Abstract:
An article dispensing apparatus is described. The dispensing apparatus includes a plurality of slats, each having one or more holders for holding and dispensing articles. Each slat has a cavity and an open end. Further, each holder includes an aperture through which a pin may extend into and retract from the cavity to assist in dispensing articles held therein. Each open end may include a curved surface to assist in inhibiting the articles from being dispensed prematurely. Further, each slat may include a tongue on one side and a groove on another side. The tongues of each slat fit within the grooves of adjacent slats, allowing them to ride in close conformity to each other and allowing for relatively unencumbered movement between the slats.

Description:
BACKGROUND  
         [0001]    In a known article dispensing machine, the articles are fed from a hopper into open-ended cavities in a holder. The holder is moved to a discharge station where it is tilted for discharge of the articles from the cavities. The holder includes a plurality of elongated slats provided with the cavities which are conveyed in a succession transversely of their length from the feeding station to the discharging station, where the holders are tilted for discharge of their contents to a succession of containers moved past the station. The known article dispensing machine is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,354,607 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,925,960.  
           [0002]    With machines of the foregoing general type, difficulty has been experienced with occasional articles being stuck in the cavity so that they do not discharge under gravity at the discharge station. Sometimes the articles are oversize. Sometimes they become wedged into the cavity by dust particles or pieces or chips broken off the articles. This difficulty is particularly troublesome where complete discharge is requisite for accurate count, since an error in the count is thereby produced which may continue through many cycles before the condition is detected.  
         SUMMARY  
         [0003]    The invention relates to an article dispensing apparatus having a feeding station and a discharge station. The dispensing apparatus includes a conveyor, which has a plurality of holders each having at least one cavity adapted to receive at least one article, each holder having an open end. The dispensing apparatus further includes a conveying device adapted to convey the holders around a circuit, the circuit including areas where the holders are conveyed about an axis. The dispensing apparatus also has an article feeding device adapted to feed articles to the holders at the feeding station and a chute positioned at the discharge station and having an arcuate portion facing the open ends of the holders. The open ends of the holders include a surface complementary to the arcuate portion for inhibiting articles within the holders from being dispensed at a location other than the discharge station.  
           [0004]    The invention also relates to an article dispensing apparatus having a feeding station and a discharge station, which includes a conveyor and an article feeding device adapted to feed articles to holders at the feeding station. The conveyor includes a plurality of elongated holders connected for movement in a direction transverse to their length, each holder having a tongue on one side and a groove on another side. The conveyor also includes a conveying device adapted to convey the holders around a circuit, the circuit including areas where the holders are conveyed about an axis. Each tongue fits within a respective groove of an adjacent holder allowing the holders to ride in close conformity around the circuit.  
           [0005]    These and other advantages and features of the invention will be more readily understood from the following detailed description which is provided in connection with the accompanying drawings. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0006]    [0006]FIG. 1 is a partially broken away perspective view of a dispensing apparatus constructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention.  
         [0007]    [0007]FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line  2 - 2  of the dispensing apparatus of FIG. 1.  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 3 is a partial side and cross-section view of a dispensing apparatus according to FIG. 1 utilized with one type of container filling apparatus.  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 4 shows another container filling apparatus constructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention.  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 5 is a partial front view of an elongated slat of the dispensing apparatus of FIGS. 1 and 2.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0011]    Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 a conveyor generally designated  10  which is made up of elongated slats  12  mounted with their long sides contiguous on the links of end chains  14 . The chains  14  are mounted on sprockets  20  (FIG. 3) so that the conveyor  10  moves in a direction transverse of the slats  12  from the right hand end in FIG. 1, which is the back of the apparatus, to the left hand front of the apparatus, over the top and returning underneath and up in an endless path. A motor  16  has a drive shaft  18  connected to drive the sprockets  20  at the left hand end of the apparatus in FIG. 1. The shaft  18  extends rotatably through end frames  21  and  22  of the apparatus.  
         [0012]    Some or all of the slats  12  are provided with a longitudinal row of adjacent open-ended cavities  24  each adapted to receive one or more articles to be dispensed, the rows extending the full length of the slats  12  except for short blank end portions. Some or all the slats  12  are provided with cavities  24  although for simplicity of illustration they are only partially shown in FIG. 1. Articles A, for which the cavities  24  are adapted to receive and dispense, may be of any configuration. It is to be understood that slats with cavities adapted to other articles of various sizes and shapes, or intermittent slats without cavities, may be substituted. The articles A are supplied to the slat cavities  24  at a feeding station, such as, for example, through a vibratory hopper  26  at the back of the apparatus as the conveyor  10  moves upwardly in an inclined path between lower and upper sprockets (not shown).  
