Field of Invention
This invention relates to an automatic dispensing modular assembly for
granules and method of operating thereof wherein the modular assembly
includes at least one granule dispensing module to dispense a granular material
such as a flavouring agent. A granule dispensing module includes a granule
canister containing one type of granular material and a granule volumetric
doser to dispense consistently and accurately a pre-set quantity of that granular
material. In the modular assembly of the present invention, plurality of granule
dispensing modules, with the help of compressed air, can be used to dispense a
pre-set quantity of a selectable granular material out of a plurality of granular
materials provided in different granule dispensing modules. The automatic
dispensing modular assembly of the present invention, can be integrated with a
beverage dispensing assembly such as the one disclosed in co-pending patent
application No. 780/KOL/2008 to dispense accurately, a pre-set quantity of a
granular material selectable from plurality of granular materials provided in
different modules, automatically and directly into a fresh beverage dispensed
into a dispensing cup by the beverage dispensing assembly. Different granular
materials are dispensed by different granule dispensing modules thereby
preventing cross-contamination or mixing of the granular materials.
Prior Art
Dispensing machines are known in the art for dispensing powders used to
prepare beverages which are constituted by mixing a pre-set quantity of water
soluble food powder like milk powder, soup powder, etc. into a pre-set quantity
of hot or cold water dispensed into a dispensing cup through dispensing lines.
These powders do not easily flow-out of a canister in which they are contained,

in a consistent manner due to their cohesive nature. Further a canister
containing milk powder is difficult to be completely emptied as some amount of
milk powder always remains in the canister, that cannot be dispensed. To
overcome these problems, many of the assemblies known in the art, use
hopper containers incorporating complex mechanisms of plurality of agitating
wheels and a revolving delivery and dosing member like an auger driven by a
motor connected to the shaft of the revolving member. Such containers are not
suitable for dispensing a flavouring agent especially in granular form since the
dispensed quantity cannot be precisely controlled due to granular materials
being less cohesive in nature.
US patent No. 4,610,378 reports a closed container for food powders in
automatic beverage distribution machines wherein the container has a
delivering duct in the lower part of the container, a delivering mouth formed by
an opening at the end of container, a revolving delivering and dosing member
rotatably supported inside the duct and extending through the said mouth, a
motor to which the said revolving delivering and dosing member is removably
connected and a plate closing member supported against the said mouth and is
movable from the closing position to an opening position by the delivering and
dosing member during its rotational movement.
A drawback of the above delivering and dosing mechanism reported in the
above cited patent is that it is not suitable for dispensing pre-set and accurate
quantity of granular material as it does not incorporate any means for
consistent dispensing of a pre-set quantity of a powder.
Another drawback of the container for food powders reported in the above
patent is that it incorporates a complex mechanism of a revolving member

connected to a shaft which is mechanically operated by a motor. Such a
complex container for food powder may be cumbersome for a configuration for
plurality of granular materials where a selectable granular material like
flavouring agent is to be dispensed.
Still another drawback of the container for food powders reported in above
identified patent is that the container is not airtight and susceptible to ingress
of humidity which may cause granule to agglutinate.
US patent No. 6,834,779 reports a dispensing canister comprising a reservoir
containing beverage-forming or food-forming powder and provided with a main
agitating wheel and a secondary agitating wheel engaged with the main
agitating wheel which promote downward motion of the powder. At the bottom
of the reservoir, a rotatable volumetric dosing auger, longitudinally extending
between the front and rear walls of the reservoir, is provided which is arranged
such that the plurality of teeth circumferentially provided on the main agitating
wheel cause transport of the powder which varies as a function of the
longitudinal position along the dosing means.
A drawback of the dispensing canister reported in the above patent is that it
transports and delivers food powder or beverage forming-powders by the
rotational movement of the auger and wherein the volume of powder dispensed
is adjusted by modification of auger by which the volume of powder delivered
at the outlet is reduced or increased. Such an arrangement is not suitable for
dispensing very small and consistent quantities of granular materials
US patent No.7, 044,366 reports of a multi-flavored hot beverage dispenser
which incorporates plurality of flavour dispensing units. Each flavour dispensing

unit includes a flavour container in communication with a pump system via a
flexible tube. When activated by main control board via a control line, the
activated pump system pumps liquid flavour syrup from the linked flavour
container into the flavour discharge line from where it is transported and
dispensed into the hot drink emanating from the discharge line at the
dispensing nozzle of the beverage dispenser. The flavour discharge line is
attached to dispensing nozzle through a flavour dispensing nozzle which has
plurality of flavour supply ports extending from and in communication with the
main discharge passage formed by the main body of the flavour dispensing
nozzle. The number of supply ports corresponds to the number of flavours
desired to be dispensed by the dispenser. Each flavour requires a separate
discharge line for transporting and dispensing the flavour pumped by the pump
system from the flavour container, a separate pump for each flavour syrup
container, a separate supply line connecting the flavour container to the pump
and a separate flavour container containing the flavour syrup for each flavour.
A limitation of the flavour dispensing unit embodied in the above beverage
dispenser is that it requires the flavour to be in the form of liquid which could
be pumped up by the pump system to the dispensing nozzle of the beverage
dispenser through flavour discharge line and therefore is not suitable for
dispensing granular materials.
Another drawback of the above flavour dispensing unit is that the cross-
flavouring takes place below the mixer and at the dispensing port of the
beverage.

