Portion dispensing container

Abstract

A portion dispensing container. The container includes a base supporting a hopper to store food, and a cover to seal the hopper. A cup can be inserted into and removed from the base and interacts with a slide to dispense a predetermined amount of food into the cup each time it is inserted. The hopper can include a wiper portion to assist in closing the flow of food from the hopper during dispensing.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention generally relates to a portioning container for dry food, commonly referred to as a dispenser, and particularly to a dispenser for granular dry food such as rice. Background Technology

[0002] Households typically store large quantities of dry food for long-term consumption. Storage containers are known to be provided for this purpose. For many such foods, it is also preferable to remove food from storage in specific increments, such as pre-set portions. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide a dry food storage and dispensing device.

[0004] Another object of the present invention is to provide a dry food storage dispenser that dispenses food in pre-set increments.

[0005] Another object of the present invention is to provide a dry food storage dispenser that is easy to manufacture using injection molding.

[0006] These and other objectives are achieved by a dry food storage dispenser. The dispenser includes a base supporting a hopper for storing food, and a cover that seals the hopper. A cup-shaped component can be inserted into and removed from the base, and interacts with a sliding component upon each insertion to dispense a predetermined amount of food into the cup-shaped component. The hopper may include a scraper portion to assist in sealing off the flow of food from the hopper during dispensing. Attached Figure Description

[0007] The objects and features of the invention mentioned above will be explained in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference numerals denote the same elements, and in the drawings:

[0008] Figure 1 This is a top perspective view of the portioning container according to the present invention in its operational configuration;

[0009] Figure 2 It is a top-down perspective view of the exploded form;

[0010] Figure 3 It is along Figure 1 The side sectional view taken from line 3-3;

[0011] Figure 4 This is a top view of the base;

[0012] Figure 5 It is along Figure 4 A sectional view taken from line 5-5;

[0013] Figure 6 It is along Figure 4 A sectional view taken from line 6-6;

[0014] Figure 7 This is a top-down 3D view of the base;

[0015] Figure 8 It is a three-dimensional view of the base from below;

[0016] Figure 9 It is a top-view perspective of the cup-shaped component;

[0017] Figure 10 It is a bottom-view perspective of the cup-shaped component;

[0018] Figure 11 This is a top view of the slider;

[0019] Figure 12 It is a top-down 3D view;

[0020] Figure 13 It is a three-dimensional view of it from below;

[0021] Figure 14 This is a detailed bottom view of the sliding component and the cup-shaped component before they are joined;

[0022] Figure 15 This is a detailed bottom view of the joint between the slider and the cup-shaped part;

[0023] Figure 16 It is a bottom-view 3D diagram of the hopper;

[0024] Figure 17 This is a top view of the scraper;

[0025] Figure 18 It is along Figure 17 A sectional view taken from line 18-18;

[0026] Figure 19 It is a top-view 3D view of the scraper;

[0027] Figure 20 It is a three-dimensional view of the scraper from below;

[0028] Figure 21 This is a detailed top view of the slider and cup-shaped parts in their storage positions;

[0029] Figure 22 This is a detailed cross-sectional view showing the scraper in its storage location;

[0030] Figure 23 This is a detailed top view of the slider and cup-shaped component in their partially opened position; and

[0031] Figure 24 This is a detailed top view of the slider and cup-shaped component in their assigned positions. Detailed Implementation

[0032] refer to Figure 1 The portioning container according to the invention (also referred to herein as a "dispenser" for simplicity) is generally indicated by reference numeral 10. See also... Figure 3 The dispenser 10 typically includes a base 12, a hopper 14 with a cover 16, a slider 18, a cup-shaped component 20, and a scraper 22. These components work together to safely store and dispense dry rations 24. Figure 24 Typically, the dry food 24 will be stored in a hopper 14 with a cover 16 to prevent contamination. The hopper 14 is supported by a base 12, which also works with a slider 18, a cup 20, and a scraper 22 to dispense a set amount of dry food 24 from the hopper 14.

