MX2008016482A - Method and apparatus for supplying paste substances. - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention describes a container having a cavity for dispensing apaste and a cavity for other material. In one embodiment, a first cavity for a foodpaste is in an area between the hollow piston and upper section which has a dispenser.The upper section and the piston, optionally, have male and female threads matchingthe respective cylindrical sections thereof. The paste can be dispensed by slidingthe piston forward towards the dispenser. In an optional embodiment, the threadscan be screwed to rotationally advance the piston towards the dispenser in orderto dispense additional paste. An edible dressing or other material can be placedin the hollow piston.

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING PASTA TYPE SUBSTANCES FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for dispensing a paste-like substance from a first cavity and optionally, can dispatch another substance from a second cavity.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Piston-based shipping containers are well known in the art. For example, Kaplan (U.S. Patent No. 3,472,423) discloses a dispensing container with compartments with the ability to deliver a plurality of substances stored independently, in such a way that it administers the substances in a homogeneous manner. Nielsen (U.S. Patent No. 4,323,177) discloses a tube-shaped container with an internal piston. An axial force is provided by the piston rod. Otto, Sr. (U.S. Patent No. 4,074,833) discloses a tube-shaped container having a cone-shaped end and a conical-shaped piston. A threaded rod is aligned coaxially with the longitudinal axis of the container and through the center of the piston. One end of the threaded rod is secured with a knob, which when rotated creates an axial force generated by the rotation, which causes a circular member to advance, which dispenses the contents. Although the prior art discloses a piston for ejecting a paste-like material from a container, the prior art fails to describe a container that can be used to store other non-pulp material such as a granulated or powdered food dressing that can be dispensed at separate form of the paste material. The prior art also does not describe a container that allows the pulp to be dispensed first by the direct application of an axial force on the piston, followed by the axial force generated by the rotation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In one aspect, the proposed invention is a container having a first cavity for expelling a food paste and a second cavity for dressing. The container comprises a hollow piston having a tapered end and a receiving end with a cylindrical end cap. A similarly shaped upper section that has a cone-shaped section with a dispenser is adapted to encapsulate the portion with hollow piston conical shape. A region of the piston encapsulated between the upper section and the conical portion of the hollow piston defines a first cavity for the paste. In one aspect, the recessed end cap having one or more detached sections engages the cylindrical end of the hollow piston, which defines a second recess therein. A rotating rotary piston device having one or more openings can be coupled with the end cap. After removing the removable sections from the end cap, the rotating device of the piston can be rotated to allow or prevent the release of the contents of the second cavity. The outer perimeter of the upper section may comprise a pair of flange members to facilitate the dispatch of the paste that occurs as the piston slides toward the dispenser. To maximize the amount of pulp dispensed from the container, the hollow piston may also comprise a set of threads around the outer periphery which are adapted to receive a corresponding set of threads disposed at the inner periphery of the upper section, once the piston has slid-forward a predetermined distance within the upper section. The remaining paste is then forced through the dispenser by twisting the coupled threaded sections to advance in a rotating way to the piston. The foregoing, as well as other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The novel features of the invention are set forth in the appended claims. Nevertheless, the invention itself, as well as the preferred mode of use, other objects and advantages thereof will be better understood by referring to the detailed description of the illustrative embodiments when read together with the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is an exploded view of a double compartment pulp dispensing container, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a cross-sectional side view of the double-compartment pulp dispensing container illustrated in Figure 1. Figure 3 is a top perspective view of a double compartment pulp dispensing container, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 4 is a bottom perspective view of the double-compartment pasta dispensing container. illustrated in Figure 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Figure 1 is an exploded view of a double compartment pulp dispensing container in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. As used herein, like reference numbers refer to like elements throughout the description. As shown in Figure 1, the container comprises a hollow piston 1 10 comprising a portion 12 conically shaped, which ends up as a plane 1 19 at a narrow end and a cylindrical section 1 14 ending in a flange 1 1 1 of the piston. In one embodiment, the plane 1 19 is parallel to the dispenser 128. In the embodiment shown, the piston 1 10 comprises male external threads 1 15 around the outer periphery of the piston 1 10. Similarly, the upper section 120 comprises threads 125 female internal inserts designed to be threaded with the male 1 15 threads. The male external threads 15 and the internal female threads 125 are optional, and in one embodiment, the piston 1 10 comprises a cylindrical section 14 which has no male or female threads. Similarly, in one embodiment, the upper section 120 comprises a section 124 cylindrical that has no male or female threads. The piston 110 has the measures in such a way that the piston 110 can be coupled by displacement with the upper section 120 and slidingly advancing the piston 110 towards the dispenser 128. In the embodiment shown, once the piston 110 has advanced towards the dispenser 128 a predetermined distance, the piston 110 and the upper section 120 can be threadedly engaged through the external threads 115 in the piston 110 and the internal threads 125 in the upper section 120. The piston 110 and / or the upper section 120 can be twisted to rotatably advance the piston 110 towards the dispenser 128. As used herein, the term "predetermined distance" is the length of the cylindrical section 114 from the external thread 115 upper to the largest diameter of the conical portion 112. Similar to the hollow piston 110, the upper section 120 comprises a conical section 122 and a cylindrical section 124. In one embodiment, the upper section 120 comprises a flange 126 extending outwardly around the circumference near a terminal end of the cylindrical section 124. The flange 126 extended outward can be found anywhere in the cylindrical section 124 of the upper portion 120. For example, in the modality shown, the flange 126 extended outward may be located below the internal threads 125 at the terminal end of the cylindrical section 124. In an alternative embodiment (not shown), the outwardly extending flange is located between the internal threads 125 and the conical section 122. The conically shaped section 122 comprises a dispenser 128 at the narrow, end end of the upper section 120. In one embodiment, the dispenser 128 comprises one or more rays 127. The spokes 127 can be provided to provide greater rigidity to the dispenser 128. A removable cap 150 threaded or press fit can be used to cover the dispenser 128. In the embodiment shown, the removable lid 150 is decorative and resembles a lava flow of a volcano. Other decorative or non-decorative covers can be used in other modalities. The end cap 130 comprises one or more openings 132a and 132b with grooves, removable. In one embodiment, the end cap 130 comprises an end cap flange 136 around its circumferential periphery, which helps the end cap 130 snap into the hollow piston 10. Accordingly, when the end cap 130 is disposed in the hollow piston 1 10, the flange 136 of the end cap coincides with the flange 1 1 1 of the piston. A rotating device 140 of Rotating piston having one or more openings 142a and 142b can be coupled with the end cap 130. In a modality, the rotary device 140 of the piston is snapped into place with the end cap 130. Figure 2 is a cross-sectional side view of a double-compartment pulp dispensing container illustrated in Figure 1. The upper section 120 slidably engages around the outer periphery 116 of the piston 110 to form a first cavity 210. The first cavity 210 is defined by the area between the conically shaped portion 112 of the hollow piston 1120 and the upper section 120. The first cavity 210 can be used to store the paste-like substance. As used herein, the terms "paste" and "paste-like substance" are synonyms and are used interchangeably. As used herein, paste-like substance is used to define materials that have a viscosity and flow characteristics that can be compared to those of a non-Newtonian fluid. Examples of paste-like substances include, but are not limited to, spreadable cheese, cream cheese, peanut butter, fruit paste, spreads, coatings and dough. In one embodiment, the second cavity 220 exists in the hollow piston 110 and is defined by the area within the internal periphery 118 of the piston 1 1 0 hollow and the end cap 1 30. A granular or powdered substance, including without limitation, sugar, ground nuts, decorative sparks, herbs, spices and salt can be placed within the second cavity 220. Alternatively, a non-granular material can be stored in the second. cavity 220 and the user can use the thumb hole 1 37 to easily remove the end cap 1 30 and gain access to the material. The material in the second cavity 220 can be any material and preferably, it is a material that is supplemented with the material of the first cavity 21 0. For example, peanut butter can be the paste-like material in the first cavity and a Gelatin can be placed in the second cavity 220. Although many embodiments of the present invention utilize a piston 1 10 that is hollow, such an embodiment is only necessary when the second cavity 220 is desired.

