Bottle Dispenser Ramp Layout for Upper-Shelf Stocking Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
In grocery and convenience stores, the uppermost shelves are often underutilized due to inconvenience for stocking and dispensing containers, particularly for bottles on the rearward rows, leading to unutilized space.
Innovation Solution
A container dispenser with a housing featuring inclined ramps and a loading mechanism that aligns and moves containers from a loading opening to a dispensing opening, including shock absorption features to facilitate easy stocking and dispensing, and a stopper mechanism to control the flow of containers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If bottles are stocked in rows on the uppermost shelf, then shelf space utilization is improved, but stocking and dispensing convenience deteriorates due to difficulty in accessing rearward bottles
Solution Approach 1:
The dispenser segments the storage space into multiple rows with independent access points. Each row can be accessed separately through the front, allowing rearward bottles to be stocked and dispensed without removing front bottles. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by maintaining full shelf utilization while providing convenient access to all bottles.
Solution Approach 2:
The dispenser acts as an intermediary device between the stockperson/customer and the bottles on the upper shelf. It provides a mechanical system with ramps and loading mechanisms that facilitate easy placement and retrieval of bottles, eliminating the need for direct manual access to rearward positions on the upper shelf.
2Quantity of substance
If bottles are placed in rearward rows of the upper shelf, then storage capacity is improved, but accessibility for removal deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The dispenser creates segmented storage rows where each bottle position is independently accessible. The mechanical design allows bottles in rearward rows to be reached and removed through the front opening without disturbing bottles in forward rows, thus maintaining storage capacity while improving accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The dispenser introduces a new dimensional approach by using inclined ramps and mechanical loading mechanisms that allow vertical and horizontal movement of bottles. This enables access to rearward rows through a different spatial pathway, resolving the accessibility problem while maintaining storage capacity.
3Device complexity
If manual stocking of upper shelf bottles is used, then simplicity is improved, but physical strain and inconvenience increase
Solution Approach 1:
The dispenser provides self-service functionality through its mechanical loading mechanism. The system automatically guides and positions bottles onto the inclined ramps and into storage rows without requiring manual lifting or complex manual manipulation, reducing physical strain while maintaining operational simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical stocking with an automated mechanical system featuring inclined ramps and loading mechanisms. This substitution eliminates the need for stockpersons to manually lift and place heavy bottles on upper shelves, reducing physical strain while maintaining system simplicity through passive mechanical design.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The dispenser allows for efficient and convenient stocking and dispensing of containers on upper shelves, reducing the likelihood of jamming and physical strain during stocking, while utilizing the entire shelf space and ensuring smooth container flow.
Implementation Method 1
The passageway has a first inclined ramp having a first end and a second end. The first end is adjacent the inlet and the second end is positioned lower than the first end of the first ramp to provide a pathway for a container to roll from the first end of the first ramp to the second end of the first ramp.
Implementation Method 2
A shock absorption ramp has one end attached to the channel wall. A free, end of the shock absorption ramp extends into the channel to engage containers falling through the channel to absorb energy of the containers. The second end of the second ramp rests on an energy absorption member to also absorb energy from the container as the container falls onto the second end of the second ramp.
Data Source
AI summary
A dispenser for storing and dispensing containers has a housing with an inlet opening for loading containers into the dispenser, and an outlet opening for dispensing containers. The dispenser has a passageway connecting the inlet opening to the outlet opening that includes at least one inclined ramp that the containers roll along. The dispenser has a loading mechanism positioned adjacent the inlet opening that is aligned relative to the passageway. The loading mechanism has a contact surface for receiving a container to be loaded into the passageway and maintains the container in a predetermined alignment with the passageway. Movement of the loading mechanism causes the contact surface to urge the container towards the passageway while substantially maintaining alignment of the container with the passageway.