Strip feed device for a stirrer dispenser in a beverage vending machine

Abstract

In a strip feed device (11) for a stirrer dispenser (2) in particular for use in a beverage vending machine (1), a spool (8) coupled to a support (18) for rotation about an unwinding axis (22) is moved from a retracted strip feed position to an extended spool loading or exchange position via a handling device configured such that, when the spool (8) is arranged in the retracted strip feed position, the unwinding axis (22) is arranged horizontally, while, when the support (18) is arranged in the spool loading or exchange position, the unwinding axis is inclined downwardly towards a flat spool abutment wall (20).

Description

[0001] Citations of relevant applications

[0002] This patent application relates to Italian Patent Application No. 102021000021173, filed on 4 August 2021, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This invention relates to a strip supply device, specifically a strip supply device for a stirrer dispenser in a beverage vending machine. The following discussion will explicitly refer to this device without losing its general applicability. Background Technology

[0004] In the field of vending machines, it is known to arrange a stirrer dispenser inside a beverage vending machine. This stirrer dispenser is controlled by the electronic control unit of the beverage vending machine to dispense the stirrer directly into the beverage cup.

[0005] The stirrer is typically released into the cup before the beverage is filled, and the stirrer can be dispensed according to the user's preference for sugar in the selected beverage.

[0006] Today, different types of stirrers are used in beverage vending machines. Plastic stirrers can still be used reasonably; however, they are gradually falling out of favor due to known environmental pollution issues.

[0007] Biodegradable stirrers made of paper materials are increasingly replacing plastic stirrers. An example of a paper stirrer is described in the applicant's application WO 2020 / 225669 A1.

[0008] WO 2020 / 225669A1 discloses a paper stirrer made from a paper strip spool arranged in a stationary unwinding station and housed in a casing, in which the paper strip spool is slidably suspended on an unwinding hub that rotates about a fixed horizontal axis. In use, the spool is held engaged with the hub by a closed cover of the casing. The unwound strip advances through a traction and forming device below, and then through a cutting device, in which the strip is sized to form a stirrer of a predetermined length, which depends on the height of the beverage cup in which the beverage is dispensed.

[0009] Although the paper strip roll forming agitator allows for the production of stable agitators of any length in a short time by simply controlling the roll advance, the disadvantage of this production method is that it results in a considerable amount of machine downtime whenever a roll change is required.

[0010] The above is essentially based on the fact that each time a reel is changed, after the sealing cap and the core of the used reel (if any) are removed, the new reel is first slidably inserted into the unwinding hub.

[0011] Before reinstalling the cover, the new reel is partially unwound while the initial portion of the strip is manually inserted into the drag and forming device below. The housing is then closed with the cover, which holds the reel in place throughout the unwinding process.

[0012] Initial manual unwinding of the strip very frequently causes the spool to slip axially on the hub, which can result in the spool detaching from the hub and falling to the ground. The spool detaching from the hub occurs freely and rapidly, and often the operator does not have time to intervene effectively because their hands are inserting the strip into the dragging and forming equipment below.

[0013] Inevitably, the reel falls to the ground, deforms in some cases, and unwinds in others, rendering it unusable at least for hygiene reasons, and thus requiring replacement with a new reel.

[0014] Although the concept seems simple, in practice, the reel-changing operation not only results in losses of beverages that may not be dispensed, but also requires high operating costs and time, as well as a lot of waste of materials.

[0015] In some cases, the intervention time is increased by removing the cap, which requires disassembling one or more parts of the beverage vending machine and reassembling them after the reel is replaced.

[0016] For example, JP 201401695 A describes a strip reel unwinding device. Summary of the Invention

[0017] The purpose of this invention is to provide a strip supply device, specifically for forming a stirrer in a beverage vending machine, which allows for a simple and economical solution to the aforementioned problems.

[0018] A particular objective of this invention is to provide a strip feeding device that allows for easy replacement of strip reels in a very short time and avoids strip waste.

