Patent Abstract:
A combined dispensing and amusement device has a reciprocating plunger on a transparent dome for rotating parallel disks. An upper first disk on an internal rotary housing supports articles and has an aperture that can aline with an aperture in a parallel adjacent lower second disk. The upper first disk frictionally drives the lower second disk at a lower speed so that the apertures periodically aline. Alinement of the apertures permits random dispensing of articles. Dispensing is into one of several chutes in the legs of a base support. Due to the random nature of dispensing, with the inclusion of indicia, the legs can be used as part of a game. Carousel arms on the internal rotary housing can act as stops and can variably deflect articles and/or can act as an animated indicia amusement support.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention is to an article dispenser, such as a candy or gum dispenser, having a transparent dome and rotary internal housing including dispensing apertured parallel relatively rotating disks combined with amusements. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     The prior art provides for dispensing candy and gum and for rotary movements for amusement by using spring loaded reciprocated plungers. As examples: 
     A. Morin, U.S. Pat. No. 5,238,440, issued Aug. 24, 1993, teaches a toy top having a transparent enclosure that houses balls supported on a stationary apertured base over a rotatable disk having a projection that passes through slots within pockets in the base to propel balls upwardly from the pockets and into the transparent enclosure. The rotation for the disk is provided by a twisted rod and clutch mechanism, a spring loaded plunger reciprocates a twisted rod that passes through a drive friction clutch mechanism that converts linear motion to rotary motion that is used for rotation of the disk. 
     A. Abe. U.S. Pat. No. 4,618,330, issued Oct. 21, 1986, teaches an amusement device that has a transparent cover with animated and rotating articles put in motion by pushing on a spring loaded plunger that uses gears to convert the reciprocating motion of the plunger into rotary motion. 
     A. Goldfarb, U.S. Pat. No. 3,077,254, issued Feb. 12, 1963, teaches a toy gum ball dispensing machine that dispenses gum balls from a transparent container by pressing a spring loaded valve with an opening that can pick up a gum ball, that falls through an aperture in the bottom of the container, and transports it to a sloping discharge chute that leads to plural differing value compartments, from where it is transported to a dispensing lip for removal. 
     Coleman et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,913,453, issued Jun. 22, 1999, teach a candy or gum dispenser with a spring loaded chute at the base of a container. The spring holds the chute in a closed downward position. To dispense the contents of the container, pressure is applied to the container forcing the chute upwardly into the container exposing an opening in the upper chute. A candy or gum piece enters the opening and travels down the dispensing chute. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention device combines amusement and dispensing. A plunger sits over a transparent or translucent dome covering. A reciprocated rod on the plunger engages a clutch or gear means on a rotatable internal housing converting reciprocal motion into rotary motion. The lower extent of the rotary inner housing forms a first disk that acts as a support for articles and has an aperture in it. Beneath the first disk, a second disk, also having an aperture, is free to rotate on a supporting base. Friction between the rotary internal housing first disk and the second disk, turns the second disk in the same direction as the rotary internal housing but at a slower speed. The size and positioning of the two disks periodically aline the two apertures and allow an article to be passed through the two disks for random dispersal. Dispersing is into one of several chutes, formed within the legs of the base. Each of the legs can be labeled to represent something, such as indicia for a game. Article carousel arms on the rotary internal housing act in part as a stop or deflector for articles propelled upwardly from the rotary inner housing first disk and/or provide a support for amusement indicia that provides an animated display. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a side view of the dispensing amusement device of the invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the device along the section lines  2 — 2  shown in FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 is a side view of the clutch or gear means of the invention. 
