Metering bottle
First Claim
1. A metering bottle for holding a supply of liquid and for dispensing doses of the liquid, each dose being a predetermined amount of the liquid, comprising:
- collapsible bellows means, having a predetermined volume when uncollapsed, for holding a dose of the liquid;
reservoir means for holding the supply of the liquid, said reservoir means including a neck surrounding said bellows means, said reservoir means including passage means for dispensing the liquid;
pressure operated one-way valve means disposed in said passage means between the bellows means and the reservoir means, for allowing the liquid to pass from the reservoir means into the bellows means through said passage means when the pressure in the bellows means is less than the pressure in the reservoir means; and
removable cap means engageable with said neck and having means for operating the bellows means, the operating means holding the bellows means collapsed when the cap means is engaged on said neck to close said valve means in said passage means, the bellows means becoming uncollapsed while the cap means is being removed from the bellows means such that a suction is developed by the bellows means, the suction being a vacuum predetermined by the volume of the bellows means, the uncollapsing of said bellows means making the pressure in the bellows means less than the pressure in the reservoir means so that the bellows means is filled through the one-way valve means with a dose of the liquid, wherein said bellows means has an open end, said operating means of said removable cap means is equipped with a push element which extends down from the inside of the cap means, the push element having a semi-spherical face for engaging said open end of said bellows means, for collapsing the bellows means, and for forming a water-tight seal with said open end of said bellows means.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
The metering bottle for dispensing a dose of liquid when the cap of the bottle is removed. When the cap is fully on the bottle, it keeps a bellows compressed. When the cap is removed, the bellows is allowed to expand and the resulting suction causes a dose of liquid from the bottle to be sucked into the bellows via a plunger tube which sticks into the liquid and via an opening into the bellows chamber. A one-way valve at the opening into the bellows chamber then prevents the dose of liquid in the bellows chamber from flowing back into the bottle. When the dose of liquid is used and the bellows chamber is empty of liquid, the lid can be replaced. When the lid is replaced the bellows is collapsed. The air in the bellows chamber is then forced back through an air microhole in the one-way valve into the bottle.
31 Citations
7 Claims
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1. A metering bottle for holding a supply of liquid and for dispensing doses of the liquid, each dose being a predetermined amount of the liquid, comprising:
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collapsible bellows means, having a predetermined volume when uncollapsed, for holding a dose of the liquid; reservoir means for holding the supply of the liquid, said reservoir means including a neck surrounding said bellows means, said reservoir means including passage means for dispensing the liquid; pressure operated one-way valve means disposed in said passage means between the bellows means and the reservoir means, for allowing the liquid to pass from the reservoir means into the bellows means through said passage means when the pressure in the bellows means is less than the pressure in the reservoir means; and removable cap means engageable with said neck and having means for operating the bellows means, the operating means holding the bellows means collapsed when the cap means is engaged on said neck to close said valve means in said passage means, the bellows means becoming uncollapsed while the cap means is being removed from the bellows means such that a suction is developed by the bellows means, the suction being a vacuum predetermined by the volume of the bellows means, the uncollapsing of said bellows means making the pressure in the bellows means less than the pressure in the reservoir means so that the bellows means is filled through the one-way valve means with a dose of the liquid, wherein said bellows means has an open end, said operating means of said removable cap means is equipped with a push element which extends down from the inside of the cap means, the push element having a semi-spherical face for engaging said open end of said bellows means, for collapsing the bellows means, and for forming a water-tight seal with said open end of said bellows means. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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Specification