Patent Publication Number: US-2022230503-A1

Title: Automated dispenser for garments and other articles and associated methods

Description:
This claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/138,582, filed Jan. 18, 2021 and hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to machines for vending or dispensing discrete articles, and more particularly relates to an apparatus and a method for vending articles such as scrub garments or the like. 
     Scrub garments are uniforms typically worn by doctors, nurses, and other medical workers in hospital operating rooms or other locations where the workers are likely to be in immediate proximity with patients. These scrub garments are hereafter called “scrubs”. Scrubs provide an easily-changed launderable barrier between the wearer and the patient, helping to prevent the patient from exposure to germs or infectants on the wearer&#39;s body or street clothing, and also helping to protect the wearer&#39;s body from direct physical contact with a patient. 
     Scrubs usually are two-piece garments, consisting of a top or shirt and a bottom or pants. The tops and bottoms are stocked in different sizes to accommodate the needs of individual wearers. Scrub jackets also are worn by doctors and others. Soiled scrubs are collected for laundering and subsequent reuse, but scrubs must be periodically replaced due to wear and tear encountered in normal use as well as the effects of repeated launderings using the high temperatures and detergents required to clean and sterilize the soiled scrubs. 
     Hospitals normally make scrubs available to doctors and other medical workers at no direct cost to those users. Although each user is supposed to have only a limited number of scrubs at any given time for his or her personal use, some users will hoard scrubs of their size to maintain their own personal reserve. Other users may appropriate extra sets of scrubs for their own personal use, at home or elsewhere outside the hospital. These and other improper uses of scrubs contribute to an unacceptable shrinkage in the inventory of scrubs maintained by the institution for use by authorized persons. 
     This inventory problem is aggravated by careless handling when scrubs are stacked for use by anyone, some people will withdraw a scrub from within the pile instead of removing the scrub at the top of the pile. This action often inadvertently dumps one or more clean scrubs from the pile onto the floor. That scrub must be relaundered before use, thereby reducing the remaining useful life of the scrub without the benefit of its use before relaundering. Both the shrinkage of the scrub inventory and the need for relaundering scrubs due to careless handling increases the cost of providing and maintaining a sufficient supply of scrubs. 
     Some hospitals try to control the distribution of scrubs by requiring users to check out scrubs from personnel at central locations. Using this approach, each authorized individual is permitted to have no more than a certain number of scrubs in his or her possession at any time. The individual must return soiled scrubs to receive credit for clean scrubs. Although this approach can alleviate the problems mentioned above, it is expensive to maintain. Many hospitals are large enough to require several scrub-dispensing locations throughout the hospital. Furthermore, because hospitals never close, scrub dispensing locations must be staffed around the clock. The direct and indirect labor costs of that staffing add significantly to the overall cost of maintaining an adequate inventory of scrubs. 
     It has been proposed to overcome the foregoing problems by dispensing scrubs from a vending machine. However, the kinds of vending machines currently available in the art, and the nature of articles such as scrubs, have limited the practicality of vending machines as a solution to those problems. Most current vending machines operate on the principle that the items being dispensed are held on a shelf awaiting dispensing. The individual items then are pushed to the edge of the shelf and allowed to fall to the bottom of the machine. A door in the bottom allows access to the dispensed item by the user. The disadvantages of such machines are that they are relatively large in depth because of the space required to store the products on shelves and to allow room for free fall to the bottom of the machine. That free fall space also detracts from volume in the machine that otherwise could hold a larger inventory of scrubs. The overall size of the vending machine is particularly important in hospital applications because such machines used for vending scrubs may be placed in hallways or other locations not sized to receive conventional vending machines. 
     Another common kind of vending machine is the so-called pinwheel machine. The items being vended are received in compartments on a pinwheel or carousel within the machine, and each item is given access to an exit door by turning the pinwheel to place the item in front of that door. These machines also have a size disadvantage because at least two dimensions of the machine (for example, depth and width) must be the same to accommodate the round pinwheel. 
     The nature of scrubs themselves compounds the difficulty of dispensing those goods through a conventional vending machine. Most vending machines dispense discrete articles having a fixed and unchanging physical size or shape. For example, beverage cans or bottles, cigarette packages, and candy bars each have relatively fixed and rigid shapes that allow handling those articles by the mechanism of a vending machine. Scrubs, in contrast with most other discrete articles dispensed by a vending machine, are relatively soft folded garments that are not within a rigid package. Due to the relative flexibility and low mass of scrubs, they are not readily vendable by machines that move or transport the goods from a storage location to an access door. 
     One example of a vending or dispensing device for hospital garments of this type is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,628,985 which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. The device disclosed in that patent attempts to accommodate the fact that hospital garments are cloth and not all the same size by placing clean garments in each of various slot-like compartments, and then employing a system of doors to permit customer access to the compartments to obtain the garments. The scrub dispensing system of that patent has 120 fixed and separate compartments, and each is to contain a top and a bottom folded together. This makes it impossible to obtain just the top or just the bottom, if only one garment becomes soiled and needs to be replaced after a procedure. If it is desired to provide a mixed-size scrub suit where the top and bottom are of different sizes, the laundry attendant would have to load this unusual combination specifically into a slot in the machine. Consequently, mixed sizing of scrubs is difficult logistically and is a major problem to satisfy. Also, to access the slots, there is a system of eight outer doors that each extend across the front of the machine from top to bottom, and a system of vertical extrusions behind them that are movable to provide access to a single slot at a time. Thus, for some customers, it is necessary to reach high to an upper slot, or to bend down to a low slot to obtain scrubs. The unit has a card reader or badge reader associated with it to permit customer access, and also has a keypad for entry of customer data and can be connected to a laundry network to provide data about customer activity and scrub dispenser status. 
     Another prior attempt to solve some of the problems with prior art dispensing systems is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,474,938, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. The system of that patent is an automated article dispensing device for dispensing articles to a plurality of users includes a garment storage compartments arranged in a plurality of tiers and an article delivery system configured to retrieve a top-most article from at least one the stack and deliver the article to a dispensing outlet. The article delivery system includes a plurality of article retrieval systems equal in number to the number of tiers of the storage compartments. 
     It was desired to create a scrubs dispense cabinet with at least the additional advantages of increased capacity and dispensing rate, simplicity of design, and to be able to dispense scrub tops and bottoms separately. Moreover, a dispensing system which is more compact and has higher storage capacity than known dispensers is also desired. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     These and other shortcomings in the prior art have been addressed by this invention which in various embodiments includes a dispenser for scrubs or other items. While this invention is described and shown herein dispensing scrubs, other clothing, textile or any item may be dispensed from it. The dispenser according to various embodiments of this invention is modular in that it can be configured with a desired number of cells for storing items and dispensing them accordingly. Additionally, the dispenser of this invention is more compact than prior dispensers thereby requiring a smaller footprint in the hospital or other setting where floor space is often at a premium. Moreover, the dispenser of this invention has fewer moving parts than prior dispensers thereby lessening the likelihood of malfunctions, downtime and unexpected maintenance. Another advantage of the dispenser according to this invention is the ability to dispense the items quickly and efficiently with multiple, simultaneous delivery of items to a user or operator. Further, the dispenser of this invention is modular and can be tailored to a specific requirement and later modified to house and dispense a larger number of items as needed. 
     These and other advantages of the dispenser according to embodiments of this invention are achieved by a main or primary bank of cells with each cell housing an inventory of multiple items for dispensing. In one embodiment, each cell houses 100 scrubs and each bank contains four cells so each bank has an inventory of up to 400 scrubs for dispensing. Each cell may house a specific item type (top, bottom, coat, etc.) of designated size (XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL, etc.). The main bank of four cells may operate in a standalone manner to dispense items, or additional banks can be added to the main bank for increased inventory capacity. In one embodiment, the dispenser may include multiple banks with four cells in the main bank, eight cells with one bank added to the main bank, twelves cells with two banks serially added to the main bank, sixteen cells with three banks serially added to the main bank, and so on. 
     The items are stored in a vertical stack in each cell with the uppermost item in the cell being the next item in that cell to be dispensed. In various embodiments, the cells in each bank are arranged in a square or quadrangular arrangement. A pair of pickers each translate along a gantry to be selectively positioned above one of the cells for picking via a suction mechanism or a mechanical picking mechanism to pull the uppermost item in the cell and elevate it out of the cell. The picker on each gantry services two of the cells in the bank. The pickers may operate simultaneously to pick and dispense multiple items at the same time. Each cell includes a platform supporting the vertical stack of items. The platform is moved vertically by an elevator mechanism to always position the upper most item in the cell at the top of the cell for convenient retrieval by the associated picker. 
     Once picked, the item is moved by the picker along the gantry to a discharge position in the main bank over a discharge delivery chute. When the picker moves into position over the chute in the main bank, it releases the item which falls onto the chute and is directed by gravity or otherwise toward a delivery port in the dispenser for retrieval by the user or operator. When additional banks are added to the main bank, the gantries are extended or replaced with appropriately sized gantries to cover all of the banks in the configured dispenser. While the horizontal travel of the pickers along the gantries is dependent upon the number of banks in the dispenser, the vertical travel of each picker to pick the topmost item in the appropriate cell is constant and minimized to allow for quicker and more efficient retrieval of the items from the stacks of items in the cells. 
     In various embodiments of the dispenser of this invention, items are dispensed in a quicker and more efficient manner from a dispenser housing a larger inventory of items in a smaller footprint than known dispensers. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The above-mentioned and other features and advantages of this invention, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the invention itself will be better understood by reference to the following description of embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a front elevational view of a dispenser according to one embodiment of this invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a view similar to  FIG. 1  with a front of a cabinet housing of the dispenser removed to show dispenser components therein; 
         FIG. 3  is a left side elevational view of the dispenser of  FIGS. 1-2  with a portion of the cabinet housing removed to show dispenser components therein; 
         FIG. 4  is a right side elevational view of the dispenser of  FIGS. 1-3  with a portion of the cabinet housing removed to show dispenser components therein; 
         FIG. 5  is a top view of the dispenser of  FIGS. 1-4  with a portion of the cabinet housing removed to show dispenser components therein; 
         FIG. 6  is a view similar to  FIG. 2  with scrubs housed in cells of the dispenser being retrieved and dispensed; 
         FIG. 7  is a front elevational view of another embodiment of a dispenser of this invention including a main bank of cells for storing scrubs with a front cabinet housing of the dispenser removed to show dispenser components therein; 
         FIG. 8  is a front elevational view of an embodiment of a bank of cells for storing scrubs with a front cabinet housing of the dispenser removed to show dispenser components therein; 
         FIG. 9  is a front elevational view of a main bank and optional one or two additional banks of cells forming a dispenser of four, eight or twelve cells according various embodiments of this invention; 
         FIG. 10  is a front elevational view of a dispenser of this invention with a main bank and additional bank of cells according to one embodiment; 
         FIG. 11  is a front elevational view of a dispenser of this invention with a main bank and two additional banks of cells according to one embodiment of this invention; 
         FIG. 12  is a front elevational view of a dispenser according to another embodiment of this invention with the front of the cabinet removed to reveal the interior of the dispenser; 
         FIG. 13  is a left side elevational view of the dispenser of  FIG. 12  with a portion of the cabinet housing removed to show dispenser components therein; 
         FIG. 14  is a right side elevational view of the dispenser of  FIGS. 12-13  with a portion of the cabinet housing removed to show dispenser components therein; 
         FIG. 15  is a top view of the dispenser of  FIGS. 12-14  with a portion of the cabinet housing removed to show dispenser components therein; and 
         FIG. 16  is a view similar to  FIG. 12  with scrubs housed in cells of the dispenser being retrieved and dispensed. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , one embodiment of a dispenser  10  according to this invention is shown. The dispenser  10  is shown and described herein dispensing folded and packaged scrubs  12 , but one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that other garments, items or products may be dispensed from various embodiments of this invention and this invention is not limited to dispensing scrubs  12 . The dispenser  10  has an exterior cabinet  14  and a pair of doors  16  for selectively closing and opening the cabinet  14  to conceal and expose, respectively, the interior of the dispenser  10 . A picker module  18  sits atop the cabinet  14  to retrieve the scrubs  12  and deliver them ultimately to a dispenser port  20  in the cabinet  14  which is selectively closed and opened by a dispenser door  22  through which a user may retrieve the scrubs  12  being dispensed. A control panel  24  may be in the form of an HMI/user interface as appropriate is also provided on the cabinet  14  for operation and programming of the dispenser  10 . 
