Patent ID: 8118068

Claim:
A dispensing system for storing and dispensing at least one material in solid form, the system comprising: a control unit; a plurality of interchangeable dispensing devices, each dispensing device including (a) a housing defining a compartment for the material and an opening for dispensing the material from the device and (b) a gate moveable between a closed position in which the gate blocks the opening and an open position in which the gate allows material in the compartment to be dispensed through the opening; and a weighing device operable to send signals to the control unit indicative of an amount of material dispensed from the system, wherein the control unit has an interface and each of the interchangeable dispensing devices has a corresponding interface allowing it to be selectively and disengageably interfaced with the control unit to form an interfaced dispensing device, the movement of the gate of the interfaced dispensing device being controlled by the control unit in response, at least in part, to the signals from the weighing device, and wherein the housing of each dispensing device has a longitudinal axis and the gate of each dispensing device has an end, the end of the gate being moveable generally longitudinally of the housing to open and close the opening of the respective dispensing device.