System to dispense disposable spoons for foodstuffs and relative device

Abstract

 System to dispense disposable spoons for foodstuffs of the type used for eating loose or packaged ice cream or other similar foodstuff, the system arranging the spoons (11) one above the other in at least one layer (111) in a collection seating (15) inside a container (13), the collection seating (15) comprising a supporting plane (19) and guide means (20), the container (13) cooperating with expulsion means (12) comprising an extraction structure (16) equipped with at least a thruster element (27) associated with the spoon (11a) placed at the bottom of the layer (111), the extraction structure (16) being associated with activation means (17) accessible from outside the container (13).
Device to dispense disposable spoons for foodstuffs of the type used for eating loose or packaged ice cream or other similar foodstuff, the device being able to be placed inside a containment and/or preservation element or directly on the sales counter of a food outlet, the device comprising a container (13) defining an at least partly closed collection seating (15) for the spoons (11), the collection seating (15) comprising lateral and longitudinal guide means (20) extending substantially vertically and a supporting plane (19), the device (10, 110) also comprising expulsion means (12) equipped with an extraction structure (16) arranged at least partly inside the container (13) and activation means (17) accessible from outside the container (13), the extraction structure (16) comprising at least a thruster element (27) cooperating with the spoon (11a) placed at the bottom of the layer (111), the container (13) including at least an aperture (30) for the outlet of the spoons (11).

Description

[0001] This invention concerns a system to dispense disposable spoons for foodstuffs and the device which obtains the system, as set forth in the respective main claims.

[0002] The invention is used in the hygienic dispensing of spoons or stirrers and other similar cutlery, of the disposable type, given in public premises to eat food or with drinks.

[0003] In public food outlets selling ice cream, either loose or packaged, or any other type of foodstuff, the relative disposable spoon is usually dispensed to the users by the sales-person. In some cases, the sales-person takes the spoons from a container, where they are contained loose and without any wrapping; every time this happens, there is an unhygienic contact with a very high number of spoons contained in the container.

[0004] In other cases, the spoon is contained in a protective wrapper, normally a strip with the edges superimposed and glued together, inside which a large number of spoons are contained.

[0005] This solution gives a more hygienic dispensing of the spoons, but the production costs are higher because of the wrapper.

[0006] In both solutions, distributing the spoons also involves a lot of time wasted for the sales-person, especially when there is a large number of customers.

[0007] The Applicant is unaware of any systems known to the state of the art which guarantee a hygienic dispensing of this type of product and where the user himself can take the product directly.

[0008] For this purpose, and to obtain further advantages, the present Applicant has designed, tested and embodied this invention.

[0009] The invention is set forth and characterised in the respective main claims, while the dependent claims describe variants of the main invention.

[0010] The purpose of the invention is to obtain a dispensing system, and a device achieving the said system, for disposable spoons for foodstuffs, which is simple and economical and which will allow the user to take the spoons hygienically and in an orderly manner, without the sales-person having to intervene.

[0011] Another purpose is to reduce the packaging costs of the spoons.

[0012] The invention can be applied both for use on the sales counter and also placed inside containing and preservation elements, such as refrigerators and so on.

[0013] The dispensing device according to the invention comprises expulsion means associated with a container.

[0014] The expulsion means cooperate with a collection seating for the spoons arranged inside the container; they comprise thruster elements associated with activation means accessible from outside the container.

[0015] In the event that the device is arranged inside a containing element, such as a refrigerator, the activation means are accessible from outside the said element.

[0016] In the collection seating, the spoons are positioned one on top of the other so as to define at least a layer contained both laterally and longitudinally by the relative guide means.

[0017] When the activation means are activated, they act on the thruster elements which abut on the last spoon at the bottom of the layer and push it until it comes out, at least partly, of the container, and thus can be picked up.

[0018] According to a variant, above the layer of spoons there is a stabiliser element which keeps the layer in order as the layer is progressively lowered with the extraction of the spoons.

[0019] The invention enables the spoons to be handled in a hygienic manner by the sales-person and to be extracted directly by the final user.

[0020] The container prevents dust or other dirt from being deposited on the spoons, and there is no need to wrap the spoons either multiply or individually.

[0021] The attached Figures are given as a non-restrictive example and show some preferential embodiments of the invention as follows:

Fig. 1

shows a part section of a possible embodiment of a device to dispense spoons for foodstuffs according to the invention;

Fig. 2

shows an exploded view of another embodiment of a dispensing device;

Fig. 3

shows the device of Fig. 2 assembled and closed.

[0022] In the attached Figures, the numbers 10, 110 denote two possible embodiments of the device to dispense disposable spoons 11 for foodstuffs according to the invention.

[0023] The devices 10, 110 may be positioned on the sales counter of the food outlet or inside a containment and/or preservation unit such as a refrigerator.

[0024] The dispensing device 10 as shown in Fig. 1 comprises a container 13 including a lower supporting base 29.

[0025] Inside the container 13 there is a collection seating 15 for the spoons 11 defined by lateral and longitudinal guide means 20 and by a supporting plane 19.

[0026] The lateral and longitudinal guide means 20, in this case, consist of two U-shaped sections with their open side reciprocally facing each other, the width thereof substantially mating with the transverse size of the spoons 11 which they will contain. In the collection seating 15 the spoons 11 are arranged one on top of the other so as to form at least a layer 111.

[0027] Inside the container 13, and in cooperation with the supporting plane 19, there are expulsion means 12 comprising an extraction structure 16 equipped with at least a thruster element 27.

