A dispenser for measuring and dispensing a granular substance, the dispenser comprising:
- a housing having an upper portion disposed upon a lower portion, the upper portion including a storage compartment having a floor and a sidewall defining an interior volume configured to retain the granular substance therein, the lower portion including a support platform and a spout;
- a first outlet extending through the floor of the storage compartment, gravity acting to cause the granular substance in the storage compartment to pass out of the interior volume through the first outlet;
- an upper disc disposed below the floor of the storage compartment and independently rotatable about a rotational axis, the upper disc having a second outlet extending therethrough and having a first tab that is engageable to manually rotate the upper disc between a first position where the second outlet of the upper disc does not overlap the first outlet of the floor to a second position where the second outlet at least partially overlaps the first outlet, wherein in the first position no amount of the granular substance passes through the first outlet and in the second position an amount of the granular substance is allowed to pass through the first outlet of the floor and into the second outlet of the upper disc;
- a lower disc disposed between the upper disc and the lower portion and independently rotatable about the rotational axis, the lower disc having a third outlet extending therethrough the lower disc having a second tab that is engageable to manually rotate the lower disc between a third position where the third outlet does not overlap the second outlet toward a fourth position through one or more intermediate positions where the one or more intermediate positions correspond increasingly to an extent of overlap between the second outlet and the third outlet, wherein in the one or more intermediate positions an increasing amount of the granular substance relative to the extent of overlap is allowed to pass through the second outlet of the upper disc and into the third outlet of the lower disc, and in the fourth position a maximum amount of the granular substance is allowed to pass through the second outlet and into the third outlet of the lower disc, wherein at least one of the increasing amounts and the maximum amount selectively defines a single-serving size of the granular substance;
- and
- a fourth outlet disposed in a ceiling of the lower portion;
- wherein:
- when the upper disc is rotated from the first position to the second position, and the lower disc is disposed in at least one of the one or more intermediate positions and the fourth position, the first outlet, the second outlet and the third outlet at least partially overlap to permit the single-serving size of the granular substance to pass through the first outlet, the second outlet and into the third outlet where the single-serving size of the granular substance is retained in the third outlet;
- and
- subsequently, when the lower disc is rotated from the at least one of the one or more intermediate positions and the fourth position, the third outlet transport the amount transports the single-serving size of the granular substance retained in the third outlet to a fifth position above the fourth outlet and in alignment with the spout dispensing the single-serving size of the granular substance into a receptacle placed below the spout.