Patent Publication Number: US-8528780-B2

Title: Smoking article dispenser

Description:
CLAIM FOR PRIORITY 
     This application is a National Stage Entry entitled to and hereby claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §§365 and 371 to corresponding PCT Application No. PCT/EP2009/067843, filed Dec. 23, 2009, which in turn claims priority to British Application Serial No. GB 0901466.3, filed Jan. 29, 2009. The entire contents of the aforementioned applications are herein expressly incorporated by reference. 
     The present invention relates to a dispenser for smoking articles such as cigarettes and, more particularly, to a dispenser for smoking articles having a smoking article indexing and ejection mechanism. 
     Various dispensers of smoking articles are known in the art which comprise a portable housing and means to dispense a single smoking article at a time from the dispenser. However, such known dispensers suffer a number of drawbacks, including awkward, unreliable, cumbersome and/or complex dispensing mechanisms. Furthermore, conventional dispensers are generally configured such that a user has to manually load individual cigarettes one at a time. The present invention seeks to provide an improved dispenser for smoking articles which overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art. 
     In order to address the issues related to the prior art dispensers, a dispenser has been developed that includes a reloadable springless cartridge based solution. 
     Accordingly, in an implementation, the present invention provides a dispenser comprising a housing defining a chamber to receive a charge of smoking articles coupled by a belt and such that the longitudinal axis of each smoking article extends between first and second ends of the housing, and a mechanism to advance the belt in a lateral direction so as to move a smoking article of the belt into alignment with an aperture in said first end of the housing, said mechanism also being operable to push said aligned smoking article from the belt and eject it in a longitudinal direction from the housing through said aperture. 
     Preferably, the mechanism includes a slider received in the chamber configured to contact the end of an aligned smoking article closest to the second end of the housing to lift said smoking article in a longitudinal direction out of the housing through the aperture. 
     The slider preferably includes an actuator that extends through the housing to enable a user to raise the slider in a direction towards said first end of the housing and thereby lift said smoking article in a longitudinal direction out of the housing through the aperture in the first end. 
     Preferably, the mechanism includes a belt drive wheel rotatably mounted to the second end of the housing and extending upwardly within the chamber towards said first end. 
     The drive element preferably comprises a plurality of longitudinally extending pockets, each pocket being configured so that a smoking article is drawn into a pocket as the drive wheel rotates to advance the belt. 
     Preferably, the belt drive wheel is positioned such that when it rotates, a smoking article contained in a pocket is moved into alignment with the aperture. 
     The slider and belt drive wheel preferably include cooperating members that cooperate to rotate the drive wheel to advance the belt and move a smoking article into partial alignment with the aperture in the first end of the housing in response to movement of the slider by a user. 
     In a preferred embodiment, a smoking article contained in a pocket of the belt drive wheel is moved into partial alignment with the aperture in the first end of the housing in response to lowering of the slider in a direction towards the second end of the housing following movement of the slider in a direction towards the first end of the housing to eject a previous smoking article. 
     Preferably, the belt drive wheel and the housing is configured such that the belt drive wheel has a portion that extends below a charge of smoking articles received in the chamber at the second end of the housing, the cooperating member on the belt drive wheel being formed on said portion of the belt drive wheel below a charge of smoking articles received in the chamber. 
     The cooperating member on the belt drive wheel preferably comprises an upwardly facing helical ramp associated with each pocket. 
     Preferably, the cooperating member on the slider comprises a drive element having a lower engaging face that contacts an upper end of the helical ramp associated with the pocket from which a smoking article has been ejected, when the slider is lowered following movement of the slider in an upward direction to eject said smoking article, wherein the belt drive wheel rotates as the drive element slides down the helical ramp to advance the belt and move the next smoking article into partial alignment with the aperture in the first end of the housing. 
     The belt drive wheel preferably comprises a smoking article end support member associated with each pocket and configured to support the end of a smoking article received in a pocket to prevent it from sliding down the belt drive wheel in a direction towards said helical ramp. 
     Preferably, a smoking article end support member is located above the lower end of each helical tamp and each helical ramp is configured such that, when the drive element has reached the lower end of the helical ramp associated with one pocket, it is located beneath said smoking article end support member associated with the next pocket. 
     Preferably, the smoking article end support member has a lower contact surface and the drive element has an upper engaging face, at least one of said lower contact surface and upper engaging face being angled such that, when the slider is raised to eject a smoking article from a pocket, the upper engaging face of the drive element initially contacts said lower contact surface of the support member located above it, thereby causing the belt drive wheel to rotate as the lower contact surface and upper engaging face slide relative to each other so as to move a partially aligned smoking article into full alignment with the aperture. 
     Preferably, the upper engaging face of the drive element contacts the end of a fully aligned smoking article supported by said smoking article end support member after clearing said lower contact surface of the support member, further movement of the slider causing said drive element to lift said fully aligned smoking article in a longitudinal direction out of the housing through the aperture. 
     Preferably, the cooperating member on the belt drive wheel comprises a radially extending spoke associated with each pocket, each spoke having upper and lower contact faces. 
