Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Smoking Article Dispenser
Description
The present invention relates to a dispenser for smoking articles such as
cigarettes and, more
particularly, to a dispenser for smoking articles having a smoking article
indexing and
ejection mechanism.
Various dispensers of smoking articles are known in the art which comprise a
portable
housing and means to dispense a single smoking article at a time from the
dispenser.
However, such known dispensers suffer a number of drawbacks, including
awkward,
unreliable, cumbersome and/or complex dispensing mechanisms. Furthermore,
conventional dispensers are generally configured such that a user has to
manually load
individual cigarettes one at a time. The present invention seeks to provide an
improved
dispenser for smoking articles which overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art.
In order to address the issues related to the prior art dispensers, a
dispenser has been
developed that includes a reloadable cartridge-based solution. The dispenser
of the invention
facilitates significant design flexibility and a variety of casings and
smoking article cartridges
may be implemented.
Accordingly, in an implementation, the present invention provides a smoking
article
dispenser comprising: a dispenser housing, a chassis having a chamber
configured to
receive a cartridge of smoking articles, and to index and dispense smoking
articles
situated in the cartridge out of the chassis wherein the chassis includes a
plurality of
ribs configured to engage the cartridge to index and advance the smoking
articles
within the cartridge when the cartridge is actuated between a first and second
position.
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The dispenser housing may include a depressable lateral end wall portion that
engages and
shifts the cartridge between the first and second positions.
The dispenser may further comprise a linking element operatively connected
with the
depressable lateral end wall portion to actuate a lifting arm between a
smoking article
engagement position and a smoking article dispensing position.
The dispenser may further comprise a cartridge to receive smoking articles,
and the cartridge
may further comprise a smoking article indexing piston, and the smoking
article indexing
piston may interact with the cartridge engagement ribs to index and advance
the smoking
articles in the cartridge as the cartridge shifts between the first and second
positions. The
smoking article indexing piston may include side wings configured to extend
through
apertures formed in the smoking article cartridge to engage the cartridge
engagement ribs.
The dispenser housing may be configured with a resealable dispensing aperture.
The cartridge may include smoking article advancement stops formed as a
plurality of ridges
on an interior surface of the cartridge. The cartridge may further include a
plurality of
smoking article advancement stops formed as a plurality of saw tooth elements
on an
interior surface of the cartridge.
The present invention also provides a cartridge for a dispenser comprising a
chassis, as
described above, comprising a housing having side walls and an open end wall
for the
discharge of smoking articles from the cartridge, and an indexing piston
slideably received in
the cartridge, the piston comprising a flexible pawl extending through an
opening in the side
wall for engagement with corresponding ribs on the chassis.
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Preferably, a flexible tab extends from a side wall across the open end wall
to prevent
smoking articles from falling out through said open end wall prior to
insertion into a
dispenser.
Preferably, the cartridge comprises cooperating members between the piston and
the
cartridge to retain the piston in position relative to the cartridge as the
cartridge moves in the
first direction.
The cooperating members preferably comprise a series of ribs on the cartridge
and a flexible
tip on the piston, wherein the flexible tip flexes and passes over a rib when
the cartridge
moves in said opposite direction relative to the piston, and wherein said
flexible tip binds
against a rib to prevent movement of the piston relative to the cartridge in
the first direction.
Depending on the implementation, the dispensing aperture and the dispensed
smoking
articles may be configured with complementary aperture/axial shapes. For
example, the
dispenser aperture may be configured as an oval, square, triangle or other
shape particularly
suited to dispense complementary shaped smoking articles.
Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way
of example
only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
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Figure 1 shows a front perspective view of a dispenser of the invention;
Figure 2 shows an exploded front perspective view of the dispenser of Figure 1
including a
cartridge of the invention for use with the dispenser;
Figures 3A to 3D are sequential perspective views of the dispenser and
cartridge of Figures
1 and 2 showing the stages of a dispensing operation with the internal
features of the lifting
arm visible;
Figures 4A to 4D are sequential perspective views of the dispenser and
cartridge, similar to
that of Figures 3A to 3D showing the stages of a dispensing operation, but
with the
internal features of the cartridge and chassis visible;
Figures 5A and 5B are a perspective views from each side of the outer casing
of the
dispenser of Figures 1 to 4 with a respective side portion of the outer casing
shown in
dashed lines in each view;
Figure 6 is a perspective view of the cartridge of the invention as shown in
Figure 2, for use
in the dispenser of Figures 1 to 4, filled with a charge of cigarettes;
Figure 7 is an exploded view of the cartridge of Figure 6;
Figure 8 is a perspective view of a blank of the cartridge of Figures 6 and 7;
Figure 9 is a perspective view of the blank of the cartridge of Figure 8 with
one side folded;
Figure 10 is a perspective view of the blank of the cartridge of Figures 8 and
9 with both
sides folded;
Figure 11 is a perspective view of the blank of the cartridge of Figures 8 to
10 with both
sides folded and the tabs forming the ratchet teeth on the top and bottom
sides folded
inwards;
Figure 12 is a perspective view of the blank of the cartridge of Figure 11
with the bottom
side folded upwards to from the bottom face of the cartridge;
Figure 13 is a perspective view of the blank of the cartridge of Figure 12
with the top side
folded downwards to form the top face of the cartridge;
Figure 14 is a perspective view of the blank of the cartridge of Figure 13
from the opposite
side, with the end tab folded over;
Figure 15 is a side view of the cartridge of Figure 14 showing the ratchet
teeth on the
insides of the top and bottom faces in dashed lines;
Figure 16 is a perspective view of a first portion of a piston of the
cartridge;
Figure 17 is a perspective view of a second portion of the piston of the
cartridge;
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Figures 18A and 18B are perspective views of the end door of the dispenser of
Figures 1 to
4;
Figure 19 is a perspective view of a lifting arm of the dispenser of Figures 1
to 4;
Figures 20A and 20B are perspective views of a lifting arm support member of
the
dispenser of Figures 1 to 4;
Figure 21 is a perspective view of a receiver element of the dispenser of
Figures 1 to 4;
Figure 22 is a perspective view of a lifting foot of the dispenser of Figures
1 to 4;
Figure 23 is a perspective view of a linkage of the dispenser of Figures 1 to
4;
Figure 24 is a perspective view of a leaf spring of the dispenser of Figures 1
to 4;
Figure 25 is a side view showing internal details of the dispenser of Figures
1 to 4 but with
an alternative cartridge of the invention in place of the first-described
cartridge of Figures 6
to 17 of the invention;
Figure 26 is side view of the alternative cartridge of the invention of Figure
25 showing
internal details but with the piston omitted;
Figure 27 is a side view of the piston of the alternative cartridge of the
Figures 25 and 26;
Figures 28A1 to 28D2 are a series of schematic sequential side views and
corresponding
plan views of a dispenser of the invention combined with the alternative
cartridge of the
invention showing the stages of a dispensing operation, with internal features
visible; and
Figures 29A ¨ 29C are a series of schematic sequential plan views showing the
movement
of the piston within the alternative cartridge of in the invention.
Annex 1 and Annex 2 illustrate side/top views of additional aspects of
components
described above in a progression of component positions for indexing and
dispensing
smoking articles.
For the purposes of the exemplary embodiments shown and described herein,
reference to
smoking articles to be dispensed from the dispensers of the invention are
described as
'cigarettes', but it should be understood that this term shall be taken as
meaning any
smoking article, not necessarily limited to cigarettes.
Referring now to Figures 1 to 24, a cigarette dispenser 100 of a first
embodiment of the
present invention is shown and includes an outer casing 110 and an end door
112 pivotably
mounted to an open end 110a of the outer casing 110 to open and close the open
end 110a
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of outer casing 110. The end door 112 is also slidably mounted to the outer
casing 110 such
that when the end door 112 is in the closed position and covers the open end
110a of the
outer casing 110, it can slide into the outer casing 110 and thereby function
as a user-
operable button during operation of the dispenser 100, as will be described in
more detail
hereafter. The end door 112 includes hinge projections 112a (see Fig. 18B)
which are
received in a channel 110b (see Fig. 2) in the inside of the outer casing 110
to enable the
sliding and pivoting movement described above.
The dispenser 100 includes a chassis 120 (see Fig. 2) within the outer casing
110 which
defines a chamber configured to receive a cartridge 150 of cigarettes 'S'. The
chassis 120
and cartridge 150 are configured such that once a cartridge 150 is fully
inserted into the
chamber of the chassis 120, the cartridge 150 is slidable within the chassis
120 in a
reciprocating movement.
