Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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DESCRIPTION
Automatic machine for weighing and dispensing loose
products.-
The present invention relates to a machine from the
type of those known as vending machines, planned for
dispensing loose products, preferably titbits, and, at the
same time, weighing the dispensed product.
The aim of the invention is to simplify the
operations made for buying titbits, with no need of buying
the product and, after that, weighing it, as it happens
now.
Although the machine is planned specially for its use
in dispensing and weighing titbits, it is not dismissed
for vending or dispensing any other small loose product,
such as screws, buttons or dried fruits.
STATE OF THE ART.-
As it is known, there are many titbit shops and other
loose products on which each product is housed on a
container with a lateral or superior tilting trap door,
through which the consumer takes the wanted product by
acting over the trap door or through a ladle that takes
the products directly from the container. In both cases,
not only the consumer has to go to different containers
for buying different products, but after that he has to go
to the checkout, where the products are weighted and
charged.
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This method, that is the most common nowadays, means
nuisances, wastes of time and some other troubles for the
consumer. Also, the shop needs an employee for weighing
and charging the products.
By other side, there exist vending machines that
dispense loose products like the ones related, but
dispensing is made into bags so the consumer does not have
the chance of buying the precise wanted amount, so he has
to buy the weight contained on the bag.
Anyway, vending machines including dispensing and
weighing means for loose products are not known.
THE INVENTION.-
The present invention has been conceived in order to
solve the problems previously shown. It is made from a
common wardrobe, with a numerical selector, an information
display, a coin slot, one container for each product, a
display cabinet and an outlet for the product. The special
feature in this invention is a special system for
dispensing containers, as well as a jig with a receiving
hopper for each product, combined with a scale that is
part of the jig. The machine also includes an automatic
bagging system for the products sold, single or united, as
ordered by the costumer.
Specifically, the invention presents, as first
innovation feature, the inclusion of a series of
containers housing different products, made of clear-
plastic cylindrical tubes, resting on different pairs of
rollers. Those cylindrical tubes include an internally
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secured spring, that is activated from its base by an
engine that works when coins are inserted and costumer
pushes the selector. There is another engine in order to
activate a frontal open-and-close door on the container,
so that on its closed position it prevents product's
outlet, and on its opened position the product outlets
when the cylindrical tube turns. Close to the outlet,
there is a pair of semi-disks. One of them is fixed, and
the other is revolving, so the outlet can be regulated
according to the product or its quantity. There is also a
fixed pivot combined with the pair of semi-disks.
Optionally, and depending on the kind of product,
there may be installed on container's bottom a disruptive
pendulum, in order to avoid the products being stuck on
the cylindrical tube.
The second innovation feature in this invention is a
positioning system for the hopper that receives the
product from the containers, as well as a dispensing
system from the hopper to the outlet.
The positioning system consists of a transversal and
frontal guide, movable in ascending and descending
direction, while it is combined through pulleys and cables
with some reels located above it. Those reels are
activated by an engine so that when the engine works,
depending on turning direction, the guide is moved
vertically up and down. Due to that movement, hopper is
moved too. Hopper is not only moved ascending and
descending, but it is also moved sideways by a tilting
movement in order to fix exactly with the containers.
There is also another sideways movement to the opposite
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side, in order to empty the hopper into the outlet
receptacle.
Since it is evident, the hopper is movable through a
rail so it can be placed, depending on customer's
selection, close to the cylindrical container's outlet
that contains the product selected by the customer. The
hopper is emptied out by tilting it over. A weighing cell
is also placed in the rail.
The third innovation feature is the bagging system.
It is made by a bag container, with a cylindrical-squared
shape. Bags are inside it, and it also has a curved front
in order to allow a tilting movement. There is also a
movable suction plate placed close to top of bag's pile,
so that those bags are individually removed by suction.
The movable suction plate is linked with a pipe that takes
the bags from movable suction plate to a stationary
vertical suction plate. The movable plate has a pinion
that engages with two racks. The first one is above it,
and it allows suction plate's movement of descent when it
is in front of the bag's container. The other rack allows
the frontal movement when suction plate is in opposite to
vertical plate. In this case, a valve is activated through
a crankshaft so that it allows suction, and both sheets of
the bags are separated. One of the sheets is stuck on
suction plate's bellows, and the other is stuck on
vertical plate, so that the bag is opened. The product is
placed into the bag by the hopper and, when suction ends,
the bag falls by gravity with the product inside. There is
a trapdoor manually-opened to remove the bag together with
the dispensed product.
