Materials dispensing apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR DISPENSING FLUID FROM A PLURALITY OF SEALED CANS HAVING ROUND SIDE WALLS, COMPRISING (A) A RECTANGULAR FRAME INCLUDING PARALLEL LONGITUDINAL MEMBERS HAVING ENDS, AND A PAIR OF CROSS MEMBERS, EACH OF SAID CROSS MEMBERS BEING SECURED TO CORRESPONDING ENDS OF EACH LONGITUDINAL MEMBER, THE CROSS MEMBERS BEING DISPOSED GENERALLY PERPENDICULAR TO THE LONGITUDINAL MEMBERS, SAID FRAME INCLUDING MEANS FOR MAINTAINING SAID LONGITUDINAL MEMBERS AT AN OBLIQUE ANGLE WITH RESPECT TO A SURFACE ON WHICH SAID APPARATUS RESTS, (B) A STATIONARY CAN SUPPORTING RACK HAVING TWO ROWS OF CAN RECEIVING AND POSITIONING ELEMENTS, EACH CAN RECEIVING AND POSITIONING ELEMENT HAVING A PLURALITY OF ARCUATE SHAPED PARTS, THE ARCUATE SHAPED PARTS OF THE TWO RECEIVING AND POSITIONING ELEMENTS BEING ALIGNED AND SPACED APART A DISTANCE SUBSTANTIALLY LESS THAN THE LENGTH OF THE CANS FROM WHICH FLUID IS TO BE DISPENSED, SAID RACK BEING DISPOSED BETWEEN AND FIXEDLY SECURED TO EACH OF SAID LONGITUDINAL MEMBERS, SAID CAN RECEIVING ELEMENTS IN SAID ROWS BEING SO ALIGNED THAT CANS SUPPORTED BY SAID ELEMENTS LIE PARALLEL TO SAID LONGITUDINAL MEMBERS OF SAID FRAME, (C) A FLUID WITHDRAWAL ASSEMBLY, SAID ASSEMBLY INCLUDING A FLUID WITHDRAWAL TUBE HAVING AN OPEN END AND A CLOSED END, SAID TUBE BEING RIGIDLY SECURED TO SAID FRAME BETWEEN SAID RACK AND ONE OF SAID CROSS MEMBERS, A PLURALITY OF CAN PIERCING ELEMENTS COUPLED TO SAID WITHDRAWAL TUBE, SAID CAN PIERCING ELEMENTS FACING TOWARDS SAID RACK AND BEING ALIGNED WITH THE BOTTOM OF ANY CANS DISPOSED ON SAID RACK, SAID PIERCING ELEMENTS EACH HAVING A DEFORMABLE GASKET ELEMENT SURROUNDING IT, (D) MEANS FOR APPLYING PRESSURE IN A DIRECTION PARALLEL TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF ANY CAN DISPOSED ON SAID RACK, SAID MEANS FOR APPLYING PRESSURE BEING DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID RACK AND THE END OF SAID FRAME WHICH IS REMOTE FROM SAID WITHDRAWAL TUBE AND INCLUDES A PRESSURE BAR HAVING A SURFACE FACING SAID CANS, SAID BAR BEING SLIDABLY COUPLED TO SAID LONGITUDINAL MEMBERS AND MECHANICAL DRIVING MEANS COUPLED TO SAID PRESSURE BAR, AND (E) MEANS FOR COUPLING UTILIZATION APPARATUS TO THE OPEN END OF SAID WITHDRAWAL TUBE.