AUTOMATED DISPENSER FOR GARMENTS AND OTHER ARTICLES AND ASSOCIATED METHODS

Abstract

A dispenser for scrubs or other items is modular and can be configured with a desired number of cells for storing scrubs and dispensing them accordingly. The dispenser includes a main or primary bank of cells with each cell housing an inventory of multiple scrubs for dispensing. The main bank of cells may operate in a standalone manner to dispense scrubs, or additional banks can be added to the main bank for increased inventory capacity. The scrubs are stored in a vertical stack in each cell with the uppermost scrub in the cell being the next scrub in that cell to be dispensed. One or more pickers each translate along a gantry to be selectively positioned above one of the cells for picking to pull the uppermost scrub in the cell and elevate it out of the cell. Multiple pickers may operate simultaneously to pick and dispense multiple scrubs at the same time. Each cell includes a platform supporting the vertical stack of scrubs. Once picked, the scrub is moved by the picker along the gantry to a discharge position in the main bank over a discharge delivery chute.

Claims

1. A dispenser for storing and dispensing a plurality of items, the dispenser comprising: a plurality of storage cells configured for storage of a vertical stack of items, each of the plurality of storage cells having a generally longitudinal vertical axis; a plurality of items vertically arranged in least some of the plurality of storage cells; at least one dispensing outlet; an article delivery system configured to retrieve a top-most item from at least one of the plurality of storage cells and deliver the top-most article to the dispensing outlet, the article delivery system including a plurality of pickers which are operable simultaneously to retrieve the top-most item from different ones of the plurality of storage cells; a user interface unit accessible to a user of the dispenser; and an on-board processing unit configured to control the article delivery system, the on-board processing unit being in electrical communication with the article delivery system and the user interface unit.

2. The dispenser of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of pickers is arranged in parallel with one another and situated atop the plurality of storage cells.

3. The dispenser of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of storage cells includes an elevator mechanism to vertically raise the items stored therein toward an upper end of the associated storage cell and toward the associated picker.

4. The dispenser of claim 1 wherein the plurality of pickers are each one of a pneumatic picker and a mechanical picker.

5. The dispenser of claim 1 further comprising: a plurality of gantries equal in number to the plurality of pickers, wherein each of the plurality of pickers is movably mounted to one of the plurality of gantries which is positioned superjacent to the associated storage cells.

6. The dispenser of claim 1 further comprising: a cabinet in which the plurality of storage cells is located; wherein the plurality of pickers is positioned proximate an upper end of the cabinet and each associated storage cell extends vertically from a lower end of the cabinet toward the upper end of the cabinet.

7. The dispenser of claim 1 further comprising: a main bank having a first plurality of the storage cells and the user interface; and at least one additional bank having a second plurality of the storage cells and being operable coupled to the main bank; wherein the article delivery system spans and services the main bank and the at least one additional bank for retrieval of items from the main bank and the at least one additional bank for delivery to the dispensing outlet.

8. The dispenser of claim 1 wherein the articles further comprise scrubs of a variety of different sizes and a first storage cell contains scrubs of a first size and a second storage cell contains scrubs of a second size different from the first size.

9. A dispenser for storing and dispensing a plurality of items, the dispenser comprising: a cabinet; a plurality of storage cells located in the cabinet and configured for storage of a vertical stack of items, each of the plurality of storage cells having a generally longitudinal vertical axis; a plurality of items vertically arranged in least some of the plurality of storage cells; at least one dispensing outlet in the cabinet; an article delivery system configured to retrieve a top-most item from at least one of the plurality of storage cells and deliver the top-most article to the dispensing outlet, the article delivery system including a plurality of pickers which are operable simultaneously to retrieve the top-most item from different ones of the plurality of storage cells; a user interface unit accessible to a user of the dispenser; an on-board processing unit configured to control the article delivery system, the on-board processing unit being in electrical communication with the article delivery system and the user interface unit; wherein each of the plurality of pickers is arranged and movable in parallel with one another and situated atop the plurality of storage cells; wherein each of the plurality of storage cells includes an elevator mechanism to vertically raise the items stored therein toward an upper end of the associated storage cell and toward the associated picker; wherein the plurality of pickers are each one of a pneumatic picker and a mechanical picker; and a plurality of gantries equal in number to the plurality of pickers, wherein each of the plurality of pickers is movably mounted to one of the plurality of gantries which is positioned superjacent to the associated storage cells; wherein the plurality of pickers is positioned proximate an upper end of the cabinet and each associated storage cell extends vertically from a lower end of the cabinet toward the upper end of the cabinet; wherein the articles further comprise scrubs of a variety of different sizes and a first storage cell contains scrubs of a first size and a second storage cell contains scrubs of a second size different from the first size.

10. The dispenser of claim 9 further comprising: a main bank having a first plurality of the storage cells and the user interface and at least one additional bank having a second plurality of the storage cells and being operable coupled to the main bank; wherein the article delivery system spans and services the main bank and the at least one additional bank for retrieval of items from the main bank and the at least one additional bank for delivery to the dispensing outlet.

11. A dispenser for storing and dispensing a plurality of items, the dispenser comprising: a main bank of a first plurality of storage cells configured for storage of a vertical stack of items, each of the first plurality of storage cells having a generally longitudinal vertical axis; a first plurality of items vertically arranged in at least some of the first plurality of storage cells; at least one dispensing outlet in the main bank; a user interface unit in the main bank accessible to a user of the dispenser; at least one additional bank having a second plurality of the storage cells and being operably coupled laterally to the main bank, a second plurality of items vertically arranged in at least some of the second storage cells; an article delivery system configured to retrieve a top-most item from at least one of the plurality of storage cells and deliver the top-most article to the dispensing outlet, the article delivery system including a plurality of pickers which are operable simultaneously to retrieve the top-most item from different ones of the plurality of storage cells and the second plurality of storage cells; wherein the article delivery system spans and services the main bank and the at least one additional bank for retrieval of items from the main bank and the at least one additional bank for delivery to the dispensing outlet; and an on-board processing unit configured to control the article delivery system, the on-board processing unit being in electrical communication with the article delivery system and the user interface unit.

12. The dispenser of claim 11 further comprising a plurality of the at least one additional banks and wherein all of the additional banks are serially coupled together.

13. A method for dispensing a plurality of items from a dispenser comprising the steps of: arranging the plurality of items in a cabinet in a plurality of vertical stacks with each of the plurality of vertical stacks being in one of a plurality of discrete storage cells; simultaneously retrieving from an upper end of the cabinet a first topmost item from a first one of the plurality of vertical stacks and a second topmost item from a second one of the plurality of vertical stacks; and delivering each of the first and second topmost items to a dispensing outlet of the dispenser for access by at least one user of the dispenser.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising: grouping the plurality of discrete storage cells into a main bank of storage cells and at least one additional bank of storage cells; and operably coupling the main bank of storage cells and the at least one additional bank of storage cells.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the simultaneously retrieving step further comprises: moving a first picker to a first position above the first topmost item; and moving a second picker to a second position above the second topmost item.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein the delivering step further comprises: moving a first picker holding the first topmost item toward a chute in communication with the dispensing outlet; and moving a second picker holding the second topmost item toward the chute.

17. The method of claim 13 further comprising: elevating a remainder of the items in the first one of the plurality of vertical stacks; and elevating a remainder of the items in the second one of the plurality of vertical stacks.

18. The method of claim 13 further comprising: arranging a first set of the plurality vertical stacks in a first linear row; and arranging a second set of the plurality of vertical stacks in a second linear row generally parallel to the first linear row.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the first one of the plurality of vertical stacks is in the first linear row and the second one of the plurality of vertical stacks is in the second liner row.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein the first and second topmost items and a topmost item in each of a remainder of the plurality of vertical stacks are generally positioned at a same vertical height.

21. The method of claim 14 further comprising: adding a third additional bank of storage cells to the at least one additional bank of storage cells at an end of the dispenser opposite from the main bank of storage cells.

22. The method of claim 14 further comprising: configuring a picker module positioned atop the main bank of storage cells and the at least one additional bank of storage cells to accommodate the simultaneously retrieving and delivering steps.

23. A method for dispensing a plurality of items from a dispenser comprising the steps of: arranging the plurality of items in a plurality of vertical stacks with each of the plurality of vertical stacks being in one of a plurality of discrete storage cells; grouping the plurality of discrete storage cells into a main bank of storage cells and at least one additional bank of storage cells; operably coupling the main bank of storage cells and the at least one additional bank of storage cells; simultaneously retrieving a first topmost item from a first one of the plurality of vertical stacks and a second topmost item from a second one of the plurality of vertical stacks; wherein the simultaneously retrieving step further comprises moving a first picker to a first position above the first topmost item and moving a second picker to a second position above the second topmost item; delivering each of the first and second topmost items to a dispensing outlet of the dispenser for access by at least one user of the dispenser by moving a first picker holding the first topmost item toward a chute in communication with the dispensing outlet and moving a second picker holding the second topmost item toward the chute; elevating a remainder of the items in the first one of the plurality of vertical stacks; elevating a remainder of the items in the second one of the plurality of vertical stacks and configuring a picker module positioned atop the main bank of storage cells and the at least one additional bank of storage cells to accommodate the simultaneously retrieving and delivering steps.

24. The method of claim 23 further comprising: arranging a first set of the plurality vertical stacks in a first linear row; and arranging a second set of the plurality of vertical stacks in a second linear row generally parallel to the first linear row; wherein the first one of the plurality of vertical stacks is in the first linear row and the second one of the plurality of vertical stacks is in the second liner row.

25. The method of claim 23 wherein the first and second topmost items and a topmost item in each of a remainder of the plurality of vertical stacks are generally positioned at a same vertical height.

26. The method of claim 23 further comprising: adding a third additional bank of storage cells to the at least one additional bank of storage cells at an end of the dispenser opposite from the main bank of storage cells.

27. A method for dispensing a plurality of items from a dispenser comprising the steps of: arranging the plurality of items in a cabinet in a plurality of vertical stacks with each of the plurality of vertical stacks being in one of a plurality of discrete storage cells; retrieving from an upper end of the cabinet a first topmost item from a first one of the plurality of vertical stacks and a second topmost item from a second one of the plurality of vertical stacks; and delivering each of the first and second topmost items to a dispensing outlet of the dispenser for access by at least one user of the dispenser. grouping the plurality of discrete storage cells into a main bank of storage cells and at least one additional bank of storage cells; and operably coupling the main bank of storage cells and the at least one additional bank of storage cells.

28. The method of claim 27 further comprising: configuring a picker module positioned atop the main bank of storage cells and the at least one additional bank of storage cells to accommodate the simultaneously retrieving and delivering steps.

29. The method of claim 27 further comprising: adding a third additional bank of storage cells to the at least one additional bank of storage cells at an end of the dispenser opposite from the main bank of storage cells.

30. The dispenser of claim 1 wherein the plurality of storage cells are arranged in only one tier.

31. The method of claim 13 wherein the arranging step further comprises arranging the storage cells in only one tier.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] The above-mentioned and other features and advantages of this invention, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the invention itself will be better understood by reference to the following description of embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0020] FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a dispenser according to one embodiment of this invention;

[0021] FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 with a front of a cabinet housing of the dispenser removed to show dispenser components therein;

[0022] FIG. 3 is a left side elevational view of the dispenser of FIGS. 1-2 with a portion of the cabinet housing removed to show dispenser components therein;

[0023] FIG. 4 is a right side elevational view of the dispenser of FIGS. 1-3 with a portion of the cabinet housing removed to show dispenser components therein;

[0024] FIG. 5 is a top view of the dispenser of FIGS. 1-4 with a portion of the cabinet housing removed to show dispenser components therein;

[0025] FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 2 with scrubs housed in cells of the dispenser being retrieved and dispensed;

[0026] FIG. 7 is a front elevational view of another embodiment of a dispenser of this invention including a main bank of cells for storing scrubs with a front cabinet housing of the dispenser removed to show dispenser components therein;

[0027] FIG. 8 is a front elevational view of an embodiment of a bank of cells for storing scrubs with a front cabinet housing of the dispenser removed to show dispenser components therein;

[0028] FIG. 9 is a front elevational view of a main bank and optional one or two additional banks of cells forming a dispenser of four, eight or twelve cells according various embodiments of this invention;

[0029] FIG. 10 is a front elevational view of a dispenser of this invention with a main bank and additional bank of cells according to one embodiment;

[0030] FIG. 11 is a front elevational view of a dispenser of this invention with a main bank and two additional banks of cells according to one embodiment of this invention;

[0031] FIG. 12 is a front elevational view of a dispenser according to another embodiment of this invention with the front of the cabinet removed to reveal the interior of the dispenser;

[0032] FIG. 13 is a left side elevational view of the dispenser of FIG. 12 with a portion of the cabinet housing removed to show dispenser components therein;

[0033] FIG. 14 is a right side elevational view of the dispenser of FIGS. 12-13 with a portion of the cabinet housing removed to show dispenser components therein;

[0034] FIG. 15 is a top view of the dispenser of FIGS. 12-14 with a portion of the cabinet housing removed to show dispenser components therein; and