     Preferably, the cooperating member on the slider comprises an initial drive element having a lower contact surface to contact the upper contact face of a spoke associated with a pocket as the slider is lowered following ejection of a smoking article from said pocket, at least one of said lower contact surface and upper contact face being angled such that the drive wheel rotates as the spoke slides across the initial drive element to move a leading smoking article into partial alignment with the aperture. 
     Preferably, the cooperating member on the slider also comprises a secondary drive element defining an upwardly facing helical ramp positioned below the initial drive element and configured such that, when the slider is lowered, the secondary drive element passes between adjacent spokes extending from the drive wheel prior to cooperation between the initial drive element and a spoke to cause initial rotation of the drive wheel. 
     Preferably, the initial drive element and spokes are configured such that following initial rotation of the drive wheel as a result of cooperation between the drive element and a spoke, a spoke associated with the next pocket is located above the helical ramp of the secondary drive element such that, when the slider is raised to eject a smoking article associated with said next pocket, the helical ramp contacts the lower contact face of said spoke such that the drive wheel rotates further as the spoke slides across said ramped helical surface of the secondary drive element to move a smoking article fully into alignment with said aperture, said secondary drive element passing between adjacent spokes following said rotation and after a spoke has cleared said ramped helical surface. 
     Preferably, the initial drive element has an upper surface to contact the second end of a smoking article and lift it out of a pocket through said aperture when the slider is raised. 
     Preferably, the first end of the housing comprises a cap to close the chamber and enable access to the chamber to allow a charge of smoking articles to be inserted therein, said aperture being formed in the cap. 
     Another implementation of the invention provides a belt to receive a charge of smoking articles comprising a material layer having a series of parallel sleeves, each sleeve extending in a direction across the width of the belt, each sleeve being configured to receive a single smoking article. 
     Preferably, the material layer comprises first and second material layers, said layers being permanently connected to each other at spaced locations along the length of the belt to define said series of sleeves. 
     Preferably, the material layers are in the form of an endless loop. 
     Preferably, the belt is folded following insertion of a charge of smoking articles to form a bundle or cartridge of smoking articles. Preferably, adjacent material layers of the bundle are releasably joined at discrete locations to retain the smoking articles in bundled form. 
     Preferably, the bundle is formed with an aperture therethrough to receive a drive element of a smoking article dispenser. 
     An implementation of the invention also provides a dispenser as described above configured to receive a belt containing a charge of smoking articles as described above and also, a dispenser according as described above containing a belt of smoking articles as described above. 
     An implementation of the present invention also provides a method of filling a dispenser as described above with a belt of smoking articles as described above, comprising the steps of opening the housing and inserting a bundle of cigarettes into the chamber. 
     Preferably, the method includes the step of inserting the bundle such that the drive wheel of the dispenser extends through the aperture in said bundle and closing said housing. 
     The method preferably includes the step of actuating the actuator to initially break the releasable join between adjacent material layers of the bundle. 
     An implementation of the present invention also provides a method of using a dispenser as described above, including the steps of sliding the actuator in a direction towards the top end of the housing to initially rotate a drive wheel to move a leading smoking article into alignment with an aperture in said top end and to push said leading smoking article out of said housing through said aperture. 
     The method preferably includes the step of sliding the actuator in a direction towards the lower end of the housing to further rotate the drive wheel in the same direction and move the next leading smoking article into partial alignment with the aperture in the housing. 
     An implementation of the present invention also provides a smoking article dispenser comprising a dispenser housing configured to receive a smoking article cartridge, a smoking article dispensing aperture formed in the surface of the dispenser housing, a cartridge advancement mechanism that includes a plurality of surface-engagable elements configured to facilitate advancing cartridge position and dispensing smoking articles from a smoking article cartridge when a user-operable element is actuated. 
     Preferably, the plurality of surface-engagable elements are configured to urge a drive wheel that advances smoking articles from the smoking article cartridge within the dispenser housing into alignment for dispensing. 
     Preferably, the smoking articles are seated on a support tab that ejects the smoking articles after the smoking articles are fully aligned. 
     Preferably, the smoking article cartridge is configured as a belt of smoking articles. 
     Preferably, the user-operable element is slidable between a first position and a second position. 
     Preferably, the user-operable element interacts with the surface engagable elements to shift a smoking article from a standby position, wherein the smoking article is partially aligned with a dispensing aperture in the first position, to a dispensing position, wherein the smoking article is fully aligned with the dispensing aperture. 
     The dispensers facilitate significant design flexibility and a variety of housings, engagable surface elements and smoking article cartridges may be implemented. By way of example only, to illustrate various aspects of the dispenser, the figures and the following discuss the smoking article cartridge within the context of a cartridge implemented as a smoking article belt. 
     Depending on the implementation, the dispenser aperture and the dispensed smoking articles may be configured with complementary aperture/axial shapes. For example, the dispenser aperture may be configured as an oval, square, triangle or other shape particularly suited to dispense complementary shaped smoking articles. 
     The method may include the step of actuating the actuator to initially break the releasable join between adjacent material layers of the bundle. 
    
    
     
       Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  shows a front perspective view of a dispenser of a first embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 2  shows front perspective cross-sectional view of the dispenser of  FIG. 1  loaded with a charge of cigarettes; 
         FIG. 3  is a rear perspective view of internal components of the dispenser of  FIGS. 1 and 2  showing only the slider and drive wheel, in a standby position; 
         FIG. 4  is a plan view from above of the slider and drive wheel of  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is an end view of the slider (in cross section) and drive wheel shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a rear perspective view corresponding to  FIG. 3  but of the slider and drive wheel of the dispenser in an elevated dispensing position; 
         FIG. 7  is a plan view from above of the slider and drive wheel of  FIG. 6 ; 
         FIG. 8  is an end view of the slider (in cross section) and drive wheel shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7 ; 
         FIG. 9  is a rear perspective view corresponding to  FIGS. 3 and 6  but of the slider and drive wheel of the dispenser in an intermediate position; 
         FIG. 10  is a plan view from above of the slider and drive wheel of  FIG. 9 ; 
         FIG. 11  is an end view of the slider (in cross section) and drive wheel shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10 ; 
         FIG. 12  is a perspective view of the drive wheel in isolation; 
         FIG. 13  is a plan view from above of the drive wheel of  FIG. 12 ; 
         FIG. 14  is a perspective view of the slider in isolation; 
         FIG. 15  is a plan view from above of the slider of  FIG. 14 ; 
         FIG. 16  shows a front perspective view of a dispenser of a second embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 17  shows front perspective cross-sectional view of the dispenser of  FIG. 16  loaded with a charge of cigarettes; 
         FIG. 18  is a front perspective view of the dispenser of  FIGS. 16 and 17  showing only the slider and drive wheel, in a standby position; 
         FIG. 19  is a plan view from above of the slider and drive wheel of  FIG. 18 ; 
         FIG. 20  is an end view of the slider (in cross section) and drive wheel shown in  FIGS. 18 and 19 ; 
         FIG. 21  is a front perspective view corresponding to  FIG. 18  but of the slider and drive wheel of the dispenser in an intermediate lifting position; 
         FIG. 22  is a plan view from above of the slider and drive wheel of  FIG. 21 ; 
         FIG. 23  is an end view of the slider (in cross section) and drive wheel shown in  FIGS. 21 and 22 ; 
         FIG. 24  is a front perspective view corresponding to  FIGS. 18 and 21  but of the slider and drive wheel of the dispenser in an elevated dispensing position; 
         FIG. 25  is a plan view from above of the slider and drive wheel of  FIG. 24 ; 
         FIG. 26  is an end view of the slider (in cross section) and drive wheel shown in  FIGS. 24 and 25 ; 
         FIG. 27  is an end view corresponding to  FIGS. 20 ,  23  and  26  but of the slider (in cross section) and drive wheel of the dispenser in an intermediate return position; 
         FIG. 28  is a perspective view of a belt of cigarettes of the invention for use in the dispensers of the invention; and 
         FIG. 29  is a plan view from above of the belt of cigarettes shown in  FIG. 28 , including an enlarged view of a portion thereof. 
     
    
    
     For the purposes of the exemplary embodiments shown and described herein, reference to smoking articles to be dispensed from the apparatuses of the invention are described as ‘cigarettes’, but it should be understood that this term shall be taken as meaning any smoking article, not necessarily limited to cigarettes. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 1 to 15 , a first embodiment of a cigarette dispenser  10  of the present invention is shown comprising an outer housing  12  having a cap  14  and a dispensing mechanism  16  (see  FIG. 3 ) disposed within the housing  12 . The cap  14  includes a dispensing aperture  14   a  though which cigarettes ‘S’ are dispensed from the dispenser  10 . The dispenser  10  is configured to receive a charge of cigarettes S (see  FIGS. 28 and 29 ) held in a belt  18  and sequentially index and dispense each cigarette S from the dispenser  10  through the dispensing aperture  14   a  until all of the cigarettes S have been dispensed, after which, the cap  14  is removed, the empty belt  18  is removed and the dispenser can be reloaded by a user with a new full belt  18  of cigarettes S. 
     The housing  12  is generally cuboid in shape but has rounded narrow ends instead of squared. Thus, the housing  12  has two substantially flat side walls  12   a , and two rounded end walls  12   b , in which the rounded end walls  12   b  in plan view define an arc with a centre point ‘P’ (see  FIG. 1 ). 
     The dispensing mechanism  16  is shown in more detail in  FIGS. 2 to 15 , and comprises a slider  20  and a belt drive wheel or carousel  40  (referred to hereafter as a ‘drive wheel’). The slider  20  (see  FIG. 14 ) comprises a sliding plate  22  having an actuator button  24  (referred to hereafter as an ‘actuator’) projecting therefrom. The sliding plate  22  is shaped to conform to the inside surface of the housing  12  and slides thereagainst, with the actuator  24  extending though a slot  26  formed in one of the flat side walls  12   a  of the housing  12 . The length of the slot  26  thereby defines the maximum range of sliding movement of the slider  20  within the housing  12 . The sliding plate  22  includes a first flat section  22   a  shaped to extend along and lie adjacent to the inside of one flat side wall  12   a  of the housing  12 , and a second curved section  22   b  shaped to curve around the inside of one curved end wall  12   b  of the housing  12 . Therefore, the curved section  22   b  of the sliding plate  22  defines an arc with a centre point substantially vertically aligned with the centre point ‘P’ of the curved end wall  12   b  of the housing  12 . 
     The curved section  22   b  of the sliding plate  22  includes a drive element  34  extending perpendicularly inwards, and is shown in more detail in  FIGS. 14 and 15 . The drive element  34  includes a lower engaging face  34   a , an upper engaging face  34   b  and a lifting face  34   c.    
     The drive wheel  40  is rotatably mounted on a base  60 . The base  60  has an upper surface which provides a platform  62  to support the cigarettes S in the belt  18  within the housing  12 . The base  60  may be removable from or formed integrally with the housing  12 , and the drive wheel  40  is mounted such that its axis of rotation is substantially aligned with the centre point ‘P’ of the radius of curvature of the curved end wall  12   b  of the housing  12 , and of the curved section  22   b  of the sliding plate  22 . The drive wheel  40  comprises a central shaft  42  having a plurality of fins  44  extending radially therefrom. The embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1 to 15  has three fins, although the invention is not limited to this particular configuration. The tops of the fins  44  include a tapered portion  44   a  for reasons which are explained in more detail below. Viewed from above, it can be seen that each of the spaces between the fins  44  provides a pocket to accommodate a single cigarette S within the belt  18  of cigarettes S. The cap  14  includes a recess  14   b  (see  FIG. 2 ) which is configured to receive and locate the uppermost tip of the shaft  42  when the cap  14  is fitted to the housing  12 , which rotatably secures the drive wheel  40  in place within the dispenser  10 . 
     The fins  44  extend along the majority of the height of the shaft  42 , but terminate proximate the base of the shaft  42 , approximately level with the platform  62 . Below the fins  44  and the level of the bottom ends of the cigarettes S, the base portion of the shaft  42  includes a set of helical ramps  46  extending radially from the lower-most portion of the shaft  42 , and a set of smoking article end support members (referred to hereafter as ‘support members’)  48  extending radially from the shaft and spaced axially above the helical ramps  46 . One helical ramp  46  and one support member  48  is associated with each fin  44 /pocket of the drive wheel  40 . 
     Each of the helical ramps  46  extends around a portion of the circumference of the shaft  42  and includes a contact surface  46   a  on its upper side which is angled upwards in an anti-clockwise direction around the shaft  42 . Each of the support members  48  extends around a portion of the circumference of the shaft  42  and includes a contact surface  48   a  on its lower side which is angled downwards in an anti-clockwise direction around the shaft  42  and a support surface  48   b  on its upper side which is substantially horizontal. Furthermore, it can be seen from the plan view of the drive wheel  40  in  FIG. 13  that each of the support members  48  is positioned circumferentially between the helical ramps  46 , that is, circumferentially between the top radial edge of the contact surface  46   a  of one helical ramp  46  and the bottom radial edge of the contact surface  46   a  of the adjacent helical ramp  46 . 
     The platform  62  of the base  60  includes an arcuate recess  64  (see  FIG. 2 ) to accommodate the helical ramps  46  and support members  48  of the drive wheel  40 . The platform  62  is level with the supporting surfaces  48   b  of each of the support members  48 . Operation of the cigarette dispenser  10  of the first embodiment of the invention will now be described, with reference to  FIGS. 1 to 15 . Firstly, a user removes the cap  14  from the dispenser  10  and inserts a full belt  18  of cigarettes S into the housing  12 . As the belt  18  of cigarettes S is loaded into the housing  12 , the tops of the tapered portions  44   a  of the fins  44  help to guide each of the individual cigarettes S from the belt  18  into one of the pockets between the fins  44  as the belt advances. Once the belt  18  of cigarettes S is loaded into the housing  12 , the cap  14  is replaced and the dispenser is ready for use. 
     The apparatus  10  is shown in the standby position in  FIGS. 1 to 5  with the first cigarette to be dispensed in partial alignment with the dispensing aperture  14   a  in the cap  14 . Here, the slider  20  is at the bottom of its travel with the actuator  24  at the bottom of the slot  26  in the flat side wall  12   a  of the housing  12  and the drive element  34  is disposed directly beneath one of the support members  48  and between the bottom of the contact surface  46   a  of one of the helical ramps  46  and the vertical end face  46   b  of the adjacent one of the helical ramps  46 . 
     To dispense a cigarette S from the dispenser  10 , the actuator  24  is slid upwards in the direction of arrow ‘A’ in  FIG. 1 . This causes the sliding plate  22  and associated drive element  34  to move upwards until the upper engaging face  34   b  of the drive element  34  abuts the lower contact surface  48   a  of the support member  48  as seen in  FIG. 5 . 
     As the sliding plate  22  and associated drive element  34  continue to move upwards to and past the position shown in dashed lines in  FIG. 5 , the force of the upper engaging face  34   b  of the drive element  34  against the lower contact surface  48   a  of the support element  48  urges the support element  48  in a cam-like manner (translating the linear movement of the slider  20  into rotational movement of the drive wheel  40 ) to be rotated anti-clockwise in the direction of arrows shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 . Movement of the support element  48  thereby causes the whole drive wheel  40  to be rotated. This portion of rotation comprises a minor movement of the drive wheel  40 . The rotation of the drive wheel  40  causes the fins  44  to push against the adjacent cigarette S in the belt  18  of cigarettes S, and so the entire belt  18  of cigarettes S is indexed along. When the lifting surface  34   c  of the drive element  34  becomes level with the support surface  48   b  of the support member  48 , the cigarette S being urged by the fin  44  to be dispensed is seated on the lifting surface  34   c  of the drive element  34  and the cigarette to be dispensed is fully aligned with the dispensing aperture  14   a  in the cap  14 . 
     As the sliding plate  22  and associated drive element  34  continue to move upwards, the fully aligned cigarette S is lifted upwards on the lifting surface  34   c  of the drive element  34 . The cigarette S protrudes through the dispensing aperture  14   a  in the cap  14  to enable the user to grip the cigarette S and remove it fully from the dispenser  10 . At this point, the slider  20  is at the top of its range of movement with the actuator  24  abutting the top edge of the slot  26  in the elevated dispensing position shown in  FIGS. 6 to 8 . The cigarettes S are held in loose frictional contact within the belt  18  of cigarettes S and so are easily slid upwards out of the belt  18  during the above-described dispensing process, and the belt  18  also serves to guide each cigarette S directly upwards without lateral movement so that it cleanly projects through the dispensing aperture  14   a  in the cap  14 . 
     Depending on the implementation, dispensing aperture  14   a  may be closed off by a actuatable cover element that keeps the cigarettes in the reloadable dispenser fresh. In an implementation, the cover is actuated into an open position as the slider is shifted upward as cigarette S is dispensed and then closed as the slider returns to a standby position. 
     Once the user has removed the dispensed cigarette S, the slider  20  is the moved back downwards within the housing  12 . At this point, the drive wheel  40  is in a position in which the top edge of the contact surface  46   a  of one of the helical ramps  46  is directly below the drive element  34 . Downward movement of the slider  20  causes the sliding plate  22  and associated drive element  34  to move downwards until the lower engaging surface  34   a  of the drive element  34  abuts the contact surface  46   a  of the helical ramp  46 , as shown in  FIGS. 9 to 11  (where the position of the drive element  34  is illustrated in dashed lines in  FIG. 11  as it returns from the elevated dispensing position). 
     As the sliding plate  22  and associated drive element  34  continue to move downwards, the force of the lower engaging face  34   a  of the drive element  34  against the contact surface  46   a  of the helical ramp  46  urges the helical ramp  46  in a cam-like manner to be rotated anti-clockwise in the direction of arrow ‘C’, as shown in  FIGS. 10 and 11 . Movement of the helical ramp  46  thereby causes the whole drive wheel  40  to be rotated. In can be seen from the length of the contact surface  46   a  of the helical ramp  46  being significantly longer than the lower contact surface  48   a  of the support element  48 , that this portion of rotation comprises a major movement of the drive wheel  40 . The rotation of the drive wheel  40  causes the fins  44  to push against the next cigarette S to be dispensed in the belt  18  of cigarettes S, and so the entire belt  18  of cigarettes S is indexed along within the housing  12 . The drive wheel  40  is rotated until the drive element  34  reaches the standby position again as shown in  FIGS. 1 to 5 , when the slider  20  is at the bottom limit of its travel and the lower engaging face  34   a  of the drive element  34  reaches and contacts the base  60 . At this point, said next cigarette S to be dispensed has been moved into partial alignment with the dispensing aperture  14   a  and the dispenser  10  is ready to dispense another cigarette S by repeating the process described above. 
     The belt  18  of cigarettes S is shown in more detail in  FIGS. 28 and 29 , and it can be seen that the belt  18  extends around a middle portion of the cigarettes S, but does not extend entirely to the bottom of the cigarettes S. This is so that the belt  18  does not interfere with the drive element  34  during the lifting process as the cigarette S is lifted out of the belt  18  and dispensed from the apparatus  10 . The belt  18  comprises a two-ply construction in which sections  18   a  of the belt  18  between the cigarettes S are permanently bonded together, such that sections  18   b  of the belt  18  which include no bonding form sleeves in which the cigarettes S are held. The cigarettes S are frictionally held between the two plies of the belt  18 , one within each sleeve  18   b . It can be seen that in each sleeve  18   b , each ply conforms around the curvature of the cigarette S which enables the fins  44  of the drive wheel  40  to engage each individual cigarette S as the belt  18  is indexed round the dispenser  10  as described above. 
