US3110416A

US3110416A - Dispensing apparatus for packages

Info

Publication number: US3110416A
Application number: US76991A
Authority: US
Inventors: Vanderwal Sjouke
Original assignee: American Chicle Co
Current assignee: American Chicle Co
Priority date: 1960-12-16
Filing date: 1960-12-16
Publication date: 1963-11-12
Anticipated expiration: 1980-11-12

Description

Nov- 1963 s. VANDERWAL DISPENSING APPARATUS FOR PACKAGES 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 16. 1960 I INVENTOR.

Nov. 12, 1963 s. VANDERWAL DISPENSING APPARATUS FOR PACKAGES 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 16. 1960 BY {/i L JUM UA-l F.1- S

Nov. 12, 1963 VANDERWAL 3,110,415

DISPENSING APPARATUS FOR PACKAGES Filed Dec. 16. 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 I q l 7 5 E4? a 7 17 @5 2 E" 1 I ,3! :LJ 3 20 5 as F 3 '24 r; 47 25 j E- E W 5; 2? Z VENTOR. a- 'owKL E BY WWW/11L United States Patent 3,110,416 DESPENEING APPARATUS FOR PACKAGES Sjouire Vanderwal, Agincourt, Ontario, Canada, assignor to American (Ihicle Company, Long Island City, N.Y., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Dec. 16, 1966, Ser. No. 76,991 2 Claims. (ill. 22193) The present invention relates to an improved dispensing apparatus which will remove predetermined numbers of individual units, particularly confections, such as chewing gum packages, from stacks thereof, so that bags or other containers may receive a plurality of confection units from each stack and a different number of units from one stack relatively to a second stack or stacks The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus, partly token away and shown partly in dotted lines, the elements of the apparatus bein in position preliminary to an ejection movement;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing the apparatus elements in position toward the end of a unit ejection position;

PEG. 3 is a front elevation of the apparatus;

-FIG. 4 is a schematic view in side elevation showing the primary ejection elements in the position of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a view sinu'lar to FIG. 4 showing the ejection elements in the position of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a horizontal section looking downwardly from the lines 66, FIG. 3;

1G. 7 is a two FIGURE view, partly in section, showing the parts in different positions;

FIG. 8 is a horizontal section looking downwardly from the line 8-8, FIG. 3; and

FIG. 9 is a schematic view in side elevation, to show the manner in which the ejected units are directed to a bag and the latter can be held manually, or otherwise, as described.

Referring to FIG. 9, it will be seen that the apparatus may be mounted on a suitable support embodying a table and that the confection or other units will be discharged into a funnel 2 leading to a bag 3 which will be held mechanically, or by the operator.

The frame of the apparatus may be of any suitable form and in the present embodiment consists of side plates 4 rising from a base plate 5, and in practice these plates will be held in parallel relationship by a cross strut or struts, as for example by the member 6.

On a shaft 7, journaled in bearing members '7 carried by the side plate 4, are two operating rods 8 on which sleeves 9 are slidingly mounted. Extending across the apparatus and carried by the sleeves is a bar 10, and removably attached to the bar are a plurality of ejection fingers 11 These fingers are secured to bar 18- by screws 12, so that each finger may readily be removed and replaced by a finger of greater or lesser heighth.

Secured to strut 6 are a plurality of channeled stack members 14 which provide, in the present embodiment, five open end stack reception members for the units to be ejected, these units being indicated at 15 Depending from bar 16 are two spaced lugs 16 to which are connected by studs 17 a pair of swing links 18, each of the latter being pivoted at 19 to a lever arm 2% having a hub fixed to shaft 21. Shaft 21 carries a short arm 22 provided with a roller 23 near its top, which engages the periphery of a cam 24 on cam shaft 25.

Bar 19 which carries the ejection fingers 11 is engaged by a spring 26 secured at its lower end to the base plate 5, hereinabove termed the base plate. This spring is designed to exert a force on the rods 8 and the elements Edit-Ale Patented Nov. 12, 19-63 "ice carried thereby, tending always to bring the rods and said elements to vertical position from the inclined position to which the rods are moved in the operation of the apparatus. The purpose of cam 24 and the lever and link elements above described is to raise and lower bar 10 and the ejection fingers in timed sequence with forward and back swinging movements of the rods 8 and the ejection fingers.

For the swinging movements of the ejection fingers, a second cam, 27, is carried by shaft 25, and fixed to shaft 7 is a lever arm 23 having a roller 29 in engagement with the periphery of cam 2'7. To assist in maintaining roller 29 in contact with cam 27, spring 30 may be employed.