[0033] Reference Figure 7 and Figure 8 The base 12 includes a bottom wall 26 and at least one side wall 28 extending upward from the periphery of the bottom wall 26. The side wall 28 extends upward to an edge 30 and also includes an opening in the form of a cup-shaped opening 32. Although various shapes are possible, a preferred form of the base 12 is shown as a generally rectangular bottom wall 26 having four side walls 28 and a cup-shaped opening 32 extending through one of the longitudinal end walls.

[0034] The interior of the base 12 mates with the slider 18 and the cup-shaped member 20 for operation of the dispenser 10. The interior of the base 12 includes a platform 34 located at approximately the same height as the upper edge of the cup-shaped opening 32. Moving from the cup-shaped opening 32 into the base 12, there is a cup-shaped member groove 36, sized to receive the cup-shaped member 20 when inserted through the cup-shaped opening 32. Therefore, the lower end of the cup-shaped member groove 36 is approximately at the same height as the bottom edge of the cup-shaped opening 32. The cup-shaped member groove 36 also has an internal closed end 38 positioned such that most (preferably substantially all) of the cup-shaped member 20 can be received and stored within the cup-shaped member groove 36. In the preferred embodiment shown, the cup-shaped member groove includes a semi-circular bottom, and the closed end 38 is also semi-circular to tightly receive a similarly shaped cup-shaped member 20 (described more fully below).

[0035] A cam flange 40 is formed on at least one side of the cup-shaped groove 36, at the intersection of the cup-shaped groove 36 and the platform 34. In the preferred embodiment shown, there are two cam flanges 40, one on each side of the cup-shaped groove 36. Furthermore, in the preferred embodiment shown, the cam flange extends downward from the platform 34, but other arrangements are also possible. Figure 4 and Figure 5As best shown, at least one cam flange 40 extends from near the closed end 38 of the cup-shaped groove 36 toward the cup-shaped opening 32. However, the at least one cam flange terminates at an outward opening at the free end 42 before the cup-shaped opening 20. In the illustrated embodiment, the free end 42 is formed by a lateral opening in the vertical wall of the cam flange 40, but other arrangements such as vertical openings in the horizontal wall of the cam flange may also be used alternatively or additionally.

[0036] Various other details or options for the base 12 are possible. The base 12 may include one or more handles 44 to allow a user to manually lift the entire dispenser 10. The base 12 (and hopper 14) may include several mating slots and stops 46 to allow the hopper 14 to be releasably latched to the base 12 to reduce the possibility of tipping. The base 12 may include various alignment ribs 48 arranged to require proper alignment of the hopper 14 with the base 12 to ensure proper assembly. Similarly, the base 12 (or other components such as the hopper 14) may include markings 50 indicating proper assembly. Finally, in a preferred form, the base 12, including all its features such as the platform 34, cup-shaped groove 36, cam flange 40, handles 44, etc., is integrally formed via injection molding, which... Figure 5 , 6 The best description is given in section 8. While this is preferred, it is not necessary, and the platform 34, the cup-shaped groove 36, etc., can be formed as one or more separate elements held to or within the base 12.

[0037] Reference Figure 9 and Figure 10 The cup-shaped piece 20 will be described below. The cup-shaped piece 20 includes an upwardly opening cavity 52 and a handle 54 extending from the cavity 52. ​​As can be envisioned, the cavity 52 will receive a quantity of dry food 24, and the handle 54 will allow a user to grip and manipulate the cup-shaped piece 20. For stability, it is preferred (but not necessary) that the handle 54 includes feet 56 spaced apart from the cavity 52 to help support the cup-shaped piece 20 resting on a flat surface without tilting. In the preferred embodiment shown, the feet 56 also include sliding ribs 58 to help maintain the cup-shaped piece in an upright position during insertion and removal from the cup-shaped piece slot 36. As previously mentioned, in a preferred form, the cavity 52 is hemispherical as shown, and therefore the cup-shaped piece slot 36 and the closed end 38 adopt their matching semi-circular shapes. The cavity 52 (and therefore the cup-shaped piece slot 36 and the closed end 38) can take other shapes, such as rectangular, trapezoidal, etc.

