Abstract:
A device for storing and dispensing food items for a customizable nutrition supply is provided. The food items are loaded by the user, allowing customization of nutritional content and sequence. The device may be portable and operated with one hand, and is sufficiently sealed to store the food items securely, away from air, dust, and moisture. When the device is operated by being opened or triggered, it dispenses the next food item, so that the user may dispense the food item directly into the user&#39;s mouth. The device then closes or is closed.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The presently disclosed subject matter relates to storing and dispensing food items, and more specifically, to devices and methods for portable storage containers that protect food items, and that dispense the food items individually. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    People engaged in high-performance endeavors and endurance sports, such as triathlons, long-distance running, and long bicycle rides, have significant needs for nutrition during their competition or performance. In the course of a 50 km run or a 100 mile bike ride, a 160-lb person may burn 600 to 800 calories per hour. Furthermore, a person&#39;s nutritional needs are not limited solely to replacement of calories expended in the endeavor: endurance athletes also need to replace particular types of nutrition, and may need them at specific stages of the workout or competition. For example, an endurance athlete may need some fat content in his or her food at the start of a long workout, a higher percentage of carbohydrates in the middle, and proteins at the end for an effective recovery. Based on an individual&#39;s size, gender, and level of exertion during an athletic effort, and based on environmental conditions, people will have different nutritional needs, both in terms of quantity and content of food. 
         [0003]    The current state of food marketed to athletes does not fully meet these needs. Most food items targeted to athletes are based on technology of processed food, specifically that of taking a mixture of food items and forming it into a bar shape. Some such products, often referred to generically as energy bars, are shaped more like traditional chocolate bars and others like thicker granola bars, while some are smaller bite-sized pieces, and still other products are more like a viscous goo and not a solid or malleable bar. These nutritional items fall short in several ways in the context of athletic competitions, and especially in endurance athletics. 
         [0004]    One shortcoming of the current food technologies is that it can be difficult to take in sufficient calories with the currently existing energy bar products. A typical energy bar contains 200 to 250 calories, and a person, for the purposes of example only, such as a 160-lb pound male playing basketball or boxing, engaged in a typical athletic effort may burn 600 to 800 calories per hour, while a person in an endurance event may burn 600 to 1,000 calories (for example, refer to research by, Dr. Edward Howley, Professor of Health and Exercise Science at the University of Tennessee, available at http://hes.utk.edu/f_s/howley.html). The need to carry and keep organized multiple nutrition sources is difficult for people engaged in high-performance endeavors. Second, such nutritional sources are typically sealed in high-barrier films, which are most easily opened with two hands. When engaged in a competition, or a non-competitive but demanding event, it may be difficult or impractical to use both hands to open an energy bar. Attempting to open such a nutritional product using only one hand is quite difficult, and using only one hand plus one&#39;s teeth is challenging and unhygienic, and can often result in the loss of the energy bar. Additionally, serious injuries can result from a loss of concentration or control when a user is distracted with an attempt to open a bar, whether the user is bicycling, running, or engaged in another activity. 
         [0005]    Third, using current nutritional products, it is very difficult to customize one&#39;s food intake. A user can customize the amount eaten, such as by cutting the bars up in advance, or eating portions of a package, but not the content of an individual bar, and so it is difficult or impossible to customize an order of nutrition, such as fats, then carbohydrates, then protein. Further, even if it is possible to find an arrangement of energy bars or other relatively suitable foods that would provide a desired order of nutrition, attempting to stack them in order in a bag or pocket would be cumbersome. Repeatedly finding the right bar and then opening it would be prohibitively challenging, especially in the context of an activity where opening a single bar is difficult. The ability to customize nutritional content and the order in which one eats the food items is lacking in the current art. Also lacking in the current art is a way to securely store, carry, and dispense food using only one hand. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    The present invention meets all these needs, by disclosing devices and systems for storing, protecting, and dispensing food items. The device comprises a dispenser which may be opened and loaded with food items, so that a user can place food items into the device for later dispensing and consumption. The user can choose the content of the nutrition to be consumed by choosing particular food items, and can customize the order of nutrition to be consumed by placing the food items in any particular order. Once closed, the device securely stores and protects the food items, keeping them free of dust and moisture. 
         [0007]    The device can be loaded with sufficient calories to offset the calorie deficit created by activity and support a person engaged in an extreme or endurance event, such as a triathlon, marathon, or any athletic activity that creates a calorie deficit. The present invention is simple to operate, in contrast to the current art relating to energy bars and other foods intended for athletic and endurance endeavors. 
         [0008]    The present invention allows only one disc (a food item) to be dispensed per actuation. The device advances another disc into the ready position. This cycle can then be repeated until the device is empty. In various embodiments, the device may have a trigger mechanism actuating an ejector and opening a dispenser slot cover, so that when the user presses the trigger, the device&#39;s dispenser slot cover opens, a food item is ejected, and the cover then closes and the device advances all the remaining food items, so that the next one is ready for dispensing. It has been found advantageous to all the user to hold the device in one hand and activate the trigger using a finger or the thumb of that hand. The food item may be dispensed directly into the user&#39;s mouth, so that true one-handed operation is possible. This is a necessary feature for many use cases of the present invention, such as bicycling, in which a user may want to keep one hand on the handlebars and use the other to pick up the present invention and dispense a food item directly into the user&#39;s mouth. This one-handed system also allows users to leave their gloves on and still eat, which is important for winter sport athletes such as alpine skiers, cross-country skiers, snowboarders, and others. 
         [0009]    Furthermore, the present invention can be used to customize the nutritional profile that a user takes in, by loading food items with different caloric and nutritional content into the device in any order. In this way, the present invention can be used to supply the user with a desired amount, order, and mix of food and nutrition, and can deliver it directly to the user for one-handed consumption without significant risk of dropped or lost food. 
         [0010]    These aspects of the present invention, and other disclosed in the Detailed Description of the Drawings, represent improvements on the current art. This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description of the Drawings. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]    The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of various embodiments, is better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purposes of illustration, there is shown in the drawings exemplary embodiments; but, the presently disclosed subject matter is not limited to the specific methods and instrumentalities disclosed. In the drawings, like reference characters generally refer to the same components or steps of the device throughout the different figures. In the following detailed description, various embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to the following drawings, in which: 
           [0012]      FIG. 1  shows exploded views of an exemplary inventive device, with an exploded perspective view in  FIG. 1A , an exploded side elevation view in  FIG. 1B , and an exploded side cross-section view in  FIG. 1C . 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  shows exploded perspective views of another exemplary device, with the device including the container and top cap shown in  FIG. 2A , and the device without the container or top cap shown in  FIG. 2B  to show the inner components more clearly. 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  shows multiple views of the outside of the exemplary device of  FIG. 2 , with a perspective view of the container with top cap in  FIG. 3A , a perspective view of the container without top cap in  FIG. 3B , and side and front elevation views of the container with top cap in  FIG. 3C . 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  shows an exemplary trigger assembly, in a top view in  FIG. 4A , a perspective view in  FIG. 4B , and a side view in  FIG. 4C . 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  illustrates multiple views of another exemplary embodiment of the device, with a cross-sectional elevation view of the top of the tube without top cap in  FIG. 5A , a cross-sectional elevation view of the top of the tube with top cap in  FIG. 5B , a perspective view of a top cap in  FIG. 5C , a side elevation of a top cap in  FIG. 5D , and a front elevation of a top cap in  FIG. 5E . 
           [0017]      FIG. 6  illustrates multiple views of an exemplary embodiment of the device, with a side elevation view in  FIG. 6A , a front elevation view in  FIG. 6B , a side cross section view in  FIG. 6C , a top view of the top cap in  FIG. 6D , and an exploded perspective view in  FIG. 6E . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0018]    The presently disclosed invention is described with specificity to meet statutory requirements. But, the description itself is not intended to limit the scope of this patent. Rather, the claimed invention might also be embodied in other ways, to include different steps or elements similar to the ones described in this document, in conjunction with other present or future technologies. Moreover, although the term “step” may be used herein to connote different aspects of methods employed, the term should not be interpreted as implying any particular order among or between various steps herein disclosed unless and except when the order of individual steps is explicitly described. 
