Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
2087~
This invention relates to a dispensing device. More
particularly the invention relates to a dispensing device
for dispensing a measured volume of a liquid from a body of
liquid contained in a reservoir.
In a particular application the invention relates to a
dispensing device suitable to be provided on a bottle for
dispensing a measured dose or tot of the liquid contents of
the bottle, which may be a liquid pharmaceutical or
medicinal formulation, an alcoholic beverage, eg a distilled
alcoholic liquor, a liquid concentrate, or the like.
According to the invention there is provided a
dispensing device for dispensing a measured volume df liquid
from a body of liquid contained in a reservoir, the device
including
a receptacle for receiving an unmeasured excess volume
of liquid from the body of liquid;
a conduit to connect the reservoir to the receptacle to
permit liquid to flow from the body of liquid into the
receptacle;
pressure differentiating means for creating a pressure
differential between the reservoir and the receptacle to
cause liquid to flow from the body of liquid in the
reservoir to the receptacle;
volume adjustment means to adjust the unmeasured excess
volume of liquid in the receptacle to the measured volume;
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whereby the measured volume of liquid may be dispensed
from the receptacle.
The volume adjustment means may be of a kind which, in
use, permits excess liquid to return to the reservoir. The
dispensing device may, further, include flow prevention
means for preventing further flow of liquid between the
reservoir and the receptacle when the measured volume is
dispensed from the receptacle.
The reservoir may be in the form of a container for the
liquid, the container having an outlet. The dispensing
device may be engageable with the outlet of the container,
and the receptacle may form part of a closure member for
closing the outlet of the container, and the conduit may
pass through a wall of the closure member to intelrconnect
the container and the receptacle. In a plreferred
embodiment, the dispensing device may be intended to be used
with a reservoir in the form of a bottle constituting the
container, the bottle having a wider base portion with a
base and a narrower neck portion with a neck defining an
outlet, the receptacle being configured so that at least a
portion of it forms a closure member for closing the outlet,
with the conduit interconnecting the container and the
receptacle.
The bottle may be, for e~ample, a medicine bottle, or
a bottle for an alcoholic beverage such as a distilled
alcoholic liquor. The bottle may typically be made of
glass or of a synthetic plastics material.
At least a portion of the receptacle may be configured
so that it can form a stopper, for insertion into the neck
of the bottle to close off the outlet sealingly.
The stopper may be provided with at least one gripping
formation, such as an outwardly bulging side wall or one or
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more resilient ridges or outwardly directed resilient
protuberances, for engagement with the neck of the bottle to
impede or hinder withdrawal of the device from the neck of
the bottle once the stopper has been inserted into the neck
of the bottle.
The receptacle may be generally cup-shaped having an
operatively generally upwardly and outwardly extending side
wall with an outer surface, the wall defining a narrower
lower portion, with a transverse base wall, and a wider
upper portion with an open upper end, the narrower lower
portion forming the stopper. The lower portion of the cup-
shaped receptacle may thus, in use, be positioned, like a
stopper, within the neck of a container in the form of a
bottle. The receptacle may be of stepped configuration, the
narrower lower portion being separated from the wider upper
portion by an annular shoulder.
The open upper end of the cup-shaped receptacle may be
provided with a closure element or lid for closing off the
open upper end of the receptacle, the lid being provided
with engagement means for engagement with the necX of the
bottle. The lid may be arranged to function as part of the
pressure differentiating means, as explained in more detail
below. The lid may further engage with an outer face of the
neck of the container in the form of a bottle, eg by means
of complementary screw threads, to serve as a closure lid
for the bottle. The engagement means may thus be a screw
thread for engagement with a complementary screw thread
provided on the neck of the bottle.
The pressure differentiating means may be a pressure
reduction means for reducing the pressure ins'ide the
receptacle. The arrangement may be such that in operation,
a reduction in pressure in the receptacle will cause the
li~uid in the container to be drawn by suction through the
conduit from the container into the receptacle, the conduit
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passing through the base wall of the receptacle, as
indicated above.
The lid of the receptacle and the receptacle itself may
together constitute the pressure reduction means, the lid
and the receptacle being arranged in sealing relationship
relative to one another to define between them a closed
cavity, and being capable of relative displacement in a
manner to enlarge the volume of said cavity tolcause a
reduction of pressure in the said cavity. For example, the
closure lid may be hollow, having an inner surface,~and may
fit, in use, over the receptacle so that at least a portion
of the outer surface of the side wall of the receptacle
abuts sealingly and slidingly against the inner surface of
the lid, the lid and the receptacle together defining the
closed cavity. By displacing the closure lid away from the
receptacle, eg by unscrewing the closure lid from the
container, a reduced pressure may thus be created in the
enclosed cavity defined between the receptacle and the
closure lid, to create a suction effect.
The stopper portion of the receptacle may be provided
with air inlet means for allowing air into the reservoir
when the liquid is sucked through the conduit into the
receptacle. The air inlet means may comprise at least one
groove on the outer face of the side wall of the ~stopper,
extending in a direction to place the reservoir in
communication with the atmosphere, for allowing air into the
reservoir.
