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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a self-dosing measuring chamber and container.
More particularly this invention relates to a bottle which has a part
thereof an upper cover portion which also serves as a measuring chamber to
measure out the dosage of the substance to be used from the container.
In the use of many liquid products it is necessary to measure out a
particular amount for use at any one time. This can be done through the
use of a measuring cup or some similar device. However, this then requires
a container for the substance, and in addition a separate measuring
device. It is more convenient if the measuring device can be an integral
part of the container which contains the product to be measured. Most
products are packaged in this way since it is then not required that the
user of the product maintain a separate device for measuring the quantity
of the product to be used. This decreases the possibility of spillage and
further results in less wastage which results from some of the product
always being left in the measuring device. The solution to this problem
has been to use self-dosing liquid measuring and pour devices. By
self-dosing it is meant that the container has as an integral part thereof
a means to measure the quantity of the product that is to be used. That
is, the container will have as an integral apart a means to determine the
dose of the product that is to be used.
The present invention is directed to a self-dosing container having a
measuring chamber in its upper cover. This self-dosing container is simple
in construction and quite easy to use. The container and the base part of
the measuring chamber can be one integral part. This would consist of a
container with a molded top portion. This top portion also contains a
spout for delivering the product contained in the container into a
measuring chamber. It is also a particular embodiment that the base part
of the measuring chamber be a separate piece from the container. In such
an arrangement the measuring chamber would contain the full dosing
mechanism. The measuring chamber would be attached to the container via
screw threads or by some clamping mechanism. Regardless of the exact
structure of the container and the cap there is provided an apparatus that
is simple in construction and easy to use.
The prior art contains many different types of self-dosing devices for
containers such as bottles. These consist of various general types of
devices. Various known self-dosing devices include pump devices, a squeeze
bottle with a metering well, a squeeze bottle with ball follower, air
valve metering, metering well in a bottle, siphoning techniques, a
measuring cavity built into the cap, a gravity timed ball check, a
measuring cavity built into a bottle handle, an internal metering with a
ball valve and measuring caps. These all operate on different principles.
The present technique is based on a measuring chamber built into an upper
part which is usually reserved for a cap. This new self-dosing device has
been found to be simple in design, have a low cost, and rather easy to
use.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,091,929 there is shown the use of a measuring cavity
built into a cap as a dispenser. This dispenser consists of an upwardly
extending spout from the base of the container cap. There is also an
upwardly extending exit spout. In use, the bottle or other container which
is attached to this dispenser is inverted in order to fill a part of the
cap. The container or bottle is then placed upright whereby a particular
amount of product in the container or bottle is measured out into the cap.
Then upon tilting the bottle or container the measured dosage of product
can be delivered from the container or bottle. However, a problem with
this device is that when the container or bottle is tilted to deliver a
dosage of product there is the possibility of leakage from the bottle.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,730,270 there is disclosed a squeeze bottle and liquid
measuring and dispensing device attached to this bottle. This device
consists of a cap portion which contains tubing which extends from above
the cap down to near the bottom of the bottle or container. There is an
outlet in the region of the top of the cap. In using this device, the
bottle is squeezed which forces liquid up a tube and into the liquid
measuring region. The bottle can then be inverted in order to dispense the
measured amount of liquid.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,254,809 there is disclosed a dispensing device for
tilting containers. This dispensing device consists of a container with a
cap which has a self-dosing mechanism. In this cap, there are two conduits
which communicate between the bottle and the cap. One of these conduits is
for delivery of the material which is to be dispensed from the container
while the other conduit is set so as to determine the amount of the
dosage. In usage, the bottle is tilted rearwardly so that some of the
product will flow from the bottle into the dispensing cap. After the
dosage amount has been delivered from the bottle to the cap, the bottle is
brought into an upright position, the cover removed or opened and the
bottle tilted forwardly in order to deliver the measured amount of product
from the bottle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,079,859 discloses a technique and device for measuring the
dosage of fluids. In essence, the device consists of a measuring chamber
built into a cap. There is disclosed in this patent a bottle which has
attached to the exit opening a cap which is in essence a second bottle.
