Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
  • G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
  • G07F13/00—Coin-freed apparatus for controlling dispensing or fluids, semiliquids or granular material from reservoirs
  • G07F13/10—Coin-freed apparatus for controlling dispensing or fluids, semiliquids or granular material from reservoirs with associated dispensing of containers, e.g. cups or other articles

Definitions

• the present invention refers to a beverage vending machine provided with a cup release device.
• beverage vending machines for dispensing beverages filled into cups, which comprise a movable turret accommodating one or more stacks of cups, as well as devices enabling such cups to be pulled out one at a time, in view to be then filled with a selected beverage.
• These devices are known to exist in a variety of forms and embodiments.
• a very simple one among these embodiments is constituted by a pair of spirals arranged at the base of said turret close to the outlet section of a stack of cups, so as to be able to interact with the upper edge of a cup and cause the latter to be released from the stack through a rotation about the coiling axis thereof.
• a device of such kind has a number of drawbacks.
• One of such drawbacks is for instance due to the fact that the device is not capable of working as efficiently when it is due to release differently sized or shaped cups, or when the clearance or spacing between the upper edges of two successive cups in a stack is not constant. In practice, this may cause two or more stacked cups to be released at the same time, thereby bringing about a situation that may in turn quite easily cause the vending machine to get jammed with a resulting loss in revenues for those who run the vending business.
• a further drawback connected to these devices based on the use of rotating spirals lies in the fact that they make use of the force of gravity for releasing a cup from a stack.
• the stacked cups are provided to already contain the product needed for the preparation of the final beverage, their falling down caused by the action of the spirals entails a partial loss of said products from the cups themselves, so that the resulting spillage scatters all over the vending machine with a diffuse soiling effect.
• Another type of device used to release a cup from a stack is disclosed in the US patent publication No. 4,327,843.
• This device consists of an arm that has its fulcrum on a pivot and is provided of an appropriately shaped end portion cooperating with a kind of jaw to clamp a cup and pull it out of the stack holding it.
• the removal of the cup from the stack occurs by exerting a pulling force upon the same cup until the upper edge thereof causes some movable jutting parts that are provided around the outlet section of the compartment accommodating the stack of cups, and which engage said upper edge in order to support the same stack, to open out apart.
• the cup being so removed from the stack is then dispensed by letting it fall down by gravity upon simply releasing it from the grip of the arm.
• the cup release device disclosed in US 4,327,843 shares the same drawback as the afore-described prior-art device concerning the spillage, and resulting scattering inside the vending machine, of the products that may be possibly held in the stacked cups, when the same cups are so removed from the stack for the preparation of the beverage.
• a further drawback of this device lies in the fact that the movement of the juts supporting the stack of cups is caused and controlled by the displacement of the cup being removed and this by no meaixs ensures that a single cup is actually removed each time.
• a beverage vending machine provided with a cup arelease device, which is effective in ensuring that a single cup at a time is released from a stack, regardless of the size of such cup, the spacing separating a cup from a successive one in said stack, and the material which the cup is made of.
• Another purpose of the present invention is to provide a beverage vending machine provided with a cup release device, which, is effective in preventing possible products contained in each cup of a stack for the preparation of a final beverage from spilling over and scattex ⁇ ng inside the vending machine.
• Another purpose yet of the present invention is to provide a beverage vending machine provided with a cup release device, which requires a single drive unit for actuating said device. According to the present invention, the above-noted aims are reached in a beverage vending machine provided with a cup release device, which incorporates the features and characteristics as recited in the appended claims.
• FIG. 1 is a schematical view of a beverage vending machine according to the present invention, comprising a cup release device;
• - Figure 2 is a schematical view of an arm for separating and removing cups from a stack, as shown in a first release position thereof;
• - Figure 3 is a schematical view of the arm illustrated in Figure 2, as shown in a second gripping position thereof;
• - Figure 4 is a partially cross-sectional of a cup release device
• - Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of a cup release device, as shown in a first release phase
• FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a cup release device, as shown in a second release phase
• FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a cup release device, as shown in a third release phase.
