Dispensing Apparatus and Method for Stacked Containers

Abstract

An apparatus for dispensing a single container for containing foodstuffs includes a housing, a lift subassembly, and a transfer subassembly. The housing at least partially defines an inner area. The lift subassembly is coupled to the housing and disposed at least partially within the inner area. The lift subassembly includes a nest configured to support a plurality of containers disposed in a stack and translate with respect to the housing in a first direction and a second direction opposite the first direction. The transfer subassembly is coupled to the housing and disposed at least partially within the inner area. The transfer subassembly includes a end effector. The end effector is configured to operatively engage a first container of the plurality of containers to remove the first container from the stack and move the first container outside of the inner area.

1 . An apparatus for dispensing a single container for containing foodstuffs, the apparatus comprising:
 a housing at least partially defining an inner area;   a lift subassembly coupled to the housing and disposed at least partially within the inner area, wherein the lift subassembly includes a nest configured to support a plurality of containers disposed in a stack and to translate with respect to the housing in a first direction and a second direction opposite the first direction;   a transfer subassembly coupled to the housing and disposed at least partially within the inner area, wherein the transfer subassembly includes a end effector configured to operatively engage a first container of the plurality of containers to remove the first container from the stack and move the first container outside of the inner area; and   a separator subassembly coupled to the housing, wherein:   the separator subassembly includes a first arm and a second arm,   the first arm is configured to translate with respect to the housing between a first retracted position and a first extended position independent of the second arm and to prevent translation of the first container in the second direction,   the second arm is configured to translate with respect to the housing between a second retracted position and a second extended position independent of the first arm and to prevent translation of the first container in the first direction, and   the first arm in the first extended position is configured to cooperate with the second arm in the second extended position to retain the first container between the first arm and the second arm.