Abstract:
Embodiments of the invention provide a quick and easy way to dispense fluids, even in situations where space is tight or the fluid must be pumped against the force of gravity. No separate funnels, measuring devices, or pumps are needed. Thus, embodiments of the invention may be useful in any situation that requires the delivery of fluids from one container to another, and are recognized for being particularly useful in dispensing oil to automatic transmissions, or for dispensing oil to the rear ends of manual transmissions.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/569,090, filed on 7 May 2004, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND  
       [0002]     1. Technical Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     This disclosure generally relates to fluid delivery devices, and in particular, to hand operated fluid delivery devices.  
         [0004]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0005]     The process of adding engine oil to an engine crankcase is familiar to most anyone who works with machinery. Typically, nothing more is required than opening the hood, removing the oil cap, and pouring oil of the desired weight directly into the crankcase from a rigid plastic oil container. A funnel is sometimes used to prevent inadvertent spills from occurring. Markings on the side of the rigid plastic container may indicate the amount of oil that has been dispensed.  
         [0006]     However, when it comes to the task of putting automatic transmission oil into a vehicle, the task may become more difficult. Typically, the fill port for the automatic transmission is closely surrounded by other engine components, making it difficult to maneuver the oil container into a convenient pouring position. The space may even be too cramped to allow the use of a funnel. Thus, there exists the potential for a very messy situation.  
         [0007]     For other tasks, there may be an added difficulty of forcing a liquid, such as oil, to flow against the force of gravity (e.g., “uphill), from one oil container to another. For example, one may wish to add oil to the rear differential casing of a manual transmission vehicle. In these situations, a motor-driven pump is usually required to force the oil into the differential casing. A fluid pump is a piece of equipment that most vehicle owners do not have, or if they do, it is not usually located in the same spot where the vehicle that is in need of more oil is located.  
         [0008]     It would be desirable to have a fluid delivery device that can easily and cleanly transfer fluid from the delivery device into another fluid container without the need for additional equipment such as funnels or motor-driven pumps. Embodiments of the invention address these and other disadvantages of the conventional art. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]      FIG. 1  is a diagram illustrating a fluid delivery device according to some embodiments of the invention.  
         [0010]      FIG. 2  is a diagram illustrating a fluid delivery device according to some other embodiments of the invention.  
         [0011]      FIG. 3  is a diagram illustrating a fluid delivery device according to still other embodiments of the invention.  
         [0012]      FIG. 4  is a diagram illustrating a fluid delivery device according to yet more embodiments of the invention.  
         [0013]      FIG. 5  is a diagram illustrating a fluid delivery device according to some additional embodiments of the invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0014]     In the detailed description that follows, several exemplary embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings that were briefly described above. The description of these exemplary embodiments is not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way, but rather to adequately convey the inventive concepts to those of skill in the art.  
         [0015]      FIG. 1  is a diagram illustrating a fluid delivery device  100  according to some embodiments of the invention. The device  100  includes a tube  105 , an enclosure  110 , a roller  115 , and a flange  120 . In preferred embodiments of the invention, the tube  105  and enclosure  110  have a one-piece construction.  
         [0016]     The enclosure  110  is structured to hold a fluid. The fluid may be of any type, some examples may include oil, water, or antifreeze. Preferably, the enclosure  110  is made of a flexible material, such as plastic, that is strong enough to safely hold the fluid without leaking, but is also fully collapsible. As used herein, the term “fully collapsible” means that the inner volume of the enclosure  110  may be reduced to substantially zero and increased back to its full volume without damaging or permanently deforming the structure of the enclosure. Preferably, the enclosure  110  includes measure marks  110   a,  the purpose of which will be explained in further detail below. Preferably, the enclosure  110  has a tapered shape, for reasons that will be explained in further detail below.  
         [0017]     The tube  105  is flexible and includes a flow controller  105   a  and a neck  105   b.  The tube  105  is attached to the enclosure  110  at the neck  105   b.  The flow controller  105   a  is structured to stop, start, or adjust the flow of fluid through the tube  105 . In preferred embodiments of the invention, the flow controller  105   a  is capable of being positioned at any portion of the tube  105 . There are several conventional devices that may adequately perform as a flow controller  105   a,  for example, a clamp.  
         [0018]     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the roller  115  is attached to a lower portion of the enclosure  110 . The roller  115  is cylindrical in shape and may be made of the same material as the enclosure  110 , i.e., plastic, or some other desired material. The roller  115  has small protrusions which extend beyond the sides of the enclosure  110 .  
         [0019]     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the flange  120  is attached to a lower portion of the enclosure  110 . The flange  120  has a small hole and may be made of the same material as the enclosure  110 , i.e., plastic, or some other desired material. Preferably, the flange  120  is strong enough to safely support the weight of the device  100  plus the weight of any fluid within the device  100  when the device is hung or suspended by the small hole in the flange. Other embodiments of the invention may not have a flange.  
         [0020]     When in operation, a fluid, such as oil, fills the enclosure  110 . To dispense the fluid, the end of the flexible tube  105  is inserted into the fill port of the container that is to receive the fluid.  
         [0021]     If the fluid delivery device  100  is held at a vertical position that is higher than the container that is to receive the fluid, opening the flow controller  105  will allow gravity to naturally drain the fluid from the enclosure  110 .  
         [0022]     If the fluid delivery device  100  is held at a vertical position that is shorter than the container that is to receive the fluid, opening the flow controller  105  and rolling the roller  115  up the side of the enclosure  110  causes the walls of the flexible enclosure  110  to collapse, forcing the fluid out of the tube  105 . As indicated above, the shape of the enclosure  110  is substantially tapered. That is, there is no part of the enclosure  110  that is greater in width than the roller  115 . This ensures that all walls of the enclosure  110  are forced together by the roller  115 , ensuring that the enclosure  110  is fully collapsed and the contents of the enclosure  110  emptied.  
         [0023]     The measure marks  110   a  may be used to indicate how much fluid remains in the enclosure  110  when the volume of the enclosure is not being reduced by the roller  115 . Alternatively, the measure marks  110   a  may be used to indicate the volume of fluid that has been forced beyond the neck  105   b  when the roller  115  is at a particular position.  
         [0024]     Preferably, the flange  120  is also made of a flexible material, such as plastic, so that when the roller  115  is used to reduce the volume of the enclosure  110  the flange will also lay flat against the roller.  
         [0025]      FIG. 2  is a diagram illustrating a fluid delivery device  200  according to some other embodiments of the invention.  
         [0026]     The fluid delivery device  200  has many similar features as the fluid delivery device  100  illustrated in  FIG. 1 . Like device  100 , device  200  has an enclosure  210 , measure marks  210   a,  a roller  215 , and a flange  220 . Measure marks  210   a,  roller  215 , and flange  220  operate in a similar manner as what was described above for fluid delivery device  100 .  
         [0027]     However, fluid delivery device  200  has a tube  205  that is substantially different than device  100 , in addition to a neck attachment  210   b  that is not present in device  100 . Both of these differences will be explained in the paragraphs that follow.  
         [0028]     Like tube  105  of device  100 , tube  205  of device  200  is flexible and has a flow controller  205   a.  But, tube  205  has a neck attachment  205   b  that is different from the neck  105   b  illustrated in  FIG. 1 . The neck attachment  205   b  has threads that are configured to mate with matching threads (not shown) on the interior of the neck attachment  210   b  of the enclosure  210 . That is, the tube  205  is attached to the enclosure  210  by screwing the neck attachment  205   b  into the neck attachment  210   b.    
         [0029]     The embodiments illustrated in  FIG. 2  are advantageous in that tubes of different lengths and widths, but with the same size neck attachment and thread arrangement, could be interchanged with the same enclosure  210 . Thus, the size of the tube may be increased or decreased to allow the fluid delivery device  200  to deliver fluids to fluid tanks, fluid reservoirs, oil pans, etc., that have different fill port sizes.  
         [0030]     As shown in  FIG. 2 , the neck attachment  210   b  also has threads on the exterior side. These threads allow a cap (not shown) with matching threads to be attached to the end of the enclosure  210 , thus allowing storage of fluid within the enclosure  210 . In alternative embodiments of the invention, the threads on the exterior side of the neck attachment  210   b  need not be present.  
         [0031]     Because the neck attachment  205   b  is screwed into the neck attachment  210   b,  it is preferable that the material used for the neck attachments  205   b,    210   b  be rigid compared to the material used for the flexible tube  205  and flexible enclosure  210 . In addition, it is preferable that the neck attachment  210   b  have an opening that is large enough to place the spout of a standard oil container within it. Thus, the enclosure  210  may easily be refilled with oil.  
         [0032]     In operation, the fluid delivery device  200  works in substantially the same manner as what was described above for the fluid delivery device  100 .  
