Bowl or cup dispenser

Claim 2

Apparatus for dispensing receptacles, each having a rim, from a stack of the receptacles in which each receptacle is nested in the next receptacle below, comprising a carriage, primary means carried by the carriage on which the bottom of the bottom receptacle of the stack may bear for supporting the stack, means mounting said carriage and said primary stack-supporting means for movement of the primary stack-supporting means between a stack-supporting position in register with the stack and a dispensing position clear of the bottom receptacle of the stack enabling the bottom receptacle to drop away from the stack for being dispensed, a pair of fingers movable with said carriage and primary stack-supporting means offset from and spaced above said primary stack-supporting means for entry between the rim of the bottom receptacle and the rim of the next receptacle above at opposite sides of the latter when the primary stack-supporting means moves from its stack-supporting position to its dispensing position for holding up the stack while the bottom receptacle drops away, said fingers being retracted from under the rim of said next receptacle when said primary stack-supporting means movEs to its said stack-supporting position releasing the stack to bear on said primary stack-supporting means, said fingers being wedge-shaped to wedge between the rim of the bottom receptacle and the next receptacle above to separate the bottom receptacle from the said next receptacle, means mounting said primary stack-supporting means on the carriage for vertical adjustment relative thereto and relative to said fingers for handling receptacles of different height, and means mounting said fingers on the carriage for adjustment laterally toward and away from each other and also longitudinally relative to the carriage for handling receptacles of different top diameter.

Claim 3

Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said carriage mounting means supports and guides the carriage for reciprocation back and forth between a first position wherein the primary stack-supporting means is in its stack-supporting position and a second position wherein the primary stack-supporting means is in its dispensing position, said carriage being structured to permit the bottom receptacle to drop down away from the stack when the carriage moves to its said second position, and having means for reciprocating the carriage, and wherein said carriage comprises a pair of side members spaced apart a distance greater than the top diameter of the largest receptacle to be handled, said fingers being mounted for adjustment on said side members toward and away from one another laterally of the carriage and also longitudinally of the carriage for handling receptacles of different top diameter, said side members having brackets extending downwardly therefrom carrying said primary stack-supporting means extending laterally with respect to the carriage between said brackets, and said apparatus having means for vertical adjustment of said primary stack-supporting means with respect to said brackets.

Claim 4

Apparatus for dispensing receptacles, each having a rim, from two adjacent stacks of the receptacles, each receptacle in each of the two stacks being nested in the next receptacle below, comprising primary means on which the bottom of the bottom receptacle of either stack may bear for supporting the stack, means mounting said primary stack-supporting means for movement between a first stack-supporting position in register with a first of the two stacks and clear of the second of the two stacks and a second stack-supporting position in register with the second stack and clear of the first stack, a first auxiliary means movable with said primary stack-supporting means offset therefrom and spaced thereabove and positioned relative thereto for entry between the rim of the bottom receptacle of the first stack and the rim of the next receptacle above when the primary stack-supporting means moves from its said first to its said second stack-supporting position for holding up the first stack while the bottom receptacle thereof drops away, and a second auxiliary means movable with said primary stack-supporting means oppositely offset therefrom and spaced thereabove and positioned relative thereto for entry between the rim of the bottom receptacle of the second stack and the rim of the next receptacle above when the primary stack-supporting means moves from its said second to its said first stack-supporting position for holding up the second stack while the bottom receptacle thereof drops away, each auxiliary means comprising a pair of fingers positioned to enter between the rim of the bottom receptacle and the rim of the next receptacle above of the respective stack at opposite sides of the latter, the fingers of each auxiliary means being wedge-shaped and the two pairs of wedge-shaped fingers being oppositely directed to wedge between the rim of the bottom receptacle and the rim of the next receptacle above of the respective stack to separate the bottom receptacle from the said next receptacle, said apparatus having a carriage carrying said primary stack-supporting means and said fingers of each auxiliary means, said mounTing means supporting and guiding said carriage for movement to carry said primary means between its said first and second stack-supporting positions, said primary stack-supporting means being carried by the carriage for vertical adjustment relative thereto and relative to the said fingers of the first and second auxiliary means for handling receptacles of different height, the said fingers of each auxiliary means being carried by the carriage for adjustment toward and away from each other relative to the carriage for handling receptacles of different diameter.

Claim 5

Apparatus for dispensing receptacles, each having a rim, from two adjacent stacks of the receptacles, each receptacle in each of the two stacks being nested in the next receptacle below, comprising primary means on which the bottom of the bottom receptacle of either stack may bear for supporting the stack, means mounting said primary stack-supporting means for movement between a first stack-supporting position in register with a first of the two stacks and clear of the second of the two stacks and a second stack-supporting position in register with the second stack and clear of the first stack, a first auxiliary means movable with said primary stack-supporting means offset therefrom and spaced thereabove and positioned relative thereto for entry between the rim of the bottom receptacle of the first stack and the rim of the next receptacle above when the primary stack-supporting means moves from its said first to its said second stack-supporting position for holding up the first stack while the bottom receptacle thereof drops away, and a second auxiliary means movable with said primary stack-supporting means oppositely offset therefrom and spaced thereabove and positioned relative thereto for entry between the rim of the bottom receptacle of the second stack and the rim of the next receptacle above when the primary stack-supporting means moves from its said second to its said first stack-supporting position for holding up the second stack while the bottom receptacle thereof drops away, each auxiliary means comprising a pair of fingers positioned to enter between the rim of the bottom receptacle and the rim of the next receptacle above of the respective stack at opposite sides of the latter, the fingers of each auxiliary means being wedge-shaped and the two pairs of wedge-shaped fingers being oppositely directed to wedge between the rim of the bottom receptacle and the rim of the next receptacle above of the respective stack to separate the bottom receptacle from the said next receptacle, said apparatus having a carriage carrying said primary stack-supporting means and said fingers of each auxiliary means, said mounTing means supporting and guiding said carriage for movement to carry said primary means between its said first and second stack-supporting positions, said primary stack-supporting means being carried by the carriage for vertical adjustment relative thereto and relative to the said fingers of the first and second auxiliary means for handling receptacles of different height, the said fingers of each auxiliary means being carried by the carriage for adjustment toward and away from each other relative to the carriage for handling receptacles of different diameter.

Claim 6

Apparatus for dispensing receptacles, each having a rim, from two adjacent stacks of the receptacles, each receptacle in each of the two stacks being nested in the next receptacle below, comprising primary means on which the bottom of the bottom receptacle of either stack may bear for supporting the stack, means mounting said primary stack-supporting means for movement between a first stack-supporting position in register with a first of the two stacks and clear of the second of the two strokes and a second stack-supporting position in register with the second stack and clear of the first stack, a first auxiliary means movable with said primary stack-supporting means offset therefrom and spaced thereabove and positioned relative thereto for entry between the rim of the bottom receptacle of the first stack and the rim of the next receptacle above when the primary stack-supporting means moves from its said first to its said second stack-supporting position for holding up the first stack while the bottom receptacle thereof drops away, and a second auxiliary means movable with said primary stack-supporting means oppositely offset therefrom and spaced thereabove and positioned relative thereto for entry between the rim of the bottom receptacle of the second stack and the rim of the next receptacle above when the primary stack-supporting means moves from its said second to its said first stack-supporting position for holding up the second stack while the bottom receptacle thereof drops away, each auxiliary means comprising a pair of fingers positioned to enter between the rim of the bottom receptacle and the rim of the next receptacle above of the respective stack at opposite sides of the latter, the fingers of each auxiliary means being wedge-shaped and the two pairs of wedge-shaped fingers being oppositely directed to wedge between the rim of the bottom receptacle and the rim of the next receptacle above of the respective stack to separate the bottom receptacle from the said next receptacle, said apparatus having a carriage carrying said primary stack-supporting means and said fingers of each auxiliary means, said mounting means supporting and guiding said carriage for movement to carry said primary means between its said first and second stack-supporting positions, said mounting means supporting and guiding the carriage for reciprocation back and forth between a first position wherein the primary stack-supporting means is in its first stack-supporting position and a second position wherein the primary stack-supporting means is in its second stack-supporting position, said carriage being structured to permit the bottom receptacle of either stack to drop down away from that stack when the carriage moves to its position for supporting the other stack, means for reciprocating the carriage, said carriage comprising a pair of side members spaced apart a distance greater than the top diameter of the largest receptacle to be handled, means mounting said fingers for adjustment on said side members toward and away from one another laterally of the carriage and also longitudinally of the carriage for handling receptacles of different top diameter, said side members having brackets extending downwardly therefrom carrying said primary stack-supporting means extending laterally with respect to the carriage between said brackets, and means for vertical adjustment of said primary stack-supporting means with respect to said bracketS.

Claim 7

Apparatus for dispensing receptacles, each having a rim, from two adjacent stacks of the receptacles, each receptacle in each of the two stacks being nested in the next receptacle below, comprising primary means on which the bottom of the bottom receptacle of either stack may bear for supporting the stack, means mounting said primary stack-supporting means for movement between a first stack-supporting position in register with a first of the two stacks and clear of the second of the two strokes and a second stack-supporting position in register with the second stack and clear of the first stack, a first auxiliary means movable with said primary stack-supporting means offset therefrom and spaced thereabove and positioned relative thereto for entry between the rim of the bottom receptacle of the first stack and the rim of the next receptacle above when the primary stack-supporting means moves from its said first to its said second stack-supporting position for holding up the first stack while the bottom receptacle thereof drops away, and a second auxiliary means movable with said primary stack-supporting means oppositely offset therefrom and spaced thereabove and positioned relative thereto for entry between the rim of the bottom receptacle of the second stack and the rim of the next receptacle above when the primary stack-supporting means moves from its said second to its said first stack-supporting position for holding up the second stack while the bottom receptacle thereof drops away, each auxiliary means comprising a pair of fingers positioned to enter between the rim of the bottom receptacle and the rim of the next receptacle above of the respective stack at opposite sides of the latter, the fingers of each auxiliary means being wedge-shaped and the two pairs of wedge-shaped fingers being oppositely directed to wedge between the rim of the bottom receptacle and the rim of the next receptacle above of the respective stack to separate the bottom receptacle from the said next receptacle, said apparatus having a carriage carrying said primary stack-supporting means and said fingers of each auxiliary means, said mounting means supporting and guiding said carriage for movement to carry said primary means between its said first and second stack-supporting positions, said mounting means supporting and guiding the carriage for reciprocation back and forth between a first position wherein the primary stack-supporting means is in its first stack-supporting position and a second position wherein the primary stack-supporting means is in its second stack-supporting position, said carriage being structured to permit the bottom receptacle of either stack to drop down away from that stack when the carriage moves to its position for supporting the other stack, means for reciprocating the carriage, said carriage comprising a pair of side members spaced apart a distance greater than the top diameter of the largest receptacle to be handled, means mounting said fingers for adjustment on said side members toward and away from one another laterally of the carriage and also longitudinally of the carriage for handling receptacles of different top diameter, said side members having brackets extending downwardly therefrom carrying said primary stack-supporting means extending laterally with respect to the carriage between said brackets, and means for vertical adjustment of said primary stack-supporting means with respect to said bracketS.