Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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CARTON DISPENSING MACHINE
This invention relates to a dispensing machine for dispensing
rectangularly shaped containers with flexible side walls, said containers
including milk cartons.
It has been desirable to dispense milk contained in milk cartons
from vending machines for some time. The cartons have flexible side
walls and are easily damaged. Milk cartons tend to have a much greater
strength longitudinally than they do laterally. When a milk carton is lying
on its side and is subjected to pressure from other milk cartons placed on
top of it, the milk carton at the bottom can be seriously damaged. Further,
if a milk carton falls through the air, it could also be subjected to serious
damage upon landing. Still further, consumers will not accept milk
contained in a milk carton that has been damaged in some way even if the
carton does not leak. In Canadian application serial number 2,245,276,
applicant created a dispensing machine that will dispense fragile
cylindrically shaped containers containing soft drinks and the like.
However, those previous machines would not dispense rectangularly
shaped containers and would not dispense milk cartons. Further, those
machines described in the Canadian application serial number 2,246,276
can only dispense one type of beverage.
Further, large milk cartons of a size of approximately two liters or
two quarts are much more difficult to dispense than smaller milk cartons.
The fact that milk cartons cannot be properly dispensed through dispensing
machines has increased the selling price of milk as it is more expensive to
sell milk over the counter than it is to sell it through a vending machine.
Small milk cartons of a size of approximately a'/4 litre or less can be
dispensed from conventional dispensing machines because the side walls
are very short and are therefore relatively strong and rigid compared to
larger milk cartons.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a dispensing
machine that will dispense rectangularly shaped containers with flexible
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side walls such as milk cartons and the like. The machine will also
dispense various goods that are contained in rectangularly shaped
containers that are similar to milk cartons. For example, juices, soft
drinks, flavoured beverages, water and candy or any product that will fit
within a rectangularly shaped carton can be dispensed using the machine
of the present invention.
A dispensing machine for dispensing rectangularly shaped
containers with flexible side walls has a housing with an outlet for the
containers. The housing contains a plurality of shelves that are sloped
toward a vertical channel and the shelves are constructed so that the
containers will slide laterally along the shelves on one side toward the
channel. The channel extends from below a lowermost shelf past an
uppermost shelf and the channel provides an exit passage for containers
from the shelves to the outlet. The channel contains a plurality of paddles
spaced vertically apart from one another. Each paddle is capable of
supporting a limited number of containers within the channel. The paddles
are arranged to move simultaneously to lower one container (for each
paddle) at a time from a space in the channel immediately above each
paddle to a space in the channel immediately below each paddle. Each
shelf has a first gate located at a lower end thereof to control entry of
containers from that shelf to the vertical channel. There is no shelf
immediately opposite each paddle. Each first gate has L-shaped guide
means on a side thereof facing the vertical channel. Those gates of the
first gates that are located immediately adjacent to the paddles are offset
inwardly toward the shelves to provide greater width to the channel.
Barriers are located in the vertical channel and there is one barrier at each
access area where a shelf has been omitted to prevent a container in the
vertical channel from exiting the channel prematurely through the access
area. There are activation means accessible from outside the housing to
cause paddles to move simultaneously thereby moving all containers
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within the channel downward one space at a time and moving a lowermost
container to the outlet.
In a further embodiment of the dispensing machine of the present
invention, the barriers located immediately adjacent to the paddles are not
offset toward the shelves, but are bent inward giving each barrier a V-
shaped cross section to provide greater room in the vertical channel for the
containers to move past each paddle.
A dispensing machine for dispensing containers with flexible side
walls has a housing with an outlet for the containers. The housing contains
two sets of shelves, each set of shelves having a corresponding vertical
channel. The shelves of each set are sloped toward the corresponding
vertical channel and the shelves are constructed so that the containers will
move along the shelves towards said corresponding vertical channel. The
channel for each set of shelves extends from a lowermost shelf past an
uppermost shelf, the channel providing an exit passage for containers from
shelves of one set to the outlet. Each corresponding channel contains a
plurality of paddles spaced vertically apart from one another. Each paddle
is capable of supporting a limited number of containers within the
corresponding channel. The paddles in each vertical channel are arranged
to move simultaneously to lower one container, for each paddle, at a time
from a space in the channel immediately above each paddle to a space in
the channel immediately below each paddle. The paddles in each vertical
channel move independently of the paddles in any other vertical channel.
Each shelf has a first gate located at a lower end thereof to control entry of
containers from that shelf to the corresponding vertical channel. There is
no shelf immediately opposite each paddle. Each first gate has guide
means on a side thereof facing the vertical channel. Barriers are located in
each corresponding vertical channel, one barrier being located at each
access area where a shelf has been omitted to prevent a container in the
vertical channel from exiting the channel prematurely through the access
area. There is a controller and activation means accessible from outside
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the housing to allow paddles in each vertical channel to be activated
independently of paddles in any other vertical channel, thereby moving all
containers within that vertical channel that is activated downward one
space at a time and moving a lowermost container in the vertical channel
that is activated to the outlet.
In the drawings:
Figure 1 is a side view of an interior of a dispensing machine in
accordance with the present invention with barriers offset adjacent to the
paddles;
Figure 2 is an enlarged side view of part of a vertical channel;
Figure 3 is a perspective view of a first gate;
Figure 4 is a view from the vertical channel of a first gate;
Figure 5 is a front view of a dispensing machine having three sets
of shelves located adjacent to one another;
Figure 6 is a side view of the dispensing machine of Figure 6
showing one set of shelves only;
Figure 7 is a side view of a further embodiment of a dispensing
machine in accordance with the present invention where the barriers are
bent; and
Figure 8 is an end view of one of the barriers;
In the drawings, in Figures 1 and 2, a vending machine 2 has a
housing 4 with one vertical support 6. The support 6 has clips 8. The
vertical support 6 is preferably centrally mounted on an outside wall of the
housing 4. Two additional vertical supports 10 (only one of which is
shown) are spaced apart from one another. Support rods 12 extend
horizontally between the supports 10. A plurality of shelves 14 slope
downward from the clips 8 to the rods 12, which are located at a lower end
16 of the shelves 14. The shelves 14 have sufficient slope so that
rectangular containers will slide along the shelves toward the lower end
where each container can be successively removed from the shelf. There
are six shelves 14 shown in Figure 1. Obviously, a larger housing will
CA 02311835 2000-06-16
accommodate more shelves or longer shelves and shelves can be spaced
closer together or further apart depending on the size of the containers
being dispensed. The shelves have a steeper slope than the shelves of
parent application 09/127,718.
5 Along a side 17 of the housing 4, there is located a vertical channel
18. The vertical channel 18 contains three paddles 20 that are spaced
vertically apart from one another. The lowermost paddle is located
slightly below the lowermost shelf. The paddles 20 are mounted so that
they are rotatable about their longitudinal axis. Rectangular containers 22,
preferably milk cartons, or other rectangular containers with flexible sides
are located on the shelves and partially fill the vertical channel 18. The
containers are spaced apart from one another for ease of illustration. The
upper three shelves 14 are empty and the third shelf from the bottom only
has one container entering the vertical channel. When the machine is
completely filled, all of the shelves are filled and the vertical channel will
also be filled. A guide wa1124 is located in the channel 18 to maintain the
containers 22 within the channel vertically above one another. The guide
wa1124 has suitable openings (not shown in Figure 1) therein to allow the
paddles 20 to rotate about their longitudinal axis. The paddles 20 are
rotatably supported by small brackets 23 and a drive means 25. The
paddles are interconnected to the drive means 25 by chains or belts 27 on
sprockets 29 so that all of the paddles 20 rotate simultaneously. Beneath
the channel 18 is a ramp 26 that is sloped in an opposite direction to the
shelves 14 to an outlet 28. Containers 22 exiting the vertical channel
beneath the lowermost paddle 20 will slide along the ramp 26 to the outlet
28.
It will be noted that immediately adjacent to the uppermost paddle
20 and the middle paddle 20 the shelves 14 have been omitted. It will also
be noticed that each of the shelves commencing from the second shelf
from the top downward has a first gate 30 located at an end thereof Each
of the first gates 30 is mounted to pivot about the rod 12 located
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imrnediately above each shelf. The two rods 12 that are located
immediately adjacent to the uppermost and middle paddles 20 are offset
inward towards the shelves from the remaining rods 12 to create greater
width of the vertical channel. The additional width to the vertical channel
is required as the containers on each paddle rotate 45 degrees as the
containers are passed downward to a space immediately beneath each
paddle. The first gates have L-shaped guide means 34 affixed thereto on a
side facing the vertical channel. The guide means 34 forces the containers
toward the guide wa1124 as the containers move down the channel 18.
1o The two shelves 14 located immediately above the uppermost and middle
paddles 20 contain barriers 36 that do not open up and do not contain
guide means. The barriers 36 prevent containers from prematurely exiting
the vertical channel 18 into an area of the shelves 14 through an access
area closed off by the barriers. Preferably, an upper surface 38 of each
shelf 14 is coated with Teflon or has a Teflon surface affixed thereto so
that the containers slide easily along the shelves 14. The containers slide
laterally along the shelves.
Figures 3 and 4 are a perspective view and a side view respectively
of a first gate 30 having guide means 34 on an outer surface thereof. A U-
shaped flange 38 is formed along a top of the first gate 30. The U-shaped
flange rests on the rod 12 (not shown) so that the first gate will swing
freely outward to allow a container 22 on the shelf immediately inside of
the first gate to exit from the shelf into the vertical channel when there is
no container outside of the gate immediately adjacent to that first gate to
prevent the first gate from opening.
In Figure 5, there is shown a front view of a housing 8 containing
three identical sets 40 of sloped shelves 14 with a chute 41 located beneath
the shelves and extending to an opening 44. Each set 40 of shelves has
one vertical channe142 and three paddles 43 arranged as shown in Figure
6. The same reference numerals are used in Figure 6 to describe those
components that are identical to the components of Figures 1 and 2. The
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purpose of having the three sets of shelves is to allow three different
beverages to be dispensed from one vending machine. For example, if the
containers were milk cartons and milk was being dispensed, one set of
shelves could contain milk with one percent fat content, another set of
shelves could contain milk cartons with two percent fat content and a third
set of shelves could contain milk cartons with chocolate milk.
When milk is being dispensed from the machine, the machine will
contain refrigeration means to keep the milk at a desired temperature. The
refrigeration means has not been described as it is conventional in vending
1o machines. Refrigeration means or heating means can be used with any
product that is being dispensed, as desired. Further, the access door of the
dispensing machine has been omitted as this component is also
conventional. The motor or power source is shown in only some of the
views. Further, the housing 4 is preferably located within a conventional
outer shell that is not shown.
In Figure 7, there is shown a further embodiment of a vending
machine in accordance with the present invention where the machine is
designed to dispense larger containers than the machine described in
Figure 1. The machine of Figure 7 is designed to dispense containers that
have a volume of approximately two liters. The same reference numerals
have been used in Figure 7 to describe those components that are identical
to the components of Figures 1 and 2 without further description unless
otherwise indicated. It can be seen firstly that the rods 12 immediately
adjacent to the paddles 20 are not offset from the other rods 12 in the
vertical channel. It can also be seen that there are only two paddles 20, a
lowermost paddle and an uppermost paddle. Since the containers are so
large, the number of shelves is more limited and the number of containers
in the vertical channel is more limited. It can also be seen that a barrier 46
located immediately adjacent to the uppermost paddle 20 is bent so that it
has a V-shaped cross section.
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An end view of the barrier 46 is shown in an enlarged view in
Figure 8. It can be seen that the barrier has a U-shaped flange 38 at a top
thereof with a V-shaped bend 48 in the central area and a lip 50 along a
bottom edge.
In operation, the dispensing machine of Figure I or Figure 7 is
filled or at least partially filled with containers having a rectangular
shape.
Preferably, the containers have a square cross section and still more
preferably the containers are milk cartons. The vertical channel is
preferably filled first and then the shelves are filled preferably
commencing from the lowermost shelf to the uppermost shelf. When the
machine is activated by activation means such as the insertion of a coin
into a coin slot (not shown) the paddles rotate simultaneously by forty-five
degrees in a clockwise direction. Each paddle has four sections 52. As the
paddles rotate, all of the containers within the vertical channel move
downward by one space and a container at the lowermost end of the
uppermost shelf 14 falls off that shelf and opens the first gate at the end of
the uppermost shelf. Simultaneously, the container that had been on the
lowermost paddle 20 exits the vertical channel and slides along the ramp
or chute to the outlet. When the activation means is activated a second
time, the next container on the uppermost shelf enters the vertical channel
and so on until the uppermost shelf is empty. Next, when there are no
containers immediately opposite the first gate at the end of the second
shelf from the top, the container at the lowermost end of the second shelf
will enter the vertical channel. This process will continue each time the
activation means is activated until the machine is empty with the machine
emptying from top to bottom.
Since the machine will likely be refilled before it has emptied
completely, those containers that are still within the machine will be
rearranged into the vertical channel and placed on the uppermost shelves
before the new containers containing the fresher product are placed in the
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machine. Thus, the existing containers will exit the machine before the
new containers, which contain the fresher product.
In the three column machine shown in Figures 5 and 6, the
machine operates in virtually an identical manner to the machine of Figure
1 except that an additional controller must be placed in the activation
means so that a user can select the set of shelves that will be activated in
each case when the coin or coins are inserted. In other words, if the two
percent milk is located on the center set of shelves, the consumer will
choose the paddles on the center set of shelves to be activated in order to
1o have a carton of two percent milk dispensed from the machine. This is
simply a matter of having the consumer depress a particular button or pad
before inserting a coin or coins.
While the machines have been described for milk cartons, the
machines could be used to dispense various products contained in
rectangular or square containers. For example, apple juice or orange juice
or other beverages could be contained in the same containers that are
commonly described as milk cartons. Further, while the activation means
has been described (but not shown) as a coin receptacle, the machine could
be designed to receive and identify paper money in lieu of or in addition to
coins.
