Plunger Dispenser

Abstract

A dispenser with an interior housing having a conical bottom is disclosed. The conical bottom has an apex which splits apart when pressure is applied, though the rest of the housing is unbendable in embodiments of the disclosed technology. A plunger is disposed normal to the apex such that when pressed, the plunger splits the conical apex and allows material held within the dispenser to exit. This material can be solid and flexible or solid and rigid pills, candy or the like which exits single file and/or one per plunging of the plunger.

Claims

1. A dispenser, comprising: a spring-loaded plunger above a top wall; at least partially conical side walls; a resilient bottom end of said conical side walls; an interior space between said conical side walls which said plunger extends into; wherein pressing said plunger towards said top wall causes a bottom end of said plunger to separate said conical side walls.

2. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein said dispenser comprises a plurality of solids of a same exterior shape.

3. The dispenser of claim 2, wherein said pressing causes a single solid of said plurality of solids to be pushed out of said dispenser by said plunger.

4. The dispenser of claim 1, further comprising vertical walls which extend between said top wall and said conical side walls, and wherein said vertical walls further extend past a lowest extent of said conical side walls, said dispenser open at a bottom side between said side walls and a bottom side of said conical walls.

5. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein a majority of said conical side walls are solid and immovable by way of force from said plunger and is inline with said resilient bottom end of said conical side walls in a resting position.

6. The dispenser of claim 5, wherein said bottom end returns to said resting position after being moved by said plunger.

7. A dispenser comprising: a plunger movably connected to a housing with an interior space; said housing having a closed conical side wall which is openable at a pinnacle thereof by way of pressing said plunger there-through; said plunger calibrated to allow a single solid material of a plurality of solid materials held within said housing to exit from said closed conical side wall.

8. The dispenser of claim 7, wherein said solid is candy having a solid outer shell which is either malleable or non-malleable.

9. The dispenser of claim 7, wherein said solid is medicine with either a solid or liquid core.

10. The dispenser of claim 7, wherein said interior space is defined by a top side, side walls connecting to said top side, and a conical lower side extending inward from said side walls, each of which are solid and non-flexible except that a minority of said conical lower side adjacent to a pinnacle thereof is flexible and resilient.

11. The dispenser of claim 7, wherein a majority of said plunger is within a plunger sheath which is fixed to said housing.

12. The dispenser of claim 11, wherein said plunger sheath is stepped with a narrowest width at a bottom thereof.

13. The dispenser of claim 11, wherein a distance between said plunger and a pinnacle of said conical side wall is substantially equal or equal to that of said single solid material.

14. A dispenser, comprising: a conical bottom side with an apex which splits apart when pressure is applied to push said apex apart, said apex joining together when said pressure is removed; a plunger which, in a resting position, is spaced apart from said apex, said plunger being disposed to extend into and split apart said apex; an exterior plunger handle which is pressable to push said plunger and cause said apex to split apart.

15. The dispenser of claim 14, further comprising a plurality of solid objects held within a housing.

16. The dispenser of claim 15, wherein a single one of said plurality of solid objects fits between said plunger and said apex when said plunger is in said resting position.

17. The dispenser of claim 15, wherein said apex is sized to fit a single one of said plurality of solid objects there-through at a time.

18. The dispenser of claim 17, wherein pressing said exterior plunger handle against said housing causes said single one of said plurality of solid objects to exit through said apex.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] FIG. 1 shows a cutaway elevation view of a dispenser in a closed configuration of an embodiment of the disclosed technology.

[0018] FIG. 2 shows the view of FIG. 1 in an open configuration which is actively dispensing.

[0019] FIG. 3 shows a closeup of a bottom section of the dispenser of FIG. 1.

[0020] FIG. 4 shows a closeup of a bottom section of the dispenser of FIG. 2.

[0021] FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of the dispenser of FIG. 1.

[0022] FIG. 6 shows a perspective closeup of a bottom tip of the dispenser of FIG. 1.

[0023] FIG. 7 shows a cutaway view of a bottom tip of the dispenser of FIG. 1.

[0024] FIG. 8 shows a cutaway view of a bottom tip of the dispenser of FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE DISCLOSED TECHNOLOGY

[0025] 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,

[0026] Embodiments of the disclosed technology should become clearer in view of the following description of the drawings.

[0027] Discussing first the closed configuration of the device, FIGS. 1, 3, 5, 6, and 7 show this configuration. FIG. 1 shows a cutaway elevation view of a dispenser in a closed configuration of an embodiment of the disclosed technology. FIG. 3 shows a closeup of a bottom section of the dispenser of FIG. 1. FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of the dispenser of FIG. 1. FIG. 6 shows a perspective closeup of a bottom tip of the dispenser of FIG. 1. FIG. 7 shows a cutaway view of a bottom tip of the dispenser of FIG. 1. A exterior plunger handle 30 is above a body of the device and is pushed downwards into a body of the device, the body defined by side walls 1 and an upper wall 34. The exterior plunger handle can be prevented from plunging (moving towards the top side of the dispenser) if twisted out of line such as to lock the plunger in place. The body of the device has an open bottom side edge/bottom portal 52 in some embodiments. The exterior plunger handle 30 forms a unitary connection with an interior plunger sheath 10 surrounding an interior plunger 10. The plunger 12 is spring loaded, by way of a spring 38, which pushes against an interior side of the plunger sheath 10. The plunger sheath 12 can have a wider top end and stepped sides narrowing to a narrowest portion at a bottom side thereof.

