WO2005108934A1

WO2005108934A1 - Hand operated dispenser for dispensing metered dosages of particulate matter

Info

Publication number: WO2005108934A1
Application number: PCT/IL2005/000491
Authority: WO
Inventors: Neil Marks; Udi Carmel; Eli Nissenberg
Original assignee: Red Sea Fish Pharm Ltd
Priority date: 2004-05-12
Filing date: 2005-05-10
Publication date: 2005-11-17

Abstract

A hand operated dispenser having a finger depressed slidingly mounted linear reciprocal trigger for dispensing metered dosages of particulate matter under gravity in a handheld inverted dispensing state of the dispenser. The dispenser also preferably includes anti-bridging means for preventing bridging of particulate matter prior to being dispensed such that the dispenser can readily dispense two or more consecutive metered dosages of particulate matter.

Description

HAND OPERATED DISPENSER FOR DISPENSING METERED DOSAGES OF PARTICULATE MATTER

Field of the Invention The invention pertains to hand operated dispensers for dispensing metered dosages of particulate matter.

Background of the Invention Hand operated dispensers for dispensing dosages of particulate matter are known in the art. Exemplary prior art references include inter alia: GB 1 131 515 to Orofton illustrates and describes a dispenser including a cylindrical canister having a screw-on cap including an end wall provided with a dispensing bore, and a valve assembly in the form of rotatably mounted circular plates rigidly interconnected by a spindle and each being formed with an aperture respectively disposed so that only one aperture can register with the dispensing bore at any one time. In operation, the dispenser is inverted and the bore is initially filled with particulate material before the plates are rotated to allow the contents of the bore to be dispensed. Means may be provided to assist accurate registration of the apertures with the bore for filling and dispensing purposes. US 3,756,479 to Croyle et al. illustrates and describes a metering dispenser for automatically measuring a quantity of powdered or granular material and which permits an immediate effective adjustment in measuring volume to be made. FR 2 627 465 to Collin illustrates and describes a dispenser with a screw on holder incorporating a sieve plate and retaining a star-shaped lump breaker.

Summary of the Invention The present invention is for a hand operated dispenser having a finger depressed linear reciprocal trigger for dispensing metered dosages of particulate matter under gravity in a handheld inverted dispensing state of the dispenser. The act of inverting the dispenser for dispensing purposes ensures that a first dosage contains an intended volume of particulate matter since the inversion effectively shakes the dispenser's contents to make sure that they are loose. The dispenser preferably includes an anti-bridging mechanism to seamlessly ensure that it is ready to dispense consecutive dosages of substantially equal volumes of particulate matter without a user having to shake the dispenser between dosages to loosen the contents. This is achieved by the anti-bridging mechanism having an anti-bridging rod for simultaneously protruding into particulate matter for dispensing in an immediate subsequent dosage on a full depression of the trigger to its finger depressed dispensing position to dispense a dosage.

Brief Description of the Drawings In order to understand the invention and to see how it can be carried out in practice, a preferred embodiment will now be described, by way of a non- limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which similar parts are likewise numbered, and in which: Fig. 1 is a pictorial view of a hand operated dispenser of the present invention in its upright state for standing on a surface; Fig. 2 is an exploded view of a dispenser head of the dispenser showing its funnel-like member, and its finger depressed trigger with an anti-bridging rod; Fig. 3 is a pictorial view of the trigger in an inverted position; Fig. 4 is a bottom view of the dispenser head with its funnel-like member and its finger depressed trigger removed; Fig. 5 is a bottom view of the dispenser head inverted for dispensing a metered dosage of particulate matter with its trigger in a biased outward position; Fig. 6 is a cross section of the dispenser head along line A-A in Figure 5; Fig. 7 is a cross section of the dispenser head along line B-B in Figure 6; Fig. 8 is a bottom view of the dispenser head with its funnel-like member removed for showing the relative locations of the trigger and the dispensing aperture; Fig. 9 is a bottom view of the dispenser head inverted for dispensing a metered dosage of particulate matter with its trigger in a finger depressed intermediate position; Fig. 10 is a cross section of the dispenser head along line A-A in Figure 9; Fig. 11 is a bottom view of the dispenser inverted for dispensing a metered dosage of particulate matter with its trigger in a finger depressed dispensing position; Fig. 12 is a cross section of the dispenser head along line A-A in Figure 11; Fig. 13 is a cross section of the dispenser head along line B-B in Figure 12; and Fig. 14 is a bottom view of the dispenser head with its funnel-like member removed for showing the relative locations of the trigger and the dispensing aperture.

Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiment of the Invention Figures 1 and 2 show a hand operated dispenser 1 including a canister 2 for storing loose particulate matter, a base 3 for standing the dispenser 1 upright on a surface, a cup shaped dispenser head 4 with a top surface 4A and a peripheral surface 4B, and a removable snap-on cap 6 for hermetically sealing the dispenser 1. The dispenser head's top surface 4A has a rectangular shaped peripherally disposed dispensing aperture 7 of length L and the dispenser head's peripheral surface 4B has an aperture 8 for receiving a finger depressed trigger 9 slidingly linearly reciprocal between a biased outward position under the action of a pair of compression springs 11 A and 11B, and a finger depressed dispensing position for dispensing a metered dosage of particulate matter through the dispensing aperture 7 in a handheld inverted dispensing state of the dispenser 1. The dispenser head 4 houses a funnellike member 12 with a flange 13 for interference fit into a slotted support 14 in the dispenser head 4 (see Figure 4) for sealing the interior of the dispenser head 4 from the contents of the canister 2 for safeguarding the smooth reciprocation of the trigger 9 for dispensing purposes. Figure 3 shows the trigger 9 includes a box-like body member 16 having a leading end 16A with a uniform rectangular cross section throughgoing dosage compartment 17 having the same shape and dimensions as the dispensing aperture 7, and a trailing end 16B formed with a downward depending finger depressed surface 18. The body member 16 includes a top surface 19A, a bottom surface 19B, and a pair of opposite side walls 19C (see Figure 2) and 19D. The trigger 9 includes a pair of forwardly directed blind bores 21 A and 21B on either side of the body member 16 for correspondingly receiving the compression springs 11A and 11 B. The trigger 9 includes a forward directed cantilevered anti-bridging rod 22 having a free end 22A terminating before the dosage compartment 17 by the dispenser aperture's length L. The trigger 9 includes a pair of forward directed resiliently flexible arms 23 A and 23B lateral to the blind bores 21 A and 21B. The arms 23A and 23B have free ends 24A and 24B with stoppers 26A and 26B for determining the reciprocation stroke of the trigger 9 relative to the dispenser head 4. Figure 4 shows the dispenser head 4 includes an open-ended box-like compartment 27 for sliding linear reciprocation of the body member 16 thereinto during finger depression of the trigger 9 and away therefrom under the action of the compression springs 11A and 11B. The box-like compartment 27 includes the dispenser head's top surface 4A, a bottom wall 28A, and a pair of side walls 28B and 28C, and an end wall 28D constituted by a portion of the dispenser head's peripheral surface 4B. The bottom wall 28A is formed with a centrally disposed inlet port 29 tapering inwardly in the direction of the dispenser head's top surface 4A and formed with a support 31 (see Figures 8 and 14) with a throughgoing passage 32 (see Figures 6, 10, and 12) for slidingly supporting reciprocation of the anti-bridging rod 22. The side walls 28B and 28C have guide tracks 33A and 33B along which the stoppers 26A and 26B reciprocate. The end wall 28D is provided with a pair of cantilevered rods 34A and 34B each with a x cross section trailing portion and a narrow leading portion onto which the leading portions of the trigger's compression springs 11A and 11B are corresponding mounted thereon. The operation of the dispenser 1 for dispensing successive metered dosages of particulate matter is now described with reference to Figures 5-14 in which the dispenser is shown in its handheld inverted dispensing state. Figures 5-8 show the trigger 9 biased outward by the action of the compression springs 11A and 11B and stopped by the stoppers 26A and 26B abutting against the ends of the guide tracks 33A and 33B remote from the end wall 28D. The dosage compartment 17 underlies the inlet port 29 with an open upper end 17A and a sealed lower end 17B sealed by the inside surface of the dispenser head's top surface 4 A such that both the dosage compartment 17 and the inlet port 29 are filled under gravity with particulate matter from the canister 2. Figures 9 and 10 show that on partial depression of the trigger 9 along a stroke of length L from its biased outward position, the dosage compartment 17 lies intermediate the inlet port 29 and the dispensing aperture 7 such that its upper end 17A and lower end 17B are respectively sealed by the bottom wall 28A and the inside surface of the dispenser head's top surface 4A. Also, the inlet port 29 is sealed by the body member's bottom surface 19B, and the anti-bridging rod's front end 22A only slightly protrudes beyond the support 31 such that the inlet port 29 can be completely filled with particulate matter from the canister 2. Figures 11-14 show that on full depression of the trigger 9 along a stroke of length 2L from its biased outward position, the dosage compartment 17 is in registration with the dispensing aperture 7 such that its particulate matter falls under gravity therethrough. In this position, the anti-bridging rod 22 protrudes sideways into the inlet port 29 for loosening its contents such that they are loose for falling under gravity into the dosage compartment 17 on release of the trigger 2. The trigger 9 can be repeatedly fully depressed and released for dispensing metered dosages of particulate matter contents each time by virtue of the anti-bridging action. While the invention has been described with respect to a limited number of embodiments, it will be appreciated that many variations, modifications, and other applications of the invention can be made within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

