Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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BOTTLED WATER DISPENSER SYSTEM
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a bottled water
dispenser system and particularly to a container support
housing having a removable container support dispenser with
a central feed probe having a water discharge conduit, and a
separate pressure control air conduit leading into the water
reservoir whereby to provide a controlled discharge of water
from the container. The support dispenser is sealingly
seated on an open-ended removable reservoir in the top
portion of the housing.
BACKGROUND ART
Bottled water dispenser systems are known whereby
to dispense water from an inverted water bottle having a
hygienic cap and positioned in an inverted manner over a top
portion of a dispensing housing. These systems are usually
provided with a dispenser insert having a probe which enters
a sealing sleeve of a hygienic cap about the bottle neck
opening. The probe disconnects a sealing plug within the
cap whereby water can be discharged from the bottle through
a conduit provided in the probe. As the water is discharged
through the conduit, air bubbles move up into the water
container through the conduit to regulate the pressure. A
typical example of such system is described in U.S. Patent
5,289,854 and many of its associated patents and a further
example of the dispenser insert is described in U. S . Patent
4,846,236. Such prior art systems can be said to be
imperfect as many of these do not provide a sufficient
discharge rate of the water as contained within the
containers when a large supply of water is demanded from the
internal reservoir of the housing. Also, some of these
systems are complex in construction and provided with
sealing membranes at the top end of the internal reservoir
whereby to seal the reservoir from dust and other debris.
Another source of contamination of the water may be caused
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by the manipulation of the container when placed or removed
from the dispensing housing.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
It is a feature of the present invention to
provide a bottled water dispenser system which is an
improvement of prior art systems and which provides an
improved dispensing flow rate of the water from the bottle
into the housing reservoir and which is capable of admitting
sufficient air through a separate air supply conduit as
water is being dispensed through large orifices provided in
the probe.
Another feature of the present invention is to
provide a bottled water dispenser system which is
constructed of few parts and wherein the water reservoir of
the housing is separated in two portions to provide water at
different temperatures.
Another feature of the present invention is to
provide a bottled water dispenser system which is highly
hygienic and which is easy to clean and replace.
According to the above features, from a broad
aspect, the present invention provides a liquid container
support housing having a removable container support
dispenser seated at an open top end of a removable liquid
holding reservoir provided in the support housing. The
container support dispenser has a central upwardly
projecting feed probe on a bottom wall thereof. The probe
is dimensioned to enter a cap secured over an opening of a
neck end of a liquid container supported in an inverted
position on the container support dispenser. The feed probe
has a plug engaging end adapted to disconnect a sealing plug
connected at an internal end of the cap, when the probe
enters a central sealing sleeve of the cap in close sealing
fit therein. The plug engaging end also engages the plug
and disposes it spaced from an internal end of the sleeve
when disconnected therefrom. The feed probe has liquid
conduit means therein to channel liquid from the liquid
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container into the liquid dispensing reservoir of the
support housing. The feed probe is further provided
with an air conduit means having a small opening in a
top part of the probe below the plug engaging end and
dimensioned to admit air into the liquid container from
the top end of the liquid holding reservoir when liquid
is dispensed through the liquid conduit means and to
substantially prevent liquid flow therethrough from the
liquid container to the reservoir. The open top end of
the liquid holding reservoir is in contact with outside
air to admit air into the air conduit means. The feed
probe comprises a hollow cylindrical upstanding body
formed integral with the bottom wall of the container
support dispenser. The liquid conduit means is
constituted by at least one conduit disposed axially in
the cylindrical body and having a lower open discharge
end and an upper intake end. The upper intake end is
spaced below the top part of the probe. Division walls
extend longitudinally in the hollow cylindrical
upstanding body. At least two conduit sections are
defined between adjacent division walls. The hollow
cylindrical upstanding body has an open side wall
portion in the top part of the probe adjacent at least
two conduit sections and constituting the upper intake
