Container dispensing apparatus

Abstract

 Container dispensing apparatus 10 comprises a plurality of stores 12 for containers 16. Release mechanisms 14 are associated with each store 12 and operate to release a container from the store, allowing it drop into a re-entrant portion 24 at the periphery of a disc 18 which thereafter supports the container. The disc 18 is rotatable about its centre to deliver the container to a delivery station 20.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to container dispensing apparatus comprising at least one store for containers, a release mechanism associated with the or each store and operable to release a container from a store, and transport means operable to move a released container from a store to a location remote from the store and at which the container may be removed from the transport means, the transport means comprising a member which is rotatably mounted for transporting containers and has formations for engaging and supporting a container.

[0002] Drink vending machines are known which comprise a store of cups containing a range of beverage powders. In one known arrangement, the cups are stacked, each stack containing powder for a different beverage. The stacks are held in a rotatable carousel. When a user selects a drink, the carousel revolves until the stack containing that beverage is located over a delivery station and a mechanism is then operated to release one cup from the bottom of the stack. The cup falls to the delivery station where it may be filled with hot water, or removed by the user for filling elsewhere.

[0003] Considerable difficulty has been experienced in designing a rotating carousel which is not prone to frequent failure. A fully charged carousel, including the release mechanism associated with each stack, is extremely heavy and this places stress on bearings and motors which support and drive the carousel. Furthermore, during use some stacks will be depleted more quickly than others, so that the weight of the carousel becomes unevenly distributed, thereby further increasing the vulnerability to failure.

[0004] It has been proposed to use an arm which swings to a chosen stack, to collect a cup, and then swings back to a remote location to deliver the cup. This apparatus is slow and requires accurate control to ensure that the arm can be precisely located under any stack and at the remote location.

[0005] It is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate these and other disadvantages of the prior art.

[0006] Apparatus according to the present invention is characterised in that the support member has sufficient formations so located on the support member that when the support member is positioned with any formation at the remote location, there is a formation at the or each store.

[0007] Preferably the support member of the transport means is a plate member having the formations formed therein. The said formations may comprise re-entrant portions in the periphery of the plate member. The apparatus may further comprise retaining means which retains containers in engagement with the support member except at the remote location. The retaining means may extend around and adjacent to the periphery of the plate member to close the months of the re-entrant portions, there being a gap in the retaining means at the remote location, whereby a container may be removed through the gap from a re-entrant portion.

[0008] Preferably the stores each hold a generally vertical stack of containers, the support member being located beneath the stores, whereby a released container may fall from a store until arrested by the support member. The support member is preferably a disc mounted for rotation about its centre.

[0009] The apparatus is preferably so formed as to allow the stores to contain stacks of cups containing beverage powder for dispensing at the remote location.

[0010] The apparatus preferably further comprises manually operable selection means by which a user may select a store, the selection means being operable to cause a container to be released from the selected store by operation of the associated release mechanism.

[0011] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in more detail, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-

Fig. 1 is a schematic and partially cut-away elevation of apparatus according to the invention; and

Fig. 2 is a schematic plan view of the carrier disc of a larger apparatus according to the invention.

[0012] The drawings show container dispensing apparatus 10 comprising a plurality of stores 12 for containers, a release mechanism 14 associated with each store 12 and operable to release a container 16 from that store, and transport means 18 operable to move a released container 16 from a store 12 to a location 20 remote from the store and at which the container 16 may be removed from the transport means.

[0013] Each store 12 stores a stack of containers 16 which are plastic or cardboard cups. The cups 16 are nested, and contain powder for forming a beverage when mixed with water. The stack of cups is housed in a protective tubular housing 22 for reasons of hygiene. The lowermost cup of each stack is supported by a conventional release mechanism 14 which can be operated to release the lowermost cup and allow it to fall from the stack. A release mechanism 14 is located at the bottom of each store 12 and the release mechanisms 14 are controlled by operator controls which allow a user to select which release mechanism operates, and therefore to select which flavour or type of drink is dispensed.

[0014] The transport means 18 comprises a horizontal disc mounted below the stores 12 for rotation about its centre. There are a plurality of formations around the periphery of the disc 18 which allow a cup to be supported by the disc. Each formation is a re-entrant portion 24 of the disc periphery, around which a ledge 26 is located to engage the rim of a cup, to prevent the cup falling through the re-entrant portion 24. The machine shown in Fig. 1 uses a disc with 6 re-entrant portions. The disc shown in Fig. 2 is for a larger machine, and has twelve re-entrant portions.

