Topping dispenser

A topping dispenser comprising:

• a base:
• a housing supported by the base, the housing including a product compartment for receiving a pastry bag and drive compartment adjacent the product compartment, wherein the product compartment includes a bottom wall spaced from the base, the bottom wall having an opening therethrough;
• a clamping member operable to clamp an upper portion of the pastry bag to suspend the pastry bag within the product compartment such that a lower dispensing tip of the pastry bag is insertable through the opening in the bottom wall of the product compartment;
• a roller disposed within the product compartment for rotation about an axis, the roller being arranged for squeezing engagement with the pastry bag;
• a drive mechanism located within the drive compartment, the drive mechanism being connected to the roller;
• and
• an operating lever pivotally mounted on the housing and connected to the drive mechanism, wherein the drive mechanism is responsive to actuation of the operating lever in a first pivot direction to displace the roller in a downward direction to discharge contents from the pastry bag through the dispensing tip, and the operating lever pivoting in a second pivot direction opposite the first pivot direction without causing the drive mechanism to displace the roller;
• wherein the drive mechanism displaces the roller in the downward direction by a distance proportional to an angular displacement of the operating lever in the first pivot direction;
• wherein the roller is connected to the drive mechanism by a U-shaped mounting bracket having a pair of legs extending from the drive compartment into the product compartment;
• wherein the housing includes a partition between the product compartment and the drive compartment, and the pair of legs of the U-shaped mounting bracket extend through respective travel slots through the partition;
• wherein the partition includes a vertically extending channel portion at a rear of the product compartment, wherein the channel portion has a horizontal bag slot for receiving the upper portion of the pastry bag, and the clamping member is a clamping plate slidable along the channel portion to releasably clamp the upper portion of the pastry bag against the channel portion.

A topping dispenser comprising:

• a base;
• a housing supported by the base, the housing including a product compartment for receiving a pastry bag and drive compartment adjacent the product compartment, wherein the product compartment includes a bottom wall spaced from the base, the bottom wall having an opening therethrough;
• a clamping member operable to clamp an upper portion of the pastry bag to suspend the pastry bag within the product compartment such that a lower dispensing tip of the pastry bag is insertable through the opening in the bottom wall of the product compartment;
• a roller disposed within the product compartment for rotation about an axis, the roller being arranged for squeezing engagement with the pastry bag;
• a drive mechanism located within the drive compartment, the drive mechanism being connected to the roller;
• and
• an operating lever pivotally mounted on the housing and connected to the drive mechanism, wherein the drive mechanism is responsive to actuation of the operating lever in a first pivot direction to displace the roller in a downward direction to discharge contents from the pastry bag through the dispensing tip, and the operating lever pivoting in a second pivot direction opposite the first pivot direction without causing the drive mechanism to displace the roller;
• wherein the drive mechanism displaces the roller in the downward direction by a distance proportional to an angular displacement of the operating lever in the first pivot direction;
• wherein the operating lever is spring-biased in the second pivot direction;
• wherein the push bar extends through an arcuate slot through a sidewall of the housing, and angular displacement of the operating lever in the second pivot direction is limited by engagement of the push bar with an end of the arcuate slot.

A topping dispenser comprising:

• a base:
• a housing supported by the base, the housing including a product compartment for receiving a pastry bag and drive compartment adjacent the product compartment, wherein the product compartment includes a bottom wall spaced from the base, the bottom wall having an opening therethrough;
• a clamping member operable to clamp an upper portion of the pastry bag to suspend the pastry bag within the product compartment such that a lower dispensing tip of the pastry bag is insertable through the opening in the bottom wall of the product compartment;
• a roller disposed within the product compartment for rotation about an axis, the roller being arranged for squeezing engagement with the pastry bag;
• a drive mechanism located within the drive compartment, the drive mechanism being connected to the roller;
• an operating lever pivotally mounted on the housing and connected to the drive mechanism, wherein the drive mechanism is responsive to actuation of the operating lever in a first pivot direction to displace the roller in a downward direction to discharge contents from the pastry bag through the dispensing tip, and the operating lever pivoting in a second pivot direction opposite the first pivot direction without causing the drive mechanism to displace the roller;
• and
• a first pair of guide wheels coaxially mounted with the roller for rotation about the horizontal axis of rotation of the roller, and wherein the housing has a first pair of vertically extending guide tracks at opposite sides of the product compartment, the first pair of guide tracks respectively receiving the first pair of guide wheels.