A dispenser (100, 500, 900) for granules is disclosed herein. In a specific embodiment, the dispenser comprises a granular reservoir (1); a selector disk comprising (a) a feeder disk (2, 22, 52) comprising at least one protruding member (3, 23); and (b) a dispensing disk (8, 58) arranged to rotate in concert with the feeder disk (2, 22, 52). The dispensing disk further comprises at least one dispensing aperture (9) and a non-dispensing portion (103), the at least one dispensing aperture (9) being in registration with the at least one protruding member (3, 23). The dispenser (100, 500, 900) further comprises a holding disk (4, 94) comprising at least one through-hole (5) sandwiched between the feeder disk (2, 22, 52) and the dispensing disk (8, 58) and fixedly mounted with respect to the granular reservoir (1), wherein the selector disk is rotatable relative to the holding disk (4, 94) and the granular reservoir (1) between a first position in which the at least one protruding member (3, 23) is offset from the at least one through-hole (5) to allow a granule to be received from the granular reservoir and held within the at least one through-hole (5) by the non-dispensing portion (103) of the dispensing disk (8, 58) and a second position in which the at least one protruding member (3, 23) occludes the at least one through-hole (5) to allow the granule held in the at least one through-hole to dispense through the at least one dispensing aperture (9). Methods of dispensing granules using the dispenser (100, 500, 900) are also disclosed.

A dispenser (a) applicable to cap of a container (b) for granular and/or powdered products. The present dispenser (a) comprises a cylindrical body chute (10) with the required capacity, which is mounted with the possibility of relative rotation, on a virtual longitudinal (11) axis, in a cradle (2) formed on the wall of a lateral recess of the cap (b) of the container (c), being said chute provided with a projecting peripheral flap (14) acting as a manually operated turning means. The wall of the cradle (2) has an opening (3) facing the interior of the container (c) and the chute (10) has first and second openings (12-13) angularly separated. Chute (10) can run between a product loading position, with the first opening (12) facing the opening (3) of the cradle and the second opening (13) closed by the wall of the cradle, and a product discharge position, with the first opening (12) closed by the wall of the cradle (2) and the second opening (13) facing the outside of the cap.

A dispenser (a) applicable to cap of a container (b) for granular and/or powdered products. The present dispenser (a) comprises a cylindrical body chute (10) with the required capacity, which is mounted with the possibility of relative rotation, on a virtual longitudinal (11) axis, in a cradle (2) formed on the wall of a lateral recess of the cap (b) of the container (c), being said chute provided with a projecting peripheral flap (14) acting as a manually operated turning means. The wall of the cradle (2) has an opening (3) facing the interior of the container (c) and the chute (10) has first and second openings (12-13) angularly separated. Chute (10) can run between a product loading position, with the first opening (12) facing the opening (3) of the cradle and the second opening (13) closed by the wall of the cradle, and a product discharge position, with the first opening (12) closed by the wall of the cradle (2) and the second opening (13) facing the outside of the cap.

A feeder including: a) a base portion having a serving area; b) a chamber portion supported by the base portion and configured to retain a granular material within a chamber interior; c) a dispenser configured to segregate a portion of the granular material from the chamber interior and transfer the portion of the granular material from the chamber portion to the serving area, wherein the dispenser includes: i) a rocker body; and ii) one or more fins projecting from the rocker body; and wherein the feeder includes one or more of: i) the fin(s) are flexible; ii) sensing device(s) part of a sensing tower configured to sense the presence, distance, and/or amount of the granular material within the chamber portion; and/or iii) sensing device(s) configured to sense the presence, distance, and/or amount of the granular material within the serving area.

The present invention provides a new bulk, dry foods dispensing apparatus and system for commercial, retail and home use designed to dispense a predetermined volume of dry bulk food into a bowl or other receptacle without crushing or breaking the food. The bulk food dispenser includes a hopper, a dispensing chamber including two or more openings, a baffle located above the dispensing chamber for directing the solid bulk material to be dispensed from the hopper to the dispensing chamber, and a paddle wheel located within the dispensing chamber, where the paddle wheel further includes a plurality of protrusions for directing a solid material out of the dispensing chamber when the paddle wheel is rotated, where at least one of the two or more openings receive the solid material directed by the baffle, and where at least one of the two or more openings dispense the solid material out of the dispensing chamber.

The present invention provides a new bulk, dry foods dispensing apparatus and system for commercial, retail and home use designed to dispense a predetermined volume of dry bulk food into a bowl or other receptacle without crushing or breaking the food. The bulk food dispenser includes a hopper, a dispensing chamber including two or more openings, a baffle located above the dispensing chamber for directing the solid bulk material to be dispensed from the hopper to the dispensing chamber, and a paddle wheel located within the dispensing chamber, where the paddle wheel further includes a plurality of protrusions for directing a solid material out of the dispensing chamber when the paddle wheel is rotated, where at least one of the two or more openings receive the solid material directed by the baffle, and where at least one of the two or more openings dispense the solid material out of the dispensing chamber.

A meter wheel system for a dry agricultural product applicator can include a bank of meter assemblies made from modular meter units. In one aspect, each meter assembly in the bank can be made from modular meter units. The modular meter units can be connected in a stacked configuration to provide a specific overall length to achieve a corresponding flow rate and then banked together to form the system. A bank of meter assemblies made from modular meter units can be secured between top and bottom plates. The plates can be bolted to each other and have receptacles that receive protrusions from top and bottom surfaces of the meter assemblies. Lengths of meter assemblies can be picked based on particular delivery rates for the section it feeds. An overall length of each meter assembly can be a multiple of a length of the modular meter unit.

At least one example embodiment relates to an apparatus. In at least one example embodiment, the apparatus includes a shaft and a housing. The shaft is configured to rotate. The shaft defines a pocket. The housing includes a sidewall. The sidewall at least partially defines an interior region. At least a portion of the shaft is in the interior region. The sidewall defines a first opening to the interior region.

At least one example embodiment relates to an apparatus. In at least one example embodiment, the apparatus includes a shaft and a housing. The shaft is configured to rotate. The shaft defines a pocket. The housing includes a sidewall. The sidewall at least partially defines an interior region. At least a portion of the shaft is in the interior region. The sidewall defines a first opening to the interior region.

In one example, a device to dispense a powder includes a hopper, an outlet from the hopper, a dispenser to dispense powdered build powder from the hopper through the outlet, and an agitator movable at the outlet intermittently at the urging of the dispenser.