The chassis 120 includes two side walls 124, and a top wall 126, a bottom wall
128 and an
end wall 130 which together define the chamber. The chamber is open at one end
132
opposite the end wall 130 for the insertion of the cartridge 150 into the
chamber. The top
wall 126 includes a dispensing aperture 126a (see Fig. 2) through which
cigarettes are
dispensed from the dispenser 100. The outer casing 110 also includes a
dispensing
aperture 110c which is aligned with the dispensing aperture 126a of the
chassis 120.
Depending on the implementation, the dispensing aperture 110c in the outer
casing 110
may be closed off by an actuatable cover element that keeps the cigarettes in
the dispenser
100 fresh. In an implementation, such a cover may be actuated into an open
position as
the end door 112 is actuated by a user to dispense a cigarette S and is then
closed after the
cigarette has been dispensed.
The chassis 120 is retained within the outer casing 110 by means of a locking
key 114
which extends from the outside of the outer casing 110, though an end wall
thereof, and
engages with a corresponding cooperating means 120a formed on the end wall 130
of the
chassis 120. Such engagement may comprise a press-fit, snap-fit or any other
suitable
engagement means or element within the scope of the invention.
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The inside face of each chassis side wall 124 includes a plurality of vertical
ribs 134 (see
Figs. 2 and 25) protruding therefrom regularly spaced along the length of each
chassis side
wall 124. The spacing of each rib 134 corresponds approximately to the
diameter of the
cigarettes within a cartridge 150 which are to be dispensed from the dispenser
100.
An implementation of a cartridge 150 of the invention, for use with the
dispenser 100, is
shown in Figures 6 to 17, and is formed from a blank 152 of card (see Figure
8) which is
folded as shown in Figures 9 to 14. The cartridge 150 (shown assembled in Fig.
14)
comprises two side walls 154, a top wall 156, a bottom wall 158 and an end
wall 160 which
together define a space within the cartridge 150 to contain the cigarettes S.
The cartridge
150 is open at one end 162 opposite the end wall 160 for the movement of
cigarettes S out
of the cartridge 150 during a dispensing operation. One side wall 154 includes
a side tab
164 which is folded across the open end 162 and attached to the opposite side
wall 154.
Each side wall 154 includes a large aperture 154a formed therein. The top and
bottom walls
156, 158 each include a series of ratchet teeth 156a, 158a (see Figs. 8 - 12)
extending
therefrom, such that when the blank 152 is formed, the ratchet teeth 156a,
158a are folded
at right angles to the top wall 156 and bottom wall 158 respectively (see
Figures 11 and 12).
When the portions of the blank 152 comprising the top wall 156 and bottom wall
158 are
then folded to form the constructed cartridge 150, the ratchet teeth 156a of
the top wall
156 extend downward toward the bottom wall of the cartridge 150 parallel to
and disposed
against the respective adjacent side walls 154, and the ratchet teeth 158a of
the bottom wall
158 extend upward toward the top wall of the cartridge 150 parallel to and
disposed against
the respective adjacent side walls 154,
A piston 170 (see, for example, Fig. 7) is provided within the cartridge 150
to push the row
of cigarettes S through and out of the cartridge 150 during dispensing
operations as will be
described hereafter, and comprises an elongate element 172 which is of a
generally square
'U'-shape in cross-section (see Figures 7 and 16) and, a panel element 174
which is attached
to the elongate element 172 proximate the middle of its front face 172a. The
panel element
174 includes lateral side wings 174a which are angled outwardly and rearwards,
as shown in
Figures 7 and 17. The lateral side wings 174a are elastically resilient such
that if deflected
inwards, they will naturally tend to return to their original outwardly
protruding position.
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The piston 170 is received within the cartridge 150 with the front face 172a
nearest the
chassis open end 132 and the side wings angled away from the chassis open end
132. The
piston 170 is configured such that when it is received within the cartridge
150, the side
wings 174a of panel element 174 extend though the apertures 154a in the side
walls 154,
The chassis 120 further comprises a leaf spring 136 and a receiver 138 (see,
for example,
Fig. 2). The leaf spring 136 is located at the far end of the chamber within
the chassis 120
against the end wall 130, and the receiver 138 is also located at the far end
of the chamber
within the chassis 120 situated adjacent to and abutting against the leaf
spring 136. The
receiver 138 comprises an elongate cuboid member of substantially square cross-
section,
with an open cigarette-receiving channel 138a formed along a length of the
receiver 138
which is aligned with the dispensing aperture 126a in the top wall 126 of the
chassis 120.
