Abstract: A steering system for a vessel is provided. The steering system includes an electric motor assembly and a steering linkage for transmitting the rotational output of the electric motor assembly to the vessel's rudder. The steering system may include at least three linkage members. The steering system may provide a variable output torque that corresponds at least partially with the variable required torque of the rudder at different rudder angles. The steering system may partially decouple the electric motor assembly from vertical movements in the rudder. Embodiments may include additional motor assemblies and steering linkages. The additional motor assemblies and steering linkages may provide an opposing force to reduce flutter within the system and/or be used to reduce the load of any one electric motor assembly.

Abstract: A kit features two arm assemblies, each of which features a longitudinal member with a padded portion extending from proximate one end thereof toward the other end and a connection at each end allowing horizontal and pivotal motion of the arm assembly about. A method of mooring a watercraft involves connecting each arm assembly between a respective connection point on the watercraft and a respective securing point on a body distinct therefrom, allowing horizontal pivoting of the arms to horizontally move the watercraft toward a vertical plane in which the securing points lie and blocking further horizontal pivoting of the arms by contact between the watercraft and a respective one of the arm assemblies before the watercraft reaches the vertical plane. The arm assemblies bind due to contact with the watercraft, thereby blocking impact of the watercraft with the body to which the securing points are mounted.

Abstract: A system is disclosed for pre-positioning a canister assembly at an undersea location. A transporter deploys to and releases the assembly proximate to the desired location. Once the assembly has fallen a safe distance after release, spring bands of the assembly are released by the action of lanyards of the transporter. The release allows anchor plates on each end of the assembly to separate from the assembly thereby dragging the assembly to a seafloor with the assembly buoyant at the undersea location. A vehicle deployment from the assembly is actuated by an acoustic receiver that causes a release device to release a normally compressed spring thereby allowing the spring to expand. During expansion, water is drawn into the assembly through flow ports to force a plunger plate with the water to act on a vehicle to deploy the vehicle out of a deployment tube of the assembly.

Abstract: An entrapment tunnel watercraft vessel having three hulls consists of a main hull and two amas arranged outboard of the main hull with the keels of the three hulls being parallel. The main hull is a narrow, vee hull with variable, rearwardly decreasing deadrise. The amas have very fine bows and narrow, asymmetric deep-V hulls, with nearly vertical slab outboard sides above their keels and variable reverse deadrise on their inboard sides with the reverse deadrise angles decreasing from bow to stem. The tunnels on each side of the main hull are formed by three distinct surfaces, the sides of the main hull above its chine, the reverse deadrise inboard sides of each ama upward from their keels and a ceiling surface transversely spanning the aforementioned sides and having rearwardly increasing deadrise and rearwardly decreasing width. The tunnel ceilings slopes down from the bow to a section aft of midship where the ceiling height above the keel remains essentially constant.

Abstract: A series of channels formed in the bow portion of the deck create both a series of wave breakers and a plurality of footrests inside the passenger compartment of this sit-in kayak. The kayak is integrally molded in a single piece and has a contoured seat with a downwardly sloping, rearwardly directed portion. A combination of the footrests and the downwardly sloping, rearwardly directed portion increases leverage available during paddling.

Abstract: A hidden marine windshield mounting system and method, utilizing a cooperative pair of elongated base members, longitudinally extending around the front of and fastened to a marine vessel deck. The two elongated base members cooperatively interlock with one another to form a single windshield mounting base unit, having a substantially vertically erect windshield receiving area for adhesion of most usually, curved windshield tempered glass. Mounted onto the top of the curved windshield glass is an elongated trim member, which may come into contact at its ends, with the ends of the base member pair. The base member pair can be forcibly separable from one another after stretch forming for assembly, installation and for glass replacement.

Abstract: Foldable boat covers provide various features including a cover portion which is foldable. Other features include hinges allowing the base structure to be folded. By folding the cover portion, the base structure, or both the cover portion and base structure, the boat may be placed in a garage or on a covered boat lift with a lesser likelihood of the boat cover interfering.

Abstract: A privacy screen for use on a bass boat to cover the cockpit area for use as a toilet.

