Abstract:
An apparatus adapted for dispensing flowable viscous batter has a housing, a barrel removably connected to the housing and a cap removably connected to the barrel. The housing contains a drive mechanism, a dual-position gearbox and a motor. The motor is in communication with the dual-position gearbox, which is in communication with the drive mechanism. The drive mechanism engages a threaded rod that is slidably disposed within the barrel. The threaded rod is attached to a piston that is non-rotatably positioned within the barrel. The drive mechanism actuates the threaded rod such that the piston is advanced or retracted in the barrel when power is supplied to the motor. The operating position of the gearbox determines whether the piston advances or retracts in the barrel when power is supplied to the motor. The cap includes a dispensing nozzle configured to regulate the flow of viscous batter from the barrel when the piston advances in the barrel. The cap also includes a piping spacer that facilitates consistent spacing and dispensing of batter on a baking surface.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    I claim the benefit of the provisional patent with application No. 61/998,128 filed by Kristin Miley on Jun. 19, 2014 in respect of the invention titled “macaron batter dispenser”. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Methods of dispensing flowable viscous batter, such as the batter from which French macarons are made, are well known. Traditionally such batter is dispensed using commonplace collapsible conical plastic or textile bags (commonly known as pastry bags) that consist of a wide filling mouth and a tapered dispensing end into which a rigid conically shaped hollow dispensing nozzle may be inserted. In use, after a pastry bag has been filled with batter, the tapered dispensing end is positioned above a baking surface and the contents of the pastry bag are manually compressed to dispense the batter. 
         [0003]    Although many people enjoy pastries such as French macarons that are made from flowable viscous batter, such pastries are not widely prepared by home bakers due to the perceived difficulty of making them. One such perceived difficulty is the manner in which batter is formed into pastries. Dispensing flowable viscous batter from pastry bags presents a number of challenges for non-expert home bakers. First, collapsible cones may be difficult to fill because the flexible textile or plastic material from which they are customarily made may fold over as batter is being poured into the wide mouth of the pastry bag, resulting in batter spillage and wastage. Second, before a pastry bag is filled with viscous flowable batter, the portion of the pastry bag in which a dispensing nozzle is positioned is folded upward to prevent batter from escaping the dispensing nozzle as the pastry bag is being filled. After the portion of the pastry bag housing the dispensing nozzle is unfolded from its initial filling position, batter will flow through the dispensing nozzle unless the bag is held with the nozzle positioned at an upward angle. Because the wide mouth end of the pastry bag lacks a planar surface upon which a filled pastry bag can be securely positioned when not in use, after the bag has been filled and the nozzle has been unfolded from the initial filling position, it is difficult and inconvenient to set a filled pastry bag down without causing spillage. Third, depending on the viscosity of the batter being dispensed, small variations in the pressure exerted on the pastry bag in dispensing its contents may cause batter to leak or flow from the open nozzle in an uncontrolled manner. Such leaking or uncontrolled batter flow may waste batter due to spillage and make it difficult to dispense batter in a precise and uniform manner. Fourth, if the pastry bag is overfilled or if the filling mouth is not adequately secured after filling, batter may escape from the wide end of the pastry bag during the dispensing process. Fifth, pastry bags do not incorporate a metering mechanism. It may be difficult for the user to consistently dispense equal amounts of batter for each pastry because dispensing pressure is exerted in a completely manual manner and therefore is inherently variable. Sixth, consistently dispensing batter on a baking surface in a manner that makes efficient use of space can require tedious preparation. If batter deposits are dispensed too closely together on the baking surface, two or more batter deposits may flow together, thereby producing aesthetically unappealing pastries. This problem may be addressed by manually tracing stencils on the baking surface onto which the batter is dispensed (traditionally parchment paper), which is a time-consuming process, each time pastries are prepared so as to facilitate dispensing of equal and equally spaced amounts of batter for each pastry. Seventh, variations in the angle at which batter is dispensed and the distance from the baking surface from which batter is dispensed can produce undesirable variations in the shape of each pastry, which ideally should be uniform in size and shape. 
         [0004]    As an alternative to pastry bags, flowable viscous batter used to produce pastries such as French macarons may be dispensed using commonplace reusable squeezable cylindrical or bulb-shaped containers fitted with dispensing nozzles. Such squeezable containers address some, but not all, of the shortcomings of traditional pastry bags. Because the material from which such squeezable containers are made is more rigid than the flexible plastic resin film or textile material from which pastry bags are customarily made, squeezable containers may be easier to fill than pastry bags. Batter flow from such containers may also be easier to control because they only have one opening and can be positioned on a flat surface in a stable upright manner when they are filled or partially filled. A shortcoming of reusable squeezable containers is that because they are made from semi-rigid material, completely dispensing the contents of the container may require the user to exert considerable force, which may be challenging for some users. Furthermore, variations in the amount of force that needs to be exerted to dispense each incremental quantity of batter as the contents of the squeezable container decrease may make it difficult to consistently dispense equal amounts of batter for each pastry. A related point is that this type of device lacks a metering mechanism for consistently dispensing equal amounts of batter that is suitable for flowable viscous batter. The user must also control the angle at which batter is dispensed onto the baking surface and the distance from the baking surface at which the batter is dispensed. Although this type of product may be less messy than a collapsible cone, for the reasons described above, it does not offer advantages in the area of dispensing uniformly sized and shaped amounts of batter relative to a traditional pastry bag. 
