US2664223A - Can with built-in dispenser - Google Patents

Description

A a "i Dec. 29, 1953 I 1. T.' beam 2,664,223 CAN WITH BUZILT-IN DISPENSER Filed May 20, 1950 J6 I v 7 I I I i i M w P l 2 [I *1! H! M 22 l 2 1 16 2 l Bnnentor /5 reel 7: Dob/(If),

(Ittomegs Patented Dec. 29, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,664,223. oanwrrn BUILT-INHDIYSPENSER: Israel Todd Dobkin, Pittsburgh; Pa: eva uat on er fl 195, essi e- 6 99.

1 l im.-

1 l his invention relates. to a. dispenser for pellets and, in particular, to a low cost dispensing vinecl'ianism. The mechanism may be used with -refillable. dispenser containers; but due to its lowcost, it is particularly useful incorporated in a fsingle trip or nonereusable container in which thematerial to be. dispensed is packed for Shipment n 53 This invention has particular utility in the dispensing of pellets of water-conditioning, sterilizing, or detergentv materials, used in commercial kitchens, bars, and the like. This invention will be discussed; with particular reference to its use in such situations, but it is to be understood that theidea is not to be limited thereby.

At the present timeit is common for commercialestablishments to wash and sterilize their utensils in water treated withcertain chemicals for. sanitary purposes. This requirement is im-Q.

posed by law in many cases. Usually these chemicals are sold in liquid or powdered form which requires measuring for proper and efiective dilution, or in the form of a wafer or tablet.

The wafers or tablets are packaged bottles or cans and the user must reach into the bottle or can to obtain a wafer or tablet.

There are, however, disadvantages to this present method, Frequently the users hands are wet and the remaining wafers in the container tend to disintegrate or dissolve or break into several parts if they are moistened. In addition, the chemical wafer held in the moist hand of the user is not sufficiently diluted and may have ill effects on the skin of the hand.

In order to overcome these difficulties, this invention provides a container such as a can, adapted for shipment and convenient handlin with a built-in dispenser whereby the contents of the can are immediately available without any manual transfer, merely by mounting the can in a suspending holder over the water. All contact with the pellet is avoided, and the pellet is made available by the simple twisting of a knob on the bottom of the container.

In a preferred embodiment, the invention comprises a feed wheel adapted to fit in one end of a can, having circumferentially spaced notches or pockets. The wheel has an operating knob extending through a central hole in the can end and is rotatable thereon. The can end also has a discharge opening adjacent its periphery with which the wheel pockets are adapted to register successively. A bridging strap extends across the .inner .face :of the wheel in alinement with the discharge. opening to prevent the discharge of more than one pellet when one of the pockets registerswith the opening. The'entire device is assembled with the can end and is secured in position in the. can body when the end is seamed or soldered thereto.

A complete understanding of the invention may be gained from the following detailed. descriptionand explanation which refer to the accompanyine, drawin s illustrating a preferred embodiment. In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an elevation showing acan having the. invention incorporated therein, removably suspended in a holder in dispensing position;

Fig.2 isapartial vertical section throughthe can;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken along the plane of line III-'-III, of Fig. 2 l

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the can; and

5 isan end view orthe brid'zingjstrap'.

Referring now in detail to the drawin s'a can It) incorporating the invention, hasa body H and ends l2 and i3, seamed or soldered thereto. For mounting the can, I employ a split, expansible, collar [5, provided with a clamping screw l6. and hanger strap I! adapted to. be secured to a support by screws l8. The strap has a vertical leg, and. a horizontal. let: extending over the collar, an d'both ies have scr'ewholes whereby the strap may be secured to a vertical or horizontal surface.

The end [2 of the can which is disposed downwardly when the can is mounted in collar l5 for use, has a central opening there n adapted to admit a knob l9 extending axially from a feed wheel 20 riding on the inner face of end l2. As shown in Fig. 3, the wheel fits the can body fairly closely but is freely rotatable therein The wheel has a plurality of circumferentially spaced notches, recesses or pockets 2| in the periphery thereof, each adapted to accommodate one of the pellets 22 with which the can is filled.

The wheel 20 mav conveniently be a die casting of a light metal or alloy. It comprises, in addition to the knob !9, a hub 23, an inner face 24, and a peripheral wall or skirt 25 depending therefrom having the shape of the outline of the wheel seen in Fig. 3. A small flange 23a extends around the lower end of the hub and pro ects throu'rh the central opening in thecan end. When the parts have been assembled as shown, the flange is displaced outwardly by a die at circumferentially spa -ed points to form keys or spurs 26 overlying the edge of the opening to retain the wheel on the can end when the can is 3 turned upside down from its dispensing position, as in shipment or handling.

As shown by the drawings in Figs. 3 and 4, the relative size of the keys or spurs is greatly ex aggerated for purposes of depiction. Actually the spurs formed by the die need be no more than very slight protrusions of the metal over the edge of the flange just large enough to restrain thrust movement of the knob in the hole of the can.

A bridging strap 21 extends transversely over the inner face of the wheel and has legs 28 extending outwardly to the end H. The legs have feet or projections 29 fitting in the groove formed in the periphery of the end preparatory to seaming or soldering it to the body I l. The strap extends diametrically across the wheel as shown in Fig. 2, and overlies an outlet or discharge opening 30 in the can end 12 adjacent the edge of, with which wheel pockets 2| are adapted successively to register. As the wheel is rotated, a pellet falls into each pocket and as each pocket is brought into registry with the opening 30, the pellet therein falls through the opening. The strap 2! prevents the pellets above the face 24 of the wheel from falling through the opening 30 after the discharge of the pellet from a wheel pocket.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that the invention provides a dispenser which is extremely simple, yet is highly effective particularly for handling pellets, and may be made at such low cost that it may be used economically in cans which are not re-used but merely discarded when empty. The operation of the device requires only the manual turning of the wheel knob until the desired number of pellets has been discharged. Since the can having the invention therein has the same shape, except for the projecting knob, as the conventional packing can, it may be fabricated, filled and boxed by the usual automatic machinery.

As mentioned before, this idea can be applied in situations other than in commercial kitchens, and bars, and the like. The construction permits its use in various situations, and the discardable container arrangement is an economical and time-saving feature. Also the dispensing mechanism may be regarded as a separate feature in 4 itself, and used in conjunction with a refillable container.

While I have illustrated and described one specific embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that this is merely by way of illustration, and that various changes and modifications may be made therein within the contemplation of my invention and under the scope of the following claim.

I claim:

A sealed can tablet dispenser comprising a cylindrical wall having a permanently sealed top and a permanently sealed bottom with a dispenser attached to the bottom, the tablets to be sealed in the can being positioned between the dispenser and the can top, said dispenser comprising a knob projecting through a central opening in the can bottom, an eccentric opening in the can bottom for the discharge of tablets, a wheel attached to the knob and movable in contact with the bottom, said wheel having circumferentially spaced tablet dispensing pockets, each pocket being arranged to register with the discharge opening, a strap extending diametrically across the upper face of the wheel in alignment with the discharge opening, said strap having legs which are secured with the bottom of the can in the cylindrical wall and arranged to permit the wheel to rotate freely thereunder, and a flange integral with said knob projecting through the central opening of the can bottom and crimped against the bottom to hold the wheel in position against the inside of the can bottom.

ISRAEL TODD DOBKIN.

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