• Figure 1 illustrates schematically a vending machine 1 provided with a door 2 that closes a chamber 3 defined by the walls of a cabinet or outer casing 4. The door 2 id in turn provided with an aperture that zforms a dispensing site 5 for taking out the beverage prepared by the -vending machine 1.
• a selection device 6 of a kind known as such in the art, such as for instance a push-button panel or unit, for buyers to select the beverage they wish to drink.
• This selector device 6 may also integrate means for paying the selected beverage, as they may for instance be constituted by a magnetic card reader oar a coin collector.
• the vending machine 1 may of course comprise more than a single dispensing site 5, according to the actual requirements and needs.
• a turret 7 provided witt ⁇ .
• one or more accommodations 8 adapted to receive and hold a corresjponding number of stacks 9 of cups.
• the turret 7 is preferably rotating afc>out the longitudinal axis thereof and may be adapted to accommodate and hold differently sized cups through a proper conformation of the accommodations 8.
• To the turret 7 there are associated support means 13 cooperating with the first cup 10 of each stack 9 so as to support the entire stack within the accommodation 8 thereof.
• These support means 13 are placed on an end section of each accommodation 8 and are preferably connected in an oscillating manner to the turret 7; they are further preferably movable against the action of elastic means.
• These support means 13 may be provided in any number whatsoever, according to the conformation of the turret 7 and the cups.
• a receptacle 11 with o. single compartment 12 have been represented in Figure 1. It will be readily appreciated, however, that more than just a single stack 9 and just a single compartment 12 may be provided as well.
• the vending machine 1 further comprises an arm 14, which, as best illustrated in Figures 2 and 3, is movable between a first release position, in which the arm 14 lays down a cup 10 into a compartment 12 of the receptacle 11 ( Figure 2), and a second gripping position ( Figure 3), in which the arm 14 removes a cup 10 from a stack 9 provided within an accommodation 8 of the turret 7.
• the arm 14 is mounted slidably on a runner 15 arranged so that the first cup-release position of the arm comes to be situated in the proximity of the receptacle 11 and the second cup gripping position of the arm lies in the proximity of the first cup 10 of each one of the stacks 9, i.e.
• the runner 15 may be arranged so as to lie in correspondence to the longitudinal axis of rotation of the turret 7.
• the movement of the arm 14 between the above-mentioned first and second positions is imparted by driving means of a kind known as such in the art (and not shown in the Figures).
• the arm .14 is further provided with a first jaw 16a and a second jaw
• Figure 4 illustrates the jaws 16a and 16b of the moving arm 14 and the support means 13 that are associated to the turret 7 in order to enable a cup 10 to be removed and released from a stack 9 of cups.
• the second jaw 16b comprises actuation means 17 that cooperate with the support means 13 to remove a cup 10 from a stack 9 of cups.
• actuation means 17 may be provided either on a single one or both jaws 16a and 16b, depending on the arrangement of the support means 13 on the turret 7; in a preferred manner, they consist of jutting parts.
• At least one of said jaws 16a and 16b comprises at least a moving hook 18 that gets caught between the upper edge 19 of the first cup 10 of a stack 9 and the upper edge 20 of the cup 10' immediately following said first cup 10 in said stack 9 when the arm 14 is in its second gripping position illustrated in Figure 3.
• their number and arrangement on either the jaw 16a or the jaw 16b, or even both jaws 16a and 16b may be selected so as to for instance most suitably fit a particular shape of the cups.
• Each moving hook 18 comprises a shoe 21 that is so shaped as to be adapted to slide on at least a surface 22 of the turret 7, thereby causing the same hook 18 to displace.
• Each such hook 18 is preferably movable against the action of elastic means.
• the support means 13, which are preferably connected in a swinging manner to the turret 7, comprise a retainer 25 that is so shaped as to be adapted to engage the upper edge 19 of the cup 10.
• the retainer 25, which the latter are provided with is given a cam-like profile 26 for said actuation means 17 to slide thereon.
• the actuation means 17, the support means 13, each hook 18 and the related shoe 21, as well as the surface 22 jointly form a cup release device.
• FIGs 5, 6 and 7 Three distinct moments in the operation of such cup release device are illustrated in Figures 5, 6 and 7.
• the arm 14 is displaced along the runner 15 towards the second gripping position thereof illustrated in Figure 3.
• the jaws 16a and 16b are suitably spaced apart so as to define a resting surface 23 for the upper edge 19 of the first cup 10 of a stack 9.
• the extent to which the jaws 16a and 16b are spaced from each other, i.e. their position relative to each other, may be adjusted by means of an adjusting device so as to have the resting surface 23 more appropriately adapted to support cups having differently long upper edges 19. This ensures that the same arm 14 is able to work in conjunction with cups of widely varying shape and size.
• each hook 18 moves into contact with the surface 22 of the turret 7.
• this surface 22 being preferably constituted by a fork-like structure 27 comprising at least a plane 24 that is inclined relative to the longitudinal axis of the turret 7, the shoe 21 is capable of sliding on this plane 24, thereby driving the hook 18 into moving.
• Each hook 18 is preferably formed by a plate having a first end portion bent in a hook-like manner and a second end portion that is pivotally connected to one of the two jaws 16a, 16b.
• the arm 14 is shown to have reached the position in which it is gripping the first cup 10 of the stack 9.
• the resting surface 23 is in contact with the upper edge 19 of the cup 10 and, under the circumstances, said surface 23 is supporting the entire stack 9 of cups, actually.
• the actuation means 17, by sliding along the cam-like profile 26, have caused the retainer 25 to disengage the upper edge 19 of the first cup 10 of the stack 9.
• the instant at which the retainer 25 releases the edge 19 is substantially the same as the one at which the latter enters into contact with the resting surface 23.
• it is still substantially the same as the instant at which each hook 18 moves in between the upper edge 19 of the first cup 10 and the upper edge 20 of the next cup 10' following said first cup 10 in said stack 9.
• each hook 18 may be constituted by a body that is capable of deflecting under a shear force without any rupture and/ or permanent set.
• FIG. 7 Illustrated in Figure 7 is the arm 14 while it moves away from its gripping position upon having removed the cup 10 from the stack 9.
• Each hook 18 exerts a pulling force upon the cup 10, and its being so engaged between the upper edges 19 and 20 of two successive cups 10 and 10' ensures that a single cup at a time is removed from said stack 9.
• the arm 14 moving so away from the gripping position thereof enables the actuation means 17 to leave, i.e. separate from the cam-like profile 26, thereby enabling the retainer 25 to engage the upper edge 20 of the next cup 10' following the one that has just been removed from the stack 9.
• This stack 9 comes in this way to be again supported by the support means 13. Thanks to the particular conformation of the cam-like profile 26, at the very moment at which the cup 10 is removed from the stack 9, the support means 13 are capable of engaging the next cup 10', thereby sustaining again the stack 9 and pegging it in position.
• the shoe 21 moves again into contact with the surface 22, but this time it does so from the opposite side of the inclines plane 24, as compared with the direction of movement shown in Figure 6.
• the surface 22 is preferably associated to the turret 7 pivotally, so that the same shoe is capable to displace the surface 22 at it slides away from the gripping position.
• Such displacement of the surface 22 caused by the shoe 21 has the sole effect of allowing an unhindered passage of the same shoe 21.
• the fork-like structure 27 of the surface 22 may be constituted by some thin plate that is capable of deflecting under a shear force without any rupture and/ or permanent set.
• the arm 14 moves towards the release position thereof in the proximity of the receptacle 11, so as this is illustrated in Figure 2.
• the opening out of the jaws 16a and 16b causes the cup 10 to be released and deposited into compartment 12 of said receptacle 11.
• the cup 10 may then be conveyed - in a continuous manner or through a sequence of individual steps - from the receptacle 11 towards any device as may be provided for the preparation of hot or cold beverages, or towards any other device as may be provided to dispense loose edible products requiring being let into a cup prior to being vended out.
• the cup 10, as filled in this way with the desired product or - at most - even empty, will be eventually conveyed towards a delivery or dispensing site 5, which may possibly be common to the one of other dispensing devices comprised in the same vending machine 1, such as for instance a packaged-product dispensing device.
• the present invention can advantageously work with widely varying types of cups, without any replacement of parts being actually required in the vending machine to this purpose.

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• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Beverage Vending Machines With Cups, And Gas Or Electricity Vending Machines (AREA)
• Table Devices Or Equipment (AREA)

Priority Applications (5)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=34835607

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (9)

Cited By (5)

Families Citing this family (9)

Citations (6)

Family Cites Families (6)

• 2004
  • 2004-02-09 IT IT000008A patent/ITPN20040008A1/it unknown
• 2005
  • 2005-01-17 DE DE602005024236T patent/DE602005024236D1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2005-01-17 DK DK05707784.4T patent/DK1716546T3/da active
  • 2005-01-17 CN CNB2005800002805A patent/CN100565598C/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2005-01-17 ES ES05707784T patent/ES2353523T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2005-01-17 EP EP05707784A patent/EP1716546B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2005-01-17 JP JP2006551832A patent/JP4833863B2/ja not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2005-01-17 WO PCT/EP2005/050160 patent/WO2005076235A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 2005-01-17 AT AT05707784T patent/ATE485575T1/de active

Patent Citations (6)

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