[0019] According to the present invention, a strip supply device is provided specifically for a stirrer dispenser in a beverage vending machine. The strip supply device includes: a mounting frame mounted to a fixed body; a support member for a strip reel; and a flat reel abutment wall. The support member is integral with and extends from the flat reel abutment wall, the flat reel abutment wall being coaxial with and configured to support the reel on a reel unwinding axis orthogonal to the flat reel abutment wall, such that the reel is rotatable about the unwinding axis and axially slidable relative to the flat reel abutment wall along the unwinding axis. The strip supply device further includes a relative movement device disposed between the support member and the mounting frame to allow the support member relative to the mounting frame. The support moves between a strip supply position and a reel loading or changing position, and when the support is positioned at the strip supply position, the unwinding axis is horizontally arranged, and when the support is positioned at the reel loading or changing position, the unwinding axis is inclined downward toward the flat reel adjacent wall; the relative movement device includes a hinge and an angle positioning device, the hinge being arranged between the mounting frame and the support and having a hinge axis fixed relative to the mounting frame, the angle positioning device being configured to allow the support to rotate relative to the mounting frame and about the hinge axis between the strip supply position and the reel loading or changing position; the angle formed by the unwinding axis and a reference plane orthogonal to the hinge axis is not equal to 90°.

[0020] The present invention also relates to a stirrer dispenser for a beverage vending machine.

[0021] According to the present invention, a stirrer dispenser for use in a beverage vending machine is also provided, the stirrer dispenser comprising: a support frame; a strip supply device connected to the frame for supplying a strip wound to form a spool; and a strip forming and slicing device for forming the strip and slicing the strip to form the stirrer; the strip supply device being the strip supply device described above. Attached Figure Description

[0022] The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate non-limiting embodiments of the invention, in which: - Figure 1 This is a front perspective view of a beverage vending machine equipped with a strip supply device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention for forming a stirrer; - Figure 2 and Figure 3 yes Figure 1 The components of the beverage vending machine shown are arranged in two different operating states, as shown in a side and magnified view. - Figure 4 and Figure 5 They are Figure 2 and Figure 3 The front view of the component shown; - Figure 6 yes Figure 2 and Figure 4 Top view of the components shown; - Figure 7 yes Figure 3 and Figure 5 A top view of the components shown; and - Figure 8 yes Figure 3 The component shown is partially exploded in 3D. Detailed Implementation

[0023] The invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings to enable those skilled in the art to implement and use it. Various modifications to the described embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles described can be applied to other embodiments and applications without departing from the scope of protection of the invention as defined in the appended claims. Therefore, the invention should not be considered limited to the embodiments described and shown, but has the widest scope of protection granted according to the principles and features described and claimed herein.

[0024] exist Figure 1 In the reference numeral 1, a beverage vending machine is generally indicated, which is equipped with a beverage selection keypad A and a stirrer dispenser 2 for dispensing the stirrer 3 into the beverage cup 4.

[0025] In the example shown, the stirrer dispenser 2 is arranged inside the beverage vending machine 1 and between the sugar dispensing device E and the cup dispensing device F, both of which are known in themselves and are therefore shown only schematically. The sugar dispensing device E and the cup dispensing device F are arranged on opposite sides of the stirrer dispenser 2 and close to the stirrer dispenser. Figure 1 and Figure 6 ).

[0026] The beverage vending machine 1 is electronically controlled by an electronic control unit to automatically dispense the stirrer 3 directly into the cup 4 during the beverage preparation cycle.

[0027] In the first variant, the stirrer dispenser 2 is arranged inside the beverage vending machine 1 so as to dispense the stirrer 3 into a dedicated cup removal compartment accessible from the outside, in response to the user's beverage selection on the beverage selection keypad.

[0028] In different configurations, the stirrer dispenser 2 is separate from the beverage vending machine 1 and externally connected to the beverage vending machine 1, thus forming an independently operating, self-contained device that can be operated by the user independently of the beverage vending machine 1 to dispense the stirrer 3 as needed.

[0029] In all cases, the mixer dispenser 2 is configured to sequentially form and dispense the mixer 3, which is conveniently a disposable mixer made of a strip 5 of food-grade sustainable material, preferably biodegradable or compostable and preferably plastic-free, such as waterproof cardboard, which is wound around the core 7 to form a roll 8. Figure 8 ).

[0030] The stirrer dispenser 2 includes: a support frame 9 for mounting to a structure 10 of a beverage vending machine 1; a strip supply device 11 releasably coupled to the frame 9 or the structure 10; and a forming and cutting device 12 operable to form a stirrer 3 from a strip 5.

[0031] The forming and cutting device 12 is known in itself and therefore not described in detail. It is arranged below the strip feeding device 11 and has an upper inlet opening 13 for receiving the strip 5 unwound from the spool 8. Figures 1 to 4 and Figure 8 ) and lower strip cross-cutting device 14.

[0032] Referring to the accompanying drawings, the strip supply device 11 includes an attachment frame 15 and a housing 18, the attachment frame being stably connected to the structure 10 and / or to the frame 9, and the housing being used to accommodate the reel 8.

[0033] For details, please refer to the following: Figure 8 The housing 18 includes a hollow body 19 having a flat bottom wall 20 for axially abutting a spool 8 and tubular, substantially cylindrical sidewalls 21 extending from the bottom wall 20 and coaxial with the unwinding axis 22 of the spool 8 orthogonal to the bottom wall 20. The sidewalls 21 define an opening 23 for inserting / removing the spool 8, which is closed by a removable cover 24 connected to the bottom wall 20 via a bayonet joint 25 or another equivalent releasable joint. The body 19 and the cover 24 together define a chamber 26 whose dimensions approximate the external dimensions of the spool 8, and which houses a hub 27. Figure 8 The hub is designed to support the spool 8 and be securely connected to the bottom wall 20, and extends coaxially from the bottom wall 20 with the unwinding axis 22.

[0034] The hub 27 terminates against the cover 24 and has external dimensions for supporting the spool 8, allowing the spool to rotate about the unwinding axis 22, and allowing the spool to slide in and out along the unwinding axis 22 when the cover 24 is removed.

[0035] The chamber 26 communicates with the outside through the strip outlet opening 28, which is formed through the sidewall 21 and leads to the channel 29, which guides the strip 5 toward the opening 13 of the forming and slicing device 12.

[0036] The housing 18 is coupled to the frame 15 via a positioning and maneuvering device 30, which is configured to allow the housing 18 and the hub 27 to move between a rearward or retracted position and a forward or extended position, such that in the rearward or retracted position... Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 4 and Figure 6 As shown, strip 5 is supplied to forming and slicing device 12, and housing 18 extends between sugar dispensing device E and cup supply device F, in the forward or extended position, as... Figure 3 , Figure 5 , Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, the spool 8 can be replaced or loaded, and the housing 18 protrudes to the outside of the sugar dispensing device E and the cup supply device F.

[0037] refer to Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 8 The positioning and maneuvering device 30 includes an inverted U-shaped or fork-shaped bracket 31 and a crossbeam formed by a plate 33, the bracket having two parallel and opposing arms 32. The arms 32 are hinged to the frame 15 via a hinge 34 having a common hinge pin that rotates about a horizontal fixed hinge axis 35.

[0038] In the described example ( Figure 2 and Figure 3 In the case where the housing 18 is arranged in the strip supply position and the reel replacement or loading position, the unwinding axis 22 is arranged on opposite sides of the vertical plane P1 where the hinge axis 35 is located.

[0039] The lower portion of the sidewall 21, which is angularly spaced from the opening 28, is securely connected to the plate 33 via a bracket 37, which forms part of the positioning and maneuvering device 30.

[0040] The positioning and maneuvering device 30 also includes an angle positioning component 38 for positioning the housing 18 and the hub 27 at the aforementioned strip supply position and reel replacement or loading position.

[0041] Conveniently, the angle positioning component 38 includes: at least one mechanical cam formed by a groove 39 formed on a wall 40 fixed to the inside of the bracket 31; and an abutment member formed by a hinge portion 41 that slides within the groove 39 and is fixed to the frame 15.

[0042] like Figure 4 and Figure 6 As shown, the bracket 37 and its connection to the housing 18 are configured to rotate clockwise about the vertical axis 38 so that the housing 18 is positioned at the strip supply position. Figure 4 ), such that the unwound axis 22 is arranged horizontally and tilted at an angle K not equal to 90° with the vertical plane P orthogonal to axis 35. Figure 6 and Figure 7 ).

[0043] Thus, axis 22 and axis 35 can be parallel or horizontal and oblique to each other. Figure 6 and Figure 7 ).

[0044] In all cases, the inclination of the rotational unwinding axis 22 relative to the vertical plane P is such that when the housing 18 and the hub 27 are arranged as... Figure 5 and Figure 7 When the reel is changed or loaded, the unwinding axis 22 tilts downward toward the bottom wall 20.

[0045] As can be understood from the above, the strip supply device 11 can supply strip 5 when the housing 18 and hub 27 are arranged in a rearward or retracted position, and in particular, since the strip supply device provides displacement of the housing 18 for changing the spool in a forward or extended position, the strip supply device simplifies and speeds up the operation for changing the spool 5.

[0046] Furthermore, when the housing 18 is positioned for reel replacement, the hub 27 is tilted downward toward the wall 20, causing the new reel to tend to slide spontaneously toward the bottom wall 20, which serves as a reference and axial stop, when it is connected to the hub 27 and during the initial unwinding, thereby achieving axial stability.

[0047] In this state, the machine operator can focus on inserting the initial section of the new strip into the forming and slicing device 12 without worrying about the new strip possibly falling off the hub 27 or coming out of the reel 8, even without the closing cover 24, which can be inserted before the frame 18 is displaced, at which point the corresponding reel 8 is in its rearward or retracted position.

[0048] As can be further understood from the above, the strip supply device 11 also allows for the elimination of strip waste caused by new rolls falling and significantly reduces machine downtime.

[0049] From the above, it can be finally understood that rotating or extending the housing 18 forward until it is brought into the reel changing position enables the production of a compact beverage vending machine 1, because the housing 18 can be arranged between other components during the strip feeding step, and for example between the sugar dispensing device E and the cup dispensing device F, and is therefore in a position inaccessible from the outside, and the housing can be extended so that the housing can instead be approached from the outside for reel changing only.

[0050] From the above, it can be further understood that the strip supply device 11 can be modified without departing from the scope of protection defined herein.

[0051] In particular, the housing 18 can be manufactured in a different manner than described, and the scroll 8 can be supported in another way (e.g., by the wall 21).

[0052] Furthermore, the housing 18 may have a shape different from the described shape, and for example, such that it only partially accommodates the scroll 8.

[0053] Furthermore, the positioning and actuation device 30 can be replaced by other lever or cam actuation devices, provided that these lever or cam actuation devices are designed not only to advance the frame 18 to the reel changing position, but also to tilt the unwinding axis 22 to a position relative to the horizontal strip supply position. In particular, the hinge axis 35 may not be horizontal or fixed relative to the frame 15, just as the positioning and actuation device 30 can be replaced by an equivalent stroke-ending device.

Claims

1. A strip feeding device (11), in particular for a stirrer dispenser (2) in a beverage vending machine (1); the strip feeding device (11) comprising: Mounting frame (15) is installed onto the fixed body; The device includes a support member comprising a sidewall (21) and a hub (27) for a strip reel (8); and a flat reel abutment wall (20); the support member is integral with and extends from the flat reel abutment wall (20), the flat reel abutment wall being coaxial with and configured to support the reel (8) about a reel unwinding axis (22) orthogonal to the flat reel abutment wall (20), such that the reel is rotatable about the unwinding axis (22) and axially slidable relative to the flat reel abutment wall (20) along the unwinding axis (22); characterized in that the strip supply device further includes a relative moving device (30) arranged between the support member and the mounting frame (15) to allow the support member to move relative to the mounting frame (15) between a strip supply position and a reel loading or changing position, and Furthermore, when the support is positioned at the strip supply position, the unwinding axis (22) is horizontally positioned, and when the support is positioned at the reel loading or changing position, the unwinding axis is inclined downward toward the flat reel adjacent wall (20); the relative movement device (30) includes a hinge (34) and an angle positioning device (38), the hinge being positioned between the mounting frame (15) and the support and having a hinge axis (35) fixed relative to the mounting frame (15), the angle positioning device being configured to allow the support to rotate relative to the mounting frame (15) and about the hinge axis (35) between the strip supply position and the reel loading or changing position; the angle (K) formed by the unwinding axis (22) and a reference plane (P) orthogonal to the hinge axis (35) is not equal to 90°.

2. The tape supply apparatus (11) according to claim 1, wherein The hinge axis (35) is horizontal.

3. The tape supply apparatus (11) according to claim 1, wherein When the support member is arranged in the strip supply device (11) at the strip supply position and the reel loading or replacement position, the unwinding axis (22) is arranged on opposite sides of the vertical plane (P1) where the hinge axis (35) is located.

4. The tape supply apparatus (11) according to claim 1, wherein The angle positioning device (38) includes: at least one mechanical cam carried by one of the support and the mounting frame (15); and at least one adjacent member arranged to cooperate with the cam and carried by the other of the support and the mounting frame (15).

5. The tape supply apparatus (11) according to claim 4, wherein The abutment member is formed by a fixed abutment pin, and the cam is formed by a movable groove that slidably engages with the abutment pin.

6. A blender dispenser (2) for a beverage vending machine (1), the blender dispenser (2) comprising: A support frame (9); a strip supply device (11) connected to the support frame (9) to supply a strip (5) wound to form a spool (8); and a strip forming and slicing device (12) for forming the strip (5) and slicing the strip to form a stirrer (3); characterized in that the strip supply device (11) is the strip supply device claimed in claim 1.

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