PATENT ABSTRACT
A topping dispenser for dispensing serving portions of topping onto beverages and desserts comprises a housing having a front product compartment and a rear drive compartment separated by a partition. The product compartment is adapted to receive a pastry bag containing topping such that the bag is suspended against the partition, and a vertically displaceable roller is provided in the product compartment to roll down along the partition to squeeze contents of the bag out through a bottom dispensing tip of the bag that extends through an opening in the housing to direct product onto a waiting beverage. The roller is advanced downward in predetermined increments by a pawl drive mechanism located in the drive compartment and coupled to the roller by a mounting bracket extending through travel slots in the partition. The pawl drive mechanism is actuated by an operating lever pivotally mounted on the housing.

PATENT DESCRIPTION
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority benefit of U.S. Provisional patent application 60/945,787 filed Jun. 22, 2007, which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates generally to dispensing machines for food products, and more particularly to a dispensing machine for dispensing serving portions of toppings, condiments, and the like from a plastic bag container. The invention is useful for applying whipped topping to hot or cold coffee, desserts, shakes, iced cappuccinos, and frozen drinks. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    A topping dispenser is needed having the following characteristics:
       it accepts commercially available prepackaged bags of topping or other product;   it is adapted for easy and clean loading of full product bags and unloading of emptied product bags;   it is easily operated and may be self-serve for consumers;   it dispenses consistently-sized serving portions;   it fully evacuates the product bag to minimize product waste;   it is compact so as to occupy very little counter space; and   it is mechanically simple and dependable.       
 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0011]    A topping dispenser formed in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention comprises a housing defining a front product compartment and a rear drive compartment separated by a partition, wherein the product compartment is elevated relative to a base of the housing for receiving a cup, glass or mug beneath the product compartment. The partition includes a thin channel portion having a bag slot for receiving an upper end portion of a pastry bag containing product to be dispensed, and a clamping plate slideably received by the channel portion pinches the upper end portion of the bag to hold the bag in place such that the bag hangs downward against the partition. The product compartment has an opening through a bottom wall thereof through which a dispensing tip of the bag may be inserted to direct product into a cup, glass, mug, or plate placed beneath the dispensing tip. A roller is confined in the product compartment for vertically directed rolling motion. The roller is connected to a pawl drive mechanism residing in the drive compartment and connected to the roller by a U-shaped mounting bracket having legs extending through a pair of travel slots in the partition. A spring-loaded operating lever is pivotally mounted at the top or a lower sidewall of the housing and may be manually pivoted through a drive stroke to actuate a drive rod of the pawl drive mechanism to advance the roller in a downward direction. A pawl release member is accessible through the product compartment to enable the roller to be reset at its upper starting location. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]    The nature and mode of operation of the present invention will now be more fully described in the following detailed description of the invention taken with the accompanying drawing figures, in which: 
           [0013]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a topping dispenser formed in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the topping dispenser shown in  FIG. 1 , with a front panel removed to reveal a product compartment of the dispenser; 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of the topping dispenser shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0016]      FIG. 4  is an enlarged perspective view of the product compartment of the topping dispenser shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0017]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a drive compartment of the topping dispenser shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0018]      FIG. 6  is a further perspective view of the drive compartment; 
           [0019]      FIG. 7  is an enlarged perspective view of a pawl assembly of the topping dispenser shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0020]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a topping dispenser formed in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0021]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a drive compartment of the topping dispenser shown in  FIG. 8 ; and 
           [0022]      FIG. 10  is an enlarged perspective view of the product compartment of the topping dispenser shown in  FIG. 8 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0023]    A topping dispenser formed in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is shown in  FIG. 1  and identified generally by reference numeral  10 . Topping dispenser  10  comprises an upstanding housing  12  supported on a base  18 , and an operating lever  30  pivotally mounted on an upper portion of housing  12  by a pair of pivot pin assemblies  31 . Operating lever  30  includes a handle  34  to be gripped by a user. Housing  12  may be formed of a material that withstands moisture and is easily cleaned, such as stainless steel, plastic, ceramic, or the like. 
