Abstract:
A dispenser for spreadable foodstuffs and other spreadable substances allowing for spreading without the need for additional utensils not a part of the packaging is disclosed. The dispenser may rapidly switch between different disposable cartridges. Part of the dispenser is designed for an extended useful lifetime while the spreadable product is delivered in a disposable container. The dispenser can also be used to measure precise amounts of spreadable foodstuff and other spreadable products without the use of any additional measuring devices.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of priority from co-pending provisional application Ser. No. 60/823,855 filed Aug. 29, 2006, Ser. No. 60/823,857 filed Aug. 29, 2006, Ser. No. 60/823,860 filed Aug. 29, 2006, Ser. No. 60/823,864 filed Aug. 29, 2006, Ser. No. 60/823,866 filed Aug. 29, 2006, Ser. No. 60/823,869 filed Aug. 29, 2006, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    Described is a device for dispensing food products. In particular, the disclosure relates to dispensing spreadable foodstuffs evenly from a container without the need of a knife or other utensils not part of the food packaging. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    The vast majority of packaging of spreadable foodstuffs lack any functionality to allow contents to be used directly from the packaging. The packaging for spreadable foodstuffs such as ketchup, mustard, cream cheese, peanut putter, jelly, etc. typically require a knife or other utensil not part of the food packaging to remove the foodstuff from a container and/or achieve spreading the foodstuff as desired. Even containers that allow for squeezing the foodstuff contained therein directly out of the packaging often still require a utensil not part of the food packaging to evenly spread the foodstuff. Such containers also often do not dispense foodstuffs easily as the void space of the container increases as foodstuff is consumed. Often the contents may splatter or take a significant amount of time to flow due to a large volume of air in the container. Air being introduced to the container during the products use also negatively affects product freshness. Traditional food containers also have limitations in conjunction with non-food products. 
         [0004]    Traditional packaging is also typically challenging for children, elderly, disabled, or physically challenged individuals to use. Such containers also require utensils to be washed after every minor use of the product, which is a particular inconvenience during such activities as traveling, picnics, or other occasions where typical kitchen amenities are not present in addition to individuals who do not own a dishwasher. 
         [0005]    Additionally, spreadable foodstuffs are often difficult if not impossible to measure via traditional means such as measuring cups. Very viscous foodstuffs such as peanut butter and cream cheese are difficult to measure with measuring cups since an accurate measurement may only be achieved by packing the product to remove any air left in the measuring cup. Even after an accurate measure is taken, it is extremely difficult to quantitatively transfer the measured product out from the measuring cup. A solution to accurate measurement and use of spreadable foodstuffs is particularly pertinent in restaurant settings where consistency is important. An accurate way to dispense spreadable foodstuffs is also important in home-settings for portion control and dieters. 
         [0006]    The invention is also designed for use with a variety of non-food semi-solid or gelatinous substances. These substances include but are not limited to toothpaste, shoe polish, paints, cosmetics, thick oils, topical medications, and emollients. The typical containers for these substances are often the same and have the same limitations as those used for foodstuffs. These limitations include the need for additional utensils to remove and use the substance from the container, air being introduced to the containers over time as the substance is used, difficulty of use for children or individuals with physical limitations, and difficulty in measuring with measuring cups or other measuring means. Typical packaging for glue, polishes, paints, ect. requires the consumer to haphazardly obtain the desired amount of product by use of a cloth or brush separate from the product packaging. A more versatile packaging with the functionality to accurately measure and dispense food as well as non-food item without the use of additional utensils is lacking in the market place. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0007]    The following presents a simplified summary of the invention in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the invention. This summary is not an extensive overview of the invention. It is intended to neither identify key or critical elements of the invention nor delineate the scope of the invention. Rather, the sole purpose of this summary is to present some concepts of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented hereinafter. 
         [0008]    The subject invention provides for spreadable foodstuffs to be packaged in a container that has a means for spreading the contained foodstuff in a knife-like manner without the use of any additional utensils not part of the food packaging as well as providing for a packaging of adjustable volume such that product is kept away from air during use. 
         [0009]    One aspect relates to providing a convenient means of use of spreadable foodstuffs and non-food products in residences without the need for utensils not part of the packaging. An additional aspect relates to providing a convenient and easy to use means for spreading foodstuffs and non-food products for elderly, disabled, children, and physically challenged persons. Another aspect relates to providing a convenient means of use of spreadable foodstuffs and non-food products for those traveling, picnics or other outdoor activities, or other times when traditional kitchen amenities are not available. 
         [0010]    Yet another aspect of the disclosure herein relates to providing a means for restaurants and caterers to dispense and use spreadable foodstuffs with greater speed. Still yet another aspect of the disclosure herein relates to providing a packaging for spreadable foodstuffs and non-food products that keeps contents fresher once seal on package has been broken. 
         [0011]    Another aspect of the disclosure herein relates to minimizing product waste compared to traditional packaging. 
         [0012]    An additional aspect of the disclosure herein is to provide a packaging that is less disposable than traditional packaging and therefore suitable for targeted and affinity marketing in a more affective manner. Still yet another aspect of the disclosure herein is to provide for an automated means of dispensing spreadable foodstuffs and non-food products that may easily and rapidly switch between dispensing different products. An additional aspect of the disclosure herein is to provide an automated means of dispensing spreadable products that is ergonomical. 
         [0013]    To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the invention comprises the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims. The following description and the annexed drawings set forth in detail certain illustrative aspects and implementations of the invention. These are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of the invention may be employed. Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0014]      FIG. 1  is a view of the first embodiment comprising a disposable cartridge and knife-like applicator. 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  is a view of the second embodiment comprising a disposable cartridge, knife-like applicator, and a motorized handle. 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  is an alternate arrangement of the second embodiment. 
           [0017]      FIG. 4  is a view of the third embodiment comprising a disposable cartridge that is recessed into a space in the motorized handle. 
           [0018]      FIG. 5  is a view of the fourth embodiment of the invention comprising a disposable cartridge that is recessed into a space in the motorized handle. 
           [0019]      FIG. 6  are views of alternative examples of knife-like applicators having openings therein. 
           [0020]      FIG. 7  are views of alternative examples of knife-like applicators having openings therein. 
           [0021]      FIG. 8  are views of alternative examples of knife-like applicators having openings therein. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0022]    The dispensing system described herein facilitates the use and application of spreadable foodstuffs. Rather than using a knife or spoon to transfer a foodstuffs from a jar or other container to an object, such as a plate or food item such as a slice of bread; the dispensing system described herein allows for the direct transfer of foodstuffs from the container in which they are stored to a desired location without use of an intermediate transfer and/or without using a transfer utensil such as knife or spoon. The dispensing system provides not just the advantage of a time-savings benefit, but also an environmental advantage in that it not necessary to use and subsequently clean food utensils. 
         [0023]    The food packaging can be of a substantially cylindrically shape which is ergonomically designed to fit comfortably in the human hand. The cross-section can be circular, oval, polygonal, and the like. The shape of the dispenser itself may be shaped to have an affinity or novelty quality (i.e., a baseball bat). The unit is composed of a Replacement Cartridge Product (RPC) portion and a driver handle portion. The driver handle has an extended useful lifetime and can be used to dispense several different kinds of spreadable products. 
         [0024]    The spreadable product is supplied in the RCP. The RCP is a substantially cylindrical tube composed of rigid or semi-rigid food-grade plastic. The RCP can be made for single or multiple uses. One end of the RCP has a coupling mechanism allowing the RCP to reversibly attach to the driver handle. The other end of the RCP has an applicator portion that has a knife-like shape and may be either permanently molded to the RCP or detachable through threading or other mechanism. The knife-like applicator has a knife-like, pyramidal, or triangular shape. One edge of the applicator has a series of holes or openings through which spreadable products pass upon dispensing. In this manner, spreadable products may be dispensed directly on an object to the location of desired use and immediately spread without the use of any other utensils besides the entire dispensing system. 
         [0025]    The mechanical operation of the dispensing system is as follows. The RCP contains a screw-spindle running along the longitudinal axis of the RCP. The RCP attaches to the driver handle via threading or other common mechanism. The end of the RCP that attaches to the driver handle is comprised of a plunger member that is attached to said screw spindle. The plunger member forms a tight seal with the body of the RCP but still capable of sliding along the body of the RCP. When the RCP is attached to the driver handle, the screw spindle fits into a receptacle on the coupling end of the driver handle. A mechanism inside the driver handle turns the screw-spindle which in turn moves the plunger member along the body of the RCP. Movement of the plunger member expels spreadable product through the opening on the applicator. The mechanism inside the driver handle may either be powered manually by the user or by an electric motor. The RCP is designed to be disposable upon use of most or all of the spreadable product contained inside. 
         [0026]    One embodiment of the dispensing system is depicted in  FIG. 1 . The embodiment is composed of an RCP  101  and a knife-like applicator  102 . The body of the RCP  101  is composed of rigid or semi-rigid food grade material. The RCP comprises mostly a hollow space  103 , which contains the spreadable product. There is a screw-spindle  104  running along the longitudinal axis of the RCP. There is a plunger member  105  located at one end of the RCP and a lip  106  surrounding that end of the RCP. A wheel  107  is situated inside the lip and attached to the screw-spindle  104 . Upon turning the wheel  107 , the plunger member  105  travels along the screw-spindle  104  resulting in spreadable product leaving the system and a proportional reduction in the volume of the space  103 . The wheel  107  may be manually operated when not attached to the driver handle  101 . Part of the lip  106  is cut away to allow the circular wheel  107  to be accessible from the side of the RCP. If required, the foodstuff can be manually squeezed out of the RCP when the RCP is constructed out of semi-rigid material. The RCP can be designed to attach to the driver handle through threading, a latch and spring mechanism, or a twist and lock mechanism, all of which are common in the art. 
         [0027]    A knife-like applicator  102  is attached to the RCP as shown in  FIG. 1 . The applicator  102  contains several openings  108  that allow foodstuffs or other spreadable products to pass through. The applicator  102  attaches to the RCP  101  through a threaded connector or snap and lock mechanism, which are common in the art. The applicator  102  may be made from metal, such as stainless steel, or food grade plastic. The RCP  101  combined with the applicator  102  form a complete embodiment of the invention. Turning of the wheel  107  by a user causes spreadable product to emerge from the openings  108  on the applicator  102 . Depending on the viscosity of the spreadable product, the invention may be used either by loading the applicator  102  with spreadable product followed by application to a desired location or by dispensing spreadable product directly to the desired location. When the dispenser is not in use, a cap  109  may be used to cover the opening  108  on the applicator  102  in order to keep the spreadable product fresh. 
         [0028]    An additional embodiment (shown in  FIG. 2 ) may be constructed by attaching a driver handle  110  to the RCP  101  and applicator  102 . The driver handle  110  consists of an electric motor  111  along with a space to store batteries  112 . The electric motor  111  is activated by a button  113  located on the surface of the dispenser and connected to the motor  111  through a wire  114 . The electric motor  111  turns a stem  115 , which in turn rotates the screw-spindle  104  when the driver handle and RCP are attached. The arrangement of the electric motor  111  and batteries  112  may be modified to change the length and shape of the dispenser.  FIG. 3  shows and alternate arrangement of the electric motor  111  and batteries  112 . Note that the arrangement of electric motor  111  and the batteries  112  can change the footprint of the dispenser  116  or  201 . The shape of the footprint can be used to change the amount that the circular wheel  107  protrudes from the side of the unit and therefore affect the ease of manually turning the wheel  107  when the RCP  101  is attached to the driver handle  110 . 
         [0029]    A third embodiment of the invention is shown in  FIG. 4 . In this embodiment, a majority of the RCP  401  is recessed in a space  402  formed by the driver handle  403 . This configuration allows the dispensing system to be more compact than in the first embodiment. The driver handle  403  is comprised of an electric motor  404  and batteries  405  as in the previous embodiment. The electric motor  404  is activated via a button  406  on the housing of the dispenser and connected to the electric motor  404  via a wire  407 . In this embodiment the wheel  408 , which allows for manual operation, is an integral part of the dispenser. Preferably, the footprint of the driver handle  409  is in an elliptical shape to allow a portion of the circular wheel  408  to protrude outside the casing of the driver handle. This allows for the wheel  408  to be operated manually with ease. Note that the orientation of the batteries  405  is important for achieving an elliptical footprint  408 . The screw-spindle  410  and plunger member  411  may be made a part of either the RCP, the driver handle, or be a separate detachable part. The embodiment as shown in  FIG. 3  is comprised of a screw-spindle  410  and plunger member  411  that are freely detachable from the driver handle and RCP. The wheel  408  has a receptacle in the middle to couple with the screw spindle  411 . An optional base member  412  may be used to ensure proper orientation of the screw-spindle  410 . This embodiment allows the RCP  401  to be constructed without any movable internal parts allowing for the disposable RCP to be more inexpensively constructed. As shown in  FIG. 3 , the knife-like applicator  413  may be constructed in one piece with the RCP. Optionally, the knife-like applicator may be detachable (not shown). A lid  414  is used to cover the openings on the applicator in order to keep the spreadable product fresh when not in use. 
         [0030]    A fourth embodiment of the invention shown in  FIG. 5  comprises a driver handle  501  comprising a electric motor  502 , batteries  503 , and a space  504  to accommodate the RCP  505  recessed into the driver handle. The electric motor  502  is operated via a button  506  located on the housing of the driver handle and connected to the electric motor  502  via a wire  507 . The RCP  505  is comprised of a screw-spindle  508  and a plunger member  509  as in the first embodiment. Alternatively, the screw-spindle may be incorporated as part of the driver handle or be a separable component (not shown). The applicator  510  may be designed to be molded to the RCP  505  or be detachable. A lid  511  covers the openings in the applicator  510  when not in use. 
         [0031]      FIG. 6  shows several examples of knife-like applicators that may be used in any of the foregoing embodiments. The dispensing end of the RCP  101  is designed to attach to the knife-like applicator  102  through threading, a latch and spring mechanism, or a twist and lock mechanism, all of which are extremely common in the art. Optionally, the RCP  101  and applicator  102  may be molded in one piece (as in the embodiment in  FIG. 4 ). The number and diameter of the openings is selected based on the consistency or viscosity of the product. For example, a large number of smaller holes  601  are useful for less viscose products such as jelly or ketchup. One or two large holes  602  are appropriate for very viscose products such as peanut butter or cream cheese. The applicator may be shaped into an unlimited number of shapes that are deemed to have utility in dispensing the desired product. An edge of the applicator may be designed to have cutting ability  603 . The flat surface of the applicator  604  is used in a knife-like fashion to spread the food stuffs as desired. Also, depending of the viscosity of the foodstuffs, the foodstuffs may be dispensed completely onto a surface and then spread. For some high viscosity foodstuffs, dispensing of such foodstuff may preload the flat surface of the applicator  604  with food product that may then be spread onto a desired location. 
         [0032]      FIG. 7  and  FIG. 8  each depict six additional examples of knife-like applicators that may be used in any of the foregoing embodiments. The precise architecture of the knife-like applicator is selected based upon one or more of a number factors including the viscosity of the foodstuffs, the type of substrate on which the foodstuffs are spread, the desired appearance of the foodstuffs on the substrate, the desired amount of foodstuffs on the substrate, the desired rate at which foodstuffs are applied to the substrate, and the like. 
         [0033]    Any of the preceding embodiments may be further modified to comprise a component or means of metering the dispensing of spreadable product in either units of volume or weight. In one modification, the RCP is comprises transparent or semitransparent material such that the plunger member is visible through the body of the RCP. The body the RCP is further marked with graduations in units of weight or volume based on the volume of the RCP and/or density of spreadable product contained therein. A user may ascertain the amount of spreadable product dispensed by observing the movement of the plunger member relative to the graduation marks. In a second modification, graduation marks are placed on the circular wheel and the amount of product dispensed is ascertained by the user counting graduation marks passing a fixed point while the wheel is rotating during dispensing. In embodiments where the wheel is a fixed part of the driver handle, multiple sets of graduation marks may be placed on the wheel to correspond to different sizes of RCPs that may be dispensed with that driver handle. In a third modification, a CPU and Rom are coupled the electric motor inside the driver handle. The CPU may be programmed through a simple LCD located on the body of the driver handle. 
         [0034]    Any spreadable foodstuff with suitable viscosity can be employed in the dispensing system. Examples of foodstuffs that can be applied/spread using the dispensing system described herein include butter, margarine, jelly, ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, frosting, peanut butter, cream cheese, custard, sauces including barbeque sauce, syrups, thick oils, dips, and the like. 
         [0035]    While the invention has been explained in relation to certain embodiments, it is to be understood that various modifications thereof will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the specification. Therefore, it is to be understood that the invention disclosed herein is intended to cover such modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims.