Claims:

1. A perfume vial dispensing machine (100) comprising:
an enclosure (2);
at least one coil spring (5) disposed within the enclosure (2), wherein the at least one coil spring (5) is removably connectable to a drive motor (7);
at least one vial (8) accommodated in-between turns (8) of the at least one coil spring (5);
at least one support plate (6) accommodated in the enclosure (2) wherein, the at least one support plate (6) is inclined at a pre-determined angle and is configured to receive and support the at least one coil spring (5) and reduces vertical load on the drive motor (7); and
actuation of the drive motor (7) rotates the at least one coil spring (5) to dispense the at least one vial.

2. The machine (100) as claimed in claim 1 comprising, a tray (4) at a bottom end of the enclosure (2) for receiving the dispensed vials (8).

3. The machine (100) as claimed in claim 1 comprising, a user interface unit (3) for inputting details corresponding to disposal of the at least one vial (8).

4. The machine (100) as claimed in claim 1 comprising, a control unit (9) communicatively coupled to the user interface unit (3) wherein, the control unit (9) actuates the drive motor (7) for rotating the at least one coil spring (5) upon receiving an input signal from the user interface unit (3).

5. The machine (100) as claimed in claim 1 wherein, the pre-determined angle (X) with respect to a bottom surface of the enclosure (2) ranges from 100 degrees to 130 degrees, preferably 110 degrees.

6. The machine (100) as claimed in claim 1 wherein, the at least one support plate (6) is fixed at one end to a top portion of the enclosure (2) and other end of the at least one support plate (6) is fixed to a bottom portion of the enclosure (2).

7. The machine (100) as claimed in claim 1 wherein, the bottom portion of the enclosure (2) is defined with an opening for dispensing the at least one vial (8) into the tray (4).

8. The machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein, the user interface unit (3) is positioned at a top end on a front surface of the enclosure (2).

9. The machine as claimed in claim 1 comprises, a bevel gear at one of a drive shaft in the drive motor (7), meshigly connected to another bevel gear at a top end of the coil spring (5) for facilitating the rotation of the coil spring (5).
, Description:TECHNICAL FIELD
Present disclosure generally relates to the field of vending machines or dispensing machines. Particularly but not exclusively, the present disclosure relates to a perfume vial or sample perfume bottle dispensing machine.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

A vending machine or a dispensing machine may be a machine that dispenses small articles such as food, drinks, or cigarettes when a token is inserted, generally in the form of money. Dispensing machines have been predominantly used in the food and beverage industry but also extends to other fields such as the perfume industry for dispensing various perfumes in accordance with the preference of the user. Dispensing machines in the perfume industry may be configured to dispense small vials that contain the perfume required by the user. A perfume vial dispensing machine may include a plurality of vials with a variety of perfumes. Each of the vials may be individually dispensed based on the requirement of the user.

Conventionally, perfume vial dispensing machines included a coil spring with multiple vials being housed in gaps provided in the coil spring. The coil spring may be completely cantilevered from a top end of the machine and the coil spring may be rotated for dispensing the vial individually. However, the number of vials that may be accommodated in the coil spring is severely limited since, the coil spring often tends to collapse or break off from the top end of the machine due to their self-weight. The coil spring also tend to fail prematurely when a large number of vials are housed in the coil spring. Due to the self-weight of the coil spring and the weight of the vials housed in the coil spring, the cantilevered coil spring often tends to break off from the top end of the machine. Therefore, the number of vials that may be housed in the coil spring is severely limited. Consequently, the overall run time of the dispensing machine is drastically reduced. Also, the conventional vial dispensing machines are subjected to regular repairs due to the coil being broken off from the top end of the machine. Moreover, motors and actuators rotating the coil spring are also severely stressed to the direct weight on them and hence the dispensing machine tends to prematurely fail. Therefore, the repair and maintenance costs with the overall operational costs of the machine increases significantly.

The present disclosure is directed to overcome one more problem stated above, or any other such problems associated with the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

One or more shortcomings of conventional assemblies and processes are overcome, and additional advantages are provided through the mechanism and the system as claimed in the present disclosure. Additional features and advantages are realized through the techniques of the present disclosure. Other embodiments and aspects of the disclosure are described in detail herein and are considered a part of the claimed disclosure.

