Abstract
A gem applier and method for dispensing gems includes holding a plurality of gems in a stack and moving a gem from the stack for dispensing. A gem may be moved from the stack in a plane that is perpendicular to a direction in which the gem is dispensed or applied to a substrate. An actuator may cause both movement of a gem from a stack and dispensing of the gem.
Claims
1. -20. (canceled)
21. A method for dispensing gems, comprising: holding a stack of gems in a body, the stack of gems including a first gem at a bottom of the stack; moving the first gem along a pathway to separate the first gem from the stack of gems and position the first gem at a dispensing area; and pushing the first gem at the dispensing area through a dispense opening of the body to dispense the first gem from the body.
22. The method of claim 21, wherein the pathway is a linear pathway.
23. The method of claim 22, wherein moving the first gem along a pathway includes moving the gem in a horizontal plane.
24. The method of claim 23, wherein holding the stack of gems includes holding the stack of gems in a vertical direction perpendicular to the horizontal plane.
25. The method of claim 24, wherein pushing the first gem at the dispensing area includes pushing the first gem in the vertical direction through the dispense opening.
26. The method of claim 21, wherein moving the first gem along a pathway includes moving the first gem in a horizontal plane.
27. The method of claim 26, wherein holding the stack of gems includes holding the stack of gems in a vertical direction.
28. The method of claim 21, wherein moving the first gem along the pathway includes pressing downwardly on a cap located on an upper side of the body.
29. The method of claim 28, wherein pushing the first gem at the dispensing area includes dispensing the first gem from a bottom side of the body.
30. The method of claim 21, further comprising removing a platform from a bottom side of the body before pushing the first gem at the dispensing area to dispense the first gem.
31. The method of claim 21, further comprising removing a cap from an upper side of the body to access a gem storage area.
32. The method of claim 31, further comprising removing a gem storage area cover to access the gem storage area where the stack of gems is held.
33. The method of claim 21, further comprising placing the stack of gems in a gem storage area of the body, the stack of gems including adhesive between adjacent gems in the stack.
34. The method of claim 21, wherein moving the first gem includes rotating a shuttle to separate the first gem from the stack of gems and move the first gem to the dispensing area.
35. The method of 34, wherein pushing the first gem includes pushing the first gem with a push rod that is operably coupled to the shuttle.
36. The method of claim 35, wherein moving the first gem and pushing the first gem are both caused by pushing an actuator downwardly relative to the body.
37. The method of claim 21, wherein moving the first gem along the pathway includes moving the first gem in a plane and pushing the first gem includes pushing the first gem in a direction perpendicular to the plane.
38. The method of claim 37, wherein the stack of gems is arranged perpendicular to the plane.
39. The method of claim 21, wherein moving the gem includes engaging a cam follower with a cam on a shuttle that causes the shuttle to move the first gem to separate the first gem from the stack of gems.
40. The method of claim 39, wherein the cam follower is fixed to a push rod, and pushing the first gem includes pushing the first gem with the push rod.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] Aspects of the invention are described with reference to various embodiments, and to the figures, which include:
[0014] FIG. 1 shows an upper perspective view of a gem applier in an illustrative embodiment;
[0015] FIG. 2 shows a lower perspective view of the FIG. 1 gem applier;
[0016] FIG. 3 shows an upper perspective view of the FIG. 1 gem applier with a cap removed;
[0017] FIG. 4 shows an upper perspective view of the FIG. 1 gem applier with the cap and gem storage area cover removed;
[0018] FIG. 5 shows a partial schematic view of the FIG. 1 gem applier illustrating gem movement in the gem applier;
[0019] FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of the gem applier with the applier body transparent;
[0020] FIG. 7 shows a lower perspective view of the gem applier with the body and platform removed;
[0021] FIG. 8 shows an upper perspective view of the gem applier body with the actuator removed;
[0022] FIG. 9 shows a cross sectional view along the line 9-9 in FIG. 7;
[0023] FIG. 10 shows an upper perspective exploded view of the FIG. 1 gem applier;
[0024] FIG. 11 shows a lower perspective exploded view of the FIG. 1 gem applier;
[0025] FIG. 12 shows a perspective view of a portion of the body of the FIG. 1 gem applier; and
[0026] FIG. 13 shows a platform leg retainer in an illustrative embodiment along with other components of the FIG. 1 gem applier.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0027] Inventive features are described below with reference to illustrative embodiments, but it should be understood that inventive features are not to be construed narrowly in view of the specific embodiments described. Thus, aspects of the invention are not limited to the embodiments described herein. It should also be understood that various inventive features may be used alone and/or in any suitable combination with each other, and thus various embodiments should not be interpreted as requiring any particular combination or combinations of features. Instead, one or more features of the embodiments described may be combined with any other suitable features of other embodiments. For example, one embodiment includes a platform that is movable and/or removable from the gem applier body, and another embodiment includes a shuttle that moves rotationally to move a gem from a stack to a dispense area. These features may be used together as in the embodiments below, or independently of each other.