Abstract: A device for coating a food product with a particulate coating material comprises at least one essentially horizontal, rotary drum, at least one feed line for feeding food products to be coated to one end of the drum, at least one removal line for removing coated food products at the opposite end of the drum, as well as feed means for feeding the coating material to the food products, such that when the drum rotates the food products are tumbled and move from the end of the drum that is oriented towards the feed line to the opposite end. At least one further rotary drum is provided, the width of the feed line and the removal line being greater than the diameter of a drum and said lines extending over at least two drums in the transverse direction.

Abstract: A plasma CVD film formation apparatus includes: a reaction chamber; a shower plate installed inside the reaction chamber; and a susceptor for placing a wafer thereon installed substantially parallel to and facing the shower plate. The shower plate has a surface facing the susceptor, which is configured using a convex shape toward a center as a basic shape and overlaying at least one equation thereon, and the susceptor supports the wafer at a peripheral portion and at a position between a central portion and the peripheral portion.

Abstract: An injection apparatus for injecting and/or removing substances from subjects, such as avian eggs, includes an injection needle having a body portion and a tapered portion that terminates at a tip. A tube is attached to and extends around the injection needle in substantially concentric relationship therewith. The tube has an end portion positioned a predetermined distance from the needle tip. The tube end portion acts as a stop to limit the distance the needle tip can be inserted into a subject, such as an egg, through a membrane of the subject. A detector may be utilized to measure force exerted on a membrane of an egg by a stop attached to a needle. Force exerted on a membrane by a needle and/or by a needle and a stop attached to the needle may also be measured.

Abstract: A weight sensitive squirrel proof bird feeder with multiple perch rods. In general, a feed reservoir includes perch rods positioned generally perpendicular to an outer surface of the feed reservoir. When a predetermined weight is placed upon the perches, the perches rotate about their longitudinal axis by a motor thereby expelling the source of the weight, typically squirrels or other undesirable animals from the perches.

Abstract: A livestock feeder (50) includes a gravity pulled, fold-down grill (56,57) on both sides of a main frame (51) that can hold a supply of livestock feed such as a hay bale (82) therein. The fold-down grills face each other and fold down on a hay bale positioned on the floor (60) of the feeder as the hay bale is consumed by livestock such as a horse. Grill spacer bars (65,101) are positioned apart from each other to allow only the muzzle of the feeding animal to reach there through and grasp the hay. The feeder also includes a pair of pivot arms (96-99) at the base of each grill to pivot the grill toward the floor of the feeder. Each pivot arm extends from a rotatable member (69-72) connected to the frame. The rotatable members and grill are lifted to hang the grill on a pair of latches (75-78) that lock the grill in a locked upright position for loading of another bale on the feeder floor through an end gate (58,59) that is rotatably connected to the main frame.

Abstract: An improved mirrored bird toy is provided that includes an interior multiple reflecting capacity that can reflect multiple reflections of a pet bird in multiple directions. Exterior exposed edges of the various mirrors may be plastic coated for safety. The lower or bottom mirror may include a cut-out whereby the bird can gain better access to the toy. The toy is mountable, within a cage, to the cage bars using a screw and nut. An orienting gage is disposed on the reverse side below the screw nub.

Abstract: A pet strap includes a pulling unit, a locking unit, and an elastic drawing mounted between the pulling unit and the locking unit and including an elastic inner tube and a weaving outer layer mounted on a surface of the inner tube. Thus, the elastic drawing unit provides a buffering effect to the user to reduce the reaction applied by the pet on the user's hand, thereby preventing the user's wrist from being hurt when the pet is running violently. In addition, the weaving outer layer is enclosed around the inner tube, so that when the inner tube is broken due to an excessive reaction, the inner tube will not being sprung outward, thereby preventing the user from being hurt by the broken inner tube.

Abstract: A common rail supplementary atomizer of this invention, when used on a piston internal combustion engine, equipped with a common rail fuel injection system, improves slurry atomization, following injection, by expansion of gases, previously dissolved in the water phase of the slurry. This gas expansion separates the several fuel particles in each slurry droplet formed first during fuel injection. The thusly separated fuel particles subsequently burn more rapidly and completely, due to this fuel particle separation improving air access to the fuel. Apparatus is described for dissolving atomizing gas into the water phase of the slurry, in a contactor chamber at a pressure greater than the pressure prevailing in the engine cylinder volume, at the time of slurry injection.

