Single serve dispenser for a powdered nutrient
OwnerNicholas J. Singerinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The dispenser disclosed herein serves a single serving of a powdered nutrient contained within a container having multi-servings of the powdered nutrient. The dispenser has a metering device that operates as a ball valve or guillotine to dispense a single serving of the powdered nutrient into a water container. The dispenser also has a support surface that can be lowered and raised back up in order to fit a water container under the metering device and a distal tip of the metering device into a mouth of the water container so that no powdered nutrient spills out of the water container during transfer of the powdered nutrient from the metering device to the water container.
Claims20
A dispenser system for dispensing a predetermined volume of a powdered nutrient, the dispenser system comprising:
- a first container for holding two or more servings of the powdered nutrient, the container having an opening;
- a metering unit for measuring the predetermined volume of the powdered nutrient and dispensing the measured powdered nutrient from a dispensing tip of the metering unit the first container being removably connected to the metering unit so that a second container filled with the powdered nutrient can subsequently be attached to the metering unit;
- a bottle for receiving the measured powdered nutrient dispensed from the dispensing tip, the bottle defining a mouth which is larger than the dispensing tip so that the mouth of the bottle does not contact the dispensing tip when the dispensing tip is inserted into the mouth of the bottle;
- and
- a stand for receiving the metering unit above a first surface, the stand including a support surface that is traversable between a biased up position and a down position, the down position allowing the mouth of the bottle to slip under the dispensing tip while the bottle pushes down on the support surface and the biased up position wherein the bottle is positioned on the support surface with the dispensing tip at least partially inserted into the mouth of the bottle, and the mouth of the bottle and the dispensing tip having a gap circumscribing the dispensing tip so that fluid communication between an interior of the bottle and an external environment is maintained when the dispensing tip is at least partially inserted into the mouth of the bottle;
- wherein a height of the bottle is greater than a first distance defined between an end of the dispensing tip the support surface when the support surface is in the biased up position and less than a second distance defined between the end of the dispensing tip and the support surface when the support surface is in the down position.
A method of dispensing a predetermined volume of a powdered nutrient from a first container to a bottle comprising:
- measuring the predetermined volume of the powdered nutrient in a metering unit to which the container is removably attached;
- receiving the bottle on a support surface of a stand that holds the metering unit such that the bottle is underneath a dispensing tip of the metering unit and the support surface is at a down position;
- releasing the support surface such that the support surface traverses to a biased up position in which the bottle is raised above the down position to a predetermined level, the dispensing tip is at least partially inserted into a mouth of the bottle and the mouth of the bottle and the dispensing tip having a gap circumscribing the dispensing tip so that fluid communication between an interior of the bottle and an exterior environment is maintained when the dispensing tip is at least partially inserted into the mouth of the bottle;
- and
- dispensing the measured powdered nutrient from the dispensing tip into the bottle.
A dispenser for dispensing a predetermined volume of a powdered nutrient, the dispenser comprising:
- a first container for holding two or more servings of the powdered nutrient, the container having an opening;
- a metering unit defining a measuring cup for measuring the predetermined volume of the powdered nutrient and dispensing the measured powdered nutrient from a dispensing tip of the metering unit, the first container being removably connected to the metering unit so that a second container filled with the powdered nutrient can subsequently be attached to the metering unit;
- a stand for receiving the metering unit above a surface, the stand including a support surface that is traversable between a biased up position and a down position, the down position allowing for a mouth of a water bottle to slip under the dispensing, tip while the water bottle pushes down on the support surface and the biased up position wherein the water bottle is positioned on the support surface with the dispensing tip at least partially inserted into the water bottle, and the mouth of the water bottle and the dispensing tip having a gap circumscribing the dispensing tip so that fluid communication between an interior of the water bottle and an external environment is maintained when the dispensing tip is at least partially inserted into the water bottle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.