GB2389302A

GB2389302A - Container for dispensing liquid

Info

Publication number: GB2389302A
Application number: GB0311241A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Paul Anthony Bone
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2002-05-17
Filing date: 2003-05-16
Publication date: 2003-12-10
Also published as: GB0211482D0; GB0311241D0

Abstract

A watering can (10) has a hollow plastics material body (11) defining a spout (13), with an outlet (15), a handle (12) and an inlet or filling opening (16) in a flat recessed area between the spout (13) and the handle (15). An inverted channel-shaped lid (24) is slidable over the recessed area between a first position where it sealingly closes the opening (16) and a second position where it is clear of said opening (16) which is thus wholly uncovered, to allow filling of the can. The can has a push-button arrangement (18, 19) for operating a valve (17) in the spout (13) via a cable link (20). Accordingly both the inlet and the outlet of the can be sealed against liquid egress. The lid can be movable between its first and second positions other than by sliding, e.g. by twisting or screwing it between said positions.

Description

CONTAINER

This invention relates to a container, particularly in the form of a watering can. In British Patents loos. 9950734 and 2316858 there are disclosed watering cans incorporating a push-buttcn operated valve arrangement for controlling cutflow of liquid from the can. However although this arrangement prevents accidental spillage/discharge of liquid from the spout of the can, same can still occur through the fillip opening of the can.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved container to mitigate/overcome this problem.

According to the present invention there is provided a container for storing liquid and/or dispensing liquid therefrom in use, the container having a body with an inlet opening for the entry of liquid thereinto and an outlet for dispensing liquid therefrom. a valise associated with the outlet to control the thaw ot liquid therethrough' the valve having a movable valve member, movement of which is controlled by an actuator operable at the exterior of the body, and closure sneaks movable between a first position where the closure means close said inlet opening and a second position in which said inlet opening is at least partly uncovered.

Preferably said outlet openin;, is a spout, and desirably the container is a watering can. Advantageously the closure means is a lid which' in use, is twisted, clipped or screwed onto the body to close the inlet opening fir is slid

- 2 on the body to effect such closure. The lid can be attached to the bodes in both of its positions or detachable therefrom into its second position.

The invention will now he described by \Aa) At example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure I is a top, rear perspective view of a container of the invention, with closure means thereof in a first position.

Figure is a top plan view of the container of Figure 1, Figure 3 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view on line 3-3 of FiTure 2 and [Figure 4 is a top, front perspective view of the container with said closure means thereof in a second position A container of the invention is shown, in one embodiment as illustrated in Figures I to 4, in the form of a waterin<' can 10. Basically the can is of generally conventional form comprising a plastics hollow body 11 having a handle 12 to he gripped by a user, in use, and an integral SPOUT part 13 at the open end of which is titted a terminal spout part 14 in the form of a plastics angle piece defining a spout outlet 15. At the upper part Hi the body. inward of the handle 19, there is formed an inlet or filling opening 16. This will be described in detail hereinafter.

As shown best in Figure 3, the watering can has a valve 17 in its spout, this valve, in the embodiment illustrated, being positioned at the end of the spout

- 3 part 13 just upstream of the angle in the terminal spout part 14. although precise positioning of the valve is not critical to the present invention. At a pcsiti:'n in the top of the handle 12 there is provided a housing 18 for a push-

button 19 which is manually operable from the exterior of the can. Between this push-button 19 and the valve 17 is an appropriate operating link 2O, so that inwards movement of the push-button 19 against a coiled compression spring 91 in the housing l8 causes the valve to move oft itS seat at the end of the spout part 13 thereby allowing liquid to flow out of the body of the can via the spout. and to leave the can at the spout outlet 15. Release of the pusih-button l9 results in the spring 21 pushing, the button outwardly to its Figure 3 position, with the result that the operating lint; moves the valve 17 hack onto its housing so as to seal against outflow of liquid along the spout and out of the SpOUt outlet 15. This push-button operated valve arrangement is described in detail in British Patents Nos. 2250734 and 231685S, and the precise arrangement used with the container of this invention can he ol ant suitable form of the general arrangements described and illustrated in said patents. The precise structure, tor example, of the link 20 is not a feature of the present invention and either of the forms disclosed in said patents respectively could be used, or alternatively the linl: 20 could be an adaptation of either of said earlier constructions. Similarly the precise form of the valve and/or the push-hutton could be varied as required. All that is essential is that releasable manually operated sealing means are provided to allow and prevent respectively outflow of liquid from the body of the container, with the means for operating the sealing valve being manually operable from the exterior of the container.

- 4 As can be seen from the drawings' the upper portion of the boa: between the handle and the spout is generally flat and slightly recessed. At the upper part elf this surface the filling opening 16 is provided' this being in the general form of a rectangular aperture 22 with slightly rounded ends, the longer parallel sides of the rectangular aperture lying parallel to the length of the recessed surface described above. The lower part of this recess surface, indicated by numeral 23 in Figures 1 to 3, is closed.

