GB1325202A - Cup magazines for beverage vending machines - Google Patents

Abstract

1325202 Dispensing cups VENDOPS Ltd 9 Aug 1971 [22 Aug 1970] 40549/70 Heading A4T [Also in Division G4] A cup dispenser for a coin-freed beverage vending machine comprises at least one upright tube-like stack guiding means 22 for receiving a rested stack of lipped cups A, a platform 4 upon which the base of the bottom cup sits to provide support for the stack, means for moving the stack guiding means so that the stack slides over the platform, a through opening 26 being provided in the platform 4 at a point in the path of travel of the stack, a pair of stack supports 28, 30 located at opposite sides of the opening to engage the lip a' of the second from bottom cup and support this cup and those thereabove, and a stationary projection 52 provided to engage the lip of the lowermost cup and detach it from the stack as the latter moves across the opening. The platform 4 is of a low-friction material such as high-density polyethylene. In the embodiment described six stack guiding means are provided on a central shaft 10 see Fig. 3 (not shown) which is rotated through one sixth of a revolution by an electric motor 44 on the deposition of appropriate carriage. The supporting means 28, 30 preferably have arcuate opposing edges coaxial with the shaft 10 and are adjustable in height above the platform 4 to allow for different cup sizes. A switch arm (58) is located in a slot (56) in the platform 4 and operates an alarm when any two adjacent stack guiding means are empty.