Dispensing apparatus for storing, draining and dispensing beads
First Claim
1. An apparatus for storing beads in a liquid medium and dispensing said beads essentially in the absence of said liquid medium comprising a threaded bottle, a container for the beads which is positioned in the interior of said bottle and contains at least one drainage port and a threaded open neck, a primary closure cap equipped with threads for the bottle, and a separate dispensing unit threaded to fit said container.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus and process for storing beads in a liquid medium and for draining and dispensing said beads essentially in the absence of said liquid medium is described. In one embodiment, the apparatus is designed so that the liquid medium in which the beads are stored can be captured in a separate compartment from the bead-containing compartment and the beads can be delivered without the liquid medium when the apparatus in inverted. This apparatus is designed so that the liquid medium will join with the beads for storage in the bead-containing compartment when the apparatus is upright. In another embodiment, the apparatus includes a bottle with a removable, threaded inner container which is used to drain the liquid medium from the beads prior to attachment to a separate bead dispenser.
61 Citations
31 Claims
- 1. An apparatus for storing beads in a liquid medium and dispensing said beads essentially in the absence of said liquid medium comprising a threaded bottle, a container for the beads which is positioned in the interior of said bottle and contains at least one drainage port and a threaded open neck, a primary closure cap equipped with threads for the bottle, and a separate dispensing unit threaded to fit said container.
- 4. An apparatus for storing beads in a liquid medium and dispensing said beads essentially in the absence of said liquid medium, comprising a bottle and a primary closure cap, said bottle comprising a bottom, a neck and an interior, and further comprising (a) a bottomless funnel positioned in the interior of said bottle, said funnel having a wide bottom portion and a narrow neck portion and attached only at the neck of said bottle, which funnel is capable of storing the beads in a liquid medium when the bottle is in an upright position, is capable of draining the liquid medium from the beads into the bottle exterior of the funnel when the bottle is placed on one side or inverted with the cap removed, and contains an outlet hole at its neck sufficiently large to pass the beads to the exterior of said apparatus, and (b) a dispenser housing fitted within said neck of said bottle, which housing contains an escapement mechanism to control dispensing of the beads from the funnel.
- 13. A process for dispensing, essentially in the absence of a liquid medium, beads which are stored in a container containing liquid medium and fitted in the interior of a bottle, said bottle having a bottom, a neck, and an interior, and being provided with a primary closure cap at its neck, said container being capable of storing the beads in a liquid medium when the bottle is in an upright position, capable of draining the liquid from the beads into the bottle exterior of the container when the bottle is placed on one side or inverted for dispensing the beads, said container being provided with an outlet hole sufficiently large to pass the beads to the exterior of the bottle and said container further being provided with an escapement mechanism for controlling dispensing of the beads from said bottle, said process comprising inverting said bottle without its cap to drain the beads and engaging said escapement mechanism.
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24. A process for storing, draining and dispensing beads, comprising:
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providing an apparatus comprising a threaded bottle, a container for the beads which is positioned in the interior of said bottle and contains at least one drainage port and a threaded open neck, a primary closure cap equipped with threads for the bottle, and a separate dispensing unit threaded to fit said container; filling the container of the apparatus with beads and adding sufficient liquid medium to the bottle to submerge all of said beads in the liquid medium and attaching the cap thereto for storage; removing the cap; positioning the container so as to drain liquid medium from the beads; attaching said dispensing unit to the container; and dispensing the beads. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26)
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27. A process for storing, draining and dispensing beads, comprising:
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providing an apparatus for storing beads in a liquid medium and dispensing said beads essentially in the absence of said liquid medium, comprising a bottle and a primary closure cap, said bottle having a bottom, a neck, and an interior, and further being provided with a bottomless funnel positioned in the interior of said bottle, said funnel having a wide bottom portion and a narrow neck portion and attached only at the neck of said bottle, which funnel is capable of storing the beads in a liquid medium when the bottle is in an upright position, is capable of draining the liquid medium from the beads into the bottle exterior of the funnel when the bottle is placed on one side or inverted with the cap removed, and contains an outlet hole at its neck sufficiently large to pass the beads to the exterior of said apparatus, and a dispenser housing fitted within said neck, which housing contains an escapement mechanism to control dispensing of the beads from the funnel; filling the funnel of the apparatus with beads and adding sufficient liquid medium to the bottle to submerge all of said beads in the liquid medium and attaching the cap thereto for storage; removing the cap; positioning the bottle so as to drain liquid medium from the funnel; and positioning the bottle to dispense the beads and engaging said escapement mechanism to release the beads, said escapement mechanism being configured such that only one bead at a time passes through said outlet hole of said funnel. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31)
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Specification