Cup dispenser for cups containing freshly made beverages

A cup dispenser for cups containing freshly made beverages comprises a discharge opening connecting a dispensing chamber with the interior of the dispenser. This discharge opening is from the inside filled by a rotor mounted about a vertical shaft. The peripheral wall of the rotor closes completely the discharge opening in any position of the rotor apart from the position in which a recess opposes the discharge opening. This recess is shaped in such a manner that it may receive a cup situated therein when the dispenser is activated. Subsequently, the cup is filled with the desired beverage at a filling station and optionally provided with a cover at a cover dispensing device. Such a dispenser protects the interior parts thereof efficiently against the environment, and furthermore it allows the positioning of the covers on the filled cups in a simple manner.

The invention relates to a cup dispenser for cups containing freshly made 
beverages, said dispenser comprising a discharge opening forming a 
connection between the interior of the dispenser and a dispensing chamber, 
from which the customer can remove the filled cup. 
Many different types of dispensers are known which comprise a dispensing 
chamber in which the cup is initially situated and the beverage is 
subsequently made. Such dispensers are encumbered with the drawback that 
it is relatively easy for unauthorized persons to reach parts of the 
dispenser through the usually permanently open discharge opening. In 
addition, the parts supplying the liquid to the cup are relatively 
unprotected against dirt and other impurities from the environment of the 
dispenser. Some dispensers protect the dispensing chamber and the 
discharge opening against impurities from the environment by means of a 
door situated at the outlet of the dispensing chamber, and which the 
customer must open in order to remove the filled cup. It is, however, 
still relatively easy for unauthorized persons to reach parts of the 
interior of the dispenser through the open discharge opening and possibly 
deliberately smudge the parts adjacent the opening. The dispenser 
comprising a door furthermore necessitates that the customer must use both 
hands for the removal of the cup in order to avoid spilling. 
The dispenser according to the invention is characterized in that the 
dispenser comprises a rotor pivotably mounted about a vertical shaft and 
having a peripheral wall extending in axial direction and co-operating 
with the discharge opening from the interior in such a manner that said 
discharge opening is completely closed by part of the peripheral wall in 
any position of the rotor apart from the position in which a cup chamber 
shaped on said rotor opposes the discharge opening, said cup chamber 
forming a recess in the peripheral wall, and that--within the 
dispenser--said dispenser is adapted at activation to position a cup in 
the cup chamber, to fill said cup with the desired beverage, and 
optionally to provide the cup with a cover, and subsequently to turn said 
cup chamber with the filled cup temporarily forward to the discharge 
opening. 
As a result a dispenser is provided which protects the interior parts of 
the dispenser efficiently against wanton destruction, and which 
simultaneously protects the parts presenting high sanitary requirements 
concerning impurities from the outside. Furthermore, the movement of a 
filled cup within the dispenser renders it possible to provide said cup 
with a cover from a cover dispensing mechanism, thus meeting the various 
requirements presented to a beverage. A cup provided with a cover is easy 
to remove from the dispenser without the risk of spilling, and such a cup 
is furthermore easy to transport. A dispenser providing the cup with a 
cover increases to an essential degree the tendency of a customer to 
accept a cup containing a beverage usually sold in bottles. In this manner 
it is possible to restrict the sale of beverages in bottles involving 
expenses to a considerable extent. Compared to bottles, the cups are 
inexpensive to manufacture and transport, and unlike the bottles these 
cups need not be returned to the breweries. 
According to the invention it is preferred that the rotor is formed as a 
bell, whereby the cup chamber extends substantially axially through said 
bell adjacent the peripheral wall thereof and comprises a separate bottom 
plate supporting the cups. 
Moreover according to the invention, the wall of the cup chamber may be 
formed by telescopic members permitting an adjustment of the axial 
extension of the cup chamber by displacing the bottom plate of the cup 
chamber. In this manner the drum and consequently the dispenser are easily 
adaptable to various sizes of cups. 
