EP1890957B1

EP1890957B1 - Universal connection device for water bottles, for refrigerated water supplier

Info

Publication number: EP1890957B1
Application number: EP05769206A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Federico Percuoco
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2005-06-15
Filing date: 2005-06-15
Publication date: 2010-05-26
Anticipated expiration: 2025-06-15
Also published as: DE602005021551D1; EP1890957A1; WO2006134616A1; ATE469101T1

Abstract

The universal connection device for the installation of a plurality of water bottles onto refrigerated water suppliers, according to the present invention, comprises a shaped base for resting onto a water refrigerator, with lateral uprights and a cover provided with a plurality of housings, each carrying a mushroom-shaped structure (4) with a relative key stopper (10), and said structure receives and blocks by screwing any kind of bottle having a neck with a diameter of 22 millimetres, and inside said structure has a plurality of pipes for adducting water from said bottles to said container and, in the lower part thereof, a cylindrical body with a plurality of guide holes for said inner pipes.

Description

The present invention concerns a universal connection device for the installation of a plurality of water bottles onto refrigerated water suppliers which are more and more diffused in public and private offices and similar. A connection device of the type is disclosed in FR 2 715 923 A , corresponding to the preamble of claim 1.
It is known that the refrigerated water suppliers make use of great water containers with 18-19 litres which are heavy and extremely uneasy in cleaning, replacing and maintenance with consequences already known to the art: the attempt of replacing said containers with single bottles has proved to be technologically and commercially definitely insufficient because the pitch of the external screwing, provided on the neck of said bottles differs according to different models, thus requiring the realization of patterns useful only for one kind of bottle and only until the following model comes out, which often is different.
It is the aim of the present invention to completely solve above described need and inconvenience, realizing a new universal connection device that may receive a plurality of bottles above the refrigerated water suppliers, instead of the conventional containers, based on the fact that, amidst all mentioned variabilities, in all mineral water bottle and similar models, the inner diameter of the bottle's neck is unvaried and always corresponds to 22 millimetres.
The aim set forth is reached by means of the device according to the present invention as defined by claim 1, and basically consisting of a shaped base for resting onto a water refrigerator, with lateral uprights and a cover provided with a plurality of housings, each carrying a mushroom-shaped structure with a relative key stopper, and said structure receives and blocks by screwing any kind of bottle having a neck with a diameter of 22 millimetres, and inside said structure has a plurality of pipes for adducting water from said bottles to said container and, in the lower part thereof, a cylindrical body with a plurality of guide holes for said inner pipes.
The advantages of the device according to the present invention are many and considerable:

the PET mineral water bottles of 1,5 - 2 litres are extremely more manageable that the 18-19 litres containers, with an equal maximum autonomy;
it is possible to obtain division into parts of the variable water load from one to nine bottles;
storage is easier with respect to the volume taken by the water containers;
low installation and functioning costs.

The device according to the present invention will be described more in detail hereinbelow relating to the enclosed drawings in which one embodiment is shown.
Figure 1 shows an outer axonometric view of a bottle -carrier complete with nine housings.
Figures 2 and 3 respectively show an internal and an external view of the base of the bottle-carrier according to figure 1.
Figures 4 and 5 show an top and a bottom view of the mushroom-shaped structure, lacking the respective ogive.
Figure 6 shows two views of the key stopper with internal threading.
Figure 7 shows a square section and an exploded view of the assembling of the ogive onto a mushroom-shaped structure.
The enclosed figures show a universal connection device for bottles onto refrigerated water suppliers, comprising:

a cover 1 provided with a plurality of housings 2, from one to nine, each bordered with three small holes 3 displaced one from another of 120° for the fixing with screws to said mushroom-shaped structures 4;
a plurality of lateral panels 5 having the function of a carrying structure and which can be easily disassembled for entry;
a base 6, out of food plastic, because it gets into contact with water, shaped for resting and fitting onto the upper part of the known water refrigerators, whereby the lower cylindrical part 7 thereof may get plunged into the water basin of the refrigerator and carrying inside, in one single moulding, nine rigid pipes 8 feeding water which, through soft intermediate pipes, are connected to said mushroom-shaped structures 4 applied onto said cover 1, so as to realize the complete way of the water from each bottle to a structure 4 and, through intermediate soft and rigid pipes 8, to the refrigerating basin;
nine pipes 8, each connected one by one to its own mushroom-shaped structure 4 so as to be independent from the others, thus realizing the division into parts and the extreme elasticity of the device according to the present invention, which works also with only one water bottle.