Extending upwardly into this dispensing cap is a spout which interconnects
into the bottle which contains the product. This upper bottle contains a
closure. In order to dispense a given amount of liquid, the bottle is
tilted forwardly until the desired amount of liquid from the bottle flows
upwardly into the cap measuring portion. When the given amount has been
flowed into the cap measuring portion, the bottle is then brought into an
upright position. The closure on the measuring cap is then removed and the
bottle tilted forwardly again. In this second forward tilting since the
cap has been removed from the dispensing cap, the dosage of product can
then be delivered to the point where needed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,646,948 discloses a measuring container with a modified
pour spout. This pour spout can be an integral part of the container or it
can be part of the cap for the container. In one particular embodiment,
there is shown an upwardly extending channel into an upper dose measuring
region. The dose measuring region has a cap closure. In usage, the
container is inverted until the desired amount of liquid has passed from
the bottle up into the measuring cap. After this has occurred, the cap
closure is removed and the measured dosage is dispensed from the
container. This is an interesting self-dosing technique, however, it has
several drawbacks. A particular drawback is that with the exit cap in the
top of the measuring chamber the bottle will have to be tilted to such an
extent to dispense the measured amount of substance that more of the
substance can be accidentally permitted to flow from the bottle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,666,065 discloses yet a further liquid measuring and
pouring device. This is fairly complex liquid measuring and pouring
device. It consists of a cap portion which can be placed on a bottle or
the like and which has chambers which extend in opposite directions. The
chamber that extends in a first direction is utilized to measure the
amount of a substance that is desired to be removed from the bottle and to
hold it until it is desired to dispense the substance. At that point, the
cap on one end of the closure is removed and the measured substance is
dispensed by tilting the bottle forwardly in the direction of the spout so
that the dosage in the measuring chamber can be emptied. Besides being
quite intricate, this dosage measuring device requires a considerable
amount of space and will require a fairly high degree of structural
integrity.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The various problems of the prior art are resolved in the present
self-dosing container. As has been pointed out above this self-dosing
container is very simple in structure and very easy to use. The dosing
mechanism fits onto the top of containers and requires a minimum of extra
space. This is important since added space will mean increase packaging
costs as well as the ability to stack fewer of the items onto a store
shelf. Consequently, the objective is to have a simple, workable, and yet
compact self-dosing container. This is accomplished by having an upper
cover portion which is also a measuring chamber. This measuring chamber
communicates with the bottle through an inlet delivery spout. This
measuring chamber communicates with the exterior through an outlet spout
which has a cap closure. The inlet delivery spout has particular
dimensions. The wall of the inlet delivery spout which faces the outlet
spout is of a height of about the upper surface of the outlet spout. The
wall of the delivery spout which is adjacent to the wall of the measuring
chamber is of a height slightly below that of the lower surface of the
outlet spout. The dimensions of this inlet delivery spout are important.
These dimensions will determine the amount of substance from the bottle
that is measured into the measuring chamber, and further will ensure that
when this measured amount is poured from the measuring chamber that
additional product is not poured from the bottle.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a self-dosing bottle container.
FIG. 2 is a sectional view in elevation of the self-dosing bottle wherein
part of the upper cover structure is an integral part of the container.
FIG. 3 is an elevational sectional view of the self-dosing container
showing the base portion of the measuring chamber to be inserted into the
neck of the container.
FIG. 4 is a sectional elevational view of the self-dosing container wherein
the base of the measuring chamber is threadly connected to the bottle
container and wherein the measuring chamber is shown in the position of
having received liquid from the container.
FIGS. 5, 6, and 7 illustrate the sequence for using the present self-dosing
container.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present self-dosing container will be described with regard to a bottle
container. A bottle container, and one that is used to hold a detergent,
soap solution, fabric softener or the like is a preferred use for the
present self-dosing container.
With particular reference to FIG. 1 there is shown a bottle 10 and upper
cover portion 11. The bottle has a handle 12 with an opening 13 whereby
the handle can be easily gripped. The container has a continuous wall 14.
This bottle container can be of essentially any shape or design. The
presently depicted bottle is one of a general design that is used for
containing detergents, soap solutions and fabric softeners. It is the
upper cover portion 11 that contains the self-dosing mechanism. The upper
cover portion 11 consists of a measuring chamber 20 which is defined by
walls 16. In this embodiment the measuring chamber is shown as containing
a dosage of the liquid 17 from the bottle. The measuring chamber is
interconnected to the bottle by means of the attachment mechanism at 19.
At one end of the upper cover 11 is a screw cap closure 15 which is used
to open and close the exit spout of the measuring chamber. Within the
measuring chamber and distant from the exit spout, there is the inlet
delivery spout 18. It is through this inlet delivery spout that liquid is
fed to the measuring chamber from the bottle.
FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of an embodiment of the measuring chamber
of the bottle of FIG. 1. In FIGS. 2, 3, and 4 the mechanism of operation
of the self-dosing is the same. However, the structure of the upper cover
which contains the measuring chamber, and in particular the means of
connecting the upper cover to the bottle is shown in different
embodiments. In FIG. 2, part of the self-dosing structure is a part of the
bottle. In this embodiment the upper bottle closure 23 and the walls 21
and 22 of the delivery spout 18 will be formed along with the walls 14 of
the bottle. One particular technique that can be utilized is blow molding.
In this embodiment, after the bottle 10 along with the upper closure 23
with the inlet delivery spout 18 is formed the walls 22 and 21 of the
inlet delivery spout are trimmed to the proper height. The height of the
wall portion 22 and the wall portion 21 are important features in this
self-dosing container. The wall 22 must be of a sufficient height so that
when the bottle is tilted in order to deliver the measured volume for
usage additional liquid will not flow from the bottle. The wall 21 is of a
height which is slightly below the lowest point of the exit spout 24(a).
This is necessary so that when the measuring chamber 20 is filled and the
cap closure 15 removed that liquid in this measuring chamber will not
inadvertently flow from the measuring chamber.
A minimum number of degrees of rotation of the bottle is needed to dispense
material for neatness and control. An angle of about 10 degrees is
desirable. This angle increases as product is dispensed to the point that
the bottle is inverted when it is nearly empty. That is, there is control
of the amount of liquid in the measuring chamber and the flow of liquid
from the bottle while liquid is being poured.
The structure of this measuring a chamber is dependent of the structure of
this inlet delivery spout. Generally, the wall or walls of this spout will
form an angle of at least about 30 degrees and preferably at least about
45 degrees at the spout opening. This is the angle between the lowest
point of the spout opening and the highest point of the spout opening.
FIG. 3 shows a related embodiment of the self-dosing container of FIG. 2.
In this embodiment, the bottle 10 is an open necked bottle. The closure
piece 29 for the open neck bottle fits downwardly as a tight fit into the
neck of the bottle. This is a friction fit. That is, wall 26 of this
closure piece fits tightly into the neck 27 of the bottle. This closure
piece carries the inlet delivery spout 18. In all other aspects, this
self-dosing cap is the same as that which is shown in FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 shows a further embodiment of the self-dosing container. In this
embodiment, the closure for the bottle is a screw closure which also
contains the delivery inlet 18. In this embodiment, threads on the
exterior of the neck 27 of the bottle are contacted on by the threads on
the interior of wall 28 of the closure. In all other respects, this
self-dosing container is essentially the same as that of FIG. 2. For
illustrative purposes in this figure the measuring chamber 20 is shown as
containing liquid 17 from the bottle 10.
FIGS. 5, 6, and 7 disclose the use of the present self-dosing container.
In FIG. 5, the container is shown in a tilted orientation. The tilt, or
degree of rotation, will vary as the bottle is emptied. Here the bottle is
shown to be inverted (90 degree rotation) which is a position that will be
used when the bottle is almost fully emptied. Initial doses will require
only about 10 degrees of rotation. In this orientation, liquid 17 of the
container flows through inlet delivery spout 18 to the dose measuring
chamber 20. In this orientation, it is seen that the dose measuring
chamber 20 can become partially or fully filled with the liquid 17.
However in the next step, which is shown in FIG. 6 the bottle 10 is set
into an upright orientation with the excess liquid that had flowed into
the measuring chamber 20 now flowing downwardly back through the inlet
delivery spout 18 and back into a bottle 10. As has been pointed out, the
amount of liquid 17 that will remain in the measuring chamber 20 will be
determined by the height of the wall 21 of inlet spout 18. Any liquid that
would be above the height of this wall would flow downwardly back into a
bottle 10. It is also to be noted that in the orientation of FIG. 6, the
liquid that is in the measuring chamber 20 is at a level which is below
the lowest point 24(a) of exit spout 25. After the bottle 10 has been put
into this orientation, the cap 15 is removed and the bottle is tilted to
pour the contents of the measuring chamber 20 into a point of usage.
Generally, after the sequence of FIGS. 5 through 7 has been completed, the
cap 15 will be put back onto the bottle 11 and the bottle with cap closure
stored. However, if it is desired to use another dose of the liquid from
the bottle 10 after the cap closure 15 has been replaced onto the
self-dosing cap 10, the procedure of FIGS. 5 through 7 can be repeated.
In the present embodiment, the cap 15 is shown to be threadedly attached to
the self-dosing cap 11. Other techniques can be utilized. However, using a
threaded connection provides for a connection which assures that liquid
will not leak from the bottle at this point.
The container and cover portions can be made out of any convenient
material. However, the preferred materials are various conventional and
readily available plastics. These plastics include high density
polyethylene, low density polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutadiene,
polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl acetate, polyethylene
terephthalate, polybutadiene terephthalate and various copolymers of these
polymeric materials. In essence, essentially, any polyene and/or polyester
can be utilized for the various parts of the self-dosing container. The
actual materials to be utilized will depend on the liquid material to be
contained in the self container as well as on the desired shape, size and
other characteristics of the self-dosing container. In essence, there is
no particular limitation with regard to the materials that can be utilized
to fabricate either the container portion or the cover portion.
It is likewise the case that the bottle 10 and the self-dosing cap 11 can
be of essentially any convenient size.
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