         [0013]    A rotary brush  28  downstream from the hopper  26 , having a tube  30  for connection to a suction system (not shown) for dust removal, removes excess articles A that are not accommodated in the cavities. At the front end of the conveyor  10 , the slats  12  are tilted so that the articles A are dispensed from the open ends of cavities  24  by gravity. Suitable receiving equipment is preferably provided at a discharge station  190 , several forms of which are shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. As the conveyor  10  moves from the brush  28  to the discharge station, the cavities  24  may be inspected for undesired vacancies. The inspection may be either visually or by automatic means so that steps may be taken to correct the error in count that would otherwise occur.  
         [0014]    The apparatus is provided with a system for ejecting from the slat cavities  24 , while the slats  12  are tilted, any articles A which may have become wedged or otherwise stuck in their cavities  24 . Preferably where feasible, and as shown in FIG. 2 now to be described, the system acts on the slat cavities  24  while the chains  14  are passing over the sprockets  20  and the slats  12  are being tilted for gravity discharge of the articles A.  
         [0015]    Referring to FIG. 2, each cavity  24  of each slat  12  is provided with an opening  32  extending centrally through its end opposite its open end and through the opposite face of the slat. As chains  14  pass downwardly over the sprockets  20 , ejector pins  34  of smaller diameter than openings  32  are projected through the openings  32  into the interior of the cavity  24  sufficiently to force out any article A that is stuck in a cavity  24  so that it does not respond to gravity discharge, and are then withdrawn from the openings  32 , by a cam arrangement now to be described.  
         [0016]    The structure shown at one end of the discharge station  190  of the apparatus is duplicated at the opposite end, except that the drive shaft  18 , the end of which is journaled in a bearing on a frame member  22 , is connected to motor  16  at its opposite end. This structure comprises a disc loosely surrounding the shaft  18  and fixed to the adjacent frame member  22  by a clamp member. The disc is provided with a cam track  44 . Rollers ride within a cam track  44 , rotatably mounted on shafts at the adjacent ends of ejector pin bars  48  which extend across the apparatus parallel to the slats  12 . A spider wheel is fixed to the shaft  18  by a key so that the spider wheel is adjacent the inside face of the disc. The wheel is provided with slots having their center lines radial to the axis of shaft  18 , and in which the adjacent ends of bars  48  are longitudinally slidable. A drive wheel keyed to shaft  18  is fastened by bolts to the sprocket.  
         [0017]    Each bar  48  is provided with a row of ejectors in the form of pins  34  projecting therefrom parallel to the sides of the slot in which the bar  48  slides. Pins  34  correspond in number and spacing to the number and spacing of the openings  32  into the cavities  24  of the slats. As the shaft  18  rotates (counterclockwise, in the direction of arrow X), the slats  12  pass radially about the shaft through an arc on the order of about ninety (90) degrees. The cam track  44  acts on the rollers to guide the bars  48  through this arc, as propelled by spider wheel, with their pins  34  in radial alignment with the openings  32  of one of the slats  12 , and so that the bars  48  approach close to the periphery of the disc while the bars  48  are moved through this arc.  
         [0018]    Each slat  12  includes a cavity  24  opening up on one side to a curved surface  113  and on the other side to an opening  32 . The curved surface  113  is convex, curving outwardly from the opening  32  such that an apex  115  of the curved surface  113  coincides with an axis B of each slat  12 .  
         [0019]    Each slat  12  further includes a dipping groove  117  on one side and a sloping tongue  119  on the other side. Each tongue  119  of each slat  12  fits within a groove  117  of an adjacent slat  12 . This tongue-groove arrangement allows each slat  12  to ride in close conformity with adjacent slats  12 , even during transitioning between straight runs and turns, and it allows relatively unencumbered movement between adjacent slats  12 .  
         [0020]    As illustrated, the slats  12  are mounted on end chains  14  (FIG. 1). A motor (not shown) is connected with a drive shaft  18 , which drives sprockets, which in turn drive the chains  14 , and hence move the slats  12  about a circuit including a feeding station, for example, the hopper  26 , and the discharge station  190 . A cam track  44  revolves around the drive shaft  18  in a similar fashion as described above in reference to FIG. 2. Specifically, the cam track  44  is driven by the spider wheel which is keyed to the shaft  18 . The cam track  44  includes a protruding portion  145  which brings the track  44  in closer proximity to the back end of the slats  12  as they pass through the turn approaching the discharge station  190 .  
         [0021]    Ejector pin bars  48 , each of which includes an ejector pin  34 , are mounted on the cam track  44 . As each of the slats  12  transitions from the straight run into the turn approaching the discharge station  190 , a respective one of the ejector pins  34  begins to extend into the opening  32  due to its closer proximity to the slat  12  caused by the protruding portion  145 . As the cam track  145  moves closer to the slat  12 , the pins  34  are projected progressively through openings  32 , entering cavities  24  as the slats  12  each reach a position in which gravity will cause the articles A to roll out of the cavities  24  if they are free to do so.  