[0028] In some aspects, a gem applier can be used to apply or otherwise dispense gems as desired by a user. For example, FIGS. 1 and 2 show perspective views of a gem applier 100 that can be used to dispense gems onto a surface or other article, such as fabric, skin, hair, etc. The gems can be decorative articles, e.g., a rhinestone or other similar element, or any other item to be dispensed. The gems can include an adhesive portion, e.g., on a bottom surface, so that the dispensed gem can be adhered to a surface. In some cases, the adhesive can be a pressure sensitive adhesive, e.g., such that a gem adheres to the surface by pressing the gem against a surface. In some embodiments, a gem applier may provide a force on the gem to press the gem against a surface, although in some embodiments the gem applier may simply dispense a gem without providing an application force on the gem. In some cases, an adhesive on the gem can require activation of some type, such as heat, pressure, water or other fluid, or other component needed to cause the adhesive to become tacky or otherwise adhere the gem to a surface. The adhesive may be activated prior to dispensing of the gem, or after, e.g., by applying heat to a previously dispensed gem.
[0029] In some embodiments, a gem applier 100 includes a body 1, e.g., that can be grasped and manipulated by a user wishing to dispense a gem. An actuator 2, such as a button, trigger or other movable component, may be attached to and movable relative to the body 1 to cause gems to be dispensed from the body 1. For example, in FIGS. 1 and 2 the actuator 2 includes a cap 20 that a user may grasp and/or press on to cause dispensing of a gem. In some cases, the actuator 2 may be located at an upper side of the body 1, e.g., so a user can press downwardly on the actuator 2 to move the actuator 2 downwardly relative to the body 1 and cause a gem to be dispensed. However, an actuator 2 may be configured in other ways, such as including a trigger, handle or other movable element that can be moved by a user to cause dispensing of a gem. For example, the actuator in FIGS. 1 and 2 could be moved by a handle and trigger arrangement such that the actuator 2 moves relative to the body 1 in response to a user squeezing the handle and trigger together. In some embodiments an actuator 2 may be motor operated, e.g., the actuator 2 may move in response to a user pressing a button that causes a drive motor to operate and move the actuator 2 relative to the body 1. In some embodiments, an actuator 2 may include two or more components that can be operated separately by a user, e.g., one component to more a gem from a stack and another component to cause the gem to be dispensed from the body.
[0030] Gems may be dispensed from the body 1 at any suitable location or locations. In some embodiments, gems may be dispensed from a dispense opening 11, e.g., at a bottom side of the body 1. The dispensing opening 11 may be formed in a base 12 of the body 1, e.g., the base 12 may be positioned on a surface on which a gem is to be dispensed and support the body 1 so the actuator 2 can be pressed downwardly to cause a gem to be dispensed form the opening 11. Gems may be dispensed one gem at a time from the dispense opening 11, e.g., one gem for each downward or other movement of the actuator 2 relative to the body 1, although in some embodiments, two or more gems may be dispensed per actuation.
[0031] In some cases, a gem applier 100 may include a platform 5 on which a substrate to receive a gem may be placed. For example, a piece of fabric may be positioned between an application area 51 of the platform 5 and the dispensing opening 11 so that a gem can be dispensed onto the fabric. The platform 5 may provide a counterforce to a dispensing force placed on a gem, e.g., a gem may be pushed out of the dispensing opening 11 in a downward direction toward the platform 5, and the platform 5 may provide support to a substrate on the application area 51 so that suitable application force between the gem and the substrate can be provided, e.g., to adhere the gem to the substrate. In some cases, a user may support the platform 5, e.g., by providing a force that tends to cause the platform 5 and the actuator 2 to move toward each other, or that tends to cause the platform 5 to move toward the body 1. In some cases, the platform 5 may be placed on a support surface, such as a table top, and a user may press downwardly on the actuator 2 (e.g., to dispense a gem) and/or the body 1 to urge the base 12 to move toward the platform 5 (e.g., to clamp or squeeze a substrate between the platform 5 and the base 12 before and/or during gem dispensing). In some cases, the platform 5 may be moveable relative to the body 1, e.g., a leg 52 may be received into an opening of the base 12 so that the platform 5 is movable toward and away from the base 12. In some embodiments, a spring bias may be provided that urges the platform 5 to move away from the base 12, and the spring bias can be overcome by a user, e.g., by pressing the body 1 and/or actuator 2 toward the platform 5 so that the platform 5 moves toward the base 12. In some cases, the platform 5 may be removable from the body 1, e.g., by pulling the leg 52 from a receiving opening of the base 12. This may be useful, for example, if a user wishes to dispense gems onto a surface that cannot be positioned between the platform 5 and the base 12 (such as a wall or body part that is too large to fit in a gap between the platform 5 and base 12). Thereafter, the platform 5 may be re-engaged with the body 1 for applying gems to a substrate positioned between the body 1 and the platform 5.
[0032] In some embodiments, a gem applier 100 may be a single use item, e.g., the applier 100 may include one or more gems that can be dispensed and when the gem supply is exhausted, the applier 100 may no longer be usable. In some cases, the gem applier 100 may be configured to permit a gem supply to be replenished, either before or after a gem supply is exhausted. For example, FIG. 3 shows a top view of the applier 100 with the cap 20 removed so as to expose a gem storage area. The cap 20 may be removably engaged with another portion of the actuator 2, such as an actuator guide 21 that guides movement of the actuator 2 relative to the body 1 and defines an opening to the gem storage area. Although not required, a gem storage area cover 42 may cover a gem storage area and may be removable as shown in FIG. 4 to expose the gem storage area 13. With the gem storage area 13 exposed, a stack of gems 4, e.g., including one or more gems 41, may be provided into the gem storage area 13. Gems 41 may be provided into the gem storage area 13, e.g., one gem at a time, or loaded in groups of two or more. In some cases, adhesive between adjacent gems in a stack 4 may hold the stack 4 of gems 41 together, e.g., to allow for easier bulk loading of the gems into the gem storage area 13. In some cases, a stack of gems 4 may be provided in a tube or other holder that holds the gems in a stack formation, e.g., adhesive between gems need not be provided to hold the gems in a stack arrangement. The tube or other holder (e.g., which may have a straw-like configuration) may be mated with the gem storage area 13 and the stack of gems 4 dropped or otherwise provided into the gem storage area 13 in a bulk fashion. This may permit easier loading of gems into the applier 100. In some cases, the tube or other holder may be placed into the gem storage area 13 with the gems, e.g., the stack of gems and tube may be placed into the gem storage area 13 and the tube or other holder removed when the stack of gems is exhausted and before a next stack of gems is placed into the gem storage area 13. With one or more gems provided in the gem storage area 13, the cover 42 (if provided) may be positioned to cover the gem storage area 13 and the cap 20 replaced for use of the applier 100. Alternately, the cap 20 or other part of the actuator 2 may function to cover the gem storage area 13 without need for a cover 42. Note that the cap 20 in FIGS. 3 and 4 engages with the actuator guide 21 by a threaded connection, but other arrangements are possible such as an interference fit, bayonet connection, snap fit, etc. In some cases, a cap 20 need not be provided, e.g., a gem storage area cover 42 only may be provided and a user may press on an actuator guide 21 or other actuator 2 component to dispense gems.
[0033] In some embodiments, a stack of gems may be held in a body and a first gem may be located at a bottom of the stack. For example, when gems are loaded into the gem storage area 13, a first gem placed in the storage area 13 may be located at the bottom of the stack of gems 4 in the applier 100 and other gems may be added to the storage area 13 and positioned over the first gem. To dispense the first gem, the first gem may be moved relative to the stack of gems, e.g., along an arcuate or other pathway, to separate the first gem from the stack of gems and position the first gem at a dispensing area. Movement of the first gem from the stack of gems to the dispensing area may be in a plane that is perpendicular or otherwise transverse to a direction in which the gem is dispensed from the body. For example, with the first gem at the dispensing area, the first gem may be pushed through a dispense opening of the body to dispense the first gem from the body. The direction in which the first gem is pushed through the dispense opening may be perpendicular or otherwise transverse to a plane or direction in which the first gem is moved from the stack of gems to the dispensing area. As an example, the first gem may be moved in a horizontal plane (e.g., along an arcuate or linear path in the horizontal plane) from the stack of gems to the dispense area, and the gem may be moved in a vertical direction from the dispense area and through the dispense opening to be dispensed from the body. This arrangement can provide a compact applier, e.g., that has a relatively small dimension in a horizontal direction, while storing a large number of gems in the stack (e.g., in a vertical direction). This is in contrast to appliers that store gems in a planar arrangement, e.g., on a strip or disc, and require a relatively large area for gem storage.
[0034] FIG. 5 shows a partial schematic view of the gem applier 100 of FIGS. 1-4 and illustrates how an applier 100 can be configured to hold a stack of gems and move a gem from the stack in a plane that is perpendicular or otherwise transverse to a direction in which the gem is dispensed from the applier 100. In FIG. 5, the body 1 is shown in transparent form and other portions of the applier 100 are removed for clarity of description. (Components removed from FIG. 5 will be discussed in more detail below.) As can be seen in FIG. 5, a stack of gems 4 is held in a generally vertical configuration extending in a direction from a bottom of the body 1 toward a top of the body 1. Movement of the actuator 2 (e.g., the cap 20 and actuator guide 21) downwardly relative to the body 1 causes a shuttle 6 to move a first gem 41 from the stack 4 in a horizontal plane to a dispense area located generally under a push rod 31 of a push rod body 3. As is discussed more below, movement of the first gem 41 may be along an arcuate path in a horizontal plane from the bottom of the stack 4 to the dispense area under the push rod 31. With the first gem 41 at the dispense area, the push rod 31 can move downwardly to push the first gem 41 downwardly (e.g., along a vertical direction) to move the first gem 41 through the dispense opening 11 (e.g., in a direction toward the platform 5 or otherwise toward a substrate to receive the first gem 41). Although embodiments are shown in which movement of a single actuator component causes movement of a gem from the stack to a dispense area and pushing of the gem from the body, this is not required. The actuator 2 can include a first component, such as a lever or handle attached to the shuttle 6, which a user can manipulate to cause the shuttle 6 to move a gem from the stack to the dispense area. A second component of the actuator 2, a handle on a plunger or push rod, may be manipulated to cause the gem to be dispensed from the dispense opening.
