Dispenser for the individual dispensing in portions of tablets, pastes or the like

A dispenser for the individual portioned dispensing of tablets (1), pastes or the like, having a housing pipe (2) which is provided at one end with a delivery opening (6) and, opposite same, is equipped with a push bottom (13) for transporting of the material to be dispensed in the direction towards the delivery opening (6), which push bottom (13) can be displaced stepwise in the direction towards the delivery opening by means of an actuating handle which is adjacent the delivery opening and is connected to the push bottom. In order to obtain a favorable accommodation for the material to the dispensed, the bar connection between actuating handle (9) and push bottom (13) extends along the inner surface of the housing pipe wall, leaving the inside of the housing pipe (2) free.

FIELD AND THE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The invention referes to a dispenser for the individual portioned 
dispensary of tablets, pastes or the like, having a housing pipe (tube) 
which has a delivery opening at one end and, opposite it, is equipped with 
a push bottom for transporting the material to be dispensed in the 
direction towards the delivery opening, the push bottom being displaceble 
stepwise in the direction towards the delivery opening by means of an 
actuating handle arranged adjacent to the delivery opening or rod and 
connected by a bar or the like to the push bottom. 
A dispenser for the dispensing of pasty material is known from U.S. Pat. 
No. 3,255,935. In that case, the bar which connects the actuating handle 
to the push bottom extends centrally within the housing pipe. From French 
A-850 458 it is known to form the bar of the dispensing mechanism as a 
rack. However, in this case also the rack has a course which passes 
centrally through the inside of the pipe housing. 
The object of the present invention is so to develop a dispenser of the 
introductory-mentioned type such that a space-dividing position of the 
parts which cooperate in forming the dispensing mechanism is avoided, but 
that nevertheless a manner of operation which delivers the supply in an 
orderly and reliable fashion is present. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
According to the invention the rod which is connected between the actuating 
handle (9) and the push bottom (13) extends along an inner surface of the 
housing pipe wall (W) leaving the inside of the housing pipe (2) free. 
As a result of this development there is obtained a dispenser of this type 
which is of increased value in use. Practically the entire inside cross 
section of the housing pipe remains free for the material to be dispensed. 
The means forming the dispensing mechanism are shifted to the periphery. 
This, first of all, permits the advantage of dispensing bonded particles 
such as tablets or the like from a housing pipe which corresponds in size 
to the ordinary tablet tubes. The completely free inner space furthermore 
makes it possible to use, for instance, refill packings of pasty contents 
which have a flexible covering. Depending on the size of the dispenser, a 
single bar connection extending along the inner surface of the housing 
wall between the actuating handle and push bottom is sufficient so as to 
leave the inside of the housing free. It is advisable, particularly in the 
case of larger structures, to provide two racks which extend diametrically 
opposite each other, act on the push bottom and are longitudinally 
displaceable by the actuating handle. There is thus obtained a balanced 
tilt-free displacement of even a very flat push bottom (short piston). It 
furthermore has proven advantageous for the housing pipe to have a brake 
which presses laterally against the tablet which is furthest to the front, 
and for the actuating handle to be formed as an angle-shaped slider, one 
angle arm of which forms a cover which lies in front of the mouth of the 
housing pipe, from which slider at least one rack extends in the direction 
towards the bottom of the housing pipe and is located laterally of the 
tablet supply space, the rack displacing the push bottom which rests 
against the last table by ratchet advance by an amount each time equal to 
the thickness of a tablet, in the direction towards the cover, the cover 
lifting off from the mouth of the housing pipe by an amount equal to the 
thickness of a table. The brake which is located on the delivery side 
holds the next-to-the-last-tablet back in each case. Therefore, in all 
cases assurance is had that only one tablet drops out. The fact that the 
slider and the cover form a single part reduces the number of parts. The 
rack, which is adapted to the ratchet function, passes freely beneath 
(around) the push bottom, which is displaceable as a function of 
direction, upon the return movement of the slider. This return movement 
can be spring-loaded so that the dispenser closes automatically, which 
leads to a hygienically irreproachable packing. One advantageous 
development is characterized furthermore by two diametrically opposite 
longitudinal grooves in the housing pipe wall for guiding the racks. The 
brake is formed in struturally simple manner as an elastic tongue which is 
formed on the housing wall. Once advantageous manner of attachment for the 
slide consists, simply, in the actuating handle, which is made of elastic 
material, surrounding--seen in cross section--more than one-half of the 
outer surface of the housing pipe, which is circular in cross section. 
Furthermore, the invention proposes that longitudinal ribs be provided on 
the inner wall of the housing for the frictional holding of the push 
bottom which slides via an outwardly directed collar along these 
longitudinal ribs. Instead of using a slider as an actuating handle, one 
can also, in a further advantageous development, form the actuating handle 
as a forked double-armed lever which is mounted by means of the fork tines 
on opposite points on the housing pipe and the end region of which lying 
opposite the actuating-handle button passes through the housing pipe wall 
and is coupled to the rack. The fork shape of the double-armed lever 
furthermore results in a favorable snap-on attachment, the coupling points 
themselves forming at the same time detent projections. Furthermore, it is 
favorable for the racks to be spring-loaded in the direction of 
displacement into their basic position. The return thus is obtained 
automatically. This is achieved by simple means in the manner that the 
spring loading is transmitted, with the interposition of a ring, onto the 
end of the racks. Specifically, one can provide the spring loading by the 
tongues of a ring which acts on the end surface of the racks. It is 
favorable in this connection for the ring to be formed as on insert of a 
housing-pipe head cap which is provided at its center with the delivery 
opening. The inner cover thereof thus forms on abutment for the spring 
body. Furthermore, an advantageous auxililliary device is created by a 
locking of the actuating-handle when a closure cap is placed over the 
dispensing opening. This development can be provided in the manner that 
the end edge of the closure cap which lies in front of an opening in the 
cover of the head cap constitues the blocking surface for the upward 
movement of the rack. On the other hand, the ring can have a finger which 
engages into the opening of the cover and is blocked in movement by the 
end edge of the screwable closure cap. The actuating of the dispenser is 
therefore only possible if the closure cap has been previously removed 
from the dispenser head. Unintentional dispensing therefore does not occur 
if the dispenser has been properly closed. Furthermore, the invention 
proposes that the push bottom be provided on the surface thereof facing 
the filling space with a pot-shaped depression for the insertion of a 
closure lead seal for an inner bag containing the material to be 
dispensed, the gathered wall of which bag emerges at the other end out of 
the delivery opening of the head cap. For the convenient insertion of a 
new inner bag into the dispenser so that this dispenser can operate as a 
reusable dispenser the invention furthermore proposes that the push bottom 
can be removed from the upper cross section of the housing pipe. Finally, 
it is also advantageous for the head cap to be formed as threaded member, 
the thread of which is directed in the direction opposite that of the 
closure cap. In this way no loosening or unscrewing of the dispenser 
housing can take place upon the screwing on or off of the closure cap. 
Finally, it is also advantageous that the ring be attached in 
non-separatable manner but with axial back-and-forth play, in the head 
cap. 
The object of the invention is explained in further detail below with 
reference to two embodiments shown in the drawing, in which:

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
The dispenser shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 is intended for the individual 
dispensing of tablets 1. It has a housing pipe (tube) 2 of circular cross 
section. The latter contains the tablets stacked with their broad sides 
against each other. The cylindrical surface of the tablets is guided on 
inwardly directed longitudinal ribs 3 which extend from the inner surface 
of the wall w of the housing pipe. 
The right end of the housing pipe 2 can be kept closed by a closure bottom 
4 which is inserted in plug-like manner. The closure bottom has an 
inward-directed collar 5 which is concentrically formed thereon and 
beveled on its outer edge side, fitting in a force fit in the longitudinal 
ribs 3. 
The other end of the housing pipe 2 forms a transversely directed, open 
table-delivery cross section. The delivery opening 6 is formed by an axial 
forward advance (arrow x) of a slider Sch. The slider is of angular shape. 
Its one angle-arm a forms a cover 8 which comes in closing fashion in 
front of the mouth 7 of the housing pipe while the other angle-arm b, 
which extends along the long side of the housing, forms an actuating 
handle 9. 
The inner surface of the cover 8 which faces the tablet supply space V 
forms a centering projection 10. It is of a flat frustoconical shape which 
moves over the end edges of the longitudinal ribs. 
From the cover 8 of the slider Sch two parallel extending racks 11 extend 
in the direction towards the bottom of the housing pipe. The racks are 
formed directly on the cover 8. They are held on the inside of the cover 
on its annular shoulder 12 which is seated in sealing manner on the 
housing-pipe mouth 7. The racks 11 extend over the entire length of the 
housing pipe 2 and cooperate, forming a transport device, with a push 
bottom 13 which rests against the last tablet 1'. The push bottom is 
displaced as a function of the displacement of the slider by ratchet 
advance by in each case the thickness y of one tablet in the direction 
(arrow x) towards the cover 8, which is lifted off in this manner from the 
mouth 7 of the housing by an amount equal to the thickness of one tablet. 
The racks 11 extend diametrically opposite each other and are guided in 
longitudinal grooves 14 of the wall W of the housing pipe, the grovoes 
being formed in each case by two longitudinal ribs 3. 
The racks 11 are of sawtooth contour, in the manner that teeth 15 of 
identical shape have a steep flank 15', i.e. a flank lying in the 
transverse plane of the housing pipe 2, and an obliquely descending flank 
15". There is a close succession of teeth. 
Along the same diameter there extend from the push bottom 13, directed 
rearward and diverging, ratchet tongues 16, the outer transverse edge 16' 
of which rests resiliently against the steep flank 15' of the sawteeth 15. 
The width of the ratchet tongues 16 corresponds essentially to that of the 
racks 11. As can be noted from FIG. 4, the ratchet tongues 16 are joined 
in one piece to the end surface of a pot-shaped wall 17 of the push bottom 
13, which is otherwise of rotational symmetry. The pot-shaped bottom of 
the push bottom, which is closed off by a partition wall 18 is extends 
into an annular push surface 19 of the push bottom. A pot-shaped wall 20 
extending in the opposite direction then continues peripherally. The pot 
wall 20 extends concentrically to the pot wall 17 but, at the level of the 
transverse partition wall 18, it passes into a diverging collar 21 which 
is pointed in lip shape. This collar lies with friction locking against 
the longitudinal ribs 3. This has the result that, upon the closing of the 
dispenser, the racks 11 move under and relative to the the ratchet tongues 
16 and the push bottom 18 retains its position unchanged with respect to 
the housing 2. Only upon the subsequent stroke in the opposite direction 
indicated by the arrow x, is the push bottom 13 carried along, thereby 
pushing the row of tablets further along. 
The housing pipe 2 forms a brake B which presses in each time against the 
frontmost tablet 1". The brake is formed directly on the inside of the 
wall W of the housing pipe and acts on the cylindrical wall of the tablet. 
It is formed of an elastic tongue 22. It can be directly formed thereon or 
else be formed by slitting a tab on the wall and bending it out at an 
acute angle. The brake B prevents the next table 1 from slipping or 
dropping out in the dispensing position shown in FIG. 5, in which the 
tablet delivery cross section is open on the transverse side. The brake B 
thus promotes a reliable individualizing of the stack of tablets. 
The angle-arm b which forms the actuating handle 9 and extends parallel to 
the housing pipe 2 is transversely arched, corresponding to the 
cylindrical shape of the housing pipe 2. It surrounds the outer wall of 
the housing pipe in form-fitting manner. The amount of surrounding is so 
selected that the handle 9, which is made of elastic material, surrounds 
more than half the housing pipe 2. In addition to the support already 
provided by the rack guides, a snap-on fastening is thereby practically 
obtained. All parts are made of plastic. 
The delivery displacement stroke is limited by a stop. For this purpose, a 
guide projection 23 extends from the inside of the handle 9. The 
projection extends into a guide groove 24 whose transversely arranged end 
flanks 25 and 26 cooperate with the corresponding flanks of the projection 
23. The depth of engagement is slight so that the projection can readily 
be snapped in position by a slight deformation of material. The projection 
23 furthermore contributes to the non-rotatable securing of the actuating 
handle 9. The end flange 25 can relieve the cap 8 from load. 
In order to increase the grip on the actuating handle its outer surface is 
roughened. The roughening consists of transverse ribs 27. 
The end regions of the racks 11 on the delivery cross-section side have no 
teeth. 
Briefly summarized, the operation is as follows: 
By displacement of the slider Sch via the actuating handle 9 in the 
direction of arrow x the push bottom 13 and tablets 1 are advanced via the 
racks 11 and ratchet tongues 16 in the direction indicated by the arrow x. 
The cap 8 lifts off from the mouth 7 of the housing pipe 2 by an amount 
which corresponds to the thickness y of a tablet or slightly more than 
this. The downward facing delivery opening 6 releases the tablet 1. The 
table 1" which is then the last one cannot also fall out. This is 
prevented by the brake B. The orderly stack of tablets is thus moved 
forward simultaneously with this. No free space is formed between the 
tablets so that there is no danger of their tipping within such a free 
space or being abraded or broken. 
By pulling the slider Sch back the rack tooth structure 15 passes below 
relative to the ratchet tongues 16, the push bottom 13 itelf, however, 
being clamped fast by frictional locking against the ridges of the 
longitudinal ribs 3. 
The dispenser of FIGS. 6 to 8 serves for the dispensing of pasty material 
such as, for instance, toothpaste, mayonnaise, mustard or the like. This 
dispenser operates in accordance with the same basic principle as has been 
described in detail above. The reference numbers, insofar as there is 
correspondence, have been applied accordingly, in part without repetition 
of the text. 
As can be clearly noted, in particular, from FIG. 7, the bar connection 
between actuating handle 9, which is formed here as a double-armed lever 
30, and the push bottom 13 extends also along the inner surface of the 
wall W of the housing pipe so that here also the inside of the dispenser 
is free of any parts of the dispenser mechanism. The two racks 11 are in 
this case recessed in the housing wall W, which has correspondingly deep 
longitudinal grooves 14 for guiding the racks so that no exposed position 
is produced with respect to the remaining parts of the inner surface of 
the pipe housing wall W which have a corresponding toothing character 
These teeth bear the same reference numbers (15, 15', 15"). 
The width of the racks 11 measured in circumferential direction takes up 
here an angular region of about 90.degree.. With suitably radially aligned 
groove flanks 14' and longitudinal edges of the racks 11 lying closely 
parallel in front thereof there is obtained a caging of the racks 11. With 
the push bottom 13 removed, they cannot tip into the iside of the 
dispenser. 
The teeth 15 are formed, here also, as sawteeth, as is the tooth structure 
on the inner surface of the pipe housing 2. In the basic position, the 
steep flanks 15' of the teeth 15 of the racks assume alignment in the same 
plane as the teeth 15 on the inner surface of the pipe housing 2. 
In contradistinction to the push bottom of the first embodiment, the 
ratchet tongues 16 are now formed by the pot wall 20 or, more precisely, 
by the obliquely arranged lip-shaped collar 21. The latter is interrupted 
in tine-like fashion so that individual, radially more movable fingers are 
present which engage, no longer by friction but by form lock, with respect 
to the toothed inner surface of the housing 2. 
The actuating handle 9, which is formed as a double-armed lever 30, is 
forked. It surrounds the wall W of the housing pipe. The two 
correspondingly curved fork tines 31 are mounted on opposite points of the 
housing pipe 2. The mounting points bear the reference number 32. They lie 
on the outside the diameter of the housing pipe 2, which is of circular 
cross section. The end region opposite the laterally protruding actuating 
handle button 33--namely the shorter arm of the double-armed lever 30--is 
pivotally connected to the rack or racks 11. This end region of the fork 
tines 31 engages by means of a pin 34, which is aligned centrally to the 
longitudinal center axis z--z of the housing pipe, into a suitable 
mounting cutout 35 in the upper end of the rack there. A second pin 36 of 
the fork tines 31 which forms the adjacent support point 32 extends within 
a mounting cutout 37 in the wall of the housing. 
For connecting the pins 34 to the racks 11 the wall W of the housing pipe 
is provided with an opening. The opening, which is formed in the form of a 
vertical slot 38, can be noted from FIG. 6. The slot determines the range 
of the angle of swing of the double-armed lever and thus the displacement 
stroke of the racks 11. The support recess 37 also is of slot shape. 
However, the slot in this case extends horizontally. It provides a certain 
freedom of movement for the double-armed lever 30 so that it does not jam 
in view of the arcuate path of swing of the pins 34 with respect to the 
vertical slot 38. 
The racks 11 are biased by a spring towards their basic position (FIG. 6) 
For this purpose, a correspondingly amply dimensioned coil compression 
spring, which can be arranged in the head region of widened cross section 
of the dispenser, may be used, the spring acting on the upper end 11' of 
the racks 11. In the present embodiment, the spring loading is transmitted 
with the interposition of a ring 39 to the ends 11'. The spring elements 
are formed directly on said ring 39. They are obliquely arranged tongues 
40, the free ends, of which rest, fixed in position, and which press the 
ring downwards, i.e. in the direction towards the push bottom 13. 
The ring 39 is formed as an insert of a head cap 41 which has the delivery 
opening 6 at its center, the cap being connected to the housing pipe 2. 
Its shape can be clearly noted from FIG. 8. It is formed as a threaded 
member. A lower cylindrical collar 42 of reduced cross section bears ribs 
43 on its cylindrical surface. This is a multi-start left-handed thread. 
Their mating ribs 44 are seated on an outwardly offset cylindrical-wall 
section 45 of the housing pipe 2. The corresponding offset produces a 
horizontal shoulder 46. The spring-loaded horizontal ends 11' of the racks 
11 extend aligned therewith in the basic position. The lower end edge of 
the ring 39 rests on this shoulder 46. 
In order to secure the ring 39 in the dome-shaped space of the head cap 41 
against falling out, an annular bead 47 which is directed outwardly from 
the upper end edge of the ring 39 engages into a groove 48 extending in 
axial direction on the inner wall of the collar 42. The axial length of 
the groove takes into consideration the operating stroke of the dispenser 
mechanism. 
The dispenser is provided with a blocking device which sees to it that the 
double-armed lever 30 can only be actuated if the delivery opening 6, 
which is normally closed by a closure cap 49, has been previously opened. 
This closure cap 49 is screwable. For this purpose the head cap 41 forms 
an upward-directed second concentrically extending collar 50. On its 
cylindrical outer surface there are ribs 51 forming a right-hand thread 
which cooperate with mating ribs 52 or grooves on the inner wall of the 
closure cap 49. This blocking device is furthermore formed in such a 
manner that the end edge 49' of the closure cap 49 which rests in front of 
an opening 53 in the cover 54 of the head cap 41 represents the blocking 
surface for the upward movement of the racks. One advantageous embodiment 
resides therein that the ring 39 has a finger 55 which engages into the 
opening 53 of the cover 54 and is blocked in movement by the end edge 49' 
of the screwable closure cap 49. In the embodiment shown, three fingers 
55, arranged an equal distance apart, are formed on the ring. They extend 
in the direction of displacement of the ring. In the intermediate regions 
are the tongues 40 which are guided on the bottom of the cover 54, 
preferably in an annular channel 56 and rest in protected manner. They 
extend within the curvature of the said annular channel 56 thereof. When 
the closure cap 49 has been unscrewed, the obstacle for the axial 
displacement of the ring 39 is eliminated. 
In this embodiment, the material to be dispensed (pasty composition) is 
contained within an inner bag 57 which can be inserted, after the 
unscrewing of the head cap 41, into the housing pipe 2. The inner bag has 
the shape of a "sausage" which is tied off at both ends and therefore has 
a cylindrical shape which lies, leaving an annular slot, in front of the 
inner surface of the pipe housing 2 and also spaced in front of the 
toothing of the racks 11. In order that the so-called "sausage tip," i.e. 
The end of the inner bag 57 provided with a lead seal 58 is not placed 
under mechnical stress, the push surface 19 proper of the push bottom 13 
which faces the filling space is provided centrally with a depression 59. 
This depression extends over the entire depth of the pot-shaped part. the 
other, upper end of the inner bag 57 has its centrally gathered wall 57' 
passing through the delivery opening 6 of the head cap 41 which is formed 
by a nipple. This gathered section at the same time forms the delivery 
mouth. With increasing discharge of the dispensed material, the inner bag 
57 presses itself practically in bellows-like manner together, forming 
radial folds. Practically residue-free dispensing is possible. The top 
shoulder of the inner bag rests against the inside of the cover 54. The 
push bottom 13 which is blocked in downward direction can, after emptying, 
be taken out at the head side of the dispenser. The dimensions of the 
cross section there take this into consideration. After removal of the 
pot-shaped push bottom 13, it can be introduced again from the bottom 
standing edge of the housing pipe 2 after a new full inner bag has been 
previously introduced. 
The operation of this dispenser is as follows: By pushing the button 33 
down, the pins 34 pull the racks 11 upward. The push bottom 13 is carried 
along in this motion via the rack toothing. There is obtained a 
displacement of the mass present in the inner bag 11 in the direction 
towards the dispensing opening, the mass emerging outwards via the 
delivery opening 6, with the upper part of the inner bag being supported 
on the cover side. The stroke is limited so that a maximum portion is 
pressed out, which portion, however, may also be reduced. The displacement 
is effected against the force of the spring element 39/40. After release 
of the actuating handle 9, the ring 39 pushes the racks back into the 
starting position. The new position of the push bottom 13 is secured in 
the manner that it rests against the toothing of the inner surface of the 
housing pipe 2.