HK1231342B - Forward advancing cutlery dispenser - Google Patents

Description

Cutlery dispensers moving forward

Disclosure Areas

This application and the resultant patent relate generally to dispensers for cutlery utensils and, more particularly, to a forward-advancing cutlery dispenser that dispenses one utensil at a time in a controlled and sanitary manner through simplified components.

background

Restaurants and other types of retail stores often provide cutlery in open, self-service bins from which consumers can retrieve forks, spoons, knives, sporks, etc. However, such open bins can have at least a somewhat unsanitary appearance in that the cutlery may not be enclosed or packaged. Consumers may react negatively to the fact that when removing a selected utensil from the bin, they may touch or otherwise come into contact with the remaining utensils.

In order to address these concerns relevant to tableware, enclosed tableware dispensers have been used. Tableware can be placed in the tableware compartment and can be allocated one tableware at a time as required. Generally speaking, these dispensers can be operated by gravity or by distributing levers, rotating belts, and/or other types of distributing mechanisms. However, the mechanical structure of these distributing mechanisms may be complicated and therefore may experience a fault. In addition, the usual volume of these dispensers may be somewhat large and may occupy a very large footprint (footprint) on a crowded countertop etc.

There is therefore a desire for an improved dispenser for cutlery utensils and the like. Preferably, such an improved dispenser can easily and hygienically load and dispense cutlery utensils therefrom, while reducing the overall footprint and simplifying the dispensing mechanism.

Overview

The present application and the resulting patent therefore provide a cutlery dispenser for dispensing a plurality of cutlery utensils positioned in a stack. The cutlery dispenser may include a housing, a front cover enclosing the housing, a dispensing wedge, and a dispensing chute positioned on the front cover. The dispensing wedge angles a leading cutlery utensil into the dispensing chute for dispensing therethrough.

The present application and the resulting patent further provide a method for dispensing cutlery from a dispenser. The method may include the steps of: pushing a stack of cutlery into the dispenser; holding the stack of cutlery in place via a pair of flexors when a front cover of the dispenser is open; closing the front cover; releasing the pair of flexors when the front cover is closed; and pushing a number of the cutlery into a fanned-out position around the front cover.

The present application and the resulting patent further provide a cutlery dispenser. The cutlery dispenser may include a housing, a front cover enclosing the housing, a dispensing wedge positioned around the front cover, and a stack of cutlery utensils positioned within the housing. A plurality of cutlery utensils may be arranged in a fan-shaped pattern around the front cover.

These and other features and improvements of the present application and the resultant patent will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art upon review of the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the several drawings and the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cutlery dispenser as may be described herein.

2 is a front perspective view of the cutlery dispenser of FIG. 1 with the front cover removed.

3 is a partial perspective view of the pusher assembly and front cover of the cutlery dispenser of FIG. 1 .

4 is a partial perspective view of a flexor member and a flexor member extension of the cutlery dispenser of FIG. 1 .

5A is a perspective view of a fork that may be used with the cutlery dispenser of FIG. 1 .

5B is a front plan view of the fork of FIG. 5A .

5C is a rear plan view of the fork of FIG. 5A .

5D is a right side plan view of the fork of FIG. 5A , the left side plan view being identical.

5E is a top plan view of the fork of FIG. 5A .

5F is a bottom plan view of the fork of FIG. 5A .

5G is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a fork that may be used with the cutlery dispenser of FIG. 1 .

6A is a perspective view of a spoon that may be used with the cutlery dispenser of FIG. 1 .

6B is a front plan view of the spoon of FIG. 6A .

6C is a rear plan view of the spoon of FIG. 6A .

6D is a right side plan view of the spoon of FIG. 6A , the left side plan view being identical.

6E is a top plan view of the spoon of FIG. 6A .

6F is a bottom plan view of the spoon of FIG. 6A .

7A is a perspective view of a knife that may be used with the cutlery dispenser of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 7B is a front plan view of the knife of FIG. 7A , and a rear plan view is identical.

