AU666965B2

AU666965B2 - Bottle cleaning device

Info

Publication number: AU666965B2
Application number: AU46119/93A
Authority: AU
Inventors: John Russell Graham
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1992-09-04
Filing date: 1993-09-03
Publication date: 1996-02-29
Anticipated expiration: 2013-09-03
Also published as: AU4611993A

Description

666965

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION For a Standard Patent

ORIGINAL

009 0 9

J

Name of Applicant: Actual Inventor: JOHN RUSSELL GRAHAM JOHN RUSSELL GRAHAM Address for Service: WRAY ASSOCIATES, P imary Industry House, Terrace, Perth, Western Australia, 6000.

239 Adelaide Attorney code: WR Invention Title: BOTTLE CLEANING DEVICE Details of Associated Provisional Application: No: PL4493 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me:- 1 -2- The present invention relates to a device for cleaning bottles. In particular, the invention relates to a device that is capable of both sterilising and cleaning bottles, bottles that in particular are used for the household brewing of alcohol.

A large proportion of the population of some countries are responsible for the brewing at home of their own alcohol, in particular of their own beer. These so called "home brewers' will often prepare several bottles of beer at any one time and thus will have a need to be cleaning a large number of bottles both before and after use. As the bottles used are commonly large 750ml beer bottles, having relatively long and narrow necks, they are reasonably difficult to clean, especially where there are a large number of such bottles. Accordingly, the cleaning and sterilising of such bottles is a time consuming task.

Furthermore, because of the long periods of time during which these bottles are handled when being washed there is a strong likelihood of breakage due to mishandling.

An aim of the present invention is to provide a bottle cleaning device which overcomes, or at least partly alleviates, the abovementioned difficulties.

The present invention provides a bottle cleaning device comprising a support means for supporting a plurality of cleaning stations, the support means being adapted to allow fluid communication from a supply of water to each cleaning 20 station, each cleaning station including an upwardly projecting cleaning arm having arranged substantially thereabout a holding means capable of receiving the neck of an inverted bottle therewithin to hold the bottle inverted over a respective upwardly projecting cleaning arm, wherein the holding means is provided by a length of pipe having an aperture cut therethrough at one end thereof, the aperture being of a size such that the piece of pipe may be received about one of the cross members.

-v.IF -3- The support means preferably comprises a frame which is defined by a series of pipes. The pipes are preferably made of a material that is reasonably lightweight such as PVC pipes or the like. The frame is also preferably of a size that easily fits over a normal sink or basin such that the water draining from the inverted bottles as they are washed is able to run off into the sink or basin for disposal as normal. Of course, the cleaning device may simply be used on the ground where water run off is not a difficulty.

10 The frame of the support means is preferably defined by four S: outer members defining a rectangular frame-work having a plurality of parallel cross members therealong. Each cross member preferably supports a plurality of cleaning stations.

Bose got* In this form, one end of the frame-work may be adapted for connection to a water supply and all of the members of the frame-work may be hollow and in fluid communication such that on supply of water thereto, the water is transferred completely about the frame-work to be in fluid communication with each of the cleaning stations.

20 Thus, a plurality of upwardly projecting cleaning arms may be provided along each of the parallel cross members of the frame-work, each upwardly projecting cleaning arm being spaced a suitable distance from each adjacent upwardly projecting cleaning arm such that an inverted bottle may be placed thereabout to be spaced apart from a bottle located about an adjacent cleaning station.

Each cleaning station preferably comprises both a holding means and an upwardly projecting cleaning arm. The holding means is arranged substantially about an upwardly projecting cleaning arm such that the neck of an inverted bottle may be placed over the cleaning arm to be received within the holding means and held inverted thereby. In one form, the holding means may simply comprise a sleeve secured to the parallel cross member so as to provide an annular upwardly 4- -xtending holder configured about an upwardly projecting cleaning arm. The cleaning arm is thus centrally located to extend from within the annular holder.

