Abstract:
A dispenser sequentially dispenses a plurality of containers. The dispenser includes a housing having a front, a rear, a top, a bottom, a first side and a second side, with an inlet and an outlet for the containers being disposed on its front. A passage is disposed within the housing and guides the containers from the inlet to the outlet. A receiving door is connected to the housing and is movable between a closed position covering the inlet and an open position allowing the containers to be inserted into the inlet. The receiving door includes a front face contoured to cooperate with the passage to guide the containers to a predetermined orientation upon insertion into the inlet. The passage is also canted toward one side of the housing to maintain the containers in the predetermined orientation.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not Applicable 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not Applicable 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a dispenser for containers, and more particularly to a dispenser for cylindrical containers, such as bottles, having a sloped guide track for automatically dispensing stored bottles while preventing them from skewing on the track and limiting shock between the bottles themselves and between the bottles and the track. The present invention also relates to a dispenser formed of modular components that can be assembled into various shapes and sizes. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Containers such as two-liter beverage bottles or other types and sizes are typically shipped in trays or shipping crates, and are loaded manually onto a display rack, shelving unit or refrigeration display unit at grocery stores or convenience stores for sale. 
     Several container dispensers for automatically dispensing containers by gravity feed are known. In a typical dispenser, the containers are supplied from the rear of the dispenser and slide down a linear track due to gravity in order to be dispensed from the front of the dispenser. In one dispenser of this type, the containers are vertically-oriented with their bottoms sliding along the track, and in another the containers are horizontally-oriented and roll down the track. 
     However, such conventional dispensers have many drawbacks. For example, each dispenser must have a considerable length in order to stock an adequate supply of containers. That is, the length of each track of the dispenser must be at least as long as the cumulative diameters of the stocked containers and the depth of the dispenser is almost as long as its tracks, depending on the angle of the tracks. Also, because such a dispenser is stocked from the rear of the dispenser, access to the rear must be available, which could require even more space or require the dispenser to be temporarily moved to provide adequate space when stocking. 
     Further, if the containers are supplied vertically, as they are individually placed on and slide down the track, they could topple. On the other hand, horizontally-oriented containers can skew while sliding down the track, especially if they are not properly oriented at the time they are loaded into the dispenser. Proper orientation is defined as the cylindrical axis of the container being disposed substantially orthogonal to the conveyance direction. Skewing is also prone to occur when the container is rolling and an end contacts a side wall of the track. Friction caused by the end rubbing the sidewall tends to skew the container. This is especially true with bottles if their neck ends contact the sidewall. These incidents of skewing can lead to jamming along the dispenser track. 
     When one container is pulled out of the dispensing end of a typical dispensing unit, the next container in line slides or rolls due to gravity into a dispensing position defined by a stop. The remaining containers simultaneously slide down and are abruptly halted when the leading container hits the stop. The resulting impact or shock between the lead container and the stop and between the containers themselves results in unwanted jostling of the containers and can cause movement of the dispenser itself. The forces on the containers can cause damage and can even force the lead container out of the dispenser. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a dispensing unit for storing, displaying and dispensing containers at a point of sale. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a dispensing unit that can be stocked and dispensed from the same side of the unit. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide a dispensing unit configured for front-loading and front-dispensing, and which receives and dispenses the containers in a horizontal position. 
     Still another object of the present invention is to provide a dispensing unit that can aid a user in correctly orienting the containers as they are fed into the unit. 
     Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a dispensing unit that maintains the containers in their desired orientation throughout their travel. 
     A still further object of the present invention is to provide a dispensing unit that can sequentially dispense individual containers one at a time. 
     Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a dispensing unit that prevents unwanted shock or skewing of the containers throughout their travel. 
     Still another object of the present invention is to provide modular container dispenser units that can be readily stacked and interlocked vertically and horizontally. 
