Decap dispensing system for water cooler bottles

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 in said neck, said assembly comprising a cap carrying a guide structure and an annular slider outlet valve, said slider outlet valve being mounted for sliding movement along said guide structure between a normally-closed position and an opened position;
• said guide structure having a length, being mounted on said cap and extending into the neck, means forming elongated outlet passages along said length, said guide structure comprising at least two arcuate surfaces engaging said slider outlet valve,
• said slider outlet valve having a length of substantially lesser extent than said passages to permit flow through said passages as the valve moves toward said opened position,
• 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 having an axis which receives the neck of said container when inverted, said inlet valve including a valve stem carrying a valve body which is normally biased to closed position, a reservoir inlet leading from the said upwardly-opening socket into said reservoir and closed by said valve body when in closed position, a probe coaxially mounted with and extending upwardly in said upwardly-opening socket, said valve stem being axially slidably mounted in said probe, said valve stem projecting upwardly from the probe so as to engage said slider outlet valve in the container neck when the neck is inverted in the upwardly-opening socket to move said slider outlet valve into said opened position, engagement of the stem with said slider outlet valve also moving the stem downwardly in said probe to move said valve body carried thereby into said opened position from said normally-biased closed position, said guide structure comprising inwardly extending elongated guides having said arcuate guide surfaces with said outlet passages therebetween,
• said inwardly extending guides being of arcuate cross-section annularly spaced with said outlet passages therebetween, said inwardly extending guides consisting of a pair of diametrically opposed guides with diametrically opposed passages therebetween, said guides being carried on an outer ring, said slider outlet valve and guides having interengaging means in the form of a cooperating groove and a rib snapped into the groove tending to hold the slider outlet valve in said closed position.

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 in said neck, said assembly comprising a cap carrying a guide structure and an annular slider outlet valve, said slider outlet valve being mounted for sliding movement along said guide structure between a normally-closed position and an opened position;
• said guide structure having a length, being mounted on said cap and extending into the neck, means forming elongated outlet passages along said length, said guide structure comprising at least two arcuate surfaces engaging said slider outlet valve,
• said slider outlet valve having a length of substantially lesser extent than said passages to permit flow through said passages as the valve moves toward said opened position,
• 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 having an axis which receives the neck of said container when inverted, said inlet valve including a valve stem carrying a valve body which is normally biased to closed position, a reservoir inlet leading from the said upwardly-opening socket into said reservoir and closed by said valve body when in closed position, a probe coaxially mounted with and extending upwardly in said upwardly-opening socket, said valve stem being axially slidably mounted in said probe, said valve stem projecting upwardly from the probe so as to engage said slider outlet valve in the container neck when the neck is inverted in the upwardly-opening socket to move said slider outlet valve into said opened position, engagement of the stem with said slider outlet valve also moving the stem downwardly in said probe to move said valve body carried thereby into said opened position from said normally-biased closed position, said guide structure comprising inwardly extending elongated guides having said arcuate guide surfaces with said outlet passage therebetween, said annular slider outlet valve engaging said arcuate guide surfaces and being of substantially lesser axial extend than said guides and passages, said inwardly extending guides being of arcuate cross-section to provide said arcuate guide surface and annularly spaced to provide said elongated outlet passages therebetween, said arcuate guides being carried by an outer ring having an outlet opening normally closed by said outlet valve, said outlet valve having resilient gripping fingers biased to engage said ring to normally hold the outlet valve in said normally closed position.

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 in said neck, said assembly comprising a cap carrying a guide structure and an annular slider outlet valve, said slider valve being mounted for sliding movement along said guide structure between a normally-closed position and an opened position;
• said guide structure having a length, being mounted on said cap and extending into the neck, means forming elongated outlet passages along said length, said guide structure comprising at least two arcuate surfaces engaging said slider outlet valve,
• said slider outlet valve having a length of substantially lesser extent than said passages to permit flow through said passages as the valve moves toward said opened position,
• 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 having an axis which receives the neck of said container when inverted, said inlet valve including a valve stem carrying a valve body which is normally biased to closed position, a reservoir inlet leading from the said upwardly-opening socket into said reservoir and closed by said valve body when in closed position, a probe coaxially mounted with an extending upwardly in said upwardly-opening socket, said slider valve stem being axially slidably mounted in said probe, said valve stem projecting upwardly from the probe so as to engage said slider outlet valve in the container neck when the neck is inverted in the upwardly-opening socket to move said slider outlet valve into said opened position, engagement of the stem with said slider outlet valve also moving the stem downwardly in said probe to move said valve body carried thereby into said opened position from said normally-biased closed position, said probe including an upstanding tubular support in said upwardly-opening neck-receiving socket that has the said valve stem mounted therein for downward movement, a valve seat on said support, around said inlet into said reservoir said inlet valve body being carried by said stem for normally seating upwardly on said valve seat on said support, said support having inlet means above said valve seat, said probe having a head mounted on said upstanding support, said slider outlet valve have a downwardly-opening socket, said head being adapted to fit in said downwardly opening socket in said slider outlet valve, said upwardly projecting stem also extending into said slider outlet valve socket before the probe head enters therein upon insertion of the container neck in said neck-receiving socket, said probe having finger-engaging locking means, and locking fingers carried by said slider outlet valve for engaging said locking means as it is pushed into said opened position by said stem and probe head, said locking means being on said probe head and being engaged by inwardly projecting locking lugs on said fingers, said guide structure comprising guides carried by an outer ring which has an outlet opening, said fingers being normally biased to engage said ring and hold the outlet valve in closed position, said ring having a cam surface for moving the locking lugs into locking engagement with said finger-engaging locking means on the probe head as the probe head enters said downwardly-opening outlet valve socket.

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 in said neck, said assembly comprising a cap carrying a guide structure and a slider outlet valve, said slider valve being mounted for sliding movement along said guide structure between a normally-closed position and an opened position;
• said guide structure having a length, being mounted on said cap and extending into the neck, means forming elongated outlet passages along said length,
• said slider outlet valve having a length of substantially lesser extent than said passages to permit flow through said passages as the valve moves toward said opened position,
• 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 having an axis which receives the neck of said container when inverted, said inlet valve including a valve stem carrying a valve body which is normally biased to closed position, a reservoir inlet leading from the said upwardly-opening socket into said reservoir and closed by said valve body when in closed position, a probe coaxially mounted with and extending upwardly in said upwardly-opening socket, said valve stem being axially slidably mounted in said probe, said valve stem projecting upwardly from the probe so as to engage said slider outlet valve in the container neck when the neck is inverted in the upwardly-opening socket to move said slider outlet valve into said opened position, engagement of the stem with said slider outlet valve also moving the stem downwardly in said probe to move said valve body carried thereby into said opened position from said normally-biased closed position, said neck-receiving socket and inlet valve assembly including an adaptor of funnel shape having a flared socket portion, a container neck-receiving portion of tubular form adapted to fit the said tubular neck of a container leading from said flared socket portion, said inlet valve being disposed in said tubular neck-receiving portion for controlling said inlet which leads therefrom into the reservoir, said probe support is in the form of a tube upstanding from said inlet leading into said reservoir, said valve body seating upwardly around said inlet, and biasing means being in the form of a compression spring normally urging said valve stem upwardly to seat said valve body.

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 in said neck, said assembly comprising a cap carrying a guide structure and an annular slider outlet valve, said slider outlet valve being mounted for sliding movement along said guide structure between a normally-closed position and an opened position;
• said guide structure having a length, being mounted on said cap and extending into the neck means forming elongated outlet passages along said length,
• said slider outlet valve having a length of substantially lesser extent than said passages to permit flow through said passages as the valve moves toward said opened position,
• 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 having an axis which receives the neck of said container when inverted, said inlet valve including a valve stem carrying a valve body which is normally biased to closed position, a reservoir inlet leading from the said upwardly-opening socket into said reservoir and closed by said valve body when in closed position, a tubular probe coaxially mounted with and extending upwardly in said upwardly-opening socket from said inlet, said valve stem being axially slidably mounted in said probe, said valve stem projecting upwardly from the probe so as to engage said slider outlet valve in the container neck when the neck is inverted in the upwardly-opening socket to move said slider outlet valve into said opened position, engagement of the stem with said slider outlet valve also moving the stem downwardly in said probe to move said valve body carried thereby into said opened position from said normally-biased closed position, said neck-receiving socket and inlet valve assembly including an adaptor of funnel shape having a flared socket portion, a container neck-receiving portion of tubular form adapted to fit the said tubular neck of a container leading from said flared socket portion, said inlet valve being disposed in said tubular neck-receiving portion for controlling said inlet which leads therefrom into the reservoir, said probe having a head of annular form, outlets disposed around the probe head leading into said tubular probe support, said probe head having a tapered lower surface for directing liquid from said outlet into said tubular support.