Furthermore according to the invention, the rotor may be associated with 
means automatically transferring a filled cup to the dispensing chamber 
when the cup chamber opposes said dispensing chamber, whereby a filled cup 
is automatically removed from the cup chamber, which thereby quickly is 
ready for a new purchase. The dispenser may therefore prepare several cups 
of beverages without necessitating that the customer removes the filled 
cup at once. 
According to the invention it is particularly advantageous when the bottom 
plate is a fixedly mounted, horizontal disc comprising guides capable of 
co-operating with the lower part of a cup in such a manner that said cup 
is guided both in radial direction relative to the cup chamber during the 
rotation of the rotor and automatically carried out of the cup chamber 
during the passage of said cup chamber past the discharge opening. In this 
manner the cup is automatically transferred to the cup chamber in a simple 
manner. 
The dispenser may according to the invention comprise a cover magazine with 
a dispensing mechanism adapted to remove a cover from the cover magazine 
and to discharge it to a cup during the movement of said cup to the 
discharge opening, thus permitting a particularly quick fixing of the 
covers. 
According to the invention it is preferred that the dispenser is 
characterized in that the cover magazine comprises a tubular, displaceably 
mounted container with an open bottom, said container receiving a stack of 
covers supported by a supporting plate, on top of which the cover stack 
slides during the displacement of the tubular container, and that the 
cover dispensing mechanism comprises a separator separating the lowermost 
cover from the stack of covers during the passage of the container past 
the separator, and that the rotor comprises a dog pushing the cover 
removed from the stack away from the cover dispensing mechanism and 
downwards onto a cup, whereafter the cup with cover passes a pressing 
means pressing the cover firmly onto the cover, and optionally a stamping 
means providing the cup with a mark or the like characteristic of the 
beverage in question. 
According to the invention the separator may particularly simply be a thin 
bar, which in the nonactivated position is horizontally situated across 
the path of the magazine container and on a level below the lowermost rim 
of the lowermost but one cover in the stack of covers, said bar being 
loosely mounted at both ends in an oblong hole extending obliquely 
upwards, whereby these oblong holes are shaped in permanent parts of the 
dispenser, and the cover dispensing mechanism may comprise a slot shaped 
under the separator bar in the supporting plate of the stack of covers, 
said slot being dimensioned in such a manner that the lowermost cover 
during the separating procedure is carried downwards through the slot, and 
supporting brackets may be provided below the slot in the supporting 
plate, whereby the supporting brackets are adapted temporarily to carry 
the separated cover in the path of the dog present on the rotor, said 
supporting brackets projecting towards each other in such a manner that a 
passage or slot for the dog is formed therebetween. 
In order to guide the cover during the fixing thereof onto a cup, the 
supporting brackets may according to the invention be shaped in connection 
with cover-guiding side walls guiding the cover during the displacement 
downwards onto a cup. 
According to the invention it is preferred that the pressing means 
comprises two rollers freely pivotably mounted on a shaft at such a mutual 
distance that the dog may pass freely. 
Finally according to the invention, the shaft of the rollers may be 
adjustable in height and resiliently mounted, whereby a particularly 
careful handling of the cups with covers is obtained.

The dispenser illustrated in FIG. 1 is provided with the general reference 
numeral 1 and comprises on the front side a dispensing chamber 2 
communicating posteriorly with the interior of the dispenser through a 
discharge opening 3. Through this discharge opening 3, the dispenser 
discharges at appropriate activation cups 4 containing an appropriate, 
completely prepared beverage from the interior of the dispenser. 
As illustrated especially in FIG. 2, a rotor 5 is situated immediately 
inside the opening 3 and is pivotably mounted about a vertical shaft 6. 
This rotor comprises a peripheral wall 7 extending in axial direction and 
situated close to the discharge opening 3 in such a manner that said 
opening is completely closed by part of the peripheral wall during the 
greater part of rotation of the rotor 5. In connection with this 
peripheral wall 7, the rotor 5 comprises an axially extending recess 8 
shaped in such a manner that it can receive a cup 4. In this manner this 
recess 8 serves as a cup chamber on the rotor, the cup 4 being supported 
downwardly by a bottom plate 9. 
As diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. 2, the rotor 5 is associated with a 
cup dispensing means 10 indicated by dotted lines. This cup dispensing 
means contains stacks of cups and transfers in a manner known per se a cup 
to the cup chamber 8 of the rotor at activation of the dispenser and when 
the cup chamber 8 is situated in a correct starting position below the cup 
dispensing means. The rotor 5 is furthermore associated with a beverage 
preparing station indicated by the reference numeral 11. This station may, 
if desired, be situated at the starting position of the cup chamber 8, and 
at said station the cup 4 is filled with the desired beverage in a manner 
known per se. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the dispenser is also provided 
with a cover dispensing device 12, which, if desired, provides the filled 
cup 4 with a cover from a stack 13 of covers in a container 14. As 
described more detailed below, this container 14 is adapted to rotate 
about a vertical shaft 15 in the direction indicated by means of an arrow 
16 in accordance with the rotation of the rotor 5, which in the drawing is 
clockwise. The container 14 with the stack of covers rotates on top of a 
supporting plate 17 provided with a slot 18. The covers are carried to the 
cups through this slot 18 in the manner described in greater detail below. 
When a customer has activated the dispenser, the rotor 5 rotates the cup 
chamber 8 stepwise into the filling position 11, said cup chamber being 
provided with an empty cup 4. Subsequently, the filled cup 4 is carried in 
a continuous rotating movement to the discharge opening 3 of the dispenser 
through the cover dispensing device 12. At the discharge opening 3, the 
filled cup 4 is pushed into the cup dispensing chamber 2 where it awaits 
to be removed by a customer. As indicated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the dispensing 
chamber is appropriately shaped in such a manner that several filled cups 
may be simultaneously situated therein. Upon the transfer of the filled 
cup to the dispensing chamber, the rotor 5 continues its movement until 
the cup chamber again is situated in the starting position and ready to 
receive a fresh cup. 
The embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3 of a rotor 5 is shaped as a bell with 
a horizontal top side 19 and a peripheral wall 7 of a slighter inclination 
(conicity). This bell comprises a recess forming the cup chamber 8, said 
recess being shaped integral with the peripheral wall 7 and the horizontal 
top side 19. The bell-shaped rotor is pivotably mounted about a shaft 20 
and is connected with a horizontal permanent bottom plate 9 in the form of 
a disc of almost the same radius as the lowermost part of the bell 5. This 
disc is provided with oblong ridges 21 and 22 of such a shape and situated 
in such a manner that they form guides for a cup 4 situated in the cup 
chamber 8, the lowermost edge of the cup engaging said guides during the 
movement of the rotor 5. The cup 4 situated in the cup chamber is guided 
radially inwards into the cup chamber 8 by means of one guide 21 extending 
in a curve along the periphery of the disc-shaped bottom plate 9 until a 
point adjacent the discharge opening 3 of the dispenser. At this point, 
the lowermost edge of the cup 4 engages the second guide 22 guiding the 
filled cup outwards through the discharge opening 3 in the direction 
indicated by means of an arrow 23. The first guide 21 and the walls of the 
cup chamber ensure the accurate positioning of the cup 4 within the cup 
chamber 8 during the transfer of the cup 4 from the starting position at 
the cup dispensing means 10 to the discharge opening 3. The bottom plate 9 
may be provided with an orifice 24, cf. FIG. 3, and when returning to the 
starting position, the cup chamber 8 passes this orifice whereby possible 
impurities fall through said orifice and are thereby prevented from 
interrupting the correct function of the dispenser. 
FIG. 3 illustrates the various stations in connection with the bottom plate 
9 in order simultaneously to illustrate the position of the guides 21 and 
22 relative thereto. Upon discharge of a cover from the stack 13 of 
covers, the cup with cover passes a pressing means 25 pressing the cover 
firmly onto the cup. Having passed this pressing means, the cup passes a 
stamping means 26 providing the cup with a mark or the like characteristic 
of the beverage in question. 
