Patent Publication Number: US-11027958-B2

Title: Liquid distribution system

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/765,360, filed on Aug. 23, 2018, the subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to a system for filling multiple liquid-holding containers simultaneously and evenly. 
     BACKGROUND 
     There are a variety of bottles or other containers used to carry liquids especially water, soda, juices and other beverages to consume. These can be multipack plastic bottles, or refillable bottles. There are several problems with these liquid transport structures. One is the waste the plastic bottles create. These single-use bottles produce much garbage that has a negative environmental impact. Buying single use plastic bottle multipacks also add costs for continued repurchase. Another is the lack of ease in transporting these multipacks as they are heavy to move and take up considerable trunk space. Even more environmentally friendly refillable bottles have a disadvantage in that they must be filled one container at a time, which wastes time and effort. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a system that overcomes these and other deficiencies. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present disclosure, as briefly described, is a system for filling multiple liquid-holding containers simultaneously and evenly. The system includes a hollow-bodied portion with a plurality of bowl-shaped channels and corresponding spouts that is designed such that liquids can be collected and drained out at one time into multiple bottles or other containers situated below the hollow-bodied unit and held in a structure unit below. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of an example liquid distribution system, according to an example embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  shows the liquid distribution system of  FIG. 1  in use. 
         FIG. 3  shows a perspective view of an example liquid distribution system, according to another example embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  shows a top plan view of an example hollow-bodied portion, according to example embodiments of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  shows a perspective side view of an example bottle-corralling structure, according to example embodiments of the disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS 
     Example embodiments of the disclosure now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which example embodiments are shown. The concepts discussed herein may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the example embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope to those of ordinary skill in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements but not necessarily the same or identical elements throughout. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , an example liquid distribution system  100 , according to an example embodiment, is illustrated. The liquid distribution system  100  includes a hollow-bodied portion  1  which is a where liquid  20  is poured into an interior  8  thereof ( FIG. 2 ). The liquid  20  can include water, soda, juices, energy drinks, coffee, and any variety of beverages to be contained and distributed. This hollow-bodied portion  1  can be made of a suitable non-corrosive material such as plastic, glass, stainless steel, aluminum, or various woods, for example. The hollow-bodied portion  1  can be constructed in a variety of proportions and dimensions, and can assume many different geometric shapes that can hold the liquid  20  to be collected. 
     Once the liquid  20  is collected in the hollow-bodied portion  1 , the liquid  20  will flow due to gravity into a plurality of bowl-shaped (concave) channels  2  that extend from the bottom of the hollow-bodied container  1 . The liquid  20  will continue flowing through spouts  3  and into corresponding openings  10  of liquid holding containers  6  to be filled at the same time. In preferred embodiments, the bowl-shaped channels  2  with the spouts  3  will be substantially identical to one another. Optional embodiments include a cover  7  for the top of the hollow-bodied portion  1 , as shown. This cover  7  can have a variety of shapes to correspond to the shape of the hollow bodied container  1 . 
     Returning to  FIGS. 1-2 , the illustrations also show an embodiment of a liquid-container corralling structure  4 . This liquid-container corralling structure  4  should preferably be made of a suitable non-corrosive material such as steel but can also be made from another non-corrosive material, including various plastics, glass or wood that can enclose the liquid-holding containers  6  to be filled. The liquid-holding containers  6  can bundle various types of plastic or glass bottles, for example. The amount of liquid  20  to be poured into the hollow-bodied portion  1  should not exceed the total of the capacities of the liquid-holding containers  6 ; otherwise some of the liquid will spill out. However, the user can observe the liquid-holding containers  6  being filled as he or she pours the liquid  20 , and will be able to stop pouring the liquid  20  once the liquid in each liquid-holding container  6  reaches the top. The liquid-container corralling structure  4  can be constructed in a variety of proportions and dimensions, and be designed in various geometric shapes to hold the liquid-holding containers  6 . These liquid-holding containers  6  can have a variety of volumes proportional to the amount of liquid to be filled into each one at the same time. As a non-limiting example, six typical plastic water bottles can be filled using about one gallon of water. Additionally, a handle  5  can be disposed at the approximate center of the structure  4  to facilitate carrying the device. By placing the handle at the center, mass is evenly distributed making it less likely to cause spillage. It is to be understood that the handle  5  is optional, and also that a handle with a different structure can alternatively, or additionally, be incorporated into the design. Although a liquid-container corralling structure  4  is disclosed herein, it is to be understood that in some embodiments, the liquid-container corralling structure  4  would not be used. Instead, the hollow-bodied container  1  would simply be placed on top of the liquid-holding containers  6  with corresponding spouts matching openings  10  of the liquid-holding containers  6 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , an example liquid distribution system  200 , according to another example embodiment, is illustrated. The liquid distribution system  100  and the liquid distribution system  200  are substantially the same, the difference being that the liquid distribution system  200  further includes a funnel  11 . Although the funnel  11  is depicted for illustrative purposes as being above the hollow-bodied portion  1 , it is to be understood that the funnel  11  would be inserted into the interior  8  of the hollow-bodied portion  1 . The main purpose of the funnel is more accurately direct the poured-in liquid  20  to the approximate center of the hollow-bodied portion  1  so that it is evenly distributed to the bowl-shaped channels  2 , so as to more evenly fill the liquid holding containers  6 . It is to be understood that a funnel shaped differently from the illustrated funnel  11  can be used if it is functionally the same or similar. 
       FIG. 4  shows a top plan view of an example hollow-bodied portion  1 , according to example embodiments of the disclosure. As shown, a plurality of the bowl-shaped channels  2  with accompanying spouts  3  are disposed in the floor of the hollow-bodied portion  1 . At the approximate center, a flow regulator  16  is disposed. The flow regulator  16  is comprised of topside  9  and a plurality of sloping sides  13 . As shown, there are six sloping sides  13 , each directing an approximately equal amount of the poured-in liquid  20  to one of the six bowl-shaped channels  2 . The remaining part of the floor  12  of the hollow-bodied portion  1  can be flat or have a slight downward slope (grade) toward the outer edge of the hollow-bodied portion  1 . 
       FIG. 5  shows a perspective view of an example liquid-container corralling structure  4 , according to example embodiments of the disclosure. As shown, the flooring of the liquid-holding-container corralling structure  4  can include drains  15  that allow spilled liquid to drain from flooring. The number and placement of the drains  15  can vary from the illustrated embodiment. For example, the drains can includes a layer having drainage holes disposed upon a hollow base. In some embodiments, drainage will not be provided. In such cases, the device can be made from a water-resistant material such as plastic or the like so spilled liquid does not do any damage. 
     Although the features, functions, components, and parts have been described herein in accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure, the scope of coverage of this patent is not limited thereto. On the contrary, this patent covers all embodiments of the teachings of the disclosure that fairly fall within the scope of permissible equivalents. 
     Conditional language, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might,” or “may,” unless specifically stated otherwise, is generally intended to convey that certain implementations could include, while other implementations do not include, certain features, elements, and/or operations. Thus, such conditional language generally is not intended to imply that features, elements, and/or operations are in any way required for one or more implementations or that one or more implementations necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without user input or prompting, whether these features, elements, and/or operations are included or are to be performed in any particular implementation. 
     Many modifications and other implementations of the disclosure set forth herein will be apparent having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not to be limited to the specific implementations disclosed and that modifications and other implementations are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.