GB2264109A - Liquid dispenser with magnetically operated valve - Google Patents

Abstract

A liquid condiment, eg. oil or vinegar, dispenser comprises a main body 10 with a lid 11 and, at the base, a closure member 20 with a spout 24 from a bore 23. The bore is closed by a stopper 30 having a spherical component 31 engaging with a seating 25, a disc and a magnetic cylindrical member (32, 33, Figure 2). A magnet 16 is movable to and fro in an infolding 15 of the main body, to attract the stopper up and so dispense liquid or to release the stopper and so cease dispensing. The stopper is urged downwards into engagement with the seating by a plurality of inner circumferential arms (41, Figure 3) forming part of a cap member 35 and acting as leaf springs which bear against the stopper. Condiment sediment may collect in the annular space around the periphery of the cap member 35. The dispenser may be used with a stand to catch drips. The magnet 16 may be spring loaded to automatically return to its outward position. <IMAGE>

Description

Liquid Dispel.

The present invention relates to liquid dispensers, particularly though not necessarily exclusively for containing and dispensing liquid condiments such as oil and vinegar.

The conventional form for a dispenser for oil or vinegar is a small bottle with a narrow neck, and a stopper which fits in the neck. Generally the neck is flared at its mouth to form a lip running around the rim of the neck. When liquid is to be dispensed from such a dispenser, the dispenser is tilted so that the mouth is brought below the level of the liquid in the dispenser, and the liquid pours out.

Pouring frorn such a dispenser is thus simple and direct. However, when the dispenser is- turned upright again, a small arnount of liquid is often caught on the lip of the dispenser, and runs down the outside of the dispenser. The dispenser may be picked up from any angle, and it is liable to be poured from at whatever angle it was picked up at; so if the lip has a spout forrned at some point to minimize such dripping, it is quite likely that the position of the spout will be ignored by many users. (For this reason, many such dispensers do not have a specific spout formed on them.) The outside of the dispenser will thus gradually become unpleasant, as a result of the accumulation of drips from various positions around its lip.

In addition, the container has to be held an appreciable distance above the food onto which its contents are to be poured, making accurate direction of the stream of liquid difficult. Also, the action of tilting the dispenser may cause sloshing of its contents, and the flow rate will also vary with the degree of tilt of the bottle, so that the trajectory of the liquid will vary, further reducing the accuracy with which the liquid can be directed.

The object of the present invention is to provide a liquid dispenser which alleviates or overcomes these problems.

Accordingly the present invention provides a liquid dispenser comprising a container with, in its base, a valve comprising a magnetic stopper and a seating, and an infolding in its wall containing a magnetic element operable to raise the stopper.

Either the magnetic stopper or the magnetic element may be of magnetizable material, but at least one of these two components must be a magnet rather than merely magnetizable; conveniently, the magnetic element may be the magnet and the stopper merely magnetizable. The magnet may be an electromagnet, but is preferably a permanent magnet movable towards and away from the stopper.

A liquid dispenser embodying the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a vertical section through the dispenser with the valve closed; Fig. 2 is a partial vertical section through the dispenser witli the valve open; and Fig. 3 is a plan view frorn above of the cap member.

For clarity, some references are only shown on Fig. 1 and others on Fig. 2.

Referring to Fig. 1, the dispenser comprises a generally cylindrical main body 10 having a lid 11 which screws into the main body as indicated at 12. A seal 13 may be provided to prevent escape of liquid through the screw engage- merit at 12 if the dispenser should be tilted. The lid 11 has a small aperture 14 to allow air to enter the dispenser as liquid is dispensed from it.

The base of the main body is closed by a closure disc 20 which screws into the main body as indicated at 21 and is sealed thereto by a seal 22. This disc 20 has a central vertical outlet bore 23 having a lip or spout 24 at its lower end and is expanded into a conical seating 25 at its upper end. A stopper 30 comprises a disc 32 with above it a cylindrical body portion 33 and below it a spherical bearing portion 31 which engages with the seating 25. This stopper is urged downwards by spring elements 4 1 (described below) forming part of a cap member 35 which screws oiito the closure disc 20 as indicated at 3c.

The disc 32 of the stopper :r:O fits loosely In the cap member 35, and the cylindrical body portion 33 passes loosely through a large central circular aperture in the cap member 35, with sufficient clearance for the liquid in the container to flow freely to the underside of the disc 32.