[0028] The thruster element 27 is associated in an articulated manner with activation means 17 accessible from outside the container 13.

[0029] In Fig. 1, the activation means 17 comprise an articulated lever 117 which rotates around a pin 32 in direction 28, thus activating the thruster element 27.

[0030] The thruster element 27 acts on the spoon 11a located in the lowest position in the collection seating 15 and causes it to be partly expelled through an aperture 30 made on a side wall of the container 13.

[0031] Once the spoon 11a has been extracted, the layer 111 is lowered by one unit and makes a new spoon 11 available for extraction.

[0032] The dispenser device 10 as shown in Fig. 1 can be placed inside a containment and preservation unit such as a refrigerator, by making the appropriate articulated connection between the lever 117 and the thruster element 27 with which it is associated.

[0033] Figs. 2 and 3 show another embodiment of the dispenser device 110 of the type which can be placed directly on the sales counter of a food outlet.

[0034] The same reference numbers are used for components which have the same function as those described with reference to Fig. 1.

[0035] In the case of Fig. 2, the container 13 consists of two parts which can be opened, respectively 13a and 13b, which have respective mating and facing shapings 31a and 31b defining the aperture 30 for the expulsion of the spoons 11.

[0036] The lower portion 13a includes supporting means, in this case consisting of a plurality of feet with suction pads 14.

[0037] The activation means 17 are push button means 217 protruding from the container 13 through an aperture 18.

[0038] The guide means 20 comprise a first wider section 20a cooperating with the portion which collects the spoon 11 and a second narrower section 20b cooperating with the handle of the spoon 11.

[0039] In this case, the second section 20b cooperates with a third section 120a which has the function of guiding, together with the first section 20a, a stabiliser element 21 which rests on top of the layer 111.

[0040] The stabiliser element 21 presses against the layer 111 and contrasts any possible unwanted rotation and/or sideways movements of the spoons 11 as the layer 111 is progressively lowered.

[0041] In this case, on the supporting plane 19 of the spoons 11 there is an impression 22 mating with the shape of the spoon 11 and defining the housing seating for the spoon 11a located at the bottom of the layer 111.

[0042] The extraction structure 16 comprises a cylinder 23, attached at the upper part of the supporting plane 19 inside which there is a piston 24.

[0043] The piston 24 is associated at one end with the activation means 17 and at the other end with the lower end of a rod 25.

[0044] The rod 25 pivots at an intermediate point on a bracket element 26 solid with the supporting plane 19.

[0045] The other end of the rod 25 pivots on the thruster element 27.

[0046] The individual spoon 11 is expelled from the dispenser 10 according to the invention by acting on the activation means 17, which make the piston 24 advance; this acts on the rod 25 which in turn moves the thruster element 27, which causes the spoon 11a to come out at least partly from the aperture 30.

[0047] When the activation means 17 are released, the appropriate elastic return means, which are not shown here, take the extraction structure 16 back to the initial position.

Claims

1. System to dispense disposable spoons for foodstuffs of the type used for eating loose or packaged ice cream or other similar foodstuff, the system being characterised in that it arranges the spoons (11) one above the other in at least one layer (111) in a collection seating (15) inside a container (13), the collection seating (15) comprising a supporting plane (19) and guide means (20), the container (13) cooperating with expulsion means (12) comprising an extraction structure (16) equipped with at least a thruster element (27) associated with the spoon (11a) placed at the bottom of the layer (111), the extraction structure (16) being associated with activation means (17) accessible from outside the container (13).

2. System as in Claim 1, in which the container (13) is arranged inside a containment and/or preservation element and the activation means (17) are accessible from outside the containment and/or preservation element.

3. System as in Claim 1, in which the container (13) is associated directly with the sales counter of a food outlet.

4. System as in any claim hereinbefore, in which above the layer (111) of spoons (11) there is a stabiliser element (21) with the function of regularising the progressive lowering of the layer (111) with every spoon (11) extracted.

5. Device to dispense disposable spoons for foodstuffs of the type used for eating loose or packaged ice cream or other similar foodstuff, the device being able to be placed inside a containment and/or preservation element or directly on the sales counter of a food outlet, the device being characterised in that it comprises a container (13) defining a collection seating (15) at least partly closed for the spoons (11), the collection seating (15) comprising lateral and longitudinal guide means (20) extending substantially vertically and a supporting plane (19), the device (10, 110) also comprising expulsion means (12) equipped with an extraction structure (16) arranged at least partly inside the container (13) and activation means (17) accessible from outside the container (13), the extraction structure (16) comprising at least a thruster element (27) cooperating with the spoon (11a) placed at the bottom of the layer (111), the container (13) including at least an aperture (30) for the outlet of the spoons (11).

6. Device as in Claim 5, in which the activation means (17) comprise an articulated lever (117) rotating around a pin (32) and solidly associated with the thruster element (27).

7. Device as in Claim 5, in which the activation means (17) comprise push button means (217) acting axially on piston means (24) associated with the thruster element (27) by means of an oscillating rod (25).

8. Device as in any claim from 5 to 7 inclusive, in which the lateral and longitudinal guide means (20) comprise U-shaped sections (20a, 20b) extending vertically, facing each other and counter-opposed.

9. Device as in any claim from 5 to 8 inclusive, which comprises a stabiliser element (21) positioned above the layer (111) of spoons (11).

10. Device as in any claim from 5 to 9 inclusive, in which the supporting plane (19) has an impression (22) mating with the shape of the spoons (11).

11. Device as in any claim from 5 to 10 inclusive, in which the container (13) includes supporting elements (14).

Drawing