Hand-held food product dispenser

Abstract

A hand-held dispenser is provided for use with a container having a body defining a hollow cavity to store flowable material under pressure. The container also includes a nozzle in communication with the hollow cavity, which opens when deflected so as to dispense the flowable material. A contactor carried by the housing moves between an extended position deflecting the nozzle and a retracted position in which the nozzle is not deflected. A manually operable trigger carried by the housing is coupled by linkage to the contactor. The linkage includes a paddlewheel with paddles engaging the contactor to move the contactor to the extended position for a predetermined amount of time as the paddle is rotated past the contactor.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application is related to Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/404,472, filed Oct. 1, 2010.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to a dispensing device and, in particular, to a hand-held device for dispensing predetermined amounts of a food substance from a pressurized can. More specifically, the present invention relates to the dispensing of flowable materials such as whippable food products packaged under pressure in a canister or other vessel that undergo whipping when dispensed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There has been interest in the food service industry to provide a simple and effective vehicle for dispensing flowable food products, including whippable milk products, such as diary cream and whippable emulsions of dairy cream, for example, in which milk fat is replaced partly or wholly by other fats. Particular attention has been paid to those food products having a prolonged storage life which, upon dispensing, cause the product to undergo whipping so as to impart to the product a structure comparable with whipped dairy cream.

Portion control is an important consideration from a cost standpoint in the food industry. For example, a fast food establishment can experience significant gain (or loss) if the proper quantity of a particular food substance is used (or not used) on a repetitive basis. Portion control is also an important factor in providing a consistent, quality food product.

In a commercial setting, care must be taken to control inputs allocated for a particular process. For example, in the food service industry, it is important that serving portions be carefully regulated to control costs associated with producing a food serving. While portion control is usually a relatively simple task, there are instances where this presents a challenge to personnel chosen for the task based on an otherwise appropriate level of training and equipped with simple, low-cost serving equipment.

Devices are available for achieving portion control of food substances as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,667,854 to McDermott et al. for Liquid Dispenser; U.S. Pat. No. 7,124,916 to Groh et al. for Hand-Held Product Dispensers Having Pressurized Delivery and U.S. Pat. No. 6,173,870 to Taylor for Operating Handle Device for a Pressurized Cheese Dispensing Container. However, these devices do not offer a dispenser of economical construction that provides the benefits desired in commercial and other applications.

Despite advances, relatively simple, durable devices are needed for dispensing predetermined amounts of flowable food substances from a pressurized can. The food substances can comprise, for example, dairy products such as a natural or artificial whipped cream or cheese product. The device being sought is preferably hand-held, compact and relatively simple to use and easy to clean.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Restaurants and other food preparation businesses must control portion size in order to control costs. Portion control for flowable food materials typically involves pouring a food product into a container of known size during food preparation. However, not all food products can be accommodated in this manner. For example, whippable food products, while being flowable to some extent, cannot be economically dispensed into an intermediate container of known size, due to the difficulty in extracting the food product for further food preparation. In such instances, it is preferable to dispense the food product directly onto a food serving, for example.

Popular among whippable food products, today, is a variety of so-called whipped cream products. As originally conceived, such products were made from dairy cream, which today is prohibitively costly for many commercial food service operations. In their place, various emulsions of dairy products are readily available at a reduced cost and with prolonged shelf life. One popular technique for providing such products in a whippable form is to package the products under pressure in a canister having a dispensing nozzle that whips the products upon exiting the nozzle. Such containers are well known and have been readily accepted in a wide variety of food service applications. One problem that has arisen is that of portion control, particularly when these types of products are to be dispensed by wait staff who are largely untrained in commercial food preparation techniques.

The present invention minimizes the disadvantages associated with prior art methods and apparatus and provides advantages in the mode of operation and use of hand-held dispensers, particularly those adapted for dispensing a flowable material such as a whipped cream product. For example, in one instance, dispensers according to principles of the present invention provide an economical automatic metering of the flowable products without requiring special training, tools or equipment.

The present invention provides a novel and improved method and apparatus for dispensing whippable food products stored under pressure. One embodiment of such dispensing equipment comprises a hand-held dispenser for a container with a body defining a hollow cavity to store flowable material under pressure and a nozzle in communication with the hollow cavity. The nozzle opens when deflected so as to dispense the flowable material. The hand-held dispenser includes a housing for receiving the container, and a contactor carried by the housing adjacent the nozzle and movable between an extended position deflecting the nozzle and a retracted position in which the nozzle is not deflected.

A manually operable trigger is carried by the housing so as to be movable between on and off positions, and a linkage couples the trigger to the contactor and is operable, when the trigger is moved to the on position, to move the contactor from the retracted position to the extended position and to maintain the contactor in the extended position for a predetermined duration. A contactor spring biases the contactor toward the retracted position. The linkage is operable, when the trigger is moved to the off position, to allow the contractor spring to move the contactor from the extended position to the retracted position. With the trigger moved to the on position, the contactor is moved to the extended position so as to dispense a predetermined amount of flowable material—preferably, for example, 5 grams.

In another embodiment, a method of hand-held dispensing is provided for dispensing a flowable material from a container having a body defining a hollow cavity to store the flowable material under pressure and a nozzle in communication with the hollow cavity. The nozzle opens when deflected so as to dispense the flowable material. The method includes the steps of receiving the container at a fixed position within a housing and mounting a contactor in the housing for reciprocation between an extended position deflecting the nozzle and a retracted position in which the nozzle is not deflected. Also included are the steps of mounting a trigger to the housing so as to be movable between on and off positions, and coupling the trigger to the contactor with linkage that is operable when the trigger is moved to the on position to move the contactor from the retracted position to the extended position and to maintain the contactor in the extended position for a predetermined duration. The method also includes the steps of biasing the contactor with a contactor spring toward the retracted position and moving the contactor from the extended position to the retracted position while connected to the linkage, when the trigger is moved to the off position. By moving the trigger to the on position, the contactor is moved to the extended position so as to dispense a predetermined amount of flowable material.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic elevational view of a hand-held dispenser according to principles of the present invention;

FIGS. 2a and 2b show the dispenser in different operating positions;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view thereof, shown on an enlarged scale;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary exploded perspective view thereof;

FIGS. 5a and 5b show side elevational and front elevational fragmentary views thereof, in a first operational position;

FIGS. 6a and 6b show side elevational and front elevational fragmentary views thereof, in a second operational position;

FIGS. 7a and 7b show side elevational and front elevational fragmentary views thereof, in a third operational position; and

FIGS. 8a and 8b show side elevational and front elevational fragmentary views thereof, in a fourth operational position;

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The invention disclosed herein is, of course, susceptible of embodiment in many forms. Shown in the drawings, and described herein in detail are preferred embodiments of the invention. It is understood, however, that the present disclosure is an exemplification of the principles of the invention and does not limit the invention to the illustrated embodiments.

For ease of description, a hand-held device embodying the present invention provides dispensing for predetermined amounts of a food substance from a pressurized can. The device is described herein in its usual assembled position as shown in the accompanying drawings and terms such as upstream, downstream, inner, outer, upper, lower, horizontal, longitudinal, etc., may be used herein with reference to this usual position. However, the device may be manufactured, transported, sold or used in orientations other than that described and shown herein.

Referring now to the drawings, and initially to FIG. 1, a hand-held dispenser is generally indicated at 10. Dispenser 10 dispenses predetermined amounts of flowable material. The material is stored under pressure within a hollow cavity defined by a body 12 of a container 14. The flowable material may comprise a food product, for example, a whippable cheese or a whippable dairy product such as a whippable milk product or a dairy cream. Container 14 includes a nozzle 16 that is in communication with the hollow cavity and which opens when laterally deflected to an “on” position so as to dispense the flowable material. Preferably, container 14 is of a conventional design, with flowable material being dispensed continuously as long as nozzle 16 is laterally deflected from its rest position indicated in FIG. 1. As shown, container 14 preferably comprises a pressurized canister that is elongated along a central longitudinal axis 130. Nozzle 16 is shown in FIG. 1 in a rest or “off” position, with the nozzle having a longitudinal axis aligned along axis 130.

Container 14 is shown inserted in an inverted position within a housing 18 of dispenser 10. The housing includes a pair of hinged clamshell portions 20 with locking tabs 21 secured to a pair of longitudinally spaced-apart cylindrical collar portions 22 which firmly engage spaced-apart portions of canister 14. Resilient tangs 24 of the collar portions 22 hold container 14 such that nozzle 16 is held in a fixed position relative to the lower end of dispenser 10.

Referring now to FIGS. 2a and 2b, a manually operable trigger 26 is mounted to a handle 28 at the upper end of dispenser 10, as will be described in greater detail below, operates a linkage generally indicated at 30 to move nozzle 16 in a lateral direction indicated by arrow 34 (see FIG. 2b). Several components of linkage 30 are rotationally mounted along an axis 32.

With reference to FIG. 4, linkage 30 includes an elongated push plate 36 having a gear rack 38 with teeth 40 at its lower end. As can be seen in FIG. 4, teeth 40 have upper beveled surfaces and lower generally normal surfaces for engaging outer teeth 44 of a gear wheel generally indicated at 46. Gear wheel 46 further includes a circular series of gear wheel teeth 50 disposed about a major side surface of gear wheel 46. As can be seen in FIG. 4, gear wheel teeth 50 have normal driving surfaces 52 and opposed beveled camming surfaces 54.

With continued reference to FIG. 4, linkage 30 further includes a paddlewheel 60 that is preferably made of molded plastic, or a like material. Paddlewheel 60 includes a central hub with a plurality of paddlewheel teeth having normal driving surfaces 64 and opposed beveled camming surfaces 66. A thrust spring 68 biases gear wheel 46 into engagement with paddlewheel 60 so as to maintain meshing engagement between the teeth of the gear wheel and paddlewheel. Paddlewheel 60 further includes a plurality of paddles 70 with lobes 72 at their rounded free ends for engaging cam surface 82 of a contactor 80 (see FIG. 3). As can be seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, contactor 80 includes a forward-facing nozzle-engaging surface 84. A contactor spring 94 is received within a downwardly opening cavity 96 formed in contactor 80. The contactor spring 94 biases contactor 80 for movement in a rearward direction, toward paddles 70. Side wings 86 of contactor 80 (see FIG. 4) slide within channels formed in housing 18 to guide the sliding motion of the contactor.

With reference to FIGS. 4, 5 and 6, contactor 80 includes an upstanding fin 90 adjacent the rear cam surface 82 of the contactor. Fin 90 has a cam extension surface 100 that is preferably formed as a continuous extension of contactor cam surface 82 (see FIG. 6a). The top plan view of FIG. 5b shows thrust spring 68 pushing gear wheel 46 into engagement with the opposing side of paddlewheel 60. This maintains the teeth 50 of gear wheel 46 in meshing engagement with the teeth 62 of paddlewheel 60. The corresponding side plan view FIG. 5a shows linkage 30 in a rest position, with contactor spring 94 urging contactor 82 to a retracted, rest position. Preferably, in this rest position, the nozzle contacting surface 84 of contactor 80 is located immediately adjacent to, or lightly touching, nozzle 16 as shown in the rest or “off” position depicted in FIG. 1.

Referring now to FIG. 2a, trigger 26 is shown in a rest position, with trigger return spring 106 urging trigger 26 in an upward direction. The forward end 108 of trigger 26 includes a limit stop 109 engaging the housing 18 to maintain the trigger in engagement with the housing. Forward end 108 of the trigger holds an upper end 110 of push plate 36 in captive, pivoting engagement. With reference to FIG. 2b, as trigger 26 is depressed in a downward direction, trigger return spring 106 is compressed, storing energy to return the trigger to its rest position.

As trigger 26 is depressed, push plate 36 is moved in a downward direction, as indicated in FIGS. 2b, 6a, and 6b. Referring to FIG. 6a, due to the meshing engagement of the teeth carried at the lower end of push plate 36 with the outer teeth 44 of gear wheel 46, gear wheel 46 is rotated in the clockwise direction indicated in FIG. 6a. This action is indicated in the top plan view of FIG. 6b. With the meshing engagement of the gear wheel teeth and paddlewheel teeth, paddlewheel 60 is rotated in the same clockwise direction as indicated by arrow 120 in FIG. 6a.

