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AssigneeM.R.E. Enterprises, Inc.
InventorsDan C. Rogers, Joseph A. Maggio
Estimating the term…
Plural liquid containing bottles of differing sizes are simultaneously held in a cabinet in an inverted position so that the liquid flows by gravity from an orifice at the top of each bottle. A tension spring controls the vertical position of a first, fixed bearing surface for the top of each bottle relative to a second bearing surface for the bottom of the bottle to facilitate insertion of different sized bottles between the surfaces. A valve is selectively opened to enable liquid to be dispensed by gravity from the bottle through a dispensing tube extending through a stopper in the orifice. A vent tube attached to the stopper has an open end exposed to the atmosphere above a liquid-air interface in the bottle to assure the flow of liquid to the valve. The second surface carries the stopper and is on a plate that is detachable from the remainder of the holding structure and is horizontally slidable toward and away from a door through which bottles are inserted into the cabinet.
A structure for enabling liquid to be dispensed by gravity from orifices at the tops of a plurality of bottles adapted to be inserted simultaneously in situ into the structure, differing simultaneously inserted bottles being susceptible of having differing heights along longitudinal axes thereof between a bottom surface thereof and the top, comprising means for simultaneously holding the plurality of bottles in an inverted position so that the orifices of the bottles are below the bottom surfaces thereof and the longitudinal axes of the bottles are substantially vertical, said holding means including a stationary, horizontally extending first surface against which the bottom surfaces of all the bottles simultaneously bear, a separate horizontally extending second surface for each bottle, each second surface being arranged so a portion of the bottle removed from the bottom surface of the bottle bears against it, each of said second surfaces being vertically translatable relative to the first surface to accomodate bottles of differing heights, spring means for separately controlling the vertical position of each of the second surfaces and for maintaining the bottom surface and the removed bottle portion of each of the bottles in a bearing relation against the first surface and the separate second surfaces, valve means in fluid flow relationship with liquid at the orifice of each bottle for selectively enabling liquid to be dispensed by gravity from each of the bottles, and vent means for each of the bottles extending through the orifice of each of the bottles for applying sufficient pressure to an air-liquid interface in each bottle to cause the liquid in each bottle to flow by gravity to the valve means of each bottle.
A structure for enabling liquid to be dispensed by gravity from an orifice at the top of a bottle adapted to be inserted in situ into the structure, differing bottles being susceptible of having differing heights along longitudinal axes thereof between a bottom surface thereof and the top, comprising means for holding the bottle in an inverted position so that the orifice of the bottle is below the bottom surface and the longitudinal axis of the bottle is substantially vertical, said holding means including a stationary, horizontally extending first surface against which the bottom bottle surface bears, a horizontally extending second surface against which a portion of the bottle removed from the bottom surface of the bottle bears, said second surface being vertically translatable relative to the first surface, spring means of controlling the vertical position of the second surface and for maintaining the bottom surface and removed bottle portion in a bearing relation against the first and second surfaces, valve means in fluid flow relationship with liquid at the orifice for selectively enabling liquid to be dispensed by gravity from the bottle, and vent means extending through the orifice for applying sufficient pressure to an air-liquid interface in the bottle to cause the liquid to flow by gravity to the valve means, the spring means comprising a tension spring having one end fixedly mounted between the first and second surfaces and another end below the one end, said another end being connected to a member carrying the second surface to urge the second surface upwardly toward the first surface, a vertically extending door, the bottle while on the holding means being located behind the door, the door being positioned so that the bottle is inserted onto and removed from the holding means through the door, the second surface being on a member cantilevered from a vertical surface opposite from the door, the one end of the spring being positioned closer to the vertical surface than the another end of the spring, the another end of the spring being connected to the member at a region intermediate the vertical surface and a region against which the bottle bears vertically on the second surface, a stopper in the orifice, the vent means and valve means being connected to the bottle interior via conduits extending through the stopper, the stopper having a horizontal surface bearing against the region on the second surface, the second surface being on a plate, said plate being a separable part of the bottle holding means, said plate being horizontally slidable away from the vertical surface and toward the door so that the plate can be detached from the remainder of the holding means and the stopper with the bottle thereon in the inverted position can be placed on the plate while the plate is detached.
Apparatus for dispensing liquid by gravity from an orifice in a reservoir comprising means for holding the reservoir in an inverted position so the orifice is at the bottom of the reservoir, a vertically extending door, said holding means including a fixed portion and a slidable member, said slidable member including a plate having a horizontally extending surface against which the reservoir downwardly bears, the reservoir, while on the holding means, being located behind the door, the door and holding means being arranged so that the reservoir is inserted on and removed from the holding means through the door, a stopper in the orifice, the stopper having a horizontal surface bearing against the horizontal surface of the plate, a conduit extending through the stopper to be in fluid flow relation with liquid in the reservoir, valve means connected to the conduit for selectively enabling liquid to be dispensed by gravity from the reservoir, vent means extending through the stopper for applying sufficient pressure to the liquid in the reservoir to cause the liquid to flow by gravity to the valve means, the plate being horizontally slidable away from and toward the door so that the plate can be detached from the fixed portion of the holding means and the stopper with the bottle thereon in the inverted position can be placed on the plate while the plate is detached.
A structure for enabling liquid to be dispensed by gravity from an orifice at the top of a bottle adapted to be inserted in situ into the structure comprising means for holding the bottle in an inverted position so that the orifice of the bottle is below a bottom surface thereof and the longitudinal axis of the bottle is substantially vertical, said holding means including a horizontally extending first surface against which the bottom bottle surface bears, a plate including a horizontally extending second surface against which a portion of the bottle removed from the bottom surface of the bottle bears, said second surface being vertically translatable relative to the first surface, tension spring means for controlling the vertical position of the second surface and for maintaining the bottom surface and removed bottle portion in a bearing relation against the first and second surfaces, said spring having one end fixedly mounted between the first and second surfaces and another end below the one end, said another end being connected to a member carrying the second surface to urge the second surface upwardly toward the first surface, valve means in fluid flow relation with liquid at the orifice for selectively enabling liquid to be dispensed by gravity from the bottle, the second surface being on a member cantilevered from a vertical surface, said one end of the spring being positioned closer to the vertical surface than the another end of the spring, the another end of the spring being connected to the member at a region intermediate the vertical surface and a region against which the bottle bears vertically on the second surface, a stopper in the orifice, the valve means being connected to the bottle interior via a conduit extending through the stopper, the stopper having a horizontal surface bearing against the region on the second surface, said plate being a separable part of the bottle holding means, said plate being horizontally slidable away from the vertical surface so that the plate can be detached from the remainder of the holding means and the stopper with the bottle thereon in the inverted position can be placed on the plate while the plate is detached.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.