[0035] FIG. 16 is a view similar to FIG. 12 with scrubs housed in cells of the dispenser being retrieved and dispensed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0036] Referring to FIG. 1, one embodiment of a dispenser 10 according to this invention is shown. The dispenser 10 is shown and described herein dispensing folded and packaged scrubs 12, but one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that other garments, items or products may be dispensed from various embodiments of this invention and this invention is not limited to dispensing scrubs 12. The dispenser 10 has an exterior cabinet 14 and a pair of doors 16 for selectively closing and opening the cabinet 14 to conceal and expose, respectively, the interior of the dispenser 10. A picker module 18 sits atop the cabinet 14 to retrieve the scrubs 12 and deliver them ultimately to a dispenser port 20 in the cabinet 14 which is selectively closed and opened by a dispenser door 22 through which a user may retrieve the scrubs 12 being dispensed. A control panel 24 may be in the form of an HMI/user interface as appropriate is also provided on the cabinet 14 for operation and programming of the dispenser 10.

[0037] The dispenser 10 embodiment of FIG. 1 is also shown in FIGS. 2-6 with various portions of the cabinet 14 and/or the picker module 18 removed to better show the components of the dispenser 10. FIGS. 2 and 6 are similar views of the front of the dispenser 10 with FIG. 6 including a supply of scrubs 12 housed in the dispenser 10. The scrubs 12 are arranged in discrete vertical stacks 26 in individual storage cells 28 arranged in blocks 30 in the dispenser 10. According to various embodiments of this invention, the dispenser 10 is modular and can be selectively configured to house a range of quantities of scrubs 12 depending upon the current and/or future needs of the institution or environment in which the dispenser 10 is utilized. Moreover, in various embodiments of this invention, each cell extends substantially the full height of the dispenser beneath the picker module so as to maximize the capacity of the dispenser and minimize its footprint in the hospital or other setting.

[0038] The modularity of the dispenser 10 of various embodiments of this invention is derived from the capability of adding blocks 30, as needed, to the dispenser 12. Each block 30 contains four cells 28 with each cell 28 having a longitudinal, generally vertical axis parallel with the vertical, longitudinal axes of the other cells 28. Each cell 28 may contain one vertical stack 26 of scrubs 12 to be dispensed according to various embodiments of this invention. The dispenser 10 shown in FIG. 5 includes three banks 30 of a total of twelve cells 28 of stacks 26 of scrubs 12. The cells 28 in each bank 3o are arranged in a square or quadrangular arrangement. Each dispenser 12 according to embodiments of this invention includes a main bank 30a which includes the control panel 24, dispenser port 20, dispenser door 22 and appropriate power, command and control, communication and operational components of the dispenser 12 as will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art. In one embodiment of this invention, each cell may contain approximately one hundred packaged scrubs 12 in the four stack 26, so each bank 30 of four cells 28 may hold four hundred packaged scrubs 12 in four stacks 26. An encoder (not shown) may be included on each cell 28 to provide a real-time inventory of the scrubs 12 in the respective cell 28. Additional banks 30 may be coupled to the main bank 30a to add approximately four hundred packaged scrubs 12 per added bank 30. The dispenser 10 of FIGS. 1-6 has a total of three banks 30 including the main bank 30a and two additional banks 30 with a capacity of housing about 1,200 total packaged scrubs 12 in the dispenser 10.

[0039] As shown in FIGS. 2-6, each cell 28 may have an elevator mechanism 32 which supports and raises the stack 26 of scrubs 12 from a base 34 toward a top end of the cell 28. The scrubs 12 in each stack 26 are supported on a platform 36 which translates vertically by the elevator mechanism 32 along pairs of vertical guides 38 in a frame member 40. Each platform 36 is coupled to a driver 42 which translates vertically to move the platform 34 in the cell 28. The driver 42 is coupled to a belt 43 and an actuator 44 at the bottom end of the cell 28 for movement. The actuator 44 may be a clutch based system, servomotor or other device for selective movement of the driver 42 and platform 34 to keep the uppermost scrub 12 at the top of the cell 28 as shown in FIG. 6.

[0040] The dispenser 10 includes the picker module 18 situated atop the cabinet 14. The picker module 18 is sized and configured according to the number of banks 30 in the dispenser 10 as the picker module 18 services all of the banks 30 and associated cells 28 in the dispenser 10. The picker module 18 includes a pair of parallel gantries 46 extending across the tops of the banks 30 and associated cells 28 as shown in FIGS. 2-4. Each gantry 46 includes an end effector as a picker 48 which is mounted for horizontal translation along the associated gantry 46 to service two of the longitudinally aligned cells 28 in each bank 30. The picker 48 may be driven by a belt actuator, servomotor or other device for selective movement along the associated gantry 46 to pick a selected scrub 12 from the top of the designated cell 28 and delivery of the scrub 12 to the main bank 30a to be released and deposited onto a dispenser chute 50 for gravity feed of the scrub to the dispenser port 20 for retrieval by the user. The end effector picker 48 according to various embodiments of this invention may be a suction or pneumatic device, particularly if each scrub 12 is packaged in a plastic, cellophane or other material which forms a seal with a suction head of the picker 48. Alternatively, a mechanical picker to mechanically grasp the scrub 12 or other picker device may be used within the scope of this invention. The multiple pickers 48 in the picker module 18 may operate simultaneously to pick, move and deposit scrubs 12 to the chute 50 for delivery to the user and this mode of operation is particularly advantageous to provide more efficiency and higher dispensing rates to the dispenser 12 compared to known dispensers. It is estimated that certain embodiments of this invention may dispense scrubs 12 at a rate of two scrubs every five seconds.

[0041] As shown most clearly in FIG. 4, a control module 52 may be located beneath the chute 50 in the main bank 30a for housing the appropriate control systems and components for operation of the dispenser 12 as would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art.

[0042] In FIGS. 7-8, an alternative embodiment of a dispenser 10a according to this invention is shown in which the main bank 30a of four cells 28 is included. The picker module 18a of the dispenser 10a of FIGS. 7-8 has dual gantries 46 and dual pickers 48 and extends only over the cells 28 and chute 50 of the main bank 30a of the dispenser 10a. FIG. 9 demonstrates the modularity of the dispenser 10 according to various embodiments of this invention and includes the dispenser 10a and picker module 18a of FIGS. 7-8 as well as an added bank 30 and accompanying picker module 18b for the eight cells 28 of the two bank dispenser 10b along with a third bank 3o forming a dispenser 10c and associated picker module 18c for the twelve cells 28 of the three bank 30 dispenser 10c. Front elevational views of the two bank dispenser 10b and three bank dispenser 10c are shown in FIGS. 10-11, respectively, with the associated picker modules 18b and 18c, respectively. The dispenser of this invention is not limited to any particular number of cells, banks or scrubs and may be configured as needed for the environment in which it is utilized. The cabinet 14 for each of the dispenser embodiments may include a door 16 for each bank 30 or doors 16 covering more than one bank 30 as desired.

[0043] In the embodiment of the dispenser 10 shown in FIGS. 1-6 which includes three banks 30, the dispenser 10 may measure 88 inches tall, 30 inches deep and 88 inches wide with each bank 30 measuring 70 inches tall. This invention provides a dispenser which requires a small footprint, has more inventory capacity and a higher dispensing rate than other known scrub dispensers. The scrubs are stored in a single tier in the various cells and the picking operation is more efficient and quicker, in part, by virtue of the elevator mechanism which maintains the available inventory at the top of the respective cells for convenient access by the dual and simultaneous picker design.

[0044] A further alternative embodiment of the dispenser according to this invention is shown in FIGS. 12-16 with similar components bearing the same reference numeral as those components of other embodiments of this invention shown and described herein. Referring to FIG. 12, the dispenser 10 according to this embodiment is shown. The dispenser 10 is shown and described herein dispensing folded and packaged scrubs 12, but one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that other garments, items or products may be dispensed from various embodiments of this invention and this invention is not limited to dispensing scrubs 12. The dispenser 10 has an exterior cabinet 14 and a pair of doors (not shown) for selectively closing and opening the cabinet 14 to conceal and expose, respectively, the interior of the dispenser 10. A picker module 18 sits atop the cabinet 14 to retrieve the scrubs 12 and deliver them ultimately to a dispenser port 20 in the cabinet 14 which is selectively closed and opened by a dispenser door 22 through which a user may retrieve the scrubs 12 being dispensed. A control panel 24 may be in the form of an HMI/user interface as appropriate is also provided on the cabinet 14 for operation and programming of the dispenser 10.

