Article dispensing – With discharge assistant – Fluid pressure
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-29
2001-07-31
Ellis, Christopher P. (Department: 3651)
Article dispensing
With discharge assistant
Fluid pressure
C221S226000, C221S271000, C221S31200B, C271S097000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06267264
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates generally to a cassette and method for storing and dispensing very thin objects. More particular, the invention relates to a cassette and method for storing and dispensing objects, such as end disks that form the ends of a light-tight package for light-sensitive material.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Currently rolls of photographic film and paper are packaged in several different ways to facilitate room light loading into cooperating apparatus which dispenses or otherwise uses the film or paper. Commonly assigned U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,148,395 (Apr. 10, 1979, by Syracuse et al. and entitled “Roll Package”) and 5,515,970 (May 14, 1996, by Ritchie et al. and entitled “Light-Tight Package”) each discloses a package which includes a pair of flexible opaque end disks or covers attached to the ends of the core of the roll and an attached leader attached to the leading end of the length of film or paper forming the roll. A peripheral portion of each disk is folded over and adhered to the edge of an underlying convolution of the leader.
Commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,133,171 (Jul. 28, 1992, by Chase et al. and entitled “Light-Tight Packaging Method For Photosensitive Web Roll”) discloses a package that includes a pair of similar end disks and a leader. After a first convolution of the leader is wrapped onto the roll, peripheral portions of the end disks are folded over the first convolution. A second convolution is then wrapped onto the roll to capture the folded-over peripheral portions between the first and second convolutions and to make the package light-tight.
An existing practice for installing end disks on light-tight packages of the sort described above include manually grasping an end disk from a stack and then fastening it to the ends of the core. Another practice includes using a vacuum suction device to pick out a single end disk and then transfer it to the core of the roll. Each of the above practices, however, has numerous shortcomings that the present invention solves. In particular, an operator will invariably damage thin, flimsy, end disks when handling them manually. Moreover, multiple end disks are dispensed although only one is intended.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,199,076 (Apr. 22, 1980, by Brown and entitled, “Cup Dispenser”) a dispenser of cups has a slidable plate for supporting a stack of cups and an end plate having a cavity through which the cups are dispensed one at a time. The patent does not provide means for storing and dispensing thin, flimsy, substantially flat objects.
Therefore, a need persists in the art for a cassette for storing and dispensing end disks that is simple to use, protects the fragile end disks from damage, and is cost effective to manufacture.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide a cassette that can store and dispense a plurality of end disks for forming light-tight packages.
It is another object of the invention to provide a cassette that can dispense a single outermost end disk without effecting the next adjacent end disk in the stack.
It is another object of the invention to provide a cassette that can dispense end disks made from a flimsy material without the material being damaged.
It is a feature of the cassette of the invention that a hub member and a biased pusher plate cooperatively support end disks arranged in a stack thereon. A stripper plate having a circular section smaller than the circular section of the end disks retains the stack in the cassette for dispensing of one or more end disks through the circular section of the stripper plate.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above. Briefly summarized, according to one aspect of the present invention, a storage and dispensing cassette for objects arranged in a stack, each said objects having a removed concentric section, a loading side and an opposed unloading side, said cassette comprising:
a body having a base plate and a plurality of spaced, upright, outwardly extending standoffs, each one of said plurality of outwardly extending standoffs being fixedly attached at one end to said base plate;
a hub member arranged substantially centered in said base plate and outwardly extending therefrom, said hub member having a diameter slightly smaller than the removed concentric section of any one of said objects to be stored thereon;
a biased pusher plate for supporting at least a portion of said loading side of one of said objects arranged about said hub member, said biased pusher plate being biased against said base plate and slidable substantially along a plane substantially parallel to said hub member by a bearing arranged between said hub member and said pusher plate, said pusher plate moving from a first position absent of supporting at least one of said objects to a second position supporting at least one of said objects mounted on said hub member;
a stripper plate having a removed section and a continuous edge surrounding said removed section, said removed section having a diameter at least slightly smaller than the diameter of said object for securing a top most object on said hub member, said stripper plate being supported on said ends of said outwardly extending standoffs for receiving and relieving said top most object through said removed section; and,
a source of air structurally associated with said body, said source of air comprising an air outlet end directed between said loading side of said top most object nearest said stripper plate and said unloading side of a nearest adjacent object to said top most object for removing the top most object from said hub member through said removed section of said stripper plate.
The advantages of the cassette of present invention include it's simplicity, ease of removing a single disk, elimination of damage to features of the disks upon removal, such as interior diameter, and it is easily adaptable to various disk materials.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4142863 (1979-03-01), Covington et al.
patent: 4148395 (1979-04-01), Syracuse et al.
patent: 4199076 (1980-04-01), Brown
patent: 4741458 (1988-05-01), Odorici
patent: 5133171 (1992-07-01), Chase et al.
patent: 5383571 (1995-01-01), Gunderson
patent: 5515970 (1996-05-01), Ritchie et al.
patent: 5681037 (1997-10-01), Grieve
patent: 5960989 (1999-10-01), Gunderson
DePoint, Jr. John
Juskiewicz Marion T.
Spina John A.
Bailey, Sr. Clyde E.
Crawford Gene O.
Eastman Kodak Company
Ellis Christopher P.
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