With continued reference to FIG. 6a, the lobed free end 72 of one of the paddles 70 is brought into contact with cam surface 82 of contactor 80 and, with continued clockwise motion of paddlewheel 60, the paddle free end is subsequently brought into wiping engagement with cam extension surface 100 of fin 90. This urges contactor 82 to an extended position as indicated by arrow 122. As a result, a lateral deflection force, acts on nozzle 16 to move the nozzle to move to an extended “on” position as indicated for example by arrow 36 in FIG. 1. In this position, nozzle 16 is deflected away from the longitudinal axis 130, as shown in FIG. 1. Preferably, the cam surface 82 of contactor 80 and the cam extension surface 100 (which can be concave) of fin 90 form a continuous camming surface that is smoothly and continuously wiped by the lobed free ends 72 of paddles 70. As will be appreciated, each extension of contactor 80 results from contact with a single paddle.

With reference to FIGS. 7a and 7b, with continued clockwise rotation of paddlewheel 60, the free end 72 of the indicated paddle 70 clears the cam extension surface of fin 90. Contactor 80 is now free to retract under the force of contactor spring 94, in the direction of arrow 126. As a result, lateral deflection forces acting on nozzle 16 are relaxed, allowing the nozzle to move to a rest position with the nozzle closed or “off” as indicated, for example, in FIG. 1. Preferably, the linkage 30 assumes the position indicated in FIGS. 7a and 7b when the trigger 26 is fully depressed and push plate 36 is moved to its lowermost position (as shown, for example, in FIG. 2b).

Referring now to FIGS. 8a and 8b, when pressure on trigger 26 is relaxed, trigger return spring 106 urges trigger 26 to rise to its rest position indicated, for example, in FIG. 2a. As mentioned, the upper end of push plate 36 is held captive by trigger 26, and thus is raised along with the trigger, as indicated by arrow 132 in FIG. 8a. As a result of the meshing engagement of the teeth of push plate 36 with the outer teeth of gear wheel 46, gear wheel 46 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction of arrow 136 of FIG. 8a. Because of the beveled faces of gear wheel teeth 50 and the beveled surfaces of the teeth of paddlewheel 60, gear wheel 46 is free to slip relative to paddlewheel 60. During this slippage, the teeth of gear wheel 46 and paddlewheel 60 are maintained in inter-meshing engagement by thrust spring 68 which is compressed during the slippage as one set of teeth cams over the other. The interaction of paddlewheel teeth and gear wheel teeth provides a unidirectional clutch function, allowing the paddlewheel to be driven in one rotational direction while allowing the contactor to be moved by the contactor spring in an opposite rotational direction. As shown in FIG. 8a, the indicated paddle 70 is fixed against counterclockwise rotation by engagement with the upper end of fin 90 in the event that any counterclockwise force is applied to paddlewheel 60. At the conclusion of the action indicated in FIGS. 8a and 8b, trigger 26 is returned to its upper, rest position, with push plate 36 also being returned to its upper, rest position, as indicated in FIG. 2a.

As mentioned above with reference to FIGS. 6a and 6b, the lobed free end 72 of one paddle 70 continuously and preferably smoothly wipes across the continuous camming surface formed by the continuous combination of cam surface 82 and the cam extension surface 100. During this wiping or camming action, the paddle 70 engaging contactor 80, moves the contactor to its extended position so as to laterally deflect nozzle 16, moving it to an “on” position, with the nozzle being open for a controlled time duration so as to limit discharge of the container contents to a repeatable, measured amount. In one embodiment, the dispenser is made to repeatably dispense about 5 grams of whipped cream or cheese food product with each full trigger activation or the amount of food product dispensed can relate to its caloric content—for example, 15 calories. Preferably, nozzle 16 is conventionally constructed such that discharge occurs continuously as long as the nozzle is deflected from its rest position.

As will be appreciated, the wiping motion of the engaging paddle across contactor 80 occurs during a carefully controlled predetermined “dwell” time. During this “dwell” time, nozzle 16 is held open at its “on” position. Immediately before, and immediately after the “dwell” time, nozzle 16 is allowed to return it to its closed or “off” position. Thus, with each cycling of trigger 26, the linkage 30 causes a single cyclic operation of contactor 80, and the amount of discharge of flowable material through nozzle 16 is reliably and repeatedly measured.

Preferably, the amount of “dwell” time is determined by the rotational speed of paddlewheel 60 and the combined length of cam surface 82 (i.e., the height of the contactor 80) and cam extension surface 100 (i.e., the height of fin 90). Thus, as is preferred, “dwell” time can be readily and economically modified by changing the height of fin 90. Although the arrangement of inter-meshing teeth of the gear wheel and paddlewheel and the rotational speed of the paddlewheel can, to some extent, affect “dwell” time, it is generally preferred that these effects be minimized so that the setting of “dwell” time be primarily determined by dimensioning the height of the contactor body and the height of the upstanding fin.

If desired, electronic systems can be employed to control the duration that the contactor is extended in a dispensing cycle. Operation of the electronic system would be initiated by operation of the trigger and would extend the contactor by operation of a solenoid, for example. The time duration of contactor extension would be controlled by a conventional timing circuit. If desired, a user could be provided the ability to alter the time duration in a known manner, for example, by adjusting a potentiometer setting.

It is generally preferred that the parts of hand dispenser 10 (except for the springs) be economically formed from molded plastic. This allows the inter-engaging parts to work smoothly throughout their respective ranges of motion. With suitable molding techniques, canister 14 (and hence the nozzle 16) can be held in a desired fixed position relative to contactor 80, thus ensuring desired operation, as indicated above, throughout the range of motion of the contactor. As can be seen for example in FIG. 1, housing 18 includes a pair of longitudinally spaced-apart cylindrical collar portions firmly engaging spaced-apart portions of canister 14. Known plastic molding techniques can be employed to assure that the canister is firmly engaged by housing 18, while allowing a spent canister to be readily replaced without requiring special tools or techniques. As will be appreciated, the hand-held dispenser and method according to principles of the present invention can be employed to satisfy the practical requirements of a wide range of practical requirements.

The foregoing description and the accompanying drawings are illustrative of the present invention. Still other variations and arrangements are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention. For example, the single piece contactor shown in the drawings can be replaced by a contactor assembly made from several components that cooperate to function in a similar manner as that shown and described above. In one example, the contactor can be replaced by first and second laterally adjacent, interconnected swinging plates suspended from above on a common mounting shaft. As in the arrangement shown and described above, the paddles carried on the paddlewheel cam against the first plate to swing the first plate about the mounting shaft. A lateral connecting bar extends between the first and the second plates such that, when the first plate is made to swing by the paddle, the second plate swings in the same direction. The second plate includes a protrusion that contacts and deflects the nozzle. In this alternative arrangement, rotation of the paddlewheel causes the protrusion of the second plate to undergo an excursion in a manner similar to that shown and described above for the nozzle-contacting end of the contactor.

Although the dispenser and method according to the principles of the present invention have been explained above with regard to a particular commercial application, it will be readily appreciated that the present dispenser and method can be advantageously employed to provide improved measured dispensing of a variety of materials.

Claims

1. A hand-held dispenser for a container with a body defining a hollow cavity to store flowable material under pressure and a nozzle in communication with the hollow cavity, which opens when deflected so as to dispense the flowable material, the dispenser comprising:

a housing for receiving the container;

a contactor carried by the housing adjacent the nozzle and movable between an extended position deflecting the nozzle and a retracted position in which the nozzle is not deflected;

a manually operable trigger carried by the housing so as to be movable between on and off positions;

linkage coupling the trigger to the contactor and operable, when the trigger is moved to the on position, to move the contactor from the retracted position to the extended position and to maintain the contactor in the extended position for a predetermined duration;

a contactor spring biasing the contactor toward the retracted position; and

the linkage operable, when the trigger is moved to the off position, to allow the contractor spring to move the contactor from the extended position to the retracted position;

whereby, with the trigger moved to the on position, the contactor is moved to the extended position for a predetermined duration so as to dispense a predetermined amount of flowable material.