[0045] The dispenser 10 embodiment of FIG. 12 is also shown in FIGS. 13-16 with various portions of the cabinet 14 and/or the picker module 18 removed to better show the components of the dispenser 10. A supply of scrubs 12 housed in the dispenser 10 is shown in FIG. 16. The scrubs 12 are arranged in discrete vertical stacks 26 in individual cells 28 arranged in banks 30 in the dispenser 12. According to various embodiments of this invention, the dispenser 10 is modular and can be selectively configured to house a range of quantities of scrubs 12 depending upon the current and/or future needs of the institution or environment in which the dispenser 10 is utilized.

[0046] The modularity of the dispenser 10 of various embodiments of this invention is derived from the capability of adding blocks 30, as needed, to the dispenser 12. Each block 3o may contain four cells 28 with each cell 28 having one vertical stack 26 of scrubs 12 to be dispensed according to various embodiments of this invention. The block 30 may contain another quantity of cells 28 within the scope of this invention. The dispenser 10 shown in FIG. 15 includes three banks 30 of a total of twelve cells 28 of stacks 26 of scrubs 12. The cells 28 in each bank 30 are arranged in a square or quadrangular arrangement, but other arrangements are within the scope of this invention. Each dispenser 12 according to embodiments of this invention includes a main bank 30a which includes the control panel 24, dispenser port 20, dispenser door 22 and appropriate power, command and control, communication and operational components of the dispenser 12 as will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art. In one embodiment of this invention, each cell may contain approximately one hundred packaged scrubs 12 in the four stack 26, so each bank 30 of four cells 28 may hold four hundred packaged scrubs 12 in four stacks 26. An encoder (not shown) may be included on each cell 28 to provide a real-time inventory of the scrubs 12 in the respective cell 28. Additional banks 30 may be coupled to the main bank 30a to add approximately four hundred packaged scrubs 12 per added bank 30. The dispenser 10 of FIGS. 12-16 has a total of three blocks 30 including the main bank 30a and two additional banks 30 with a capacity of housing about 1,200 total packaged scrubs 12 in the dispenser 10.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 16, each storage cell 28 may have an elevator mechanism 32 which supports and raises the stack 26 of scrubs 12 from a base 34 toward a top end of the cell 28. The scrubs 12 in each stack 26 are supported on a platform 36 which translates vertically by the elevator mechanism 32 along pairs of vertical guides 38 in a frame member 40. Each platform 36 is coupled to a driver 42 which translates vertically to move the platform 34 in the cell 28. The driver 42 and platform 34 keep the uppermost scrub 12 at the top of the cell 28 as shown in FIG. 16.

[0048] The dispenser 10 includes the picker module 18 situated atop the cabinet 14. The picker module 18 is sized and configured according to the number of banks 30 in the dispenser 10 as the picker module 18 services all of the banks 30 and associated cells 28 in the dispenser 10. The picker module 18 includes a pair of parallel gantries 46 extending across the tops of the banks 30 and associated cells 28 as shown in FIGS. 12-16. Each gantry 46 includes a picker 48 which is mounted for horizontal translation along the associated gantry 46 to service two of the longitudinally aligned cells 28 in each bank 30. The picker 48 may be driven by a belt actuator, servomotor or other device for selective movement along the associated gantry 46 to pick a selected scrub 12 from the top of the designated cell 28 and delivery of the scrub 12 to the main bank 30a to be released and deposited onto a dispenser chute 50 for gravity feed of the scrub to the dispenser port 20 for retrieval by the user. The picker 48 according to this embodiment of this invention may be claw type mechanism with a picker jaw 62 extending downwardly from a hub 64 of the picker 48. The picker 48 may include a pair of guide arms 6o which help to align the picker 48 and picker jaw 62 with the cell 28 when retrieving a packaged scrub 12 or another article. The multiple pickers 48 in the picker module 18 may operate simultaneously to pick, move and deposit scrubs 12 to the chute 50 for delivery to the user and this mode of operation is particularly advantageous to provide more efficiency and higher dispensing rates to the dispenser 10 compared to known dispensers. It is estimated that certain embodiments of this invention may dispense scrubs 12 at a rate of two scrubs every five seconds.

[0049] As shown most clearly in FIG. 12, a control module 52 may be located beneath the chute 50 in the main bank 30a for housing the appropriate control systems and components for operation of the dispenser 12 as would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art.

[0050] From the above disclosure of the general principles of this invention and the preceding detailed description of at least one embodiment, those skilled in the art will readily comprehend the various modifications to which this invention is susceptible. Therefore, we desire to be limited only by the scope of the following claims and equivalents thereof.