Foil plate dispensing mechanism

Claim 1

A DEVICE FOR DISPENSING CONTAINER MEMBERS IN ONE BY ONE FASHION FROM THE BOTTOM OF A STACK WHEREIN EACH CONTAINER MEMBER HAS A VERTICALLY DISPOSED FLANGE AT ITS OUTER PERIPHERY AND WHEREIN THE BASES OF THE INDIVIDUAL CONTAINER MEMBERS IN THE STACK ARE NOT IN HORIZONTALLY PARALLEL RELATION WITH EACH OTHER, WHICH COMPRISES: (A) A FRAME CONTAINING A MAGAZINE HAVING A DISPENSING OPENING BELOW THE BOTTOM OF AN OPERATIVELY POSITIONED STACK; (B) MEANS FOR HOLDING AN OPERATIVELY POSITIONED STACK, INCLUDING (I) AN ANNULAR SERIES OF HORIZONTALLY SPACED BOTTOM LIFTERS MOUNTED ON THE FRAME FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN AN UPPER AND MEDIAL POSITION IN WHICH THEY POSITION THE BOTTOM CONTAINER MEMBER TO A LEVEL HORIZONTAL POSITION AND SUPPORT THE STACK THROUGH THEIR ENGAGEMENT WITH THE EXTERIOR SURFACE OF THE BOTTOM CONTAINER MEMBER TO THE STACK AND A LOWER AND LATERAL POSITION IN WHICH THEY ARE LOCATED OUTSIDE OF THE DOWNWARD PATH OF THE BOTTOM CONTAINER MEMBER OF THE STACK, AND (II) AN ANNULAR SERIES OF HORIZONTALLY SPACED SIDE MEMBERS HAVING RESILIENT INNER SURFACES AND MOUNTED ON THE FRAME FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN AN INWARD POSITION IN WHICH THEY SUPPORT THE STACK THROUGH SLIDABLY RELEASABLE FRICTIONAL ENGAGEMENT WITH THE VERTICAL FLANGE OF THE CONTAINER MEMBERS LOCATED AT THE LOWER PORTION OF THE STACK AND AN OUTER POSITION IN WHICH THEY RELEASE THE STACK; (C) MEANS FOR REMOVING THE BOTTOM CONTAINER MEMBER FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE STACK, INCLUDING (I) AN ANNULAR SERIES OF HORIZONTALLY SPACED IMPALING NEEDLES MOUNTED ON THE FRAME FOR MOVEMENT FROM A RETRACTED STARTING POSITION INWARDLY TO IMPALE THE VERTICAL FLANGE OF THE BOTTOM CONTAINER MEMBER OF THE STACK, THENCE DOWNARDLY TO PULL THE CONTAINER MEMBER DOWNWARDLY OUT OF FRICTIONAL ENGAGEMENT WITH THE SIDE MEMBERS, THENCE OUTWARDLY TO RELEASE THE BOTTOM CONTAINER MEMBER AND THENCE UPWARDLY BACK TO THEIR STARTING POSITIONS; AND (D) OPERATING MEANS FOR MOVING SAID STACK HOLDING MEANS AND SAID CONTAINER MEMBER MOVING MEANS IN PREDETERMINED TIMED RELATION WITH EACH OTHER TO REMOVE A CONTAINER MEMBER WHILE THE SIDE MEMBERS ENGAGE THE STACK AND THE BOTTOM LIFTERS ARE IN A LOWER AND LATERAL POSITION OUT OF THE WAY OF SUCH REMOVAL AND AFTER EACH REMOVAL TO DROP THE STACK UPON THE BOTTOM LIFTERS IN THEIR UPPER AND MEDIAL POSITION WHILE THE STACK IS DISENGAGED BY THE SIDE MEMBERS AND THE IMPALING NEEDLES, SAID OPERATING MEANS INCLUDING (I) A CAM RING ASSEMBLY AND A DRIVING MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED THERETO SO AS TO DRIVE SAID CAM RING ASSEMBLY IN TIMED RELATION (A) SAID CAM RING ASSEMBLY COMPRISING THREE CAM RINGS, EACH CONTAINING AN ANNULAR CAM PROFILE CONTAINING EQUALLY SPACED HORIZONTAL PROJECTIONS AND INDENTATIONS AND A SERIES OF EQUALLY SPACED VERTICAL CAM MEMBERS; (B) SAID PROJECTIONS OF SAID CAM PROFILES BEING OPERATIVE TO MOVE SAID BOTTOM LIFTERS, SAID SIDE MEMBERS AND SAID IMPALING NEEDLES INWARDLY IN TIMED SEQUENCE AND SAID INDENTATIONS OF SAID CAM PROFILES BEING OPERATIVE TO MOVE SAID BOTTOM LIFTERS AND SIDE MEMBERS TO AN OUTER POSITION AND SAID IMPALING NEEDLES TO A RETRACTED POSITION; (C) SAID VERTICAL CAM MEMBERS BEING OPERATIVE TO MOVE SAID IMPALING NEEDLES FROM AN UPWARD POSITION DOWNWARDLY TO A LOWER POSITION AND THENCE UPWARDLY TO THE ORIGINAL STARTING POSITION.

