GB2502698A

GB2502698A - Invert type liquid dispenser for a bottle

Info

Publication number: GB2502698A
Application number: GB201307745A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Matthew Edward Thomas White
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2012-04-30
Filing date: 2013-04-30
Publication date: 2013-12-04
Also published as: GB201207526D0; GB201307745D0

Abstract

The invention relates to a liquid-dispenser 1 for dispensing discrete measures of liquid from a bottle (26 figure 4) to which it is secured air-tightly by a clip 28. The dispenser has a chamber 13 formed within abutting top and bottom plastic mouldings 2, 3. The chamber 13 is divided by parallel walls 18, 21 into first and second main liquid-containment regions 23, 25 with an interconnecting region 24 between the walls 18, 21. Tipping the dispenser 1 forwards from the upright causes filling of the first region 23 via an inlet spigot 7 inserted into the bottle-neck (27 figure 26), and partial filling of the interconnecting region 24 from the first region 23. Return of the dispenser 1 to the upright transfers the liquid from these regions 23, 24 to fill the second region 25 and only partly the interconnecting region 24. This charges the dispenser 1 ready for dispensing a discrete measure of the liquid from the second region 25 via an outlet spout 5 when the dispenser 1 is next tipped forwards. The spout 5 may be externally screw-threaded for closing off by the bottle-cap.

Description

Liquid-Dispensers This invention relates to liquid-dispensers, and is concerned especially with Jiquid-dispcnsers for attachment to a bottle or other container for use in dispensing discrete measures of liquid from the bottle or other container.

According to the present invention a liquid-dispenser for dispensing & discrete measure of liquid from a bottle or other container, comprises a chamber having an inlet for input of liquid to the dispenser from the bottle or other container and an outlet from which the measure of liquid is to be dispensed, wherein the chamber is divided into frst and second main liquid-containment regions that are interconnected by an intermediate liquid-containment region to establish a licruid-flow path through the dispenser between the inlet and outlet, the liquid-flow path when the dispenser is in an upright orientation, extending in an upward direction from the iniet through the first main region and to the outlet through the second main region, and in a downward direction through the intermediate region from the first main region to the second main region, such that tipping the dispenscr downwardly from the upright orientation causes liquid entering the inlet to fill the first main region and part of the intermediate region, and then returning the dispenser to the upright orientation causes transfer into the second main region and part of the intermediate region of a discrete measure of This liquid ready for dispensing via the outlet when the dispenser is next tipped downwardly.

The chamber may be divided into the first and second main liquid-containment regions by two walls which extend within tho chamber. The two walls may be spaced apart parallel to one another to define the intermediate liquid-containnent region between them. Flore especially, the chamber may be defined between two domed parts that engage with one another, and in this respect may be injection-mouidings of plastics materia] -A first of the two parts may include a hollow spout to provide the outlet of the dispenser and a web which defines a first of the two walls projecting into the second of the two parts, and the second of the two parts may include the inlet of the dispenser and a web which defines the second of the two walls projecting into the first part.

One or more flow-restricting baffles may be located in the liquid-flow path between the intermediate liquid-containment region and the second-liquid containment region co reduce spurting from the outlet during return of the dispenser to the upright -The inlet to the chamber may be in the form of a hollow spigot for insertion into the neck of a bottle, and the dispenser may then include a device for engaging the bottle in retention of the liquid-dispenser to the bottle with the spigot within the bottle-neck.

A liquid-dispenser according to the present invention wili now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figures 1 and 2 show partially-exploded perspective views of the liquid-dispenser of the invention, Figure 1 from above, and Figure 2 from below; Figure 3 is a sectional view to an enlarged scae of the assembled liquid-dispenser of the invention in its upright orientation;

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Figure 4 is side view of the assembled liquid-dispenser of Figure 3 when attached to a drinks-bottle in the upright orientation, ready for use; and Figures 5 and 6 aro illustrative of successive conditions existing within the liquid-dispenser during its se (the bottle to which the pourer is attached as in Figure 4 being omitted in both cases) , Figure 5 showing by cross-hatching the liquid content of the dispenser when the bottle with the dispenser attached is initially inverted, and Figure 6 showing correspondingly the liquid content of the dispenser when the bottle with the dispenser attached is restored to the upright orientation from the condition shown in Figure 5 The liquid-dispenser in the example to be described is for attachment to a bottle for use in the selective dispensing successively of limited quantitLes or discrete measures of liquid from the bottle. More particularly, the dispenser in this case is adapted for attachment to the neck of a bottle of the kind (conventionally of polyethylene terephthaiate having a capacity of 1.5 litre) containing a drinks conoentrate or squash of one or more fruit juices that is for dilution with water in preparation for drinking. As an alternative, the dispenser may be used for dispensing measures or tots of alcoholic beverages, but is not limited to dispensing drinks and may be used in the context of dispensing liquids in discrete measures generally.

