Patent ID: 7559442

Claim:
A laundry soap dispensing apparatus for storing and dispensing selected quantities of laundry soap, said apparatus comprising: a housing having a back wall, a bottom wall, a front wall, a first side wall and a second side wall, a cover being hingedly coupled to said back wall for selectively opening or closing an access opening defined by a top side of said housing, said front wall having a cup opening therein positioned adjacent to said bottom wall and configured for receiving a cup; a trough being mounted within said housing, said trough having an upper end extending across said access opening, said trough having a pour opening therein directed toward said bottom wall and a cup extended through said cup opening, wherein any laundry soap poured into said access opening is directed into said trough and toward the pour opening; and a measuring assembly being mounted in said housing and being in fluid communication with said pour opening, said measuring assembly being configured to dispense one of a plurality of selectable amounts of laundry soap into the cup, wherein laundry soap positioned within said trough may be poured into the cup by actuating said measuring assembly, said measuring assembly including: a shaft being rotatably mounted in said housing and extending outwardly of said first side wall, said shaft being positioned between said pour opening and said cup opening; an elongated member being slidably mounted on said shaft and having a longitudinal axis orientated perpendicular to said first side wall and parallel to said shaft, said elongated member having a top side and a bottom side, said top side having a plurality of wells extending therein and aligned with each other along a line orientated parallel to said longitudinal axis, each of said wells corresponding to one of said selectable amounts; a lever being attached to said shaft, said lever being selectively positionable in a first position rotating said elongated member such that said wells are directed toward said pour opening or in a second position rotating said elongated member such that said wells are directed toward said bottom wall; a gear being rotatably mounted in said housing and having a rotational axis orientated perpendicular to said longitudinal axis, said gear being in communication with teeth on said top side of said elongated member when said lever is in said second position, said elongated member being slidably moved along said shaft when said gear is rotated; and a rod being attached to said gear and extending through said front wall, a handle being attached to a distal end of said rod with respect to said gear.