GB2331979A - Dispensers for powdered baby milk - Google Patents

Abstract

A dispensing spoon for dispensing powdered material, such as powdered baby milk, comprising a handle (10) having a scoop (12) at one end and a powder levelling part (14, 18) coupled to the handle (10) which can be displaced manually for levelling off the scoop contents, and wherein an operation of the powder levelling part (14, 18) to level off the scoop contents is arranged automatically to advance a numbered counter wheel (20), carried integrally on the spoon by one digit.

Description

2331979

DESCRIPTION DISPENSERS FOR POWDERED BABY MILK

The present invention relates to powder dispensers and is concerned in particular with powdered baby milk dispensing spoons.

The conventional practice is for manufacturers of powdered baby milk to supply within the packaging box/tin/packet for the powdered baby milk a plastics milkJpowder dispensing spoon. Such spoons usually comprise a flat handle coupled at one end to a generally hemispherical or cylindrical scoop. In use, the spoon is inserted into the mass of powder such that the scoop is overfilled, ie. the mass of powder extends above the level of the mouth of the scoop when the spoon is held horizontally. A convenient edge, usually a knife edge, is then run along the handle and over the mouth of the scoop so as to remove the excess powder and leave the scoop filled exactly to the brim. The spoon is then inverted over the feeding bottle and, if necessary, tapped on the rim, so as to allow the powder to fall into the bottle. This procedure is repeated as necessary, for example up to five times, so as to introduce the correct amount of powdered milk into the feeding bottle.

One practical problem associated with the known spoon is therefore that it relies on the user having an appropriate knife edge handy when milk powder is to be dispensed.

A second practical problem is that the use of the known spoon requires the user to have two hands free, one to hold the spoon and the other to hold and manipulate the kaife edge for removing the excess powder from the scoop necessary to be sure of accurately dispensing "one scoopful". It would often be very useful if the spoon could dispense using one hand only; this would enable the other hand/arm to be used for a completely different purpose, for example to hold the baby.

A third practical problem is that the user has to remember how many spoonfuls have been dispensed. This can be particularly difficult if the dispensing operation is interrupted for some reason, as often happens when attending to young babies, and one has to remember how many spoonfuls have already been dispensed when the bottle fifling operation is resumed.

It has already been proposed to provide a counter on the spoon in the form of a finger-operated counting wheel. The intention is that one manually moves the counter on one digit each time a spoonful is dispensed. This, however, still has the disadvantages that one has to remember to operate the wheel each time.

According to our UK Application No. 9824971.7, we have already proposed a dispensing spoon for dispensing powdered material, such as powdered baby milk, comprising a handle having a scoop at one end and a powder levelling means coupled to the handle which can be displaced manually for levelling off the scoop contents.

In some embodiments, the powder levelling means may be adapted to be pivotally mounted on the handle so that it can sweep over the mouth of the scoop for levelling purposes. For example, the handle can be generally elongate and flat and the powder levelling means can comprise a blade device 1 -3which is pivotally mounted on the handle adjacent its end opposite to the scoop so as to be capable of sweeping over the mouth of the scoop in a plane generally parallel to the handle.

In other embodiments, the powder levelling means may be flexibly coupled to the end of the handle remote from the scoop such that the levelling means can sweep over the mouth of the scoop for levelling purposes. The levelling means in this case may be formed integrally with the handle and have a portion which normally lies to one side of the scoop mouth but which, by virtue of said flexible coupling with the handle, can be displaced relative to the handle so as to sweep over the scoop mouth for levelling purposes.

In accordance with the present invention, whatever the configuration of the powder levelling means, an operation of the powder levelling means to level off the scoop contents is arranged automatically to advance a counter, carried integrally on the spoon.

Where the powder levelling means comprises a wiper part adapted to be swept over a mouth part of the scoop, the counter preferably comprises a counter wheel carrying a plurality of numbers, the counter wheel being arranged to be rotated by an angular distance corresponding to one number when the wiper part is moved towards the scoop mouth.

Preferably, the counter wheel is operated by a ratchet arrangement whereby it is angularly advanced when the wiper part is moved towards the scoop mouth but is not moved when the wiper part is moved away from the scoop mouth.

Advantageously, the counter wheel is journalled on the handle part of the spoon and is adapted to be engaged and actuated by a projection on the wiper part when the wiper part is moved towards the levelled off condition.

The numbers on the counter wheel are observable to the user, for example through an aperture in the wiper part, so that the user can be aware ol the number of times the levelling mechanism has been actuated and hence how many spoonfuls have been dispensed.

In use, the intention is that the user will advance the visible number to zero before filling the bowl with powder for the first time in any dispensing exercise.

The invention is described ftu-ther hereinafter by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:- Figs. 1 and 2 are perspective views, from above and one end, showing a first embodiment in accordance with the present invention, with its levelling mechanism in retracted and advanced positions, respectively; and Figs. 3 to 5 are perspective views, from above and one side, showing a second embodiment in accordance with the present invention, with its levelling mechanism in retracted, advanced and re-retracted positions, respectively.

The basic structure of the spoon of both Figs. 1 and 2 and Figs. 3 to 5 corresponds to that of Figs. 9 to 12 of our copending UK Patent Application No. 9824971.7 and comprises a flat handle part 10 connected integrally at one end to a cylindrical scoop part 12 and at the other end to a flat wiper member 14 via a flexible hinge portion 16. The wiper member 14 lies permanently i i -5above the handle part 10 but is capable of longitudinal to and fro movement over the handle part by virtue of the flexible hinge 16. Integral tags 15 engage over respective cut-out portions 17 of the handle part 10 and constrain the wiper parts to move in a plane parallel to that of the handle part 10. The free end 18 of the wiper part 14 is substantially circular so as to cover the mouth of the scoop part 12 when it lies thereover.

In use, the powder wiper 14 is initially retracted from the scoop in the direction of arrow A in Fig. 1 and the scoop is overfilled with powdered milk so as to extend above the level of the scoop mouth. The wiper 14 is then moved in the direction of arrow B to the position shown in Fig. 2 in which it slides over the mouth of the scoop 12 to level off the contents. It is then moved back aaain in the direction of arrow A to re-expose the scoop and enable the powdered milk to be transferred to a feeding bottle.

In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the action of operating the powder wiper 14 to level off the contents of the scoop 12 is arranged automatically to advance a counter mechanism. In the embodiment of Figs. 1 and 2 of the present application, the counter mechanism comprises a ratchet wheel 20 having a number of flats 22 (normally ten) on its peripheral surface interconnected by respective upstanding shoulders or teeth 19. The flats 22 are provided respectively with numbers e.g. 0, 1_9. The wheel is mounted on an axle (not shown) journalled on the handle part 10 via journal blocks 24 disposed on the underside of the handle part 10, so that it extends upwardly through a rectangular slot 26 in the handle part 10. The wiper 14 is -6also formed with a slot 28 which is basically rectangular. However, a tongue 30, formed integrally with the wiper 14 projects longitudinally into the slot 28 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The tongue 30 may be formed so that at least its tip is resiliently biassed downwardly towards the handle part 10, but this may not be necessary.

The arrangement is such that, in use, when the wiper part 14 is in its retracted position (Fig. 1), the tongue 30 engages on a solid part of the handle and slides along this solid part as the wiper part 14 is moved in the direction B to perform a levelling operation. Before the free end part 18 of the wiper 14 has fully covered the scoop mouth, however, the two rectangular slots 24, 28 move towards vertical alignment and the tongue 30 comes into engagement with one of the shoulders/teeth 19 between two adjacent ones of the flats on the wheel 20 which lies at the position marked F in Fig. 2, causing the wheel to be indexed by one flat as the wiper part 14 is moved to its position shown in Fig. 2. A further tongue or detent (not shown) engages an exposed one of the teeth 19 beneath the handle part 10 to prevent the wheel 20 rotating backwards relative to the indexing direction. When the wiper part is subsequently retracted again in the direction A, the tongue 30 simply slides back over the wheel without performing any further wheel rotation, until next moved back in direction B to perform another levelling operation.

Thus, by this mechanism, the wheel 20 is rotated by one flat each time the wiper 14 moves in direction B but is not rotated on movements of the wiper in direction A. A ratchet action on the wheel is thereby achieved. The advance of the wheel 20 is observable by the number visible via the slot 28 in the wiper (eg. the number "1 " in Fig. 2), whereby the user can keep track of the number of times a levelling operation has been performed and thus how many spoonfuls have been dispensed.

The embodiment of Figs. 3 to 5 is based on the same basic spoon construction but differs in that the counter wheel is journalled to rotate in a plane parallel to that of the handle part 10 rather than perpendicular to it as in Figs. 1 and 2. In Figs. 3 to 5, a wheel 32 is journalled for rotation on the underside of the handle part 10 and the wiper part 14 carries an operating lug 34 which is adapted to engage obliquely with a tooth of the wheel at position G in Fig. 3 when the wiper part 14 is moved in direction H, so as to rotate the wheel 32 by one flat but so as to slide back over the wheel (Fig. 4) without rotating the wheel when the wiper part 14 is retracted in the direction K (Fig. 5). As before, a further tongue or detent (not shown) under the handle prevents reverse rotation of the wheel.

In the embodiment of Figs. 3 to 5, the numbers in the wheel can be provided on the upper side surface facing the underside of the handle part so as to be visible to the user via an aperture 36 in the wiper part when the wiper is in the fully levelled off condition of Fig. 4.

In all cases, the user is made aware of how many times the powder levelling mechanism has been actuated and therefore how many spoonfuls have been dispensed, without any necessity for the user to have to remember the number of spoonfuls or to have to remember to actuate a separate counting device.

Many other counting mechanisms are possible and the invention is by no means limited to the particular embodiments illustrated herein.

1 1

Claims (10)

-9CLAIMS

1. A dispensing spoon for dispensing powdered material, such as powdered baby milk, comprising a handle having a scoop at one end and a powder levelling means coupled to the handle which can be displaced manually for levelling off the scoop contents, wherein an operation of the powder levelling means to level off the scoop contents is arranged automatically to advance a counter, carried integrally on the spoon.

2. A dispensing spoon as claimed in claim 1, wherein the powder levelling means comprises a wiper part adapted to be swept over a mouth part of the spoon.

3. A dispensing spoon as claimed in claim 2, wherein the counter comprises a counter wheel carrying a plurality of numbers, the counter wheel being arranged to be rotated by an angular distance corresponding to one number when the wiper part is moved towards the scoop mouth.

4. A dispensing spoon as claimed in claim 3, wherein the counter wheel is operated by a ratchet arrangement whereby it is angularly advanced when the wiper part is moved towards the scoop mouth but is not moved when the wiper part is moved away from the scoop mouth.

5. A dispensing spoon as claimed in claim 3 or 4, wherein the counter wheel is journalled on the handle part of the spoon and is adapted to be engaged and actuated by a projection on the wiper part when the wiper part is moved towards the levelled off condition.

6. A dispensing spoon as claimed in claim 3, 4 or 5, wherein the -10numbers on the counter wheel are observable to the user through an aperture in the wiper part, so that the user can be aware of the number of times the levelling mechanism has been actuated and hence how many spoonfuls have been dispensed.

7. A dispensing spoon as claimed in any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the handle is generally elongate and flat and the powder levelling means comprises a blade device which is pivotally mounted on the handle adjacent its end opposite to the scoop so as to be capable of sweeping over the mouth of the scoop in a plane generally parallel to the handle.

8. A dispensing spoon as claimed in any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the powder levelling means is flexibly coupled to the end of the handle remote from the scoop such that the levelling means can sweep over the mouth of the scoop for levelling purposes.

9. A dispensing spoon as claimed in claim 8, wherein the levelling means is formed integrally with the handle and has a portion which normally lies to one side of the scoop mouth but which, by virtue of said flexible coupling with the handle, can be displaced angularly relative to the handle so as to sweep over the scoop mouth for levelling purposes.

10. A dispensing spoon substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

1 1