Patent Publication Number: US-2003234297-A1

Title: Aspirating and volatilizing liquid dispenser

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD  
       [0001] This invention relates generally to dispensing devices and more particularly to a device for controllably dispensing and volatilizing comestible liquids by the user sucking or drawing on the device.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002] U.S. Pat. No. 4,993,436 entitled “Aspirating and Volatilizing Liquid Dispenser” was issued to this inventor on Feb. 19, 1991 for a hand-held device with reciprocal on/off control of air and liquid flows. Specifically, when a user blocks said device&#39;s solitary air vent passage, the user can draw liquid from a reservoir by sucking. In contrast, when said solitary vent passage is unblocked, sucking draws air through said passage while drawing very little, if any, liquid from said reservoir. Further, in order to block said solitary air vent passage it is necessary for a user to cover said passage, for example with a finger.  
       [0003] In order to provide for more refined and variable control both of air and of liquid flows in a hand-held device, this inventor subsequently filed U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/525,977 with the same title on Mar. 15, 2000. The three preferred embodiments of this new device each provide mechanical means for controlling the surface area of apertures for the flow of air through a tubular body. The aforesaid control mechanisms, while effective, are more cumbersome to operate and expensive to produce than is absolutely necessary to provide for the device&#39;s essential function. Consequently, a need yet remains for a simpler and more economical aspirating and volatilizing liquid dispenser.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0004] Briefly described, the present invention comprises an elongate tubular body (tube) that is open on both ends. The tube contains an element serving as both liquid retainer and fluid flow controller that is located between the open ends of the tube. Said element is composed of a porous material that is capable of retaining comestible liquids that can be drawn through one end of said tube when immersed in a suitable body of comestible liquid by a user sucking or drawing on the other end of the tube. Said porous material also is penetrated by one or more air passages so that, even when said porous material is filled with a comestible liquid, a user still can draw air through the tube from an uncovered end by sucking or drawing on the other end; and by so doing, progressively can empty the device of any comestible liquid that is stored within.  
       [0005] In a preferred embodiment, the outer shell of the tube is a thick walled drinking straw. The liquid retaining and flow controlling element, which is inserted into and fills the inner passageway of the straw, is a linear section of porous polyethylene rod with an open channel of small diameter passing continuously from one end to the other along the cylindrical axis of said section of rod. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0006]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the device.  
     [0007]FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the preferred embodiment along its cylindrical axis.  
     [0008]FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the preferred embodiment along its cylindrical axis, wherein suction applied to one end is drawing liquid into the device through its other end.  
     [0009]FIG. 4 is a section view of the preferred embodiment along its cylindrical axis, wherein suction applied to one end is emptying liquid held by the device. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
     [0010]FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the device. As it appears, a hollow rod of porous material  11  is inserted so as substantially to fill the cylindrical cavity formed by an elongated tubular shell  21 , which is open on both of its two ends so as freely to expose cross sections of said inserted hollow rod  11  on those ends. In a preferred embodiment, said hollow rod  11  is composed of porous polyethylene with an average pore size of from 20 to 200 micrometers and said tubular shell  21  is a thick walled drinking straw. As shown more clearly in FIG. 2, a hollow cylindrical cavity  31  passes lengthwise along the cylindrical axis of said rod  11  so that air and/or comestible liquids readily may be drawn through the device in either direction by applying suction at either of its two ends. In preferred embodiments, the diameter of said hollow cavity  31  is chosen in conjunction with the pore size of the inserted rod  11  and with the viscosity and volatility of intended comestible liquids so as to provide a desirable rate of consumption of said liquids when a user&#39;s sucking draws air through said cavity of an at least partially filled device.  
     OPERATION  
     [0011]FIG. 3 shows a sectional view of a preferred embodiment of the device being filled from a vial of liquid. One end of the device is inserted into the body of the comestible liquid L contained by the vial while a user (not shown) applies suction S 1 , which is represented by a dark arrow, on the opposite end of the device. The comestible liquid L is shown being drawn upwards from the vial and into the hollow cavity  31  and the porous body of the hollow rod  11 . FIG. 4 shows a sectional view of a preferred embodiment of the device for which the porous body of the hollow rod  11  has previously been at least partially filled with a comestible liquid L as shown in FIG. 3. In FIG. 4, the device is being emptied of said liquid by a user (not shown) applying suction S 2 , which also is represented by a dark arrow, to one end of the device.