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US 9,174,236 B2Granted
Rodless dispenser
AssigneePrince Castle LLC
InventorsLoren Veltrop, Karl Heinze, Edward Eaton, Brian W. Mathews, Eugene L. Di Monte
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A dispenser for viscous, extrudable materials uses a sprocket-driven push chain that is drawn from a chain magazine responsive to actuation of a user trigger. The sprocket for the chain is driven by a toothed wheel, which is driven by a first, ratcheting drive pawl, which is actuated by the trigger. A second ratcheting locking pawl prevents the toothed wheel and hence the chain sprocket from rotating backward when the trigger is released. A single “button” or actuator can be actuated by one hand of a user while the user's other hand grasps a chain retractor to pull an extended chain back to a starting position whereat the dispenser can be reloaded.
Claims20
A dispenser comprising:
- a first pawl coupled to a first axle and configured to engage and disengage notches on a toothed wheel coupled to a second axle responsive to angular translation of the first pawl about the first axle, the first pawl being configured to drive the toothed wheel in a first direction responsive to engagement of the first pawl with a notch in the toothed wheel and angular translation of the first axle around the second axle in said first direction;
- a second pawl coupled to a third axle, the second pawl having first and second portions, both of which extend away from the third axle, the first portion extending from the third axle toward the toothed wheel and configured to engage and disengage notches in the toothed wheel responsive to rotation of the second pawl around the third axle, the first portion being biased to engage notches on the toothed wheel, the first portion capable of being disengaged from the notches responsive to a force applied to the second portion of the second pawl;
- the first pawl, toothed wheel and second pawl being configured such that engagement of the first end of the second pawl with notches in the toothed wheel allows the toothed wheel to be driven in the first direction by the first pawl but prevents the toothed wheel from rotating in an opposite second direction, disengagement of the first end of the second pawl from the toothed wheel responsive to a force applied to second end of the second pawl also causes the first pawl to disengage from the toothed wheel and thereby allows the toothed wheel to rotate in the second direction;
- and
- an actuating trigger having first and second opposing ends, the first end being rotatably coupled to the first axle and including an arm configured to support the second axle, the actuating trigger configured to translate between first and second angular positions relative to the first axle and thereby cause the second axle to translate around the first axle between the first and second angular positions.
2 more elements
A rodless dispenser comprising:
- a push chain magazine;
- a sprocket having a plurality of teeth,
- a push chain having first and second ends and a plurality of links between the first and second ends, at least one link of the plurality engaged with at least one tooth of the plurality of teeth, the first end being located in the magazine and capable of translating back and forth therein responsive to rotation of the sprocket, the second end of the push chain translatable towards and away from the sprocket;
- a toothed wheel comprising:
- a plurality of notches coupled to the sprocket such that rotation of the toothed wheel causes rotation of the sprocket;
- a first axis, at least one of the toothed wheel and the sprocket configured to rotate about the first axis;
- a first pawl rotatable about a second axis and configured to engage and disengage notches of the toothed wheel responsive to angular translation of the first pawl about the second axis, the first pawl being, configured to rotate the toothed wheel and the sprocket in a first direction, responsive to engagement of the first pawl with a notch in the toothed wheel and an angular displacement of the second axis and drive pawl around the first axis in said first direction;
- a second pawl having first and second portions, both of which extend away from a third axis about which the second pawl is rotatable, the first portion of the second pawl configured to engage and disengage notches in the toothed wheel responsive to rotation of the second pawl around the third axis, the first portion of the second pawl being biased to rotate on the third axle to engage the notches on the toothed wheel;
- wherein a force applied to the second portion of the second pawl rotates the second pawl about the third axis and the first pawl about the second axis to disengage the first pawl and the second pawl from the toothed wheel, such that the toothed wheel and sprocket are rotatable in the second direction.
6 more elements
A dispenser comprising:
- a wheel rotatable about a first axis, the wheel comprising a plurality of notches;
- a first pawl pivotable about a second axis between a first position and a second position, wherein in the first position the first pawl engages the plurality of notches on the wheel and in the second position the first pawl disengages from the plurality of notches, the second axis angularly translatable about the first axis, and the first pawl being configured to drive the wheel in a first direction when the first pawl engages the notch and the second axis angularly translates about the first axis in the first direction;
- and
- a second pawl pivotable about a third axis between a first position and a second position, wherein in the first position the second pawl being biased to the first position to engage and disengage the plurality of notches in the wheel responsive to rotation of the wheel in the first direction, wherein when the second pawl is in the first position, the second pawl prevents rotation of the wheel in a second direction about the first axis, the second direction opposite the first direction, and when the second pawl is moved to the second position, the second pawl disengages the plurality of notches and engages the first pawl to move the first pawl to the second position disengaged from the notch of the plurality of notches thereby permitting rotation of the wheel in the second direction.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.