Abstract: A micro dispense valve arrangement for accurately dispensing minute quantities of a fluid. The valve arrangement interfaces an enclosed interior region under pressure with an exterior region of less pressure through an orifice opening. The orifice wall is tapered from interior to exterior to bound a frustoconical region constricting toward the exterior to accommodate a magnetizable pellet or ball. The ball is held in its seated position against the orifice wall by permanent magnets imbedded in the wall. An AC coil surrounding the orifice opening acts when energized to cause the ball to move between its seated or closed position and a non-magnetizable screen in its open position. The frequency and duration of applied positive and negative pulses driving the coil act to control the on/off fluid flow duty cycle of the valve.

Abstract: A dispensing unit for elongated articles is disclosed in which the articles are packaged in a carton (62) which can be placed directly into the storage bin (12) of the dispensing unit (10). Articles fall out of the carton (62) onto a support shelf (64) upon which they roll toward the dispensing mechanism to dispense articles through a port formed in the front of the storage bin (12). The dispensing mechanism includes a pair of oscillating members (46) which have pickup fingers (52) formed on them so as to pick up one article and transfer it to the exterior of the storage bin (12) when handles (16) formed in the exterior of the storage bin (12) are operated by the user.

Abstract: A bill-discriminating apparatus which is used, for example, in an automatic deposit machine and which discriminates a bill by comparing patterns read from the bill with standard patterns. The apparatus includes a circuit for reading patterns from a conveyed bill, one or more sensors for determining the conveyance condition of the bill, a circuit for generating standard patterns corresponding to the conveyance condition of the bill and/or to the kind of bill, and a circuit for comparing the patterns, read from the bill by the circuit for reading patterns, with the standard patterns, thereby discriminating the truth of falsity of the bill and/or the kind of bill.

Abstract: The hoppers (2) containing the powder products have a parallelepiped shape and are mounted side by side so that they can be moved by sliding on a slideway support (3). They are maintained in position by locking tabs (6). A plate forming a pan (38) is also mounted so as to be moved by sliding on horizontal slideways. The filling, and also the servicing and cleaning of the machine are thus made much easier.

Abstract: A tamperproof pill dispenser is disclosed which includes a housing (10) having a pill discharge outlet in the form of a cone (16). Above the discharge outlet is carried a dispensing plate (20) and a rotating dispensing wheel (24) having tablet openings (22, 26) formed therein. A dispensing latch (32) is slidably carried by the dispensing plate (20) and includes a second dispensing opening (34) which registers with the openings (26, 22) when moved to a dispense position in order to dispense a tablet from the reservoir (12) through the discharge outlet (16). A safety latch pin (50) engages a latch opening (58) in the dispensing latch (32) and includes a manual handle (54) disposed remotely from a finger tab (36) of the dispensing latch so as to disassociate simultaneous operation of the two. Diametrically opposed safety latches (82, 80) lock a threaded closure (14) in place on top of the housing.

Abstract: An apparatus for the high speed supply of individual circular or cylindrical articles such as chip resistors, shafts, pins and the like to a printed circuit board or other type of equipment is disclosed. The apparatus includes a first turn table, a vertically movable mounting table carried by the first turn table, a plurality of hoppers disposed in a circle on the mounting table, pipes movable into and out of the hoppers, chutes in the form of coiled springs, cylindrical chutes provided on the first turn table and connected to the pipes through the chutes in the form of coiled springs, escapement pushers having article holding holes disposed on the underside of the cylindrical chutes, a pickup chuck adapted to grip an article disposed in the article holding hole of a respective escapement pusher and to remove the article therefrom, and a push lever adapted to push each escapement pusher when each pusher is brought to a predetermined position as a result of rotation of said first turn table.

