Abstract:
A printed card dispensing assembly is provided wherein the dispensing mechanism is a self-contained lower unit and the printed cards are self-contained in an upper unit. The dispensing mechanism is a battery operated motor, gear train and friction wheel drive wherein the rotation of friction wheel is controlled by an optical sensor with a time delay that reads the reflection off a printed strip on the underside of the printed card. The entire apparatus is housed in a printed carton that incorporates a graphic identification and/or trademark.

Description:
[0001]    This application claims benefits from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/868,647, filed Dec. 5, 2006, the contents of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference. 
         [0002]    This application is related to U.S. Pat. No. 6,637,620 issued Oct. 28, 2003, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0004]    The invention relates to the advertising and sale of perfume and similar products. More particularly, the invention relates to an apparatus for dispensing a perfume sample on a discount coupon or for dispensing other types of cards. 
         [0005]    2. State of the Art 
         [0006]    Perfume is advertised in multiple media and is generally sold at a point of sale counter in a retail store. As used herein, the word perfume includes cologne, eau de toilet, after shave, air freshener and similar scent products which can be dispensed in liquid form. Further, to the extent that a flavor can be sampled by smell, perfume is intended to mean such a flavor. 
         [0007]    Although brand name recognition is important to perfume consumers so also is the actual scent of the perfume. More often than not, a perfume consumer will want to sample the scent of the perfume prior to purchasing a quantity of it. Perfume manufacturers have long sought to make sample fragrances available to consumers in order to entice the consumers to purchase a quantity of the perfume. 
         [0008]    One type of device used to economically dispense samples of perfume is the sample atomizer. The atomizers are used at a point of sale display to spray a measured amount of the perfume into the air or onto the customer&#39;s hand or wrist. One disadvantage of the atomizer is that if it is sprayed into the air it is hard to get a good sample of the scent. However, if it is sprayed on the customer&#39;s hand or wrist, the number of different scent samples which can be made is effectively limited to two, one for each hand or wrist. Another disadvantage of the sample atomizers is that they are subject to theft if left unattended. Thus, a salesperson must be present in order for a perfume to be sampled. 
         [0009]    Another common means for sampling perfume is the sample card sometimes known as “scratch and sniff” which is distributed in magazines or mailers. Although the “scratch and sniff” cards often fail to accurately reproduce the actual scent of the product, the use of a card is a good idea which has been adopted at point of sale demonstrations. Used in conjunction with sample atomizers, cards are used to sample many different scents at a point of sale display. The method involves the salesperson spraying a scent on an card and handing the card to the customer. The customer can bring the card close to her nose to sample the scent. Many scents can be sampled using different cards. However, as with sample atomizers used alone, a sales person must be present to prevent shrinkage. 
         [0010]    The previously incorporated U.S. patent discloses a card dispenser which includes a built-in atomizer. The dispenser is operated by a simple control which dispenses a scent onto a card and ejects the card from the dispenser. The dispenser is preferably designed to be resistant to theft. In this regard, the size and appearance of the dispenser may be sufficient to dissuade a shoplifter. Alternatively, the dispenser can be locked to a display counter. Preferably, the cards are coated such that the perfume carried by the card can be applied by the customer to an area of skin. Alternatively, the cards can be absorbent which would allow the customer to sample multiple scents without one scent contaminating another. Optionally, the cards dispensed from the dispenser bear advertising indicia indicating the name of the perfume. According to another disclosed method, cards are provided with indicia indicating a discount coupon for the perfume purchase. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0011]    A printed card dispensing assembly is provided wherein the dispensing mechanism is a self-contained lower unit and the printed cards are self-contained in an upper unit. The dispensing mechanism is a battery operated motor, gear train and friction wheel drive wherein the rotation of friction wheel is controlled by an optical sensor with a time delay that reads the reflection off a printed strip on the underside of the printed card. The entire apparatus is housed in a printed carton that incorporates a graphic identification and/or trademark. 
         [0012]    This invention provides a space efficient and cost effective method of providing printed card sampling at retail stores. 
         [0013]    The invention provides a low cost, one time use, disposable, automatic dispenser for printed cards that can be used at any retail point of sale. The printed cards may be redeemable coupons, recipe cards, business cards, or any other printed information that a marketer in a retail store would want to present to shoppers. According to the preferred embodiment, the cards contain microencapsulated perfume samples. The time delay feature on the dispenser discourages any shopper from emptying the dispenser by taking more than one card during the time delay period, typically 30-60 seconds. 
         [0014]    The low cost mechanism with its attached stack of cards can be incorporated into point of purchase displays, or with the appropriate custom hardware be attached to shelving, display cases, kiosks, and other appropriate sales locations in the store adjacent to the products that the dispensed cards represent. 
         [0015]    Additional objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference to the detailed description taken in conjunction with the provided figures. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0016]      FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of the exterior cover of an apparatus according to the invention with mounting apparatus; 
           [0017]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an interior housing; 
           [0018]      FIG. 3  is a cut away perspective view showing the interior of the housing; 
           [0019]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the underside of a card with indicia; 
           [0020]      FIG. 5  is an exploded perspective view of the housing and its contents; 
           [0021]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a carton cover designed to fit over the assembled housing; 
           [0022]      FIG. 7  is a schematic diagram of a circuit used to dispense cards; 
           [0023]      FIG. 7A  is a perspective view of a circuit board bearing the circuit of  FIG. 7 ; 
           [0024]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a tabletop product display with a card dispenser incorporated therein; and 
           [0025]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a product display shelf with a card dispenser attached to the shelf. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0026]    Turning now to  FIGS. 1-6 , an apparatus  10  according to the invention includes an outer carton  12  and an inner housing  14 . The outer carton  12  is preferably imprinted with indicia, e.g.  16  and  18  which may include a trademark or logo  16  and a slogan or description  18 . Optionally, the outer carton is provided with mounting hardware such as spring clips  20 ,  22  and double sided tape  24 ,  26 . The inner housing  14  is preferably made of a lower portion  28 , an upper portion  30  and a cap  32 . The upper portion  30  and the lower portion snap together with four interlocks, two of which  34 ,  36  can be seen in  FIGS. 2 and 5  The cap  32  is secured to the upper portion  30  by tape  38  ( FIG. 5 ). 
         [0027]    The lower portion  28  of the inner housing  14  houses a motor  40 , a friction wheel  42 , a circuit board  44 , and one or more batteries  46 . Depending on the type of batteries used, they may be mounted parallel to the motor  40  ( FIG. 3 ) or perpendicular to the motor ( FIG. 5 ). The motor  40  is electrically coupled to the circuit board  44  and mechanically coupled to the friction wheel  42  by a gear train  48  or by a pulley arrangement (not shown). The upper part of the lower portion has an inclined ramp  50  which defines two discontinuities  52 ,  54 . The discontinuity  52  exposes a photo detector  53  mounted on the circuit board  44  and the discontinuity  54  exposes the friction wheel  42 . A part  51  of the ramp  50  extends beyond the lower periphery of the lower portion  28 . 
         [0028]    When assembled as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the upper and lower portion define a slot  56  between the upper portion  30  and the ramp  50 . Before putting the cap  32  on the upper portion  30 , a stack  58  of cards  60  is placed in the upper portion  30  and a spring  62  is placed on the top of the stack  58 . The cap  32  is then placed over the spring  62  and is affixed to the upper portion  30  with tape  38 . The spring  62  should exert a gentle force on the stack  58  and should expand to the ramp  50  when there are no cards in the upper portion  30 . After the lower portion  28 , upper portion  30  and cap  32  are assembled with the cards and the spring, the inner housing  14  is placed inside the carton  12  which is provided with a slot  57  through which the part  51  of the ramp  50  extends. 
         [0029]    As illustrated in  FIG. 4 , each card  60  is provided with a dark strip  64  along a portion of its length, followed by a light strip  66  along the remaining portion of its length. The card  60  may also bear indicia  68  on the same side or on an opposite side as the strips  64 ,  66 . When the cards are placed in the upper portion  30  that are arranged so that the strips  64 ,  66  will pass over the photo detector  53 . 
         [0030]    Referring now to  FIGS. 7 and 7   a , the circuit  100  on the circuit board  44  includes a microcontroller  102  which is preferably a PIC12F675 microcontroller available from Microchip Technology Inc., Chandler, Ariz. The microcontroller is coupled to a three volt power source  104 , a photo detector  106  which is preferably an HLC1395 reflective sensor available from Honeywell International, Inc., Morristown, N.J., and the motor  40 , preferably a Mabuchi FA-280RA-20120 available from the Mabuchi Motor Co., Japan, and from numerous electronic distributors in the US. As illustrated, the circuit also includes a ceramic resonator such as the ECS-SR-A available from ECS, Inc., Olathe, Kans. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the resonator may be omitted. The microcontroller is preferably coupled to the motor through a 2N7002 field effect transistor available from many sources including Diodes Incorporated, Dallas, Tex. The circuit as illustrated also includes three  10 K ohm resistors, one  112 ,  114  on either side of the photo detector  106  and one  116  between the microcontroller  102  and the transistor  110 . 
         [0031]    As shown in  FIG. 7A  the photo detector  53  and the microcontroller  102  are mounted on the top side of the circuit board  44 . The other components and a battery holder  118  are mounted on the bottom of the circuit board  44 . The battery holder may be a Keystone  590  or  596  available from Keystone Electronics Corp., Astoria, N.Y. 
         [0032]    From the foregoing, those skilled in the art will appreciate that when the apparatus is assembled with the cards and battery or batteries, the motor will activate and push the bottom card over the ramp  50  and out of the slots  56 ,  57 . In the illustrated embodiment, the motor will stop when the reflective stripe  66  passes onto the photo detector  53 . It will be appreciated, however, that the location of the non-reflective stripe  64  and the reflective stripe  66  could be switched and the microcontroller could be programmed to activate the motor only when the reflective stripe is over the photo detector. When a card has been advanced by the motor to extend through the slots, the card can be grasped and pulled out of the apparatus by a consumer. According to a presently preferred embodiment, when a card is removed from the apparatus, the microcontroller waits a programmed interval before activating the motor to dispense the next card. 
         [0033]      FIG. 8  illustrates a tabletop or counter display  200  containing a plurality of perfume bottles, e.g.  202  and having a vertical placard  204 . The card dispenser  10  according to the invention mounted on a portion of the display. 
         [0034]      FIG. 9  illustrates a shelving unit  300  containing a plurality of perfume bottles, e.g.  302 . The card dispenser  10  is mounted to the shelving unit using the spring clips  20 ,  22  described above with reference to  FIG. 1 . 
         [0035]    There have been described and illustrated herein an apparatus for dispensing cards. While particular embodiments of the invention have been described, it is not intended that the invention be limited thereto, as it is intended that the invention be as broad in scope as the art will allow and that the specification be read likewise. It will therefore be appreciated by those skilled in the art that yet other modifications could be made to the provided invention without deviating from its spirit and scope as claimed.