[0038] Reference Figure 11-13The slider 18 is described in detail. The slider 18 includes an elongated planar baffle 60. A guide wall 62 extends upward from a longitudinal side and the rear end of the baffle 60. The front end of the baffle 60 includes a sliding recess 64 extending inwardly to a closed end 66. A cup-shaped stop 68 extends downward from the baffle 60 at a location spaced inwardly from the closed end 66 of the sliding recess 64. The slider 18 also includes at least one guide block 70 extending laterally from the baffle 60. The guide block 70 is fitted with a biased cam holder 72 that extends forward from the cup-shaped stop 68, and the guide block 70 extends below the baffle 60, similar to the cup-shaped stop 68.

[0039] In the preferred embodiment shown, at least one guide block 70 is a pair of guide blocks 70 extending laterally from each side of the stop plate 60, and these guide blocks 70 are sized and positioned such that the guide blocks 70 will be received in the cam flange 40 so as to slide reciprocate within and along the cam flange 40 when the slider 18 moves toward and away from the cup-shaped opening 32 between the storage position and the dispensing position. The biased cam holders 72 are formed such that in their relaxed state ( Figure 11-14 In this process, they extend laterally outward, but can be elastically biased laterally inward into a compressed state. Figure 15 In the preferred embodiment shown, the slider 18 is formed as a single injection-molded part, and the elastic properties of the plastic used to form the slider 18 create a biased active hinge between the slider 70 and the cam holder 72. Figure 14 and 15 As shown in the comparison, the cup-shaped stop 68 and the cam clamp 72 are arranged such that the cavity 52 is adjacent to the cup-shaped stop 68, and the cam clamp 72 can partially surround the cavity 52 of the cup-shaped member 20. Figure 15 ).

[0040] Hopper 14 Figure 2 , 3 As best shown in 16. The hopper 14 is typically a concave storage box comprising a bottom wall 74 and one or more side walls 76 extending upward from the bottom wall and terminating in an edge 78. A cover 16 rests on this edge 77 (or more preferably, is releasably sealed to this edge 77). Similar to the base 12, in the preferred form, the bottom wall 74 has a generally rectangular perimeter and four side walls 76, but other arrangements are also possible. Figure 1 and 3 As shown, at least a portion of the sidewall 76 may include a flange 78 to engage the edge 30 of the base 12, thereby supporting the hopper 14 on the base 12.

[0041] like Figure 3 and Figure 18 As best shown, the bottom wall 74 is formed as a funnel leading downward to the orifice 80, wherein the orifice 80 is sized sufficiently to allow the dry food 24 to flow through by gravity. The depth of the funnel in the bottom wall 74 is set such that during assembly (e.g. Figure 1 and Figure 3 The hole 80 provides a tight sliding fit with the baffle 60 of the slide member 18, which can completely block the hole 80. Specifically, when completely blocked by the baffle 60, this fit is designed to substantially prevent the dry food 24 from leaving the hole 80. The hole 80 is also formed to cover the cavity 52 of the cup-shaped member 20 when it is operably inserted into the base 20 in its storage position. Figure 3 , 21 (and 22). Similarly, the sliding notch 64 of the slider 18 has a width very similar to that of the hole 80, and when the slider 18 is in the storage position, the sliding notch 64 is positioned below the hole 80 on the stop plate 60. Figure 21 Ideally, when the slider 18 is in the storage position, the closed end 66 of the sliding notch 64 is also positioned adjacent to the hole 80.

[0042] Reference Figure 3 and 21 -24 describes the operation of dispenser 10. The storage locations of dispenser 10 and its components are as follows: Figure 3 , 21 As shown in Figure 22. In this storage position, the slider 18 is fully inserted into the base 12, with the guide block 70 and the cam holder 72 received in their associated cam flange 40, and the cup-shaped stop 68 located at or near the closed end 38 of the cup-shaped groove 36. While other components may be used, it is preferable to prevent the slider 18 from moving further inward (and thus stopping in the storage position) by: 1) the guide block 70 abutting against the end of the cam flange 40; 2) the cup-shaped stop 68 abutting against the closed end 38; or 3) both 1 and 2. The sliding notch 64 and the closed end closely surround, but substantially do not obstruct, the hole 80 of the hopper 14.

[0043] In this storage position, the cup-shaped member 20 is also inserted into the cup-shaped member slot 36 to the maximum extent. In the preferred embodiment shown, for aesthetic purposes, the length of the handle 54 of the cup-shaped member 20 is determined to be aligned with the cup-shaped member opening 32 in this storage position. The cavity 52 of the cup-shaped member 20 is located below the hole 80. Therefore, as Figure 22 As shown, the dry food 24 can freely flow from the hopper 14 through the sliding notch 64 and into the cavity 52 of the cup-shaped member 20. As the cavity 52 fills with the dry food 24, the dry food 24 already dispensed into the cup-shaped member 20 will act to prevent further flow of the dry food 24 through the orifice 80. Therefore, when in the storage position, as... Figure 22As shown, the dry food 24 will only partially fill the cavity 52.

[0044] like Figure 3 As shown, the cup-shaped member 20 abuts against or is closely adjacent to the cup-shaped stop member 68 of the sliding member 18. In this position relative to the sliding member 18, and when the cam clamping member 72 is compressed due to the cam flange 40, as... Figure 15 As shown, the cup-shaped member 20 is held by the slider 18. Specifically, the inward movement of the cup-shaped member 20 relative to the slider 18 is blocked by the cup-shaped member stop 68, and the outward movement of the cup-shaped member 20 relative to the slider 18 is blocked by the cam clamp 72. Therefore, in this position, the cup-shaped member 20 and the slider 18 will move together as a unit. When the user manually pulls the handle 54 outward, the cup-shaped member 20 and the slider 18 will slide outward together as a unit. Specifically, the cup-shaped member 20 will abut against the cam clamp 72, and the outward movement of the cup-shaped member 20 will similarly force the cam clamp 72 (and thus the slider 18) outward.

[0045] The middle position during the outward sliding period is as follows Figure 23 As shown. Here, the cup-shaped member 20 is still held by the slider 18 because the cam clamping members 72 are still positioned within the cam flange 40 and are thus forced into a compressed state around the cavity 52. ​​The handle 54 of the cup-shaped member 20 extends partially from the cup-shaped member opening 32. As the slider 18 moves, the closed end 66 of the sliding notch 64 has moved within the periphery of the hole 80, thus the baffle plate 60 partially closes the hole 80. It is conceivable that with further outward movement, the closed end 66 will come closer and closer to the relative periphery of the hole 80 until the closed end 66 travels beyond the periphery of the hole 80, and the baffle plate 60 completely closes the hole 80 of the hopper 14 and prevents dispensing from the hopper.

[0046] Assigning positions as follows Figure 24 As shown. With further manual outward movement of the cup-shaped member 20, the cup-shaped member 20 eventually pulls the slider 18 out to the free end 42 of the cam clamp 72 into the cam flange 40, and the cam clamp 72 extends to the extent that it is in its relaxed state. Figure 14 As the cam clamps 72 relax and expand outward, they are no longer adjacent to the cup-shaped member 20, and the cup-shaped member 20 is no longer connected as a unit to the slider 18. Figure 24 As shown, the slider 18 will thus stop moving outward. At this designated position of the slider 18, the baffle 60 completely closes the opening 80 of the hopper 18 to prevent the dry food 24 from flowing out. Any dry food 24 that accidentally spills onto the surface of the baffle 60 will be contained by the guide wall 62. Further manual movement of the handle 54 will thus cause the cup-shaped member 20 to pull itself outward, as... Figure 24As shown. Continuous manual movement will cause the cup-shaped piece 20 to be completely removed from the base 12, and the cavity 52 will be filled with dry food 24. At this time, the user can manually pour the dry food into a cooking pot, mixing bowl, serving bowl, etc.