The cover dispensing device 12 is illustrated in greater detail in FIGS. 4 
and 5, whereby only the essential parts are shown for the sake of clarity. 
The container 14 receiving a stack 13 of covers is tubular and comprises 
an open bottom. The lowermost rim 27 of the container 14 is situated on a 
level above the supporting plate but slightly below the lowermost rim of 
the lowermost but one cover 28 in the stack 13. The lowermost cover, which 
is provided with the reference numeral 29, is supported by the supporting 
plate 17. During the rotation of the container 14 about the shaft 15, the 
lowermost cover slides on top of this supporting plate 17. 
Immediately above the slot 18 in the supporting plate 17, the cover 
dispensing device comprises a separating bar 30. In the nonactivated 
position this separating bar is horizontally situated on a level below the 
lowermost rim of the lowermost but one cover 28 and also on a level below 
the lowermost rim 27 of the container. At both ends this separating bar is 
mounted in an oblong hole 31 and 32, respectively, obliquely extending and 
situated in permanent portions of the dispenser, the oblong hole 31 being 
shaped on a part 33 integral with the supporting plate 17, whereas the 
oblong hole 32 is shaped in a part 34 situated outside the supporting 
plate 17. Immediately below this separating bar, two supporting brackets 
35 and 36 are provided which comprise horizontal portions extending from 
their respective end of the slot 18 towards each other, a slot 37 being 
formed therebetween. 
During the passage of the container 14 across the slot 18, the lowermost 
cover 29 hits the separating bar 30. Owing to the loose mounting of this 
bar in the oblong holes 31, 32, the separating bar slides upwards along 
the side of the cover and inwards under the lowermost rim of the lowermost 
but one cover 28. As a result, this lowermost but one cover 28 is pressed 
away from the lowermost cover 29 in such a manner that said lowermost 
cover is released from the stack 13 of covers and guided downwards under 
the separating bar 30 and downwards through the slot 18 where it is 
catched by the supporting brackets 35 and 36. The condition of the stack 
after the passage of the separating bar 30 and the separation of the 
lowermost cover 29 is indicated by dotted lines in FIG. 5. FIG. 5 
furthermore illustrates a cover 38 being previously separated from the 
stack 13 and resting on top of the supporting brackets 35 and 36, only the 
supporting bracket 35 appearing from FIG. 5. As illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 
6 and FIG. 3 too, the rotor comprises a dog 39 situated on the top side 19 
of the rotor. This dog is correctly situated relative to the cup chamber 8 
in such a manner that it has the same distance to the axis of rotation 6 
of the rotor as the centre of a correctly situated cup in the cup chamber 
8. This dog is secured in a manner not described in details, but 
optionally in such a manner that it is adjustable. The path of the dog 39 
appears from FIG. 4 by means of the dotted curve 40. The cover dispensing 
device with the separator is situated in such a manner relative to the 
path 40 of the dog 39, cf. FIG. 4, that the dog 39 passes through the slot 
37 between the supporting brackets 35 and 36 during the rotation of the 
rotor. As a result, the dog 39 pushes the cover 38 situated on the 
supporting brackets 35 and 36 downwards off the supporting brackets 35 and 
36. A correct adjustment of the dog 39 implies that the cover 38 falls on 
top of the cup 4. 
As illustrated in FIG. 4, the supporting brackets 35 and 36 are shaped in 
connection with vertical walls 41, 42. These vertical walls are situated 
and curved in such a manner that they form guiding surfaces for the cover 
38 during its movement from the supporting brackets 35 and 36 downwards 
onto the cup 4. The part 34 comprises the oblong hole 32 outside the 
periphery of the supporting plate 17 and is appropriately shaped integral 
with one of these cover-guiding side surfaces 41. 