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Moving and tilting movements of the movable plate are
made by an engine with a pinion and a rack. When it works,
the plate is moved back and forward. When the pinion
reaches some of the rack's stretches, plate tilts in order
5 to absorb bags from pile and to free them when filled .
The freeing action takes place when plate is in front of
product container's outlet.
PLANS AND DRAWINGS
In order to complement the description, and to reach
a better understanding of the invention according to the
preferential manufacturing process, some drawings are
added to this document.
Figure 1 .- It shows a frontal representation of
the automatic machine, made according to the aim of the
invention.
Figure 2.- It shows a cross - section side view of
one of the cylindrical tubes that constitute a container,
resting on the lower rollers.
Figure 3.- It shows a frontal view of the cylinders
represented on the previous figure, as well as the lower
rollers that support each container.
Figure 4.- It shows a general perspective of the
rollers, specifically four couples to support four
containers, with the planned elements for activating each
cylinder.
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Figure 5.- It shows a frontal detail of the
displacement system for the hopper that receives the
products from the different containers. On the outlet can
be seen the rack's stretch on which the pinion engages and
tilts the hopper. Also has been drawn, in the stretch
previously refered, the position of the hopper when it is
starting the unloading.
Figure 6.- It shows a lateral view of the hopper with
the mechanisms that allow the tilting movement, the
pinion, the rail with the weighing cell and their assembly
over the hook. This figure also shows the tilting movement
of the hopper when it is being positioned close to the
container's outlet.
Figure 7.- It shows a schematic view of the automatic
bagging system, where all its elements can be seen.
Figure 8.- It shows a floor plan of the bag
container, as well as the movable suction plate with its
bellows. Those bellows extract the bags one by one. It can
also be seen the internally secured pinion that moves the
suction plate.
Figures 9 to 13 .- They shows different moments of
the automatic bagging system when it is working.
PREFERENTIAL MANUFACTURING PROCESS FOR THE INVENTION.
As seen in the previous figures, this automatic
machine for weighing and dispensing loose products is a
vending machine constituted by a rectangular wardrobe (1)
with a display cabinet of containers (2) , containers for
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the products, a numerical selector (3), an information
display (4), a coin slot (5) and an outlet (6) for the
dispensed product.
From this features, it has been foreseen that
containers must be made, on each case, by a cylindrical
tube as shown on figure 2, on which interior is an
internally secured spring so that containers (2) are
supported by couples of rolling rollers, assisted by a
frame (9). There is also an engine (10) in order to
activate container's turn(2). This engine (10) has an
activating element (11) coupled on a notch (12) made on
the base (13) of each cylinder (2). Close to each
cylinder's outlet there has been foreseen a regulator that
allows or prevents product's exit depending on its
thickness. That regulator consists of two semi-disks (14 &
14'). The first one is fixed and the other turns partially
for closing the outlet according to product's thickness. A
pivot (15) has been also foreseen.
Each cylinder or container (2) turns independently
according to customer's choice. Cylinder's (2) outlet has
a gate (16) activated by an engine (17) that closes it
when the product is dispensed.
Products leave cylinders (2) by a tilting hopper (18)
that slides on a rail (19) over a straight guide (20), as
clearly seen in figure number 4, so that on guide's end
where hopper (18) has to empty there is a rack (21) which
function will be explained later.
Over the rail (19) there is a weighing cell (22) that
weighs product contained on the hopper (18); the hopper
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has a hinge (23) that allows its movement until it fits
container's outlet (2)in order to receive dispensed
product without leaks. The movement is provided by an
engine (24) that, through a crankshaft, pushes the
hopper's bottom (18), moving it, as explained before.
At the end of the crankshaft (25) there is a pinion
(26) that engages with the rack (21) when hopper (18) is
close to that part of the rack (21). There is also a hinge
(27) that allows the hopper (18) to be moved into its
unloading position when it reaches the end of the rack
(21) because, as it has been told before, the hopper (18),
according to the product chosen by the numerical selector
(3), will turn and move until it is positioned close to
container's (2) outlet of the chosen product for gathering
it. After that, hopper is moved towards the rack's end
(21), and there it is moved again by the gear made between
the pinion (26) and the rack (21) in order to empty
product previously received from the hopper (18).