In one particular form, the holding means may be provided by a length of PVC pipe having an aperture cut therethrough at one end thereof, the aperture being oi a size such that the piece of pipe may be received about one of the parallel cross members of the frame of the device. The piece of pipe may then be arranged to extend upwardly from the cross member 0 such that a spraying arm may be located within the piece of upwardly extending pipe to be secured in fluid communication ooooo with the cross member. Thus, by using an elongate upwardly S projecting cleaning arm secured to the cross member in fluid 5000 communication therewith, the neck of an inverted bottle may be placed over the elongate cleaning arm, such that the cleaning arm extends upwardly into the bottle, and such that the neck of the bottle will fit within the annulus provided by the upwardly extending piece of pipe to be held thereby.

*e q In a further preferred form of the present invention, the

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S 20 framework of the support means may include an upwardly extending connecting neck, having at one end thereof a connection point for connection to a supply of water, and S being connected at the other end thereof in fluid communication with the outer frame-work of the support means.

Located between the ends of the connecting neck there may be provided a sterilising unit, which may be capable of being filled with sterilising solution such that when the sterilising unit has sterilising solution therein the provision of water to the connecting neck mixes with the sterilising solution in an amount suitable to sterilise the bottles during operation. Then, the sterilising unit may either be removed, or the sterilising fluid may be flushed out, such that the device may operate only with water therein in order to wash the bottles.

The sterilising unit may be connected in series or in parallel with the connecting neck and the supply of sterilising fluid may be effected simply by a venturi effect or the unit may be provided directly in-line with the supply of water.

Thus, it can be seen that an easy to construct and easy to operate device is provided by the present invention which may be easily connected to a mains pressure supply of water in m order to wash several bottles at one time. Such a device is 10 extremely useful and practical for a home brewer who has a need to be washing and sterilising several bottles at once.

6 A preferred embodiment of a bottle cleaning device in

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accordance with the present invention will now be described in relation to the accompanying drawings. However, it must be understood that the specific description of the drawings is not to limit the generality of the invention as described 00 00 o S• above.

000* beo 6000 In the drawings:- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a cleaning device in accordance with a first embodiment of the present a invention; Figure 2 is a schematic sectional view of a cleaning station of a cleaning device of the embodiment of Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a schematic sectional view of the connecting neck of the cleaning device of the embodiment of Figure i.

Illustrated in Figure 1 is a bottle cleaning device 10 having a support means 12, a plurality of cleaning stations 14 and a connecting neck 16. The connecting neck 16 includes a sterilising unit 18.

The support means 12 includes side and end members 20 and 22 respectively which together define a rectangular framework.

The rectangular frame-work carries a plurality of parallel cross members 24 which each carry a plurality of cleaning stations 14.

It will be appreciated that the illustration in Figure 1 of the support means 12 and of the connecting neck 16 does not show the detail of the components of PVC pipework used in 0@A* order to construct a framework such as this. In this 10 respect, while it is possible to manufacture pipes specifically for the construction of a framework such as these (in order to minimise the number of components required), it is envisaged that the bottle cleaning device e of the invention will be provided in a basic kit form utilising components of pipes that are commonly available for industries such as the plumbing industry. However, the number and type of components requ'.red in order to construct @0 e00 S the framework of the bottle cleaning device 10 of the invention is not important, provided that the overall 20 framework is provided in a manner such that fluid 90e communication is possible throughout the framework by virtue of the connecting neck 16 and the water supplied thereto.

*ee Figure 2 better illustrates the detail of a cleaning station 14. In this figure, a side member 20 of the support means 12 is shown as is a cross member 24 which extends between respective side members 20. However, also illustrated is a holding means 26 together with an upwardly projecting cleaning arm 28.

The holding means 26 may simply be provided as a piece of pipe having an aperture cut therethrough at one end thereof in order to be received over a cross member 24 as is better shown in Figure 1. The holding means 26 then need not be rigidly secured to the cross member 24.

7 The upwardly projecting cleaning arm 28 is preferably provided in the form of a relatively stiff length of polypropylene tubing, preferably of the type commonly used as risers in garden reticulation systems. Thus, the arm 28 may be connected in fluid communication to the cross member 24 by virtue of connecting means 30 and may include a spray head 32 located at its upper most end.