7C is a right side plan view of the knife of FIG. 7A .

7D is a left side plan view of the knife of FIG. 7A.

7E is a top plan view of the knife of FIG. 7A.

7F is a bottom plan view of the knife of FIG. 7A.

8 is a perspective view of a stack of cutlery utensils that may be used with the cutlery dispenser of FIG. 1 .

9 is a side cross-sectional view of the cutlery dispenser of FIG. 1 in a dispensing orientation.

10 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a cutlery dispenser having a pair of pivoting arms as may be described herein.

11 is a top plan view of the pair of pivot arms of the cutlery dispenser of FIG. 10 .

Detailed description

Referring now to the accompanying drawings, wherein like numerals refer to like elements throughout the several views, FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a cutlery dispenser 100 as may be described herein. The cutlery dispenser 100 may be used with a plurality of cutlery utensils 115. As will be described in detail below, any number of cutlery utensils 115 of any suitable size, shape, or configuration may be used herein. These cutlery utensils 115 may or may not be configured for specific use in the cutlery dispenser 100 described herein. Other types of items may also be dispensed from the cutlery dispenser 100.

The cutlery dispenser 100 may include a housing 110. The housing 110 may be enclosed by a front cover 120. The cutlery dispenser 100 and its components may have any suitable size, shape, or configuration. Specifically, the cutlery dispenser 100 and its components may be sized to accommodate the various types of cutlery utensils 115 that are loaded therein and dispensed therefrom. The cutlery dispenser 100 and its components may be made of any suitable type of substantially rigid material, including thermoplastics (e.g., polypropylene), metals (e.g., aluminum), composite materials, etc. Different types of materials may be used herein. The cutlery dispenser may be fixed and mounted or may be stand-alone or portable.

Fig. 2 to Fig. 4 show the example of the internal components of cutlery dispenser 100.Particularly, housing 110 can have a plurality of guide ribs 130 that are formed or positioned on its inner wall.In this example, a pair of upper guide ribs 140 and a pair of lower guide ribs 150 are shown.Any number of guide ribs 130 can be used at this.Some or all of the guide ribs 130 can be positioned and/or determined size and shape to mate the utensil 115 of complementary shaping, so that only the preferred utensil 115 of specific size and shape can be used at this.These guide ribs 130 can have any suitable size, shape or configuration.These guide ribs 130 can keep these cutlery utensils 115 tracking (tracking) towards front cover 120, also keep the basic vertical position of these utensils 115 simultaneously.

At least the pair of upper guide ribs 140 can have flexor members 160 formed at their forward ends. The flexor members 160 can include downwardly descending flanges 165 intended to contact the leading utensils 115, thereby holding the utensils 115 in place when loaded (i.e., when the front cover 120 is open). The flexor members 160 can have a degree of flexibility and memory, as will be described in more detail below. As shown, the flexor members 160 can maintain the tableware utensils 115 in a position adjacent to or otherwise in relation to the front cover 120 until the front cover 120 is closed. Other components and other configurations may be used herein.

A plurality of support rails 170 can be positioned within the housing 110 and adjacent to the guide ribs 130. In this example, a first support rail 180 and a second support rail 190 are shown. Any number of support rails 170 can be used. The support rails 170 can be attached or otherwise positioned around the inner wall of the housing 110. Each of the support rails 170 can include an upper flange 200 and a lower flange 210. The flanges 200, 210 can extend toward the guide ribs 130. The support rails 170 can have any suitable size, shape, or configuration. Other components and other configurations can be used.

A pusher assembly 220 can be positioned on the support rails 170 for movement thereon. The pusher assembly 220 can include a pusher element 230. The pusher element 230 can have a substantially flat docking surface 240 and a plurality of pusher flanges 250. The pusher element 230 can have any suitable size, shape, or configuration. The pusher flanges 250 can be sized to accommodate the flanges 200, 210 of the support rails 170 for movement thereon. The pusher assembly 220 can also include an upper pusher rod 260. The upper pusher rod 260 can be primarily T-shaped and can also contact the upper portion of the last cutlery utensil 115. The ends of the upper pusher rod 260 can extend outside the housing 110. If these ends extend outside, the housing 110 can include tracks therein for moving these ends along the length of the housing 110. The ends of the upper pusher rod 260 can thus serve as a refill indicator, etc. Other types of refill or status indicators and/or structures can be used herein.