         [0005]    Another commonplace product that attempts to address certain of the shortcomings of the traditional approach to making French macarons is a silicone baking mat into which multiple raised circular ridges designed to shape batter into the desired dimensions have been molded. This type of product seeks to mitigate issues relating to inconsistency in the amount and shape of batter dispensed by providing a visual batter dispensing guide that is similar to the manual stenciling approach described above, and also by shaping batter into perfectly uniform circles. Shortcomings of this product include that multiple baking mats are necessary to conveniently produce a large batch of pastries, that the texture of the bottom surface of a pastry baked on a silicone baking surface may differ from the texture of the bottom surface of a French macaron baked on traditional parchment paper, that pastries may stick to the silicone baking sheet, that the mats are inconvenient to clean, that the mats only allow the user to produce pastries of one size and that the ruffled edges (commonly known as “feet”) of French macarons baked on silicone baking mats with circular ridges may not be aesthetically pleasing. Furthermore, silicone baking mats are positioned on metal baking sheets during the baking process and may warp when they are exposed to heat in an oven, which can produce undesirable irregularities in pastry shape. Although this type of product may produce more uniformly shaped pastries than dispensing batter with a collapsible cone or squeezable bulb, as described above, this approach also presents various shortcomings. 
         [0006]    Various other manually operated devices designed to dispense flowable batter of low viscosity, dough and other food stuffs are well-known, however none of these products are specifically adapted for or are traditionally used to produce pastries such as French macarons that require dispensing of small quantities of flowable viscous batter in a precise and uniform manner. 
         [0007]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,367,661 issued to Valente is an example of a manually operated hand-held batter dispenser intended to dispense cupcake, pancake and similarly flowable pastry batters. This type of device consists of a housing into which batter is placed and a spring handle that controls a slidable plate that blocks an interior spout hole when the spring handle is in the closed position. Depressing the spring handle retracts the plate and allows the batter in the housing to flow through the spout hole. While this type of device is suitable for use with a flowable batter of thin viscosity, it is less suitable for a batter of thicker viscosity, such as that used in preparation of French macarons, because a thicker batter may not flow with the desired velocity solely through the effect of gravity when the spring handle is depressed. Furthermore, this device is generally not conducive to maintaining precise control over the amount of batter dispensed and the manner in which it is dispensed. 
         [0008]    Hand-held presses or s that extrude dough, such as cookie dough, are commonplace. The specific objective of many such devices is to extrude dough in a decorative shape spritz cookies). Manual presses typically include a barrel that receives dough and a lever or handle that engages teeth disposed on a rod that is attached to a piston configured to advance in the barrel. When the lever or handle is activated, the rod advances in the barrel and extrudes food material contained in the barrel through an aperture at the lower end of the barrel. Such devices may include interchangeable disc-like dies with aperturized designs that determine the shape of the dough that is dispensed. Although certain elements of manual dough presses are suited for production of French macarons, commonplace manual presses suffer from significant shortcomings as it relates to this application. First, they lack a mechanism to effectively regulate the flow of a flowable viscous batter. Second, they lack components that stabilize or position the press during the extrusion process to ensure complete uniformity of the angle and positioning of batter as it is dispensed. Third, manual presses may be difficult for some users to operate due to the amount of force required to activate the lever or handle when the barrel is filled with a food substance. Furthermore, because the amount of force required to operate the press is proportional to the quantity of dough contained in the barrel, the feasible size of a manual press&#39;s barrel is delimited by the amount of force the average user can exert. 
         [0009]    Battery-operated presses or guns that extrude dough are also known in the art. Like manual dough presses, battery-operated dough presses are designed to extrude dough, often in decorative shapes, but their operation requires exertion of less force than manual presses. Like the manual presses described above, however, battery-operated dough presses are not adapted to or suitable for use with the viscous flowable batter used to produce pastries such as French macarons because such presses lack components that stabilize and position the press to ensure uniformity of the angle and positioning of batter as it is dispensed and because such devices lack means to effectively regulate the flow of a viscous batter. 
         [0010]    is therefore an object of the invention to provide a hand-held batter dispenser that alleviates or eliminates the aforementioned problems as they relates to the home user&#39;s production of pastries made from flowable viscous batter, such as French macarons. It is a specific object of the invention to provide a batter dispenser that is easy to use and minimizes batter spillage and waste. It is also the object of the invention to reduce variability in the dispensing process and to allow the user to easily produce uniformly sized and shaped pastries. It is another object of the invention to serve as a guide for efficient and consistent spacing of pastry batter on the baking surface. It is also an object of the invention to allow the user to adjust the size of pastry produced as desired. Furthermore, it is another object of the invention to provide a device that is compact and easy to store. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0011]    The present invention relates to an apparatus for dispensing a flowable viscous food substance such as pastry batter. The apparatus is formed from a housing, a barrel removably connected to the housing, a piston that is slidably positioned within the barrel and a piston rod with external threads over a portion of its length that is connected to the piston. The interior wall of the barrel contains vertical threads that correspond with notches in the piston. This configuration prevents the piston from rotating within the barrel. 
         [0012]    The housing includes a motor powered by internal batteries. Power is supplied from the internal batteries to the motor through a simple momentary activation button. Depressing the button supplies electricity to the motor, thereby turning it on, and releasing the button disrupts power to the motor, thereby turning it off The motor is in communication with a two-position gearbox that controls the direction in which the piston rod and piston move when the motor is activated. The position of the gearbox is controlled by means of a rotatable collar that encircles the lower portion of the housing. A protruding key disposed on the front portion of the rotatable collar is provided to allow the user to shift the gearbox into one of the two operating positions. 
         [0013]    In gearbox operating position  1 , a series of gears are configured to provide high torque (and slower) downward movement of the piston for dispensing of barrel contents. In gearbox operating position  2 , a series of gears are configured to provide high-speed (and lower torque) upward movement of the piston for retracting. Through this arrangement, the gearbox provides for two different speeds and two different directions for rod and piston travel. This configuration facilitates efficient and convenient operation given the need for slow downward dispensing to allow for precise and measured control of batter flow and fast piston retracting for refilling of barrel contents. 
         [0014]    The gearbox is in communication with a drive mechanism that directly engages the piston rod. The drive mechanism assembly includes a gear shaft, the piston rod, an upper compression spring and a lower compression spring. The gear shaft has a through-bore for slidably receiving the piston rod. A portion of the through-bore is threaded and is provided for rotating the piston rod. When the threaded portion of the piston rod passes through the threaded portion of the gear shaft, the external threads of the piston rod are engaged by the internal threads of the gear shaft. A plurality of vertical threads that mate with the teeth of the gearbox gears are disposed on the outer surface of the gear shaft. When the motor activates the gears of the gearbox, the teeth of one of the gearbox gears engage the vertical ribs of the gear shaft. The resultant rotation of the gear shaft engages the piston rod. The thread and mating notch configuration of the piston and the barrel prevent the piston rod from rotating in the barrel when it is actuated by the gear shaft. Through this configuration, the rotational movement of the gearbox and gear shaft are translated into linear movement of the piston rod and piston. 
         [0015]    Portions of the piston rod are unthreaded to prevent overtravel. When the piston rod is fully extended or fully retracted, the threaded portion of the rod may travel partially out of the threaded portion of the gear shaft. Compression springs positioned above and below the gear shaft urge the gear shaft towards consistent engagement with the threads of the piston rod when the direction of travel of the fully extended or fully retracted piston rod is reversed by changing the position of the gearbox. 
         [0016]    The present invention includes a barrel cap removably attached to the barrel. The barrel cap serves to locate a flow-regulating dispensing nozzle adapted to dispense viscous batter in a controlled manner. The barrel cap also includes a piping spacer that stabilizes the apparatus during operation, provides means for situating the dispensing nozzle in the preferred position relative to the baking surface when the press is in operation and provides means for efficiently dispensing pastries on a baking surface. The present invention additionally includes a stand upon which the press can be stably positioned and stored in an upright position when not in use. A cap for the dispensing nozzle that prevents the flow of batter when the press is filled but not in use is also provided. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         [0017]    Further novel aspects of the invention and the advantages of these aspects will be understood from the detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
           [0018]      FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of an embodiment of the automatic batter press of the present invention; 
           [0019]      FIG. 2  is a back perspective view of an embodiment of the automatic batter press of the present invention; 
           [0020]      FIG. 3  is a side elevational view of the assembled barrel, barrel cap and stand; 
           [0021]      FIG. 4  is an exploded perspective view of the barrel, barrel cap, stand and nozzle cap; 
           [0022]      FIG. 5  is an exploded perspective view of the piston and rod; 
           [0023]      FIG. 6  is an exploded perspective of the gear shaft assembly; 
           [0024]      FIG. 7  is an enlarged sectional view of the assembled gear shaft assembly illustrated in  FIG. 6 ; 
           [0025]      FIG. 8  is a cross sectional view of the automatic batter press illustrated in  FIG. 1  taken along line  8 - 8 ; 
           [0026]      FIG. 9  is a cross sectional view of the automatic batter press illustrated in  FIG. 1  taken along line  9 - 9 ; 
           [0027]      FIG. 10  is a bottom perspective view of the interior compartment of the housing; 
           [0028]      FIG. 11  is an exploded perspective view of the gearbox assembly; 
           [0029]      FIG. 12  is a perspective view of the gearbox assembly of  FIG. 11 . in operating position  1 ; 
           [0030]      FIG. 13  is a perspective view of the gearbox assembly of  FIG. 11  in operating position  2 ; 
           [0031]      FIG. 14  is a bottom perspective view of the rotatable collar; 
           [0032]      FIG. 15  is a top view of the rotatable collar. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0033]    An embodiment of the automatic batter press of the present invention  20  is illustrated in general in  FIG. 1 . Automatic batter press  20  includes a housing  30  and a barrel  50 . Barrel  50  is removably attached to housing  30 . Housing  30  has a front portion  32 , a back portion  31  and a housing floor  40  (shown in  FIG. 6  and  FIG. 7 ). Housing floor  40  is circular in shape and includes a downwardly protruding annular wall upon which annular threads  43  are disposed Annular threads  43  engage either identical external annular threads  52  or external threads  53  (shown in  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4 ) that are respectively located on one end of barrel  50 . This configuration allows barrel  50  to easily attach to and disengage from housing floor. 
