Patent Publication Number: US-2012024898-A1

Title: container

Description:
The present application is entitled to the benefit of and incorporates by reference essential subject matter disclosed in Australian Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 2010903425 filed Jul. 30, 2010. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present invention relates to containers and more particularly but not exclusively to containers to receive liquid fuel. 
     2. Background Information 
     When mixing fuel, typically for two-stroke engines, a container is used into which the fuel is delivered. A lubricant such as oil is mixed with the fuel in a predetermined volumetric ratio. As an example, the volumetric relationship of fuel to oil may be 50:1. 
     Typically the lubricant is measured in a measuring cup or other hollow measuring device. The measuring lubricant is delivered to the interior of a container and mixed with the fuel. 
     A disadvantage of the above discussed container is that it is necessary to provide a separate measuring cup. A further disadvantage is that should no measuring cup be available, frequently a user will approximate the volume of lubricant to be added to the fuel. If this is incorrectly estimated damage to the two-stroke engine may occur. 
     Disclosed in International PCT/AU2007/001791 is a container for the delivery of liquids. In particular this International application relates to watering cans. It does not provide information relating to a container for the transportation of fuels. 
     Disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,447,245 is a container within which fuel and oil is to be mixed for the purposes of delivering the mixture to a two-stroke engine. The container has two passages via which the liquids are delivered to the interior of the container. One passage delivers the oil to a metering chamber, while the other passage delivers the fuel to the main body of the container. Joining the chambers is a throat. However the object of the container of the specification is to inhibit liquid passing through the throat. Accordingly a disadvantage of the container is that the throat is relatively small A still further disadvantage is that the passage that delivers liquid to the measuring chamber is not intended to provide for the delivery of the fuel to the other main chamber. 
     It is the object of the present invention to overcome or substantially ameliorate at least one of the above disadvantages. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     There is disclosed herein a container to receive a liquid, the container including: a hollow body to receive the liquid, the body having a bottom wall, a side wall, the side wall having at least a part that is light transmissive so that a user can determine the liquid depth adjacent the wall, a partition wall extending upwardly relative to the bottom, and dividing the container internally into a major sub-chamber and a measuring sub-chamber, the measuring sub-chamber being adjacent the side wall and in communication with the main sub-chamber; and a spout providing a passage via which liquid is delivered to the chambers, the spout being above the sub-chambers so as to provide for delivery of liquid from the spout to the measuring sub-chambers, and wherein the passage is the only passage via which liquid is delivered to and from the sub-chambers. 
     Preferably, the container includes a cap to engage the spout to close the spout. 
     Preferably, the container includes an air vent. 
     Preferably, said wall is provided with graduations to aid a user in estimating the volume of liquid in the measuring sub-chamber. 
     Preferably, the container has a top wall, and a handle attached to the top wall so as to be above the major sub-chamber. 
     Preferably, the sub-chambers are connected by a throat, said throat having a width and height, said main sub-chamber has a height with the throat height being at least a half of the main sub-chamber height. 
     Preferably, the throat height is at a quarter of the main sub-chamber height. 
     Preferably, said partition wall has an upper extremity, said side wall is a first side wall, and the container includes a pair of spaced further side walls between which the first wall extends, with said extremity extending between the further side walls. 
     Preferably, said passage extends longitudinally toward said extremity, and is inclined to the horizontal by an acute angle. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       A preferred form of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic isometric view of a container to receive liquid fuel; 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic sectioned side elevation of portion of the container of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic isometric view of a modification of the container of  FIGS. 1 and 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic planned sectioned view of the container of  FIG. 3 ; and 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic sectioned side elevation of the container of  FIG. 3 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     In  FIGS. 1 and 2  of the accompanying drawings there is schematically depicted a container  10  to receive liquid fuel. The container  10  is molded from plastics material. Typically the container  10  would be used to mix a liquid fuel with a lubricant. For example, if the container  10  was to provide petrol for a two-stroke engine, the container  10  would receive petrol and a volume of oil to be mixed therewith. 
     The container  10  includes a bottom wall  11  and a top wall  12  as well as side walls  13 ,  29  and  30 . The walls  11 ,  12  and  13  at least partly enclose a container chamber  14 . The chamber  14  includes a major sub-chamber  15  and a measuring sub-chamber  16 . The sub-chamber  16  is adjacent the wall  13 . 
     The wall  13  provides for the transmission of light through at least a part of the wall  13  so that the level of liquid in the measuring sub-chamber  16  may be determined. Preferably, the side wall  13  has a vertical transparent strip  24  through which the liquid can be seen. Typically the wall  13  would be provided with graduations  17  to assist the user in determining the volume of, for example, oil in the measuring sub-chamber  16 . 
     Joining the top wall  12  and side wall  13  is an inclined wall  18  that provides a spout  19 . The spout  19  is located above the sub-chamber  16  so that oil may be delivered directly from the spout  19  into the sub-chamber  16  so that the volume of oil may be measured. Thereafter petrol is added to the sub-chambers  15  and  16  and mixed with the oil contained in the sub-chamber  16 . 
     The sub-chambers  15  and  16  are connected so that the petrol and oil can be mixed. 
     The spout  19  is provided with a cap  20 , while the container  10  may also be provided with a vent (closable)  21 . 
     For ease of handling, a handle  22  is provided and is attached to the top wall  12 . 
     The sub-chambers  15  and  16  are partitioned by means of a dividing wall  23  that extends upwardly from the bottom wall  11 . 
     The chamber  14  is essentially sealingly enclosed when the vent  21  is closed and the cap  20  sealingly engaged with the spout  19 . 
     The wall  23  has an upper extremity  26  that extends transversely across the interior of the container, and preferably between the internal surfaces of the walls  29 . The upper extremity  26  is also spaced from the top wall  12  by a height  25  so as to provide a throat  28 . 
     The spout  19  provides a passage  27  with a longitudinal axis  32 , with the passage  27  and longitudinal axis  32  generally directed at the upper extremity  26  so that when liquid is being delivered to the interior of the container with a reasonable flow rate, the liquid is distributed between the chambers  15  and  16 . However when a liquid is delivered to the interior at a slower flow rate, the liquid is delivered to the chamber  16 . 
     Preferably, the height  25  is at least 50% of the height  31 . More preferably the height  25  is at least or approximately 25% of the height  31 . 
     The bottom wall  11  includes a bottom wall portion  11 ( a ) and a bottom wall portion  11 ( b ), with at least the bottom wall portion  11 ( a ) providing a surface upon which the container rests. 
     In the embodiment of  FIGS. 3 to 5 , the wall  23  includes a web  33 . Accordingly the wall  23  provides a pair of slots  34  that extend transversely inwardly from the side walls  29  to the central web  33 . 
     Preferably, the transverse width  32  between in the internal surfaces of the side walls  29  is approximately equal the length of the upper extremity  26 . 
     Although this invention has been shown and described with respect to the detailed embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail thereof may be made without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention.