Patent Application
20080156822
The invention relates generally to a dispenser for flat sheet articles, such as cards, tickets, coupons and the like.
A wide variety of techniques have been developed for dispensing flat sheet articles, such as lottery tickets and telephone calling cards, in retail stores. Traditionally, such articles are presented to customers in a generally flat display case positioned on a check-out counter of the retail store.
Tickets are often displayed in clear plastic box. The tickets are generally pulled from the box manually and counted by the retail store operator.
This system is time consuming for the employee, and there is a lack of control, in that employee can miscount the tickets and lose revenue.
Automated dispensers are also known. In order to function reliably in a retail store environment.
Such automated dispensing systems currently on the market are costly to purchase and costly and time consuming to repair, and bulky and difficult to install.
Accordingly, there is a need for a manually operable dispensing apparatus for reliably dispensing flat sheet articles, such as lottery tickets and calling cards. There is a further need for a dispensing apparatus that can be simply serviced and maintained to both reduce the amount of skill and training required store personell. Such a manual dispenser will also provide reliable inventory control. Moreover, there is a need for a dispensing apparatus that can be utilized to limit the likelihood of theft and to facilitate the monitoring of the inventory of flat sheet articles dispensed to customers.
The subject invention is directed to a dispenser apparatus for dispensing one or more flat sheet articles from a stack which consists of a housing having one or more magazines for storing said one or more articles, a base disposed perpendicularly to the housing, and one or more dispensing mechanisms. The base has a service portion and a customer portion, wherein the service portion communicates with a lower region of each of the one or more magazines, and customer the portion communicates with the lower region of the base. The one or more dispensing mechanisms are located within the portion of the base and correspond to one or more magazines. The one or more dispensing mechanisms are adapted to engage with the one or more articles at the lower region of the one or more magazines for slidably advancing the one or more articles from the service portion to the customer portion of the base. An elongate bar of the dispensing apparatus is slidable between a first, a second, and a third position, wherein in the first position, the elongate bar is positioned proximate to the lower portion of the one or more magazines, wherein in the second position, the elongate bar slidably engages with the lowermost of the one or more articles, and wherein in the third position, the elongate bar slidably advances the lowermost of the one or more articles from the service portion to the customer portion of the base.
The subject invention provides a base containing one or more counter mechanisms. The counter mechanisms include a casing, a ratchet means with a pivot lever extending from the casing, and one or more numerical wheels coupled to the ratchet means and mounted within the casing, whereby the pivotal movement of the pivot lever rotatably advances at least one of the one or more numerical wheels. The one or more counter mechanisms are adapted to determine the quantity of the one or more articles slidably advanced from the service portion to the customer portion of the base, and wherein the pivot lever being pivotally moved by the slidable advancement of the elongate bar.
The subject invention is further directed to the elongate rod of the dispensing mechanism, wherein the elongate bar is formed with a handle portion and tip portion, the handle portion being operable by a service person, and the tip portion being adapted to engage with the lowermost of the one or more articles in the one or more magazines. The tip portion comprising an at least partially convex lead portion for vertically displacing the one or more articles within the one or more magazines when the elongate rod is slidably positioned between the third position and the first position. The lead portion is formed with a lip surface for engaging with the lowermost of the articles in the one or more magazines. The lip surface is dimensioned to engage and dispense the lowermost of the articles within the one or more magazines. In use, the vertical displacement of the articles by the lead portion shuffles the articles in the magazine and thus facilitates the engagement of the lowermost one of the articles by the lip surface.
The invention seeks to provide a base having a base frame, a middle plate mounted to the base frame, and a cover plate mounted to the middle plate, wherein the middle plate is provided with one or more channels disposed in parallel relationship and dimensioned to each receive one of the one or more elongate bar, and wherein the cover plate is formed with one or more cover slots adapted to register with respective the channels in the middle plate and at least partially contain the one or more elongate bar within the one or more channels. Each of the one or more channels generally defined by a bottom surface and a pair of opposed side surfaces, and wherein each of the channels is formed with a channel slot extending longitudinally along the bottom surface. Each of the channel slots have a proximal end and a distal end adapted to limit the slidabable advancement of the elongate bar between the first position, the second position and the third position. The middle plate is provided with one or more notches disposed in perpendicular relationship to the one or more channels, the one or more notches registering with the lower portion of the one or more magazines for receiving the articles.
The invention further seeks to provide a handle portion of the elongate bar is formed with a control knob for enabling the elongate rod to be slidably positioned between the first position, the second position and the third position. The handle portion is formed with a stop means for limiting the slidable advancement of the elongate bar, wherein the stop means extending at least partially downwardly through the one or more channels slots formed in the middle plate. The stop means is also adapted to pivotally actuate the counter mechanism when the elongate bar is slidably advanced along the one or more channels. Each of the control knobs extend at least partially upwardly through the one or more slots formed in the cover plate for enabling the one or more elongate bar to be slidingly advanced longitudinally along the one or more channels.
The invention further provides one or more magazines formed with a rear wall, two opposed side walls and a front wall extending generally vertically, wherein the rear wall is spaced apart from the front wall to form an open space for receiving the stack of the one or more articles. The front wall is at least partially transparent to enable the viewing of the one or more articles within the one or more magazines of the housing. The front wall may be removed from the housing to permit the one or more magazines to be replenished with additional the one or more articles. In a further embodiment, the front wall is adapted to receive and display one or more advertisement sheets relating to the one or more articles with the one or more magazines.
For a better understanding of the present invention, and to show more clearly how it may be carried out in practice, reference will now be made, by way of example only, to the accompanying drawings, in which:
The invention is illustrated with reference to
The dispenser apparatus (10) comprises a housing (12) for storing the articles (A), a base (14) disposed perpendicularly beneath housing (12), and one or more dispensing mechanisms (16) for dispensing the articles (A) from the housing (12). Housing (12) includes one or more magazines (18) for storing and displaying the articles (A) to a customer. As shown in
Referring to
Referring again to
Referring to
The cover plate (40) is formed with cover slots (56) which are adapted to register with the corresponding channels (46) provided in the middle plate (38). The cover plate (40) may be mounted to the middle plate (38) using suitable fasteners so as to at least partially contain the dispensing mechanisms (16) in the channels (46)
The counter mechanisms (42) are mounted to the base frame (36) and include casing (58), a ratchet means (60) with a pivot lever (62) extending from said casing (58), and one or more numerical wheels (64) coupled to said ratchet means (60) and mounted within said casing (58). Pivotal movement of the pivot lever (62) rotatably advances at least one of said numerical wheels (64) for determining the quantity of the articles (A) dispensed to the delivery portion (34).
The delivery portion provides walls (66) defining a generally rectangular trough. This is located so as to receive an article, when it is dispensed from a magazine.
Referring to
As shown in
In use, when a customer wishes to purchase a ticket the elongate bar (68) of the dispensing mechanism (16) is slidably moved by a store clerk between a first, a second, and a third position to dispense an article (A) from one of the magazines (18).
In the first position shown in
In the second position shown in
In the third position shown in
It should also be noted that the lowermost article cannot be dispensed until the counting mechanism is engaged to count 1 unit.
In operation in a retail store environment, the dispensing apparatus (10) is filled with articles (A), such as lottery tickets or calling cards. A customer indicates the quantity of articles they wish to purchase. The stone clerk moves the corresponding elongate bar (68) between the first, second and then third positions to dispense the article (A) into the delivery portion (34) of the base (14) for retrieval by the customer. As the elongate bars (68) are repositioned back to the second position from the third position, the articles (A) within the corresponding magazines (18 ) are displaced or shifted by the convex leading portion (78) of the elongate rod (68) to ready the next lowermost article for dispensing to the next consumer. When it is necessary to refill the one or more magazines (18), the store clerk simply unlocks the locking means (30) on the wall (22) to enable the magazine (18) to be replenished with articles (A). Once the magazine (18) has been replenished, the access wall (22) may be repositioned in the housing and secured in placed using the locking means (30). The counter mechanisms (42) are actuated by the slidable movement of the elongate bars (68) and provide the retail store owner with a count of the number of articles (A) dispensed from each of the magazines (18). This enables the retail store owner to accurately monitor the inventory of articles (A) for accounting and theft prevention purposes.
When the bar (68) is returned to its initial position, the stop (76) will simply trip the lever (62) without operating the counting device.
The foregoing is a description of a preferred embodiment of the invention which is given here by way of example only. The invention is not to be taken as limited to any of the specific features as described, but comprehends all such variations thereof as come within the scope of the appended claims.
