Title

CUP DISPENSING APPARATUS

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a cup dispenser particularly, but not exclusively, for dispensing disposable cups in a vending machine.

Background of the Invention

In some food and beverage vending machines it is known to provide a supply of disposable cups, typically made of waxed paper or plastics materials, in which the food or drink from the machine is dispensed. Many different types of mechanisms are used for dispensing the cups. These include robotic grippers or clamps and the use of a vacuum to grip the cup and transfer it from a stack or store of cups to a dispensing area. The cups should be dispensed singularly and without jamming in parts of the machine between the stack or storage area and the dispensing area.

Summary of the Invention

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a cup dispensing apparatus for dispensing cups, the apparatus comprising: a support system having an upper surface and a lower surface, the support system arranged about an opening which is dimensioned to allow a cup to pass there through, the support system being movable to sequentially move the upper and lower surfaces into and out of the opening, wherein a first motion of the support system moves the upper surface from the opening and extends the lower surface into the opening whereby a cup initially supported on the upper surface drops to the lower surface, and a

second motion of the support system moves the lower support surface from the opening allowing the cup to pass through the aperture and moves the upper support surface into the opening to support a next cup.

In one embodiment, the support system comprises at least two rotatable support members and wherein the upper and lower surfaces of the support system are distributed amongst the support members wherein each support member comprises a portion of both upper and lower surfaces. The upper and lower support surfaces may be circumferentially offset from each other.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a cup dispensing apparatus for dispensing cups, the apparatus comprising: at least two rotatable support members, each support member having an upper surface and a lower surface; the support members retained about an opening which is dimensioned to allow a cup to pass there through; the upper and lower surfaces progressively moved into and moved from the opening when the support members are rotated, wherein a first rotary motion of the support members progressively moves the upper surface from the opening and moves the lower surface into the opening whereby a cup initially supported on the upper surface drops to the lower surface, and a second rotary motion of the support member progressively moves the lower surface from the opening, allowing a cup previously supported thereon to pass through the aperture and progressively moves the upper surface into the opening to support a next cup.

Each support member may further comprise a cam surface on an underside of the upper surface, the cam surface configured to engage a cup supported on the lower surface

and push that cup through the aperture when the lower surface is moved from the opening.

The upper and lower support surfaces may be circumferentially spaced from each other to form a gap in a circumferential direction between the upper and lower surfaces .

The cup dispensing apparatus further comprises a drive system for moving with support members by way of a rotary motion in opposite directions. The drive system may comprise a drive member located below the opening and defining an aperture through which a cup passing through the opening also passes, the drive member engaging each of the support members whereby the motion of the drive member imparts rotational motion to the support members.

The drive member comprises a drive pin for each support member, each drive pin engaging a respective support member at a location offset from an axis of rotation of that support member .

In one embodiment each support member is provided with a radially extending slot for receiving a respective drive pin.

The drive system further comprises a motor for rotating the drive member in the opposite directions.

The drive system may further comprise a reciprocating transmission converting rotary motion of the motor to an oscillatory motion of the drive member.

The cup dispensing apparatus may further comprise a body defining the opening and wherein the drive member is coupled to the body in a manner whereby the drive member can rotate relative to the body.

The support members may be located between the body and the drive member.

The cup dispensing apparatus may further comprise an axle for each support member, wherein each support member is mounted on and rotatable about a respective axle, each axle forming the axis of rotation for that support member, the axles extending between the body and the drive member.

A third aspect of this invention provides a support member for use in a system for dispensing nested articles each article having a protruding lip, the support member comprising: a body having an upper surface and a lower surface where the lower surface is circumferentially offset from the upper surface, the body being rotatable about an axis wherein a lip of an article supported on the upper surface drops to the lower surface when the support member is rotated about the axis.

The support member may further comprise a cam surface located below the upper surface, the cam surface being circumferentially offset from the lower surface and configured to engage the lip of an article supported on the lower surface. The cam surface may have a lowest point which is disposed below the lower surface. Further, the upper and lower surfaces may be circumferentially spaced apart to form a gap there between.

