A flowable food product dispenser is disclosed, The food product dispenser includes a main housing that is designed to be supported on a support surface. The main housing includes an open receiving area that includes a back support wall. An electric drive motor is included within the main housing of the food product dispenser. The main housing receives a storage container assembly that is movable into and out of the open receiving area. The storage container assembly includes a container and a pump. When the storage container assembly is moved into the open receiving area, the drive motor is able to drive the pump to withdraw the flowable food product from the container. A control unit and control panel are operable to allow a user to control the pump to selectively dispense the food product from the dispenser.

A method and apparatus are provided for use with a pump. The method includes, (a) placing liquid in a tube coupled to the pump, (b) injecting an air bubble into the tube in a manner that does not increase pressure within the tube, and such that there is a predetermined volume of liquid between the air bubble and the pump, (c) using the pump to advance the air bubble along the tube to the bubble detector of the pump, (d) using the pump, assessing accuracy of the pump by automatically measuring the volume of liquid pumped to advance the air bubble to the bubble detector, and (e) using the pump to continue advancing the air bubble along the tube, past the bubble detector, and using the pump to measure a volume of the air bubble. Other applications are also described.

A liquid dosing device for a container includes a dosing chamber having a front end and a back end. An outlet passage is located at the front end. A plunger is located in the dosing chamber, divides it in a front and a back space, and is moveable between a forward position in which the plunger closes off the outlet passage, and a backward position, in which the front space has a maximal volume. An inlet passage provides fluid communication between the front space and the container. A timer passage provides fluid communication between the container and the back space. A release passage, being greater than the timer passage, provides fluid communication between the back space and the container. A valve assembly at the release passage includes a valve seat located at the back end of the dosing chamber.

A fuel sub-metering mechanism for appliances that consume fuel. Each appliance may have a firing rate indicator. An individual fuel line may be connected to each appliance. A main fuel line may be connected to individual fuel lines. A meter may be connected to the main fuel line. A processor may be connected to the firing rate indicators and to the meter. The meter may measure total fuel consumption by the appliances. The processor may provide a sub-meter estimate of fuel consumed by each appliance. The sub-meter estimate may be based at least in part on a firing rate of the respective appliance and the total fuel consumption as indicated by the meter.

A liquid dosing device for dispensing a metered dose of liquid from a squeezable container, comprising an outlet passage leading to a discharge opening; a dosing chamber positioned behind said discharge opening and having at least one entrance opening allowing a charging flow of liquid from said container into said dosing chamber under the influence of weight of liquid, and a drive opening allowing a control flow of liquid from said container into said dosing chamber in response on a rise of pressure of liquid in the squeezable container; a floating plunger movably arranged in the dosing chamber so as to advance upon said rise of pressure from a rest position in which under the influence of a lifting force of buoyancy said floating plunger closes said drive opening, into a blocking position in which said floating plunger blocks said outlet passage, wherein said floating plunger when advancing into said blocking position, pushes said liquid charged into said dosing chamber, to said outlet passage; a stop seat upon which said floating plunger acts in its blocking position, and a sealing lip for closing said outlet passage, being arranged such that a seat-sided portion of the floating plunger or a plunger-sided portion of the stop seat and said sealing lip is formed, particularly injection-mold, of one single piece of the same plastic material.

An activity and volume sensing beverage container cap system for a beverage container including a cap that couples with the beverage container, a processor, a timer and at least one activity level sensor, such as an inclinometer, coupled with the processor. The activity level sensor detects container orientation. When the container is tilted, the timer measures an amount of time in an orientation. Based on the current and previous orientation and the amount of time the container is in different orientations, the processor determines an amount of time of activity of the user, and a level of activity of the user, such as number of steps or moves per time. The inclinometer is also used to determine the amount of volume dispensed from the container when tilted over a threshold indicative of drinking. Thus one inclinometer may be utilized as both to determine activity level and volume of fluid dispensed.

A method for controlling a magnetic valve and particularly a method for dispensing and/or aspirating a volume of liquid as well as a corresponding dispenser/pipetting apparatus is disclosed. The method for controlling a magnetic valve has measuring a capacitance at the magnetic valve and determining a position of a plunger based on the measured capacitance. The method for dispensing or aspirating a volume of liquid has controlling a flow of a system fluid by a magnetic valve located between a pressure source and a dispenser/pipetting tip, dispensing or aspirating a volume of liquid through an exterior opening of the tip dependent on the flow of the system fluid, wherein controlling the flow and determining a flow time in dependence of the volume of liquid to be dispensed or aspirated, and controlling the magnetic valve is held open for the duration of the flow time.

A timing device is integrated into a pour cap to visually indicate when a dose has been dispensed from the container. The timing device may be secured to either the pour cap or the container and timing is configurable based on a product being dispensed.

An external metering valve disposed on a gas fuel tank including an outlet rod is provided. The outlet rod includes an outlet orifice at a front end thereof. The external metering valve includes a metering valve and a gas guiding member. The metering valve includes a metering chamber. The gas guiding member includes a communication pipe, a blocking portion on the communication pipe, a discharging channel and an inlet orifice. The gas guiding member has a sealing outlet position and a metering outlet position. At the sealing outlet position, the outlet orifice outputs a gas and stores the gas in the metering chamber. At the metering outlet position, the blocking portion seals the outlet orifice through an airtight ring, and outputs the gas stored in the metering chamber through the inlet orifice and the discharging channel.

A method and a system for controlling automatic quantitative fluid supply are disclosed, and the method and the system automatically control the quantitative fluid supply by timing a period of time t required for introducing gas (20) into a sealing tank (4) in such a way that the pressure in the sealing tank (4) reaches a default value and calculating a period of time T, required for continuously introducing the gas (20) into the sealing tank (4) to extrude a fixed volume (V) of the fluid, from the time t, in the process of automatic quantitative fluid supply, so as to automatically control the switching-on and -off of a gas passage (1), overcome the impact of the reduction of the liquid level on the quantitative supply accuracy and guarantee the accuracy requirement of repeated quantitative supply.