[0047] The movement from the allocation position back to the storage position is generally the reverse of the above. The user will manually insert the cup-shaped piece 20 into the cup-shaped piece slot 32 and begin to slide the cup-shaped piece 20 into the cup-shaped piece slot 36, corresponding to... Figure 24 Continued insertion will eventually cause the cup-shaped member 20 to abut against the cup-shaped stop 68 on the slider 18. From this point, further manual insertion of the cup-shaped member 20 will also push the slider 18 inward. As the slider 18 moves inward, the cam clamp 72 will leave the free end 42 and enter the cam flange 40. This will cause the cam clamp to move from a relaxed state to a compressed state, as... Figure 23 As shown. During this movement of the slider 18, the stop plate 60 has already slid below the hole 80. Finally, the closed end 66 of the sliding notch 64 will cross the periphery of the hole 18, and the hole 18 will begin to open again, as shown. Figure 23 As shown. The cavity 52 of the cup-shaped piece 20 is now below the hole 80, so the dry food 24 will start flowing into the empty cavity 52 again.

[0048] Continued insertion of the cup-shaped member 20 and the slider 18 assembly will eventually result in the slider 18 or the cup-shaped member 20 engaging with an abutment that prevents further insertion. As previously described, this could be the cup-shaped member stop 68 abutting the closed end 38 of the cup-shaped member slot 34, or the guide block 70 abutting the closed end of the cam flange 40, or the cup-shaped member 20 itself engaging with the base 12 in some way (e.g., via the foot 56 abutting the mating section of the cup-shaped member slot 36). At this point, the slider 18 will be fully inserted into the storage position, and thus the closed end 66 will have traveled beyond the hole 80, which will be completely surrounded by the sliding notch 63 and thus fully open for dispensing. As previously described, the dry food 24 flowing into the cup-shaped member 20 will eventually be blocked by the accumulation of the dry food itself. In this way, a repeatable amount of dry food 24 can be dispensed via the cup-shaped member 20.

[0049] While this specification provides working examples, there are certain potentially desirable modifications to this basic invention. The first is the shape of the hole 80 and the closing end 66 of the sliding notch 64. As generally described above, the hole can take various shapes, including square, hexagonal, etc. Imagine the hole 80 is formed as a square, while the closing end 66 is a matching flat wall perpendicular to the sliding notch 64. As the closing end 66 moves toward the dispensing position and closes the hole 80, the two flat edges of these elements converging together could easily clamp the dry food 24 between them. This could hinder closure or cause the dry food 24 to break, forcing the slider 18 to move further. However, the preferred embodiment is shown, specifically the hole 80 is circular, while the closing end 66 is semi-circular. Forming the hole 80 and the closing end 66 in this way allows both elements to form a lens shape during the closure of the hole 80, such as… Figure 23 As shown. When the orifice 80 is closed, the angled and curved intersections between these elements can be used to guide the dry food 24 pellets toward the hopper 14 or the cup-shaped member 20, and provide a smoother closure. Therefore, these circular shapes are preferred.

[0050] Another potential improvement is to provide an aperture 80 with a scraper portion 82. The scraper portion 82 would take the form of a segment with reduced thickness and increased flexibility, similar to a scraper blade. This scraper portion would be positioned adjacent to the cup-shaped opening 32 such that the scraper portion 82 is the last part of the aperture 80 encountered by the closed end 66 as the slider 18 moves from the storage position to the dispensing position. The scraper portion could be integrally formed with the hopper 14 (not shown). In a preferred embodiment, the scraper portion 82 is formed by a hopper cap 84 fixed to the hopper 14 at the aperture 80. Therefore, the hopper cap 84 could be formed of a more flexible material, different from that used for the hopper 14, such as silicone or flexible polypropylene. Figure 17-20 As shown in Figures 2 and 22, the hopper cap 84 has a shape that tightly receives the hopper 14 and forms a firm fit with the hopper 14, for example by means of a thread (not shown) or a pressure friction fit.

