权利要求:
1. A feeding device (1) for manual dispensing of a food product (2) in fluid form packaged in a flexible container (3), comprising a dispensing tank (10) adapted to hold the container, an operating sleeve (30) arranged on the outside of the dispensing tank (10), and a piston (40) arranged inside the dispensing tank and adapted to compress the container (3), which internal piston comprises at least one outer engagement means (41) adapted to run through at least one slot (13) in the dispensing tank (10) for movable engagement with the inside of the operating sleeve (30), which operating sleeve comprises on its inside an engaging portion (31) for cooperating with the piston's outer engagement means, so that the operating sleeve is adapted to axially displace the piston by rotation along the inside of the dispensing tank in a discharging direction (F) so that the container (3) is compressed while dispensing food product (2) and adapted to allow and/or alternatively to force a return of the piston in a return direction (R) opposite the discharging direction after each dispensing of food product, which feeding device (1) comprises at least one blocking device (20) adapted to allow axial movement of the piston (40) in only the discharging direction (F) when the operating sleeve (30) moves the piston in the discharging direction by releasable interacting engagement with the dispensing tank (10), characterized in that the releasable interacting engagement of the at least one blocking device (20) with the dispensing tank (10) is via at least one external spiral track (11) on the dispensing tank, which outer track (11) is adapted to engage with at least one inwardly facing track slider (23) on the at least one blocking device (20), which engagement after being coupled is adapted so that rotation of the at least one blocking device only allows a rotation thereof in the outer track (11) when the at least one blocking device is in engagement with the outer track and in the blocking position, while a decoupling of the engagement allows axial displacement of the at least one blocking device (20) in relation to the dispensing tank (10) when the at least one blocking device is released with its track slider (23) from its blocking position, and the operating sleeve (30) at a first end (34) comprises one or more inner feeding abutments (32) adapted for releasable engagement with one or more outer feeding means (22) of the at least one blocking device (20), and in that the at least one blocking device (20) has a passive state when it is released from the blocking position and an active state when it is located in the blocking position which allows axial movement of the piston (40) in the discharging direction (F) when the operating sleeve (30) is rotated in a first rotation direction (F') and allows axial piston movement (R) opposite the discharging direction when the operating sleeve is turned in a rotation direction (R') opposite its first rotation direction (F').
2. The feeding device (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one blocking device (20) is ring-shaped and arranged in an annular space or gap between the inner dispensing tank (10) and the outer operating sleeve (30).
3. The feeding device (1) as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the dispensing tank (10) comprises the at least one slot (13) or more slots running axially along and through the dispensing tank shell surface, through which slot(s) the piston's outer engagement means (41) extends.
4. The feeding device (1) as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the piston (40) comprises more than one externally placed outer engagement means (41).
5. The feeding device (1) as claimed in any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the at least one blocking device (20) is in movable engagement with the operating sleeve (30) and the dispensing tank (10) such that the at least one blocking device itself is limited to moving in only one rotation direction (F') translatable into axial movement in the discharging direction (F) of the piston (40) when the at least one blocking device is in the blocking position.
6. The feeding device (1) as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3 or 5, or any of claims 3 or 4 when dependent on any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the at least one blocking device (20) and the operating sleeve (30) are adapted to each other so that a defined rotation of the operating sleeve in a first direction (F') means that it rotates together with the at least one blocking device in its blocking position such that a defined axial displacement is imposed on the piston (40) so that it displaces a predetermined volume per step inside the dispensing tank (10) in the discharging direction (F) and a following defined rotation of the operating sleeve opposite the first direction means that the operating sleeve only allows and/or alternatively constrains a defined return stroke of the piston in a direction (R) opposite the discharging direction for each dispensing of food product (2).
7. The feeding device (1) as claimed in claim 6, wherein the dispensing tank (10), the at least one blocking device (20) and the operating sleeve (30) are so adapted to each other that the return stroke (R) of the piston (40) occurs with an equal, larger, or smaller volume displacement as compared to that in the discharging direction (F).
8. The feeding device (1) as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the dispensing tank's (10) at least external spiral track (11) has a definite gradient (S) for the movable and releasable interacting engagement with at least the inwardly directly track slider (23) on the at least one blocking device (20).
9. The feeding device (1) as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the operating sleeve's (30) inner interacting engaging portion (31, 32) allows a rotation of both the operating sleeve (30) and its interacting engaging portion in relation to the piston's engagement means (41) under simultaneous axial displacement of the piston (40) in both the return (R) and the discharging direction (F).
10. The feeding device (1) as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the operating sleeve's inner interacting engaging portion (31) is a flange at least partly encircling inside the operating sleeve (30) and directed inwardly, having a gradient (S') in the discharging direction (F).
11. The feeding device (1) as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the operating sleeve (30) at a second end (35) comprises one or more inner stops (33A, 33B) adapted for movable engagement with the piston's outer engagement means (41) so that the rotational movement of the operating sleeve itself is limited in each of its rotation directions (F', R') when the inner stop on the operating sleeve comes into contact with corresponding outer engagement means on the piston (40).
12. The feeding device (1) as claimed in claim 10, wherein the operating sleeve's inner interacting engaging portion (31) comprises a planar surface configured as a sloping plane with gradient (S') arranged so that when the operating sleeve (30) is rotated in one direction (F') the piston (40) is displaced in the discharging direction (F) and when the operating sleeve is rotated in the opposite direction (R') the return stroke (R) of the piston is allowed and/or alternatively constrained.
13. The feeding device (1) as claimed in claim 1 and 11, wherein the operating sleeve's inner stop (33A, 33B) is arranged at its other end (35) for engagement with the piston's outer engagement means (41) and it has a placement which is adapted to the placement of the operating sleeve's inner feeding abutment (32) at its first end (34), which feeding abutment is adapted for releasable engagement with the blocking device's outer feeding means (22) at a first end portion (26), so that rotation (F') of the operating sleeve (30) in a direction (F') from a first stop position (33A) to a second stop position (33B) moves the at least one blocking device (20) from a position of rest to a maximum position and brings about an axial displacement of the piston (40) in the discharging direction (F) for compression of the container (3) adapted to the quantity of food product (2) being dispensed, and subsequent rotation of the operating sleeve in the opposite direction (R') from its second stop position (33B) in the maximum position back to its first stop position (33A) in the position of rest is allowed by releasing of the operating sleeve's engagement in the at least one blocking device, which allows and/or alternatively constrains an axial displacement of the piston in its return direction (R).
14. The feeding device (1) as claimed in claim 1 and 13, wherein the gradient (S') of the operating sleeve's inner engaging portions (31A, 31B) and the gradient (S) of the external track (11) on the dispensing tank (10) are adapted to each other so that rotation of the operating sleeve (30) from its first stop position (33A) at the beginning of the gradient to its second stop position (33B) at the end of the gradient is adapted to dispense a defined quantity of food product (2) by means of a predetermined axial displacement of the piston (40) in the discharging direction (F), and subsequent rotation of the operating sleeve in the opposite direction from its second stop position (33B) back to its first stop position (33A) allows and/or alternatively constrains the axial piston displacement in the return direction (R).
15. The feeding device (1) as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the dispensing tank (10) comprises external blocking means (12) adapted to movable engagement with internal blocking means (21) at one or more blocking devices (20), which engagement allows rotation of each blocking device in only one direction (F') translatable into the piston's (40) axial discharging direction (F) by blocking the rotation of each blocking device in the opposite direction (R') corresponding to the piston's axial return direction (R).
16. The feeding device (1) as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein one or more blocking devices (20) comprise(s) external blocking means (22) adapted for releasable engagement with internal feeding abutments (32) in the operating sleeve, which engagement allows a definite rotation of the operating sleeve (30) in one direction (F') to entrain the at least one blocking device in the same direction so that the piston (40) is displaced axially in the discharging direction (F) for a predetermined distance adapted to the quantity of food product (2) which is to be dispensed, and a defined rotation of the operating sleeve in the opposite direction (R') releases it from the entraining engagement with the at least one blocking device, so that only the operating sleeve is rotated back while each blocking device remains in its position, and allows and/or alternatively constrains an axial displacement of the piston in the return direction (R) for a predetermined distance relative to the piston displacement in the discharging direction.
17. The feeding device (1) as claimed in any of the preceding claims, comprising a release and return mechanism (50) designed as a release sleeve adapted to manual coupling of the track slider engagement (23) of at least one blocking device (20) with the outer track (11) of the dispensing tank (10) for activating of the blocking position of the at least one blocking device and manual releasing of the engagement with the outer track of the dispensing tank for deactivating of the blocking position of the at least one blocking device by axial displacement along a second end section (27) on the at least one blocking device, by which the track slider of the at least one blocking device is releasable from engagement with the outer track of the dispensing tank when the release sleeve is pushed off from the track slider and can be brought into engagement with the outer track of the dispensing tank when the release sleeve is pushed onto the track slider.
18. The feeding device (1) as claimed in claim 17, wherein the release sleeve (50) comprises at least one axially running control means (51) adapted for movable engagement with at least one outer aligning means (25) running axially along the second end section (27) of the at least one blocking device (20).
19. The feeding device (1) as claimed in claim 17 or 18, wherein the release sleeve (50) is adapted to activate the blocking position of the at least one blocking device (20) in engagement with the dispensing tank (10) by axial displacement onto and along the second end section (27) of the at least one blocking device in the direction (F) toward a first end section (26) on the at least one blocking device into a first position corresponding to the blocking position of the at least one blocking device when the track slider (23) of the at least one blocking device is in engagement with the outer track (11) of the dispensing tank and adapted to deactivate the engagement of the blocking device's track slider with the outer track of the dispensing tank by axial displacement along the at least one blocking device in the opposite direction (R) into a second position which releases the engagement of the blocking device's track slider and releases it from its blocking position on the dispensing tank.
20. The feeding device (1) as claimed in claim 1 and any of claims 17, 18 or 19, wherein the at least one blocking device (20) comprises movable outer parts (24) on its second end section (27), which parts comprise the blocking device's track slider (23) directed inward, and the release sleeve (50) comprises inner axially extending control surfaces, which movable outer parts (24) and inner control surfaces (52) are adapted to each other such that the control surfaces inside the release sleeve press in the movable outer parts of the at least one blocking device and the corresponding track slider (23) when the release sleeve is shoved axially across the second end section (27) of the at least one blocking device in the direction (F) toward its first end section (26), into a first position in engagement with the dispensing tank (10) where the blocking position of the at least one blocking device is activated, and upon displacement of the release sleeve along the at least one blocking device in the opposite direction (R) from its first end section (26) the inner control surfaces (52) move across and past the outer movable parts (24) so that their track slider (23) moves outward and thereby deactivates the blocking position of the at least one blocking device by releasing its engagement with the dispensing tank.
21. The feeding device (1) as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3, 5 to 8, 3 or 5, or any of claims 9 to 20 when depending on any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the dispensing tank (10) comprises the at least one external spiral track (11) with a gradient (S) varying at least partly along its extension for movable releasable interacting engagement with the at least one inwardly directed track slider (23) on the at least one blocking device (20), which engagement between the outer track (11) and inner track slider (23) and which gradient (S) after the coupling together are adapted such that rotation of the at least one blocking device only allows rotation of same in the outer track when the at least one blocking device is in the blocking position and a variable dispensing of food product (2), while a releasing from the engagement allows axial displacement of the at least one blocking device in relation to the dispensing tank when the at least one blocking device is released from its blocking position.