2. The hand-held dispenser according to claim 1 wherein the trigger comprises a thumb piece for engagement by the thumb of a user to operate the linkage.

3. The hand-held dispenser according to claim 1 wherein the nozzle has a longitudinal axis and deflection is perpendicular to the axis.

4. The hand-held dispenser according to claim 1 wherein the contactor has opposed nozzle-contacting and cam surfaces and includes an upstanding fin with a cam extension surface extending from the cam surface.

5. The hand-held dispenser according to claim 4 wherein the cam extension surface is concave.

6. The hand-held dispenser according to claim 1 wherein the linkage includes a rotatable paddlewheel having a plurality of paddles with free ends for engaging the contactor so as to move the contactor to the extended position.

7. The hand-held dispenser according to claim 6 wherein the paddle wheel has a set of paddlewheel teeth and the linkage further includes a gear wheel having a set of gear wheel teeth meshing with the paddlewheel teeth so as to rotate the paddlewheel to move the paddle free ends into and out of engagement with the contactor.

8. The hand-held dispenser according to claim 1 wherein the linkage includes a unidirectional clutch operable to move the contactor to the extended position when the trigger is moved to the on position.

9. The hand-held dispenser according to claim 1 wherein the linkage includes a clutch arrangement that is operable in a first direction to move the contactor and in a second direction to allow the contactor to be moved by the contactor spring to the retracted position.

10. The hand-held dispenser according to claim 1 wherein the product is a whippable material that undergoes whipping when discharged through the nozzle.

11. The hand-held dispenser according to claim 1 wherein the nozzle is adapted to dispense a whippable milk product.

12. The hand-held dispenser according to claim 1 wherein the nozzle is adapted to dispense a dairy cream.

13. The hand-held dispenser according to claim 1 wherein the linkage includes a rotatable paddlewheel having a central hub with a plurality of paddles extending radially outwardly from the hub, with free ends for engaging the contactor so as to move the contactor to the extended position.

14. The hand-held dispenser according to claim 13 wherein the paddlewheel is made of plastic and the free ends are rounded to form camming lobes.

15. The hand-held dispenser according to claim 1 wherein the paddlewheel has a set of paddlewheel teeth arranged in a circle about the hub and the linkage further includes a gear wheel having opposed major surfaces and a set of gear wheel teeth arranged in a circle about one of the major surfaces, for meshing with the paddlewheel teeth so as to rotate the paddlewheel to move the paddle free ends into and out of engagement with the contactor.

16. The hand-held dispenser according to claim 1 wherein the paddlewheel teeth each have opposed ends, with one end beveled to slip over the gear wheel teeth.

17. The hand-held dispenser according to claim 1 wherein the gear wheel teeth each have opposed ends, with one end beveled to slip over the paddlewheel teeth.

18. A method of hand-held dispensing from a container with a body defining a hollow cavity to store flowable material under pressure and a nozzle in communication with the hollow cavity, which opens when deflected so as to dispense the flowable material, the method comprising:

receiving the container at a fixed position within a housing;

mounting a contactor in the housing for reciprocation between an extended position deflecting the nozzle and a retracted position in which the nozzle is not deflected;

mounting a trigger to the housing so as to be movable between on and off positions;

coupling the trigger to the contactor with linkage operable, when the trigger is moved to the on position to move the contactor from the retracted position to the extended position and to maintain the contactor in the extended position for a predetermined duration;

biasing the contactor with a contactor spring toward the retracted position; and

moving the contactor from the extended position to the retracted position while connected to the linkage, when the trigger is moved to the off position;

whereby, by moving the trigger to the on position, the contactor is moved to the extended position so as to dispense a predetermined amount of flowable material.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the step of coupling the trigger to the contactor comprises the step of coupling the trigger to a gear wheel, coupling the gear wheel to a paddlewheel having a plurality of outwardly extending paddles for engaging the contactor.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein the step of coupling the trigger to the contactor further comprises providing the gear wheel and the paddlewheel with a circular series of inter-meshing teeth.