CONTAINER FOR LIQUIDS

Abstract

A container for liquids that allows the contents to be emptied out quickly without spattering or gurgling. A sealed closure within the neck of the container can be opened by pulling a ring on the bottom of the container to open both an air inlet in the bottom of the container and the closure in the neck of the container. A connecting rod within the container opens the closure in the neck of the container in response to opening of the air inlet closure at the bottom of the container, to allow the contents of the container to flow out through the neck, while air enters into the container through the opening at the bottom of the container.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present application relates generally to sealable containers for liquids, and more particularly to a liquid container adapted to contain liquids such as motor oil, and from which the liquids can be emptied quickly.

Millions of quarts of motor oil are sold every year in the United States and around the world. Motor oil is typically sold in molded plastic bottles each having a screw-on cap mounted at the end of a neck. To pour the oil into the crankcase of an automobile engine, the user typically unscrews the cap from the neck and tips the container to pour the oil from the container into a fill tube leading to the crankcase. This is often made easier by using a funnel.

As many motorists know, a problem with this approach is that a funnel may not be available, and if one is, it must be cleaned after use. Many times, without a funnel the user is not able to pour oil from the container into the crankcase fill opening without spilling some amount of motor oil. Also, pouring with a bottle tipped too far often results in some gurgling and splattering as the outward flow is interrupted periodically by air flowing into the neck of the bottle. Some of the oil then may drip onto the top of the engine rather than going into the crankcase. If the oil is not immediately wiped off, the engine becomes dirty and must be cleaned. Furthermore, oil remaining on the engine may become very hot and create an unpleasant odor, causing the driver to question whether something may be wrong with the engine. Another problem is that motor oil is considered a hazardous waste and should not be allowed to drip onto the ground from the engine.

Various ways have been proposed to prevent oil from flowing out of the container until the user has aligned the neck of the container with the crankcase fill opening. However, none of them meet two desirable criteria for a popular and practical system. First, any motor oil container should allow the oil to flow quickly and smoothly out of the container into a crankcase fill tube so that the user does not need to spend an inordinate amount of time waiting for the container to empty. Secondly, a motor oil container must be fairly inexpensive to make, as competition in the motor oil industry is tight and millions upon millions motor oil containers must be manufactured. Additionally, the container itself should not have any parts which can fall out of the container and into the crankcase.

Motor oil may be fairly viscous. As previously mentioned, oil exits the conventional molded plastic oil container through the neck of the container, which is the same opening through which air must enter to replace the oil. The gurgling of oil alternatingly exiting from, and air flowing into, the container can cause motion of the container, thus requiring a user to hold the container during the filling process. The uneven flow may also result in oil being spattered onto engine surfaces or surroundings.

It is therefore apparent that there is a need for an inexpensive, easily produced container in which liquids such as motor oil can be transported, marketed and stored, and which allows for quickly and conveniently pouring liquid from the container without splashing or spilling.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention, as defined by the claims forming a part of the present disclosure, provides a container for liquid products that allows products to be discharged quickly and conveniently. The present container in one embodiment is a bottle that has a relatively narrow neck and an openable closure such as a conventional screwed-on cap at an upper end, and that has a wider base and an openable closure at the opposite or bottom, end.

In one embodiment of the container the cap can be removed by unscrewing it, allowing the container to be inverted and its neck to be positioned appropriately with respect to a receptacle, but the contents are retained in the container by an internal closure in the neck. A second closure on the bottom of the container can then be opened. As the second closure is opened a connecting tension-bearing member such as a rod attached to the second closure and extending to the internal closure in the neck of the container simultaneously opens the internal closure, allowing the contents of the container to exit through the neck, while air enters into the container through an opening defined by the closure at the bottom of the container.

In one embodiment, the container is a blow-molded plastic bottle of a conventional shape including a threaded neck with a screw-on cap.

In one embodiment the internal closure and the bottom closure include plastic closure bodies that can easily be torn open to allow liquid to flow from the container.

To pour liquid from the container, the container can be inverted with the cap removed from its neck. When the container is inverted, a ring connected to the second closure is exposed at the bottom of the container and can be pulled to open the second closure. As pulling the ring on the bottom opens the second closure it also pulls a connecting rod within the container and can also open the internal closure within the neck of the container. The contained liquid, such as oil, is then free to flow from the container with a much lower likelihood of bubbles and spatters.

The foregoing and other features will be apparent from the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a liquid product container incorporating an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, showing the container inverted.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the container, taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the inverted container shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 with the included internal and second, or bottom, closures being opened by a user.

FIG. 4 is detail view showing a portion of the internal closure in the neck of the container shown in FIG. 3, at an enlarged scale.

FIG. 5 is detail view showing a portion of the closure shown at the bottom of the container in FIG. 3, at an enlarged scale.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to FIGS. 1 through 3, a container 10 for liquids such as motor oil may be of molded plastic. The container 10 may have a generally rectangular body 12 with a base 14 broad enough for the liquid-filled container 10 to stand stably on the base 14. The container 10 may include a shoulder portion 16 that tapers to a relatively narrow cylindrical neck 18 with external threads and an opening closed optionally by a cap 20 held in place by the threads of the neck. Near the top of the container 10, within the neck 18, there is a first, or internal, closure 22 that sealingly closes the container 10 to retain whatever liquid is held within the body 12 until it is desired for the liquid to be released from the container 10. As will be explained, the internal closure 22 can be opened quickly to release the contents of the container 10 when desired.

At the bottom or base 14 of the container 10 is an area 26 that is indented, spaced upwardly and inwardly of the body 12, apart from the plane 28 of the bottom of the container 10. Within the indented area 26 is a second or container bottom closure 24 that may be generally similar in structure to the internal closure 22. The second or bottom closure 24 may have a pull-ring 30 attached to the closure 24 in a way that allows a user to quickly and easily pull open the bottom closure 24. The pull-ring 30 may be attached by a flexible connector so that the pull-ring 30 lies close to the base 14 of the container and resides in the indented area 26, until lifted away to be used. The indented area 26 is recessed within the bottom or base 14 of the container 10 and shaped so that the second or bottom closure 24 and the pull-ring 30 reside above the bottom plane 28 of the container 10. That is, the second closure 24 and pull-ring 30 are located completely within the indented area 26 rather than protruding beyond the bottom plane 28. This allows the container 10 to stand upright on a flat surface without the pull-ring 30 contacting the supporting surface and causing the container 10 to be unstable.

The first, or internal, closure 22 and the second, or bottom closure 24, can both be a non-reclosable type of sealing closure such as the closure disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,735,426.

Instead of being provided with a cap 20, the neck 18 may be closed by an adhesively attached seal of metal foil of the type that is usually present within the screw-off cap of a conventional plastic motor oil bottle. The cap 20 may be desired, however, as it can serve to protect the first, or internal, closure 22 from being accidentally opened by a person handling the container 10 or by being pushed open inadvertently by a foreign object during transport of the container 10. It will also be understood that the cap 20 could be used to reclose the neck 18 to contain a portion of the liquid originally contained after a portion has been dispensed from the container 10, since the internal closure 22 may not be capable of sealing re-closure once it has been opened. Remaining liquid can be retained within the container 10 by replacement of the cap 20, although the container 10 would then have to be kept inverted to prevent liquid from flowing out through the second closure 24.

As may be seen in FIG. 4 the internal closure 22 may have a conical collar 31 surrounding a tubular portion 32 housing a closure body 34 that extends across and sealingly closes the tubular portion 31. The closure body 34 is connected integrally with an interior surface of the tubular portion 32 through a relatively thin and weak tearable connecting portion 36 that may extend as a narrow area around the closure body 34. The closure body 34 can thus be separated from the surrounding tubular 32 portion by tearing the connecting portion 36, freeing the closure body 34 and opening a passage through the internal closure 22. In one version the closure body 34 may be attached to the interior of the tubular portion 32 by a flexible hinge portion 38 stronger than the connecting portion 36, keeping the closure body 34 attached within the tubular portion 32 but movable to open the passage, or to partially close it.

Other closures that can be opened by pulling a part of the closure to break a seal and provide an open passageway for flow of a liquid may also be satisfactory, as will be understood from the following discussion.

A connecting cord or rod 42 has a pair of opposite ends, a first end 44 being connected to the closure body 34 of the internal closure 22, and the second end 46 of the connecting rod 42 being attached to a closure body 48 of the second, bottom closure 24, so that when the second, bottom, closure 24 is opened, the connecting rod 42 pulls on the closure body 34 of the first, internal, closure 22 and causes it to open as well.

The connections of the ends 44 and 46 to the closure bodies 34 and 48 must be secure but may have some flexibility. The connecting rod 42 has a length 50 at least equal to the distance 52 between the closure bodies 34 and 48 of the closures 22 and 24 when they are closed. The length 50 of the connecting rod 42 must be great enough for the first, internal, closure 22 in the neck 18 of the container 10 to be sealed without risk of being pulled open as a result of normal flexing of the body 12 and base 14 of the container 10, and when the body 12 and the closures 22 and 24 are all of plastic and somewhat flexible the connecting rod 42 can be a little longer, so long as it is not so long and stiff that it might push either of the closures 22 and 24 open. The connecting rod 42 may be constructed from a durable, material strong enough and connected to the closure bodies 34 and 48 securely enough to pull open the first internal closure body 34 when the second closure 24 is opened. The connecting rod 22 must be slender enough not to impede the flow of liquid product 60 as it leaves the container 10.

In the second, or bottom closure 24, the closure body 48 is connected, by a tearable thin connecting portion 53, to the interior surface of the tubular portion 54 sealingly closing an air passage defined in the second, container bottom, closure 24. A stronger portion 55 of the connecting portion 53 may be provided as a hinge for the closure body 48. A flange 56 extends radially around the tubular portion 54 of the closure 24 and is connected sealingly and securely to the base 14 of the container 10 within the indented area 26, for example by a chemical adhesive or by thermal welding.

When the first and second closures 22 and 24 are opened, their respective closure bodies 34 and 48, connected with each other by the connecting rod 42, move open in the same direction. That is, the closure body or disk 34 of the first internal, closure 22 is moved into the container body 12 and the closure body 48 of the second closure 24 opens outwardly away from the base, or bottom 14 of the container 10.

The container 10 is designed to contain a liquid product 60 such as motor oil and to securely contain the liquid during transportation and storage of the container 10. When it is desired to discharge the liquid from the container 10, the container 10 may be inverted and the neck 18 may be placed within an upwardly-open mouth of a receptacle, such as a fill tube leading to the ultimate destination for the liquid contents 60 of the container 10, for example, a crank-case of an engine. Prior to opening the interior, or upper closure 22, the liquid product 60 may nearly fill the container 10, with the surface of the product 60 being near the bottom or base 14 of the inverted container 10. As shown in FIG. 2, where the container 10 is inverted, the liquid product 60 has collected in the upper part of the container 10 and is, kept inside the container by the first, or interior, closure 22, and the cap 20 is still on the container 10.

The second closure 24 can be opened by a user inserting his or her finger into the pull-ring 30 that is attached to the second closure 24 and pulling (upward as seen in FIGS. 2 and 3) away from the container 10. The second closure 24 is designed to open by tearing its closure body 48 away from the surrounding tubular portion 54 when pulled by the user. The opened configuration is shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, where a user has pulled on the pull-ring 30 causing the closure body 48 to peel upward away from the base 14 of the container 10 and the connecting rod 42 to pull upward on the closure body 34 and open the internal closure 22, allowing the product 60 to flow from the container 10.

When the cap 20 is removed and both of the closures 22 and 24 are opened as shown in FIGS. 3-5 the liquid 60 can flow through the tubular portion 32 of the first closure 22, through the neck 18, and out of the container 10.

Air enters the container 10 through the second closure 24 as the liquid product 60 flows out through the first closure 22. This allows an equilibrium to be maintained between the air pressure within the container 10 and the ambient air pressure, avoiding, splashing, gurgling, or spilling of the product 60 as it flows from the container 10. Furthermore, because of the unrestricted entry of air into the container 10, the product 60 is able to flow faster than it otherwise would had there not been an opening provided by a second closure 24, restricted only by the degree to which the closure body 34 of the interior closure 22 has been moved clear of the passage in the tubular portion 32.

The interior closure 22, the container bottom closure 24, and the connecting rod 42 may be molded together as an integral plastic structure that can be inserted within the body 12 of the container 10. The conical flange 31 can then be sealingly and securely adhered to the interior surface of the neck 18, and the flange 56 can be adhered to the bottom, exterior, surface of the indented area 26. To allow assembly, then, there may be an opening 66 through the base 14 of the container body 12, within the indented area 26, large enough to allow the conical surrounding flange 31 of the first, interior closure 22 to pass through the opening 66 and be mounted in the neck 18 of the container 10.

At the same time the surrounding flange 56 of the second, bottom, closure 24 can be brought into position to mate against the surface of the indented area 26 of the base 14. The flange 56 can be adhered sealingly to the surface of the container base 14, either by chemical adhesive or possibly by thermal welding.

Once the closures 22 and 24 have been installed in the body 14 of the container 10, the liquid product 60 can be injected or pumped into the cavity defined within the body 12 through a filling port 68 or 70, which can then be sealed by adhering a sealing plug or cap 72 to the body, either by thermal welding or a chemical adhesive, depending on the materials of the body 14 and the sealing cap 72, and depending on the nature of the liquid product 60. It will be understood that only one filling port is needed and that its location could be that of either of the two filling ports 68 and 70.

The terms and expressions which have been employed in the foregoing specification are used therein as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention, in the use of such terms and expressions, of excluding equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, it being recognized that the scope of the invention is defined and limited only by the claims which follow.

Claims

1. A container for liquids, comprising:

(a) a body having a bottom and a top and defining an interior cavity of a desired volume, the body including a neck at the top;

(b) a first closure located in the neck;

(c) a second closure located at the bottom of the body;

(d) a tension-bearing member within the interior cavity, extending between and interconnecting the first and second closures;

(e) the connecting rod having a first end attached to the first closure and a second end attached to the second closure; and

(f) the connecting rod being arranged to cause the first closure to open in response to the second closure being opened.

2. The container of claim 1 including a pull-ring that is attached to the second closure in such a manner that the second closure can be opened by pulling on the pull-ring.

3. The container of claim 1 including a sealable filling port in the body capable of being sealed after the body has been filled with liquid deposited within the cavity through the filling port.

4. The container of claim 1 including an indented area in the bottom shaped such that the second closure resides completely within the indented area.

5. The container of claim 1 wherein the first closure includes a closure body that moves into the interior cavity when the first closure is opened.

6. The container of claim 1 including a filling port in the body, separate from the first and second closures and that is adapted to be sealed after a quantity of a liquid has been inserted into the container through the fill port.