SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DOSING A FLOWABLE SOLID
20250368460 ยท 2025-12-04
Inventors
Cpc classification
International classification
Abstract
Embodiments relate to systems for dispensing a flowable solid. The system can include a body, a dosing device, and a handle. The body can include a storage volume, an inlet, an outlet, and a dosing chamber disposed between the storage volume and the outlet. The dosing device can be disposed at least partially within the dosing chamber. The dosing device can be rotatable about a horizontal axis and include a central shaft extending along the horizontal axis, a walls extending radially outward from the central shaft, dosing volumes defined in part by the walls. Each dosing volume can hold one dose of the flowable solid. The dosing device can restrict flow of the flowable solid from the storage volume to the outlet. The dosing device can rotate incrementally about the horizontal axis such that one dose of the flowable solid is dispensed through the outlet with each incremental rotation.
Claims
1. A dispenser, comprising: a body comprising: a first side wall; a second side wall opposite the first side wall; a storage volume configured to receive a flowable solid; and a dosing chamber; a handle coupled to the first side wall and the second side wall, wherein the handle is configured to move from a first position to a second position, a dosing device disposed at least partially within the dosing chamber, wherein the dosing device is configured to rotate in response to a downward force applied to the handle to dispense a dose of the flowable solid.
2. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the handle is configured to rotate about a horizontal axis that is perpendicular to the first side wall and the second side wall.
3. The dispenser of claim 2, wherein the dosing device is configured to rotate about a second horizontal axis that is parallel to and spaced apart from the horizontal axis.
4. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the handle is coupled to an outer side of the first side wall and an outer side of the second side wall.
5. The dispenser of claim 4, further comprising: an outer shell at least partially surrounding the body and the handle.
6. The dispenser of claim 5, wherein the outer shell is removably coupled to the body.
7. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the handle comprises: a bar extending parallel to a front wall of the body; a first arm extending perpendicular to the bar and coupled to the first side wall; and a second arm extending perpendicular to the bar and coupled to the second side wall.
8. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the handle is directly coupled to the body.
9. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the dosing device is configured to rotate only when the downward force applied to the handle.
10. A dispenser, comprising: a body comprising: a storage volume configured to receive a flowable solid; and a dosing chamber; and a handle configured to rotate about a first horizontal axis from a first position to a second position in response to a downward force applied to the handle, a dosing device disposed at least partially within the dosing chamber, wherein the dosing device is configured to rotate about a second horizontal axis to dispense a dose of the flowable solid, and wherein the dosing device is configured to rotate in response to the handle rotation from the first position to the second position, wherein the second horizontal axis is parallel to and spaced apart from the first horizontal axis.
11. The dispenser of claim 10, wherein the dosing device is in communication with the storage volume and the outlet.
12. The dispenser of claim 10, wherein the handle is configured to rotate from the second position to the first position when the downward force is released.
13. The dispenser of claim 12, wherein the dosing device does not rotate in response to the rotation of the handle from the second position to the first position.
14. The dispenser of claim 10, further comprising: an outer shell at least partially surrounding the body.
15. The dispenser of claim 10, wherein the first horizontal axis and the second horizontal axis both extend through the dosing chamber.
16. A dispenser, comprising: a body comprising: a first side wall and a second side wall; a storage volume configured to receive a flowable solid; and a dosing chamber; and a handle assembly comprising: a handle comprising a first arm, a second arm, and a bar, wherein the first arm and the second arm extend in a first direction parallel to the first side wall and the second side wall, and wherein the bar extends between the first arm and the second arm; and a spring configured to couple to the first side wall, wherein the spring is configured to hold the handle in a first position; and a dosing device comprising a plurality of dosing volumes, wherein each dosing volume is configured to hold one dose of the flowable solid, wherein the handle is configured to rotate from the first position to a second position in response to a downward force applied to the bar, wherein the spring is configured to return the handle to the first position when the downward force is released, wherein, in response to the rotation of the handle from the first position to the second position, the dosing device is configured to rotate incrementally such that one dose of the flowable solid is dispensed with each incremental rotation.
