Patent US4009740A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US4009740A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Ice cream dispensing machine
Assignee: Individual
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Filing: 1975-09-26
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Granted: 1977-03-01
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Expires: 1995-09-26
Abstract
Abstract An automatic ice cream cone dispensing machine includes an automatic delivery apparatus for taking individual cones one at a time from an upright nested stack, moving the cone translationally to a fill position lateral of the stack, and finally moving the filled cone back to a pick up station. Escapement and cone receiving mechanisms operate to remove successive cones from the stack. The escapement mechanism is operated to open, in response to appropriate positioning of the receiving mechanism, allowing the stack of cones to fall freely toward the receiving mechanism. The receiving mechanism catches and supports the falling stack by the bottom cone. The escapement then closes to support the remainder of the stack above the bottom container as the receiving mechanism is lowered to move the bottom cone free of the stack. The container and receiving mechanism is then moved by a transfer mechanism to the fill and pick up stations. A filling mechanism is provided to fill the individual cone at the filling position in conjunction with operation of the delivery apparatus.
Inventors
- 👤 Joseph Frank Michielli
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 15:54
CPC Classifications
B; B65; B65B; B65B43/00; B65B43/42; B65B43/44; B65B43/50; G; G07; G07F; G07F13/00; G07F13/10
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
314 words
In an automatic ice cream dispensing machine a combination comprising: a supporting framework; ice cream dispensing means on the framework at an ice cream container filling station for successively dispensing ice cream into ice cream containers; refrigeration means for cooling the ice cream within the dispensing means; a container magazine on the framework at an empty container dispensing station for receiving an upright nested stack of upwardly open empty ice cream containers and for guiding the stack to move gravitationally downward through a magazine opening; carriage means on the framework sequentially movable horizontally between the empty container dispensing station and the container filling station and filled ice cream discharge station intermediate the empty container dispensing station and the container filling station; an escapement means adjacent the magazine opening at the empty containers dispensing station for alternately (a) closing to support the stack and thereby prevent downward movement of the stack through the magazine opening and (b) opening to release the full stack to fall by gravity with the bottom container of the stack falling below the escapement means; and a container receiving means supported on the carriage and mounted for sequentially (a) moving upward when the carriage is at the empty container station to a first position immediately below the magazine opening to receive the bottom container of the stack when the escapement means is open, (b) supporting the full stack prior to the closing of the escapement means, (c) moving downward after the escapement means is closed to thereby remove the bottom container from the stack, (d) carrying the bottom container on the carriage from the empty container dispensing station to the container filling station, (e) moving this container upward at the container filling station to the ice cream dispensing means, (f) moving the container slowly downward as it is being filled, and (g) carrying the filled container to the container discharge station.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
314 words
In an automatic ice cream dispensing machine a combination comprising: a supporting framework; ice cream dispensing means on the framework at an ice cream container filling station for successively dispensing ice cream into ice cream containers; refrigeration means for cooling the ice cream within the dispensing means; a container magazine on the framework at an empty container dispensing station for receiving an upright nested stack of upwardly open empty ice cream containers and for guiding the stack to move gravitationally downward through a magazine opening; carriage means on the framework sequentially movable horizontally between the empty container dispensing station and the container filling station and filled ice cream discharge station intermediate the empty container dispensing station and the container filling station; an escapement means adjacent the magazine opening at the empty containers dispensing station for alternately (a) closing to support the stack and thereby prevent downward movement of the stack through the magazine opening and (b) opening to release the full stack to fall by gravity with the bottom container of the stack falling below the escapement means; and a container receiving means supported on the carriage and mounted for sequentially (a) moving upward when the carriage is at the empty container station to a first position immediately below the magazine opening to receive the bottom container of the stack when the escapement means is open, (b) supporting the full stack prior to the closing of the escapement means, (c) moving downward after the escapement means is closed to thereby remove the bottom container from the stack, (d) carrying the bottom container on the carriage from the empty container dispensing station to the container filling station, (e) moving this container upward at the container filling station to the ice cream dispensing means, (f) moving the container slowly downward as it is being filled, and (g) carrying the filled container to the container discharge station.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
50 words
In the machine as defined by claim 1 wherein the container receiving means is comprised of: an upwardly open container receiving member for loosely receiving the bottom container of the stack; and drive means operatively connecting the container receiving member to the carriage for moving the member vertically and horizontally.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
102 words
In the machine as defined by claim 1 wherein the escapement means is comprised of: a pair of aperture plates mounted to the magazine adjacent the magazine opening for pivotal movement in a horizontal plane between closed and open positions; oppositely facing concave surfaces on the aperture plates that are spaced apart (a) by a distance less than the maximum cross-sectional dimension of the containers when in the closed position and (b) by a distance greater than the maximum cross-sectional dimension of the containers when in the open position; and means for pivoting the aperture plates between the open and closed positions.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