Abstract: A method of operating an engine is provided. The engine may have a housing with one or more combustion chambers, including a first combustion chamber. The engine may also have a piston in fluid communication with the first combustion chamber. The method may include combusting fuel in the first combustion chamber, thereby producing combustion gas that expands and drives the piston during a first combustion-gas-expansion stroke of the piston. The method may also include compressing at least part of the combustion gas in the first combustion chamber during a compression stroke of the piston. Additionally, the method may include, between commencement of the first combustion-gas-expansion stroke and completion of the compression stroke, releasing part of the combustion gas from the first combustion chamber.

Abstract: Internal combustion engine and method with compression and expansion chambers of variable volume, a combustion chamber, a variable intake valve for controlling air intake to the compression chamber, a variable outlet valve for controlling communication between the compression chamber and the combustion chamber, means for introducing fuel into the combustion chamber to form a mixture of fuel and air which burns and expands in the combustion chamber, a variable inlet valve for controlling communication between the combustion chamber and the expansion chamber, a variable exhaust valve for controlling exhaust flow from the expansion chamber, means for monitoring temperature and pressure conditions, and a computer responsive to the temperature and pressure conditions for controlling opening and closing of the valves and introduction of fuel into to the combustion chamber to optimize engine efficiency over a wide range of engine load conditions.

Abstract: A device for controlling variable gas exchange valves of an internal combustion engine is provided, in which an actuator control operates gas exchange valves by controlling valve actuators while taking into consideration supplied state variables and control specifications. Before the actuator control is cleared to operate the gas exchange valves, a collision protection device checks at least whether controlling the valve actuators using the supplied control specifications would lead to a collision of a gas exchange valve with an additional gas exchange valve. In response to a detected possible collision, the collision protection device initiates at least one measure that prevents a possible collision.

Abstract: An electromagnetically driven value includes a valve element that has a valve stem and that reciprocates in a direction in which the valve stem extends; a disc that extends from a driving end, which is operatively linked with the valve stem, to a pivoting end, and that pivots around a central axis which extends along the pivoting end; and a nonmagnetic body that is arranged between the disc and the valve stem.

Abstract: An electromagnetically driven valve includes multiple valve elements that have respective valve shafts and reciprocate in a direction in which the valve shafts extend; a pivoting member that extends from a driving end, which is operatively linked with the valve shafts, to a pivoting end, and that pivots around a central axis which extends along the pivoting end; a support member that supports the valve elements; and a single push plate that drives the multiple valve elements when being pressed by the pivoting member.

Abstract: A variable lift valve operating system for an internal combustion engine, including a variable lift mechanism capable of changing a lift amount of an engine valve in accordance with rotation of a control shaft rotatably supported in a cylinder head, and an actuator which has an electric motor and power transmission means interposed between the electric motor and the control shaft, and which is connected to the control shaft. The actuator is constructed to have an oilless structure without oil supply, thereby always stably and rotationally driving the control shaft.

Abstract: A valve timing controller is provided with a first rotary element that rotates in response to a crankshaft, a second rotary element that rotates in response to a camshaft. Multiple link mechanisms are arranged adjacently in the rotational direction of the first rotary element to change a relative rotation phase between the first and second rotary elements. The link mechanism in each group is constituted by combining the first link linked to the first rotary element by a revolute pair with the second link linked to the second rotary element and the first link. The second link of the link mechanism in each group retains the first link of each of the link mechanisms in the same group and the other group in the rotational axis direction of the first rotary element between the second link and the first rotary element.

Abstract: A device for adjusting the valve lift (1) of the valves of a combustion engine comprising a lever (3) being driven by a camshaft (4), pushed against the camshaft (4) by a spring, which cooperates with at least one valve engagement means and is positioned by a positioning means (6).

Abstract: An internal combustion engine having a plurality of intake and/or exhaust valves associated with each cylinder includes a valvetrain having a fulcrum with a plurality of pivot ball sockets each associated with a rocker arm and pivot ball disposed between the fulcrum and the rocker arm with the fulcrum extending through apertures of the rocker arms and having a plurality of slots, each slot having generally parallel opposing lateral surfaces for receiving and guiding both sides of an associated rocker arm so the rocker arm pivots about the pivot ball in a plane of the rocker arm. The fulcrum can accommodate at least two rocker arms that may operate in non-parallel planes relative to one another and can include bearing and locating surfaces integrally formed to finish dimensions to eliminate machining.

Abstract: A vehicle, such as a motorcycle, includes one or more stationary funnels through which air is delivered to an intake port of an engine. One or more movable funnels are arranged on an inlet side of the one or more stationary funnels and cooperating with the stationary funnels to deliver air to the intake port of the engine. A parallel linkage rotatably supports the stationary funnels and includes an upper linkage member and a lower linkage member.

Abstract: An engine balancer system is provided in which a balancer housing disposed so as to face an oil pan beneath a crankshaft is formed by joining an upper housing and a lower housing via mating faces, and the height of the mating faces is lower on a vehicle front side than on a vehicle rear side. Oil discharge holes or discharging oil that is within the balancer housing are formed in the mating faces on the higher side of the balancer housing and in the upper housing above the mating faces on the lower side of the balancer housing. This enables the position of the oil discharge hole on the lower side to be as high as possible, thereby suppressing penetration of oil into the interior of the balancer housing through the oil discharge hole.

Abstract: The invention provides a motorcycle having a frame, an engine coupled to the frame, and a crankshaft assembly. The crankshaft assembly includes a first flywheel half having an aperture, a crank pin including a first end portion, a second end portion opposite the first end portion, and a bearing surface between the first and second end portions. The first end portion is press-fit into the aperture of the first flywheel half. The first end portion, the second end portion, and the bearing surface are coated with a friction enhancer. A bearing is positioned at least partially onto the bearing surface, and a connecting rod has an aperture that at least partially receives the bearing.

Abstract: A system and method for operating an internal combustion engine include injecting fuel through a plurality of fuel jets of a fuel injector directly into a corresponding cylinder with at least a first plurality jets oriented to primarily support operation in a stratified mode and a second plurality of jets oriented to primarily support operation in a homogeneous mode. The first plurality of jets is oriented to spray fuel generally downward toward the piston bowl and the second plurality of jets is oriented to spray fuel generally across the cylinder toward the exhaust valves. The spray jets reduce or eliminate valve, liner, and piston wetting while providing good mixing in homogeneous mode and good combustion stability for light stratified charge during cold starts to achieve desired targets for feedgas emissions and combustion efficiency.

Abstract: A fuel injection apparatus comprising a fuel injection arrangement for delivering a fuel injection pulse sequence to a combustion chamber during a combustion cycle, the fuel injection pulse sequence comprising a plurality of discrete fuel injection pulses, each discrete fuel injection pulse having a fuel injection pulse type (for example: disabled, common rail pressure, pump pressure etc); a calculation module for monitoring a plurality of vehicle operating parameters, calculating a fuel injection mode in response thereto, and determining a fuel injection mode identifier; a controller arranged to receive the fuel injection mode identifier from the calculation module and operate the fuel injection arrangement in response thereto; wherein the fuel injection mode identifier (for example, a hexadecimal representation in the form of a data string) comprises a plurality of markers, each of the plurality of markers having an ordinal number and a value, wherein the ordinal number of each marker is indicative of the s

Abstract: A control apparatus retards ignition timing of the engine, and increases an amount of a fuel supplied to the engine based on a retard amount of the ignition timing, by calculating a maximum engine intake air amount at which an exhaust system temperature can be maintained at or below a predetermined upper limit temperature by increasing the amount of the fuel supplied to the engine without causing a misfire of the engine, and limiting an engine intake air amount to a value no greater than the maximum engine intake air amount.

Abstract: An engine idle speed control system for regulating an idle speed of an internal combustion engine includes a first module that determines an indicated torque of the engine based on a current spark timing and a second module that determines a desired indicated torque based on the indicated torque. A third module determines a new spark timing based on the desired indicated torque and a fourth module that regulates operation of the engine based on the new spark timing.

Abstract: An electronic throttle control apparatus includes: a motor; a throttle valve which is driven by the motor to open and close; a throttle sensor for detecting an actual opening angle of the throttle valve. This electronic throttle control apparatus is arranged to control an opening angle of the throttle valve by driving the motor so that the actual opening angle detected by the throttle sensor becomes a target opening angle, the apparatus further includes a fully closing stopper, and an abutting determination unit for determining whether the throttle valve abuts against the fully closing stopper. The abutting determination unit is arranged to determine whether the throttle valve abuts against the fully closing stopper based on a determination condition preset with respect to each one of a plurality of duty ratio ranges.

