Beverage container and dispenser

A container for holding and dispensing carbonated beverages characterized by a top portion, a bottom portion, and a side wall portion in the form of collapsible tubular bellows. A valve for dispensing a fluid is removably mounted on the container and communicates with the interior portion of the container. The valve includes a valve chamber having an opposing fluid inlet and fluid outlet and two oppositely disposed valve seats positioned adjacent to the inlet and the outlet respectively. Two oppositely disposed poppet valves, each having a stem centrally extending therefrom, are cooperatively movable between a closed position sealingly engaging the valve seats and an open position allowing fluid flow through the valve. The poppet valves are coupled to a shaft by the stems. The shaft is arranged to move linearly in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the valve between a first position and a second position such that the shaft urges each of the poppet valves into the open position when the shaft is in the second position.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to containers and fluid dispensing valves. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
Soda and other carbonated beverages are sold in a variety of different 
sized containers, the most popular being the plastic two-liter bottle. The 
popularity of the two-liter bottle stems from its cost effectiveness--it 
offers the most volume of beverage for the least amount of money. 
Additionally, a two-liter bottle is easier to store and carry than the 
same volume of beverage packaged in 12-ounce cans or bottles. However, the 
two-liter bottle has one drawback--carbonated beverages tend to rapidly 
lose carbonation if not consumed soon after the bottle is first opened. 
Improper sealing of the bottle and increased air space in the bottle can 
cause the beverage to lose its carbonation. No container is seen in the 
prior art which effectively stores a carbonated beverage while maintaining 
its carbonation when the container is not filled to capacity. 
U.S. Pat. No. 2,738,107, issued to Elizabeth N. Graham on Mar. 13, 1956, 
describes a container for dispensing liquids having collapsible accordion 
pleated walls. U.S. Pat. No. 3,390,821, issued to Joseph Mullan on Jul. 2, 
1968, shows a container having vertically collapsible side walls and a 
valved outlet passage at the top. The above referenced patents do not 
teach or suggest a collapsible beverage container having a dispensing 
valve characterized by two oppositely disposed poppet valves for sealing 
the inlet and the outlet of the valve. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,368,832, issued to Louis J. Lambert on Jan. 18, 1983, shows 
a fluid dispensing valve having a deformable diaphragm to seal the valve 
seat when closed. U.S. Pat. No. 4,645,100, issued to Peter R. Wells on 
Feb. 24, 1987, describes a dispensing spigot for a container in which the 
spigot is mounted on a spout and a portion of the deformable diaphragm 
wall sealingly engages the internal surface of the spout wall. U.S. Pat. 
No. 4,801,053, issued to Eugene J. Kaster on Jan. 31, 1989, describes a 
valved dispensing spout for a fuel can having a poppet valve slidably 
mounted therein. The valve is connected to a horizontal plunger via a link 
and the plunger extends through the wall of the valve housing for 
operation of the valve. U.S. Pat. No. 5,244,011, issued to Edgar Feldinger 
on Sep. 14, 1993, shows a fluid control valve having two eccentrically and 
rotatably mounted, oppositely disposed plug elements arranged for sealing 
the inlet and outlet of the valve. The above referenced patents do not 
teach or suggest a valve used in combination with a collapsible container 
for carbonated beverages. 
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in 
combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention is directed to a container for holding and dispensing 
carbonated beverages. The container is characterized by a top portion, a 
bottom portion, and a side wall portion in the form of collapsible tubular 
bellows. A valve for dispensing a fluid is removably mounted on the 
container and communicates with the interior portion of the container. The 
valve includes a valve chamber having an opposing fluid inlet and fluid 
outlet and two oppositely disposed valve seats positioned adjacent to the 
inlet and the outlet respectively. Two oppositely disposed poppet valves, 
each having a stem centrally extending therefrom, are cooperatively 
movable between a closed position sealingly engaging the valve seats and 
an open position allowing fluid flow through the valve. The poppet valves 
are coupled to a shaft by the stems. The shaft is arranged to move 
linearly in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the 
valve between a first position and a second position such that the shaft 
urges each of the poppet valves into the open position when the shaft is 
in the second position. 
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a 
collapsible beverage container for storing and dispensing carbonated 
beverages. 
It is another object of the invention to provide a collapsible beverage 
container that reduces the amount of carbon dioxide escaping from the 
carbonated beverage by reducing the volume of air above the beverage. 
It is a further object of the invention to provide a collapsible beverage 
container for storing carbonated beverages including a valve for 
dispensing fluids. 
Still another object of the invention is to provide a collapsible beverage 
container for storing carbonated beverages including a valve designed to 
reduce the amount of air allowed into the container by simultaneously 
closing the inlet and the outlet of the valve. 
It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and 
arrangements thereof in an apparatus for the purposes described which is 
inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended 
purposes. 
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily 
apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
A container for holding carbonated beverages is shown in FIG. 1. The major 
components of the container include a top portion 10, a bottom portion 12, 
a side wall portion 14, and a valve 16. 
Referring to FIG. 1, side wall portion 14 is in the form of a collapsible 
tubular bellows having a series of corrugated or accordion pleats 18. Top 
portion 10 includes a discharge opening 20 defined by an upstanding neck 
22. Top portion 10 is generally concave in shape, tapering from side wall 
portion 14 upwardly and inwardly to discharge opening 20. Bottom portion 
12 is shaped in the form of a bowl having an annular base 24 with a 
centrally located depression 26 therein. Bottom portion 12 extends from 
base 24 upwardly and outwardly to side wall portion 14. Top portion 10, 
bottom portion 12, and side wall portion 14 define an interior portion 28. 
Neck 22 includes an outer surface 30 and an inner surface 32. External 
threads 34 are formed on outer surface 30 to matingly receive a removable 
cap 36 such that cap 36 seals discharge opening 20. Alternatively, cap 36 
may be secured to neck 22 in a tight friction fit or by any other well 
known securing means. Internal threads 38 are formed on inner surface 32 
to matingly receive external threads 40 on the housing 42 of valve 16 such 
that a seal is provided between valve housing 42 and inner surface 32 to 
prevent fluid leakage therethrough. Alternatively, valve 16 may be secured 
within neck 22 in a tight friction fit or by any other well known securing 
means. Although valve 16 is presently shown positioned within neck 22, 
valve 16 may be mounted in alternative positions along the container as 
long as communication between valve 16 and the fluid in the container is 
permitted. 
A handle 43, in the form of a closed loop, is mounted on the container to 
allow a strap for carrying the container to pass therethrough or to allow 
the user to more easily grasp and manage the container. 
Referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, valve 16 for dispensing fluid includes 
valve housing 42 which defines a chamber 44. An opposing fluid inlet 46 
and fluid outlet 48 are positioned within chamber 44. The longitudinal 
axis of valve 16 extends centrally through fluid inlet 46 and fluid outlet 
48. A first valve seat 50 is positioned adjacent to fluid inlet 46 and a 
second valve seat 52 is positioned adjacent to fluid outlet 48. Two 
oppositely disposed poppet valves, 54 and 56, are located within chamber 
44. A first valve stem 58 extends from the center of first poppet valve 54 
and a second valve stem 60 extends from the center of second poppet valve 
56. Poppet valves 54 and 56 are cooperatively movable between a closed 
position sealingly engaging a respective one of valve seats 50 and 52 and 
an open position allowing fluid flow through fluid inlet 46 and fluid 
outlet 48. 
First stem 58 includes a first end 62 and second stem 60 includes a second 
end 64. Ends 62 and 64 are resiliently coupled to a shaft 66 at 
substantially the same location on shaft 66. Stems 58 and 60 are 
sufficiently resilient to allow stems 58 and 60 to flex or bend with 
respect shaft 66. Shaft 66 is arranged to move linearly in a direction 
perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of valve 16. Shaft 66 is movable 
between a first position and a second position. In the first position, 
shaft 66 urges stems 58 and 60 out of alignment with the longitudinal axis 
of valve 16 thereby moving poppet valves 54 and 56 into the closed 
position. In the second position, shaft 66 urges stems 58 and 60 into 
alignment with the longitudinal axis of valve 16 thereby moving poppet 
valves 54 and 56 into the open position. FIG. 2 shows poppet valves 54 and 
56 in the closed position and shaft 66 in the first position. FIG. 3 shows 
poppet valves 54 and 56 in the open position and shaft 66 in the second 
position. 
Shaft 66 passes through a hole 68 within valve housing 42. A push button 70 
is mounted on shaft 66 for allowing a user to move shaft 66 between the 
first and second position by finger pressure. A ring-shaped, 
frusto-conical first seal 72 is mounted on shaft 66 adjacent to push 
button 70. First seal 72 sealingly engages hole 68 when shaft 66 is in the 
second position. A ring-shaped, frusto-conical second seal 74 is mounted 
on shaft 66 within chamber 44. Second seal 74 sealingly engages hole 68 
when shaft 66 is in the first position. 
Many alternative methods for returning poppet valves 54 and 56 to valve 
seats 50 and 52, respectively, are possible. In a first method, shaft 66, 
poppet valves 54 and 56, and stems 58 and 60 are formed together in a 
single piece of molded plastic with the shaft 66 in the first position. 
After moving shaft 66 to the second position, the molded plastic returns 
to its original shape thus bringing back shaft 66 to the first position. 
In a second method, a spring for biasing shaft 66 to the first position 
may be provided around shaft 66, extending between push button 70 and 
valve housing 42. In a third method, the container may be collapsed, thus 
increasing the fluid pressure in the container. Gas current from gas 
escaping through valve 16 urges shaft 66 into the second position, sealing 
valve 16 when finger pressure on push button 70 is released. In a fourth 
method, push button 70 may be manually retracted to move shaft 66 into the 
first position. The methods described herein are shown merely as examples 
and are not the only methods that would result in an operative embodiment 
of the invention. 
It will be seen that by removing cap 36 from the container and opening 
valve 16, the container may be vertically or longitudinally compressed to 
reduced its volume. In the extended position, as shown in FIG. 1, the 
container may be completely filled with a liquid such as a carbonated 
beverage. As the volume of liquid in the container is diminished, and if 
cap 36 is removed and valve 16 is open, atmospheric pressure forces side 
wall portion 14 to collapse thus reducing the volume above the carbonated 
beverage and thereby reducing the amount of carbon dioxide that will 
escape from the beverage. The container may also be manually collapsed by 
removing cap 36, opening valve 16, and forcing the container down to the 
desired level. Once the desired level of the container is reached, valve 
16 may be closed and cap 36 may be replaced to retain the desired level. 
Fluid is dispensed from the container by first removing cap 36. Next, push 
button 70 is depressed thereby moving shaft 66 into the second position. 
In the second position, shaft 66 urges stems 58 and 60 into alignment with 
the longitudinal axis of valve 16 thus moving poppet valves 54 and 56 into 
the open position. Valve 16 may be closed by releasing push button 70 and 
allowing shaft 66 to move to the first position. In the first position, 
shaft 66 urges stems 58 and 60 out of alignment with the longitudinal axis 
of valve 16 thus moving poppet valves 54 and 56 into engagement with valve 
seats 50 and 52. Poppet valves 54 and 56 simultaneously engage valve seats 
50 and 52 to close valve 16, thus reducing the amount of air allowed into 
the container. 
It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the 
sole embodiment described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments 
within the scope of the following claims.