In the operation of the apparatus, cam-carrying shaft 25 will be driven by an electric motor and the motordriven shafit will have interposed a treadle-operated clutch, so that an operator at the funnel-delivery end of the apparatus may control the operating cycles. These elements are well known in the art and form no part of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the ejection elements are in position for an active throw, the stacks of confection or other units resting on short extensions 14* of the stack members 14. The cam shaft will rotate in 'the direction of the arrow, FIG. 1, and it will be noted that the roller 29 carried by lever 2% lies on the low point of the cam 27. As that earn rotates, lever arm 28 will be swung to the right and a corresponding ejection movement of the fingers 11 will be imparted, so that a predetermined number of confection units will be projected from the stack as indicated in FIG. 2. Having been dislodged from the stack, as to each of the latter, the units will fall into the funnel 2 and drop into a bag 3, or other container. In the meantime, each stack above the dislodged unit will be supported by the then substantially horizontal portion of each ejector finger, as indicated in FIG. 2. At this point, the rotation of cam 27 will begin to move toward the low point of the cam, but preceding this the high area of cam 24 relative to roller 23, will pass the roller, and the low point of said cam will cause arm 22 to move inwardly, and act upon the ejector finger carrying bar it to lower the same so that the fingers drop slightly below the extensions or unit supports of the stack members 14. At this point lever 28 will reach a low point of cmr 27, and the lever 28 will move inwardly to carry the ejector fingers inwardly of the stack, whereupon the high point of cam 24 will have reached roller 23, and the roller will pass to the high point of the cam, causing the finger carrying bar 10 to be raised ready for an ejection action It will be seen from the above description that the ejector fingers have founmotion operation. At the ejection point they are moved outwardly to eject the confections or other units from the stack. Then they descend, supporting the remaining units of the stacks until the latter rest upon supports 14*, whereupon the fingers move inwardly to clear the stack and are then raised to the proper height for ejection action.

It is apparent that the degree of ejection and hence swinging action of the fingers is determined by the relation of lever 28 and its cam, and the raising and lowering of the fingers is determined by the relation of lever 22 and its cam. It will be further understood that various modifications may be made in the form and arrangement of the elements shown in the embodiment of the drawing, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed, are defined as follows:

1. In a dispensing apparatus, a plurality of laterally ii spaced gravity-feed stack members for a plurality of stacks of individual units to be bagged, a frame for bolding said stack members, a plurality of ejector fingers one for each stack, a bar and means for releasably holding said ejector fingers to said bar, first means for raising and also for lowering said bar relatively to said stack members and second means for swinging said bar from a point at one side of the stack members and across the same in an ejection movement vertically extending spaced rods pivotally carried at their lower ends by the frame, the bar for releasably holding the ejector fingers being slidably mounted on said rods, said second means including a pivotal support on said frame for said rods, a first cam and a cam lever operated thereby for swinging the rods on said pivotal support, said first means including a second cam, lever and link connections between said second cam and the bar for raising and lowering the latter, and a third means for rotat ng said cams.

2. In a dispensing apparatus, a plurality of laterally spaced gravity-feed stack members for a plurality of stacks of individual units to be bagged, a frame for holding said stack members, a plurality of ejector fingers one for each stack, a bar for releasably holding said ejector fingers, first means vfor raising and also for lowering said bar to a position below said stack guides, and second means for swinging said bar from a point at one side of the stack guides and across the same in an ejection movement, said means for raising, lowering and swinging said bar consisting of a cam shaft, a pair of up wardly extending rods pivoted at their lower ends to the frame and movably carrying the bar for the ejector fingers, a first cam on said can shaft, a lever engaging said first cam and connected to and adapted to move said rods on their pivots, a second cam on said cam shaft, a reel; lever engaging said second cam, and a link connecting said rock lever with the bar for the ejector fingers, and adapted to raise and lower said bar.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,633,588 Klinenberg June 28, 1927 1,705,259 Manning Mar. 12, 1929 2,693,299 Gross Nov. 2, 1954 2,721,683 Pottle Oct. 25, 1955 I FOREIGN PATENTS 715,178 Great Britain Sept. 8, 1954

Claims

1. IN A DISPENSING APPARATUS, A PLURALITY OF LATERALLY SPACED GRAVITY-FEED STACK MEMBERS FOR A PLURALITY OF STACKS OF INDIVIDUAL UNITS TO BE BAGGED, A FRAME FOR HOLDING SAID STACK MEMBERS, A PLURALITY OF EJECTOR FINGERS ONE FOR EACH STACK, A BAR AND MEANS FOR RELEASABLY HOLDING SAID EJECTOR FINGERS TO SAID BAR, FIRST MEANS FOR RAISING AND ALSO FOR LOWERING SAID BAR RELATIVELY TO SAID STACK MEMBERS AND SECOND MEANS FOR SWINGING SAID BAR FROM A POINT AT ONE SIDE OF THE STACK MEMBERS AND ACROSS THE SAME IN AN EJECTION MOVEMENT VERTICALLY EXTENDING SPACED RODS PIVOTALLY CARRIED AT THEIR LOWER ENDS BY THE FRAME, THE BAR FOR RELEASABLY HOLDING THE EJECTOR FINGERS BEING SLIDABLY MOUNTED ON SAID RODS, SAID SECOND MEANS INCLUDING A PIVOTAL SUPPORT ON SAID FRAME FOR SAID RODS, A FIRST CAM AND A CAM LEVER OPERATED THEREBY FOR SWINGING THE RODS ON SAID PIVOTAL SUPPORT, SAID FIRST MEANS INCLUDING A SECOND CAM, LEVER AND LINK CONNECTIONS BETWEEN SAID SECOND CAM AND THE BAR FOR RAISING AND LOWERING THE LATTER, AND A THIRD MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID CAMS.