Abstract:
A container dispenser includes structure to support a nested stack of containers. The dispenser includes a crossbar at the lower end of the structure and a pair of spaced apart upright posts to which a retention wire clip may be removably mounted. The wire clip is designed to engage the exterior side wall or lip of the outermost cup of the nested stack, and in effect, hold the outermost container against the cross bar. This not only keeps the outermost container from falling away from the dispenser but also retains the nested stack in the dispenser. The retention wire clip is preferably formed of spring steel.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is generally directed to cup dispensers and, more particularly, to a countertop supported dispenser for dispensing beverage cups and the like. 
     Beverage cup dispensers, such as those typically found in fast food restaurants, convenience stores, and similar establishments, are often of a type that include a rack or housing into which one or more nested stacks of paper, plastic or foam beverage cups can be loaded. In one type of dispenser, a spring or similar biasing force (e.g., gravity) is applied at the feed end of a tubular housing to bias a nested stack of beverage cups (or containers) toward a discharge opening formed in the opposite end of the tubular housing. Clips or a flexible gasket (diaphragm) are secured to the discharge end of the tubular housing and engage the outer surface or lip of the outermost cup of the nested stack. The clips or the flexible gasket apply a small resistive force to the spring bias to hold the nested stack of cups in the tubular housing. When the outermost cup is withdrawn from the tubular housing, the resistive force opposing the spring bias is momentarily relieved which allows the spring to force the next cup in the nested stack into the discharge opening. More particularly, as the outermost or lowermost cup is extracted from the nested stack, the clips or flexible gasket are forced outward thus relieving the holding force on the lowermost cup. When the cup has been fully withdrawn from the dispenser, the clips or flexible gasket engage the next cup in the nested stack so as to retain the nested stack in the tubular housing. Some beverage cup dispensers are fitted with one more coils at the discharge end of the tubular housing that are operative to hold the nested stack of beverage cups in the tubular housing and grab the next cup in the nested stack when the outermost or lowermost cup is being withdrawn. 
     Flexible gaskets are commonly used to engage the outermost cup of the nested stack because they can accommodate cups of different diameters without requiring customer modification. Over time however the gaskets can began to wear and lose their shape memory. Also, the gaskets can begin to tear. Clips have been designed that have a longer usable life than gaskets but clips typically require an end user, i.e., customer, to set the position of the clips to accommodate a given cup diameter. In many instances, three or more radially spaced clips are used and thus requires the customer to set the position of several clips. Additionally, if the clips are not properly positioned, a cup, as it is being withdrawn, may be pulled askew, which can mar or damage the cup rendering it unusable. Coils can be similarly difficult to position and if not properly tensioned can result in double dispensing or damage to the cup as it being withdrawn. 
     Conventional tubular dispensers are also generally large and relatively costly to manufacture. The tubular dispensers require the tubular housing, one or more end caps at the feed and discharge ends, the aforementioned clips or gasket, and a lengthy metallic spring. When paired or tripled together to accommodate multiple cup sizes, the footprint of the beverage cup station can be quite large and occupy significant countertop space. 
     To eschew the complexity and costliness of conventional spring-biased beverage cup dispenser such as those described above, low cost pull-type dispensers have been developed that rely solely upon gravity to present a nested stack of beverage cups for one-at-a-time dispensing. In addition to be generally cheaper to manufacture, these pull-type dispensers are typically lighter and smaller than other types of beverage cup dispensers, making their use preferred for convenience stores, cafeterias, fast food restaurants, and the like. 
