Counter water bottle dispenser

Abstract

A walled dispenser base for use with a dispenser for delivering a liquid from an inverted supply bottle. The dispenser has a reservoir container attached to a dispenser valve. The dispenser valve is detached from the walled dispenser base. The dispenser valve extends through a side opening of the walled dispenser base. The walled dispenser base has a top portion where the inverted supply bottle is supported. The walled dispenser base has a rim that has an open section. The side opening extends through the open section of the rim. A foot having a perimeter is formed at a bottom portion of the walled dispenser base. The dispenser valve extends though the side opening and delivers the liquid from the inverted supple bottle beyond the perimeter of the foot.

Claims

1. A walled dispenser base for use with a dispenser for delivering a liquid from an inverted supply bottle, the dispenser having a reservoir container attached to a dispenser valve, the dispenser valve detached from the walled dispenser base and extending though a side opening thereof, the walled dispenser base comprising: a top portion whereon the inverted supply bottle is supported; a rim having an open section; a side opening formed in a side of the walled dispenser base, the side opening extending through the open section of the rim; and a foot formed at a bottom portion of the walled dispenser base, the foot having a perimeter; whereby the dispenser valve attached to the reservoir container may be lowered directly downward through the open section of the rim and into the side opening of the walled dispenser base, the dispenser valve extending through the side opening in the walled dispenser base and delivering the liquid from the inverted supply bottle beyond the perimeter of the foot.

2. A dispenser for delivering a liquid from an inverted supply bottle comprising: a walled dispenser base comprising: a. a top portion whereon the inverted supply bottle is supported; b. a rim having an open section; c. a side opening formed in a sidewall of the walled dispenser base, the side opening extending through the open section of the rim; d. a foot formed at a bottom portion of the walled dispenser base; a reservoir container, the reservoir container resting upon the top portion of the walled dispenser base, and detached from the inverted supply bottle; and a bottle collar engaging the top portion of walled dispenser base, the bottle collar adapted to engage the inverted supply bottle positioned thereon, the bottle collar having a center aperture in a bottle seat where a mouth of the inverted supply bottle extends therethrough, the liquid from the inverted supply bottle being delivered from the mouth of the inverted supply bottle into the reservoir container and through the side opening in the dispenser base.

3. A dispenser for delivering a liquid from an inverted supply bottle comprising: a walled dispenser base comprising: a. a top portion whereon the inverted supply bottle is supported; b. a rim having an open section; c. a side opening formed in a sidewall of the walled dispenser base, the side opening extending through the open section of the rim; d. a foot formed at a bottom portion of the walled dispenser base; a reservoir container, the reservoir container resting upon the top portion of the walled dispenser base, and detached from the inverted supply bottle; a dispenser valve attached to the reservoir container, the dispenser valve detached from the sidewall of the walled dispenser base; and a bottle collar engaging the top portion of walled dispenser base, the bottle collar adapted to engage the inverted supply bottle positioned thereon, the bottle collar having a center aperture in a bottle seat where a mouth of the inverted supply bottle extends therethrough, the liquid from the inverted supply bottle being delivered from the mouth of the inverted supply bottle into the reservoir container and through the side opening in the walled dispenser base.

4. A walled dispenser base for use with a reservoir container for delivering a liquid from an inverted supply bottle, the reservoir container resting upon the dispenser base, detached from the inverted supply bottle, and having an attached dispenser valve, the dispenser valve detached from a sidewall of the walled dispenser base, the walled dispenser base comprising: a top portion whereon the inverted supply bottle is supported; a rim having an open section; a side opening formed in the walled dispenser base, the side opening extending through the open section of the rim; a foot formed at a bottom portion of the dispenser base; whereby the dispenser valve attached to the reservoir container may be lowered directly downward through the open section of the rim and into the side opening of the walled dispenser base, the dispenser valve delivering the liquid from the inverted supply bottle to a location beyond the side opening.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) In the descriptions that follow, like parts are marked throughout the specification and drawings with the same numerals, respectively. The drawing figures are not necessarily drawn to scale and certain figures may be shown in exaggerated or generalized form in the interest of clarity and conciseness. The disclosure itself, however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives and advantages thereof, will be best understood by reference to the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 is a perspective front view of an exemplary water bottle dispenser in accordance with one aspect of the present application;

