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AssigneeRestaurant Automation Development Co.
InventorsKenyon M. King, Gregory D. King
Estimating the term…
A system for dispensing controlled amounts of flowable materials having a wide range of viscosities, such as food condiments, caulking or adhesives, from a flexible-walled container or bag includes a housing for holding the flexible-walled container and a piston positioned within the housing to apply pressure to a wall of the flexible-walled container. An enfitment, which has a piercing member and sealing mechanism, is positioned adjacent an opposite wall of the flexible-walled container. By rotating the enfitment about a rotational axis generally normal to the wall of the first container, the enfitment forms an opening in the flexible-walled container and a seal with the container. The flowable material can then be forced through a hollow tube of the enfitment and an exit nozzle coupled to the enfitment. A desired amount of flowable material can be consistently dispensed from the flexible-walled container by controlling the displacement of the piston along a predetermined piston travel length for each dispensation of flowable material.
A system for dispensing controlled amounts of flowable material stored in a flexible-walled container, the system comprising a housing configured to hold the flexible-walled container, a piston positionable within the housing to apply pressure to the flexible-walled container so as to compress the flexible-walled container, a drive mechanism coupled to the piston to move the piston along a stroke axis, and a position controlled motor coupled to the drive mechanism to move the piston between a plurality of discrete positions along the stroke axis.
A system for dispensing controlled amounts of flowable material stored in a flexible-walled container, the system comprising a housing configured to hold the flexible-walled container, a piston, an actuator connected to the piston to drive the piston along a stroke axis, said actuator including a screw, a ball nut engaged with the screw and coupled to the piston such that the ball nut and piston move along the stroke axis relative to the screw, and a motor drivingly coupled to the screw so as to move the piston along the stroke axis, and a controller connected to the actuator and configured to control piston movement along the stroke axis so as dispense a controlled amount of flowable material from the flexible-walled container.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.