U.S. patent application number 10/301081 was filed with the patent office on 2003-06-12 for apparatus for dispensing film-like thin strips of food- or refreshment-stuff.
Invention is credited to Storz, Achim.
Application Number | 20030106900 10/301081 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 7964432 |
Filed Date | 2003-06-12 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030106900 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Storz, Achim |
June 12, 2003 |
Apparatus for dispensing film-like thin strips of food- or
refreshment-stuff
Abstract
Apparatus for the dispensing of film-like thin strips consisting
of food- or refreshment-stuff from a packaging container, which is
having a box-shaped bottom member containing a stack of the
film-like thin refreshment-stuff-strips and further a cover closing
the bottom member. The cover for opening and closing a dispensing
slot or ?opening is reciprocably slidable with respect to the
bottom member. At the cover there is provided an actuatable
gripping means by the means of which a friction-type connection can
be created between the cover and the top film-like strip. The
friction-type connection is such that during the closing movement
of the cover the top film-like strip of the stack is pushed forward
through the dispensing slot from the bottom member.
Inventors: |
Storz, Achim; (Zell am See,
AT) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Domingue & Waddell, PLC
FNB Towers
Suite 515
600 Jefferson Street
Lafayette
LA
70501
US
|
Family ID: |
7964432 |
Appl. No.: |
10/301081 |
Filed: |
November 21, 2002 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
221/259 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 83/087
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
221/259 |
International
Class: |
B65H 003/02 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Nov 27, 2001 |
DE |
201 19 188.1 |
Claims
1. Apparatus for the dispensing of film-like thin strips consisting
of food- or refreshment-stuff from a packaging container, wherein
the packaging container is having a box-shaped bottom member
containing a stack of the film-like thin refreshment-stuff-strips
and further a cover closing the bottom member, characterized in
that the cover (10) for opening and closing a dispensing slot or
opening (12) is reciprocably slidable with respect to the bottom
member (8) and, in that at the cover (10) there is provided an
actuatable gripping means (14) by the means of which a
friction-type connection can be created between the cover (10) and
the top film-like strip (6), such that during the closing movement
of the cover (10) the top film-like strip (6) of the stack (4) is
pushed forward through the dispensing slot (11) from the bottom
member (8).
2. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the
gripping means (14) is performed as a region (16) elastically
displaceable by thumb-pressure downwardly from the level of the
cover (10) into contact with the stack (4) in the bottom member
(8).
3. Apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the
front wall (18) of the bottom member (8) is extending in the
direction of the dispensing opening (12) archedly and upwardly and
is forming a guide for the strips (6).
4. Apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the
dispensing opening (12) is performed between the front edge (20) of
the cover (10) when displaced in the opening direction and the top
edge (22) of the front wall (18) of the bottom member (8).
5. Apparatus according to any of the claims 2 to 4, characterized
in that the elastically deflectable region (16) is positioned
within a thumb-depression or section (24) within the material of
the cover (10).
6. Apparatus according to any of the preceding claims,
characterized in that at least the cover (10) is consisting of
plastics.
7. Apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that the
deflectable region (16) is consisting of a wave-shaped section (26)
of the cover (10), which is projecting upwardly from the plane of
the cover (10) and which resiliently can be depressed below said
plane.
8. Apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that the
wave-shaped section (26) is consisting of two wave sections (28,
30) projecting upwardly from the plane of the cover (10) which are
having a decreased wall thickness compared with the wall thickness
of the cover (10) and, in that between said two wave sections (28)
at least a third wave section (32) running downwardly is provided,
which is having an increased wall thickness steadily increasing to
the lowest point (34) thereof.
9. Apparatus according to any of the preceding claims,
characterized in that the elastically deflectable region (16) is
consisting of the same material as the cover (10).
10. Apparatus according to any of the claims 1 to 8, characterized
in that the elastically deflectable region (16) is consisting of a
material different from the material of the cover (10) as for
example silicon rubber, rubber or the like.
11. Apparatus according to any of the claims 1 to 6 and 10,
characterized in that the deflectable region (16) is formed by a
dome-shaped section (36) of the cover (10) which by the means of
film-hinges (38) is connected with the cover (10) and which is
projecting upwardly from the plane of the cover (10) and is
depressable into said plane and, in that the dome-shaped section
(38) is having a ledge (40) projecting downwardly in the direction
of the stack (4) of strips (6) which during the depression is
contacting the top strip (6) of the stack (4).
