Apparatus for dispensing pencils with erasure ferrules having a hopper with a coating on its surface that prevents the ferrules from contacting the hopper

Disclosed is apparatus for dispensing cylindrical objects such as pencils. The objects are stored in a hopper within a housing and fall out of the hopper into a delivery reservoir which is movable between a first position and a second position. When an activation mechanism moves the reservoir to the second position, the objects in the reservoir fall to an outlet in the housing. As the reservoir moves to its second position, an agitator aligns the pencils in the hopper to avoid bridging. A platform over the hopper holds some of the objects off the objects in the hopper. A patina on the agitator holds the high friction parts of the objects off the agitator so the objects roll or slide more easily.

This invention relates to apparatus for dispensing generally cylindrical 
objects. More particularly, it relates to vending machines for selling 
generally cylindrical objects such as pencils and the like. 
Cylindrical objects have been sold by vending machines for many years. U.S. 
Pat. No. 439,030, which issued to Dieterich on Oct. 21, 1890, shows a 
vending machine for selling small vials of whiskey or other liquids. Other 
vending machines have been used to sell or dispense toothpicks, 
cigarettes, candy and other goods in cylindrical packages. U.S. Pat. No. 
3,743,135, which issued to Brumley on July 3, 1973, and U.S. Pat. No. 
4,706,842, which issued to Guadagnino on Nov. 17, 1987, show vending 
machines for selling pencils. 
Apparatus for dispensing generally cylindrical objects usually include a 
hopper for storing the objects and a mechanism for delivering the objects 
to an outlet on demand. One problem such apparatus must overcome is 
bridging which occurs when the objects wedge together and hold one another 
against the forces of gravity. The Brumley patent, for example, discloses 
movable converging walls to rearrange the objects and break up any bridge 
which forms. 
Another common problem occurs when the weight of the objects interferes 
with the proper operation of the dispenser. The weight of the objects 
pushes down on the objects near the bottom, which are usually the first 
objects to be dispensed. If the weight of the objects is excessive, the 
objects near the bottom may be wedged together and the apparatus may 
malfunction. 
A third common problem is seen particularly in vending machines for selling 
pencils. Pencils usually have erasers on one end held in place by metal 
ferrules. The ferrules are usually about 0.010 to 0.012 inch larger in 
diameter than the rest of the pencil. In many cases ferrules do not roll 
or slide well. As a result, the pencils may become misaligned in the 
hopper and may cause a malfunction. 
The apparatus of the invention solves these common problems The apparatus 
of the invention has a hopper for storing a quantity of generally 
cylindrical objects within a housing. A delivery reservoir is located 
below the hopper and holds a selected number of the objects. When an 
activation mechanism is moved, the objects fall from the hopper into the 
delivery reservoir and then out of the delivery reservoir into an outlet. 
A platform extends over a portion of the hopper to keep the weight of some 
of the objects off the objects near the bottom. The platform can be 
pivoted upward to provide easy access to the delivery reservoir. A patina 
on the surface of the hopper holds the objects to keep the ferrules off 
the surface of the hopper. The bodies of the pencils roll or slide on the 
patina and the ferrules of the pencils do not contact either the patina or 
the surface of the hopper. 
The hopper includes at least one agitator which moves with respect to the 
rest of the hopper. As the agitator moves, it pushes the objects against 
an opposing surface to align the objects which are about to drop into the 
delivery reservoir.