After a preliminary step of charging the dispenser with an initial, discrete measure of the concentrate or other liquid, dispensing of that measure and subsequent like-measures proceeds when required simply by tipping the bottle with the attached dispenser forward from upright. Re-charging of the dispenser with the next discrete measure to be dispensed takes place during the return to upright.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the liquid-dispenser 1 is an assembly of top and bottom mouldings 2 and 3 that are both injection moulded of plastics material (for example, polypropylene) The top moulding 2 has a domed shell 4 with a hollow cylindrical outlet or spout 5 that projects from the moulding 2 and opens through it, whereas the bottom moulding 3 has a domed shell 6 with a hollow cylindrical inlet-spigot 7 projecting from and opening through it.

The two shells 4 and 6 have bottom and top external rims S and 9 respectively that in assembly of thc dispenser 1 engage tongue-in-groove with one another resiliently and in tight mutual abutment. Retention of the shells 4 and 6 in mutual registration and this tight abutment is enhanced by pins 10 that project from either side of the shell 1 and snap into notches 11 of discs 12 moulded with the shell 6.

Referring now to Figure 3, assembly of the top and bottom mouldings 2 and 3 with one another creates a chamber 13 within the dispenser 1 which, but for the hollow spout o and spigot 7, is both liquid-and air-tight. A web 14 of the moulding 2 partially blocks the distal end 15 of the spout 5, leaving the spout 5 open only through a slot 16 and, to a minor degree, through three small holes 17. The web 14 is extended do through the chamber 13 in the form of a dividing wal] 18 which projects into the moulding 3 to engage tightly end-on in a slot 19 of a web 20 for longitudinal support. The web 20 is upstanding within the shell 6 at right angles to a further dividing wall 21 which is parallel to the wall 18. The wall 21 is upstanding from a small extension 22 of the shell 6 within the spigot 7, to pYoject to a small amount into the shell 4.

The dividing walls 18 and 21 define a liquid-flow path through the chamber 13 which, with the dispenser 1 upright (as in Figure 3), extends from the spigot 7 through a first rain liquid-contaimnent region 23 that opens directly from the spigot 7 and is bounded by the wall 21, then downwards through an intermediate liquid-contaimnent region 24 between the wallis 18 and 21, and finally then upwards to the spout 5 through a main liquid-contairu-nent region 25 bounded by the wall l8 The dispenser 1 is brought into use by attaching it to the bottle 26 from which dispensing is to take place, as illustrated n Figure 4. To this end, and once the closure cap (not shown) of the bottle 26 has been removed, the spigot 7 of the dispenser I is inserted into the bottle-neck 27 with a clip 28 of the moulding 3 extending down the outside. The dispenser 1 is then pushed down fully (possibly gripping it with fingers pressing on the discs 12) to snap a hook-end 29 of the clip 28 resiliently under the bottom rim 30 of the neck 27. This holds the dispenser 1 firmly and air-and liquid-tightly pulled down onto the neck 27. Release of the dispenser 1 from attachment to the bottle 26 can be achieved simply by lifting a lever-arm 31 of the clip 28 to free the hook-end 29 from the rim 30.

Once the dispenser I has been attached to the bottle 26 it is necessary as a preliminary stop to charge it with a measure of the liquid from the bottle 26. This is carried out by tipping the bottle 26 with dispenser 1 attached, forwardly from the upright in the direction indicated by the arrow-head F in Figure 4, and then returning it no upright in the reverse direction indicated by the arrow-head R. The tipping for'-ard may not need to be as much as to turn the dispenser 1 upside down as illustrated in Figure 5, but is to be sufficient to cause liquid from the bottle to enter the chamber 13 through the spigot 7 to the extent illustrated by cross-hatching in Figure 5. More specifically, the liquid fills fully the initial main liquid-containment region 23 of the chamber 13 and most of the intermediate region 24; air pressure on the free surface of the liquid in the region 24 determines the level to which Lhe region 24 fills.

leturn of the bottle 26 and dispenser 1 to the upright brings about a transfer from the regions 23 and 24 to the regions 24 and 25 of a discrete measure of the liquid, with excess liquid from the region 23 being returned to the bottle 26. This transfer charges the dispenser 1 with an initial, discrete measure of the liquid ready for dispensing, as illustrated by the cross-hatching in Figure 6.

Once charged with an initial, discrete measure in this way, the dispenser 1 can be operated when and as required, to dispense the initial measure of liquid, simply by tipping the bottle with the dispenser 1 forward again in the direction of the arrow-head F to allow the liquid currently within regions 24 and 25 of the compartment 13 to pour out via the slot 16 of the spout 5. As the tipping forward is continued the regions 23 and 24 are again fiNed from the bottle 26, so that when the bottle is returned to the upright, the dispenser 1 i.s again charged with a discrete measure of liquid in regions 24 and 25 as illustrated by Figure 6, ready for dispensing when required. Accordingly, once initially charged, the dispenser I can be operated whenever required to dispense a fresh, discret measure of the liquid, simply by tipping the bottle 26 forward and then returning it to the upright. The forward movement dispenses the required measure and allows further liquid from the bottle to be admitted to the dispenser 1, so that the return movement charges the dispenser 1 with the next measure of the admitted liquid for dispensing when reeuired.

Flow-restricting baffles 32 and 33 (Figure 3) which are moulded into the shell 6 within the region 25, limit the In-rush of liquid into the region 25 during the return of the bottle to upright, and avoid spurting of Uguid through the spout 5. The limiting of the opening through the spout 5 to the slot 16, acts further to reduce spurting during dispensing, and the holes 17 are provided to enable]Jquid that would otherwise tend to be retained behind the web 14 to drain out during dispensing.

The charge of liquid retained in the region 25 of the chamber 13 between dispensing operations may be closed off from the atmosphere using the closure cap removed from the neck 27 of the bottle. In this respect, the spout 5 is externally screw-threaded to receive the cap.

Claims

Claims: 1. A liquid-dispenser for dispensing a discrete measure of liquid from a bottle or other container, coirpnising a chamber having an inlot f or input of liquid to the dispenser from the bottle or other container and an oijti from which the measure of liquid is to be dispensed, wherein the chamber is divided into first and second main liquid-containment regions that are interconnected by an intermediate liquid-containment region to establish a liquid-flow path through the dispenser between the inlet and outlet, the liquid-flow path when the dispenser is in an upright orientation, extending in an upward direction from the inlet through the first main region and to the outlet through the second main region, and in a downward direction through the intermediate region from thc first main region to the second main region, such that tipping the dispenser downwardly from the upright orientation causes liquid entering the inlet to fi 1 t the first main region and part of the intermediate region, and then returning the dispenser to the upright orientation causes transfer into the second main region and part of the intermediate region of a discrete measure of this liquid ready for dispensing via the outiet when the dispenser is next tipped downwardly.
2. A liquid-dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the chamber is divided into the first and second main liquid-containment regions by two walls which extend within the chamber.
3. A liquid-dispenser according to claim 2, wherein the two walls are spaced apart parallel to one another to define the intermediate liquid-containment region between them.
4. A liquid-dispenser according to claim 2 or claim 3, comprising two domed parts that engage with one another to define the chamber between them, wherein a first of the two parts includes a hollow spout to provide the outlet of the dispenser and a web which defines a first of the two walls projecting into the second of the two parts, and wherein the second of the two parts includes the inlet of the dispenser and a web which defines the second of the two walls projecting into the first part.
A liquid-dispenser according to claim 4, wherein the web defining the first wall engages in a slot within the second part for longitudinal support of the first wall.
6. A liquid-dispenser according to claim 4 or claim 5, wherein the two domed parts are injection mouldings of plastics material.
7. A iquid-dispenser according to any one of claims 1 to 6 including one or more flow-restricting baffles located in the liquid-flow path between the intennediate liquid-containrnent region and the second-liquid containment region.
8. A liquid-dispenser according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the inlet to the chamber is a hollow spigot for insertion into the neck of a bottle, and the liquid-dispenser includes a device for engaging the bottle in retention of the liquid-dispenser to the bottle with the spigot within the bottle-neck.
9. A liquid-dispenser according to claim 8, wherein the device for engaging the bottie in retention of the liquid-dispenser to the bottle involves a resilient clip with a hook-end for snapping under a rim of the bottle-neck.
10. A liquid-dispenser for dispensing a discrete measure of a liquid from a bottle or other container, substantially as hereinjjef ore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.