Patent Publication Number: US-5890630-A

Title: Device for dispensing flowable food products

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention concerns a device for dispensing a flowable food product from a container and controlling the placement of the dispensed product. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Numerous food products are available in flowable paste-like or viscous liquid forms, exemplary products including: margarine, butter, mayonnaise, honey, mustard, syrups, cheese formulations, peanut butter, ketchup, confectionery paste, and pureed products such as tomato paste and baby foods. 
     It is often difficult to remove and dispense the aforesaid food products from standard containers. Those products which are non-pourable are often packaged in wide mouth containers, requiring removal by the usual eating utensils. Such action often causes contamination of the product in the container and requires cleaning of the utensils. Products which are pourable can be packaged in narrow mouth containers. However, dripping and uncontrollable flow is often encountered, resulting in inaccurate placement of the food product, and necessitating cleaning of the exterior of the container. 
     The use of plastic squeeze containers is well established for the commercial packaging of flowable food products of relatively low viscosity or thin consistency such as mustard and ketchup. However, the squeeze containers are not effective with products of heavier consistency such as peanut butter. Also, the squeeze containers cannot provide a uniform thinly spread layer on a piece of bread. Although some squeeze containers employed for the commercial packaging of food products can be refilled by the user after all the original contents have been dispensed, such action will generally entail some effort and inconvenience. The general intent, however, of commercial squeeze containers for food products is that the container serves a one-time use as a storage container and dispensing device. 
     Applicator devices for dispensing barely flowable substances such as toothpaste, adhesive, caulking, grease and other paste-like substances have earlier been disclosed comprised of a squeezable container equipped with removable closure means adapted to spread or otherwise direct the placement of the extruded material. Typical of such devices are those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,716,251 to Pearce, U.S. Pat. No. 2,930,063 to Stull, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,387,044 to Accardo. The aforesaid applicator devices are designed to dispense material in a continuous straight line path in the axial direction of movement of the device. None are specifically designed to spread dispensed material in reciprocal strokes transverse to the axis of the device. 
     It is accordingly and object of the present invention to provide a device for controllably dispensing a flowable food product from a squeeze container. 
     It is another object of this invention to provide a device as in the foregoing object which is removably associated with said container. 
     It is yet another object of this invention to provide a device of the aforesaid nature of streamlined construction which facilitates cleaning and re-use. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to provide a device of the aforesaid nature to facilitate the spreading of a flowable food product in a path transverse to the direction of emergence of said food product from a squeezable container. 
     It is a still further object of this invention to provide a device of the aforesaid nature of monolithic construction amenable to low cost manufacture. 
     It is an additional object of the present invention to provide apparatus for storing and dispensing a flowable food product. 
     These objects and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The above and other beneficial objects and advantages are accomplished in accordance with the present invention by a device for controllably dispensing a flowable food product from the opening of a squeezable container, said device comprising: 
     a) a blade of monolithic plastic construction elongated between a hollow base extremity and distal extremity and bounded in part by opposed flat side surfaces and top and bottom edges, 
     b) a channel communicating between said hollow base extremity and said bottom edge, and 
     c) attachment means associated with said base extremity for removably securing said device to the opening of said container. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
     For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification and in which similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawing: 
     FIG. 1 is a side view of an embodiment of the device of the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the device of FIG. 1. 
     FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken in the direction of the arrows upon the line 3--3 of FIG. 2. 
     FIG. 4 is a base end view taken from the left of FIG. 1. 
     FIG. 5 is a distal end view taken from the right of FIG. 1. 
     FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the device of FIG. 1 shown in combination with a squeezable dispensing container, portions being broken away to reveal interior details. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring now to FIGS. 1-5, an embodiment of the dispensing device 10 of the present invention is shown comprised of blade 11 of monolithic plastic construction elongated between hollow base extremity 12 and rounded distal extremity 13. The blade is further bounded by opposed flat side surfaces 14 and top and bottom edges 15 and 16, respectively. Top edge 15 is preferably straight, and bottom edge 16 is preferably arcuately shaped and concave with respect to said top edge. Side surfaces 14 are preferably convergent in going from top edge 15 to bottom edge 16, causing the cross-sectional contour of the blade to be wedge-shaped, whereby said top edge is wider than said bottom edge. 
     Base extremity 12 is comprised of a circular shoulder 17 having an interior threaded bore 18 disposed in coaxial relationship with shoulder 17. A flat annular abutment face 21 is disposed around base 18. A channel 19 communicates between said bore 18 and bottom edge 16, terminating in an elongated slot opening 20. A convergent transition 22 may be interposed between bore 18 and channel 19 to expedite streamlined flow of the food products. 
     The overall length of the dispenser device, measured between abutment face 21 and distal extremity 13 may range between about 5 1/2 and 7 inches. The device may further be characterized in having an axis of elongation coincident with section line 3--3 of FIG. 2 and a plane of symmetry that contains said axis in parallel disposition between said side surfaces. 
     Bottom edge 16, forwardly of slot opening 20 and adjacent distal extremity 13, may be provided with a series of serrations 23 which facilitate the cutting of bread and toasted bread. The length of slot opening 20 is preferably between 40% and 60% of the overall length of bottom edge 16. Channel 19 is of flat rectangular cross-sectional contour, bounded in part by upper and lower downwardly directed arcuate surfaces 24 and 25, respectively. Accordingly, it is seen that, whereas channel 19 has a small cross-sectional area where it originates at base 18, it has a considerably larger cross-sectional area where it terminates at slot opening 20. The increase in said cross-sectional area of channel 19 is preferably in the range of 100% to 350%. Because of such specialized dimensional relationships, flowable food material which enters base 18 can be smoothly and evenly distributed over a relatively large surface, such as a piece of bread. Application of the food product is preferably accomplished by strokes taken back and forth transversely to said plane of symmetry. The food product emergent from slot opening 20 is physically distributed in thin layers by virtue of bottom edge 16. 
     FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment of the apparatus 28 of this invention, comprising a squeezable food container 26 having an exit opening equipped with a threaded male collar 27, and the dispenser device 10 threadably engaged with said collar. 
     The dispenser device 10 may also be equipped with a removable protective sheath to facilitate sanitary storage of the apparatus 28 upright on a shelf such as in a refrigerator. 
     While particular examples of the present invention have been shown and described, it is apparent that changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the invention in its broadest aspects. The aim of the appended claims, therefore is to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.