Cutlery dispenser and method of dispensing cutlery

摘要

A cutlery dispenser comprises a storage chamber adapted to retain a plurality of cutlery therein; an ejector for sequentially ejecting the plurality of cutlery from the storage chamber; an actuator for driving the ejector; and a sensor for triggering the actuator in response to an event.

主权项

1. A method for cutlery storage and use, comprising:
housing a plurality of cutlery pieces in a dispenser comprising:
a storage chute for containing a plurality of cutlery, wherein each piece of cutlery has a handle end and a food-contact end; anda dispense mechanism comprising at least two cams, each cam comprising a resting surface and a displacing portion, wherein the displacing portion of the first cam is offset relative to the displacing portion of the second cam in a direction of their rotation; and contacting the cutlery piece at a first location with the resting surface of a first cam; contacting the cutlery piece at a second location with the resting surface of a second cam, and discharging the cutlery piece from the dispenser using the offset displacing portions of the first and second cams so that the handle end of the cutlery piece is discharged from the dispenser prior to the food-contact end.