MXPA97000220A - Device for dispensing fluent material from a flexi package - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a combination for dispensing a flowable food product, characterized in that it comprises a flexible package having an outlet and containing the food product, wherein the food product, wherein the food product is to be maintained at or above a predetermined temperature level after said package is initially opened, and a dispensing device comprising a housing including opposing walls cooperating to define a compartment for retaining at least one of said packages; a heating unit for maintaining said compartment; above the predetermined temperature level means for supporting said package in said compartment to an orientation that promotes the gravity flow of the food product towards and through said outlet of the package, a valve for selectively controlling the flow of the food product from said package , said valve a including a dispensing portion and a driving portion, said dispensing portion being completely disposed within said compartment and heated by said heating unit, said dispensing portion including a valve body having a flow passage, a valve outlet communicable with said flow passage, and a valve member mounted on said valve body for movement between an open position in which the food product can flow from said package, through said flow passage and out through said outlet of said valve. valve, and a closed portion to prevent said flow, said operating portion being operably connected to said valve member for movement of said valve member between the open and closed positions; means for removably connecting said valve body to said valve outlet; package with said said flow passage in communication with said outlet of the package, and a dispensing outlet in one of said housing walls through which the food product flowing through said valve outlet is discharged from said compartment, wherein said operating portion includes an elongate member having an outer end portion and an inner end portion operably connected to said valve member, means connected to the outer end portion of said elongate member and accessible from outside said compartment to move said valve member from the closed position to the open position and means for deflecting said valve member towards the closed position, wherein said valve member further includes an end an outer end having a lock, wherein the inner end portion of said elongated member is releasably and operably received in said closure;

Description

"DEVICE FOR DISPENSING FLUENT MATERIAL R FROM A FLEXIBLE PACKAGE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION FIELD OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to devices for dispensing heated flowable materials from containers and, more particularly, to devices for dispensing heated flowable materials such as food products from flexible packages.

RELATED REQUEST This application is a continuation in part of Application Serial No. 08 / 603,706, filed on February 20, 1996, which is a continuation of Application Serial No. 08/441 / 441,722, filed on March 28, 1995. , is a continuation of the application No. of Sene 08 / 212,899, filed on March 14, 1994.

REFERENCE TO THE PREVIOUS TECHNIQUE It is common practice to dispense cheese sauce, ketchup, mustard and other flowable food products from a can or other similar container with a pump-type dispenser. To prevent bacterial growth in low acid food products, such as cheese sauce, those products must be maintained at or above an elevated temperature, for example 60 ° C, after the can or container is opened. A type of pump dispenser widely used for low acid products has a water jacket that surrounds a large part of the can or container, and the water is heated to the required temperature. The dispensing nozzle and other parts of the dispensing device should be cleaned at regular intervals, for example, at the end of each day. Care must be taken to ensure that the water jacket contains a sufficient amount of water to prevent the heating element from burning. In many cases, a substantial amount of cheese sauce or the like in the bottom of the can or container not by means of the pump. Also, the heated water jacket can cause considerable condensation formation on the exterior and interior of the dispenser. Some food products are flexible packages and dispensed from those packages. However, prior dispensers for flexible packages are quite complicated and, therefore, are substantially more expensive than the pump-type dispensers described above, or have one or more other disadvantages.

The Patent of E.U.fl. of Barnard et al., 5,102,015 relates to a dispenser for dispensing fluid food products from bags through nozzles added thereto. The dispenser includes a drive plate and has V-shaped grooves. A push roller carries the drive plate and places a selected V-shaped groove adjacent the selected nozzle. The roller can be pushed to engage a switch and will activate a motor that moves the operating plate so that a V-shaped slot engages a nozzle to dispense in selected fluid. The patents of E.U.fl. from Hogan 4,690,307 and 4,513,885 refer to a dispensing system that includes a housing for storing a flexible sealed package containing a flowable food product and compressible deluxe tube connected to a discharge setting in the package. The manual operation of a rotor or born pepstatica in the housing compresses the tube to cause the product to be dispensed from the package. The Patent of E.U.fl. No. 4,796,788 relates to dispensing substances that will not readily flow by gravity from box-in-box packages. The bag includes separate compartments of product and pressure. The coupling settings are connected independently to the respective cameras. To dispense the product, a dispensing valve in -the product fit is open and pressure is supplied to the pressure chamber to expand it and exert pressure on the product chamber.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION An object of the invention is to provide a simply constructed dispenser, of low cost, to selectively dispense a heated flowable material from a flexible package, and maintain the material at or above a predetermined temperature after the package is opened. Another object of the invention is to provide a dispenser as such for dispensing food products, such as cheese sauce, which is convenient to operate and maintain and is arranged to fully comment on the amount of material emptied from the package during normal operation. Another object of the invention is to provide a dispenser described in the immediately preceding paragraph which is arranged to expedite and simplify the replacement of an empty package. Another object of the invention is to provide a dispenser as such that is capable of meeting the NSF standard for storage of low acid food products in a dispenser and for re-routing. Another object of the invention of the invention is to provide a method for selectively dispensing a flowable food product from a flexible package while maintaining the material and a dispensing valve for controlling the flow of the food product at or above a predetermined temperature. Other objects, aspects and advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the following detailed description, drawings and claims. The invention provides a device for dispensing a heated flowable material from a flexible package and maintaining the material at or above a predetermined temperature level after the package is opened. The device includes a housing that defines a storage compartment, a heating unit for maintaining the storage compartment at or above the predetermined temperature, means for supporting the package in the storage compartment to an orientation that promotes the flow of gravity of the storage compartment. material to and through the outlet of the package, a valve for selectively controlling-flow of the material from the package and a dispensing outlet through which the material is discharged from the compartment. The dispensing portion of the valve is disposed completely within the storage compartment and includes a valve body, removable means between connecting the valve body to the outlet of the package, a valve outlet communicable with the flow passage, and a member valve positioned in the valve body for movement between a closed position and an open position where the material can flow from the package, through the flow passage and out through the valve outlet. A valve operating portion is operably connected to the valve member to move the valve member between the closed and open positions. In one embodiment, the actuation portion of the valve is removably connected to the valve member so that the dispensing portion of the valve can be connected to a package prior to replacement in the storage compartment, the portion and dispensing packages can be removed as a unit when the package is emptied, and the dispensing portion can conveniently be removed from the empty package and installed in a new package before being placed in the compartment to facilitate and expedite the installation of a replacement package. In another embodiment, the actuating portion and the valve member are connected together to form a subassembly and the valve body is connected to this eubensarnble and the total dispensing valve can be connected to a package prior to installation in the Support of the package. The dispensing valve can be arranged so that the valve member is rotated relative to the valve body for an open position by lowering a knob accessible from the outside of the housing or moving axially to an open position when pushing an accessible knob from the outside of the accommodation. The gravity flow of the material from the package can be promoted by applying a force downward on the dispenser package. A preferred way to accomplish this is to place a second package of material that is placed on top of the dispenser package so that the material in the second package is conditioned to the predetermined temperature and the package ready for immediate action when the first package It is emptied. In another modality, the support of the package is in the form of a hopper molded as a one piece unit from a thermoplastic or thermoplastic thermoplastic material. The heating unit can be a small fan that blows on an electric heater located below the package support. When the package support is a hopper, the heating unit may be a plurality of heating elements molded into the hopper walls or electric bedspreads added to the exterior or bottom surfaces of the hopper walls. In one embodiment, a division that extends generally on the sides of the hopper divides it into a dispeneator compartment and a preheating compartment. The preheating compartment is adjusted to prevent buckling of the sidewalls of the package placed on an edge, thus maintaining the thickness of the mass of material to a dimension that allows the material to be heated to a predetermined temperature within a substantially reduced period which would be the case if the side walls of the package could buckle naturally. The method provided by the invention includes the steps of (a) providing a housing that includes a heated compartment, (b) supporting a flexible package containing a flowable material in an orientation that promotes material gravity flow to and through the outlet of the package (c) keeping the compartment at or above the predetermined temperature with a heater located within the compartment, (d) selectively controlling the flow of material from the package with a dispensing valve removably connected to the outlet of the package and including a portion and a dispensing portion, with at least the dispensing portion disposed within the heated compartment, (e) maintaining at least the dispensing portion of the dispensing valve at or above the predetermined temperature when heating directly with the heater and (f) dispensing the material from the compartment through an opening in the housing. The flow of the material from the package is preferably promoted by placing a second flexible package containing the material on top of the package from which the material is dispensed. This second package is preheated to the predetermined temperature, while the material is dispensed from the first package, and is ready for immediate dispensing after the first package is emptied.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a perspective view of a dispensing device of the invention. Figure 2 is a perspective view of a flexible package containing a flowable material, such as cheese sauce, used in the dispenser shown in Figure 1. Figure 3 is an elongated partial sectional vieta taken generally on the line 3-3 in Figure 1, with the cover removed and the dispensing valve in the closed position. Figure 4 is an enlarged view of a portion of Figure 3, with the dispensing valve in the open position. Figure 5 is a partial sectional vieta generally taken on line 5-5 in Figure 4; Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view of the operating elevating and dispensing valve shown generally in Figure 4; Figure 7 is a partial sectional view taken generally on line 7-7 in Figure 3. Figure 8 is a partial sectional view taken generally on line 8-8 in Figure 4.

