Dispensing – Internally extending outlet pipe
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-09
2001-12-25
Shaver, Kevin (Department: 3754)
Dispensing
Internally extending outlet pipe
C222S464300, C222S526000, C222S527000, C222S533000, C383S904000, C383S906000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06332564
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid container comprising a bag-shaped container body and a delivery unit for taking out an inner content filling the bag-shaped container body.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are known liquid containing to be filled with orange juice or another fluid as shown in
FIG. 9
, and the shown liquid container
101
comprises a bag-shaped container body
102
formed of a flexible film and having an upper opening portion and a delivery unit
106
having a mouth portion
103
, a joining portion
104
and a conduit portion (shank portion)
105
as a shank portion, in which the joining portion
104
of the delivery unit
106
is secured to an opened end
102
a
of the bag-shaped container body
102
.
In the liquid container
101
mentioned above, since the mouth portion
103
, the joining portion
104
and the conduit portion
105
of the delivery unit
106
are formed unitedly with each other, the mouth portion
103
of the delivery unit
106
extends perpendicularly outward over the upper end of the bag-shaped container body in a state that the joining portion
104
of the delivery unit
106
is secured to the opened end
102
a
of the bag-shaped container body
102
having the upper opening.
In the liquid container mentioned above, since the mouth portion
103
of the delivery unit
106
straightly extends from the joining portion
104
, the container filled up with the inner content maintains a state that the mouth portion
103
extends perpendicularly outward over the upper end of the bag-shaped container body
102
. For this structure, in a case where a plurality of such liquid containers filled up with the inner liquid content are packaged and conveyed to an aimed place(destination) in a state that the liquid containers are vertically piled up with each other in a corrugated board container box, it is required that each of the vertically piled-up liquid containers occupies a vertical space corresponding to a total height summing up a height of the container body and an extending length of the mouth portion of the delivery unit. In such piled arrangement of the liquid containers, the space corresponding to a height of the extending length of the mouth portion cannot not be effectively utilized, thus being defective for the packaging or loading efficiency and, hence, being not economical.
Moreover, the conduit(shank) portion
105
of the delivery unit
106
extends straightly vertically in the container body
102
in the state that the liquid container
101
is in a usual vertical position, and accordingly, when the delivery unit
106
is rotated and tilted so that the delivery unit
106
takes its horizontal attitude with respect to the container body
102
, the free end portion (a distal front end) of the conduit portion
105
abuts against the inner surface of the container body even at a small rotating angle. It is therefore difficult to rotate the delivery unit at a large rotating angle, and hence, such liquid container is not effectively usable as a liquid container to be used for a person who lies on a bed, for example.
Furthermore, when it is required for a person to drink the inner content filling the container bag while maintaining the horizontal state of both the container body
102
and the delivery unit
106
of the liquid container
101
, the mouth portion
103
and the conduit portion
105
are positioned on the same straight level as that of the joining portion
104
and, hence, the lower portion of the container body
102
swells downward because of the inner liquid content. Accordingly, the axial line of the delivery unit
106
becomes parallel to the surface level of the inner liquid content, so that when a person such as patient lying on a bed wants to drink the inner liquid with a weak mouth closing force, there may be that an undesired large amount of the liquid flowing out from the container body and, in an adverse case, the liquid may flow into a bronchus of the patient.
Furthermore, there has been known in the prior art a liquid container
201
, such as shown in
FIG. 10
, which comprises a bag-shaped container body
202
and a delivery unit
206
having a mouth portion
203
and a joining portion
204
and having no conduit (shank) portion, in which the joining portion
204
is secured to an opened end portion
202
a
of the container body
202
.
The delivery unit
206
of such liquid container
201
can be rotated at a large angle because of no conduit portion extends in the container body. However, when the delivery unit
206
is rotated and tilted with respect to the container body
202
, an inner opened end portion of the delivery unit
206
positioned inside the container body
202
may contact the inner surface of the container body
202
and may be closed by the inner surface of the container body
202
. Moreover, when an inner liquid content
207
is reduced, inner surfaces, constituting front and back surfaces (walls), of the container body
202
may cling to each other. Therefore, it is also difficult to use such liquid container for a person lying on a bed, for example.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to substantially eliminate defects or drawbacks encountered in the prior art mentioned above and to provide a liquid container having a delivery unit having a portion bendable in a horizontal direction to reduce the entire vertical height of the liquid container thereby eliminating an extra space when piled in a corrugated board box, for example.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a liquid container with a delivery unit having a portion bendable in a horizontal direction so that even a person lying on a bed can easily drink the liquid stored in the liquid container.
These and other objects can be achieved according to the present invention by providing a liquid container comprising:
a bag-shaped container body formed of a flexible film and having an opened end portion; and
a delivery unit having a mouth portion, a joining portion and a shank portion, the joining portion being secured to the opened end portion of the bag-shaped container body, the mouth portion extending outward of the bag-shaped container body from the joining portion and the shank portion extending inside the bag-shaped container body from the joining portion,
the joining portion and the shank portion of the delivery unit being connected to be relatively rotatable with each other.
The shank portion may be a tubular conduit portion having a throughout passage which is communicated with a throughout passage formed to said mouth portion and said joining portion.
In preferred embodiments, the joining portion and the shank portion of the delivery unit are pivotally connected by engaging means.
The engaging means may be composed of a pin member provided for either one of the shank portion and the joining portion and a hole formed to another one of the shank portion and the joining portion, the pin member being fitted into the hole. In an alternation, the pin member is unitedly formed to either one of the shank portion and the joining portion.
The shank portion and the joining portion of the delivery unit may be connected by a flexible bellows portion.
There may be a case where the joining portion and the shank portion are connected so as to maintain the shank portion at at least a predetermined rotated angle position with respect to the joining portion.
In such an embodiment, the liquid container may further comprise means for maintaining the shank portion at at least a predetermined rotated angle position with respect to the joining portion. When the joining portion and the shank portion of the delivery unit are pivotally connected by engaging means, the engaging means may constitute the rotated angle position maintaining means with a fitting resistance holding the shank portion at an optional rotated angle position with respect to the joining portion.
In the above aspect, the engaging means may be composed of a pin member provided for ei
Hosokawa Yoko Co., Ltd.
Nicolas Frederick
Parkhurst & Wendel L.L.P.
Shaver Kevin
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