US20090134299A1

US20090134299A1 - Flowable food dispenser

Info

Publication number: US20090134299A1
Application number: US11/987,054
Authority: US
Inventors: James T. Douglas
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2007-11-27
Filing date: 2007-11-27
Publication date: 2009-05-28

Abstract

A bracket is mounted to the wall and is strong enough to support the weight of a fully loaded bag-in-box container. The bracket allows access to the dispensing opening of the bag and conveniently stores the large container and allows dispensing in an easy convenient manner.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Many commercial food establishments utilize large bag-in-box dispensers for liquid goods, such as condiments. The provision of these goods in the large bag-in-boxes is the most economical manner in which to use these goods. For an establishment using a large quantity of the flowable food goods, it makes sense to use this method of packaging.
Drawbacks with the use of the large bag-in-box packaging is the ability to cleanly and easily dispense the flowable food from the bag into smaller, more manageable containers. Often, the large size and weight of the packaging makes it difficult to transfer the goods within the bag into smaller sizes which may be utilized by customers of the retail establishment.
There is a need in the prior art for a way to hold and store the large bag-in-box containers and allow easy dispensing of the goods within the bag to smaller containers.
It is an object of the invention to provide a system for easily storing and dispensing large bag-in-box containers.
It is another object of the invention to provide a dispenser for flowable foods that is inexpensive to manufacture and easy to use.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a flowable food dispenser which is convenient for storing large quantities of the flowable food.
These and other objects of the invention will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art after reading the disclosure of the invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of the bracket;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the bracket; and

FIG. 3 is a front view of the bracket having a bag-in-box container.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The flowable food dispenser 10 can be seen in the front view of FIG. 1. A central arm 12 with a first pair of side arms 14 ascends from each ends of the central arm 12. The first set of side arms 14 are shown diverging from one another as they extend from the central arm 12 but can be made to be parallel to one another. In this instance, the central arm 12 would most likely be longer than shown in the embodiment of FIG. 1. A second set of side arms 20 extends upwardly and converge toward one another at the same angle as the first set of side arms 14.
FIG. 2 shows the side arm where it is seen that the first set of side arms 14 is parallel to the second set of side arms 20. The two sets of side -arms are separated by the bottom arms 18. While the two sets of side arms 14, 20 are shown as parallel, the second set of arms 20 may be bent slightly inward so that the top of the arms is closer to the first set of side arms 14.
The bracket is meant to be secured to a wall or other solid surface with the central arm 12 being horizontally oriented. In order to secure the dispenser to the wall or solid surface, a pair of tabs 16 are provided on the first set of side arms 14. The tabs include a hole allowing for the passage of any suitable fastener, such as a screw. The dispenser can be secured to the wall or solid surface with a non-unitary securement.
FIG. 3 shows the dispenser holding a bag-in-box container 30. As can be seen, the second set of side arms 20 extends along the front face of the box to secure the box between the first and second set of side arms. The box includes a flap 32 secured to the remainder of the box by a hinge line 34. An aperture 36 allows the egress of a nozzle attached to the bag, the flap allowing the nozzle to be easily pulled through the aperture 36 to allow for easy dispensing.
While the invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment, variations and modifications would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art. The invention encompasses such variations and modifications.

Claims

1. A dispenser comprising

a bracket, the bracket comprising

a central member,

a pair of rear arms extending downwardly from the central member,

a pair of bottom arms extending outwardly from said pair of rear arms, and

a pair of front arms extending upwardly from said pair of bottom arms, and

a container, said container supported by said bottom arms and retained between the rear and front arms.

2. The dispenser of claim 1, further comprising a tab extending from each rear arm, each tab having an aperture.

3. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the rear arms are parallel to the front arms.

4. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the rear arms diverge from one another as they extend from the central member.

5. The dispenser of claim 4, wherein the front arms converge toward one another as they extend from the bottom arms.

6. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the container comprises

an outer shell, the outer shell having an aperture,

a bag within the outer shell, the bag having a dispenser, the dispenser accessible through the aperture.