US3312255A

US3312255A - Liquid container and dropper assembly

Info

Publication number: US3312255A
Application number: US361933A
Authority: US
Inventors: Miller Ellison
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1964-04-23
Filing date: 1964-04-23
Publication date: 1967-04-04
Anticipated expiration: 1984-04-04

Description

April 4, 1967 E. MILLER I LIQUID CONTAINER AND DROPPER ASSEMBLY Filed April 25, 1964 /&

22 ELLISUN MILLER INVENTOR.

BYy Lww United States Patent This invention relates to a liquid container in combination with a dropper and closure, and, more particularly, to means cooperating between the dropper and the container which are adapted to charge quantities of liquid into the dropper to be dispensed from the container in predetermined amounts.

As is perhaps well known, numerous medicines and laboratory supplies are maintained in storage vessels from whence limited quantities are utilized as required. It is often a requirement that substantially predetermined quantities be dispensed and this invention relates to a container provided with a closure including a dropper adapted to dispense such quantities.

It is accordingly an object of this invention to provide in combination a liquid container and a mating cap wherein the cap includes a compression chamber and the vessel includes a storage chamber and a tube is provided communicating between the chambers and is adapted to be charged with a quantity of liquid for subsequent dispensing by manipulation of a plunger operative on the compression chamber.

It is another object of this invention to provide a liquid dispenser combination of the type generally described hereinafter for repetitive dispensing of predetermined amounts of liquid from a dropper wherein the liquid is charged into the dropper as the dropper is immersed in the container.

It is another object of this invention to provide a liquid dispenser and dropper of the type described hereinafter which is simple in construction, relatively inexpensive to manufacture, and otherwise well adapted for the purposes for which it is intended.

In accordance with these and other objects which will become apparent hereinafter, the instant invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment thereof.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the instant invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrow.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of FIG. 2.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, wherein like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the different views, and referring particularly to FIG. 1', the numeral 11 designates generally a container for liquids which is provided with a cap 12 threadably fastened thereto. As shown in FIG. 2, the container is in the shape of a truncated cone having side walls 13 and a relatively thick neck 16, provided with exterior threads 18 and having a central opening or throat 19, at one end thereof and, at the other end thereof, a bottom 21 with a raised central portion 22 defining a circumferential well 23. An exterior shoulder 24 is provided at the juncture of the neck and side walls for purposes to be described and, as is apparent in FIG. 2, the top of the neck is recessed forming an inverted dome shaped seat 26 with the throat walls 19 having an annular groove 28 intermediate the length thereof.

The cap is generally cylindrical in shape with knurled side walls 29 which are bridged at the upper end 31 by a flexible head or plunger 32 to define a compression chamber 33 therein. The head is recessed with respect to the end 31 as at 34 to protect the head from unintended flexing. The interior surface of the side walls is threaded as 3,312,255 Patented Apr. 4, 1967 at 36 to mate with the aforesaid threads 18 of the neck and the upper limits of the threads 36 an annular seat 37 is provided. A flexible diaphragm 38 comprises the floor of the compression chamber, the said diaphragm having an outer lip 39 which is suitably fastened in the seat 37 and having a central depending sleeve 41. Within the sleeve 41 one end of a dropper tube 42 is snugly retained in frictional engagement with the other end depending into the container and having a pointed end 43 curved intermediate its length as at 44 to extend deeply into the well 23. The exterior of the sleeve includes a raised band 46 or gasket to be normally received in the groove 28.

In use, liquid to be dispensed is poured into the container 11 through the throat 19 in the conventional manner. The cap 12 is threadably fastened to the neck 16 of the container and, with reference to FIG. 3, as the cap moves closer with respect to the container, the diaphragm 3S abuts the recessed seat 26 compressing that wall of the compression chamber to the dotted line position of FIG. 3 until the leading edge 49 of the cap seats on the shoulder 24 of the container. As the chamber 33 is thus contracted the air displaced in the chamber 33 is caused to be forced from the tube 42 into the interior of the container. When the cap is unscrewed from the container, fluid in the container is drawn into the dropper tube 42, because of differential pressure between the interior of the container and the compression chamber and the diaphragm 38 moves from the position shown in FIG. 2 to the position shown in FIG. 3. Fluid in the dropper may then be dispensed by applying a force indicated by a force line F of FIG. 3 in the direction shown on the plunger 32. When in the position shown in FIG. 2, the band 46 seats in the groove 28.

