MATERIAL DISPENSING DEVICE

Abstract

The technology provides a material dispensing device and a method of dispensing metered amounts of materials from collapsible material containers.

Claims

1-33. (canceled)

34. A material dispensing device comprising a horizontal mounting plate configured to receive on its surface a collapsible cartridge containing a material, a longitudinally moving cartridge compressing assembly configured and operable for compressing said collapsible cartridge (against the mounting plate), and optionally a material dispensing assembly configured and operable to downwardly press said collapsible cartridge.

35. The device according to claim 34, the device comprising a mounting plate configured to receive a collapsible material-containing cartridge, a longitudinally moving cartridge compressing assembly configured and operable for compressing said collapsible material-containing cartridge, and optionally a material dispensing assembly configured and operable to downwardly press said collapsible material-containing cartridge.

36. The device according to claim 34 configured for horizontal mounting in a material dispensing system, the device comprising a mounting plate configured to receive (on its surface) a collapsible cartridge containing a patty material, a longitudinally moving cartridge compressing assembly configured and operable for compressing said collapsible cartridge, and optionally a material dispensing assembly configured and operable to downwardly press said collapsible cartridge to dispense a metered amount of a material contained in the cartridge through a material outlet positioned at an opposite face of the cartridge.

37. The device according to claim 34, wherein the cartridge compressing assembly comprises a longitudinally moving element mounted over said mounting plate and being at a contact distance from said mounting plate.

38. The device according to claim 34, wherein the longitudinally moving element is mounted on one end of said mounting plate and positioned to compress the material-filled cartridge towards a second end of said mounting plate.

39. The device according to claim 34, wherein the contact distance is a distance that is substantially equal to a thickness of the material-free cartridge or to a thickness of a region of the cartridge that is free or empty of the material.

40. The device according to claim 34, wherein the longitudinally moving element is a roller, a longitudinally moving piston, or a pushing surface, or a revolving cylinder.

41. The device according to claim 34, wherein the longitudinally moving element is configured and operable to move at a forward direction, over the collapsible material-containing cartridge, thereby compressing the collapsible cartridge and displacing an amount of the material from a first region being further away from the material outlet to a second region of the collapsible cartridge being closer to the material outlet.

42. The device according to claim 41, wherein the longitudinally moving element is configured and operable to retract and move at the opposite reverse direction, over the compressed portion of the cartridge.

43. The device according to claim 34, the device comprising a cartridge compressing assembly comprising, a mounting plate configured to receive a collapsible material-containing cartridge; a longitudinally moving element mounted over said plate at a distance being substantially equal to a thickness of a material-free cartridge; a forward and a backward drive motor coupled to said longitudinally moving element such that when the drive motor is actuated to a forward direction the longitudinally moving element moves in a forward direction over the collapsible material-containing cartridge, thereby compressing the collapsible cartridge and displacing the material from a first region within the collapsible cartridge to a second region within the collapsible cartridge, wherein the distance between the first and second regions being defined by a distance moved by the longitudinally moving element, and when the motor is actuated to a reverse direction the roller retracts in a direction over the compressed portion of the cartridge; a material dispensing assembly positioned at an angle to said mounting plate and at a position aligned with a material outlet of said cartridge, the dispensing assembly comprising a pressing rod; a forward and a backward drive motor coupled to said pressing rod such that the drive motor is actuated to a forward direction the rod moves in a downward direction pressing the collapsible material-containing cartridge, thereby compressing the collapsible cartridge and dispensing an amount of the material through the outlet, and when the motor is actuated to a reverse direction the rod retracts in a direction away from the cartridge.

44. The device according to claim 34, being a refrigerated device.

45. A system comprising one or more devices according to claim 34.

46. The system according to claim 45, wherein each of said one or more devices is individually addressable or individually operated to dispense a different material, a different amount of the material, dispense a material together or before or after or in an alternating fashion with another same or different material dispensed from a different device.

47. The system according to claim 45, being a 3D printing or manufacturing unit or a digital printing unit.

48. The system according to 45, further comprises a material mixing unit, a product assembly unit and a product cooking unit.

49. The system according to claim 45, the system comprising one or more individually addressable dispensing devices, each device comprises: a mounting plate configured to receive a collapsible material-containing cartridge, a longitudinally moving cartridge compressing assembly configured and operable for compressing said collapsible material-containing cartridge, and optionally a material dispensing assembly configured and operable to downwardly press said collapsible material-containing cartridge to dispense a metered amount of a material contained in the cartridge through a material outlet positioned at an opposite face of the cartridge.

50. The system according to claim 45, the system comprises a cutting tool configured and operable to release a metered amount of the material from the cartridge outlet.

51. The system according to claim 50, wherein cutting tool is a movable cutting surface or an extended movable wire, thread or rod movable below the outlet in a direction substantially perpendicular to the flow path of the material from the cartridge outlet.

52. A method for supplying a metered amount of a material from a collapsible cartridge having at least one material outlet, the method comprising in a device comprising a mounting plate provided with a collapsible material-filled cartridge, causing a cartridge compressing assembly configured and operable for compressing said collapsible material-filled cartridge to move along an axis defining the length of the cartridge, and causing a material dispensing assembly configured and operable to angularly press said collapsible material-filled cartridge to dispense a metered amount of the material via the at least one material outlet.

53. A method of forming a food product, the method comprising: in a device comprising a mounting plate provided with a collapsible material-containing cartridge having a material outlet, compressing said collapsible material-containing cartridge to displace a material in said cartridge to a region of the material outlet, and downwardly pressing on the material above the material outlet to cause dispensing of a metered amount of the material via the outlet.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0093] In order to better understand the subject matter that is disclosed herein and to exemplify how it may be carried out in practice, embodiments will now be described, by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0094] FIG. 1 depicts a side view of a dispensing unit according to some embodiments of the invention.

[0095] FIG. 2 depicts another simplified view of a unit according to the invention, wherein the pressing rod is in a raised position.

[0096] FIG. 3 depicts another simplified view of a unit according to the invention, wherein the pressing rod is in a lowered position.

[0097] FIG. 4 depicts another simplified side view of a unit according to the invention.

[0098] FIG. 5 depicts a refrigeration bay comprising three dispensing units of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0099] Figures referenced herein demonstrate certain non-limiting embodiments of the invention disclosed herein.

[0100] FIG. 1 demonstrates a cross section of a device 100 (e.g., a dispensing device) for supplying a metered amount of a material from a collapsible cartridge 10 having at least one material outlet 20, the device comprising a mounting plate 30 that is substantially horizontal, namely not tilted to any degree, and configured to receive a collapsible material-containing (or non-compressed) cartridge 10, a cartridge compressing assembly 40, comprising a roller or a revolving cylinder 50, configured and operable for pressing the collapsible material-containing (or non-compressed) cartridge 10 against the mounting plate 30, thereby compressing the cartridge and causing displacement of the material within the cartridge from one region of the cartridge to another, and a material dispensing assembly 60 configured and operable to press, e.g., via a pressing rod 70, said collapsible material-containing (or non-compressed) cartridge 10 to thereby dispense a metered amount of the material via the at least one material outlet 20. In some embodiments, the pressing rod may be provided with a pressing extension 70A that may be in the form of a solid extension base or surface (extending the circumference of the pressing rod), which may be lowered onto the surface of the cartridge 10 immediately above the material outlet 20. In this figure, the pressing extension is shown in its lowest position along the pressing rod. In FIG. 2, showing a simplified view of a device 200 of the same configuration as device 100 of FIG. 1, the pressing surface 70A is shown at a position higher than the circumference of the cartridge at one of several so-called rest positions of the pressing rod.

[0101] FIG. 1 further shows a motor assembly 80 for operating the material dispensing assembly 60 and a motor assembly 90 for operating the cartridge compressing assembly 40.