         [0034]    Barrel  50 , illustrated in  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4 , has a circular cross section and is preferably formed from a clear plastic material. Barrel  50  is sized to allow a circular piston  90  ( FIG. 5 ) to slide along its length. Barrel  50  includes vertical threads  51  disposed on its interior wall ( FIG. 4 ). As shown in  FIG. 5 , a plurality of notches  94  that mate with vertical threads  51  of barrel  50  ( FIG. 4 ) are disposed on piston  90 . This thread and mating notch configuration provides means for preventing piston  90  from rotating within barrel  50  when the automatic batter press of the present invention is operated. Variations to this embodiment of means for preventing rotation of piston  90  within barrel  50  during operation of the automatic batter press may be implemented without departing from the scope of the invention defined in the appended claims. 
         [0035]    As shown in  FIG. 4 , the automatic batter press of the present invention includes a barrel cap  60  that is removably attachable to barrel  50 . Barrel cap  60  includes an upwardly protruding annular wall within which annular threads  65  are disposed. Barrel cap annular threads  65  engage either external annular threads  52  or external annular threads  53  of barrel  50 , which are interchangeable. This threaded connection enables barrel  50  and barrel cap  60  to be easily removed from each other for cleaning or for refilling of the automatic batter press. A stand  63  (shown in  FIG. 4 ) that is preferably made from rubber is provided for storing the invention upright on a planar surface when it is not in use. A protruding annular flange  61  on the lower portion of barrel cap  60  is sized to fit within an annular shoulder  64  that is disposed within the upper interior portion of stand  63 . An interference fit between annular shoulder  64  of stand  63  and annular flange  61  of barrel cap  60  ensures that stand  63  remains securely attached to barrel cap  60  during storage. 
         [0036]    Barrel cap  60  includes an upper aperture  71  ( FIG. 4 ) through which batter escapes barrel  50  when the automatic batter dispenser of the present invention is operated. As shown in  FIG. 8  and  FIG. 9 , aperture  71  leads to a hollow passage  75  disposed within a dispensing nozzle  70 . Dispensing nozzle  70  includes a lower aperture  72  through which batter escapes hollow passage  75  when the automatic batter dispenser of the present invention is operated. The interior diameter of hollow passage  75  increases in size over its length from the diameter of upper aperture  71  to the diameter of lower aperture  72 . The increase in diameter between upper aperture  71  and lower aperture  72  prevents the velocity of batter flow from increasing as batter travels downward through hollow passage  75 . The diameter of upper aperture  71  determines the velocity at which batter escapes barrel  50  when the automatic batter press of the present invention is operated. The preferred diameter of upper aperture  71  is determined by the maximum expected gravitational pressure exerted by the contents of barrel  50  when it is fully filled. The maximum expected gravitational pressure exerted by the contents of fully filled barrel  50  is proportional to the dimensions of barrel  50 , and therefore may vary depending on the dimensions of the specific embodiment of the automatic batter press of the present invention. The preferred diameter of upper aperture  71  is also determined by the desired velocity of batter flow, and may vary depending on the viscosity of the particular type of batter being dispensed. Lower aperture  72  regulates the shape of batter as it escapes hollow passage  75 . The diameter of lower aperture  72  in the embodiment of the present invention shown in  FIG. 8  and  FIG. 9  is sized to approximately one third of the desired diameter of the baked pastry shell. The diameter of upper aperture  71  of the embodiment of the present invention shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9  is sized to approximately one half of the diameter of lower aperture  72 . Variations in the absolute and relative dimensions of the diameters of upper aperture  71  and lower aperture  72  may be implemented without departing from the scope of the invention defined in the appended claims. 
         [0037]    A nozzle cap  73  ( FIG. 3 ) that is preferably made from silicone and that fits onto dispensing nozzle  70  is provided to prevent the flow of batter from barrel  50  when the automatic batter press of the present invention contains batter but is not in operation. As shown in  FIG. 8  and  FIG. 9 , nozzle cap  73  includes an indented tip  74  that fits into hollow passage  75  of dispensing nozzle  70 . When nozzle cap  73  is placed onto dispensing nozzle  70 , if hollow passage  75  contains batter, indented tip  74  displaces a portion of any batter present in hollow passage  75 , which forces batter through upper aperture  71  and into barrel  50 . After nozzle cap  73  is removed, batter must travel through the portion of hollow passage  75  from which batter has been displaced to lower aperture  72  before escaping from dispensing nozzle  70 . The time it takes the batter to travel this distance allows the user to reposition the apparatus of the present invention for dispensing in the desired position before batter escapes the lower aperture, thereby avoiding batter leakage. 
         [0038]    Barrel cap  60 , shown in  FIG. 4 , includes a piping spacer  62  that stabilizes the automatic batter press of the present invention during operation. As shown in  FIG. 8  and  FIG. 9 , piping spacer  62  also provides means for situating dispensing nozzle  70  in the preferred position relative to the baking surface when the press is in operation. Piping spacer  62  comprises an annular wall that protrudes downward from the base of barrel cap  60 . Dispensing nozzle  70  is disposed within the enclosure formed by the annular wall of piping spacer  62 . In operation, the automatic batter press of the present invention is positioned on the bottom edge  66  of piping spacer  62 , which provides a means for stabilizing the press on the baking surface as batter is being dispensed. Lower aperture  72  of dispensing nozzle  70  is recessed from bottom edge  66  of piping spacer  62  such that batter can flow freely from lower aperture  72  onto the baking surface when automatic batter press  20  is activated. 
         [0039]    Piping spacer  62  also provides means for efficiently dispensing pastries on a baking surface. More specifically, piping spacer  62  comprises a guide for spacing batter deposits sufficiently far apart from each other that batter deposits will not run together, but close enough to each other that baking surface area is not wasted on unnecessarily wide margins between batter deposits. In operation of the automatic batter press of the present invention, as batter is deposited, the user positions the outer edge of piping spacer  62  adjacent to a quantity of batter that has been dispensed, stabilizes lower edge  66  of piping spacer  62  on the baking surface and dispenses an additional quantity of batter on the baking surface. Repetition of this process as the contents of barrel  50  are dispensed ensures that quantities of batter are dispensed at consistent intervals on the baking surface. In this way, piping spacer  62  provides an alternative to manually drawing templates for dispensing batter on a baking surface. The preferred size of piping spacer  62  will vary depending on the desired size of the pastry to be produced. 
         [0040]    As illustrated in  FIG. 5 , piston  90  is attached to a piston rod  102 . Helical threads  100  are disposed on a substantial portion of the middle section of piston rod  102 . In the embodiment of the automatic batter press shown in  FIG. 5 , piston rod  102  is connected to piston  90  by a socket arrangement. More specifically, piston  90  includes an upwardly protruding socket  93  that receives the lower end  104  of piston rod  102 . Alternatively, piston  90  and center rod  102  may be may be constructed as a single piece or joined by means other than described above without departing from the scope of the invention defined in the appended claims. 
         [0041]      FIG. 8  and  FIG. 9  are cross sectional views respectively taken across lines  8 - 8  and  9 - 9  of  FIG. 1  that illustrate the interior configuration of an embodiment of the automatic batter press of the present invention. Housing  30  contains an interior framework that includes a battery compartment  86  in which batteries are situated ( FIG. 8 ). Housing  30  also includes a drive shaft assembly  120  (shown in  FIG. 6  and  FIG. 7 ) that actuates center rod  102  and advances piston  90  when the automatic batter press of the present invention is activated. Housing  30  additionally contains a gearbox assembly  131  (shown in  FIG. 11 ). A motor  142  (shown in  FIG. 8 ) that is in communication with the batteries provides means for activating a drive gear  134  ( FIG. 8 ), which in turn engages the components of a gearbox assembly  131  ( FIG. 11 ,  FIG. 12  and  FIG. 13 ) when the automatic batter press of the present invention is activated. 
         [0042]    As illustrated in  FIG. 1 ,  FIG. 8  and  FIG. 10 , the automatic batter press of the present invention also includes an activation button  80 . Activation button  80  is preferably disposed within front portion  32  of housing  30  such that a portion of activation button  80  extends outwardly from the surface of front portion  32  of housing  30 . Activation button  80  includes a front surface  81  and as illustrated in  FIG. 8 , a back surface  82 . 
         [0043]    As shown in  FIG. 8 , battery compartment  86  houses batteries that provide power to operate motor  142  when front surface  81  of activation button  80  is depressed. An upper contact strip  84  and a lower contact strip  85 , both of which are preferably made of a flexible metal material capable of conducting electricity, provide means for regulating the flow of electricity between the batteries and motor  142 . As illustrated in the embodiment of the automatic batter press shown in  FIG. 9 , contact strip  84  and contact strip  85  are fastened to the interior wall of housing  30  in a perpendicular configuration in which the center portions of both contact strips are aligned. As shown in  FIG. 8 , contact strip  84  is positioned above contact strip  85  such that the two contact strips are not in contact when the automatic batter press of the present invention is not in operation. In operation, depression of front surface  81  of activation button  80  causes back of activation button  82  to exert pressure on upper contact strip  84 . When upper contact strip  84  is pressured by force exerted by back of activation button  82 , upper contact strip  84  flexes and comes into contact with lower contact strip  85 . Upper contact strip  84  and lower contact strip  85  are in communication with the batteries and also with motor  142 . Therefore, when activation button  80  is depressed, power from the batteries is transmitted to motor  142  and the motor is activated. 
         [0044]    The automatic batter press of the present invention includes a battery compartment door  33  (shown in  FIG. 1 ), which is preferably located in back of housing  31  for convenient access to the batteries. Battery compartment door  33  fits into a recess  36  in back of the housing  31 . As shown in  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 8 , battery compartment door  33  includes a depressible release latch  39  that mates with a release latch notch  35  located at the top of recess  36  in back of housing  31 . Depression of release latch  39  causes battery compartment door  33  to unlatch from latch notch  35  and to disengage from the apparatus thereby allowing the user to access the batteries in battery compartment  86 . To return battery door  33  to the apparatus, battery door  33  is aligned with recess  36  in back of housing  31  and release latch  39  is snapped back into battery door latch notch  35 . 
         [0045]    As shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7 , drive shaft assembly  120  includes a piston rod guide  106 , an upper compression spring  110 , a gear shaft  121 , piston rod  102 , a lower compression spring  111  and housing floor  40 . 
         [0046]    Gear shaft  121  has a through-bore for slidably receiving piston rod  102 . A threaded portion  122  of the through-bore is provided for rotating piston rod  102 . Internal annular threads disposed within threaded portion  122  of the through-bore of gear shaft  121  are sized to engage the external annular threads of threaded portion  100  of piston rod  102 . When threaded portion  100  of piston rod  102  comes into contact with threaded portion  122  of gear shaft  121 , the external threads of threaded portion  100  of piston rod  102  are engaged by the internal threads of threaded portion  122  of gear shaft  121 . Segments  108  on the upper and lower portions of piston rod  102  are unthreaded to prevent overtravel of the rod during operation of the apparatus of the present invention. The length of threaded portion  100  of piston rod  102  is calibrated to partially disengage from threaded portion  122  of gear shaft  121  when piston  90  is either fully extended or fully retracted within barrel  50 . Upper compression spring  110  and lower compression spring  111  provide additional means for urging threaded portion  122  of gear shaft  121  towards consistent engagement with threaded portion  100  of piston rod  102  when the direction of travel of fully extended or fully retracted piston rod  102  is reversed by changing the position of gearbox assembly  131 . 
         [0047]    Piston rod guide  106  is fastened to the back of the battery compartment  87  (shown in  FIG. 10 ). Together with housing floor  40 , piston rod guide  106  comprises means for holding gear shaft assembly  121  in place. As shown in  FIG. 7 , the lower portion of piston rod guide  106  contains an upper spring compartment  112  sized to contain upper compression spring  110 . An annular shoulder  114  disposed within upper spring compartment  112  is provided to hold the top end of upper compression spring  110  in place within upper spring compartment  112 . The upper portion of gear shaft  121  includes a shoulder  125  upon which the lower end of upper compression spring  110  is positioned. The lower portion of gear shaft  121  includes an annular shoulder  126  upon which the top end of lower compression spring  111  is positioned. Housing floor  40  contains a lower spring compartment  113  sized to house lower compression spring  111 . An annular shoulder  115  is disposed within lower spring compartment  113  and provides means for holding lower compression spring  111  in place. Although compression springs are used in the preferred embodiment of the automatic batter press of the present invention, other types of springs, such as rubber cylinders, may alternatively be used. 
         [0048]    Together with gear shaft assembly  121 , gearbox assembly  131  (an exploded view of which is shown at  131   a  in  FIG. 1  provides means for converting the rotational movement of motor  142  into the linear movement of piston rod  102 . Gearbox assembly  131  can be operated in two different positions. In operating position  1  (shown at  131   b  ire  FIG. 12 ) a series of reduction gears directs the piston downward with high torque and at a slow speed to maintain control over batter dispensing and to accommodate the resistance of the batter. In operating position  2  (shown at  131   c  in  FIG. 13 ) a reduction gear provides high-speed and lower-torque upward movement to quickly retract the (piston for filling or refilling of barrel  50 . 
         [0049]    As illustrated in  FIG. 11 , gearbox assembly  131  includes reduction gears  135   a,    135   b  and  135   c  that are assembled between a gearbox top  132  and a gearbox bottom  133  by means of pins  138   a,    138   b  and  138   c.  A plurality of teeth are disposed on the outer edges of each of reduction gears  135   a,    135   b  and  135   c.  The degree of speed reduction produced by reduction gears  135   a,    135   b  and  135   c  is determined by the ratio of the diameters of these gears, or more specifically, the number of teeth that are engaged in translating the movement of motor  142  to the movement of gear shaft  121 . In the preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention, gearbox assembly  131  is configured with two reduction gears ( 135   b  and  135   c ) in operating position  1  and one reduction gear in operating position  2  ( 135   a ), however, gearbox assembly  131  may be designed with gears of varying size and number without departing from the scope of the invention defined in the appended claims. 
