Dry product dispenser with replaceable portion control containers and ratcheting handle
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dry product dispensers lack the ability to easily change portion control volumes and do not incorporate a ratcheting handle for simultaneous indexing of loading and dispensing positions, limiting their adjustability and efficiency in dispensing granulated products.
Innovation Solution
A dispenser with a main body, loading and dispensing member featuring a series of receiving cavities and a ratcheting handle with interconnected ramp surfaces and teeth, allowing for the sequential movement of portion control containers between loading and dispensing positions, enabling adjustable volume dispensing without the need for conventional fasteners.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a single portion control member is used in the receiving cavity, then the dispenser can dispense a known selected portion volume, but the adjustability of the amount of product dispensed is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The portion control mechanism is segmented into multiple discrete portion control members (first, second, third portion control members) that can be selectively positioned within the receiving cavity. Each portion control member defines a different portion volume, allowing the user to select among multiple predetermined portion sizes by choosing which member to position in the cavity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple portion control members are selectively replaceable, then the desired selected portion volume can be changed, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The loading and dispensing member is made rotatable, allowing dynamic repositioning of different portion control members into the receiving cavity as needed. This rotational capability enables flexible selection among multiple portion control members without requiring complex disassembly or replacement mechanisms, simplifying the overall device structure while maintaining versatility.
3Productivity
If a ratcheting handle is used to index portion control members simultaneously to loading and dispensing positions, then operational efficiency is enhanced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The loading and dispensing member combines both loading and dispensing functions in a single rotatable component. The ratcheting handle engages with this unified member, allowing simultaneous indexing of both loading and dispensing positions through a single rotational motion. This merging of functions reduces the need for separate mechanisms and simplifies the overall device structure.
4Ease of operation
If the loading and dispensing member is rotatable, then sequential movement between loading and dispensing positions is enabled, but the mechanism for controlling movement becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The ratcheting mechanism is designed to automatically engage and disengage during the rotational movement of the loading and dispensing member. The ramp surfaces and teeth provide self-locking and self-release functionality, allowing the mechanism to control its own movement without requiring additional actuating components or complex control systems.
Data Source
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AI summary
A dispenser is provided for use in dispensing a selected volume of granulated dry product The dispenser includes a main body having a discharge opening, an open interior for holding a supply of the granulated product and a discharge spout for dispensing the granulated product. A loading and dispensing member is constructed with spaced apart receiving cavities, and is movably mounted between the discharge opening and the discharge spout. A portion control device defining one selected portion volume is received and retained in each receiving cavity, and is replaceable with a different portion control device having a different portion control volume. A handle is frictionally engaged with the loading and dispensing member to enable rotation of the handle with or relative to the loading and dispensing member to sequentially control loading and dispensing of granulated product from the portion control device.