Claim 2

A DEVICE FOR DISPENSING CONTAINER MEMBERS IN ONE BY ONE FASHION FROM THE BOTTOM OF A STACK WHEREIN EACH CONTAINER MEMBER HAS A VERTICALLY DISPOSED FLANGE AT ITS OUTER PERIPHERY AND WHEREIN THE BASES OF THE INDIVIDUAL CONTAINER MEMBERS IN THE STACK ARE NOT IN HORIZONTALLY PARALLEL RELATION WITH EACH OTHER, WHICH COMPRISES: (A) A FRAME CONTAINING A MAGAZINE HAVING A DISPENSING OPENING BELOW THE BOTTOM OF AN OPERATIVELY POSITIONED STACK; (B) MEANS FOR HOLDING AN OPERATIVELY POSITIONED STACK, INCLUDING (I) AN ANNULAR SERIES OF HORIZONTALLY SPACED BOTTOM LIFTERS MOUNTED ON THE FRAME FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN AN UPPER AND MEDIAL POSITION IN WHICH THEY POSITION THE BOTTOM CONTAINER MEMBER TO A LEVEL HORIZONTAL POSITION AND SUPPORT THE STACK THROUGH THEIR ENGAGEMENT WITH THE EXTERIOR SURFACE OF THE BOTTOM CONTAINER MEMBER TO THE STACK AND A LOWER AND LATERAL POSITION IN WHICH THEY ARE LOCATED OUTSIDE OF THE DOWNWARD PATH OF THE BOTTOM CONTAINER MEMBER OF THE STACK, AND (II) AN ANNULAR SERIES OF HORIZONTALLY SPACED SIDE MEMBERS HAVING RESILIENT INNER SURFACES AND MOUNTED ON THE FRAME FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN AN INWARD POSITION IN WHICH THEY SUPPORT THE STACK THROUGH SLIDABLY RELEASABLE FRICTIONAL ENGAGEMENT WITH THE VERTICAL FLANGE OF THE CONTAINER MEMBERS LOCATED AT THE LOWER PORTION OF THE STACK AND AN OUTER POSITION IN WHICH THEY RELEASE THE STACK; (C) MEANS FOR REMOVING THE BOTTOM CONTAINER MEMBER FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE STACK, INCLUDING (I) AN ANNULAR SERIES OF HORIZONTALLY SPACED IMPALING NEEDLES MOUNTED ON THE FRAME FOR MOVEMENT FROM A RETRACTED STARTING POSITION INWARDLY TO IMPALE THE VERTICAL FLANGE OF THE BOTTOM CONTAINER MEMBER OF THE STACK, THENCE DOWNARDLY TO PULL THE CONTAINER MEMBER DOWNWARDLY OUT OF FRICTIONAL ENGAGEMENT WITH THE SIDE MEMBERS, THENCE OUTWARDLY TO RELEASE THE BOTTOM CONTAINER MEMBER AND THENCE UPWARDLY BACK TO THEIR STARTING POSITIONS; AND (D) OPERATING MEANS FOR MOVING SAID STACK HOLDING MEANS AND SAID CONTAINER MEMBER MOVING MEANS IN PREDETERMINED TIMED RELATION WITH EACH OTHER TO REMOVE A CONTAINER MEMBER WHILE THE SIDE MEMBERS ENGAGE THE STACK AND THE BOTTOM LIFTERS ARE IN A LOWER AND LATERAL POSITION OUT OF THE WAY OF SUCH REMOVAL AND AFTER EACH REMOVAL TO DROP THE STACK UPON THE BOTTOM LIFTERS IN THEIR UPPER AND MEDIAL POSITION WHILE THE STACK IS DISENGAGED BY THE SIDE MEMBERS AND THE IMPALING NEEDLES, SAID OPERATING MEANS INCLUDING (I) A CAM RING ASSEMBLY AND A DRIVING MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED THERETO SO AS TO DRIVE SAID CAM RING ASSEMBLY IN TIMED RELATION (A) SAID CAM RING ASSEMBLY COMPRISING THREE CAM RINGS, EACH CONTAINING AN ANNULAR CAM PROFILE CONTAINING EQUALLY SPACED HORIZONTAL PROJECTIONS AND INDENTATIONS AND A SERIES OF EQUALLY SPACED VERTICAL CAM MEMBERS; (B) SAID PROJECTIONS OF SAID CAM PROFILES BEING OPERATIVE TO MOVE SAID BOTTOM LIFTERS, SAID SIDE MEMBERS AND SAID IMPALING NEEDLES INWARDLY IN TIMED SEQUENCE AND SAID INDENTATIONS OF SAID CAM PROFILES BEING OPERATIVE TO MOVE SAID BOTTOM LIFTERS AND SIDE MEMBERS TO AN OUTER POSITION AND SAID IMPALING NEEDLES TO A RETRACTED POSITION; (C) SAID VERTICAL CAM MEMBERS BEING OPERATIVE TO MOVE SAID IMPALING NEEDLES FROM AN UPWARD POSITION DOWNWARDLY TO A LOWER POSITION AND THENCE UPWARDLY TO THE ORIGINAL STARTING POSITION.