[0102] FIG. 3 shows a simplified sectional view of device 300 (being equivalent to device 100 and device 200), wherein the cartridge compressing assembly 40 (partially shown) comprises a longitudinally moving element 50 in a form of a roller or a revolving cylinder, mounted over said mounting plate 30 and being at a contact distance from said plate. As shown, the longitudinally moving element 50 may be mounted on one end 1E of said mounting plate 30 and positioned to move over the surface of the cartridge 10 towards a second end 2E (an exemplary point along the path of the moving element) of said mounting plate 30, in the direction 110 shown. When moving from 1E to 2E, element 50 compresses the cartridge 10 and displaces a material from point 1E to 2E. After a material amount has been so displaced, the pressing rod 70 may be lowered to dispense a metered amount of the material through nozzle 20. In the depicted figure, the rod 70 is shown in its most downward position, irrespective of the cartridge (compression of the cartridge is not depicted for reasons of clarity).

[0103] FIG. 4 shows a simplified overview of device 400, showing the various elements depicted in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3.

[0104] FIG. 5 depicts a refrigeration bay 500 according to some embodiments of the invention. As depicted, the bay comprises an enclosure 210 which houses three dispensing units, 105, 110 and 120, each unit being generally as depicted herein, having each a cartridge 10 positioned on a mounting plate 30. The depiction of three units within the bay is for exemplification purposes only. Other bays may include 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 or more dispensing units. In some embodiments, the number of units in a bay is between 2 and 6 or between 2 and 10. In some embodiments, the number of units in a bay is between 3 and 6.

[0105] In some embodiments, each system of the invention may comprise 1 or more refrigeration bays, wherein each may comprise between 2 and 10 dispensing units.

[0106] In all figures provided herein, the mounting plate 30 shown represents a single embodiment of the invention. In alternative embodiments, the mounting plate 30 may be in the form of an enclosed cage having a flat solid bottom surface on which the cartridge lays and sides and a top capable of limiting expansion of the cartridge upon compression by the longitudinally moving element 50. The top and side walls of the cage (not shown in the figures) need not be made of a solid surface but may be in form a solid net that reduces the tension in the cartridge walls upon compression.

[0107] The invention provides a device as embodied in the figures herein, the device comprising [0108] a cartridge compressing assembly (FIG. 1, 40) comprising, [0109] a mounting plate (FIG. 1, 30) configured to receive a collapsible material-containing (or non-compressed) cartridge (FIG. 1, 10); [0110] a longitudinally moving element (FIG. 1, 50) mounted over said plate at a distance being substantially equal to a thickness of a material-free (or compressed) cartridge; [0111] a forward and a backward drive motor (FIG. 1, 90) coupled to said longitudinally moving element (FIG. 1, 50) such that when the drive motor is actuated to a forward direction the longitudinally moving element moves in a forward direction over the collapsible material-containing cartridge, thereby compressing the collapsible cartridge and displacing the material from a first region (FIG. 1, 1E) of the collapsible cartridge to a second region (FIG. 1, 2E) of the collapsible cartridge, wherein the distance between the first and second regions being defined by a distance moved by the longitudinally moving element, and when the motor is actuated to a reverse direction the roller retracts in a direction over the compressed portion of the cartridge; [0112] a material dispensing assembly (FIG. 1, 60) positioned at an angle to said mounting plate and at a position aligned with a material outlet, e.g., a nozzle (FIG. 1, 20), of said cartridge (the nozzle having a discharge orifice for dispensing the material from said cartridge, not shown), the dispensing assembly comprising [0113] a pressing rod (FIGS. 1, 70 and 70A); [0114] a forward and a backward drive motor (FIG. 1, 80) coupled to said pressing rod such that the drive motor is actuated to a forward direction the rod moves in a forward direction pressing the collapsible material-containing cartridge, thereby compressing the collapsible cartridge and displacing an amount of the material through the nozzle means, and when the motor is actuated to a reverse direction the rod retracts in a direction away from the cartridge.