Patent Document

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of Provisional Patent Application No. 61/359,061, filed Jun. 28, 2010. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to storage containers and more particularly to a storage container adapted to measure and dispense a flowable material. 
     For various reasons there is a need to store and dispense flowable materials, such as granules, particulates, powders, or liquids. For example, nutritional supplements, infant formula, and beverage mixes are often supplied as powders that must be mixed with water in specified proportions before use. Frequently these products are used away from a kitchen or other location where measuring implements are available. It is thus helpful to store a pre-measured quantity of the particular product ready for mixing. It is also desirable in many circumstances to store several identical portions of the same product for use throughout a day or week. 
     Numerous types of containers are known which are capable of storing and/or dispensing flowable materials. However, known containers do not provide a convenient way of storing several identical portions, nor do they provide a convenient way of loading multiple portions without repeated measuring. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     These and other shortcomings of the prior art are addressed by the present invention, which provides a container useful for storing and dispensing measured amounts of flowable material. 
     According to one aspect of the invention, a storage and dispensing container includes: a housing having a bottom plate with a feed opening defined therein, and a generally cylindrical outer wall extending around an outer periphery of the bottom plate; a funnel disposed at a lower end of the housing, in flow communication with the feed opening; a drum having an outer wall defining an interior that is partitioned into at least two chambers which are open at upper and lower ends thereof, the wall including a cylindrical portion which is coupled to the outer wall of the housing, such that the drum is rotatable relative to the housing; and a removable cap which closes off the upper end of the drum. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention may be best understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing figures in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a side view of a storage and dispensing container constructed in accordance with an aspect of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a front cross-sectional view of the container of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded cross-sectional view of the container of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a bottom plan view of the container shown in  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a view taken along lines  5 - 5  of  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view taken along lines  6 - 6  of  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a top plan view of the container; 
         FIG. 8  is a view taken along lines  8 - 8  of  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 9  is a cross-sectional view of two containers in a stacked assembly; 
         FIG. 10  is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary receptacle for use with the container; 
         FIG. 11  is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary receptacle for use with the container; 
         FIG. 12  is an exploded perspective view of an alternative storage and dispensing container constructed in accordance with an aspect of the present invention; 
         FIG. 13  is a side view of the container of  FIG. 12 ; 
         FIG. 14  is a top plan view of a housing of the container of  FIG. 12 ; 
         FIG. 15  is a view taken along lines  15 - 15  of  FIG. 14 ; 
         FIG. 16  is a view taken along lines  16 - 16  of  FIG. 14 ; and 
         FIG. 17  is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the container shown in  FIG. 12 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to the drawings wherein identical reference numerals denote the same elements throughout the various views,  FIGS. 1-3  depict an exemplary storage and dispensing container constructed according to an aspect of the present invention, referred to hereinafter simply as a “container”  10 . The container has a cap  12  placed over its upper end and is shown placed over a receptacle “R”, such as a mug or cup. 
     The container  10  is suitable for storing and selectively dispensing any type of flowable material. As used herein the term “flowable material” refers to any substance which is capable of deforming under shear stress and flowing, such as granular materials, particulates, powders, and liquids. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-3 , the container  10  comprises a housing  14  with a rotating drum  16  disposed therein. A carrying handle  11  may be incorporated with the container  10 . The housing  14  has a generally cylindrical wall  18  with an upper rim  20  and a lower edge that is formed into a flared lip  22 . The lip  22  is capable of receiving the upper edge  24  of the receptacle R. An upright cylindrical tube  26  is disposed in the center of the housing  14 . The housing  14  and other constituent parts of the container  10  may be made from any material which is sufficiently rigid to maintain the required shapes. Nonlimiting examples include plastic, metal, fiberboard, and the like. The various components of the container  10  may be formed as an integral whole (for example by injection molding) or may be formed separately and then assembled, for example using adhesives, snap- or friction-fit joints, bonding processes (e.g. thermal or ultrasonic), or mechanical fasteners. As best seen in  FIG. 3 , the tube  26  is held in place within the housing  14  by a bottom plate  28  which is generally circular. A wedge-shaped segment is removed from the bottom plate  28  to define a feed opening  30  (see  FIG. 5 ). In the illustrated example the feed opening  30  spans an angle of about 90 degrees. A funnel  32  is disposed underneath the bottom plate  28  (see  FIG. 4 ). In plan view the funnel  32  is generally wedge-shaped and is centered under the feed opening  30 . The funnel  32  is formed so as to transition smoothly into the lower end of the tube  26 . 
     A valve  34  is provided to selectively open or close off the feed opening  30  as desired. In the illustrated example the valve  34  is a wedge-shaped plate with arcuate inboard and outboard edges  36  and  38 . The valve  34  spans an angle slightly larger than the angle of the feed opening  30 . The inboard edge  36  is supported by a retaining ring or ledge  40 , which may be part of the tube  26 , and the outboard edge  38  is supported by an outer edge of the funnel  32 . Arcuate rails  42  and  44  on the tube  26  and the wall  18  retain the inboard and outboard edges  36  and  38 , respectively. In this example the valve  34  is mounted at approximately the same plane as the remainder of the bottom plate  28 . Mounted in this fashion, the valve  34  is able to move along an arcing path. Means are provided for moving the valve  34  between positions. In the illustrated example, a tab  46  formed as part of the valve  34  extends through an arcuate slot in the wall  18  of the housing  14  to allow manual operation of the valve  34 . 
       FIG. 3  shows the drum  16  in more detail. It is generally cylindrical with concentric generally cylindrical inner and outer walls  48  and  50 . The inside diameter of the inner wall  48  is sized to fit closely over the tube  26 , and the outside diameter of the outer wall  50  is sized to fit closely within the wall  18  of the housing  14 , so that the drum  16  can rotate freely within the housing  14 . Partitions  52  (see  FIG. 7 ) extend between the inner and outer walls  48  and  50  so as to divide the annular space between the two walls into a plurality of chambers  54  which are open at both ends. The number and size of the chambers  54  may be chosen to suit a particular application. The overall volume of the chambers  54  may also be adjusted by scaling of the overall height “H” (see  FIG. 3 ) of the drum  16 . As described in more detail below, it may be desirable to provide a particular total drum capacity either through a small number of large chambers  54  or a large number of small chambers  54 . The number of chambers  54 , and thus the angle spanned by each chamber  54 , matches the angle spanned by the feed opening  54 . In the illustrated example, the drum  16  is divided into four chambers  54 . It is also possible to divide the interior of the drum  16  into chambers  54  of unequal sizes. 
     The cap  12  includes a generally circular outer shell  56  with a generally “U”-shaped cross section, and an inner liner  58  with a similar cross-sectional shape. A vent  60  is provided through the outer shell  56  and may be of a shielded type as shown. One or more vent holes  62  (only one is shown) pass through the inner liner  58  (see  FIG. 8 ). When assembled to the container  10 , the cap  12 , specifically the inner liner  58 , seals against the upper edges of the drum  16  and the wall  18  of the housing  14 , to prevent spillage of any flowable material from the chambers  54 . 
     The cap  12  may be provided with means to securely fasten it to the container  10 . In the illustrated example, the cap  12  includes several spaced-apart lugs  64  which extend inward from the lip  22 . The upper edge of the housing  14  includes corresponding lugs  66  (see  FIG. 7 ). When the cap  12  is placed over the container  10  and rotated a fraction of a turn, the lugs  64  and  66  engage each other and hold the cap  12  and the container  10  together. 
     The container  10  is provided with means for rotating the drum  16 . In the illustrated example, best seen in  FIG. 7 , the upper portion of the outer wall  50  of the drum  16  has an array of detent slots  68  formed therein. 
     A slider  70  is carried by the housing  14  near the upper rim  20 . As seen in  FIGS. 2 and 7 , the wall  18  incorporates a lower slider track  72  around part of its periphery. The slider  70  is an arcuate band with an outwardly-protruding handle  74  and an inwardly-protruding, resilient finger  76 . The lower edge of the cap  12  defines an upper slider track  80 . Cooperatively, the upper and lower slider tracks  72  and  80  restrain the slider  70  in position and allow it to move in an arc between fixed stops  82  and  84 , with the finger  76  bearing against the outer wall  50  of the drum  16 . Moving the slider  70  in one direction allows the finger  76  to slip past the detent slots  68 , while moving it in the opposite direction causes the finger to engage one of the detent slots and thereby cause the drum  16  to rotate along with the slider  70 . Preferably, the fixed stops  82  and  84  and the size of the slider  70  are selected so that a full cycle of motion between the fixed stops  82  and  84  will result in the drum  16  being indexed by exactly one chamber  54 . In order to prevent backwards motion of the drum  16  during rotation, the housing  14  may be provided with a fixed resilient ratchet finger  86  that engages each detent slot  68  as it passes by during drum rotation. 
     The container may be configured to be stackable.  FIG. 9  shows an example of two identical containers labeled  10 A and  10 B, both identical in construction to the container  10  described above and having corresponding components. The upper container  10 A is placed over top of the lower container  10 B so that its lower flared lip  22 A engages the upper rim  20 B of the lower container  10 B. If desired, the containers  10 A and  10 B may be provided with a twist-lock arrangement of lugs as described above. The cap  12  is then secured to the upper container  10 A. The tubes  26 A and  26 B of the respective containers  10 A and  10 B form a continuous flowpath to the receptacle R. In the illustrated example, the tubes  26 A and  26 B are made slightly shorter than the height of the drums  16 A and  16 B so as to allow the tube  26 A of the upper container  10 A to nest into the lower container  10 B. Using this arrangement, any number of containers  10 A,  10 B, etc. may be stacked. 
     Referring back to  FIG. 2 , the container  10  is used by removing the cap  12 , making sure the valve  34  is in the closed position, and then filling the chambers  54  with the flowable material of choice. The individual chambers  54  are sized so as to provide multiple pre-measured portions without multiple measuring steps. For example, if a portion size of a particular nutritional supplement powder is about 89 ml (3 oz.), then each chamber  54  would be sized to contain exactly that volume. The entire container  10  can be dipped into a large package of the flowable material to overfill the chambers  54  and then scraped off level with a suitable implement. The cap  12  is then replaced and the container is ready for use. The container  10  keeps multiple individual portions of flowable material ready for dispensing. 
     To dispense material, the user simply places the container  10  over a suitable surface or receptacle R and slides the valve  34  to the open position. This allows the flowable material in the chamber  54  which is aligned with the valve  34  to flow past the valve  34  and through the feed opening  30  into the funnel  32 , which guides the flowable material out through the tube  26 . A path is provided from the vent  60  and the vent hole  62  into the active chamber  54  to ensure that the flowable material can flow freely. The valve  34  is then closed and the slider  70  is actuated to bring a full chamber  54  over the feed opening  30  ready to be dispensed. 
     The container  10  may be used for multiple measurements. For example, the individual chamber volume may be some integral fraction of a desired portion. In the example recited above where each chamber  54  holds about 89 ml (3 oz.), then dispensing the contents of two chambers  54  would produce a total of about 178 ml (6 oz.). 
     When using the containers in a stacked arrangement, flowable material can be dispensed without disassembling the containers. For example, referring to the containers  10 A and  10 B shown in  FIG. 9 , material may be dispensed from the upper container  10 A by simply opening its valve  34 A. The material will then flow through the tube  26 A of the upper container  10 A into the tube  26 B of the lower container  10 B and then into the receptacle R. In addition to simply providing additional storage capacity, this combination is also helpful if it is desired to dispense varying amounts of flowable material. For example, if each chamber  54 B of the lower container  10 B holds about 89 ml (3 oz.), and each chamber  54 A of the upper container  10 A holds about 59 ml (2 oz.), then discharging one chamber  54 B and one chamber  54 A will result in a total portion of about 148 ml (5 oz.). 
     As noted above the container  10  may be used to store and dispense any type of flowable material. One example of a flowable material would be a powdered nutritional supplement, beverage mix, or baby formula.  FIG. 10  illustrates a cup  88  which incorporates a cylindrical upper portion  90  and a flared, frusto-conical lower portion  92 . The shape of the cup  88  may be helpful in mixing such powdered materials with a liquid because of the mixing action imparted in the lower portion  92  when the cup  88  is swirled in a circular motion. 
     The container  10  may also be used to store products such as spices, dry food mixes, or even chopped vegetables. In these situations it may be desirable to dispense the product onto a surface such as a countertop rather than directly into a receptacle. To accommodate this type of use the container  10  may be mounted on a stand  94  such as the one shown in  FIG. 11 . This incorporates a simple ring  96  with a plurality of legs  98  extending downward. In use the stand would be placed on the surface and the lip  20  of the container  10  placed over the top edge of the ring  96 . 
     The container  10  may be scaled as needed to suit a particular application. While the examples above have described material capacities of several ounces, the same principals may be used to make containers having capacities of many pounds or even hundreds or thousands of pounds, using the appropriate structural materials. 
       FIGS. 12-17  illustrate an alternative container  110  constructed according to the principles of the present invention. Referring to  FIGS. 12 and 13  in particular, the basic components of the container  110  are a housing  114 , a drum  116 , a funnel  132 , a cap  112 , and a bottom cap  134 . In the illustrated example, a flexible tether  113  extends between the cap  112  and the drum  116 . 
     The housing  114  (seen in  FIGS. 14-16 ) has a generally cylindrical outer wall  118  with an upper edge  120  and a lower edge  122 . The housing  114  and other constituent parts of the container  110  may be made from any material which is sufficiently rigid to maintain the required shapes. Nonlimiting examples include plastic, metal, fiberboard, and the like. The various components of the container  110  may be formed as an integral whole (for example by injection molding) or may be formed separately and then assembled, for example using adhesives, snap- or friction-fit joints, bonding processes (e.g. thermal or ultrasonic), or mechanical fasteners. A bottom plate  128  which is concave-curved and generally circular in plan view spans the interior of the outer wall  118 . A wedge-shaped segment is removed from the bottom plate  128  to define a feed opening  130 . In the illustrated example the feed opening  130  spans an angle of about 90 degrees. A handling flange  136  with a slight downward curvature extends radially outward from the exterior surface of the outer wall  118 . The handling flange  136  provides a secure grip for manipulating the housing  114 , and may have a generally polygonal or otherwise noncircular shape to prevent the container  110  from rolling if placed on its side. A groove  138  is formed in the interior surface of the outer wall  118 . Short vertical notches  140  are spaced around the periphery of the outer wall&#39;s interior surface, at its upper edge  120 . The number of notches  140  corresponds to the number of chambers  154  of the drum, as described below. An annular retention flange  142  with an L-shaped cross-section extends downward from the handling flange  136 . It is spaced a short distance outboard of the outer wall  118  so as to accommodate the funnel  132 . 
     The funnel  132  is disposed underneath the bottom plate  128  (see  FIG. 17 ). The funnel  132  has a generally frustoconical body  146  and a short generally cylindrical discharge tube  148  at its bottom end. A series of concentric annular rims  156  extend axially away from the body  146 , near the discharge tube  148 . The sizes of the rims  156  are selected so as to seat over the top edge of a receptacle such as a can, glass, or bottle (not shown). An annular, radially-outwardly-extending barb  158  is formed at the upper edge of the body  146 . 
     The drum  116  is generally a body of revolution with an outer wall  150 . In this example the drum  116  is tapered in diameter from top to bottom. The outer wall  150  defines a short generally cylindrical coupling tube  160  at its bottom end. The outside diameter of the coupling tube  160  is sized to fit closely within the outer wall  118  of the housing  114 , so that the drum  116  can rotate freely within the housing  114 . Partitions  152  extend across the interior of drum  116 , so as to divide it into a plurality of chambers  154 . The number and size of the chambers  154  may be chosen to suit a particular application. The overall volume of the chambers  154  may also be adjusted by scaling of the overall height of the drum  116 . It may be desirable to provide a particular total drum capacity either through a small number of large chambers  154  or a large number of small chambers  154 . The number of chambers  154 , and thus the angle spanned by each chamber  154 , matches the angle spanned by the feed opening  130 . In the illustrated example, the drum  116  is divided into four chambers  154 . All but one of the chambers  154  are open at both their top and bottom ends. One of the chambers  154 ′ is closed off by an end wall  162 , which closely conforms to the bottom wall  128  of the housing  114 . A plug  164  (see  FIG. 12 ) is installed in the top of this chamber  154 ′ to close it off completely. 
     An annular flange  166  protrudes from the outer surface of the coupling tube  160 . When assembled, the flange  166  engages the groove  138  of the housing  114  so as to couple the drum  116  and the housing  114  together and permit them to rotate relative to each other. One or more vertically-oriented ribs  168  (seen in  FIG. 12 ) protrude from the outer surface of the coupling tube  160 . When the drum  116  is rotated relative to the housing  114 , the ribs  168  gently force the upper edge  120  of the outer wall  118  of the housing  114  outboard. When they are aligned with one of the notches  140 , the ribs  168  and the notches  140  engage each other to hold the drum  116  in a desired position, acting as a detent mechanism. The notches  140  and ribs  168  are arranged so that one of the chambers  154  or  154 ′ is aligned with the feed opening  130  in each of the “stopped” positions. 
     The bottom cap  134  is sized and shaped to close off the discharge tube  148  of the funnel  132  in a snap or press fit, and to be readily removable. In the illustrated example, a flexible tether  170  (seen in  FIG. 12 ) extends between the bottom cap  134  and the housing  114 , and is coupled to the housing by pins  172  pivoted in grooves  174  of a lug  176  of the housing  114 . 
     Referring back to  FIG. 12 , the container  110  is used by removing the cap  112 , making sure the drum  116  is turned so that the closed chamber  154 ′ is over the feed opening  130 , and then filling the chambers  154  with the flowable material of choice. The individual chambers  154  are sized so as to provide multiple pre-measured portions without multiple measuring steps. For example, if a portion size of a particular nutritional supplement powder is about 89 ml (3 oz.), then each chamber  154  would be sized to contain exactly that volume. The entire container  110  can be dipped into a large package of the flowable material to overfill the chambers  154  and then scraped off level with a suitable implement. The cap  112  is then replaced and the container is ready for use. The container  110  keeps multiple individual portions of flowable material ready for dispensing. 
     To dispense material, the user simply removes the bottom cap  134 , places the container  110  over a suitable surface or receptacle (not shown), and turns the drum  116  until one of the open chambers  154  is over the feed opening  130 . This allows the flowable material in the chamber  154  to flow through the feed opening  130  into the funnel  132 , which guides the flowable material out through the tube  126 . An air flow path can be provided into the active chamber  154  to ensure that the flowable material can flow freely. This may be done by providing a vent through the cap  112  (not shown) or by simply “cracking” or slightly opening the cap  112  while material is being dispensed. The bottom cap  134  is then replaced. Additional portions can be dispensed by again removing the bottom cap  134  and turning the drum  116  until another open chamber  154  is positioned over the feed opening  130 . 
     The foregoing has described a storage and dispensing container. While specific embodiments of the present invention have been described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications thereto can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the foregoing description of the preferred embodiment of the invention and the best mode for practicing the invention are provided for the purpose of illustration only.

Technology Category: a