Electromagnetic meter for closed dispensing container

An electronic metering device for fluent material, comprising:

• a closed container including a bottom wall having an opening, the closed container being disposed to carry a supply of fluent material;
• an electronic meter attached to the closed container, the meter including a housing and a conduit disposed within the housing, the conduit having a discharge opening disposed in flow communication with the opening in the container, the meter further including:
• an electrical coil operably attached to the conduit and being disposed to produce a magnetic field when electrical current flows through the coil;
• switch means for selectively changing the direction of the electrical current flowing through the coil;
• a ferromagnetic latching strip operably attached to the conduit and disposed within the magnetic field produced by the coil;
• and
• a gate pivotally attached within the meter housing and being movable between a closed position covering the discharge opening and an open position spaced from the discharge opening, the gate including a magnet which is attracted to and contacts the latching strip when current flows through the coil in a first direction and which is repelled from and is spaced away from the latching strip when current flows through the coil in a second direction;
• and
• means for selectively sequencing the switch means to set a frequency for a cycle of movement of the gate between the closed position and the open position, the cycle frequency being effective to accurately control the amount of fluent material flowing from the meter over a predetermined time period.