US2975937A - Metering vending dispenser - Google Patents

Description

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March 21, 1961 G. VP. TOTTEN METERING VENDING DISPENSER Filed Feb. 20, 1959 ATTORNEYS ww wx u c a e REW I Q N HIN LM March 21, 1961 G. VP. TOTTEN METERING VENDING DISPENSER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 20, 1959 INVENTOR 61185127 v? 7377;

BY 9' M ATTORNEYS METEG VENDING DISPENSER Gilbert vP. Totten, Minneapoiis, Minn, assignor to Advance Engineering Company, Minneapolis, Minn, a corporation of Minnesota Filed Feb. 20, 1959, Ser. No. 794,577

13 Claims. (Cl. 222-70) This invention relates to dispensers for use with granular or powdered materials and particularly to mechanisms for agitating and metering the material to be dispensed. This invention is particularly useful in coin operated vending machines wherein a plurality of ingredients are variably utilized to concoct beverages.

In vending machines the amount of material dispensed in one cycle of operation may be conveniently termed a throw.

It is an object of this invention to provide a dispenser wherein the throw of material to be dispensed is continuously variable in size without altering, changing any part or varying the timing of the machine.

It is another object of this invention to provide a dispensing machine having a plurality of dispensers sharing a common actuation control wherein the throw of material of each dispenser is independently adjustable without substituting parts or aifecting the timing of the control.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a dispenser having an improved agitator for permitting usage of smaller and cheaper drive motors for operating same while providing uniform density of the dispensed material.

It is another object of this invention to provide a dispenser having an improved agitator and an adjustable dispensing meter for sequentially dispensing a multiplicity of equal sized throws of material wherein one dispenser is interchangeable with another by merely adjusting the meter.

These and other more detailed and specific objects will be disclosed in the course of the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which-- Fig. 1 is a simplified schematic of a dispensing system wherein a plurality of dispensing units share a common timing actuator.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of an exemplary dispensing unit of this invention.

Fig. 3 is a partial sectional view taken along line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a partial perspective view of the underside of a dispensing unit.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the agitator.

With reference now to Fig. 1 there is schematically shown four dispensing units or bins disposed over mixing trough 12 such that the throws of ingredients from each unit 10 falls in the trough. Valve 14 passes hot water from hot water source 15 to trough 12' for mixing with the thrown ingredients and washing the resultant mixture into cup or receptacle 16. Selection of the ingredients are to be mixed, i.e., what beverage is desired, is determined by manually operable switches 18 which selectively couple electric power from timer 20 to one or more of the dispensing units 10 as will become apparent.

The dispensing cycle is initiated by momentarily moving switch 22 to the alternate position for energizing relay 2,975,937 Patented Mar. 21, 1961 2 24 by placing the coil thereof across power input terminals 26 which are connected to 110 volt A.C. supply. Upon return of switch 22 to the position shown, hold contacts 25 which are now closed keep relay 24 connected across terminals 26 through cam controlled switch 30 of timer 20.

The return of switch 22 to the position shown also electrically connects the timing motor 31 across terminals 26 through relay switch part 32 which was moved to terminal 34 as relay 24 was energized. Now operating timer 20 first cammingly moves switch 30 to the alternate position from the illustrated position to breakthe hold circuit of relay 24 and to connect motor 31 across power input terminals 26. Relay 24 is de-energized returning switch part 32 to the illustrated position which connects water valve solenoid 36 across terminals 26 through switch 30 to open valve 14 and also opens hold contacts 28.

Shortly after water flow has been established in trough 12 by valve .14 opening, timing cam operated switch part 38 of timer 20 is closed thereby providing electric power to, one side of selection switches 18. Switches 18 determine by their setting which of the bins 10, each of which contains one ingredient as labeled in Fig. 1, will dispense material to trough 12 in a particular dispensing cycle, the selection being made prior to momentarily actuating switch 22. As shown only chocolate will be dispensed because switch 18 connects the chocolate bin to switch 38 while the remaining switches 18 are open. To select coffee switch 18 is moved to the alternate position which permits the selection of sugar by switch 18 Cream is selectable =by switch 18.

A predetermined time after power has been supplied to the dispensing bins 10 timer 2th reopens switch 38 which stops the ingredient dispensing, and at a second but longer predetermined time thereafter timer 20 moves switch 30 to the illustrated position thereby ending the dispensing cycle by closing valve 14 and stopping timer 20. The dispenser is now ready to be reinitiated by switch 22.

