Safe, accurate and fast measuring device

Abstract

A measuring device consisting of a container or vessel is disclosed in this invention to provide a safe, accurate and fast means to obtain a desired quantity of a fluent material. The fluent material can be any liquid or grandular material that has a relatively flat top surface. The container has a first volumetric portion that contains an exact volume when filled to the level of an overflow weir. A small overflow volume is allowed to pass over the weir into a second volumetric portion of the container. A diaphragm separates the two volumetric portions and is positioned within the container to allow the exact volume to be discharged without discharging the overflow volume. The overflow volume is safely returned to a bulk source container to conserve the fluent material. Only limited dexterity is required to quickly obtain an exact volume; as a safety lip is provided above the top surface of the fluent material which is limited by the weir height above a base of the container. The container is especially useful when toxic or hazardous fluent materials are being dispensed as in a laboratory or manufacturing process. The container of this invention also provides a fast and accurate kitchen measuring device, and multiple measurements can be made using a single container. One embodiment of this invention is disclosed as a spoon for safely obtaining an accurate measure of a fluent material, such as a cooking ingredient or medicine. Another embodiment of this invention allows for a removable portion to make the container system capable of measuring and dispensing different exact volumes.