     These pull-type beverage cup dispensers typically have a cuboid wire frame designed to hold one or more nested stacks of beverage cups. The frame includes one or more ramps along which the nested stacks of beverage cups sit so that gravity can force the nested stacks toward respective dispensing ends at the front of the cuboid frame. Alternately, the ramps could be planar and a spring could bias the nested stack toward the dispensing end. In one form, rather than clips or gaskets, one or more springs are arranged horizontally across the front of the frame in a cup dispensing lane. The spring is designed to catch the lip of an outermost (lowermost) beverage cup as the previous outermost beverage cup is being extracted. In some instances, a pair of springs arranged side-by-side, front-to-back are used to cooperatively catch the lip of the outermost beverage cup. One of the drawbacks of using the spring to keep the nested stack of cups from falling out of the dispenser is tuning the spring to match the type and size of cups to be dispensed. That is, if the spring applies too great a holding force, the spring may mar the beverage cups as they are being extracted. On the other hand, if the spring applies too loose a holding force, the spring may be unable to effectively “catch” the next beverage cup resulting in multiple cups being extracted at a time. In both instances, an improperly tuned spring can result in unnecessary beverage cup waste. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a cup dispenser of simple design and low material costs that overcomes the drawbacks of conventional pull-type beverage cup dispensers. The cup dispenser can accommodate one or more nested stacks or magazines of cups or similar nested containers, such as beverage cups, condiment containers, bowls, pill boxes, and the like. The dispenser can be easily modified to handle containers of different diameters. The dispenser can also hold lids and straws to provide a fully integrated countertop container station. 
     According to one aspect of the invention, a container dispenser includes structure to support a nested stack of containers. This dispenser includes a crossbar at the lower end of the structure and a pair of spaced apart upright posts to which a retention wire clip may be removably mounted. The wire clip is designed to engage the exterior side wall or lip of the outermost cup of the nested stack, and in effect, hold the outermost container against the cross bar. This not only keeps the outermost container from falling away from the dispenser but also retains the nested stack in the dispenser. 
     The retention wire clip is preferably formed of spring steel. 
     In one embodiment, coils fit over the upright posts with the turns of the coil spring defining multiple heights along the upright posts to which the ends of the wire clip may be removably mounted. The vertical spacing between the wire clip and the crossbar can thus be adjusted to match the size of the container to be dispensed. 
     In another embodiment of the invention, the outer faces of the upright posts are notched and define a range of positions at which the wire clip can engage the upright posts. 
     In another embodiment, the inner sidewalls of the upright posts are machined or otherwise formed to have a set of holes vertically spaced from one another. The holes are designed to receive a butt-end of the wire clip. 
     The container dispenser may be sized to accommodate an array of different container sizes and is not limited to a particular type of container. For example, the dispenser may be used to dispense plastic, foam, or paper containers. The dispenser can be used to dispense lipped or lipless containers. The dispenser can be used to dispense beverage cups, such as soda or coffee cups as well as bowls, food receptacles, pill containers, condiment containers, and other nested objects. It will thus be appreciated that the invention may be used to provide controlled dispensing of any type of nested receptacle. 
     Various features and advantages of the present invention will be made apparent from the following detailed description taken together with the drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The drawings illustrate the best mode presently contemplated of carrying out the invention. 
       In the drawings: 
         FIG. 1  is an isometric view of a beverage cup dispenser according to one embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 1A  is an enlarged isometric view of a portion of the beverage cup dispenser of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 2  is a front elevation view of the beverage cup dispenser of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is an enlarged front elevation view of a portion of the beverage cup dispenser of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a side elevation view of a portion of the beverage cup dispenser of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  is an isometric view of a beverage cup dispenser according to another embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 6  is an enlarged front elevation view of a portion of the beverage cup dispenser of  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 7  is an isometric view of a wire clip for use with the beverage cup dispensers of  FIGS. 1 and 5  according to another embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 8  is a side elevation view of the wire clip of  FIG. 7 ; 
         FIG. 9  is a front elevation view of the wire clip of  FIGS. 7 and 8 ; and 
         FIG. 10  is an isometric view of a container dispenser having a box frame according to another embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present invention will be described with respect to a beverage cup dispenser but it is understood that the invention is not so limited and thus could used with dispensers that dispense other types of nested articles, such as bowls, food containers, dome lids, pill containers, candy or similar particulate containers, such as those used for holding nuts, cashews, and the like. Additionally, while a dispenser adapted for use with beverage cups ranging from 3⅛ inches in diameter to 4½ inches in diameter will be described, it is understood that the invention is usable with containers that fall outside this range. For example, the invention could be used for dispensing large tubs, such as popcorn tubs, that are typically over 5 inches in diameter. 
     Turning now to  FIGS. 1 and 5 , a pull-type cup dispenser  10  has a frame  12  defined by front legs or upright posts  14 , rear legs or upright posts  16 , front and rear crossbars  18  and  20 , respectively, horizontal or stabilizing frame members  22 , and inclined rails  24  that are sloped at an angle of approximately 17 degrees toward the front of the frame  12 . The rails  24  essentially create a ramp providing an inclined surface against which a nested stack of beverage cups  26  may lay when loaded into the dispenser  10 . It will be appreciated that the construction of the frame  12  defines a set of vertically arranged dispensing chambers (shelves)  28 , with each having a feed (rear) end  30  at the rear of the frame  12  and a discharge end  32  at the front of the frame  12 . 
     In one construction of the dispenser  10 , adjacent front crossbars  18  together with the front upright posts  14  frame a discharge end  32  for a given dispensing chamber  28 . The spacing between the front posts  14  and crossbars  18  is sufficient to accommodate cups having a diameter of 4½ inches, which is larger than an industry standard thirty-six ounce beverage cup. Also, in one embodiment, the crossbars  18  have a centrally positioned dip or length of convexity that provides a radius or curvature to accommodate the curved outer surface of the beverage cups. 
     With additional reference to  FIGS. 4 and 8 , each set of inclined rails  24  includes a pair of elongated members connected at one end to a front crossbar  18  and connected at an opposite end to a rear crossbar  20 . In the illustrated embodiment, the elongated rods have a curved outer surface and run parallel to one another. Moreover, the elongated rods extend between vertically offset front and rear crossbars  18  and  20 . That is, to achieve the desired inclination for the rails  24 , the forward ends of the rails  24  are connected, e.g., welded, to a front crossbar  18  that is along a vertical plane that is lower than the rear crossbar  20  to which the opposite ends of the rails  24  are connected. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the rails  24  extend between the front crossbar  18  that defines the lower end of a discharge end  32  and the rear crossbar  20  that is aligned with the front crossbar  18  defining the lower end of the discharge end  32  for the dispensing chamber  28  immediately thereabove. 
     With additional reference now to  FIGS. 7 and 8 , the beverage cup dispenser  10  has wire clips  34  for engaging the outer surfaces of the outermost cups  26  of the individual nested stacks. In this regard, there is a wire clip  34  for each dispensing chamber  28 . As will be described more fully below, the positioning of the wire clips  34  can be varied to accommodate different sized beverage cups. The wire clips  34  are preferably formed from spring steel and more preferably from 16 (0.060°) gauge spring steel having a spring force of approximately 9.0 in/lbs. 
     Wire clip  34  is of single piece construction and has a length sufficient to at least span the width of the discharge end  28  of the dispensing chamber  28 . In one embodiment, the length of the wire clip prior to shaping is 7⅔ inches and after shaping is 6¼ inches. The wire clip  34  has first and second end portions  36  and  38  defined at opposite ends of a bent portion  40 . The end portions  36  and  38  are designed to engage respective front posts  14  of the frame  12 . In the illustrated embodiment, each end has a partial helix shape that wraps partially around the upright posts when attached thereto. It is contemplated, however, that the ends could be shaped or formed differently as long as the ends sufficiently engage the front posts  14  so as to substantially fix the ends of the clip vertically relative to the posts and any cups to be dispensed. The bent portion  40  includes a cup engaging portion  42  and extends from the ends by connecting sections or portions  44  and  46 . 
     The wire clip  34 , as noted above, is formed from an elongated piece of spring steel. The piece is shaped such that the cup engaging portion  42  is laterally and/or vertically offset from the connecting portions  44  and  46 , as shown in  FIG. 8 . The cup engaging portion  42  is forward and/or below the connecting portions  44  and  46 . This offsetting of the cup engaging portion  42  enables the clip to engage the outermost cup  26  of the nested stack and apply a holding force against the cup  26  without damaging or marring the cup  26 . In one embodiment, the forward offset of the cup engaging portion  42  (angle α in  FIG. 8 ) is approximately 10 degrees when the wire clip is at rest. The offset also allows the clip  34  to ride up over the rim of a cup without hooking or catching on that rim. It further acts to separate the cups by immediately applying a force to the next cup in the stack after the cup engaging portion of the clip  34  passes over the rim. 
     With additional reference to  FIG. 9 , the cup engaging portion  42 , which may be curved, is centered along the length of the wire clip  34  between the end portions  36  and  38 . The cup engaging portion  42  extends along a plane that is approximately ¾ inches below the plane of the connecting portions  44  and  46 . In addition to the cup engaging portion  42 , the bent portion  40  has inwardly angled arms  48  and  50  that interconnect respective ends of the cup engaging portion  42  with the connecting portions  44  and  46 , respectively. While the invention is not so limited, in one embodiment, the angle, β, between connecting portion  46  and inwardly angled arm  50  is approximately 125 degrees. The angle between connecting portion  44  and arm  48  is also approximately 125 degrees. 
     As noted above, the end portions  36  and  38  have a partial helix shape. As shown in  FIG. 9 , in one embodiment, end portion  36  is turned downward whereas end portion  38  is turned upward. It is believed that having the end portions turned in opposite directions provides better mounting of the wire clip  34  to the front posts of the frame. 
     It is contemplated that various means may be used to mount the wire clips  34  to the frame  12 . In one embodiment, which is shown in  FIGS. 1-4 , coils  52  are mounted to the frame  12  during the manufacturing. More particularly, coils  52  are wrapped around the front upright posts  14 . The coils  52  have turns  54  that collectively define a range of positions at which the wire clip  34  may be positioned relative to the upright posts  14 . While the coils  52  nominally function to hold the wire clip  34  in position, their primary function is to define the height at which the wire clip  34  may be placed. Additionally, in a preferred embodiment, the coils  52  are free to slide somewhat along the posts  14  which allows some additional variability in setting the relative height of the wire clip  34 . Also, each coil has a range of turns that accommodates the conventional range of beverage cups, which is generally considered to be 3 inches to 4½ inches in diameter. In practice, each end of clip  34  is placed between a turn  54  of coil  52 , preferably at a substantially similar height. The height of the clip  34  can then be adjusted, by rotating either or both coils such that the ends of the clips are raised and lowered corresponding to the amount of rotation imparted to a given coil  52 . 
     In another embodiment, which is representatively shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the frame  12  has notched upright posts  56 . In this regard, a vertical series of notches  58  are formed in the face  56 ( a ) of each upright post  56 . The notches  58  can be formed in any known or to be developed manner. Each notch  58  is formed by an adjacent pair of raised ribs  60  such that the space formed by the notch  58  defines a recess in which the ends of the wire clip  34  may sit. In a preferred embodiment, each upright post  56  has approximately sixteen notches for a given dispensing chamber. Also, preferably, adjacent ribs  60  are spaced apart by ⅛ inches. The notches shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6  represent another type of device that can be used to predefine mounting positions at which the wire clip may be mounted to the upright posts. In another embodiment (not shown), the ribs are in the form of hooks and the wire clip can be positioned behind the hook. In this embodiment, the hook is shaped to prevent the wire clip from slipping upward and thus being unintentionally detached from the frame. 
     As described above, in one embodiment, the wire clip  34  has ends that are formed in a partial helix, which allows the ends to be wrapped around the upright posts, as shown in the figures. In another embodiment (not shown), the ends of the wire clip terminate at inline tips (butt ends) (not shown). Holes (not shown) are formed in the inward sides of the upright posts that are sized to receive the inline tips. Similar to the notches described above, in this embodiment, each post has a set of vertically arranged holes that pre-define mounting positions for the wire clip. 
