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal, sectional view, partly in elevation, of the dispensing mechanism shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal, sectional view, partly in elevation corresponding generally with Fig. 3 and showing another position of some of the parts.

Referring to the drawing, B represents a base which may be of any suitable character and which is herein shown as comprising a top wall and dependent side walls, the opening defined by said side walls being closed by a member i having a sheet 2 of material such as felt which is suitably secured to the bottom surface thereof whereby the base B may be disposed upon any suitable supporting member, not shown. A base construction of the character just described is desirable because providing a substantially closed compartment or chamber for the reception of operating mechanism of the character hereinafter described.

Upstanding from the base I is a suitable casing or container C which, as herein shown, comprises a substantially vertical front wall 3 and an inclined rear wall 8, said walls 3 and I being Joined by spaced sidewalls disposed preferably in substantially parallel relation. A member 5 forms a readily detachable cover for the casing C and, as shown, said member 5 may constitute a receptacle for the reception 5 of ashes, burnt cigarettes or the like. An inclined member 6 forms the bottom wall of the casing C, said member 6 terminating short of the rear casing wall 4 as shown particularly in Fig. 3, whereby an opening is formed in the 10 casing bottom which extends entirely thereacross. from side wall to side wall.

The bottom wall 6 of the casing C is spaced above the top wall of the base B thereby providing space for a reciprocatory conveyer meml5 ber I which rests on said top wall and is suitably guided for reciprocatory movement, as by the side walls of the casing C. The reciprocatory member I overlies a slot or aperture 8 formed in the top wall of base B, said reciprocatory member I at one end thereof carrying a member 9 which extends downwardly through said slot or aperture 8 and terminates interiorly of the compartment formed by the base B. As shown in Fig. 3, the reciprocatory member I is in its retracted position which, in the example shown, is determined by engagement of the member 9 with an adjacent section of the top wall of base B. The reciprocatory mein- 3 ber 'l is biased into its retracted position as shown in Fig. 3 in any suitable manner, for example, by a helical spring l0, one end of which is connected to a lug depending from the reciprocatory member I and the other end of 35 which. is connected to a lug depending from the top wall of base B.

As shown, the reciprocatory member :1 comprises a top wall which extends transversely of the casing C and which, in efiect, forms a 46 movable bottom wall for said casing C. This top wall of the reciprocatory member i is formed. with a lateral troughv or channel la which, when the reciprocatory member I is in retracted position, is disposed in coincidence with the 45 opening between the rear casing wall 4 and the bottom casing wall 6. Accordingly, with a number of cigarettes A transversely disposed in the casing C, it results that they tend to and do locate themselves in the rear, lower part 5; of said casing C, this action occurring due to the chute-forming relation of the inclined casing walls I and 6. Accordingly, when the receprocatory member 1 is in its retracted position, it follows that one of the cigarettes auto- 58 matically comes to rest in the aforesaid channel 1a of said reciprocatory member I.

The reciprocatory member I is adapted to be moved to extended position such'as shown in Fig. 4 and the arrangement for accomplishing this end may be of any suitable character. As herein shown, there is thus utilized a pair of knobs II and I2, the knob ll being fixed to and upstanding from the base B and the knob l 2 extending through an elongated slot formed in-pne side wall of the casing C and being secured to the adjacent section of the reciprocatory member 1. Accordingly, the operator of the dispensing mechanism may place a forefinger on the knob II and the thumb on the knob l2 to thereby force the knob l2 toward the knob II. In so doing, the reciprocatory member 1 moves from retracted to extended position and as a result of this action, the spring I0 is placed under tension. When the reciprocatory member I is thus moved to extended position, that cigarette A disposed in the channel Ia thereof comes into position exteriorly of the casingb, the other cigarettes remaining in the casing C ready for subsequent removal one by one.

