Patent ID: 7703639

Claim:
A system for measuring and dispensing a predetermined quantity of a granular product, the system comprising: a receptacle having a lower end defining a neck portion having an inner wall forming a dispensing aperture; an impeller rotatably disposed in said neck portion and having a hollow central core rotatably mounted at one end on a shaft and at its other end on a co-axial, integrally form-fitted adaptor pin, said shaft and adaptor pin each being respectively supported by one of first and second oppositely-located through-holes formed in said receptacle neck portion, said impeller including a plurality of flexible blades configured to sealingly engage said inner wall of said receptacle, for maintaining the hygiene and freshness of the granular product, said flexible blades defining a predetermined measured volume between adjacent ones thereof and said inner wall of said neck portion, a handle secured to said impeller shaft for rotating said impeller; means for determining that said handle is rotated to a sufficient extent so as to align said predetermined measured volume with said dispensing aperture, thus insuring portion control; and a support for releasably receiving and supporting said receptacle a spaced distance from a supporting surface; wherein granular product filling an upper end of said receptacle will move therefrom into said neck portion where said predetermined measured volume of the granular product is aligned with and dispensed through said aperture substantially without breakage in response to rotation of said handle, said system being capable of easy disassembly for cleaning, said disassembly being performed by removal of said receptacle from said support and by removal of said shaft external to said receptacle via said first through-hole followed by removal of said integrally form-fitted adaptor pin end of said hollow central core from said second through-hole internal to said receptacle, enabling removal of said impeller through said upper end of said receptacle, said system being capable of re-assembly by replacing said impeller inside said receptacle through said upper end so as to align and insert said integrally form-fitted adaptor pin end within said second oppositely-located through-hole from within said receptacle and anchoring it therein, followed by replacement of said shaft via said first oppositely-located through-hole, which is easily aligned with said impeller hollow central core, thus enabling easy interchangeability of said impeller and adjustable portion control, by variation of said predetermined measured volume associated with a replacement impeller.