     The dispenser  10  embodiment of  FIG. 1  is also shown in  FIGS. 2-6  with various portions of the cabinet  14  and/or the picker module  18  removed to better show the components of the dispenser  10 .  FIGS. 2 and 6  are similar views of the front of the dispenser  10  with  FIG. 6  including a supply of scrubs  12  housed in the dispenser  10 . The scrubs  12  are arranged in discrete vertical stacks  26  in individual storage cells  28  arranged in blocks  30  in the dispenser  10 . According to various embodiments of this invention, the dispenser  10  is modular and can be selectively configured to house a range of quantities of scrubs  12  depending upon the current and/or future needs of the institution or environment in which the dispenser  10  is utilized. Moreover, in various embodiments of this invention, each cell extends substantially the full height of the dispenser beneath the picker module so as to maximize the capacity of the dispenser and minimize its footprint in the hospital or other setting. 
     The modularity of the dispenser  10  of various embodiments of this invention is derived from the capability of adding blocks  30 , as needed, to the dispenser  12 . Each block  30  contains four cells  28  with each cell  28  having a longitudinal, generally vertical axis parallel with the vertical, longitudinal axes of the other cells  28 . Each cell  28  may contain one vertical stack  26  of scrubs  12  to be dispensed according to various embodiments of this invention. The dispenser  10  shown in  FIG. 5  includes three banks  30  of a total of twelve cells  28  of stacks  26  of scrubs  12 . The cells  28  in each bank  3   o  are arranged in a square or quadrangular arrangement. Each dispenser  12  according to embodiments of this invention includes a main bank  30   a  which includes the control panel  24 , dispenser port  20 , dispenser door  22  and appropriate power, command and control, communication and operational components of the dispenser  12  as will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art. In one embodiment of this invention, each cell may contain approximately one hundred packaged scrubs  12  in the four stack  26 , so each bank  30  of four cells  28  may hold four hundred packaged scrubs  12  in four stacks  26 . An encoder (not shown) may be included on each cell  28  to provide a real-time inventory of the scrubs  12  in the respective cell  28 . Additional banks  30  may be coupled to the main bank  30   a  to add approximately four hundred packaged scrubs  12  per added bank  30 . The dispenser  10  of  FIGS. 1-6  has a total of three banks  30  including the main bank  30   a  and two additional banks  30  with a capacity of housing about 1,200 total packaged scrubs  12  in the dispenser  10 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 2-6 , each cell  28  may have an elevator mechanism  32  which supports and raises the stack  26  of scrubs  12  from a base  34  toward a top end of the cell  28 . The scrubs  12  in each stack  26  are supported on a platform  36  which translates vertically by the elevator mechanism  32  along pairs of vertical guides  38  in a frame member  40 . Each platform  36  is coupled to a driver  42  which translates vertically to move the platform  34  in the cell  28 . The driver  42  is coupled to a belt  43  and an actuator  44  at the bottom end of the cell  28  for movement. The actuator  44  may be a clutch based system, servomotor or other device for selective movement of the driver  42  and platform  34  to keep the uppermost scrub  12  at the top of the cell  28  as shown in  FIG. 6 . 
     The dispenser  10  includes the picker module  18  situated atop the cabinet  14 . The picker module  18  is sized and configured according to the number of banks  30  in the dispenser  10  as the picker module  18  services all of the banks  30  and associated cells  28  in the dispenser  10 . The picker module  18  includes a pair of parallel gantries  46  extending across the tops of the banks  30  and associated cells  28  as shown in  FIGS. 2-4 . Each gantry  46  includes an end effector as a picker  48  which is mounted for horizontal translation along the associated gantry  46  to service two of the longitudinally aligned cells  28  in each bank  30 . The picker  48  may be driven by a belt actuator, servomotor or other device for selective movement along the associated gantry  46  to pick a selected scrub  12  from the top of the designated cell  28  and delivery of the scrub  12  to the main bank  30   a  to be released and deposited onto a dispenser chute  50  for gravity feed of the scrub to the dispenser port  20  for retrieval by the user. The end effector picker  48  according to various embodiments of this invention may be a suction or pneumatic device, particularly if each scrub  12  is packaged in a plastic, cellophane or other material which forms a seal with a suction head of the picker  48 . Alternatively, a mechanical picker to mechanically grasp the scrub  12  or other picker device may be used within the scope of this invention. The multiple pickers  48  in the picker module  18  may operate simultaneously to pick, move and deposit scrubs  12  to the chute  50  for delivery to the user and this mode of operation is particularly advantageous to provide more efficiency and higher dispensing rates to the dispenser  12  compared to known dispensers. It is estimated that certain embodiments of this invention may dispense scrubs  12  at a rate of two scrubs every five seconds. 