With reference to Figures 1 and 2, for dispensing the dough in the first cavity 210, shown in Figure 2, the thumbs of the user can be placed opposite one another on the flange 1 36 of the end cap, while the fingers User indices are placed on flange 1 26 extended outwardly from upper section 120. In this configuration, the operator can slide the piston 1 1 0 towards the dispenser 1 28 in a sliding manner.

Dispense the pasta. As the thumbs and index fingers of the user approach each other, the piston 1 10 is slidably advanced towards the dispenser 128, the angle between the index fingers and the thumbs is decreased, and it becomes more difficult for the user to provide the necessary force to advance the piston 1 10 in a sliding manner. Accordingly, in one embodiment, once the piston 1 10 has slidably advanced a predetermined distance, the internal threads 125 can be engaged with the external threads 1 15 and the piston can be twisted to rotationally advance the piston 1 10. to the dispenser until the tapered section 1 12 of the piston 1 10 approaches the conically shaped section 122 of the upper section 120. Such a design, with advantage, dispenses more paste-like substance from the first cavity 210 than would otherwise be dispensed without the threads 1 15, 125. In one embodiment, the piston 1 10 and the upper section 120 have no threads. Figure 3 is a top perspective view of a double compartment pulp dispenser container in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 is a bottom perspective view of the double compartment pulp dispensing container illustrated in Figure 3. With reference to Figure 3 and Figure 4, in a In the embodiment, the flange 1 1 1 of the piston comprises an arc 1 1 7 to create a thumb hole 1 37 which allows the user to press and remove the flange 1 36 from the end cap. Such modality can facilitate the filling of the second cavity. In one embodiment, as best illustrated in Figure 4, the rotary device 1 40 of the piston can rotate freely in the rotary position to the left or to the right, as shown by the arrows to reveal a removable opening (not visible). ) on the bottom end cap 1 30. In this way, the rotary device 140 of the piston can be rotated as desired to allow or prevent the release of the contents of the second cavity. In one embodiment, the present invention comprises a method for dispensing a paste-like substance. To dispatch the pulp, the dispenser 1 28 is slidably advanced a predetermined distance downward toward the indicial section 1 1 4 of the hollow piston 1 10 in the direction indicated by the arrows illustrated in Figure 3. In one embodiment, the internal threads 1 and the external threads 1 1 5 are threadedly engaged and the piston 1 10 and the upper section 120 are twisted to rotationally advance the piston and dispense the additional paste. There are several advantages provided by the present invention.

