US2979230A

US2979230A - Tablet dispenser

Info

Publication number: US2979230A
Application number: US683491A
Authority: US
Inventors: George H Calverley
Original assignee: WHITMAN PUBLISHING CO
Current assignee: WHITMAN PUBLISHING CO
Priority date: 1957-09-12
Filing date: 1957-09-12
Publication date: 1961-04-11
Anticipated expiration: 1978-04-11

Description

April 1961 G. H. CALVERLEY 2,979,230

TABLET DISPENSER Filed Sept. 12, 1957 i, /Z i 3Q 45 20 INVENTOR.

(ET-E0265 634405246) BY 7% ATM,MLQ -MJM United States Pa e dice TABLET DISPENSER George H. Calverley, Racine, Wis., assignor to Whitman Publishing Company, Racine, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Filed Sept. 12, 1957, Ser. No. 683,491

2 Claims. (Cl. 221-186) This invention relates to a tablet dispenser operated by rotation of the tablet storage chamber. I

The articles to be dispensed may be of any desired type or for any desired purpose. The invention will be disclosed from the standpoint of an illustrative embodiment in which the dispensed articles are countersused in playing the game of bingo. These counters comprise small tablets of generally cylindrical outline having characters embossed or printed on them.

The tablets are stored in a chamber having the form of a cup which is filled to any desired level with the counters and is then closed by frictional application of a disc which is pivoted on a base member and provided with dispensing openings to receive counters from the inverted cup and to pass these individually beneath a fixed battle for discharging into a receiving pocket with which the base is provided, the dispensing being controlled by rotation of the cup itself, and the rotation of the cup being communicated frictionally to the closure disc which is swiveled on the base.

The battle is a member fixed to the post of the base on which the disc remains in unitary connection with the base and the battle when the cup is withdrawn for refilling. A flange on the base at least partially encircles the rim of the inverted cup when the device is in use, and the receiving pocket desirably comprises a channel molded into the base and extending from a point beneath the disc downwardly to a terminus at which the dispensed article is exposed to be picked up by the operator.

All of the parts are desirably made of plastic to make a lightweight, conveniently used game'implement.-

In the drawings:

tive.

Fig. 1 is a view of the complete dispenser in perspec- Patented 'Apr. 1 1, 1961 tion of a bafiie and a retainer which holds the disc 16 on its post 15. The member 25 varies in cross section and thickness, being thickest directly above the discharge chute 14. Its rear end portion 26 is generally triangular in cross section as shown in Fig. 4, its edges 27 being relatively sharp and wiping the upper surface of the disc or rotor 16 so that the tablets finding their way into the openings 18 of the disc will not become wedged against the bafiie but will be assisted to level themselves in the openings 18, where they will temporarily be supported on the horizontal partition wall 12. As a further means of preventing any wedging', the surfaces of the ring 16 in the openings 18 are so designed, as best shown in Figs. 4 and 6, as to provide an annular tablet-confining band at 28 to which the surfaces converge both downwardly and upwardly as indicated at 29 and 30. The band 28 is only very slightly larger in diameter than the tablets to be dispensed.

The end portion 32 of baffie 25 which lies above the dispensing chute 14 is wide enough to substantially cover successive openings 18 as they are rotated into registration with the chute. This prevents any of the superimposed tablets from finding their way into the chute. They can reach the chute only by becoming lodged in one of the openings 18 and being carried by rotation of disc 16 into registry with the chute, whereupon the tablet Fig. 2 is a view in perspective showing the'base and the 1 Fig. 6 is a fragmentary detail view taken in section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

The base 10 comprises integrally a side wall 11 provided at an intermediate height with a generally horizontal partition 12. The base is generally cylindrical except as extended at 13 to provide a dispensing chute 14 extending radially from a point near the center.

Extending upwardly above partition 12 as a unitary integrally molded part of the base 10 is a pivot post 15 upon which the dispensing disc 16 is rotatably mounted. The disc has openings 18 extending through it. As best shown in Fig. 6, these openings are approximately equal in width to the chute 14. Both the openings and the chute are made sufiiciently'wide to pass freely the counters or tablets 20 which comprise the articles to be dispensed. Mounted on the reduced upper extremity of the pivot falls through into the chute and lodges in the lower end thereof as shown in. Fig. 5. The end 32 of the baffle is convexly rounded rather than being triangular in cross section. a The form clearly appears in Fig. 2.

It will be observed that the diameterv of the disc 161is materially less than the internal diameterof wall 11 of the base. The annular slot thus provided receives the mouth 33 of the cup-shaped receptacle 34, the dimensions of the mouth of the receptacle being such that-the disc 16 is engaged with a fairly close frictional fit in the mouth of the receptacle.