(3) FIG. 2is an exploded view of the exemplary dispenser of FIG. 1 in accordance with one aspect of the present application;

(4) FIG. 3 is a perspective side view of the exemplary water bottle dispenser in accordance with one aspect of the present application;

(5) FIG. 4is an exploded view of the exemplary dispenser of FIG. 3 in accordance with one aspect of the present application;

(6) FIG. 5 is a top view of the exemplary dispenser illustrating a top view of a valve and a valve tube in accordance with one aspect of the present application;

(7) FIG. 6 is a top view of the exemplary dispenser illustrating a broken view of the valve tube in accordance with one aspect of the present application; and

(8) FIG. 7 is a sectional view of FIG. 6 taken at the sectioning plane in the direction indicated by section lines 7-7 in accordance with one aspect of the present application.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

(9) The description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of presently preferred embodiments of the disclosure and is not intended to represent the forms in which the present disclosure may be constructed and/or utilized. The description sets forth the functions and the sequence of steps for constructing and operating the disclosure in connection with the illustrated embodiments. It is to be understood, however, that the same or equivalent functions and sequences may be accomplished by different embodiments that also are intended to be encompassed within the spirit and scope of this disclosure.

(10) Accordingly, there are one or more aspects to the present water bottle dispenser that offers advantages over the current existing methods that are being used to serve people water. Embodiments of the disclosure provide a water bottle dispenser that may allow water to be accessed directly from single use water bottles for use with the water bottle dispenser.

(11) In accordance with one embodiment the dispenser may facilitate the cleaning of a reservoir container and a valve of a dispenser. Unlike traditional inverted bottle dispensers, a reservoir container of the applicant dispenser may be easily removed from the dispenser base for cleaning as the reservoir container and a dispensing valve are detached from the dispenser base. The dispenser base may have a side opening in a sidewall of the dispenser base that may extend upward through an open section of a rim of the dispenser base. The side opening in the dispenser base may make it possible to lower the reservoir container with the attached dispenser valve directly downward into the dispenser base, thus the applicant dispenser may eliminate the difficulty of removing and installing a reservoir container and a valve into a dispenser base for the purpose of cleaning.

(12) In accordance with one embodiment, the dispenser may have a bottle collar. The bottle collar may be adapted to accommodate various sizes and shapes of inverted bottles. The bottle collar may have a top enclosure that surrounds a sidewall of an inverted bottle. A bottle collar top enclosure may prevent lateral movement of the inverted bottle when engaged with the bottle collar. The bottle collar may have a bottle seat. The bottle seat may be where the inverted bottle engages the bottle collar. The bottle collar may have a center aperture where the mouth if the inverted supply bottle may extend through.

(13) Additionally, the dispenser may combine a unique dispenser base having a side opening that extends through an open section of a rim of the dispenser base with a reservoir container and attached dispenser valve that may be easily removed from the dispenser base when cleaning may be necessary. And lastly, the dispenser may combine the unique dispenser base together with the reservoir container and the dispenser valve and a bottle collar, the bottle may be adapted to engage a number of bottles of various shapes and sizes.

(14) The above advantages of one or more aspects of the water bottle dispenser will become apparent upon reflection of the disclosure set forth below.

(15) Referring to FIG. 1 a perspective front view of an inverted bottle dispenser may be shown. The dispenser may have a dispenser base 20 (hereinafter base 20). In the present embodiment, the base 20 may be cylindrical in shape. However, only one example may be illustrated, and the base 20 may be offered in a number of other geometrical shapes and sizes. As shown in FIG. 1, the base 20 may be tapered. Thus, a bottom portion of the base 20 may be wider than an upper portion of the base 20. The tapered nature of the base 20 may provide added stability, and may allow for the base 20 to be stacked. Additionally, the base 20 may additionally be formed without a taper. The base 20 may be formed to have a hollow interior. The base 20 may have a removable bottle collar 26 (hereinafter bottle collar 26). The base 20 and the bottle collar 26 may be constructed of a durable plastic such as polypropylene, ABS, or of a metal such as stainless steel. The bottle collar 26 may be removably engaged upon the base 20. The base 20 may be used to support the bottle collar 26 that may be used to house a supply bottle 30 inverted and positioned within the bottle collar 26. A dispenser valve 22 may be view extending through a side opening 20S in the base 20. The dispenser valve 20 may be used to dispense water (hereinafter liquid) from the supply bottle 30.

(16) Referring to FIG. 2, an exploded view of the dispenser of FIG. 1 may be illustrated. A broken view of the dispenser base 20 may be seen at a bottom of FIG. 2. The side opening 20S may be formed in a side of the base 20. A base ledge 20L, and an open section 23S of a rim 23 may be seen located at a top portion of the base 20. The rim 23 of the base 20 may support the reservoir container 24 and the bottle 30 engaged within the bottle collar 26. Moving up, the dispenser valve 22 attached to the reservoir container 24 may be seen. In the present embodiment, the reservoir container 24 may be cylindrical in shape. However, only one example may be illustrated, and the reservoir container 24 may be offered in a number of other geometrical shapes and sizes. The reservoir container 24 may be constructed of a food grade plastic material such as polypropylene or high-density polyethylene or other food grade plastics not mentioned. A reservoir container flange 24F that may engage the rim 23 of the base 20 may also be illustrated. The bottle collar 26 may be seen as located above the reservoir container 24. A top enclosure 26T may surround a portion of a sidewall 30S of the supply bottle 30, and may restrict a lateral movement of the supply bottle 30 while engaged within the bottle collar 26. The bottle collar 26 may be seen located above the reservoir container 24. In the present embodiment, the bottle collar 26 may be rounded in shape. However, only one example may be illustrated, and the bottle collar may be offered in a number of other geometrical shapes and sizes to adapt to different sizes and shapes of inverted bottles. A bottle mouth 30M of the bottle 30 that engages the bottle collar 26 may be shown void of cap and may be seen void of having any attachments.

(17) Referring to FIG. 3 a perspective side view of the inverted bottle dispenser may be shown. A base foot 20F of the base 20 may be seen formed at a bottom portion of the dispenser base. A dispenser tube 22T of the dispenser valve 22 may be seen attached to the reservoir container 24, the reservoir container 24 may be illustrated in dashed lines. The dispenser tube 22T may be shown attached to the reservoir container 24 in dashed lines, and extending through the side opening 20S in a base wall 20W of the base 20. A valve activation lever 22L of the valve 22 may be seen. When the valve activation lever 22L of the valve 22 may be forced forward in the direction of the arrow, the liquid from the inverted supply bottle 30 may pass through the reservoir container 24. The liquid from the supply bottle 30 may be delivered from the reservoir container 24 with the dispenser tube 22T through the side opening 20S to beyond a perimeter of the foot 20F, and then through the valve discharge opening 22D to a location outside the walled dispenser base 20. The bottle 30 may be seen inserted into the top enclosure 26T, and a peripheral portion 26P of the bottle collar 26 may be seen engaging the base 20.

(18) Referring to FIG. 4, an exploded view of the dispenser of FIG. 3 may be illustrated. The base 20 may be seen at a bottom of FIG. 4. The side opening 20S may be formed in the sidewall 20W of the base 20. The base ledge 20L, and the open section 23S of the rim 23 may be seen. Moving up, the valve activation lever 22L and the valve discharge opening 22D, of the dispenser valve 22 may be illustrated. The dispenser valve 22 may be seen attached to the reservoir container 24 with the valve tube 22T. When installed in the dispenser base 20, the dispenser valve 22 may be detached from the base 20. Additionally, in FIG. 4, the dispenser valve 22 may show a direct injection molded connection to the reservoir container 24 with the valve tube 22T. However, the dispenser valve 22 could also be attached to the reservoir container 24 using a union, a threaded connection, or other means to connect the dispenser valve 22 to the reservoir container 24. The reservoir flange 24F that may engage and rest upon the rim 23 of the base 20 and thus the reservoir container 24 may be detached from the base 20. The bottle 30 may be viewed engaged within the top enclosure 26T of the bottle collar 26, and the peripheral portion 26P of the bottle collar 26 may be seen located above the reservoir container 24.

(19) Referring to FIG. 5, a top view of the dispenser base 20 having the foot 20F may be seen. The top enclosure 26T and a bottle seat 26S, of the bottle collar 26 may be illustrated. The valve tube 22T of the dispenser valve 22 may be viewed extending through the side opening 20S of the dispenser base 20.