The preferred embodiment of the invention, as shown in the drawing, 
includes a housing 11. The housing 11 has a rear panel 13 and two side 
panels 15 and 17 which are permanently attached to a bottom 19. The 
housing also has a front panel 21 and a top 23. The top 23 is attached to 
the rear panel 13 with a hinge 25. When the top 23 is closed, the top 23 
holds the front panel 21 in place. When the top 23 is open, the front 
panel 21 can be removed from housing 11. The top 23 can be secured with a 
lock 27 and key 29. 
A standard coin mechanism 31 is located in the front panel 21 of the 
housing 11. The coin mechanism 31 can be adjusted to operate when a 
selected amount of money is inserted into the mechanism 31. When the 
selected amount of money has been inserted, the mechanism can be pushed in 
and pulled out. As the mechanism is pushed in, the coins in the mechanism 
fall into a money box 33. A selected number of generally cylindrical 
objects, such as pencils 35, fall out of the outlet 37 into a tray 39. 
The money in the money box 33 can be periodically removed from the housing 
11 by opening the top 23 and removing the front panel 21. The money box 33 
can then be removed from the housing 11 and emptied. 
The supply of pencils 35 is replenished by opening the top 23 of the 
housing 11 and placing a quantity of pencils 35 into a hopper 41 located 
in the housing 11. The hopper 41 includes a stationary wall 43 and a 
movable agitator 45. 
Some of the pencils 35 are supported by a platform 47 which extends over a 
portion of the hopper 41. The platform 47 has a substantially flat first 
plate 49 which extends over the hopper 41. A substantially flat second 
plate 51 is attached to the first plate 49 along a shared edge to form an 
acute angle between the two plates 49 and 51. 
The platform 47 is attached to the inside surface of the rear panel 13 with 
a hinged connector 53 located along the shared edge of the two plates 49 
and 51. Thus, the first plate 49 extends over the hopper 41 at a downward 
slope so the pencils 35 will roll or slide off the platform 47 into the 
hopper 41. When desired, the platform 47 can be pivoted upward to allow 
pencils 35 to be placed into the hopper 41 below the platform 47. 
The stationary wall 43 of the hopper 41 is located below the platform 47. 
The wall 43 has a vertical section 55 and an inclined section 57. The 
inclined section 57 is attached to the rear panel 13 of the housing 11. 
The slight incline of the inclined section 57 causes the pencils 35 to 
roll or slide down the wall 43 away from the rear panel 13. 
The movable agitator 45 of the hopper 41 has a small vertical section 59, 
an inclined section 61, and a large vertical section 63. The small 
vertical section 59 of the agitator 45 is spaced a short distance away 
from the vertical section 55 of the stationary wall 43. A small number of 
pencils 35 can fit within the space between the wall 43 and the agitator 
45. 
The inclined section 61 of the agitator 45 is inclined to cause the pencils 
35 to roll or slide down the agitator 45 toward the space between the 
agitator 45 and the wall 43. The inclined section 61 of the agitator 45 is 
only partially below the platform 47. Therefore, as pencils 35 roll or 
slide off the platform 47 the pencils 35 land on the inclined section 61 
of the agitator 45. 
As shown in FIG. 4, pencils 35 commonly have erasers 65 attached to the 
wooden bodies 67 of the pencils 35 with metal ferrules 69. The ferrule 69 
is usually about 0.010 to 0.012 inch larger in diameter than the wooden 
body 67 of the pencil 35. A thin metal patina 71 is located on the upper 
surface of the inclined section 61 of the agitator 45. The patina 71 holds 
the ferrules 69 of the pencils 35 off the surface of the agitator 45. The 
ferrules 69 generally have a higher coefficient of friction than the 
bodies 67 of the pencils 35, so the pencils 35 will roll or slide 
straighter and more easily if the ferrules 69 do not contact the agitator 
45. 
The upper end 73 of the large vertical section 63 of the agitator 45 is 
connected to the housing 11. The agitator 45 can pivot about a horizontal 
axis 75 through the upper end 73 of the large vertical section 63. As the 
agitator 45 pivots, the small vertical section 59 of the agitator 45 moves 
toward the vertical section 55 of the stationary wall 43. 
A delivery reservoir 77 is located within the housing 11 directly below the 
hopper 41. The delivery reservoir 77 is capable of holding a selected 
number of cylindrical objects. In the preferred embodiment, the reservoir 
77 can hold two pencils 35. 
The delivery reservoir 77 is movable between two positions. In the first 
position, shown in FIG. 2, pencils 35 fall from the hopper 41 into the 
reservoir 77. In the second position, shown in FIG. 3, the pencils 35 in 
the reservoir 77 fall out of the reservoir 77 and roll or slide down a 
ramp 79 through the outlet 37 to the tray 39. 
The delivery reservoir 77 is moved from the first position to the second 
position by the coin mechanism 31 as the coin mechanism 31 is pushed in. 
When the coin mechanism 31 is pulled out, a pair of springs 81 pull the 
delivery reservoir 77 back to the first position. 
A pair of metal plates 83 extend upwardly from the delivery reservoir 77. 
The plates 83 have inclined edges 85 upon which the small vertical section 
59 of the agitator 45 rests. 
The apparatus of the invention is prepared for operation by opening the top 
23 and placing a quantity of pencils 35 into the hopper 41. The platform 
47 may be pivoted upward to allow easy access to the hopper 41. After a 
few pencils 35 have been placed in the hopper 41, the platform 47 is 
lowered and the remaining pencils 35 are placed on the platform 47. 
The coin mechanism 31 is adjusted to operate upon the deposit of a selected 
amount of money. The top 23 is closed and secured by locking the lock 27 
with the key 29. The apparatus is then operated by placing the selected 
amount of money in the coin mechanism 31 and the coin mechanism 31 is 
pushed in. The coin mechanism 31 pushes the delivery reservoir 77 from its 
first position to its second position. 
As the delivery reservoir 77 moves from its first position to its second 
position, the inclined edges 85 of the plates 83 push upward on the 
agitator 45 and cause the agitator 45 to pivot about the axis 75 at the 
upper end 73 of the agitator 45. 
As the agitator 45 pivots, the small vertical section 59 of the agitator 45 
moves toward the vertical section 55 of the stationary wall 43. The 
pencils 35 are squeezed together to straighten the pencils in the space 
between the wall 43 and the agitator 45. 
When the delivery reservoir 77 reaches its second position, the two pencils 
35 in the reservoir 77 fall out of the reservoir 77. The pencils 35 roll 
or slide down the ramp 79 through the outlet 37 to the tray 39. The coin 
mechanism 31 is then pulled out. As the mechanism 31 is pulled out, the 
springs 81 pull the delivery reservoir 77 back to its original position. 
As the delivery reservoir 77 moves from its second position back to its 
first position, the agitator 45 falls back to its original position. The 
small vertical section 59 of the agitator 45 moves away from the vertical 
section 55 of the wall 43 and a new pair of pencils 35 fall into the 
delivery reservoir 77. The apparatus is then ready for a second operation. 
The apparatus of the invention has several advantages over the prior art. 
The platform 47 holds many of the pencils 35 off the hopper 41 so the 
weight of those pencils 35 does not interfere with the proper operation of 
the apparatus. The patina 71 on the inclined section 61 of the agitator 45 
holds the ferrules 69 of the pencils 35 off the agitator 45 so the pencils 
35 roll or slide more easily. Also, the agitator 45 pivots and moves 
toward the stationary wall 43 As the pencils 35 are squeezed between the 
agitator 45 and the wall 43, the pencils 35 are aligned and thus cannot 
form bridges to keep the pencils 35 from falling into the reservoir 77. 
Accordingly, while the invention has been described with particular 
reference to a specific embodiment thereof, various changes and 
modifications may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and 
scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.