GB2417676A - Bottle drainage rack - Google Patents

Abstract

A bottle drainage jig 20 for supporting generally upright bottle 26 and generally upended bottle 25 to permit drainage of viscous fluid from one bottle to the other comprises a base portion 2 which receives the closed base bottle 26; a shelf portion 3 with an inclined rear face 13, a lower portion 15 extending generally horizontally therefrom and an elongate or elliptical through-bore 17 supports rearwardly inclined the upended second bottle 25; and a back portion 4 connecting and spacing apart the base 2 and the shelf 3. The base portion 2 further comprises a socket formation 9 which in use receives the closed end of the first bottle 26 and retains it about a common vertical axis, and the shelf through-bore 17 is elongate in cross-section with minor and major axes intersecting adjacent the vertical axis of the socket formation 9, and wherein in use a container portion 30 of the second bottle 25 rests against the shelf's inclined rear face 13 and the spout 33 thereof extends downwardly into the shelf through-bore 17 enabling viscous fluid to pore from the lip of the spout into the open spout of the first bottle 26 immediately adjacent a vertical axis thereof.

Description

24 1 7676 A Jig for Bottle Drainage This invention relates to a jig

suitable for use in draining viscous fluid from one bottle to another generally identical bottle and more particularly, but not exclusively, to a jig for use in draining residual paint tinter from a near empty bottle into a near full bottle thereof Historically, paint for domestic or general usage was available pre-mixed in a wide array of colours and a variety of formulations and/or finishes. Formulations are typically oil and water based paints and finishes range from matt to full gloss.

Vagaries of taste and usage necessitated paint stores and/or retailers stocking a broad but incomplete range of colours in a limited number of formulations and/or finishes.

This resulted in inherent drawbacks in the stocking of pre-mixed paints:overstocking, stocking of 'unwanted' colours and not having in stock lesser wanted colours in desired formulations resulting, for example, in unnecessary inventory costs and potential customer dissatisfaction (typically resulting in lost sales).

About thirty years ago paint manufacturers responding to retail market concerns introduced a two tier system of paint supply and sale in which pre-mixed paints continued to be supplied in a more limited range than before supplemented by a wider range of canned colour base product in a range of finishes tintable at a paint tinting machine to produce one of a range of desired colours. It will be understood that a similar range of can sizes is available for pre-mixed and tintable paints with tintable base product being supplied in bulk form in said cans.

The more popular colours, finishes and formulations continue to be supplied pre-mixed. Examples of which typically chosen from leaflets or brochures included whites, the ubiquitous magnolia and, at any given time, a range of the most popular colours, finishes and formulations.

A broader range of colours, finishes and formulations is more readily available to the customer as tintable paints. A desired colour may be chosen from one of a plurality of colour charts. Whilst individually any given colour in tintable paint may be in limited demand, collectively they represented a sizeable portion of the market.

To create a given colour relatively small volumes of one or more of some fourteen paint tinters, each being of a different colour, are added according to a repeatable formula or palate to a corresponding can of one of a plurality of tintable paint base product. The resulting admixture is then mixed or mechanically shaken evenly to distribute the tinter(s) throughout the base product thereby resulting in a vendible can of the desired colour.

In recent years the proliferation of DIY and home improvement lifestyle television programming has quelled an ever increasing demand by customers for a much broader range of colour choice so that now a panoply of paint colours is available as tintable paints. This is demonstrated by the fact that in the last decade in the Applicant's branch stores the proportion oftinted paint sold has doubled to around 40% of their market in paint.

The method of tinting base paint product being well known in the field is now discussed briefly. At a paint store or supplier, tintable paint is tinted at a paint mixing machine comprising a carousel of typically fourteen reservoirs each containing a volume of one of the corresponding fourteen individual tinter colours. When a given reservoir is at a forward delivery position of the carousel, metered volumes of tinter can be gravity or pump fed from the bottom thereof into an open can of paint base product positioned thereunder. The carousel is then rotated to bring the next desired tinter colour to the delivery position and so on until the desired palate of tinter has been delivered into the open can. The can is then moved from the mixing machine, its lid replaced and then the closed can is run through a shaker machine to ensure thorough mixing and thereafter handed to the customer.

Originally, rotation of the carousel and metering from reservoirs was manually actuable. More modern machines are electro-mechanical and typically computer controlled, with the more sophisticated of these having colour matching software able to scan and match a colour swatch supplied by a customer.

Generally, on a daily basis before stores open to the public carousel reservoirs are visually checked by an operative to ensure they are full and if required replenished with tinter for the day's operation. Whilst tintable base product is supplied in bulk form in vendible cans, the tinter is supplied as a viscous concentrate in 1 litre bottles.

