Dispenser

US5244020A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Middleby Marshall Inc. · US

Inventors

• Adrian A. Bruno · Rolling Meadows, US
• Richard Caron · Cambridge, US
• Gorm Bressner · Providence, US
• Kevin P. Barnes · Los Angeles, US
• Philip Carbone · Cambridge, US
• Robert F. Simek · Crystal Lake, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jul 24, 1991
• Grant date: Sep 14, 1993
• Expiry date: Jul 24, 2011

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01G19/56
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A dispenser of foodstuff is particularly well adapted to deliver cheese for pizza making. A refrigerator contains a bin which may be completely removed from said refrigerator for cleaning, as in a dishwasher, for example. The bin features inwardly sloping walls so that the cheese does not normally stick to the wall. An auger delivers the cheese to a spout where a star wheel meters flow and breaks up any clumps in the cheese. A spring biased trap door closes the spout, especially when the bin is removed from the refrigerator. The refrigerator contains parts which control the opening and closing of the trap door and the turning of the auger. The entire system operates under the control of a programmable microprocessor which includes means for detecting when the bin is empty or is failing to delivery the cheese.