[0035] FIGS. 6 and 7 include additional components not shown in FIG. 5 and help show how a first gem 41 at the bottom of the stack 4 is moved from the stack 4 to the dispense area in some embodiments. FIG. 6 shows a view of the applier 100 similar to that in FIG. 5, but shows a lower portion 62 of the shuttle 6 which serves to move the first gem 41 from the bottom of the stack 4 to the dispense area. As can be seen in FIG. 7, the lower portion 62 of the shuttle includes a shuttle opening 64 that is initially aligned with the stack 4 and receives the first gem 41 at the bottom of the stack 4. The stack of gems 4 may be biased downwardly by a gem biasing element 43, e.g., a spring that is attached to the gem storage area cover 42 and presses down on the stack 4 when the cover 42 is in place over the storage area 13 opening. With the shuttle opening 64 aligned with the stack 4 and a bottom gem 41 received in the shuttle opening 64, the stack of gems 4 are limited in downward movement by the bottom gem 41 a portion of the base 12. That is, a portion of the base 12 contacts the first gem 41 in the shuttle opening 64 and prevents the stack 4 from moving any further downwardly. The bottom wall of the lower portion 62 that defines the shuttle opening 64 has a thickness that is approximately equal to the height of a gem 41. Thus, when the lower portion 62 rotates to position the first gem 41 at the dispense area, the lower portion 62 moves only the first gem 41 and other gems in the stack 4 remain in place.
[0036] The gem dispensing operation for the gem applier 100 of FIGS. 1-7 may operate as follows. To dispense a gem, the actuator 2 (e.g., a cap 20 and actuator guide 21) may be moved downwardly relative to the body 1, e.g., by a user pressing downwardly on the actuator 2 relative to the body 1. This causes the actuator guide 21 to press downwardly on posts 33 of the push rod body 3, which moves the push rod body 3 downwardly relative to the body 1. As can be seen in FIG. 8, movement of the push rod body 3 is guided by interaction of the posts 3 with corresponding openings of a guide plate 14 of the body 1. As the push rod body 3 moves downwardly, cam followers 32 of the push rod body 3 engage with corresponding cams 63 on the lower portion 62 of the shuttle 6. The push rod body 3 cannot rotate about a vertical axis relative to the body 1 because of engagement of the posts 33 with the guide plate 14 of the body 1, but the shuttle 6 is mounted in the body 1 for rotation about the vertical axis. As the push rod body 3 moves downwardly, the cam followers 32 ride downwardly on the cams 63 and cause the shuttle 6 to rotate about the vertical axis. Since the shuttle opening 64 is offset from the rotation axis of the shuttle 6, the shuttle opening 64 and the first gem 41 at the bottom of the stack move along an arcuate path away from the stack 4 and toward the dispense area as the shuttle 6 rotates. As the push rod body 3 approaches the lower limit of its movement relative to the body 1, the shuttle opening 64 and the first gem 41 reach the dispense area. At this point, the cams 63 have a vertical portion 66 (FIG. 7) that allows the push rod body 3 and cam followers 32 to move vertically without causing further rotation of the shuttle 6. During this last phase of movement of the push rod body 3, the push rod 31 contacts the first gem 41 at the dispense area and pushes the first gem downwardly and out of the dispense opening 11.
[0037] When force on the actuator 2 is released, the push rod body 31 moves upwardly relative to the body 1 under the bias of a resilient element 7, such as a spring that urges the push rod body 3 to move upwardly and generally resists downward movement of the push rod body 3 relative to the body 1. As the push rod body 3 moves upwardly, the cam followers 32 engage with cams 65 on the upper portion 61 of the shuttle 6 and rotate the shuttle 6 so that the shuttle opening 64 returns back to the stack of gems 4 to receive a next gem at the bottom of the stack 4. As can be seen in FIG. 9, an upper part of the shuttle 6 fits within an opening of the push rod body 3, e.g., so the push rod body 3 can help guide rotational movement of the shuttle 6 relative to the push rod body 3 and the body 1. The push rod 31 extends from the push rod body 3 through a cam opening of the shuttle 6 defined by the cams 65, 63 of the upper and lower portions 61, 62 and the push rod 31 extends downwardly within a space defined by the shuttle 6. In some cases, the push rod 31 may be supported by a portion of a cam follower 32.
[0038] FIGS. 10 and 11 show exploded views of components of the gem applier 100 of FIGS. 1-9 and help illustrate how some components cooperate and may be fitted together. Although the push rod body 3 is shown above the body 1 in FIGS. 10 and 11, assembly of the applier 100 may require that the upper portion 61 of the shuttle 6 be inserted into a suitable cavity at a lower side of the body 1, after which the push rod body 3 may be inserted into a suitable cavity at the lower side of the body 1. The lower portion 62 of the shuttle 6 may then be inserted into the lower side of the body 1, e.g., so that the cam followers 32 and the push rod 31 are suitably captured between the cams 65, 63. For example, FIG. 12 shows a perspective view of the lower side of the body 1 with the upper portion 61 of the shuttle 6 and the push rod body 3 installed. An inner surface of the upper and lower portions 61, 62 of the shuttle 6 may contact and be guided in movement by a guide surface 16, e.g., a partial cylindrical surface, of the body 1. That is, the upper and lower portions 61, 62 of the shuttle 6 may be inserted onto the body 1 and slide over the guide surface 16. The push rod 31 may ride within a channel 17 which may help guide movement of the push rod 31, e.g., so the push rod 31 accurately contacts a gem at the dispense area for dispensing. The lower portion 62 of the shuttle 6 may also engage with the base 12 to help guide rotational movement of the shuttle 6. For example, the lower portion 62 may include a recess 67 (see FIGS. 7 and 11) that receives a pin 18 (see FIG. 10) of the base 12, e.g., so the lower portion 62 rotates about an axis that passes through the pin 18. FIG. 10 also shows that an inner surface of the bottom wall of the base 12 may be grooved or otherwise textured or arranged, e.g., so that friction between a gem 41 in the shuttle opening 64 and/or the lower portion 62 and the base 12 is reduced.
[0039] Although FIG. 12 shows the upper portion 61 and the push rod body 3 installed in the body 1 without the lower portion 62, the upper portion 61 of the shuttle 6, the push rod base 3 and the lower portion 62 of the shuttle 6 may first be assembled together as a unit, and the assembled unit inserted into a cavity at the lower side of the body 1, e.g., the assembled shuttle 6 and push rod body 3 slid over the guide surface 16 and the push rod 31 received in the channel 17 as the assembled unit is inserted into the body 1. Thus, assembly need not require separate installation of the upper portion, 61, push rod body 3 and lower portion 62 of the shuttle 6. With the push rod body 3 and shuttle 6 in place, the base 12 may be secured to the body 1, e.g., using suitable fasteners, to hold the push rod body 31 and shuttle 6 in place. Suitable openings in the body 1 for fasteners to secure the base 12 to the body 1 can be seen in FIG. 12.
[0040] As noted above, the platform 5 may be removable from the body 1, e.g., by pulling the leg 52 from a receiving opening of the base 12. This may permit the gem dispenser 100 to be used without the platform 5 to dispense gems. The platform 5 may be held in place on the base 12 in any suitable way, such as by friction fit, etc. In some embodiments, a leg retainer 53 may be engaged with the base 12 and configured to removably engage with the leg 52 of the platform 5. For example, as can be seen in FIG. 13, the leg retainer 53 may include a retaining tab 56 (e.g., an expanding bayonet connection) that allows the leg retainer 53 to be inserted into the leg receiving opening of the base 12 and snaps the leg retainer 53 into engagement with the base 12. The retaining tab 56 may engage the base 12 so the leg retainer 53 is vertically movable relative to the base 12 within a range of movement, and a spring 54 may bias the leg retainer 53 to move downwardly relative to the base 12. A pin 55 may be configured to engage with a corresponding opening on an upper end of the leg 52, e.g., so the leg 52 can be removably engaged with the leg retainer 53 by friction fit. The leg retainer 53 may permit the leg 52 and platform 5 to be moved upwardly relative to the base 12, e.g., against the bias of the spring 54. The spring 54 may urge the platform 5 to move downwardly relative to the base 12, e.g., to define a desired gap between the application area 51 of the platform 5 and the base 12.
[0041] While aspects of the invention have been shown and described with reference to illustrative embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention encompassed by the appended claims.