The receiver 138 further comprises two small guide slots 1386, one formed in
each of
opposing side walls of the receiver 138. The guide slots 138b extend from the
bottom of
the receiver 138 in communication with the channel 138a upwards along a
portion of the
height of the receiver 138. A lifting foot 140 (see Figs. 2 and 22) is
provided which
comprises a platform 140a disposed within the channel 138a with a pair of
vertical arms
140b extending upwardly from the platform 140a and which are disposed in
respective
ones of the guide slots 13813. Each vertical arm 140b includes a pair of guide
pins 140c
extending perpendicularly outwards from each vertical arm 140b though the
respective
adjacent guide slot 13813 in the receiver 138. Each of the side walls 124 of
the chassis 120
also includes a guide slot 124a aligned with the guide slot 13813 in the
respective side of the
receiver 138 such that the guide pins 140c extend through the chassis side
wall guide slots
124a, as well as the though the receiver guide slots 138b. The chassis guide
slots 124a in the
side walls 124 are contoured at their base to form a generally 'I] shaped
configuration (see
Fig. 2).
As illustrated in Figures 3A-3D, 4A-4D and 19 ¨ 20B, the chassis 120 further
includes a
lifting arm 180 comprising an inner arm 182 held in a support member 184. The
support
member 184 has an aperture 184a at one end which locates on a support lug 186
protruding from one side wall 124 of the chassis 120. The opposite end of the
inner arm
182 from the aperture 184a is disposed between upper and lower guide pins 140c
of the
lifting foot 140 such that rotational movement of the lifting arm 180 about
the support lug
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186 causes the lifting foot 140 to be raised and lowered within the channel
138a of the
receiver 138 and guide slots 1386, 124a in the receiver 138 and chassis side
walls 124
respectively.
The chassis side wall 124 on which the lifting arm 180 is mounted also
includes a pair of
bosses 188 situated laterally (see, for example, Figs. 2, 3B, 4B) between the
guide slot 124a
and the support lug 186. The bosses 188 are vertically spaced from one another
and are
configured to constrain movement of the lifting arm 180. The bosses 188
thereby serve to
define the upward and downward limits of movement of the lifting arm 180 as
the support
member 184 abuts against them.
The same side wall 124 of the chassis 120 which supports the lifting arm 180
also includes
a guide track 190 formed thereon defined by a curved protruding wall element
upstanding
from the face of the side wall 124. The guide track 190 is positioned above
the support lug
186 and comprises an elongate teardrop loop defined around an island element
190a (see
Figs. 2 and 25), and the converging part at the point of the 'teardrop' shaped
loop is
directly above the support lug 186. The inner arm 182 of the lifting arm 180
includes a
portion which extends around the support lug 186 and outwards in a radial
direction of the
support lug 186 and terminates to provide a contact end 182a (see Figs. 2,
3C/4C, 19)
disposed in the converging portion of the guide track 190. Thereby, movement
of the
contact end 182a of the inner arm 182 causes the lifting arm 180 to pivot
about the support
lug 186 within the confines of the bosses 188, and thereby causes the lifting
foot 140 to be
raised or lowered.
As illustrated in Figs. 2 and 23, a linkage element 192 is coupled between the
end door 112
and the chassis 120 and comprises a bar with a first coupling pin 192a
extending therefrom
and rotatably received in an aperture 1126 in the end door 112 (see Fig. 18B),
and a second
coupling pin 192b extending from the opposite side of the opposite end of the
bar, which
is retained within the guide track 190. Thereby, reciprocating movement of the
end docir
112 relative to the chassis 120 causes the second coupling pin 192b to travel
around the
guide track 190 around the island element 190a as the linkage element 192
pivots about the
first coupling pin 192a. Further, the linkage element 192 is configured and
located relative
to the support member 184 of the lifting arm 180 such that as the end door 112
moves in a
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first forward direction, the linkage element 192 rests on the support member
184 and the
second coupling pin 192b is led along the top portion of the guide track 190
and, as the
end door 112 moves in the opposite return direction, the second coupling pin
192b
continues around and back on the lower portion of the guide track 190.
Operation of the cigarette dispenser 100 of the invention, in combination with
a cartridge
150 of the invention, will now be described, with particular reference to
Figures 3A to 3D
and 4A to 4D. Firstly, a user pivots the end door 112 open to expose the open
end 110a of
outer casing 110. A cartridge 150 filled with cigarettes S is inserted into
the chamber of the
chassis 120 until the open end 162 of the cartridge 150 abuts the receiver
138. In this
position, the cartridge 150 is fully inserted within the chassis 120 and the
end of the
cartridge 150 proximate the end wall 160 extends a short way out of the open
end 132 of
the chassis 120. The end door 112 is then shut to close the outer casing 110
with the inner
face of the end door 112 just in contact with the end wall 160 of the
cartridge 150 and the
second coupling pin 192b located in the guide track 190. The dispenser 100 is
then ready
for use.
To dispense a cigarette S from the dispenser 100, a user pushes the end door
112 as an
operating button inwards towards and into the outer casing 110. The end door
112 engages
and actuates the end wall 160 of the cartridge 150 to cause the cartridge 150
to slide
forwards further into the chamber 122 of chassis 120. This is shown in the
movement
from Figure 3A to 3B and Figure 4A to 4B. As this happens, the uppermost and
lowermost
corners of the elongate element 172 of the piston 170 act as pawls and bind
against the
ratchet teeth 156a, 158a of the cartridge 150 (as illustrated in Annex 1) and
thereby the
piston 170, together with the smoking articles ahead of the piston 170, is
forced to move
fonvards together with the cartridge 150 within and relative to the chassis
120. As the
piston 170 moves forwards within the chassis 120, the side wings 174a of the
piston 170
are deflected inwards in order to ride over and past the next vertical rib 134
on the inside
of the side wall 124 of the chassis 120, forward of their starting position.
After riding over
and past each vertical rib 134, the side wings deflect back outwards.
Simultaneously, the
cartridge 150 pushes against the receiver 138 which moves forwards together
with the
cartridge 150 and compresses the leaf spring 136 against the end wall 130 of
the chassis
120. The lifting foot 140 moves forward with the receiver 138 such that the
guide pins 140c
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locate in the bottom forward-most part of the 'L' shape of the guide slots
124a in the side
walls 124 of the chassis 120. During this movement, the second coupling pin
1926 moves
forwards in the upper part of the guide track 190 and pushes against and
passes over the
contact end 182a of the lifting arm 180, rotating the lifting arm 180
downwards about the
support lug 186 to its lowermost position with the support arm 184 abutting
against the
bottom boss 188. The distal end of the inner arm 182 located between the guide
pins 140c
of the lifting foot 140 causes the lifting foot to be in its lowered position,
although at this
stage it is held at this level by being within the forward-most part of the
'L' shape of the
guide slots 124a in the side walls 124 of the chassis 120.
As the user releases the end door 112, the biasing force exerted by the
compressed leaf
spring 136 pushes the receiver 138 and abutting cartridge 150 backwards in the
opposite
direction to return to the start position. However, the side wings 174a of the
piston 170
now act as pawls and bind against the vertical ribs 134 on the inside of the
side wall 124 of
the chassis 120 which they previously rode over on the forward movement and
thereby
prevent the piston 170 from moving backwards and returning with the cartridge
150. This
causes the cartridge 150 to move backwards under the force of the leaf spring
136 but the
piston 170 and row of cigarettes S ahead of the piston 170 remain stationary
in the
advanced position relative to the chassis 120. This causes the lead cigarette
S within the
cartridge 150 to be pushed out of the cartridge open end 162. As the cartridge
150 moves
backwards relative to the chassis 120 and to the piston 170, the uppermost and
lowermost
corners of the elongate element 172 of the piston 170 ride over the adjacent
ratchet teeth
156a, 158a of the cartridge 150 and locate against the flat vertical face 159
(see Fig. 7) of
the next ratchet teeth 156a, 158a of the cartridge 150.