Objects of the Present Invention
An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic dispensing
modular assembly for granules and method of operating thereof wherein the
said automatic dispensing modular assembly for granules includes at least one
granule dispensing module to dispense a pre-set quantity of any granular
material like a flavouring agent in granular form.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an automatic dispensing
modular assembly for granules which in combination with a beverage
dispensing assembly such as the one disclosed in co-pending patent application
no. 780/KOL/2008, can be used to automatically dispense a pre-set and
accurate quantity of a selectable granular material such as a flavouring agent
into the fresh beverage in a dispensing cup, dispensed by the beverage
dispensing assembly.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an automatic
dispensing modular assembly for granules, wherein one unit of granule
dispensing module is sleek in size so that the modular assembly with plurality of
such granule dispensing modules, can be integrated with a beverage dispensing
assembly such as the one disclosed in the co-pending patent application no.
780/KOL/2008, without making the assembly unwieldy.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an automatic
dispensing modular assembly for granules wherein each unit of granule
dispensing module is such that the modular assembly having plurality of such
granule dispensing modules can be integrated with a beverage dispensing

assembly such as the one disclosed in the co-pending patent application no.
780/KOL/2008, which will enable direct and automatic dispensing of any
granular powder such as a flavouring agent into the dispensing cup containing
fresh beverage dispensed by the beverage assembly wherein the flavouring
agent would be selectable out of the plurality of flavouring agents available in
the granule canisters of different granule dispensing modules of the modular
assembly, as per the choice expressed by an operator, indicated by depressing
an appropriate switch on the front control panel of such a beverage dispensing
assembly.
Further object of the present invention is to provide an automatic dispensing
modular assembly for granules wherein the granule canister is easily removable
and replaceable which enables replacement of the granule canister containing
one flavour with the granule canister containing another desired flavour. Thus,
in addition to choice of flavours that may be available by using plurality of
granule dispensing modules with one flavour available in one module, the
choice of flavours can be further varied by substituting the granule canister in
any granule dispensing module with a granule canister containing the desired
flavour and by providing a new granule volumetric doser within the replaced
granule canister calibrated according to the required dosing of the new
flavouring agent. The ease of detachment of the granule canister also enables
easy cleaning and maintenance of the granule canister as well as of the granule
dispensing module.
Still further object of the present invention is to provide an automatic
dispensing modular assembly for granules embodying plurality of granule
dispensing modules, wherein each granule dispensing module dispenses only
one type of granular material thereby preventing cross-flavouring and cross-

contamination of the different granular materials, contained in the plurality of
granule dispensing modules.
Yet further object of the present invention is to provide an automatic
dispensing modular assembly for granules which is fully automatic thereby
eliminating the need for external flavour delivery means such as use of
flavoured tea bags or manual addition of a flavour to a beverage.
Still further object of the present invention is to provide an automatic
dispensing modular assembly for granules which uses a granule volumetric
doser to automatically dispense a pre-set and accurate quantity of the granular
material into the beverage in a dispensing cup thereby ensuring a high degree
of accuracy in the amount of granules dispensed and thus ensuring consistency
in the flavouring of the end-cups of beverages served to the consumers.
Yet further object of the present invention is to provide an automatic
dispensing modular assembly for granules which uses minimal moving
components due to which it requires low maintenance and has enhanced
reliability besides reducing the cost.
Still further object of the present invention is to provide an automatic
dispensing modular assembly for granules which enables dispensing of a wide
range of flavouring materials in a granular form into a beverage with only a
marginal add-on-cost per cup as compared to using means such as flavoured
tea bags.
Yet further object of the present invention is to provide an automatic
dispensing modular assembly for granules wherein the granule canister has the

capacity to contain quantity of granules which is sufficient for dispensing
granules in large number of cups of beverage thereby obviating the need for
frequent refilling of canister and thus making the modular assembly user-
friendly.
Still further object of the present invention is to provide an automatic
dispensing modular assembly for granules which uses flavouring agent, etc. in
granular form which results in zero aroma contamination with other flavours
and requires no clean-up/maintenance of the pipes or the associated
mechanism.
Even further object of the present invention is to provide an automatic
dispensing modular assembly for granules wherein the tapping effect and the
vibrations due to the forward and backward movement of the granule conveyor
in the granule conveyor channel provided near the base of the granule canister
helps in the complete filling of the granule volumetric doser thereby enabling
dispensing of an accurate quantity of the granular material.
Still further object of the present invention is to provide an automatic
dispensing modular assembly for granules which when used in combination
with a beverage dispensing assembly known in the art such as the one
disclosed in the co-pending patent application no. 780/KOL/2008 enables
dispensing of a wide range of flavoured beverages from the same assembly.
Yet further object of the present invention is to provide an automatic
dispensing modular assembly for granules which when used in combination
with a beverage dispensing assembly such as the one disclosed in co-pending
patent application no. 780/KOL/2008, takes same time to dispense the

