Dispenser for skewered foods

The invention comprises a dispenser for sequentially dispensing a plurality of articles, including a removable dispensing cartridge for storing foods or other articles to be dispensed. The cartridge includes support for supporting the articles in spaced vertical relationship, and a guide for guiding the movement of the articles within the cartridge. The dispenser further includes a displacement actuator for displacing the stored articles from the support during the dispensing process. The dispenser is particularly adapted for dispensing skewered foodstuffs, and is especially contemplated for use in combination with a cooking apparatus of the type wherein raw food is conveyed past a cooking element by an endless conveyor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Apparatus of the type useful for sequentially dispensing food items to be 
cooked to a cooking unit are well known in the art. Such apparatus have 
particular application in short-order vending operations, particularly 
coin-operated vending machines of the type employing an endless belt to 
convey dispensed raw food past a cooking element. Difficulties have been 
encountered, however, in the practical use of such apparatus, both with 
respect to the dispensing means and the endless belt systems employed to 
convey the food for cooking. Owing to the great variability in the 
physical characteristics of different foods, dispensing units have been 
typically restricted to dispensing only one type of foodstuff, 
characteristically hot dogs and accompanying buns. Even then, the 
non-uniform characteristics of the same type of foodstuff have resulted in 
irregular and unreliable operation of many prior art dispensers. 
Additionally, it has been necessary to develop specialized endless belt 
conveyor systems for use in conjunction with the cooking of specific 
foodstuffs, again owing to non-uniformity between different types of 
foods. Known conveyor systems for foods such as hot dogs are typically 
prone to result in a poorly cooked product, most usually overdone on one 
side and underdone on the opposite side. Frequently, it has been difficult 
to develop dispensing apparatus compatible with conveyor systems 
specifically designed for use with a certain type of foodstuff. 
Accordingly, the invention provides a dispenser for both food and non-food 
articles, but particularly for skewered food items. Owing to the 
uniformity of the skewers employed, a wide variety of disparate food items 
can be reliably dispensed, including many food items not previously 
dispensible in an automated operation. Further, the dispensation of 
foodstuffs on skewers particularly facilitates use of the dispenser with a 
variety of endless conveyor means for conveying the raw food through a 
cooking unit. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The invention comprises a dispenser for sequentially dispensing articles, 
particularly skewered food items. The dispenser includes a removable 
dispensing cartridge for storing the articles to be dispensed, which 
includes means for supporting the articles within the cartridge in spaced 
vertical relationship and means for guiding the articles stepwise through 
the cartridge to a discharge outlet. The cartridge may be supplied as a 
filled disposable unit for use in the dispenser, or may be refillable. 
The dispenser further includes means for urging the articles through the 
dispensing cartridge, and is advantageously employed in combination with a 
cooking assembly of the type employing endless conveyor means for 
conveying food past a series of cooking elements in a combined dispensing 
and cooking apparatus.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
With particular reference to FIG. 4, the dispenser of the invention, 
generally indicated at 1, comprises a housing 2 for a removable dispensing 
cartridge 3 adapted for storing and feeding the articles to be dispensed. 
The cartridge 3 includes a frame 4 having a first pair of vertical side 
members 5 including a plurality of support means comprising horizontally 
aligned notches 6 for supporting the articles to be dispensed in vertical 
relationship within the cartridge 3. In the illustrated embodiment, the 
articles to be dispensed comprise food items such as hot dogs 7 supported 
in notches 6 by skewers 8. In addition to the hot dogs 7, however, the 
dispenser 1 is useful for dispensing a large variety of both food and 
non-food items, but is particularly useful for skewered foods including 
those commonly served en brochette, such as kabobs. 
The cartridge 3 further includes guide means for guiding the skewers 8 
holding the hot dogs 7 to the next subjacent notches 6 as the skewers 8 
are displaced during the dispensing process, as by a push bar 9. The guide 
means exemplified comprise a second pair of vertical side members 11 in 
the frame 4, having vertically disposed pins 12 corresponding with, and 
extending into the notches 6. As the push bar 9 is operated, the skewers 8 
are dislodged from the notches 6 and drop on to the subjacent pins 12, 
which guide them into the corresponding subjacent notches 6, or, in the 
case of the lowermost hot dog 7a, through a discharge outlet 13 in the 
cartridge 3. The outlet 13 communicates with discharge means in the 
housing 2 comprising an opening 14 in the floor of the housing 2. The 
housing 2 is optionally refrigerated, and in this event, the opening 14 is 
provided with a door 16, and the housing 2 is insulated with insulating 
material 15, as best seen in FIG. 3. The cartridge 3 may be supplied for 
disposition in the housing 2 as a disposable filled "blister pack" as 
shown in FIG. 11, or may be intended for reuse, in which case means such 
as hinge 17 (FIG. 4) are included to permit the pairs of vertical side 
members 5 and 11 to be separated so that the cartridge 3 may be refilled. 