With reference now to Fig. 2 there is shown an exemplary dispensing bin 10 consisting of a rectangular hopper 40 containing material or ingredients to be dispensed and having vertically spaced sides 40 and a V-shaped bottom 41. In hopper 40 there is disposed motor driven shaft 42 having agitator 44 thereon with dispensing meter 46 operatively connected to one end of the shaft. An electric motor unit 48 removably mounted at the top of bin 10 includes electric motor 50 and a reduction gearing unit 41 operatively connected to shaft 4 2 for rotating same. It is understood that the electrical .connections of motor unit 48 are as shown in Fig. 1, the motor being turned on and off by timer 20.

Dispensing meter 46 comprises a meter wheel 52 fixedly attached to shaft 42 for rotation therewith and having four holes 54 for carrying material from hopper 4t} upwardly under channel-shaped baffle 56 to aperture 53 in bottom 41. To facilitate removal of shaft 42 and motor unit 48 from bin 10 bafile 56 is removably mounted on hopper 40 by hook end 56 engaging the upper end of one wall 40 with the channel sides 56 of the baffle fitting snugly against opposing walls id as best seen in Fig. 3. As seen in Fig. 2 a lower portion of baflie 56 extends in parallel spaced relation over one section 41 of V-shaped bottom 41. At the lower end of batile 56 there is a V- shaped notch 57 having its vertex about the shaft 42 and exposing a lower portion of wheel 52 to the material to be dispensed.

Timer 20 (Fig. 1) operates motor unit 48 by closing switch 38 a predetermined time causing wheel 52 to rotate clockwise about one complete revolution. One throw of material is dispensed in a cycle by several holes 54 pass- 3L1 ing over aperture 58 during said wheels 52 rotation to drop through the aperture a predetermined volume of material carried upwardly under bafiie 55 by wheel 52. Note that dispensing meter 46 is mounted on an oblique as viewed in Fig. 2, one advantage of this arrangement being that larger holes 54 may be employed in wheel 52 without danger of material from hopper 4t) sifting through the vertex of notch 76 and the holes 53 to trough 12.

Since it is desirable in fabrication of machines to make as many parts identical and additionally to provide maximum versatility at minimum cost, this invention provides means for adjusting the size of the throw without affecting any control of and without removing the dispensing bin from the dispensing or vending machine. A valve member 60 is rotatably mounted adjacent the aperture on the lower side of bottom section 41 as best seen in Fig. 4. As member 60 is moved upwardly, as viewed in Fig. 4, a smaller portion 62 of a hole 54 is exposed to the aperture for dispensing a smaller sized throw. The undispensed portion of the material in hole 54 is carried by wheel 52 over member 60 and thence downwardly back into hopper 40 as subsequent dispensing cycles are performed.

To keep the dispensed material from clinging to the sides of trough 12 a baffle 64 is provided adjacent and below aperture 58 to direct the throw toward the middle of trough 12. To facilitate checking the dispensing operation and adjusmtent of member 60 three inspection holes 66 are provided in the side 40 of bin 10.

The dispensing meter 46 dispenses a predetermined volume of material per dispensing cycle without regard to density of the material being dispensed. Certain granular materials, such as coffee, tend to pack from vibration of the machine and from exterior vibration sources. Ad-

ditionally, hydroscopic materials tend to cake forming lumps of material which can cause variations in the size of the throw. To ensure uniform size throws to keep the beverages tasting the same during a days operation when the amount of material in bins 1 vary from full to empty an agitator 44 is provided to keep the material fluffed to a substantially constant density.

An exemplary agitator built according to this invention is best shown in Figs. 2 and wherein stilf arm 68 extending radially outward from shaft 42 is disposed to rotate immediately above dispensing meter 46. This arm provides a great amount of agitation directly above meter 46 ensuring equal flufliness in the throws. Attached to the radial extremity of arm 68 is a spring wire 70 which is spiraled upwardly about shaft 42 in a direction oppo site to the shaft rotation. At the upper end of wire 70 radial arm 72 is wrapped around shaft 42 for relative rotation and axially held thereon between detents 74 and the lower end of tubular shaft 76 extending downwardly from gear reduction box 51. As spring Wire 70 engages packed or lumpy material in hopper 40 it tends to auger downwardly into the material, rotating about the upper end of shaft 42 and forming more spirals closer to shaft 42 as shown by dotted lines '78 in Fig. 5.

