WO2010149965A1

WO2010149965A1 - Foldable liquids containers

Info

Publication number: WO2010149965A1
Application number: PCT/GB2010/001228
Authority: WO
Inventors: Nigel Edward Bromilow
Original assignee: Specwaship2007 Ltd
Priority date: 2009-06-22
Filing date: 2010-06-22
Publication date: 2010-12-29
Also published as: GB0910690D0

Abstract

A foldable liquids container (10) has a foldable body (12) provided with a spout (26) and a handle (28). The handle (28) is arranged such that when the foldable body (12) is folded the spout (26) can be received by the handle. By providing for the spout (26) to be received in the handle (28), it is possible to reduce the overall thickness of the liquids container (10) when folded.

Description

Foldable Liquids Containers Field of the Invention The invention relates to foldable liquids containers for carrying a liquid such as water.

Background to the Invention

It is often desirable to transport a liquid in a container for use remote from a source of the liquid. For example, a person might wish to carry with them a supply of water for drinking, to enable washing or for other purposes. Many people keep the plastics bottles used to retail beverages for reuse as a water carrier. This is often satisfactory, but such bottles are not foldable. Therefore, once the liquid supply is used, the choice is between having to dispose of the bottle or carry a relatively bulky object around for possible later reuse.

It is known to sell beverages in containers made of plastics sheet that once emptied could be folded. However, they are not easy to refill and in general, people do not reuse such containers, which are typically regarded as being single-use containers.

Summary of the Invention

The invention provides a foldable liquids container comprising a foldable body having a spout and a handle, said handle being arranged such that when said foldable body is folded said spout can be received by said handle for reducing a thickness of the liquids container when in a folded condition.

The invention also includes a method of folding a foldable liquids container that comprises a foldable body, a spout and a handle, said method comprising folding said foldable body so as to bring said spout to a position in which it is at least partially received in said handle.

The invention also includes a foldable liquids container comprising a foldable body made of a sheet material and having a spout comprising a first portion that is fixed relative to the foldable body and a second portion that is axially movable with respect to the first portion to permit refilling of the foldable liquids container.

The invention also includes a refillable foldable liquids container. Brief Description of the Drawings

In order that the invention may be well understood, some embodiments thereof, which are given by way of example only, will now be described with reference to the drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of a foldable liquids container in an unfolded condition;

Figure 2 is a side view of the foldable liquids container in a first folded condition;

Figure 3 is a side view of the foldable liquids container in a second folded condition:

Figure 4 is perspective view of a portion of a modified handle for the foldable liquids container of Figures 1 to 3;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a spout for the foldable liquids container of Figures 1 to 3; and

Figure 6 is section view along line VI-VI in Figure 5.

Detailed Description of the Illustrated Embodiment

Referring to Figures 1 to 3, a foldable liquids container 10 comprises a foldable body

12 made of a flexible plastics material. The plastics material may, for example, be polyethylene. The foldable body 12 is of the so-called DOY bag construction comprising folds that form a base region 14 on which the bag can support itself.

Those skilled in the art will be familiar with DOY bags and so the construction of such bags will not be described in detail herein.

When viewed from the side, as in Figure 1, the foldable body 12 is generally rectangular, except at the two corners that are remote from the base region 14. At each said corner, the foldable body has edges 16, 18 that are inclined to the base region 14 and to the side edges 20, 22 and top edge 24 of the foldable body. The inclined edge 16 of the foldable body 12 is provided with a spout 26 that is secured to the foldable body 12 such as to provide a leak proof connection between the parts. The spout 26 can be closed for retaining a liquid in the foldable body 12 and opened to permit the liquid to be dispensed from the container. The spout 26 can take any suitable known form and may, for example, comprise a tubular member that is closed by a cap (not shown). The cap may be screwed or push-fitted onto the tube. An example of a preferred form of spout 26 will described in more detail below with reference to Figures 5 and 6

The inclined edge 18 of the foldable body 12 is longer than the inclined edge 16 and provided with a handle 28. The handle 28 comprises two generally C-shaped plastics members 30 that are rigid when compared with the foldable body 12. The C-shaped members 30 are secured to one another with a portion of the foldable body 12 sandwiched between them such that the C-shaped members are securely connected to the foldable body. The C-shaped members 30 are arranged such that their free ends 32, 34 are disposed outwardly relative to the foldable body 12 and an opening 36 defined between them can receive the spout 26 when the foldable body 12 is folded.

Figure 1 shows the foldable liquids container 10 in an unfolded condition in which it can be used to contain a liquid such as water. When at least partially filled, it can stand on its base region 14 due to the DOY bag construction. By opening the spout

26, a user can dispense the liquid contained in the foldable body 12 or refill the foldable body as desired. When the user wishes to store the foldable liquids container

10 between uses, the foldable body 12 is first emptied. Then the foldable body 12 is folded along an imaginary line 40 (Figure 1) that extends between the side edges 20,

22. That folding operation puts the foldable liquids container 10 into the condition shown in Figure 2. The foldable body 12 is then folded along a second imaginary line 42 that extends between the base region 14 and top edge 24 of the foldable body.

This second folding operation brings the spout 26 to a position shown in Figure 3 in which it can, or does, enter the opening 36. When the user wishes to bring the foldable liquids container 10 back into use, it can be unfolded by simply reversing the above-described folding processes. In the illustrated embodiment, the imaginary lines 40, 42 are at least substantially mutually perpendicular. Furthermore the imaginary line 40 is at least substantially perpendicular to the side edges 20, 22 and the imaginary line 42 is at least substantially perpendicular to the base region 14 and top edge 24. It will, however, be understood that this is not essential and the positioning of the fold lines will depend on the shape of the foldable body and the relative positions of the spout 26 and handle 28.

Referring to Figure 4, in an optional modification of the handle 28, the free ends 32, 34 are concave and spaced apart a distance such that the spout 26 has to be pressed between them to be received in the handle 28. This snap-fitting of the spout 26 and handle 28 provides an interference between the two parts that ensures the spout is retained in the handle. It will be appreciated that the interference fit of the spout in the handle effectively locks the foldable liquids container 10 in a folded condition.

Referring to Figures 5 and 6, a spout 26 for the foldable liquids container 10 comprises a base portion 50 that is rhomboid or generally lozenge shaped. The base portion 50 is provided with ribbed side surfaces 52. The foldable body 12 is joined to the ribbed side surfaces 52, the ribbing providing a key for a better joint between the foldable body and base portion 50.

The spout 26 further comprises a first tubular member 54 that extends perpendicular to the plane of the base portion 54 and is fixed with respect to the base portion. Typically, the base portion 50 and first tubular member 54 are formed as an integral plastics moulding. A second tubular member 56 is mounted on the first tubular member 54. The tubular members 54, 56 are coaxial and the second tubular member is movable axially with respect to the first tubular member as indicated in Figure 6 by the arrow 58.

The first tubular member 54 defines an axially extending through-hole 60, which is contiguous with a through-hole 62 defined by the base portion 50. A generally cylindrical first closure member 64 is supported in the through-hole 60 by a plurality of ribs 66 that connect the closure member to the first tubular member 54. The ribs 66 are arranged such that the first closure member 64 is disposed coaxially with the through-holes 60, 62 and a plurality of passages (not shown) is defined between the first closure member and first tubular member 54. When the spout 26 is opened, liquid from the foldable body 12 can flow through the through-hole 62 into the through-hole 60 and past the first closure member 64 via the passages.

The second tubular member 56 defines a through-hole 68 in which the first tubular member 54 is received. An inner end of the second tubular member 56 is provided with a rim 70 within the through-hole 68. The rim 70 is engageable with a shoulder 72 defined by the first tubular member 54 for limiting movement of the second tubular member 56 away from the base portion 50.

The second tubular member 56 carries a second closure member 74 of the spout 26. The second closure member 74 is disposed within the through-hole 68. The second closure member 74 comprises an annular ledge having an arcuate cross-section. The second closure member 74 is typically moulded integrally with the second tubular member 56 and defines an aperture 76. In the open condition of the spout 26 illustrated in Figure 6, liquid from the foldable body 12 can flow into the second tubular member 56 via the first tubular member as described above and out through the aperture 76. The spout 26 can be closed by moving the second tubular member 56 axially towards the base portion 50 causing the first closure member 64 to enter the aperture 74. The first closure member 64 has a domed end and a tapering side wall. The diameter of the sidewall increases in the direction towards the ribs 66. The curvature of the domed end and the taper of the sidewall allow the first closure member 64 to enter the aperture 76 of the second closure member 74 and centre the two parts as the wall defining the aperture engages the first closure member. The taper of the sidewall of the first closure member 64 and the diameter of the aperture 76 are selected such that there is a progressive interference between the two parts as the second tubular member 56 moves towards the base portion 50 of the spout 26. The interference between the two parts provides a seal that substantially prevents the escape of liquid from the foldable body 12.

It will be appreciated that the spout 26 of Figures 5 and 6 provides a push-pull closure for the foldable liquids container 10 that can be readily moved between open and closed positions by a simple axial movement of the second tubular member 56 relative to the first tubular member 54 as indicated by the arrow 58. It will also be appreciated that the range of movement and/or widths of the passages through the spout 26 are selected such that the foldable liquids container 10 can be readily refilled by, for example, directing water from a tap into the outer end of the spout.

It will be appreciated that the foldable liquids container provides a liquids carrier that when not in use can be folded so that it can easily be stored or transported around until the user wishes to refill it. Because the handle can receive the spout, the overall thickness of the foldable liquids container when in a folded condition is reduced as compared with an arrangement in which the spout and handles lie side-by-side. For example in one embodiment, a reduction of 5mm is obtained. This can be significant if the user wishes to carry the folded container in his/her pocket or a handbag or the like.

It will be understood that while in the illustrated embodiment the foldable liquids container is folded twice to reduce its size for storage. This is not essential. For example, depending on the size of the foldable liquids container, it may only be desirable to make one fold to bring the spout into position to be received in the handle. For a foldable liquids that is very long in the direction between the top and base, it may be desirable to make two or more folds before a fold is made to bring the spout into position to be received in the handle.

It will be appreciated that the foldable body can be provided with markings to indicate the fold positions to the user.

It will be appreciated that the foldable liquids container provides a convenient vessel for transporting water for drinking or washing purposes. However, the foldable liquids storage container is not limited to such use. In principle, the foldable liquids storage container can be used to carry any liquid that a user may wish to have available at a location away from a source of the liquid.

It will be understood that while the foldable body has been described as being of the DOY bag type, this is not essential. The foldable body may be of any suitable known construction. For example, the foldable body could simply comprise two sides of flexible sheet material suitably joined to form a container and fitted with the handle and spout.

It will be appreciated that providing the foldable liquids container with a handle makes it possible for a user to readily direct the outflow of liquid from the container in a controlled fashion so that it could, for example, be targeted at an object that is to be washed or used to fill another container. Thus, for example, a user could readily direct the outflow of liquid onto body parts to be washed.

It will be appreciated that the foldable body may be made of any convenient sheet material such as a plastics film, including a metallised plastics film.

Claims

1. A foldable liquids container comprising a foldable body having a spout and a handle, said handle being arranged such that when said foldable body is folded said spout can be received by said handle for reducing a thickness of the liquids container when in a folded condition.

2. A foldable liquids container as claimed in claim 1, wherein said handle comprises a gripping portion for gripping by a user to support the liquids container and said gripping portion defines a space in which said spout can be received.

3. A foldable liquids container as claimed in claim 2, wherein said gripping portion is spaced from said foldable body.

4. A foldable liquids container as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein said handle is generally C-shaped and said spout can be received in a space between respective free ends of said generally C-shaped handle.

5. A footbath foldable liquids container as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said handle and spout are arranged to provide an interference fit when said spout is received by said handle for retaining said spout in a received position.

6. A foldable liquids container as claimed in claim 5, wherein said spout and handle are arranged for snap-fit engagement.

7. A foldable liquids container as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said foldable body has a bottom region and a top region and is foldable about an imaginary line extending from said top region to said bottom region to bring said spout into a position in which it can enter said handle to be received therein.

8. A foldable liquids container as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said foldable body comprises opposed side edges extending from a bottom region thereof towards a top region thereof, each said side edge being connected with said top region by an inclined edge that is inclined inwardly with respect to the respective said side edges, said spout being joined to said foldable body at a first of said inclined edges and said handle being joined to said foldable body at a second of said inclined edges.

9. A foldable liquids container as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said foldable body is made from a sheet material folded and bonded to define a container for containing a said liquid.

10. A foldable liquids container as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said spout comprises a push-pull closure.

11. A method of folding a foldable liquids container that comprises a foldable body, a spout and a handle, said method comprising folding said foldable body so as to bring said spout to a position in which it is at least partially received in said handle.

12. A method of folding a foldable liquids container as claimed in claim 11, comprising applying a force to said spout to force said spout into a space defined by said handle such that said spout is retained by said handle by an interference between said handle and spout.

13. A method of folding a foldable liquids container as claimed in claim 11 or 12, comprising folding said foldable body about an imaginary line that extends from a top region to a bottom region of said foldable body to bring said spout to a position in which it can enter said handle.

14. A method of folding a foldable liquids container as claimed in claim 13, comprising folding said foldable body along an imaginary line that extends between respective side edges of said foldable body prior to folding said foldable body about said imaginary line that extends between said top region and said bottom region.