(20) Referring to FIG. 6, a top view of the dispenser base 20 may be seen with a broken view of the valve tube 22T extending through the side opening 20S. The top enclosure 26T and the bottle seat 26S, of the bottle collar 26 may be illustrated.

(21) Referring to FIG. 7, a sectional view taken at the sectioning plane in the direction indicated by section lines 7-7 of the dispenser base of FIG. 6 may be seen. The bottle 30 may be viewed seated upon the bottle seat 26S, and the sidewall 30S of the bottle 30 may be viewed engaged within the top enclosure 26T of the bottle collar 26. The bottle mouth 30M may be viewed extending through an aperture 26A of the bottle collar 26, and into the reservoir container 24. A broken view of the valve tube 22T that leads to the dispenser valve 22 of FIGS. 3-5 may be illustrated. The peripheral portion 26P of the bottle collar 26 may be seen engaged upon the base ledge 20L, the base ledge 20L located at the top portion of the base 20.

(22) Referring to FIGS. 1-6, the operation and use of the dispenser may now be described. To begin with, the base 20 of the dispenser of FIG. 4 may be placed onto a countertop or desktop. Next, the reservoir container 24 with the attached dispenser valve 22 may be lowered into the base 20 making sure that the valve tube 22T of the dispenser valve 22 is in alignment with the side opening 20S of the base 20. Now the peripheral portion 26P of the bottle collar 26 may be engaged upon the base ledge 20L of the base 20. Lastly, the full supply bottle 30 (FIG. 2) having no cap attached may be quickly inverted so that the liquid from the bottle 30 flows into the reservoir container 24, and the bottle 30 is seated upon the bottle seat 26S within the top enclosure 26T of the bottle collar 26 as seen in FIG. 7. The valve activation lever 22L of the dispenser valve 22 may now be pulled forward in the direction of the arrow as seen in FIG. 3 to dispense the liquid content from the bottle 30.

(23) The dispenser of the present invention may provide numerous advantages. The dispenser may accommodate a variety of commercial water bottles that currently have no additional dispensing methods other than the pouring of the water directly from the bottle mouth of the bottle. The dispenser may provide a reservoir container 24. The reservoir container 24 may be attached to a dispenser valve 22. The reservoir container 24 together with the attached dispenser valve 22 may be easily be removed from the dispenser base 20 for cleaning by lifting the reservoir container 24 upwards so the dispenser valve 22 may be removed from the side opening 20S of the base 20. The inverted bottle 30 may be easily installed into bottle collar 26 of the base 20 by quickly inverting the bottle 30 so the liquid content of the bottle 30 flows into the reservoir container 24 and the bottle 30 is seated upon the bottle seat 26S and within the top enclosure 26T of the bottle collar 26. Additionally, another positive aspect is that with increased usage of the applicant's dispenser the amount of small water bottle sales may be reduced as the dispenser may allow for more gallon or larger jugs to be used in households and may lead to an improvement in the environment as the pollution regarding the smaller water bottles may be reduced in quantity.

(24) While embodiments of the disclosure have been described in terms of various specific embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments of the disclosure may be practiced with modifications within the spirit and scope of the claims. For example, the base could take on additional geometrical shapes/sizes other than the shape of the dispenser base mentioned in the above description. Additionally, other embodiments of the reservoir container not discussed in the above description having different geometrical shapes and sizes may be formed to engage the dispenser base. The dispenser valve could be attached to the reservoir container using means other than a direct connection with the valve tube. The bottle collar could take on additional geometrical shapes and sizes other than the shapes/sizes mentioned in the above description to accommodate a variety of differently shaped and sized bottles. Furthermore, the dispenser could be used with inverted beverage bottles in addition to inverted water bottles. Accordingly, the scope should be determined not by the specific embodiments illustrated, but by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.

DRAWINGSREFERENCE NUMBERS

(25) 20dispenser base 20Fbase foot 20Lbase ledge 20Sbase side opening 20Wbase wall 22dispenser valve 22Lvalve activation lever 22Dvalve discharge opening 22Tvalve tube 23base rim 23Sbase rim open section 24reservoir container 24Freservoir flange 26bottle collar 26Abottle collar center aperture 26Pbottle collar peripheral portion 26Sbottle collar bottle seat 26Tbottle collar top enclosure 30supply bottle 30Mbottle mouth 30Sbottle sidewall