Hopper's vertical displacements, it is to say, in
ascending and descending sense, are made through lateral
cables (28) that are connected with pulleys (29) united
with the guide (20) through which hopper (18) is moved,
and reels (30) above it, so that those pulleys (29) slide
through round guides (31) situated vertically in both
wardrobe's sides (1) . That movement is in ascending and
descending sense on the guide (20) and, therefore, in the
same sense that hopper's movement. That movement is
activated by an engine (32) that activates reel's axle
(30) on which cables (28) are coiled.
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In recounted to automatic bagging system, represented
on figures 8 & 9, it is constituted by a suction plate
(33) with bellows (34) that tilts around a pint of joint
(36) with regard to the joint with a flexible tube (37),
that is part of the suction system, connected through a
pipe (38) with suction engine (39), including an axis of
joint (36) and an internally secured pinion (40), which
function will be explained later.
From the connection between flexible tube (37) and
pipe (38), another pipe (38') is established. It ends on a
stationary vertical plate (57) situated above the outlet
receptacle (41) where outlet (6) is situated. In that
receptacle, a tilting door (42) with counterweight (43)
has been planned.
Stationary vertical plate (57) is activated by a
valve associated with an arm (45).
This system also includes a guide (46) that, combined
with a rack (47), directs suction plate's (33) movements.
It is made by an engine (48) with a pinion (49) that
engages with rack (47). There are also different stretches
on the rack: on its end (50) and another one (50') above
it and movable to opposite end.
Operation way:
When money is inserted through coin slot (5),
customer pushes a button in the numerical selector (3)
according to wanted product. Each button in numerical
selector matches with a different container (2), so that
customer will push the button in the numerical selector
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(3) until wanted amount is obtained. It is necessary to
bear in mind that, when selector (3) is pushed, the hopper
(18) that receives the selected product will be moved
until fixing with container's outlet. Dispensing is made
5 through container's (2) turn, that dispends the product
slowly until customer stops pushing numerical selector (3)
or available money runs out.
Obviously, costumer is able to select different
10 products with the same amount of money by pushing
different buttons in the selector (3) so that the hopper
(18) will receive those products, keeping in mind that,
after each different selection, customer is informed by
information display (4) about the amount selected in grams
and the remaining money.
When there is no money left, received product on the
hopper (18) falls to outlet receptacle (41), where
previously a bag (51) has been situated. Hopper is emptied
by its tilting movement when it moves to rack's (21) area
that engages with the pinion (26), generating that tilting
movement around the hinge (27).
Under movable suction plate (33) it is situated a
container (52) for bags (51), that have to be suctioned by
that plate (33). That container (52) has a rectangular
curved shape on its frontal part (52'), fixing with
suction plate's (33) brim. There are also serrated strips
(53) combined with small springs (54) in order to avoid
bags sticking between themselves.
Container (52) also has a back wall (55) with a
buffer (56) for bag (51) pilling up. That wall (55) is
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able to tilt in order to let its projection towards out so
that bags (51) are loaded inside container (52), pilled
for their individual extraction.
According to suction system previously described,
automatic bagging system is as detailed:
Beginning from the position drawn in figure number 9,
when machine starts working, suction engine (39) is
activated, and an order is given to movable suction plate
(33) so that it moves backward and tilts down. Then,
bellows (34) absorb first bag (51) of the pile contained
on container (52). Bellows (34) adapt themselves according
to bags remaining on the container. Bags are extracted
from their frontal part, as shown on figure number 9.
Simultaneously, pinion (40) from aspiration plate
engages with rack (50') and produces a tilting movement on
movable plate (33) until it stands in half-vertical
position, as shown on figure number 10. That set advances,
due to the engage between pinion and rack (47), to the
opposite side, as shown on figure number 10.
When movable suction plate (33) gets the position
shown on figure number 11, its pinion (40) engages with
the rack (50), producing a tilting ahead movement so that
movable plate (33) is opposite to stationary suction plate
(40) . Simultaneously, the arm (45) starts its movement,
activating the valve (44) and opening it so that plate
(40) aspirates the other side of the bag (51), opening it,
as shown on figure number 12.
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On this moment, suction machine (39) stops working
and movable suction plate (33) moves back, letting bag
(51) to fall filled with its content, as shown on figure
number 13, into outlet receptacle (41). Then, costumer
opens the trap door (42) and takes the bag (51) with the
product inside. Simultaneously, movable suction plate
keeps on moving until reaching rack's area (50'); then it
engages with the pinion (40), producing a tilting towards
ahead and downwards movement so that it is ready to start
again the bag-suction process. That is the start position
as shown on figure number 9.
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