While the instant invention has been shown and described herein in what is conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention, which is therefore not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent apparatus and articles.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination, to dispense liquid, (a) a bottle having a main chamber and (b) a cap;

(a) said cap including:

(1) side walls having a distal end and a proximal end, and a head of resilient material intermediate said ends,

(2) a flexible diaphragm having a central hole spaced from said head and spanning said walls to define a compression chamber between the walls, head and diaphragm and said diaphragm including a depending skirt portion, and

(3) an axially extending pipette type dropper nested in the skirt depending from the cap and communicating through said hole with the compression chamber;

(b) said bottle having a threaded neck and said proximal end of the side wall having mated threads of a corresponding axial length to the threads of the neck;

(c) the neck of said bottle having an inverted dome shaped seating surface which partially roofs the main chamber and which has a central opening therethrough;

(d) said diaphragm overlying and nesting in the seating surface when the cap and bottle are in threaded engagement in a biased attitude so that the volume of the compression chamber is reduced relative to the volume when the cap and bottle are separated from one another so that the same volume of air in the compression chamber is displaced into the main '3 a 4- chamber through the dropper each time the cap and floor of the bottle when the cap and bottle are in mating bottle are mated, and each time the cap and bottle engagement. are separated substantially the same amount of fluid is displaced into the dropper and may be ejected References Cited y the Examiner therefrom on relative movement of the diaphragm 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS and head to contract the compression chamber. 2. A device as set forth in claim 1 wherein the said g compression chamber is at all times within the side walls 2:877:810 3/1959 hIIIIII: 141 24 belowthe distalend- 3,135,302 6/1964 Ballin 141-24 3. A device as set forth'in claim 1 wherein said bottle 10 I includes a raised central portion in the floor and an an- FOREIGN PATENTS nular well and the extending end of the dropper is curved 934,688 1/ 1948 France. to extend at all times into the well, said dropper extending a distance from the diaphragm such that the extend- LAVERNE GEIGER: Primary Examinering end of the dropper is at all times closely adjacent the 15 E. EARLS, Assistant Examiner.

Claims

1. IN COMBINATION, TO DISPENSE LIQUID, (A) A BOTTLE HAVING A MAIN CHAMBER AND (B) A CAP; (A) SAID CAP INCLUDING: (1) SIDE WALLS HAVING A DISTAL END AND A PROXIMAL END, AND A HEAD OF RESILIENT MATERIAL INTERMEDIATE SAID ENDS, (2) A FLEXIBLE DIAPHRAGM HAVING A CENTRAL HOLE SPACED FROM SAID HEAD AND SPANNING SAID WALLS TO DEFINE A COMPRESSION CHAMBER BETWEEN THE WALLS, HEAD AND DIAPHRAGM AND SAID DIAPHRAGM INCLUDING A DEPENDING SKIRT PORTION, AND (3) AN AXIALLY EXTENDING PIPETTE TYPE DROPPER NESTED IN THE SKIRT DEPENDING FROM THE CAP AND COMMUNICATING THROUGH SAID HOLE WITH THE COMPRESSION CHAMBER; (B) SAID BOTTLE HAVING A THREADED NECK AND SAID PROXIMAL END OF THE SIDE WALL HAVING MATED THREADS OF A CORRESEPONDING AXIAL LENGTH TO THE THREADS OF THE NECK; (C) THE NECK OF SAID BOTTLE HAVING AN INVERTED DOME SHAPED SEATING SURFACE WHICH PARTIALLY ROOFS THE MAIN CHAMBER AND WHICH HAS A CENTRAL OPENING THERETHROUGH; (D) SAID DIAPHRAGM OVERLYING AND NESTING IN THE SEATING SURFACE WHEN THE CAP AND BOTTLE ARE IN THREADED ENGAGEMENT IN A BIASED ATTITUDE SO THAT THE VOLUME OF THE COMPRESSION CHAMBER IS REDUCED RELATIVE TO THE VOLUME WHEN THE CAP AND BOTTLE ARE SEPARATED FROM ONE ANOTHER SO THAT THE SAME VOLUME OF AIR IN THE COMPRESSION CHAMBER IS DISPLACED INTO THE MAIN CHAMBER THROUGH THE DROPPER EACH TIME THE CAP AND BOTTLE ARE MATED, AND EACH TIME THE CAP AND BOTTLE ARE SEPARATED SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME AMOUNT OF FLUID IS DISPLACED INTO THE DROPPER AND MAY BE EJECTED THEREFROM ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT OF THE DIAPHRAGM AND HEAD TO CONTRACT THE COMPRESSION CHAMBER.