Patent Application
20150282501
The present invention relates generally to dispensing devices for food products, and more particularly to a self-serve dispenser for serving portions of dry toppings and the like from a container. The invention is useful for applying toppings to smoothies, frozen yogurt, ice cream, and the like.
A variety of dispensers are known in the art for delivering toppings. Such dispensers are able to contain and dispense a wide variety of toppings, including chocolate chips, mini marshmallows, hard candies, peanut butter chips, crushed cookies, cereal crumbles, cookie dough, candy lemon slices, crushed preztels, cranbarries, peanuts, cashews, sunflower seeds, pecans, peppermints, crushed up cone pieces, twizzler pieces, sprinkles (“jimmies”), cherries, strawberries, coconut shreds, brown sugar, powdered sugar, gummy bears, chocolate chunks, jelly beans, walnuts, swedish fish, nonpariels, blueberries, candy corns, gummy fruits.
Many of the above toppings, due to their sweet coating (e.g., hard candy) and/or conduciveness to being pressed (gummy bears, marshmallows, crushed cookies), adhere to one another. This creates a highly undesirable situation. Among other things, it results in caking and such caking may result in “cake” sizes which exceed the dimensions of the evacuation hole through which the topping is to be dispensed. In such case, the topping will not be dispensed, or, in order to uncake the toppings, the cover will have to be removed and the toppings agitated. Or the entire dispenser will need to be shaken or struck against a hard surface, which can result in damage to the dispenser.
A drawback to conventional topping dispensers, both manual and electric, is that they do not provide a solution by which caked or clumped toppings may be broken up so that they are delivered smoothly and efficiently. This leads to waste and user frustration.
The present topping dispenser seeks to address these and other related issues not addressed or solved by the prior art.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved topping dispenser.
In one aspect of the invention, a dispenser for dispensing food items, namely toppings for smoothies, frozen yogurt, ice cream and the like is provided which includes a housing defining at least one cavity which contains the toppings. The housing has a supporting base forming its floor. The supporting base has a first end and a second end and a base evacuation hole formed in it.
There is a sliding gate—which, in typical embodiments, is a plunger with a thumb-receiving part and a plunger arm—slidably installed within the base. The sliding gate has a spring fixed at its first end. The sliding gate protrudes from an opening in the supporting base. The sliding gate is biased away from the first end of the base by the spring. The sliding gate also has an evacuation hole formed in it. This evacuation hole is approximately equal in circumference with the evacuation hole in the base.
There is also an agitating finger fixed on the sliding gate substantially perpendicular to the horizontal axis of the sliding gate. The agitating finger is positioned between the gate evacuation hole and the first end of the sliding gate.
There is also a lid over the housing, the lid is pivotally fixed to the top of the housing. The lid may be opened to deliver toppings into the cavity of the housing.
The spring is of such a length and stiffness that, when unresisted, positions the gate in a closed position. When it is in this position, the base evacuation hole is blocked and the dispensible items are prevented from exiting the housing through the base evacuation hole. When the spring is fully resisted by pressure applied against the thumb-receiving part of the plunger, the gate evacuation hole is aligned with the base evacuation hole. In this way, dispensible items may exit the dispenser.
When the spring is resisted by pressing against the pressure-receiving part, the agitating finger moves through the toppings held in the cavity, whereby at least some dispensible items which are adhered are separated and more easily pass through the aligned base evacuation hole and gate evacuation hole.
The housing may be one piece with the supporting base. The housing may also be a separate piece from the supporting base.
The housing can be divided into multiple compartments, so that different types of toppings may be accommodated in a single topping dispenser. In these embodiments, each compartment has its own agitating finger.
The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its uses, reference is made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated.
It will be understood that the present invention includes any combination of these the various features of novelty which characterize the invention and any combination of equivalent features. The embodiments which follow are presented for the purposes of illustration only and are not meant to limit the scope of the present invention. Thus, all the features of the embodiments which follow are interchangeable so that each of element each embodiment may be applied to all of the embodiments taught herein.
In the drawings:
Referring now to the drawings,
The housing 110 can be divided into multiple compartments by dividers 120, so that different types of toppings may be accommodated in a single topping dispenser 100. In these embodiments, each compartment has its own agitating finger 118.
As can be best seen in
There is also a lid 112 over the housing 110, the lid 112 is pivotally fixed to the top of the housing by a hinge 122. The lid 112 may be opened to deliver dry toppings into the cavity of the housing 110.
As best seen in
As best seen in
The spring 134 is of such a length and stiffness that, when unresisted, positions the sliding gate 116 in a closed position. When it is in this position, both parts of the base evacuation hole 126 are blocked and the dispensible items are prevented from exiting the housing 110 through the base evacuation hole 126. When the spring 134 is compressed by pressure applied against the thumb actuated pressure-receiving part 128 of the sliding gate 116, the gate evacuation hole 138 is aligned with the base evacuation hole 126, so that the toppings may exit the dispenser 100.
The spring 134 may be made from a flexible and elastic plastic. If made from such a plastic, the spring 134 can be formed integrally with the sliding gate 116 or the supporting base or both. Alternatively, the spring 134 can be made from metal, or any other material which will flex or spring between a relaxed state and a compressed state.
As best seen in
The agitating finger 118 may be made of any type of metal, including, but not limited to stainless steal. The agitating finger 118 may, alternatively, be made of plastic. If made from plastic, the agitating finger 118 can be formed integrally with the sliding gate 116.
While the agitating finger 118 is shown for simplicity as a simple vertical bar in
It is also within the scope of the invention for the agitation finger 118 to have a vibrating function for improving breakup of toppings particles.
As shown in
Also disposed within the housing 140 is an electrical motor 146 and a power source 148, which may be, for example, a 1.5 volt AAA battery. The power source 148 is in electrical communication with the motor 146. Power source 148 may be rechargeable either in an external recharger or within housing 140 by providing suitable electrical contacts (not shown) through the housing 140. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that a suitable switch (not shown) may be provided at any convenient location on the dispenser 100 to control the actuation of the electric motor 146.
Electric motor 148 has a shaft 150 which vibrates upon the actuation of the electrical motor 148. While the speed of vibration can vary within wide limits without departing from the scope of the present invention, the vibration function is contemplated to be within a range such that it is sufficient for breaking up the toppings particles, but not so strong as to disturb the overall stability of the dispenser 100.
As best seen in
The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its uses, reference is made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated.
It will be understood that the present invention includes any combination of these the various features of novelty which characterize the invention and any combination of equivalent features. The embodiments which follow are presented for the purposes of illustration only and are not meant to limit the scope of the present invention. Thus, all the features of the embodiments which follow are interchangeable so that each of element each embodiment may be applied to all of the embodiments taught herein.
While a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the principles of the invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles. It will also be understood that the present invention includes any combination of the features and elements disclosed herein and any combination of equivalent features. The exemplary embodiments shown herein are presented for the purposes of illustration only and are not meant to limit the scope of the invention. Thus, all the features of all the embodiments disclosed herein are interchangeable so that any element of any embodiment may be applied to any of the embodiments taught herein.