Abstract: A fresh gas system for a piston engine has a collecting line for supplying fresh air to multiple individual lines. The fresh gas system has the collecting line which is unthrottled and a control unit for actuation of the additional valves is designed so that it subdivides a fresh gas charge of the combustion chamber which depends on the load state into two charging phases (A, B) within an intake time window (T). This is limited by the opening and closing of the intake valve such that it actuates the additional valve to close within the intake time window (T) at a closing point in (TS). This depends on the load state and then actuates it to open at a later opening point in time (TO) that depends on the load state of the piston engine.

Abstract: An engine start control apparatus includes an intake air amount control device for controlling an amount of air supplied to a combustion chamber, a fuel supply device for injecting fuel to be fed into the combustion chamber, and an igniting device for igniting the fuel.

Abstract: A direct injection valve in a cylinder head (1) consists of a cylindrical housing comprising the following components: a valve (16) for dosing a fluid by means of a valve needle (15), an actuator (2) for generating a stroke acting on the valve needle, and a fluid supply to the valve (16). In order to minimise the heat transfer from the cylinder head (1) to the injection valve, an air gap (3) surrounds the housing of the injection valve, maintaining the housing and the cylinder head at a distance from each other.

Abstract: A stator core of a motor arrangement includes six cores, which are arranged one after another in a circumferential direction. A bobbin, which is made of dielectric resin, is fitted to each core. Each coil is formed such that a winding is wound around the bobbin through a concentrated winding technique. Dielectric resin is filled between each circumferentially adjacent two teeth to cover each coil. Furthermore, the dielectric resin is molded to form clearances, each of which is formed between the corresponding circumferentially adjacent two teeth on a rotor side. Fuel, which is pressurized by a pump arrangement, passes an interior of the motor arrangement through a fuel passage, which is a gap between an inner peripheral surface of the stator core and an outer peripheral surface of the rotor, and also through the clearances.

Abstract: A common rail injector having an injector housing with a fuel inlet connected to a central high-pressure fuel source outside the injector housing and to a pressure chamber inside the injector housing from which pressure chamber depending on the pressure in a control chamber fuel is injected when a nozzle needle lifts away from its seat and in which the pressure in the control chamber is controlled in a direct, inverse fashion by an actuator in particular a piezoelectric actuator. The combustion chamber end of the actuator or an actuator head provided on the actuator is guided in actuator guide section of a coupler sleeve, which has a larger inner diameter than a nozzle needle guide section of the coupler sleeve in which the end of the nozzle needle oriented away from the combustion chamber is guided.

Abstract: A fuel tank assembly includes a fuel tank having a plurality of side walls spaced apart by a floor. A flange extends downward from one of the plurality of side walls at an angle toward the floor. A fuel pump extends from the flange; the fuel pump and flange are arranged to fixedly position at least one inlet connected to the fuel pump at or in close proximity to the floor of the fuel tank. A fuel dam extends away from the floor and has at least one passage formed therein. The fuel dam is positioned so as to create an accumulated area of the fuel tank surrounding the at least one inlet. Fuel enters the accumulated area through the at least one passage and is received by the at least one inlet.

Abstract: A fuel feed apparatus is provided for supplying fuel from a fuel tank to an internal combustion engine, which is controlled using an engine control unit. The fuel feed apparatus includes a pump module that is provided to the fuel tank. The pump module includes a fuel pump that is accommodated in the fuel tank for pumping fuel from the fuel tank. The fuel feed apparatus further includes a pressure detecting unit that is provided in a downstream of the fuel pump for detecting pressure of fuel. The fuel feed apparatus further includes a pump control unit that is provided separately from the engine control unit for controlling a driving signal of the fuel pump in accordance with a detection signal of the pressure detecting unit.

Abstract: An evaporative fuel treatment system is disclosed that includes a canister, a detection passage having a reduced area portion, and switching device that switches fluid communication. Also included is a depressurizing device for depressurizing the detection passage coupled to the detection passage on a side of the reduced area portion opposite to the switching device, and a pressure detecting device. Moreover, the system includes an evaporative fuel state calculating device for calculating an evaporative fuel state in the mixture based on a cutoff pressure, an air pressure, and a mixture pressure of a mixture of air and the evaporative fuel. In one embodiment, the cutoff pressure, the air pressure, and the mixture pressure are detected independently and discontinuously. In another embodiment, the cutoff pressure and the air pressure are detected on a continual basis during purge of the evaporative fuel.