The pusher assembly 220 may also include at least one biasing member 255 or other type of advancing mechanism to drive the pusher element 230 toward the front cover 120 so that the cutlery utensils 115 can be dispensed therefrom. The biasing members 255 may include springs, rubber bands, magnets, etc. to urge the pusher element 230. In this example, the biasing members 255 may be in the form of a pair of coil springs 265. Other types of mechanisms may be used to bias the pusher element 230 forward. Other components and other configurations may be used.

The locator 270 can be positioned around the base of the housing 110 and adjacent to the front cover 120. The locator 270 can be spring-loaded, thereby folding down and allowing the tableware utensils 115 to be loaded therein and then rebounding, thereby maintaining the utensils 115 in place. Other types of biasing mechanisms can be used herein. The locator 270 can have a pair of locator arms 280 that position the locator aperture 290 therebetween. The locator barbs 295 can extend over the locator aperture 290 or elsewhere and face inward within the housing 110. The locator 270 and its components can have any suitable size, shape or configuration. Other components and other configurations can be used herein.

1 and 3 show an example of a front cover 120. The front cover 120 may include a dispensing orifice 300. The size and shape of the dispensing orifice 300 may be determined to allow one of the tableware utensils 115 to be passed through it at a time. The dispensing orifice 300 may have an angled dispensing slot 310 at its bottom. The size and angle of the angled dispensing slot 310 may be determined to allow a single tableware utensil 115 to rest therein for simple removal while preventing multiple utensils 115 from being removed at once. Specifically, the top of the angled dispensing slot 310 may have a depth slightly greater than approximately one utensil 115. Other components and other configurations may be used herein.

The front cover 120 may include a hinge 320. The hinge 320 allows the front cover 120 to rotate open and allow the cutlery utensils 115 to be loaded within the housing 110. Although the hinge 320 is shown on the top of the housing 110, the hinge 320 may be on the bottom and/or on the side.

3 , the interior of the front cover 120 may also include a dispensing wedge 330 formed or positioned thereon. The dispensing wedge 330 may be sized to fit within the locator aperture 290 between the locator arms 280 of the locator 270 when the front cover 120 is closed so that the dispensing wedge 330 can contact the leader 115 and push the leader 115 into the dispensing slot 310 at an angle.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the front cover 120 can also have a pair of flexor extensions 345 formed or positioned thereon. The flexor extensions 345 can be positioned adjacent to the dispensing orifice 300 so that they can align with the flexor members 160 when the front cover 120 is closed. The flexor extensions 345 can be block-shaped 346 (Figure 3) or fork-shaped 347 (Figure 4) to engage the downwardly descending flange 165 or other structure of the flexor member 160 and cause the flexor members 160 to extend laterally or otherwise, thereby releasing the cutlery utensils 115 in contact therewith. The flexor extensions 345 can have any suitable size, shape, or configuration. Other types of extension mechanisms can be used herein to release the flexor members 160 from the utensils. Other components and other configurations can also be used herein.

5A to 5G illustrate an example of a cutlery utensil 115. In this example, the cutlery utensil 115 can be in the form of a fork 350. The fork 350 can have one or more skewer apertures 360 therein. The size and shape of these skewer apertures 360 can be determined to allow a skewer 370 or other type of converging member or loading member to extend therethrough. The fork 350 can also have a locator recess 380 formed therein. The size of the locator recess 380 can be determined to accommodate the locator barb 295 of the locator 270. The fork 350 can also have an angled end 375. The angled end 375 allows the fork 350 to fan out when placed together. The angled end 375 can have any suitable angle, depending in part on the desired distance between the tines of the fork 350 when placed together. As shown in FIG. 5G , all or part of the fork 350 can be covered with a wrapping material 355. In this example, only the tines of the fork 350 may be covered. The wrap 355 may have any suitable size, shape, or configuration and may be made of any suitable material (eg, thermoplastic, paper, etc.).

