Patent Publication Number: US-2003226859-A1

Title: Lid of the liquid container

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001] 1. Field of the Invention  
       [0002] The present invention relates to the lid of the vacuum bottles for closing the opening part on the top of the liquid containers and more specifically it relates to the lid which does not have to be removed every time the liquid is poured.  
       [0003] 2. Prior Art  
       [0004] The lid is used to close the part for pouring the liquid, which is the opening part of the liquid container and in most of the cases, it is so constructed as to be attached to the liquid container by screw-encasing.  
       [0005] However, the screw-encasing involves rotating the whole part of the lid every time the liquid is poured, wherein the lid is rotated to be removed and attached, thus making the pouring action troublesome. This is how the structure as disclosed in the patent publication No. Hei9-299254 is thought out. In other words, in the center of the lid there is formed a pouring inlet piercing through from the top to the bottom. According to this construction, the liquid can be poured by simply opening up the upper lid attached on the upper part of the lid, which upper lid can be opened and closed and thus, the pouring action can be convenient as the lid does not have to be taken off. It is noted that according to the above-mentioned invention, there is no structure for actively closing the pouring outlet for pouring the liquid. So long as it is used normally, there might be no need to be provided with the means for closing the pouring outlet, but in case the liquid container should fall down, the liquid might be spilt out after passing through the pouring outlet.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006] The main purpose of the present invention is to prevent the liquid from spilling out while it is easy to pour the liquid into the vacuum bottle and to get rid of any inconvenience.  
       [0007] This is also to provide a lid of the liquid container with a pouring outlet for pouring the liquid into the liquid container to which it is to be attached, while the pouring inlet is piercing through vertically and in the below side of the whole part of the said lid there is formed a pouring outlet for pouring the liquid by inclining the liquid container, together with the closing material for closing the said pouring outlet in a manner allowing it to be opened and closed, wherein there is provided a resilient means to push toward the closing direction in respect of the said closing material and to provide a lid of the liquid container provided with the operating material for opening the said pouring outlet, while shifting the position of the closing material against the resilient force of the said resilient means.  
       [0008] When the liquid is poured into the liquid container provided with the above said lid, the pouring inlet is used while the lid is on. When pouring the liquid inside, there is no need to take off the lid, and thus it takes only an easy and simple task to pour the liquid inside. When the liquid is thus poured, the liquid inside will not spill over through the pouring outlet even if the liquid container is inclined. This is because the pouring outlet is actively closed by the closing material provided with the resilient force of the resilient means and even when the liquid container falls down, it is possible to prevent the liquid from spilling over from the pouring outlet.  
       [0009] When the liquid is poured out, the closing material may be shifted in respect of its position by operating the operating material to open the pouring outlet. The operating material may be composed of an appropriate means like a pushing button and levers.  
       [0010] Furthermore, on the top of the said pouring outlet there may be formed a concave part in the form of a funnel so that the liquid can be poured easily without spilling over.  
       [0011] Additionally, on the top of the pouring outlet there may be provided a lid capable of opening and closing by a simple action other than a screw-encasing and when the pouring outlet is closed by the said lid, the liquid may be prevented from spilling out of the pouring outlet when the liquid container falls down, without having trashes get into the liquid container or changing the temperature of the liquid. For instance, on the top of the lid there is attached a lid part for opening and closing and a retaining part for keeping closed the said lid for opening and closing, wherein below the above said lid part for opening and closing there may be formed a closing protrusion for closing the upper part of the pouring outlet.  
       [0012] Furthermore, the said operating material may have the encasing part on one end and on the other end there may be formed a lever for pushing down, provided with the pushing down device. The lever-principle may be applied and it takes only light force and easy operation.  
       [0013] In this case, the pushing part may be placed on the upper side of the handle formed onto the liquid container. By using the fingers holding the handle and the thumb, the pushing-down lever can be lowered, thus easily pouring the liquid with one hand only. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0014] [FIG. 1] Section view showing the structure of the lid  
     [0015] [FIG. 2] Side view of the vacuum bottle  
     [0016] [FIG. 3] Section view of the vacuum bottle  
     [0017] [FIG. 4] Section view of the liquid being poured into the vacuum bottle  
     [0018] [FIG. 5] Section view of the liquid being poured out of the vacuum bottle 
    
    
     EXAMPLES  
     [0019] One preferred embodiment of the present invention will be clarified using the below drawings.  
     [0020] As shown in the FIG. 1, the lid  1  of the liquid container is provided with the pouring inlet  2  and the pouring outlet  3 , which can be opened and closed freely.  
     [0021] According to this example, the vacuum bottle  4  having a thermal function will be used for an explanation as shown in the FIGS. 2 and 3.  
     [0022] The vacuum bottle  4  is composed of the outer container  5  of the synthetic resin and the inner container  6  having a thermal function, contained inside the said outer container  5  and the said lid  1 , which can be closed while being attached to the opening part  7  on the upper end, wherein the said opening part  7  can be opened and closed by the said lid  1 . For the above said container  6 , either of the glass one and other metal products like a stainless may be used.  
     [0023] The above said outer container  5  is formed with the body material  8  surrounding the inner container  6 , the bottom material  9  for closing the opening part on the below side of the said body material  8  and the adjuster material  10  attached from under to the center of the said bottom material  9 , together with the shoulder material  11  installed to the said body material  8 .  
     [0024] Inside the said body material  8  there is provided a plurality of ribs  12  for maintaining the inner container  6 , wherein the maintaining piece  13  in the form of a ring vertically positioned from the said shoulder material  11  around the opening part of the upper end will be encased in a way not allowing it to slip off and in the rear side of the shoulder material  11 , the end part of the handle  14  formed in the shape of a reverse L letter may be bolted by the bolt  15  from inside on the outer surface of the body material  8 . On the other hand, in front of the shoulder material  11  there is formed a pouring part  16  in the shape of a beak.  
     [0025] In mounting the vacuum bottle  4 , the body material  8  and the shoulder material  11  are formed together as described above and they will contain the inner container  6  from under through the seal material  17  in the form of a ring and the said bottom material  9  may be attached to the below part of the body material  8  while the adjuster material  10  is attached to the bottom material  9 , thus maintaining firmly the inner container  6 .  
     [0026] The lid  1  is a flat round form encased in the said opening part  7  at the below part, which has an exposed part (upper part) bigger than the below part so that the above shoulder material  11  is along with the said lid. The lid  1  is formed with the upper material  18  and the below material  19  formed under the said upper material  18  and the pushing-down lever  20  encased inside the said upper material  18  and the closing material  21 , which can be lowered by the said pushing-down lever  20 , together with the pouring inlet  2  and the pouring outlet  3  as described above. In other words, on the upper side of the upper material  18  exposed above the shoulder material  11  there is formed a concave part  22  in the form of a funnel and there is formed the part  23  of the pouring outlet  23  in the shape of a tube, vertically formed from the center bottom of the concave part  22  to provide the said pouring outlet  2 . To attach the lid to the opening part  7 , the male screw  24  formed on the outer surface of the below material  19  is to be screwed against the female screw  25  formed on the shoulder material  11 .  
     [0027] In the above rear region of the said upper material  18 , there is formed a supporting device  26  for supporting the opening and closing lid material  27  for opening and closing the said concave part  22  and in the above forward region of the said upper material  18  there is provided a retaining nail  28  for retaining the forward end part of the said opening and closing lid material  27  so that it can be retained and released, thus providing keeping the closed condition. Above the opening and closing lid material  27  there is extended a half-circle plate from back to forward, providing a grip  29  for operation. Also, below the opening and closing lid material  27  there is provided a closing protrusion  30  in the shape of a half-globe made of appropriate materials like silicone rubber so that the upper end of the said pouring inlet  2  can be closed when the said closing protrusion  30  is closed, wherein the pouring inlet  2  extending from the bottom of the concave part  22  can be sealed off.  