Fig. 9 is a partial sectional view taken generally on line 9-9 in Fig. 4. Fig. 10 is a partial sectional view generally taken on line 10-10 in Fig. 3. Fig. 11 is a schematic diagram. illustrating the cable of the electric heating unit which is generally shown in Figure 3. Figure 12 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the dispensing device including a hopper in which a package is stored for dispensing. Figure 13 is an elongated sectional view taken generally on line 13-13 in Figure 12. Figure 14 is a fragmentary perspective view of the lower front end portion of the storage hopper with the valve installed in a package and hopper. Figure 15 is an enlarged, fragmentary and partially sectional view of the dispensing valve installed in the hopper and with the housing cover and valve installed. Figure 16 is a sectional view taken generally along line 16-16 in Figure J5. Figure 17 is a sectional view taken generally along line 17-17 in Figure 15. Figure 18 is a sectional view taken generally along line 18-18 in Figure 15. Figure 19 is an enlarged exploded view in perspective of the dispensing valve. Figure 20 is a vieta in perspective of an alternate arrangement for the hopper. Figure 21 is an elongated sectional view taken generally along line 21-21 in Figure 20. Figure 22 is a perspective view of an alternate arrangement for the hopper. Figure 23 is a cross-sectional front view of the die-positioning hopper for die-cutting and pre-heating the packages.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED MODALITY While the dispensing device and method provided by the invention can be used for or in connection with dispensing from a flexible package a wide variety of flowable products that must be maintained at or above a predetermined temperature after the package is initially opened, is particularly adaptable for dispensing low acid food products, talee as cheese sauce, and will be described in connection with said request. The dispensing device 10 illustrated in the drawings is adapted for sanitary dispensing of cheese sauce 12 from a flexible package 14 having a package outlet 16. The cheese sauce 12 should be maintained at about 60 < > C after package 14 is initially opened to meet FDA requirements for low acid foods. The die-dispensing device 10 includes a housing 18 supported on a base 20, a heating unit 22 located within the housing 18, a support 24 for the package 14 within the housing 18, a dispensing valve 26 for controlling the flow of the sauce. cheese from package 14, and a dispensing outlet 28 in the housing 18. The base 20 includes a rear pedestal portion 30 that supports the housing 18 and a front tray portion 32 to support a container (not shown) where the cheese sauce 12 must be dispensed . The housing 18 includes opposite front and rear walls 36 and 38, opposite side walls 40 and 42, and opposite upper and lower walls 44 and 46 cooperating to define a heating compartment 47.

A pair of heating unit brackets 50 and 52 that generally extend horizontally between the side walls 40 and 42. The upper wall 44 and front wall 36 are integrally connected to each other and form a cover 48. The cover 48 is removably positioned relative to the lower wall 46, rear wall 38 and the side walls 40 and 42. The cover 48 can be removed by lifting the cover 48 relative to the bottom wall 46, rear wall 38 and the side walls 40 and 42. When the cover 48 is removed, a package 14 can be placed in or removed from the compartment 47.

The lower wall 46 extends forwardly from the pedestal portion 30 and is generally in the form of a sauceboat. The lower vessel-shaped par-ee 46 includes an upper end portion 54 that abuts the front wall 36. The lower wall 46 has a dispensing opening or outlet 28. The upper end portion 54 of the lower wall 46 also has a notch of handle 56. Lower wall 46 also includes an inwardly extending flange 58 below handle notch 56. Rim 58 has within it an opening 62. Lower wall 46 also includes a pair of brackets prepared which is they extend upwards 64 and 66, the function of which will be described later. The housing 18 and the bale 20 are preferably molded from a thermoplastic or thermoset plastic material, such as a polycarbonate-polyester blend, to reduce the coefficient and minimize heat loss.