     In order to facilitate the reloading of the dispenser  10  with a new belt  18  of cigarettes S, it is intended that the belt  18  of cigarettes S is provided as a continuous loop or ‘caterpillar track’ type configuration, and with at least two of the opposing sleeve portions  18   b  of the belt  18  in the middle of the loop bonded together with a non-permanent adhesive. Such a configuration is shown in  FIG. 29 , in which a portion of the belt  18  around two opposing pairs of cigarettes S in the middle of the ‘caterpillar track’ are held together by the non-permanent adhesive, shown at points D′. This results in two internal closed loops  19  being formed within the belt  18 . The non-permanent adhesive allows the belt  18  to remain in the bonded configuration shown in  FIG. 29  as a user loads the belt  18  into the dispenser  10  and the closed loops  19  facilitate the belt  18  being correctly positioned in the dispenser  10  as the user guides the top of the shaft  42  of the drive wheel  40  through one of the loops  19 . Thereafter, the tapered tops  44   a  of the fins  44  guide the individual cigarettes S within the belt into the pockets between the fins  44  so the belt  18  is correctly positioned within the dispenser  10  ready for use. 
     When a user first uses the dispenser  10  to dispense the first cigarette S of a fresh belt  18 , it will be appreciated from the above description that the indexing of the belt  18  will cause each portion of the belt which is bonded together by the non-permanent adhesive to be pulled in opposite directions, shown by arrows ‘E’ in  FIG. 29 . This easily breaks the non-permanent adhesive bond between the two sides of the belt  18  and allows the belt  18  to be freely incremented within the housing  12  in subsequent dispensing operations. 
     A second exemplary embodiment of a smoking article dispenser  110  the present invention will now be described with reference to  FIGS. 16-27 . The dispenser  110  comprises an outer housing  112  having a cap  114  and a dispensing mechanism  116  disposed within the housing  112 . The cap  114  includes a dispensing aperture  114   a  though which cigarettes S are dispensed from the dispenser  110 . As with the first embodiment described above, the dispenser  110  is configured to receive a belt  18  of cigarettes S (see  FIGS. 28 and 29 ) and sequentially index and dispense each cigarette S from the dispenser  110  through the dispensing aperture  114   a  until all of the cigarettes S have been dispensed, after which, the cap  114  is removed, the empty belt  18  is removed and the dispenser  110  can be reloaded by a user with a new full belt  18  of cigarettes S. The dispenser  110  of the second embodiment of the invention is configured to operate with a belt  18  of cigarettes S of the same configuration as used with the first embodiment, and so a detailed description of the belt  18  of cigarettes S will not be repeated. 
     The housing  112  is generally cuboid in shape and so has two substantially flat large side walls  112   a , and two substantially flat smaller end walls  112   b.    
     The dispensing mechanism  116  is shown in more detail in  FIGS. 17 to 27 , and comprises a slider  120  and a belt drive wheel or carousel  140  (referred to hereafter as a ‘drive wheel’). The slider  120  comprises a sliding plate  122  having an actuator button  124  (referred to hereafter as an ‘actuator’) projecting therefrom. The sliding plate  122  is slidably mounted within the housing  112  to slide against the inside of one end wall  112   b  and the actuator  124  extends though a slot  126  formed in said one end wall  112   b . As in the first embodiment, the length of the slot  126  thereby defines the maximum range of sliding movement of the slider  120  within the housing  112 . 
     The drive wheel  140  is rotatably mounted on a base  160 . The base  160  has an upper surface which provides a platform  162  to support the cigarettes S in the belt  18  within the housing  112 . The base  160  may be removable from or formed integrally with the housing  112 , and the drive wheel  140  is mounted on the base  160  in close proximity to the sliding plate  122  on the one end wall  112   b  of the housing  112 . The drive wheel  140  comprises a central shaft  142  having a plurality of fins  144  extending radially therefrom. The embodiment shown in  FIGS. 16 to 27  has five fins, although the invention is not limited to this particular configuration. The tops of the fins  144  include a tapered portion  144   a  for reasons which are explained in more detail below. Viewed from above, it can be seen that each of the spaces between the fins  144  provides a pocket to accommodate a cigarette S of the belt  18  of cigarettes S. 
     The fins  144  extend along the majority of the height of the shaft  142 , but terminate proximate the base of the shaft  142 , approximately level with the platform  162 . Below the fins  44  and the level of the bottom ends of the cigarettes S, the base portion of the shaft  142  includes a set of a plurality of spokes  134  extending radially from the shaft  142 . Each of the spokes  134  includes a lower contact face  134   a , an upper contact face  134   b.    
     The sliding plate  122  of the slider  120  includes an initial drive element  148  and a secondary drive element  146  extending perpendicularly therefrom towards the inside of the housing  112 . The secondary drive element  146  is provided at the base of the sliding plate  122  and the initial drive element  148  is disposed vertically above the secondary drive element  146  and is spaced therefrom. The secondary drive element  146  includes a helical ramp  146   a  on its upper side which is angled upwards with respect to an anti-clockwise direction of the shaft  142  when viewed from above. The initial drive element  148  includes a contact surface  148   a  on its lower side which is angled downwards with respect to an anti-clockwise direction of the shaft  142  when viewed from above. Furthermore, the initial drive element  148  also includes a support surface  148   b  on its upper side which is substantially horizontal. 