         [0033]      FIG. 3  is a diagram illustrating a fluid delivery device  300  according to still other embodiments of the invention.  
         [0034]     The fluid delivery device  300  has many similar features as the fluid delivery device  100  illustrated in  FIG. 1 . Like device  100 , device  300  has a tube  305 , a flow controller  305   a,  a neck  305   b,  an enclosure  310 , measure marks  310   a,  a roller  315 , and a flange  320 . The tube  305 , flow controller  305   a,  neck  305   b,  enclosure  310 , measure marks  310   a,  roller  315 , and flange  320  operate in a similar manner as what was described above for fluid delivery device  100 .  
         [0035]     However, fluid delivery device  300  has an enclosure port  310   b  that is not present on device  100 . The enclosure port  310   b  is a tubular opening into the enclosure  310 , which allows one to refill the enclosure with additional fluid. In general, the opening diameter of the enclosure port  310   b  is wide enough so that the neck of a conventional fluid container, such as an oil container, may be inserted within it.  
         [0036]     As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the enclosure port  310   b  has threads on the exterior surface. This allows a cap with matching threads (not shown) to be screwed on to the enclosure port  310   b  in order to seal the port. Alternatively, the enclosure port  310   b  may have threads on the interior surface, which would allow a plug with matching threads to be screwed into the enclosure port  310   b  in order to provide a leak-free seal when the port is not in use. Preferably, the threads on the interior of the enclosure port  310   b  are configured to cooperatively mate with the outer threads that exist on the neck of a conventional fluid container, such as an oil container. Thus, a conventional fluid container may be attached directly to the enclosure port  310   b  and form a leak-free seal.  
         [0037]     Because the enclosure port  310   b  is sealed by screwing a cap over it or a plug into it, it is preferable that the material used for the enclosure port  310   b  be rigid compared to the material used for the flexible tube  305  and flexible enclosure  310 .  
         [0038]      FIG. 4  is a diagram illustrating a fluid delivery device  400  according to yet more embodiments of the invention.  
         [0039]     The fluid delivery device  400  has many similar features as the fluid delivery device  300  illustrated in  FIG. 3 . Like device  300 , device  400  has a tube  405 , a flow controller  405   a,  a neck  405   b,  an enclosure  410 , measure marks  410   a,  an enclosure port  410   b,  and a flange  420 . The tube  405 , flow controller  405   a,  neck  405   b,  enclosure  410 , measure marks  410   a,  enclosure port  410   b,  and flange  420  operate in a similar manner as what was described above for fluid delivery device  300 .  
         [0040]     It should be noted, however, that unlike fluid delivery device  300 , fluid delivery device  400  does not have a roller, and the flange  420  is connected directly to a lower portion of the enclosure  410 . Despite the lack of a roller, it is still possible to collapse the walls of the enclosure  410 , for example, by manually rolling the tapered enclosure beginning with the flange  420  or simply by manually squeezing the enclosure as tightly as possible with two hands.  
         [0041]     The enclosure port  410   b  is a tubular opening into the enclosure  410 , which allows one to refill the enclosure with additional fluid. Although not shown in  FIG. 4 , the interior surface of the enclosure port  410   b  has threads, which allows a plug  410   c  with matching threads to be screwed into the enclosure port  410   b  in order to seal it. Preferably, the diameter of the enclosure port  410   b  and the threads on the interior surface of the enclosure port  410   b  are sized such that a conventional fluid container, such as a plastic oil container, may be screwed into the enclosure port  410   b,  creating a leak-free seal.  
         [0042]     Because the enclosure port  410   b  is sealed by screwing plug  410   c  into it, it is preferable that the material used for the enclosure port  410   b  and plug  410   c  be rigid compared to the material used for the flexible tube  405  and flexible enclosure  410 .  
         [0043]      FIG. 5  is a diagram illustrating a fluid delivery device  500  according to some additional embodiments of the invention.  
         [0044]     The fluid delivery device  500  has many similar features as the fluid delivery device  300  illustrated in  FIG. 3 . Like device  300 , device  500  has a tube  505 , a flow controller  505   a,  a neck  505   b,  an enclosure  510 , measure marks  510   a,  and an enclosure port  510   b.  The tube  505 , flow controller  505   a,  neck  505   b,  enclosure  510 , measure marks  510   a,  and enclosure port  510   b  operate in a similar manner as what was described above for fluid delivery device  300 .  