In accordance with my invention, a suitable picker structure is provided to remove the cigarette from the channel la and to carry the same to a readily accessible position. As herein shown although not necessarily, this picker structure simulates the appearance of a bird D, the beak or bill of the bird comprising members i3 and I4 fixed with respect to each other and disposed in suitable converging relation.

The bird D comprises a body section l5 carrying the aforesaid beak or bill, the body section l5 being freely pivoted at It on a structure l I upstanding from the base B and fixed thereto, said structure l'l simulating the legs and feet of the bird D.

To the end that the body section l5 may be pivotally actuated, there is provided a lever i8, one end of which is pivoted at to said body section I 5, the other end of said lever l8 being pivoted to one arm of a bell crank lever 20 in turn pivoted to a member 2| depending from the top wall of base B. The other arm of the bell crank lever 20 has pivoted thereto one end of a link 22 which, at its other end includes an elongated slot 22a through which extends a pin 23 laterally carried by the aforesaid member 8.

The body section 15 comprises a cavity Ila into which the lever l8 extends. The structure ll comprises lower lateral sections llb, I'lb which extend laterally thereof, these lateral sections being engaged, respectively, by lower surfaces [5a of the body section l5 when the bird D is in upright position as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. Engagement of the surfaces l5a with the sections "b, respectively, limits movement in a clockwise direction, Fig. 3, of the body section l5 whereby the latter is prevented from moving clockwise from its normal, upright position although it is freely movable in a counter-clockwise direction, Fig. 3.

The body section i5 of the picker structure is biased to upright position in any suitable manner, for example, as herein disclosed by the utilization of a helical spring 24, one end of which is secured to a lug depending from the top wall of the base B and the other end of which is suitably secured to one arm of the bell crank lever 20, said spring 2! tending to swing the bell crank lever 20 in a clockwise direction, Fig. 3, whereby the body section ll is also biased in a clockwise direction, Fig. 3.

As will be obvious with the form of my invention herein disclosed, the cover 5 is removable from the casing C whereby a number of cigarettes A may be disposed transversely therein. Then, the knob l2 may be shifted toward the knob II to move the conveyer member I from left to right, Fig. 3, whereby a single cigarette A is transported exteriorly of the casing 0. As herein shown, said cigarette A is moved to a position exteriorly' of the casing C before there has been any movement of the body section I. This happens due to the lost motion slot 22a, the cigarette being thus removed from the casing C while the pin 23 travels from one end of said slot 22a to the other end thereof. However, at about the time that the cigarette comes to rest exteriorly of said casing, the pin 23 comes to the end of the slot 22a and thereafter, during continued movement of the conveyer member 1, the link 22 is moved from left to right, Fig. 3. whereby the body section I5 is swung counterclockwise, the members l3 and H on said body section passing freely into a slot lb formed longitudinally in the conveyer member 1. The Just described swinging movement of the body section I 5 occurs more or less suddenly and with a snap-like action whereby the cigarette A is firmly and frictionally held between the members 13 and i4.

Thereafter, upon release of the knob l2, the spring 24 functions to swing the body section I5 to normal upright position, said cigarette A being carried along with and by the members l3 and Hi to position the same in readily accesible position. Release of pressure on the knob l2 also permits expansion of the spring ill whereby the conveyer member I returns to retracted position, another cigarette A automatically coming into the slot 1a thereof. Accordingly, after removal of the cigarette A from between the members l3 and H, the dispensing mechanism is in condition for subsequent operation.

If desirable, the top wall of the base B, to one side of the bird D, may be provided with an aperture receiving a ring 25, Figs. 1 and 2, this ring being adapted to form a support for lighting mechanism of any suitable character. As herein shown although not necessarily, such lighting mechanism is of pyrophoric character and it may be such as is described in my pending application Serial No. 451,257, filed May 10, 1930. Briefly, as described in said application, this pyrophoric lighting mechanism comprises a fuel casing 26 having an upper skirt section 25a adapted to detachably rest upon the upper surface of the ring 25, the fuel casing carrying a pivoted snuifer lever 21 and a depressible member 28, the latter, when depressed, causing pivotal movement of the lever 21 whereby the lighter wick is exposed and sparks, pyrophorically produced, are passed toward the exposed end of said wick.

