Patent ID: 7624773
Filing Date: 2009-12-01
Classification: B65B,F25C

Abstract:
1. A dispenser comprising: a housing having an interior bounded by at least one wall and a chute extending from the interior and through the wall; a drum having an internal cavity and an upwardly oriented mouth, the drum rotatably disposed within the interior of the housing; an advancing fin disposed on an inner surface of the internal cavity of the drum; an ice maker attached to the housing such that the ice maker is adapted to receive water and turn the water into ice, the produced ice gravitationally falling from the ice maker into the mouth of the drum; a bagging unit disposed between mouth of the drum and the chute, such that the bagging unit causes the ice falling out of the mouth to be received within a bag with the bag and ice being delivered into the chute wherein the bagging unit comprises; a hopper having a first trap door; a bag rack adapted to receive a plurality of bags; a first air cylinder having a plurality of suctions cups on a distal end thereof; a second trap door pivotally attached to the housing and located below the bag rack; a second air cylinder connected to the second trap door; and wherein the first air cylinder extends toward the bag rack such that the suction cups suctionally engage a side of the bag and thereafter the first air cylinder retracts thereby opening the bag and such that the ice falling out of the drum falls into the hopper and once the hopper is full, the first trap door is opened causing the ice to fall into the open bag below the hopper and once the bag is full, the second air under causes the second trap door to pivot causing the bag to slide off of the second trap door and into the chute; and wherein when the device is activated, the drum rotates such that the advancing fin causes the ice disposed within the internal cavity of the drum to advance out of the mouth and fall into the chute and such that when a sufficient quantity of ice has been dispensed from the drum, the drum discontinues rotating.