Integrated vent and fluid transfer fitment

• US 20030034084A1
• Filed: 10/16/2002
• Published: 02/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Original Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Inventors: Atkinson, Gordon Edgar, Benecke, Arnold George, Bailey, James Christopher, Nagel, Phillip Gene
• Granted Patent: US 6,612,344 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 141/7
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 13/20 Mops
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 13/22 with liquid-feeding devices
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 3/0032 the bottle or container being held upside down and provided with a closure, e.g. a cap, adapted to cooperate with a feed tube
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 3/43 Solvents
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 3/505 encapsulated or adsorbed on a carrier, e.g. zeolite or clay

Abstract

A vent and fluid transfer fitment for sealing and transferring a fluid from an inverted fluid-filled container without premature leakage to a receiver attachment, has a transfer check valve and a venting check valve which are preferably duckbill valves. The transfer check valve is attached to the fitment for allowing fluid to be transferred from the container when the receiver attachment engages the transfer check valve. The venting check valve is also attached to the fitment for allowing air to displace the fluid as the fluid exits the container, wherein both the transfer check valve and the venting check valve have an inherent sealing pressure created by the static pressure of the fluid within the container. In addition, the inherent sealing pressure of the venting check valve is less than the inherent sealing pressure of the transfer check valve which allows air to enter the container due to the pressure differential created as the fluid is displaced.

Claims

1. A vent and fluid transfer assembly for transferring a fluid from an inverted fluid-filled bottle comprising:

a fluid filled bottle having an opening;

a fitment removably attached to said opening of said bottle, said fitment having a vent opening and a fluid transfer opening;

a venting check valve connected to said fitment, said venting check valve having an inherent sealing pressure wherein said venting check valve is in fluid communication with said vent opening;

a receiver attachment, said receiver attachment having a substantially disk shape having a top surface and a bottom surface;

a tubular member connected to said receiver attachment, said tubular probe having an upper portion with an upper opening and a lower portion with a lower opening, said upper opening being located substantially above said top surface of said receiver attachment, said lower opening being located substantially below said bottom surface of said receiver attachment wherein said upper opening is in fluid communication with said lower opening and wherein said lower opening of said tubular probe is in fluid communication with a tube such that when said bottle is inverted and when said upper opening of said tubular probe extends beyond said fluid transfer opening, said fluid flows by gravity from said upper opening to said lower opening within said tubular probe and said fluid flows by gravity from said lower opening to said tube.

2. The vent and fluid transfer assembly of claim I wherein said venting check valve is a duckbill valve

3. The vent and fluid transfer assembly of claim 2 wherein said duckbill valve is made of an elastomeric material.

4. The vent and fluid transfer assembly of claim I wherein air is drawn into said bottle through said venting valve when the sub-atmospheric pressure generated by the transfer of the fluid from said bottle to said tube overcomes said inherent sealing pressure of said venting valve.

5. The vent and fluid transfer assembly of claim 4 wherein said receiver attachment and said tubular probe are movable from a first position to a second position, wherein said receiver attachment and said tubular probe are in said first position when said upper opening of said tubular probe extends beyond said fluid transfer opening and said fluid flows by gravity from said upper opening to said lower opening within said tubular probe and wherein said receiver attachment and said tubular probe are in said second position when said upper opening of said tubular probe does not extend beyond said fluid transfer opening and said fluid flows by gravity from said upper opening to said lower opening of said tubular probe.

6. The vent and fluid transfer assembly of claim 5 wherein said bottle comprises a finish having screw threads and said fitment is threadably attachable to said finish.

7. The vent and fluid transfer assembly of claim 6 wherein said venting check valve is a duckbill valve

8. The vent and fluid transfer assembly of claim 7 wherein said duckbill valve is made of an elastomeric material.

9. The vent and fluid transfer assembly of claim 8 wherein said duckbill valve comprises an open end and a closed beak end wherein said closed beak end remains in a closed position when said duckbill valve is in a relaxed state.

10. A method of transferring a fluid from a fluid container, said method comprising the steps of:

providing a container filled with a fluid, said container having an opening;

attaching a fluid transfer device to said opening of said container, said fluid transfer device comprising;

a fitment removably attachable to said opening of said bottle, said fitment having a vent opening and a fluid transfer opening;

a venting check valve connected to said fitment, said venting check valve having an inherent sealing pressure wherein said venting check valve is in fluid communication with said vent opening;

a receiver attachment, said receiver attachment having a substantially disk shape having a top surface and a bottom surface;

a tubular probe connected to said receiver attachment, said tubular probe having an upper portion with an upper opening and a lower portion with a lower opening, said upper opening being located substantially above said top surface of said receiver attachment, said lower opening being located substantially below said bottom surface of said receiver attachment wherein said upper opening is in fluid communication with said lower opening and wherein said lower opening of said tubular probe is in fluid communication with a tube such that when said container is inverted and when said upper opening of said tubular probe extends beyond said fluid transfer opening, said fluid flows by gravity from said upper opening to said lower opening within said tubular probe and said fluid flows by gravity from said lower opening to said tube

inverting said container; and

pushing said receiver attachment and said tubular probe such that said upper opening of said tubular probe extends beyond said fluid transfer opening and said fluid flows by gravity from said upper opening to said lower opening within said tubular probe and said fluid flows by gravity from said lower opening to said tube.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein air is drawn into said bottle through said venting valve when the sub-atmospheric pressure generated by the transfer of the fluid from said bottle to said tube overcomes said inherent sealing pressure of said venting valve.

12. The vent and fluid transfer assembly of claim 11 wherein said receiver attachment and said tubular probe are movable from a first position to a second position, wherein said receiver attachment and said tubular probe are in said first position when said upper opening of said tubular probe extends beyond said fluid transfer opening and said fluid flows by gravity from said upper opening to said lower opening within said tubular probe and wherein said receiver attachment and said tubular probe are in said second position when said upper opening of said tubular probe does not extend beyond said fluid transfer opening and said fluid flows by gravity from said upper opening to said lower opening of said tubular probe.

13. The vent and fluid transfer assembly of claim 12 wherein said bottle comprises a finish having screw threads and said fitment is threadably attachable to said finish.

14. The vent and fluid transfer assembly of claim 13 wherein said venting check valve is a duckbill valve

15. The vent and fluid transfer assembly of claim 14 wherein said duckbill valve is made of an elastomeric material.