When the receptacle is inverted as shown in Fig. 2, the counters or tablets 20 may be placed therein to any desired number within the capacity of the receptacle. Thereupon the entire base is inverted over the receptacle and the disc 16 telescoped into the mouthp'ortioh 33 of the receptacle. Thereupon the dispenser, now fully assembled, is turned right side up as shown in Fig. 1, whereupon the entire receptacle 34 is used as a handle for the rotation of disc 16 to dispense successive counters or tablets 20.

If desired, the entire dispenser may be shaken by the operator to mix the tablets thoroughly before the dis- When the cup 34 is rotated for the purpose offeeding;

successive tablets to the chute 14, the baffie 25 does not partake of such rotation. Its hub portion 35 is fixed on thecenter post 15 of the base either by adhesive or by the knurling of the post as indicated at 36 in Fig. 5.

Consequently, as the disc 16 is moved by the cup, any tablets wholly or partially engaged in the openings 18 are caused to pass either under or over the bafiie. If a tablet is engaged at an oblique angle in one of the openings; itwill be cammed upwardly by the sharp edge 27 of the portion 26 of the bathe if the forward edge of the tablet is high, and it will be cammed downwardly into the plane of the disc if the trailing portion of the tablet is high. The

beveled surfaces

29 and 30 of the disc cooperate with the fixed baffle to cam the tablets either upwardly or downwardly and to prevent them from sticking in the disc openings as they might do if these openings were entirely cylindrical. Due to the camming surfaces of the battle and disc, there is no sticking and the disc rotates smoothly and without substantial perceptible resistance as the tablets adjust themselves. Seldom, if ever, does any opening arrive in registration with the discharge chute without having within it a tablet for delivery into the chute, provided only that a sutficient number of tablets remain within the cup.

I claim:

1. In a device for dispensing flat round tablets, the combination with a base provided with a horizontal wall and with a chute opening downwardly and laterally from the wall and with a post projecting upwardly from the wall adjacent the chute and having a bearing portion and an anchor portion, of a rotor rotatable upon the wall and in bearing engagement with the bearing portion of the post, the rotor being provided with at least one aperture of a length and diameter substantially corresponding to the thickness and diameter of the tablet to be dispensed and so positioned radially of the post as to be registrable with said chute in the course of rotor rotation for the discharge of a tablet fitting the aperture, baffle means mounted on the anchorage portion of the post above the rotor and extending over the chute, the battle means holding the rotor unitarily to the base and also precluding delivery through the chute of any tablet which does not pass beneath the baffie in an aperture of the rotor, and a tablet container connected with the rotor and constituting a handle for effecting rotation of the rotor and also supplying tablets for reception into the rotor aperture to be moved thereby into registry with the chute for discharge through the chute, the container comprising an inverted cup having a mouth portion in frictional telescopic connection with the rotor and freely detachable therefrom for loading with tablets, the baffle extending diametrically across the rotor, the portion overlying the chute being convexly rounded in cross section, and the portion diametrically opposite the chute having relatively flat camming surfaces terminating in sharp edges in substantial face contact with the rotor, the rotor having beveled surfaces about said aperture.

2. In a device for dispensing flat round tablets, the combination with a base provided with a horizontal wall and with a chute opening downwardly and laterally from the wall and with a post projecting upwardly from the wall adjacent the chute and having a bearing portion and an anchor portion, of a rotor rotatable upon the wall and in bearing engagement with the bearing portion of the post, the rotor being provided with at least one aperture of a length and diameter substantially corresponding to the thickness and diameter of the tablet to be dispensed and so positioned radially of the post as to be registrable with said chute in the course of rotor rotation for the discharge of a tablet fitting the aperture, baffle means mounted on the anchorage portion of the post above the rotor and extending over the chute, the bafile means holding the rotor unitarily to the base and also precluding delivery through the chute of any tablet which does not pass beneath the baffle in an aperture of the rotor, and a tablet container connected with the rotor and constituting a handle for effecting rotation of the rotor and also supplying tablets for reception into the rotor aperture to be moved thereby into registry with the chute for discharge through the chute, the rotor comprising a shell having a top wall portion and a peripheral flange and also having an annular depending flange surrounding said aperture, the diameter of the tablet-receiving aperture being defined by an intermediate portion of said flange to which a conically beveled surface extends from the surface of said wall.

References Cited in the file of this patent .UNITED STATES PATENTS 534,361 Courtney Feb. 19, 1895 753,729 Oates Mar. 1, 1904 990,593 Ringland et al. Apr. 25, 1911 1,196,574 Millard Aug. 29, 1916 1,252,121 Jacobs Jan. 1, 1918 2,422,478 Geller et al June 17, 1947 2,494,141 Perrin et al. Jan. 10, 1950 2,543,934 Poskey Mar. 6, 1951 2,606,693 Phillips Aug. 12, 1952 2,664,223 Dobkin Dec. 29, 1953 2,792,227 Auerbach May 14, 1957 2,886,209 Lermer May 12, 1959