17. The dispenser of claim 16, wherein the dosing device is configured to rotate only when the handle rotates from the first position to the second position.
18. The dispenser of claim 16, wherein the dosing device is disposed at least partially within the dosing chamber.
19. The dispenser of claim 16, wherein the dosing device comprises a central shaft and a plurality of walls extending radially outward from the central shaft.
20. The dispenser of claim 19, wherein each dosing volume is defined in part by two of the plurality of walls.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0022] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and form part of the specification, illustrate the present disclosure and, together with the description, further serve to explain the principles of the disclosure and to enable a person of skill in the relevant art to make and use the invention.
[0023]
[0024]
[0025]
[0026]
[0027]
[0028]
[0029]
[0030]
[0031]
[0032]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0033] Powders, such as beverage concentrates, sugar, etc., are often sold in bulk in large containers. Not only is it difficult to accurately remove a consistent amount of powder from these containers, doing so can be messy and slow. To accurately remove a dose of powder, a user may have to use a scoop to remove the powder. But the scoop may remove excess powder (requiring the user to level the powder to get an accurate amount or dose of the powder) or too little powder (requiring the user to scoop again to get an accurate amount or dose of the powder). Or to achieve an accurate dose in a single scoop, a user may have to scoop an excess amount, then use another tool or the user's fingers to level the powder. These scoops are often used by multiple people and stored in the container itself and thus may become coated by powder or other substances.
[0034] Other dispensers may allow a user to dispense the powder without a scoop, but may provide little control over the amount dispensed. For example, containers with spouts (e.g., sugar dispensers) can dispense powder by pouring, but aside from estimating how much has been poured, there is no reliable way to control the amount of sugar dispensed, and the accuracy of the pour changes with the flow rate of the powder as the volume of powder remaining in the container decreases. Further, users may have to touch the spout to open and allow flow of powder.
[0035] Other dispensers may include dispensing devices that rotate about a vertical axis, but these can require more space, create dead zones of flowable solid that cannot reach the dispensing device, and can require an awkward motion to dispense the contents. Such devices can also be challenging to disassemble, which can complicate cleaning.
[0036] Embodiments described herein overcome these and other challenges by providingamong other benefitsa system that consistently dispenses accurate doses of powder without measuring or requiring separate components like scoops, that is easily disassembled, and allows for user-friendly operation. For example, to dispense doses using systems disclosed herein, a user can apply a downward force to a handle, and the system dispenses the dose of flowable solid without any other user action required.
[0037] As shown throughout the figures, some embodiments are directed to a system for storing, dosing, and dispensing a flowable solid. A flowable solid is a volume of material that is formed of solid fragments or chunks of the material such that the volume of material can flow (e.g., when poured). Examples include powder or granules (e.g., granulated sugar, beverage concentrate, protein powder). The systems described herein can include a body for storing the flowable solid, a dosing device, and a handle that, when actuated, causes the dosing device to dispense one dose of a flowable solid.