The provision of pyrophoric lighting mechanism as just described is desirable because the dispensed cigarette may be removed by one hand from the members 13 and i4 and the lighting mechanism operated after removal thereof from the ring 25 by the other hand to produce flame for ignition of said cigarette. It shall be understood, however, that my invention is not to be limited in the respects just noted since the lighting mechanism may be omitted if desired.

While the invention has been described with respect to a certain particular preferred example which gives satisfactory results, it will be understood by those skilled in the art after understanding the invention, that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and it is intended therefore in the appended claims to. cover all such changes and modifications.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination, a casing adapted to contain a plurality of cigarettes, a reciprocatory device beneath said casing, said device serving to convey a cigarette exteriorly of said casing in a direction transversely of the longitudinal axis of said cigarette, and means for removing said cigarette from said member and for elevating it to a dispensing position, said reciprocatory device and said removing means being manually operable in such timed relation that said cigarette is exteriorly of said casing prior to actuation of said removing means.

2. The combination with a base, of a'casing carried by said base and adapted to contain a plurality of cigarettes, said casing having an inclined bottom wall of less length than that of said casing whereby a transverse bottom casing opening is formed, a conveyor reciprocatory on said base below said bottom casing wall and having a transverse channel for the reception of a cigarette, means for moving said conveyor to position said cigarette exteriorly of said casing, a picker structure for elevating said cigarette to dispensing position, link and lever mechanism actuated by said means for operating said picker structure, and means for biasing said conveyor to cigarette-receiving position and said picker structure to elevated position.

3. In combination, a casing adapted to contain a plurality of cigarettes, said casing having a passage for discharging cigarettes therefrom one at a time, means for receiving a cigarette from said casing and for conveying it from said passage in a direction extending transversely of the longitudinal axis of said cigarette, said rettes,

means closing said passage except when in predetermined cigarette-receiving position, picker structure for removing said cigarette from said conveying means and elevating it to dispensing position, and means for operating said conveying means and said plcker'structure in timed relation.

4. In combination, a casing adapted to contain a plurality of cigarettes, a device movable beneath said casing from retracted to dispensing position for conve g a cigarette exteriorly of said casing, from said device and elevating it to a dispensing position, means for operating said device and removing means in timed relation, and means for normally maintaining said device in retracted position and said removing means in elevated position. V 1

5. In combination,-a casing adapted to contain a plurality of cigarettes, a device reciprocatory beneath said casing from retracted to dispensing position for conveying a cigarette exteriorly of said casing means for removing said cigarette from said device and elevating it to a dispensing position, means for operating said device and removing means in timed relation, and means for normally maintaining said device in retracted position and said remeans for removing said cigarette moving means in ,elevated position, the cigaafter removal from said casing, being handled only by said device and said removing means.

6. In combination, a casing adapted to contain a plurality of -cigarettes, a device reciprocatory beneath said-casing from retracted to dispenstng position for conveying a cigarette exteriorly of said casing with the cigarette axis disposed transversely of its path of movement, means for removing said cigarette from said device and elevating it to a dispensing position, means for operating said device and removing means in timed relation, and means for normally maintainingsaid device in retracted position and said removing means in elevated position.

LOUIS V. ARONSON.

CERTIFICATE or CORRECTION. Patent No. 2,006,9824- I July.2, 1935. LOUIS v. ARONSON.

it is hereby certified that error appears in the heading to the printed specification-of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows:

Line 6, for "the serial number 459, 083" read 495,083; and same page, first column, line 1, for, "In" read My; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with tbcse'correczio'ns therein that the same'may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 13th day of August, A. D. 1935.

Leslie Fraier 3 (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents.

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