Abstract: A dispensing valve is provided for dispensing metered quantities of liquid and semi-solid food products from a hopper or reservoir.The valve has a piston and piston rod reciprocating in a rotatable sleeve to which it is keyed and the latter being journaled for rotation coaxially within a cylindrical valve housing. By rotating and reciprocating a handle attached to the piston rod a transfer port in the sleeve is selectively positioned in registry with intake and discharge ports in the housing to fill the sleeve with food on the intake stroke of the piston and discharge the food from the sleeve on the discharge stroke of the piston. Bosses are selectively placed on the piston rod between the handle and the housing to vary the stroke of the piston and thus, the measured quantities of food ingested and dispensed by the valve.

Abstract: A soup dispenser is provided with a simplified but accurate volumetric trap valve and reservoir assembly that obviates the need for venting in the dispensing of hot soup and the like with or without a high solids content. The entire unit including the valve, the reservoir and motorized impeller device for maintaining soup in the reservoir in a homogeneous condition is readily disassembled for cleaning and sanitizing.

Abstract: A valve and control system for filling sequentially presented containers with measured charges of semi-solid food product and the like from a feed hopper is provided in which the food product is charged into a product cylinder from the feed hopper through the valve and then discharged into a container through the valve in timed sequence with the reciprocating strokes of a piston in the product cylinder. Means are provided to monitor the discharge stroke of the piston to reverse the valve from the discharge position to the charge position before the discharge stroke of the piston is completed to cause the food product in the product cylinder to be returned to the feed hopper. This results in a dynamic discharge that precludes tailing of the food product at the valve discharge port and maintains the food product in the feed hopper in a homogenized state. The stroke of the piston is adjustable to predetermine the quantity of food product dispensed.