Claims:

1. Hand operated dispenser for dispensing metered dosages of particulate matter, the dispenser comprising: (a) a canister containing particulate matter, and having a base on which the dispenser stands upright on a surface; and

(b) a dispenser head mounted on said canister, said dispenser head having a top surface opposite said base with a dispensing aperture, and said dispenser head housing a finger depressed trigger with a throughgoing dosage compartment for sliding linear reciprocation in a handheld inverted dispensing state of the dispenser between a biased outward position for sealing said dosage compartment at its lower end and filling under gravity with a metered dosage of particulate matter from said canister, and a finger depressed dispensing position for sealing said dosage compartment at its upper end and dispensing under gravity said metered dosage of particulate matter through said dispensing aperture.

2. The dispenser according to Claim 1 wherein said dispenser head includes an inlet port for filling under gravity with particulate matter from said canister in said inverted handheld dispensing state, and said trigger includes an anti- bridging rod for sideways protrusion into said inlet port in said finger depressed dispensing position for breaking up bridging of particulate matter in said inlet port for ensuring loose particulate matter for falling under gravity into said dosage compartment disposed under said inlet port in said biased outward position on release of said trigger in said finger depressed dispensing position.

3. The dispenser according to Claim 2 wherein said trigger seals said inlet port in an intermediate position between said biased outward position and said finger depressed dispensing position for filling under gravity said inlet port with particulate matter from said canister prior to said sideways protrusion of said anti-bridging rod thereinto in said finger depressed dispensing position.

4. The dispenser according to Claim 3 wherein said top surface has a peripherally disposed dispensing aperture and said dispenser head has a centrally disposed inlet port.

5. The dispenser according to any one of Claims 1 to 4 and further comprising a funnel-like member for sealing said dispenser head from the contents of said canister and funneling particulate matter from said canister into said inlet port in said handheld inverted dispensing state.

6. The dispenser according to any one of Claims 1 to 5 and further comprising a cap for snap fitting onto said dispenser head for hermetically sealing the dispenser.