Abstract:
A container coupler for either transferring viscous fluids or holding a vessel upside down includes an engaging portion for encircling the mouth of a lower vessel and an aperture for engaging an upper vessel. A conical surface surrounding the aperture causes fluid spilled on the coupler to travel to the aperture and into the lower vessel. With the upper vessel engaged on the coupler, a portion of the upper vessel is disposed below the mouth of, and within the lower vessel to add stability, prevent leakage and decrease the height of the stacked vessels.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of the filing date of provisional application No. 61/816,491, filed on Apr. 26, 2013. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Decanters of viscous liquids such as lotions or gels are typically sold in the same bottles used for runny or watery fluids. Examples include bath items such as lotions, conditioners and shampoos, and occasionally food items such as ketchup or honey at room temperature. Currently a significant quantity of product is wasted due to the inability of a user to decant viscous liquids from half-empty bottles. Current solutions addressing this problem include balancing bottles upside down, shaking, squeezing plastic bottles to the point of crushing them, or even cutting them open to reach the remaining product. 
         [0003]    Connection devices for transferring fluids are known in the art. Moisio et al (U.S. Pat. No. 6,237,649) discloses a dual vial connecting system for lyophilized products, including a cylindrical screwing closing and connection plastic sleeve having a plastic perforable membrane located between the upper portion and lower portion. An elastomer sealing ring fixed around a cylindrical plastic skirt is located in the inner lower portion, and an elastomer sealing plug fixed by a collar and an annular rib ensures an air and liquid-tight system. This apparatus is disfavored for simple decantation since it has multiple parts made of expensive materials, and is air-tight, which tends to prevent liquid transfer of viscous fluids. 
         [0004]    Barnoski et al (U.S. Pat. No. 6,182,720) discloses a quick connecting fluid transfer device comprising a vertical connector having an inverted funnel at its top and a conically downwardly tapered funnel at its bottom with a collecting portion formed generally around its mid-span. The upper inverted funnel has a longitudinal slot and an opening is formed in the collecting portion allowing fluid to pass between the upper container and lower container. This type of apparatus is disfavored due to its unwieldy shape, which makes it inconvenient to store. Furthermore, lacking an anchoring means of any kind, it promotes instability, and allows the upper bottle to lean, possibly tipping over both bottles. 
         [0005]    Chudy (U.S. Pat. No. 5,884,678) discloses a connector device for holding two necks in an abutting relationship. It is designed to connect two tubes or containers so as to allow the transfer of fluids from one tube or container to the other. The connector device includes a tubular member having an inner wall that includes longitudinal slits and flange. This type of apparatus is also not preferred for transferring viscous fluids since it prevents air exchange between the containers. 
         [0006]    Fluster (U.S. Pat. No. 3,877,499) discloses a fluid coupling device for transferring viscous fluids from one bottle to another bottle. It includes an upper, flared section and a flange. And air passageway is formed in the upper coupling section and extends through the flange into the lower coupling section allowing air to be displaced by the fluid. This apparatus is only adapted for a specific sized bottle capable of receiving the flange, and is incapable of supporting viscous fluid transfer between a variety of bottle sizes and styles. 
         [0007]    Therefore a need exists for a container coupling device to transfer viscous fluids from one bottle to another, which securely anchors to a receiving bottle, allowing air to travel between the bottles, and which is compact and easy to store. A need also exists for a fluid coupling device which is simply designed, easy to mold from inexpensive materials, and which is spill resistant to avoid viscous fluids spilling as they are transferred. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0008]    A fluid container coupler is disclosed for decanting viscous fluids from an upper vessel to a lower vessel. The coupler serves as an inverted bottle holder and primer to securely and perpetually hold capped bottles upside down, ensuring liquid is always at the cap ready to be dispensed and thereby avoiding the need for waiting for a viscous liquid to reach the spout, or violently shaking and squeezing the bottle. The coupler also serves as an inverted bottle drainer for removing the last few ounces of a viscous liquid from a bottle by removing the bottle cap and pump and inverting a bottle over the coupler. 
         [0009]    The coupler includes an engaging portion for encircling the mouth of the lower vessel and an aperture for engaging the upper vessel. A cylindrical hammock which is a conical surface surrounding the aperture ensures the upper vessel will be securely held, and in some instances that fluid on the coupler travels to the aperture and into the lower vessel. The conical surface is preferably arranged such that, with the upper vessel engaged on the coupler, a portion of the upper vessel is disposed below the mouth of, and within the lower vessel. Such an arrangement adds stability and decreases the height of the stacked vessels. 
         [0010]    The aperture is sized to accept the top of the upper vessel, including a cap or pump cap if desired. The upper vessel rests on its shoulders on the coupler. In such a configuration, the upper vessel is held in place relative to the lower vessel and helps to prevent spills if the stacked vessels are inadvertently knocked over. Since the fluid travelling between the vessels is viscous, even though a non-air-tight seal is used between the aperture and the upper vessel, if the stacked vessels are righted quickly after being knocked over, little fluid will leak out. Further any fluid leaking from the first vessel would travel down the conical surface to the aperture once the stacked vessels are placed back upright. 
         [0011]    Since bottles and other vessels containing viscous fluids are typically cylindrical, the coupler is preferably cylindrical and may have vertical cylindrical walls. Additionally, to function as a quasi-cap for the lower vessel, the coupler also preferably has a horizontal lid portion. To ensure that the spill resistant characteristics are preserved, the horizontal lid portion should ideally surround the conical surface surrounding the aperture. If the lower vessel is the intended final receptacle for the viscous fluid, labels, including dry erase labels may he included for adhesion to the lower vessel, and a lid may be provided for sealing the lower vessel. 
         [0012]    In order to use the coupler to decant a viscous fluid, a user first covers the mouth of the lower vessel with the coupler in a manner such that access to the lower vessel is provided by the aperture. If a user installs the coupler by setting it upside down on a surface and engaged it with the mount of an inverted lower vessel, the resulting assembly may need to be inverted. The user inserts the coupler and lower vessel onto the upper vessel such that a portion of the upper vessel is inside the lower vessel. The assembly of the upper vessel, coupler and lower vessel should be prepared, inverted as necessary, so that the upper vessel is above the lower vessel. 
         [0013]    Once installed, the stacked vessels may be left undisturbed in a convenient location while the user waits until all of the viscous fluid travels from the upper vessel to the lower vessel. Once the upper vessel is empty, it may be disengaged from the coupler. The coupler may be left on the lower vessel to function as a partial lid, or disengaged as desired. Also, the user may install a label, including a dry erase label, to mark the contents of the lower vessel after decantation. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         [0014]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a coupling device, coupled to two fluid vessels. 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the coupling device used for transferring fluid between the vessels. 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  is a cut-away view of the coupling device, coupled to the fluid vessels, the upper vessel being uncapped. 
           [0017]      FIG. 4  is an exploded view of the coupling device used for urging fluid to the top of a vessel 
           [0018]      FIG. 5  is a cut-away view of the coupling device, coupled to the fluid vessels, the upper vessel being capped. 
           [0019]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the underside of the coupling device. 
       
    
    
     REFERENCE NUMBERS 
       [0000]    
       
         
           
               10 . Coupler 
               12 . Upper Vessel 
               14 . Lower Vessel 
               16 . Vessel Bottom 
               18 . Aperture 
               20 . Threads 
               22 . Label 
               24 . Bead 
               26 . Viscous Liquid 
               28 . Cylindrical Hammock 
               30 . Horizontal Portion 
               32 . Cap 
               34 . Apron 
           
         
       
     
       DESCRIPTION 
       [0033]    A coupler is disclosed for decanting viscous fluids from a narrow bottle having an elongate throat portion into a wider mouth jar container. Referring to  FIG. 1 , the coupler  10  is shown in use. The coupler  10  is installed between a upper vessel  12  containing a viscous fluid (not shown) and a lower vessel  14  for receiving the viscous fluid. The upper vessel  12  is inverted with the vessel bottom  16  on top. The coupler  10  preferably rests on and is supported by the rim (not shown) of the lower vessel  14 , and supports the upper vessel  12 . Once arranged in this configuration, the coupler  10 , upper vessel  12  and lower vessel  14  may be stored in a convenient out-of-the-way place, and over time, the contents of the upper vessel  12  will descend into the lower vessel  14 . 
         [0034]    Referring to  FIG. 2 , the coupler  10  is adapted to receive an uncapped upper vessel  12  in an aperture  18  disposed centrally on the coupler  10 . The inverted upper vessel  12  travels through the aperture  18  and comes to rest on the coupler  10 . The coupler  10  is preferably resilient and therefore is able to travel over the threads  20  of the lower vessel  14 , and be held thereon. The threads  20  are adapted to receive a cap (not shown) on the lower vessel  14  for containing a viscous fluid (not shown) once decanted. A label  22 , preferably an erasable and reusable label  22  may be included on the lower vessel  14  for labeling its contents. 
         [0035]    Referring to  FIG. 3 , a cross-sectional view shows the coupler  10  engaging a upper vessel  12  and installed over a lower vessel  14 . In this view the coupler  10  is shown engaging the threads  20  of the lower vessel  14  with a bead  24 . By engaging the lower vessel  14  the coupler prevents the viscous fluid  26  from spilling out of the lower vessel  14 . As shown in this view, over time, the viscous fluid  26  will gradually travel under gravity from the upper vessel  12  to the lower vessel  14 . Additionally, the aperture  18  is preferably sized to receive a pumped bottle if necessary. 
         [0036]    Still referring to  FIG. 3 , the profile characteristics of the coupler  10  are shown. In particular, the coupler  10  preferably has a cylindrical hammock  28  which helps it hold the upper vessel  12  upright, and a horizontal portion  30  which serves as a partial cover for the lower vessel  14 . The horizontal portion  30  allows the coupler  10  to be installed over a smaller vessel (not shown) which it does not engage. but provides balance for the coupler  10 . In a preferred embodiment, the cover  10  is made of a thick fitted thermoplastic elastomeric material such as SANTOPRENE® or MONPRENE®, which allows for a tight fit around the lower vessel  14 , helps hold the upper vessel  12  in place, and serves as a non-slip surface for the upper vessel  12 . 
         [0037]    The coupler  10  is preferably of low profile, with the horizontal portion  30  and cylindrical hammock  28  fairly thick. In this manner, if the lower vessel  14  is tipped over, a user can likely correct its position before fluid spills out of the aperture  18 . In other embodiments, the coupler  10  may be elongated to fit a variety of container shapes. In a preferred embodiment the lower vessel  14  includes a lid (not shown) for storage and travel once the viscous liquid  26  is decanted. 
         [0038]    Referring to  FIG. 4 , the coupler  10  is adapted to receive a capped upper vessel  12  in an aperture  18  disposed centrally on the coupler  10  as well. The inverted upper vessel  12  travels through the aperture  18  and comes to rest on the coupler  10 . In this configuration, the coupler  10  functions to receive the upper vessel  12  and the lower vessel  14  functions to hold up the coupler and provide a space for the upper vessel  12 . Instead of receiving the viscous liquid (not shown) however, the capped upper vessel  12  retains the liquid. In this manner, the viscous liquid is ready to be dispensed as desired. 
         [0039]    Referring to  FIG. 5 , a cross-sectional view shows the coupler  10  engaging a capped upper vessel  12  and installed over a lower vessel  14  is shown. In this view the coupler  10  is shown engaging the threads  20  of the lower vessel  14  with a bead  24 . In this method, by engaging the lower vessel  14  the coupler holds the upper vessel  12  upside down and causes the viscous fluid  26  to collect near the cap  32  of the upper vessel  12 , which prevents it from spilling out of the upper vessel  14  but prepares the viscous fluid  26  for easy decantation. In a preferred embodiment the coupler  10  is preferably sized to receive a pumped bottle if necessary. 
         [0040]    Referring to  FIG. 6 , the underside of the coupler  10  is shown. The coupler  10  is preferably of low profile, with a relatively short apron  34  for engaging the lower vessel (not shown). The horizontal portion  30  and cylindrical hammock  28  are, by contrast fairly thick. In this manner, if the lower vessel overturns, a user can likely correct its position before fluid spills out of the aperture  18 . In other embodiments, the apron  34  may be elongated or even threaded to fit a variety of container shapes and sizes. 
         [0041]    In order to use the coupler  10 , a user simple engages the threads  20  of the lower vessel  14  with the bead  24  on the coupler  10 . Then, with the lower vessel  14  standing upright, the user inverts the upper vessel  12  over the coupler  10  so as to engage the aperture  18 . Once the upper vessel  12  and lower vessel  14  are connected to the coupler  10 , any viscous fluid  30  in the upper vessel  12  will slowly travel toward the lower vessel  14 . A user may invert an uncapped upper vessel  12  over the coupler, which will transfer its contents into the lower vessel  14  which may be capped, labeled and used for storage and travel, or a user may invert a capped upper vessel  12  over the coupler, which will transfer its contents toward the cap  32  of the upper vessel  12  ready for easy decantation. Because of the relatively thick nature of the horizontal portion  34 , the coupler also functions as a cap-like structure for the lower vessel  14 . 
         [0042]    The coupler  10  may be easily and inexpensively manufactured by molding from a variety of semi flexible materials, including thick rubber or plastic. Additionally, because of the low profile of the coupler  10  it may be conveniently packaged and stored prior to sale, and after use. 
         [0043]    The foregoing description of the preferred embodiment of the Invention is sufficient in detail to enable one skilled in the art to make and use the invention. It is understood, however, that the detail of the preferred embodiment presented is not intended to limit the scope of the invention, in as much as equivalents thereof and other modifications which come within the scope of the invention as defined by the claims will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading this specification.