Dispensing – Inspection devices – Graduated transparent container or trap
Reexamination Certificate
1998-03-26
2001-06-12
Bomberg, Kenneth (Department: 3754)
Dispensing
Inspection devices
Graduated transparent container or trap
C222S382000, C222S377000, C222S464300, C222S464700
Reexamination Certificate
active
06244471
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a container for pouring out predetermined volumes of liquid with an immersion tube run into the container interior.
Containers with immersion tubes for bringing out the liquid contained in them are known per se in the form of spray containers for window cleaning agents and similar. In them the immersion tube extends down to the bottom wall, in order that the container may be completely emptied. A dispenser screwed onto a container nozzle, and to which the immersion tube leads, has a pump operable by the user, which for each operating stroke sucks out of the container interior and delivers a volume of liquid predetermined by the latter's displacement. Said volumes of liquid lie in the range of fractions of one ml to several milliliters.
For many applications it is necessary, however, to bring out of a container greater predetermined volumes of liquid, which typically lie in the range between fractions of a liter and several liters. If the containers referred to above with a small manually operated metering pump were to be used, however, a very large number of operations of the pumps would be required for this. To avoid this, a time-controlled electrical metering pump could in principle be used. Such pumps are however expensive.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention seeks to provide a container by which predetermined volumes in the range of a fraction of a liter up to several liters can be brought out of the container quickly and accurately.
Accordingly, the invention provides a container for delivering at least two predetermined volumes of liquid, the container including an immersion tube which extends into the container interior, and further including means for orienting the container in at least two predetermined positions are provided, in which in a first of said positions the part volume of the container left below the inlet opening of the immersion tube is greater than in a second of the positions.
In another aspect, the invention provides a container for delivering at least two predetermined volumes of liquid, the container including an immersion tube which extends into the container interior, the immersion tube having an inlet opening which can be set in at least two predetermined positions, in which in a first of said positions the part volume of the container left below the inlet opening is greater than in a second of the positions.
With the container according to the invention it is possible to set different relative positions between the end of the immersion tube and the level of the liquid contained in the container. There can be brought out of the container, in accordance with said various relative positions, different predetermined amounts of liquids, which are predetermined due to the fact that the end of the immersion tube projects out of the liquid level, which takes place with the different relative positions between immersion tube end and liquid level and with different residual amounts of liquid in the container.
The realization of such different relative positions between immersion tube end and level of the liquid contained in the container can be brought about with simple design measures regarding the container or regarding the immersion tube or its mounting. The costs thereby incurred are only small, particularly if the container is mass-produced as a plastics moulding.
With the mass production methods commonly employed today, the shape of a container can be realized in a simple manner both for metal containers and for plastics containers by corresponding shaping of the production mould. Preferably, the means for setting different positions of the container comprise different standing surfaces of the container. This enables a container to be provided cost effectively with several walls suitable as standing surfaces, which are used selectively as container standing surfaces, as a rule in a predetermined sequence.
Preferably, at least two of the different standing surfaces form substantially a right angle with one another. This can provide a choice different standing surfaces, which is of advantage in terms of compact form and clear differentiation of the various standing surfaces.
Preferably, the means for setting different positions of the container comprise different suspension points. This can be preferred for applications in which a horizontal standing area is not provided for the container. A supporting structure cooperating with the suspension point of the container (if necessary the finger of a user) can however be found everywhere. Because the center of gravity of the wholly or still only partially filled container is positioned below the particular suspension point selected, the associated respective relative position between immersion tube end and liquid level is set.
Preferably, the means for setting different positions of the inlet opening of the immersion tube comprise means for bending at least one section of the immersion tube. For example, this can be achieved by means of a rod bent into the immersion tube can be provided simultaneously with a scale readable e.g. at the delivery end of the immersion tube, on which scale is given the volume of liquid that can be removed from the container in the respective rod position.
Preferably, the means for setting different positions of the inlet opening of the immersion tube comprise means for swivelling the immersion tube. In this case the means for swivelling the immersion tube, which takes the form e.g. of a lever, can serve simultaneously as a pointer which passes in front of a scale attached to the container. Said scale indicates the volume of liquid removable from the container when the lever is in a particular position.
Preferably, the means for setting different positions of the inlet opening of the immersion tube comprise means for freeing respectively one of a plurality of different axially spaced inlet openings in the immersion tube, and that the immersion tube is sealed at the free end. In this construction of container, the immersion tube remains stationary. The selection of the respective inlet opening to be freed in the immersion tube can be realized particularly simply in this way. Here the operational end of the control tube can be provided simultaneously with a scale which indicates together with a mark made on the housing what volume of liquid can be removed from the container when the control tube has adopted a particular angular position.
Preferably, the immersion tube is surrounded liquid-tight by a rotatable control tube which comprises control openings axially aligned with the inlet openings, and that the control openings and the inlet openings are so distributed in the angular direction that in predetermined relative angle positions between control tube and immersion tube in each case exactly one inlet opening is also aligned with a control opening in the peripheral direction. This construction makes it possible to bring out the entire contents of the container via the immersion tube. It can also be advantageous for other applications to situate the end of the immersion tube at a distance from all the wall surfaces of the container, in which case there then remains in the container a pre-determined volume of residual liquid which can be poured out via a spout of the container.
Preferably, the wall of the container in a region adjacent to the end of the immersion tube is formed with a depression in which the end of the immersion tube can be received. This construction is of advantage in terms of a further improvement in the bringing out of residual liquid via the immersion tube.
Preferably, the container includes at least one further immersion tube which also has a delivery end and a connector fitting, in which the said immersion tubes are combined at their immersion ends and are connected at their delivery ends by means of the connector fitting. This can make it possible to connect different consumers to the container via different connecting lines, in particular those of a different diameter.
Preferably, the
Bomberg Kenneth
Durr Dental GmbH & Co. KG
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