Fluid Container
A storage device for liquid and other substances made as a closed body with empty space for storage, including a base and upper part placed at a distance one opposite the other joined to each other by means of a thin and flexible envelope connected to the whole circumferences of them and wherein a stretching means are located on them force in opposite directions and generates a continuous tension on the envelope and prevent its collapsing, and wherein removal of the stretching means enables collapsing of the storage device envelope and reduction its volume.
The present invention relates to storage device generally and more particularly to a storage device for liquids, i.e., a bottle or bag.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONOne of the most severe ever-growing problems in recent years has been related to garbage and waste. The world literally fills up and becomes congested with mounds of waste.
Part of the waste, primarily organic waste, disintegrates and adversely affects the environment by polluting it; however, its effect is only temporary. On the other hand, a large amount of the waste includes non-degradable and non-disintegrating substances, mainly plastics and its by-products. These non-disintegrating substances take up a great deal of space and volume, thus constituting a real serious problem.
The use of the disposable products made of plastics, aluminum, cardboard, etc., has been greatly accelerated in recent years, due to the cheap price of raw materials as well as the convenience of using plastics and their easy workability, and also the inexpensive final price of the products.
Accelerating the use of disposable packing has greatly increased the waste accumulation problem, and in the future will become one of the largest problems with which the world will have to deal.
The use of disposable products constitutes a real ecological crime, in general, especially wherever disposable packing is concerned.
A disposable bottle of plastics, which had served as beverage storage for a short period of time until it was consumed, will roll around and be in the way till the end of days, or almost that long, unless it is collected and recycled.
In recent years a great deal of effort has been invested in raising the matter of recycling to the public awareness, including charging a deposit for the packing. It may take years before recycling is a success, if at all. Even if it yields partial success, still, the problem of the products that have already been dispersed will remain.
Many plastic products, especially bottles, take up large volume, although they are hollow, and despite the fact that their physical material is minimal. A plastic bottle of 2000 cc does not consist of more than 8-10 cc of material.
Once there is no longer any use for the bottle's contents, its packing becomes a continuous nuisance. Even at home the bottle is discarded in the dustbin and occupies a significant part of its volume, which requires frequent emptying. Moreover, the local refuse container fills up with many empty bottles and requires frequent emptying as well. The waste truck also fills up much faster due to the empty bottles, thus more drives to the local dump sites are needed. At the end of the process the mounds of wastes that are accumulated in the local dump site are higher and of a larger volume.
Even in areas of high recycling awareness the bottles constitute a continuous problem, since their large volume already poses a problem at the domestic stage, subsequently in the bottle collecting containers and finally in the carrying truck.
If it were possible to melt or crush the bottles already at the domestic stage, a great deal of the problems described above could be solved and avoided. However, domestic melting or crushing devices are only dreams that are far from reality.
One of the main objects of the present invention is to minimize, as much as possible, the volume of the empty bottles avoiding the need for the expensive devices that are intended for this purpose only, without any costs to the consumer. The French patents 2668732, 2550102, 2780912 as well as patent EP0554646 offers methods and empty bottle crushing devices when no longer in use. The ideas are tempting, but the thought that the consumer will purchase a device, install it in his home and invest real efforts in decreasing the volume of the empty bottles is unrealistic, as far as most consumers are concerned.
Another problem associated with the bottles and other storage devices is related to the thickness and strength of the material from which the bottles are made. For the purpose of liquid storage of a small quantity, such as a few liters only, a bag or a bottle with a similar thickness of a plastic bag could suffice. Indeed, there are drinks such as milk and cacao etc., which are sold when they are packed in bags and take up far less space in the waste disposal system. However, the use of bags for liquid storage is not convenient, since we expect the storage device to be placed firmly after opening it without collapsing, and spilling its contents, and without the need for accessories that will hold the bags and prevent their collapsing and spilling. In order to attribute more rigidity and convenience of pouring and use to the disposable storage device, the strength of the bottle material has been increased by enlarging the wall thickness, though for the purpose of storage only a significantly smaller wall thickness would have been sufficient. In other words, the desire to produce a disposable packing that would be convenient for use has forced the manufacturers to increase the strength of the bottle material, consequently creating the chain of problems as already described, associated with disposing the waste accumulation.