As shown in Figures 6A to 6F, a spoon 390 can also be used here. Also, as shown in Figures 7A to 7F, a knife 400 can be used here. A spork or any type of utensil 115 can also be used here. The spoon 390, fork 400, or other type of utensil 115 can include a skewer hole 360, an angled end 375, and a locator notch 380 therein. The wrap 355 can also be used with any cutlery 115. These utensils 115 can be sized for use with the cutlery dispenser 100. Combinations of different types of utensils 115 can be used together here in any order, i.e., the cutlery dispenser 100 can dispense a fork 350, spoon 390, and knife 400 individually or in combination.

As shown in Figure 8, a stack 405 of tableware utensils 115 can be used here. The stack 405 can be nested or otherwise oriented. The skewer 370 can extend through the skewer hole 360. The skewer 370 can extend through the stack 405, which is convenient for transportation and for loading. Once the stack 405 is positioned in the housing 110, the skewer 370 can be removed. Other types of converging members or other types of connecting devices can be used here to keep the stack 405 together. For example, a shrink band or the like can be used here. Other components and other configurations can be used here.

In use, the front cover 120 of the cutlery dispenser 100 can be opened, and the stack 405 of cutlery utensils 115 can be aligned along the guide ribs 130 and can be pushed therein. The locating member 270 can be pivoted downwards until all the utensils 115 have passed through it. The locating member 270 can then be rebounded into a substantially vertical position, thereby maintaining these utensils 115 in a position adjacent to the front cover 120. Specifically, the locating member barbs 295 of the locating member 270 can mate with the locating member recesses 380 in the handle at the bottom of the leading utensil 115, and the flexor member 160 contacts the top of the leading utensil 115 for firmly maintaining the utensil 115 in place and aligning. The skewer 370 can then be removed from the stack 405. Once the front cover 120 is closed, the cutlery dispenser 100 can be ready to distribute the cutlery utensils 115 "one at a time" therein.

When the front cover 120 is closed, the dispensing wedge 330 is moved through the retaining member orifice 290. The dispensing wedge 330 thereby contacts the angled bottom 375 of the leader utensil 115, thereby pushing the leader utensil 115 out of engagement with the retaining member barbs 295. Similarly, the flexor member extensions 345 contact the flexor member 160 to push the flexor member 160 out of engagement with the leader utensil 115. The first plurality of utensils 115 are thus free to assume a fanned position 395, as shown in the dispensing orientation of FIG. 9. Specifically, the leader utensil 115 is now free to be dispensed at an angle through the dispensing slot 310. The extent of the fanned position 395 may depend in part on the nature and angle of the dispensing slot 310, the dispensing wedge 330, and/or the angled bottom 375. The fanned position 395 also promotes a cleaner appearance in conjunction with the wrapper 355, as the utensils 115 are separated from one another during the dispensing process. The pusher assembly 220 pushes these utensils 115 forward when removing each utensil. Interesting fact is that, considering that the dispenser does not depend on gravity to distribute, the cutlery dispenser 100 described herein can be operated in any orientation. Other components and other configurations can be used here.

Figures 10 and 11 show an alternative embodiment of a cutlery dispenser 410 as can be described herein. Instead of using flexor members 160 on guide ribs 130, cutlery dispenser 410 can include a plurality of pivot arms 420 to maintain stacking 405 in place. These pivot arms 420 can be spring-loaded or otherwise biased. These pivot arms 420 can have barbs 430 on one end thereof. These barbs 430 can have lead-in surfaces 440 on their ends. These pivot arms 420 can pivot around pivot point 450. Other types of flexor members 160 can be used herein. Other components and other configurations can be used herein.