The displacing means comprising push bar 9 may be associated with the 
cartridge 3, as shown in FIG. 4, or more preferably, associated with the 
housing 2. In a preferred embodiment, illustrated in detail in FIGS. 5 and 
6, the push bars 9 include a pin and slot mechanism 18 for translating 
downward motion from associated levers 19 into horizontal motion of the 
push bars 9 so that the skewers 8 are displaced from the notches 6. 
Preferably, the levers 19 are actuated by actuating means such as lever 
solenoids 21 to move from the position indicated by solid lines to the 
position indicated by dotted lines; the levers 19 are retracted to their 
original position by countersprings 22. In an alternate embodiment shown 
in FIGS. 9 and 10, the push bars 9, guided by a pin and slot mechanism 
18a, are displaced horizontally by levers 19a, preferably actuated by 
lever solenoids 21a. The levers 19 and 19a are either secured to the push 
bars 9 so that the push bars automatically return to their original 
positions as the levers are retracted, or the push bars 9 are biased 
towards the inoperative position by biasing means such as biasing spring 
23 shown in FIG. 4. Both the push bars 9 and the door 16 to the discharge 
opening 14 in the housing 2 may be manually operated, if desired. However, 
for commercial vending operations, both mechanisms are preferably 
automatically actuated. As best shown in FIG. 3, the door 16 is 
conveniently operated by actuation of a linkage 24 by door solenoid 21b 
and closed by the action of a counterweight 26. 
In a particularly contemplated embodiment of the invention, the dispenser 
of the invention is employed for dispensing food to be cooked, 
particularly skewered food. Typically, the dispenser is associated with a 
cooking assembly in a combined dispensing and cooking apparatus of the 
type illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 8, wherein skewered food discharged from 
the dispenser 1 through door 16 is conveyed by endless conveyor means past 
a series of cooking elements; the cooked food is then discharged from the 
apparatus. The dispenser 1 may be used in conjunction with any 
conventional cooking assembly. However, in a particularly preferred 
embodiment of the invention, the dispenser 1 is employed in conjunction 
with a cooking assembly including a novel endless conveyor system, which 
is the subject of copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 06/380,767, 
filed May 21, 1982, by Boosalis, et al. With particular reference to FIG. 
3, the inventive embodiment comprises a cooking assembly generally 
indicated at 27 disposed in a common housing 25 with dispenser 1. The 
cooking assembly 27 includes a vertical array of cooking elements such as 
infrared lamps 28 disposed in a parallel plane to the dispensing cartridge 
3, and an endless conveyor system including endless conveyor means 
generally indicated at 29 for conveying food from the dispenser 1 past the 
cooking elements 28. The endless conveyor means 29 comprises two endless 
belts 31 of the chain link type (only one of which is shown) disposed 
parallel to the vertical array of cooking elements 28. Preferably, the 
cooking elements 28 are associated with reflecting means for reflecting 
heat toward the belt 31 and the food it carries, comprising a polished 
reflector 32 of known type. The belts 31 are driven by spaced sprocket 
wheels 33 supported on shafts 34 which extend between opposite side walls 
of the common housing 25. (Each shaft carries two sprocket wheels 33, but 
only one is illustrated on each shaft, exemplifying the interaction 
between the belts 31 and the associated sprocket wheels 33.) The sprocket 
wheels are in turn driven in a conventional manner as by an electric motor 
associated with a usual drive shaft or chain and associated gearing system 
(not shown). Preferably, the motor is of the variable speed type, to 
permit regulation of chain speed and hence cooking time. As best seen in 
FIGS. 3 and 7, each belt 31 includes spaced receiving means for receiving 
and carrying food from dispenser 1, comprising a plurality of brackets 36 
extending from the face of each belt 31. Each bracket 36 is horizontally 
aligned with a corresponding bracket on the opposing belt (not shown) 
which are adapted to receive and carry the free ends of the skewers 8 
piercing the food articles discharged from the dispenser 1. Each bracket 
is angled sufficiently to retain the skewer 8 and includes bearing means 
for bearing the weight of skewers 8 such as roller bearings 35 in the 
vertex of the angles. As best seen in FIG. 3, the common housing 25 
suitably includes a ramp 37 or similar gravity conveying means for 
conveying the material discharged from the dispenser 1 to the receiving 
brackets 36 disposed on the belt 31. As best seen in FIG. 7, the endless 
conveyor system of the invention further includes rotating means for 
rotating the skewers 8 carried by the brackets 36 as the belts 31 move 
past the cooking elements 28. The rotating means comprises a rack gear 38 
in cooperation with biasing means for biasing the belt 31 toward the rack 
gear 38 such as plurality of spring-biased roller arms 39 pivotally 
secured to a section of the housing 25. The biasing action of the roller 
arms 39 positively engages the skewers 8 with the rack gear 38 against the 
bearings 35, causing rotation of the skewer 8 and the associated food 
article as the endless belt 31 is driven by the sprockets 33. It is 
essential that the bearing means be provided for bearing the weight of the 
skewer 8 on the bracket 36. Without such bearing means, the skewer will 
not be rotated, or will be rotated only erratically, and the product will 
not be properly cooked. 