         [0024]    Reference is also made now to  FIGS. 2-7 . Housing  12  includes a removable front panel  14  covering a front product compartment  20 , a removable rear panel  16  covering a rear drive compartment  64 , and a partition  62  between product compartment  20  and drive compartment  64 . Front panel  14  and rear panel  16  may be snap fitted on housing  12 , mounted by hinges in the manner of a door, or otherwise mounted for easy removal and replacement, it being recognized that front panel  14  will require removal in the regular course of using dispenser  10 , whereas rear panel  16  will require removal only for purposes of servicing or repairing a drive mechanism of the dispenser. As may be seen, product compartment  20  is spaced vertically from base  18  and protrudes over base  18 , whereby a cup-receiving space is provided beneath product compartment  20  for receiving a cup  8  into which topping or other product may be dispensed. Base  18  may be provided with suction cups  19  or feet to prevent it from sliding on a countertop or other support surface. 
         [0025]    Partition  62  includes a channel portion  63  at the rear of product compartment  20 . Channel portion  63  includes a bag slot  22  for receiving an upper end portion of a pastry bag  6  (or another type of plastic bag) containing topping or other product to be dispensed, and a top recess  24  facilitating insertion and removal of a bag clamping plate  26  into and out of a channel defined by channel portion  63 . Clamping plate  26  may include a hole  27  (or multiple holes or slots) making it easier to slide the plate into and out of the channel, and may be advantageously formed from a rigid, low friction material such as PTFE or the like. As may be understood, clamping plate  26  acts to pinch the upper end portion of pastry bag  6  against channel portion  63  to suspend the pastry bag within product compartment  20 . An opening  21  is provided through a bottom wall of product compartment  20  through which a dispensing tip of pastry bag  6  is inserted, and may be captured by snap-fit or other securing means. 
         [0026]    In order to force contents from pastry bag  6 , a cylindrical roller  42  is disposed horizontally within product compartment  20 . Roller  42  is mounted on an axle  43  between a pair of coaxially mounted guide wheels  44  provided one at each opposite end of the roller. A U-shaped mounting bracket  46  is arranged with its legs extending from drive compartment  64  through a pair of travel slots  58  into product compartment  20  for supporting axle  43  and connecting axle  43 , roller  42 , and guide wheels  44  to a drive mechanism described below. The legs of mounting bracket  46  include aligned holes for receiving axle  43 , and the bracket legs are arranged between each end of roller  42  and the respective guide wheel  44 . A pivotable wire bail  28  is hung from top recess  24  of channel portion  63  for holding roller  42  in an upward location above bag slot  22  during removal of an emptied product bag and insertion of a full bag. As may be seen, housing  12  defines a pair of guide tracks  41  on opposite sides of product compartment  20  for receiving guide wheels  44 , whereby roller  42  is confined to travel up and down within product compartment  20  by rotation about axle  43 . 
         [0027]    In accordance with the present invention, roller  42  is advanced downward in controlled fashion by a drive mechanism provided in drive compartment  64  that is responsive to actuation of operating lever  30 . The drive mechanism of the present embodiment is best seen in FIGS.  3  and  5 - 7 , and includes a push bar  32  traversing operating lever  30  and spaced from the pivot axis of operating lever  30  defined by pivot pin assemblies  31 . Push bar  32  is received through a pair of arcuate slots  29  provided through opposite sidewalls of housing  12 . Operating lever  30  is biased by a pair of torsion springs  35  associated with pivot pin assemblies  31  toward a “handle up” pivot position as shown in  FIG. 1 . As may be understood, pivotal motion of operating lever  30  is limited by the ends of arcuate slots  29 . 
         [0028]    A coupler block  36  is mounted at an intermediate location along push bar  32 , which passes through a slightly elongated slot  39  in the coupler block. As a result, coupler block  36  travels in a vertical direction as operating lever  30  and push bar  32  are pivoted about the pivot axis defined by pivot pin assemblies  31 . A drive rod  40  is fixed to depend downwardly from coupler block  36  and passes slidably through aligned holes in upper and lower bearing blocks  38  fixed to partition  62 . Accordingly, as operating lever  30  is pivoted downward from the position shown in  FIG. 1 , drive rod  40  is vertically displaced in a downward direction through a distance that is proportional to the angular (pivotal) displacement of operating lever  30 . 
         [0029]    Mounting bracket  46  carrying roller  42  is connected to drive rod  40  by a pawl assembly that in the present embodiment includes a channel bracket  47  fixed to an interior portion of mounting bracket  46 , a pawl support bracket  52  fixed to channel bracket  47 , and a pawl  50  pivotally mounted to pawl support bracket  52  by a pivot pin  66  and having a hole  53  spaced from pivot pin  66  through which drive rod  40  passes with slight clearance. Pawl  50  is maintained at an angle relative to drive rod  40  that differs slightly from ninety degrees by a coil spring (not visible) acting between pawl support bracket  52  and pawl  50  such that as drive rod  40  is displaced in a downward direction, it carries pawl  50  and brackets  52 ,  47 , and  46  with it to move roller  42  downward. As may be understood, pawl  50  acts in one-way ratcheting manner so that roller  42  is not carried back up when operating lever  30  is pivoted back to the position shown in  FIG. 1 . A pair of guide wheels  48  may be arranged on opposite sides of mounting bracket  46  to run within guide tracks  51  at opposite sides of drive compartment  64  to provide smooth and stable vertical motion. As roller  42  advances downward, it acts in conjunction with an opposing surface of partition  62  to squeeze product downward in bag  6  to force product from the dispensing tip located at the bottom of the bag. 
         [0030]    A pawl release member  60  is provided for temporarily releasing pawl  50  so that roller  42  may be moved manually in an upward direction to reset the roller at an upper location within product compartment  20 . Pawl release member  60  includes a transverse portion rotatably journaled at its opposite ends by channel bracket  47  and having a U-bend extending underneath pawl  50  between drive rod  40  and pivot pin  66 , and a lever portion extending from the transverse portion through a travel slot  58  into product compartment  20 . A terminal end of the lever portion of pawl release member  60  may be urged back toward partition  62  to engage the U-bend against the underside of pawl  50  to adjust the angle of pawl  50  relative to drive rod  40  so that the roller and pawl mechanism may be moved in an upward direction along drive rod  40 . 
         [0031]    Use of dispenser  10  will now be described. Initially, front panel  14  is removed and roller  42  is held at an upper location in product compartment  20  by wire bail  28 . A pastry bag  6  containing topping or the product to be dispensed is installed by inserting a lower dispensing tip of the pastry bag through opening  21 , sliding clamping plate  26  up, placing an upper end portion of bag  6  into bag slot  22 , and sliding clamping plate  26  back down to hold the upper end portion of the bag in place such that the bag rests against channel portion  63  of partition  62 . Bail  28  may then be pivoted up slightly so that it no longer prevents downward advance of roller  42 . Front panel  14  is then replaced on housing  12 , and a cup  8  is positioned underneath opening  21 . To dispense product from bag  6  into cup  8 , handle  34  is grasped and operating lever  30  is manually pivoted down through its stroke to actuate the drive mechanism and move roller  42  over pastry bag  6 , thereby applying pressure to squeeze contents from the pastry bag through the dispensing tip and into cup  8 . When handle  34  is released, torsion springs  35  cause operating lever  30  to return to its original position. 
         [0032]    When the contents of bag  6  have been exhausted, roller  42  may be reset and the bag replaced as follows. Front panel  14  is removed or opened, pawl release member  60  is used to release pawl  50 , and roller  42  is manually repositioned upward into bail  28 . The dispensing tip of bag  6  is pulled up out of opening  21  and clamping plate  26  is slid upward to release the spent bag, which is then removed from product compartment  20 . A new, full bag may then be installed as described above. 
         [0033]    For certain applications, it is desirable to have the operating lever at a lower position relative to the housing for ease of reach and improved stability. Accordingly, reference is now made to  FIGS. 8-10  illustrating a topping dispenser  110  formed in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention. The embodiment of  FIGS. 8-10  is generally similar in construction and operation to that of  FIGS. 1-7 , however topping dispenser  110  has an operating lever  130  pivotally mounted to a housing  112  of the dispenser at a vertical location above a base  118  of the dispenser but below a bottom wall  121  of product compartment  120 , and a modified bag capture arrangement. In addition, housing  112  has a front panel  114  that is mounted on the housing by hinges (not shown) and releasably secured in a closed position by a pair of latches  115  for easy door-like opening. 
         [0034]    As may be understood from  FIGS. 8 and 9 , operating lever  130  is pivotally mounted on a sidewall of housing  112  by a pivot pin assembly  131  and may have a handle or knob  134  at its front end. The drive mechanism of dispenser  110  includes a U-shaped bracket  125  arranged within a drive compartment  164  of housing  112  and coaxially mounted with operating lever  130  by pivot pin assembly  131  for pivotal motion with the operating lever  130  about a pivot axis defined by the pivot pin assembly  131 , and a push bar  132  traversing U-shaped bracket  125  and spaced from the pivot axis of operating lever  130  defined by pivot pin assembly  131 . Push bar  132  is received through an arcuate slot  129  provided through the associated sidewall of housing  112 . Operating lever  130  is biased by a spring  135  associated with pivot pin assembly  131  toward a “handle up” pivot position as shown in  FIG. 8 . As may be understood, pivotal motion of operating lever  130  is limited by the ends of arcuate slot  129 . 
         [0035]    Push bar  132  is connected to a vertically extending drive rod  140  by a linkage having a generally vertical first member  133  pivotally coupled to the push bar and extending upward from the push bar, and a generally horizontal second member  137  pivotally coupled to an upper end of the first member  133  by a pivot pin  145  and pivotally coupled to an upper end of drive rod  140  by a pivot pin  149 . Drive rod  140  depends downwardly from second member  137  and is received and guided for vertically directed sliding motion by a bearing  138  fixed to a partition  162  of housing  112 . Consequently, as operating lever  130  is pivoted downward from the position shown in  FIG. 8 , drive rod  140  is vertically displaced in a downward direction through a distance that is proportional to the angular (pivotal) displacement of operating lever  130 . 
         [0036]    The remainder of the drive mechanism of dispenser  110  is substantially similar to that shown and described with respect to dispenser  10  of the first embodiment. 
         [0037]    Dispenser  110  has a modified arrangement for securing a bag  6  within product compartment  120  as compared to the arrangement of dispenser  10 . As may be seen in  FIG. 10 , partition  162  includes a channel portion  163  at the rear of product compartment  120 . Channel portion  163  includes a bag slot  122  for receiving an upper end portion of a pastry bag  6  (or another type of plastic bag) containing topping or other product to be dispensed. A bag clamping plate  126  is insertable into and removable out of a channel defined by channel portion  163 , and may include a flange  127  along an upper edge of the bag clamping plate. Clamping plate  126  acts to pinch the upper end portion of pastry bag  6  against channel portion  163  and/or against a horizontal land surface (not shown) within channel portion  163  to suspend the pastry bag within product compartment  120 . A locking arm  170  is pivotally mounted to the front of channel portion  163  by a pivot pin assembly  172  and may be received within a slot  171  provided in flange  127 . A bushing  174  is provided on locking arm  170  and may be tightened against a top surface of flange  127  by a knurled nut  176  threadably adjustable along locking arm  170 , whereby the bag clamping plate may be secured in place while it is holding a product bag. When it is time to replace the product bag, the nut  176  may be loosened relative to flange  127  and the locking arm  170  pivoted forward to allow clamping plate  126  to be moved upward sufficiently to release the spent bag; when the clamping plate is moved up, the locking arm may be pivoted back to an upright orientation and the flange  127  may be rested on a top enlarged head  178  of the locking arm while a new product bag is installed. A wire handle member  128  may be coupled to roller  142 , whereby a user may pull the handle member and roller upward and engage the handle member against a catch surface (not shown) to reset the roller. 
         [0038]    While the invention has been described in connection with exemplary embodiments, the detailed description is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to the particular forms set forth. The invention is intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents of the described embodiment as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention.