Abstract:
An assembly for assisting with the pouring of fluid includes, among other aspects, a fill tube and a pop-up component disposed at least partially within the fill tube. The pop-up component assists with directing poured fluid into the fill tube.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    This disclosure relates to a fill tube with a pop-up pouring assistance feature. 
         [0002]    Fluids poured from a container exit the container along different paths depending upon the angle of the container, the diameter of the opening, the amount of fluid in the container, the speed in which the container is tipped, etc. Pouring a fluid directly into the fill tube during the entire action of pouring requires a high degree of skill 
         [0003]    In the automotive industry, funnels are primarily used to assist the pouring of fluid into various parts of an automobile engine. When a user fills an engine with oil, for example, in order to avoid spilling oil, the user situates a funnel relative to the oil fill tube, supporting the funnel with one hand, and then directs fluid from a bottle toward the funnel with the other hand. While these separate funnels are typically used in the automotive industry, there are known systems that directly incorporate a funnel into a fill tube. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    Disclosed is an assembly for assisting with the pouring of a fluid, including a fill tube having an axial fill tube opening on an axial end, wherein the fill tube is operable to guide fluid from the axial fill tube opening to a reservoir, and a pop-up tube disposed at least partially in the fill tube, wherein the pop up tube is axially movable relative to the fill tube, and wherein the pop-up tube includes an axial pop up tube opening operable to guide fluid from the axial pop up tube opening to the axial fill tube opening. 
         [0005]    Also disclosed is an assembly for assisting with the pouring of a fluid, including a fill tube having an axial fill tube opening on an axial end, wherein the fill tube is operable to guide fluid from the axial fill tube opening to a reservoir, and a pop-up chute disposed partially within the fill tube when the pop-up chute is in a first position and disposed fully within the fill tube when the pop-up chute is in a second position, wherein the pop-up chute is operable to move axially between the first position and the second position relative to the fill tube. 
         [0006]    Also disclosed is a method of pouring fluid including the steps of exposing an opening in an outer tube, extracting an inner tube from said opening in said outer tube, pouring fluid into an opening provided by said inner tube, inserting said inner tube back into said outer tube, and closing said opening in said outer tube. 
         [0007]    These and other features of the present disclosure can be best understood from the following drawings and detailed description. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]    The drawings can be briefly described as follows: 
           [0009]      FIGS. 1A-1D  illustrate a first embodiment of the disclosed pouring assistance assembly. 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  illustrates a second embodiment of the disclosed pouring assistance assembly. 
           [0011]      FIGS. 3A-3B  illustrates a third embodiment of the disclosed pouring assistance assembly. 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  illustrates a bottle and various example fluid exit paths. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0013]    In a first embodiment of this disclosure, illustrated across  FIGS. 1A-1D , a fluid reservoir (an engine block  10 ) is filled by pouring a fluid down a fill tube  12 . To assist in this filling process, a pop-up pipe  14  (alternately referred to as a pop-up tube) is positioned such that it can move axially in a direction A relative to the fill tube  12 . The pop-up pipe  14  of the example of  FIGS. 1A-1D  is arranged on the inside of the fill tube  12 . Alternately, the pop pipe  14  can be arranged on the outside of the fill tube  12 . Further, in the example of  FIGS. 1A-1D , the pop-up pipe  14  is generally cylindrical, including a substantially constant diameter along its length. 
         [0014]    The pop-up pipe  14  is configured to move in the direction A relative to the fill tube  12  by way of a tongue  16  and groove  18 . This tongue-and-groove arrangement provides alignment during axial movement between the pop-up pipe  14  and the fill tube  12 , and prevents any rotation of the main body  22  of the pop-up pipe  14  relative to the fill tube  12 . The tongue-and-groove arrangement ensures that the pop-up pipe  14  will be aligned with the cap  20  so that an opening  24  will be formed, as well as consistently ensuring the most convenient orientation for that opening  24 , such that the opening  24  is amenable to pouring fluid. Alternate examples omit the tongue-and-groove arrangement. 
