US 4,874,023 A · Decap dispensing system for water cooler bottles

Abstract

A system for supplying liquid in large bottles from a point where they are filled to a dispenser having a reservoir for receiving the liquid. The bottles each have a neck which carries a cap unit for closing the spout thereof. Each cap unit has an outlet valve that is normally closed. The reservoir has means for supporting another normally closed inlet valve in a neck-receiving socket. When the neck is slipped into the socket the outlet valve of the cap unit is opened and substantially simultaneously the inlet valve for the reservoir is opened thus allowing flow of water form the bottle into the reservoir. When the bottle is removed from the reservoir as the cap unit is withdrawn from the neck-receiving socket, the outlet valve in the bottle neck cap unit is positively closed and the inlet valve of the reservoir automatically closes.

Claims18

Dependent claims

In combination a container for liquid having a projecting neck through which the liquid is dispensed, a cap and valve assembly for said neck, said cap and valve assembly having an outwardly opening socket for receiving the neck and a valve guide, a slider valve slidably mounted within the valve guide and controlling flow of liquid from the neck, a dispenser having an upwardly-opening reservoir for receiving said liquid, said reservoir having an annular wall, a neck-receiving socket member having a depending annular skirt depending into said reservoir and spaced from said annular wall, said socket member having a socket for receiving said neck which has an outlet, a slidable valve for controlling said outlet, said slidable valve comprising an upstanding guide and a slidable valve stem therein projecting upwardly above the guide, said stem having a valve head thereon, said upstanding guide having a seat, and a spring on said guide which normally biases the head onto said seat, and sealing means between the annular skirt on the socket member and the annular reservoir wall for providing an hermetic seal therebetween, said sealing means being in the form of a flexible gasket of C-cross-section, and means for expanding the gasket, said expanding means comprising means for producing relative axial movement between the annular skirt on the socket member and the annular wall of the reservoir.

In combination a container for liquid having a projecting neck through which the liquid contents is to be dispensed and a dispenser having a reservoir for receiving said liquid when the container is inverted thereon;

a cap and outlet valve assembly on said neck and comprising a guide with a slider outlet valve cooperating therewith for sliding movement between a normally-closed position and an opened position;
said guide being disposed within a cap skirt which is spaced therefrom to provide a neck-receiving socket having a seal engaged by the neck,
a socket and inlet valve assembly mounted in cooperation with said reservoir, said socket and inlet valve assembly comprising an upwardly-opening neck-receiving socket which receives the neck of said inverted container having the cap and outlet valve assembly, said inlet valve including a slider and a guide therefor disposed within said upwardly-opening neck-receiving socket, said slider normally-closing the inlet valve to close a reservoir inlet leading from the said upwardly-opening socket into said reservoir, said guide of the reservoir inlet valve upstanding from the bottom of the upwardly-opening socket and a valve stem slidably mounted therein and having a valve head normally engaging a seat thereon, said stem projecting upwardly from the inlet valve guide so as to engage the slidable outlet valve in the neck when the neck is inverted in the upwardly-opening socket to move said outlet valve into opened position, engagement of the stem with said slidable outlet valve also moving the stem downwardly in said inlet valve guide to move said valve head away from its seat, a seal between the inlet valve guide and the outlet valve guide, said cap skirt fitting tightly within the said upwardly-opening socket so as to prevent tilting of the container neck within the socket to prevent interference with said seal.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Decap dispensing system for water cooler bottles

Life of this patent

Decap dispensing system for water cooler bottles

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims18