REFILL SYSTEM
A refill system is disclosed. The refill system having a container structure, having a wall with a refill opening, and a sealing structure, wherein the sealing structure is held by the container structure movably along the wall with the refill opening and is movable between a first position, which closes the refill opening, and a second position, which opens the refill opening.
The invention relates to a refill system, in particular for liquids.
BACKGROUNDRefill systems are used to transfer liquids into vessels however current designs may not be reliable or stable.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a refill system, in particular for refilling liquids, which is improved with regard to its safe usability and stability of the refill system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONA refill system is disclosed. The refill system having a container structure, having a wall with a refill opening, and a sealing structure, wherein the sealing structure is held by the container structure movably along the wall with the refill opening and is movable between a first position, which closes the refill opening, and a second position, which opens the refill opening.
In another embodiment the combination of a refill system and a perfume bottle configured for use with the refill system is provided. The refill system comprising a container structure, having a wall with a refill opening, and a sealing structure, wherein the sealing structure is held by the container structure movably along the wall with the refill opening and is movable between a first position, which closes the refill opening, and a second position, which opens the refill opening.
One problem solved by the present invention is to further develop a refill system, in particular for refilling liquids, which is improved with regard to its safe usability and stability of refill system.
This problem is solved by a refill system as disclosed herein.
The refill system according to an embodiment of the invention comprises a container structure, having a wall with a refill opening, and a sealing structure, wherein the sealing structure is held by the container structure movably along the wall with the refill opening and is movable between a first position, which closes the refill opening, and a second position, which opens the refill opening.
The advantage of this arrangement is that the sealing structure moves in a direction perpendicular to the flow path of a liquid through the refill opening. Thereby, it is less likely that the sealing structure will be accidently brought into its second position by means of liquid pressure from within the container structure.
It is in particular advantageous that the sealing structure is held inside the container structure so that it does not protrude from the outer circumference of the container structure.
This ensures that the sealing structure is less likely to be accidently displaced into its second position, because it remains hidden.
Further advantageous is a refill system, wherein the sealing structure is held slidably movable between the inner wall with the refill opening and an outer wall of the container structure.
The outer wall is capable of keeping the sealing structure close to the wall with the refill opening or at least preventing the sealing structure from distancing itself from said wall and said refill opening, which would result in an increased likelihood for leakage.
In that regard, it is advantageous that the outer wall is part of a container enclosure, which is fixedly attached to the outside of a liquid container, wherein both the container enclosure and the liquid container form part of the container structure.
This allows compensating for tolerances in production and providing an adjustable tight fit of the sealing structure between the inner and outer wall. It also simplifies the assembly.
Particularly advantageous is that the container enclosure is fixedly attached to the outside of the liquid container at the side with the wall with the refill opening.
This way the extra space needed at that side of the liquid container for the sealing structure is also used for attaching the enclosure and the container, wherein the sides of the container structure can be kept thin.
Further advantageous is a refill system, wherein the container enclosure is cone-shaped and basically corresponds to the shape of the liquid container at its side with the wall with the refill opening, such that the container enclosure can be put onto the liquid container with its base portion forming the outer wall.
An increased stability of the liquid container is the result of the above, because the enclosure can cover a large part of the container. At the same time the sealing structure is aesthetically hidden in what appears to be a slightly bigger liquid container.
It is particularly advantageous if the sealing structure comprises a container seal with at least one clearance hole for refill, preferably two clearance holes, more preferably three clearance, wherein the container seal is biased against the wall with the refill opening from the container structure by means of at least one elastic element such that the container seal is in liquid-tight contact with the wall.
The clearance hole allows a minimal displacement of the container seal in order to open the refill opening. Also, the biasing force acting on the container seal ensures the necessary liquid tightness.
Further advantageous is a refill system, wherein the sealing structure is held in its first position by form fit of an locking element with the container structure so that a movement of the sealing structure along the wall with the refill opening is prevented.
This allows a secure positioning of the locking element compared to a purely friction based positioning.
It is in particular advantageous that the form fit of the locking element with the container structure is held by a locking elastic element which biases the locking element in a direction towards the container structure.
Hence, the locking element is constantly urged to return to its locked position and reliably held there in order to prevent unintentional or accidental displacement of the sealing structure.
It is further particularly advantageous that a pushing force on the locking element against the biasing locking elastic element releases the form fit and thus allows a movement of the sealing structure along the wall with the refill opening into its second position.
This results in a two-step safety, because first a pushing force is required to unlock the sealing structure and second a sliding movement along the wall with the refill opening is required to reach the second position of the sealing structure.
Advantageously, the sealing structure is biased from the inside of the container structure in a direction along the wall with the refill opening by means of a releasing elastic element.
The elastic element reduces the manual operation need for moving the sealing structure out of its first position while also maintaining the second position while a refill operation is carried out in order to avoid an unintentional displacement of the sealing structure toward its first position during the refill.
Further advantageously, the sealing structure is held together in a direction along the wall with the refill opening by means of a sealing frame structure. Preferably, said frame structure allows the insertion or removal of further sealing structure components in a direction different from the direction along the wall with the refill opening; More preferably, in a direction perpendicular to the wall with the refill opening.
Hence, any other sealing structure components, such as a container seal or refill seal, can be inserted separately and securely in a direction which is different from the movement direction of the sealing structure, which further simplifies the assembly. Further, regardless of the number of sealing structure components, they can be held together by the sealing frame structure, which can be moved either manually or automatically by means of the releasing elastic element in a direction along the wall with the refill opening.
It is in particular advantageous that the sealing structure comprises a conduit element which is liquid-tightly connected to the refill opening and leads to a refill seal which serves for abutment of a stem of a donor liquid container.
The conduit element can serve as a contact area for the releasing elastic element and/or as an inner support for the biasing elastic element. It could also be an extension serving to arrange the abutment for a stem of a donor liquid container in a desired location.
Further advantageously, the sealing structure closes in its first position and opens in its second position a ventilation opening.
The provision of a ventilation opening ensures a faster refill, because, while liquid is filled through the refill opening, air can be discharged through the ventilation opening. Closing and opening both openings with one sealing structure simplifies the operation of the refill system.
It is in particular advantageous that the ventilation opening is provided on the wall with the refill opening.
Having both openings close by allows the sealing structure to have smaller dimensions.
Advantageously, a perfume bottle has the above described refill system. The particular use in a perfume bottle (flacon) is desirable, because perfumes are often changed depending on the user's mood or specific occasions. By providing such an efficient refill system, small liquid containers can often be refilled with different fragrances.
The refill system 1 shown in
The bottom of the liquid container 5 has a wall with 9 a refill opening 11 and a ventilation opening 13 as well as a collar portion 15 further extending perpendicularly outwards from the wall 9 and having a bore 17 with an inner thread in the direction of the extension.
The container enclosure 7 is cone-shaped and basically corresponds to the shape of the liquid container 5 at its bottom side, i.e. its side with the wall 9 with the refill opening 11, such that the container enclosure 7 can be put onto the liquid container 5 from the bottom with its base portion forming an outer wall 19 abutting against the collar portion 15 of the liquid container 5. Said outer wall 19 is parallel to the wall 9 with the refill opening 11 and has a chamfered clearance hole 21 on the side of the collar portion 15 of the liquid container 5 and a partial cut-out 23 on the opposite side.
The container enclosure 7 is fixedly attached to the outside of the liquid container 5 at the side with the wall 9 with the refill opening 11 by means of a screw which reaches through the chamfered clearance hole 19 and is screwed into the bore 17 of the collar portion 15 of the liquid container 5.
Inside the container structure 3 a sealing structure 25 is held slidably movable between the inner wall 9 with the refill opening 11 and the outer wall 19 of the container structure 3 along the wall 9 with the refill opening 11. Thereby, the sealing structure 25 is movable between a first position, which closes the refill opening 11 and is shown in
As shown in
The above described sealing structure 25 is biased by a releasing elastic element 43 (in form of a coil spring) in a direction along the wall 9 with the refill opening 11. In other words, the releasing elastic element 43 being interposed between a side wall of the frame structure 39 and an inner undercut of the liquid container 5, which undercut is between the collar portion 15 and the wall 9 with the refill opening 11, urges the sealing structure 25 in a direction towards its second position. In this position, the sealing structure 25 abuts the inside of a side wall of the container enclosure 7. Further, a locking element 45 (in form of a flat button plate) is placed on the end of the locking pin 37 that is opposite to the end towards the wall 9 with the refill opening 11. This locking element 45 has a two-step width, such that it engages in a form fit with the partial cut-out 23 of the container enclosure 7, thus practically closing the cut-out 23 and being flush with the outer bottom face of the container enclosure 7.
The function of the refill system 1 will be described in the following, based on
In
In
In the second position of the sealing structure 25, liquid can flow through a stem of a liquid donor tank, pass a central clearance hole in the refill seal 41, continue through the conduit element 29, pass the clearance hole for refill 27a in the container seal 27 and the refill opening 11 before entering the liquid container 5, which is shown by the two coaxial arrows pointing upwards. Hence, the conduit element 29 is liquid-tightly connected to the refill opening 11 and leads to a refill seal 41 which serves for abutment of a stem of a donor liquid container.
While liquid is being refilled into the liquid container 5, gas can escape to the outside through the ventilation opening 13, a clearance for ventilation 27b in the container seal 27 and a ventilation path, which is created between an intermediate wall of the frame structure 39 on one side and components 29 and 41 for the refill path on the other, which is shown by the downwards pointing arrow.
The following points describe further advantageous features of the invention, which can individually be combined with the above embodiment:
The sealing structure 25 is sandwiched between walls 9, 19 of the container structure 3, preferably between the liquid container 5 and the container enclosure 7. This ensures a tight hold of the sealing structure 25, such that it seals and remains movable at the same time.
The liquid container 5 and the container enclosure 7 are preferably connected by means of a snap connection, preferably a detachable snap connection. Such a configuration does not require additional elements, such as screws. Also, the sealing structure 25 can be reached for maintenance/replacement easily and tool-free.
The sealing structure 25 is nondestructively removable and replaceable from the container structure 3. This offers greater safety during maintenance and better failure/damage analysis.
The sealing structure 25 comprises at least an elastic container seal 27 that is movable along the wall 9 with the refill opening 11, wherein one face of the container seal is biased by the container structure 3 against the wall 9 with the refill opening 11 and the opposite face is at least partially exposed to the outside and providing a surface structure that is suitable for moving the elastic container seal 25 manually along the wall with the refill opening. This further simplifies the configuration of the sealing structure 25 to only one element, namely the elastic container seal 27.
The liquid container 5 has a bottom wall portion 47, as shown in
The sealing structure 25 comprises at least an elastic container seal 27 and a less elastic frame structure 39 that supports, preferably by basically surrounding it, and moves the container seal 27 along the wall 9 with the refill opening 11 upon manual displacement of the frame structure 39. This way friction can be reduced, due to the reduced elasticity of the frame structure 39 and the resulting reduced friction of the frame structure 39 with the container structure 3 compared to a sealing structure 25 that only consists of an elastic container seal 27.
While the invention has been described with reference to an exemplary embodiment, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.
Claims
1. A refill system comprising a container structure, having a wall with a refill opening, and a sealing structure, wherein the sealing structure is held by the container structure movably along the wall with the refill opening and is movable between a first position, which closes the refill opening, and a second position, which opens the refill opening.
2. A refill system according to claim 1, wherein the sealing structure is held inside the container structure so that it does not protrude from the outer circumference of the container structure.
3. A refill system according to claim 2, wherein the sealing structure is held slidably movable between the inner wall with the refill opening and an outer wall of the container structure.
4. A refill system according to claim 3, wherein the outer wall is part of a container enclosure, which is fixedly attached to the outside of a liquid container, wherein both, the container enclosure and the liquid container, form part of the container structure.
5. A refill system according to claim 4, wherein the container enclosure is fixedly attached to the outside of the liquid container at the side with the wall with the refill opening.
6. A refill system according to claim 5, wherein the container enclosure is cone-shaped and basically corresponds to the shape of the liquid container at its side with the wall with the refill opening, such that the container enclosure can be put onto the liquid container with its base portion forming the outer wall.
7. A refill system according to claim 6, wherein the sealing structure comprises a container seal with at least one clearance hole, preferably two clearance holes, more preferably three clearance holes, wherein the container seal is biased against the wall with the refill opening from the container structure by means of at least one elastic element such that the container seal is in liquid-tight contact with the wall.
8. A refill system according to claim 7, wherein the sealing structure is held in its first position by form fit of a locking element with the container structure so that a movement of the sealing structure along the wall with the refill opening is prevented.
9. A refill system according to claim 8, wherein the form fit of the locking element with the container structure is held by an locking elastic element which biases the locking element in a direction towards the container structure.
10. A refill system according to claim 9, wherein a pushing force on the locking element against the biasing locking elastic element releases the form fit and thus allows a movement of the sealing structure along the wall with the refill opening into its second position.
11. A refill system according to claim 10, wherein the sealing structure is biased from the inside of the container structure in a direction along the wall with the refill opening by means of a releasing elastic element.
12. A refill system according to claim 11, wherein the sealing structure comprises a conduit element which is liquid-tightly connected to the refill opening and leads to a refill seal which serves for abutment of a stem of a donor liquid container.
13. A refill system according to claim 12, wherein the sealing structure closes in its first position and opens in its second position a ventilation opening.
14. A refill system according to claim 13, wherein the ventilation opening is provided on the wall with the refill opening.
15. A refill system according to claim 1, wherein the sealing structure comprises a container seal with at least one clearance hole, preferably two clearance holes, more preferably three clearance holes, wherein the container seal is biased against the wall with the refill opening from the container structure by means of at least one elastic element such that the container seal is in liquid-tight contact with the wall.
16. A refill system according to claim 1, wherein the sealing structure is held in its first position by form fit of a locking element with the container structure so that a movement of the sealing structure along the wall with the refill opening is prevented.
17. A refill system according to claim 1, wherein the sealing structure is biased from the inside of the container structure in a direction along the wall with the refill opening by means of a releasing elastic element.
18. A refill system according to claim 1, wherein the sealing structure closes in its first position and opens in its second position a ventilation opening.
19. A refill system according to claim 4, wherein the sealing structure comprises a container seal with at least one clearance hole, preferably two clearance holes, more preferably three clearance holes, wherein the container seal is biased against the wall with the refill opening from the container structure by means of at least one elastic element such that the container seal is in liquid-tight contact with the wall.
20. In combination, a refill system and a perfume bottle configured for use with the refill system, the refill system comprising a container structure, having a wall with a refill opening, and a sealing structure, wherein the sealing structure is held by the container structure movably along the wall with the refill opening and is movable between a first position, which closes the refill opening, and a second position, which opens the refill opening.
Type: Application
Filed: Oct 17, 2013
Publication Date: Apr 23, 2015
Inventor: Ming King Wong (North Point)
Application Number: 14/055,917
International Classification: B65D 53/00 (20060101);