An appropriate distance from the supporting brackets 35 and 36, these 
cover-guiding side surfaces comprise an almost horizontal shaft 43. 
Between the cover-guiding walls 41 and 42, this shaft 43 carries two 
loosely mounted rollers 44, 45 situated at such a mutual distance that the 
dog 39 may pass freely therebetween. Furthermore these rollers 44, 45 are 
situated in such a manner relative to the rotor 5 and the path of the cup 
4 that they engage the cover 38 and press said cover firmly onto the cup 
4. As indicated in FIG. 4, the shaft 43 may be spring-loaded in a 
direction towards the cup 4 in such a manner that it is adjustable in 
height relative to the cup 4 and the cover 38. 
The rollers 44, 45 are conically shaped in accordance with the path of the 
cover 38, cf. FIG. 4, whereby parts of the rollers do not slip relative to 
the cover. 
The embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7 of a rotor 5 comprises a peripheral 
wall 7 and a cup chamber 8 as the embodiment described above. The cup 
chamber 8 in this embodiment is formed by parallel side walls 46, 47 and a 
curved end wall 48 of the same radius of curvature as the peripheral wall 
7. This curved end wall 48 is connected to a linkage indicated by the 
reference numeral 49. This linkage is controlled so that the cup by 
displacement of the wall 48 is automatically pushed out of the cup chamber 
8 when said chamber opposes the discharge opening 3. At the same time this 
wall 48 closes temporarily the opening of the cup chamber facing outwards 
after discharge of the cup. 
The embodiment of the rotor 5 illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9 comprises as the 
previous embodiments, a peripheral wall 7 and a cup chamber 8. In this 
embodiment, the bottom plate 9 of the cup chamber is formed by a pivotably 
mounted plate 50 mounted about the same shaft as the rotor 5 and 
furthermore carrying a part 51 of the vertical wall of the cup chamber, 
this part 51 being carried by a part 52 projecting vertically upwards on 
the bottom plate-forming plate 50. The remaining part of the wall of the 
cup chamber is formed by a part 53 projecting downwards and integral with 
the rotor. These two parts 51, 53 of the wall of the cup chamber are 
shaped in such a manner that they are displaceable relative to each other 
in a telescopic manner. The plate 50 slides on top of a guide 54 shaped so 
that the plate 50 and consequently also the part 51 of the wall of the cup 
chamber are vertically displaceable during the rotation of the rotor. As a 
result, the cup may be transferred from one level to another, e.g. from 
the cup dispensing means 10 to the cover dispensing device 12 so that the 
cup is correctly positioned relative to the cover dispensing device. By 
replacing the guide 54, the dispenser is easily adjustable from one cup 
size to another. 
As illustrated in FIG. 9, a pawl 55 is pivotably mounted on the plate 50. 
This pawl is permanently connected to an arm 56 carrying a roller 57 at 
the opposite end. During the rotation of the rotor 5, this roller follows 
a cam track 58 shaped in such a manner that the pawl 55 automatically 
pushes the cup 4 outwards into the dispensing chamber when the cup chamber 
8 opposes the discharge opening 3, cf. the arrow 59 and the position of 
the pawl indicated by dotted lines. As indicated, the pawl is 
appropriately connected to a spring 60 automatically retracting said pawl 
towards a stop 61 in such a manner that the roller 57 is kept engaging the 
cam track 58 during the rotation of the rotor 5. 
The invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments. 
Many amendments may be performed without thereby deviating from the scope 
of the invention. The actuator of the rotor may for instance be connected 
to a coupling preventing a continued rotation of the rotor when for 
instance a finger is caught between the rotor and one rim at the discharge 
opening. The rotor may possibly be provided with photocells too, which 
registrate whether the cup is out of the cup chamber and whether said cup 
chamber is empty. 
The rotation of the rotor is actuated in a manner known per se, and it is 
also adjusted to the movement of the remaining parts of the means of the 
dispenser in a manner known per se, e.g. the container dispensing means 
10, the filling station 11, and the cover dispensing device 12.