[0038]
[0039] In some embodiments, as shown in
[0040] In some embodiments, system 10 includes shell 200 that can at least partially surround body 100. In some embodiments, shell 200 includes side walls 205, back wall 210, and bar 225. In some embodiments, as shown in
[0041] In some embodiments, system 10 includes closure 300 that couples to shell 200 and covers inlet 128 of body 100. In some embodiments, as shown in
[0042] In some embodiments, system 10 includes base 400 that can couple to shell 200 to allow system 10 to be a freestanding system. In some embodiments, as shown in
[0043] In some embodiments, system 10 includes handle 500 that is configured to move between a first position (shown in
[0044] In some embodiments, system 10 includes dosing device 600 that is configured to hold and dispense doses of flowable solid 800. In some embodiments, dosing device 600 is disposed in dosing chamber 125 between storage volume 120 and outlet 130, along axis 1 shown in
[0045] In some embodiments, dosing device 600 includes 3 or more dosing volumes (e.g., dosing volumes 601, 602, 603, 604, 605). Each dosing volume may be defined in part by two walls 610, side walls 615, and central shaft 620. In some embodiments, each dosing volume has a volume equal to one dose of flowable solid. In some embodiments, each dose has a volume from 15 mL to 150 mL (e.g., 30 mL to 90 mL or 50 mL to 70 mL). Although dosing device 600 is shown throughout with 5 dosing volumes, it is to be understood that the number and geometry of the dosing volumes can be changed to accommodate different dose sizes. For example, increasing the number of walls 610 will decrease the dose size. Conversely, reducing the number of walls 610 will increase the dose size. Other parameters of dosing device 600 can be adjusted to achieve a dose size, for example a length along axis 2 or a height of walls 610. In some embodiments, dosing device 600 has 2 or more (e.g., 3 or more, 4 or more, 5 or more, or 6 or more) dosing volumes.
[0046] In some embodiments, dosing device 600 restricts movement of flowable solid 800 from storage volume 120 to outlet 130. For example, dosing device 600 can be sized to fit within dosing chamber 125 such that flowable solid 800 cannot bypass dosing device 600 when not intended. In some embodiments, dosing device 600 is coupled to body 100.
[0047] In some embodiments, dosing device 600 includes a recess in each side wall 615. Dosing device 600 can include a ratchet and pawl system that rotates dosing device 600. In some embodiments, dosing device 600 includes ratchet wheel 625 that includes projection 626 (e.g., a nut or bolt) that is inserted into recess 616 (e.g., a socket) in side wall 615.
[0048] In some embodiments, ratchet wheel 625 is disposed exterior to body 100, and the projection extends through opening 140 in the side of dosing chamber 125 and into the recess. In some embodiments, dosing device 600 includes pawl 630.
[0049] In some embodiments, dosing device 600 includes two ratchet wheels 625 and two pawls 630 (e.g., one on coupled to each side wall 615). In some embodiments, dosing device 600 includes only one ratchet wheel 625 and pawl 630.
[0050] Each ratchet wheel 625 can be removably coupled to each side wall 615. In some embodiments, the recess 616 in side wall 615 includes magnet 617 that couples to projection 626 of ratchet wheel 625 such that the ratchet wheel can be magnetically coupled to side wall 615. This allows for simple disassembly, which can simplify cleaning.
[0051] Each recess 616 can be a polygon with the number of sides equal to the number of dosing volumes, and each projection 626 has a shape that corresponds to the shape of recess 616. For example, recess 616 shown in the figures is a pentagonal socket with each side aligning with one of the five dosing volumes. In some embodiments, the projection in ratchet wheel 625 is pentagonal. This ensures proper alignment of ratchet wheel 625 during reassembly.
[0052] System 10 can include handle 500 that can control operation of dosing device 600. For example, handle 500 can include bar 505 that, when pushed down (e.g., in the direction of arrow 3) handle 500 can move from the first position (shown in
[0053] In some embodiments, handle 500 includes two arms 501 that are connected by bar 505. In some embodiments, handle 500 includes projections 510 that extend inward from arms 501. In some embodiments, projections 510 align with notches of ratchet wheel 625 such that when handle 500 moves from the first position to the second position, projections 510 cause ratchet wheel 625 to rotate about axis 2, rotating dosing device 600. In some embodiments, each arm 501 couples to one of the side walls 615 of dosing device 600, which can increase stability of handle 500 and ease of use. For example, coupling to both sides of dosing device 600 minimizes the risk that the handle could disengage from dosing device 600 in use and ensure even rotation forces on dosing device 600. It can also help prevent dosing device from becoming canted or jammed during operation, by providing even force on both sides of dosing device 600.