         [0022]    The ejector pins  34  therefore enter cavities  24  as they are vacated by those articles A which discharge by gravity. However, if an article A is stuck in its slot, it will be engaged by the corresponding ejector pin  34  and ejected in time to join those ejected by gravity, so that no error in count occurs. As the movement continues, the cam track  44  guides the bars  48  so that the pins  34  are progressively withdrawn from openings  32 , being removed therefrom by the time the slats  12  move out of radial relation to shaft  18 .  
         [0023]    The tongue-groove arrangement illustrated in FIG. 2 allows for more seamless movement of each of the slats  12  along the chains  14 . The dipping nature of the grooves  117  and the sloping nature of the tongues  119  inhibits any mechanical interference between slats  12  as each transitions into the curved run.  
         [0024]    The curved surfaces  113  complement the inner, concave surface of either a divider chute  60  or a shield member  68  (FIGS.  3 - 4 ). Thus, the curved surfaces  113  lessen the amount of free space between each slat  12  and the inner surface of either the divider chute  60  or the shield member  68 . Further, the curvature of the surfaces  113  up to the apexes  115  inhibits articles A from moving from one cavity  24  in a first slat  12  to another cavity  24  in a second slat  12 . In this way, articles A are retained in their respective cavities  24 , which increases the yield of the articles A by lessening damage to articles A, by becoming lodged between the slats and the divider chute or shield member, and improves the accuracy of the count of articles A in each container C.  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 3 shows diagrammatically the apparatus illustrated in FIGS.  1 - 2  in combination with an apparatus for enabling the filling of containers C with a predetermined count of articles A, shown as tablets. As the slats  12  move downwardly about the axis of the shaft  18 , the cavities  24  discharge the articles A into receiving divider chutes  60  extending longitudinally of the slats  12 . Each divider chute  60  receives simultaneously the discharge from a predetermined number of cavities  24  of each slat  12 . Each divider chute  60  in turn discharges to a chute  62  having an inlet sized to conform to the tapered outlet from the divider chute  60  and a tapered outlet sized to discharge into a container C located below it. The containers C are moved into position below the chutes  62  between guides  64  by a conveyor  66 .  
         [0026]    The chutes  62  may by stationary and the containers C moved in batches intermittently into receiving position below chutes  62 . In such case, the dispensing mechanism may be stopped during each indexing period while filled containers C are moved out of fill position and replaced by empty ones. In an alternative embodiment, the dispensing apparatus is operated continuously and automatic gates (not shown) are provided for retaining the articles A discharged into the divider chutes  60  during the indexing period.  
         [0027]    Alternatively, chutes  62  may be mounted for movement in a closed path during which they are located in the position shown in FIG. 3. In such a case, the containers C may be moved, and the dispensing mechanism operated, continuously, with blind slats (i.e., without cavities) interspersed with cavitied slats. Such blind slats (not shown) may be provided with blind openings (closed at the slat face) like openings  32  but deep enough to receive the full injected length of pins  34 , thus enabling substitution of blind slats without changing the ejector mechanism.  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 4 diagrammatically shows ejectors adapted for use with slats having dual article holding cavities  24 ′. In this type, gravity discharge of the articles A from cavities  24 ′ of slats  12 ′ as they pass downwardly about the axis of shaft  18 ′ is prevented by a shield member  68  extending about that axis in proximity to the open ends of cavities  24 ′, until the slats  12 ′ have become substantially fully inverted and are moving out of radial relation to shaft  18 ′. This enables discharge from the slat cavities  24 ′ into one set of chutes  70  which in turn discharge directly into containers C moved along a slide  72  and a guide  74  by a rotating conveyor worm  76 . This arrangement provides a shorter fall for the articles A, as is desirable where they are fragile.  
         [0029]    In some arrangements, it may not be practical to locate the ejectors at shaft  18  or  18 ′ so that the ejector mechanism is operative as the articles A are being gravity discharged. In such cases, the ejectors may be located for operation in conjunction with another shaft and sprocket, such as the shaft  78  and sprocket  80  in FIG. 4, located at the rear of the machine of FIG. 1, about which the slats  12 ′ pass to tilt them from an inverted to an upwardly inclined position. Except for the change in location, the ejectors may be the same as in FIGS.  2  or  3 , so that the pins  34 ′ will eject any articles that failed to discharge at the preceding dispensing station.  
         [0030]    While the foregoing has described in detail preferred embodiments known at the time, it should be readily understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Rather, the invention can be modified to incorporate any number of variations, alterations, substitutions or equivalent arrangements not heretofore described, but which are commensurate with the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be seen as limited by the foregoing description) but is only limited by the scope of the appended claims.