General Foods Limited

Pandrol Limited

David Rhodes

Alec T Newman

Stephen John Cox

Geoffrey G Leeves

Bryan C Lack

Brian A Edge

David John Gosling

Derek Brister

Edward Whittome

Alec Thomas Newman

In a railway sleeper assembly, a pair of rail insulators ( ) designed for use with a steel railway sleeper ( ) which includes at the opposite sides of each intended rail location thereon a pair of openings ( ) for receiving the respective stems ( ) of a pair of shoulders ( ), are each operatively disposed, when in use, between a foot of the rail ( ) and the respective proximate shoulder ( ). Each insulator ( ) includes a member ( ) which, when the insulator is in use, operatively extends below a top surface of the sleeper ( ) and into the associated opening ( ) so as to lie between the walls of that opening ( ) and the stem ( ) of the associated shoulder ( ), thereby to retain the shoulder ( ) in its operative position relative to the sleeper. The insulators ( ), the shoulders ( ) and a pair of rail clips ( ) are preloaded onto, and are preassembled with, the sleeper ( ) at a location remote from the track site, such that the entire assembly, with the rail clips ( ) mounted in a preload position on the shoulders ( ), can then be transported as a unit to the track site while the various components are retained on the sleeper ( ) in their operative positions and are secure against falling off the sleeper ( ) during transit of the assembly to the track site.

Preloading rail clips in steel sleepers

An apparatus is described for dispensing the bottom cup from a selected stack of cups utilizing a rotatable carriage for supporting a plurality of stacks of cups arranged along the rotary path of the carriage. As the carriage rotates a stack is selected from which a cup is to be dispensed a sensor determines when the selected stack reaches a predetermined position along the rotary path of the stacks. There are separators for separating the bottom cup from the respective stack and a solenoid operated ramp for movement into the rotary path of the separating means to separate the bottom cup from the selected stack. The solenoid operated ramp is operated by a signal from the sensing means.

Method and apparatus for dispensing cups and vending machines for

A nestable container which is constructed so that when formed into a stack the ribs formed in the outer surface of one container rest on an inner shoulder of the container below it in the stack, the angle of inclination of the ribs being the same as the angle of inclination of the inner surface of the side wall portion which it abuts of the container below it in the stack, and the outer surface of one container adjacent to the base engaging the inner surface of the side wall portion of the container below it in the stack to form a powder seal. The cups when nested together to form a stack are freely rotatable one inside the other.

Containers

The invention provides an elastomeric rail pad of generally rectangular plan configuration, the pad having an upper face adapted to underly the lower face of a rail, and a lower face adapted to overly a rail foundation member, wherein each of the upper and the lower faces of the pad is provided with a multiplicity of distinct and separate portions, when separately viewed from adjacent side edges of the rectangular pad, raised above the base level of the respective face and adapted to engage the rail or the foundation member respectively, the arrangement being such that between approximately 30% and 70% of that part of each face of the pad which is arranged to lie directly between the rail and the foundation member is constituted by the raised surface portions.

Rail pads and rail assemblies including such pads

Vending apparatus for dispensing discrete articles stacked one above the other such as a stack of pre-filled cups with dry ingredients for mixing with water to make a beverage. The apparatus includes stationary support rings for supporting a plurality of stacks of articles arranged about a vertical axis. An actuating device is adapted to select an article from a particular stack, and for releasing the lowermost article of the selected stack into a carrier. An indexing drive moves the carrier, if necessary, between a discharge station and a position beneath each stack and then returns the carrier to the discharge station, with the selected article being held in the carrier at least until the carrier reaches the discharge station.

Movable selection carrier

This invention provides water supply apparatus having a water reservoir serving two or more nozzles, a pump for pumping the water to the nozzles, a valve for opening and closing a respective nozzle and apparatus for varying the rate of pumping of the pump in accordance with the number of valves which are open.

Water supply apparatus

The invention provides a valve for dispensing material from a hopper. The valve comprises a body defining a passage way, a generally L-shaped valve member pivotally mounted to one side of the passageway such that the inner faces of the arms of the valve member can engage respective ones of a pair of spaced back to back valve seats disposed in the passageway so that in use with the downstream of the two arms closing the passageway by engaging the downstream valve seat a charge of material in the hopper can be received between the two arms and dispensed when the valve member is rotated to open the passageway by the downstream arm and subsequently close it by the upstream arm engaging the upstream valve seat, flow through the passageway being substantially obstructed by the upstream arm as the valve member is returend to close the passageway by the downstream arm.

Vending machine valve structure

This invention provides a container delivery system for vending apparatus for vending containers. The delivery system comprises a container store and dispenser, an arm moveable in to and out of the path of travel of a cup dispensed by the container dispenser for receiving the dispensed container to support it temporarily at an angle to its path of travel and an ingredient dispenser mounted to one side of the container dispenser for dispensing a charge of material into the angled container and a guide to guide the container after it has been released by the arm to a discharge part formed in the body of the vending apparatus.

Growing community of inventors

Banbury, United Kingdom

David Rhodes