The present invention relates to the combination of the releasable sealing of the container outlet with closure means for closing the inlet opening into the body of the container. In the embodiment of the invention herein described, and illustrated in the drawings, the closure means is in the form elf a lid 24 which is slidable within the recessed top part of the body of the can described above, the thickness of the lid generally corresponding to the depth of the recess so that, as shown in the drawings' the lid fills the depth of the recess transversely so as to match the body ot the can when in troth its first and second positions to be described below.

As shown in the drawings, the lid 24 is of enerallv inverted channel shape in cross-section comprising a generally rectangular base part 25 with integral depending sitle walls 26. The base part slides over the top surface of the body described above between the handle and the spout, with the side walls extending over respective recessed side areas of this part of the can body as shown best in Fixtures 1 and 4. As described above, and as shown in these Figures, the precise shape of the lid is such as to fill the recessed parts described so as to match the outline shape of the can body and therefore be aesthetically pleasin.

- 5 In the embodiment described, the recessed sides over which the side walls 26 slide, in use, are formed with projections such as ribs or runners 27 which mate with corresponding complementarily shaped recesses or grooves in the respective interior faces of the depending side walls 26. This inter-

enaagement between the lid and the can body not only secures/fixes the slidable lid to the body, but also ensures smooth sliding of the lid between its position in Figure 1 where it is at the top of the recessed portion so as to close the filling opening 16, and its second position shown in Figure 4.

where it is as the bottom of the recessed portion so as to leave the filling opening uncovered. It can he seen from the drawings that the base part 25 is provided with an upstanding grip part 8 tO facilitate manual sliding of the lid between its first and second positions described above. This grip part can he of any suitable form and at any suitable position on the exterior surface of the lid. Advantageously, the lid can be arranged to click loci: in position in its first, closed state, with the click or other locking means being ol any suitable form. Typically as the lid and the can are made ol plastics material, the click lock could be scone form of resilient latch between the two parts which reliably and effectively holds the lid in its closed position, but which nevertheless is easily overcome upon the application of manual force to the lid to slide it to its open position. Nevertheless this arrangement would ensure that the lid remained closed against accidental/inadvertent opening. It will he appreciated that instead of ribs on the can engaging with corresponding recesses or grooves on the internal side walls respectively of the lid, the reverse arrangement could be employed. namely the side walls of

- 6 the can could he grooved for engagement by projections/ribs on the interior surface of' the side walls of the lid. Moreover any other alternative form of' inter-engagement between the slidable lid and the can body could he empkyed, and additionally the lid could he provided with means, in conjunction with the can, t'or holding it in its open position as well as in its closed position. This would be particularly useful when filling the can at a water butt or the like, thereby obviating the need for a user to hold the lid open. In other alternative arrangements, the lid could be other than slidable. For example it could he in the forth of' a twist-on, clip-on or screw-on lid for engagement with an appropriate part, in an appropriate manner, ol' the can hardy. For example there could be a bayonet tripe or twist-on fitting between the lid and the can body, or the lid could be screwed onto the can body which would be provided with corresponding complementary screw threads. In further alternative arrangements, the lid could he in the form ova flip top or some other forth ol' hinged or pivoted lid. It will also be appreciated that the lid could be rcmovahle, i.e. in that its first position could be that in which it closes the opening, and its second position that in which it iS removed completely from the can so as to uncover the tilling opening. Thus the lid could he removable from the can body rather than being moved from one position thereon to another position thereon as it is in the form of the emhoditnent described and illustrated herein. In such a case, the lid could be attached to a retaining strap or the like which is itself attached to the body, thereby preventing the lid becoming lost or mislaid. However the lid could he a completely, separate, detachable part Irons the can. Finally with the slidahle arrangement, it will be appreciated that instead of sliding on the

outside surfaces of the can, the arrangement could be the reverse in that sliding takes place inside the can in an appropriate manner.

There are many advantages to providing the ridded container of' the invention, and these will now be referred to. Firstly the provision of a container having both a closable lid in addition to the valve arrangement for sealing the liquid outlet from the container means that there is less chance of' any spillage if the container is accidentally knocked over. In this regard it will be noted that the lid need not be a liquid seal with the can body, although in one embodiment it could be a perfect seal so that if'the container were to be knocked over, there would be no outflow of liquid at all either from the spout or from the filling opening. In such an embodiment means could be provided to allow air into the can so that pourin, could take place with the lid sealed to the body in its closed position. However it is not believed that a liquid-tight seal is essential in that in its closed position, even without a liquid-tight seal, the lid would prevent the vast majority of liquid within the can from flowing out of the filling opening rapidly, so that any spillage would only be at a slow rate' thereby providing the opportunity for the container to be picked up and righted' before any substantial amount of liquid from the can had flowed out therefrom. The can of the embodiment shown in the drawings is intended for indoor use, but the majority of its advantages apply equally to iLS use out of' doors. The lid would keep Out insects, snails etc., and feeds and pesticides can be easily mixed in the can, by merely agitating it, swirling it around without any spillage given that both the spout and the filling opening are 'sealed' when the push-button is not operated and the lid is in its closed position. There is

- 8 thus less chance ol'spillino and splashing chemicals and staining outside surfaces etc. Around the house, there is less chance of' accidental spillage.

This is a particularly important safety feature when watering in proximity tO electrical appliances. The use of the lid allows the can to be put away when it is finished with, and, as mentioned previously. in relation to the aesthetics of the can, the lid provides the can with a 'completely finished' look in the same way as does the lid of a kettle, teapot or the like. It will be appreciated that the filling opening can be provided at any suitable position of the body and need not be between the handle and the spout as shown in the embodiment described. For example in an alternative arrangement the filling aperture could be positioned as shown in British Patent No. 2316858, where it is disposed generally above the tipping handle. With such an arrangement it would be easier to provide an additional carrying handle which is nest shown with the embodiment of the drawings, even though it could be provided at an appropriate place on the can hardy, with appropriate modification thereto.

It will be appreciated that the invention does not relate alpine tic the provision of a lid to close the filling, hole hut relates to the combination Off' such a lid with the valve arrangement which is operable to open and close the outlet from the body of the container, so that with said outlet closed and the lid in its closed position. the container is protected against both ingress into it and substantially against outflow of liquid out of it, giving the advantages described above.

Claims

- 9 - CLAIMS

1. A container for storing liquid and/or dispensing liquid therefrom in use, the container having a body with an inlet opening for the entry of liquid thercinto and an outlet for dispensing licluid therefrom, a value associated with the outlet to control the flow of liquid therethrou h, the valve having a movable value member, movement of which is controlled lay an actuator operable at the exterior of the body, and closure means movable between a first position where the closure means close said inlet opening, and a second position in which said inlet opening is at least partly uncovered.

2. A container as claimed in Claim 1' wherein the closure means

is a lid.

3. A container as claimed in Claim I or Claim 2' wherein the closure means is attached to the body in each of its f irst and second . positions. 4. A container as claimed in Claim 3. in which in it>; second position the closure means is removed from the body, being attached thereto by a retaining strap.

5. A container as claimed in Claim I or Claim 2, wherein the closure means is attached to the body in its first position and detached Irom the body in its second position.

- 10 6. A container as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the closure means seals with the inlet opening in its first position.

7. A container as claimed in any one of the preceding claims.

wherein the closure means is a twist-,n engagement with said body.

8. A container as claimed in Claim 7, wherein the engagement is by means of a bayonet-type fitting,.

9. A container as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 6, wherein the closure means is a screw-on engagement with said body.

10. A container as claimed in any one of Claims I Ice 6, wherein the closure means is a clip-on engagement with said lody.

11. A container as claimed in any one of Claims I to 6, wherein the closure means is a lid which is hined/pivots to the hardy.

12. A container as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 6, wherein the closure means is a flip-top lid.

13. A container as claimed in any one oi Claims 1 tO 6. wherein the closure means is a slidable lid.

14. A container as claimed in Claim 13, in which the lid is of inverted channel form, having a base, which, when the lid is in its first

position, covers the inlet opening. and opposite depending side walls which slidingly engage with respective opposite side parts of the body.

]5. A container as claimed in Claim 14, wherein the side walls are in sliding engagement with the body side parts by means of respective projections on the side walls mating with respective grooves in the side parts, or vice versa.

16. A container as claimed in Claim 14 or Claim 15, in which the engagement between the side walls and said side parts is external of the body. 17. A container as claimed in any one of the claims 13 to 16.

wherein the slidable lid has a grip part to facilitate slidable movement thereof by a user, in use.

18. A container as claimed in any one of Claims 13 to 17, wherein the lid is releasably retained in its first position.

19. A container as claimed in any one of Claims 13 to 18, wherein the lid is releasably retained in its second position.

20. A container as claimed in Claim 18 or Claim 19, wherein the retention is by means of a resilient latching between respective parts of the lid and the body.

- 12 21. A container as claimed in any one of Claims 13 to 20, in which the inlet opening forms one part of' a generally flat, recessed portion of the body, with the remaining part thereof being closed the lid being slidable over said recessed portion in moving between its first and second positions. 22. A container as claimed in Claim 21, wherein the inlet opening has a pair of opposite parallel sides which are parallel to the length of said recessed portion.

23. A container as claimed in Claim 9, wherein said recessed portion is disposed between a handle and a spout of said body, the SpOUt providing, said liquid outlet.

24. A container as claimed in Claim 23, wherein the inlet opening is at an end of the recessed portion which is above the remaining closed part thereof, with the container in a rest position on a horizontal surface.

25. A container as claimed in Claim 24, wherein the inlet opening is adjacent said handle.

26. A container as claimed in any one of' Claims 21 to 9S, wherein the lid is arranged to fill the part of the recessed portion of the body in which it is disposed in its first or second position, thereby matchint' the outline shape of the container body.

- 13 37. A container as claimed in any one of the preceding claims' in which the inlet opening is fully uncovered in said second position of the closure means.

8. A container as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which said body is of plastics material.

29. A container as claimed in Claim 28, in the forth of a watering can having a sprout deiinin said outlet opening, and a handle for carrying said can.

30. A container substantially as hereinbefore described. with reference to, and as shown in the accompanying drawings.