Patent Description:
This invention relates to a strip feeding apparatus, in particular for a stirrer dispenser in a beverage vending machine, to which the following discussion will explicitly refer without any loss of generality thereby.

In the vending sector, it is known to arrange inside beverage vending machines a stirrer dispenser that is controlled by an electronic control unit of the beverage vending machine to dispense a stirrer directly inside a beverage cup.

A stirrer is normally released into a cup before this is filled with a beverage and its dispensing can be subject to a user's request for sugar in the selected beverage.

Different types of stirrers are today used in beverage vending machines. Fair use is still made of plastic stirrers that, however, are gradually losing popularity due to the known problems connected to environmental pollution.

Biodegradable stirrers made of paper material are increasingly replacing plastic stirrers. One example of a paper stirrer is described in <CIT> in the name of the present Applicant.

<CIT> discloses paper stirrers made from a paper strip reel arranged in a stationary unwinding station and housed in a casing, in which it is slidably cantilevered on an unwinding hub idly rotating about a fixed horizontal axis. The reel is kept, in use, engaged with the hub by a closing lid of the casing. The unwound strip is advanced through an underlying dragging and shaping apparatus and then through a cutting apparatus where it is cut to size to form stirrers with a predefined length depending on a height of the beverage cup in which the beverage is dispensed.

Although shaping stirrers from paper strip reels allows stable stirrers to be produced, in a short time and of any length by simply controlling the strip advancement, this production method suffers from the drawback of generating relatively long machine stoppages any time it is necessary to replace the reel.

The above essentially derives from the fact that at every reel replacement, once a closing lid and a core of the finished reel, if any, are removed, a new reel is first slidably inserted on the unwinding hub.

Before mounting the lid back, the new reel is partially unwound and, at the same time, an initial portion of the strip is inserted manually in the underlying dragging and shaping apparatus. The casing is then closed with the lid, which holds the reel in place during its entire unwinding.

The initial, manual unwinding of the strip causes, very often, an axial sliding of the reel on the hub may result in the reel uncoupling from the hub and falling to the ground. The uncoupling of the reel from the hub occurs freely and quickly and, often, without the operator having the time to effectively intervene because his hands are engaged in inserting the strip in the underlying dragging and shaping apparatus.

Inevitably, the reel falls to the ground, deforming, in some cases, and unwinding, in others, so it is no longer usable, at least for hygiene issues, and must, therefore, be replaced with a new reel.

Despite being apparently simple from a notional point of view, in practice the reel replacement operation entails high operation cost and time, as well as high sheet material waste, in addition to generating losses in terms of beverages that may not be dispensed.

In some cases, the intervention times are then additionally increased by the lid removal requiring the disassembly of one or more components of the beverage vending machine that, once the reel is replaced, need to be reassembled.

A strip reel unwinding apparatus is for example described in <CIT>.

An aim of the present invention is to provide a strip feeding apparatus, in particular for forming stirrers for use in a beverage vending machine, which allows the above-described issues to be simply and economically overcome.

A particular purpose of the present invention is to provide a strip feeding apparatus which allows a strip reel to be easily replaced in very little time and strip waste to be avoided.

According to the present invention, a strip feeding apparatus, in particular for a stirrer dispenser in a beverage vending machine, is provided, as claimed in claim <NUM>.

The present invention also relates to a stirrer dispenser in a beverage vending machine.

According to the present invention, a stirrer dispenser in a beverage vending machine is also provided, as claimed in claim <NUM>.

This invention will now be described with reference to the attached drawings that illustrate a non-limiting embodiment thereof, in which:.

The invention will now be described in detail with reference to the figures attached to enable a person skilled in the art to produce it and use it. Various modifications to the embodiments described will be immediately clear to persons skilled in the art and the generic principles described may be applied to other embodiments and applications without, for this reason, departing from the protective scope of this invention, as defined in the attached claims. Therefore, this invention must not be considered as limited to the embodiments described and illustrated but they must be granted the widest protective scope compliant with the principles and features described and claimed herein.

In <FIG>, reference numeral <NUM> indicates, as a whole, a beverage vending machine provided with a beverage selection keypad A dispensed, a stirrer dispenser <NUM> to dispense stirrers <NUM> in beverage cups <NUM>.

In the example shown, the stirrer dispenser <NUM> is arranged inside the beverage vending machine <NUM> between a sugar dispensing apparatus E and a cup supply apparatus F, both of which are known per se and, hence, are only schematically shown. The sugar dispensing apparatus E and the cup supply apparatus F are arranged on opposite sides of the stirrer dispenser <NUM>, near the same (<FIG> and <FIG>).

The beverage vending machine <NUM> is electronically controlled by an electronic control unit to automatically dispense, during a beverage preparation cycle, a stirrer <NUM> directly inside a cup <NUM>.

