Abstract:
A liquid dispensing and sealing structure includes a dispensing unit having a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet communicated with the liquid inlet, and a blocking member having a fixation portion fixed to the dispensing unit, a blocking portion separatably blocking the liquid outlet of the dispensing unit, and at least one elastic deformable connection portion connected between the fixation portion and the blocking portion. Whether the liquid outlet is blocked for sealing or opened for dispensing the liquid from the liquid inlet is determined by a position of the blocking portion. In addition, the blocking portion is provided with an air permeable portion in communication with the liquid outlet, such that the ambient pressure and the inside pressure of a container connected with the liquid dispensing and sealing structure can be balanced.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates generally to a liquid dispensing device and more particularly, to a liquid dispensing and sealing structure. 
         [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0004]    Conventionally, the commercially available liquid dispensing devices, such as water bottles, are generally composed of a dispensing unit for opening the water bottle to facilitate dispensing or drinking of the bottle contents, such as water, beverage or other liquid, by squeezing or inclinedly tipping the water bottle. Providing that the dispensing unit is not switched from the on-condition to the off-condition after the dispensing unit is forced to the on-condition, as soon as the water bottle is tipped down or turned upside down, the bottle contents will soon flow out and the out-flowing liquid may wet the ambient things. On the other hand, the body of the water bottle may deform inwardly due to the unbalance of the inside pressure and outside pressure of the water bottle after the contained liquid is discharged out and the dispensing unit is switched to the off-condition. Because the configuration of the conventional dispensing unit may not allow air to flow back into the deformed water bottle, the depressed deformation of the bottle body may be unable to rebound to its original shape. Therefore, it is desired to develop a liquid dispensing and sealing structure for use with water bottles or other containers, which can improve the aforesaid drawbacks. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    The present invention has been accomplished in view of the above-noted circumstances. It is therefore one objective of the present invention to provide a liquid dispensing and sealing structure which can dispense or seal liquid easily and is convenient in operation for a user. 
         [0006]    Another objective of the present invention is to provide a liquid dispensing and sealing structure, which can balance the inside and outside pressures of a container that is enclosed by the structure so as to allow the container to return to its initial shape after it is deformed due to the difference of inside and outside pressures of the container. 
         [0007]    To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, a liquid dispensing and sealing structure, which is provided by the present invention and adapted to be connected to a contain or configured as a container, comprises a dispensing unit having a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet communicated with the liquid inlet, and a blocking member having a fixation portion fixed to the dispensing unit, a blocking portion separatably blocking the liquid outlet of the dispensing unit, and an elastic deformable connection portion connected between the fixation portion and the blocking portion. 
         [0008]    When the dispensing unit is located at an open position, a pressing force or a suction force applying on the container by the user will drive the liquid in the container to flow to the liquid outlet of the dispensing unit through the liquid inlet of the dispensing unit to further push the blocking portion of the blocking member away from the liquid outlet, such that the liquid can be dispensed out of the liquid dispensing and sealing structure while the connection portion that is connected between the fixation portion and the blocking portion is kept at an elastic deformed manner. As soon as the aforesaid applying force is released, the blocking portion of the blocking member will return to its initial position due to the elastic rebound force of the connection portion to block the liquid outlet again. Under this circumstance, though the blocking member receives no external sealing force, the blocking member can completely seal the liquid around the liquid outlet or can block the liquid to an extent that only a little amount of liquid can possibly leak. 
         [0009]    Preferably, the blocking portion of the blocking member is provided with an air permeable portion, such as a slit, communicated with the liquid outlet, such that ambient air can flow into the container through the slit of the blocking portion to balance the inside pressure with the external pressure of the container for enabling the deformed container, which is deformed due to the applying force of the user, to return to its original shape. 
         [0010]    Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]    The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given herein below and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present invention, and wherein: 
           [0012]      FIG. 1  is a perspective assembled view of a liquid dispensing and sealing structure according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  is another perspective view of the liquid dispensing and sealing structure of the preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  is an exploded view of the liquid dispensing and sealing structure of the preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  shows an exploded view of the liquid dispensing and sealing structure observed from another viewing angle; 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  is a sectional view taken along line  5 - 5  of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0017]      FIG. 6  is a sectional view taken along line  6 - 6  of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0018]      FIG. 7  is similar to  FIG. 5 , but showing that the dispensing unit of the liquid dispensing and sealing structure is rested at an open position; 
           [0019]      FIG. 8  is similar to  FIG. 6 , but showing that the dispensing unit of the liquid dispensing and sealing structure is rested at the open position and the liquid outlet of the dispensing unit is blocked by the blocking member, and 
           [0020]      FIG. 9  is similar to  FIG. 8 , but showing that and the liquid outlet of the dispensing unit is not blocked by the blocking member. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0021]    As shown in  FIGS. 1-6 , a liquid dispensing and sealing structure provided according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is composed of a cap  20 , a dispensing unit  30 , a blocking member  40  and a positioning ring  50 . 
         [0022]    The cap  20  includes an engagement portion  22  for coupling a container (not shown in the drawings), and a receiving portion  24  extending downwardly from a center of the engagement portion  22  into an inside of the container. The receiving portion  24  is provided with a top opening  242 , a bottom opening  244  opposite to the top opening  242 , and two through holes  246  formed on the periphery wall and aligned in a line. The top opening  242  faces outside of the container and the bottom opening  244  and the through holes  246  are located inside the container. 
         [0023]    It will be appreciated that the cap  20  can be generically defined as an installation unit. Broadly speaking, the installation unit may be a container. In other words, the liquid dispensing and sealing structure of the present invention comprises an installation unit including but not limited to a cap  20  or a container. 
         [0024]    The dispensing unit  30  includes a liquid conduit member  32  and a suction mouth  34 . The liquid conduit member  32  is shaped like a cylinder having an open top end terminating as a liquid outlet  322 , a close bottom end with a protruded positioning rod  324 , and two liquid inlets  326  provided at the peripheral wall thereof adjacent to the bottom end, opposite to each other and communicated with the liquid outlet  322 . The suction mouth  34  is made from an elastically deformable material, such as silicon, and shaped like a tube having a passage  342 . The suction mouth  34  is fixedly coupled at an end thereof with the top end of the liquid conduit member  32  in such a way that the liquid outlet  322  is located inside the passage  342  of the suction mouth  34 . The liquid conduit member  32  of the dispensing unit  30  is installed inside the receiving portion  24  of the cap  20  in such a way that the suction mouth  34  extends out of the cap  20  and is exposed outside the container, and the positioning rod  324  passes through the bottom opening  244  of the receiving portion  24 . 
         [0025]    As mentioned above, the installation unit may be realized as the cap  20  or a container, such that the installation unit may, in other words, include the receiving portion  24  with the through holes  246 . If it is this case, the dispensing unit  30  is installed inside the receiving portion  24  of the installation unit. 
         [0026]    The blocking member  40  is made from an elastically deformable material, such as silicon, as an integral unity, which includes a ring-shaped fixation portion  42 , a round disc-like blocking portion  44  with a slit  442  having a cross-section gradually narrowed from its top end toward its bottom end, and three waved connection portions  46 . The inner ends of the connection portions  46  are equiangularly connected to the circumference of the blocking portion  44  and the outer ends of the connection portions  46  are connected to the inner circumference of the fixation portion  42 , such that the blocking portion  44  is suspended at an imaginary center of the fixation portion  42 . 
         [0027]    It will be appreciated that the slit  442  of the blocking member  40  may be broadly defined as an air permeable portion. That is, the blocking member  40  has an air permeable portion communicated with the liquid outlet  322 . 
         [0028]    The positioning ring  50  is capped on the outer periphery of the fixation portion  42  of the blocking member  40  for enabling the fixation portion  42  to be fixedly capped on the top portion of the liquid conduit member  32  in such a way that the blocking portion  44  is plugged into the liquid outlet  322  of the liquid conduit member  32  and the slit  442  of the blocking portion  44  is communicated with the liquid outlet  322 . That is, the liquid dispensing and sealing structure of the present invention further comprises a positioning ring  50  that is capped on the fixation portion  42  of the blocking member  40  to fix the blocking member  40  to the dispensing unit  30 . 
         [0029]    In addition, the liquid conduit member  32  and suction mouth  34  of the dispensing unit  30  are respectively provided with various retaining portions  325  and  345  to hold the positioning ring  50  so as to further secure the positioning ring  50  and the blocking member  40  to the liquid conduit member  32 . 
         [0030]    In the light of the above, the liquid dispensing and sealing structure of the present invention may, by all accounts, comprise a dispensing unit  30  and a blocking member  40  at the very least. 
         [0031]    To use the liquid dispensing and sealing structure, the suction mouth  34  needs to be pulled outwardly. Along with the outward movement of the suction mouth  34 , the dispensing unit  30  will linearly move relative to the cap  20  until the positioning rod  324  is stopped at the bottom end of the receiving portion  24  of the cap  20 , as shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8 , such that the dispensing unit  30  will be located at an open position P 1  where the liquid inlets  326  are respectively communicated with the through holes  246 . That is, the dispensing unit  30 , in general speaking, is installed in the installation unit having at least a through hole  246 . The dispensing unit  30  can move relative to the installation unit to an open position where the liquid inlet  326  is communicated with the through hole  246  of the installation unit. 
         [0032]    At this moment, the blocking portion  44  of the blocking unit  40  is still plugged into the liquid outlet  322 . Because the slit  442  is small in size, the blocking portion can still maintain the sealing effect and block any foreign object. In other words, the blocking member  40  can block the liquid or gas entering the liquid inlet  326  from leak from the liquid outlet  322  or allow only a minus amount of leakage of the aforesaid liquid or air when no external force applies on the blocking member  40 . 
         [0033]    Thereafter, if the user wants to dispense or drink the liquid in the container, the user can squeeze the container, a deformable plastic bottle for example, or do a suction motion with his/her mouth by using the suction mouth  34  to cause a pressure difference between inside and outside of the container for enabling the liquid or gas to flow through the through holes  246  and the liquid inlets  326  to the liquid outlet  322  of the liquid conduit member  32  to push the blocking portion  44  of the blocking member  40  away from the liquid outlet  322 , as shown in  FIG. 9 , in a way that the connection portions  46  that are connected with the blocking portion  44  are elastically deformed. As a result, a great amount of liquid can flow out of the liquid outlet  322  and then flow out of the liquid dispensing and sealing structure through the passage  342  of the suction mouth  34 . 
         [0034]    As soon as the user stops squeezing or sucking the container, because the blocking portion  44  no longer receives the pushing force from the liquid or the suction force from the user&#39;s mouth, the blocking portion  44  of the blocking member  40  will return to its initial position due to the elastic rebound force of the connection portions  46  to block the liquid outlet  322  again. In the meantime, since the air outside the container can still enter into the container through the slit  442  of the blocking portion  44  to balance the inside pressure with the outside pressure of the container, the container, if it is deformed, can return to its original shape quickly. 
         [0035]    In addition to the preferred embodiment disclosed above, various modifications and/or alternate forms for the liquid dispensing and sealing structure of the present invention can be used as follows. 
         [0036]    For example, the connection portions  46  of the blocking member  40  are not limited to be disposed on the liquid conduit member  32 ; alternatively, they can be disposed inside the liquid conduit member  32  to block the liquid outlet  322  of the liquid conduit member  32 . 
         [0037]    In addition, the positioning ring  50  can be eliminated, provided that the blocking member  40  has a portion for positioning. 
         [0038]    Further, the dispensing unit  30  is not limited to be moveable between the open position and the close position; alternately, the dispensing unit  30  can be designed to be stationary. 
         [0039]    Furthermore, the dispensing unit  30  is not limited to be composed of two individual elements, i.e. the liquid conduit member  32  and the suction mouth  34 . The liquid conduit member  32  and the suction mouth  34  can be integrally formed as a signal unity. 
         [0040]    Besides, the installation unit is not limited to be a cap-like configuration as the above-disclosed cap  20 . In practice, the container itself or the opening structure of the container can be designed having the same configuration of the aforesaid cap  20 . 
         [0041]    Moreover, the installation unit and the dispensing unit are not limited to be two individual units assembled together. They can however be formed as a single unity; that is, the dispensing unit  30  may be installed in the container or become a part of the container. 
         [0042]    The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.