Dispensing Mechanism

U.S. Pat. Nos. 980,066 and 1,218,092 show a bowl and cover and a ladle which operates it either through an opening in the cover or bowl to dispense items through a spout. In each the support stand is integral with the bowl. The cover and bowl are rigid and if interlocked cannot be relatively rotated.

This invention is directed to a novel dispensing device in which the cover and the bowl are interlocked with the support stand in a manner wherein the several parts are held together in a unitary assembly without the necessity of forming complicated shapes of the parts to interlock the same.

A general object is to devise a novel dispenser in which the parts are so formed that they are simple to manufacture and are easy to assemble and dismantle for cleaning and washing to meet sanitation requirements of the regulations of various communities.

A specific object of the invention is to provide a novel dispenser comprising a container having hemispherical upper and lower cover and bowl portions which are relatively rotatable along mating edges which are provided with outwardly extending rim flanges, the cover and bowl being formed of plastic materials such as polyethylene or the like, and are flexible and temporarily deformable at their rim edges for insertion and removal of the rims while deformed with respect to notches in peripherally intersecting legs of a support stand within which the bowl is nested.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel skeletal container stand in which the legs of the stand are positioned edgewise tangentially of the bowl in minimal contact therewith to minimize abrasion between the bowl and the stand during relative rotation therebetween as well as to facilitate such rotation.

Another object is to provide a simple stand in which a plurality of identical countersupporting parts are uniquely interconnected to form the support stand whereby minimizing inventory of parts and at the same time providing an effective structure.

A further object is to provide a novel sleeve-like extrusion about the spoon-admitting aperture in the cover portion of the container which serves to provide an enlarged bearing area for the spoon, and also serves to prevent water or other cleaning fluid from flowing into the container when the top is being washed.

These and other objects of the invention inherent in and encompassed in the invention will become more readily apparent from the specification and drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of my novel dispenser partly broken away;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the dispenser, the cover being partly broken away and shown in cross-section;

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on line 3--3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on line 4--4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary top view of the cover illustrating a deflected condition of its rim portion;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary enlarged view of FIG. 3 showing the spout in side elevation; and

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the junction portion of the legs of the stand taken substantially at 7--7 of FIG. 2.

The dispenser generally designated 2 in the drawings comprises a container broadly indicated 3, a support stand 4 and a dispensing spoon or ladle 5.

The stand 4 is constituted of three L-shaped bracket members 6, each of which has a vertical leg 7, which at its lower end terminates in a foot 8 for resting upon a table or countertop. The leg 7 is connected adjacent to its lower end to a horizontal leg 10 which, at its distal terminous, is formed with an attachment lug portion 11 which is angled 120.degree. from the plane of its leg portion 10. The three lugs 11 are assembled as shown in FIG. 7, wherein the lug 11 of each bracket member 7 is positioned as at 12 against a side of one of the other two legs 10 and is secured thereto as by a rivet 13. The lugs 11 and legs 10 are disposed in a triangular arrangement as seen in FIG. 7, thus mutually supporting each other and a single rivet is used, not only to attach the respective bracket to the adjacent one but that rivet also serves to prevent pivotal movement of the bracket to which it is connected from pivoting about the rivet connecting its respective attachment lug to the other of the brackets.

As best seen in FIGS. 1 and 7 the three brackets 6 are spaced equidistantly (120.degree. ) apart and that the vertical leg 7 of each bracket has its inner edge 15 positioned tangentially with respect to the outer contour 16 of the bowl 17 which is cradled in the support stand. The upper end of each leg 7 is rounded at 18 and at the inner edge 15 is provided with a horizontal notch 19 which admits an annular peripheral rim 20 formed on the edge of the bowl. The bowl, being of flexible plastic material such as polyethylene or polypropylene or the like, is flexible and capable of being deflected out of the notch to permit withdrawal and lifting beyond the overhanging hook portion 22. The bowl preferably is formed with a diametrical divider 24 which divides the interior 25 of the bowl into two compartments 26,27 which may hold either two different type of sweets or sweets 28 in one compartment and nuts 29 in the other. The bowl is provided with an opening 30 at the vertical portion 31 through which there is extended a tubular, preferably cylindrical, flexible plastic spout 32 which is sheared horizontally at its upper end to provide an upper horizontal edge 33. The spout extends diagonally along the cut out edge 34 (FIG. 3) of the partition and has a lower end portion 35 projecting outside the bowl and has a vertically sheared lower edge 37. A shoulder 38 is formed about the body of the spout intermediate its ends and bears against the external side of the bowl in the region about the opening 30. The shoulder or annulus 38 is frusto-conical and, being flexible, is adapted to flare outwardly as the spout is forced into the opening 30 from the outer side of the bowl, forcing a plurality of hemispherical nibs 39,39, formed on the tube and spaced inwardly of the annulus, through the opening 30 by expanding and deflecting the plastic bowl material about the opening. The nibs or locking elements, being hemispherical, wedge through the opening 30 and wedge against the interior 25 of the bowl, thus urging the shoulder 38 into tight stressed engagement with the exterior of the bowl. The cover portion 40 of the container is also hemispherical shape and has a lower edge 41 which is provided with an onturned peripheral rim flange 42 which rides upon the peripheral flange 20 of the bowl portion of the container. The rim 42 is snapped into the slots or notches 19 in the legs of the support stand by deflecting the plastic material forming the cover as at 43 and best seen in FIG. 5 to bypass the hook portions 22. Thus, both the top and bottom are relatively rotatable with respect to the stand, although the spout restricts the extent of rotary movement of the bowl. The cover is provided midway between its lower edge and the crest of curvature indicated at 44 of the top or cover with an opening 45 through which is extended the handle 46 of a ladle or spoon 5 which has a scoop 48 at its inner end. The spoon is adapted to be manipulated at its outer end 50 to dip into the sweets and scoop a spoonful out and drop this amount through the spout. It will be realized that the cover may be readily rotated with respect to the bowl portion and the stand to position the spoon accessibly to the items intended to be scooped out of the bowl. Inasmuch as the scoop of the spoon is larger than the opening 45 it cannot be withdrawn from the container. The opening 45 is circumscribed by an outwardly projecting sleeve or tube 50 which, in addition to providing an extrusive bearing area, also serves to prevent fluid, when applied above the opening, from flowing through the opening into the bowl.

A preferred embodiment of the invention has been disclosed, illustrating the best mode of utilizing the invention. It will however be apparent that various modifications can be effected in view of the foregoing disclosure which fall within the scope of the appended claims.