An automated beverage dispenser include a metering manifold that contains a pair of mating manifold blocks forming as a generally rectangular cuboid element forming a minimized volume manifold block. A fluid conduit system, a sensor control system and a valve and actuator system are incorporated in and on the minimized volume manifold block. The fluid conduit system comprises a series of linear, interacting fluid channels including a central linear conduit containing a magnetic piston and forming an operative portion of a metering mechanism for providing a metered discharge of beer or beverage between the bulk storage and a tap or spigot in a manner that provides for a beverage specific controlled metered pour into a beverage container. The instant abstract is neither intended to define the invention disclosed in this specification nor intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way.

A valve assembly for a dose filling machine having a valve body, a rotor and a first end seal assembly. The valve body has a main supply bore, a rotor bore, an upper rotor piston bore, and a side rotor dispensing bore. The rotor is rotatably positioned in the rotor bore. The first end seal assembly comprising a first end rotor seal engaging the valve bore and the rotor. A first end inner plate overlies the first side of the valve body and the first end rotor seal. The first end outer plate includes a bearing positioned within an opening thereof. A transverse slot extends from the opening to an outer edge so that a leak beyond the first end rotor seal proceeds through the transverse slot away from the bearing.

A positive displacement pipette tip for motorized control automation or liquid handling instrument system is disclosed. The positive displacement pipette tip includes a pipette tip and a pipette plunger. An interface portion of the pipette tip of the positive displacement pipette tip is designed to be used in combination with a zero-insertion force pipette tip clamping mechanism in, for example, a liquid handling instrument. Further, the pipette plunger of the positive displacement pipette tip is designed to be used in combination with a zero-insertion force pipette plunger clamping mechanism in, for example, a liquid handling instrument.

A liquid handling instrument and pipetting head for and method of aspirating and/or dispensing liquids is disclosed. Namely, an automated liquid handling instrument is provided for aspirating and/or dispensing liquids from source media to destination media using at least one pipetting head and by using a positive displacement pipette tip, wherein the positive displacement pipette tip includes a pipette tip and a pipette plunger. A pipetting head of the liquid handling instrument includes an arrangement of plates, threaded rods, motors, timing (or drive) belts, and custom timing pulleys/nuts. The pipetting head further includes an arrangement of pipette plunger clamping mechanisms and pipette tip clamping mechanisms that feature zero-insertion force clamping mechanisms.

A device for measuring and regulating a volume of a fluid dispensed by a time-pressure dispenser, the device comprising: an adaptor for releasably coupling a syringe to the device, the syringe containing a fluid to be dispensed; a probe configured to be coupled with a piston of the syringe, the piston being operative to apply a pressure for ejecting the fluid from the syringe upon the application of an air pressure to the piston; and a displacement detector operative in use to determine a position of the probe so as to determine a position of the piston when dispensing the fluid, whereby to regulate the volume of the fluid dispensed from the syringe.

The invention relates to a product container (1) for multiple dosing of a food product, comprising an inner volume (3) with a food product, this inner volume (3) being pressurized with nitrogen gas; the product container (1) further comprising a rotatable outlet element (7, 30) able to move from a position where the outlet of the container is open to a position where the outlet of the container is closed, being able to open and close the volume of the container under pressure; the pressure inside the container being higher than the atmospheric pressure. The invention further relates to a multi-serving product dispenser system for multiple dosing of a food product, comprising a product container (1) according as disclosed and a dosing mechanism (50), the container (1) being connectable to the dosing mechanism (50) by means of the rotatable outlet element (7, 30) in a tight manner, the dosing mechanism (50) comprising a moveable element (23) which movement is sequential with that of the rotatable outlet element (7, 30) such that the product can be stored, and can be dispensed into a dosing chamber (70) in the dosing mechanism (50), keeping the inner volume (3) of the container at a pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure. The invention also relates to a method for dispensing a food product one or a plurality of times using a multi-serving dispenser system as described.

A module for dispensing a powder is disclosed. The module has a channel having an entry port, a hopper coupled to the entry port and configured to receive the powder, and a piston partially disposed within the channel and configured to reciprocate within the channel. The piston has a retracted position configured to allow the powder to move from the hopper through the entry port into the channel.

A distribution assembly for product delivers and deposits a precise quantity of product on a support. The assembly includes a cylinder, a piston, displaced in the cylinder by an actuator, a route for taking in the product, an ejection head with a slide valve movable between a first closed position and a second open position, and an outlet nozzle, a preparation chamber, a transfer passage, connecting, selectively the preparation chamber with the outlet nozzle. When the cylinder comes towards the support, the physical contact with the support moves the slide valve from the first position to the second position and triggers delivery of the product, pushed by the piston, via the transfer passage. When the piston arrives at the forward end of range, the piston moves the slide valve from the second to the first position, closing the passage for the product via the transfer passage.

A system and a method for a constant micro dosing of powder material include a control device, a cylinder with a first opening and a piston movably arranged inside the cylinder and controllable by the control device. The piston is movable in the direction to or away from the first opening along a piston stroke direction. The cylinder stores the powder material between the piston and the first opening. The piston pushes the powder material through the first opening by moving along the piston stroke direction. Further the system and the method include a removing device for removing the powder material which is pushed out of the first opening of the cylinder. The control device controls the piston and the removing device in a synchronized manner such that a predetermined amount of powder material pushed through the first opening is removable by the removing device.

The invention concerns a dosing pump for moving a fluid, comprising a dosing head in which there is a dosing chamber and a displacement element reciprocatable between a first and a second position, wherein the displacement element delimits the dosing chamber, and the volume of the dosing chamber in the first position of the displacement element is greater than the volume of the dosing chamber in the second position of the displacement element, wherein the displacement element is coupled to a linear motor by way of a stroke element in such a way that in operation of the linear motor the stroke element performs a forward stroke and a return stroke in a housing in a direction of a movement axis with a stroke length h and the displacement element is reciprocated between the first position and the second position. To provide a dosing pump and to improve dosing pumps which are driven with a linear motor it is therefore proposed according to the invention that the stroke element has a cross-sectional area Q perpendicularly to the movement axis, wherein the square of the stroke length h is at least forty times greater than the cross-sectional area Q.