The cap member 35 is shown in plan view in Fig. 3, and consists of an outer annulus 40 having three inner circumferential arms 41 as shown forming leaf springs, leaving a central aperture through which the cylindrical body portion 33 of the stopper can pass freely. Each of the arms 41 is bent downward out of the plane of the annulus 40, and can conveniently have its free end 42 slightly dished. The cap member also has an outer barrel portion, not visible in Fig. 3, which engages with a rirn 37 around the central aperture of the cap member 35; the arms 41 urge the stopper 30 downwards.

The main body 10 has an infolding or inward projection 15, located closely above the cylindrical body portion 33 of the stopper, and containing a magnet 16 which can be moved to arid fro, and the cylindrical body portion 33 of the stopper is made of magnetic material.

With the magnet 16 in the withdrawn position as shown in Fig. 1, the stop- per 30 is urged downwardly by the spring arms 41 so that its bearing portion 31 engages with the seating 25 and so seals the outlet 23. If the magnet 16 is moved inwardly to the inner end of the projection 15, it attracts the cylindrical body portion 33 of the stopper and so pulls the stopper upwards. This moves the bearing portion 31 away frorn the seating 25, so allowing the liquid in the dispenser to flow out freely through the outlet 23.

The magnet 16 may be spring loaded by a spring (not shown) so that it1 can be pushed into the inner position by a user but will return to the outer position automatically once the inward operating force is released. The dispenser may easily be arranged so that it can be held and the magnet operated by one hand.

The movement of the magnet must of course be towards and away from the stopper, but need not be horizontal; it can for example be vertical, provided that the inward projection of the main body 10 is suitably shaped. The magnet li is outside rather than inside the dispenser, and will thus not be affected by the liquid in the dispenser. Any convenient mechanism may be used to move the magnet, eg sliding (as shown) or hinged. The infolding in which the magnet moves is shown as a blind tube, but can of course have a variety of forms, such as a tube passing completely through the body of the dispenser.

The components of the valve must of course be proof against corrosion by the likely contents of the dispenser.

It will be realized that the valve operation is snap action, so that the valve snaps between the fully open and fully closed positions. This is because the force of the magnet on the stopper is non-linear, increasing sharply as the stopper moves upwards against the substantially constant force of the spring arms 41.

The cap member 35 can easily be unscrewed and removed, if desired, for cleaning, by first unscrewing and rernoving the closure member 20.

The engagement of the cap member 35 with the closure member 20 leaves a "dead space" around the periphery of the cap member in which any sediment will be trapped and prevented from contamiflating the liquid being dispensed through the spout. If desired, this engagement may of course be reversed, with the cep rnember fitting inside the engaging portion of the closure member instead of outside it as shown, substantially. elirninating any dead space in which liquid can be trapped below the level at which it can be dispensed.

The dispenser may be used in conjunction with a stand (not shown) which will catch and collect any drips from the spout 24. If the dispenser is used with such a stand, the spout 24 may project below the plane of the bottom outerrim of the closure member 20. The stand may conveniently be firmed to carry two such dispensers, for oil and vinegar, in any convenient arrangement.

Obviously, the spout 24 may be displaced to one side, if desired, to make it easier for the user to direct the liquid being dispensed.

Claims (6)

Clams

1 A liquid dispenser comprising a container with, in its base, a valve comprising a magnetic stopper and a seating, and an infolding in its wall containing a magnetic element operable to raise the stopper.

2 A dispenser according to claim 1 wherein the magnet is a permanent magnet movable towards and away from the stopper.

3 A dispenser according to claim 2 wherein the stopper comprises a disc having a spherical bearing portion which engages with the seating and above it a cylindrical magnetic body portion.

4 A dispenser according to claim 3 wherein the stopper is urged into engage- rnent with the seating by a spring mernber consisting of an outer annulus having a plurality of inner circumferential arms forming leaf springs which bear against the disc of the stopper.

5 A dispenser according to any one of claims 2 to 5 wherein the magnet is slidable within a horizontally extending infolding.

6 A liquid dispenser substantially as herein described and illustrated.

Any novel and inventive feature or combination of features specifically disclosed herein within the meaning of Article 4H of the International Conven tiori (Paris Convention).