Semi-solid material dispensing including a power operated scoop

Claim 1

A semi-solid material dispensing device that includes: a. a cup-shaped scoop, which when forced into pressure contact with said semi-solid material, is filled with the same, which scoop includes an end wall, and a cylindrical side wall that extends forwardly therefrom, with said end wall having a plurality of first circumferentially spaced bores therein; b. an injector plate longitudinally movable in said scoop; c. a plurality of rigid, parallel rods slidably mounted in said bores in said end wall and secured to said ejector plate; d. a driven shaft secured to the center of said end wall and extending rearwardly therefrom, which shaft has at least one longitudinal groove therein; e. a prime mover that includes a driving shaft which is in coaxially alignment with said driven shaft; f. a housing assembly that extends forwardly from said prime mover and includes an end piece that has a rotatable central portion in which a plurality of second bores are formed which slidably engage said rods, and said center portion also having a third bore that is slidably and rotatably engaged by said driven shaft; g. an elongate worm gear positioned inside said housing assembly and rigidly secured said driving shaft, and worm gear having a forward portion that rotatably engages said driven shaft, and in which forward portion at least one longitudinal slot is formed; h. a rigid drive tube that has forward and rear ends and is disposed inside said housing assembly, which drive tube when in a first position, extends longitudinally about said worm gear; i. an end member secured to the forward end of said drive tube, which end member is secured to the rear ends of said rods, with said end member having a bore formed therein that slidably engages said driven shaft; j. first means on said end member that at all times engages said groove on said driven shaft, and said slot in said worm gear when said drive tube is in said first position; k. an elongate rail assembly disposed inside said housing adjacent said worm gear, which rail assembly includes a stop on a rear end thereof; l. a grooved actuator slidably mounted on said rail assembly; m. first spring means that at all times tend to move said drive tube and end member to said first position; n. second spring means that at all times tend to support said rail assembly and actuator in a first position in which said drive tube is forced rearwardly against said actuator and said actuator against said stop by said first spring means; o. second means for actuating said prime mover to drive said driving shaft to rotate said scoop in pressure contact with said semi-solid material to fill said scoop with the latter when said actuator is in said first position; p. third means for moving said rail assembly and actuator from said first to a second position when said third means is moved from a first to a second position, whereupon said actuator is in engagement with said worm gear and moved forwardly on said rail assembly to concurrently move said drive tube, and member, rods and ejector plate forwardly until said semi-solid material in said scoop is discharged therefrom, with said scoop being stationary during the discharge of said semi-solid material therefrom due to disengagement of said first means from said slot as said end member moves from said first position, and said rail assembly and actuator at the conclusion of discharge of said semi-solid material from said scoop being allowed to move to dispose said rail assembly in said first position by returning said third means to said first position, and said first spring means then moving said guide tube and actuator rearwardly until said actuator contacts said stop and said actuator is also in said first position; and q. handle means on said device for moving the latter to dispense said semi-solid material from sAid scoop and to move said device to permit said scoop to be placed into rotatable pressure contact with said semi-solid material.