Method and system for transfer of fluid and dry materials from an inverted holding container to a paired docking station receptacle

• US 6,390,156 B1
• Filed: 06/29/2001
• Issued: 05/21/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hetherington, Michael, Pahl, Richard Charles
• Original Assignee: Hetherington, Michael, Pahl, Richard Charles
• Inventors: Hetherington, Michael, Pahl, Richard Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): MAUST, TIMOTHY LEWIS
• Application Number:
  US09/896,706
• Time in Patent Office: 326 Days
• Field of Search: 141/346-348, 141/2, 141/351, 141/352, 141/363-366, 141/325, 141/319, 222/160, 222/511, 222/518
• US Class Current: 141/351
• CPC Class Codes: A23G 9/045 of slush-ice, e.g. semi-frozen beverage
• CPC Class Codes: A23G 9/163 with intermittent operation
• CPC Class Codes: A23G 9/228 Arrangement and mounting of control or safety devices
• CPC Class Codes: A23G 9/28 for portioning or dispensing
• CPC Class Codes: A23G 9/30 Cleaning; Keeping clean; Sterilisation
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 81/3211 coaxially and provided with means facilitating admixture
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/0294 Combined with valves

Abstract

A dispensing system and method for locked spill-free transfer of liquid and dry materials. The dispensing assembly attached to the material holding container has a bottle cap with a slotted spring housing, small notch, spring-biased valve closure member with activation pin, and spring nut with cutout. The paired docking station receptacle includes a housing having an upper flange, bottom discharge opening, interior protrusion, and upwardly tapering spring nut engagement member with spaced-apart radially-extending flukes positioned within the discharge opening, the upper surface of which are configured for partial insertion through the spring nut cutout. Thus, when the protrusion is aligned with the notch and a bayonet turn is applied to the bottle cap, the spring nut engagement member unseats the valve closure member and allows material transfer. The dispensing system herein can be used by manufacturers of equipment requiring periodic renewal of dry and liquid materials to limit their source.

Claims

1. A gravity-assisted dispensing system for hands-free and spill-free transfer of liquid and dry materials from a holding container into receiving vessel, said system comprising:

i.) a dispensing assembly comprising;

a.) a bottle cap member configured for threaded connection to the neck opening of the type of holding container with which said dispensing system will typically be used for material transfer, and having a bottom surface, a central spring housing upwardly depending from said bottom surface, said spring housing having a top central opening, a plurality of spaced-apart material transfer holes through said bottom surface;

b.) valve closure means adapted for close association with said spring housing to block material flow through said material transfer holes, and having an activation pin centrally extending through said top central opening and said spring housing when in a closed position;

c.) spring means within said spring housing and adapted for biasing said valve closure means into said closed position;

d.) spring retaining means associated with said spring housing adapted for maintaining said spring means within said spring housing; and

ii.) a receptacle comprising;

(a) a housing having a top end opening sufficiently wide for receipt of said entire bottle cap member, an inside surface, and a bottom discharge opening;

(b) at least one protrusion on said inside surface of said receptacle at a height allowing each said protrusion to enter said side channel of said bottle cap member once said dispensing assembly is fully positioned within said receptacle housing;

(c) a flange radially extending from said top end opening of said receptacle housing; and

(d) a spring nut engagement member secured within said discharge opening, said spring nut engagement member and having tapering upper surfaces configured for partial insertion through said cutout pattern in said spring nut and a top end;

whereby spill-free material transfer is achieved when said dispensing assembly is secured around the neck opening of a holding container, and the holding container is inverted, and said discharge opening of said receptacle is in communication with a receiving vessel, since material within the holding container is not transferred into said receptacle until said bottle cap member is fully within said receptacle housing against said inside surface so that said top end of said spring nut engagement member contacts said activation pin a sufficient amount to unseat said valve closure means fractionally from said spring housing and reveal said spaced-apart material transfer holes adjacent to said spring housing, and whereby material flow ceases as soon as said bottle cap member starts to be withdrawn longitudinally from said receptacle housing and said activation pin breaks contact with said top of said spring nut engagement member and allows reseating of said valve closure means against said spring housing well before said bottle cap member leaves said receptacle.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said bottle cap member, said receptacle housing, and said valve closure means are all formed from unitary molded construction.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising a dust cap configured for temporary sealing of said top end opening between material transfers.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein said flange further comprises an attachment hole, and said dust cap further comprises a main body, an attachment post depending rearwardly from said main body and being configured for insertion within said attachment hole, retaining means adapted for retaining said attachment post within said attachment hole, and hinge means adapted for maintaining connection of said main body to said attachment post during periods of material transfer when said main body must be temporarily removed from said top end opening of said receptacle housing.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein said attachment post further comprises a proximal end, wherein said retaining means comprises a retaining ring on said proximal end of said attachment post, and wherein said hinge means comprises a flexible concave portion between said main body and said attachment post.

6. The system of claim 4 wherein said dust cap has a front raised portion configured for enhanced leverage in removal of said dust cap from said top end opening in said receptacle.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein said valve closure means further comprises a valve closure member with an outwardly directed flange having a downwardly arcuate edge configured for engagement with said inside surface of said housing to block material flow through said spaced-apart material transfer holes when said valve closure member is in said closed position.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein said spring housing further comprises a number of longitudinally extending slots identical to the number of said spaced-apart openings, and further wherein said each said slot communicates with a different one of said spaced-apart material transfer holes.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein said spring housing has an inner ring adjacent to said top central opening in said spring housing, with said inner ring being configured for centrally securing said spring means within said spring housing.

10. The system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of attachment pins connected to said radially extending flange, each said attachment pin being configured for secure connection of said receptacle to a receiving vessel.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein said bottle cap member further comprises a ribbed outer surface configured for easy manipulation of bottle cap member during its attachment and removal from a holding container.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein said spring nut engagement member has a plurality of outwardly extending flukes which jointly having an upper surface configuration adapted for engagement with said spring nut.

13. A gravity-assisted dispensing system for hands-free and spill-free transfer of liquid and dry materials from a holding container into receiving vessel, said system comprising:

i.) a dispensing assembly comprising;

e.) a bottle cap member configured for threaded connection to the neck opening of the type of holding container with which said dispensing system will typically be used for material transfer, and having a bottom surface, a central spring housing upwardly depending from said bottom surface, said spring housing having a top central opening, a plurality of spaced-apart holes through said bottom surface adjacent to said spring housing, a bottom rim, at least one notch through said bottom rim, and a side channel adjacent to and immediately above said bottom rim;

f.) a coil spring having opposing ends and positioned for longitudinal compression within said spring housing, with a first one of said ends being adjacent to said top central opening in said spring housing;

g.) a disk-like spring nut positioned for engagement with said second end of said spring and having a cutout pattern therethrough; and

h.) a substantially cylindrical valve closure member with a hollow interior, a rigid activation pin centrally extending through said hollow interior, with said activation pin having a tip and extending through said central opening and said spring housing when said valve closure member is in a closed position against said top central opening and covering said spaced-apart holes; and

ii.) a receptacle comprising;

(e) a housing having a top end opening sufficiently wide for receipt of said entire bottle cap member, an inside surface, and a bottom discharge opening;

(f) at least one protrusion on said inside surface of said receptacle at a height allowing each said protrusion to enter said side channel of said bottle cap member once said dispensing assembly is fully positioned within said receptacle housing;

(g) a flange radially extending from said top end opening of said receptacle housing; and

(h) a spring nut engagement member secured within said discharge opening, said spring nut engagement member having tapering upper surfaces configured for partial insertion through said cutout pattern in said spring nut and a top end;

whereby spill-free material transfer is achieved when said dispensing assembly is secured around the neck opening of a holding container, and the holding container is inverted, and said discharge opening of said receptacle is in communication with a receiving vessel, since material within the holding container is not transferred into said receptacle until said bottle cap member is fully within said receptacle housing against said inside surface so that said top end of said spring nut engagement member contacts said tip of said activation pin a sufficient amount to unseat said valve closure member fractionally from said spring housing and reveal said spaced-apart holes adjacent to said spring housing, and whereby material flow ceases as soon as said bottle cap member starts to be withdrawn longitudinally from said receptacle housing and said tip of said activation pin breaks contact with said top of said spring nut engagement member and allows reseating of said valve closure member against said spring housing well before said bottle cap member leaves said receptacle, and further whereby once said bottle cap member is fully within said receptacle housing said inside channel can be rotated around each said protrusion for locking engagement of said dispensing assembly to said receptacle and hands-free material transfer.

14. The system of claim 13 further comprising a dust cap configured for temporary sealing of said top end opening between material transfers.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein said valve closure member further comprises an outwardly directed flange with a downwardly arcuate edge configured for engagement with said inside surface of said housing to block material flow through said spaced-apart holes when said valve closure member is in said closed position.

16. The system of claim 13 further comprising a plurality of attachment pins connected to said radially extending flange, each said attachment pin being configured for secure connection of said receptacle to a receiving vessel.

17. The system of claim 13 further comprising at least one stop positioned within said side channel of sizable configuration to contact said protrusion and halt rotation of said bottle cap member relative to said receptacle housing to place said bottle cap member in locked engagement with said receptacle housing, each said stop having a location within said side channel positioned remotely from each said notch.

18. A method of manufacture for a gravity-assisted dispensing system that allows hands-free and spill-free transfer of liquid and dry materials from a holding container into receiving vessel, said method comprising the steps of:

providing a dispensing assembly comprising a bottle cap member having spiral threads, a spring housing upwardly depending from its bottom surface, a bottom rim, and a side channel adjacent to and immediately above said bottom rim;

a coil spring;

a disk-like spring nut having a cutout pattern therethrough; and

substantially cylindrical valve closure member with a hollow interior, a rigid activation pin when said valve closure member is in a closed position against said top central opening and covering said spaced-apart holes; and

also providing a receptacle comprising a housing having a top end opening sufficiently wide for receipt of said entire bottle cap member, an inside surface, and a bottom discharge end opening of said receptacle housing, and a spring nut engagement member in said discharge opening that has tapering upper surfaces configured for partial insertion through said cutout pattern in said spring nut and a top end;

forming a plurality of material transfer holes through said bottom surface of said bottle cap member adjacent to said spring housing;

forming a top central opening in said spring housing;

forming at least one notch through said bottom rim;

inserting said valve closure member within said bottle cap member so that said activation pin is centrally extended through said central opening as well as said spring housing, and said hollow interior of said valve closure member is positioned closely around said spring housing;

concurrently placing said spring within spring housing around said activation pin; and

securing said spring within said spring housing with said spring nut to bias said valve closure member in a closed position around said spring housing so that when said valve closure member is in said closed position communication between any upper portion of said bottle cap member and said material transfer holes is blocked, until and only when said dispensing assembly is placed entirely within said receptacle with said bottom rim toward said discharge opening and said top end of said spring nut engagement member pushes against said activation pin to lift said valve closure member away from said spring housing, for spill-free material transfer of material from said dispensing assembly into said receptacle, and wherein hands-free material transfer can occur when each said protrusion is placed within said inside channel and said channel is rotated relative to said receptacle housing to lock said dispensing assembly to said receptacle.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising the steps of providing a dust cap and securing said dust cap onto said radially extending flange.

20. The method of claim 18 further comprising the steps of providing at least one stop and positioning each said stop within said side channel at a location remote from each said notch.