     [0028] In the forward part inside the upper material  18  there are formed two ribs  31  separated in a determined distance and between these ribs  31  there is maintained an encased axis  32  formed on one end of the said pushing-down lever  20  is designed to open the pouring outlet  3  by pushing down the said closing material  21  and the other end is extended backward protruding outside the upper material  18 , wherein above the handle  14  of the shoulder part  11  there is protruded a pushing-down part  33 . On the other hand, in the intermediate part along the said pouring inlet part  23  there is a hole perforated and in its inside edge there is a pushing-down edge  34 .  
     [0029] The above pouring outlet  3  is formed on the said below material  19 . In the pouring inlet  2  in the center part of the below part  19  there is formed a supporting material for maintaining the closing material  21  and on the outer location of the said supporting material there is formed a double-wall structure formed of the outer wall  35  placed outside and the inner wall  36  which is low and positioned far inside of the outer wall  35 . From the bottom of the said double-wall part there are extended the outer wall  35  and the inner wall  36  upwardly in the form of a reversed L letter, wherein below the lid  1  (regarding the below material  19 ) there is a pouring outlet  37  on the front position on the said part.  
     [0030] The above closing material  21  is provided with the cylinder-shaped part  38  suitably thick for being encased in the pouring inlet part  23  of the upper material  18  wherein they can almost scrape, together with the disk part  39  in the shape of a donut below the said cylinder-shaped part  38 , extending outwardly. The outer region of the said disk part  39  is in touch with the outer wall  35  of the said double-wall from under so that the below part of the pouring outlet  3  can be closed.  
     [0031] On the upper part of the closing material  21  there is provided the pushed-down part  40  to be pushed down by the pushing down edge  34  of the said pushing-down lever  20  and just below it there is formed a blade-guard-like step  41 .  
     [0032] This step  41  is provided with the ring device  42  in the shape of a washer, putting spring force to push the closing material  21  upwardly toward the closing direction by means of the compressing coil spring  44  provided between the ring-shaped step  43  formed on the inner part of the inner wall  36  of the below material  19  and the above said step  42 . The numbers  45  and  46  in the figure indicate the seal material.  
     [0033] In order to pour the liquid into the vacuum bottle as constructed above, it is necessary only to open the opening and closing lid  27  maintained by the retaining nail  28  as shown in the FIG. 4. When the opening and closing lid  27  is opened, the pouring inlet  2  will be opened, wherein the liquid may be poured through the said pouring inlet  2 . Above the pouring inlet  2  there is formed a concave part  22  in the shape of a bowl so that it is possible to pour the liquid without having to spilling over as when using a funnel. When opening and closing the opening and closing lid  27 , the opening and closing lid  27  has only to be brought up or lowered for an easy operation so that the lid does not have to be rotated to be removed every time the liquid is poured, thus providing for an easy and rapid pouring.  
     [0034] When pouring out the liquid, the pushing-down part  33  of the pushing-down lever  20  may be lowered by the thumb of the hand holding the handle  11  as shown in the FIG. 1 with the virtual line and also shown in the FIG. 5 so that the pouring outlet  3  will be opened and inclined. It only provides an easy and simple or rapid pouring action.  
     [0035] Furthermore, when the opening and closing lid  27  is closed upon pouring the liquid, the closing protrusion  30  in the form of a half-globe is closing the upper end of the pouring inlet  2 . Therefore, thermal effects can be improved and trashes can be prevented from getting in.  
     [0036] As for the pouring inlet  2 , its below end is closed by the closing material  21 , sealing off the inside part from outside and even when the vacuum bottle  4  should fall down, the liquid inside can be prevented from spilling over.  
     [0037] The vacuum bottle  4  corresponds the liquid container of the present invention, wherein the compressing coil spring  44  corresponds to the resilient means, the opening and closing lid  27  corresponding to the opening and closing lid, the retaining nail  28  corresponding to the retaining part and the encased axis  32  corresponding to the encased part. However, the present invention is not to be construed as being limited to the above construction.  
     [0038] For instance, the opening and closing lid  27  may be formed on the upper material  18  through the hinge. On the other hand, the operating material may be formed with the pushing button like the one using the cams besides the pushing-down lever  20 .  
     [0039] Furthermore, the lid of the present invention may be adopted for the liquid container like a pot not having a thermal function.