Abstract:
A dispenser for granular material having a container for storing the material. The container is connected to a dispensing assembly having a chamber in removable communication with the container. The volume of the chamber is controlled by an insert that is installed in one of several positions and orientations within the chamber to determine the amount of material to be dispensed from the container.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
   This application relates to and claims the benefit of provisional application No. 60/403,735, filed on Aug. 14, 2002. 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates generally to flowable dry material dispensers, and in particular relates to a dispenser for dispensing a selectively variable volume of granular material. 
   Dispensing assemblies that are connected to containers for delivering a solid product are well known. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 559,386 and 2,561,696 each discloses a dispensing chamber that is initially positioned under an opening from a container such that material from the container fills the chamber. The chamber is then moved over a discharge opening to dispense the material. 
   Other dispensing apparatuses have been proposed, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,109,835, whereby a dispensing chamber is fixedly positioned with a filling aperture in a top sliding plate and a discharge aperture in a bottom sliding plate. The plates move together from a first position, whereby the chamber is filled, to a second position, whereby the chamber is emptied. Another such dispenser is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,855,300. 
   While these and other types of dispensers are suitable for delivering a predetermined amount of granular material to a food product, they do not allow the user to selectively vary the chamber volume to control the amount of dispensed material. Accordingly, there is a need for a dispenser including a chamber having an internal volume that can be varied by the user to deliver only the desired amount of material to the food product. 
   BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a dispenser is provided having a container that is capable of housing a volume of material. The container is partially defined by a container wall having an aperture extending therethrough. The dispenser further includes a dispensing assembly having a housing and a sliding member disposed in the housing. The sliding member defines an internal chamber having an open top in removable communication with the aperture, and an open bottom. An insert is configured to be installed within the chamber in one of a plurality of predetermined configurations to define a metered volume within the chamber that is adjustable depending on the configuration of the insert. The sliding member is movable between a first position whereby material is delivered from the container to the chamber and a second position whereby the previously delivered volume of material is dispensed from the chamber. 
   These and other aspects of the invention are not intended to define the scope of the invention for which purpose claims are provided. In the following description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and in which there is shown by way of illustration, and not limitation, preferred embodiments of the invention. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Reference is hereby made to the following figures in which like reference numerals correspond to like elements throughout, and in which: 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a granular material dispenser constructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is an exploded assembly view of the dispenser illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 3  is a sectional side elevation view of the dispenser illustrated in  FIG. 1  in a deactivated “fill” state; 
       FIG. 4  is a sectional side elevation view of the dispenser illustrated in  FIG. 1  in an actuated “dispense” state; 
       FIG. 5  is a sectional view taken along line  5 — 5  of  FIG. 3  showing a variable-size chamber in a maximum size configuration; 
       FIG. 6  is a sectional view similar to  FIG. 5  in which the chamber is shown in the next size smaller configuration; 
       FIG. 7  is a sectional view similar to  FIG. 5  in which the chamber is shown in the next size smaller configuration; and 
       FIG. 8  is a sectional view similar to  FIG. 5  in which the chamber is shown in the smallest configuration. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   The preferred embodiments and best mode of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference being made to the drawings. Referring to  FIGS. 1-3 , a dispenser  20  includes a container  22  having a wall  23  axially extending along an axis of extension A—A that defines a void  24  suitable for housing a volume of flowable dry granular material such as salt, sugar, spices, or other condiments. Dispenser  20  is made of an impact resistant thermoplastic or any other material suitable for use in combination with the present invention, as will be appreciated from the description below. Container  22  can be either cylindrical or, more preferably, slightly sloped with respect to the axial direction to define a frusto-conical member having a larger upper end  26  for filling the container  22  with a desired material. As shown in  FIG. 3 , a base plate  40  extends radially across the lower small end  42  of the container  22  and defines the bottom wall of the container. The container  22  can comprise any suitable size and shape, and has a volume of approximately 225 ml in accordance with the preferred embodiment. 
   The container  22  includes a flange  28  extending radially outwardly from and circumscribing the upper end  26  that engages the outer rim  30  of a lid  32 . In particular, lid  32  is attached to and removed from the container  22  by threads  34  disposed on its inner surface that mate with a threaded outer surface  36  of the container  22 . Void  24  is thus defined by the volume within the container  22  between base plate  40  and lid  32 . Container  22  is preferably transparent or translucent to enable a user to visually gauge the type and amount of material remaining therein. 
   A housing  38  is connected, and preferably integrally connected, to the lower end  42  of container  22 . Housing  38  is also a frusto-conical member having its small end integrally connected to the small end of container  22 . The housing  38  is open so as to define an internal void  43  that enables a dispensing assembly  44  to be installed into, and removed from, the housing  38 . As will be described in more detail below, dispensing assembly  44  is adjustable to selectively control the amount of granular material that is to be dispensed during operation. 
   Dispenser  20  further includes a saucer-shaped diffuser member  48  having a base  54 , an upwardly extending cylindrical sidewall  56  extending from the base  54 , and an open upper end  52 . Diffuser  48  is removably attached to the container by threads  53  disposed on the radially inner surface of sidewall  56  that mate with a corresponding threaded outer surface  58  disposed at the lower end of housing  38 . Housing  38  defines a flange  50  that extends radially outwardly from and circumscribes its lower end that engages the upper end  52  of diffuser  48  when the diffuser  48  is attached to the housing  38 . The bottom of housing  38  terminates at a rim  59 . 
   Diffuser  48  defines a perforated rim  60  having a plurality of apertures  62  extending therethrough at the interface between sidewall  56  and the radially outer edge of base  54 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , the base  54  of diffuser  48  includes a dome  63  to direct the granular material radially outwardly towards the perforated outer rim  60  and thereby ensure that the material received from the dispensing assembly  44  is delivered in a dispersed manner. An axially extending annular outer rim  64  extends downwardly from base  54  to enable the dispenser  20  to rest on a flat surface such as a countertop or a table in the upright position. 
   An aperture  66  extends through the wall  23  of housing  38  and enables a sliding block  68  of the dispensing assembly  44  to pass through the housing  38 . The outer wall  46  of sliding block  68  provides an actuator that can be depressed inwardly by the user against a spring force to cause block  68  to translate from a normal, deactivated “fill” position as illustrated in  FIG. 3  to a “dispense” position as illustrated in  FIG. 4 , which is described in detail below. Once the user releases the outer wall  46 , the block  68  reverts under spring force to the fill position. The outer wall  46  is textured and contoured so as to be comfortably engaged by, for example, the hand of a user. The dispenser  20  is thus designed to be operated using a single hand by gripping the outer surface of container  22 , housing  38 , and/or diffuser  48  as desired, and operating the block  68  using the thumb, another finger, or the palm of the hand. 
   The dispensing assembly  44  will now be described in more detail with reference to  FIGS. 2 and 3 . In particular, sliding block  68  has a generally rectangular cross section and is defined by inner end wall  70 , sidewalls  72  and  74 , outer wall  46 , and upper wall  76 . Sliding block  68  has an open bottom. Outer wall  46  is the actuator described above. Outer wall  46  is accessible outwardly from aperture  66  when the dispenser  20  is in the normal “fill” configuration. A middle wall  78  is disposed between inner and outer walls  70  and  46 , respectively. Chamber  80  is defined by inner end wall  70 , sidewalls  72  and  74 , and middle wall  78  within sliding block  68 . A rectangular aperture  82  extends through upper wall  76  and is aligned with a corresponding rectangular aperture  83  that extends through the base plate  40  of container  22 . Chamber  80  has a metered volume that can be filled by granular material disposed in container  22  during the fill phase as will be described in more detail below. However, as will now be described, the metered volume of chamber  80  is adjustable to vary the amount of material that may be accepted from the container  22  and subsequently dispensed during operation of the dispenser  20 . 
   Referring now also to FIGS.  2  and  5 - 8 , an adjustable insert  84  may be inserted into chamber  80  at one of several predetermined locations. Insert  84  is a generally rectangular block defined by sidewalls  86  and  88 , and end walls  90  and  92 . A pair of elongated rails  94  protrudes outwardly from end walls  90  and  92  and extends vertically with respect to the dispenser  20  when in an upright position. Rails  94  are offset to one side of the insert  84  from the lateral center plane of the insert  84  and are sized to be selectively inserted into one of two sets of corresponding vertically extending grooves  96  and  98  that are formed in the sidewalls  72  and  74  of the sliding block  68 . In particular, rails  94  extend only partially along end walls  90  and  92 , and have an insertion end  100  ( FIG. 2 ) sized to slide into corresponding grooves  96  and  98 . Rails  94  further include a distal end  102  ( FIG. 2 ) having a greater thickness than insertion end  100 . Insert  84  is thus keyed to prevent its installation into sliding block  68  in an upside-down orientation. 
   Grooves  96  and  98  are disposed at predetermined locations to enable one to administer a predetermined amount of material by varying the volume of chamber  80  based on the position of insert  84  within the sliding block  68 . In particular, grooves  96  are displaced outwardly with respect to the grooves  98 . Rails  94  are positioned off-center with respect to walls  90  and  92  so as to enable the volume of chamber  80  to be adjustable based not only the position of insert  84 , but also on the orientation of insert  84 , to provide greater flexibility as will now be described. 
   Referring to  FIG. 5 , insert  84  can be positioned such that wall  86  faces axially outwardly. Rails  94  are positioned closer to wall  88  such that, when the rails  94  are installed in grooves  96  in this orientation, wall  86  is disposed immediately adjacent middle wall  78  to maximize the metered volume of chamber  80  between wall  88  and wall  70 . When the insert  84  is installed in this first orientation and position, chamber  80  has a metered volume of approximately 5 ml that will be filled with the granular material from container  22  during the “fill” phase and subsequently dispensed during the “dispense” phase. It is envisioned in accordance with the preferred embodiment that this will produce approximately 6 grams of salt. It should be appreciated that referring to the weight of salt dispensed throughout this disclosure assumes a sifted salt with a bulk density of 1185-1250 g/l, and is generally plus or minus 0.4 grams. The weight of other dispensed granular materials will differ, as the present invention contemplates, to control the dispersal of other granular materials such as spices and the like. 
   Referring to  FIG. 6 , the insert  84  can be installed in an orientation opposite that illustrated in  FIG. 5  such that wall  88  faces outwardly. Because rails  94  are positioned closer to wall  88 , when the rails  94  are installed in outer grooves  96 , a gap is formed between wall  78  and insert  84  that correspondingly reduces the metered volume of chamber  80 . When the insert  84  is installed in this second orientation and position, chamber  80  has a metered volume of approximately 4.2 ml. It is envisioned in accordance with the preferred embodiment that this will produce approximately 5 grams of salt. 
   Referring to  FIG. 7 , insert  84  can be installed in the orientation illustrated in  FIG. 5  (i.e., wall  86  facing outwardly), but such that the rails  94  are disposed in inner grooves  98 . When insert  84  is installed in this third orientation and position, the gap between walls  78  and  86  is larger than that achieved in the second orientation and position, to reduce the size of chamber  80  to approximately 3.3 ml. It is envisioned in accordance with the preferred embodiment that this will produce approximately 4 grams of salt. 
   Referring to  FIG. 8 , insert  84  can be installed such that wall  88  faces axially outwardly and rails  94  are disposed in inner grooves  98 . When insert  84  is installed in this fourth orientation and position, the gap between wall  78  and insert  84  is larger than that achieved in the third orientation and position, which reduces the volume of chamber  80  to approximately 2.5 ml. It is envisioned in accordance with the preferred embodiment that this will produce approximately 3 grams of salt. 
   As described above, when insert  84  is installed into sliding block  68 , the metered volume of chamber  80  is defined by inner wall  70 , sidewalls  72  and  74 , and the insert  84 . Insert  84  thus provides an adjustable wall that may be selectively positioned and orientated by the user as desired to, in turn, adjust the metered volume of chamber  80  and corresponding amount of granular material that is received from container  22  and subsequently dispensed in a given “dispense” phase. The size of chamber  80  can be further varied, for example, by adjusting the thickness of insert  84 , the position of rails  94 , position of walls  70 ,  72 , and  74 , and the position of grooves  96  and  98 . All such variations are contemplated by the present invention and, accordingly, the invention is not to be limited to the volumes described above with reference to  FIGS. 5-8 . While granular material would flow into chamber  80  when insert  84  is not installed, dispenser  20  is intended to be operated only when the insert  84  is installed to prevent the material from being dispensed unchecked when the dispensing assembly  20  is in the “fill” configuration. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , one end of a coil spring  104  is connected to the outer surface of the inner wall  70  of sliding block  68 . The other end of spring  104  is partially supported by an inverted “U” shaped protrusion  106  that extends slightly radially inwardly from the inner surface of housing  38  at a location radially opposite to aperture  66 . Protrusion  106  has a radius of curvature matching that of the end of coil spring  104 . When sliding block  68  is installed into the housing  38 , spring  104  becomes compressed and biases the block  68  laterally outwardly, perpendicular to the axis of extension A—A of container  22 . 
   As shown in  FIGS. 3 and 5 , a plurality of guide rail segments  108  is disposed on the lower surface of base plate  40  and extends downwardly therefrom. Segments  108  are arranged in two columns that are spaced apart at a sufficient distance such that sliding block  68  fits slideably, without excessive play, therebetween. Segments  108  ensure that the block  68  is guided for proper movement during operation. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 2-4 , a pressure plate  110  provides support to the integrity of the dispensing assembly  44 , and retains the sliding block  68 . Pressure plate  110  includes a cylindrical outer wall  112  that has an outer diameter slightly less than the inner diameter of rim  59  such that plate  110  may be installed therein. A rib  114  structure extends across pressure plate  110  and supports a plate  116  that is centrally positioned with respect to rib  114 . Rib structure  114  is positioned such that plate  116  is aligned with chamber  80  when the pressure plate  110  is installed in housing  38 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , when the dispensing assembly  44  is in the “fill” state, plate  116  provides a base for the chamber  80  to prevent spillage and further supports the insert  84 . If the insert  84  were to be removed, a gap would exist between the plate  116  and middle wall  78  of sliding block  68  to enable material to be dispensed during the “fill” phase. It should be appreciated that an alternative embodiment of the invention contemplates that plate  116  be designed to extend entirely between walls  70  and  78  to prevent any spillage of granular material during the “fill” phase regardless of whether insert  84  is installed. Referring again to  FIG. 3 , a gripping tab  118  extends downwardly from plate  116  and is thus accessible to the user to provide for the installation and removal of pressure plate  110 , as will be described in more detail below. 
   Still referring to  FIGS. 2-4 , a locking tab  120  extends upwardly from outer wall  112  of the pressure plate  110 . A corresponding stop  122  is supported by middle wall  78  and extends laterally outwardly therefrom. Tab  120  engages the outer surface of stop  122  to prevent spring  104  from biasing the sliding block  68  too far axially outwardly. More specifically, tab  120  and stop  122  are located to ensure that apertures  82  and  83  are aligned when the tab and stop are engaged under the force of spring  104  during the “fill” state. Advantageously, pressure plate  110  is keyed to ensure that it is installed within housing  38  in the proper position and orientation. As shown in  FIG. 2 , a notch  124  is formed in the outer surface of outer wall  112  that receives a key  126  in the form of a protrusion that extends radially inwardly from the bottom rim  59  of housing  38  and is sized to fit within notch  124 . Notch  124  is only open at the upper end of the pressure plate  110  to prevent the pressure plate from being installed upside-down. Notch  124  provides additional support to properly position spring  104  within the inverted “U” shaped protrusions  106 . 
   The dispensing assembly  44  is assembled by first attaching one end of coil spring  104  to sliding block  68 . The sliding block  68  is slid through aperture  66  such that ears  128  that are disposed on walls  72  and  74  slide past the outer wall of housing  38  and lock the sliding block  68  therein. The insert  84  is positioned and oriented to produce the desired yield of granular material when the block  68  is moved to the “dispense” state. The pressure plate  110  is then installed such that notch  124  mates with key  126 . The actuator  46  should first be depressed to ensure that the stop  122  of sliding block  68  is disposed inwardly of locking tab  120 . Once the pressure plate  110  is installed, the actuator  46  may be released as the sliding block  68  will be properly positioned, as described above. Finally, diffuser  48  is screwed onto the housing  38  in the manner described above. Outer rim  52  of diffuser  48  extends radially outwardly from wall  56  to define an inner lip that is aligned with outer wall  112  of pressure plate  110 . The rim  52  prevents pressure plate  110  from becoming disengaged during operation of the dispenser  20 . 
   When the user desires to adjust the volume of chamber  80 , the diffuser  48  is unscrewed and removed from housing  38 . The pressure plate  110  is then removed using the gripping tab  118  as described above. The insert  84  is then removed and repositioned as described above to produce the desired amount of material. The pressure plate  110  and diffuser  48  are then reassembled as described above. 
   The dispenser  20  can be disassembled for cleaning. In particular, the lid  32  is unscrewed from the container  22 , and the diffuser  48 , pressure plate  110 , and insert  84  are removed in the manner described above. Next, the sliding block  68  can be slid outwardly until the ears  128  approach the inner surface of the wall of housing  38 . Additional force may be required to slide the ears  128  through aperture  66  and remove the sliding block  68  from the housing  38 . The dispenser  20  is then cleaned and reassembled for use. 
   Referring now to  FIG. 3 , the “fill” state is shown wherein granular material stored in container  22  travels downwardly along the direction of arrow  130 , through an intake passageway  132  defined by apertures  83  and  82 , and into the chamber  80  along the direction of arrow  134 . The force of spring  104  biases the sliding block  86  outwardly to a position to ensure that aperture  82  of upper surface  76  is aligned with aperture  83  of base plate  40 . The granular material in container  22  fills the chamber  80  in which the bottom is sealed by plate  116  to prevent any spillage when the insert  84  is installed. Once the chamber  80  is filled, the user can position the dispenser  20  such that the outer rim  62  of diffuser  48  is aligned with a destination (e.g., food product) that is to receive the dispensed granular material. 
   Referring now to  FIG. 4 , the user can iterate the dispensing cycle from the “fill” state to the “dispense” state using actuator  46 . An actuator stop  136  extends upwardly from the outer surface of wall  46  to provide a stopping mechanism for the sliding block  68 , thereby preventing the sliding block  68  from being inserted entirely into the housing  38 . To dispense the material that was received by chamber  80  during the previous “fill” state, the actuator  46  is depressed against the spring force along the direction indicated by arrow  138  to remove aperture  82  from alignment with aperture  83 , thereby blocking the intake passageway  132  as shown in FIG.  3 . The upper surface  76  of sliding block  68  is brought into alignment with aperture  83  to seal the base plate  40  and prevent additional material from flowing out of the container  22 . The actuator  46  is further depressed until the stop  136  engages the outer surface of housing  38 . The stop  136  is positioned such that a full depression of the actuator  46  will move the plate  116  from alignment with the open bottom of chamber  80 . The granular material that was stored in chamber  80  during the previous “fill” state is then released into the diffuser  48  along the direction indicated by arrow  140 . The material is directed towards the domed surface  54  along the direction indicated by arrow  142  and is subsequently forced radially outwardly by the domed surface  54  toward the perforated rim  62 , at which point it exits the dispenser  20 . The actuator  46  can then be released to enable the spring  104  to once again bring apertures  82  and  83  into alignment to initiate a subsequent “fill” phase. The dispensing cycle can be repeated as desired to produce a desired amount of granular material. 
   The invention has been described in connection with what are presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments. However, the present invention has been presented by way of illustration and is not intended to be limited to the disclosed embodiments. For example, it should be appreciated that many configurations may be available to produce a variable-size chamber that may be filled with solid material from a container and subsequently dispensed. Accordingly, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiment illustrated, but instead is intended to cover any arrangement that enables a predetermined volume of material to be dispensed that is selectively variable. The scope of the present invention is defined by the following claims.