In a further aspect this invention provides a cup dispensing apparatus comprising: a plurality of support members according to the third aspect of this invention where the support members are retained about an opening dimensioned to allow a cup to pass therethrough; and,

drive system coupled with the support member to rotate the support members about their respective axes, wherein a first rotary motion of the support members progressively moves the upper surface from the opening and moves the lower surface into the opening whereby a cup initially supported on the upper surface drops to the lower surface, and a second rotary motion of the support member progressively moves the lower surface from the opening, allowing a cup previously supported thereon to pass through the aperture and progressively moves the upper surface into the opening to support a next cup.

Brief Description of the Drawings

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic representation of a portion of a cup dispensing apparatus in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a support member incorporated in the cup dispensing apparatus depicted in Figure 1 ;

Figure 3a is a top view of the support member shown in Figure 2;

Figure 3b is a partial cut away view from the side of the support member shown in Figure 2 ;

Figure 3c is a bottom view of the support member shown in Figure 2 ; Figure 4 is a top view of a portion of a drive system incorporated in the cup dispensing apparatus;

Figure 5 is a section view through the apparatus shown in Figure 1;

Figure 6 is a schematic representation of the cup dispensing apparatus view from above; and

Figures 7a and 7b are schematic representations of a portion of the apparatus in operation.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments

With reference to the accompanying figures and in particular Figures 1 and 4, a cup dispensing apparatus 10 in accordance with the present invention comprises a support system 12 having an upper surface 14 and a lower surface 16. As explained in greater detail below, the upper surface 14 and lower surface 16 is distributed amongst individual support members 18. The support system 12 is arranged about an opening 20 which is dimensioned to allow a cup 22 to pass therethrough. More particularly, the support system 12 is movable to sequentially move the upper surface 14 and lower surface 16 into and out of the opening 20 to thereby allow a cup 22 to pass through the opening 20 and thus be dispensed from the dispensing apparatus 10.

A first motion of the support system 12 which in this instance is a rotary motion in a first, and more particularly a clockwise, direction moves the upper surface 14 from the opening 20 and the lower surface 16 into the opening 20 so that a cup 22 initially supported on the upper surface 14 drops to the lower surface 16. A second motion of the support system 12, in this instance being a rotary motion a second, and more particularly an anticlockwise, direction moves the lower surface 16 from the opening 20 so that the cup previously supported on the lower surface 16 is now free to fall through the opening 20 while the upper surface 14 is moved into the opening 20 to support the next cup. The motion of the upper and lower surfaces 14, 16 into and out of the opening 20 may be considered to be or equated with extension into and retraction from the opening 20.

Figures 2 - 3c depict in greater detail a support member 18 incorporated in the support system 12. The support

member 18 comprises a body in the form of a profiled wheel 24 provided with a central axial bore 26 and an upper radial face 28 a part of which constitutes the upper surface 14. A landing 30 is recessed into a quadrant 32 of the upper radial face 28 in an axial direction to expose and form the lower surface 16. As can be seen most clearly in Figures 3a and 3c, the upper and lower surfaces 14 and 16 are circumferentially spaced from each other to form a gap 34 between radial edges 36 and 38 of the upper and lower surfaces 14 and 16 respectively.

A cam surface 40 is formed on an undersurface of the upper support surface 14. The cam surface is circumferentially offset from the lower surface 16 and also extends to a point 41 which is disposed below the lower surface 16. As explained in greater detail below, the cam surface 40 acts to assist in detaching a cup from a stack 82 of cups and forcing or otherwise pushing the cup through the opening 20. A radially extending slot 42 is formed in each support member 18 and opens onto a lower radial face 44 of the support member 18.

With particular reference to Figures 1, 4 and 5, it will be seen that the cup dispensing apparatus 10 also comprises a drive system 46 for moving the support system 12, and more particularly the support members 18, in opposite directions. The drive system 46 includes a motor 48, a drive member in the form of a plate 50 and a transmission 51 converting rotary motion from the motor 48 to an reciprocating oscillatory motion that is imparted to the drive member, i.e. plate 50, and subsequently transmitted to the support system 12 and support members 18. The plate 50 is located below the opening 20 and defines an aperture 52 coaxial with the opening 20 through which a cup 22 that passes through the opening 20 can also pass .

The plate 50 engages each of the support members 18 in a manner whereby reciprocating oscillatory motion of the plate 50 is imparted to the support members 18. This is achieved by providing a plurality of upright drive pins 53 on the plate 50 where each pin 53 rides the slot 42 and engages a respective support member 18 at a location offset from an axis of rotation 54 of each support member 18. The axis of rotation 54 is parallel with the axial bore 26.

