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Title: Food dispenser with serving means
Claims: We claim: 1. A dispenser for a food product which comprises a solid or a highly viscous liquid, the dispenser comprising a dispensing chamber having an inlet and an outlet for the said product, means for supplying the said product to said dispensing chamber via said inlet and for closing said inlet after a predetermined quantity of the said product has entered said chamber, a dispensing member slidably mounted within said dispensing chamber and acting, upon movement towards said outlet, to force food product within said dispensing chamber outwardly via said outlet, and means for closing said outlet from said dispensing chamber after the said movement of said dispensing member is complete, to substantially preclude flow of excess food product from said outlet; and wherein said dispenser further includes means for positioning a succession of containers beneath said dispensing chamber outlet in timed relation to each discharge of food product to fill each said container with said food product. 2. The invention defined in claim 1, wherein said positioning means further includes container engaging means constraining each said container to impact with said positioning means subsequent to the reception of dispensed food product therein to constrain even distribution of said food product within said container. 3. The invention defined in claim 1, wherein a closing cylinder is disposed adjacent to said dispensing chamber with the axis thereof extending transversely of the direction of movement of said dispensing member within said dispensing chamber, said outlet from the dispensing chamber comprises a pair of aligned apertures formed at opposed sides, respectively, of said closing cylinder, and said means for closing the said outlet from said dispensing chamber comprise a closing piston slidably mounted within said closing cylinder and formed with a bore which extends transversely of the axis of said closing piston, said closing piston being movable between an operative position, wherein the said bore is aligned with said aligned apertures in said closing cylinder, to allow food product to flow from said dispensing chamber via said aligned apertures and said bore, and an inoperative position, wherein said piston closes said outlet. 4. The invention defined in claim 3, wherein said positioning means further includes container engaging means constraining each said container to impact with said positioning means subsequent to the reception of dispensed food product therein to constrain even distribution of said food product within said container. 5. The invention defined in claim 3, wherein said closing means further comprise a cut-off plate secured relative to said closing piston for sliding movement therewith, said cut-off plate being moved across the path of food product emerging from said outlet from said dispensing chamber during movement of said closing piston towards the said inoperative position thereof, to crop the said food product emerging from said outlet. 6. The invention defined in claim 5, wherein said positioning means further includes container engaging means constraining each said container to impact with said positioning means subsequent to the reception of dispensed food product therein to constrain even distribution of said food product within said container. 7. The invention defined in claim 5, wherein said dispensing containers are offset from said dispensing chamber outlet in the direction of movement of said cut-off plate to constrain each container to receive said cropped food product substantially axially thereof. 8. The invention defined in claim 1, wherein said means for supplying the said product comprise a filling cylinder having an inlet for connection to a supply of the said product and outlet connected to said inlet to said dispensing chamber and a filling piston, slidably mounted within the filling cylinder, acting when moved towards said inlet to said dispensing chamber, toforce the said predetermined quantity of the said product into said dispensing chamber and then to close said inlet to said dispensing chamber. 9. The invention defined in claim 8, wherein said positioning means further includes container engaging means constraining each said container to impact with said positioning means subsequent to the reception of dispensed food product therein to constrain even distribution of said food product within said container. 10. The invention defined in claim 8, wherein the said inlet to said filling cylinder is formed in a side wall of said filling cylinder and is extended in area, and said filling piston is elongated and is movable between a position wherein the said inlet to said filling cylinder is open and a position wherein one end of said filling piston closes said inlet to said dispensing chamber and a side face of said filling piston closes the said inlet to said filling cylinder. 11. The invention defined in claim 10, wherein said positioning means further includes container engaging means constraining each said container to impact with said positioning means subsequent to the reception of dispensed food product therein to constrain even distribution of said food product within said container. 12. The invention defined in claim 10, wherein the means for supplying the said product comprise a supply chamber having an outlet in a lower part thereof, and said filling cylinder is disposed with the said inlet thereto adjacent to the said outlet from said supply chamber to receive food product moving downwardly through the said outlet of said supply chamber. 13. The invention defined in claim 12, wherein said positioning means further includes container engaging means constraining each said container to impact with said positioning means subsequent to the reception of dispensed food product therein to constrain even distribution of said food product within said container. 14. The invention defined in claim 8, wherein the strokes of said dispensing member and said filling piston are adjustable to vary said predetermined quantity of food dispensed by said dispensing means. 15. The invention defined in claim 14, wherein said positioning means further includes container engaging means constraining each said container to impact with said positioning means subsequent to the reception of dispensed food product therein to constrain even distribution of said food product within said container. 16. A dispenser as defined in claim 1, further comprising a driving means, and means coupling said driving means to said dispensing member, said means for supplying food product to said dispensing chamber and closing said inlet to said dispensing chamber, and said means for closing said outlet from said dispensing chamber, whereby said dispensing member, said supply means and said closing means operate in a predetermined sequence and time relationship to fill said dispensing chamber with the said product and dispense said product from said dispensing chamber. 17. The invention defined in claim 16, wherein said positioning means further includes container engaging means constraining each said container to impact with said positioning means subsequent to the reception of dispensed food product therein to constrain even distribution of said food product within said container. Other info: Inventors: Trueman, Frederick Ranson Couzens, Roy George Swain Islip, Brian Henry Application Number: 537443 Filing Date: 1974-12-30 Publication_date: 1976-09-14 Assignee: Primary Class(es): 141/71 141/174, 425/308 Other Classes: US Patent Ref:
Other Refs: Primary Examiner: Bell, Jr., Houston S. Assistant Examiner: Attorney: |
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