Dispenser and dispensing system

Abstract

A cigarette dispensing system for dispensing single cigarettes, includes a dispenser and a disposable cartridge for containing the cigarettes. The dispenser in chides housing, a support structure, a cartridge holder, and a dispensing mechanism. The housing has a front side defining a collection receptacle from which dispensed cigarettes are collected and a rear side which has an actuator for operating the dispensing mechanism. The dispensing mechanism includes a cigarette guide and a rotatable dispensing drum rotatable in the guide. The drum defines cigarette receiving formation in which a cigarette is received from the cartridge and via rotation of the drum is deposited into a chute leading to the collection receptacle. The positions of the actuator and collection receptacle at opposite sides of the housing allow retail operators to exercise control over the dispensing of cigarettes thereby to ensure that cigarettes are not dispensed to customers such as underage youths.

1 . A dispensing system for dispensing elongate tubular articles, the dispensing system including:
 a disposable cartridge containing elongate tubular articles to be dispensed and having an outlet opening at an end thereof through which articles may pass, in use, out of the disposable cartridge; and   a dispenser including:
 a) a housing; 
 b) article holder which is supported relative to the housing and which is configured for holding the disposable cartridge therein; 
 c) a manually-operable actuator; 
 d) a dispensing mechanism which is supported relative to the housing and which is configured for dispensing one of the articles from the disposable cartridge, in use, in response to actuation of the actuator; and 
   e) a receptacle supported relative to the housing for receiving one of the articles dispensed, in use, from the dispensing mechanism and from which a user may collect the dispensed article.   
     
     
         2 . The dispensing system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the article holder is operable to hold the disposable cartridge in an arrangement wherein the outlet opening of the cartridge is disposed adjacent an operative lower end of the article holder. 
     
     
         3 . The dispensing system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the disposable cartridge includes a cartridge body which has a box-like configuration. 
     
     
         4 . The dispensing system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the cartridge body is of a flexible sheet material. 
     
     
         5 . The dispensing system as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein the cartridge body is of flexible cardboard. 
     
     
         6 . The dispensing system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the elongate tubular articles to be dispensed, are in the form of single cigarettes, the disposable cartridge further including a removable outer sheath which surrounds the cartridge body. 
     
     
         7 . The dispensing system as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein the removable outer sheath is of a sheet material. 
     
     
         8 . The dispensing system as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein the removable outer sheath is of cellophane. 
     
     
         9 . The dispensing system as claimed in  claim 8 , wherein the disposable cartridge further includes a protective inner sheath located within the cartridge body, and which surrounds the cigarettes contained within the cartridge body so as to ensure the freshness of the cigarettes. 
     
     
         10 . The dispensing system as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein the removable outer sheath defines a grippable formation at an end thereof which is located at the end opposite to the end at which the outlet opening of the disposable cartridge is located, the grippable formation permitting an operator to grip the grippable formation, in use, and pull the grippable formation so as to permit removal of the outer sheath, in use. 
     
     
         11 . The dispensing system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the dispensing mechanism includes:
 an annular article guide which is fixedly connected to the article holder and disposed, in use, at a location beneath the article holder and which is rotatably mounted relative to the housing such that the article holder and the annular article guide are rotatable between a dispensing position and a loading position wherein the article holder is accessible to an operator so as to permit the loading of a disposable cartridge into the article holder, the annular article guide defining an internal space therein; art outlet formation defining an article outlet which, when the annular article guide is in the dispensing position, leads out of a lower end of the article guide; and an inlet formation defining an inlet opening which, when the annular article guide is in the dispensing position, leads into an upper end of the article guide, the inlet opening being disposed adjacent the outlet opening of the cartridge and being dimensioned to permit passage of a single article which may pass, in use, from the outlet opening of the disposable cartridge and through the inlet opening of the article guide; and
 a rotatable dispensing drum which is rotatably received within the internal space of the annular article guide and which is rotatably about an axis of rotation about which the rotatable dispensing drum rotates, in use, the rotatable dispensing drum having at least one article receiving formation for receiving one of the articles therein, 
 the rotatable dispensing drum being displaceable between: 
 a first position wherein the rotatable dispensing drum is rotated to a position wherein the article receiving formation is in register with the inlet opening of the article guide; and 
 a second position wherein the rotatable dispensing drum is rotated to a position wherein the article receiving formation is in register with the article outlet of the article guide. 
   