[0051] The hopper cap 84 may include various usability features, such as tabs 86 for easy removal of the hopper cap 84 for cleaning. The hopper cap 84 may also include a height-increased area 88 and / or various matching tab / slot combinations 90 to ensure that the hopper cap 84 can be installed only in the appropriate position. In this preferred form of the circular hole 80, the scraper portion covers approximately 60 degrees and is... Figure 23Comparing the lens area of ​​the closed orifice 80, it can be seen that the scraper portion 84 will be the final part of the orifice 80 so as to interact with the closed end 66 during orifice closure. The increased flexibility and reduced thickness of the scraper portion 84 will help to remove the dry food 24 to improve the closure of the orifice 80. Given that the scraper portion 82 and the hopper cap 84 are each independently optional, the term "orifice device" will be used generally to refer to this. In particular, the term "orifice device" is intended to include: an orifice 80 with or without the scraper portion 82; an orifice 80 without the hopper cap 84, or a hopper cap 84 mounted to the orifice 80; and a hopper cap 84 with or without the scraper portion 82.

[0052] As can be seen from the above, the present invention is extremely well-suited to achieving all the objectives and purposes set forth above, as well as other advantages inherent in its structure.

[0053] It should be understood that certain features and sub-combinations are useful and can be used without reference to other features and sub-combinations. This is contemplated by the scope of the claims and is within the scope of the claims.

[0054] Since the invention may have many possible embodiments without departing from its scope, it should be understood that all matters set forth or illustrated in the accompanying drawings are to be understood as illustrative and not limiting.

Claims

1. A portioning container, comprising: The base has a platform, a cup-shaped groove, and at least one cam flange with a free end, the cup-shaped groove extending below the platform and terminating at a closed end; A hopper, supported on the base, is adapted to hold dry food for storage and distribution, the hopper including a bottom wall formed as a funnel leading to a perforated device for distributing the dry food; A slider includes: a stop plate having a sliding notch extending toward a closed end of the sliding notch; a cup-shaped stop extending from the stop plate; and at least one guide block having a cam clamping member for biased movement between a relaxed position and a compressed position. The slider is mounted within the base for reciprocating movement between a storage position and a dispensing position, wherein the stop plate slides on the platform, and the guide block is received in the cam flange. In the storage position, the orifice is located above the cup-shaped groove, and in the dispensing position, the stop plate closes the orifice. A cup-shaped component, sized to be received within a groove in the cup-shaped component, is used for reciprocating movement between the storage position and the dispensing position. The cup-shaped component includes a cavity to receive the dry food, and in the storage position, the cavity is located below the orifice device.

2. The container according to claim 1, characterized in that, The hole device is circular, while the closed end of the sliding notch is semi-circular.

3. The container according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cam clamp is located within the cam flange at the storage position and biased to the compression position by the cam flange, wherein the cam clamp is positioned beyond the free end of the cam flange at the distribution position and released to the release position.

4. The container according to claim 3, characterized in that, The cam clamp, in the compressed position, is positioned to fix the cavity of the cup-shaped member between the cam clamp and the cup-shaped member stop.

5. The container according to claim 4, characterized in that, The at least one cam flange includes two cam flanges, and the at least one guide block and cam holder includes two guide blocks and cam holders.

6. The container according to claim 1, characterized in that, The orifice device includes a scraper portion having reduced thickness and increased flexibility, positioned to interact with the closed end of the sliding notch as the orifice device is fully closed by the baffle.

7. The container according to claim 6, characterized in that, The orifice device also includes a hopper cap fixed to the hopper.

8. The container according to claim 7, characterized in that, The cam clamp is located within the cam flange at the storage position and biased to the compression position by the cam flange, wherein the cam clamp is positioned beyond the free end of the cam flange at the distribution position and released to the release position.

9. The container according to claim 8, characterized in that, The cam clamp, in the compressed position, is positioned to fix the cavity of the cup-shaped member between the cam clamp and the cup-shaped member stop.

10. The container according to claim 9, characterized in that, The at least one cam flange includes two cam flanges, and the at least one guide block and the cam clamping member include two guide blocks and a cam clamping member.

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