Each of the support members 18 is mounted on a respective axle 56 that extends through the axial bore 26 and is attached at an upper end to a body 58 of the apparatus 10. The body 58 forms part of a cup receptacle (shown in Figure 6) for holding a stack 82 of cups 22 to dispensed. The opening 20 is formed in the body 58. In addition, the body 58 supports the motor 48 of the drive system 46. The plate 50 is supported or suspended from the body 58 in a manner allowing the plate 50 to rotate relative to the body 58. This is achieved in this embodiment by providing a plurality of rollers 60 each provided with circumferential grooves 62 for seating an outer edge of the plate 50. The rollers 60 are supported by stems 64 attached to and depending from an underside of the body 58.

The transmission 51 comprises a gearbox 66 having an output shaft 68 which in turn is locked by a screw 70 to one end of a lever arm 72. An opposite end of the lever arm supports a roller 74 that is coupled in a longitudinal slot 76 formed in a radially extending lug 78 of the plate 50. Torque from the motor 46 is transferred through the gearbox 66 to the shaft 68 causing the lever arm 72 to rotate. The rotation of the lever arm 72 causes a reciprocating oscillatory motion of the plate 50 by virtue of the engagement of the roller 74 in the slot 76.

The operation of the cup dispensing apparatus 10 will now be described. A stack 80 of cups 22 is loaded into the cup dispensing apparatus 10 and the support system 12 is in an initial position where the upper surface 14 extends into the opening 20. Accordingly a lower most one of the cups 22 in the stack 80 is supported on the upper surface 14. This is depicted in particular in Figure 7a which shows an upper rim or lip 82 of the cup 22 being supported on the upper surface 14 of a support member 18.

When the drive system 46 is operated, the drive member 50 is rotated in the clockwise direction causing the support system 12 and in particular each support member 18 to also rotate in the clockwise direction. As this occurs, the upper surface 14 is progressively moved or retracted from the opening 20 while the lower surface 16 is progressively moved or extended into the opening 20. Eventually during this cycle, the upper support surface 14 will be retracted from beneath the lip 82 and the cup 22 will fall a short distance through the opening 20 so that the lip 82 is now supported on the lower surface 16. The dropping of the cup between the upper surface 14 and lower surface 16 is assisted by the provision of the gap 34.

As the drive system 46 continues to operate it will commence to rotate the drive member 50 in the opposite, i.e. anticlockwise direction. As this occurs, the lower surface 16 is progressively rotated out of or retracted from the opening 20 and more particularly retracted from beneath the lip 82. When this occurs, the cup 22 is unsupported and therefore is free to fall through the opening 20 and thus can be dispensed. To assist in separating the lower most cup 22 from the next cup in which it is nested, the cam surface 40 may abut an upper surface of the lip 82 thereby further pushing the cup 22 from the opening 20. This may be of assistance in overcoming any electrostatic forces that may otherwise

hold the lowermost cup 22 to the next cup in the stack 80. During this part of the oscillation or rotation of the drive member 50, the upper surface 14 is progressively- extended into the opening 20 so as to support the underside of the lip 82 of the next cup in the stack 80.

The above sequence of events can then be repeated to dispense the next cup.

Now that an embodiment of the present invention _, has been described in detail it will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant arts that numerous modifications and variations may be made without departing from the basic inventive concepts. For example, in the present embodiment, the support system 12 is depicted as comprising a plurality of, and in particular six, support members 18. However different numbers of support members 18 may be incorporated. Further, the support system 12 which sequentially moves vertically displaced upper and lower surfaces into and out of an opening 20 can be functionally reproduced to produce the same effect as the present embodiment in various ways including for example the provision of an upper and lower (i.e. vertically offset) irises which can be operated to sequentially increase and decrease their respective inner diameters so that a cup supported on the upper iris can be dropped to a lower iris by increasing the inner diameter of the upper iris and subsequently, a cup that has dropped onto the lower iris can be dispensed by increasing the inner diameter of the lower iris while simultaneously decreasing the inner diameter of the upper iris so as to support the next cup and indeed the stack of cups .

All such modifications and variations together with others that would be obvious of a person of ordinary skill in the art are deemed to be within the scope of the present

invention the nature of which is to be determined from the above description.