As best seen in FIG. 3, as the endless belt 31 moves over the upper 
sprocket 33, the associated bracket 36 is inverted, and the skewered food 
product is dispensed through a discharge chute 41 in the common housing 
25. As best seen in FIG. 12, the chute 41 is preferably equipped with a 
"sneeze guard" 42 for sanitary reasons. 
A modification of the embodiment of FIGS. 3 and 7, particularly suitable 
for food items such as skewered buns 40, which do not require rotation for 
adequate cooking, is illustrated in FIG. 8. In this embodiment, a cooking 
assembly 27a includes a similar endless belt 31 driven by sprockets 33 
which conveys skewered food discharged from the dispenser 1 past a double 
array of cooking elements 28. The cooking elements 28 are disposed in 
spaced vertical arrays parallel to the dispensing cartridge 3 so that 
dispensed food picked up by receiving brackets 36a disposed on belt 31 is 
carried between the two arrays of cooking elements 28. In this embodiment, 
no provision is made for rotation of the skewered food carried by brackets 
36a, and the brackets 36a accordingly are not provided with the bearings 
35 illustrated in the embodiment of FIG. 7. In the embodiment of FIG. 8, 
skewered food is dispensed through discharge chute 41 as previously 
described, on passing over the uppermost sprocket 33. In both the 
embodiments of FIGS. 3 and 8, a fan 43 driven by motor 45 (FIGS. 1 and 2) 
may be provided for the cooking assembly 27 to assist in the evacuation of 
vaporized water and grease particles. However, in the embodiment of FIG. 
8, a fan will not be required for some cooking operations, for example, 
bun warming. 
As best seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the common housing 25 for the dispenser 1 
and cooking assembly 27 may include either a top access 44 (FIG. 1) or 
side access 46 (FIG. 2) for insertion of cartridges 3. FIG. 13 is a 
detailed illustration of the top access apparatus of FIG. 1 associated 
with the actuating means of FIGS. 5 and 6. In FIGS. 1 and 2, the dispenser 
1 is shown employed with both a cooking assembly 27 of FIG. 3 and a 
cooking assembly 27a of FIG. 8, suitable for cooking hot dogs and warming 
buns. 
In operation, one or more filled dispensing cartridges 3 are placed in the 
dispenser 1. To dispense skewered hot dog 7a, the lever solenoids 21 or 
21a are energized to activate the levers 19, which in turn actuate the 
push bars 9 to displace the skewers 8 from the notches 6 in the vertical 
side members 5. The pins 12 of the guide means then direct each of the 
skewers 8 holding hot dogs 7 to the next subjacent notches 6; the 
lowermost pins 12 direct the skewers 8 holding hot dog 7a through the 
outlet 13 in the cartridge 3 and the opening 14 in the floor of the 
housing 2. If the opening 14 is provided with a door 16, a door solenoid 
21b is activated to open door 16 to dispense the hot dog 7a. If a 
dispenser 1 is employed with a cooking assembly 27, the skewered hot dog 
7a proceeds down ramp 37 to the endless conveyor means 29, where the 
skewers 8 are picked up by a pair of brackets 36 on endless belts 31. As 
the belts 31 are driven by the sprockets 33, the skewers 8 are positively 
engaged between the bearings 35 on the brackets 36 and the rack gear 38 by 
the action of the roller arms 39 urging the belts 31 toward the rack gear 
38, and are caused to rotate as the hot dog 7a passes the cooking elements 
28. As the belts 31 travel over uppermost sprockets 33, the brackets 36 
are inverted, and the cooked hot dog 7a is discharged onto discharge chute 
41 and dispensed. 
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Numeral Element 
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1 dispenser 
2 housing for dispenser 
3 dispensing cartridge 
4 frame 
5 first pair of verti- 
cal side members of 
frame 
6 notches 
7 hot dogs 
8 skewers 
9 push bar 
10 
11 second pair of verti- 
cal side members of 
frame 
12 pins 
13 outlet of cartridge 3 
14 opening in housing 2 
15 insulating material 
16 door in housing 2 
17 hinge 
18 pin and slot mechanism 
19 levers 
20 
21 solenoids 
22 countersprings 
23 spring bias 
24 linkage 
25 common housing 
26 counterweight 
27 cooking assembly 
28 cooking elements - in- 
frared lamps 
29 endless conveyor means 
30 
31 endless belt 
32 reflector 
33 sprocket wheels 
34 shafts for sprocket 
wheels 
35 bearings 
36 brackets 
37 ramp 
38 rack gear 
39 spring-biased roller 
arms 
40 skewered buns 
41 discharge chute 
42 sneeze guard 
43 fan 
44 top access to common 
housing 25 
45 motor for fan 43 
46 side access to common 
housing 25 
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