As the receiver 138 moves backwards under the force of the leaf spring 136, it
moves
towards the stationary row of cigarettes S and engages the lead cigarette S
just ejected from
the cartridge 150, into the channel 138a. The lifting foot 140, at this time,
also moves
backwards with the receiver 138 so that the lead cigarette S becomes located
on top of the
platform 140a and, simultaneously, the second coupling pin 192b begins to
travel along the
lower return path in the guide track 190 below the island element 190a. The
channel 138a
in the receiver moves into alignment with the dispensing apertures 126a, 110c
in the chassis
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120 and outer casing 110, respectively. This part of the dispensing operation
is shown in
the movement from Figure 3B to 3C and Figure 4B to 4C.
Finally, as the end door 112 and cartridge 150 reach the end of the backward
movement
and return to the starting position again, the second coupling pin 192b moves
backwards in
the lower part of the guide track 190 until it reaches and pushes against the
contact end
182a of the lifting arm 180, thereby rotating the lifting arm 180 upwards
about the support
lug 186 to its uppermost position with the support arm 184 abutting against
the upper boss
188. This causes the distal end of the inner arm 182 located between the guide
pins 140c of
the lifting foot 140 to lift the lifting foot 140 upwards to its raised
position, as the guide
pins 140c travel upwards within the guide slots 138b, 124a of the receiver 138
and the side
walls 124 of the chassis 120. This causes the lead cigarette to be lifted
upwards on the
platform 140a and out of the dispensing apertures 126a, 110a in the chassis
120 and outer
casing 110 respectively. This part of the dispensing operation is shown in the
movement
from Figure 3C to 3D and Figure 4C to 4D.
At the very end of its movement, the second coupling pin 192b passes over the
contact end
182a of the lifting arm 180, and is therefore ready to repeat the above-
described process by
pushing and rotating the lifting arm 180 downwards again on the next
dispensing
operation. However, after the second coupling pin 192b passes over the contact
end 182a
of the lifting arm 180, the lifting foot 140 and lifting arm 180 may naturally
fully or partially
drop under their own weight, although this does not affect subsequent
dispensing
operations.
The above-described dispensing process is repeated for each cigarette S to be
dispensed
from the cartridge 150 out of the dispenser 100, and each time, the piston 170
indexes
forwards relative to the cartridge 150 and chassis 120 by the ratchet
mechanism comprising
the side wings 174a on the vertical ribs 134 and elongate member 172 ends on
the ratchet
teeth 156a, 158a. When the cartridge 150 is empty, the forwards movement of
the cartridge
150 pushes the piston 170 forwards right to the open end 162 of the cartridge
150 such
that the side wings 174a engage with the edges of the apertures 154a and are
deflected
inwards as the piston 170 is further advanced so that they lie flat against
the side walls 154
of the cartridge. In this position, they are out of snagging engagement with
the vertical ribs
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134 on the inside walls 124 of the chassis 120. A user may then open the end
door 112 and
easily remove the spent cartridge 150 and replace it with a fresh full
cartridge 150. The
dispenser 100 is then reloaded and ready for use as described above.
The invention described above includes a dispenser 100, a cartridge 150 for
use with the
dispenser 100 and a dispenser 100 in combination with the cartridge 150. An
alternative
embodiment of a cartridge 250 of the invention will now be described which is
also suitable
for use with the same dispenser 100 as already described, and so detailed
description of the
dispenser 100 will not be repeated.
The alternative embodiment of a cartridge 250 of the invention is shown in
Figures 25 to
28D and comprises a housing comprising two side walls 254, a top wall 256, a
bottom wall
258 and an end wall 260 which together define a space within the cartridge 250
to contain
the cigarettes S. The cartridge 250 is open at one end 262 (see Fig. 26)
opposite the end
wall 260 for the movement of cigarettes S out of the cartridge 250 during an
above-
described dispensing operation. Each cartridge side wall 254 includes a large
aperture 254a
formed therein. Each of the cartridge top and bottom walls 256, 258 include a
series of
horizontal ribs 256a, 258a extending inwardly therefrom across the width of
the respective
wall 256, 258. The ribs 256a, 258a in each series are regularly spaced along
the length of
each side respective wall 256, 258 and the spacing corresponds approximately
to the
spacing of the vertical ribs 134 of the chassis side walls 124, which
correspond
approximately to the diameter of the cigarettes within the cartridge 250 which
are to be
dispensed from the dispenser 100.