Still according to the present invention, to above described structure in said housings 2 a mushroom-shaped structure 4 is applied, in one single mould, and a small ogive 9, centrally inserted onto the male threading of said structure with bayonet-joint and which, even if crossed by the water, has the sole function of breaking the threaded key stopper 10 during the screwing of each bottle.
In detail, each mushroom-shaped structure 4 consists of:

a central male threading 11 with said ogive 9, forming the central, cylindrical, hollow and externally threaded part onto which the bottle gets screwed by means of said threaded key stopper 10;
a glass-shaped upper structure 12 with said threading 11 at its centre, in which the neck of the up-side-down turned bottle is housed, having the function of contributing to the static of said bottle inserted in 11, without any oscillation;
a small fissure on the bottom of said structure 12 for the draining of the water;
a lower shape consisting of a rigid cylindrical pipe 13 - prolongation of 11 - which feeds water to the refrigerator's basin once connected by means of a soft pipe to one of the nine rigid pipes of the bottle-supporting base.

Furthermore, said key stopper 10 out of food plastic because it gets into contact with the water, has a threading 14 in its inner part for getting screwed onto the male threading 11 of each structure 4, and on the bottom thereof a cutting star is impressed for facilitating the breaking thereof with little effort, during the screwing of each structure 4 onto said male threading 11.

Claims

A universal connection device for the installation of a plurality of water bottles onto refrigerated water suppliers, comprising:
- a cover (1) provided with a plurality of housings (2); and

- a base (6), out of food plastic, because it gets into contact with water, shaped for resting and fitting onto the upper part of a known water refrigerator, whereby a lower cylindrical part (7) thereof may get plunged into the water basin of the refrigerator,
characterized by:
- a plurality of lateral panels (5) having the function of a carrying structure and which can be easily disassembled for entry;

- the application, in each of said housings (2), of a mushroom-shaped structure (4) in one single mould, and a small ogive (9), centrally inserted onto the male threading of the structure with bayonet-joint, which even if crossed by the water has the sole function of breaking a threaded key stopper (10) for the screwing of each bottle;

- each of said housings being bordered with three small holes (3) displaced one from another of 120 degrees for the fixing with screws to said mushroom-shaped structures (4);

- said lower cylindrical part (7) carrying inside, in one single moulding, nine rigid pipes (8) feeding water which, through soft intermediate pipes, are connected to said mushroom-shaped structures (4) applied onto said cover (1); so as to realize the complete way of the water from each bottle to a structure (4) and, through intermediate soft and rigid pipes (8), to the refrigerating basin;

- nine pipes (8), each connected one by one to its own mushroom-shaped structure (4) so as to be independent from the others, thus realizing the division into parts and the extreme elasticity of the device according to the present invention, which works also with only one water bottle,
A device according to claim 1, characterized in that each of said mushroom-shaped structure (4) distinguishes in:
- a central male threading (11) with said ogive (9), forming the central, cylindrical, hollow and externally threaded part onto which the bottle gets screwed by means of said threaded key stopper (10);

- a glass-shaped upper structure (12) with said threading (11) at its centre, in which the neck of the up-side-down turned bottle is housed, having the function of contributing to the static of said bottle inserted in (11), without any oscillation;

- a small fissure on the bottom of said structure (12) for the draining of the water;

- a lower shape consisting of a rigid cylindrical pipe (13) - prolongation of (11) - which feeds water to the refrigerator's basin once connected by means of a soft pipe to one of the nine rigid pipes of the bottle-supporting base.
A device according to claim 1, characterized in that said key stopper (10) out of food plastic because it gets into contact with the water, has a threading (14) in its inner part for getting screwed onto the male threading (11) of each structure (4), and on the bottom thereof a cutting star is impressed for facilitating the breaking thereof with little effort, during the screwing of each structure 4 onto said male threading (11).