Abstract: An ice cream cone dispenser for dispensing cones from a carton thereof containing columns of nested cones. The dispenser comprises a stand support of L-shaped configuration having a horizontal portion and a vertical portion. A rectangular stand chamber, open at its top and bottom, is removably mounted at the upper end of the vertical portion of the stand support, overlying the horizontal stand support portion. A removable crumb tray is mounted on the stand support horizontal portion beneath the stand chamber. A rectangular carton adapter, open at its top and bottom, is so sized as to be mountable within the stand chamber and to just nicely receive and support the open bottom end of a cone carton. The carton adapter, at its open bottom end, supports a horizontal dispensing baffle. The dispensing baffle has a cutout therein for each column of nested cones in the cone carton.

Abstract: A bag handling method and apparatus for a check-out counter are disclosed. A strip of serially connected bags having their bottoms leading their tops in the direction of strip movement are intermittently fed from a roll to an edge of the counter where the bottom of the leading bag is fed into a carriage provided in a recess in the counter. When the leading bag reaches a predetermined location, advancement of the strip is stopped while the leading bag continues to be transported into the recess carriage causing separation of the leading bag from the strip. After separation, vacuum jaws engage with the sides of the leading bag and open the same and flaps are inserted into the bag opening to retain the opened condition. After the leading bag is filled with articles, the flaps are removed and the recess carriage transfers the filled bag to a pick-up basket.

Abstract: A coin diverting mechanism for dividing the proceeds of coin operated machines into two separately and uniquely lockable coin receiving boxes. The proceeds are divided automatically according to any agreed upon business arrangement by the positioning of coins slots on the coin slide. When the machine is activated, the agreed percentage share of coins is deposited directly into each of the coin receiving boxes.

Abstract: A dispenser for conical strainers having diametrically-projecting ears comprising elements defining a vertically-elongate, tubular structure open at its lower end and of a predetermined cross section wherein the distance between opposite corners exceeds the distance between the ears at diametrically-opposite sides of the strainers to be dispensed therefrom and supports at the open lower end of the structure located in diagonal corners comprising a single support positioned diagonally of one of the corners and spaced, parallel supports positioned diagonally of the other of the corners such as to support the rim of a strainer with its ears disposed in said corners and wherein the corner at the latter corner side is apertured to expose the ears at that corner.

Abstract: A dispensing cap for pressurized containers such as aerosol bombs includes a cap proper and a push button within the cap intended to operate the dispensing valve of the pressurized container with the cap presenting an upper wall including a pilfer-proofing plate to prevent premature operation of the push button therebelow contained in the cap; the plate is fixed to the cap itself with the aid of a frangible connection to be ruptured before use to provide access to the push button, the pilfer-proofing plate presenting at its extremity near the lateral wall of the cap a return disposed as an extension of the lateral wall of the cap; the pilfer-proofing plate presenting a cut-out determining, on the return, a panel capable of hinging by elastic deformation to move aside at least partially to permit access to one edge of the cut-out to be grasped by a user to remove the plate to gain access to the push button.

Abstract: A dispenser package for holding a stack of nested tapered disposable cups and dispensing them individually. The dispenser package has a generally circular opening in the top wall through which the bottoms of the tapered cups protrude; the opening is surrounded by a series of short radial slits or knife cuts defining a series of yieldable tabs around the periphery of the opening which permit the topmost protruding cup to be pulled through the opening, but which function to restrain the remaining cups in the stack. Additional slits or knife cuts in the top wall of the dispenser package extend from the opening in the top wall to each of the sidewalls at a point near each sidewall to permit loading a stack of cups through the top opening of the dispenser package without tearing of the top wall.

Abstract: A dispenser package for holding a stack of nested tapered disposable cups and dispensing them individually. The dispenser package has a generally circular opening in the top wall through which the bottoms of the tapered cups protrude; surrounded by a series of arcuate dispensing jaws interconnected with straight sided segments forming yieldable segments around the periphery of the opening which permit the topmost protruding cup to be pulled through the opening, but which function to restrain the cups immediately below. Slits or knife cuts in the top wall of the dispenser package extend from the opening in the top wall to each of the sidewalls at the mid point of each sidewall to permit loading a stack of cups through the top opening of the dispenser package without tearing of the top wall.