     As shown most clearly in  FIG. 4 , a control module  52  may be located beneath the chute  50  in the main bank  30   a  for housing the appropriate control systems and components for operation of the dispenser  12  as would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. 
     In  FIGS. 7-8 , an alternative embodiment of a dispenser  10   a  according to this invention is shown in which the main bank  30   a  of four cells  28  is included. The picker module  18   a  of the dispenser  10   a  of  FIGS. 7-8  has dual gantries  46  and dual pickers  48  and extends only over the cells  28  and chute  50  of the main bank  30   a  of the dispenser  10   a .  FIG. 9  demonstrates the modularity of the dispenser  10  according to various embodiments of this invention and includes the dispenser  10   a  and picker module  18   a  of  FIGS. 7-8  as well as an added bank  30  and accompanying picker module  18   b  for the eight cells  28  of the two bank dispenser  10   b  along with a third bank  3   o  forming a dispenser  10   c  and associated picker module  18   c  for the twelve cells  28  of the three bank  30  dispenser  10   c . Front elevational views of the two bank dispenser  10   b  and three bank dispenser  10   c  are shown in  FIGS. 10-11 , respectively, with the associated picker modules  18   b  and  18   c , respectively. The dispenser of this invention is not limited to any particular number of cells, banks or scrubs and may be configured as needed for the environment in which it is utilized. The cabinet  14  for each of the dispenser embodiments may include a door  16  for each bank  30  or doors  16  covering more than one bank  30  as desired. 
     In the embodiment of the dispenser  10  shown in  FIGS. 1-6  which includes three banks  30 , the dispenser  10  may measure 88 inches tall, 30 inches deep and 88 inches wide with each bank  30  measuring 70 inches tall. This invention provides a dispenser which requires a small footprint, has more inventory capacity and a higher dispensing rate than other known scrub dispensers. The scrubs are stored in a single tier in the various cells and the picking operation is more efficient and quicker, in part, by virtue of the elevator mechanism which maintains the available inventory at the top of the respective cells for convenient access by the dual and simultaneous picker design. 
     A further alternative embodiment of the dispenser according to this invention is shown in  FIGS. 12-16  with similar components bearing the same reference numeral as those components of other embodiments of this invention shown and described herein. Referring to  FIG. 12 , the dispenser  10  according to this embodiment is shown. The dispenser  10  is shown and described herein dispensing folded and packaged scrubs  12 , but one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that other garments, items or products may be dispensed from various embodiments of this invention and this invention is not limited to dispensing scrubs  12 . The dispenser  10  has an exterior cabinet  14  and a pair of doors (not shown) for selectively closing and opening the cabinet  14  to conceal and expose, respectively, the interior of the dispenser  10 . A picker module  18  sits atop the cabinet  14  to retrieve the scrubs  12  and deliver them ultimately to a dispenser port  20  in the cabinet  14  which is selectively closed and opened by a dispenser door  22  through which a user may retrieve the scrubs  12  being dispensed. A control panel  24  may be in the form of an HMI/user interface as appropriate is also provided on the cabinet  14  for operation and programming of the dispenser  10 . 
     The dispenser  10  embodiment of  FIG. 12  is also shown in  FIGS. 13-16  with various portions of the cabinet  14  and/or the picker module  18  removed to better show the components of the dispenser  10 . A supply of scrubs  12  housed in the dispenser  10  is shown in  FIG. 16 . The scrubs  12  are arranged in discrete vertical stacks  26  in individual cells  28  arranged in banks  30  in the dispenser  12 . According to various embodiments of this invention, the dispenser  10  is modular and can be selectively configured to house a range of quantities of scrubs  12  depending upon the current and/or future needs of the institution or environment in which the dispenser  10  is utilized. 
