Rotatable Disk Dispensing Device for Secure Single-Item Extraction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dispensing devices struggle to efficiently manage, track, and dispense high-risk or high-value small items, such as security keys, from bulk storage without risking unauthorized access or errors in registration.
Innovation Solution
A dispensing device featuring a hopper for storing items, a sorting assembly with a rotatable disk and release aperture, and a dispensing assembly, which automatically recognizes and tracks item identifiers to ensure secure and accurate dispensing of single items.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If items are stored in bulk, then storage capacity is improved, but difficulty in extracting single items increases
Solution Approach 1:
The dispensing device divides bulk storage into individual dispensing units through a rotatable disk with multiple slots, where each slot holds one item. This segmentation allows the system to maintain bulk storage capacity while enabling single-item extraction through controlled rotation and release mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotatable disk acts as an intermediary between the bulk storage hopper and the dispensing aperture. It receives multiple items from the hopper, organizes them in slots, and selectively releases one item at a time through the release aperture, thereby mediating between bulk storage and single-item dispensing requirements.
2Ease of operation
If manual extraction of single items is used, then ease of operation is improved, but risk of unauthorized access or errors increases
Solution Approach 1:
The dispensing device performs automatic identification and dispensing of items without requiring manual intervention. The system autonomously tracks items, identifies when an item should be dispensed, and automatically releases it through the release aperture, eliminating manual extraction and associated risks of unauthorized access or errors.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates tracking and identification mechanisms that provide feedback about item status, location, and dispensing history. This feedback loop enables the system to automatically manage item dispensing based on recorded information, ensuring accurate and authorized dispensing while reducing manual intervention.
3Reliability
If automated identification and tracking is implemented, then reliability of item management is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The rotatable disk serves multiple functions simultaneously: it stores items in slots, identifies item positions, controls dispensing timing, and guides item release. By consolidating these functions into a single mechanical component, the system achieves reliable item tracking without proportionally increasing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex electronic identification and tracking systems with a mechanical rotatable disk that uses physical slots and geometric positioning to identify and track items. This mechanical approach achieves reliable item management while reducing the complexity of electronic components and systems.
Data Source
AI summary
An example device includes a hopper configured to store a plurality of items of a same type; a sorting assembly interconnected with the hopper and configured to extract a single item from the plurality of items, the sorting assembly comprising: a rotatable disk including at least one slot configured to receive the single item; a release aperture configured to allow the single item to be released from the sorting assembly when the disk is rotated to align the at least one slot with the release aperture; and a dispensing assembly configured to receive the single item from the sorting assembly and dispense the single item from the dispensing apparatus.