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(11) | EP 2 666 735 A1 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | Dispenser for deformable solids and method of preparing to dispense a deformable solid |
| (57) A dispenser for deformable solids, such as ice cream, has a container (44) holding
the deformable solid, a housing (46) releasably gripping the container, and a rod
(48) inserted into the housing to abut a slidable endwall (50) of the container to
extrude the deformable solid through dispensing openings (56) in the container. A
method of preparing to dispense the deformable solid includes inserting a deformable
solid into a container (44), inserting a slidable endwall (50) into the container,
and inserting the container into a housing (46). A rod (48) inserted into the housing
abuts the container slidable endwall such that a translational movement of the rod
causes a translational movement of the container's slidable endwall to extrude the
deformable solid through the dispensing openings of the container.
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BACKGROUND
[0001] A known dispenser for deformable solids is illustrated in Fig. 1 in perspective view, in Fig. 2 in cross-sectional view, and in Fig. 3 in exploded view. The deformable solid may be foodstuffs, such as ice cream, yogurt, pudding, and mashed potatoes, as non-limiting examples. A container 18 confines the deformable solid within an interior space 20. As shown most clearly in Fig. 2, the interior space 20 is bounded on top by an endwall 22 that has dispensing openings 24.
[0002] The dispenser has a housing 26 of which the container 18 is fashioned therein as an integral part. As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the housing 26 may be decorated to appeal to small children, which can result in the children becoming more likely to consume the food their parents provide. The housing 26 also includes a double-threaded ring 28. One set of threads 30 is located on the exterior of the ring 28, and another set of threads 32 is located on the interior of the ring 28. The exterior threads 30 enable the ring 28 to connect to interior threads 34 on a sidewall 36 of the housing 26. (The elements 28, 30, 32 are drawn as separate elements in Fig. 2 to demonstrate their individual functionalities. However, the elements may be formed together as a unitary piece, and the ring 28 need not be made hallow as implied in Fig. 2.)
[0003] The interior space 20 of the container 18 is bounded on the bottom by a plunger 38, that is, a slidable endwall. A threaded rod 40 mates with the interior threads 32 of the ring 28 of the housing 26. The rod 40 is rotated relative to the housing 26 to advance the rod 40 upward to abut the plunger 38 and to move it upward. As the plunger 38 moves upward, it compresses the deformable solid in the interior space 20 causing extrusion of the solid through the dispensing openings 24 at the top of the housing 26. At that point, if the solid is a foodstuff, the user of the dispenser may eat the solid.
[0004] The dispenser also has a base 42 connected to the bottom the threaded rod 40. One function of the base 42 is to provide a convenient handle for the user to rotate the rod 40 to extrude the solid from the container 18. Another function of the base 42 is to support the dispenser in an upright position when the user does not want to hold it.
[0005] The dispenser conveniently and attractively provides to the user a portion of the deformable solid in the amount that the user selects by the appropriate amount of rotations of the rod 40 relative to the housing 26. In one non-limiting example field of use, a child may dispense ice cream in an amusing manner while seated in a motor vehicle or while playing outside.
SUMMARY
[0006] The present inventors considered whether it would be advantageous to redesign the dispenser of the prior art. Note, for example, that because the diameter of the prior art plunger 38 necessarily must exceed (or, at the very least, equal) the diameter of the threaded rod 40, the interior threads 32 of the ring 28 must bound a diameter less than the diameter of the plunger 38 in order to mate with the threads of the threaded rod 40. Thus, although the ring 28 may be rotated to translate axially along the rod 40, the ring 28 cannot be removed from the rod 40 due to the diameter of the plunger 38 blocking the removal of the ring 28. As a result, the interior space 20 of the container 18 must be filled with the deformable solid when the ring 28, rotatably-attached to the rod 40, is not connected to the sidewall 36 of the housing 26. Accordingly, care must be exercised when filling the container 18 to ensure that no solid enters the spaces between the threads 34 of the housing 26. It is also undesirable that no inserted deformable solid enters any exposed space between the container 18 and the sidewall 36 of the housing 26.
[0007] The present inventors accordingly designed a dispenser that, in contrast to the prior art design, greatly reduces the likelihood that portions of solids inserted therein would drift into unintended areas. An additional advantage of the new design, as discussed below, is that the separable nature of the container and housing allows the container to be formed of less expensive materials suitable for a single use while the housing may be formed of different material and retained for multiple uses.
[0008] The invention may be embodied as a dispenser for deformable solids having a container, a housing, and a rod. The container is for holding the deformable solid. The container is bounded by a slidable endwall at one end, a non-sliding endwall at the opposite end, and a cylindrical sidewall between the two endwalls. The non-sliding endwall has one or more dispensing openings. The housing has a first opening configured to releasably grip the container, a second opening opposite the first opening, and a sidewall between the first and second opening. The rod is configured for insertion through the housing second opening to abut the container slidable endwall when the housing first opening grips the container. Translational movement of the rod causes translational movement of the container slidable endwall to extrude the deformable solid through the one or more dispensing openings.
[0009] The invention may also be embodied as a method of preparing to dispense a deformable solid. The method includes: inserting a deformable solid into a first opening of a container, the container being bounded by a non-sliding endwall at an end that is opposite the first opening, the container having a cylindrical sidewall between the non-sliding endwall and the first opening, and the non-sliding endwall having one or more dispensing openings; inserting at least partially a slidable endwall into the first opening of the container; and inserting the container into a housing through a housing first opening that is configured to releasably grip the container, the housing having a second opening opposite the housing first opening, and a sidewall between the housing first and second openings. A rod is inserted through the housing second opening to abut the container slidable endwall such that translational movement of the rod causes translational movement of the container slidable endwall to extrude the deformable solid through the one or more dispensing openings of the container.
[0010] Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are briefly described as follows:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] The invention is described below in the appended claims, which are read in view of the accompanying description including the following drawings, wherein:
Fig. 1 illustrates in perspective view a prior art dispenser for deformable solids;
Fig. 2 illustrates the prior art dispenser of Fig. 1 in cross-sectional view;
Fig. 3 illustrates the prior art dispenser of Figs. 1 and 2 in exploded view;
Fig. 4 illustrates in perspective view a dispenser for deformable solids according to one embodiment of the invention;
Fig. 5 illustrates the dispenser of Fig. 4 in cross-sectional view;
Fig. 6 illustrates the dispenser of Figs. 4 and 5 in exploded view;
Figs. 7a and 7b illustrate examples of the slidable endwall of the dispenser of Figs. 4-6;
Figs. 8a-8c illustrate alternate embodiments of the dispensing openings shown in Figs. 4-6;
Fig. 9 presents a flowchart representative of a method of preparing to dispense a deformable solid according to another embodiment of the invention;
Figs. 10a -10f illustrate various acts in preparation for dispensing according to the embodiment of Fig. 9; and
Figs. 11a and 11b illustrate different shapes of deformable solid extruded from a dispenser according to some embodiments of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0012] The invention summarized above and defined by the claims below will be better understood by referring to the present detailed description of embodiments of the invention. This description is not intended to limit the scope of claims but instead to provide examples of the invention. Described first is a dispenser for deformable solids and variations thereof. Described later is a method embodiment of the invention.
[0013] A first embodiment of the invention is a dispenser for deformable solids as illustrated in perspective, cross-sectional, and in exploded views in Figs. 4, 5, and 6, respectively. As shown, the dispenser has a container 44, a housing 46, and a rod 48. In contrast to the prior art discussed above, the container 44 and the housing 46 are separate elements. The elements may be made from plastic, and the container 44 may alternatively be made out of cardboard. Elements formed from plastic may be fashioned by injection molding, vacuum forming, or rotation molding. The materials for and construction methods of the elements discussed here are non-limiting examples.
[0014] The container 44 is where the deformable solid is inserted, as discussed in more detail below. As noted above, the deformable solid may be foodstuffs, such as ice cream, yogurt, pudding, and mashed potatoes, as non-limiting examples. The container 44 is bounded by a slidable endwall 50 at one end, a non-sliding endwall 52 at the opposite end, and a cylindrical sidewall 54 between the two endwalls 50, 52. The slidable endwall 50 functions as a plunger or piston head, as discussed in more detail below. Accordingly, the diameter of the slidable endwall 50 should be slightly less than the diameter of the cylindrical sidewall 54 to enable the slidable endwall 50 to slide freely within the cylindrical sidewall 54 but not to allow a non-negligible amount of the deformable solid to enter any space that might exist between the slidable endwall 50 and the cylindrical sidewall 54.
[0015] Non-limiting examples of shapes of the slidable endwall 50 are illustrated in Figs. 7a and 7b. In Fig. 7a, a slidable endwall 50a is shaped like a disc, which may be hollow or solid. It has a lower circular face 50a1 and an upper circular face 50a2 (obscured in the drawing) separated by a cylindrical wall 50a3. In Fig. 7b, the slidable endwall 50b has an upper circular face 50b2 (also obscured in the drawing)and a cylindrical wall 50b3 depending downward as a skirt.
[0016] In the embodiment of Figs. 4-6, the cylindrical sidewall 54 and the slidable endwall 50 have circular cross-sectional areas. In alternate embodiments, though, the shape of the cross-section may vary; for example, the cross-section may be ovular or polygonal.
[0017] The non-sliding endwall 52 of the container 44 in this embodiment has multiple dispensing openings 56, although in alternate embodiments there might be only one dispensing opening. The cross-section of the dispensing openings 56 of this embodiment is circular. In alternate embodiments, though, the cross-section of dispensing openings can be shaped differently, as shown in Figs. 8a-8c. Fig. 8a illustrates multiple dispensing openings 56a1 having an elongated (or "ovular") slit as a cross-section surrounding a single dispensing opening 56a2 having a circular cross-section. Fig. 8b illustrates multiple dispensing openings 56b having cross-sections in the shape of stars, and Fig. 8c illustrates multiple dispensing openings 56c having cross-sections in the shape of hearts. The cross-section of the dispensing openings affects the shape of the extruded solid, as shown below.
[0018] The housing 46 may be fashioned to appeal to specialized tastes, such as to those of small children or of fans of a particular sports team. A design of the trade dress for an ice cream manufacturer can be used for dispensers sold by an ice cream manufacturer with the intention that its own product will be used with the dispenser exclusively. A wide variety of decorations for the housing 46 is available.
[0019] As shown in Figs. 4-6, the housing 46 has a first opening 58 configured to releasably grip the container 44, a second opening 60 opposite the first opening, and a sidewall 62 between the first and second opening 58, 60. In the present embodiment, to enable the releasable grip of the housing first opening 58 to the container 44, the housing first opening 58 and the container 44 have matching helical threads 64, 66, respectively. In alternate embodiments, the housing 46 and the container 44 may connect by simply snapping in place or by a bayonet-type mounting, as non-limiting examples. The releasable grip enabled by helical threads or bayonet mount may be referred to as "non-friction"-type or "not pure friction"-type, and for some choices of deformable solid the force exerted via the rod 48 (discussed below) may be too strong for mere a friction-type of grip to keep the container 44 within the housing 46.
[0020] The rod 48 is configured for insertion through the housing second opening 60 to abut the container slidable endwall 50 when the housing first opening 58 grips the container 44. The rod functions similarly to a piston within the container 44 with the slidable endwall 50 acting as a piston head. In other words, a translational movement of the rod 48 upward causes a translational movement upward of the container slidable endwall 50 to extrude the deformable solid through the dispensing openings 56.
[0021] In the present embodiment, the housing second opening 60 and the rod 48 have matching helical threads 68, 70, respectively, to enable a rotation of the rod 48 with respect to housing 46 to cause the translational movement of the rod 48. In alternate embodiments, though, the threads 68, 70 might be omitted, and the user cause the extrusion of the deformable solid through the dispensing openings 56 by merely forcing the rod 48 into the container 44 without rotating the two elements relative the each other.
[0022] The dispenser may include a base 72 attached to the rod 48 to support the dispenser such that the deformable solid flows upward when extruded. As with the prior art discussed above, the base 72 can support the dispenser in an upright position when the user does not want to hold it. Also, the base 72 provides a convenient handle for the user to rotate the rod 48 to extrude the solid from the container 44.
[0023] The invention may also be embodied as a method of preparing to dispense a deformable solid. This method is explained with reference to the flowchart 74 in Fig. 9 and the accompanying drawings of Figs. 10a-10f.. The deformable solid may be any of the soft foodstuffs mentioned above, as non-limiting examples.
[0024] The first step of the method is to insert a deformable solid 76 into a first opening 78 of a container 44. (Step S1.) As illustrated in Fig. 10a, the container 44 is bounded by a non-sliding endwall 52 at an end that is opposite the first opening 78 into which the deformable solid 76 is inserted. The container 44 also has a cylindrical sidewall 54 between the non-sliding endwall 52 and the first opening 78. The non-sliding endwall 52 has one or more dispensing openings 56 (not visible in Fig 10a).
[0025] The next step, as illustrated in Fig 10b, is to insert a slidable endwall 50 (shown twice to convey inserting motion) into the first opening 78 of the container 44. (Step S2.) If the slidable endwall is shaped like the example slidable endwall 50 of Fig. 7b, it is advisable to orient the outer side of the circular face 50b2 so that it abuts the deformable solid, thereby allowing nearly all the deformable solid to pass through the dispensing openings 56. If the deformable solid 76 is filled so close to the first opening that the slidable endwall 50 cannot be inserted completely into the container, the slidable endwall 50 should be inserted partially into the container 44 to the extent possible.
[0026] The following step is to insert the container 44 into a housing 46 through a first opening 58 of the housing 46, as illustrated in Fig. 10c. (Step S3.) The housing 46 has a second opening 60 (not visible in Fig. 10c), which is opposite the first opening 58, and a sidewall 62 between the housing first and second openings 58, 60.
[0027] The housing 46 is configured to releasably grip the container 44. In the present embodiment, the releasable grip of the housing's first opening 58 to the container 44 is enabled as illustrated in Fig. 10d by mating helical threads 64 surrounding the housing's first opening 58 with matching helical threads 66 surrounding a portion of the container 44. (For clarity, some elements are not labeled in Fig. 10d but nonetheless labeled in other figures.) That is, the container 44 is screwed into the housing 46 as indicated by the curved arrows. As shown in the drawings, the diameter of the helical threads 66 of the container 44 is less than the diameter of the non-sliding endwall 52, which allows the user to conveniently handle the container 44 while rotating it relative to the housing 46 to mate the respective helical threads 64, 66. Thus, the helical threads 66 surround a portion, but not all, of the container 44. The embodiment could be modified so that the threads surround the entire container 44, and as a result the user may rotate the non-sliding endwall 52 relative to the housing 46, by gripping the dispensing openings 56, such as with the user's fingertips or a tool.
[0028] A rod 48 is inserted through the housing second opening 60 to abut the container slidable endwall 50 such that translational movement of the rod 48 causes translational movement of the container slidable endwall 50 to extrude the deformable solid 76 through the one or more dispensing openings 56 of the container 44. The rod 48 may be inserted into the housing 46 either before or after the container 44 is inserted into the housing 46.
[0029] In the present embodiment, the housing second opening 60 and the rod 48 have matching helical threads 68 (Fig. 5), 70, respectively, to enable a rotation of the rod 48 with respect to the housing 46 to cause the translational movement of the rod 48. As illustrated in Figs. 10e and 10f, the continuing rotation of the rod 48 relative to the housing 46 causes more and more extrusion of the deformable solid 76 through the dispensing openings 56.
[0030] In alternate embodiments, the threads 68, 70 may be omitted. To cause the extrusion of the deformable solid 76 through the dispensing openings 56, the user merely forces the rod 48 into the container 44 without rotating the two elements relative the each other.
[0031] Figs. 10e and 10f show the shape of the extruded solid 80 when the cross-section of the dispensing openings 56 is circular. If instead some of the dispensing openings 56 have cross-sections in the shape of elongated slits, the shape of the extruded solid 80 looks more as illustrated Fig. 11a. If the dispensing openings 56 have cross-sections in the shape of hearts, the shape of the extruded solid 80 looks more as illustrated Fig. 11b. In alternate embodiments, the cross-sections can be other shapes.
[0032] As a result of many embodiments of the invention, in contrast to the prior art, the likelihood is greatly reduced that portions of solids inserted into dispenser containers would drift into unintended areas of the dispenser. The container may be filled and the slidable endwall inserted before inserting the container assembly into its place within the dispenser. An additional advantage of the embodiment is that the separable nature of the container and housing allows the container to be formed of less expensive materials suitable for a single use, such as prefilled containers of deformable solids sold separately, while the housing may be formed of a more expensive material and retained for multiple uses.
[0033] Having thus described exemplary embodiments of the invention, it will be apparent that various alterations, modifications, and improvements will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Alternations, modifications, and improvements of the disclosed invention, though not expressly described above, are nonetheless intended and implied to be within spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the foregoing discussion is intended to be illustrative only; the invention is limited and defined only by the following claims and equivalents thereto.
1. A dispenser for deformable solids, the dispenser comprising:
a container (44) for holding a deformable solid (76), the container (44) bounded by a slidable endwall (50, 50a, 50b) at one end, a non-sliding endwall (52) at the opposite end, and a cylindrical sidewall (54) between the two endwalls (52, 54), and the non-sliding endwall (52) having one or more dispensing openings (56, 56a1, 56a2, 56b, 56c);
a housing (46) having a first opening (58) configured to releasably grip the container (44), a second opening (60) opposite the first opening (58), and a sidewall (62) between the first and second opening (58, 60); and
a rod (48) configured for insertion through the housing second opening (60) to abut the container slidable endwall (50, 50a, 50b) when the housing first opening (58) grips the container (44);
wherein translational movement of the rod (48) causes translational movement of the container slidable endwall (50, 50a, 50b) to extrude the deformable solid (76) through the one or more dispensing openings (56, 56a1, 56a2, 56b, 56c).
2. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the housing first opening (58) and the container
(44) have matching helical threads (64, 66) to enable the releasable grip of the housing
first opening (58) to the container (44).
3. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the cross-section of at least some of the dispensing
openings (56) is circular.
4. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the cross-section of at least some of the dispensing
openings (56a1) is an elongated slit.
5. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the housing second opening (60) and the rod (48)
have matching helical threads (68, 70) to enable a rotation of the rod (48) with respect
to housing (46) to cause the translational movement of the rod (48).
6. The dispenser of claim 1 further comprising:
a base (72) attached to the rod (48) to support the dispenser such that extruded solid (76) flows upward.
7. A method of preparing to dispense a deformable solid (76), the method comprising:
inserting a deformable solid (76) into a first opening (78) of a container (44), the container (44) being bounded by a non-sliding endwall (52) at an end that is opposite the first opening (78), the container (44) having a cylindrical sidewall (54) between the non-sliding endwall (52) and the first opening (78), and the non-sliding endwall (52) having one or more dispensing openings (56, 56a1, 56a2, 56b, 56c);
inserting at least partially a slidable endwall (50, 50a, 50b) into the first opening (78) of the container (44); and
inserting the container (44) into a housing (46) through a housing first opening (58) that is configured to releasably grip the container (44), the housing (46) having a second opening (60) opposite the housing first opening (58), and a sidewall (62) between the housing first and second openings (58, 60);
wherein a rod (48) is inserted through the housing second opening (60) to abut the container slidable endwall (50, 50a, 50b) such that translational movement of the rod (48) causes translational movement of the container slidable endwall (50, 50a, 50b) to extrude the deformable solid (76) through the one or more dispensing openings (56, 56a1, 56a2, 56b, 56c) of the container (44).
8. The method of claim 7 further comprising:
mating helical threads (64) surrounding the housing first opening (58) with matching helical threads (66)surrounding at least a portion of the container (44) to enable the releasable grip of the housing first opening (58) to the container (44).
9. The method of claim 7, wherein the cross-section of at least some of the dispensing
openings (56) is circular to cause at least some of the extruded solid (76) to have
a circular cross-section.
10. The method of claim 7, wherein the cross-section of at least some of the dispensing
openings (56a1) is an elongated slit to cause at least some of the extruded solid (76) to have an
elongated slit.
11. The method of claim 7, wherein the housing second opening (60) and the rod (48) have
matching helical threads (68, 70) to enable a rotation of the rod (48) with respect
to housing to cause the translational movement of the rod (48).