         [0050]    As shown in  FIG. 8 , the output shaft  143  of motor  142  is inserted slot  144  in the top portion of press drive gear  134 . Slot  144  has been configured for an interference fit with output shaft  143  such that when activation button  80  is depressed, the rotation of output shaft  143  causes press drive gear  134  to rotate. A plurality of teeth that mate with the teeth of reduction gears  135   a,    135   b  and  135   c  are disposed upon drive gear  134 . 
         [0051]    The operating position of gearbox assembly  131  is controlled by a circular rotatable collar  148  ( FIG. 1 ) that encircles the lower portion of housing  30 . An outwardly protruding collar key  149  provides means for shifting the position of rotatable collar  148  between operating position  1  (shown at  160   a  in  FIG. 1 ) and operating position  2  (shown at  160   b  in  FIG. 1 ). Rotatable collar  148  is held in position by an outwardly protruding annular ridge  34  on the lower portion of housing  30  and by an outwardly protruding annular ridge  44  (shown in  FIG. 6 ) on the lower portion of housing floor  40 . A plurality of vertical ribs  150  (shown in  FIG. 14 ) disposed on a portion of the interior surface of rotatable collar  148  also provide means for holding rotatable collar  148  in place relative to housing  30 . 
         [0052]    Gearbox assembly  131  is laterally slidable within housing  30 , but is stationarily positioned from the perspective of back-to-front movement. An upwardly protruding ridge  130  (shown in  FIG. 6 ) disposed on the top surface of housing floor  40  and a gearbox receiving slot  158  (shown in  FIG. 10 ) provide means for restricting back-to-front movement of gearbox assembly  131 . Restriction of back-to-front movement is achieved by aligning the front portion of the gearbox  152  (shown in  FIG. 11 ) with upwardly protruding ridge  130  ( FIG. 6 ) and by aligning the back portion of the gearbox  153  ( FIG. 11 ) with the gearbox receiving slot  158  (shown in  FIG. 10 ). The fit between front portion of the gearbox  152  and upwardly protruding ridge  130  and between back portion of the gearbox  153  and gearbox receiving slot  158  is sufficiently loose to accommodate the degree of side-to-side movement needed to shift gearbox assembly  131  between operating position  11  and operating position  2 . 
         [0053]    As shown in  FIG. 114  and  FIG. 15 , two portions of the interior surface of rotatable collar  148  do not include ribs and are provided as shifting recesses  154   a  and  154   b.  A shifting ramp  151   a  and a shifting ramp  151   b  are respectively disposed within shifting recesses  154   a  and  154   b.  A gearbox key  155   a  and a gearbox key  155   b  ( FIG. 11 ) are respectively configured to glide along shifting ramp  151   a  and shifting ramp  151   b  when the position of rotatable collar  148  is shifted between operating position  1  (shown in respect of a general view of the apparatus at  160   a  in  FIG. 1 ) and operating position  2  (shown in respect of a general view of the apparatus at  160   b  in  FIG. 1 ). A gearbox key slot  157   a  and a gearbox key slot  157   b  (shown in  FIG. 10 ) provide means for holding the gearbox stably in place in both of its operating positions. In the case of the embodiment of the automatic batter press of the present invention shown in  FIG. 10 , gearbox key slots  157   a  and  157   b  are configured as notches in the lower edge of housing  30  and are sized to receive gearbox keys  155   a  and  155   b.    
         [0054]    When rotatable collar  148  is shifted from operating position  2  to operating position  1 , gearbox key  155   a  glides down shifting ramp  151   a  and gearbox key  155   b  glides up shifting ramp  15  lb. In this process, gearbox key  155   b  slides out of gearbox key slot  157   b  and gearbox key  155   a  slides into gearbox key slot  157   a.  When rotatable collar  148  is shifted from operating position  1  to operating position  2 , gearbox key  155   b  glides down shifting ramp  151   b,  gearbox key  155   a  glides up shifting ramp  151   a,  gearbox key  155   b  slides into gearbox key slot  157   b  and gearbox key  155   a  slides out of gearbox key slot  157   a.    
         [0055]    As shown in  FIG. 6 , housing floor  40  includes a protrusion  137  that provides means for positioning drive gear  134  within housing  30  and relative to gearbox assembly  131 . Protrusion  137  mates with a bore in the lower portion of drive gear  134  (shown in  FIG. 8 ). Motor output shaft  143  protrudes through a hole  145  ( FIG. 10 ) in a motor mounting plate  1 . 40  and fits into slot  144  ( FIG. 8 ) in the upper portion of drive gear  134 . Motor  142  is attached to motor mounting plate  140  ( FIG. 10 ). Motor mounting plate  140  is attached to a motor mounting structure  141  ( FIG. 6 ) disposed on housing floor  40 . Together with protrusion  137 , motor mounting structure  140  provides means for securely positioning drive gear  134  in housing  30 . In the preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention, the front portion  32  and back portion  31  of housing  30  are affixed to each other by means of the front housing connectors  38  and the back housing connectors  37  shown in  FIG. 10 . This connection ensures that back of the battery compartment  87  and gearbox receiving slot  158  are also held securely in place such that drive shaft assembly  120  and gearbox assembly  131  are properly positioned within the interior compartment of housing  30 . 