     The modularity of the dispenser  10  of various embodiments of this invention is derived from the capability of adding blocks  30 , as needed, to the dispenser  12 . Each block  3   o  may contain four cells  28  with each cell  28  having one vertical stack  26  of scrubs  12  to be dispensed according to various embodiments of this invention. The block  30  may contain another quantity of cells  28  within the scope of this invention. The dispenser  10  shown in  FIG. 15  includes three banks  30  of a total of twelve cells  28  of stacks  26  of scrubs  12 . The cells  28  in each bank  30  are arranged in a square or quadrangular arrangement, but other arrangements are within the scope of this invention. Each dispenser  12  according to embodiments of this invention includes a main bank  30   a  which includes the control panel  24 , dispenser port  20 , dispenser door  22  and appropriate power, command and control, communication and operational components of the dispenser  12  as will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art. In one embodiment of this invention, each cell may contain approximately one hundred packaged scrubs  12  in the four stack  26 , so each bank  30  of four cells  28  may hold four hundred packaged scrubs  12  in four stacks  26 . An encoder (not shown) may be included on each cell  28  to provide a real-time inventory of the scrubs  12  in the respective cell  28 . Additional banks  30  may be coupled to the main bank  30   a  to add approximately four hundred packaged scrubs  12  per added bank  30 . The dispenser  10  of  FIGS. 12-16  has a total of three blocks  30  including the main bank  30   a  and two additional banks  30  with a capacity of housing about 1,200 total packaged scrubs  12  in the dispenser  10 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 16 , each storage cell  28  may have an elevator mechanism  32  which supports and raises the stack  26  of scrubs  12  from a base  34  toward a top end of the cell  28 . The scrubs  12  in each stack  26  are supported on a platform  36  which translates vertically by the elevator mechanism  32  along pairs of vertical guides  38  in a frame member  40 . Each platform  36  is coupled to a driver  42  which translates vertically to move the platform  34  in the cell  28 . The driver  42  and platform  34  keep the uppermost scrub  12  at the top of the cell  28  as shown in  FIG. 16 . 
     The dispenser  10  includes the picker module  18  situated atop the cabinet  14 . The picker module  18  is sized and configured according to the number of banks  30  in the dispenser  10  as the picker module  18  services all of the banks  30  and associated cells  28  in the dispenser  10 . The picker module  18  includes a pair of parallel gantries  46  extending across the tops of the banks  30  and associated cells  28  as shown in  FIGS. 12-16 . Each gantry  46  includes a picker  48  which is mounted for horizontal translation along the associated gantry  46  to service two of the longitudinally aligned cells  28  in each bank  30 . The picker  48  may be driven by a belt actuator, servomotor or other device for selective movement along the associated gantry  46  to pick a selected scrub  12  from the top of the designated cell  28  and delivery of the scrub  12  to the main bank  30   a  to be released and deposited onto a dispenser chute  50  for gravity feed of the scrub to the dispenser port  20  for retrieval by the user. The picker  48  according to this embodiment of this invention may be claw type mechanism with a picker jaw  62  extending downwardly from a hub  64  of the picker  48 . The picker  48  may include a pair of guide arms  6   o  which help to align the picker  48  and picker jaw  62  with the cell  28  when retrieving a packaged scrub  12  or another article. The multiple pickers  48  in the picker module  18  may operate simultaneously to pick, move and deposit scrubs  12  to the chute  50  for delivery to the user and this mode of operation is particularly advantageous to provide more efficiency and higher dispensing rates to the dispenser  10  compared to known dispensers. It is estimated that certain embodiments of this invention may dispense scrubs  12  at a rate of two scrubs every five seconds. 
     As shown most clearly in  FIG. 12 , a control module  52  may be located beneath the chute  50  in the main bank  30   a  for housing the appropriate control systems and components for operation of the dispenser  12  as would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. 
     From the above disclosure of the general principles of this invention and the preceding detailed description of at least one embodiment, those skilled in the art will readily comprehend the various modifications to which this invention is susceptible. Therefore, we desire to be limited only by the scope of the following claims and equivalents thereof.