In use, the liquid flow from the container to the
receptacle may thus take place while the container is in an
upright condition.
The conduit may comprise a tube passin~ through the
transverse base wall of the receptacle, with an upper
portion projecting operatively upwardly from the base wall
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and provided with at least one opening at or near an upper
end thereof, and a lower portion terminating in a lower open
end and projecting operatively downwardly from the base wall
so that, in use, the upper portion projects into the
receptacle and the lower portion projects into the
container.
The flow prevention means may serve to prevent flow of
liquid from the container through the conduit and into the
receptacle when the liquid in the receptacle is being
dispensed, eg when the container is tipped or inverted to
dispense the measured volume of liquid from the receptacle.
The flow prevention means may simultaneously prevent flow of
liquid from the receptacle into the container, eg when the
container is tipped to dispense the measured volume of
liquid.
The flow prevention means may be provided by the
conduit itself. Thus, the flow prevention means may
comprise the lower portion of the tube, the lower end being
located close to the base of the container so that, when the
container is tipped to dispense the measured volume of
liquid from the receptacle, the level of the liquid in the
tipped container will be below the lower open end of the
tube so that further flow of liquid from the reservoir
through the tube will not occur.
The volume adjustment means may also be provided by the
conduit itself, extending to a predetermined level into the
receptacle. For example, the volume adjustment means may
comprise the upper portion of the tube, the opening in the
upper portion being located at a predetermined level above
the base wall of the receptacle, so that the measured volume
of liquid will be contained in the receptacle when it is
filled with liquid up to the level of the opening. Excess
liquid in the receptacle will, in use, run back into the
reservoir through the conduit when the pressures in the
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receptacle and reservoir are equalised, until the level of
liquid in the receptacle levels with the opening in the
upper end of the conduit, when liquid flow back into the
reservoir will stop. The volume of liquid remaining in the
receptacle will be determined by the distance between the
opening in the upper end of the conduit and the base of the
receptacle. This distance can be varied in different
embodiments of the invention, so that the volume of liquid
remaining in the receptacle, and hence the volume olf liquid
dispensed from the receptacle can be varied. The distance
can be made, for example, to correspond with a volume of 5
mQ in the receptacle, this volume being a typical medicine
measure.
The length of the upper portion of the tube may also be
adjustable, so that the measured volumed may be adjusted, as
required in different circumstances. The upper portion of
the tube and/or the receptacle may advantageously be
calibrated, to facilitate its adjustment.
The upper end of the conduit may be sealed and the
conduit may be provided with at least one opening located
below the sealed end of the conduit. This will serve to
prevent or limit a fountain effect when liquid is sucked up
through the conduit, thereby preventing or reducing the
likelihood that liquid will strike and adhere to the inside
of the lid of the dispensing device and affect the volume of
liquid dispensed. The dispensing device will typically be
used for dispensing a measured volume of a medicina~l liquid
from a medicine container such as a medicine bottle. In
such a case the outlet of the container will be th~ neck of
the bottle and the dispensing device will be inserted into
the neck of the bottle.
According to another aspect of the invention there is
provided a method for dispensing a measured volume of a
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liquid contained in a reservoir, the method comprising the
steps of
providing a receptacle for receiving liquid from the
reservoir;
providing a conduit to connect the reservoir with the
receptacle;
establishing a pressure differential between the
reservoir and the receptacle so as to force an unmeasured
excess volume of the liquid from the reservoir via the
conduit into the receptacle;
adjusting the volume of liquid in the receptacle to the
required measured volume;
allowing the excess volume of liquid in the relceptacle
to return to the reservoir; and
preventing further flow of liquid between the reservoir
and the receptacle when the measured volume is dispensed
from the receptacle.
The invention will now be described by way of example
with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in
which
Figure 1 is a sectional side view of a dispensing
device in accordance with the invention, the di~spensing
device being mounted on a bottle and shown in a closed
state;
Figure 2 is a sectional side view of the dispensing
device of Figure 1 but shown in a partly opened state;
Figure 3 is a side view of the dispensing device of
Figure 1 in use.
As shown in Figure 1 reference numeral 10 generally
indicates an embodiment of a dispensing device in ac'cordance
with the invention. The device is referred to hereinafter
as a dispenser.
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The dispenser 10 comprises a closure element or lid
generally indicated by reference numeral 12 and a receptacle
ge~erally indicated by reference numeral 14.
The receptacle 14 comprises two hollow cylindrical
portions namely an upper hollow cylindrical portion 16 and
a lower hollow generally cylindrical portion 18, together
comprising the receptacle 14. The lower hollow portion 18
is designed to function also as a stopper, to close the
outlet of the container as explained more fully below. The
receptacle 14 has a generally cylindrical side wall 22 and
a transverse base wall 34, and tapers towards the biase wall
34, and the upper portion 16 is open at one end, having a
mouth 38. The side wall 22 defining the stopper polrtion 18
bulges outwardly slightly as can be seen in the drawings.
Inlet means for allowing air into the reservoir in the form
of grooves 39 extend longitudinally along the sidejwall 22.
A lip 40 surrounds the mouth 38 and is located sealing
against the inner surface of the lid 12. The portions 16,
18 are linked by an annular linking member 19. Anlannular
lip 21 surrounds the lower edge of the upper portion 16 and
provides a sealing effect as is described in further detail
below. The upper portion 16 has a larger diameter than the
stopper portion 18. In use the stopper portioh 18 is
inserted into the neck of a container and acts as a stopper,
as is also described in more detail below.
The dispenser 10 is shown in Figures 1 and 2 mounted on
a reservoir in the form of a bottle 24 containing a liquid
25. The bottle has a neck 26 and a base 27. The neck 26 of
the bottle 24 is provided with an external screw thread 28.
The stopper portion 18 of the dispenser 10 fits snugly into
the neck 26 of the bottle 24, the outwardly bulging side
wall 22 acting as a gripping formation for impeding
withdrawal of the dispensing device lO from the bottle as is
described in further detail below. A tear-off safety seal
2~374()~
30, of a plastics material, secures the receptacle 14 to the
A conduit in the form of a tube 42 passes through the
base wall. 34 of the receptacle 14 and extends upwardly into
the receptacle 14 and downwardly into the bottle 24. The
tube 42 has an upper end 43 and a lower open end 47. The
upper end 43 is sealed and a number of small openings 45 are
located just below the sealed upper end 43.
The lid 12 is cylindrical in shape having a cyl~indrical
side wall 46 and an inner surface 49 and is closed at one
end with a closure wall 50. A disc-shaped raised portion 51
on the inside of the closure member 50 fits snugly into the
mouth 38 of the upper part 16 of the receptacle 14 as can be
seen in Figure 1. A portion of the inner surface 49 of the
side walls 46 is provided with a thread 52 complementary to
the thread 28 on the neck of the bottle 24. The lid 12 fits
over the receptacle 14, with the raised portion 51 fitting
into the mouth 38, and the lip 40 providing a seal between
the inner surface 49 of the side wall 46 and the receptacle
14. The base wall 34 and side wall 22 of the recepltacle 14
and the side wall 46 and closure wall 50 of the lid 12
together define a cavity 53.
The dispenser 10 i~ made of a synthetic plastics
material such as polyethylene. The bottle 24 may likewise
be made of a synthetic plastics material. It is possible
for the bottle 24 and the receptacle 14 to be integrally
moulded.
In use, the dispenser 10 is fitted to the bottle 24 by
inserting the stopper portion 18 into the neck 26 of the
bottle 24. The bulging portion of the side wall 22 serves
to hinder withdrawal of the stopper portion 18 from~the neck
26 of the bottle 24, the annular lip 21 providing an
additional sealing effect between the stopper portion 18 and
2087~3~
the neck 26 of the bottle. The lid 12 then fits sealingly
over the receptacle 14 and is screw-threadedly held in
position by the complementary threads 28 and 52 on the neck
26 and lid 12 respectively. The lip 40 provides a seal
between the reservoir 14 and the inner surface 49 of the lid
12 as described above. The tube 42 projects downwardly into
the liquid 25 in the bottle 24, with the lower end 47 of the
tube 42 being located slightly above the base of the bottle
24 as can be seen in Figure 3.
In use, liquid 25 is drawn from the bottle 24 through
the conduit 42 into the receptacle 14 by suction, in the
following manner:
With the bottle 24 in a generally upright condition,
the lid 12 is unscrewed and withdrawn from the receptacle
14. ~ negative pressure is created in the cavity 53 inside
the receptacle 14 because of the seal between by the lip 40
and the inner surface 49 of the lid 12 and liquid 25 is
sucked up through the tube 42 via the openings 45 into the
receptacle 14, while air leaks into the bottle via the
grooves 39 in the stopper portion 18 as is shown in Figure
2. The lid 12 is then removed and pressure is restored to
the cavity 53. Excess liquid 25 which has been sucked into
the receptacle 14 then flows back through the conduit 42
into the bottle 24 until the level of liquidl in the
receptacle 14 reaches the level of the apertures 45 located
just below the upper end 43 of the conduit 42.
When the bottle 24 is tilted in order to dispense the
liquid from the receptacle 14, for example into a spoon 54,
the lower end of the conduit 42 protrudes from the liquid 25
remaining in the bottle 24 as can be seen in Figure 3 and no
further liquid can flow through the conduit 42. In this way
a measured volume of liquid may repeatedly be dispensed from
the dispensing device 10. In a typical embodiment of the
2 0 ~ 2~
12
invention, the volume of liquid remaining in the receptacle
14 is 5 mQ.
In another embodiment of the invention (not shown) the
conduit 42 is slidably displaceable through an aperture in
the base wall 34 and is calibrated, so that the distance
between the apertures 45 of the conduit 42 and the base wall
34 is adjustable and hence the volume dispensed is
adjustable.
i
The Applicant believes that the dispenser of the
invention provides a simple and easy to operate method for
dispensing a measured volume of a liquid such as a medicine
from the bottle. The dispenser has, in addition, the safety
feature that withdrawal of the device from the mouth of a
medicine bottle is difficult because of the gripping
formation provided on the stopper portion of the device.
