Abstract:
A viscous fluid dispensing system and method of dispensing which includes a container mounted on a vibrating support. The container is normally the container from a blender in which a smoothie has been prepared. A motor drives an unbalanced weight which vibrates the container support. This fluidizes the viscous fluid in the container. The container, and the container support are pivoted. The vibration generating means continues to operate while the container is pivoted in order to provide for the uniform dispensing of the viscous fluid from the container.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The preparation of various drinks from fresh fruits or vegetables normally result in a thick and highly viscous fluid which is difficult to dispense or pour from a container into a glass. A similar result occurs when a drink is prepared using frozen ingredients. Prior art devices have been developed to prepare these drinks but nothing is available to assist in pouring the drink from the preparation container in to a glass or beverage container.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     Mechanical drink mixers have been in use for a long time. The majority of them are devices which will mix or shake a container into which the ingredients for a drink have been placed. The container is then removed from the device and the drink is poured into a glass. This has not been a problem when the ingredients are liquids. However, recently smoothies and other frozen drinks have gained in popularity. The smoothies are made from ice, frozen yogurt, and/or sorbet and can also include fruit, berries, fruit juice, vitamins, etc. After these ingredients are combined in a blender the resulting product is a thick, viscous fluid. As a result, a smoothie is difficult to pour from the blender into a glass. It tends to flow in a large mass rather than in a thin stream. The open top of a blender is substantially larger than the open top of a glass or cup. Thus it is a common problem for the contents of the blender to be dispensed outside of the glass creating a mess to clean up and wasting the contents of the drink.  
       DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART  
       [0003]     U.S. Pat. No. 2,146,860 discloses one of the early beverage shakers. The beverage container  6 , 7  is held by a pair of clamping jaws  4  &amp;  5 . A rotary electric motor  8  is connected to crank  10  through a reduction gear. The crank is connected to slides  23  &amp;  23  which in turn impart a vertical vibration to the beverage container. A timer determines how long the device will operate. After the beverage is finished mixing the beverage container is removed from clamping jaws  4  &amp;  5  and the beverage is poured from the container. This shaker can only be employed with beverages made from low viscous fluids such as water or the like. In addition, there is no provision to fluidize a highly viscous fluid.  
         [0004]     U.S. Pat. No. 2,597,536 discloses another type of beverage mixer of shaker. Container  21  is held in yoke  19  by pin  24 ′. An electric motor operates a toothed arm  15  through a series of belts and pulleys. The toothed arm oscillates back and forth about shaft  13 . This arm in turn oscillates shaft  16  back and forth which in turn oscillates master lever  18  and yoke  19 . As a result the beverage in container is mixed. The device must be stopped and the container removed from yoke  19  before the beverage can be poured from the container. The device also fails to provide a means to fluidize a highly viscous fluid and therefore can only be used with low viscous fluids such as water or the like.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     This device is adapted to receive the blending container of a blender in which a smoothie or similar drink has been prepared. The container is placed in a V-shaped support to which vibrations are imparted. These vibrations tend to fluidize the highly viscous drink in the container. In addition, the support is pivoted so as to permit the contents of the container to be easily poured out or dispensed. The vibration producing means is arranged to vibrate one end of the container more than the other end. As a result, the contents of the container are dispensed from the end which is subjected to the lesser amount of vibrations and therefore are readily dispensed and directed into a glass without any spillage.  
         [0006]     Accordingly, it is a primary objective of the instant invention to provide a device which will enable a smoothie or similar drink to be easily and evenly dispensed from the container in which it was prepared.  
         [0007]     It is a further objective of the instant invention to provide a device which will fluidize a highly viscous mixture to allow it to be dispensed from a container in such a manner that the person dispensing the mixture can easily vary the amount according to the size of the container into which it is being dispensed.  
         [0008]     It is yet another objective of the instant invention to provide a device which is easy to operate.  
         [0009]     Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with any accompanying drawings wherein are set forth, by way of illustration and example, certain embodiments of this invention. Any drawings contained herein constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments of the present invention and illustrate various objects and features thereof.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES  
       [0010]      FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of the device constructed in accordance with the teachings of this invention.  
         [0011]      FIG. 2  is a side elevational view of the device.  
         [0012]      FIG. 3  is a front elevational view of the device.  
         [0013]      FIG. 4  is a top view of the device.  
         [0014]      FIG. 5  is a side sectional view of the device taken along line  5 - 5  in  FIG. 4 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0015]      FIGS. 1-5  show a mixing and dispensing device  10 . In a preferred albeit non-limiting embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 1 , the dispensing device  10  generally comprises a U-shaped support  12  attached to a support plate  14 . The support plate is resiliently mounted onto a base  16 . Base  16  has feet  17  mounted to the bottom thereof. Preferably the feet are resilient suction cups so as to enable the device to remain securely attached to the surface on which it is placed. These feet will also prevent the device from “walking” during operation. Other types of feet  17  may also be employed such as solid rubber feet and rubber feet attached to springs which in turn are attached to the base. Rubber bushings  18  mount the support plate  14  onto the base  16 . Other resilient materials could be used in place of rubber for the supports  18 . Pivotally attached to the supports  12  is a housing which contains the vibration generation means and the open top fluid container retention means  36 .  