     According to one aspect of the present invention a dispenser sequentially dispenses a plurality of containers. The dispenser includes a housing, a passage and a receiving door. The housing has a front, a rear, a top, a bottom, a first side and a second side, while an inlet and an outlet for the containers are disposed on the front of the housing. The passage is disposed within the housing for guiding the containers from the inlet to the outlet. The receiving door is connected to the housing for openably covering the inlet. The receiving door is movable between a closed position covering the inlet and an open position allowing the containers to be inserted into the inlet. The receiving door includes a front face contoured to cooperate with the passage to guide the containers in a predetermined orientation upon insertion into the inlet. 
     According to another aspect of the present invention a dispenser, which sequentially dispenses a plurality of containers, includes a housing and a passage. The housing has a front, a rear, a top, a bottom, a first side and a second side, with an inlet and an outlet for the containers being disposed on the front of the housing. The passage is disposed within the housing for guiding the containers from the inlet to the outlet. The passage comprises at least one ramp having a downward slope for guiding the containers from the inlet to the outlet of the housing. The at least one ramp is canted downwardly from the first to the second side of the housing to urge the containers toward the first side of the housing. 
     According to a further aspect of the present invention a dispenser, which sequentially dispenses a plurality of containers, includes a housing, first and second ramps and a U-turn section. The housing has a front, a rear, a top, a bottom, a first side and a second side, with an inlet and an outlet for the containers being disposed on the front of the housing. The first ramp is disposed within the housing and is angled downwardly from the inlet toward the rear of the housing. The second ramp is disposed within the housing and is angled downwardly from the rear toward the outlet of the housing. The U-turn section is disposed between the first and second ramps, is of a semi-circular shape, and is formed contiguously with the second ramp. Each of the containers has a cylindrical sidewall of a predetermined diameter, and a minimum distance between the first ramp and the U-turn section is slightly greater than the predetermined diameter. 
     According to a yet another aspect of the present invention, a dispenser, which sequentially dispenses a plurality of containers, includes a housing, a passage, a gate and a container cradle. The housing has a front, a rear, a top, a bottom, a first side and a second side, with an inlet and an outlet for containers being disposed on the front of the housing. The passage is disposed within the housing for guiding the containers from the inlet to the outlet. The gate is disposed at the outlet of the housing and is movable between a first position blocking the containers from exiting the housing and a second position allowing the containers to exit the housing through the outlet. The container cradle is disposed outside of the housing adjacent the outlet and is interconnected with the gate. When a container is disposed on the container cradle, the gate is held in the first position to prevent another container from moving onto the container cradle and when no container is present on container cradle, the gate is not held in the first position to allow a container to exit the outlet onto the container cradle. 
     According to still another aspect of the present invention, a dispenser, which sequentially dispenses a plurality of containers, includes a housing, a passage and receiving means. The housing has a front, a rear, a top, a bottom, a first side and a second side, with an inlet and an outlet for the containers being disposed on the front of the housing. The passage is disposed within the housing for guiding the containers from the inlet to the outlet. The receiving means is connected to the housing and receives containers through the inlet and guides the containers in a predetermined orientation. 
     According to still a further aspect of the present invention, a dispenser, which sequentially dispenses a plurality of containers, includes a housing, a passage and guiding means. The housing has a front, a rear, a top, a bottom, a first side and a second side, with an inlet and an outlet for the containers being disposed on the front of the housing. The passage is disposed within the housing for guiding the containers from the inlet to the outlet. The guiding means is disposed within the housing and maintains the containers in a predetermined orientation while the containers move along the passage from the inlet to the outlet. 
