Apparatus for depositing discrete articles, such as raisins, upon a carrier

Claim 2

An article dispensing apparatus comprising: supply means adapted to receive and contain a plurality of discrete articles, said supply means having an outlet; a rotatable cylinder having a plurality of article-receiving pockets formed therein, said cylinder being positioned adjacent said supply means outlet; means for rotating said cylinder to move said pockets from a position where said pockets are aligned with said outlet for receiving articles from said supply means to another position where said pockets are remote from said outlet, said remote position constituting a discharge position for said articles; said pockets having bottoms therein which are pivotally movable toward and away from the surface of said cylinder; said pocket bottoms including a supporting surface pivotally connected to said cylinder, said surface being rotatable about said connection from an inwardly disposed position to an outwardly disposed position; means for pivotally moving said pocket bottoms from said inwardly displaced position when said pockets are aligned with said outlet to said outwardly displaced position when said pockets are at said discharge position, said outward movement of said pocket bottoms causing the articles within said pockets to be discharged therefrom; and receiving means adjacent said discharge position for separately receiving the articles discharged from said pockets.

Claim 3

An article dispensing apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said means for rotating said cylinder comprises: a gear means attached to said rotatable cylinder and centered upon the axis of rotation of said cylinder; and means for intermittently driving said gear means to permit intermittent rotation of said cylinder.

Claim 4

An article dispensing apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said means for rotating said cylinder comprises: a ratchet attached to said rotatable cylinder and centered upon the axis of rotation of said cylinder; a ratchet drive means including a pawl and a Pawl carrying lever, said pawl engaging said ratchet when said pawl carrying lever is moved in a first direction, said pawl disengaging from said ratchet when said pawl carrying lever is moved in a second direction, said second direction being opposite said first direction; and operating means attached to said pawl carrying lever to move said pawl carrying lever alternately in said first direction and then in said second direction, thus permitting said cylinder to intermittently rotate in a single rotational direction about the axis of rotation of said cylinder, said cylinder rotating only when said lever is moved in said first direction.

Claim 5

An article dispensing apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein said operating means is a pneumatic cylinder.

Claim 6

An article dispensing apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said means for moving said pocket bottom comprises: a cam means having a cam surface; a cam follower means attached to the movable bottom of each pocket; said cam follower means being maintained in constant contact with said cam surface to move said bottoms of said pockets to said outwardly displaced position when said pockets are at said discharge position and additionally to displace said pocket bottoms inwardly prior to alignment of said pockets with said outlet.

Claim 7

An article dispensing apparatus as defined in claim 1 further including: a cam following projecting from said supporting surface; and an engaging cam in constant contact with said cam follower as said cylinder is rotated, said cam being operative through said cam follower to rotate said supporting surface to its outwardly disposed position when said pockets are at said discharge position, said cam also being operative through said cam follower to permit said supporting surface to rotate to said inwardly disposed position when said pockets are aligned with said outlet.

Claim 8

An article dispensing apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said receiving means comprises: a plurality of open topped hoppers, each located below a pocket positioned at said discharge position for receiving articles discharged from said pockets, said open topped hoppers being in fixed alignment with said pockets.

Claim 9

An article dispensing apparatus as defined in claim 7 wherein said hoppers include a discharge control means for each hopper having an open position and a closed position, said open position permitting articles contained within said hoppers to be discharged thereupon and said closed position permitting articles discharged from said pockets to be retained within said hoppers.

Claim 10

An article dispensing apparatus as defined in claim 8 wherein said discharge control means comprises a slidable member extending across and comprising the bottom of all said hoppers, said slidable member having a plurality of holes therethrough, and wherein said hoppers each have open bottoms, said holes in said members being spaced apart by a spacing equal to the spacing between said open bottoms, said discharge control means being in said open position when said holes are aligned with said bottoms and being in said closed position when said holes are out of alignment with said bottoms.

Claim 11

An article dispensing apparatus as defined in claim 8 further including a carrier means adjacent said hoppers for receiving the articles when said discharge control means is in said open position.

Claim 12

An article dispensing apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said supply means comprises: an open topped receptacle with two spaced side walls and two spaced end walls being connected between said side walls and a bottom being connected to one end wall and both side walls and forming said outlet between the other end wall and the edge of said bottom.

Claim 13

An article dispensing apparatus as defined in claim 1 further comprising: an article agitation means positioned inside said supply means to agitate the discrete articles contained within said supply means in a direction parallel to the lOngitudinal axis of said cylinder.

Claim 14

An article dispensing apparatus as defined in claim 12 wherein said article agitation means comprises: a plurality of substantially linear agitator elements, each such element being attached at one end to a moving element, said moving element extending transversely through said supply means; and means for intermittently moving said moving element through a predetermined transverse path of motion.

Claim 15

An article dispensing apparatus as defined in claim 1 further comprising: a vibratory means attached to said supply means for vibrating the discrete articles contained therein toward said outlet.

Claim 16

An article dispensing apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said pocket bottoms are each pivotally mounted to the walls of said pocket at a position adjacent the surface of said cylinder.

Claim 17

An article dispensing apparatus comprising: an open topped supply means for containing a plurality of discrete articles and having connected sides and a bottom portion, said bottom portion partially closing the bottom of said supply means and leaving an unclosed portion forming an outlet; a rotatable cylinder having a plurality of article-receiving pockets formed therein, said cylinder being positioned adjacent said supply means and having a cylinder axis of rotation; a gear means attached to said rotatable cylinder and centered upon said cylinder axis of rotation; an intermittent engaging means for engaging intermittently said gear means for rotating said cylinder from a position where said pockets are aligned with said outlet for receiving discrete articles from said supply means to another position where said pockets are remote from said outlet, said remote position comprising a discharge position for said articles; said pockets having bottoms pivotally attached to said cylinder and rotatable about a pivot point between a discharge position wherein each bottom is coextensive with the surface of said rotatable cylinder and receiving position wherein each bottom is spaced inwardly from said cylinder surface to form a receptacle for receiving discrete articles from said supply means outlet; each said pocket bottom having a cam follower arm extending therefrom, said cam follower arm being in constant contact with a surface of a cam positioned about said cylinder axis of rotation, said cam surface being operative upon said cam follower arm to rotate said bottoms to their discharge position when the pocket is positioned at its remote position, said cam surface also being operative upon said cam follower arm to position said bottom in its receiving position when the pocket is positioned adjacent said outlet; a plurality of open topped hopper means, each hopper being positioned below a pocket positioned at its remote position for receiving discrete articles discharged therefrom; and a hopper discharge means having an open and a closed position, said closed position permitting articles discharged from said pockets to be held within the hopper and said open position permitting the discharge of articles from within said hopper.

Claim 18

An article dispensing apparatus comprising: an open topped supply means for containing a plurality of discrete articles and having connected sides and a bottom portion, said bottom portion partially closing the bottom of said supply means and leaving an unclosed portion forming an outlet; a rotatable cylinder having a plurality of article-receiving pockets formed therein, said cylinder being positioned adjacent said supply means and having a cylinder axis of rotation; a gear means attached to said rotatable cylinder and centered upon said cylinder axis of rotation; an intermittent engaging means for engaging intermittently said gear means for rotating said cylinder from a position where said pockets are aligned with said outlet for receiving discrete articles from said supply means to another position where said pockets are remote from said outlet, said remote position comprising a discharge position for said articles; said pockets having bottoms pivotally attached to said cylinder and rotatable about a pivot point between a discharge position wherein each bottom is coextensive with the surface of said rotatable cylinder and receiving position wherein each bottom is spaced inwardly from said cylinder surface to form a receptacle for receiving discrete articles from said supply means outlet; each said pocket bottom having a cam follower arm extending therefrom, said cam follower arm being in constant contact with a surface of a cam positioned about said cylinder axis of rotation, said cam surface being operative upon said cam follower arm to rotate said bottoms to their discharge position when the pocket is positioned at its remote position, said cam surface also being operative upon said cam follower arm to position said bottom in its receiving position when the pocket is positioned adjacent said outlet; a plurality of open topped hopper means, each hopper being positioned below a pocket positioned at its remote position for receiving discrete articles discharged therefrom; and a hopper discharge means having an open and a closed position, said closed position permitting articles discharged from said pockets to be held within the hopper and said open position permitting the discharge of articles from within said hopper.

Claim 19

An article dispensing apparatus as defined in claim 16 further including an endless conveyor disposed beneath said open-topped hopper means for receiving articles when said hopper discharge means is in its open position.

Claim 20

An article dispensing apparatus as defined in claim 17 wherein said articles are moist raisins and wherein said endless conveyor carries unbaked cookies onto which said raisins are deposited.

Claim 21

An article dispensing apparatus as defined in claim 1 further including means for supplying water to the surface of said cylinder along a line parallel to the longitudinal axis of said cylinder for cleaning said surface, and means, located adjacent said means for supplying, for scraping the surface of said cylinder clean after the water has been supplied thereto.