A better understanding of the invention will be achieved by using the numbered description of the figures set out below, these figures simply being used to illustrate but not limit a device according to the invention.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the female part of the device for dispensing shaped objects singly according to the invention, with a view of the upstream face or inlet face for the bulk objects, the longitudinal axis of which is almost vertical.
FIG. 2 is also a perspective view of the female part of the device for dispensing shaped objects singly according to the invention, when said female part has a single opening and a single chute in its second plane, with a view of the inlet face for the bulk objects, said FIG. 2 showing angles α and β.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the female part of the device for dispensing shaped objects singly according to the invention, when said female part is provided with a single chute, with a view of the downstream face or the exit face for the objects.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the device for dispensing singly according to the invention, when said female part is provided with a single chute, after assembly of the female and male parts, with a view of the inlet face for the bulk shaped objects.
FIG. 5 is also a perspective view of the female part of the device for dispensing shaped objects singly according to the invention, when said female part is provided with two openings and two chutes in its second plane, with a view of the inlet face for the bulk objects, of which the longitudinal axis is almost horizontal.
FIG. 6 is a cut-away perspective view of the female part of the device for dispensing shaped objects singly according to the invention, when said female part is provided with two chutes, with a view of the downstream face or the exit face for the objects which have been oriented and placed in an organised queue.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the female part of the device for dispensing shaped objects singly according to the invention, when said female part is provided with two chutes, with a view of the downstream face or the exit face for the objects which have been oriented and placed in the two chutes.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the male part of the device for dispensing shaped objects singly according to the invention, showing the means for guidance in rotation of the male part.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the male part of the device according to the invention, showing the guide means for the objects to be dispensed singly.
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the device for dispensing singly according to the invention, after assembly of the female and male parts, with a view of the inlet face for the bulk shaped objects.
FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the device for dispensing singly according to the invention, after assembly of the female and male parts, with a view of exit face for discharging shaped objects singly.
FIG. 12 is a section along the longitudinal axis of the closed unit for packaging and dispensing shaped objects singly including, in sequence, a tubular casing for bulk packaging of said objects, the device for dispensing said objects and the cap mounted on the male part of the dispensing device.
According to FIGS. 1 to 12, the device for dispensing shaped objects singly comprises a female part (1) and a male part (2).
The female part (1) comprises in the sequence of travel of the objects to be dispensed singly from the region where they are packaged in bulk:
- an external cylindrical casing (5), open at its upstream end (6) and downstream end (7).
- an internal casing (8) in the form of a cylinder/truncated cone coaxial with the closed external cylindrical casing (5) at its upstream end (9) and open at its downstream end (10). The free space (11) created between the external casing (5) and internal casing (8), mutually spaced by a distance at least equal to the smallest dimension of the object to be dispensed, provides a space for orienting the bulk shaped objects and for the organised movement of the oriented shaped objects from upstream to downstream.
- a first plane (12), which is close to the upstream end (6), connects the external casing (5) and internal casing (8), is placed perpendicularly to the common axis, has the shape of a circular sector of angle α of, for example, 120 degrees, and is provided with an opening in the shape of an arc of a circle (13), leaving the free space (11) clear from upstream to downstream.
- a second plane (14), which is placed between the first plane (12) and the downstream end (7), and also connects the external (5) and internal (8) coaxial casings perpendicularly to the axis, in the shape of a circular sector of angle β of, for example, 220 degrees, this second plane being provided with:
- either a single opening (15), dimensioned for the passage of single shaped objects present in the free orientation and movement space (11) singly from upstream to downstream, according to FIGS. 2 to 4.
- or two openings (15) and (16), dimensioned for the passage of shaped objects present in the free orientation and movement space (11) singly from upstream to downstream, according to FIGS. 5 to 7.
- between the second plane (14) and the downstream end (7):
- according to FIGS. 2 to 4, a single chute (17) mounted on a single opening (15) in the second plane (14), to allow storage in a queue of the objects to be dispensed that originate from the free space (11), this chute being delimited by the coaxial casings (5) and (8) and by two lateral walls (19, 21);
- according to FIGS. 5 to 7, two chutes (17) and (18) mounted on the openings (15) and (16) in the second plane (14), to allow storage in a queue of the objects to be dispensed that originate from the free space (11), these two chutes being delimited by the coaxial casings (5) and (8) and by two lateral walls (19, 21) and (20, 22) of each of the two chutes.
FIG. 6, showing a device comprising two chutes according to the invention, shows the planar lateral walls (19) and (20) that are furthest apart and belong to the two chutes (17) and (18), whilst the lateral walls (21) and (22) that are the closest to each other and belong to the chutes (17) and (18) are not visible in said FIG. 6 due to it being a broken away perspective view, but are visible in FIG. 7.
According to FIGS. 8 and 9, the rotatable male part (2) of the dispensing device according to the invention is just as suitable if it has a single chute as it is if it has two chutes. This male part constitutes the downstream exit part for the singly dispensed shaped objects and comprises:
- a base platform (23) in the shape of a circular disc, the periphery (24) of which is grooved, forming a stop for the external cylindrical casing (5), this platform being provided with an opening (25) dimensioned for the passage of an object delivered by the at least one chute (17) and/or (18) when said opening (25) is made congruent with either of the downstream exits of said at least one chute by rotation of the female part (2) in either direction.
- a casing (26) which is coaxial with the platform (23) to which it is connected, is cylindrical/truncated cone-shaped (26-27), is closed at its upstream end (28) and, when the male part (2) is mated with the female part, is inserted in the internal cylindrical/truncated cone-shaped casing (8) of the female part (1).
This coaxial casing (26) constitutes the downstream part of one of the walls of the at least one chute (17) and/or (18).
- a means for guidance in rotation (29) of the male part (2) mounted perpendicularly on the platform (23), the extreme part (30) of said guide means (29) being inserted when the female (1) and male (2) parts are fitted in the opening shaped as an arc of a circle (13), the ends of which constitute end of travel stops for the male part rotating in either direction. The extreme part (30) of the means for guidance in rotation (29) which emerges from the opening in the shape of an arc of a circle (13) constitutes a “stud” that is able to agitate the shaped objects, packaged in bulk in the front region of the dispensing device.
According to FIGS. 2 to 4, i.e. for a device with a single chute (17):
- a crown segment (31), mounted on the guide means (29), which moves freely between the two planes (12) and (14) of the female part when the male part (2) rotates and which blocks, at least partially and at the end of its travel, the upstream opening in the chute (17), in the appropriate rotational direction of the male part.
According to FIGS. 5 to 7, i.e. for a device with two chutes (17) and (18):
- a crown segment (31), mounted on the guide means (29) which moves freely between the two planes (12) and (14) of the female part when the male part (2) rotates and which blocks the upstream openings of the chutes (17) and (18), at least partially and alternately, at the end of its travel.
This crown segment (31) may be bevelled (32) at each of its ends (32), and this allows the bulk shaped objects to be agitated and guided singly towards the at least one chute (17) or (18) in which said objects are stacked in a queue.
According to FIGS. 5 to 7, i.e. for a device with two chutes (17) and (18):
- a guide means (33) for the object to be dispensed placed in the axis of the opening (25) of the platform (23) which is able to release a shaped object, by providing the exit opening of the chute (17) whilst the exit of the other chute (18) is closed by the internal face of the base platform (23) and which, by reversing the direction of rotation, releases a shaped object through the exit opening of the chute (18), whilst the exit of the chute (17) is in turn closed by the internal surface of the base platform (23).
According to FIGS. 2 to 4, i.e. for a device with a single chute (17):
- the same guide means (33) for the object to be dispensed placed in the axis of the opening (25) of the platform (23) which is able to release a shaped object, by providing the exit opening of the chute (17) and making it congruent with the opening (25) of the platform (23) and which, by reversing the direction of rotation, closes the exit opening of the chute (17).
Therefore, with every restricted rotation of the moving male part (2), a shaped object is dispensed by either of the chutes (17) and/or (18).
According to FIG. 12, which shows an axial section of the device for dispensing shaped objects singly with two chutes, said device is mounted on a container (35) and a cap (36), which constitutes a closed packaging unit, optionally for the treatment and dispensing singly of shaped objects to be dispensed, this unit comprising in the container (35) an internal recess means (37) for receiving the appropriate treatment agents in the form of a powdery mixture.
Finally, the mode of operation of the device for dispensing shaped objects singly according to the invention can be seen in FIGS. 1 to 12.
The shaped objects to be dispensed singly that are packaged in bulk in the container (35) are guided into the external casing (5) of the female part (1) and oriented by the cylindrical/truncated cone-shaped casing (8) in the free space (11), defined by these two coaxial casings, according to their position (38).
Placed between the two planes (12) and (14) in the shape of circular sectors with opposing angles α and β, the crown segment (31) with bevelled ends (32), rotated in either direction by the male part (2), agitates the bulk shaped objects and guides them singly towards the chutes (17) and (18) in which said objects (39) and (40) are stacked in a queue.
Once the guide means (33) for the object to be dispensed placed in the axis of the opening (25) of the platform (23) is congruent with the exit opening of the chute (17), a shaped object is released once the exit of the other chute (18) is closed by the internal surface of the base platform (23). By reversing the direction of rotation, a shaped object is released through the exit opening of the chute (18), whilst the exit of the chute (17) is closed by the internal surface of the base platform (23).
Patent Application
20080041875
