Device for dispensing pliant solids

Abstract

A device for dispensing a pliant material, such as butter, includes an outer section which may be held by a user and a removable inner section which may hold the material. The inner section may have a first open end and a second closed end having a dispensing opening such as a slit. A plunger may be fitted within the device to force material out of the device.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a device for dispensing material such as a stick of butter.

2. Description of the Related Art

Devices for dispensing butter or other pliant solid foods such as cheese have been disclosed. A number of such dispensers include a single housing that necessitates immersing the entire dispenser for cleaning. Others require an separate or inconvenient device (e.g. a knife) for slicing the extruded food, and can not be used to dispense the food onto the desired surface. One dispenser includes a device with a single housing with a mechanically operated piston wherein the piston protrudes substantially beyond the chamber housing the butter when the butter is first inserted.

What is desired is a compact, hand-held dispenser that requires minimal effort for operation.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Specific embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the following drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view from above of one embodiment of a dispenser according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of one embodiment of a dispenser according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an expanded side view of one embodiment of a dispenser according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an expanded perspective view from above of one embodiment of a dispenser according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an expanded perspective view from below of one embodiment of a dispenser according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view from below of a cap in accordance with one embodiment of a dispenser according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view from above of a cap in accordance with one embodiment of a dispenser according to an embodiment of the present invention.

SUMMARY

A device for dispensing a pliant material, such as butter, includes an outer section which may be held by a user and a removable inner section which may hold the material. The inner section may have a first open end and a second closed end having a dispensing opening such as a slit. A plunger may be fitted within the device to force material out of the device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, various aspects of the present invention will be described. For purposes of explanation, specific configurations and details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will also be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without the specific details presented herein. Furthermore, well known features may be omitted or simplified in order not to obscure the present invention.

Accordingly, there is now provided with this invention, a device for dispensing the material of a pliant solid object such as a stick of butter, for which the parts that come into contact with the dispensed object can be easily removed, that may be capable of slicing extruded material from the main mass of material, and that can be operated with minimal effort. A device of an embodiment of the invention is generally depicted in FIGS. 1-2. The device may incrementally dispense the material of, for example, a shaped object formed from a pliant solid such as, e.g., a stick of butter, that is inserted into the device. FIG. 1 shows a perspective view from above of dispenser 100, and FIG. 2 shows a side view of dispenser 100. In one embodiment, the external configuration of dispenser 100 is generally cylindrical with some flaring at both ends for stability when dispenser 100 is standing on either end. However, the device need not be cylindrical, and flaring need not be used.

The device may dispense a pliant material, such a butter, and may include an outer section which may be held by a user and a removable inner section which may hold the material. A plunger may be fitted within the device to force material out of the device

As shown in FIG. 3, dispenser 100 may include for example an inner section such as, e.g., canister 110, an outer section such as, e.g., main body 120, bottom lid or cap 130 and lid or cap 140. The main body 120 may be easily held by a user, and thus may be for example circular or oval in its outer cross section, although other shapes may be used. Other numbers of components may be provided, and multiple individual components may be combined into single components. These elements may be disconnected from dispenser 100 separately for cleaning, replacement or another purpose. The elements of dispenser 100 may be constructed from generally rigid, non-porous materials such as, for example, plastic or metal, although other materials may be used.

Reference is now made to FIG. 4 which depicts a second expanded view of dispenser 100 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. Canister 110 may be an elongated canister or container with an internal chamber whose dimensions and shape may be determined by the dimensions of the pliant solid object to be contained for dispensing. For example, if the pliant solid object is a common four ounce stick of butter with a square cross-section, then the internal length, width, and height of container or canister 110 may be shaped accordingly, e.g., a square cross-section parallelepiped long enough to accommodate easily insertion of the entire stick. The external configuration of canister 110 may be similar in shape to allow for ease of manufacturing, for example, using techniques such as, e.g., injection molding as known in the art. Canister 110 may also be manufactured all or in part from a clear material to allow visibility of the contained material

Top 111 of canister 110 may be open to allow insertion of the object to be dispensed. In one embodiment, top lip 112 of canister 110 may extend out radially in one or more sections from the top 111 and may be a stopper such that, when canister 110 is inserted in main body 120, may prevent canister 110 from moving beyond main body 120. For example, top lip 112 may press against top end 123 or a flat portion of top end 123. When material is forced out of the bottom of canister 110, pressure applied to bottom 113 of canister 110 may press lip 112 against top end 123. Alternatively, in other embodiments a portion of top lip 112 may extend out radially from top 111 such for example a set of two or more teeth, or more than one lip. Although not limited in this respect, the shape of top lip 112 may include two sections raised in a lengthwise direction on opposite sides of the square cross-section. In other embodiments, other components or methods may be used to keep canister 110 inserted in device 100; for example, a lip or stopper may be included at the bottom of body 120.

Reference is now made to FIG. 5 which depicts an expanded perspective view from below of dispenser 100. Bottom 113 of canister 110 may be closed thereby preventing the inserted object from falling out when inserted and to support the pressure exerted on the dispensed object during extrusion. Bottom 113 may include a dispensing opening or small orifice such as, e.g., slit 114 which may be a small orifice with, for example, a thin rectangular cross-section for dispensing material out of canister 110 during operation. The shape of slit 114 may be determined by the desired cross-section of the material being dispensed. For example, a thin rectangular slit 114 may be used to dispense a thin ribbon of butter. Slit 114 may be aligned parallel to one edge of bottom 113 and offset from the center of bottom 113. Other shapes and configurations for slit 114 may be possible, for example slit 114 may be round to provide a tubular shape for the extruded material.

Main body 120 may be a cylindrical container sized to accommodate canister 110 and may be open at both ends. The exterior of main body 120 may be round to facilitate handling during usage. Other appropriate shapes may also be used. Although not limited in this respect, for some embodiments of the present invention, main body 120 may include for example two sections: upper section 121 and lower section 122 joined together as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 using any appropriate bonding agent or method. Other number sections may also be provided or main body 120 may be made of one piece.

Upper section 121 may be a cylinder of sufficient length to accommodate canister 110. Top end 123 of upper section 121 may included a threaded boss or other connective element to accommodate the attachment of cap 140. Other connective elements for attaching cap 140 to top end 123 such as for example those of a snap-on system may also be provided. As shown in FIG. 4, opening 125 on top end 123 may be partly closed to form an orifice of sufficient dimensions to accommodate the length-wise insertion of canister 110 up to top lip 112 which may rest on the edge of opening 125 when canister 10 is fully inserted in main body 120. In some embodiments, upper section 121 may include one or more cutouts for mating to lower section 122 that extend from the bottom of upper section 121 and run most of its length. In one embodiment, the cutout shape may be generally rectangular with a semicircular section on the upper end. Other cutout shapes such as an elongated triangle may also be provided. For decorative purposes, upper section 121 may be made of an opaque material or have an opaque coating applied after being molded.

Lower section 122 may have a complementary shape to this cutout of upper section 121 and have an annular bottom section. Lower section 122 may be mated to upper section 121 along the edge of the cutout and on the top edge of the annular bottom section. Lower section 122 may be manufactured from a transparent material to provide a window for viewing the object being dispensed to be visible when inserted into dispenser 100 or to allow canister 110 to be visible when inserted. The extent of visibility is therefore determined by the cutout size and shape in upper section 121, the corresponding area of lower section 122, the size of the transparent area of lower section 122, and the transparency of canister 110. The transparent surface of lower section 122 may be inscribed with graduated markings to indicate the amount of the dispensed object remaining in canister 110. Alternatively, the transparent surface of canister 110 may be inscribed with graduated markings. In other embodiments, no transparent materials may be used.

Bottom end 124 of lower section 122 may also include for example a threaded boss or other connective element to accommodate the attachment of bottom cap or lid 130. Other connective elements for attaching bottom lid 130 such as for example those of a snap-on system may also be provided. As depicted in FIG. 5, opening 126 on bottom end 124 may be partly closed to form an orifice having dimensions and a shape size to allow the exterior of bottom 113 to fit snugly within. The combination of openings 125 and 126 may serve hold canister 110 in a fixed position when inserted into main body 120 and dispenser 100 is fully assembled.

Splitting main body 120 and canister 110 into separable elements of dispenser 100 may provide advantages. Because main body 120 may not come into direct contact with the dispensed object, it may not require cleaning such as in a dishwasher after use. This is in contrast to instances in the prior art for which the object is inserted directly into the main body of the dispenser which would then necessitate cleaning the entire dispenser. Consequently, the construction of main body 120 may include materials or coatings that, for example, can not withstand the environment of a household dishwasher. The separation may also facilitate manufacturing and lower the production cost of both canister 110 and main body 120 through the use for example of simpler injection molds. The exterior shape of main body 120 may be configured for easier handling, for example as a cylinder or other shape which is easy to grip, independently of the shape of the dispensed object inserted into canister 110.

Bottom lid 130 may generally serve as a cover and cutting tool for dispenser 100. As shown in FIG. 4, bottom lid 130 may, for example, include a face section 131, such as for example, a thin circular disk with at least one upper flange 132 extending upward forming a cylindrical section. Other face section and flange shapes may be used. The shape and dimensions of bottom lid 130 may be sized to allow bottom lid 130 to fit matingly over bottom end 124 of main body 120. A connective element such as, for example, threading on the interior side of flange 132 may be matched to the connective element, e.g., the threading on bottom end 124 to allow bottom lid 130 to be attached to main body 120. In some embodiments, bottom lid 130 may include a lower flange 133 extending in the opposite direction from upper flange 132 such as that indicated in FIG. 5. Lower flange 133 may be of sufficient length to allow dispenser 100 to be stood on its end such that face section 131 does not make contact with the surface on which dispenser 100 has been placed. Lower flange 133 may also eliminate contact between any residue of the dispensed object that may be left on face section 131 and the surface on which dispenser 100 has been placed. The exterior of flanges 132 and 133 and the circular disk of bottom lid 130 may form a smooth continuous surface that, in some embodiments, flares out along the length of bottom lid 130 such that the diameter of the lower end of flange 133 may be slightly larger than the diameter of the top end of flange 132.

Face section 131 of bottom lid 130 may include, for example, a dispensing opening, e.g., an orifice such as, for example, slit 134. Slit 134 may have, for example, the same shape, orientation, and location on face section 131 as slit 114 has on bottom 113 thereby allowing slit 134 and slit 114 to be aligned when dispenser 100 is assembled. The orifice on face section 131 may have different shape or size than slit 114.

Cap 140 may generally serve as a cover for the top end of dispenser 100 and includes a mechanism for advancing the object being dispensed inside canister 120 by applying pressure to the top end of the object thereby extruding the substance of the object out of an orifice on the bottom of canister 120. FIGS. 6 and 7 depict perspective views of cap 140 respectively from below and above according to one embodiment of the present invention. Cap 140 may include a main section such as, for example, cylinder 141 with an extendible plunger 142 projecting downward from the interior on the lower end of cylinder 141. As shown in FIG. 6, flange 143 may extend from the outer annulus on the bottom end of cylinder 141. The interior diameter of flange 143 may be sized to fit snugly over the exterior of top end 123 with, in some embodiments, a connective element such as, for example, threading complementary to that on the exterior of top end 123 allowing cap 140 to be attached to main body 120. Plunger 142 may be fitted on its bottom end with a plunger face 144, dimensioned and shaped to fit snugly into the orifice of top 111. In one embodiment, plunger face 144 may, for example, be a square of similar dimensions to an end face of a stick of butter, but may have other shapes. Plunger 142 may be capable of extending, for example, incrementally from a first position such that when dispenser 100 is fully assembled and containing an object to be dispensed, plunger face 144 may not press up against the object, to a second position for which plunger face 144 may press up against bottom 113 of canister 110.

As can be seen in FIG. 7, the top end of cap 140 may include an annular lip 145 and for example a circular surface 146 recessed from annular lip 145. In some embodiments, the presence of annular lip 145 may prevent damage or dirt obscuring an inscription or logo on surface 146 when dispenser 100 is resting on its top end.

Although not shown in the figures, cap 140 may include a mechanism housed internally to a main section such as, e.g., handle or cylinder 141 for extending a piston or plunger 142 axially by, for example, rotation of an annular exterior surface section of cylinder 141 around its longitudinal axis according to some embodiments of the present invention. Such mechanisms are well known in the art and may include, for example, a telescoping system of concentric cylinders, threaded and mated snugly such that when the exterior of cylinder 141 is rotated, downward pressure exerted by the threading on the outermost cylinder is translated to a central shaft of plunger 142 connected to plunger face 144 thereby forcing plunger 142 to extend downward through a telescopic movement of the concentric cylinders. The minimum full extension of plunger via this internal mechanism may be sized to match the length of the interior of canister 110 such that the entire contents of canister 110, e.g., the pliant solid object, may be dispensed by appropriate rotation of lid or cap 140, for example, continuously in a clockwise direction. Similarly, a cap 140 configured for plunger extension via clockwise rotation may be retracted by rotation in a counter-clockwise direction.

In one embodiment the handle or cylinder 141 does not extend a large distance, and does not move axially with respect to, device 100. Thus, as cylinder 141 is turned, cylinder 141 stays part of device 100 and does not extend from device 100, the plunger or piston 142 is extended within device 100, and device 100 maintains its size, and remains compact

Some embodiments of the present invention may provide the benefit that the high mechanical advantage of such a mechanism may translate to a minimal effort required to rotate the exterior surface section of cylinder 141 thereby dispensing the pliant solid object such as, for example, a stick of butter inserted into dispenser 100. Furthermore, the compact nature of these mechanisms may maintain a relatively small overall size of dispenser 100 when sized, for example, to dispense a stick of butter.

For operation, the object to be dispensed may be placed completely inside canister 110. Canister 110 may then be inserted inside main body 120 until top lip 112 rests against the edge of opening 125. Bottom lid 130 may be attached to main body 120 by, in one embodiment, screwing bottom lid 130 on to bottom end 124 using the threaded elements of each in a manner so as to co-align slit 114 and slit 134. This alignment may allow passage of the extruded material through the slits during operation. Bottom lid 130 may also be rotated from this co-aligned orientation to cut or slice the extruded material and rotated further so that slit 114 and slit 134 have no overlap, thereby sealing the bottom end of dispenser 100 for protective or storage purposes.

Cap 140 may also be attached to main body 120. In one embodiment, attachment may be accomplished by screwing flange 143 to the threaded boss on top end 123. It should be noted that prior to attachment, cap 140 may be in its fully retracted configuration. When cap 140 is attached to main body 120 with canister 110 containing the entire object to be dispensed previously inserted therein, all three elements may be sized in combination such that slight variations in the size of the dispensed object may be accommodated with some spacing between plunger face 144 and the closest end of the object.

To dispense the substance of the object, rotation of cylinder 141 may gradually advance plunger 142 which as plunger 142 presses against the top end of the object may move the substance of the bottom end of the object against bottom lid 130. The pressure exerted may extrude material from the object out through slits 114 and 134 respectively. It should be noted that the radial extension of top lip 112 over the edge of opening 125 may bear the load of the pressure, thereby preventing canister 110 from being forced out the bottom end of main body 120. In the instances where slits 114 and 134 have a thin rectangular shape and are co-aligned, the resulting extruded material may appear as a thin ribbon.

Cylinder 141 may be continuously rotated until plunger 142 is fully advanced, e.g., flush against the bottom 113 of canister 110, thereby having extruded the entire object or all of the substance. Alternatively, it may be desirable to dispense only part of the object. In this instance, one embodiment of the invention may provide the advantage that bottom lid 130 may be rotated such that there is no overlap of slits 114 and 134. This rotation may produce a desired slicing of the ribbon of extruded material. Furthermore, moving or rotating bottom cap or lid 130 such that there is no overlap of slits 114 and 134 may effectively seal the object inside dispenser 100 for protective or storage purposes

One embodiment of the invention may provide the advantage that the axial offset location of slits 114 and 134 may make it easier to place material being extruded during operation on another surface without leaving residue on bottom lid 130 by allowing dispenser 100 to be held such that a the plane of the circular surface of bottom lid 130 forms an acute angle to the plane of the receiving surface. Holding dispenser 100 in this manner may maintain close proximity between slit 134 and the surface as well provide visibility of the material being dispensed. By contrast, a centrally located slit, for example, might require placing the entire exterior flat surface of bottom lid 130 in close proximity to the receiving surface and also thereby reducing visibility.

Some embodiments of the present invention may provide the advantage that dispensing the object may be achieved in readily measurable quantities by rotating cylinder 141 through a fixed angular rotation. In one embodiment, as shown, for example, in FIG. 7, cylinder 141 or another part of device 100 may include indicator 147 including for example one or more indications or markings to allow a distance a handle such as cap 140 is turned or moved to correspond to a volume or amount of material dispensed. Markings may include for example a narrow end or point oriented, for example, downward on the face of cylinder 141. Other markings or pointing indicators such as for example a thin line oriented lengthwise on cylinder 141 may also be provided. Flange 143, or other area of cap 140, may then include markings 148 distributed evenly around the exterior surface of flange 143, the spacing of which may determine a desired, predetermined quantity of material extruded when plunger 142 is extended a fixed amount such as, for example, when cylinder 141 is rotated through the corresponding angle between any two or more of markings 148. For example, rotating cylinder 141 through 90° may dispense 0.25 ounce of butter and may be accomplished by moving indicator 147 from pointing to a first marking 148 on flange 143 to pointing to, for example, a fourth marking 148 on flange 143. Other angular rotations for other dispensed amounts may also be provided. Other indicators may be used, having configurations other than described.

Although the particular embodiments shown and described above will prove to be useful for the many dispensers to which the present invention pertains, further modifications of the present invention will occur to persons skilled in the art. All such modifications are deemed to be within the scope and spirit of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A device for dispensing a substance, the device comprising:

a main body, open at a top end, said top end having a first connective element, and open at a bottom end;

an elongated canister with an internal chamber, an open top end, and a closed bottom end with an orifice, the canister being insertable in the main body, comprising a lip at the top end which, when the canister is inserted in the main body, prevents the canister from slipping through the main body;

a bottom lid moveably attachable to the bottom end of the main body and capable of being rotated when attached to the bottom end of the main body, with a face section having an orifice; and

an extendible plunger attachable to the first connective element of the main body;

wherein the canister, the main body, the bottom lid, and the cap may be assembled with the canister inserted in the main body, the bottom lid attached to the bottom end of the main body, and the extendible plunger attached to the top end of the main body.

2. The device of claim 1 where internal chamber of the canister is an elongated parallelepiped with a square cross-section.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein the orifice on the bottom end of the canister is a rectangular slit offset from the center of said closed bottom end and parallel to one edge of the square.

4. The device of claim 3 wherein the orifice on the bottom lid has the same shape and dimensions as the orifice on the bottom end of the canister and has the same offset from the center of said bottom lid.

5. The device of claim 1 comprising an indicator on a face of the main section of the cap pointing downward and two or more markings distributed evenly around an exterior surface of the flange of the cap, where a fixed amount in extension of the plunger corresponds to the indicator moving from pointing to a first marking to pointing to a second marking.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the main body and at least a portion of the canister are transparent.

7. The device of claim 6 comprising two or more graduated markings on one of the transparent portion of the main body and the transparent portion of the canister.

8. The device of claim 1 wherein the connective element is a threaded surface.

9. The device of claim 1 wherein the extendible plunger comprises an annular lip extending above the main section.

10. The device of claim 1 wherein the bottom lid comprises a lower flange extending below the face section.

11. The device of claim 1 wherein the main body comprises a second connective element on the bottom end and where the bottom lid is moveably attachable to the second connective element.

12. A device for dispensing a pliant solid food, the device comprising:

a main body, open at a top end, said top end having a first connective element, and open at a bottom end, said bottom end having a second connective element;

a canister with an internal chamber, said chamber being a square parallelepiped, having an open top end, and a closed bottom end with an orifice, the canister being insertable in the main body and comprising a stopper extension at its top end pressing on the top end of the main body when inserted in the main body;

a bottom lid attachable to the bottom end of the main body, with a face section having an orifice alignable with the orifice on the bottom end of the canister; and

a cap comprising an extendible plunger fitted with a plunger face, a mechanism housed internally to the main section for extending the plunger face to the bottom end of the canister and attachable to the first connective element of the main body

13. The device of claim 12 comprising an indicator where a fixed distance of extension of the plunger corresponds to the indicator moving from a first marking to a second marking.

14. The device of claim 12 wherein at least a portion of the main body is transparent.

15. The device of claim 12 comprising two or more graduated markings on one of the transparent portion of the main body and the transparent portion of the canister.

16. A device comprising:

an outer section comprising a first open end and a second open end;

an inner section fitting within the outer section and removable from the outer section, the inner section having a first open end and a second closed end, the second closed end having a dispensing opening, the inner section comprising a stopper fitting over the first open end of the outer section, the stopper to prevent the inner section from moving beyond the second open end of the outer section when the inner section is inserted in the outer section; and

a plunger removably connectable to the outer section.

17. The device of claim 16 where internal chamber of the inner section is an elongated parallelepiped with a square cross-section.

18. The device of claim 16 wherein the dispensing opening on the bottom end of the inner section is a rectangular slit.

19. The device of claim 16 wherein at least a portion of the inner section is transparent.

20. The device of claim 16 comprising a moveable bottom lid attached to the outer section with a dispensing opening capable of being aligned with the orifice on the bottom end of the inner section.