NZ552419A - Bottle mount for use with a dispenser or an applicator - Google Patents

Abstract

A mount (200) for a bottle includes a base (2) and a plurality of spaced apart upstanding arms (6). The arms (6) have an inwardly directed neck engagement portion (12). The mount includes a bottle shroud (9) positioned about the arms (6) and rotatable relative thereto. The shroud (9) has a plurality of inwardly facing cam portions (7), each of which engages with a respective arm (6) to move the arm (6) inward when the shroud (9) is rotated, thereby clamping the neck engagement portions (12) about a neck (10) of a bottle (9)positioned in a space between the base (2) and arms (6). Further rotation of the shroud (9)draws the neck (10) of the bottle (11) downwardly towards the base (2) to a sealing position 10 and a secured mounting.

Description

552419 *10055121874 PATENTS FORM NO. 5 Our ref: RC506616NZPR NEW ZEALAND PATENTS ACT 1953 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION Complete After Provisional No. 552419 Filed: 22 December 2006 BOTTLE MOUNT We, SIMCRO TECH LIMITED, a New Zealand company of 6 Latham Court, Frankton, Hamilton, New Zealand hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OFFICE OF N2.

? U DEC 2007 fteceivap 300834174_1 ,DOC:RC:QAKLD 2 BOTTLE MOUNT FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a bottle mount to enable the mounting of a required size of bottle onto a dispenser or applicator.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION To the present time various proposals have been put forward for bottle mounts or attachments which are able to clamp the side of the bottle neck. The bottle may contain, for example, an animal remedy and may enable a required dose of a liquid to be dispensed through a dispensing gun, injector or the like.

One such proposal, described in New Zealand Patent No.506321/506831 describes a dispensing apparatus which uses a "clip fit" engagement of a container, reliant on resiliently moving a retention member. The container is disengaged by depressing a wing which protrudes near the neck of the bottle.

A disadvantage of this system is that it creates the potential for accidental disengagement of the container if the protruding wing is accidentally bumped.

The term "bottle" for the purposes of this specification is intended to cover any form of container of any material and having a neck sealed by a cap or the like.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION It is an object of a preferred embodiment of the invention to provide a mount for a bottle which will overcome or ameliorate problems with such bottle mounts at present.

It is an alternative object of a preferred embodiment of the invention to provide an animal health applicator provided with a mount for a bottle which will overcome or ameliorate problems with such animal health applicators at present. 552419 300834160 Rl 300834160 RC506616NZPR It is a further alternative object of the invention to at least provide a useful choice. 552419 300834160 Rl 300834160 RC506616NZPR Other objects of the present invention may become apparent from the following description, which is given by way of example only.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a mount for a bottle including a base, a plurality of spaced apart upstanding arms each of which are substantially rigid but adapted to be movable under pressure towards a substantially central axis of said base, each of said arms having at or adjacent an upper end an inwardly directed neck 10 engagement portion, the mount including a bottle shroud member adapted to be positionable about said arms and said base and rotatable relative thereto and having a plurality of inwardly facing cam portions, each said cam portion engageable with a respective arm to move said arm inwardly upon rotation of said bottle shroud member, whereby said neck engaging portions, in use, are initially able to clamp about a neck of a bottle positioned in a space between said base 15 and said arms and whereby further rotation of said bottle shroud member relative to said arms and said base is able to draw the neck of the bottle downwardly towards said base to a sealing position and a secured mounting.

Preferably the bottle shroud member is engaged with the base.

Preferably, in use, less than 180° of rotation of the bottle shroud member relative the base is required to secure the mounting of the bottle.

Preferably less than 55° rotation is required to secure the mounting of the bottle.

Preferably the extent of inward movement of the said arms enables a plurality of sizes of bottle necks to be mounted in said mount.

Preferably the engaging portions include an inturned lip provided for each arm.

Preferably the arms and base are integrally formed.

Preferably the arms and base are formed separately.

Preferably, the shroud is provided with observation means which allow a user to observe, in use, the positioning of the neck of the bottle in the space between the arms of the mount. 5L- - - t, 300854160 KC506616NZPR Preferably, the observation means include a transparent portion provided in the shroud.

Preferably, the observation means include an aperture in the shroud.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided an animal health applicator provided with the mount for a bottle of any one of the eleven immediately preceding paragraphs.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a mount for a bottle substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided an animal health applicator substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Further aspects of the invention, which should be considered in all its novel aspects, will become apparent from the following description given by way of example of possible embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES Figure 1 is a side view of an animal health applicator provided with a bottle mount assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a partially exploded side view of the animal health indicator of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a plan perspective view of a base of the bottle mount assembly shown in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view of the bottle mount from underneath. Figure 5 is a perspective view of the bottle shroud from underneath.

Figure 6 is a plan view of the bottle shroud of Figure 5. 300834160 RC506616NZPR Figure 7 is a plan view of the bottle shroud of Figure 4 in position over the base, with the remainder of the applicator not shown.

Figure 8 is a vertical sectional view though the bottle mount, with a bottle in position but 5 not clamped to the mount.

Figure 9 is a vertical sectional view though the bottle mount, with a bottle engaged and clamped to the mount.

BEST MODES FOR PERFORMING THE INVENTION Referring first to Figures 1-4, an animal health injector of the present invention is generally referenced by arrow 100. In the embodiment shown the applicator is an injector, but in other embodiments the invention may be used with other types of applicator. The animal 15 health applicator 100 includes body 1 to which a bottle mount assembly, generally referenced by arrow 200, may be engaged.

The bottle mount assembly 200 includes a base 2 which is provided with means for attachment to the body 1 of the animal health applicator 100, for example by means of a 20 threaded portion 3 which is threadable in use onto a complimentary threaded portion 4 of the body 1 of the animal health applicator 100. In the embodiment shown the base 2 is provided with downwardly facing tabs 5, best seen in Figure 4, which engage complimentary recesses 5A in the body 1 of the animal health applicator 100 when the base 2 is fully engaged. Once engaged with the recesses 5A, the tabs 5 prevent or at least inhibit any further rotation of the 25 base 2 relative to the body 1 in either direction, and thereby prevent the base 2 from being disengaged from the body 1. Of course in some embodiments the base 2 may be integrally formed with the body of the applicator.

Referring next to Figure 3, the base 2 is provided with a plurality of upstanding arms 6. 30 The arms 6 are substantially rigid, but have some resilience, and are moveable towards a central axis of the base 2 under pressure from a cam section 7 provided on a lower portion 8 of a bottle shroud member 9, as best seen in Figures 5 to 7. The base 2 and arms 6 are preferably manufactured from a suitable plastic resin. In the embodiment shown four arms 6 are used, but other suitable numbers of arms 6 may used, as will be apparent to those skilled in 35 the art. 552419 300834160 Rl 300834160 RC506616NZPR 6 In the embodiment illustrated each cam section 7 exerts an inward pressure on a respective arm 6 when the bottle shroud member 9 is rotated relative to the base 2 in an anticlockwise direction (as seen from above), although those skilled in the art will appreciate that only minor modification is necessary in order to configure the cam section 7 to activate when rotated in the opposite direction. In the embodiment shown the bottle shroud 9 is rotatable by around 55° between the fully engaged and fully disengaged positions. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the cam sections 7 may be configured so that the amount of rotation required is more or less than 55°, but it is preferred that the amount of rotation be significantly less than 180°.

Referring next to Figures 8 and 9, in use, a neck 10 of a bottle 11 is inserted between the arms 6. If necessary the arms 6 may deflect away from the centre of the base 2 by a small amount, to allow the neck of the bottle into the space between the arms 6. The bottle shroud 9 is then rotated in an anticlockwise direction, causing the cam portions 7 to engage with the 15 arms 6 and to force them inward, as shown in Figure 9. This inward movement causes an inturned lip or edge 12 at the end of each of the arms 6 to engage with the neck of the bottle and draw it downward towards a spike 13 provided on the body 1 of the animal health applicator 100. The contents of the bottle are able to flow though a conduit in the spike 13 to the applicator, as is common with applicators of the prior art.

Referring next to Figures 6 and 7 in particular, the cam section 7 is provided with a detent portion 14 which holds the bottle shroud 9 in position with the arms 6 in their fully inwardly position, thereby preventing the bottle shroud 9 from rotating in the opposite direction and releasing the pressure on the arms 6 when the bottle neck is engaged and the applicator 25 100 is in use.

Referring next to Figures 2 to 4, the bottle shroud 9 is tapered towards the lower portion 8 and is provided with cut-out areas 15 at the opposite upper end to allow a user to grip a bottle when inserting or removing it from the bottle mount 200. The bottle shroud 9 is preferably 30 provided with an annular rib 16 which engages an annular groove 17 on the base 2 in a snap fit. The bottle shroud 9 is thereby able to rotate relative to the base 2 through the angle necessary to activate and deactivate the arms, but can not be removed from the base 2.

In some embodiments (not shown) the shroud 9 may be provided with a transparent portion, or alternatively an aperture, near the lower portion 8, which permits visibility of the spike 13. This allows the user to easily see that the neck 10 of the bottle 11 is centrally 552419 300834160 R< 300834160 RC506616NZPR 7 positioned as the bottle is pushed down between the arms, with the cap or rubber bung which seals the neck of the bottle 11 bearing onto the spike 13 for correct penetration of the spike 13 into the bottle cap. In other embodiments the shroud 9 may be transparent or at least translucent, so that the spike 13 can be seen without the need to provide a transparent portion 5 or cut-out.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention provides a quick action bottle mount assembly which allows bottles of a number of sizes to be engaged with an animal health applicator, and which also provides a protective shroud around the bottle. The bottle 10 can be quickly engaged and disengaged, but is unlikely to be accidentally disengaged.

Where in the foregoing description, reference has been made to specific components or integers of the invention having known equivalents, then such equivalents are herein incorporated as if individually set forth.

Although this invention has been described by way of example and with reference to possible embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that modifications or improvements may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the appended claims. 300833150 RC506616NZPR

Claims (14)

1. A mount for a bottle includes a base, a plurality of spaced apart upstanding arms each of which are substantially rigid but adapted to be movable under pressure towards a 5 substantially central axis of said base, each of said arms having at or adjacent an upper end an inwardly directed neck engagement portion, the mount including a bottle shroud member adapted to be positionable about said arms and said base and rotatable relative thereto and having a plurality of inwardly facing cam portions, each said cam portion engageable with a respective arm to move said arm inwardly upon rotation of 10 said bottle shroud member, whereby said neck engaging portions, in use, are initially able to clamp about a neck of a bottle positioned in a space between said base and said arms and whereby further rotation of said bottle shroud member relative to said arms and said base is able to draw the neck of the bottle downwardly towards said base to a sealing position and a secured mounting. 15

2. The mount of claim 1 wherein the bottle shroud member is engaged with the base.

3. The mount of claim 1 or 2 wherein, in use, less than 180° of rotation of the bottle shroud member relative the base is required to secure the mounting of the bottle. 20

4. The mount of claim 3 wherein less than 55° rotation of the bottle shroud member relative the base is required to secure the mounting of the bottle.

5. The mount of any one of the preceding claims wherein the extent of inward movement 25 of the said arms enables a plurality of sizes of bottle necks to be mounted in said mount.

6. The mount of any one of the preceding claims wherein the engaging portions include an inturned lip provided for each arm. 30

7. The mount of any one of the preceding claims wherein the arms and base are integrally formed.

8. The mount of any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein the arms and base are formed 35 separately. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OFFICE OF N.Z, t h htb 2008 RECEIVED 3008341 SO RC506616NZPR g

9. The mount of any one of the preceding claims wherein the shroud is provided with observation means which allow a user to observe, in use, the positioning of the neck of the bottle in the space between the arms of the mount.

10. The mount of claim 9 wherein the observation means include a transparent portion provided in the shroud.

11. The mount of claim 9 wherein the observation means include an aperture in the shroud.

12. An animal health applicator provided with the mount for a bottle of any one of claims 1 to 11.

13. A mount for a bottle substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

14. An animal health applicator substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.