CA1172609A

CA1172609A - Dispensing device

Info

Publication number: CA1172609A
Application number: CA000379520A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Josef Tokayer
Original assignee: Orbit BBQ Products Ltd
Current assignee: Orbit BBQ Products Ltd
Priority date: 1981-06-11
Filing date: 1981-06-11
Publication date: 1984-08-14

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
The present invention provides a dispensing device comprising a bowl portion for receiving articles to be dispensed, at least one sweeping member rotatable in the bowl portion, a handle for rotating the sweeping member, a ramp through the bowl portion and an opening in the bowl portion to the ramp. The sweeping member is adapted to sweep across the ramp opening to which the articles in the device are gravity fed where they drop on to the ramp and are guided outwardly of the bowl portion.

Description

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1 FIELD OF THE INVENI~ION
______________________ The present invention relates to a dispensing device which is particularly suitable for dispensing food and which can be warmed for heating the food in the device prior to dispensing.
BACKGRO~ND_OF_THE_INVENTION
In order to serve food to a large number of people at both private functions and public restaurants, a chef will generally cook the food well in advance of the expected crowd and then store the food to be s0rved later. When the food is brought out it is served using utensils such as spatulas and forks which require later cleaning. Sometimes the utensils may be laid aside where they are difficult to find, requiring that the food be served by hand.
In order to make food such as meat hors d'oeuvres accessible for serving, they are usually placed on a large platter or open topped dish. If a top is fitted over the platter or dish, it must be lifted to gain access to the food. This can often be awkward particularly when the individual serving the food is carrying other items such as the utensils mentioned above. Without the cover the food is much more difficult to keep heated and is open to contaminating agents which is a particular problem in most restaurants.
The present invention provides a dispensing device comprising a bowl portion for receiving articles to be dispensed, at least one sweeping member rotatable in the bowl portion, a handle exteriorly of the bowl portion for rotating the sweeping member, a ramp through the bowl ~7~

1 portion and an opening in the bowl portion to the ramp.
The sweeping member is adapted to sweep across the ramp opening which is located at a gravity feed position in the bowl such that as the sweeping member swe ps across the ramp opening, articles which are swept with the sweeping member gravitate towards the ramp opening where they drop on to the ramp and are guided outwardly through the bowl portion.
According to an aspect of the invention the device is adapted for food dispensing. It is provided with a cover and is heated from beneath for heating of the food in the dispensing device. However, even when the cover is used there is no need to lift the cover in order to dispense the food so that only one hand is needed to operate the dispenser while the other hand is free to carry the food after it is dispensed.
BRIEF DISCUSSION OF THE DRAWINGS
----------------------------_ ___ The above as well as other advantages and features of the present invention will be described in more detail according to the preferred embodiments of the present invention wherein:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a preferred form of a food dispenser according to the present invention;
Figure 2 is a view looking down on the bowl portion of the dispenser of Figure 1 with the top removed from the bowl portion;
Figure 3 is a section along the lines of 3.3 of Figure 2;
Figure 4 is a section along the lines 4.4 of Figure

2; and, 1 Figure 5 is a side view of a further preferred embodiment of the dispenser accordiny to the present invention having a bowl portion similar to that shown in Figure 1 with an increased capacity cover.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION ACCORDING TO THE PREFER~ED
EMBODIMENTS_OF THE THE PRESENT_INVENTION ___ The di~pensing arrangement shown in Figures 1 through ~ and generally indicated at 1 comprises a lower bowl portion 3 and an upper cover 21 for co~ering the bowl portion. Bowl portion 3 includes handles 20 for carrying the bowl portion while cover 21 includes a handle 23 for lifting the cover off the bowl portion.
These handles are prefrably made from non-heat conductive material allowing the unit to be handled while it is heated for warming food in the unit.
Referring more specifically to Figures 2 through 4, bowl 3 which has a concave inner surface is provided interiorly with a plurality of food sweeping vanes 5, 5A
and 5B. These vanes all extend outwardly into the bowl portion from a central column 7. This column is rotated through a bevel gear arrangement 17 by means of rotatable handle 15 interconnected with the gear arrangement through shaft 19. Therefore, as handle 15 is turned on the outside of the bowl portion the food sweeping members are rotated within the bowl.
The bowl is additionall~ provided with a ramp 13 which extends downwardly through the bowl to the exterior thereof. Provided within the bowl is a ramp opening 11 immediately above the upper inner end of the ramp. This ramp opening is located at a relatively low point within 1 the concave bowl so that it is in a gravity feed position.
The rotatable food sweeping vanes 5, 5A and 5B are all interconnected with one another at their outer edges through a ring member 9 which strengthens the vanes so that they will not flex within the bowl as they are being rotated. The vanes are further contoured along their lower edges to mate with the concave shape of the bowl.
This ensures that the vanes will not sweep over or jam with any food in the device.
The device is best suited for use with rounded foods such as meatballs and the like which have a tendency to roll in the bowl to the ramp opening although the concave shape of the bowl does cause other non-rounded shaped food to also slide to the ramp opening. Figure 2 shows the device when loaded with such s~nall meatballs. The device is operated by rotating handle 15 which causes the food sweeping vanes to sweep across ramp opening 11. The meatballs which are being swept by the vanes gravitate to the ramp opening. For example, as is shown in Figure 2, vane 5A which is sweeping across the ramp openinng is pushing two meatballs one of which has rolled to a position immediately above ramp opening 11 where it drops downwardly through the opening onto the ramp and outwardly of the device where a plate may be located for receiving the food.
From the operation of the device as described above it will be seen that no utenci]s are required to move the food from the food dispensing device to the plate.
Furthermore, the cover is maintained in place atop the device while the food is being dispensed.

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1 In the Figure 5 arrangement. the lower bowl portion which is identical to that described in respect to Figures 1 through 4 is fitted with a cover generally indicated at 31. This cover comprises a seating section 33 adapted to seat atop the bowl portion as well as an upper food loading region 35. This food loading region is separated from the cover portion 33 and the bowl 3 by a restricted opening 37 in the cover. This restricted opening provides a controlled feed rate from the upper food loading region to the bowl which is again gravity fed as the food falls down into the bowl. Furthermore, as can be seen from Figure 5, the upper food loading region substantially increases the capacity of the unit.
A particularly advantageous feature of the bowl portion is that it is adapted to receive means for heating the bowl to keep the food in the howl warm.
According to the embodiments shown in the drawings, the base of the bowl portion is rounded and sized to fit atop a standard electrical heating plate 41. The bowl could however be heated by other means such as a fondue flame kept at a relatively low heat beneath the bowl which is of a flame resistant material.
As will be appreciated, the two embodiments of the device shown in the drawings are both quite portable.
They can be used for private parties or at public restaurants. In either case the devices are extremely useful in both warming and dispensing the food without any handling of the food. As will be appreciated, the device could be made in a much larger size having the same mechanical features. Such a larger unit would be ~7~
1 less portable and more for use as a fixture in a restaurant environment.
Although the device has been described in association with the dispensing of food it will be appreciated that other items could also be dispensed using the device. Furthermore, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that variations of the described embodiments may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE PROPERTY
OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. A food warming and dispensing device comprising a body having a bowl portion for receiving articles for dispensing, at least one sweeping member rotatable in said bowl portion, a handle exteriorly of said body for rotating said sweeping member, a food ramp, a ramp opening in said bowl portion to said food ramp and a ramp exit at one side of said body portion with said body portion having a closed bottom for receiving a heating device from beneath for warming of food in said dispensing device, said sweeping member being adapted to sweep across the ramp opening and said ramp opening being located at a gravity feed position in said bowl portion such that as said sweeping member sweeps across said ramp opening, the articles swept with the sweeping member gravitate toward said ramp opening where the articles drop onto said ramp which guides the articles outwardly through said body portion to the other side thereof.

2. A dispensing device as claimed in claim 1 including a plurality of sweeping members diverging outwardly From a central column.

3. A dispensing device as claimed in claim 2 wherein each of said sweeping members comprises a horizontal vane extending outwardly from said central column, each vane being curved from beneath to mate with said bowl portion.

4. A dispenser as claimed in claim 3 wherein said vanes are interconnected at their outer ends by a ring member common to all of said vanes for increasing strength of said vanes.

5. A dispenser as claimed in claim 1 including a cover for covering said bowl portion.

6. A dispenser as claimed in claim 5 wherein said bowl portion has a flat rounded base adapted to fit over a skillet or the like for warming said bowl portion.

7. A dispenser as claimed in claim 5 wherein said cover includes an upper food storing region with a restricted opening between said food storing region and said bowl portion, said bowl portion being gravity fed from said food storing region and said restricted opening controlling the gravity feed from said food storing region to said bowl portion.