     The illustrated beverage cup dispenser  10  has an integrated frame  12  defining a plurality of vertically stacked dispensing chambers. It is contemplated however that the frame could be of modular construction. In this embodiment, the frame would be configured to engage additional frames to form a vertical tower having a desired number of dispensing chambers. For example, each frame could define a single dispensing chamber and two additional frames could be coupled to the frame to provide a three-high vertical tower. The invention is not limited to a particular type of means for coupling multiple frames together. Also, it is contemplated that frames could be stacked laterally in addition to, or instead of, vertically. 
     Additionally, as shown in  FIG. 10 , the invention may be embodied in a cup dispenser  10  having a box frame  62 . The box frame  62  is similar to the wire frame  12  shown in  FIGS. 1-9  in that the box frame  62  defines a series of vertically oriented dispensing chambers  28 . However, unlike the aforedescribed wire frame  12 , the box frame  62  has spaced part shelves to form the individual dispensing chambers  28 . As shown in  FIG. 10 , the uppermost dispensing chamber  28  is defined by a shelf  64  and a top panel  66 . Situated below the lowermost dispensing chamber  28  is a compartment  68 , such as for holding straws, lids, etc. The compartment  68  is defined by the shelf  64  forming the bottom of the lowermost dispensing chamber  28  and a base panel  70 . The box frame  62  further includes side panels  72  and  74 . 
     Extending between the top panel  66  and the base panel  70  are a pair of spaced apart upright posts, which in the illustrated embodiment are similar to posts  14  shown in  FIGS. 1-4 . It will be appreciated however that upright posts similar to posts  56  shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6  could also be used. Similar to that described above, wire clips  34  engage the upright posts  14  and coils  52  are used to define a range of heights at which each clip  34  may be attached to the upright posts  14 . 
     It will be appreciated that the shelves  64  may be inclined so that the nested stack of cups  26  are gravitationally biased toward the discharge end of each dispensing chamber. Alternately, the shelves may be oriented horizontally and biasing mechanisms, such as pushers and springs (not shown) could be used to bias the nested stack toward the discharge end. 
     From the foregoing description it will be appreciated that the present invention provides a low cost beverage cup dispenser that can be easily assembled to accommodate beverage cups of several diameters. To assemble the beverage cup dispenser, wire clips are attached to the upright posts for each dispensing chamber. The clips are made of spring steel and have sufficient flexibility to allow a user to bend the clips slightly so as to hook the wire clip ends around the upright posts. Simple trial and error may then be used to find the most appropriate height for a given beverage cup diameter. Alternately, the upright posts may include markings to guide user placement of the wire clips based on a given beverage cup dispenser. It will be appreciated that the cup engaging portion of the clip may be used for gripping the wire clip when attaching it to the upright posts. A typical mounting of the wire clip would thus involve latching one end of the wire clip onto one of the upright posts, and while maintaining that latching, position the wire clip across the discharge end of the dispensing chamber, and flex the wire clip slightly so as to latch the other end of the wire clip onto the opposite upright post. As mentioned above, the cup engaging portion may be gripped to assist the user in flexing the wire clip. The beverage clip is now ready for use to limit removal of beverage cups from a nested stack to one at a time. 
     It will be appreciated that from time to time the nature of the nested stack may result in more than one beverage cup being dispensed when the outermost beverage cup is extracted. It will also be appreciated that the size of the clip, the angle at which the cup engaging portion lies relative to the ends of the wire clip may vary depending on the type of beverage cup to be dispensed. In this regard, it is recognized that the wire clip for a plastic beverage cup, while being functionally similar, may be shaped different from that used for dispensing foam beverage cups. For example, the exact shape and/or position of the cup engaging portion described above may be varied to accommodate different cup types and sizes. Additionally, it is contemplated that the strength of the wire clips may vary depending on the type of cup being dispensed. The wire clip may be used with lipped as well as lipless beverage cups. 
     The present invention has been described in terms of the preferred embodiment, and it is recognized that equivalents, alternatives, and modifications, aside from those expressly stated, are possible and within the scope of the appending claims.