         [0016]     The preferred means to generate the vibrations comprise an electric motor  20 ,  FIG. 5 , which is mounted to a front end wall  22 . The other end of motor  20  contains the output shaft  26 . The output shaft passes through an intermediate wall  30  and a rear end wall  28 . The output shaft is supported by a set of bearings  32  mounted on rear end wall  28  and intermediate wall  30 . Intermediate the bearings  32  a weight  34  is eccentrically mounted on the output shaft  26 . The rotation of this weight by the electric motor produces the vibrations. The intermediate wall  30  and rear end wall  28  are connected to a bottom wall  31  at their lower ends. Other means to generate vibrations include, but are not limited to, electric solenoids, tappers, etc.  
         [0017]     A V-shaped container support or retention means  36  is mounted on top of end walls  22 ,  28  and intermediate wall  30 . Side support walls  38  and  40  are securely attached to container retention means  36 , end walls  22 ,  28  and intermediate wall  30  by means of welds or similar attachment means. Supports  42  are located on container retention means  36  to provide resilient support for a beverage container  50  placed on container retention means  36 . Supports are made from a resilient material which will also frictionally engage and hold a beverage container on support  36 . A preferred resilient material is rubber, however other materials with similar properties could also be employed. A container for a beverage  50  rests on supports  42 . Alternatively, straps  62  can be employed to releasably retain the container, as shown in  FIG. 2 . They are attached to the container retention means  36  and encompass the container  50 . Additional alternative retention means include, but are not limited to, belts, bands, and a housing which encompasses the container. These are attached to the container retention means  36  and encompass the container. Another type of retention means comprise tabs located on the container  50  which cooperate with clips positioned on the retention means  36 .  
         [0018]     The means to pivotally attach the housing to the supports  12  comprise threaded fasteners  52 ,  FIG. 3 . Although other types of fasteners could be employed. One end of the fastener is pivotally mounted onto support  12 . Friction reducing washers  54  are placed on fastener  52  on both sides of support  12 . A rubber bushing  56  is located between one of the side support walls  38 ,  40  and a friction reducing washer  54 . A nut (not shown) is employed to tightly secure the fastener  52  to the side support. When assembled the side support, fastener, rubber bushing and washers together pivot as a unit with respect to the supports  12 . Stops  58  are attached to the bottom wall  31  and abut against stop member  60  mounted on support plate  14 . This limits the pivotal movement of the device in one direction.  
         [0019]     In the preferred embodiment illustrated, the motor  20  is activated and in turn spins output shaft  26 . Unbalanced weight  34 , mounted on shaft, rotates about the shaft and imparts a vibration to the motor and everything rigidly connected thereto. This includes end walls  22 ,  28 , intermediate wall  40 , side support walls  38 ,  40 , V-shaped container support  36  and beverage container  50 . As a result of the electric motor being mounted toward one end of the container support, this end vibrates substantially less than the opposite end. When the beverage container  50  is placed in the container support the open end of the container, from which the beverage is to be dispensed, should be placed at the end of the container support above the electric motor. The motor and unbalanced weight continue to rotate while the beverage container is pivoted for dispensing the beverage. In this manner the beverage can be dispensed from the container in a uniform flow, without being thrown around, as a result of the device vibrating less at this end. The opposite end of the beverage container will be subjected to a substantially greater vibration which is sufficient to keep the beverage in a fluidized state to allow for it to be easily dispensed from the container. During normal operation of the device the longitudinal axis of the container support  36  is inclined with respect to a horizontal plane passing through fasteners  52 . This inclination helps maintain the beverage in the container until the user pivots the container support  36  about the axis of fasteners  52 . This pivoting tilts the open end of the beverage container downwardly so that the contents may be poured out into a glass.  
         [0020]     All patents and publications mentioned in this specification are indicative of the levels of those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains. All patents and publications are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference.  
         [0021]     It is to be understood that while a certain form of the invention is illustrated, it is not to be limited to the specific form or arrangement herein described and shown. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention and the invention is not to be considered limited to what is shown and described in the specification and any drawings/figures included herein.  
         [0022]     One skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the present invention is well adapted to carry out the objectives and obtain the ends and advantages mentioned, as well as those inherent therein. The embodiments, methods, procedures and techniques described herein are presently representative of the preferred embodiments, are intended to be exemplary and are not intended as limitations on the scope. Changes therein and other uses will occur to those skilled in the art which are encompassed within the spirit of the invention and are defined by the scope of the appended claims. Although the invention has been described in connection with specific preferred embodiments, it should be understood that the invention as claimed should not be unduly limited to such specific embodiments. Indeed, various modifications of the described modes for carrying out the invention which are obvious to those skilled in the art are intended to be within the scope of the following claims.