Dispensing apparatus
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dispensing devices for unpackaged baked goods, such as bread and rolls, face challenges in providing a simple and hygienic self-service removal mechanism that is easy to clean and maintain, while ensuring effective contamination protection and efficient door operation.
Innovation Solution
A dispensing device with a drawer-like insert featuring a transparent door and guide pins that utilize vertically and horizontally oriented guide recesses for smooth opening and closing, combined with a damping element like a gas spring for controlled movement, and an automatic closing function with sensors for enhanced safety and hygiene.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a door is added to the dispensing device for contamination protection, then hygiene is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The door is integrated into the drawer-like insert structure, with guide pins and guide recesses forming a nested guidance system. The door guides are recessed into the drawer-like insert, creating a compact nested arrangement that reduces overall complexity while maintaining contamination protection functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The door is curved in its upper region to follow the contour of the drawer-like insert, allowing it to be partially inserted when opened. This curvature enables the door to nest within the insert boundaries, preventing projection beyond the upper edge and simplifying the overall structure by eliminating the need for external housing extensions.
2Ease of operation
If a door guide with vertical and horizontal guide recesses is used, then the door operation is simplified, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The guide recess is divided into two distinct segments: a first guide recess for vertical guidance and a second guide recess for horizontal guidance. This segmentation separates the guidance functions into distinct geometric features, making each easier to manufacture with standard precision while maintaining smooth door operation through the combined action of both recesses.
3Volume of moving object
If the door is curved to be partially inserted, then the space efficiency is improved, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The door features a curved upper region that allows it to be partially inserted into the drawer-like insert when opened. This curvature is designed to follow the outer contour of the insert, enabling compact retraction without requiring additional external space, thereby improving space efficiency while maintaining manufacturability through controllable curved geometry.
4Reliability
If a damping element is added for controlled door movement, then the durability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
A damping element is introduced as an intermediary component between the door and the drawer-like insert to control door movement. This mediator provides controlled damping force during door operation, reducing impact and wear on the guide pins and guide recesses, thereby improving durability while adding only a single intermediary component rather than a complex control system.
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
Facilitates easy and attractive removal of goods, simplifies the door opening mechanism, ensures effective contamination protection, and enhances the durability and operability of the device by allowing controlled door movement and automatic closure, thus improving user safety and hygiene.
Implementation Method 1
at least one damping element (48) for slowing down the door's movement
Implementation Method 2
A damping element like a gas spring for controlled movement
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The present invention relates to a dispensing apparatus (10) for unpackaged goods, in particular baked goods such as bread, rolls or the like, having at least one carrier framework (12) and having at least one drawer-like insert (14), which in the installed state is inserted into the carrier framework (12), wherein the drawer-like insert (14) surrounds a goods-accommodating space (16), which contains at least one tray-like and/or board-like holder (18) for the goods, and wherein the drawer-like insert (14) has at least one front opening (22), via which the goods-accommodating space (16) and the tray-like and/or board-like holder (18) are accessible, and wherein the drawer-like insert (14) has at least one transparent door (24) and at least one door guide (28), which is arranged in the upper region of the opening (22), as seen in the installed and set-up state of the dispensing apparatus (10), wherein the door (24) has at least two guide pins (30) and wherein the door guide (28) also has a first guide aperture (32) and a second guide aperture (34), in which the guide pins (30) are guided such that the door (24) can be pushed at least to some extent into the goods-accommodating space (16), wherein the first guide aperture (32) runs substantially vertically, as seen in relation to the installed and set-up state of the dispensing apparatus (10), and wherein the second guide aperture (34) runs substantially horizontally and substantially rectilinearly, as seen in relation to the installed and set-up state of the dispensing apparatus (10), and wherein the door (24) is curved to such a pronounced extent in its upper region, as seen in relation to the installed and set-up state of the dispensing apparatus (10), that, when in the pushed-in state, the door (24) does not project beyond the upper edge (36) of the drawer-like insert (14).