GB2259910A

GB2259910A - Dispensing device

Info

Publication number: GB2259910A
Application number: GB9120234A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Warren Starbuck
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1991-09-21
Filing date: 1991-09-21
Publication date: 1993-03-31
Anticipated expiration: 2011-09-21
Also published as: AU2551292A; WO1993006032A1; GB2259910B; GB9120234D0

Abstract

A dispenser for dispensing nuts, particulate or granular material has a hollow, transparent. generally rectangular plastics housing with a vacuum sealed nut jar. A generally cylindrical body (32) is mounted between front and rear walls on an axle (38) which is rotatable by means of a handle. Two resiliently deformable flaps (48, 50) project into engagement with the cylindrical surface of the body (32). Material from the jar makes its way by gravity towards the body (32), and into one of two recesses (34, 36). Rotation of the body (32) causes the level of material in the recess (34, 36) to be limited. but the resilience of the flaps (48. 50) prevents the arrangement from sticking if large particles (e.g. large nuts) are to be dispensed. Further rotation of the body (32) causes the levelled material to be discharged out of the lower end of the dispensing device. <IMAGE>

Description

DESCRIPTION DISPENSING DEVICE The present invention relates to dispensing devices, and in particular, but not exclusively, to dispensing devices for dispensing nuts or other particulate or granular material.

One known device for dispensing nuts, dried fruit and like bulk products is disclosed in GB 2190655A, which comprises a storage hopper and means for regulating the flow of product from the hopper through a chute situated below the regulating means. The regulating means is in the form of a rotatable drum having its longitudinal and rotational axis arranged vertically and being separated into a plurality of sectors by means of radially extending dividing arms.

As the drum is rotated by means of a handle, material fed into the sectors of the drum from the hopper is levelled off by means of a flexible curtain which is in contact with the upper surface of the drum. The provision of a flexible curtain ensures that pieces of the material to be dispensed, particularly large nuts, are unlikely to jam the mechanism, whilst still preventing the product from flowing directly through the drum.

The above device is very well liked and very successful, since it is hygienic and also very convenient to operate.

Howeverr one possible disadvantage with the above device is that in order to attain efficient operation, it is necessary for the drum to be relatively wide.

In many shops and supermarkets, the required width of the drum is of no consequence at all, and the size of the device is generally more than acceptable.

However, in some small outlets, space is at a premium, and thus it is desirable to have a device which takes up less room than the known device, whilst still providing its advantages. Moreover, the prior art device is suitable for shops having a relatively quick turnover of product, since the overall size of the device means that its capacity is relatively large.

If it is used in an outlet with a relatively small turnover, there is the possibility that perishable products might exceed their storage life while in storage.

It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a dispensing device which occupies less space, but which still has the advantages of the prior art device.

In accordance with the present invention, a dispensing device for dispensing nuts or other particulate or granular material comprises a rotatably mounted dispensing body having a recess located in an exterior surface, means for feeding material to the dispeensing body, levelling means comprising a resiliently deformable member extending at least partially across the dispensing body and drive means for rotating the dispensing body, whereby rotation of the dispensing body causes the resiliently deformable member to limit the depth of filling of the recess with material to be dispensed.

Advantageously, the dispensing body is provided with a plurality of recesses in its exterior surface.

This permits more rapid dispensing of material. If a plurality of recesses is provided, preferably the recesses are evenly spaced around the periphery of the body.

The dispensing body may be generally cylindrical in shape, and is preferably rotatably mounted about its longitudinal axis.

Preferably, the dispensing body is rotatably mounted about a substantially horizontal rotational axis. This permits levelled material to be discharged gravitationally from the or each recess as the body is rotated. In one embodiment, two resiliently deformable members are provided, between which material to be dispensed must pass before entering the recess. This ensures that levelling of the product occurs irrespective of the direction of rotation of the dispensing body.

The present invention permits a more compact (in particular a narrower) construction, since the capacity of the or each recess is dictated not only by its depth (as in the prior art) but also by its length.

By way of example only, a specific embodiment of the present invention will now be described, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a front view of a first embodiment of dispensing device in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 2 is a front elevational cross-section of the dispensing device shown in Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a side elevational cross-section of the dispensing device of Fig. 1.

A dispensing device comprises a hollow, transparent plastics housing 10 which is generally rectangular in configuration, and which has front and rear walls 10, 11 and side walls 14, 16. The housing 10 is open at its upper and lower ends. In use, a vacuum sealed nut jar 18 is located in the upper end of the body 10. The portion of the nut jar which fits into the housing is generally rectangular in shape, in order to fit into the housing, and is provided with two elongate projections 20, 22, each of which is adapted to be received as a press fit in a corresponding recess 24, 26 in the side walls 14, 16.

The end of the nut jar is closed off by means of a removable metal membrane 28 which is affixed to the periphery of the aperture of the nut jar. As illustrated in Fig. 1, when the nut jar is in position on the dispensing device, the membrane 28 may be removed by pulling a projecting portion of the membrane through an aperture 30 in the side wall 16 of the dispenser, whereupon the membrane is pulled back on itself and out of the dispensing device.

As best seen in Figs. 2 and 3, the dispensing device further comprises a rotatably mounted dispensing body 32. The dispensing body is in the form of a generally cylindrical plastics body, whose length corresponds closely to the spacing between the front and rear walls 10, 12. However, as seen in Fig.

2, the dispensing body is provided with two diametrically opposed flat-bottomed U-shaped recesses 34, 36. The body is mounted on an axle 38 which extends through the front and rear walls 10, 11 of the housing. The dispensing body is releasably secured to the axle 38 by means of a finger nut 40, whose threaded shank passes through the base of the aperture 36 and is received in a complementarily-threaded recess in the axle 38. Plastics discs 42, 44 are also mounted on the axle 38, in contact with the front and rear faces 10, 11 of the housing, in order to hide the dispensing body. A knob 46 is also secured to one end of the axial 38 and rotation of the knob 46 thereby results in rotation of the dispensing body 32.

It will also be noted that the device further comprises two flexible plastics levelling members 48, 50. Each of the levelling members 48, 50 is provided with a pair of elongate parallel lips 52, 54 along the edge remote from the dispensing body 32, which are adapted to be firmly seated in complementary recesses in a respective guide block 56, 58.

As illustrated, the cross section of each guide block is generally that of a right-angled triangle, with the hypotenuse face of each guide block being in contact with the inner surface of the respective side walls 14, 16. Correct location of the guide blocks 56, 58 on the side walls 14, 16 is achieved by means of an elongate projection 60 in the hypotenuse face of each guide block, which is adapted to be received in a correspondingly-shaped and located recess 62 in the inner face of each of the side walls 14, 16. As shown in Fig. 3, the projections 60 and the recesses 62 do not extend across the whole of the guide blocks or side walls. Each guide block is held in position by means of a respective finger nut 64, 66 which passes through a suitably located aperture in the side wall and is received in a complementarily-threaded recess in a respective one of the guide blocks 56, 58.

When the dispensing device is assembled as described and illustrated, it will be noted that the lower edge of each of the two flexible levelling members 48, 50 is in contact with the dispensing body, and that in the position illustrated with the recesses 34,36 facing directly upwardly and downwardly, each of the levelling members 48, 50 extends slightly over the nearest upper edge of the recess 34, 36.

When the vacuum sealed nut jar 18 is located in position in the top of the dispenser 10, and the foil membrane 28 is removed via the aperture 30 in the side wall 16 of the housing, the product to be dispensed falls downwardly by virtue of gravity towards the dispensing body 32. A user of the dispensing device rotates the dispensing knob 46, and as the dispensing body 32 is thereby rotated such that one of the elongate recesses 34, 36 is in register with the aperture between the levelling members 48, 50, the material to be dispensed falls into the recess.

Further rotation of the dispensing body by means of the dispensing knob 46 causes the level of product in the recess 34, 36 to be limited by virtue of one of the levelling members 48, 50. If the dispensing body is rotated in an anticlockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 2, the levelling member 48 is responsible for levelling the product to appropriate the depth of the recess 34, 36, and an identical levelling occurs by virtue of the levelling member 50 if the dispensing body 32 is turned clockwise as seen in Fig. 2.

Further rotation of the dispensing body 32 by means of the dispensing knob 46 causes the levelled product to be dispensed from the recess 34 as it moves towards a position diametrically opposed to the levelling position. As material is being discharged from one of the recesses 34, 36, more material falls into the other of the recesses, and similar levelling and dispensing occurs merely by rotation of the dispensing body.

The provision of flexible levelling members 48, 50 enables the device to dispense materials comprising relatively large particles, such as large nuts. If the levelling members 48, 50 were inflexible (and were thus virtually in contact with the periphery of the dispensing body 32, which would be permissible for dispensing powdered material), it would frequently not be possible to level the material exactly to the level of the upper portion of the recesses 34, 36, because of the irregularity of the product.

In use, it is merely necessary for a customer to place a receptacle under the open lower end of the housing 10, and rotation of the dispensing knob 46, in either direction, will thereby cause product to be dispensed from the dispensing device. It will also be noted that approximately the same amount of material will be dispensed for each half turn of the dispensing knob 46.

It will also be noted that the dispenser itself can be disassembled and reassembled without the need for tools, thus facilitating the cleaning of the dispenser, which is important since it will generally be used for dispensing food products.

The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiment. For example, one of the recesses 34,36 in the dispensing body 32 may be omitted, such that there is only one recess.

Alternatively, there may be more than two recesses, for example there may three or four recesses. Where a plurality of recesses is provided, they are preferably evenly spaced around the periphery of the dispensing body.

Moreover, the vacuum sealed nut jar need not be used, but instead the upper part of the dispenser may be provided with a refillable hopper. This may either be an extension of the dispenser or may be releasably connectible to the dispenser.

Claims

1. A dispensing device for dispensing nuts or other particulate or granular material, comprising a rotatably mounted dispensing body, a recess located in an exterior surface of the dispensing body, means for feeding material to the dispensing body, drive means for rotating the dispensing body between a first, charging, position in which the recess is charged with materiaL and a second, discharging, position in which material is discharged from the recess and a resiliently deformable member extending at least partially across a portion of the dispensing body in which the recess is located, whereby rotation of the dispensing body between the charging and discharging positions causes the resiliently deformable member to limit the depth of filling of the recess with material to be dispensed and subsequently discharges material from the filled recess.

2. A dispensing device as claimed in claim 1, comprising a plurality of recesses in the exterior surface of the dispensing body.

3. A dispensing device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the recesses are substantially evenly spaced around the periphery of the dispensing body.

4. A dispensing device as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the dispensing body is elongate.

5. A dispensing device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the dispensing body is generally cylindrical.

6. A dispensing device as claimed in claim 4 or claim 5, wherein the dispensing body is rotatably mounted about its longitudinal axis.

7. A dispensing device as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the dispensing body is rotatably mounted about a substantially horizontal rotational axis.

8. A dispensing device as claimed in any of the preceding claims, comprising a plurality of resiliently deformable members.

9. A dispensing device as claimed in claim 8, comprising two resiliently deformable members, between which members material to be dispensed passes before entering the recess.

10. A dispensing device as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the drive means comprises a handle. connected to the dispensing body, whereby rotation of the handle causes rotation of the dispensing body.

11. A dispensing device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the handle and the dispensing body are mounted on a common axle.

12. A dispensing device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the dispensing body is releasably securable to the axle.

13. A dispensing device as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the resiliently deformable member is releasably securable within the dispensing device.

14. A dispensing device for dispensing nuts or other particulate or granular material, comprising a generally cylindrical dispensing body rotatably mounted about its longitudinal axis which is arranged, in use, substantially horizontally, a recess located in the exterior surface of the dispensing body, two resiliently deformable levelling members adapted to engage the cylindrical surface of the dispensing body and a handle for rotating the dispensing body, wherein rotation of the dispensing body causes the resiliently deformable levelling members to limit the depth of filling of the recess and subsequent discharge of the material from the recess.

15. A dispensing device as claimed in claim lt, wherein the dispensing body is rotatable between a first, charging, position in which the recess is charged with material and a second, discharging, position in which material is discharged from the recess.

16. A dispensing device as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the two resiliently deformable levelling members are inclined towards one another.

17. A dispensing device as claimed in any of the preceding claims, further comprising a housing within which said dispensing body and the or each resiliently deformable member are mounted.

18. A dispensing device as claimed in any of the preceding claims, further comprising a storage container located above the dispensing body.

19. A dispensing device as claimed in claim 18, wherein the storage container is releasably securable to the dispensing device.

20. A dispensing device for dispensing nuts or other particulate or granular material, substantially as herein described, with reference to, and as illustrated in, the accompanying drawings.