[0054] In some embodiments, handle 500 moves from the first position (shown in
[0055] In some embodiments, each spring 515 is a tension spring that applies force on handle 500 such that when a downward force is not being applied to bar 505, handle 500 returns to the first position (i.e., handle 500 is biased toward the first position). In some embodiments, handle 500 returns to the first position from the second position without user interaction. In some embodiments, handle 500 includes openings 530 that receive protrusion 135 on body 100. As shown in
[0056] As shown, protrusion 135 is smaller than and fits within opening 530 such that handle 500 can rotate about protrusion 135. In embodiments where opening is oval-shaped (i.e., longer in one direction) as shown, handle 500 can rotate and translate relative to protrusion 135 while protrusion 135 remains within opening 530. This movement can help facilitate repeated operation of handle 500 to dispense consecutive doses, as described in more detail elsewhere herein.
[0057]
[0058] As illustrated in
[0059] Dosing device 600 can have rotational symmetry at a cross-section through its center. For example, the embodiments shown in the figures has an order of rotational symmetry of 5. Dosing device 600 can have an order of rotational symmetry of 3 to 8 (e.g., 3 to 5).
[0060] In some embodiments, at least one dosing volume (e.g., dosing volumes 601, 602, 603, 604, 605) is in communication with storage volume 120. In some embodiments, three dosing volumes can be in communication with storage volume 120 at the same time. For example, as shown in
[0061] Flowable solid 800 can fall into dosing volumes of dosing device 600 by gravity. For example, when flowable solid 800 is poured in to storage volume 120 through inlet 128, flowable solid 800 can fill each dosing volume that is in communication with storage volume 120 (e.g., dosing volumes 601, 602, 603 in
[0062]
[0063] In some embodiments, projection 510 contacts ratchet wheel 625, as shown in
[0064]
[0065] The sequence described above related to
[0066] Body 100 can include a rail 155 that is configured to couple with cover 160, as shown in
[0067]
[0068] As shown in
[0069] In some embodiments, system 10 includes shield 700 coupled to body 100. In some embodiments, shield 700 includes arms 705, cover 710, and opening 715 defined in part by arms 705 and cover 710. In some embodiments, shield 700 is coupled to shell 200 and such that shell 200 and arms 705 define opening 715. In some embodiments, outlet 130 is disposed at least partially within opening 715.
[0070] As used herein, the terms top, bottom, front, back, and the like are intended to assist in understanding of embodiments of the disclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings with respect to the orientation of as shown, and are not intended to be limiting to the scope of the disclosure or to limit the disclosure scope to the embodiments depicted in the Figures. The directional terms are used for convenience of description and it is understood that may be positioned in any of various orientations.
[0071] It is to be appreciated that the Detailed Description section, and not any other section, is intended to be used to interpret the claims. Other sections may set forth one or more but not all exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure as contemplated by the inventor(s), and thus, are not intended to limit the present disclosure and the appended claims in any way.
[0072] The present disclosure has been described above with the aid of functional building blocks illustrating the implementation of specified functions and relationships thereof. The boundaries of these functional building blocks have been arbitrarily defined herein for the convenience of the description. Alternate boundaries can be defined so long as the specified functions and relationships thereof are appropriately performed.
[0073] The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the disclosure that others can, by applying knowledge within the skill of the art, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments, without undue experimentation, without departing from the general concept of the present disclosure. Therefore, such adaptations and modifications are intended to be within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments, based on the teaching and guidance presented herein. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation, such that the terminology or phraseology of the present specification is to be interpreted by the skilled artisan in light of the teachings and guidance.
[0074] The above examples are illustrative, but not limiting, of the present disclosure. Other suitable modifications and adaptations of the variety of conditions and parameters normally encountered in the field, and which would be apparent to those skilled in the art, are within the spirit and scope of the disclosure.
[0075] References in the specification to one embodiment, an embodiment, an example embodiment, some embodiments, etc., indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described.
[0076] The breadth and scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the claims and their equivalents.