Cup Dispenser Wire Clip Structure for One-at-a-Time Dispensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional beverage cup dispensers are complex, costly, and inefficient, often damaging cups due to improper spring tension or requiring customer adjustment for different cup sizes, while pull-type dispensers face issues with cup alignment and waste due to spring tuning.
Innovation Solution
A low-cost cup dispenser with a crossbar and upright posts that use a spring steel wire clip to engage and retain cups, allowing adjustable height and easy accommodation of various cup diameters, ensuring controlled dispensing of nested containers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional spring-biased dispensers are used, then cups can be dispensed automatically, but the device becomes complex and costly to manufacture
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the complex spring mechanism and tubular housing from conventional dispensers, extracting only the essential function of cup retention. The wire frame structure eliminates unnecessary components while maintaining automatic dispensing through gravity and simple wire clip engagement.
Solution Approach 2:
The dispenser is segmented into simple functional components: a wire frame with upright posts, wire clips for retention, and ramps for cup positioning. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining effectiveness.
2Reliability
If clips are used to retain cups, then cup retention is improved, but customer adjustment is required for different cup sizes
Solution Approach 1:
The wire clips are designed with flexibility to adapt to different cup diameters dynamically. The clips can bend and conform to various cup sizes without requiring manual adjustment, providing reliable retention across different container types while maintaining ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The wire clips change their engagement parameters (position, angle, tension) automatically based on the cup diameter. This allows the same clip design to reliably retain cups of varying sizes without requiring customer adjustment or reconfiguration.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If spring tension is increased to prevent cup damage, then cup protection is improved, but multiple cups may be dispensed at once
Solution Approach 1:
The wire clips act as intermediaries between the cup stack and the dispenser frame, providing gentle yet effective retention. The clips engage the cups at optimal points to prevent damage while maintaining individual cup separation, ensuring controlled one-at-a-time dispensing without excessive tension.
4Reliability
If conventional tubular dispensers are used, then cup dispensing is reliable, but the footprint is large and occupies significant countertop space
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the cup dispensing function from the bulky tubular housing, retaining only the essential wire frame structure with upright posts and ramps. This extraction reduces the dispenser footprint significantly while maintaining reliable cup dispensing through gravity-assisted movement along the ramps.
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 provides a simple, cost-effective solution for dispensing cups of different sizes without damaging them, ensuring one-at-a-time dispensing and minimizing waste, while being adaptable to various container types.
Implementation Method 1
a spring steel wire clip to engage and retain cups
Data Source
AI summary
A container dispenser includes structure to support a nested stack of containers. The dispenser includes a crossbar at the lower end of the structure and a pair of spaced apart upright posts to which a retention wire clip may be removably mounted. The wire clip is designed to engage the exterior side wall or lip of the outermost cup of the nested stack, and in effect, hold the outermost container against the cross bar. This not only keeps the outermost container from falling away from the dispenser but also retains the nested stack in the dispenser. The retention wire clip is preferably formed of spring steel.