IMPROVED DISPENSING OF HIGH VISCOSITY MATERIALS

Abstract: Apparatus for dispensing high viscosity material such as fondant comprises a container (12) having an outlet (14) through which material in the container (12) can be dispensed and vibrating means (16) to cause agitation of the material in the container (12) by vibrating a rigid portion (18) of the container (12) adjacent to the outlet (14) whereby the material in the container (12) becomes sufficiently fluid to flow through the outlet.

Description: Improved Dispensing of High Viscosity Materials The present invention relates to improved dispensing of high viscosity materials, and particularly but not exclusively to improved methods and apparatus for dispensing fondant. Fondant is essentially a very highly concentrated sugar solution which is highly viscous and generally considered non-fluid. A ratio of approximately 80% sugar to 20% water, by weight, is the usual composition of fondant, although flavourings, colourants, preservatives and other additives may be added, albeit usually in relatively small amounts. Fondant is notoriously difficult to handle, due to its non-flowing and highly sticky nature. Thus conventionally, bulk and intermediate bulk quantities of fondant are transported in only relatively low volumes (usually 12.5 kg blocks) in cardboard boxes lined with a plastics liner. The fondant is then manually scooped from the box to be dispensed. The cost of such packaging is expensive due primarily to the large number of containers needed to package reasonably large quantities of fondant. Moreover, the manual removal of the fondant is messy, waste l and very labour intensive. It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus for and a method of transporting and dispensing fondant, and other high viscosity materials. Throughout the specification the term "high viscosity material" is used to refer to materials such as fondant which are generally non-flowing at approximately working conditions, e.g. room temperature, and therefore cannot normally be satisfactorily dispensed through flow under the influence of gravity. According to the present invention there is provided apparatus for dispensing high viscosity material, comprising a container having an outlet through which material in the container can be dispensed, and vibrating means operable to cause agitation of at least some of the material in the container to cause the material to become fluid to flow to the outlet whereby to dispense the material. Preferably the material flows downward to the outlet located generally at or near the base of the container. Preferably the vibraring means is operable to vibrate the container, and desirably only a portion of the container which transmits the vibration to the material. Preferably the vibration frequency of the means is chosen to cause the desired rate of material flow, and preferably is such that once vibration is stopped flow of the material stops substantially simultaneously. Preferably the portion of the container vibrated may be adjacent the outlet, and may define the outlet. The portion may be generally rigid whereas the remainder of the container containing the material is preferably generally flexible. Preferably the rigid portion provides support for the flexible part of the container thereon. The portion may be shaped to guide flowing material to the outlet. The portion may have a generally conical configuration converging in a generally downward direction in use towards the outlet. The container may also comprise a flexible liner therein, which is supported by the rigid portion and extends within generally the whole container. Preferably the liner opens at the outlet for dispensing of the material therefrom. The liner may be disposable and protects the flexible and rigid portions from contamination by material contained therein to provide for ready re-use of the said portions. The inside of the container may be coated or otherwise comprise means to mitigate any problems of the material sticking to the inside of the container, and thereby assisting flow and dispensing. Preferably the liner is coated or otherwise comprises a suitable non-stick substance when such a liner is used. The container is preferably mounted in a supporting frame, which frame may contain and support of the flexible portion of the container. Preferably the rigid portion is mounted in the frame and desirably in such manner that vibration of the container is substantially not transferred to the frame. The portion may be mounted in the frame on suppression mounting, such as rubber and/or spring mountings. Preferably the vibrating means comprises an electric motor, preferably attached to the said rigid portion to be operable to effect vibration thereof. Pre erably the means is arranged to vibrate at a frequency of between 1 to 3,000Hz, and desirably is operable through cyclic vibration such as that produced by a rotating cam acting on the container. The container may be mountable on a base when at a site for dispensing of the material to elevate the outlet and thereby facilitate collection of dispensed material beneath the container. In a modification it is preferable that the electric motor is mounted on the base and swingable into contact with the rigid portion of the container to effect vibration thereof. Closure means may be provided across the outlet to provide for selective opening and closing of the outlet. The invention also provides dispensing means for high viscosity materials for attachment to a container, which container comprises an outlet for said material, the dispensing means comprising vibrating means operable to agitate the material in the container to fluidise said material and cause the material to flow toward and out of the outlet of the container. The dispensing means may comprise vibrating means as described in any of the preceding eight paragraphs. The dispensing means may also comprise a rigid portion generally as described in any of the preceding six paragraphs. According to a still further aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of dispensing high viscosity material comprising vibrating at least a part of a container in which the material is contained to cause the material to become fluid and flow toward an outlet of the container to be dispensed. An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawing which is a diagrammatic representation of apparatus for transporting and dispensing high viscosity materials according to the present invention. There is provided apparatus 10 for dispensing high viscosity material such as fondant, the apparatus 10 comprising a container 12 which has an outlet 14 through which material in the container 12 can be dispensed, and vibrating means 16 operable to cause agitation of at least some of the material in the container 12 to thereby cause the material to become fluid and to flow to the outlet 14 whereby to dispense the material. In more detail, the container 12 comprises a rigid support portion 18 on which rests a flexible portion 20 of the container, which flexible portion 20 may or may not be attached to the rigid portion 18. The support portion 18 is generally conical to provide guidance of material to be dispensed down towards the outlet 14 located generally centrally in the rigid support portion 18. A generally rectangular box section 22 is provided around the outside of the support portion 18 and is firmly attached thereto. The box section 22 in turn is mounted on generally horizontal cross members 24 of a container support frame 26 via suppression mountings 28 such as rubber mountings. The vibrating means 16 comprises an electric motor 17 which is attached to the box section 22 on the rigid support portion 18 to provide for selective vibration of the rigid base portion 18 as will be described. The motor 17 is connected to an appropriate power source (not shown), with suitable means (not shown) to provide for manual and/or automatic switchable actuation of the motor 17. The support frame 26 further comprises four generally upright support posts 30, of which two are shown and which are configured to comprise respec¬ tive corners of the generally square section support frame 26. The four cross members 24 extend between respective pairs of support posts 30 at a position toward the lower end of the posts 30. Approximately midway up the posts 30, further cross members 3 extend between respective pairs of support posts 30. These further cross members 32 help to protect and confine the flexible portion 20 of the container 12, as well as stabilising the support frame 26. Upper cross members 34 extend between respective pairs of support posts 30 generally toward the top of the posts 30, and provide for releasable attachment of the flexible portion 20 to the support frame 26 as will be described. The cross members 24,32,34 and posts 30 preferably comprise metal box sections. The flexible portion 20 generally comprises a square section sleeve of plastics material. The upper edge 36 of the flexible portion 20 is lipped over the four upper cross members 34 and is lashed thereto by cord 40 in generally conventional manner. The flexible portion 20 extends down within the support frame 26 to generally rest at its lower end on the rigid support portion 18. A flexible disposable inner liner 42 may also be provided within the flexible portion 18 to generally line the container to prevent contamination of the said portions 18,20 by the material contained therein. The liner 42 is of a non-stick material, or is coated with such a material to assist flow and dispensing of viscous material in and from the container 10, and to reduce the amount of residue remaining in the container following dispensing. Alternatively, if a liner is not used, the respective portions 18,20 comprise such a non-stick inner surface. Closure means 44 comprising a sliding or pivotal closure member may be provided for selective closure of the outlet 14. Spaced channel sections 46 are provided on the underside of the cross members 24, to provide for location of forklift truck tines for lifting of the apparatus 10, especially when loaded with material. A base or stillage 50 shown in dotted lines may also comprise part of the apparatus 10, on which the support frame 26 may be mounted at the site for dispensing of the material, to assist collection of the material beneath the outlet 14. It is envisaged that such a stillage 50 will remain at the site of dispensing and will not normally travel with the rest of the container 12. In a modification (shown in phantom lines in the drawing) the stillage may have the motor 17 mounted thereon in such a manner that it can be swung into contact with and connected to a container mounted on the stillage, thereafter to operate as described above until the container is emptied at which stage the motor is disconnected, swung out of contact and the container is removed. In this way a single motor serves a plurality of containers. In use, the container 12 is filled with highly viscous material, such as fondant. The rigid support portion 18 helps to support the flexible portion 20, along with the cross members 32 and the frame 26 in general, such that bulk quantities such as 1 tonne of fondant can be contained in the apparatus 10, and stably transported therein. The top of the container 12 can then be closed by a suitable closure means, such as a flexible sheet of plastics material, ready for transportation. Upon arrival at a site at which the material is required to be dispensed, the frame 26 may be mounted on a stillage 50 as shown in the drawing, to raise the outlet 14 from the ground and thereby facilitate collection of material dispensed from the outlet. To dispense material, the closure means 44 is removed from over the outlet 14. The viscosity of the fondant retains the fondant within the container, with no or at least no significant flow of fondant through the outlet. The vibration means 16, which comprises an electric motor, is activated, to vibrate the rigid portion 18 at a predetermined frequency. For fondant of a composition generally 80:20 by weight sugar to water a frequency range of 1 to 3,000 Hz is suitable. The motor is operable to drive rotation of a cam not shown against the rigid portion to thereby produce so called cyclic vibration of the portion. This vibration causes agitation of fondant within the container, and particularly fondant within the support portion 18, and thereby causes the fondant to become fluid and to flow out of the outlet 14 to be dispensed. The suppression mountings 28 help prevent transmission of the vibration of the support portion 18 to the frame 26. Fondant continues to flow out of the outlet for collection by suitable collection means, until the vibration means 16 is deactivated. It is found that if the correct vibration frequency is used, then immediately upon deactivation of the motor the flow of fondant stops to form a column of fondant depending from the outlet 14. This can then be removed if necessary manually or by any other suitable means. It is to be appreciated that transportation of fondant in such large bulk volumes as hitherto been impractical, and transportation in accordance with the invention significantly reduces the cost of packaging of the material. Further, dispensing fondant in accordance with the invention can be conducted by a single operative, without any significant manual labour being involved. Thus, the apparatus provides for efficient, clean and less labour intensive dispensing of fondant, and other such highly viscous materials. Various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. For example, the liner 42 may not be used and the inside of the flexible portion 20 (whichever is in contact with the material) may be of suitable material or coated with suitable material to obviate or mitigate sticking of the fondant thereto, and thereby further assisting dispensing. The vibrating means may be any suitable means, and it is to be clearly appreciated that the frequency and intensity of vibration may be varied in accordance with the present invention depending upon the nature of the material to be dispensed. Other modes of vibration such as piston vibration may be employed, although cyclic is considered preferable.

Claims: Claims: 1. Apparatus for dispensing high viscosity material comprising a container (12) having an outlet (14) through which the material in the container can be dispensed characterised in that the apparatus includes vibrating means (16) operable to cause agitation of at least some of the material in the container to cause the material to become fluid to flow to the outlet (14) whereby to dispense the material. 2. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 characterised in that the vibrating means (16) is operable to vibrate a portion (18) of the container (12) which transmits the vibration to the material. 3. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 characterised in that the vibration frequency of the means (16) is chosen to cause the desired rate of material flow and is such that once vibration has stopped flow of materials stop substantially simultaneously. 4. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 2 or Claim 3 characterised in that the portion (18) of the container (12) vibrated is adjacent to outlet (14) and defines said outlet (14). 5. Apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 2 to 4 characterised in that the portion (18) of container (20) is generally rigid, the remainder (20) of the container (12) containing the material is generally flexible. 6. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 5 in which the rigid portion (18) provides support for the flexible part (20) of the container (12) thereon. 7. Apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 2 to 6 characterised in that the portion (18) is shaped to guide the flowing material to the outlet (14). 8. Apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 2 to 7 characterised in that the portion (18) has a generally conical configuration converging in an in-use downward direction towards the outlet (14). 9. Apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 5 to 8 characterised in that the container comprises also a flexible liner (42) which is supported by the rigid portion (18) and extends generally within the whole container (12). 10. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 9 characterised in that the liner (42) opens at the outlet (14) for dispensing of material therefrom. 11. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 9 and 10 characterised in that the liner (42) is disposable and protects the flexible portion (20) and rigid portion (18) of the container from contamination by material contained therein to provide for ready re-use of the said portions. 12. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims characterised in that the inside of the container (12) is coated or comprises means to mitigate materials sticking to the inside of the container. 13. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims in which the container (12) is mounted in a supporting frame (26). 14. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 13 characterised in that the frame (26) contains and supports the flexible portion (20) of the container (12). 15. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 13 or Claim 14 characterised in that the rigid portion (18) is mounted on the frame (26) in such a manner that vibration of the container (12) is substantially not transferred to the frame (26). 16. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 15 characterised in that the rigid portion (18) is mounted on the frame (26) by vibration suppression mounting means (28). 17. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims characterised in that the vibrating means (16) comprises an electric motor and is attached to said rigid portion (18) to effect vibrations thereof. 18. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims characterised in that the container (12) is mountable on a base (50). 19. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 20 when not dependent on Claim 17 chracterised in that the motor is mounted on a linkage pivotally attached to the base and is swingable into contact with said rigid portion (18) to effect vibration thereof and out of contact with said rigid portion to permit removal thereof from the base. 20. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 17 or Claim 19 characterised in that the means is arranged to vibrate at a frequency of between 1 to 3,000 Hz. 21. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 17 or Claim 19 or Claim 20 characterised in that the vibrating means is operable through cyclic vibration reduced by a rotating eccentrically mounted masts. 22. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims characterised in that closure means (44) are provided across the outlet to provide for selective opening and closing of the outlet (14). 23. Dispensing means for high viscosity material for attachment to a container which includes an outlet for said material characterised in that the dispensing means comprises vibrating means (16) operable to agitate the material in the container to fluidise said material and cause the material to flow towards an outer outlet (14) of the container. 24. A method of dispensing high viscosity material characterised in that it comprises vibrating at least part of the container in which the material is contained to cause the material to become fluid and flow towards an outlet of the container to be dispensed.

Inventors: BRIMSON MICHAEL RONALD, BRIMSON, MICHAEL, RONALD
Applicants: BRIMSON MICHAEL RONALD, CENTA PAK LIMITED, BRIMSON, MICHAEL, RONALD, CENTA-PAK LIMITED
Application year: 1997
Main classification: B67D5
IPC codes: B67D3, B67D5