Preferably, the housing 18 (except for the cover 48) is molded as a two-piece unit, with the parts that rest along the vertical center lines. The flexible package 14 (see figure 2-5) has a packet outlet 16. Before being opened, the packet outlet 16 is sealed by a removable layer. The package outlet 16 includes male threads for connecting to a female threaded nut 94 as described below. Three flanges 96 extend radially outwardly from the pack outlet 16. While several conventional flexible packets 14 can be used, the so-called box-in-box type packets provided by Liqui-Box Corporation (Uorthington, Ohio) are preferred because They can be filled and maintained under the aseptic conditions required for dairy products and other low acid food products. This type of package is described in the Patents of E.U.fl. Nos. 3,173,579 and 4,796,788, both incorporated herein by reference. The box portion of the bag-in-box package is not required for use with the dispensing device of the invention. Also the latest patent actually describes a pressure version of a box-in-box package. As described below, the pressure characteristic is not required for the dispeneator device of the invention. The packet 24 support is set to promote the gravity flow of the queuing balance 12 towards and through the packet output 16. While other packet support 24 connections are possible, the packet support 24 preferably is in the formed part of a tray 82 having a lower part 80 sloping downward towards the front housing wall 36 to support the package 14 to an orientation that promotes the gravity flow of the cheese sheet 12 towards the outlet of package 16. The part bottom 80 of the tray 82 is supported on the upper surface 86 of the heating unit housing 84. The tray 82 includes a front wall 98 having an upside-down flange 100 that rests on a strut 102 extending between the side walls 40 and 42. As shown best in Figures 3-5, the front wall 98 has an elongated slot 104 that receives the pack outlet 16. The slot 104 includes lower ends and opposing superiors. The width of the slot 104 increases from the lower end to the upper end. The slot 104 at the lower end is made to size to receive the packet output 16 between a pair of tabs 96, so that the tabs 96 slightly overlap the tray front wall 98. The tray 82 also includes opposite side walls 106. The front wall 98 and the side walls 106 are sufficiently high for the tray 82 to receive a second sauce packet. of cheese the upper part of the package 14. The tray 82 is preferably constructed of heat conducting material such as metal and, preferably, is constructed of a heat conducting, oxidation resistant material such as aluminum or an aluminum alloy. In the illustrated unit, the heating unit 22 is a suitable electric heater 68 capable of maintaining the temperature in the compartment at or above 60 ° C. As best shown in Figure 12, the electric heater 68 includes a pair of heating elements. of electrical resistance, which continuously operates 70 and a pair of electrical resistance heating elements 72, which operate intermittently. The continuous heating elements 70 are connected in parallel through a power switch 74 suitably connected to a power source (not shown), such as a conventional 120 volt AC wall outlet. The power switch 74 is selectively movable between the "off" and "on" positions. When the power switch 74 is in the "on" poem, the continuous heating elements 70 operates to continuously heat the tray 82 compartment 47. The intermittent heating elements 72 are connected in a parallel manner through a thermostat 76 and the 74 power switch to the power source. The thermostat 76 is placed in an opening 78 in the lower part 80 of the patent leather 82, so that the thermostat 76 directly contacts and senses the temperature of the flexible pack 14. The thermostat 76 is operable to cause the heating elements blinkers 72 operate and heat the tray 82 and compartment 47 when the temperature detected by the thermostat drops below 60 ° C. The thermostat 76 is also operable to cause the intermittent heating elements 72 to continue to operate and heat the tray 76 and compartment 47 until the temperature detected by the thermostat reaches 70.5 ° C. When the temperature detected by the thermostat reaches 70.5 ° C, the thermostat 76 is operative to prevent the intermittent heating elements 72 from operating for additional heating of the tray 76 and compartment 47. When the temperature detected by the thermostat a once again drops below 60 ° C, the thermostat 76 causes the intermittent heating elements 72 to operate and heat the tray 76 and compartment 47 until the temperature detected by the thermostat once again reaches 70.5 ° C. This cycle always continues and when the electric power switch 74 is in the "on" position. The heater 68 is turned off by moving the electric power switch 47 to the "off" position. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the heating elements 70 and 72 are nickel cronio resistance wires coated with mica electrical insulators. The heater 68 also includes an elongate, generally planar metal housing 84, wherein the heating elements 70 and 72 are positioned. The housing 84 includes opposite upper and lower surfaces 86 and 88. The lower surface 88 is placed on brackets 50 and 52, so that the housing 84 is at a downward angle in the direction towards the front housing wall 36. upper surface 86 has an opening (not shown) and thermostat 76 is disposed in the opening and extends up therein. The thermostat 76 is aligned with an aperture 78 in the bottom-80 of the tray 82 (as indicated below), so that the thermostat 76 extends through the tray aperture 78 to make contact and emanate the temperature. of package 14. The die-saving valve 26 includes a dispensing portion 100 and an operating portion 104 operably connected to the dispensing portion 100 to selectively move the dispensing portion 100 between closed and open positions. As described in more detail later, to facilitate the installation and removal of the packages, the actuating portion 104 is freely connected to the dispenerating portion 100. In order to assure dispenerating conditions, the complete dispensing portion 100 is disposed within the compartment 47. The die-center portion 100 includes a body of tubular valve 112 having a continuous side wall or holes 114 defining an interior flow passage 116. The valve body 112 has an opening or valve outlet 118 in communication with the flow passage 116 for discharging cheese sauce 12 from flow passage 116 and pack outlet 16. Valve body 112 attaches a pair of tabs 120, the function of which will be described later. The valve body 112 also has a radially extending flange 122. Because of this the dispenerating portion 100 is completely disposed within the temperature conditioned compartment 47 and is maintained at the temperature required by the heater 68, the sanitary dispensing conditions. They are insured. Accordingly, the parts forming the dispensing portion 100 can be constructed from a thermoplastic or thermosetting synthetic plastic, such as polypropylene, or similar material, instead of more expensive thermal conductive materials, such as stainless steel. The dispensing portion 100 also includes means 123 for removably connecting the valve body 112 to the pack outlet 16. Although several means suitable for removably connecting the valve body 112 to the pack outlet 16 can be used, in the illustrated embodiment said means include an internally threaded nut B 124 for engaging external threads in the pack outlet 16. When the nut B 124 is adjusted in the chutes in the pack outlet 16, the flange 122 in the valve body 112 is held tight against the nut. outer end of the pack outlet 16 with the flow passage 116 communicating with the pack outlet 16. The dispensing portion 100 also includes a rotatable valve member 126 positioned in the valve body 112 for movement between an open position in where the cheese sauce 12 can flow from the package outlet 16, through the flow passage 116 and can of the valve outlet 118, and a closed position where said flow is avoided. The valve member 126 is a rotatable plug positioned in the valve body bore 114. The valve member 126 includes a continuous side wall 128 and an internal extr-emo wall 130 perpendicular to the side wall 128. In the intersection of the side wall 128 and the inner end wall 130, the valve member 126 has a notch 132 that is alignable with the valve outlet 118 to connect the valve outlet 118 in communication with the flow passage 116. The notch 132 is aligned with the valve outlet 118 when the valve member 126 is in the open position, and is not aligned with the valve outlet 118 when the valve member 126 is in the closed position. EJ valve member 126 must be rotated from the closed position to the open position to disengage from the queue through the valve outlet 118. The valve member 126 also includes a groove or cradle 134 opposite the inner end wall 130, as described later mae. The operating portion 104 is operably and freely connected to the die-cutting portion 100 to selectively move the die-cutting portion 100 between the open and closed poicionee. The actuating portion 104 includes a mounting bracket 136 for freely receiving the valve body 112. The mounting bracket 136 is freely positioned in the monsulae 64 and 66 in the lower housing wall 46. The mounting bracket 136 includes a portion horizontal lower end 138 and a circular opening 140. Lower end portion 138 is made to dimension to be freely received in brackets 64 and 66. Opening 140 is made to dimension to receive valve body 112 and includes a pair of notches 142 to receive the tabs 120 and freely engage the valve body 112. The actuation portion 104 also includes an elongate member 144, which extends through the handle notch 56 in the lower housing wall 46. The elongated member 144 includes opposite internal and external portions 146 and 148. The inner end portion 146 is made to dimension to be received in the body. 134, to freely and operably connect the elongated member 144 to the valve member 126. The cradle 134 is a slot having an elongated head portion. The inner end portion 146 of the elongated member 144 includes a pair of opposing planes 150 depending from a head 152, and is configured to be received in the hub 134. The outer end portion 148 has a cylindrical outer surface. An operating lever 154 is connected to the outer end portion 148. The elongated member 144 also includes a flange 156 located between the intermediate internal and external end portions 146 and 148. The flange 156 extends radially outwardly and has an outer end. generally circular 158. The outer end 158 includes a generally planar portion 160 that supports the lever 58 (figures 7 and 8). The cam portion 160 is slightly V-shaped, a pair of corner opposites 162 and 164 are defined from the intersections of the circular portion with the cam portion 160. The actuation portion 104 also includes a spiral compression re-spring 166 (see Figure 3,4,6,9 and 10) surrounding the elongated member 144. The compression spring 166 includes opposite internal and external ends 168 and 170. The inner end 158 (see Figures 3, 4 and 10) extends to what? "? length and rests against one of the planes 150 in the inner end portion 146 of the elongate member 144. The outer end 170 (see Figures 3, 4 and 9) extends perpendicularly to the elongate member 144 and is freely received in the opening 62 in the flange 58. In operation, with the corner 162 of the cam portion 160 engaging the flange 58 (see Figure 7) and the operating lever 154 in the horizontal position, the operating lever 154 is decreased (ie, moved in a clockwise direction). as seen in Figure 3) through an arc of about 35"to rotate the elongated member 144, until the corner 164 engages the flange 58 (see Figure 8) and stops further rotation. This rotation causes the valve member 126 to move from the closed position (Figure 3) to the open position (Figure 4), where the notch 132 is aligned with the valve outlet 118. When the corner 164 engages the flange 58 , the mixture 132 is registered or aligned with the valve outlet 118, and the cheese sauce flows out of the valve outlet 118, which the operating lever 154 is released by the user. When the operating lever 154 is released, the spring 166 causes the elongate member 144 to rotate in the opposite direction until the corner 162 engages the flange 58. This rotation returns the operating lever 154 to the horizontal position and the valve member 126 to the closed position. The corner 162 that engages the flange 58 also prevents the operating lever 154 from being moved in the left-handed direction beyond the horizontal position. The die-out outlet 28 is located so that the cheese sauce 12 leaving the valve outlet 118 is discharged therethrough. The dispensing outlet 28 is located directly below the valve outlet 118 and, to ensure sanitary operation, is made to the size so that the cheese sauce 12 being discharged through the dispensing outlet 28 will not make contact with any part of the dispenser. the lower pair-ed 46. If desired, the die-cutting outlet 28 may include either a tube or fit (not shown) to direct the flow of the cheese tray 12. If a tube or fit as such is located completely within the compartment 47, can be constructed of plastic or similar material and still provide sanitary operation. However, if a portion of a tube or fitting as such is located outside the compartment 47, the portion must be constructed of thermally conductive material such as stainless steel to ensure sanitary operation. Dispensing device 10 preferably includes means 164 for applying a force downwardly on package 14 to promote flow of cheese sauces 12 towards and through package outlet 16. In the illustrated embodiment, a weight 166 resting on the part Top of package 14 is used for this purpose. The weight 166 is preferably another flexible package containing cheese sauces and identical to the package 14 from which the cheese sausage is dispenedated. Enervir fldernae as a pee to promote flow of cheese sauce 12 of package 14, the cheese saucep 12 in the second package is preheated to the temperature required to dispense, for example, at least 60 ° C. When the package 14 is emptied, the second package is removed, the empty package 14 and dispensing portion 100 of the valve 26 are removed, the dispensing portion 100 of the valve 26 is r-emovida from the empty package 14 and connected to the second package. , and the second package is installed in the tray 82 with the dispensing portion 100 extending through the slot 104. After another unheated package of cheese sauce is placed in the upper part of the second package (now called co or package). 14), and the cover 48 is replaced, it can begin to die in preheat or clean the die-off portion 1.00 of the valve 26, because the package 14 and the dispensing portion 100 have been maintained at the temperature desired. In useWhen a package 14 of cheese sauce is emptied and removed, the cover 48 is first removed to expose the compartment 47. The mounting bracket 136 is released from the meringue 54 and 66 in the lower housing wall 46, the outer end portion 148 of the elongate member 144 is removed from the operating handle 56 in the lower housing wall 46 (also by removing the outer end 170 of the reeorte 166 from the opening 62 in the flange 58), and the inner end portion 146 of the elongate member 144 is removed from the cuvette 134 of the valve member 126. Deepuée, the tabs 120 in the valve body 112 are removed from the jaws 142 in the mounting bracket 136, so that the mounting bracket 136 is released of the valve body 112. Deep, the package 14 and the dispeneator portion 100 of the valve 26 are removed by an individual unit from the tray 82. The nut B 124 is unscrewed, and the dispensing portion 100 100 is removed from the packet 16 output of the empty packet 14. The empty packet is discarded. The dispensing portion 100 of the valve 26 is connected to the pack outlet 16 of a new pack 14 before placing the pack 14 in the tray 82. To achieve this, the valve body 112 is inserted into the pack outlet 16, and the nut B 124 is screwed into the threads in the pack outlet 16 to connect the valve body 112 thereto. The package 14 is placed in the tray 82 with the package outlet 16 and the dispeneator portion 100 of the valve 26 which extends outwardly from the slot 104 in the tray 82. The valve body 112 is inerted in the opening 140 and the mounting bracket 136 with the tabs 120 received in the rear 142. The inner end portion 146 of the elongated member 144 is inserted in the cradle 134 of the valve member 126, and the elongated member 144 is rotated in a clockwise direction as seen in Figure 3 until the corner 162 of the cam portion 160 of the flange 156 is aligned to engage the flange 58 (ie, until the valve member 126 is in the closed position). The lower end portion 138 of the mounting bracket 136 is inserted into the brackets 64 and 66 in the lower housing wall 46, and the outer end portion 148 of the elongated member 144 is placed in the management slot 56 in the lower wall of the housing. housing 46 with the corner 162 of the cam portion 160 of the flange 156 engaging the flange 58 and the operating lever 154 in the horizontal position. The outer end 170 of the spring 166 is inserted into the opening 62 in the flange 58. A new unopened package is placed in the tray 82 at the top of the package 14, and the cover 48 is replaced, so that the dispenser 10 It is ready for operation to dispense queel elaya 12. Figures 12-19 illustrate an alternate modality including a package support, die-piping valve and heating unit that has different diepoeitions. The parts that are the same or similar to those illustrated in Figures 1-11 are assigned as common reference numbers. Referring to Figures 12-14, housing 18 is constructed substantially in the same manner as described above. Instead of a tray including different parts to be welded or otherwise joined, the package support is a hopper 200 formed of a suitable thermoplastic or synthetic thermosetting plastic material, such as a polycarbonate or glass fiber, and is preferably formed as a one piece unit. The hopper 200 has opposite side walls 202, a rear wall 204, a forward sloping bottom wall 206 for promoting gravity flow of cheese sauce from a package 14 and a front wall 208. The front wall 208 has an opening V-shaped 210 to facilitate the installation and removal of package 14. The opening 210 has a lower U-shaped portion 212. Due to the formation of manufacturing tolerances, it may be difficult to maintain the dimension between the composite vertical edges 214 of the lower opening portion 212 and the thickness of the front wall of the hopper 208 in the vicinity of the lower portion of the opening 212 within the tolerance scales required for to facilitate the installation of a dispensing valve 216 as described below. A separate plate 218 suitably fixed to the outer surface of the froontal apron 208 is used by an adhesive substance or the like, and the possibility of the lower opening portion 212 to minimize tolerance problems. As best shown in Figures 14 and 17, the plates 218 have a U-shaped opening 220 that includes the opposite vertical edges 222 that extend a short distance beyond the vertical edges 214 of the lower portion. from opening 212 and slidingly receives a dispensing valve 220 to hold it in place as described in more detail below. A plate 218 is preferably made of a suitable thermoplastic or thermoset plastic synthetic material. The hopper 200 (FIGS. 12 and 16) is suitably fixed to the lateral sidewalls 40 and 42 of the bearing journal 18, for example by means of the bolts 224 which are inserted into the pre-turbans roecadae 227 on the inner surface of the side walls of the journal. 40 and 42. A one-piece plastic hopper is advantageous because it reduces manufacturing cuts and the walls are not heated as with a metal tray. The valve protection 226 (FIGS. 13, 15 and 16), removably mounted on the lower front portion of the bearing journal 18, cooperates with the journal side walls 40 and 42 to form a front portion 228 of the lower bearing wall. 230. Valve protection 226 is arranged substantially the same as the front portion of the lower bearing wall 46 described above. The clauses 64 and 66 and the opening 62 described above are omitted and the valve guard 226 includes a dispenerating outlet 28 and a sample 56 in the upper portion of the rim 54 through which the outer portion of the dispensing valve 216 extends. as described below. Lae paredee bearing journals 40 and 42 have opposite elongated guides 232. Each guide 232 has a slide 234 which is open on one side and extends parallel to the respective side wall 40 and 42. The valve protection 226 includes opposite elongate rods. 236 that fit and de-seal along the slides 243 to allow only a longitudinal movement of the valve shield 226 relative to the journal 18. As shown in FIG. 15, the front wall 208 of FIG. hopper 200 extends beyond the dispensing outlet 28 in the valve rebound 226 and the lower wall of the hopper 206 includes an opening 238 which aligns with the dispensing outlet 28 when the valve protection 226 is in s? place. The dispeneator valve 216 (FIGS. 15 and 19) includes a sleeve or tubular body 240 having a bore 242 and a driver portion 244 carrying a cylindrical valve member 246 slidably mounted in the piercing of the valve body 242. The member Valve 246 has an elongated internal cavity 248 that includes a hole 250 and is movable substantially relative to the valve body 240 between an open position in which the orifice 250 is aligned with a valve outlet 252 in the valve body 240 and a closed position in which the orifice 250 moves away from the valve outlet 252 and the valve member 246 completely covers the valve outlet 252. A driving portion 246 of the dispensing valve includes an outer end portion 254 extending through of the slot 56 in the valve protection 226 in an intermediate portion 256 between the valve member 246 and the outer end portion 254. In the eep mode ecliterated, the extruder portion 246 (including the end portion 254 and the intermediate portion 256) and the valve member 246 are formed as a subassembly of one piece. Mounted on the outer end portion 254 and accessible from the outer end of the front wall 36 of the journal 18 is a knob 258 that presses an operator to move the valve member 246 to the open position. Suitable means are provided to tilt the valve member 246 to the closed position. In the embodiment illustrated in Figures 12-21, the valve means 246 is tilted toward the closed position by a spiral reecer 260 surrounding the intermediate portion 256 of the driver portion 244 with an end 256 that is directed against the front end. of the valve body 240 and the other end which is directed against the circumferentially extending spring retainer 262 and which extends outwardly from the intermediate portion 256. Valve cutout 240 is removably connected to a pack outlet 16 by a nut eb B 24 as described above. The dispensing valve 216 is preferably removably mounted on the front wall of the hopper 208 in a suitable manner. In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 12-21, the front outer end 264 of the valve body 240 includes opposed diagonally grooves 266 that fit relatively well disposed on the vertical edge 222 of the U-shaped plate 218 on the surface. exterior of the hopper front wall 208 to hold the dispensing valve 216 in place. More specifically in the valve body 240 includes a raised rod 268, which terminates circumferentially on the outer surface extending for about 110 ° C around the valve body 240 and the grooves 266 are part of a continuous groove in the rod 258. As best shown in Fig. 13, after the dispeneator valve 216 has been installed on the hopper front wall 208, the entire valve body 240 and substantially all of the valve member 246 are located within it. of the hopper 200. Preferably the valve body 240 and the driving portion 244 of the die-bell valve 216 are connected together and releasably so that the valve body 240, the nut on B 24, the valve body 24 can be conveniently separated for cleaning. reeorte 260 and the driving portion 244. In the specific construction and used, the valve body 240 includes a finger or deflectable fastener 270 extending over and axially from the front end 264 of the valve body 240 pulls the knob 258. The fastener 270 has an elongated body 272 and an elongated outer end 274 having a ramp 266 that includes a raised surface 278 up and down at a direction towards the valve body 240 and which is tempered at a shoulder 280 which extends radially inwardly.

The spring retainer 262 has an arcuate groove 282 arranged to receive the outer end 294 of the fastener 270 and f-unite together therewith to hold together releasing the valve body 240 and the driving position 244.One end of the slot 282 it includes a larger non-parallel portion 284, which corresponds to the unlocked position of the fastener 270, which is given a dimension to receive the enlarged outer end 274 of the fastener 270 and allow axial movement of the fastener 270 relative to the spring retainer 272 when the fastener 270 is in a deviated position. The opposite end of the slot 282 includes a smaller non-parallel portion 286, corresponding to the locked position of the fastener 270, which receives the body 272 from the eater 270. A dimension is given to the smaller non-parallel portion 286 of the same , when the fastener 270 is in a released or non-deflected apposition, and there can be appreciable relative rotational movement of the valve body 240 and the knob 258, and the valve body 240 can not move appreciably in an axial direction away from the spring retainer 282. Knob 258 includes an elongated slot 288 for receiving outer end portion 274 and fastener 270 so that knob 258 and pusher portion 244 can move axially inward toward valve body 240 far enough away as so that the hole 250 is aligned with the valve outlet 252. For the assembly of the dispensing valve 216, the spring 260 is slid over the portion i intermediate 256 of the plunging portion 244 after the knob 258 is installed, and the B-ring 24 slides over the fastener 270 and the valve body 240. After the fastener 270 is aligned with the non-parallel portion further large 284 in the spring retainer slot 282, the valve body 240 and the drive portion 244 are moved toward each other. In accordance with the cam surface 278 on the fastener ramp 276 it works against the upper edge of the larger non-parallel portion 284, the outer end 274 of the fastener 270 is deepened and, after the raised surface 278 has moved further beyond the upper edge of the larger non-parallel portion 284, the fastener-270 returns to an undeflected position. After the fastener 270 is biased to move the fastener body 272 out of the larger non-parallel portion 284, the knob 284 and the valve body 240 are rotated with respect to each other (i.e., co or considered in Figure 18, the knob 258 is rotated clockwise relative to the valve body 240) until the body of the fastener 272 is moved to the smaller non-parallel portion 286. The lower edge 290 of FIG. The smaller non-parallel portion 286 is below the lower edge 292 of the groove 282 so that the fastener 270 returns to the locked or uninflected piece of music when it is released after being received completely in the smaller non-parallel portion 286. When the fastener 270 is in such a locked position, the shoulder 280 intertwines with the front retainer surface of the spring 262 to prevent the valve body 240 from separating from the portion and pulsator 244. The parallel portion is small 2 86 has a width slightly greater than the width of the body of the fastener 272, thus preventing reactive rotation of the valve body 240 and the thrust portion 244 while the fastener 270 eeta in such an undifferentiated position. The die-cutter valve 216 can be installed on a package as described above, place the package in the hopper 200, install the valve body 244 in the hopper opening 200 as described above and install the valve protection 226. If the package has been preheated to a temperature above 60 ° C, the distributor is ready to be launched. When it is necessary to separate the dispenerating valve part for cleaning, the fastener 270 is deflected downwardly until the fastener body "272 is removed from the smaller non-parallel portion 286, the knob 258 and the valve body 240 are rotated relative to each other (ie, as considered in Figure 18, the knob 258 is rotated counterclockwise) until the body of the fastener 272 reaches the largest non-parallel portion 284. While the fastener 270 is still deflected, the end may be removed. outer 264 through the larger non-parallel portion 284 and separate the valve body 240 from the portion and pusher 244, slide the nut B 24 away from the valve body 240, slide the spring 260 away from the intermediate portion 254 as shown in FIG. shown in Figure 19 and all those parts can be cleaned properly, such as by washing in clean soapy water In the embodiments illustrated in Figures 12-19, the heating unit 292 (FIG. of a conventional electric fan 294 mounted on a frame 296 that separates inwardly and extends generally parallel to the rear wall of the journal 38 and a conventional electric heater 298 having external fins 299 located in front of the fan 294. The inlet side of the fan 298 is open to the space 300 between the frame 296 and the trailing shear wall 38 and blows air over the heater fins 299. The air flows under the hopper 200, upwards in front of the wall front of the hopper 208 over the top of the assembly 14 and back to the space 300. A conventional thermostat 302 mounted in an opening of the frame 296 controls the operation of the fan 294 and the heater 298 to maintain the temperature inside the hopper 200 to 60 ° C or higher. The temperature inside the bearing journal 18 can be verified by a conventional thermometer 304 mounted on a side wall of the bearing with the sensor portion 306 extending to the upper portion of the space 300.

Fig. 20 and 21 include a hopper 200a that uses alternate means to heat the assemblies. In this embodiment, conventional electric heating elements 320, such as Mylar, silicon or polymer heating elements, are incorporated in the trailing wall 204a, the side walls 202a, the bottom wall 206a and the front pair 208a at the moment The hopper 200a is formed. The operation of the heating elements 34 is controlled by a conventional thermostat as described above. Such an arrangement is particularly advantageous because it does not require moving parts and the walls of the hopper are not as hot as the walls of the metal tray. Figure 22 illustrates a hopper 200b that employs other alternate means for heating the assemblies. In this embodiment, the conventional electric blanket heaters 326 are fixed to the trailing wall 204b, the alternating walls 200b, the lower wall 206b and the front wall 208b of the hopper 200b. You can fix the blanket heaters either the outer surfaces of the walls of the hopper as illustrated, to the interior surfaces of the walls of the hopper or some to the exterior surfaces and to the interior surfaces. When they extend to the size of a gallon, the side walls are separated by approximately 6.35 to 7.62 cm. When such a set of ridge is placed in a magazine or a hopper to be distributed, the side walls tend to be compacted and the assembly adopts a generally oblong tranevereal shape with the alternating walls being separated by 17.78 to 25.40 cm. flNSI / NSF 18-1990, the NSF standard for manual equipment to dispene food and drink, requires that the storage compartment for food products with low acid content be able to maintain the food product at a minimum temperature of 60 ° C. ANSI / NSF 4-1992, the standard for commercial reper- fection, requires that potentially hazardous food products having a pH level of 4.6 or less are rethermalized, ie, heated from a refrigerated or ambient state to an elevated temperature. of not less than 73.8 ° C, they must be able to heat the food product at that temperature within 2 hours. All the previously decoupled modalities can maintain a package of quea salts at a minimum temperature of 60 ° C. However, without using expensive and complex heating means, it may be difficult to comply with the ANSI / NSF 4-1992 standard for re-thermalization due to the cross-sectional shape of the package. For this situation, the package to be dispensed can be preheated to the desired predetermined temperature, such as in an electric fryer tray or the like, and then installed. Figure 23 illustrates a hopper 200a disposed in a manner that the dispenser can be used as a preheater. In this embodiment, the hopper 200a is divided into a preheating compartment 332 and a dispense compartment 330 by a partition 334. The width of the preheating compartment 330 is designed to support the side walls of a package eminently close to allow a faster heating of the cheese sauce. For example, the width of the preheating compartment 332 can be from about 5.8 to 7.62 cm to pack the size of 3.78 liters. The preheating compartment 332 has a bottom wall 336 spaced upwardly from the bottom wall of the hopper 206c to define an open space 338 below the preheat compartment 332 within which a package located in the dispenser compartment 330 can be spread to be dispensed when a second package is placed on the upper part of the first package. The hopper 200c may otherwise be disposed in the same manner as described above, including a V-shaped opening 210 in the front wall 208c having a U-shaped bottom portion 212 and a U-shaped plate 218 for receive the dispenadora valve body. During the start, a package is placed in the preheating compartment 332 at the moment 2 hour before starting to die and one or more package placed in the dispenser compartment 330. The package in the preheating compartment 332 is then removed, a dispensing valve installed in the compartment. The pre-heated package, the valve package / d? ep >Dispenser placed in the die dispenser compartment 330 and the dispensing valve mounted on the p > front of the hopper 208c as described above. A second pack from the dispenser compartment 330 (which is at least partially preheated to 60 ° C or higher) is placed on top of the pre-heated pack, valve guard 226 and cover 48 installed and the dispenser is ready to dispenear. Since the second and third packets will be heated to 60 ° C or higher, while the material is dispensed from the preheated pack or first pack, it can be used to dispense after the first pack is emptied without preheating. A third package, from the die compartment 330 or from normal storage, can be placed in the preheating compartment if necessary. The partition 334 preferably includes heating means, such as an electric mantle heater attached to one or two opposing surfaces or electrical heating elements molded with or an integral part of the partition as described above. The dispensing device can be adapted to dispense cheese sauce and other heated flowable materials from containers other than the aforementioned packages. For example, common plastic pulleys can be modified for use in the dispeneator device by heat welding and an outlet fitting can be arranged to receive the valve body and nut at B on the exit surface of the bag from a corner. before filling the ball with cheese paste or other flowable material. The bag can be punched through the gauging attachment before it is assembled onto a dispensing valve in a manner that allows the queue or other heated flowable material to subsequently flow freely through the attachment under the influence of gravity. From the foregoing description, one skilled in the art will readily evaluate the essential characteristics of the invention and, without departing from the spirit of the day, can make various changes and modifications to adapt it to various uses.

Claims (23)

NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION CLAIMS

1. - A dietary device for dispensing from a flexible package having a flowable material outlet that is to be maintained at or above a predetermined temperature level after the package is initially opened, said device comprising a housing that includes p > aredee opposed that cooperate to define a compartment to retain at least one said packages; a heating unit for maintaining said compartment at or above a predetermined temperature level; means for supporting said package in said compartment to an orientation that promotes the flow by gravity of the material toward and through the outlet of the package; a valve for selectively controlling the flow of material from said package and including a dispensing portion and a driving portion, said dispensing portion being completely disposed within said compartment and heated by said heating unit and including a valve body having a flow passage, and a valve outlet communicable with said flow passage, and further comprising a valve member mounted on said valve body for movement between an open port where the material can flow from said package, through the flow passage and outwardly through said valve outlet and a closed position to prevent said flow, said actuating portion being operably connected to the valve member for movement of the valve member between the open and closed positions; means for releasably connecting said valve body to said package outlet with the flow passage in communication with the outlet of the package; and a dispenerating outlet in one of the housing walls through which the material flowing through said valve outlet is loaded from the compartment.

2. A dispensing device according to claim 1, further provided because said valve includes means for releasably connecting said actuating portion to the valve member.

3. A dispeneator device according to claim 1, further arranged because said valve body includes a hole defining said flow passage; and said valve member includes a port and shaft mounted to said hole for rotational movement relative to the valve body between an open position wherein the port is aligned with the valve outlet for connecting said valve outlet in communication with said valve outlet. flow passage and a closed position where the valve outlet is covered.

4. A dispeneator device according to claim 1, further arranged so that said actuating portion includes a member having an outer end portion and an inner end portion connected to said valve member; means connected to the outer end portion of said elongate housing compartment member and accessible from outside said compartment to move the valve member from the closed position to the open position; and means for diverting the valve member to the closed position.

5. A die-pendant die according to claim 4, further characterized in that said valve member further includes an outer end having a lock; and the inner end portion of said elongate member is releasably and operably received in said lock.

6. A dispensing device according to claim 1, further characterized in that it includes means for applying a downward force on the package to promote the flow by gravity of the material towards and through the outflow of the package.

7. A dispensing device according to claim 6, further characterized in that said force application means include a weight resting on the package.

8. A disposable dispenser according to claim 7, also characterized in that said weight comprises another package so that the material in that other package is conditioned to said predetermined temperature.

9. A die-pendant device according to claim 8, further characterized in that said package support includes a tray constructed of heat-conducting material and having a bottom inclined downward toward said valve to provide the package in an orientation that promotes the flow of material to and through the departure of the package.

10. A dispensing device according to claim 1, further arranged because said heating unit is located below the package support.

11. A dispensing device according to claim 1, further characterized in that said valve body includes a hole defining said flow passage.; and said valve member includes a port and is mounted to said hole for reciprocal actuation in relation to the valve body between an open position where the port is aligned with the valve outlet to connect said valve outlet in communication. with said flow passage and a closed position where the valve output is covered.

12. A dispensing device according to claim 11, further characterized in that said drive portion includes a drive member having an outer end portion and an inner end portion operably connected to valve dichs; means connected to the outer extreme portion of said actuating member and accessible from outside said housing to move the valve member from the closed position to the open position; and means for diverting the valve member to the closed position.

13. A dispensing device according to claim 12, further characterized in that said actuating portion has an outer surface- and said valve member and said actuating portion are connected to form an euben- sable; and said dispensing valve includes means for connecting said valve body to said subassembly.

14. A dispensing device according to claim 13, further characterized in that said means for removably connecting said valve body to the subeneamble include a deflectable extension connected to the valve body and extending accially outwardly from the body of the valve body. valve in a direction to the outer end portion of said drive portion, said extension having an elongate body and an outer end-terminating in an enlarged portion; and a detent on said actuating portion extending radially outwardly thereof and q includes an arcuate groove, extending circumferentially to receive the outer end of said extension, said groove including a first portion offset to allow movement. relative action of said valve body and said eubensable in such a manner that the enlarged outer end portion of said extension can be moved through and drawn from said first phase-shifted portion when the valve body and the subassembly are rotated one in relationship with another to a non-workable position and a second portion out of phase circumferentially separated from the first p > Orphaned part to receive the body > or of said extension and prevent the enlarged outer end portion of said extension being stretched across the offset portion and preventing the valve body and the subassembly from being rotated one in relation to the other, without deflecting the extension when the body of Valve and subassembly are in locked position.

15. A diepoeitive diepenser according to claim 1, further characterized in that said package support comprises a hopper molded from a thermoplastic or thermoplastic synthetic material and having a bottom wall inclined outward towards said dispensing valve to support the package in an orientation to promote the flow by gravity of the material through the output of the package.

16. A dispensing device according to claim 15, further characterized in that said hopper includes a front wall having an opening that includes a lower portion; and said dispensing device further includes mounting means on said valve body in the lower portion of said opening with the valve body and said valve member located substantially within the hopper.

17. A dispensing device according to claim 16, further characterized in that said valve body has an outer surface; and said mounting means include opposite edges that extend generally vertically, which define a portion of the lower end of said opening and opposite grooves on the exterior of the valve body to slidably receive said edges.

18. A dispensing device according to claim 15, further characterized in that said hopper includes opposite side walls, and opposite rear and front walls.; and said heating unit includes a plurality of electrical elements molded to one or more side walls, front, rear and bottom.

19. A diepeneator device according to claim 15, further characterized in that said lower wall of the hopper has inner and outer surfaces; said hopper includes opposite side walls and opposite rear and front walls having inner and outer surfaces; and said heater unit includes a plurality of electric heating mantles mounted in heat exchange relationship with the inner and outer surface of at least some of said front, rear and bottom side walls.

20. - A dispensing device according to claim 14, further characterized in that said package has side walls that tend to bulge outwardly when the package is placed in said package holder for dispensing; and said hopper includes a partition extending generally parallel to and cooperating with the side walls of the hopper to define a dispensing compartment for containing a package for dispensing and a preheating compartment for containing at least one of said package. preheating, said division being separated from one of the side walls to a dimension that provides a sufficiently small width to avoid substantial bulging of the side walls of a package located therein with the side walls of said package supporting said division and in a side wall, thus maintaining the thickness of the mass of material to a dimension that allows the material to be heated to a predetermined temperature within a substantially short period of what would be the case if the side walls of the p > that they would let themselves be flooded in a natural way.

21. A dispensing device according to claim 15, further characterized p > or said preheating chamber includes a bottom wall separated from the bottom wall of said hopper to define an open space in which a portion of the package in said dispensing compartment can be spread.

22. - A method for dispensing sanitaryware from a flexible package having an outlet of a flowable material that is to be kept at or above a predetermined temperature level after which the package is initially opened, said method comprising the steps of (a) providing a housing that includes a heated compartment; (b) support the package in the compartment to an orientation that promotes flow by gravity of the materials through the departure of the package; (c) maintaining the compartment at or above the predetermined temperature level with a heating unit located within the compartment; (d) eelectively controlling the flow of material from the package with a die-cutter valve re-connected to the outlet of the package and including a drive portion and a dispensing portion that is completely disposed within the compartment; (e) maintaining the dispensing portion of the dispensing valve at or above the predetermined temperature by directly heating with a heating unit; and (f) dispensing material from said compartment through an outlet in said housing.

23. The method according to claim 22, further characterized in that it includes the step of: (g) promoting the flow of material of the package by placing an identical unopened package on top of the package in position to dispense in such a way that the material in the unopened package is heated to the predetermined temperature. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A device for sanitary dispensing from a flexible package of a heated flowable material, such as cheese sauce, to be kept at or above a predetermined temperature level after the package is opened. The dispenerating device includes a housing defining a heated compartment, a heating unit for maintaining the compartment at or above the predetermined temperature level, a package support in the compartment arranged to promote gravity flow of the material and a valve for controlling selectively the flow of material from the package and having a dietary portion disposed subetantially completely in the compartment or package support. The valve is removably connected to a pack outlet and a valve member mounted on a valve body is moved from a closed position to an open position by an operator for unloading cheese through a discharge opening in the housing . A second packet of queeo sauce is preferably placed on top of the dispenser pack to serve as a weight to promote flow by gravity from the die packer and to precondition the second packet. In a modality, the package support is divided into a dispeneator compartment and a preheat compartment which is designed to hold a package in a configuration that allows the cheese eel to be heated to an elevated temperature required by the ANSI / NSF standards. The package support is preferably a one-piece hopper molded of a thermoplastic or thermoplastic synthetic material and the packages in the dispense and preheat compartments are heated by electric heating elements molded into the walls of the hopper. BS / GC / JJ / avc * ycl * ade * lss