Abstract: A hand-operated pump for dispensing a fluid from a container includes a body containing a pumping chamber having an inlet and an outlet conduit. A piston is reciprocably mounted in the pumping chamber, the piston having a convexly contoured outer end surface. A trigger pivotally mounted and locked to the body has a plurality of triangular supports co-joined to form a tapered socket receiving the outer end surface of the piston. A channel-defining insert is received in the outlet conduit, the insert having a centrally situated, forwardly facing, fixed protuberance. An elastic, cup-shaped member secured at its periphery to the body has a central aperture situated in contact with and closed by the fixed protuberance.

Abstract: A needle seeder for use in a seed delivery system is described. A seed needle is operated by a pneumatic cylinder or other such drive means in a reciprocating motion. During an upward stroke, the seed needle passes through a seed bed into a seed delivery port. The seed needle has a needle tip that includes a complementary recess for cradling a seed; a pressure differential maintained at the needle tip maintains the seed in position on the needle tip. At the furthest extent of an upward stroke, the seed needle tip is in place at a seed delivery port and the pressure differential at the needle tip is reversed, thereby expelling the seed from said tip and through a seed delivery hose. In one embodiment of the invention, a plurality of needle seeders are arranged in a row and mounted to a tractor driven seed delivery device for field seeding.

Abstract: A housing has an input hopper for receiving municipal trash items, particularly aluminum cans, which drop onto a conveyor and are carried to a crusher. The crushed items drop onto a second conveyor which carries the items past a magnetic separator station which recognizes and separates out any ferrous materials. The remaining material, including aluminum cans, glass bottles, plastic cartons, paper and other items, are carried to an identification station which recognizes the aluminum items and signals a pusher mechanism to push the aluminum items off the conveyor. The pushed-off aluminum items drop into one of the pockets of a rotatable collector-and-wiper device.

Abstract: In a coin disposing apparatus, a mechanism is disclosed for aligning a random supply of coins preparatory to further processing. Included is a rotary disc for receiving thereon the coins to be processed from an overhead belt conveyor and for centrifugally sending the coins toward the disc periphery. A coin runway extends from a peripheral position on the rotary disc to a subsequent processing station for aligned delivery of the coins. An endless belt makes frictional contact with the periphery of the rotary disc, except at least where the entrance of the coin runway is located, for simultaneous rotation therewith. Thus, on being centrifugally forced into peripheral contact with the endless belt on the rotary disc, the coins do not revolve about their own axes, unlike the case where the disc rotates inside a fixed annular wall, and so is smoothly and noiselessly fed into the runway one by one. The invention also features a fixed annular wall arranged over the endless belt rotary wall.

Abstract: In an apparatus to apportion and dispense dough, wherein dough is discharged through an outlet having a lower, circumferential cutting edge and is cut off by a piston having an upper, circumferential cutting edge, the piston has an upper, integral, coaxial boss, which has a convex, frusto-conical surface extending upwardly and being spaced from the cutting edge of the piston. Also, an annulus providing the outlet has a concave, frusto-conical surface, which flares upwardly.

Abstract: Apparatus for reconstituting citrus fruit juice concentrate with water and dispensing the reconstituted juice into a cup comprising a refrigeration chamber for holding a container of concentrate above its freezing temperature, and structure for continuous circulation of cold carbonated water through the chamber, the container having an outlet for the concentrate and an inlet for air under pressure for pressurizing the concentrate. The apparatus further comprises dispensing valve structure with a mixing nozzle, a first passage for the flow of concentrate to the nozzle, a second passage for the flow of water to the nozzle and structure for regulating the pressure of tap water supplied to the nozzle.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for applying granules to continuously moving strip asphaltic material comprises discharging granules onto tacky strip asphaltic material, continuously removing the non-adhered portion of the granules, sensing the amount of removed granules, and controlling the amount of granules discharged onto the asphaltic material in response to the sensed amount of removed granules.