GB2198116A - Measure dispenser for bottle - Google Patents

Abstract

A measure dispenser containing valve means 12 for opening an inlet 15 and closing an outlet 14 and vice versa is actuated by a transverse slider 46 which cams the valve gear against a return spring 38. The slider has a return spring 49 and at least one timing device to create a dwell when the dispenser is filling and emptying. The timing device is a dash-pot in which a member drops under gravity when the dash-pot is inverted by movement of the slider; the member magnetically attracts a pawl to allow motion of the slider. An air inlet valve 43 to the dispenser is spring-biassed shut but is positively opened by a cam 47 on the slider. The dispenser has a special non-drip aperture or orifice (ledge 42), and has a screw attachment 17 to a bottle. <IMAGE>

Description

MEASURE DISPENSERS FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention concerns measure dispensers as used to dispense tots of alcoholic liquids in bars.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Measure dispensers consist of transparent containers engaged with bottle necks by spigots projecting into the bottle necks, valve gear means allowing the containers to fill until glasses are pushed up against actuating bars to stop the containers filling and to discharge the containers into the glasses. Such known measure dispensers have a number of disadvantages. Thus the bartender has to hold the glass up against an actuating bar and hold it until the measure is dispensed and thus is stopped doing anything else. Moreover there can be cross-contamination of the bar and the glass with germs migrating from a poorly washed glass to the bar and then from the bar to a subsequent glass. In addition the bartender can give short measure,either deliberately or by rushing, by removing the glass too soon or by operating the dispenser before the container is full.Another disadvantage of knomm dispensers is that air must be allowed to enter the container whilst it is emptying and this is done by means of a suction-actuated one-way valve which tends to seep especially when the bottle is left inverted overnight; it is recommended that the bottle and dispenser are removed overnight and stored upright but this does not completely overcome this disadvantage.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION The present invention in one of its aspects provides a measure dispenser comprising a container to be attached to a bottle neck with valve means opening an orifice at the bottom of the container and closing a.connection with the inside of the bottle in one state and in another state closing the orifice and opening the connection characterised in that the valve means has an operating means in the form of a transverse slider which is displaceable manually.

A dispenser has a full level defined by the connection with the bottle which is in the form of a split tube allowing the bottle contents to flow down a channel and air from the dispenser to flow upwardly, when the contents of the dispenser container reaches the bottom end of the connection flow will stop. This means that space is available above the container for the operating means.

The advantages of the dispenser with a transverse slider operating means are that the glass does not have to contact the dispenser but can be put on a stand below the dispenser and the operating means is only contacted by the bartender so there is no problem of cross-contamination and that the can be dispensing tots in several glasses at the same time.

The operating means can be arranged to have an automatic reset as by a spring return under the control of a timing device. Such a timing means could be a magnetic member in a dash-pot which is inverted on operation of the dispenser and then the member will descend slowly in the dash-pot (as the sand in an egg-timer) setting a delay. This magnetic member could lift a pawl of a pawl and ratchet detent to free the operating slider. This would have the benefit that the bartender cannot stop the dispenser dispensing and gain from removing the glass whilst there is still something in the dispenser container. A similar timing device can be used to prevent the dispenser being operated before the dispenser container is full.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a measure dispenser comprising a container to be attached to a bottle neck with valve means opening an inlet and closing an outlet in one state and in another state closing the inlet and opening the outlet, a valve controlled air inlet into the container being provided characterised in that the valve controlling the air inlet is positively opened by actuation of the dispenser.

This aspect of the invention lends itself to combination with the slider operating means of the dispenser of the first aspect. The slider can have camming means for operating the air inlet valve.

A further aspect of the present invention provides a measure dispenser which is arranged to be attached to a bottle neck by screw-threaded engagement similarly to a screw-on bottle cap.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a vertical section of a dispenser according to the present invention on line I-I of Figure 2, Figure 2 is a side view (part sectioned on line II - II of Figure 1), Figure 3 is a section on line III-III of Figure 1, Figure 4 is a section nn line IV- - IV of Figure 1, Figure 5 is a section of a detail (a detent), Figure 6 is a section of a detail (another detent), and Figures 7 and 8 are a plan and a side view in section respectively of a slider.

DESCRIPTION OF AN EXEMPlARY EMBODIMENT The dispenser comprises a transparent container 11, valve means 12 for opening an orifice 14 in the bottom of the container and closing a connection 15 at the top of the container, attachment means 17 to attach the dispenser to a bottle (not shown) which bottle in use would be inverted and held in a stand (not shown), the connection 15 providing communication from the bottle to the container, and operating means for the valve means generally indicated by 18.

The dispenser's housing is made from four moulded plastics material components. Apart from the container 11, there is a cap 19 for the container attached to the container by a screw engagement as shown, by a bayonet fastener arrangement, by bonding or welding after the dispenser is assembled or in any other suitable way, the cap having integral upstanding members 20, a yoke 21 through which the connection 15 passes and which is secured to the members 20 by being a tight force fit over those members or in another suitable way, and a cover 22 on which the attachment means 17 is integral and which is secured to the cap by means of screws 23 (Figure 3) or otherwise.

The connection 15 is a tube divided into air and liquor channels by a divider 24. The attachment means illustrated screws onto a bottle neck and provides a mechanically stiff connection with less risk of liquor being worked down the attachment means by play between the attachment means and the bottle than is the case with the more usual spigot attachment means but if a spigot attachment is desired the connection would extend further upwards than is shown.

The valve means comprises three relatively movable parts; the main body 25, an upper closure 26 carrying a seal 27 biassed upwardly by a spring 28 for a motion limited by a pin-and-slot 29, both the spring and the pin-and-slot are between the body ans the closure, so that when the body is raised the seal will yieldably engage the bottom of the connection, and a bottom closure 30 resiliently biassed downwardly by a spring 31 for an extent limited by a pin-and-slot 32 to urge a seal 33 against a seat 34 around the orifice 14.

The body has an upward extension 35 terminating in a non-circular cap 36 bearing two diametrically opposed pins 37 perpendicular to the direction of the operating means motion and biassed downwardly by a spring 38 between the extension 35 and the cover 22. This extension has inclined slots 39 in it to allow liquor and air to flow between the container and the connection as smoothly as possible when the body is lowered; the slots can be arranged to enter and form a secondary seal with the cap. The bottom closure has a downward extension 40 extending into the orifice 14 and which is hollow with slots 41 to allow flow of liquor when the body is raised past the bottom closure into the hollow interior and then out into a glass; these slots can co-operate with the container's aperture to form a secondary closure.An important feature of the invention resides in a rebate or reservoir 42 provided towards the bottom of the hollow interior of the extension 40 which traps any liquor draining down the extension 40 and stops dripping; on the body descending to close the orifice 14, there is sufficient disturbance to dislodge the contents of this rebate or reservoir to leave it empty enough to trap any liquor subsequently draining down the extension 40. The dimensioning of the various closures and the body is such that when the body is raised, the closure 30 remains closed until the closure 26 is closed and then closure 30 opens and that when the body is allowed to descend under the bias of the spring 38 the upper closure only opens after the bottom closure is closed. The power of the spring 38 is of course greater than that of the spring 31.

A valve 43 in the cap allows air into the container when the body is raised. This is biassed into the closed state by a powerful spring 44 and is actuated positively by a shaft 45. Unlike the usual suctionoperated air valve, this does not allow the passage of air due to the thermal contraction of air in a bottle overnight.

The operating means is a slider 46 moving transverse to the motion of the valve means and to the pins 37 between the cap and cover. This slider has a nose 47 for engaging the shaft 45 and a pair of inclined ramps 48 for engaging under and lifting the pins 37 and thus raise the body. The slider is biassed to an inital position wherein the body is lowered by a return spring 49 and carries gravity-operated pawls 50 and 51 which engage shoulders 52 and 53 respectively on the cap (as illustrated in Figures 5 and 6) to lock the slider either in its initial position or in its other terminal position. These pawls carry each a permanent magnet 54.

The slider also carries a pair of racks 55 which engage each with a respective gear wheel 56 journalled between a respective member 20 and the yoke and carrying a cylinder 57. Each cylinder contains a soft magnetic slug 58 which can fall towards the lower end of a cylinder against the resistance of a motion damping fluid. The cylinders are each pivotal about an axis towards one of their ends and are arranged so that in the initial position one is pointing up and the other down and each is pivoted through InO by each full movement of the slider.

Taking the initial condition first, the pawl 50 (Figure 5) which is not under any loading by the return spring 49 co-operates with the shoulder 52 which can thus be normal to the cap and the pawl can have its magnet 54 towards its end and provided that the cylinder has been in the initial condition long enough for the slug to be at its bottom the magnet will be attracted to the slug freeing the slider for actuation manually. During this actuation, the pawl 51 will ratchet over its shoulder 53 and ultimately lock the slider in its other terminal position against the return spring loading. Due to the loading on this pawl, the shoulder 53 should be inclined and the magnet should be positioned to give some leverage to free the pawl.However the pawl will stay locked on the shoulder until the respective slug falls to the bottom of its cylinder so this magnet frees the pawl 51 and allows the return spring to return the slider to its initial position, with the pawl 50 ratcheting over its shoulder. The cylinders are disposed so that they are directly over and spaced closely above their repective magnets when a pawl-freeing operatifin is desired. It is possible but not thought desirable to have the pawls spring-loaded and not purely gravity-loaded and it may be possible to use a single timer or have parts in common between the two timers. For example, it may be possible to have a single cylinder pivotal about its centre co-operating with a single pawl mounted from the housing and co-operating with two sets of shoulders on the slider.

The dispenser can have a slider movement counter within it and the slider can carry a device such as a magnet for actuating a proximity senser such as a reed relay carried on a stand common to several dispensers for use in systems of electronic stock-taking.

Claims (18)

C L AI M S

1. A measure dispenser comprising a container to be attached to a bottle neck with valve means opening an orifice at the bottom of the container and closing a connection with the inside of the bottle in one state and in another state closing the orifice and opening the connection characterised in that the valve means has operating means in the form of a transverse slider.

2. A dispenser according to claim 1 wherein the connection is a split tube having a channel permitting flow from the bottle to the container and another allowing air to flow to the bottle from the container.

5. A dispenser according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the slider straddles the connection and moves above the container.

4. A dispenser according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the valve means has an abutment and the slider a co-operating cam whereby the valve means can be moved from said another state into said one state against a return bias.

5. A dispenser according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the slider is displaceable manually against a return bias and wherein timing means prevents displacement until after a dwell in said one state.

6. A dispenser according to any one of the preceding claims wherein timing means prevents displacement of the slider until after a dwell in said another state.

7. A dispenser according to claim 5 or claim 6 wherein the timing means comprises a cylinder mounted so as to be upended by displacement of the slider, the cylinder containing a magnetic member which when the cylinder is upended has to fall under gravity and the arrangement being such that the member takes the desired period of the dwell to fall, and a pawl-and-abutment arrangement for preventing displacement of the slider with the pawl being disengageable by the member attracting it at the bottom of the members fall.

8. A dispenser according to any one of the preceding claims having an air inlet valve into the container which valve is positively actuated by a cam on the slider to allow air into the container only when the container is discharging its contents.

9 A dispenser according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the valve means comprises a vertically displaceable body bearing at its top and at its bottom an upper and a lower closure which are resiliently mounted on the body with the arrangement being such that one closure closes a respective path with the other path open and then on movement of the body both paths are closed and then that one closure opens.

10. A dispenser according to claim 9 wherein each closure carries a face seal.

11. A dispenser according-to claim 9 or 10 wherein each closure has associated with it means forming a secondary sliding seal.

12. A dispenser according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the orifice has an internal rebate or reservoir for any drainage of liquor down the orifice.

13. A dispenser according to any one of the preceding claims which is provided with screw attachment means for attachement to a bottle.

14. A measure dispenser comprising a container to be attached to a bottle neck, with valve means opening an inlet connection and closing an outlet orifice in one state and in another state closing the connection and opening the orifice, a valve-controlled air inlet into the container being provided, characterised in that the valve controlling the air inlet is positively opened by actuation of the dispenser.

15. A dispenser according to claim 14 further characterised by the feature of any one of claims 1 to 7 and 8 to 13.

16. A measure dispenser comprising a container to be attached to a bottle neck with valve means for opening an inlet connection and closing an outlet orifice in one state and in another closing the connection and opening the orifice, characterised in that the container is adapted to be attached to a bottle neck by screw thread engagement.

17. A measure dispenser comprising a container to be attached to a bottle neck with valve means for opening an inlet connection and closing an outlet orifice in one state and in another state closing the connection and opening the orifice characterised in that the valve means has a vertically displaceable body bearing an upper closure and a lower closure, which closures have a degree of resilient yield relative to the body such that in a state intermediate the first two states both closure and orifice are closed.

18. A measure dispenser substantially as herein described with reference to the drawings.