     FIG. 4 is a top view of the clutch or gear drive. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The device of the present invention provides a pleasing, useful attraction that can maintain the attention and interest of children and adults alike. FIG. 1 is a side view of the dispensing amusement device  1 . It shows a plunger  2 , in the shape of a hat  8  having a brim  3  and indicia  52  on the hat. A spherical top palm press  30 , provides for using the palm of the hand to press downwardly on the plunger  2 , and the brim  3  can be used for finger and thumb pressing on the plunger. The plunger is over a stationary tube  6  that sits on top of a transparent dome  10 . A lid  14  fits over a supply opening  13  that gives access into the dome interior. The rotary internal housing  20  is seen through the transparent dome with carousel arms  21  extending from a main housing  15  with a figure 53 on one carousel arm. The first disk  23 , located at the lower end of the rotary internal housing, has an upwardly extending containment wall  18  that confines candy or gum  16  on the disk. An upper extension  17  conceals the motion transmitting rectangular spiral drive rod. The rotary internal housing is supported by a base  31  including legs  35  provided with dispenser openings  34 . Random dispersal can be associated with game indicia  51  associated with each leg  35 . Under the first disk a second disk  25  is positioned between low friction surface spacers  27 ,  28 . 
     The working details of the device  1  can be seen in FIGS. 2-4. A stationary base  31  supports a rotary internal housing  20  and a stationary transparent cover or dome  10 , that in turn supports the plunger  2 . The base includes a pivot pin  22  that passes through a central opening  37  in the second disk  25  and fits within a central alinement indentation or recess  38  formed in the bottom center of the first or primary disk  23 . This alines the disks and radially positions apertures  24 ,  26  in them. The rotary inner housing is supported by the base through a lower spacer  28 , that freely rotatably supports the second disk  25 , and upper spacer  27 , that supports the first rotary disk  23  that is or can be an integral part of the internal rotary housing  20 . 
     The plunger  2  is positioned at the top of the transparent dome  10 . The plunger has a rectangular spiral drive rod  9  attached to it or as an integral part of it and is provided with an alinement tube  5  that surrounds the upper portion of a return spring  4 . A stationary tube  6  is placed between the transparent dome and the plunger to limit downward movement of the plunger and to house a portion of the return spring and rectangular spiral drive rod. The alinement tube  5  fits inside the stationary tube to position the rectangular spiral drive rod and assist its linear movement into the rotary internal housing  20 . A return spring stop  7  can be used to position and maintain the lower end of the return spring at the top of the transparent dome. 
     Rotation of the rotary internal housing and disks is by way of the plunger  2 . Depression of the plunger  2  reciprocates a rectangular spiral drive rod  9  against a return spring  4 . The downward movement of the plunger passes the rectangular spiral drive rod through a clutch means  39 . The rectangular spiral drive rod passes through a rectangular slot  42  of a drive gear  40 , best seen in FIGS. 3 and 4. The drive gear is provided with a hollow downwardly projecting skirt  45  that projects through an opening  46  in a driven gear flange  12  at the upper end of a rotary internal housing  20  and the lower surface of the flange  41  of drive gear  40  tends to seat against the upper surface of the driven gear flange  12 . The hollow flange  41  provides a passage  50  for the rectangular spiral drive rod  9 . As the drive gear  40  cannot move downwardly as the rectangular spiral rod  9  moves down through it, the spiral of the rod causes the drive gear to rotate. As the drive gear rotates, due to gravity and friction created between the drive gear and the rectangular spiral drive rod, the tapered drive protrusions  43  on the flange  41  lower surface of the drive gear enter into the recesses of the tapered slots  44  of the driven gear flange  12  upper surface on the inner housing  20 . The tapered slots can be integral with the rotary internal housing or a separate element attached thereto. With the tapered drive protrusions engaged in the tapered slots, rotation of the drive gear causes the inner housing  20  to rotate. The inner housing rotates about the pivot pin  22 . Release of pressure from the plunger  2  allows the return spring  4  to raise the rectangular spiral drive rod back through the drive gear  40  slot  42 . The reverse rotation of the rectangular spiral drive rod  9  in the slot  42  reverses the rotation of the drive gear and moves it upwardly. The rapid upward movement and reverse rotation disengages the tapered drive protrusion from the tapered slot in the rotary internal housing. This rapid disengagement permits free rotation of the rotary internal housing. 
     The drive gear  40  and driven gear  12  are within an enclosure  48 . Just as the rectangular spiral drive rod  9  presses downwardly on the drive gear  40  the flange  41  of the drive gear against the driven gear flange  12  prevents the drive gear from leaving the enclosure  48  at the bottom, the enclosure upper wall flange  47  and drive skirt  49  prevent removal from the top. As the rectangular spiral drive rod  9  is withdrawn upwardly by the spring  4 , the upper surface of the flange  41  of the drive gear engages the limit flange  47  on the upper wall of the enclosure to stop upward movement of the drive gear. The skirt  45  on the drive gear within the opening  46  in the flange driven gear  12  is long enough to not raise above the driven gear flange  12 . This results in a smooth transition and operation when converting from reciprocal to rotary motion and when raising the rectangular spiral drive rod and drive gear from the driven gear for permitting free rotation of the rotary internal housing. 
     Free rotation of the inner housing includes free rotation of the attached or integral primary first disk  23  having the articles  16  thereon, such as candies or gum. Below and adjacent to the primary first disk a parallel second or secondary disk  25  is supported by the base  31 . The second disk is free to rotate as it is supported by the base through the lower spacer  28 , and it in turn supports the first disk  23  through the upper spacer  27 . The spacers have a low friction surface so as to transmit rotation to the second disk  25  from the rotating first disk  23 . The second disk rotates slower than the first disk because of inertia and the small friction that does exist between the two disks created by the upper spacer  27 , and because of the small friction from the lower spacer  28 . Any rotation of the lower spacer is subject to drag due in part to pressure against the stationary base  31 . High speed does not allow enough time for gravity to pass an article through the alined adjacent apertures  24 ,  26 , as they rotate relative to one another. As the rotation of the disks slows down due primarily to friction, the apertures within the disks eventually aline long enough for an article or candy on the first disk to pass through both the aperture  24  in the first disk and the aperture  26  in the second disk and to randomly fall into one of four sloped or tapered areas  36  on the base, into one of the four dispenser chutes  33  within base legs  35 , to a dispenser opening  34  at the bottom of the chute. The chute traversed depends on the sloped or tapered area  36  of the base upper surface at the location the article happens to pass through the apertures  24 ,  26 . The slope will be toward the nearest leg  35  of the base. A variety of indicia  51  can be provided on or adjacent to each leg for amusement or entertainment purposes, such as playing a game. 
     Indicia  52  or figures of articles, animals, etc.  53  can be attached to the rotary internal housing  20  upper extension  17  and/or main housing  15  and/or on carousel arms  21  and carried or placed inside or outside the stationary transparent cover. Additionally, the plunger  2  can be formed in the shape of various articles or animals, including shapes associated with the indicia placed on the rotary internal housing. The shape of the plunger  2  at the brim  3 , and spherical top  30 , such as that shown as a hat  8 , can accommodate a finger and/or thumb or a hand palm. 
     For animation, the primary first disk  23  can be provided on its upper outward surface with one or more raised humps  19  that can propel upwardly any article placed on the prinary first disk  23  during rotation, due to inertia and impact. Midway up the rotary internal housing main housing  15  carousel arms  21  extend outwardly. These carousel arms are spaced apart and extend radially outwardly so that there is enough space at the outer ends of the arms to pass an article through unobstructed at these outer areas. The arms tend to deflect angularly articles propelled upwardly by the raise raised humps  19  that do not directly strike the base of the arms, and reject back downwardly articles that directly strike the base of the arms. The arms also provide a support for amusement pieces or figures  53  that can be placed thereon. 
     It can be seen that pressing on the plunger  2  causes the rotary internal housing  20  to rotate, setting the indicia  52  on the rotary housing in motion and the figures  53  on the carousel arms in motion, and the rotation of the humps  19  on the first disk  23  to propel loose articles  16  upwardly, due to impact and the changing speed of the first disk and the inertia of the articles. The carousel arms  21  being spaced allows some articles to pass upwardly therethrough, blocks some articles back downwardly, and randomly deflects other articles in different directions for a continuously changing scene within the transparent dome during rotation of the rotary internal housing. For added variety, different size, shape and/or color articles can be used. Together a pleasing animation is achieved in addition to the dispensing of articles and game that can be associated with the random article dispersal. 
     It is believed that the construction, operation and advantages of this invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. It is to be understood that the present disclosure is illustrative only and that changes, variations, substitutions, modifications and equivalents will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art and that such may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the following claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 0