Drink Lid Dispenser With Cam Separation for Exact Lid Counts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing beverage container lid dispensers often fail to provide a precise and hygienic method for dispensing the exact quantity of lids required, especially in fast-paced environments like drive-up windows, where efficiency and hygiene are crucial.
Innovation Solution
A dispenser with a vertically moving platform and carriage system, utilizing constant force springs and cam-activated side separators to selectively dispense one, two, or three lids at a time, allowing for precise and repeatable access to the desired number of lids while maintaining a neat stack and accommodating various lid types and sizes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a simple unrestricted stack of lids is used, then ready access of as many lids at once is enabled, but the accessing of a precise number of lids becomes problematic
Solution Approach 1:
The lid stack is segmented into a remainder stack (retained in the housing) and a dispensed stack (removed from the housing). The side separators divide the stack into these two portions, allowing precise control over the number of lids dispensed while maintaining easy access to the dispensed lids.
Solution Approach 2:
The side separators act as intermediaries between the lid stack and the dispensed lids. These separators are positioned at specific locations to define the boundary between the remainder stack and the dispensed stack, enabling precise quantity control without complicating the access mechanism.
2Reliability
If a single lid dispenser is used, then repeatable and hygienic dispensing is achieved, but only one lid can be dispensed at a time
Solution Approach 1:
The dispensing mechanism is segmented to handle multiple lids simultaneously. The side separators can be positioned to separate multiple lids from the stack at once, and the carriage can be designed to remove multiple lids in a single operation, maintaining hygiene while increasing productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows for excessive action by enabling the dispensing of more than one lid at a time through the same hygienic mechanism. The key depression distance can be adjusted to dispense different quantities (one, two, or three lids), and the side separators can be positioned to allow removal of multiple lids simultaneously.
3Ease of operation
If the carriage is moved downwardly within the housing, then the selected lids are presented for removal, but the mechanism becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The carriage is designed as a multi-functional component that performs several tasks: it supports the lid stack, moves vertically to present lids for removal, and works in conjunction with the side separators to define the dispensed portion. This universal design reduces overall system complexity while maintaining operational efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The side separators are mounted to the carriage, merging the separation function with the movement function. This integration allows the carriage to both move vertically and define the boundary between remainder and dispensed lids simultaneously, reducing the number of separate components needed.
4Measurement precision
If constant force springs are used to return the carriage, then repeatable positioning is achieved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The constant force springs are designed to automatically return the carriage to its initial position without requiring additional actuators or complex control mechanisms. The springs are pre-loaded to provide the exact force needed for repeatable positioning, enabling the system to serve itself through passive mechanical recovery.
Solution Approach 2:
The constant force springs change the physical parameter of the carriage system from a static position to a dynamically recoverable position. By adjusting the spring constant and pre-load, the system achieves precise repeatable positioning while using a simple elastic element rather than a complex actuation mechanism.
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
Enables precise and repeatable dispensing of the exact quantity of lids needed, improving operational efficiency and hygiene by allowing one-handed removal and accommodating different lid types and sizes through adjustable components.
Implementation Method 1
The carriage is mounted for axial movement within a housing, and is urged towards a retracted position by two constant force springs which extend between the carriage and the housing
Implementation Method 2
As the carriage is further depressed, the extended separators urge the selected lids past protruding pagers which support the remainder stack and prevent it from being dispensed
Data Source
AI summary
A traveler has a platform which moves vertically within a carriage. By depressing one of three keys, the platform is depressed against a spring to the depth of one, two or three lids to be dispensed from a stack. With the desired key depressed, the entire carriage moves downwardly within a housing which has cams mounted to its side walls which displace spring mounted side separators which extend inwardly to separate the remainder of the stack of lids from the selected lids. The extended separators urge the selected lids past protruding pagers which support the remainder stack and prevent it from being dispensed. Once past the pagers, the selected lids are presented for one-handed removal by a user at a housing outlet. Constant force springs mounted between the carriage and the housing return the carriage to its initial position once pressure on the selected key is released.