         [0045]     It should be noted, however, that unlike fluid delivery device  300 , fluid delivery device  500  does not have a flange, and instead of a roller, it has a sliding clamp  515 . The purpose of sliding clamp  515  will be explained further in the paragraphs below.  
         [0046]     The enclosure port  510   b  is a tubular opening into the enclosure  510 , which allows one to refill the enclosure with additional fluid. Although not shown in  FIG. 5 , the interior surface of the enclosure port  510   b  has threads, which allows a plug  510   c  with matching threads to be screwed into the enclosure port  510   b  in order to seal it. Preferably, the diameter of the enclosure port  510   b  and the threads on the interior surface of the enclosure port  510   b  are sized such that a conventional fluid container, such as a plastic oil container, may be screwed into the enclosure port  510   b,  creating a leak-free interface.  
         [0047]     As shown in  FIG. 5 , the exterior surface of the enclosure port  510   b  also has threads, which allows a cap  510   d  with matching threads to be screwed over the enclosure port  510   b  in order to seal it. Thus, either the plug  510   c,  the cap  510   d,  or both may be used to seal the enclosure  510 .  
         [0048]     Because the enclosure port  510   b  is sealed by screwing plug  510   c  into it or by screwing the cap  510   d  over it, it is preferable that the material used for the enclosure port  510   b,  the plug  510   c,  and cap  510   d  be rigid compared to the material used for the flexible tube  505  and flexible enclosure  510 .  
         [0049]     It is preferred that the sliding clamp  515  be used instead of the roller that was described for other embodiments of the invention because of the location of the enclosure port  510   b.  Because the enclosure port  510   b,  plug  510   c,  and cap  510   d  are made of rigid material compared to the flexible enclosure  510 , using a roller would cause the enclosure port to be “rolled up” along with the material of the flexible enclosure  510 . The presence of this rigid material may prevent the flexible enclosure  510  from fully collapsing.  
         [0050]     Consequently, the sliding clamp  515  is preferred over the roller, although in some embodiments of the invention either a roller or a sliding clamp may be used interchangeably, depending on whatever solution works the best.  
         [0051]     The sliding clamp  515  may include two pieces of rigid material having an adjustable opening between the two pieces. When open, the sliding clamp  515  does not restrict the walls of the enclosure  510 , allowing fluid to enter the enclosure  510  from the enclosure port  510   b.  When closed, the sliding clamp forces the walls of the enclosure  510  to contact each other. The sliding clamp can then be moved upwards, towards the neck  505   b  of the device  500 , forcing fluid to exit from the tube  505 .  
         [0052]     It is recognized that some embodiments of the invention may be sold with fluid, such as transmission oil or gear oil, already contained in the enclosure. For this reason, the ends of the tubes may be sealed to prevent any leakage during shipping or handling. In this case, the sealed end of the tube may be cut, removed, or otherwise punctured in order to remove the seal and operate the fluid delivery device. Additionally, due to the collapsible nature of embodiments of the invention, it is preferred that the embodiments are shipped and stored in conjunction with a protective container and/or protective packaging. Thus, it is recognized that one or more embodiments of the invention may be packaged and shipped in a protective box or other type of conventional shipping unit, facilitating the ease at which embodiments may be shipped, stacked, or stored.  
         [0053]     Furthermore, embodiments of the invention may be sold to an end user fully filled with liquid. Other embodiments, especially those with ports that, as described above, allow conventional fluid containers to be attached to them, may be sold to an end user without any fluid inside the enclosures. Thus, the end user may fill the embodiment with any liquid that is desired.  
         [0054]     As described above, embodiments of the invention provide a quick and easy way to dispense fluids, even in situations where the fluid must be pumped against the force of gravity. Embodiments of the invention do not require additional funnels, measuring devices, or motor-driven pumps.  
         [0055]     Having described and illustrated the principles of the invention in several exemplary embodiments, it should be apparent that the invention may be modified in arrangement and detail without departing from such principles. For example, even though the above embodiments were described with particularity in the context of adding oil to a vehicle, it is recognized that other embodiments may be useful in a variety of contexts, such as medical, food preparation, or chemical scenarios.  
         [0056]     Furthermore, the specification may refer to “an”, “one”, “another”, or “some” embodiment(s) in various locations. It will be understood, however, that such use does not necessarily mean that each such reference is directed to the same embodiment(s), or that the features thereof only apply to a single embodiment.  
         [0057]     I claim all modifications and variation coming within the spirit and scope of the following claims.