12. Apparatus according to any of the preceding claims,
characterized in that the bottom member (8) on the exterior thereof
is having gripping ledges or studs (42) opposite to the deflectable
region (16).
Description
[0001] The invention relates to an apparatus for the dispensing of
film-like thin strips of food- or refreshment-stuff from a
packaging container, wherein the packaging container is having a
box-shaped bottom part containing a stack of the film-like thin
refreshment strips and a cover closing the bottom member.
[0002] The products packed in such apparatus are, for example, very
thin small sheets of a size of about 23.times.35 mm and a thickness
of about {fraction (2/100)} mm, which, for example, are consisting
of a gelatinized mouth-wash or other refreshment products. Such an
apparatus of the above defined kind is a plastic container which in
its lid is having a flap articulated in a film-hinge by the means
of which a part of the surface of the top strip of the stack in the
container can be exposed which then by the means of a finger can be
advanced through the dispensing opening opened thereby. This known
construction has the disadvantage that in any case the contact
between the refreshment stuff and the finger of the user has to be
made which not only is comparatively burden-some but additionally
is extremely unsanitary and is excluding to offer such a strip to
any third person.
[0003] The invention has for its task to improve an apparatus of
the above defined kind such that a dispensing of the refreshment
strips from the packaging container can be made without making a
direct contact with the strip.
[0004] According to the invention, this task basicly is solved by
the features that the cover for opening and closing a dispensing
slot or ?opening is reciprocably slidable with respect to the
bottom member and that at the cover there is provided an actuatable
gripping means by the means of which a friction-type contact can be
made between the top film-like strip and the cover, such that
during the closing movement of the cover the top film-like strip of
the stack is pushed forward from the bottom member through the
dispensing slot.
[0005] It is obvious that in this way no contact between the
fingers of an user and the film-like strip is made but instead the
strip merely by the reciprocal movement of the cover is pushed out
from the packaging and can directly transferred into the mouth or
can be offered to any third person.
[0006] A preferred embodiment according to the invention can be
created by the features that the gripping means is performed as a
region elastically deflectable by thumb-pressure from the plane of
the cover downwardly into contact with the stack of strips in the
bottom part.
[0007] In a preferred embodiment according to the invention, the
front wall of the bottom member in the direction of the dispensing
opening is archedly extending upwardly and is forming a guide for
the strips. By this it is achieved that the extremely thin strips
during their advancement are not getting stuck and cannot fold but
instead smoothly are pushed outwardly from the dispensing opening
in a direction slightly upwardly.
[0008] In detail, this advantageously can be improved by the
feature that the dispensing opening is performed between the front
edge of the cover displaced in the opening direction and the top
edge of the front wall of the bottom member.
[0009] In a preferred embodiment according to the invention there
is provided that the elastically deflectable region is positioned
within a thumb-depression or thumb-section in the material of the
cover. By this and especially with the small size of the apparatus
according to the invention, the operation thereof is improved again
since only by feeling the gripping means can be found.
[0010] It is further of advantage that at least the cover is
consisting of plastics. By this, a simple and cheap production of
the packaging container including the gripping means is
possible.
[0011] An especially preferred embodiment according to the
invention can be created by the feature that the deflectable region
is consisting of a wave-shaped section of the cover which upwardly
is projecting from the plane of the cover and which resiliently can
be depressed below said plane.
[0012] In this connection it is further preferred that the
wave-shaped section is consisting of two wave sections projecting
from the plane of the cover upwardly which compared with the wall
thickness of the cover are having a decreased wall thickness, that
between the two wave sections at least a third wave section is
provided extending downwardly which is having an increased wall
thickness steadily increasing to the deepest point. By these
features it is possible to produce the cover with the gripping
means as a unitary piece and at low costs.
[0013] Followingly it is preferred to produce the cover and the
gripping section from the same material.
[0014] In an alternative embodiment according to the invention the
gripping section is produced from a material different from the
material of the cover, for example, of rubber which without
difficulties can be done in the same injection moulding mould.
[0015] In an alternative embodiment according to the invention it
is provided that the deflectable region is formed by a dome-shaped
section of the cover which by the means of film hinges is connected
with the cover and which is projecting upwardly from the plane of
the cover and can be depressed into said plane and that the
dome-shaped section is having a ledge projecting downwardly in the
direction of the stack of film-like strips which when depressing is
making contact with the top strip of the stack. By these features,
too, all the advantages of the invention are achieved.
[0016] In all embodiments according to the invention it is further
preferred that the bottom member on the exterior thereof is having
gripping ledges or studs opposite to the deflectable region. By
this the operation of the apparatus according to the invention
additionally is improved.
[0017] In the following, the invention is more detailedly described
with reference to exemplary embodiments shown in the drawings. In
the drawings show:
[0018] FIG. 1 a perspective view of a first embodiment according to
the invention in an increased scale;
[0019] FIG. 2 a schematic cross-section of the embodiment according
to FIG. 1 in the closed state;
[0020] FIG. 3 a view corresponding to FIG. 2 of the apparatus in
the completely opened state;
[0021] FIG. 4 a view corresponding to FIG. 3 during the actuation
of the gripping means;
[0022] FIG. 5 the apparatus according to FIGS. 1 to 4 when pushing
out a film-like strip;
[0023] FIG. 6 a schematic cross-sectional view of a second
embodiment according to the invention in the closed state;
[0024] FIG. 7 the embodiment according to FIG. 6 during the
actuation of the gripping means and during the pushing forward of a
film-like thin strip;
[0025] FIG. 8 a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 6 of an
alternative embodiment;
[0026] FIG. 9 the embodiment according to FIG. 8 during the
actuation of the gripping means and during the pushing forward of a
strip;
[0027] FIG. 10 a schematic cross-sectional view of a further
embodiment according to the invention in the closed state;
[0028] FIG. 11 the embodiment according to FIG. 10 during the
pushing forward of a strip, and
[0029] FIG. 12 a top view of the embodiment according to FIGS. 10
and 11.
[0030] In the following description of the different embodiments
according to the invention for the same or similar parts and
details each the same reference numerals had been used.
[0031] Firstly, it is referred to the embodiment according to FIGS.
1 to 5.
[0032] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the apparatus generally designated
with 1 is serving to dispense film-like thin strips of food- or
refreshment-stuff as these recently are obtainable on the market.
These food- and refreshment-stuff are extremely thin strips of a
thickness of about {fraction (2/100)} mm, wherein these typically
are having dimensions of about 23.times.35 mm. As shown in FIGS. 1
to 5, the first embodiment of the apparatus 1 is consisting of a
packaging container 2 in which a stack 4 of such extremely thin
film-like strips 6 are contained. The packaging container 2 is
having a bottom member 8 and a cover 10 closing the same.
[0033] In the embodiment according to FIGS. 1 to 5 the cover 10 for
opening and closing a dispensing slot or a dispensing opening 12 is
reciprocably slidable in guides not especially shown. On the cover
10 there is provided a gripping means generally designated with 14
which is actutable by finger-pressure by the means of which a
friction-type contact can be established with the top strip 6 of
the stack 4 such that in case the cover 10 had been slid backwardly
and the gripping means 14 has been actuated during the forwardly
sliding of the cover 10 during this closing movement of the cover
10 the top strip 6 of the stack 4 is pushed forwardly through the
dispensing slot 12 from the bottom member 8 as this is shown in a
final state in FIG. 5.
[0034] In the embodiment according to FIGS. 1 to 5, the gripping
means 14 is formed as an elastically deflectable region 16 which by
means of the pressure with the thumb or a finger can be pressed
from the plane of the cover 10 downwardly into contact with the
stack 4 of strips as this is shown in FIG. 4. After releasing the
deflectable region 16 due to its elasticity the same returns to the
state shown in FIGS. 1 to 3.
[0035] In all embodiments according to the invention, the front
wall 18 of the bottom member 8 is formed to be archedly extending
in the direction of the dispensing opening such that the front wall
18 is forming a guide for the strips 6 during pushing them out from
the bottom part 8 since the dispensing opening 12 or the dispensing
slot 12 is formed between the front endge 20 of the cover 10
displaced in the opening direction and the top edge 22 of the front
wall 18 of the bottom part.
[0036] Further in all embodiments according to the invention at
least the cover 10 is consisting of a suitable artificial resin
such that it is possible to form the deflectable region 16 of the
embodiment according to FIGS. 1 to 5 in a unitary way by
corresponding design of the transitions to the deflectable region
16 and the wall thicknesses in this area.
[0037] To facilitate the finding of the deflectable region 16 by
feeling it is preferred in all embodiments that the elastically
deflectable region 16 is positioned within a thumb-depression 24 or
a suitable thumb-section in the material of the cover.
[0038] The embodiment according to FIGS. 6 and 7, in the main part
of the details is corresponding to the embodiment according to
FIGS. 1 to 5, wherein merely the gripping means 14 or the
deflectable region 16, respectively, is designed differently.
[0039] As shown, the deflectable region 16 is consisting of a
wave-shaped section 26 of the cover 10 which, as shown in FIG. 6,
is projecting upwardly from the plane of the cover 10 in the state
of rest with the container being closed. The elastically
deflectable region 16 is, as with the embodiment according to FIGS.
1 to 5, resiliently displaceable below the plane of the cover 10 to
establish the friction-type contact with the top strip 6 of the
stack 4 as this is shown in FIG. 7 to push the same out through the
dispensing slot 12 when slidingly closing the cover 10.
[0040] In the embodiment according to FIGS. 6 and 7, the
wave-shaped section 26 is produced unitarily from the same
articifial resin as the cover 10 and is consisting of two wave
sections 28 and 30 projecting upwardly from the plane of the cover
10, which for increasing the elasticity and for facilitating the
depressing are having a wall thickness which is decreased compared
with the wall thickness of the cover 10. Between the two wave
sections 28 and 30 at least a third wave section 32 is provided
which is running downwardly with respect to the wave sections 28
and 30. The wave section 32 is having an increased wall thickness
which is steadily increasing in the direction of its deepest point
34. Followingly, the downwardly directed wave section 32 in fact is
forming the active constituent of the gripping means 14 which
establishes the contact with the top strip 6 of the stack 4 while
the latter when closing the cover 10 by sliding is pushed out from
the dispensing slot 12.
[0041] The embodiment according to FIGS. 8 and 9 in all details is
corresponding to the embodiment according to FIGS. 6 and 7, wherein
the only difference is consisting in the fact that the wave-shaped
section 26 is manufactured from a material different from the
material of the cover 10, wherein such material for example can be
silicon rubber or rubber, wherein further with respect to the
function of the three consecutive wave sections 28, 30 and 32 there
are no differences.
[0042] In the embodiment according to FIGS. 10 to 12 again merely
the gripping means 14 is differently designed such that with
respect to further details it can be referred to the above
specification. In the embodiment according to FIGS. 10 to 12, the
elastically deflectable region 16 of the gripping means 14 is
formed as a dome-shaped section 36 which by film- hinges 38 or the
like is connected with the remaining material of the cover 10. The
dome-shaped section 36 in the resting state shown in FIG. 10 is
projecting upwardly from the plane of the cover. To achieve the
friction-type contact with the top strip 6 of a stack 4 in the
bottom member 8 the dome-shaped section can be pressed into the
plane of the cover 10, wherein the dome-shaped section 38
additionally has a ledge 40 projecting downwardly in the direction
of the stack 4 which during the depressing of the dome-shaped
section 38 is contacting the top strip as this is shown in FIG.
11.
[0043] In FIGS. 10 and 11 further a detail is shown which can be
used with all other embodiments. As shown, the bottom member 8 on
its exterior is having gripping ledges or gripping studs 42
opposite to the deflectable region 16 which are facilitating in the
operation of the apparatus 1 by giving a safe grip on the bottom
member 8 during closing the cover 10 by pushing.
[0044] For the sake of completeness, it is referred to the fact
that corresponding formations as the ledge 14, e.g. in the shape of
ribs or studs or the like, can be provided in the embodiments
according to FIGS. 1 to 9 in a corresponding position opposite to
the stack 4 to increase the friction between the deflectable region
16 and the top strip 6 of a stack 4.
[0045] Above some embodiments according to the invention had been
more detailedly described which should serve as an example for the
basic idea of the invention which is seen in the fact to provide a
container for the described use which during the closing movement
by pushing when actuating a gripping means on the cover is pushing
out part of its contents.
[0046] All features and advantages which can be learnt from the
spefication, the claims and the drawings including constructive
details and positions in space individually and in a deliberate
combination can be important for the invention.
* * * * *