As motor unit 48 continues to rotate shaft 42, agitator 44 when engaging packed material continues to auger into the material gradually winding the wire about shaft 42 until the resistance of the material is overcome. When the latter happens wire 70 rapidly returns to the first spiral state causing the material to be agitated upwardly thereby flufiing same. In this manner the material in a hopper may be sufiiciently agitated to ensure relatively uniform sized throws of material throughout a days operations.

The just described dispenser requires but a relatively small motor to successfully operate. The agitator in rotating about the upper end of shaft 42 and angering down into the material presents less starting resistance than many other types of agitators wherein the agitator may be more rigidly mounted on a shaft. Since electric motors are an important item of expense in fabrication of dispensing machines there is provided a relatively inexpensive dispenser.

It is understood that suitable modifications may be made in the structure as disclosed, provided such modifications come within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Having now therefore fully illustrated and described my invention, what i claim to be new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

l. A dispenser for granulated or powdered material, comprising a hopper having an angled bottom portion, a motor driven rotatable shaft, a baffle extending partially over the bottom portion of the hopper, the hopper bottom portion having an aperture located under the baffle, transport means immediately above the aperture and being operatively connected to the shaft for successively carrying predetermined volumes of material from the hopper and transporting same under the baffle upwardly to the aperture, and means disposed adjacently under the transport means in cooperative relation with the aperture and the transport means for adjustably retaining a part of the transported material in the transport means.

2. A dispenser for granulated or powdered material comprising a hopper having a V-shaped bottom, a motor driven rotatable shaft having an agitator thereon and being angularly mounted on the hopper such as to be perpendicular to a portion of the V-shaped bottom, a removably mounted bafide extending partially over and in spaced parallel relation to the bottom of the hopper, a dispensing meter wheel operatively connected to the shaft for rotation therewith in a plane immediately adjacent and parallel to said portion of the bottom and partially disposed between the baffle and the hopper bottom portion, the hopper bottom having an aperture under the bathe in cooperative relation with said meter wheel for dispensing material carried thereby and being adjacent the distal end of said portion, and a valve member on the hopper bottom adjustably extending into the aperture for retaining in the wheel predetermined portions of material carried thereby.

3. A dispenser for granular or powdered material, comprising a hopper having vertical sides and a bottom consisting of two sections angled to form a V with the vertex of the V being the lowest point in the hopper, one angled section having an upper end portion with an aperture therein, a battle extending in parallel spaced relation to said one section and over the aperture, a

motor unit attached to the upper end of the hopper, a rotatable shaft operatively connected to the motor unit and disposed in the hopper at right angles to said one section, an agitator on the shaft, transport means relatively non-rotatably attached to the shaft and disposed in parallel relation to the one section and extending radially outwardly from said baffle toward said bottom vertex and further extending under the baffle to the aperture, and a valve member rotatably supported on the underside of the one section for rotation upwardly in parallel relation to the section for adjustubly blocking lower portions of the aperture to retain material to be dispensed in said transport means.

4. A dispensing meter for use in dispensing granular or powdered materials, comprising rotatable means for carrying material to be dispensed, a removable bafiie extending over the means and having an end with a V-shaped notch having its vertex adjacent the center of said means, a bottom to the meter and being in spaced relation to the baffle and having an aperture adjacently under said means and disposed diametrically opposite to said notch, and a valve member on the bottom in adjustable covering relation to the aperture for retaining some of the material in said means.

5. A dispensing meter for use in dispensing granular or powdered materials in a vending machine, comprising a baflle forming a vertically oblique plane, a meter 'wheel having a plurality of material carrying spaces and rotatably mounted under the bafile in close spaced paralhighest point of the meter wheel, and a valve member rotatably supported on the bottom for rotation into partial material blocking relation to the aperture for retaining some material in said spaces as the meter wheel rotates over the aperture.

6. A dispenser for ranulated or powdered material for use in vending machines and the like, comprising a hopper having a bottom, a baffle extending over and in spaced parallel relation to the bottom, the bottom having an aperture of adjustable size disposed under the bafile, a motor driven rotatable shaft in the hopper having a met-er wheel at one end disposed between the baflie and the bottom and extending outwardly from under the baffie, an agitator on the shaft comprising a spring wire having one end mounted just above the bafiie and spiraling upwardly about the shaft and rotatably connected to the upper end of the shaft.