         [0019]    The present subject matter discloses devices and systems for storing, protecting, and dispensing food items. It has been found advantageous to have, as shown in  FIG. 1 , the present invention comprise a device  100  for storing and dispensing food items for a customizable nutrition supply, in which the device comprises a container  102  that is approximately cylindrical in lateral cross-section perpendicular to the long axis  104 , though the lateral cross-section need not by identical along the length of the long axis  104  of the container  102 . In other embodiments, the container  102  may be triangular, rectangular, or another shape in lateral cross-section and may have one or more sidewalls  106  that define the outside of a cylinder, or that are planar and perpendicular to a lateral cross-section, creating a container  102  shaped like a triangular or rectangular prism. In still other embodiments, the container  102  may have sidewalls  106  that are not planar but instead are curved or faired. In yet other embodiments, such sidewalls  106  may not be identical to each other. The sidewalls  106  of the container  102  together with the top cap  108  and bottom cap  110 , if present in that embodiment of the present invention, form the exterior of the device  100 . It has been found advantageous to have the container  102  comprise a solid surface, exclusive of openings including but not limited to those for loading food items  112  and dispensing food items  112 , as described below. In some embodiments, it is desirable to build the device  100  with a container  102  that has one or more openings or perforations. 
         [0020]    The container  102  may, in some embodiments, have a dispenser opening  114  positioned on the container towards or at the top or bottom of the container  102 , through which the food items  112  may be dispensed, as discussed in more detail below. The dispenser opening  114  may, in some embodiments of the present invention, be positioned on the side of the container  102  so that the longer dimension of the dispenser opening  114  is oriented perpendicular to the long axis of the container  102 , and so the smaller dimension of the dispenser opening  114  runs parallel to the long axis of the container  102 , and may be sized to be large enough to allow just one of the food items  112  through at one time. In other embodiments, the dispenser opening  114  of the container  102  may be a top cap  108  or other part that opens to dispense food items  112 , or though which one or more of the food items  112  may be retrieved by the user. 
         [0021]    The device  100  has one or more food item advancers  116  which may be any one or more of a tension spring, a compression spring, a torsion spring, or other spring types. The food item advancer  116  may be affixed at or near the bottom of the container  102  or to the bottom cap  110  to one or more food item advancer attachers  124 , and to a pusher plate  118 . The food item advancer  116  is compressed as the food items  112  are loaded, and then the food item advancer  116  push the pusher plate  118  which pushes the food items  112  toward a top dispenser opening  114  or an openable top cap  108  for dispensing the food items  112 . In other embodiments, the food item advancer  116  may be attached to food item advancer attacher  124  at or near to the top of the container  102 , and then extended as the food items  112  are loaded, so that the food item advancer  116  pull the pusher plate  118  and thus the food items  112  up towards the dispenser opening  114  or openable top cap  108 . In still other embodiments, the dispenser opening  114  may be at the bottom of the container  102 , and the food item advancer  116  may then be attached at or near the top or bottom of the container  102  to, respectively, push or pull the food items  112  down towards the bottom dispenser opening  114 . 
         [0022]    In still other embodiments of the present invention, as shown in  FIG. 2 , the food item advancer  116  may be a constant-force spring assembly  202 . In this or other embodiments, the container  102  may have pusher plate alignment guides  230  on the sides of the container, and the pusher plate  118  may have a plurality of pusher plate aligners  232  that slidably engage with the pusher plate alignment guides  230 , allowing the pusher plate  118  to slide up and down inside the container  102  on the pusher plate alignment guides  230 . The top cap  108  may be removably engaged with the pusher plate alignment guides  230 , held by friction or other means, or the top cap  108  may have a top cap aligner  240  to ensure only one alignment is possible with the container  102 . The constant-force spring assembly  202  may be contained inside of the top cap  108 . 
         [0023]    The constant-force spring assembly  202  may comprise a constant-force spring  204 , a spring spool  206 , a spring housing  208 , and a string  210 . The spring housing  208  may be a cylinder, with a housing floor, a housing top, and housing sides, and the spring housing  208  is held in place in the container  102  by the pusher plate alignment guides  230 , by friction or other means. The spring housing  208  also has a housing post  212  in its center, extending from the housing floor to the housing top. The spring housing  208  also has a housing string hole  214  in the housing sides. 
         [0024]    The spring spool  206  is located inside of the spring housing  208 . The spring spool  206  may be roughly a cylinder, with a spool floor, a spool top, and spool sides, and may have spool rims  216  defined by the diameters of the spool top and spool floor, which may be equal to each other and larger than the exterior diameter of the spool sides. The housing post  212  passes through the spring spool  206 , allowing the spring spool  206  to spin freely within the spring housing  208 . The spring spool  206  also has a spool string hole  218  in the spool sides. 
         [0025]    The constant-force spring  204  sits inside of the spring spool  206 , with the constant-force spring  204  attached to the housing post  212  at or near the innermost part of the constant-force spring  204 . At the outermost part of the constant-force spring  204 , the string  210  is attached to the constant-force spring  204 . The string  210  passes through the spool string hole  218 , is wound around the spring spool  206  one or more times, where it is constrained from slipping off of the spring spool  206  by the spool rims  216 . The string  210  then passes through the housing string hole  214  and then through the trigger assembly string hole  404  of the trigger assembly  400 , described below, and along the outside of the stack of the food items  112  without making contact with the food items  112 . In this or other embodiments of the present invention, the pusher plate  118  may have a pusher plate string hole  224 , and the string  210  may pass from the trigger assembly string hole  404  to the pusher plate string hole  224 . In some embodiments, the pusher plate  118  may have two or more pusher plate string holes  224 , and the string  210  may pass from the trigger assembly string hole  404 , through one pusher plate string hole  224 , under or the pusher plate  118  or through a channel in the pusher plate  118 , through the other pusher plate string hole  224 , and up along the opposite side of the stack of food items  112  to attach to a fixed point in the device  100 , which may be the container  102 , the spring housing  208 , or other suitable point as will be apparent to one of skill in the art, in order to prevent the pusher plate  118  from twisting inside of the container, and/or to ensure a smooth operation of the constant-force spring assembly  202  as the food item advancer  116 . 
         [0026]    In some such embodiments of the present invention, when the trigger assembly  400  is operated by the user and rotates about the location of the trigger assembly placement  302 , as shown in  FIG. 3 , the trigger assembly  400  pinches the string  210 , preventing it from pulling up the pusher plate  118  while the trigger assembly  400  is dispensing one of the food items  112 , as described in greater detail below. When the trigger  402 , as shown in  FIG. 3  and in greater detail in the views of the trigger assembly  400  in  FIG. 4 , is released or returned to its rest position, the trigger assembly  400  rotates back and releases the string  210  from being pinched. The constant-force spring  204  then coils more, as the topmost of the food items  112  has been dispensed, pulling the string  210  which pulls the pusher plate  118 , advancing the stack of food items  112  and moving the next of the food items  112  into the ready position, to be dispensed next. 
         [0027]    In other embodiments of the invention, there are rocker arms  128  affixed to the interior of the container  102 , and which are constructed as elastically attached to or part of the container  102 , such that the rocker arms  128  may be moveably engaged against the food items  112  or may be pushed out of the way of the food items  112 . When the top cap  108  is open, as shown in  FIG. 5A , the rocker arms  128  spring in towards the interior of the container  102 , and pinch in to the food items  112  or into space between food items  112 . The rocker arms  128  are positioned to pinch into the second of the food items  112  in the stack, or into the space between it and the first of the food items  112 . This allows the first of the food items  112 , in the so-called “ready position”, to be dispensed, in this embodiment by the user grabbing the topmost of the food items  112  or by shaking it or tipping it out of the container  102 , while the second and the rest of the food items  112  are blocked from advancing. When the top cap  108  is closed, as shown in  FIG. 5B , the pry arms  502  come into contact with the rocker arms  128 , and push the rocker arms  128  elastically towards the sides of the container  102 , so that the rocker arms  128  are no longer preventing the food items  112  from advancing. By means of the rocker arms  128 , the food item advancer  116  is controlled to advance the food items  112  towards the dispenser opening  114  by only one of food items  112 , that is, by a distance equal or nearly equal to the thickness (in the direction of the long axis  104  of the container  102 ) of only one of the food items  112 . The top cap  108  is shown in more detail in  FIG. 5C ,  FIG. 5D , and  FIG. 5E , showing the pry bars  502 , the cover hinge  504  that is present in some embodiments of the invention and is rotatably engaged with the container opening hinge  130  that is present in some embodiments, and the cover catchment  506  that is present in some embodiments, and which engages with the cover closure mechanism  132  that is present in some embodiments. 
         [0028]    It has been found advantageous in the present invention to have the device  100  further comprise a pusher plate  118  attached to the food item advancer  116  at the end of the food item advancer  116  distal to the food item advancer attacher  124 , for instance if the food item advancer  116  is to push the food items  112  toward the dispenser opening  114 . As will be apparent to one skilled in the art, in some embodiments of the present invention, it may be desirable to have the pusher plate  118  attached to the food item advancer  116  proximal to the food item advancer attacher  124 . It has been found advantageous to have the pusher plate  118  comprise a flat or approximately flat piece shaped roughly like the cross-sectional profile of the container  102 . 
         [0029]    It has been found to be advantageous to have the pusher plate  118  further comprise one or more pusher plate catchments, and the container  102  has one or more pusher plate retainers that align with the pusher plate catchments. The container  102  may also comprise one or more pusher plate catchment release mechanisms, which are operated by the user with catchment release mechanism actuators on the outside of the container  102 . The catchment release mechanism actuators may be buttons, levers, or other means. In alternative embodiments, the container  102  may have an opening for the user to directly actuate the pusher plate catchment release mechanisms. 
         [0030]    In some embodiments of the invention, the pusher plate  118  further comprises a plurality of pusher plate aligners  232 , and the container  102  has one or more pusher plate alignment guides  230  that align with the plurality of pusher plate aligners  232 . The plurality of pusher plate aligners  232  may be protrusions, bumps, slots, or other suitable means of slidably engaging with the pusher plate  118 , to guide it as it is pushed or pulled by the food item advancer  116 , along the pusher plate alignment guides  230 , which may be slots, tracks, or other suitable means. 
         [0031]    In some embodiments of the invention, the pusher plate  118  and food item advancer  116  are placed by the user in the container  102 , and then latched into place by pusher plate retainers at the end of the container proximate or distal to the dispenser opening  114 , allowing the user to easily load the food items  112  individually or in a stack in such an order that they are lined up to be dispensed in the order desired by the user. In some embodiments of the invention, a latching bottom cap  110  may be placed and latched on the bottom of the container  102 , and the food item advancer  116  and pusher plate  118  then inserted from the top cap  108 , aligned with the pusher plate alignment guides  230 , with the food item advancer  116  then compressed or moved to the bottom of the container  102 , at which point the pusher plate catchments are engaged with the pusher plate retainers, locking the pusher plate  118  and allowing loading of the food items  112 . The bottom cap  110  may be affixed to the container  102  by means of protrusions  120  that fit into slots  122  in the container  102 , or the bottom cap  110  may be threaded to match threads on the container  102 , so that the bottom cap  110  screws on. In other embodiments of the invention, the food item advancer  116  may be affixed to a latching bottom cap  110  and then inserted into and latched to the container  102 , and thereafter the user may insert the pusher plate  118  into the container  102 . In some embodiments, the pusher plate  118  has pusher plate catchments which engage with the pusher plate retainers, locking the pusher plate  118  and allowing loading of the food items. In still other embodiments of the present invention, a user may load a stack of food items  112  into the container by creating the stack and then placing the container  102  over it, or by other means. In any of these embodiments or others, the bottom cap  110 , food item advancer  116 , and pusher plate  118  may be affixed together by means of screw threads or clips, and then may be attached to the container  102  by any means as described herein for attaching the bottom cap  110 , or other means. As will be apparent to one of skill in the art, other arrangements are possible, and those provided here are by way of illustration only, without limiting the subject matter claimed. 