[0015] The disc 18 is mounted on suitable bearings, not shown in detail, and an electric motor is provided for rotating the disc. A circular retaining bar 28 (not shown in Fig. 1) extends around almost the whole periphery of the disc 18 and serves to close the open mouths of the re-entrant portions 24, in order to prevent a cup moving outwardly as the disc revolves. A cup may only move horizontally from a re-entrant portion through a gap in the bar 28 at the remote location 20, to which cups are delivered when the apparatus is in use.

[0016] A drip tray 30 is provided at the remote location (or delivery station) 20, and the delivery station 20 may also have filling apparatus for filling cups with hot water, sugar or other additives which may be required. These may operate automatically, or under the control of the user to allow him to mix a drink according to taste.

[0017] In use of the apparatus, the stores 12 are initially filled so that each store contains a stack of cups, and the cups of each store contain powder for respective beverages. When a user desires a drink, the flavour or type of drink is selected by operator controls such as push buttons. The push buttons and associated control circuitry are shown schematically at 32 in Fig. 1. The control circuitry responds to the selection by operating the release mechanism 14 at the store 12 containing cups and powder for forming the selected beverage. The associated release mechanism 14 then releases one cup, which falls down into the re-entrant portion 24 of the disc 18, until the rim of the cup engages the ledge 26 and the cup is arrested and thereafter supported. The control circuitry 32 then causes the disc to be driven round until the cup arrives at the delivery station 20. In a fully automatic apparatus, the dispensing of hot water and other additives will then be controlled, before the user removes the cup and drink from the disc 18 through the gap between the ends of the retaining bar 28. In an alternative version, the cup and powder may be removed from the delivery station 20, for filling with water elsewhere.

[0018] The disc 18 has sufficient formations so located around the periphery of the disc that whenever a formation is located at the delivery station 20, other formations 24 are located one under each store 12. Thus, once a cup has been delivered to the delivery station 20 and removed by the user, no further rotation of the disc 18 is required because a formation is ready to receive the next selected cup, whichever store 12 may contain it. The stores 12 may all be located away from the remote location, in which case the disc 18 will have at least one more formation than there are stores. Alternatively, a store may be located directly above the delivery station 20 to deliver a cup into the formation located at the delivery station 20. When that store is selected, the disc 18 is not required to rotate.

[0019] The stores 12 remain stationery during use and this allows the structure to be simpler and smaller, because problems associated with the movement of a heavy carousel are avoided. Only the disc 18 revolves, and during its movement, it will be supporting only one cup, so that bearings and motors are not greatly stressed and do not need to be so robust as the bearings and motors of known apparatus which use rotating carousels.

[0020] Variations and modifications to the apparatus described above can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The choice of the number of stores 12 for the apparatus will depend on the range of drinks which it is desired to dispense. The size of the disc 18 and the number of re-entrant portions 24 can be determined in order to suit the number of stores 12 in the apparatus.

Claims

1. Container dispensing apparatus (10), comprising at least one store (12) for containers (16), a release mechanism (14) associated with the or each store and operable to release a container from a store, and transport means (18) operable to move a released container from a store to a location (20) remote from the store and at which the container may be removed from the transport means, the transport means comprising a member (18) which is rotatably mounted for transporting containers and has formations (24) for engaging and supporting a container, characterised in that the support member has sufficient formations so located on the support member that when the support member is positioned with any formation at the remote location, there is a formation at the or each store.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 , characterised in that the support member (18) of the transport means is a plate member, having the formations (24) formed therein.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2, characterised in that the said formations (24) comprise re-entrant portions in the periphery of the plate member (18).

4. Apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 3, further characterised by retaining means (28) which retains containers (16) in engagement with the support member (18) except at the remote location (20).

5. Apparatus according to claim 4 and claim 3, characterised in that the retaining means (28) extends around and adjacent to the periphery of the plate member (18) to close the mouths of the re-entrant portions (24), there being a gap in the retaining means at the remote location (20), whereby a container may be removed through the gap from a re-entrant portion.

6. Apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the support member is a disc mounted for rotation about its centre.

7. Apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 6, characterised in that the stores (12) each hold a generally vertical stack of containers (16), the support member being located beneath the stores (18), whereby a released container may fall from a store until arrested by the support member.

8. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, characterised in that the apparatus is so formed as to allow the stores (12) to contain stacks of cups (16) containing beverage powder for dispensing at the remote location (20).

9. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, characterised by manually operable selection means (32) by which a user may select a store (12), the selection means being operable to cause a container (16) to be released from the selected store by operation of the release mechanism (14).

10. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, characterised by comprising at least two stores (12), one store being so located to deliver containers (16) to the transport means (18) at the remote location, whereby the transport means is not required to transport containers released from the said one store.

Drawing