Dispenser with Complete Dispensing and Closure

Abstract

A dispenser has a housing with a stem extending through the housing. The stem is attached to a head which rotates therewith. When the stem/head combination are rotated axially into, are in some positions, blocking flanges block portals into the stem. In other axially rotated positions, portals into the stem are unblocked by the portals. The portals are at a side of the stem adjacent to the bottom in embodiments of the disclosed technology. Further, a bottom region of the internal space can be conical to direct the material towards the portals, the bottom side of the stem being surrounded by the adjacent conical space such that it fits snugly there-with in embodiments of the disclosed technology.

Claims

1. A dispenser, comprising: a dispensing pathway passing through a head and stem which rotate together; a housing having a top portal through which said stem passes into an interior space of said housing; a lateral portal cutting into a lateral side of said stem at a bottom end thereof; a blocking flange extending inward from said housing wherein: at a first position of said head and stem, said blocking flange blocks said lateral portal.

2. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein said interior space is substantially made up of circular cross sections with a smaller circumference at a bottom side thereof compared to a top side thereof.

3. The dispenser of claim 2, wherein said interior space comprises a cylinder joined with a cone.

4. The dispenser of claim 3, wherein said blocking flange extends inward from said cylinder and has a vertical side wall which covers said lateral portal in said first position.

5. The dispenser of claim 4, comprising a second blocking flange on an opposite latitudinal side of said stem from said blocking flange and a second lateral portal on an opposite latitudinal side of said lateral portal.

6. A dispenser, comprising: a continuous internal space with a cylindrical region and a conical region; a stem extending through both said cylindrical region and said conical region, said stem fixedly attached to a head, said head situated outside of said continuous internal space; and said stem comprising: a) at least one opening latitudinally aligned with said conical region; and b) at least one opening which opens into an interior space of said head; and wherein rotation of said stem with respect to said internal space blocks and/or unblocks said at least one opening aligned with said conical region.

7. The dispenser of claim 6, where at least one opening latitudinally aligned with said conical region is aligned substantially with a narrowest portion of said conical region.

8. The dispenser of claim 7, further comprising flanges extending from a bottom and said narrowest portion of said conical region which have a medial side sized to fit over said at least one opening latitudinally aligned with said conical region.

9. The dispenser of claim 8, wherein said at least one opening latitudinally aligned with said conical region is two openings on opposite longitudinal sides of said stem.

10. The dispenser of claim 9, wherein a bottom side of said stem is sealed.

11. A dispenser, comprising: a housing with internal space adapted for placement of particulate solid and/or liquid material; a stem extending through a top side of said housing and abutted to a bottom side of said housing; portals on either side of said stem adjacent to said bottom side of said housing; a head and stem with a joint internal pathway having a perpendicular bend said stem; and flanges fixedly connected to said housing and extending into said internal space sized to block said portals on said either side of said stem.

12. The dispenser of claim 11, wherein said stem and head are rotatable, as a unit, in a transverse direction to said stem; and said flanges block said portals in at least a first rotated position and said portals are open to said internal space in at least a second rotated position.

13. The dispenser of claim 12, wherein said internal space is progressively narrower along at least a portion of a height thereof with a narrowest width thereof being where said flanges are fixedly connected to said housing.

14. The dispenser of claim 13, wherein said internal space is substantially cone shaped at said progressively narrower portion thereof.

15. The dispenser of claim 11, wherein a pathway extends from an exterior of said dispenser through, in order, a transversely extending pathway in a head exterior to said housing, a vertical pathway in said stem, and said internal space with said flanges interrupting said pathway between said stem and said internal space when said head and said stem are rotated at a specific degree of rotation.

16. The dispenser of claim 11, wherein a bottom side of said stem is closed and fits within and between said flanges and a top side of said internal space in a snug manner.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] FIG. 1 shows a cutaway elevation view of a dispenser of an embodiment of the disclosed technology.

[0015] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the dispenser of FIG. 1.

[0016] FIG. 3 shows a cutaway and perspective view of a bottom portion of the dispenser of FIG. 1.

[0017] FIG. 4 shows a closeup of a portal and blocking flange of the dispenser of an embodiment of the disclosed technology.

[0018] FIG. 5 shows a cutaway perspective view of a bottom portion of the dispenser of FIG. 3.

[0019] FIG. 6 shows a cutaway top and side perspective view of the bottom portion of the dispenser of FIG. 3 in a closed configuration.

[0020] FIG. 7 shows a cutaway top and side perspective view of the bottom portion of the dispenser of FIG. 3 in an open configuration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE DISCLOSED TECHNOLOGY

[0021] A dispenser has a housing with a stem extending through the housing. The stem is attached to a head which rotates therewith. When the stem/head combination are rotated axially into, are in some positions, blocking flanges block portals into the stem. In other axially rotated positions, portals int the stem are unblocked by the portals. The portals are at a side of the stem adjacent to the bottom in embodiments of the disclosed technology. Further, a bottom region of the internal space can be conical to direct the material towards the portals, the bottom side of the stem being surrounded by the adjacent conical space such that it fits snugly there-with in embodiments of the disclosed technology.

[0022] Embodiments of the disclosed technology should become clearer in view of the following description of the drawings.