end.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A preferred embodiment of the present invention
will now be described with reference to the
accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. lA is a fragmented perspective view, partly
in section, illustrating the bottle water dispenser
system of the present invention and wherein a water
container is supported in an inverted manner over a
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FIG. 1B is a fragmented perspective view of the
feed probe when inserted in a water bottle cap;
FIG. 2 is a section view illustrating the
construction of the hygienic cap secured about an
opening of a neck end of a liquid container;
FIG. 3 is a top view of the container support
dispenser;
FIG. 4 is a section view of the container support
dispenser;
FIG. 5 is a partly fragmented side view showing
the construction of the feed probe cylindrical body;
FIG. 6 is a top view of Fig. 5;
FIG. 7 is a side view showing the construction of
the plug engaging end of the feed probe connected to
the cylindrical body of Fig. 5;
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FIG. 8 is a side view of Fig. 7;
FIG. 9 is an enlarged fragmented view showing the
manner in which the container support dispenser is sealingly
engaged and disengaged from a circumferential rib formed on
top of the liquid container support housing about the open
ended liquid holding reservoir;
FIG. l0A is a fragmented perspective view showing
the construction of the filter retaining cavity formed in
the reinforcing ring to communicate the top end of the
liquid holding reservoir with outside air;
FIG. lOB is a perspective view of the filter
engageable within the filter retaining cavity of Fig. 10A;
FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the
construction of the separating wall of the liquid holding
reservoir; and
FIGS. 12 and 13 are schematic section views
showing the operation of the dispensing probe.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to the drawings, and more
particularly to Figs. lA and 1B, there is shown generally at
10 the bottled water dispensing system of the present
invention. The system comprises a liquid container support
housing 11 having a removable container support dispenser 12
seated about an open top end 13 of a removable liquid
holding reservoir 14. More specifically the container
support dispenser 12 is in seating engagement about a
circumferential support ring 15 disposed about the open top
end 13 of the reservoir 14.
As herein illustrated more schematically, the
container support dispenser 12 has a central upwardly
projecting feed probe 16 extending upwardly and central of a
bottom wall 17 thereof. The probe 16 is dimensioned to
enter a cap 18 secured over an opening 19 of a water
container 20, as more clearly illustrated in Fig. 2.
As shown in Fig. 2, the hygienic cap 18 has an
internally projecting central sealing sleeve 21 which
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extends into the opening 19 of the liquid container or water
bottle 20 and has a sealing plug 22 removably and sealingly
secured to an internal end 23 of the sleeve 21. The sealing
plug 22 has an inner circumferential wall 24 provided with a
circumferential rib 25 to engage with the head 42 of the
probe 16 as will be described later. The sealing plug 22
has an outer sleeve 24' sealingly secured about the internal
end 23 of the sealing sleeve 21 and extends over a
circumferential sealing rib 26. A tear tab 27 is provided
to disconnect the cap from the open end of the liquid
container 20, as is well known in the art.
Referring again to Figs. lA and 1B, the liquid
container 20 is shown supported in an inverted manner over
the container support dispenser 12 and rests on a
circumferential support side wall 28 as well as large ribs
29 which project inside the bowl-shaped cavity 30. As the
hygienic cap l8 is aligned with the probe 16 and the bottle
is lowered over the probe, the probe enters the central
sealing sleeve 21 of the cap and is in close sealing fit
therein. The feed probe has a plug engaging end 31 which
enters into the inner circumferential wall 24 of the sealing
plug 22 and engages the plug and disconnects it from the
internal end 23 of the sealing sleeve 21 and pushes it
inwardly into the neck of the bottle. The sealing plug 22
is thus disconnected from the central sealing sleeve and
exposes an upper intake end 32 of a conduit provided in the
probe whereby water may be discharged from the bottle 20 and
into the liquid holding reservoir 14.
The head 42 of the probe is provided with a
circumferential undercut 48 to engage with the
circumferential rib 25 of the sealing plug 22, as shown in
Fig. 2, whereby to retain the plug 22 about the head when
the plug is disconnected from the sealing sleeve 21. When
the container 20 is removed from the container support
dispenser 12, the probe 16 is retracted from the sealing
sleeve 21 and draws the sealing plug back into engagement
with the internal end 23 of the sealing sleeve to reconnect
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it whereby to maintain the inner area of the container
sanitary. This operation of the probe and its disconnection
and reconnection of the sealing plug is also known in the
art.
Referring now to Figs. 4 to 8, there will be
described the construction of the feed probe l6. As shown
in Figs. 4, 5 and 6, the feed probe 16 has a hollow
cylindrical upstanding body 35 formed integral with the
bottom wall 17 of the container support dispenser 12 and
extends thereunder into a support ring 36 having side
openings 37 to permit water to pass from inside the bottle
into the liquid holding reservoir 14, as shown in Figs. lA
and 1B. Because the feed probe is integrally formed with
the bottom wall, it is obviously sealingly connected
thereto. A dividing wall 38 is disposed diametrically
across the cylinder body 35 and is provided with a slot 39
in the top end portion thereof. Opposed conduit sections 40
are defined between the separating wall 38. The plug
engaging end 31 of the feed probe 16 is provided by a
support member 41 which has the dome-shaped head 42 at a top
end. The support member 41 has a flat rectangular wall 43
provided with a slot 44 and a bottom part thereof and fits
over the slot 39 of a division wall whereby to position the
head spaced from the top opening 45 of the conduit sections
40. The wall 43 forms a further transverse division wall.
A large upper intake opening 32 is formed between the head
42 and the top opening 45 whereby to admit water within the
divided conduit sections 40.
As shown in Figs. 6, 12 and 13 an air conduit 46
extends within a solid section 47 of the cylindrical
upstanding body 35 and is disposed at an end of division
wall 38. The air conduit 46 is 1/8" in diameter and this
size was calculated to admit sufficient amount of air within
the dispensing container 20 to provide adequate liquid
discharge through the conduit sections 40 of the cylindrical
body. It compensates for the differential pressure when
water is removed from the liquid holding reservoir 14. The
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top end of the air conduit 46 is spaced closely below the
dome-shaped head 42.
Normally, by gravity the water will flow from the
bottle 20 down through the feed tube 16 into the reservoir
14. This process will continue until the partial vacuum
created in the bottle will create enough negative pressure
to be in balance with the resistance that the air has to
overcome that would have to flow from the outside air at
normal atmospheric pressure, through the surface of the
water in the reservoir up through the feed tube into the
bottle. The resistance that the air has to overcome is the
sum or combination of three forces: the first one is
breaking the surface tension of the water in the low
reservoir, the second is the upward pressure equivalent to
the weight of the water that is displaced by the air that is
on its way down toward the feed tube, and the last one is
the force needed to move the air along the horizontal
surface toward the feed tube. Once past the inside of the
horizontal surface the air bubble will move upward pushed by
the force equal to the weight of the displaced water in the
bottle. In the feed tube 14 the only resistance that the
air encounters is the water flow running in the opposite
direction. Once in the bottle it will fill up the partial
vacuum, allowing the water to flow again by gravity. The
only two variables in the process are the level of the water
in the lower reservoir 14" and the level of vacuum in the
bottle 20. By raising or lowering the level of water in the
lower reservoir, the resistance the air bubble has to
overcome increases or decreases. . The higher the level of
vacuum the more force is available to overcome the combined
resistance described b.efore.. A number of factors influence
the process positively. First the shape of the surface of
the water, the bigger the surface of the reservoir holding
the water in the lower reservoir the lower the pressure on
that surface helping the air to find it's way between the
water and the wall of the reservoir. Secondly, the
horizontal distance between the closest vertical wall of the
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top reservoir and the vertical wall leading toward the feed
tube. Thirdly, the size of the bubbles 90, the smaller they
are, the lower the resistance created by the displaced
water, and lastly the division of the feed tube in a channel
46 for the air and conduits 40 for the water, which reduces
the interference of the downward running water with the up
going air. By starting and finishing the air channel 46
higher than the water channels 40 in the feed tube, the
interference is reduced. Air flow is depicted by arrow 91
in both Figs. 12 and 13 and water flow from the bottle 20 is
depicted by arrow 92.
Referring now to Fig. 3, there is shown a top view
of the container support dispenser 12. As can be seen from
Figs. 3 and 4, the dispenser has a bowl-shaped cavity 30
disposed in a central part thereof and which extends from
the bottom wall 17. There are four large support ribs 29
extending on transverse diametrical axes 50 and formed
integrally on the side wall of the cavity and extend to the
container support side wall 28. These ribs reinforce the
container support dispenser 12 and particularly in the area
where the heavy container 20 rests on the support dispenser.
The container support wall 28 merges into a circumferential
support flange 51 for support engagement on the disc support
ring 15, as shown in Fig. lA. Any water spilled during
positioning of the bottle or any debris will be captive
within the bowl which can be easily cleaned.
As shown in Figs. 9 and lA, a circumferential
sealing channel 52 is formed integral with an inner side
face 53 of the circumferential support flange 51 for sealing
engagement with a circumferential rib 54, as shown in Fig.
lA, and formed about an outer side wall 55 of the support
ring 15. The flange also has a handle portion 56 formed
integrally therewith to permit the side wall 53 to flex out,
such as shown as 53' in Fig. 9, to disconnect the channel 52
from the rib 54 when it is necessary to remove the container
support dispenser 12 from sealing engagement with the top
part of the liquid holding reservoir 14.
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Referring to Fig. lA, it can be seen that the
liquid holding reservoir 14 has a top reservoir portion 14'
and a bottom reservoir portion 14". These portions are
delineated by a removable separating wall 60 as better
illustrated in Fig. 11 which is displaceably supported
transversely across reservoir portions by a circumferential
support ridge 61 formed integral with the reservoir. The
separating wall 60, as shown in Fig. 11, has a large opening
62 therein whereby water can pass freely between the
reservoir top portion 14' where water is discharged from the
container 20 down to the bottom reservoir portion 14". A
straight hollow rigid pipe 63 extends from an underface 64
of the separating wall 60 and has an inlet opening 65 formed
on a top face 66 of the separating wall. The rigid pipe has
a lower connecting end 67 which is dimensioned for close fit
in a coupling bushing 68 which is secured to the bottom wall
69 of the reservoir 14 and interconnects, through a conduit
70, with a dispensing valve 71 connected to the housing 11
whereby to dispense liquid from the top reservoir portion
14' when necessary. The water in that reservoir is at a
higher temperature than that of the bottom reservoir for the
reason that the bottom reservoir is surrounded by cooling
coils 72 disposed thereabout and insulated by an insulating
jacket 73. A conduit 74 also connects to a coupling bushing
75 secured to the bottom wall 69 of the holding reservoir to
dispense water to a further dispensing valve 71 disposed
side-by-side with the dispensing valve 71 whereby to
dispense cooler water.
Although the container support dispenser 12 is
sealingly engaged about the circumferential support ring 15
there is a need to admit outside air within the open top end
13 of the liquid holding reservoir 14. As shown in Figs.
l0A and lOB, this is accomplished by providing a filter
retaining cavity 80 within the reinforcing ring 15 and more
specifically in the top wall 15' of the ring. The cavity
has a channel portion 81 which extends into the inner side
wall 82 of the ring. A filter disc 83 fits within the
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cavity 80 and permits the filtering of air passing
therethrough. As shown in Fig. 3, the container support
dispenser 12 is also provided with an air opening 84 in a
top part of the support wall 28 thereof and this opening is
positioned in registry above the cavity 80 whereby air will
enter into the open top end of the reservoir by passing
through the opening 84, the filter disc 83 and the channel
81. Accordingly, there is provided a hygienic seal between
the support ring 15 and the container support dispenser 12
while filtered air is freely admitted within the top part of
the reservoir.
It is within the ambit of the present invention to
cover any obvious modifications of the preferred embodiment
described herein, provided such modifications fall within
the scope of the appended claims.