[0028] An interior space 40 for material to be dispensed, such as a plurality of solids 2, is defined by side walls 1, bottom conical walls 20, and/or a top wall 34. The plunger 12 and/or plunger sheath 10 extend into this defined area, such as at a horizontal center thereof. The conical walls 20 can have a most narrow region/apex/pinnacle 28 at a bottom side thereof and the bottom side can split open into separate sides 22 and 24, such as when the plunger 12 is pushed downwards and passes between the separates dies 22 and 24, pushing them apart at a bottom most extreme end 28 of the conical walls 20. In order to load the solids 2 into the interior space 40, depending on the embodiment, one might remove the exterior plunger handle 30 and interior plunger 12 from the housing 1 and 34. In addition, or, one may disconnect the bottom section (defined by the conical region, having a top most horizontal plane at the junction 38) at a junction 38 creating a bottom side opening into the space 40.

[0029] The solids 2 can be spherical, spheroid, ellipsoid, or the like. Each can be substantially a same size and weight as one another or can be different from another. The solids 2 can be medicine, candy, or otherwise. The solids can be filled with liquid, hollow, or solid all the way through. The shape may be bendable, but in embodiments of the disclosed technology, is able to withstand forces of the plunger 12 pressing down there-on until the side 22 and 24 of the conical side walls 20 separate from each other allowing the solid 2 to fall out of the interior space 40 and either into the space 50 or outside the housing entirely.

[0030] The space 50 is a space exterior to the housing 40 and conical walls 20, but within/defined by the side walls 1. In one embodiment of the disclosed technology, the side walls 1 end at the juncture 38 such at the device as a whole has a conical bottom side defined by the conical walls 20. In another embodiment, the conical wide walls 20 bifurcate from the vertical side walls 1 creating the space 50 there-between.

[0031] Referring now more specifically to FIG. 3, a space between the bottom most end 28 of the conical walls and a resting position of the plunger 12 is calibrated, in an embodiment of the disclosed technology, such that a single solid 2 fits there-between. As such, when the plunger 11 pushes downwards, it pushes directly into a top side of a single solid 2 allowing for dispensing of one solid 2 at a time and no more in some embodiments. This is especially useful when the device is used in connection with a pill counter and dispenses pills (medicine) directly into a vial for distribution to a patient. In such an embodiment, the bottom edge 50 can screw or cover an opening into a vial and/or the conical walls 20 are inserted into such a vial.

[0032] Discussing now the act of dispensing a solid from the dispenser and drawings showing a bottom open side into the conical walls, FIG. 2 shows the view of FIG. 1 in an open configuration which is actively dispensing. FIG. 4 shows a closeup of a bottom section of the dispenser of FIG. 2. FIG. 8 shows a cutaway view of a bottom tip of the dispenser of FIG. 2.

[0033] Here, FIG. 2 is identical to FIG. 1 except for the plunger and opening at the bottom. That is, the exterior plunger handle 30 is pressed in a direction 5 (downwards) causing the plunger 12 to move downwards, compress the spring 38, and exit out of, or further out of, a bottom side of the plunger sheath 10. The plunger 12 pushes apart the bottom edges 22 and 24 of the conical side walls 20 creating space at a lowest point 28 thereof. The plunger 12 further pushes the solid 2 (e.g. pill or candy, probably not in the same embodiment) out of the interior space 40 after pushing the solid 2 into the wall 22 and/or 24 of the conical walls 20. Thus, while the conical walls 20 are rigid and unmovable (using force of the plunger, for example), the plunger is able to move the bottom portions 22 and 24 of the conical walls. The bottom portions 22 and 24 of the conical wall 20 are, in embodiments of the disclosed technology, the portions which bend, or flex away from a plan of the conical wall 20 when pressure is applied and return back to being inline with the rest of the conical wall when pressure from the plunger 12 is removed. Described another way and/or in other embodiments, the bottom portions 22 and 24 are those portions which move between blocking a path and opening a path at a bottom of the interior space 40. Described another way and/or in other embodiments, the bottom portions 22 and 24 are resilient (able to be moved from their resting position and return thereto) with respect to the rest of the housing, whereas the rest of the conical walls 20 are non-resilient (would break if moved from their position with respect to the rest of the housing).

[0034] Referring still to FIG. 2 and those where the exterior plunger handle 30 is depressed, in some embodiments the external plunger handle 30 is calibrated such that it presses against a top side 32 of the housing 40 when the plunger 12 splits the bottom of the conical walls 22 and 24 and/or such that the split is of a size to allow one, but not more than one, solid 2 is fit through the split. Further, the top side 32 can be spaced apart, add decoration to, and/or add protection to a top of the housing 34 with the interior housing space 40.

[0035] Discussing now FIGS. 7 and 8 and in specific, FIG. 7 shows the bottom ends 22 and 24 of the conical wall 22 pressed against each other. An extreme bottom side 28, where the sides cross, shows that in some embodiments, there are four sections in this closeup perspective view. These sections are all bendable up through the slits there-between, in embodiments of the disclosed technology. In three dimensions, as seen in FIGS. 7 and 8, this becomes more apparent that there is a point which is an extreme bottom 28 where the walls join. Pressure from the plunger 12 pushing down on the solid 2 pushes apart the walls 22 and 24 creating enough space for the solid 2 to separate the walls 22 and 24 (which, again, are four sections of walls in the embodiment shown) allowing the solid 2, and in some embodiments, a bottom end of the plunger 12, to extend out of the interior space 40. In some embodiments, the separation of the sides creates a pinched oval opening joined at two opposite end points. In others, the separation of the sides creates overlapping M-shaped openings, such as shown in FIG. 8, with a plurality of end points previously at lower point 28 which separate from one another.

[0036] 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.