Patent ID: 8607831

Claim:
A cup conveyor and holder device ( 1 ) for a beverage dispensing machine, comprising funnel shaped conveyor means ( 7 , 8 ) for guiding cups (C 1 , C 2 , C 3 ) dropped into the conveyor means and a cup holding body ( 2 ) into which the cups (C 1 , C 2 , C 3 ) dropped into the conveyor means are directed to be held for filling with a beverage and delivering to the user, wherein an internal surface of said cup holding body ( 2 ) is provided with at least two steps ( 3 , 4 , 8 ), positioned at different heights of said cup holding body ( 2 ) with respect to a cup dropping direction (X) and being spaced from each other so that each cup housed in the holder is supported at its upper edge in suspended position that is raised from any surface of said beverage dispensing machine or base of said holder thereby avoiding the bottom of said cups (C 1 , C 2 , C 3 ) from touching said any surface of said beverage dispensing machine or base of said holder, said body ( 2 ) wall being provided with a lateral aperture ( 11 ) extending vertically along said cup holding body and having a width at each step sufficient for withdrawal of cups (C 1 , C 2 ) by the user through sliding of the cups on respective ones of the steps ( 3 , 4 ).