A piston 270 (see Figs. 25 and 27) is provided within the cartridge 250 to
push the row of
cigarettes S through and out of the cartridge 250 during dispensing operations
as described
above, and comprises an elongate element 272 which is a generally rigid and
rectangular flat
panel. The elongate element 272 has a pair of lateral side wings 274, one wing
extending
from approximately the middle of each of the long side edges, and which are
angled
outwardly and rearwards (when the cartridge is inserted into the dispenser).
The piston 270
also includes a pair of end tabs 276, one extending from each of the top and
bottom edges
of the elongate element 272 and which are also angled outwardly and rearwards
(when the
cartridge is inserted into the dispenser).
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The piston 270 is received within the cartridge 250 orientated such that the
side wings 274
and end tabs 276 angled away from the open end 262 with the end tabs 276
resting against
the top and bottom walls 256, 258 of the cartridge 250 between the ribs 256a,
258a. The
piston 270 is configured such that when it is received within the cartridge
250, the side
wings 274 extend though the apertures 254a in the side walls 254. Furthermore,
both the
side wings 274 and the end tabs 276 are elastically resilient and so when
caused to be
deflected inwards, exert a return biasing force in an outward direction.
The operation of the dispenser 100 in use with the alternative cartridge 250
of the
invention is very similar to that described above with the first-described
cartridge 150, and
so will not be repeated here in its entirety. Only the function of the
differing features will
be described.
To dispense a cigarette S from the dispenser 100, end door 112 is pushed
inwards towards
and into the outer casing 110. The end door 112 pushes the end wall 260 of the
cartridge
250 to cause the cartridge 250 to slide forwards further into the chamber of
chassis 120.
This is shown schematically in the movement from Figure 28A1 to 28C1 and 28A2
to
28C2. As this happens, the end tabs 276 of the piston 270 act as pawls and
bind against the
horizontal ribs 256a, 258a. Thereby, the piston 270, together with the smoking
articles
ahead of the piston 270, is forced to move forwards with the cartridge 250
relative to the
chassis 120. As the piston 270 moves forwards within the chassis 120, the side
wings 274
of the piston 270 are deflected inwards (see arrows P1 in Figure 28B2 and
Figure 29B) as
they are made to ride over and past the next vertical rib 134 on the inside of
each side wall
124 of the chassis 120, forward of their starting position. Having past the
next vertical rib
134, the side wings 274 spring outwards under their elastic resilience (see
arrows P2 in
Figure 28C and Figure 29C) and then locate against the forward edge of the
vertical ribs
134 they just passed over. Simultaneously, the cartridge 250 pushes against
the receiver 138
which moves forwards together with the cartridge 250 and compresses the leaf
spring 136
against the end wall 130 of the chassis 120 as described previously.
As the user releases the end door 112, the biasing force exerted by the
compressed leaf
spring 136 pushes the receiver 138 and abutting cartridge 250 backwards to
return to the
CA 02749326 2013-04-25
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start position. However, the side wings 274 of the piston 270 now act as pawls
and bind
against the vertical ribs 134 on the inside of each side wall 124 of the
chassis 120 which
they previously rode over on the forward movement and thereby prevent the
piston 270
from returning with the cartridge 250. This causes the cartridge 250 to move
backwards
under the force of the leaf spring 136 but the piston 270 and row of
cigarettes S ahead of
the piston 270 remain stationary in the advanced position relative to the
chassis 120. A
lead cigarette S in the cartridge 250 is pushed out of the cartridge open end
262. As the
cartridge 250 moves backwards relative to the chassis 120 and to the piston
270, the end
tabs 276 of the piston 270 ride over the next adjacent horizontal rib 256a,
258a and locate
thereagainst. This position is shown in Figure 28D, in which the cartridge 250
is returned
to the starting position and the leading cigarette S has been pushed from the
cartridge 250
(and is shown partially elevated in Figure 28D) and may be dispensed from the
dispenser
100 as described above. The remaining steps of the dispensing operation are as
already
described.
Although an exemplary embodiment of the dispenser of the invention and two
exemplary
embodiments of the cartridge of the invention for use in such a dispenser have
been
described above, it will be appreciated that various modifications may be made
to these
embodiments within the scope of the invention which is defined by the claims
hereafter,
the invention also including a dispenser in combination with a cartridge. Any
combinations
of non-mutually exclusive features described above are intended to fall within
the scope of
the invention.
The first-described cartridge 150 is intended to be made from card, although
may be made
from other suitable materials such as plastic, or a combination of materials
(for example,
the piston 170 may be made from plastic and the blank 172 of the cartridge 150
made from
card, or vice versa). Also, although the piston 170 of the first cartridge 150
is described as
being made from two separate components, it may equally be made integrally as
single
body.
Similarly, the alternative cartridge embodiment 250 may be made from any
suitable material
such as plastic or card, or a combination of materials. Also, although the
piston 270 of the
CA 02749326 2013-04-25
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second cartridge 250 is described as being made as single integral body, it
may equally be
made from two or more separate components joined together.
The cartridge 150/250 is intended to be a replaceable and disposable component
with
which the dispenser 100 can be reloaded with a new full cartridge 150/250 once
all of the
cigarettes in the previous cartridge 150/250 have been dispensed and said
previous
cartridge 150/250 removed from the chassis 120 and discarded.
The first-described cartridge 150 is shown as including a side tab 164 which
extends across
the open end 162 of the cartridge 150. This is intended to retain the
cigarettes within the
cartridge 150 during manufacture, packing and distribution, until the end user
is ready to
load the cartridge 150 into the dispenser 100. At this point, the user breaks
the tab 164
manually by tearing or otherwise, prior to insertion of the cartridge 150 into
the dispenser
100. However, the tab may be breakable upon first dispensing operation, for
example, if a
line of weakness is provided in the tab 164 such that when the piston 170 is
first indexed
forwards relative to the cartridge 150, the lead cigarette S breaks the tab
164 to allow it to
be dispensed. The second described cartridge 250 may include such a retaining
and/or
breakable tab within the scope of the invention.
In both the first-described cartridge 150 and the alternative cartridge 250,
the cartridge
150/250 may be initially supplied with the piston 170/270 positioned back
within the
cartridge 150/250 proximate the rear wall 160/260 thereof such that the side
wings
174a/274 of the piston 170/270 are restrained within the cartridge 150/250
between the
side walls 154/254, and not extending through the large apertures 154a/254a in
the side
walls 154/254. Then, upon an initial dispensing operation of the dispenser 100
as described
above, the piston 170/270 is moved towards the open end 162/262 of the
cartridge
150/250 until the side wings 174a/274 of the piston 170/270 reach the large
apertures
154a/254a in the side walls 154/254 and spring outwardly to extend
therethrough.
Alternatively, however, the cartridge 150/250 may be initially supplied with
the side wings
174a/274 of the piston 170/270 already protruding through the large apertures
154a/254a
in the side walls 154/254.
CA 02749326 2013-04-25
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The locking key 114 which secures the chassis 120 within the outer casing 110
can be
detachable from the cooperating means on the end wall 130 of the chassis 120
to enable
the chassis 120 to be removed from the outer casing 110. This facility may
enable a user to
interchange different styles or designs of outer casing for the dispenser 100,
while retaining
the same internal components of the chassis 120.
The end door 112 is described as being slidable within the outer casing 110
and pivotable
relative thereto to enable reloading of the chassis 120 with a new cartridge
150/250.
However, the end door 112 may equally be removable from the outer casing 110
within the
scope of the invention. It will also be appreciated that the end door could be
provided as a
replaceable component attached to the cartridge 150/250 and engageable with
the lifting
arm mechanism upon replacement of the cartridge 150/250. Furthermore, although
the
above embodiments describe the dispenser 100 including a mechanism to lift the
cigarettes
S as well as sequentially index them out of the cartridge 150/250 to be
dispensed, the
invention is not intended to be limited to a dispenser having the above-
described lifting
mechanism, nor one having a lifting mechanism at all, and may simply index and
dispense
cigarettes from the cartridge 150/250 without also lifting them from the
dispenser 100 in a
combined movement.
In addition to the above description and listed Figures, two sets of
sequential drawings of
the stages of operation of the dispenser 100 in use with each of the two
embodiments of
the cartridge 150/250 are included as Annex 1 and Annex 2 respectively. The
drawings of
these annexes are side and plan views and show the internal features of the
dispenser 100
and cartridge 150/250, with one side view sequence in each Annex also showing
the
cigarettes within the cartridge 150/250. The reference numerals are omitted
from the
drawings of these annexes for clarity but correspond to all of the numbered
features shown
in Figures 1 to 29C.
