Patent Publication Number: US-7721774-B2

Title: Filling device for use with a container

Description:
BACKGROUND 
   Consumers frequently purchase ready-made coffee, and other beverages, in bulk beverage containers, such as for the office and catering. A user may fill the bulk beverage container by pouring a beverage through an opening in the container and into the inner lining. Pouring liquids through a bulk beverage container opening may be complicated and in inefficient. For example, the inner lining of the container may be deflated, creating resistance to the efficient flow of beverage. The user may have to frequently pause to allow the beverage to displace the air in the container lining. Pouring the beverage too quickly may cause the beverage to overflow, creating a burn hazard if the beverage is hot. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   A filling device is disclosed, such as a filling device, for directing a flow of liquid into a container. The filling device may have a bowl, a neck, a wall dividing the bowl into multiple sections, and a plurality of fingers located at an end of the neck. 
   Other systems, methods, features and advantages of the invention will be, or will become, apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following figures and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the invention, and be protected by the following claims. 

   
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is perspective view of a filling device and a container. 
       FIG. 2  is a side view of the filling device. 
       FIG. 3  is a top view of the filling device. 
       FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional side view of the filling device. 
       FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional side view of the filling device and a container showing use. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   A filling device, such as a funnel, is disclosed for use with a container. The filling device may provide rapid filling of a container by permitting air to escape during pouring. Vendors may find that efficient container filling expedites service. Consumers may find the expedited service advantageous. 
     FIG. 1  illustrates a filling device  100 , such as a funnel, which may be used in combination with a container  110 , such as a bulk beverage container, or other similar containers. An exemplary container  110  may include an outer shell  122 , an inner lining  510  ( FIG. 5 ) (e.g., a bag capable of containing powders, liquids and other substances), an opening  516  ( FIG. 5 ), and a handle  120 . The filling device  100  may be used to allow a rapid pouring of the substances, such as beverages, through the opening of a container  110 . The filling device  100  may permit an establishment to efficiently and conveniently fill containers  110 . 
     FIG. 2  illustrates a filling device  100  detached from the container  110 . The filling device  100  may be formed from any appropriate materials such as plastic, polyethylene, paper, glass, rubber, metal, fiber, or any other material. The filling device  100  may include a bowl  102 , having an open mouth  111 , a neck  106 , and a fitting  108 . The bowl  102  may include various shapes, such as by having a round portion  112  and a flat portion  116 . Alternatively, the bowl  102  may be completely or partially round, ovular, rectangular, or any other shape such that the bowl  102  can contain the substance when it is being pored into the filling device  100 . The sides of the bowl  102  may taper by a constant or varying degree, being widest at the mouth  111 , and narrowest at the point where it joins the neck  106 . 
   The bowl  102  may include a wall  104  that divides the mouth  102  into two spaces. A first space  112  may be of sufficient depth and size to accommodate a powder or a liquid, such as a beverage. The first space  112  may be wide, such as to prevent overflow by increasing volume and/or by allowing the user to see when the bag is approaching capacity. 
   A second space, generally referred to as an air escape passage  114  may be smaller than the first space  112 . The air escape passage  114  may allow rapid filling of the substance into the inner lining  510 , for example, by allowing air to escape while the substance is being poured via the filling device  100  to the inner lining  510 . The second space  112  may allow the user to see when the bag is approaching capacity. 
   If the bowl  102  has a flat portion  116 , it may prevent the filling device  100  from rolling around on a flat surface during storage. For example, the filling device  100  may rest with the flat portion  116  touching a surface and the rounded portion  112  not touching a surface. The flat portion  116  may also prevent the rounded portion  112  from contacting surfaces to help prevent contamination of the portion of the bowl  102  which receives the substances. 
   The neck  106  may be narrower than the mouth  102  of the filling device  100 . The neck  106  may be dimensioned to fit through an opening in a container  110 . The neck  106  may have a fitting  108 . The fitting  108  may be threaded so as to couple with a container  110  opening. The fitting  108  may also couple with the container opening without threads, such as by snapping on, or other ways. Alternatively, the fitting  108  may not couple with the opening. 
   The filling device  100  may be open at the mouth  111  and at the terminal end of the neck  106 . The neck  106  of the filling device  100  may have a fitting  108 . The neck  106  may also have a flange  210 . The flange  210  may retain the fitting  108  on the neck  106  of the filling device  100 . The flange  210  may also position the fitting  108  on the opening of a container  110  and may set the insertion depth of the filling device  100 . The flange  210  may also form a seal between a filling device  100  and a container  110 , for example, but not limited to, a gasket seal. The flange  210  may be manufactured from rubber or include a rubber washer to help seal the filling device  100  to the container  110 . 
   The neck  106  of the filling device  100  may terminate in a plurality of fingers  214 , defining a plurality of openings  212 . The opening  212  may include various shapes, such as a parabola. Alternatively, the neck  100  may have a plurality of openings  212  otherwise arranged. Alternatively or additionally, the neck  106  may also contain an opening  216  in the wall below the flange  210  but positioned such that it would fall above the container  110  fill line. 
     FIG. 3  illustrates a top view looking down through the bowl  102  and neck  106  of the filling device  100  to better show the bisecting wall  104 , the liquid chamber  112  and the air escape passage  114 . The liquid may contact only the liquid chamber  112  when poured therein. 
     FIG. 4  illustrates a cross-sectional side view of a filling device  100  along line  4 - 4 . The wall  104  dividing the bowl  102  may terminate below the flange  210  but above the container  110  fill line. The wall  104  may extend into the container  110  to a depth approximating the recommended fill level. Positioning the wall  104  above the container  110  fill line may prevent liquid from entering the air escape passage  114  as the container  110  begins reaching capacity. The filling device may also include an air-bypass vent hole  216 , for example, positioned above the recommended fill level but inside the container  110 . The air-bypass vent hole  216  may allow air to continue entering the air escape  114  as the neck  106  becomes submerged by the substance during container  110  filling. 
     FIG. 5  illustrates a use of the filling device  100 . The filling device  100  may be assembled with a container  110  by inserting the neck  106  of the filling device  100  through the opening  516  in the container  110  and the inner liner  510 . The opening  516  may include a threaded portion for receiving a fitting  520  to seal the container  110  after filling. The fitting  108  may couple with the threads of the opening  516  to secure the filling device  100  to the container  110 . Attaching the filling device  100  to the container  110  may improve pouring safety and may improve efficiency by permitting one person filling. 
   The inner lining  510  may be deflated or folded within the container shell  122  before being filled by the substance  512 . The neck  106  of the filling device  100  may be inserted through the opening  516  in the container  100  and into the lining  510 . A plurality of fingers  214  at the terminal end of the neck  106  may force the inner lining  510  open for filling. 
   A user may fill the container  110  with the substance  512  via the filling device  100 . For example, a user may fill the container  110  with hot coffee from a coffee pot  514 . The user may pour the substance  512 , such as coffee, through the mouth  111  into the larger  112  section of the bowl  102  of the filling device  100 . The liquid  512  may travel through the bowl  102  and neck  106  of the filling device into the container lining  510 . 
   The container lining  510  may cling to the terminal end of the filling device neck  106 . The spaces  212  between the fingers  214  at the terminal end of the filling device neck  106  may allow the liquid  512  to escape the filling device neck  106  if the terminal end is blocked. 
   As the container  110  lining  510  fills with liquid  512  and inflates, air may escape through the air escape passage  114  of the filling device  100 . Alternatively or additionally, as the liquid level  512  rises and the filling device neck  106  is submerged, air may enter the air escape passage  114  (e.g., formed by a wall extended to the recommended fill line) through a hole  216  in the wall of the filling device neck  106 . 
   While various embodiments of the invention have been described, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many more embodiments and implementations are possible that are within the scope of the invention.