         [0056]    When gearbox assembly  131  is shifted into operating position  1  (shown at  131   b  in  FIG. 12 ), the teeth of drive gear  134  engage the teeth of reduction gear  135   b,  which in turn engage the teeth of reduction gear  135   c,  which engage the vertical ribs of gear shaft  121 . When activation button  80  is depressed, the rotation of motor output shaft  143  causes drive gear  134  to spin in a clockwise direction. The rotation of drive gear  134  causes reduction gear  135   b  to spin in a clockwise direction about pin  138   b  by which it is held in place in gearbox assembly  131 . The rotation of reduction gear  135   b  in turn causes reduction gear  135   c  to spin in a clockwise direction about pin  138   c  by which it is held in place in gearbox assembly  131 . The rotation of reduction gear  135   c  causes gear shaft  121  to rotate in a clockwise manner and thereby to produce downward movement of piston  90  for dispensing of barrel contents. 
         [0057]    When gearbox assembly  131  is shifted into operating position  2  (shown at  131  c in  FIG. 13 ), the teeth of drive gear  134  engage the teeth of reduction gear  135   a,  which in turn engage the vertical ribs of gear shaft  121 . When activation button  80  is depressed, the rotation of motor output shaft  143  causes drive gear  134  to spin in a clockwise direction. The rotation of drive gear  134  causes reduction gear  135   a  to spin in a counterclockwise direction about pin  138   a  by which it is held in place in gearbox assembly  131 . The counterclockwise rotation of reduction gear  135   a  causes gear shaft  121  to rotate in a counterclockwise manner and thereby to produce upward movement of the piston  90  for refilling barrel contents. 
         [0058]    To operate the automatic batter press of the present invention, the user aligns operating collar key  149  with a label on the exterior surface of front portion  32  of housing  30  indicating the desired operating position of gearbox assembly  131 . After gearbox assembly  131  is in the desired operating position, the user depresses activation button  80  to activate the apparatus. To prepare the apparatus for receiving batter, operating collar  148  is turned to operating position  2  (retract, which is shown at  160   b  in  FIG. 1 ) and activation button  80  is depressed. This causes piston  90  to move upward within barrel  50 . 
         [0059]    The user continues to depress activation button  80  until piston  90  has travelled a sufficient distance that the capacity of the portion of barrel  50  extending between piston  90  and the lower end of barrel  50  is sufficient to accommodate the volume of batter that the user wishes to dispense (which may be less than the maximum volume of batter barrel  50  can contain). After the user fills barrel  50  with the desired quantity of batter, barrel cap  60  is screwed onto the lower portion of barrel  50 , rotatable collar  148  is shifted to operating position  1  (dispense, shown at  160   a  in  FIG. 1 ), automatic batter press  20  is turned over, bottom edge  66  of piping spacer  62  is positioned on the baking surface, activation button  80  is depressed and piston  90  advances within barrel  50 , which causes batter to be extruded through lower aperture  72  of dispensing nozzle  70 . After batter for one pastry is dispensed, the edge of piping spacer  62  is repositioned adjacent to the edge of the quantity of batter previously dispensed, activation button  80  is depressed to dispense another quantity of batter and this process is repeated until all batter has been dispensed. 
         [0060]    The speed at which piston rod  102  advances within barrel  50  has been calibrated to be sufficiently slow that timing variations inherent in a user&#39;s operation of a momentary activation button are mitigated and the user can easily dispense substantially equal quantities of batter. Specifically, when the user depresses activation button  80 , the configuration of reduction gears  135   b  and  135   c  slows batter flow velocity to a point where simple counting techniques can be employed to effectively meter the length of time the activation button is depressed and thereby the quantity of batter that is dispensed. The duration of the period for which activation button  80  should be depressed will depend on the desired quantity of batter dispensed, which will be proportional to the desired size of the pastry being produced. 
         [0061]    To clean the automatic batter press of the present invention, barrel cap  60  is unscrewed from barrel  50  and barrel  50  is unscrewed from housing  30 . After all parts requiring cleaning been cleaned, barrel  50 , Barrel cap  60 , and nozzle cap  73  are reassembled and screwed onto housing  30 . In preparation for storage, piston  90  is fully extended toward barrel cap  60  such that the entirety of piston rod  102  is housed internally within the apparatus. 
         [0062]    Through incorporation of the various features described above, the apparatus of the automatic batter press of the present invention represents a device that is compact, easy to use, easy to clean, and convenient to store. Additionally, the features of this invention minimize batter spillage and waste, enable the user to easily produce uniformly sized and shaped pastries, and allow the user to dispense batter on a baking surface in a consistent and efficient manner, and to adjust the size of pastry produced as desired. 
         [0063]    While the invention has been shown only in its preferred embodiment, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications to the embodiment presented may be made without departing from the scope of the invention, which is defined by the appended claims.