Liquid dispensing machine

• US 4,088,249 A
• Filed: 10/18/1976
• Issued: 05/09/1978
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/1976
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Donald E. Westling
• Original Assignee: Donald E. Westling
• Inventors: Westling, Donald E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Reeves, Robert B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shannon, John P.
• Application Number:
  US05/733,248
• Time in Patent Office: 568 Days
• Field of Search: 222/144.5, 222/482, 222/486, 251/5, 99/450.4, 99/450.3, 99/450.6, 99/450.1, 239/562, 141/104, 141/242, 141/243, 141/244
• US Class Current: 222/486
• CPC Class Codes: A21C 15/002 Apparatus for spreading granular material on, or sweeping or coating the surface of baked articles of pieces of dough A21C9/04; for confectionary A23G3/28
• CPC Class Codes: A21C 9/04 Apparatus for spreading granular material on, or sweeping or coating the surfaces of, pieces or sheets of dough coating baked articles A21C15/002

Abstract

Pizza sauce is contained in a vat and is deposited onto a pizza through resiliently flexible tubes having upper end portions leading from the vat and having intermediate portions disposed in a pressure chamber. When the chamber is pressurized, the intermediate portions of the tubes are squeezed closed and hold the sauce in the upper portions of the tubes. Upon de-pressurization of the chamber, the intermediate portions of the tubes automatically flex open and allow the sauce to flow out of the tubes and onto the pizza. Different ones of the tubes may be selectively permitted to flex open so as to enable the sauce to be discharged in patterns of different diameters.

Claims

1. Apparatus for dispensing liquid sauce or the like, said apparatus comprising a container for said sauce, inner and outer annular rows of angularly spaced upright tubes having upper end portions communicating with the lower end of said container to receive said sauce and having lower end portions with open lower ends, said tubes being made of resiliently flexible material, a first enclosure defining an inner chamber receiving the intermediate portions of the tubes in said inner row, a second enclosure defining an outer chamber receiving the intermediate portions of the tubes in said outer row, said inner chamber being sealed from said outer chamber, means for admitting pressure fluid into said chambers to squeeze the intermediate portions of said tubes together to retain said sauce in the upper portions of said tubes, said means being selectively operable to release the pressure fluid from either both of said chambers or only from said inner chamber thereby to enable the intermediate portions of the tubes of both rows or the intermediate portions of only the tubes of said inner row to flex open and dispense said sauce.