Fluent material handling – with receiver or receiver coacting mea – Filling or refilling of dispensers
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-07
2001-09-11
Douglas, Steven O. (Department: 3751)
Fluent material handling, with receiver or receiver coacting mea
Filling or refilling of dispensers
C141S002000, C141S035000, C141S327000, C141S364000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06286564
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to a water cooler bottle and a water cooler system for dispensing cooled water.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Water coolers have been common fixtures at offices and homes for quite some time. These devices typically dispense bottled water which is free from the impurities associated with regular tap water. These water coolers are typically comprised of a refrigerated water dispensing unit and a large bottle of water (typically containing about 5 gallons of water).
The water dispensing unit typically has a means for receiving the water bottle on its top side. Typically the large bottle of water has a spout which must be positioned on the top side of the water dispensing unit so that the water will flow into a receiving pipe which will carry the water to a spigot typically located on the front of the water dispensing unit.
The problem with the current water coolers is the need to refill the large bottles of water. These bottles, when filled with water, will typically weigh approximately 40 pounds. The process for replacing an empty bottle of water typically entails removing the cover which seals the spout, lifting the water bottle, and inverting the water bottle so that the spout is positioned right on top of the receiving pipe. This process is quite cumbersome and requires significant strength and dexterity. Changing water bottles can lead to excessive water spillage and to injury if the person changing the water bottle lacks the strength and dexterity to perform the task.
There is prior art which has attempted to solve this problem by changing the design of the water bottle, but the prior art typically has added significant cost to the manufacture of the water bottle or has not fully addressed the problem of refilling the bottle. One such attempt to solve the problem of refilling the water bottle is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,105,858. This patent reveals a parallelepipedal shaped bottle with an elongated spout on one end and a smaller spout on the other end. The drawback in this design is that it does not conform to the shape of most water cooler bottles and subsequently will not fit in most water coolers. Secondly, the process of interconnecting the spouts located on the top of one bottle and located on the bottom portion of a second identical bottle is cumbersome and may result in excessive spillage. Furthermore, this invention does not easily adapt to the use of different bottles to refill the main bottle located on the water cooler.
Accordingly, there is a need for a water cooler bottle and a water cooler system which is easily refillable and still economical to use.
Accordingly there is also a need for a water cooler bottle which may be refilled using a variety of different water bottles.
The present invention is an easily refillable water cooler bottle and a water cooler system for dispensing cooled water.
As will be described in greater detail hereinafter, the present invention solves the aforementioned and employs a number of novel features that render it highly advantageous over the prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly it is an object of this invention to provide a water cooler bottle and a water cooler system which is easily refillable and still economical to use.
Accordingly it is also an object of this invention to provide a water cooler bottle which may be easily refilled using a variety of different water bottles.
To achieve these objectives, and in accordance with the purposes of the present invention the following open top water cooler bottle and system are presented.
The water cooler bottle is preferably made of a lightweight transparent plastic, but glass may also be used. The water cooler bottle has a cylindrical body in order to enable it to be used with most water cooler units, and is enclosed on one end by a top portion and on the other end by a bottom portion.
The top portion has a spout portion extending outwardly therefrom. The spout portion has an opening which is preferably positioned concentrically to the cylindrical body. The top portion is typically received by a water dispensing unit. The spout portion is positioned in alignment with a receiving pipe in the water dispensing unit.
The bottom portion with exception to a circular recessed portion is preferably horizontal in order to allow the bottle to be stored in an upright position while resting on the bottom portion. The circular recessed portion has a wall section and a floor section. The floor section has an aperture therethrough which is positioned concentrically to the cylindrical body. The aperture allows the water cooler bottle to be refilled by simply pouring water into the water cooler bottle through the aperture. A circular cap is removably disposed within the circular recessed portion in order to seal the aperture. The circular cap has a top surface and a side wall peripherally extending around the cap. The top surface has a gripping means mounted thereon.
A water cooler bottle is loaded onto a water dispensing unit by first removing a seal covering the spout portion of the top portion and then lifting the water cooler bottle by its cylindrical body. Once the bottle is lifted and by the water dispensing unit, the water cooler bottle is inverted by grabbing the gripping means on the cap and manipulating the gripping means to invert the water cooler bottle onto the water dispensing unit.
Once the water cooler bottle is empty, the water cooler bottle can be refilled by removing the cap thereby exposing the aperture in the bottom portion. Most water bottles can be used to refill the water cooler bottle by simply positioning the spout of the water bottle in the aperture and allowing the water bottle to rest on the bottom portion partially disposed within the circular recessed portion. Gravity, the aperture, and the wall section will combine to hold most water bottles stable on the bottom portion of the water cooler bottle. Smaller and lighter one or two gallon bottles can also be used to fill up the water cooler bottle.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3587904 (1971-06-01), Harris
patent: 4474303 (1984-10-01), Maccise
patent: 5105858 (1992-04-01), Levinson
patent: 5114042 (1992-05-01), Sutera
patent: 5611459 (1997-03-01), Hinch
patent: 5957513 (1999-09-01), Merritt
patent: 6065649 (2000-05-01), Scoggins
deVore Peter
Douglas Steven O.
Meroni & Meroni P.C.
Meroni, Jr. Charles F.
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