An advantage is that the predetermined distance can be varied as desired. For example, when using a paste of a relatively high viscosity (for example, a paste that is not easily dispensed) in the first cavity, it will only be possible to advance the piston a short distance. The present invention, however, allows the predetermined distance that the piston is advanced to be shortened to compensate for this situation. Thus, in one embodiment, the predetermined distance can be relatively short and most movement of the piston can occur when the upper section and the piston are twisted after the threaded sections have been engaged. Accordingly, the present invention can be used to allow dispensing of high viscosity pastes that are resistant to flow. In addition, in one embodiment, the predetermined distance can be adjusted to allow children or older persons to better dispatch a paste-like substance from a container. Another advantage of the present invention is that because there is no axial member within the hollow piston, the hollow piston can be used as a second cavity for storing a granular food dressing, which can be dispensed separately from the pulp material. . In one embodiment of this invention, the first cavity can be used to store a fruit paste and the second cavity can be used to store a bitumen with a colored or non-colored sugar base. While this invention has been shown and described in particular with reference to the preferred embodiment, those skilled in the art will be able to understand that various changes can be made in form and detail therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims (20)

1. CLAIMS 1. A double compartment container for dispensing a paste-like composition, characterized in that it comprises: a hollow piston (1 10), wherein the hollow piston (1 10) comprises a conical portion (1 12) and a portion (1 14) cylindrical having an outer periphery (1 16) and an end cap (130); an upper section (120) having a dispenser (128) adapted to engage slidably about the outer periphery (16) of the hollow piston (1 10); a first cavity (210) defined by the cone-shaped end (1 12) of the hollow piston (1 10) and the upper section (120); and a second cavity (220) defined by the internal periphery (1 18) of the hollow piston (1 10) and the end cap (130). The container according to claim 1, characterized in that the upper section (120) also comprises internal threads (125). The container according to claim 1, characterized in that the hollow piston (1 10) also comprises external threads (1 15). The container according to claim 1, characterized in that the end cap (130) is recessed in the hollow piston (1 10). 5. The container according to claim 1, characterized in that the dispenser (128) comprises one or more spokes (127). The container according to claim 1, characterized in that the end cap (130) comprises one or more removable openings (132a). The container according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises a rotating piston device (140) rotatably coupled with the end cap (130). The container according to claim 7, characterized in that the rotating device (140) comprises one or more openings (142a). The container according to claim 1, characterized in that the upper section (120) comprises a conical shaped section (122) adjacent to the dispenser (128). A container for dispensing a paste-like composition, characterized in that it comprises: a piston (110), wherein the piston (110) comprises: a cylindrical portion (114); a portion (112) conically shaped adjacent to the cylindrical portion (114); and an upper section (120) adapted to slidely engage with the cylindrical portion (114), wherein the section (120) The upper part also comprises an external flange (112). The container according to claim 10, characterized in that the cylindrical portion (114) also comprises external threads (115) around the outer periphery (116) and the upper portion (120) also comprises internal threads (125) where the internal threads (125) are adapted to couple the external threads (115). The container according to claim 10, characterized in that the first cavity (210) is defined by a tapered end (112) of the piston (110) and the upper section (120) and also comprises a cover (130) end disposed within the cylindrical portion (114) of the piston (110) which defines a second cavity (220) within the piston (110). The container according to claim 12, characterized in that the piston (110) comprises a hollow piston (110) and also the end cap (130) is recessed in the hollow piston (110). The container according to claim 12, characterized in that the end cap (130) comprises one or more removable apertures (132a). 15. The container according to claim 12, further comprising a rotating device (140) of the piston rotatably coupled with the end cap (130). 16. The container according to claim 15, characterized in that the rotating device (140) of the piston comprises one or more openings (142a). The container according to claim 10, characterized in that the dispenser (128) comprises one or more spokes (127). The container according to claim 10, characterized in that the upper section (120) comprises a conical section (122) adjacent to the dispenser. 19. A method for dispensing a paste-like substance, the method is characterized in that it comprises the steps of: providing a piston having external threads; slidingly connecting the piston with an upper section having a dispenser and internal threads, wherein a region of the piston encapsulated between the upper section and the hollow piston defines a first cavity for a paste; place the paste in the first cavity; slurry the slurry as the piston slides toward the dispenser a predetermined distance; attach the internal threads on the upper section and the external threads on the piston; and twisting the upper section and / or the piston to advance in shape rotating the piston and dispatch the additional paste. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that the piston comprises a hollow piston and also comprises the step of dispensing a material from the hollow piston through an end cap coupled with the piston.