7. A dispenser for granulated or powdered material for use in vending machines and the like, comprising a hopper having a bottom, a bailie extending over and in spaced parallel relation to the bottom, a motor driven shaft in the hopper having a meter wheel at one end thereof and partially disposed between the baffie and the bottom and partially extending outwardly from the bafiie along the bottom, the bottom having an aperture in juxtaposition with the wheel and spaced diametrically opposite said outward extension of the wheel, a valve member on the bottom for varying the size of the aperture, and an agitator on the shaft comprising a stiff radial arm on the shaft just above the baflie and a spring wire attached to the radially outward end of the arm spiraling upwardly about the shaft in a direction opposite to shaft rotation and rotatably connected to the shaft near the upper end thereof.

8. A dispenser for granulated or powdered material for use in vending machines and the like, comprising a hopper having a bottom, a baflle extending over and in spaced parallel relation to the bottom, a motor driven shaft in the hopper having a meter wheel at one end thereof for carrying material under the battle, the bottom having an aperture under the baiiie for passing material from the wheel out of the dispenser, a valve member adjacent the aperture and rotatably mounted on the bottom for rotation into material blocking relation to the aperture, an agitator on the shaft comprising a stifi radial arm on the shaft just above the bafiie and a spring wire attached to the radially outward end of the arm and spiraling upwardly about the shaft in a direction opposite to the shaft rotation and having a radial leg formed near the upper end thereof and which is loosely wrapped around the shaft for relative rotation therewith, and means for holding the radial leg from moving axially on said shaft.

9. For dispensing varying amounts of granulated or powdered material, a hopper having a bottom, a bafie extending over and in spaced parallel relation to the bottom, a shaft in the hopper having material carrying and metering means at one end thereof adjacent the baflle for carrying material thereunder and extending substantially the spacing between said baifle and bottom, the bottom having an aperture under the baffle for pass ing material from the means out of the dispenser, control and motor means operatively connected to the shaft for recurrently rotating the shaft a predetermined time to successively carry predetermined amounts of material under the bafile, a valve member adjacent the aperture and being rotatably mounted on the hopper bottom for rotation into material blocking relation to the aperture and material retaining relation to the carrying means for retaining predetermined portions of the carried material in the latter means.

10. Ina dispenser for agitating powdered or granular material having a tendency to pack or cake, a unidirectionally rotatable motor driven shaft having a radially extending stiff arm adjacent one shaft end, a spring wire attached to the radial outward end of the arm and spiraling about the shaft toward the other end in a direction opposing shaft rotation direction, the wire being rotatably and axially stationarily associated with the shaft adjacent the other end, and during shaft rotation the wire being windable thereabouts for decreasing the shaft rotational load as the wire engages packed or caked material to "be agitated.

11. A dispenser for powdered or granulated material comprising a rectangular open top hopper having a vertical spaced apart sides and with a bottom having two sections vertically angled between two opposing sides to form a V with one section having an aperture therein, a motor driven shaft disposed perpendicularly to the one section and having transport means at one end in communicative relation to the aperture, baflle means having a hooked upper and an angled lower end portion and being slidably insertable into and removable from a material sealing relation to opposing sides of the hopper which are adjacent the one section, and the lower portion extending partially over the transport means in spaced apart parallel relation to the one section when the bafile means is in material sealing relation to the opposing sides, the transport means being operative upon shaft rotation to carry predetermined volumes of material under the baflie angled portion for being dropped through the aperture, and means being movable into material blocking relation to the aperture for retaining a portion of the volume in the transport means.

12. A dispensing machine having a single timing control, a plurality of dispensers operatively connected to the control for being operated a like period of time, each dispenser having a hopper and an aperture, a meter in each dispenser responsive to the control for carrying predetermined volumes of material to be dispensed from the hopper to the aperture, a valve member movably mounted on each dispenser for adjustably covering the aperture for partially retaining material in the meter to be returned to the hopper, material mixing means in communicative relation to all the apertures, and when the dispensers are operatively connected to the control and the apertures are in communicative relation to the mixing means the valve members being independently manually adjustable for adjustably covering the apertures to vary the amount of material dispensed.

13. A dispensing machine having a single timing control, a plurality of dispensers operatively connected to the control for being selectively operated thereby a predetermined period of time, each dispenser having a hopper with an apertured bottom, a meter in each dispenser responsive to the control for carrying predetermined volumes of material to be dispensed to the bottom aperture and a valve member movably mounted on the bottom of at least one of the dispensers for adjustably and stationarily covering the said bottom aperture for retaining material to be dispensed within the dispenser, whereby the volume of material dispensed is varied in the one dispenser without effecting the single timing control.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,224,082 Drake Apr. 24, 1917 2,228,421 Taylor Jan. 14, 1941 2,380,647 Henderson July 31, 1945 2,576,620 Martin Nov. 27, 1951

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