Abstract:
A container for pouring liquids or other substances and having a seal that may be broken after the container is inverted by pulling a handle linked to the seal or by squeezing the bottle to rupture the seal.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of a prior filed, co-pending application Serial No. 60/426,298, filed Nov. 14, 2002, entitled CONTAINER FOR DISPENSING LIQUIDS. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    This invention relates to liquid containers and, more particularly, to a container whereby liquids can be released from the container in a controlled fashion after the bottle has been inverted.  
           [0003]    A common problem exists when one is attempting to pour liquid from a bottle into a receptacle where the receptacle is difficult to reach or is relatively small or the bottle must be tipped or partially inverted in order to reach the receptacle. This problem is encountered when replacing a drinking water five-gallon bottle that must be inverted on the dispensing stand or when adding a fuel additive to a fuel tank of an automobile, or adding oil to an engine, to name a few examples. Often, when attempting to pour the liquid into the relatively small receptacle, the liquid is spilled on the surrounding surface such as the paint on the side of the automobile. The spilled liquid may damage the paint or present an environmental hazard.  
           [0004]    A similar problem exists when one is attempting to pour oil into an automobile engine crankcase. Typically the oil fill receptacle is located deep within the engine bay. This means that the process required to pour the oil from the open, disposable bottle will usually result in spillage of oil over the engine and the operator&#39;s hands before the target receptacle has been successfully hit by the spout of the opened oil bottle. Use of a funnel reduces the chance of spillage on the engine. However, pouring oil from a full bottle often nevertheless results in the oil spilling down the side of the funnel and consequently onto the engine or the operator&#39;s hands. Furthermore, most motorists will not have a funnel readily available.  
           [0005]    Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a bottle whereby liquids may be released from the bottle in a controlled fashion by the operator after the bottle has been inverted.  
           [0006]    Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein is set forth by way of illustration and example, a now preferred embodiment of this invention. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0007]    [0007]FIG. 1 is a front view of a container of the present invention;  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 2 is a side view of the container of FIG. 1;  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 3 is a top view of the container of FIG. 1;  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the container of FIG. 1;  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 5 is a top view of an alternate embodiment of the container of FIG. 1;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic illustration of the container of FIG. 1 in an inverted orientation positioned above a receptacle;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic illustration of the container of FIG. 1 in an inverted orientation and positioned within a receptacle and dispensing liquid.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0014]    Turning more particularly to the drawings, FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a container  20  for holding a liquid  22 , such as oil, water, or other chemical, for example. Bottle  20  comprises a bottom or base  24  having a flexible floor  26 , a threaded cap or lid  28  covering the neck  30  of bottle  20 . A tether  32  extends from a web  34  attached to the interior surface of floor  26  through liquid  22  to the interior surface of seal  36 . Seal  36  is secured across the opening of bottle  20  to seal liquid  22  in bottle  20 , with a liquid or thermal adhesive along the edge of the bottle opening, for example. Tether  32  may have a flared end  38  attached to seal  36  in order to provide a larger attachment surface area. A finger handle  40  is attached to the exterior surface of floor  26  opposite webbing  34  attached to the interior surface of floor  26 . Tether  32  provides a link from the finger pull  40  to the seal  36 .  
         [0015]    Referring to FIG. 3, seal  36  is shown with cap  28  removed. Seal  36  is flush with the top of bottle  20  sealing in liquid  22 . The flared end  38  of tether  32  is attached to the inside surface of seal  36  next to kerf cut  42 . Kerf cut  42  may run part way around the perimeter of seal  36  as shown in FIG. 3 or completely around the perimeter of seal  36  (not shown). Alternatively, seal  36  may not have a kerf cut.  
         [0016]    Referring to FIG. 4, finger handle  40  has a finger aperture  44 . Finger handle  40  is shown in a folded position along hinge or fold line  46  and is attached to concave floor  26  along line  48 . Finger handle  40  is typically stored in a flush position, and popped-up for use as discussed hereinbelow.  
         [0017]    Referring to FIG. 6, bottle  20  is shown inverted with cap  28  removed. Seal  36  is intact preventing spillage of liquid  22  from bottle  20 . Bottle  20  is positioned over a receptacle  54  such as an oil fill receptacle in an engine block  56  (shown in partial cut away).  
         [0018]    Referring to FIG. 7, neck  30  of bottle  20  is inserted into receptacle  54 . Finger handle  40  is popped-up into a generally perpendicular relationship to floor  26  and pulled. Floor  26  is flexed from a concave configuration to a flush or convex configuration. When finger handle  40  is pulled and floor  26  move from a concave to a flush or convex position, tether  32  pulls seal  36  which is torn along kerf cut  42  (see FIG. 3). Thus, liquid  22  is allowed to flow  58  from bottle  20  into crankcase  56  without spillage, for example.  
         [0019]    In the preferred embodiment, bottle  20  is made of a flexible plastic. The floor  26  of bottle  20  has a memory so that during the life span of the bottle, floor  26  may be stored passively bowed inward or actively bowed outward. Finger handle  40  is typically stored in a flush position and popped up for use. Tether  32  on the inside of bottle  20  may be plastic or other material running from the center of the interior surface of floor  26  toward the mouth of bottle  20  and attaching to the interior surface of seal  36 . Mouth and neck  30  of bottle  20  has a typical threaded cap with safety seal. Bottle  20  may be manufactured in one piece with the addition of a removable cap  28  using blow molding, injection molding or other techniques, for example.  
         [0020]    Other applications include water bottles, such as stand alone water dispensers with a five-gallon, inverted water bottle used in an office environment. Using the container of the present invention, five-gallon water bottle may be inverted and placed on the water dispenser prior to opening, thus preventing spilling of the water. In another example, chemicals in plastic containers may be inverted prior to pouring into a holding tank such as a farm implement crop sprayer without exposing the operator to the liquid chemical.  
         [0021]    Referring to FIG. 5, an alternate embodiment is shown in which the kerf cut  52  in seal  50  is arranged in a cross pattern. With the bottle  20  inverted and the neck  30  inserted into a receptacle, the sides of bottle  20  may be squeezed by the operator. The increased pressure against seal  50  is sufficient to rupture the kerf cut  52  and dispense the liquid into the receptacle. It is to be understood that other kerf cut patterns may be used with or without the tether.  
         [0022]    It is to be understood that while certain now preferred forms of this invention have been illustrated and described, it is not limited thereto except insofar as such limitations are included in the following claims.