     The above, and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments thereof, which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein: 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of the container dispenser unit of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of the dispenser unit according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 3 is a full cross-sectional view of the dispenser unit of the present invention; 
     FIG. 4A is an enlarged perspective view of the inlet section and receiving door of the dispenser unit of the present invention; 
     FIG. 4B is an enlarged perspective view of a modified inlet section of the dispenser unit of the present invention; 
     FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the inlet section and receiving door of the dispenser unit of the present invention; 
     FIG. 6 is a partially broken-away perspective view of the dispenser unit of the present invention; 
     FIG.  7 A and FIG. 7B are partial perspective views of the outlet section and dispensing tray of the dispenser unit of the present invention; 
     FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the outlet section and dispensing tray of the dispenser unit of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring now to the drawings in detail, the container dispensing unit  10  constructed in accordance with the present invention is illustrated. 
     As shown in FIGS. 1 to  3 , the dispensing unit  10  includes a housing  12  having a front face  14 , a rear face  16 , a top  18 , a bottom  20 , a right side  22  and a left side  24  (see FIG.  6 ). Front face  14  of housing  12  includes an inlet or entrance  26  and an outlet or exit  30 . An inlet and receiving door  28  is hinged to the container so as to selectively cover and expose inlet  26 . 
     Housing  12  is of a modular design and includes a series of interlocking plugs  36  disposed on top face  18  and complementary interlocking receptacles  38  disposed on or formed in bottom face  20 . In addition, a pair of interlocking grooves and projections  40 ,  40 ′ are disposed on right side  22  and complementary grooves and projections  42 ,  42 ′ are disposed to extend along left side  24 . With these interlocking features, several dispensing units  10  can be securely stacked one on top of another with interlocking recesses  38  of a lower dispenser unit engaging interlocking projections  36  of an upper dispenser unit. Similarly, several dispensing units  10  can be securely engaged side-by-side with interlocking grooves and projections  40 ,  40 ′ of one unit engaging interlocking grooves and projections  42 ,  42 ′ of an adjacent unit. Due to this modular design, several dispensing units can be arranged in various shapes and sizes in order to fully utilize available floor space. In addition, because each unit  10  can store different brands of containers, if several units are stacked one upon the other then multiple brands can be dispensed in a single column. 
     Referring to FIG. 3, a multi-level conveyance path or track  13  for conveying horizontally-disposed containers is located internally of housing  12 . The conveyance track  13  includes an upper ramp  44  and a lower ramp  46 , each of which is slightly wider than the height of a typical container. Ramps  44  and  46  have a slope β; ramp  44  is angled downwardly toward the rear of dispensing unit  10  and ramp  46  in angled downwardly away from the rear of dispensing unit  10 . The slope β can be any desired angle to effect gravitational feed of the containers. However, if the slope β is too great the containers will roll too fast and if too small they may stall. Preferably the slope β ranges from 3 to 10°. 
     The containers are gravitationally fed down upper ramp  44  to lower ramp  46  by way of a U-turn section  48 . U-turn section  48  preferably forms a ceiling of conveyance track  13  above upper ramp  44  and is contiguous with lower ramp  46 . A bottom surface  45  of upper ramp  44  forms the ceiling of the conveyance track above lower ramp  46 . With the U-turn configuration of conveyance path  13 , numerous containers can be stored in a compact space. In a preferred embodiment, the track and housing are dimensioned to hold  12  two-liter bottles, for example. 
     Ramps  44 ,  46  and U-turn section  48  can be integrally formed with housing  12 . Alternatively, any one of the foregoing elements can be formed as an individual component and be assembled within the housing. Housing  12 , ramps  44 ,  46  and U-turn section  48  are preferably formed of a lightweight yet sturdy material. For example, they can be formed of injection-molded polypropylene or polyethylene. Other rigid materials such as cardboard and metal are also within the scope of this invention. It is preferred that each dispenser unit  10  be sturdy enough to support the weight of several other fully-loaded units stacked on it. 
     In use, containers such as two-liter bottles  34  are individually fed into inlet  26  in a horizontal position and roll down upper ramp  44  toward the rear of housing  12 , then the bottles reverse direction at U-turn section  48  and roll down lower ramp  46  toward the front of housing  12  to outlet  30 . It is important, however, that the bottles  34  are not skewed as they roll in the conveyance path  13  so they do not jam and block the smooth dispensing flow of the bottles. This is prevented by maintaining the bottles in their proper orientation throughout their travel. That is, the longitudinal axes of the bottles  34  should always be substantially orthogonal to the conveyance direction along conveyance path  13 . To accomplish this, the display unit of the present invention is provided with several anti-skewing features. 
     When stocking dispensing unit  10 , it is important that the containers be inserted into inlet  26  in their proper orientation to prevent such skewing. This is assisted by a combination of receiving door  28  and a contoured surface  50  of upper ramp  44 , which are disposed at an inlet section of housing  12  adjacent inlet  26 . As shown in more detail in FIGS. 4A and 5, receiving door  28  is hinged or pivotally mounted on housing  12  at pivot points  27 . It has a concave receiving face  28   a  and is swingable between a closed position (shown in phantom in FIG. 5) to a fully open position (shown in solid in FIG.  5 ). The fully open position is limited by the rear surface  28   b  of receiving door  28  abutting a face of a recess  51   a  of housing  12 . In the fully open position, receiving face  28   a  forms the ceiling of conveyance path  13  at the inlet section. Housing  12  also has a transition edge  51   b  to transition the ceiling of conveyance path  13  from receiving face  28   a  to the ceiling of U-turn section  48 . 
     Contoured surface  50  of upper ramp  44  includes a first concave section  50   a , a convex section or protrusion  50   b  and a concave transition section  50   c  in the order of conveyance. Each of the sections of contoured surface  50  preferably extends the full width of the upper ramp  44 . As a bottle  34  or other container is inserted in inlet  26 , it will first roll on concave section  50   a  and be momentarily stopped by convex protrusion  50   b . The minimum distance between convex protrusion  50   b  and concave face  28   a  of receiving door  28  (when in its fully open position) is slightly greater than the typical diameter of a container to be stocked (e.g., the typical diameter of a two-liter beverage bottle). As the container  34  is further urged over convex protrusion  50   b , its central axis must be substantially orthogonal to the conveyance direction or else it will not fit between convex protrusion  50   b  and concave face  28   a . In other words, the container must be substantially parallel to protrusion  50   b . This ensures that the user properly orients each container when stocking. After each container is urged over protrusion  50   b , it rolls down transition section  50   c  and continues down upper ramp  44 . 
     Even if containers  34  are properly oriented upon insertion, they may still tend to skew as they travel down the ramps, especially if an end of a container rubs against an inner sidewall of housing  12 . This is especially true when the neck end of a bottle comes into contact with a sidewall. To counter this tendency, another anti-skewing feature of the present invention maintains the supplied containers or bottles in the desired orientation throughout conveyance. 
     As shown more clearly in FIG. 6, the upper surfaces of both top ramp  44  and bottom ramp  46  not only are sloped toward or away from the rear of dispenser unit  10  at a slope β, but they are also canted or tilted toward one side of housing  12 . In the illustrated embodiment, the ramps are canted downwardly toward right side  22  of housing  12  at an angle α. In one embodiment, this canting is continuous throughout conveyance path  13 , including U-turn section  48 . That is, an imaginary central axis of curvature of U-turn section  48  is also canted at the angle α. Alternatively, U-turn section can be formed without being canted or can be formed in a partially-conical shape. 
     With this construction, as containers roll down ramp  44 , around U-turn section  48  and down ramp  46 , they will be urged by gravity not only in the conveyance direction, but also toward the right side of the housing. Thus, the right ends of the containers are urged against the right sidewall of conveyance path  13 . 
     Although angle α can be of any sufficient angle to urge the containers toward the right, an angle too great would cause too much friction between the right ends of the containers and the sidewall, thus preventing the containers from rolling. An insufficient angle α would not be effective in urging the containers toward the right side. Preferably, α ranges from 3 to 10°. 
     In the event that bottles are placed in the dispensing unit, their bottoms are preferably disposed toward right side  22  of the housing with their neck ends toward left side  24 . This will prevent the neck ends from coming into contact with the side of the housing as the bottles roll down conveyance path  13 , thus assisting in preventing skewing of the bottles during conveyance. In order to aid in loading the bottles consistently with their neck ends toward the left side, a label or other indicia depicting the desired bottle orientation can be positioned near inlet  26  of housing  12  for reference by a user. Alternatively, the desired orientation can be ensured by positioning a key at inlet  26 . As shown in FIG. 4B, the key can be in the form of a plate  26   a  with a cutout  26   b  having a shape and size slightly larger than the bottles to be stocked. It can be secured in the inlet in any convenient manner. Thus, the bottles can only be inserted in inlet  26  in one orientation: horizontally with their neck end facing the left side of housing  12 . 
     It is also important during conveyance of containers to minimize shocks or impacts, which can damage the containers and cause the contents of carbonated beverage containers to over-pressurize. Accordingly, it is preferred that there be a smooth transition as the containers roll from top ramp  44  to bottom ramp  46 . Thus, U-turn section  48  is designed to have a semi-circular surface having a radius of curvature slightly larger than the typical diameter of the container to be dispensed. As noted previously, the central axis of U-turn section  48  is canted at the angle α to maintain the containers in their proper orientation throughout the U-turn and aid in the smooth transition. In addition, at its closest, the distance between edge  44   a  of top ramp  44  and U-turn section  48  is slightly larger than the typical diameter of the containers. Thus, as a bottle or container  34  rolls down upper ramp  44 , it will transition into contact with U-turn section  48   a  and smoothly roll onto lower ramp  46 . That is, the containers will not drop from upper ramp  44  directly onto lower ramp  46 . 
     Referring to FIGS. 7A,  7 B and  8 , the outlet section of dispensing unit  10  now will be described. Stocked containers are dispensed one at a time out of dispensing unit  10  by a metering mechanism  52 . Metering mechanism  52  comprises a cradle  54  and gate  56 , which can be formed integrally. Metering mechanism  52  is hinged to housing  12  at outlet  30  by integral pivot pins  58  at its opposite ends. Cradle  54  has longer moment arm about pivots  58  than that of gate  56 . As containers  38  emerge from outlet  30 , they come to rest on cradle  54 , which holds and displays one container at a time in a horizontal position for the consumer. As described below, when a bottle is resting on cradle  54 , gate  56  prevents the force from the weight of the remaining containers in conveyance path  13  from pressing against the displayed container and forcing the displayed container out of cradle  54 . 
     When no containers are in display unit  10 , metering mechanism  52  is in a rest position shown in solid lines in FIG. 8 because of the longer moment arm of cradle  54 . After an inserted container rolls down lower ramp  46  near outlet  30 , it rolls onto gate  56 , forcing it downward, thus rotating the metering mechanism to the dotted line position. The container then rolls over gate  56  and onto cradle  54 . The weight of the container on cradle  54  pivots the cradle downwardly back to the solid line position thereby returning gate  56  to its original position. When the next container in line rolls down ramp  46 , it cannot roll over gate  56  because it cannot overcome the weight of the displayed container acting on the longer effective moment arm of cradle  54 . Thus, the next container in line is stopped by gate  56  and will not impact against the displayed container in cradle  54 . When the container in cradle  54  is removed, the next bottle in line can then force gate  56  downwardly and roll over the gate onto cradle  54 . 
     With the above arrangement, bottles or containers to be displayed can be inserted into the dispensing unit in a proper orientation and can be conveyed through the dispensing unit without skewing. Also, the containers smoothly roll through the dispensing unit with minimal shock or impact. Further, the containers can be metered out one at a time without displayed containers being forced out of the cradle. 
     Although illustrative embodiments of the present invention have been described herein in connection with the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to those precise embodiments and that various changes and modifications may be effected therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.