     
     
         12 . The dispensing system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the dispenser further includes an electrically-powered motor which is configured and arranged for driving rotation of the rotatable dispensing drum. 
     
     
         13 . The dispensing system as claimed in  claim 12 , wherein the manually-operable actuator is electrically connected to the motor and is operable in response to actuation thereof, to electrically power the motor in order to drive rotation of the dispensing drum between its first position and its second position in order to dispense the article from the outlet of the guide. 
     
     
         14 . The dispensing system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the dispenser includes a support structure fixed relative to the housing. 
     
     
         15 . The dispensing system as claimed in  claim 14 , wherein the dispenser includes mounting means for mounting the dispensing mechanism to the support structure. 
     
     
         16 . The dispensing system as claimed in  claim 15 , wherein the mounting means includes rotatable mounting means configured to permit rotational mounting of the annular article guide to the support structure. 
     
     
         17 . (canceled) 
     
     
         18 . (canceled) 
     
     
         19 . A dispenser for dispensing elongate tubular articles, the dispenser including:
 an article holder which is configured for receiving therein, elongate tubular articles to be dispensed, the article holder defining holding chamber within which the articles are held and a dispensing opening through which articles can be dispensed from the holding chamber;   a receptacle which is disposed below the dispensing opening for receiving articles dispensed from the article holder;   a dispensing mechanism for dispensing articles from the article holder, the dispensing mechanism including:
 a) a first gate member which is displaceable between a blocking position wherein the first gate member blocks the dispensing opening of the article holder and an open position wherein the first gate member permits articles to be dispensed through the dispensing opening of the article holder; and 
 b) a second gate member which is displaceable between a partial blocking position wherein the second gate member extends partially into the holding chamber so as to define an opening through which a single article only can pass and a complete blocking position preventing any articles from proceeding to the opening of the article holder. 
   
     
     
         20 . The dispenser as claimed in  claim 19 , which includes a dispenser housing, the article holder being disposed at a first side of the dispenser housing. 
     
     
         21 . The dispenser as claimed in  claim 20 , wherein the receptacle has a collection opening which is accessible at a second side of the dispenser housing, which is disposed opposite the first side of the dispenser housing. 
     
     
         22 . The dispenser as claimed in  claim 21 , wherein the dispenser is configured for use in a retail environment wherein the first side of the dispenser housing is located adjacent an area occupied by a retail operator and wherein the second side of the dispenser housing located adjacent an area occupied by customers of the retailer. 
     
     
         23 . The dispenser as claimed in  claim 22 , wherein the dispenser includes a manually-operable activator for activating the dispensing mechanism which is located at the first side of the dispenser housing. 
     
     
         24 . A dispenser for dispensing elongate tubular articles, the dispenser including:
 a dispenser housing which has a first major side and an opposite second major side;   an article holder which is disposed at the first major side of the dispenser housing and which is configured for receiving therein elongate tubular articles to be dispensed, the article holder having a dispensing opening at an end thereof, through which the articles are dispensed;   a manually-operable actuator which is disposed at the first major side of the housing;   a dispensing mechanism which is supported by the housing and which is configured for dispensing one of the articles from the article holder, in use, in response to actuation of the actuator; and   a receptacle which is disposed at the second major side of the dispenser housing, for receiving one of the articles dispensed, in use, from the dispensing mechanism and from which a user may collect the dispensed article.   
     
     
         25 . The dispenser as claimed in  claim 24 , wherein a number of the articles to be dispensed are contained in a disposable cartridge which is loaded into the article holder, the disposable cartridge having an outlet opening which is in register with the dispensing opening of the article holder.