Therefore, another object of the present invention, which is no less important, is to allow the production of bottles and devices of a significantly thinner wall than the existing bottles that will not affect their external strength and the ease of their use and stability after opening them.
another object of the present invention is to provide a device that will give the bag-like packing, such as the milk bag etc., strength and stability while using it. A milk bag or a liquid soap bag, after being opened, cannot “stand on its own”, since without an accessory that will hold it and prevent it from collapsing, the whole contents will spill. An accessory device for a milk bag, or any other bag, has many drawbacks, as the storage device tends to accumulate fluids that can condense on the external side of the cold milk bag and slide to the bottom of the device, thus becoming a nursery of bacteria accumulation, etc. it should also be noted that the accumulated fluids at the bottom of the bag storage device tend to mix with the milk of the bag contents while diverting the storage device with the bag in it, beyond the horizontal line, and by that “enrich it” with bacteria and dirt.
another object of the present invention is a solution to the intensity of crushing or folding bottles storing devices, many inventions have been developed in an attempt to handle the serious problems as described, especially to reduce the volume of the empty bottles. Many hundreds of inventions suggested producing crushing or folding bottles and storing devices whose volume would be reduced, or such that would be folded or crushed when no longer in use. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,224,613, 4,898,306, 5,392,941 offer bottles or storage devices upon which termination of use, by pushing or squeezing them, they will crush, fold or collapse, thus reducing their volume. The main disadvantage of those inventions lies in the fact that the crushable devices are not stable and they tend to collapse or fold involuntarily; furthermore, their production is too costly and complex. Finally, they were not able to penetrate the market, and the disposable strong, comfortable and stable bottles could not be replaced.
This invention enables a voluntary crushing or collapsing operation by the user, thus reducing the volume, and so involuntary crushing or collapsing is prevented.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTIONThere is thus provided in accordance with some preferred embodiments of the present invention, an internal “stretching” device is offered. In a bottle, related to the present invention, the thickness of the bottle's envelope was reduced to the most feasible minimum, the base of the bottle and its upper part, which includes the neck and cup, are made of a thicker and more solid material, the result of such a structure is a type of bag being solid at its base as well as at its upper part, In order to make the walls of the bottle strong and stable enough, a hollow pipe-like sleeve is inserted through the bottle neck, reaching its base, joins the base of the bottle and its upper part and exerts a strong stretching force between the base of the bottle and its upper part, creates a continuous tension of the bottle's envelope and prevents its collapsing, and also offers stability and convenience of use, The hollow sleeve has bores along its length, especially in the part closest to the bottle neck, thus allowing passage of the bottle contents into the sleeve, from where it proceeds outside the bottle, when the bottle or the storage device is no longer in use, all the consumer needs to do is a simple operation of separating the sleeve from the bottle, Once the sleeve has been extracted from the bottle, the tension ceases to exist in the envelope, and the bottle can be crushed or folded, thus its volume can significantly be reduced.
Furthermore, in accordance with some preferred embodiments of the present invention the stretching means are fixed feature permanently joined to the base and to the upper part of the storage device.
Furthermore, in accordance with some preferred embodiments of the present invention the extractable hollow pipe-like sleeve is provided with attachments means intended to allow it's attachment to the inner perimeter of the cup's aperture.
Furthermore, in accordance with some preferred embodiments of the present invention the storage device's base includes a depression or protrusion that is intended to contain the inner part of the extractable pipe-like sleeve.
Furthermore, in accordance with some preferred embodiments of the present invention the extractable sleeve is inserted into the space of the storage device through an opening especially produced for that purpose on the upper part of the device which is not the cup's aperture.
Furthermore, in accordance with some preferred embodiments of the present invention the storage device is provided with more than one internal sleeve.
Furthermore, in accordance with some preferred embodiments of the present invention the extractable sleeve includes protruding flexible spring ribs applied in chosen points along the length of the sleeve perpendicular to the longitudinal line of the sleeve, supporting the device's envelope.
Furthermore, in accordance with some preferred embodiments of the present invention the envelope of the storage device includes reinforcing ribs.
Furthermore, in accordance with some preferred embodiments of the present invention the upper part of the extractable sleeve adjacent and faces the device's cup includes seizure and/or rotation means.