Thus, the neck of an inverted bottle may be placed over the spray head 32 and the arm 28 such that the neck of the 10 inverted bottle is held within the annulus defined by the leading edge 34 of the holding means 26. The cleaning head 32 thus extends a distance within the bottle to be capable of providing a jet of water therefrom to clean the inside of the I e bottle.

Illustrated in Figure 3 is the connecting arm 16 showing a preferred manner of attachment of the sterilising unit 18.

In this respect, a fluid outlet 36 and a fluid inlet 38 ire provided such that the water being transferred past the fluid inlet 38 causes water to pass down the tube 39 and to force S 20 sterilising solution out of the outlet 36.

Thus, it can be seen that by utilising the bottle cleaning device of the present invention a home brewer is able to sterilise and wash up to 30 bottles at the one time by simply locating a bottle over each of the cleaning stations and by connecting the connecting neck 16 to a mains pressure supply of water. The operation may be continuous until all of the sterilising fluid in the sterilising unit has been used and, after continuous operation, clean water will he'e completely flushed the system and will operate to clean the bottles.

Alternatively, after a period of time with the sterilising unit connected, the sterilising unit may be replaced with a plug or with a clean unit so as to be able to continue operation with clean water in order to wash the bottles.

8 The cleaning device of the present invention provides a kit which is easy to manufacture and supply, for small or large home brewers that provides a strong supporting system which allows use with a plurality of bottles. The holding means used at each cleaning station allows reasonably significant pressures of water to be utilised in cleaning the bottles due to the strength provided in holding the bottles inverted.

BO0* Finally, it will be appreciated that there may be other modifications and variations to the configurations described herein that are also within the scope of the present invention.

4 be*O B 4 A 0 B Ii A

Claims

1. A bottle cleaning device comprising a support means for supporting a plurality of cleaning stations, the support means being adapted to allow fluid communication from a supply of water to each cleaning station, each cleaning station including an upwardly projecting cleaning arm having arranged substantially thereabout a holding means capable of receiving the neck of an inverted bottle therewithin to hold the bottle inverted over a respective upwardly projecting cleaning arm, wherein the holding means is provided by a length of pipe having an aperture cut therethrough at one end thereof, the aperture being of a size such that the piece of pipe may be received about one of the cross members.

2. A bottle cleaning device according to claim 1 wherein the support means comprises a frame which is defined by a series of pipes, the pipes being of a material that is reasonably lightweight.

3. A bottle cleaning device according to claim 2 wherein the frame of the support means is preferably defined by four outer members defining a rectangular frame-work having a plurality of parallel cross members therealong, each- cross member supporting a plurality of cleaning stations, such that all of the members of the frame-work are hollow and are in fluid S 20 communication so that on supply of water thereto, the water is transferred completely about the frame-work to be in fluid communication with each of the cleaning stations.

4. A bottle cleaning device according to claim 4 wherein the holding means comprises a sleeve secured to a parallel cross member so as to provide an annular upwardly extending holder configured about an upwardly projecting cleaning arm. i j C i 4% ,c 10 A bottle cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the support means includes an upwardly extending connecting neck, having at one end thereof a connection point for connection to a supply of water, and being connected at the other end thereof in fluid communications with outer frame-work of the support means.

6. A bottle cleaning device according to claim 5 wherein a sterilising unit is located between the ends of the connecting neck, which may be capable of being filled with sterilising solution such that when the sterilising unit has sterilising solution therein the provision of water to the connecting neck mixes with the sterilising solution in an amount suitable to sterilise the bottles during operation.

7. A bottle cleaning device according to claim 1 substantially as herein e i described in relation to the accompanying drawings. e: Dated this TWENTYSEOND day of DECEMBER 1995. Applicant Wray Associates S.Perth, Western Australia Patent Attorneys for the Applicant :I .9 9* 9i~ ABSTRACT A bottle cleaning device 10 comprising a support means 12 for supporting a plurality of cleaning stations 14, the support means 12 being adapted to allow fluid communication from a supply of water to each cleaning station 14, each cleaning station 14 including an upwardly projecting cleaning arm 28 having arranged substantially thereabout a holding means 26 S capable of receiving the neck of an inverted bottle to hold the bottle over a respective upwardly projecting cleaning arm

28. C