In a first variant, the stirrer dispenser <NUM> is arranged inside the beverage vending machine <NUM> so as to dispense a stirrer <NUM> inside of a dedicated cup withdrawal compartment accessible to the user from the outside, in response to a beverage selection by a user on the beverage selection keypad.

In a different configuration, the stirrer dispenser <NUM> is distinct from, and externally connected to, the beverage vending machine <NUM> so as to form a stand-alone, self-contained device operable by a user independently of the beverage vending machine <NUM> to dispense a stirrer <NUM> on demand.

In all cases, the stirrer dispenser <NUM> is configured to successively form and dispense stirrers <NUM> that, conveniently, are disposable stirrers made from a strip <NUM> made of sustainable material for food use, preferably biodegradable or compostable and preferably plastic-free, for example waterproof cardboard, wound around a core <NUM> to form a reel <NUM> (<FIG>).

The stirrer dispenser <NUM> comprises a support frame <NUM> for mounting to a structure <NUM> of the beverage vending machine <NUM>, a strip feeding apparatus <NUM> releasably coupled to either the frame <NUM> or the structure <NUM>, and a shaping and cross-cutting apparatus <NUM> operable to form stirrers <NUM> from the strip <NUM>.

The forming and cross-cutting apparatus <NUM>, known per se and, hence, not described in detail, is arranged below the strip feeding apparatus <NUM> and has an upper inlet opening <NUM> for receiving the strip <NUM> unwound from the reel <NUM> (<FIG> and <FIG>) and a lower strip cross-cutting device <NUM>.

With reference to the attached figures, the strip feeding apparatus <NUM> comprises an attachment frame <NUM> stably connected to the structure <NUM> and/or to the frame <NUM> and a casing <NUM> for housing the reel <NUM>.

With specific reference to <FIG>, the casing <NUM> comprises a hollow body <NUM> that has a flat bottom wall <NUM> for axial abutment for the reel <NUM> and a tubular, substantially cylindrical, side wall <NUM>, which extends from the bottom wall <NUM> coaxially to an unwinding axis <NUM> of the reel <NUM> orthogonal to the bottom wall <NUM>. The side wall <NUM> delimits an opening <NUM> for the insertion/removal of the reel <NUM> closed by a removable lid <NUM> connected to the bottom wall <NUM> via a bayonet joint <NUM>, or another, equivalent, releasable joint. The body <NUM> and the lid <NUM> mutually delimit a chamber <NUM> with a size approximating an external size of the reel <NUM> and houses a hub <NUM> (<FIG>) designed to support the reel <NUM> and firmly connected to the bottom wall <NUM> and cantilevering from the bottom wall <NUM> coaxially to the unwinding axis <NUM>.

The hub <NUM> ends against the lid <NUM> and has an outer size so as to support the reel <NUM> so that it may rotate about the unwinding axis <NUM> and can be slidably inserted and extracted along the unwinding axis <NUM>, when the lid <NUM> is removed.

The chamber <NUM> communicates with the outside through a strip outlet opening <NUM> made through the side wall <NUM> and opening into a channel <NUM> that guides the strip <NUM> towards the opening <NUM> of the forming and cross-cutting apparatus <NUM>.

The casing <NUM> is coupled to the frame <NUM> via a positioning and handling device <NUM> configured to allow the casing <NUM> and the hub <NUM> to be the displaced between a backward or retracted position in which the strip <NUM> is fed to the forming and cross-cutting apparatus <NUM>, shown in <FIG>, <FIG>, <FIG>, and <FIG>, and in which the casing <NUM> extends between the sugar dispensing apparatus E and the cup supply apparatus F, and a forward or extracted position in which the reel <NUM> may be changed or loaded, shown in <FIG>, <FIG>, <FIG>, and <FIG>, and in which the casing <NUM> protrudes outside the sugar dispensing apparatus E and the cup supply apparatus F.

With reference to <FIG>, <FIG>, and <FIG>, the positioning and handling device <NUM> comprises an inverted U-shaped or fork-shaped bracket <NUM> with two parallel and facing arms <NUM> and a cross member formed by a plate <NUM>. The arms <NUM> are hinged to the frame <NUM> via a hinge <NUM> that has a common hinge pin for rotating about a horizontal, fixed hinge axis <NUM>.

In the example described (<FIG> and <FIG>), when the casing <NUM> is arranged in the strip feeding and reel changing or loading positions, the unwinding axis <NUM> is arranged on opposite sides of a vertical plane P1 on which the hinge axis <NUM> lies.

A lower portion of the side wall <NUM> angularly spaced from the opening <NUM> is firmly connected to the plate <NUM> via a bracket <NUM>, which forms part of the positioning and handling <NUM>.

The positioning and handling device <NUM> further comprises an angular positioning assembly <NUM> for positioning the casing <NUM> and the hub <NUM> in the above-mentioned strip feeding and reel changing or loading positions.