Furthermore, in accordance with some preferred embodiments of the present invention the cup provided with opposite suitable clutching means on it upper external surface for cooperation with the seizure and/or rotation means of the extractable sleeve.
Furthermore, in accordance with some preferred embodiments of the present invention the base and the upper part of the storage device includes external linking or connection means for mounting the storage device on external stretching and stabilizing device.
Furthermore, in accordance with some preferred embodiments of the present invention the storage device has the shape of elongated sleeve-like plastic bag.
Furthermore, in accordance with some preferred embodiments of the present invention the linking or connection means of the elongated sleeve-like plastic bag are made as hollow sleeves.
Furthermore, in accordance with some preferred embodiments of the present invention the linking or connection means of the elongated sleeve-like plastic bag are made as protruding bars.
Furthermore, in accordance with some preferred embodiments of the present invention the linking or connection means of the elongated sleeve-like plastic bag are made as shaped holes.
Furthermore, in accordance with some preferred embodiments of the present invention the shaped holes of the plastic bag include reinforcement means.
Furthermore, in accordance with some preferred embodiments of the present invention the linking or connection means are made as protruding shaped buttons.
Furthermore, in accordance with some preferred embodiments of the present invention the linking or connection means provided on the base and the upper part includes additional external Shaped accessories partially protrude outside the linking or connection means.
Furthermore, in accordance with some preferred embodiments of the present invention the additional external accessories are closed ring shaped.
Furthermore, in accordance with some preferred embodiments of the present invention the additional external accessories are open ring shaped.
Furthermore, in accordance with some preferred embodiments of the present invention the additional external accessories are hooked shaped.
Furthermore, in accordance with some preferred embodiments of the present invention the external stretching and stabilizing device is provided as flexible bar includes stable base and wherein the upper and the bottom parts of the flexible bar includes joining means allows joining of the storage device to the stretching and stabilizing device.
Furthermore, in accordance with some preferred embodiments of the present invention the flexible bar includes a handle.
Furthermore, in accordance with some preferred embodiments of the present invention the joining means are provided as two fingers-like pins standing perpendicular to the flexible bar.
Furthermore, in accordance with some preferred embodiments of the present invention the fingers-like joining pins provided as hollow pipe or sleeve.
It is hereby stated and clarified that in the detailed descriptions and drawings the use of the words “bottle, storage bag and storage device” etc., refer in general to “storage device” of liquids and other materials which can be replaced between the words, and in any place where a “bottle” is described, it can be called “a bag” and vice versa, and also refer to it in a general way as “storage device”.
It is hereby stated and clarified that the descriptions and drawings which have been used here serve for the purpose of better understanding of the invention and do not limit the innovations presented in this invention to those alone, but to the basic principles of the operation, as described in the following claims.
It is also stated and clarified that an expert in this area, after reading this detailed description, will be able to suggest changes and many other options which are related to the implementation of this invention, but covered in the following
Claims
1. A storage device for liquids and other substances made as a closed body with empty space for storage, including a base and upper part placed at a distance one opposite the other joined to each other by means of a thin and flexible envelope connected to the whole circumferences of them and wherein a stretching means are located between the upper part and the base touches both of them and exerts on them force in opposite directions and generates a continuous tension on the envelope and prevent it's collapsing, and wherein removal the stretching means enables collapsing of the storage device envelope and reduction its volume.
2. A storage device as described in claim 1, wherein the stretching means are located inside the inner space of the storage device
3. A storage device as described in claim 1, wherein the stretching means are located outside the storage device body.
4. A storage device as described in claim 2 includes a stable base and a reinforced upper part.
5. A storage device as described in claim 3 includes a stable base and a reinforced upper part.
6. A storage device as described in claim 4, wherein the upper part of the storage device includes an aperture that can be opened and closed with a cup.
7. A storage device as described in claim 5, wherein the upper part of the storage device includes an aperture that can be opened and closed with a cup.
8. A storage device as described in claim 2, wherein the stretching means are fixed feature permanently joined to the base and to the upper part.
9. A storage device as described in claim 3, wherein the stretching means are fixed feature permanently joined to the base and to the upper part.
10. A storage device as described in claim 8, wherein the stretching mean passes through the storage device cup aperture and part of it, especially the upper part, is hollow pipe-like sleeve includes apertures allows emptying the contents of the device through the stretching means.
