Abstract:
Batter for making muffins, cupcakes, pancakes, etc. is placed in a housing with an outlet opening closed by a resilient valve. A plunger is fitted into the housing and is used to push the batter through the outlet opening. The batter ingredients can be mixed in the housing by beating or by closing the housing and shaking the ingredients. The housing has groups of markings for indicating the distances to move the plunger to dispense predetermined amounts of the batter to make food articles of predetermined sizes. Guides consisting of circular protruding ridges around the outlet opening are used to align the opening with cups in muffin pans to minimize spillage and waste.

Description:
[0001]    This invention relates to measuring dispensers and methods, and particularly batter measuring dispensers and methods for dispensing batter to use in making muffins, cupcakes, pancakes, etc. 
         [0002]    The dispensing of relatively thick liquids such as batter for making numerous small food items such as muffins, cupcakes, and pancakes, etc. long has been a problem. 
         [0003]    When the batter is spooned or poured out onto a pancake griddle or into muffin or cupcake baking pans, there usually is spillage, and this causes waste and requires clean-up. 
         [0004]    Also, it is difficult to dispense just the right quantity of batter for each food item, with the result that corrections of errors and uneven baking and/or serving sizes are encountered. 
         [0005]    Some batter dispensers have been used in the past, but they suffer from deficiencies, such as excessive cost, and/or excessive spillage, and, therefore, leave much to be desired. 
         [0006]    Therefore, it is an object of the invention to provide a batter dispenser and method in which the foregoing problems are alleviated or eliminated. 
         [0007]    It is a specific object of the invention to provide a dispenser and method in which spillage, waste, and the need for clean-up of the spilled batter is reduced or minimized. 
         [0008]    Another object is to provide a dispenser and method in which food items of consistent size can be prepared relatively quickly and reliably. 
         [0009]    A further object is to provide such a device which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, and therefore can be relatively inexpensive to buy. 
         [0010]    The foregoing objects are met, in accordance with the invention, by the provision of a measuring batter dispenser comprising a housing with an outlet opening, a plunger to fit into the housing and push batter out of the outlet opening, a resilient valve covering the outlet opening and responsive to pressure applied to the batter by means of the plunger to allow batter to exit the opening, and markings on the housing and/or the plunger to indicate a quantity of batter dispensed corresponding to the distance moved by the plunger. 
         [0011]    It is preferred that the plunger has a resilient seal to seal the space between the plunger and the housing. 
         [0012]    It also is preferred that the seal on the plunger serves as a marker to align with markings on the housing to indicate a particular quantity of batter dispensed. 
         [0013]    Preferably, the resilient cover comprises flexible flaps or fingers which serve the function of opening in response to pressure applied to the batter by the plunger, but closing automatically to stop dispensing and drips when the pressure is not applied. Therefore, one can dispense measured amounts reliably and with minimum spillage, waste and clean-up. 
         [0014]    Also preferably, there are one or more protruding rings around the outlet opening to serve as guides to fit into batter receivers such as muffin pan cups to better guide the batter into the cups. 
         [0015]    In one embodiment of the invention, the plunger has an easily removable cap which can be fitted onto the housing to cover the plunger entrance to facilitate mixing ingredients by shaking them in the closed housing. 
         [0016]    Preferably, the cap has internal vanes which help mix ingredients together by shaking. 
         [0017]    It is further preferred to provide a flexible cover or stopper for the outlet opening to seal the batter in the housing for storage, to prevent leakage through the outlet opening, especially when using the housing as a shaker, and to protect the outlet from contamination. 
         [0018]    The dispenser can be made using relatively inexpensive plastic materials, and by relatively simple molding techniques, to provide a relatively inexpensive measuring dispenser without complex mechanisms. 
         [0019]    The methods of using the dispenser include mixing the batter in a separate bowl or pan and pouring it into the dispenser housing, or mixing the batter in the housing. 
         [0020]    Advantageously, the batter can be mixed in the housing by covering the housing and shaking the contents vigorously, and then inserting the plunger in the housing and using the plunger to expel the batter. 
         [0021]    In the embodiment of the invention in which the plunger has a removable cap, the cap is removed from the plunger and fastened onto the housing to cover it, and the outlet opening is plugged to cover the housing. 
         [0022]    Also, the batter ingredients can be mixed in the housing a whisk or fork. 
         [0023]    The foregoing objects, features and advantages will be set forth in or apparent from the following description and drawings. 
     
    
     
       IN THE DRAWINGS 
         [0024]    In the drawings,  FIG. 1  is a front elevation view of a batter dispenser constructed in accordance with the present invention, in a first operating position; 
           [0025]      FIG. 2  is a front elevation view of the device shown in  FIG. 1 , with the device in a different operating position, and including details omitted from  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0026]      FIG. 3  is a right side elevation view of the device shown in  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0027]      FIG. 4  is rear perspective view of the device shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 ; 
           [0028]      FIG. 5  is a bottom plan view of the device shown in  FIGS. 1 through 4 ; 
           [0029]      FIG. 6  is a partially schematic and partially broken-away cross-sectional view, taken along line  6 ,  8 - 6 ,  8  of  FIG. 5 , shown in use in filling a muffin pan; 
           [0030]      FIG. 7  is a partially broken-away view of a portion of the device shown in  FIGS. 1 through 6 ; and 
           [0031]      FIG. 8  is cross-sectional view, taken along line  6 ,  8 - 6 , 8  of a portion of the device shown in  FIG. 5 ; 
           [0032]      FIG. 9  is a bottom plan view of the plunger of the device shown in  FIG. 1-6 , but with the guide structure  32  removed and a stopper member in place; 
           [0033]      FIG. 10  is a partially broken-away cross-sectional view taken along line  10 - 10  of  FIG. 9 ; and 
           [0034]      FIG. 11  is a cross-sectional, partially schematic and partially broken-away view of the lower portion of the structure shown in  FIG. 9 ; 
           [0035]      FIG. 12  is a cross-sectional, partially schematic view of the housing bottom portion of another embodiment of the invention; 
           [0036]      FIG. 13  is a front elevation, partially schematic, partially-exploded view of an alternative batter dispenser of the invention; 
           [0037]      FIG. 14  is a front elevation view of the housing of the dispenser of  FIG. 13 , with the plunger removed and the cap of the plunger covering the housing for use as a shaker to mix batter ingredients prior to dispensing the batter; and 
           [0038]      FIG. 15  is a front perspective view of the dispenser device of  FIG. 13 . 
       
    
    
     GENERAL DESCRIPTION 
       [0039]    A preferred batter dispenser of the present invention is indicated at  20  in  FIG. 1 . It consists of a housing  22  with a plunger  23  which can be moved vertically within the housing  22 . The housing  22  has a bottom wall  24 , and the plunger can be moved towards and away from the bottom wall  24 . There is an outlet opening  63  ( FIG. 5 ) in the bottom wall and a valve  62  to allow batter to be dispensed when the plunger is pushed downwardly against the batter in the housing. 
         [0040]    Referring particularly to  FIGS. 2 ,  3  and  4 , the housing  22  has groups of printed measurement indicia  46 ,  48 ,  50 ,  52 ,  54 ,  56  and  58  to assist in measuring the contents of the housing and giving measuring marks to indicate quantities of batter dispensed corresponding to variable vertical positions of the plunger  23 . 
         [0041]      FIGS. 13 ,  14  and  15  show another embodiment of the invention in which the top  112  of the plunger  23  can be removed and attached to the top of the housing  22 , as shown in  FIG. 14 , to close the top of the housing and thus facilitate its use as a shaker for mixing batter ingredients. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0042]    The plunger  23  has a vertical body portion and a top portion  26  which is flat on its upper surface  28 . The top portion  26  is secured to the plunger by ultra-sonic welding to a flange  27  of the plunger body. 
         [0043]    The plunger  23  has vertical spaced-apart ribs  40  extending outwardly to contact the inner wall of the housing  22  to reduce the sliding friction between the plunger and the housing to facilitate sliding the plunger up and down in the housing. 
         [0044]    Preferably, both the side-walls of the housing and of the plunger are elliptical in cross-sectional shape so as to maximize the housing volume while making the dispenser fit into the hand of a user more easily than if it were cylindrical. 
         [0045]    The housing  22  has an upper lip  30  which serves as a surface to grip with the hand when pressing the plunger downwardly into the housing, and also adds strength and stiffness to the housing. 
         [0046]    A snap-on guide  32  is removably fastened to the bottom portion of the housing  22 . The guide  32  has grasping tabs  34  and  36  at opposite sides, and a downwardly-extending central guide ring  38 . 
         [0047]    Preferably, the material of which the plunger  23  is made is opaque, and the material of which the housing  22  is made is transparent so that the plunger can be seen through the housing wall. 
         [0048]    Referring to  FIG. 2 , three different scales  54 ,  56  and  58  are provided for measuring quantities used to make small, medium, or large pancakes, respectively. The spacing between adjacent horizontal lines is largest in the group  58 , smallest in the group  54  and in between those distances in the group  56 . 
         [0049]    The plunger  23  has a sealing member  42  located at the bottom edge of the plunger. The seal  42  preferably is different in appearance from the remainder of the plunger and is clearly visible through the transparent wall of the housing. For example, the seal  42  is black and the rest of the plunger is white. The distance moved by the seal  42  between two adjacent marks determines the volume of batter dispensed, and, therefore the size of the food article made by use of the device. 
         [0050]    In using the dispenser, the housing  22  is filled with batter to a desired level, and the plunger  23  is moved to the top of the batter quantity, and then the plunger  23  is pressed downwardly by the distance between two markings on one of the scales  54 ,  56 , or  58  to dispenser a predetermined quantity of batter through the outlet opening  63  in the housing bottom ( FIG. 5 ). 
         [0051]    In accordance with another feature of the invention, volume measurement scales  50  and  52  are provided at opposite sides of the housing  22 . Scale  52  indicates cup measurements for the housing, and the scale  50  measures milliliters. 
         [0052]    This feature is helpful in one of the methods of the invention in which ingredients for pancakes, muffins, cupcakes, etc. can be mixed directly in the housing. The measuring scales  50  and  52  can be used to measure the quantity of at least one component of the mixture being formed, as well as the total volume of batter in the housing. 
         [0053]      FIG. 4  shows scales  46  and  48  which are used for measuring the quantities to be dispensed to make small (“mini”) muffins or large muffins, respectively. 
       Outlet Opening and Valve 
       [0054]      FIG. 5 , which is a bottom plan view of the device  20  as shown in  FIGS. 1 through 4 , shows the outlet opening  63  of the dispenser housing. The opening is circular and is closed by eight resilient pie-shaped silicone rubber flaps  64  which form a known valve  62 . The rubber flaps are held in place between two layers of plastic material at  65 . The layers of material are held together and bonded to the flaps by ultra-sonic spot welding. The pie-shaped rubber flaps  64  normally are in a flat plane and close the opening  63 . However, when pressure on the batter is applied by using the plunger, the flaps  64  are bent downwardly to allow batter to be dispensed through the resulting opening. As soon as pressure is released on the plunger, the flaps return to their initial position, effectively closing the outlet opening. This is advantageous in that it greatly retards dripping and spilling of the batter. 
       Locating Rings 
       [0055]    A ring  60  surrounds the outlet opening  63  and protrudes downwardly to provide a guide for aligning the dispenser with each cup of a small muffin or cupcake-making pan. 
         [0056]    A larger ring  38  extends downwardly from the bottom of a detachable guide  32  which is used to align the dispenser with the cups of a large muffin pan, as illustrated in  FIG. 6 . 
         [0057]    Referring to  FIG. 6 , one full cup  68  of a muffin pan indicated is shown at  74 , and partial cups  70  and  72  also are shown. The ring  38  is dimensioned to fit into the cup  68  and the other cups of the pan so that when the material is dispensed downwardly out of the outlet opening  63 , it unerringly enters the cup. 
         [0058]    The guide  32  is made removable from the bottom of the housing  22  so that when it is desired to fill the small cups of a mini-muffin pan, using the guide ring  60  to guide the dispensed batter from the outlet into the mini cups of the muffin pan, the guide  32  can be removed to prevent interference which the guide  32  can cause with the mini-muffin pan. 
         [0059]    The guide  32  is made of flexible plastic material and is held in place by the detent structure indicated in  FIGS. 7 and 8 . At opposite sides of the plunger  23  are two shallow, thin grooves,  76  and  78 . These grooves form two short projections  77  and  79 , which fit into notches  82  and  80  ( FIG. 8 ) in the opposite sides of the guide  32 . The flexible plastic of the guide  32  allows it to flex and to snap projections  77  and  79  into the grooves  80  and  82  to removably hold the guide in place. The plunger and the housing preferably are made of relatively hard, dimensionally stable, dishwasher-proof, plastic materials such as polypropylene. 
         [0060]    An alternative guide ring structure is shown in  FIG. 12 . Instead of locating one of the rings  38  on a removable guide  32 , both rings are formed in the bottom wall  24  of the housing. 
         [0061]    The smaller inner ring  98  has a greater height than the outer ring  96 . Thus, when the dispenser is used to fill mini-muffin cups like cups  102 ,  104  and  106  in a mini-muffin pan  100 , the ring  98  extends into the cups to align each with the dispenser outlet, as shown in  FIG. 12 . 
         [0062]    When the dispenser is used to fill “regular” sized cups as shown in  FIG. 6 , the taller inner ring  98  does not interfere with the outer ring  96  in its performance of its locating function. 
         [0063]    This modification can permit the elimination of the separate guide  32 . 
       Outlet Plug 
       [0064]    If the housing  22  is left full of batter for a relatively long period of time, while resting on a flat surface, the flaps  64  may bend a little under the long-term pressure of the weight of the batter, and cause a small amount of seepage of batter. Also, when mixing ingredients in the housing by shaking or beating, a secure closure for the outlet opening  63  is desirable. 
         [0065]    Referring now to  FIGS. 9 and 10 ,  FIG. 9  shows the bottom  24  of the housing  22 , with the guide  32  removed. Instead, there is a flexible closure member or plug  84  inserted into the outlet. Specifically, the plug is inserted into the receptacle defined by the ring  60  protruding from the bottom wall  24  of housing  22 . The plug  84  has a bottom wall  86  and a central recess which has an outer wall  87 , as well as protruding ears  88  and  90  which are used to grasp the plug to pull it out. The plug  84  is used whenever a secure closure is needed, and in order to protect the outlet opening structure from unwanted contact with other objects and thus avoid possible damage or contamination. 
       Plunger Seal 
       [0066]      FIG. 11  is a cross-sectional view showing the details of the sealing member  42  at the bottom edge of the plunger  23 . The seal has a generally L-cross-sectional shape and it is made of a silicone rubber material (preferably black or a dark color) fastened into a groove around the lower edge of the plunger  23 . The seal  42  has a wiper blade  92  which extends outwardly beyond the outer surface of the plunger  22  to make wiping contact with the internal surface of the housing  22 . This seal largely prevents batter from moving past the plunger, regardless of whether the device  20  is right-side-up (as in  FIG. 1-4 ) or upside-down. 
       Shaker Embodiment 
       [0067]    Although some batter ingredients can be mixed by shaking them in the housing with the plunger  23  inserted only a short distance, mixing can be enhanced by use of the embodiment of the invention shown in  FIGS. 13-15 . 
         [0068]      FIGS. 13 and 15  show a modified batter dispenser  110 . It is the same as the dispenser  20  of  FIGS. 1-4  except that a removable cap  112  is provided for plunger  23  instead of the fixed cap  26  of  FIGS. 1-4 . Also, optionally, but preferably, the cap  112  has a set  118  of internal vanes to assist in mixing batter ingredients in the housing  22 . 
         [0069]    The cap  112  has an outer rim  114  which can be grasped to snap the cap off of the plunger to use the cap to cover the top of the housing  22  for use of mixing ingredients in the housing by shaking. 
         [0070]    Preferably, the rim  114  is provided only at the narrow ends of the cap and not on the other side areas so as to avoid unwanted removal of the cap when pulling the plunger out of the housing. 
         [0071]    The cap has an internal wall  116  whose outer diameter is a little larger than the internal diameter of the housing  22  at its upper edge, and is slightly tapered so that it forms an interference fit with the internal surface at the upper edge of the housing when the cap  112  is fitted onto the housing as shown in  FIG. 14 . 
         [0072]    The inner edge  133  ( FIG. 15 ) of the rim of the cap  112  fits into a recess  126  ( FIG. 13 ) in the edge of the upper flange  120  of the plunger. 
         [0073]    The recess  126  has four horizontally-extending bumps or protrusions, only three of which are shown in the drawings at  126 ,  128  and  130  in  FIG. 13 . 
         [0074]      FIG. 15  shows that the internal surface  133  of the rim of the cap has four indentations such as indentations  132  into which the protrusions  126 ,  128 ,  130 , etc. snap when the cap  112  is pressed downwardly on the plunger top, thereby releasably securing the cap  112  to the plunger top. 
         [0075]    The vanes  118  are shown in  FIGS. 13 and 15 . A large central vane  134  and plural radially-spaced vanes  136  and  138  are provided. All of the vanes are in a plane parallel to the longitudinal axis of the plunger and housing, although other arrangements of the vanes can be used, if desired. 
         [0076]    It is believed that when the batter ingredients are thrust against the vanes, the vanes cut or break up lumps and facilitate the mixing. 
         [0077]    When the mixing is finished, the cap  112  can be removed from the housing  22 , washed, and snapped onto the top of the plunger. The vanes  118  extend downwardly into the hollow interior of the plunger. 
         [0078]    The fastening of the cap onto the plunger by the detent mechanism described above has the further advantage of avoiding the significant cost of ultrasonic welding of the cap to the plunger, so that the construction would be beneficial even if it did not improve intra-housing ingredient mixing. 
       Methods of Use 
       [0079]    A. External Mixing 
         [0080]    In this method, the batter is mixed externally, that is, in a separate bowl or pan, and then poured into the housing. Preferably, the batter is poured only to the top level of one of the selected marking grids. This leaves an air space at the top of the housing. 
         [0081]    Next, the plunger is inserted a slight distance into the housing to make certain that it is properly seated, and then the device is inverted so that it rests on the flat top  28  of the plunger. The batter falls down to the bottom wall of the plunger, and the air space is moved up to the bottom wall  24  of the housing  22 . Then the bottom of the housing is pushed downwardly so that the air above the batter is expelled through the outlet opening  63  until the bottom of the housing touches the batter. Then, the dispenser is inverted and is ready to dispense batter. 
         [0082]    B. Dispensing 
         [0083]    If pancakes are being made, the plunger is depressed to expel batter onto a griddle. Preferably, the plunger is moved between two successive horizontal lines on one of the three marking grids  54 ,  56  and  58  to deposit a predetermined quantity of batter on the griddle. Then, the pressure is released on the plunger and the rubber flaps  64  automatically close the outlet and cut off the flow of batter. The dispenser is moved to the next location, and the process is repeated until all the batter has been dispensed, or the griddle is full. 
         [0084]    If regular-size muffins or cupcakes are to be made in a multi-cup muffin or cupcake pan, the guide member  32  is snapped onto the bottom of the housing, and the housing is positioned with the outer guide ring in each of the cups of the muffin pan successively, and the appropriate amount of the batter is dispensed into the cup by moving the plunger seal  42  from one mark to the next on the “regular” scale  48  ( FIG. 4 ). Then, the other cups in the pan are filled, and the muffins are then baked in the usual way. 
         [0085]    If mini- or small-sized muffins or cupcakes are to be made instead of those of “regular” size, the guide member  32  is removed from the housing, and the inner guide ring  60  is used to guide the batter from the outlet opening  63  into each of the smaller-sized receiving cups until they are filled. Then the smaller muffins or cupcakes are baked in the usual way. 
         [0086]    If the alternative embodiment of the invention shown in  FIG. 12  is used, it is not necessary to either remove or fasten the guide onto the housing. 
         [0087]    C. Mixing in the Housing 
         [0088]    In this method, the ingredients are placed directly in the housing. The first ingredient, at least, and, perhaps, others can be measured by one of the scales  50  or  52  at the sides of the housing to determine the quantity of a liquid, for example, or flour, etc. placed in the housing. Then the ingredients are beaten together with a whisk or a fork and the dispensing procedure is used as described as above to dispense the desired quantities of batter. 
         [0089]    D. Mixing by Shaking 
         [0090]    Ingredients also can be mixed in the housing by shaking the housing with the plunger  23  of the embodiment of  FIGS. 1-12  inserted slightly into the housing. 
         [0091]    Instead of expelling air from the space above the batter after the plunger has been inserted, with the plug  84  covering the outlet opening, the combination of the plunger and housing can be picked up and shaken to mix the ingredients. This can be faster and more satisfactory than whisking or beating with a fork. 
         [0092]    The forcefulness of the mixing can be enhanced by providing a larger empty space in which the ingredients can move. This can be done if the amount of batter made is kept relatively small, leaving a larger air space between the ingredients and the plunger bottom. 
         [0093]    Also, the mixing can be improved by making the cap  112  of the plunger removable, as in  FIGS. 13-15 , to increase the space available for shaking-type mixing. The vanes in the cap also are believed to facilitate the mixing action. 
         [0094]    It also would be possible to make the bottom wall  94  of the plunger removable and let the ingredients move about in the internal space of the plunger. 
         [0095]    If needed, the height of the cap  112  also can be increased to provide a greater volume usable for mixing. 
         [0096]    E. Storage 
         [0097]    In accordance with another feature of the invention, the dispensers provide well for the storage of left-over batter. When dispensing is finished for the day, the plug  84  can be inserted in the outlet opening, and the dispenser stored in a refrigerator. The plunger  23  and the plug  84  seal the batter in the housing with little exposure to the air, so that the batter can be used later with little loss of freshness. 
         [0098]    It is optional that a manually-operable vent can be provided in the cover of the plunger so as to expel excess air without turning the dispenser device upside down. However, it reduces the complexity and cost of the device to use the procedure outlined above for expelling excess air from the housing prior to dispensing batter. 
       Materials 
       [0099]    As noted above, the housing and plunger preferably are made of a relatively hard, washable plastic material, such as polypropylene, and the housing  22  preferably is transparent to allow the dark seal  42  to be used as a marker. The seal  42  and the valve flaps  64  preferably are made of silicone rubber. The guide  32  is made of a flexible plastic material such as relatively thin polypropylene. The plug  84  preferably is made of “TPR” (thermo plastic rubber). 
         [0100]    Although the invention has thus been shown and described with reference to specific embodiments, it should be noted that the invention is in no way limited to the details of the described arrangements but changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention which is defined by the appended claims.