GB2299983A - Dispenser for chocolate beans or the like - Google Patents

Abstract

A dispenser for chocolate beans or other items has a hollow body 1,2 and a rocking platform 4 which divides the interior of the body into an upper compartment for storing the chocolate beans or other items and a lower compartment. The rocking platform 4 has an aperture which connects the upper compartment to a sliding member 5 disposed within the lower compartment. The sliding member 5 is arranged so that, as it slides, it both rocks the rocking platform 4, and transfers a chocolate bean or other item from the rocking platform aperture to a dispensing opening 1A adjacent the bottom of the body 1,2.

Description

Dispenser for Chocolate Beans This invention relates to a dispenser for chocolate beans or other items.

Many different dispensers for chocolate beans etc are available on the market. These suffer from a variety of drawbacks, including complexity of construction, and unreliable or ineffective operation. In particular, many such dispensers fail to deliver the chocolate beans one-at-a-time in a reliable manner, without for example the mechanism jamming.

We have now devised a dispenser for chocolate beans or other items, which overcomes the problems outlined above.

In accordance with this invention, there is provided a dispenser for chocolate beans or other items, the dispenser comprising a hollow body, means comprising a rocking platform for dividing the interior of said body into an upper compartment for storing said chocolate beans or other items and a lower compartment, said rocking platform having an aperture, and a sliding member disposed within the lower compartment and arranged as it slides to interact with the rocking platform to rock the latter, the sliding member being further arranged to receive a chocolate bean or other item through said aperture of the rocking platform and dispense that chocolate bean or other item through an opening adjacent the bottom of said body.

The rocking action which is imparted to the rocking platform promotes the feed of the chocolate beans through the aperture of the rocking platform, to deliver them to the sliding member. The sliding member has a recess or aperture large enough to receive and hold one chocolate bean or other item, so that the dispenser in use delivers the chocolate beans or other items one-at-a-time.

Preferably the sliding member has at least one transverse rib on its upper surface, co-operating with a finger projecting from the lower side of the rocking platform, so as to cause the rocking action of the rocking platform.

Preferably the rocking platform has a delivery tube or funnel registered with its delivery aperture and projecting from its underside. Preferably this funnel terminates only just adjacent the upper side of the sliding member.

Preferably the sliding member carries a closure for the dispensing opening of the body, arranged to open this dispensing opening as the sliding member moves from its rest position to its dispensing position.

Preferably the dispenser is in the form of a character, having two arms projecting from the body, one of the arms being movable to displace the sliding member. Preferably the hand of the other arm is arranged so that its palm receives each chocolate bean or other item which falls through the dispensing opening of the body.

An embodiment of this invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIGURE 1 is a front elevation of a chocolate bean dispenser in accordance with this invention; FIGURE 2 is a section through the dispenser on the line II-II of Figure 1; FIGURE 3 is an exploded view of the dispenser of Figures 1 and 2; FIGURE 4 consists of front and plan views of a rocking platform of the dispenser; FIGURE 5 consists of front and plan views of a cammed sliding bar of the dispenser; and FIGURE 6 is an enlarged sectional view to illustrate the manner in which the dispenser operates.

Referring to Figures 1 to 3 of the drawings, there is shown a chocolate bean dispenser in the general shape of a character, having a main body from which two legs and two arms 6,7 extend. The main body comprises two part-spherical shells 1,2 of plastics material, which are joined edge-to-edge for example by adhesive or sonic welding. The main body houses a dispensing mechanism in its lower region and has an upper region for storing the chocolate beans to be dispensed. The front shell 1 of the main body has an opening 1A to allow each chocolate bean B which is dispensed to drop onto the palm of the hand of the right arm 7 which is fixed to the exterior of the main body of the dispenser. The rear shell 2 of the main body has an opening 2A adjacent its top, for filling the dispenser with chocolate beans: this opening 2A is provided with a door for closing it.

Referring to Figure 3, each of the shells 1,2 is provided with two internal partition walls 1OA,1OB which extend downwardly across the shell towards each other, but leaving a space between them. The internal partition walls 1OA,1OB of the rear shell 2 mate edge-to-edge with the corresponding partition walls of the front shell 1. A rocking platform 4 is positioned in the space between the two pairs of partition walls, so as to divide the interior of the main body into an upper compartment for storing the chocolate beans and a lower compartment for the dispensing mechanism. Each of the shells 1,2 is formed with an interior partition wall 3, sloping from the right hand side to the left hand side of the main body: the partition wall 3 of the rear shell 2 mates edge-to-edge with the corresponding partition wall of the front shell 1.

It will be appreciated that the partition walls 2 divide the chocolate-storing compartment into two sections, and this helps to reduce the weight acting on the rocking platform 4.

Still referring to Figure 3, each of the shells 1,2 has a peg 8 projecting along a front-to-rear axis, to act as an anchor and fulcrum for the rocking platform 4. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the platform 4 comprises two portions which are inclined at an acute angle to each other: one portion (the left hand portion) is formed with a hooked end edge which engages over the respective pegs 8; the other portion (the right hand portion) is formed with an aperture registered with a corresponding tubular funnel 4B on its underside. Also on its underside, the rocking platform 4 has a flat projecting finger 4A which rests on the upper surface of a cammed sliding bar 5 of the dispensing mechanism.

As shown in Figures 3 and 5, the cammed sliding bar 5 is arcuate in profile and its opposite edges are formed with correspondingly arcuate recesses 5C: each of the shells 1,2 is formed with a projecting guide rail 9, and the guide rails 9 of the respective shells 1,2 are received within the recesses 5C of the opposite edges of the bar 5. The bar 5 is thus arranged to move along a fixed, circumferential path relative to the main body, as indicated by the full and dotted lines in Figure 6. At its left hand end, the bar 5 has the left arm 6 of the dispenser projecting from it: the bar 5 is slid to the right by pushing the left arm 6 downwards.

The bar 5 has two ribs 5D formed across it on its upper surface, for co-operating with the flat projecting finger 4A of the rocking platform 4. Thus, as the left arm 6 is depressed to move the bar 5 to the right, the ribs 5D interact with the finger 4A to rock the platform 4: this rocking action occurs twice in each dispensing cycle, once when moving the sliding bar 5 to the right and once when moving it back to the left. The rocking action serves to shake the chocolate beans into the funnel 4B of the rocking platform.

Adjacent its right hand end, the sliding bar 5 is formed with a circular aperture 5B, smaller in diameter than the funnel 4B of the rocking platform 4 but aligned with it when the bar 5 is in its rest position. The aperture 5B is large enough to receive and hold one chocolate bean from the funnel 4B. Finally, the sliding bar 5 has a flap 5A projecting from its right hand end: in the rest position of the sliding bar 5, the flap 5A lies behind the dispensing opening 1A of the front shell 1 of the main body, and so closes this opening.

In use, a chocolate bean is dispensed by pressing the left arm 6 downwards, so moving the sliding bar 5 to the right.

The chocolate bean, held in the aperture 5B of the sliding bar 5, is thus moved to the right and falls under gravity through the dispensing opening 1A, which becomes open as the closure flap 5A also moves to the right: the chocolate bean falls onto the palm of the right arm 7.

On the return stroke, the left hand 6 returns to its raised position, the dispensing opening 1A becomes closed again by the flap 5A, and the aperture 5B of the sliding bar 5 again aligns with the funnel 4B of the rocking platform 4: the next chocolate bean then falls from the funnel 4B and into the aperture 5B of the sliding bar 5. It will be appreciated that on each of the forward and return strokes, the platform 4 is rocked to help the gravity feed of the chocolate beans into the funnel 4B.

The dispenser which has been described is of relatively simple construction but works very reliably and effectively to deliver the chocolate beans B one-at-a-time and without the dispenser mechanism jamming.

Claims (10)

Claims

1) A disperser for chocolate beans or other items, the dispenser comprising a hollow body, means comprising a rocking platform for dividing the interior of said body into an upper compartment for storing said chocolate beans or other items and a lower compartment, said rocking platform having an aperture, and a sliding member disposed within the lower compartment and arranged as it slides to interact with the rocking platform to rock the latter, the sliding member being further arranged to receive a chocolate bean or other item through said aperture of said rocking platform and to dispense said chocolate bean or other item through an opening adjacent the bottom of said body.

2) A dispenser as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sliding member comprises a recess or aperture large enough to receive and hold one chocolate bean or other item, so that said dispenser in use delivers the chocolate beans or other items one-at-a-time.

3) A dispenser as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said sliding member comprises at least one transverse rib on its upper surface, for co-operating with a finger projecting from the lower side of said rocking platform, so as to cause the rocking action of said rocking platform.

4) A dispenser as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said rocking platform comprises a delivery tube or funnel registered with its delivery aperture and projecting from its underside.

5) A dispenser as claimed in claim 4, wherein said funnel terminates adjacent the upper side of said sliding member.

6) A dispenser as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said sliding member carries a closure for said dispensing opening of said body, arranged to open said dispensing opening as said sliding member moves from its rest position to its dispensing position.

7) A dispenser as claimed in any preceding claim, in the form of a character, having a first and a second arm projecting from the body.

8) A dispenser as claimed in claim 7, wherein said first arm is movable so as to displace said sliding member.

9) A dispenser as claimed in claim 7 or claim 8, wherein the hand of said second arm is arranged so that its palm receives each chocolate bean or other item which falls through said dispensing opening of said body.

10) A dispenser substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.