11. A storage device as described in claim 6, wherein the stretching means includes a hollow extractable pipe-like sleeve which is inserted into the inner space of the storage device through the cup's aperture and wherein the extractable sleeve contains attachments means intended to allow it's attachment to the inner perimeter of the cup's aperture, and wherein the hollow pipe-like sleeve includes apertures allows emptying the contents of the device through the extractable sleeve.
12. A storage device as described in claim 11, wherein the attachments means of the extractable pipe-like sleeve includes external screwing on it's upper external perimeter and suitable opposite screwing provided on the inner perimeter of the cup's aperture.
13. A storage device as described in claim 11, wherein the attachments means of the extractable pipe-like sleeve includes teeth intended to be caught in suitable grooves which are provided around the internal perimeter of the cup's aperture.
14. A storage device as described in claim 11, wherein the attachments means of the extractable pipe-like sleeve includes flexible teeth or teeth intended to be caught in suitable grooves which are produced around the internal perimeter of the cup's aperture.
15. A storage device as described in claim 11, wherein the base of the storage device includes a depression that is intended to contain the inner part of the extractable pipe-like sleeve.
16. A storage device as described in claim 11, wherein the base of the storage device includes a protrusion that is intended to contain the inner part of the extractable pipe-like sleeve.
17. A storage device as described in claim 11, wherein the extractable sleeve is inserted into the space of the storage device through an opening especially produced for that purpose on the upper part of the device which is not the cup's aperture.
18. A storage device as described in claim 11 while more than one sleeve are provided.
19. A storage device as described in claim 11, wherein the extractable sleeve includes protruding flexible spring ribs applied in chosen points along the length of the sleeve, perpendicular to the longitudinal line of the sleeve, supporting the device's envelope.
20. A storage device as described in claim 1 wherein the envelope of the storage device includes reinforcing ribs.
21. A storage device as described in claim 11 wherein the upper part of the extractable sleeve adjacent and faces the device's cup includes seizure and/or rotation means.
22. A storage device as described in claim 21 wherein the seizure and/or the rotation means includes inner walls that traverse the internal space of the extractable sleeve.
23. A storage device as described in claim 21 including a cup provided with opposite suitable clutching means on it upper external surface for cooperation with the seizure and/or rotation means of the extractable sleeve.
24. A storage device as described in claim 23 wherein the clutching means of the cup includes shaped protrusions.
25. A storage device as described in claim 3 wherein the base and the upper part of the storage device includes external linking or connection means for mounting the storage device on external stretching and stabilizing device.
26. A storage device as described in claim 25 made as an elongated sleeve-like plastic bag.
27. A storage device as described in claim 26 wherein the linking or connection means are made as hollow sleeves.
28. A storage device as described in claim 26 wherein the linking or connection means are made as protruding bars.
29. A storage device as described in claim 26 wherein the linking or connection means are made as shaped holes.
30. A storage device as described in claim 29 wherein the shaped holes includes reinforcement means.
31. A storage device as described in claim 26 wherein the linking or connection means are made as protruding shaped buttons.
32. A storage device as described in claim 26 wherein the linking or connection means provided on the base and the upper part includes additional external Shaped accessories partially protrude outside the linking or connection means.
33. A storage device as described in claim 32 wherein the additional external accessories are hook shaped.
34. A storage device as described in claim 32 wherein the additional external accessories are closed ring shaped.
35. A storage device as described in claim 32 wherein the additional external accessories are open ring shaped.
36. A storage device as described in claim 25 wherein the external stretching and stabilizing device is provided as flexible bar including stable base and wherein the upper and the bottom parts of the flexible bar includes joining means allows joining of the storage device to the stretching and stabilizing device.
37. A storage device as described in claim 36 wherein the flexible bar includes a handle.
38. A storage device as described in claim 36 wherein the joining means are provided as two fingers-like pins standing perpendicular to the flexible bar.
39. A storage device as described in claim 38 wherein the fingers-like pins provided as hollow pipe or sleeve.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 21, 2004
Publication Date: Oct 9, 2008
Inventor: Yoav Weinberger (Haifa)
Application Number: 11/630,275
International Classification: B65D 8/04 (20060101);