[0023] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 simultaneously, FIG. 1 shows a cutaway elevation view of a dispenser of an embodiment of the disclosed technology. FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the dispenser of FIG. 1. The dispenser 1 has a housing 10 which surrounds (on at least the top and sides) an internal space 12. Within the internal space 12, a liquid, solid, or combination thereof to be dispensed is held. A stem 20 extends into the internal space through a portal 6 at a top side 8 of the housing. The stem extends downwards through the internal space 12 until, in some embodiments, hitting the bottom thereof. Side portals 50 (see FIG. 4, for example) open into the stem 20.

[0024] A head or head unit 4 is outside of the housing 10 and joins with the stem 20. The stem has a longest direction extending vertically for purposes of this disclosure (see further directional definitions in the summary). The head 4 extends longitudinally or laterally further than that of the stem in embodiments of the disclosed technology. Further, a pathway for the liquid or solid extends from the internal space 12 of the housing 10 through the portals 50 at the bottom of the stem 20 and up and out through an internal pathway 2 of the head. A portal 3 at, for example, a lateral end of the head 4 opens into the internal pathway 2. The pathway 2 and interior of the stem 20 are functionally connected and the head 4 and stem 20 rotate together (in a clockwise and/or counter-clockwise direction when looking down at the stem from above).

[0025] Within the step 20 is, in some embodiments, a spring 22 which in a resting position pushes the head upwards. When the head is depressed (pressed downwards and/or towards the housing 10) this causes suction of the fluid and/or solid up through the stem 20, past a narrower lower spring blocking or holding mechanism 24, and ultimately out through the portal 3 of the head 4.

[0026] A bottom portion or region of the housing 10 can have a cone-shaped section 30. This cone-shaped, conical, or narrowing region 30 is defined as the bottom section of the housing 1. Above this bottom section is, in embodiments of the disclosed technology, a cylindrical section or section with equal or substantially equal (lateral) cross sections. The bottom conical section 30 has concentrically smaller and smaller cross-sections in embodiments of the disclosed technology. An external or exterior space 32 can be within the walls of the housing 10, but outside of the internal space 12. The external space 32 can be open at the bottom or closed/sealed and can be filled with solid material.

[0027] FIG. 3 shows a cutaway and perspective view of a bottom portion of the dispenser of FIG. 1. The walls of the cone 30 are visible here, cut laterally. The walls are joined at a bottom side 37 and blocking flanges 40 are shown extending medially or inwards from the outer walls towards each other. The blocking flanges 40 can be formed as a unitary structure with the cone 30 are fixedly attached-thereto. A most medial vertical side can match the width and height, or be larger than one or both of the width and height, of the lateral portals 50 (see FIG. 5) of the stem. In this manner, the flanges 40 can block the portals 50 or one flange 40 can block a portal 50. The flanges 40 can have a vertical and flat, or vertical and curvilinear, medial (inner) side. This inner side, again, is sized in embodiments of the disclosed technology to block the side/lateral portals of the stem.

[0028] FIG. 4 shows a closeup of a portal and blocking flange of the dispenser of an embodiment of the disclosed technology. The side walls of the stem 20 are shown extending to a closed bottom side 42. Note that in this embodiment, the blocking flange 40 is curvilinear at a medial side and matches the height of the portal 50 will be wider there-to. In this manner, the blocking flange 40 blocks opening 50 into the stem 20. Note that the portal 40 has a curved inner side matching that of the curved opening 50 of the stem 20.

[0029] FIG. 5 shows a cutaway perspective view of a bottom portion of the dispenser of FIG. 3. Here, the inner space 12 meets the cone region 30 of the housing and the blocking flanges 40 extend inwards blocking the portal 50 of the step 20. The bottom side of the stem 42 is solid/closed and fits snugly and adjacent to an upper side of the bottom of the region 30. In this manner, the stem stays in place, held between the inward blocking flanges 40 so that the flanges can effectively block the portals 50, however, the stem 20 can rotate freely in an axial direction (e.g. lateral or left/right around in a circle). Thus, there is a snug fit, in embodiments of the disclosed technology, between the stem and top side of the bottom most part of the conical region 30 where snug is defined as fitting together without noticeable cavities (to the naked eye) between two parts of devices which are fit as such. The blocking flanges 40 and portals 40 can also be snug fit with respect to one another.

[0030] FIG. 6 shows a cutaway top and side perspective view of the bottom portion of the dispenser of FIG. 3 in a closed configuration. Note that the blocking flanges 40 block the portals 50 into the stem 20. One can turn the stem in a direction 99 (clockwise or counter-clockwise) to move the portals 50 with respect to the blocking flanges 40.

[0031] FIG. 7 shows a cutaway top and side perspective view of the bottom portion of the dispenser of FIG. 3 in an open configuration. Here, the blocking flanges 40 are offset axially/laterally from the portals 50 into the stem allowing liquid to flow upwards through the stem from the interior space 12 of the housing 10.

[0032] While the disclosed technology has been taught with specific reference to the above embodiments, a person having ordinary skill in the art will recognize that changes can be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and the scope of the disclosed technology. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. All changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope. Combinations of any of the methods, systems, and devices described herein-above are also contemplated and within the scope of the disclosed technology.