In use, the stack 405 can be pushed through the pivot arms 420 via the lead-in surfaces 440 on the barbs 430. The barbs 430 can then close to hold the stack 405 in place. Once the front cover 120 is closed, the flexor extensions 345 can open the pivot arms 420 so that utensils 115 can be dispensed in a manner similar to that described above. Other types of biasing devices can be used. Other components and other configurations can also be used.

It should be understood that the above description relates only to specific embodiments of the present application and the resulting patent. Numerous changes and modifications may be made by one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the general spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims and their equivalents.

Claims (17)

1. A cutlery dispenser for dispensing multiple cutlery utensils, the cutlery dispenser comprising: case; The front cover that seals the housing; The front cover includes a first end and a second end; A dispensing orifice located near the first end of the front cover; A dispensing wedge, the dispensing wedge being located near the second end of the front cover; and An angled dispensing groove is positioned on the front cover and between the dispensing orifice and the dispensing wedge. The dispensing wedge causes the pre-serving cutlery to enter the angled dispensing slot at an angle for dispensing through the slot. 2. The cutlery dispenser of claim 1, wherein the housing includes a plurality of guide ribs formed therein or positioned therein. 3. The cutlery dispenser of claim 2, wherein the plurality of guide ribs at least partially conform to the configuration of the plurality of cutlery utensils. 4. The cutlery dispenser of claim 1, further comprising a pusher assembly positioned within the housing to advance the plurality of cutlery utensils toward the front cover. 5. The cutlery dispenser of claim 4, wherein the housing includes a plurality of support rails, and wherein the pusher assembly is positioned around the plurality of support rails for movement thereon. 6. The cutlery dispenser of claim 4, wherein the pusher assembly includes a mating surface designed for contacting the stack of the plurality of cutlery utensils. 7. The cutlery dispenser of claim 4, wherein the pusher assembly includes a biasing member. 8. A cutlery dispenser for dispensing multiple cutlery utensils, the cutlery dispenser comprising: case; The front cover that seals the housing; Distribute wedges; and An angled distribution slot is positioned on the front cover; The dispensing wedge allows the pre-serving cutlery to enter the angled dispensing slot at an angle for dispensing through the slot; and The housing includes a plurality of flexor members formed therein or positioned therein. 9. The cutlery dispenser of claim 8, wherein the plurality of flexor members include downwardly descending flanges. 10. The cutlery dispenser of claim 8, wherein the plurality of flexor members include a pivot arm. 11. A cutlery dispenser for dispensing multiple cutlery utensils, the cutlery dispenser comprising: case; The front cover that seals the housing; Distribute wedges; A dispensing slot, which is positioned on the front cover; The dispensing wedge allows the pre-serving cutlery to enter the dispensing slot at an angle for dispensing through the slot, and The housing includes spring-loaded positioning elements positioned around the front cover. 12. The cutlery dispenser of claim 11, wherein the spring-loaded positioning member includes a positioning orifice sized to allow the dispensing wedge to pass through the positioning orifice when the front cover is closed. 13. The cutlery dispenser of claim 11, wherein the spring-loaded positioning member includes a positioning barb that extends into the housing and is intended to contact the leading cutlery when the front cover is open. 14. A method for dispensing cutlery from a dispenser, the method comprising: Push the stack of cutlery into the dispenser; When the front cover of the dispenser is opened, a pair of flexor members hold the stack of cutlery in place; Close the front cover; The flexor muscles are released when the front cover is closed; and Push some of these cutlery items into the fan-shaped position around the front cover. 15. A cutlery dispenser, comprising: case; The front cover that seals the housing; Distribution wedges positioned around the front hood; and The stack of tableware and utensils positioned within the housing; The multiple cutlery utensils in the stack include those in a fan-shaped position around the front cover; and The housing includes a positioning element with a positioning barb, and the plurality of cutlery utensils include positioning element recesses formed therein. 16. The cutlery dispenser of claim 15, wherein the plurality of cutlery utensils include skewer holes therein, the size of which is determined for skewering. 17. The cutlery dispenser of claim 15, wherein the plurality of cutlery utensils include angled ends.