Fluent material handling – with receiver or receiver coacting mea – Filling means with receiver or receiver coacting means – Flexible or collapsible receiver
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-22
2001-04-24
Maust, Timothy L. (Department: 3751)
Fluent material handling, with receiver or receiver coacting mea
Filling means with receiver or receiver coacting means
Flexible or collapsible receiver
C141S31100A, C141S317000, C222S153130, C222S181100, C222S517000, C222S533000, C222S536000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06220313
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In grocer's shops, goods are more and more frequently sold in bulk to satisfy the requirements that the amount of packings be reduced. The handling of foodstuffs in bulk (for instance beans, tea, flakes and grain) today takes place but to a limited extent. In many cases, open containers are used, from which the customer scoops bulk goods into a bag. Alternatively, the containers have discharge valves which require two movements of the hand, i.e. one for opening and another for closing. This arrangement causes spillage and hygienic inconvenience.
PCT Publication WO 94/13536 shows and discloses a method and an apparatus for distributing bulk articles. A mobile dispenser is charged with the bulk article and is then placed in a location where a customer or user is intended to fill a bag or some other packing with the bulk article in question. The dispenser has a storage container which is intended for the bulk article and which at its lower end has an outlet valve. When the outlet valve opens, the bulk article slides under the action of gravity downwards along an inclined plane to a cellular feeder or intermediate storage unit which is essentially circular-cylindrical in cross-section. When discharging the bulk article, a valve plate included in the cellular feeder is pivoted upwards through the actual bulk article body to interrupt the flow of bulk article down into the bag or packing. The publication indicates safety devices for preventing the cellular feeder from being emptied if a suitable bag or some other suitable packing is not available for reception of the discharged quantity of bulk article. This prior-art apparatus suffers from the drawback that the arcuate valve plate of the cellular feeder, during operation of the cellular feeder, must be pressed upwards through the bulk goods on the inclined plane. During its movement, the front edge of the valve plate hits the particles which therefore counteract a continued movement. In many types of bulk goods, the resistance to the movements of the cellular feeder can be so great that the customers find it inconvenient or impossible to use the dispenser on their own.
EP-A-0 286 194 discloses a different bulk goods dispenser, in which a slide valve is used to discharge bulk goods from the lower end of a storage container. The slide valve has a slide with a compartment which is open upwards and downwards and which can be moved from a filling position to an emptying position and whose bottom in the closed position of the valve is formed of a bottom surface in the storage container. In the emptying procedure, the compartment is pulled out from the container, such that the goods enclosed in the compartment can fall down through a discharge nozzle. When pulling out the slide valve there is a great risk of particles of the bulk goods being pinched between the slide valve and an edge of the bottom of the storage container.
SE-B-355,935 shows and discloses a storage device with a dispenser for particulate bulk goods, in which a reciprocating cellular feeder of a similar type is used. This known dispenser suffers from the same drawbacks.
AU-A1-56805/80 shows and discloses a storage and dispenser apparatus which is particularly intended for packets of cigarettes and the like and which also has a reciprocating slide. This slide has a recess whose shape corresponds to the shape of the package and which is open downwards in order to hand over, after the movement to the emptying position, the packet of cigarettes or the like to a discharge chute or a discharge compartment. A similar device is disclosed in SE-B-502,253. These prior-art devices are not adapted for distribution of the type of bulk goods involved in the present case.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to enable the selling of bulk goods in self-service shops and to achieve a reduction of the amount of packings while at the same time the bulk article is handled hygienically and is stored in a space which is closed and inaccessible.
A further object of the invention is to obviate or essentially reduce the drawbacks of the prior-art dispensers.
According to the invention, these and other objects are achieved by a dispenser having the features stated in independent claim
1
. The dependent claims define particularly preferred embodiments of the invention.
Summing up, the invention resides in a dispenser for bulk goods having a storage container, a discharge device connected thereto, a dosing means and a discharge chute extending to a collection point. The dosing means includes a valve flap which is pivotable between a closing position and a discharge position. An operating device is adapted to pivot the valve flap between its said two positions. A locking means prevents the valve flap from pivoting from the closing position to the discharge position when a collecting receptacle or bag is not available at the collecting point. Preferably, the operating device comprises two operating handles, which are operatively connected to the valve flap for pivoting thereof. This operative connection includes a sensor mechanism, which allows power transfer merely when actuating the operating handles essentially in parallel or synchronously.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2532698 (1950-12-01), Corkins
patent: 2973110 (1961-02-01), Gentle
patent: 4511067 (1985-04-01), Martin et al.
patent: 4718578 (1988-01-01), Radek et al.
patent: 5873396 (1999-02-01), Biebrach et al.
patent: 56 805/80 (1981-10-01), None
patent: 0 286 194 (1988-10-01), None
patent: 2 241 696 (1991-09-01), None
patent: 355 935 (1973-05-01), None
patent: 502 253 (1995-09-01), None
patent: 94/13536 (1994-06-01), None
Luedeka Neely & Graham P.C.
Maust Timothy L.
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