Conveniently, the angular positioning assembly <NUM> comprises at least one mechanical cam formed by a slot <NUM> formed on a wall <NUM> fixed to an internal side of the bracket <NUM>, and an abutment member formed by a hinge <NUM> that slides inside the slot <NUM> and is fixed to the frame <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the bracket <NUM> and its coupling to the casing <NUM> are provided so that when the casing <NUM> is arranged in the strip feeding position it is rotated clockwise about a vertical axis <NUM> (<FIG>) so that the unwinding axis <NUM> is arranged horizontally and is tilted so as to form an angle K (<FIG> and <FIG>) other than <NUM>° with a vertical plane P orthogonal to the axis <NUM>.

In this way, the axes <NUM> and <NUM> are parallel, horizontal and mutually oblique (<FIG> and <FIG>).

The tilting of the unwinding axis <NUM> in relation to the vertical plane P is, in all cases, chosen so that, when the casing <NUM> and the hub <NUM> are arranged in the reel changing or loading position, shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the unwinding axis <NUM> is tilted downwards and towards the bottom wall <NUM>.

From the above, it may be appreciated that the strip feeding apparatus <NUM> enables the strip <NUM> to be fed when the casing <NUM> and the hub <NUM> are arranged in the backward or retracted position and simplifies and speeds up the operations for changing the reel <NUM> especially due to the fact that it provides for the displacement of the casing <NUM> in a forward or extracted position for changing the reel.

Moreover, when the casing <NUM> is arranged in the reel changing position, the hub <NUM> is tilted downwards and towards the wall <NUM> so that the new reel, when coupled to the hub <NUM>, and during the initial unwinding, tends to slide spontaneously towards the bottom wall <NUM> that acts as a reference and axial stop, reaching an axial stability condition.

In this condition, the machine operator may, therefore, dedicate to inserting the initial section of the new strip into the forming and cross-cutting apparatus <NUM> without worrying, at all, about the possible fall or coming out of the reel <NUM> from the hub <NUM>, not even in the absence of the closing lid <NUM> that may, however, be inserted before the displacement of the frame <NUM> with the inside of the corresponding reel <NUM> in its backward or retracted position.

From the above, it may be further appreciated that the strip feeding apparatus <NUM> also allows the strip waste resulting from the fall of the new reel to be eliminated and the machine stoppage to be significant reduced.

From the above, it may be finally appreciated that the forward rotation or extraction of the casing <NUM> until bringing it into the reel changing position makes it possible to produce a beverage vending machine <NUM> that is compact since the casing <NUM> may be arranged between other components during the strip feeding step and, for example, between the sugar dispensing apparatus E and the cup feeding apparatus F, and, thus, in a position inaccessible from the outside, and be extracted making it, instead, accessible from outside for reel changing only.

In particular, the casing <NUM> may be produced in a manner other than that described and the reel <NUM> may be supported in another way and, for example, by the wall <NUM>.

Furthermore, the casing <NUM> may have a different shape from that described and, for example, so as to only partially house the reel <NUM>.

Claim 1:
A strip feeding apparatus (<NUM>), in particular for a stirrer dispenser (<NUM>) in a beverage vending machine (<NUM>); the strip feeding apparatus (<NUM>) comprises a mounting frame (<NUM>) to be mounted to a fixed body (<NUM>,<NUM>); a support (<NUM>, <NUM>) for a strip reel (<NUM>); and a flat reel abutment wall (<NUM>); the support (<NUM>, <NUM>) is integral with, and cantilevers from, said flat reel abutment wall (<NUM>), coaxially to a reel unwinding axis (<NUM>) orthogonal to said flat reel abutment wall (<NUM>) and is configured to support said reel (<NUM>) so that it may rotate about said unwinding axis (<NUM>) and axially slide along said unwinding axis (<NUM>) with respect to the flat reel abutment wall (<NUM>); characterised in that it further comprises relative movement means (<NUM>) arranged between said support (<NUM>, <NUM>) and said mounting frame (<NUM>) to allow said support (<NUM>, <NUM>) to move with respect to said mounting frame (<NUM>) between a strip feeding position and a reel loading or changing position, and to arrange said unwinding axis (<NUM>) horizontally, when said support (<NUM>, <NUM>) is arranged in said strip feeding position, and tilting downwards and towards said flat reel abutment wall (<NUM>), when said support (<NUM>, <NUM>) is arranged in said reel loading or changing position; said relative movement means (<NUM>) comprises a hinge (<NUM>) arranged between said mounting frame (<NUM>) and said support (<NUM>, <NUM>) and having a hinge axis (<NUM>) fixed with respect to said mounting frame (<NUM>), and angular positioning means (<NUM>) configured to allow said support (<NUM>, <NUM>) to rotate with respect to said mounting frame (<NUM>) and about said hinge axis (<NUM>) between said strip feeding position and said reel loading or changing position; said unwinding axis (<NUM>) forming an angle (K) other than <NUM>° with a reference plane (P) orthogonal to said hinge axis (<NUM>).