flavoured beverage as compared to dispensing the same beverage without a
flavour since the preparation of the beverage and the dispensing of the flavour
happens concurrently.
Still further object of the present invention is to provide an automatic
dispensing modular assembly for granules where the granule canister is airtight
at the opening used for filling granules as well as at the granule dispensing port
thus preserving the freshness and quality of the granular material and thereby
enhancing the shelf life of the granular material loaded in the granule canister.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be evident from the
ensuing detailed description and illustration of the invention with accompanying
drawings.
Statement of Invention
According to this invention, there is provided an automatic dispensing
modular assembly for granules comprising at least one granule dispensing
module that uses compressed air and each said granule dispensing module
includes a canister sub-assembly (30) and a pneumatic cylinder sub-
assembly (40) as drive means for imparting forward and backward motion
to the granule conveyor (6) coupled to the piston rod (17) of the said
pneumatic cylinder sub-assembly (40) by means of granule conveyor
coupler (15), the said canister sub-assembly (30) and pneumatic cylinder
sub-assembly (40) being mounted on a base plate(18) and wherein:
(a) said canister sub-assembly (30) includes a granule canister (5)
having:

-at least one horizontally extending portion (32) near
granule canister base (42) which has a proximal end (50) and
distal end (60);
-a canister cavity (12) for loading therein of granular
material to be dispensed; a canister lid (13) for closing airtight the
said canister cavity (12) with fixing means (14, 14);
-a granule conveyor channel (28) extending from the
proximal end (50) to distal end (60) through horizontally
extending portion (32);
-a granule conveyor (6) dimensionally aligned with the said
granule conveyor channel (28) and capable of to and fro free
motion inside the said granule conveyor channel (28) and wherein
said granule conveyor (6) in the normal position extends from
distal end (60) of horizontally extending portion (32) of said
granule canister (5) to the granule conveyor coupler (15);
-a granule volumetric doser (16) of predetermined volume
comprising a through vertical cylindrical hole in the granule
conveyor (6) at around one-third of its length from its proximal
end (50) wherein the said granule volumetric doser (16), in
normal position, is within the said canister cavity (12) and gets
automatically filled with the granular material flowing downwards
within the said canister cavity (12) under gravity as well as due to
tapping and vibrations generated by the forward and backward
movement of the granule conveyor (6) and wherein further, in the
dispensing position, the upper end of said granule volumetric
doser (16) is in vertical alignment with the compressed air port
(8) and lower end thereof is in vertical alignment with granule
dispensing port (7); and

-a compressed air port (8) provided on the upper surface
of the horizontally extending portion (32) which, is connected to
the exhaust port (11) of the air solenoid valve (1) via the exhaust
air conveyor tube (19).
(b) said pneumatic cylinder sub-assembly (40) includes:
-a pneumatic cylinder (4) mounted on the vertically upward
extending plate (41) integral to the base plate (18);
-a piston rod (17) of the said pneumatic cylinder (4)
extending into the interior of the said granule conveyor
coupler (15) and in horizontal alignment with granule
conveyor (6) and when actuated by the pneumatic cylinder
(4), the piston rod (17) is capable of moving forward and
imparting horizontal motion to the said granule conveyor (6);
-an air solenoid valve (1) provided at the rear end of the
said pneumatic cylinder (4), having an inlet port (10), an
exhaust port (11) and a normally closed port (9) wherein the
said inlet port (10) is connected to a compressed air storage
tank (not shown) by an inlet tube (3) and an air compressor
connecting tube (22) through a three-way connector (21) and
wherein further the said exhaust port (11) is connected to the
compressed air port (8) of the canister sub-assembly (30) via
exhaust air conveyor tube (19) and wherein further the said
normally closed port (9) of the said air solenoid valve (1) is
connected to the pneumatic cylinder rear end port (25) of the
said pneumatic cylinder (4); and

- an air solenoid valve (2) provided at the front end of the
said pneumatic cylinder (4) having an inlet port (23), exhaust
port (29) and normally closed port (24) wherein the said inlet
port (23) is connected to the compressed air storage tank (not
shown) by an inlet tube (27) and air compressor connecting
tube (22) through a three-way connector (21) and wherein the
said normally closed port (24) is connected to the pneumatic
cylinder front end port (26) of said pneumatic cylinder (4).
According to this invention, there is provided a method of operating a
granule dispensing module comprising the steps of:
(a) loading the granular material into the canister cavity (12) of
the granule canister (5) and closing it by canister lid (13) with
fixing means (14,14);
(b) activating the air solenoid valve (1) by depressing activation
switch (45) thereby moving the piston rod (17) forward which
in turn moves forward the granule conveyor (6) to a position
where the granule volumetric doser (16) is in vertical
alignment with the granule dispensing port (7) and
compressed air port (8) and results in dispensing of the
granular material through the granule dispensing tube (20)
under the force of exhaust air flowing through exhaust air
conveyor tube (19) allowing completion of the dispensing of
granular material;
(c) activating the air solenoid valve (2) by depressing activation
switch (46) which brings back the granule conveyor (6) to its
normal position, and

(d) repeating cycle (b) to (c).
According to this invention, there is further provided a method of operating
an automatic dispensing modular assembly for granules with plurality of
granule dispensing modules, in combination with a beverage dispensing
assembly such as the one disclosed in the co-pending patent application No.
780/KOL/2008, comprising steps of:-
(a) loading of the different granular materials in the canister cavities
(12) of different granule dispensing modules and closing the canister
cavities by canister lids (13) with fixing means (14,14);
(b) selecting the granular material to be dispensed out of the choice
of granular materials available in different granule dispensing
modules, by operating the appropriate switch on the front control
panel (not shown) of the assembly thereby activating the air solenoid
valve (1) of the specific granule dispensing module in which the
selected granular material is available, which moves forward the
piston rod (17) of the said module thereby moving the granule
conveyor (6) of the said module to a position where the granule
volumetric doser (16) is in vertical alignment with the granule
dispensing port (7) and compressed air port (8) and results in
dispensing of the granular material through the granule dispensing
tube (20) under the force of the exhaust air flowing through exhaust
air conveyor tube (19) thereby completing the dispensing of the
granular material;
(c) depressing an appropriate switch on the front control panel (not
shown) of the assembly which activates the air solenoid valve (2) of
the selected granule dispensing module thereby bringing back the

granule conveyor (6) of the said module back to its normal position;
and
(d) repeating the above steps (b) to (c) with selecting of desired
granular material by operating the appropriate switch on the front
control panel (not shown) of the assembly.
The automatic dispensing modular assembly for granules, when having a
plurality of granule dispensing modules provides the choice to an operator to
select the desired granular material out of the different granular materials
available in different granule dispensing modules. This choice may be exercised
by the operator by selecting the appropriate switch on the front control panel
(not shown) of the assembly which activates the specific granule dispensing
module in which the specified granular material is available. As different
granular materials are loaded in the granule canisters of different granule
dispensing modules, there is no cross-flavouring of the different granular
materials. Each unit of granule dispensing module is sleek in dimension and
employs minimal components particularly moving components and as such
plurality of such granule dispensing modules can be conveniently integrated
with an automatic beverage dispensing assembly such as the one disclosed in
the co-pending patent application no. 780/KOL/2008, without making the
integrated assembly too large or unwieldy.
When the automatic dispensing modular assembly for granules, is integrated
with a fresh beverage dispensing assembly, the granular material used in the
different granule dispensing modules of the present invention may for example,
be different flavouring agents. Such an integrated assembly would enable
automatic dispensing of any of the selected flavouring agents into the fresh
beverage in the dispensing cup obviating the need for external means for

adding desired flavour into the dispensed hot beverage. Thus the integrated
assembly would enable dispensing of a flavoured beverage with a desired
flavouring agent selectable out of a wide choice of flavouring agents.
Description of Figures
The invention will now be illustrated with accompanying figures, which are
intended to illustrate one of the embodiment in which the present invention
may be practiced. The accompanying figures are not intended to be taken
restrictively to imply any limitation on the scope of the present invention. It is
to be noted that the invention is not deemed limited to the exact construction
shown by these Figures. Any modifications, adaptations, equivalent changes by
the persons skilled in the art employing the principles and functional features of
components and sub-assemblies as embodied in the present invention are
intended to be within the scope of the present invention. In the accompanying
Figures:
Fig.l:- shows the sectional view of the overall assembly of one granule
dispensing module of the modular assembly of the present invention, with
canister sub-assembly in normal position.
Fig.2:-shows the sectional view of the canister sub-assembly of one granule
dispensing module, in the dispensing position, when the upper end of granule
volumetric doser is in vertical alignment with compressed air port and the lower
end thereof is in vertical alignment with the granule dispensing port.
Fig.3:- shows the sectional view of the pneumatic cylinder sub-assembly of one
granule dispensing module of the modular assembly of the present invention.

Description of invention w.r.t. Drawings
According to this invention, there is provided an automatic dispensing modular
assembly for granules which includes at least one granule dispensing module
which can consistently dispense a pre-set and accurate quantity of any material
in granular form. The modular assembly of the present invention with plurality
of granule dispensing modules, can be integrated with a beverage dispensing
assembly such as the one disclosed in the co-pending patent application no.
780/KOL/2008 and such an integrated assembly can be used to dispense a
fresh beverage containing desired flavours in granular form, selectable out of
the plurality of flavours provided in the different granule canisters of the
different granule dispensing modules of the modular assembly. Further, the
granule canisters of the different granule dispensing modules of the modular
assembly being easily replaceable, the choice of flavours can be further varied
by substituting the granule canister containing one flavour in granular form with
a granule canister containing another flavour in the granular form and by
providing a new granule volumetric doser calibrated according to the required
dosing of the new flavouring material in granular form.
Each granule dispensing module of the modular assembly of the present
invention is dimensionally sleek, with minimal moving components and the
modular assembly of the present invention can be integrated with a beverage
dispensing assembly, without making the integrated assembly unwieldy or
occupying any significant additional table space. Since the cost of the single
granule dispensing module is low, the add-on cost per cup of flavouring the
beverage, with a flavour of choice, is very minimal, when compared to other
means for flavouring the beverage such as flavoured tea bags.

Referring to Fig.l, each granule dispensing module of the automatic dispensing
modular assembly for granules of the present invention includes a canister sub-
assembly (30) and a pneumatic cylinder sub-assembly (40) which are coupled
together through a granule conveyor coupler (15). The canister sub-assembly
(30) is mounted on a base plate (18). The pneumatic cylinder sub-assembly
(40) is mounted on a vertically upward extending plate (41) which is integrally
welded to the base plate (18). The pneumatic cylinder sub-assembly (40) is
mounted in such a way that the piston rod (17) of the pneumatic cylinder (4) is
in horizontal alignment with the granule conveyor (6) so that when piston rod
(17) moves forward, it imparts forward motion to the granule conveyor (6) via
the granule conveyor coupler (15). A compressed air port (8) is provided on the
upper surface of the horizontally extending portion (32) of the granule canister
(5) whereas a granule dispensing port (7) is provided on the lower surface of
the horizontally extending portion (32) of the granule canister (5) in such a way
that the granule dispensing port (7) is aligned exactly vertically below the
compressed air port (8). The exhaust port (11) of the air solenoid valve (1) is
in communication with the said compressed air port (8) via an exhaust air
conveyor tube (19). Two activation switches (45, 46) are provided on the base
plate (18) wherein activation switch (45) is for activating air solenoid valve (1)
and activation switch (46) is for activating air solenoid valve (2).
Referring to Fig.2, the canister sub-assembly (30) of one granule dispensing
module of the modular assembly of the present invention includes a granule
canister (5) mounted on a base plate (18). The granule canister (5) has, near
granule canister base (42), a horizontally extending portion (32) having
proximal end (50) and distal end (60).There is no limitation on the capacity of
granule canister (5). The granule dispensing module of the present invention

would be workable with a granule canister of higher capacity. When used for
dispensing flavouring agent in granular form, which is required to be dispensed
in very small quantities, the granule canister (5) with even a capacity of 50
grams, may be sufficient for dispensing flavouring agent into around 200-300
dispensing cups of beverage. Thus the capacity of the granule canister (5) may
be made such that it obviates the need for frequent refilling of the granule
canister (5) with the granular material thereby making the granule dispensing
module user-friendly. The granule canister (5) has a granule conveyor channel
(28) at the granule canister base (42), the said granule conveyor channel (28)
being dimensionally and horizontally aligned with granule conveyor (6) so that
the granule conveyor (6) can move to and fro freely through this granule
conveyor channel (28). The granule conveyor channel (28) extends through the
entire length of the horizontally extending portion (32) of granule canister (5)
from proximal end (50) to the distal end (60). At around one-third of its length
from its proximal end (50), the granule conveyor (6) has a granule volumetric
doser (16) which is a through vertical cylindrical hole. In the normal position as
shown in Fig.l, the said granule volumetric doser (16) is positioned in the
middle of the base of the granule canister (5). The granule canister (5) has a
canister cavity (12) which is open at the upper end .The granule conveyor (6) is
horizontally positioned through the granule conveyor channel (28) provided at
the base of the canister cavity (12) and extends from the distal end (60) to the
granule conveyor coupler (15). The upper end of the canister cavity (12) of the
granule canister (5) is closed airtight by means of canister lid (13) which is
fixed by fixing means (14, 14) to the top end of the granule canister (5). The
lower side of the horizontally extending portion (32) of the granule canister (5)
is provided with a granule dispensing port (7) to which a granule dispensing
tube (20) is connected through which the granular material from the granule
volumetric doser (16) is dispensed. A compressed air port (8) is provided on the

upper side of the horizontally extending portion (32) of the granule canister (5)
and is connected by exhaust air conveyor tube (19) to the exhaust port (11)
(Fig.l) of the air solenoid valve (1) (Fig.l). The granule canister (5) is fixed to
the base plate (18) by a single fixing means (31) like a screw and is therefore
easily detachable.
In the normal position as shown in Fig.l, granule volumetric doser (16) is
positioned within the canister cavity (12) so that when granular material is
present in the canister cavity (12), the granule volumetric doser (16) having
pre-determined volume in accordance with the required dosing of the granular
material, gets automatically filled with the granular material from canister cavity
(12) due to gravitational flow of granular material and due to the vibrations
created by the tapping effect of forward and backward movement of the
granule conveyor (6). In the dispensing position shown by Fig. 2, the granule
conveyor (6) is moved forward by the forward motion of the piston rod (17)
upon actuation by pneumatic cylinder (4) (Fig.l) due to piston rod (17) and the
granule conveyor (6) being coupled by the granule conveyor coupler (15). This
forward motion of the granule conveyor (6) is completed when further forward
motion of granule conveyor coupler (15) is stopped by the proximal end (50) of
the horizontally extending portion (32) of granule canister (5). At this position,
the granule volumetric doser (16) is vertically aligned with the compressed air
port (8) on the upper side and with the granule dispensing port (7) on the
lower side. At this aligned position, the gust of air received through the
exhaust air conveyor tube (19) from the exhaust port (11) (Fig.l ) of air
solenoid valve (1) (Fig.l) blows down the granular material contained in the
granule volumetric doser (16) through the granule dispensing tube (20) into the
dispensing container (not shown).

Referring to Fig.3, the pneumatic cylinder sub-assembly (40) includes a
pneumatic cylinder (4) mounted on a vertically upward extending plate (41)
integrally welded to the base plate (18).The piston rod (17) of the pneumatic
cylinder (4) extends into the interior of the granule conveyor coupler (15)
through a dimensionally aligned aperture provided on one of its sides that faces
the pneumatic cylinder (4). The mounting of the pneumatic cylinder (4) is such
that the piston rod (17) is in horizontal alignment with the granule conveyor
(6). This granule conveyor (6) is attached to the granule conveyor coupler (15)
from the side opposite to the side from which the piston rod (17) extends
therein. With the help of granule conveyor coupler (15), to and fro motion of
the piston rod (17) is imparted to the granule conveyor (6).
At rear end of the pneumatic cylinder (4) is provided an air solenoid valve (1)
having an inlet port (10) and an exhaust port (11). The inlet port (10) is
connected to a compressed air storage tank (not shown) by an inlet tube (3)
and air compressor connecting tube (22) through a three-way connector (21).
The normally closed port (9) of the air solenoid valve (1) is connected to the
pneumatic cylinder rear end port (25). At the front end of the pneumatic
cylinder (4) is provided an air solenoid valve (2) whose inlet port (23) is
connected to the compressed air storage tank (not shown) by an inlet tube (27)
and air compressor connecting tube (22) via a three-way connector (21). The
normally closed port (24) of the air solenoid valve (2) is connected to the
pneumatic cylinder front end port (26). The air solenoid valve (2) is also
provided with an exhaust port (29) .The exhaust port (11) of air solenoid valve
(1) is connected to the compressed air port (8) (Fig.l) provided on the upper
surface of the horizontally extending portion (32) (Fig.l) of the granule canister
(5) (Fig.l) by exhaust air conveyor tube (19).

Method of Operating the Modular assembly of the Present Invention
The method of operating the modular assembly is described with respect to one
granule dispensing module. Identical method is to be adopted for all the
modular units of the assembly. Granular material to be dispensed is loaded into
the granule canister (5) through the canister cavity (12) .After filling the
granule canister (5) with the granular material, the canister top is closed by
means of the canister lid (13) which is secured using fixing means (14, !4). The
granule volumetric doser (16) provided in the granule conveyor (6), being
beneath the canister cavity (12), gets automatically filled with the granular
material, due to downward flow under gravity and tapping effect and vibrations
due to forward and backward motion of the granule conveyor (6).
When the air solenoid valve (1) is activated, the normally closed port (9) opens
and allows inflow of compressed air from the compressed air storage tank (not
shown) through the air compressor connecting tube (22) and inlet tube (3) via
three-way connector (21) and inlet port (10). The compressed air enters the
rear end of the pneumatic cylinder (4) through the pneumatic cylinder rear end
port (25) and causes the piston rod (17) of the pneumatic cylinder (4) to move
forward. The piston rod (17) being coupled to the granule conveyor (6) via
granule conveyor coupler (15), the forward movement of the piston rod (17) in
turn causes the granule conveyor (6) to move forward. At the stage when the
forward motion of the granule conveyor (6) is complete, the granule volumetric
doser (16) comes in vertical alignment with the compressed air port (8) and the
granule dispensing port (7). At this instant, the air solenoid valve (1) is
deactivated which makes the exhaust port (11) to open thereby releasing the
compressed air inside the pneumatic cylinder (4) through exhaust air conveyor
tube (19) into the compressed air port (8). At this stage, the compressed air

port (8) and granule volumetric doser (16) being in vertical alignment with the
granule dispensing port (7), the sudden gust of air through the compressed air
port (8) passes through the granule volumetric doser (16) and granule
dispensing port (7) thereby conveying the granular material contained inside
the granule volumetric doser (16) into the granule dispensing tube (20) through
granule dispensing port (7).
At this stage when granular material has been dispensed through the granule
dispensing tube (20), air solenoid valve (2) is activated which opens the
normally closed port (24) and allows the compressed air from the compressed
air storage tank (not shown) through air compressor connecting tube (22) and
inlet tube (27) via three-way connector (21) and inlet port (23) to enter the
front end of the pneumatic cylinder through pneumatic cylinder front end port
(26). This inflow of compressed air into the front end of the pneumatic cylinder
(4) causes the piston rod (17) of the pneumatic cylinder (4) to move backward.
The piston rod (17) which is coupled to the granule conveyor (6) via granule
conveyor coupler (15) also moves backward to its normal position. At this
stage, the granule volumetric doser (16) in the granule conveyor (6) is within
the canister cavity (12) resulting in refilling of the granules from the canister
cavity (12) into the granule volumetric doser (16) due to gravity and the
vibration created by the tapping effect of the backward movement of the
granule conveyor (6). Air solenoid valve (2) is then deactivated which releases
the compressed air contained within the pneumatic cylinder (4) through the
exhaust port (29) into the atmosphere. The granule dispensing module is then
ready for the next operating cycle.
For a modular assembly involving plurality of the granule dispensing modules
offering a choice of the granular material to be dispensed, with one different

granular material on one granule dispensing module, the granular material is
first selected by the operator by operating an appropriate switch on the front
control panel (not shown) of the assembly (not shown). Based on the granular
material selected, an electronic processor (not shown) activates the air solenoid
valve (1) of the granule dispensing module having the desired granular
material. After dispensing of the granular material as explained above, the
electronic processor (not shown) activates the air solenoid valve (2) of the
same granule dispensing unit bringing back the granule conveyor (6) of that
unit back to its normal position, as explained above. The assembly is then
ready for selection of the next desired granular material.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, the pneumatic
cylinder (4) can be replaced with an electrically operated drive such as a screw
rod or a rack and pinion, or the granule conveyor (6) can be operated
manually.
It is to be understood that the principles, functional features of different
components/sub-assemblies of the granule dispensing module as taught by the
present invention can be employed by those skilled in the art in variant
embodiments by making adaptations, modifications and equivalent changes.
Such variant embodiments are intended to be within the scope of the present
invention, which is further set forth under the claims which follow.

We claim:-
1. An automatic dispensing modular assembly for granules comprising at
least one granule dispensing module that uses compressed air and each said
granule dispensing module includes a canister sub-assembly (30) and a
pneumatic cylinder sub-assembly (40) as drive means for imparting forward
and backward motion to the granule conveyor (6) coupled to the piston rod
(17) of the said pneumatic cylinder sub-assembly (40) by means of granule
conveyor coupler (15), the said canister sub-assembly (30) and pneumatic
cylinder sub-assembly (40) being mounted on a base plate(18) and wherein:
(a) said canister sub-assembly (30) includes a granule canister (5)
having:
-at least one horizontally extending portion (32) near
granule canister base (42) which has a proximal end (50) and
distal end (60);
-a canister cavity (12) for loading therein of granular
material to be dispensed; a canister lid (13) for closing airtight the
said canister cavity (12) with fixing means (14,14);
-a granule conveyor channel (28) extending from the
proximal end (50) to distal end (60) through horizontally
extending portion (32);
-a granule conveyor (6) dimensionally aligned with the said
granule conveyor channel (28) and capable of to and fro free
motion inside the said granule conveyor channel (28) and wherein
said granule conveyor (6) in the normal position extends from
distal end (60) of horizontally extending portion (32) of said
granule canister (5) to the granule conveyor coupler (15);

-a granule volumetric doser (16) of predetermined volume
comprising a through vertical cylindrical hole in the granule
conveyor (6) at around one-third of its length from its said
proximal end (50) wherein the said granule volumetric doser (16),
in normal position, is within the said canister cavity (12) and gets
automatically filled with the granular material flowing downwards
from the said canister cavity (12) under gravity as well as due to
tapping and vibrations generated by the forward and backward
movement of the granule conveyor (6) and wherein further, in the
dispensing position, the upper end of said granule volumetric
doser (16) is in vertical alignment with the compressed air port
(8) and lower end thereof is in vertical alignment with granule
dispensing port (7); and
-a compressed air port (8) provided on the upper surface
of the horizontally extending portion (32) which, is connected to
the exhaust port (11) of the air solenoid valve (1) via the exhaust
air conveyor tube (19);
(b) said pneumatic cylinder sub-assembly (40) includes:
-a pneumatic cylinder (4) mounted on the vertically upward
extending plate (41) integral to the base plate (18);
-a piston rod (17) of the said pneumatic cylinder (4)
extending into the interior of the said granule conveyor
coupler (15) and in horizontal alignment with granule
conveyor (6) and when actuated by the pneumatic cylinder
(4), the piston rod (17) is capable of moving forward and
imparting horizontal motion to the said granule conveyor (6);

-an air solenoid valve (1) provided at the rear end of the
said pneumatic cylinder(4), having an inlet port (10), an
exhaust port (11) and a normally closed port (9) wherein the
said inlet port (10) is connected to a compressed air storage
tank (not shown) by an inlet tube (3) and an air compressor
connecting tube (22) through a three-way connector (21) and
wherein further the said exhaust port (11) is connected to the
compressed air port (8) of the canister sub-assembly (30) via
exhaust air conveyor tube (19) and wherein further the said
normally closed port (9) of the said air solenoid valve (1) is
connected to the pneumatic cylinder rear end port (25) of the
said pneumatic cylinder (4); and
- an air solenoid valve (2) provided at the front end of the
said pneumatic cylinder (4) having an inlet port (23), exhaust
port (29) and normally closed port (24) wherein the said inlet
port (23) is connected to the compressed air storage tank (not
shown) by an inlet tube (27) and air compressor connecting
tube (22) through a three-way connector (21) and wherein the
said normally closed port (24) is connected to the pneumatic
cylinder front end port (26) of said pneumatic cylinder (4).
2. An automatic dispensing modular assembly for granules as claimed in
claim 1 wherein forward and backward motion to the granule conveyor (6)
may be provided by alternate drive means such as an electrically operated
rod or a rack and pinion or manually, in lieu of pneumatic cylinder.
3. An automatic dispensing modular assembly for granules as substantially
herein described and illustrated with accompanying drawings.

4. A method of operating a granule dispensing module comprising the
steps of:
(a) loading the granular material into the canister cavity (12) of the
granule canister (5) and closing it by canister lid (13) with fixing
means (14,14);
(b) activating the air solenoid valve (1) by depressing activation
switch (45) thereby moving the piston rod (17) forward which in turn
moves forward the granule conveyor (6) to a position where the
granule volumetric doser (16) is in vertical alignment with the granule
dispensing port (7) and compressed air port (8) and results in
dispensing of the granular material through the granule dispensing
tube (20) under the force of exhaust air flowing through exhaust air
conveyor tube (19) and allowing completion of the dispensing of
granular material;
(c) activating the air solenoid valve (2) by depressing activation
switch (46) which brings back the granule conveyor (6) to its normal
position, and
(d) repeating cycle (b) to (c).

5. A method of operating a granule dispensing module as substantially
herein described and illustrated with accompanying drawings.
6. A method of operating an automatic dispensing modular assembly for
granules with plurality of granule dispensing modules, in combination with a
beverage dispensing assembly such as the one disclosed in the co-pending

patent application No. 780/KOL/2008, comprising steps of:-
(a) loading of the different granular materials in the canister cavities
(12) of different granule dispensing modules and closing the canister
cavities by canister lids (13) with fixing means (14,14);
(b) selecting the granular material to be dispensed out of the choice
of granular materials available in different granule dispensing
modules, by operating the appropriate switch on the front control
panel (not shown) of the assembly thereby activating the air solenoid
valve (1) of the specific granule dispensing module in which the
selected granular material is available, which moves forward the
piston rod (17) of the said module thereby moving the granule
conveyor (6) of the said module to a position where the granule
volumetric doser (16) is in vertical alignment with the granule
dispensing port (7) and compressed air port (8) and results in
dispensing of the granular material through the granule dispensing
tube (20) under the force of the exhaust air flowing through exhaust
air conveyor tube (19) thereby completing the dispensing of the
granular material;
(c) depressing an appropriate switch on the front control panel (not
shown) of the assembly which activates the air solenoid valve (2) of
the selected granule dispensing module thereby bringing back the
granule conveyor (6) of the said module back to its normal position;
and
(d) repeating the above steps (b) to (c) with selecting of desired
granular material by operating the appropriate switch on the front
control panel (not shown) of the assembly.

7. A method of operating an automatic dispensing modular assembly for
granules with plurality of granule dispensing modules, in combination with a
beverage assembly, as substantially herein described and illustrated with
accompanying drawings.

The automatic dispensing modular assembly includes plurality of granule
dispensing modules to dispense a pre-set quantity of a selectable granular
material out of different types of granular materials provided in different
dispensing modules. Each granule dispensing module includes a canister subassembly
(30) and a pneumatic cylinder sub-assembly (40). The canister subassembly
(30) includes a granule canister (5) and a granule volumetric doser
(16) to dispense consistently and accurately a pre-set quantity of a granular
material. The pneumatic cylinder sub-assembly (40) includes a pneumatic
cylinder (4) having piston rod (17) capable of imparting forward and backward
motion to the granule conveyor (6) coupled to the piston rod (17) of the
pneumatic cylinder sub-assembly (40) by means of granule conveyor coupler
(15). The granular material is dispensed through granule dispensing tube (20)
under pressure of exhaust air flowing through exhaust air conveyor tube (19)
when the granule volumetric doser (16) is brought in vertical alignment with the
granule dispensing port (7) and compressed air port (8) due to the forward
motion of the granule conveyor (6) imparted to it by the forward motion of the
piston rod (17) through granule conveyor coupler (15).