97 words
In the machine as defined by claim 1 wherein the magazine includes: a carousel having a plurality of upright stack receiving chutes arranged thereon in a circular pattern about a vertical central rotational axis; chute drive means for rotating the chutes about the vertical central rotational axis to bring each chute into alignment with the magazine opening; and chute drive control means for operating the drive means to rotate the chutes as one chute presently adjacent the opening becomes empty of containers to bring a chute having a supply of containers therein into alignment with the opening.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
76 words
In the machine as defined in claim 2 wherein the receiving means includes a transfer means comprising: a horizontal lead screw mounted to the framework extending between the empty container dispensing station, the filled ice cream discharge station and container filling station; half nut means mounted to the carriage and threadably engaged with the lead screw; lead screw drive means for automatically operating the lead screw drive means to move the carriage successively between the stations.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
83 words
In the machine as defined by claim 1 wherein the ice cream dispensing means is comprised of: a plurality of ice cream bins for holding different flavor ice cream; a delivery tube extending outwardly from selected bins to a common central delivery tube; a valve within the common central delivery tube; means for forcing the ice cream through the delivery tube; and valve control means for operating the valve in response to positioning of the receiving means at the ice cream filling position.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
176 words
In an automatic container dispensing machine of the type including a container magazine on a supporting framework at an empty container dispensing station for receiving an upright nested stack of upwardly open containers with upper open container edges spaced equally apart in the stack and for guiding the stack to move gravitationally downward through a magazine opening, an improvement comprising: an escapement means adjacent the magazine opening for alternately opening and closing to (a) support the stack when closed to prevent downward movement of the stack through the opening, and (b) release the stack when open to fall by gravity with the bottom container of the stack falling below the escapement means; and a container receiving means on the framework for sequentially (a) moving upwardly to a first position immediately below the magazine opening to receive the bottom container of the stack upon opening to the escapement means and thereby support the full stack until the escapement means is again closed, and (b) moving downwardly to move the bottom container after the escapement means is closed.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
176 words
In an automatic container dispensing machine of the type including a container magazine on a supporting framework at an empty container dispensing station for receiving an upright nested stack of upwardly open containers with upper open container edges spaced equally apart in the stack and for guiding the stack to move gravitationally downward through a magazine opening, an improvement comprising: an escapement means adjacent the magazine opening for alternately opening and closing to (a) support the stack when closed to prevent downward movement of the stack through the opening, and (b) release the stack when open to fall by gravity with the bottom container of the stack falling below the escapement means; and a container receiving means on the framework for sequentially (a) moving upwardly to a first position immediately below the magazine opening to receive the bottom container of the stack upon opening to the escapement means and thereby support the full stack until the escapement means is again closed, and (b) moving downwardly to move the bottom container after the escapement means is closed.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
47 words
The improvement as defined by claim 7 wherein the container receiving means is comprised of: an upwardly open container receiving member for loosely receiving the bottom container of the stack; and drive means operatively connecting the container receiving member to the frame for moving the member vertically.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
102 words
The improvement as defined by claim 7 wherein the escapement means is comprised of: a pair of aperture plates mounted to the magazine adjacent the magazine opening for pivotal movement in a horizontal plane between closed and open positions; oppositely facing concave surfaces on the aperture plates that are spaced apart (a) by a distance less than the maximum cross-sectional dimension of the stacked containers when in the closed position and (b) by a distance greater than the maximum cross-sectional dimension of the container when in the open position; and means for pivoting the aperture plates between the open and closed positions.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
47 words
The improvement as defined by claim 9 wherein the container receiving means is comprised of: an upwardly open container receiving member for loosely receiving the bottom container of the stack; and drive means operatively connecting the container receving member to the frame for moving the member vertically.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
139 words
The improvement as defined by claim 10 wherein the containers are each substantially conical in configuration, tapering from an enlarged opening upper end to a reduced closed lower end so when the containers are nested together to form a stack, the open upper ends are spaced apart equally along the central stack axis; and wherein the escapement means is operable to: a. open to release the stack as the container receiving means moves to a container receiving position spaced below the stack by a distance equal to or less than the distance between the adjacent open upper ends of containers within the stack; and b. close the escapement means once the stack is moved downwardly along the stack axis a distacne equal to or less than the distance between adjacent open upper ends of the containers within the stack.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1980-02-29 | 1980-08-30 | 1981-03-01 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1984-02-29 | 1984-08-30 | 1985-03-01 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1988-02-29 | 1988-08-30 | 1989-03-01 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |