Patent ID: 6176392
Filing Date: 2001-01-23
Classification: B65B,B65G,G07F

Abstract:
A bottle dispensing apparatus comprising:a) a frame having a supporting base, a pair of side walls with a space therebetween, and a bottle dispensing opening;b) a plurality of inclined plates positioned in between the side walls and supported by the frame, each inclined plate being sized to carry a plurality of bottles to be dispensed, the plates being inclined to move bottles toward an end of each of the plates;c) the frame having a dispensing channel for dispensing bottles from an upper end of the frame to a lower end of the frame;d) a plurality of gates positioned respectively at an end of the plates, each gate being positioned to control the flow of bottles from at least two of the inclined plates to the channel, each gate being movable between open and closed positions;e) the gates being configured to open when the dispensing channel is emptied of bottles at the gate;f) wherein each gate has a generally v-shaped portion having a recess said v-shaped portion enabling a portion of one gate to nest in the recess of another gate; andg) the frame having an outlet on the frame that dispenses bottles, the outlet receiving bottles from the dispensing channel.