         [0015]    A cap  20  is located at an upper axial end of the pop-up pipe  14 . The cap  20  is rotatable relative to a main body  22  of the pop-up pipe  14 . The cap  20  is rotatable to axially cover and/or reveal an opening  24  provided by the pop-up pipe  14  and the cap  20 . In the illustrated example, the opening  24  includes cut-outs  24 A,  24 B in the pop-up pipe  14  and the cap  20 , respectively. 
         [0016]    In one example, the cap  20  is generally crescent shaped when viewed axially (from above), as in  FIG. 1B . Likewise, in one example, the top of the pop-up pipe  14  is similarly shaped, as represented by element  26  in  FIG. 1C . Depending on whether one wishes to conceal or reveal the opening  24  in the pop-up pipe  14 , the cap  20  can be rotated relative to the top  26  of the pop-up pipe  14 , in a direction R, as illustrated in  FIG. 1D . 
         [0017]    The pop-up pipe  14  is configured to move telescopically relative to the fill tube  12 . If a user desires to add fluid into the reservoir  10 , the pop-up pipe  14  is extracted from the fill tube  12  as illustrated in  FIG. 1A , and the cap  20  is rotated relative to the top  26  of the pop-up pipe  14  to reveal the opening  24 . This provides an opening  24  with substantial vertical and lateral dimensions V, L for nearly any pouring job. In some examples, the pop-up pipe  14  can lock relative to the fill tube  12  in this extracted, or upright, position. 
         [0018]    With the combined openings from the cut-outs  24 A,  24 B, a neck of a bottle can be inserted into the opening  24  and, when tipped horizontally, the neck is already securely positioned inside the pop-up pipe  14 . Fluid thus cannot spill out due to an unpredictable path of its exit. Further, in some examples, when with the neck of a bottle inserted into the opening  24 , and the bottle is tipped upright, no additional support from the user is needed while the fluid drains out of the bottle. 
         [0019]    While the illustrated example of  FIGS. 1A-1D , includes a lateral dimension L that is smaller than a vertical dimension V, a user can be relied on to laterally align a bottle containing a fluid with the opening  24 , or to insert the neck of the fluid container directly through the opening  24  into the fill pipe. Then, the larger vertical dimension V of the opening  24  sufficiently accommodates the various fluid paths, or arcs, once the bottle is tipped and/or inserted. That is, users are often surprised by the initial velocity of a fluid once a pouring action is initiated, whereas fluids rarely—if ever—take unexpected lateral paths from a bottle. For example, see  FIG. 4 , which schematically represents a bottle, or fluid container,  40  and a number of arcs  42 A- 42 C, which, depend on tilt angle, the diameter of an opening of the bottle, the amount of fluid in the container, the speed in which the container is tipped, etc. 
         [0020]    After pouring is complete, to store the pop-up pipe  14 , the pop-up pipe  14  is moved axially down (e.g., in the example of  FIGS. 1A-1D , guided by way of the tongue and groove connection  16 ,  18 ) and the cap  20  can be screwed onto the fill tube  12  by way of optional threads  28 . When screwing the cap  20  onto the threads  28 , the cap  20  and threads  28  are configured so as to axially cover the opening  24  to prevent entry of unwanted debris into the fill tube  12  (as illustrated in  FIG. 1D ). The remainder of the opening  24 , specifically the cut-out  24 A in the pop-up pipe  14 , is covered by the fill tube  12 . 
         [0021]    Notably, the cap  20  is completely removable from the pop-up pipe  14  in one example, or optionally configured to remain coupled to the pop-up pipe  14  while still being rotatable relative to the pop-up pipe  14  in an alternate example. In the latter case, the cap  20  is prevented from being misplaced. 
         [0022]      FIG. 2  illustrates another embodiment in which the opening  24  of the pop-up tube  14  is accompanied by a chute  30 . The chute  30  includes a ramp portion  32 , as well as optional sidewalls  34  to direct fluid poured from a bottle into the pop-up tube  14 . In the illustrated example the chute  30  is spring loaded, and biased away from the pop-up pipe  14  toward the outward position generally shown in  FIG. 2 . Alternately the chute  30  is positioned such that it naturally falls to the outward position of  FIG. 2  due to gravity. When returning the pop-up tube  14  into the fill tube  12 , the chute  30  retracts to an upright position by engaging the ramp portion  32  with the fill tube  12 . In one example, fill tube  12  comprises an enabling structure to guide the chute  30  into the closed position upon its impact with fill tube  12 . In an alternative example, the chute  30  is manually retractable and re-insertable. 
         [0023]    In a third embodiment, illustrated in  FIGS. 3A-3B , a chute  36 , similar in function to the chute  32  of  FIG. 2 , is disclosed without the associated pop-up pipe  14  of the first two embodiments. Instead, the chute  36  includes one or more layered, semi-circular elements  36 A- 36 D configured to move axially in and out of the fill tube  12  by way of connection to a stick  38 , and associated cap. Due to the length of the elements  36 A- 36 C, when the chute  36  is extracted from the fill tube  12 , the elements  36 A- 36 D naturally fall outward, away from the stick  38 , as illustrated in  FIG. 3B , to a position amenable to guiding the fluid into the fill tube  12 . Extraction of the stick  38  from the fill tube  12  may be limited by axial stoppers  12 A and  38 A, which are arranged to provide the chute  36  at the angle illustrated in  FIG. 3B . These axial stoppers  12 A,  38 A not only allow for consistency in positioning of the chute  36 , but also allow a user to rest an inverted bottle against the chute  36  while fluid drains from the bottle into the fill tube  12 , without the chute  36  being removed out of the fill tube  12 . 
         [0024]    If it is desired to avoiding moving parts, such as those commonly associated with an in-built funnel, the chute  36  can alternately be a solid chute  36 , without the individually movable elements  36 A- 36 C. 
         [0025]    While traditional funnels define a complete frustoconical shape, the opening  24 , as well as the chutes  30  and  36  described herein, allow for adequate pouring assistance, while perhaps only defining a semi-frustoconical shape. That is, the opening  24  and the chutes  30 ,  36  have a vertical dimension (e.g., the length of the chutes) larger than a lateral dimension (e.g., the width of the chutes). 
         [0026]    Again, a user is often surprised by the arc (e.g., distance, or velocity) that a fluid initially takes when projecting from a bottle upon pouring. See, again,  FIG. 4  which shows a number of vertical exit arcs  42 A- 42 C that a fluid may take upon exit from a bottle  40 . Not only during initial pouring, but a target point of a fluid may change throughout a pour. For example, if arc  42 A represents an initial arc, the initial arc would move toward arc  42 C as fluid was drained from the bottle  40 . This requires constant adjustment of the tilt angle of the bottle  40 , and increases the chances of spilling. Accordingly, the disclosed openings are focused toward accounting for this unpredictable factor in pouring, while relying on the reasonable judgment of a user to account for the lateral fluid direction, which typically remains predictable and constant. 
         [0027]    The ability of the disclosed embodiments to “pop-up” relative to the fill tube also provides a user with increased control over alignment during the initial pouring of fluid. That is, a user can align the neck of bottle with the opening without needing to overly tip the bottle, which could cause fluid to be poured unintentionally. Notably, in examples such as  FIG. 1 , the user can insert the neck of a bottle directly into the opening  24  without tipping the bottle much—if at all—and thus concerns over unintended spilling are reduced, if not eliminated. 
         [0028]    In this regard, the instant disclosure addresses the only real issue at hand (i.e., the vertical/forward arc of the fluid during pouring), whereas traditional frustoconical funnels unnecessarily also account for a lateral fluid direction, leading to wasted material and increased manufacturing costs. 
         [0029]    While specific reference is made to the use of the disclosed assembly in the automotive field, other industries may benefit from this disclosure. In that regard, the disclosed fluid is not limited to automotive oil reservoirs. 
         [0030]    Although the different examples have the specific components shown in the illustrations, embodiments of this invention are not limited to those particular combinations. It is possible to use some of the components or features from one of the examples in combination with features or components from another one of the examples. 
         [0031]    One of ordinary skill in this art would understand that the above-described embodiments are exemplary and non-limiting. That is, modifications of this disclosure would come within the scope of the claims. Accordingly, the following claims should be studied to determine their true scope and content.