Patent ID: 7959031

Claim:
A method for making and operating a metering and dispensing device for particulate material comprising the steps of: forming a cylindrical housing from an upper case member rotatable upon a lower case member, a free end of said upper case member being formed to provide an integral discharge disc and discharge end of said housing; stacking successively within said housing from a free end of said lower case member to the discharge disc of said upper case member, a feed disc, a measuring disc, and a volume disc, each of said discs including an aperture or opening therethrough, said feed disc being proximate a free end of said lower case member providing a feed end of said housing, and said volume disc being fixed in position, whereas said feed, measuring, and discharge discs are each rotatable; configuring the feed end of said housing to receive particulate material; configuring the opening in said volume disc to serve as a volumetric channel or chamber having a maximum volume equal to the maximum volume or quantity of particulate material to be dispensed; providing individual tabs extending from each one of said feed and measuring discs, respectively, with said tabs further extending through associated individual slotways in said housing, whereby said tabs permit manual rotation of said feed and measuring discs; and configuring the measuring disc to include a barrier lip proximate one end of its opening, for extending into the top of and for the full depth of the volumetric channel of said volume disc, whereby rotation of said measuring disc changes the volume of the volumetric chamber available for receiving particulate materials.