     The slider  120  and drive wheel  140  are configured such that when the bottom of the secondary drive element  146  is level with the bottom of the spokes  134 , the platform  162  of the base  160  is level with the support surface  148   b  of the initial drive element  148 . 
     Operation of the cigarette dispenser  110  of the second embodiment of the invention will now be described, with reference to  FIGS. 16 to 27 . Firstly, a user removes the cap  114  from the dispenser  110  and inserts a full belt  18  of cigarettes S into the housing  112 . As the belt  18  of cigarettes S is loaded into the housing  112 , the tops of the tapered portions  144   a  of the fins  144  help to guide each of the individual cigarettes S from the belt  18  into one of the pockets between the fins  144  as the belt advances. Once the belt  18  of cigarettes S is loaded into the housing  112 , the cap  114  is replaced and the dispenser  110  is ready for use. 
     The apparatus  110  is shown in the standby position in  FIGS. 16 to 20 . Here, the slider  120  is at the bottom of its travel with the actuator  124  at the bottom of the slot  126  in the end wall  112   a  of the housing  112  and the top edge of the helical ramp  146   a  of the secondary drive element  146  disposed directly beneath the bottom edge of the lower contact face  134   a  of one of the spokes  134  on the drive wheel  140 . 
     To dispense a cigarette S from the dispenser  110 , the actuator  124  is slid upwards in the direction of arrow ‘F’ in  FIGS. 16 and 18 . This causes the sliding plate  122  and associated secondary and initial drive elements  146 ,  148  to move upwards until the top of the helical ramp  146   a  of the secondary drive element  146  abuts against the lower contact face  134   a  of the spoke  134 . 
     As the sliding plate  122  and associated secondary and initial drive elements  146 ,  148  continue to move upwards, towards the position of the initial drive element  148  shown in dashed lines in  FIG. 20 , the force of the helical ramp  146   a  of the secondary drive element  146  against the lower contact face  134   a  of the spoke  134  urges the spoke  134 , and thereby the whole drive wheel  140 , to be rotated clockwise in the direction of arrow ‘G’, as shown in  FIGS. 18 and 19 . The rotation of the drive wheel  140  causes the fins  144  to push against the adjacent cigarette S in the belt  18  of cigarettes S, and so the entire belt  18  of cigarettes S is indexed around within the housing  112 . When the slider  122  has been moved upwards to the point where the spoke  134  is positioned at the bottom of the helical ramp  146   a  of the secondary drive element  146 , the support surface  148   b  of the initial drive element  148  is level with the bottom ends of the cigarettes S in the belt  18 , and the cigarette S being urged round by the fins  144  has been indexed into alignment with the dispensing aperture  114   a  and is seated on the support surface  148   b . This is the intermediate lifting position shown in  FIGS. 21 to 23 . (Note: the aligned cigarette S to be dispensed is removed in  FIGS. 21 and 22  to show the dispensing mechanism  116  more clearly, and only the subsequent cigarette S to be dispensed is shown. However, the aligned cigarette S to be dispensed is shown in  FIG. 23 , with the previous position of the secondary drive element  146  shown in dashed lines). 
     As the sliding plate  122  and associated secondary and initial drive elements  146 ,  148  continue to move upwards, the cigarette S is lifted upwards on the support surface  148   b  of the initial drive element  148  and protrudes through the dispensing aperture  114   a  in the cap  114  to enable the user to grip the cigarette S and remove it fully from the dispenser  110 . At this point, the slider  120  is at the top of its range of movement with the actuator  124  abutting the top edge of the slot  126  in the elevated dispensing position shown in  FIGS. 24 to 26 , with the previous (and subsequent) position of the secondary drive element  146  shown in dashed lines. As described in connection with the first embodiment, the cigarettes S are held in loose frictional contact within the belt  18  of cigarettes S and so may be slid upwards out of the belt  18  during the above-described dispensing process, and the belt  18  also serves to guide each cigarette S directly upwards without lateral movement so that it cleanly projects through the dispensing aperture  114   a  in the cap  114 . 
     Once the user has removed the dispensed cigarette S, the slider  120  is the moved back downwards within the housing  112 . At this point, the drive wheel  140  is in a position in which the upper contact face  134   b  of one of the spokes  134  is directly below the lower contact surface  148   a  of the initial drive element  148 , and the secondary drive element  146  is vertically aligned with a circumferential gap between two adjacent spokes  134  directly below it. Downward movement of the slider  120  causes the sliding plate  122  and associated secondary and initial drive elements  146 ,  148  to move downwards and the secondary drive element  146  passes through the circumferential gap between two adjacent spokes  134  directly below it (see  FIG. 27 ) until the lower contact surface  148   a  of the initial drive element  148  abuts the upper contact face  134   b  of the spoke  134 . 
     As the sliding plate  122  and associated secondary and initial drive elements  146 ,  148  continue to move downwards, the force of the lower contact surface  148   a  of the initial drive element  148  against the upper contact face  134   b  of the spoke  134  urges the spoke  134 , and thereby the whole drive wheel  140 , to be rotated clockwise. The rotation of the drive wheel  140  causes the fins  144  to push against the next cigarette S to be dispensed in the belt  18  of cigarettes S, and so the entire belt  18  of cigarettes S is indexed along within the housing  112 . The drive wheel  140  continues to be rotated until the upper edge of the lower contact surface  148   a  of the initial drive element  148  reaches the lower edge of the upper contact face  134   b  of the spoke  134  and the secondary drive element  146  reaches and contacts the base  160 . At this point, the dispenser  110  is back in the standby position as shown in  FIGS. 16 to 20 , where the slider  120  is at the bottom limit of its travel with the actuator  124  abutting the bottom edge of the slot  126 , ready to dispense another cigarette S by repeating the process described above. 
     It can be seen from  FIG. 17  that the second embodiment of the invention includes a support spindle  150  extending from the base  160  parallel to the drive wheel  140 . This assists in guiding the belt  18  within the housing  112  during loading and operation of the dispenser  110 . This is an optional feature of the second embodiment, and such a secondary spindle could also be included with the dispenser  10  of the first embodiment of the invention described above, within the scope of the invention. 
     The cap member  114  includes first and second recesses  114   b ,  114   c  to receive and locate the uppermost tips of the shaft  142  of the drive wheel  140  and the spindle  150  respectively, when the cap  114  is fitted to the housing  112 . The cap  114  thereby rotatably secures the drive wheel  140  and spindle  150  in place within the dispenser  110 . 
     It is advantageous that the cigarettes S are held with sufficient friction within the sleeves  18   b  of the belt  18  so that they can pass over a space in the dispenser  10 / 110  and remain held within the belt without slipping downwards under their own weight through the sleeve  18   b . This helps make the indexing and conveying process described above and avoids the possibility of the cigarettes fouling the dispensing mechanism, although it will be appreciated from the description above, that the dispenser  10 / 110  is configured to avoid such problems in any case. 
     Although the two embodiments described above comprise drive wheels  40 / 140  with 3 and 5 fins  44 / 144  (and thereby 3 and 5 pockets defined between the fins  44 / 144 ) respectively, it will be appreciated that different numbers of spokes/pockets may be provided within the scope of the invention. 
     The shape of the dispenser may vary within the scope of the invention, and may include round, oval, triangular, and other shaped housings within which a continuous belt of cigarettes may be indexed and dispensed as described above. 
     Although the first exemplary dispenser  10  included an actuator on the large side face  12   a  of the housing  12 , and the second exemplary dispenser  110  included an actuator on the small end face  112   b  of the housing  112 , the invention is not limited to the actuator location which can vary within the scope of the invention. 
     Although the drive wheels  40 / 140  are described as shafts  42 / 142  with fins  44 / 144  extending therefrom, the invention is not limited to such a configuration, and other configurations are intended within the scope of the invention, such as a drum having a plurality of recesses or channels formed therein. 
     Although the configuration of belt  18  shown and described includes 10 cigarettes S, the belt  18  could include more or less cigarettes S within the scope of the invention. Any suitable material may be used for the belt  18 , such as paper, card or plastics, within the scope of the invention. Furthermore, although the exemplary embodiments shown and described include a belt in which cigarettes are held in sleeves in the belt, it is envisaged that alternative configurations of belt may be included within the scope of the invention and operable with the dispenser, such as a continuous belt in which the smoking articles are adheres to an outer surface of the belt by, for example, weak non-permanent adhesive. 
     The exemplary embodiments are described as being operable with a ‘belt’ of smoking articles, although it will be appreciated that a pre-loaded charge of smoking articles for use in a dispenser of the invention may not necessarily be provided in a ‘belt’ configuration, and may alternatively be provided in a cartridge system or, more generally, any other suitable contained configuration of unit of a plurality of smoking articles loadable into and operable with the dispenser. 
     Both of the exemplary embodiments of the dispenser of the invention described above include a dispensing mechanism in which rotation of a drive wheel is actuated in both upwards and downwards directions of movement of a slider. However, it will be appreciated from the following claims that the invention is not limited to such operational movement and is intended to at least also include embodiments in which rotational movement of a drive wheel is actuated by only movement of a sliding actuator in a single direction. 
     The exemplary embodiments are described as being reloadable dispensers, although the configuration could also be applied to a disposable smoking article dispenser, within the scope of the invention. 
     The cap  14 / 114  in both embodiments described above is described as being removable, although it may equally take other configurations, such as pivotably openable from the housing  12 / 112  to allow access to the interior of the housing  12 / 112 . 
     The drive element  34  of the dispenser  10  of the first embodiment of the invention is described as having a separate upper engaging face  34   b  and a lifting face  34   c . However, it is intended that the lifting face could be omitted or, be integral with the upper engaging face  34   b  or, they could be one and the same, such that an upper area of the drive element  34  generally lifts the cigarette S. 
     Although two exemplary embodiments of the invention have been described above, it will be appreciated that various modifications may be made to these embodiments within the scope of the invention which is defined by the claims hereafter. Any combinations of non-mutually exclusive features described above are intended to fall within the scope of the invention.