         [0032]    It has been found to be advantageous in the present invention to have the dispenser opening  114  optionally closed off by means of a dispenser cover  406  which is sized and shaped to fit and seal the dispenser opening  114 . The dispenser cover  406  functions to keep moisture, dust, and air out of the interior space of the container  102  and away from the food items  112 . In some embodiments of the present invention, the dispenser cover  406  may be seated in its sealed position against a gasket of silicone, rubber, or other suitable material placed around or inside of the dispenser opening  114 . In embodiments where the dispenser opening  114  is in the side of the container  102 , the dispenser opening  114  may be configured to open by rotating around the long axis  104  of the container  102 , or may be configured to slide up or down parallel to the long axis  104 . In either of the foregoing embodiments, the dispenser cover  406  may be configured to open to the inside or outside of the container  102 , and may be configured so that it closes and seals the dispenser opening  114  while slightly biased to the inside or outside of the outer surface of the container  102 , or so that the dispenser cover  406  seals the dispenser opening  114  and is flush with the outer surface of the container  102 . 
         [0033]    In embodiments of the present invention where the dispenser opening  114  is part or all of the top cap  108  or bottom cap  110  of the container  102 , the dispenser cover  406  may be configured to flip open, with one edge or side hinged to the container  102 , and the opposite edge of the dispenser cover  406  rotating around that cover hinge  504 , defining an angle which runs parallel to the long axis  104  of the container  102 . In other embodiments, the dispenser cover  406  may be configured to rotate open, perpendicular to the long axis  104 . 
         [0034]    The presently disclosed invention may further comprise a trigger  402 , which both actuates the dispenser cover  406 , and actuates a food item dispenser  408 . Actuating the dispenser cover  406  may comprise a direct connection between the trigger  402  and the dispenser cover  406  such that pushing the trigger  402  directly slides or rotates the dispenser cover  406  to its open position. Such a direct connection between the trigger  402  and the dispenser cover  406  may be a solid part, or a connection by means of one or more parts connected with lever or rocker connections, cams, gears, springs, or other suitable mechanism, as will be apparent to one of skill in the art. In other embodiments, actuating the dispenser cover  406  may comprise releasing a dispenser cover catch  506  such that the dispenser cover  406  springs open, impelled by dispenser cover opening means, which may be a separate spring, or a part or extension of the container  102  that is elastic and extended to exert force upon the dispenser cover  406 , or may be other suitable means for opening the dispenser cover  406 . In any embodiments, the dispenser cover  406  may close automatically upon release of the trigger  402  due to one or more dispenser cover closing means which may be springs attached to the dispenser cover  406  or the trigger  402 , or other suitable means of closing the dispenser cover  406 . In alternative embodiments, the dispenser cover  406  may need to be closed manually by the user. In some embodiments, the trigger  402  may be a protrusion that slides circumferentially along the surface of the container  102 , describing an arc around the long axis  104  of the container  102 , or which slides in another direction. In other embodiments, the trigger  402  may be a button that is depressed by the user, or a latch that is pressed in a direction parallel to the long axis  104 , perpendicular to the long axis  104 , or in a combination of those two orientations, or the trigger may be part of a trigger assembly  400 , as discussed below. In some such embodiments of the present invention, the trigger  402  actuates the dispenser cover catch  506 , and the dispenser cover opening means thereupon open the dispenser cover  406 . In other embodiments of the invention, the user may directly operate the dispenser cover catch  506  to open the dispenser cover  406 . 
         [0035]    Upon the dispenser cover  406  opening, it has been found to be advantageous in the present invention to have the food item dispenser  408  actuated, and push one of the food items  112  out of the dispenser opening  114 . The food item dispenser  408  may, in some embodiments, be actuated by means of the dispenser cover opening means, or in alternative embodiments by other food item dispenser actuating means, which may be a spring or other suitable means for operating the food item dispenser  408 , and which are operably coupled to the trigger  402 . The food item dispenser actuating means can operate only when the dispenser cover  406  is open. In some embodiments of the present invention, after the food item dispenser  408  has dispensed one of the food items  112  through the dispenser opening  114 , the food item dispenser  408  returns to its ready position, impelled by the release of the trigger  402  releasing the food item dispenser actuating means, or by other means. The dispenser cover  406  returns to its closed position, releasing the pusher catchment protrusions which in some embodiments of the disclosed invention operate to impede the pusher plate  118  while the dispenser cover  406  is open, and by releasing the pusher catchment protrusions, the food item advancer  116  can advance the pusher plate  118  and the food items  112  further towards the dispenser opening  114  by a distance of the thickness of one of the food items  112 , thus placing another of the food items  112  in the ready position to be next dispensed. In other embodiments, the trigger  402  is moved manually back to the ready position. 
         [0036]    In some embodiments of the disclosed invention, the trigger  402 , food item dispenser  408 , and dispenser cover  406  may be made as a one-piece trigger assembly  400 , which further comprises a trigger assembly mount  410  that attaches the trigger assembly  400  to the container  102  at the trigger assembly placement  302 . In such embodiments of the invention, when the user operates the trigger  402 , the trigger assembly  400  rotates at the location of the trigger assembly placement  302 , and the dispenser cover  406  portion of the trigger assembly  400  reveals the dispenser opening  114  while the food item dispenser  408  both pushes the topmost of the food items  112  out the dispenser opening  114 , and blocks the food items  112  from further advancing. When the trigger assembly  400  is moved back, either by mechanical or manual means, the dispenser cover  406  again covers the dispenser opening  114  and the food item dispenser  408  moves out of the way of the stack of food items  112 , allowing the next of the food items  112  to advance into the ready position. In some such embodiments of the present invention, the trigger assembly  400  further comprises a trigger assembly string hole  404 , through which the string  210  of a constant-force spring assembly  202  may pass. 
         [0037]    The container  102  comprises a food item insertion opening  126 . In some embodiments, the food item insertion opening  126  is the bottom of the container  102 , with a bottom cap  110  which is reversibly attachable to the container  102 . The bottom cap  110  may latch to the inside or outside of the container  102 , or may latch into the sides of the container  102  with protrusions  120  that latch into slots  122  of the container  102 , or may screw onto the container with threading on the bottom cap  110  matching threading on the container  102 . In other embodiments, the food item insertion opening  126  is an opening that runs the length of the container  102 , parallel to the long axis  104 , with a hinge that runs the length of the container  102  parallel to the long axis  104  diametrically opposed to the food item insertion opening  126 . 
         [0038]    In alternative embodiments of the invention, the device may further comprise a cartridge, which is concentric with and narrower than the container  102 . The cartridge is inserted into the container  102  aligned with the long axis  104 . The cartridge may be loaded with food items  112  before insertion into the container  102 . The cartridge may have a cartridge food item opening that aligns with the dispenser opening  114 . The cartridge may have pusher-cartridge alignment means that align a pusher plate  118  with the cartridge as the food item advancer  116  advance the pusher plate  118  inside of the cartridge towards the dispenser opening  114 . In other embodiments, the cartridge may have cartridge slots that allow the pusher plate catchments to slidably engage, protruding from inside of the cartridge through the cartridge slots, with the plurality of pusher plate retainers of the container  102 . 
         [0039]    In some embodiments, the trigger  402  actuates the dispenser cover  406 , and actuates a food item dispenser  408 , dispensing food items  112  from the cartridge, through the cartridge food item opening and the dispenser opening  114 . The cartridge may also comprise cartridge-container alignment means, which may be slidably engaged with cartridge-container alignment guides affixed to or part of the interior of the container  102 , to ensure that the cartridge is properly aligned within the container  102 . 
         [0040]    With reference to  FIG. 6 ,  FIGS. 6A and 6B  illustrate an embodiment of the present invention, depicting a container  102 , a bottom cap  110 , and a top cap  108 .  FIG. 6C  further illustrates this embodiment of the present invention with a cross-sectional view, taken along the transect A-A′ in  FIG. 6B , further illustrating in cross-section a container  102 , a bottom cap  110 , and a top cap  108 , a plurality of food items  112 , food item advancer  116 , a pusher plate  118 , and sidewalls  106 . Each of  FIGS. 6A-6C  further depict the top cap  108 . It has been found to be advantageous to have the top cap  108  comprised, in some embodiments, of a moderately flexible and elastic material including but not limited to silicone, and to have the top cap  108  further comprise a pusher knob  612 , a flexional region  614 , and a flexible dispenser slot  618 . The pusher knob  612  extends away from the container  102  and may be pressed by a user towards the flexible dispenser slot  618  at the front of the container  102 . The pusher knob  612  flexes, relative to the rest of the top cap  108 , at the flexional region  614 , contacting with the inside surface of the pusher knob  612  the topmost of the plurality of food items  112 , and pushing the topmost of the plurality of food items  112  into and out through the flexible dispenser slot  618 . After the topmost of the plurality of food items  112  has been moved out through the flexible dispenser slot  618 , and the user has released the pusher knob  612 , the next of the plurality of food items  112  is advanced by the food item advancer  116  towards the top cap  108 . 
         [0041]    The flexional region  614  may comprise a more flexible material than the other part or parts of the top cap  108 , by use of a different material or composition of matter, or the flexional region  614  may be made of thinner material than the remainder of the top cap  108 , or may have its relatively higher flexibility than the rest of the top cap  108  accomplished in another manner now known or later invented. The flexional region  614  may be one band wrapping around the top cap  108 , as depicted in  FIG. 6A , or may be more than one discrete area of the top cap  108 , as the flexional region  614  appears in  FIG. 6D .  FIG. 6D  is a top cross-section of an exemplary top cap  108 , showing a pusher knob  612 , a flexional region  614 , and a flexible dispenser slot  618 . 
         [0042]    The flexible dispenser slot  618  may be a simple slit across the top cap  108 . It has been found to be advantageous to have the flexible dispenser slot  618  further comprise a plurality of dispenser slot flexors  620  to allow the flexible dispenser slot  618  to open sufficiently to allow the pusher knob  612  to expel the topmost of the plurality of food items  112  through the flexible dispenser slot  618 . 
         [0043]      FIG. 6E  provides an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of the device  100 , illustrating the bottom cap  110 , the container  102 , the food item advancer  116 , the pusher plate  118 , the plurality of food items  112 , and the top cap  108 , further comprising the pusher knob  612 , the flexional region  614 , the flexible dispenser slot  618 , and the dispenser slot flexors  620 . 
         [0044]    Certain embodiments of the present invention were described above. From the foregoing it will be seen that this invention is one well adapted to attain all the ends and objects set forth above, together with other advantages, which are obvious and inherent to the system and method. It will be understood that certain features and sub-combinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and sub-combinations. It is expressly noted that the present invention is not limited to those embodiments described above, but rather the intention is that additions and modifications to what was expressly described herein are also included within the scope of the invention. Moreover, it is to be understood that the features of the various embodiments described herein are not mutually exclusive and can exist in various combinations and permutations, even if such combinations or permutations were not made express herein, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. In fact, variations, modifications, and other implementations of what was described herein will occur to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention. As such, the invention is not to be defined only by the preceding illustrative description.