In a non-limiting embodiment of the disclosure, a perfume vial dispensing machine is disclosed. The dispensing machine includes an enclosure and at least one coil spring disposed within the enclosure where the at least one coil spring is removably connectable to a drive motor. The machine also includes at least one vial accommodated in-between turns of the at least one coil spring. At least one support plate is accommodated in the enclosure where, the at least one support plate is inclined at a pre-determined angle and is configured to receive and support the at least one coil spring and reduces vertical load on the drive motor. Further, the actuation of the drive motor rotates the at least one coil spring to dispense the at least one vial.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, a tray is configured at a bottom end of the enclosure for receiving the dispensed vials.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, a user interface unit for inputting details corresponding to disposal of the at least one vial is provided.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, a control unit is communicatively coupled to the user interface unit where, the control unit actuates the drive motor for rotating the at least one coil spring upon receiving an input signal from the user interface unit.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the pre-determined angle with respect to a bottom surface of the enclosure ranges from 100 degrees to 130 degrees, preferably 110 degrees.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the at least one support plate is fixed at one end to a top portion of the enclosure and other end of the at least one support plate is fixed to a bottom portion of the enclosure.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the bottom portion of the enclosure is defined with an opening for dispensing the at least one vial into the tray.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the user interface unit is positioned at a top end on a front surface of the enclosure.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, a bevel gear is provided at one of a drive shaft in the drive motor that is meshigly connected to another bevel gear at a top end of the coil spring for facilitating the rotation of the coil spring.
The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING FIGURES

The novel features and characteristics of the disclosure are set forth in the appended claims. The disclosure itself, however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives, and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying figures. One or more embodiments are now described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying figures wherein like reference numerals represent like elements and in which:

Fig. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a perfume vial dispensing machine, in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure.

Fig. 2 illustrates a side view of the perfume vial dispensing machine, in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure.

Fig. 3 illustrates a perspective view of the perfume vial dispensing machine with a plurality of coil spring, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.

Fig. 4 illustrates a sectional view of the perfume vial dispensing machine with the plurality of coil springs, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.

Fig. 5 illustrates a schematic view of the dispensing machine operated by a control unit, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.

The figures depict embodiments of the disclosure for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of a mechanism for adjusting position of hands in a timepiece having a plurality of set of hands, without departing from the principles of the disclosure described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The foregoing has broadly outlined the features and technical advantages of the present disclosure in order that description of the disclosure that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the disclosure will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the disclosure. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and specific embodiments disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other system for carrying out the same purposes of the present disclosure. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the scope of the disclosure. The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the disclosure, as to its organization, together with further objects and advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that each of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration and description only and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the present disclosure.

In the present document, the word "exemplary" is used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any embodiment or implementation of the present subject matter described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments.

While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof has been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described below. It should be understood, however that it is not intended to limit the disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the disclosure is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the disclosure.

The terms “comprises”, “comprising”, or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a mechanism that comprises a list of components does not include only those components but may include other components not expressly listed or inherent to such mechanism. In other words, one or more elements in the device or mechanism proceeded by “comprises… a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other elements or additional elements in the mechanism.

The following paragraphs describe the present disclosure with reference to Figs. 1 to 6. In the figures, the same element or elements which have similar functions and are indicated by the same reference signs. For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the disclosure, reference will now be made to specific embodiments illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended, such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated methods, and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the disclosure pertains.

The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit application and uses. Further, there is no intention to be bound by any theory presented in the preceding background or summary or the following detailed description. It is to be understood that the disclosure may assume various alternative orientations and step sequences, except where expressly specified to the contrary. It is also to be understood that the specific devices or components illustrated in the attached drawings and described in the following specification are simply exemplary embodiments of the inventive concepts defined in the appended claims. Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described referring to the accompanying drawings. While some specific terms directed to a specific direction will be used, the purpose of usage of these terms or words is merely to facilitate understanding of the present invention referring to the drawings.

Accordingly, it should be noted that meaning of these terms or words should not improperly limit the technical scope of the present invention. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. Unless specified or limited otherwise, the terms “mounted,” “connected,” “supported,” and “coupled” and variations thereof are used broadly and encompass both direct and indirect mountings, connections, supports, and couplings. Further, “connected” and “coupled” are not restricted to physical or mechanical connections or couplings. It is to be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the specific devices, methods, applications, conditions, or parameters described and/or shown herein, and that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments by way of example and is not intended to be limiting of the claimed invention. In the present document, the word "exemplary" is used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any embodiment or implementation of the present subject matter described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments.

Reference is made to Fig. 1 to Fig. 5 that depict a perfume vial dispensing machine (100) [hereinafter referred to as “the dispensing machine (100)”]. The dispensing machine (100) may include a cubical shaped enclosure (2) and the shape of the enclosure (2) herein, must not be considered as a limitation the enclosure (2) may be of any preferable shape. A perfume container display chamber (1) [herein after referred to as the “display chamber (1)”] may be positioned on top of the enclosure (2). The display chamber (1) may be transparent, and a variety of perfume bottles may be placed inside the display chamber (1). The perfume bottles inside the display chamber (1) may be a reference to the user that the vial being disposed from the dispensing machine (100) includes the same fragrance as that of the perfume bottle inside the display chamber (1). A front end of the enclosure (2) may also be provided with a user interface unit (3). The user interface unit (3) may be a touchscreen panel [not shown] that displays the various types of fragrances available in the machine. The user may operate the user interface unit (3) to select the desired fragrance and the dispensing machine (100) may dispense the corresponding fragrance to the user. The user interface unit (3) may be positioned on a front surface of the dispensing machine (100) such that it is easily accessible to the user. Further, the dispensing machine (100) may be configured with a bottom plate that is also configured as a tray (4). The bottom plate may be configured to extend at a pre-detained angle (X) to act as the tray (4). The bottom plate may extend downwardly and may define an opening to the enclosure (2) such that the dispensed vials drop down and slide out towards the end of the tray (4). The bottom plate may partially extend beyond the front surface of the enclosure (2) such that the dispensed vial that slides out through the tray (4) is easily accessible to the user.

The dispensing machine (100) further includes at least one coil spring (5) [herein after referred to as “the coil spring (5)”] and at least one drive motor (7) [herein after referred to as “the drive motor”]. An inner top surface of a top plate in the enclosure (2) may be configured to accommodate the drive motor (7). The drive motor (7) may be fixedly mounted to the top surface of the enclosure (2) and the drive motor (7) may include a bevel gear [not shown] that is connected to the shaft of the drive motor (7). Further, a top end of the coil spring (5) may also include a bevel gear that meshes with the bevel gear of the shaft in the drive motor (7). Thus, the coil spring and the drive motor (7) may be coupled with each other by bevel gears, and the coil spring may be rotated by means of the drive motor (7). Above-mentioned means of coupling between the coil spring (5) and the drive motor (7) must not be considered as a limitation and any known means of coupling may be employed between the coil spring (5) and the drive motor (7). The coil spring (5) may be defined with multiple turns (8) or windings. The vial may be accommodated in a space between each of these turns (8) and the vial may be dispensed or may be dropped from the coil spring (5) as the coil spring rotates. The dispensing machine (100) may include multiple vials of different fragrances. One of the coil springs (5) may include vials of one fragrance whereas, the other coil springs may include vials of different fragrances. For instance, one coil spring may include the vial with a fragrance that is preferable for men whereas, the other coil spring may include the vial with a fragrance that is preferable for women. Multiple such coil springs (5) with a variety of vials of different fragrances for different genders may be accommodated within the dispensing machine (100). The required vial in the coil spring may be dispensed by actuating the corresponding drive motor of the required coil spring.

The drive motor (7) may be connected to a control unit (9) and the user interface unit (3) may also be connected to the control unit (9). The control unit (9) may actuate the required drive motor to rotate the corresponding coil spring based on the received inputs from the user through the user interface unit (3). Further, the drive motor (7) that are mounted at the top surface of the top plate may be oriented at a pre-determined angle (X) and the coil spring (5) coupled to the drive motor (7) may also be mounted at the same pre-determined angle. The dispensing machine (100) also includes at least one support plate (6) [hereinafter referred to as “the support plate (6)”]. The support plate (6) may be connected to the top surface of the top plate in the dispensing machine (100). The support plate (6) may also be connected to the top plate of the dispensing machine (100) at the pre-determined angle (X) ranging from 100 degrees to 130 degrees with respect to the bottom plate of the dispensing machine (100). The pre-determined angle (X) of orientation for the support plate (6), the coil spring (5) and the drive motor (7) are preferably 110 degrees. The support plate (6) is configured to be positioned behind the coil spring (5) and the drive motor (7) such that the support plate (6) sustains or supports the coil spring that are cantilevered from the drive motor (7). The support plate (6) may partially take up the load that is borne by the coil spring (5) and the vials that are disposed in the coil spring (5). The support plate (6) may be cantilevered directly from the top surface of the dispensing machine (100). In an embodiment, the support plate (6) may be directly connected to the top plate and the bottom plate of the dispensing machine (100). The support plate (6) takes up the load imparted by the vials onto the coil spring (5) and the overall load imparted by the coil spring (5) onto the drive motor (7) is also drastically reduced.

The working of the dispensing machine (100) is illustrated with greater detail below. The user may operate the user interface unit (3) by choosing or selecting the desired perfume that is displayed on the user interface unit (3). The control unit (9) may receive a signal from the user interface unit (3) after the user operates it and the control unit (9) may subsequently operate the corresponding drive motor to rotate the coil spring for dispensing the required perfume vial. The control unit (9) may already include information regarding the coil spring (5) that includes the particular fragrance for the male or the female gender. For instance, if the user selects the gender as “male” and selects a required fragrance, the control unit (9) may actuate the corresponding drive motor for rotating the coil spring that includes vials of the selected fragrance and gender while the remaining drive motor (7) and the coil spring (5) remain stationery. Consequently, the rotation of the coil spring will cause the vial that is housed in between the turns (8) of the coil spring to move downwards until it is dispensed onto the tray (4) of the dispensing machine (100).

In an embodiment, the operational life of the dispensing machine (100) is drastically improved since, the load borne by the coil spring (5) is partially distributed to the support plate (6) and the failure of the drive motor (7) due to the overloading of the vials on the coil spring (5) is drastically reduced. Further, the coil spring (5) being supported by the support plate (6) also prevents the failure of the coils spring by being detached from the drive motor (7). Consequently, the repair and maintenance cost also reduce drastically.

In an embodiment, the run time of the dispensing machine (100) is drastically improved since, a larger number of vials may be loaded onto the coil spring (5) with little regards or consideration to the overall weight borne by the coil spring (5) as the support plate (6) partially takes up the load of the coil spring (5).

Equivalents

With respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or singular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as is appropriate to the context and/or application. The various singular/plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sake of clarity.
It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, are generally intended as "open" terms (e.g., the term "including" should be interpreted as "including but not limited to," the term "having" should be interpreted as "having at least," the term "includes" should be interpreted as "includes but is not limited to," etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding the description may contain usage of the introductory phrases "at least one" and "one or more" to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles "a" or "an" limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to inventions containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases "one or more" or "at least one" and indefinite articles such as "a" or "an" (e.g., "a" and/or "an" should typically be interpreted to mean "at least one" or "one or more"); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of "two recitations," without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to "at least one of A, B, and C, etc." is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B, and C" would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). In those instances where a convention analogous to "at least one of A, B, or C, etc." is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B, or C" would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. For example, the phrase "A or B" will be understood to include the possibilities of "A" or "B" or "A and B."
While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated in the description.

Referral numerals:

Description Referral numeral
Display chamber 1
Enclosure 2
User interface unit 3
Tray 4
Coil spring 5
Support plate 6
Drive motor 7
Turns 8
Control unit 9
Angle X
Dispensing machine 100