Abstract: A fuel vapor treatment apparatus includes a first determiner that determines a concentration of purged fuel based on an amount of deviation from a target air-fuel ratio of an air-fuel ratio detected by a sensor provided in an exhaust pipe. A second determiner that determines the concentration of purged fuel in a state in which a purge control valve is closed. Air-fuel ratio controller controls a fuel injection quantity to bring an air-fuel ratio to the target air-fuel ratio on the basis of the concentration of the purged fuel. The air-fuel ratio controller uses the concentration of fuel determined by the second determiner when purge is started or restarted, and uses the concentration of fuel determined by the first determiner thereafter in the course of performing purge. It is possible to increase a purge ratio when purge is started or restarted.

Abstract: A path (24) is formed in an intake tube (6), which supplies external air to a reciprocating engine (4). External air flowing from an inlet port to an outlet port of the path (24). A gaseous fuel path (26) is connected to the path (24) at an intermediate location thereof. A gaseous fuel, lighter than air, is supplied through the gaseous fuel path (26) into the path (24). A plurality of nets (8) are disposed in an area of the path (24) between the outlet port and the gaseous fuel path (26). The nets (28) are spaced along the length of the path (24) with the outer peripheral surface of each net (28) being in contact with the inner surface of the path (24).

Abstract: An apparatus for enhancing fuel mileage of internal combustion engine consists of a tube inserted into a fuel line between a fuel storage tank and the engine, the tube having a plurality of electrodes protruding into a fuel passage within the tube. The electrodes are provided with an electrical charge for imparting electrical charges to liquid fuel molecules flowing through the fuel passage of the tube.

Abstract: An ignition apparatus for an internal combustion engine can be produced at low cost and small size by preventing the generation of a spark at a spark plug due to a turn-on voltage with a simple ignition coil construction having no energy loss. The apparatus include an ignition coil having a primary coil and a secondary coil, a spark plug to which a high voltage from the secondary coil is impressed, and a coil driver for driving the ignition coil. The coil driver has a switching element for controlling the primary current, an IC for driving the switching element, and a turn-on voltage prevention circuit inserted between a secondary coil low-voltage side terminal and ground. The turn-on voltage prevention circuit is composed of a parallel circuit comprising a diode in the form of a bare chip and a thick film resistor, and is mounted on the same substrate together with the IC.

Abstract: A vehicle control apparatus and methodology relate to an exhaust gas sensor and sensor heater associated with an exhaust passage of a vehicle engine. The exhaust gas sensor is selectively heated to an applicable activation temperature by the heater so that the sensor may output a normal and accurate sensing signal. The heating must take place, however, without causing damage to the sensor such as that resulting from condensation that may occur within the exhaust passage as a result of engine operation and environmental conditions.

Abstract: An apparatus for releasably coupling a provided paintball hopper to a provided paintball marker. The apparatus includes a marker mount, a feed neck, a plurality of spheres, and a retaining sleeve. The marker mount includes an axial passage and a plurality of bores perpendicular to the passage. The feed neck includes an axial passage and a plurality of cavities. The retaining sleeve includes an annular groove. The marker mount for coupling to the paintball marker. The feed neck for coupling to the paintball hopper. Each one cavity is separate from any other cavity. Each bore having a first end portion and a second end portion respectively. One sphere is moveably positioned in each bore. The feed neck slidably engages the marker mount. The retaining sleeve is biased in a locked position and axially movable to an unlocked position. In the unlocked position, each sphere partially protrudes from the first end portion of its respective bore into the annular groove.

Abstract: A handle support and adjustment assembly for a saw allows the handle to be adjusted in length and/or angle relative to the saw.

Abstract: A steam cooker includes a steam generator including a heating chamber defining a volume for holding water. A heat exchanger is associated with the heating chamber so as to generate steam. A steam superheater superheats steam traveling from the heating chamber to a steam cooking chamber.

Abstract: Dispensing apparatus comprising a housing for receiving in use a dispensing container (100) containing a product, the housing comprising an outlet through which said product, in use, is dispensed, wherein the dispensing apparatus further comprises a trigger mechanism (7) for controlling actuation of a dispensing container (100) received in the housing, the trigger mechanism (7) comprising a pivotable member (74) rotatable from a first position to a second position, wherein the dispensing apparatus further comprises lock-out means movable from a locked position, in which rotation of the pivotable member from its first position to its second position is prevented, to an unlocked position, in which the pivotable member (74) is free to rotate.