Reservoir replenishment is a simple matter of opening a bottle, pouring its contents into the reservoir to fill it and then discarding the bottle typically when near empty.

This is a relatively quick process undertaken by operatives whose focus is rapidly to replenish all carousel reservoirs (and not to maximise yield from tinter bottles).

It will be appreciated with paint tinter being a relatively viscous fluid that when emptying a bottle a residual thick film of tinter will remain on a substantial part of the inner surface thereof. Time constraints on operatives necessitate that tinter bottles are discarded once tinter no longer pours freely therefrom. To re-iterate it is impractical for the operatives to stand holding a bottle whilst residual tinter trickles from its spout. Also, residual tinter in a bottle cannot be diluted to pour more freely therefrom as that would negate accurate metering from paint mixing machines.

Consequently, tinter bottles are discarded near empty and the residual tinter contained therein is a waste product which whilst having been purchased provides no economic return to the paint store. On the contrary it results in an economic burden and logistical problems for the store as will now be explained.

An empirical study carried out over a recent one month period at the paint stores within seven of Applicant's branch outlets leads one to believe that per annum the average purchase cost of residual tinter is 20k. This figure represents approximately 3% of the total annual cost of tinter and is expected to rise year on year as the sales increase. It will be understood that by volume tinter at currently 18-27 per litre is considerably more expensive than the tintable base product with which it is used. Further, it will be understood that the more rapidly reservoirs need to be filled the greater in volume the residual tinter will be as operatives have less time to drain tinter from bottles.

Hitherto, tinter bottles containing residual tinter have been disposed of by operatives binning them. In recent years the disposal of industrial waste has become increasingly complex and more heavily regulated. Whilst dried paint products (except those containing lead or asbestos fibres or other inherently toxic matter) may still be disposed of in regular landfill, wet paint products (tinter, mixed paints and associated solvents, for example) are now considered to be 'toxic waste' and must be disposed of at appropriately licensed locations in prescribed fashion.

Consequently, now Applicant and other paint suppliers must keep near empty tinter bottles separate from their general industrial waste and place it in a steel roller bin designated for toxic waste which is periodically collected by a licensed waste management company. Self- evidently the increased costs of disposal have been passed on by industrial waste haulage contractors to their customers and now toxic waste disposal is a premium cost activity.

Applicant believes that annual costs associated with disposing of residual tinter at each branch is in the order of a few hundred pounds for haulage alone.

Additional and somewhat immeasurable costs may also arise within the branch from, for example, the handling of discarded bouIes which may no longer be binned by operatives and then forgotten.

One possible solution to the aforementioned cost and logistical problems associated with disposal would be to drain residual paint tinter into a vessel so that it and any remaining in the bottle may be allowed to dry out. Such dried paint product is no longer considered toxic and may be disposed of as regular industrial waste.

However, to do so would be prohibitively time consuming and require stringent safeguards to ensure the task was effectively accomplished.

It is an object of the invention to provide a jig usable to re-claim residual viscous fluid from a bottle so that it may be used for its intended purpose.

According to a first aspect of the invention a jig for supporting generally upright a first bottle and generally upended a second bottle to permit viscous fluid contained in the second bottle to drain into the first bottle, with the bottles being generally identical to one another and each comprising a container portion of generally constant annular cross-section closed at its lower or base end, a neck portion tapering inwardly from the upper or open end of the container portion and a narrow spout portion extending from the upper or restricted end of the neck portion typically closable by a screw cap; comprises:- a base portion adapted in use to support the closed end or footprint of the upright first bottle; a shelf portion with an inclined rear face, a lower portion extending generally horizontally therefrom and a through-bore extending generally vertically through the lower portion which is adapted in use to support the upended second bottle; and a back portion connecting and spacing apart the base and the shelf; wherein the base portion further comprises a socket formation which in use receives generally horizontally the closed end of the first bottle and retains it about a common vertical axis, and the shelf through-bore is elongate in cross-section with minor and major axes intersecting adjacent the vertical axis of the socket formation, and wherein in use the container portion of the second bottle rests against the shelf's inclined rear face and the spout thereof extends downwardly into the shelf through-bore enabling viscous fluid to pour, drip or drain from the lip of the spout into the open spout of the first bottle immediately adjacent a vertical axis thereof.

The shelf rear face may have a longitudinal indentation generally aligned with a vertical plane extending through the major axis of the shelf through-bore adapted in use to receive and retain in part the second bottle container. Typically, the longitudinal indentation is of complementary profile to a peripheral portion of the container portion receivable thereby.

According to another aspect of the invention the jig is adapted to support complementary pairs of bottles with the respective container portion of each pair having a different annular cross-section or footprint at the respective closed end thereof, wherein the base socket formation has two discrete and partially overlapping profiles about a common vertical axis with the first profile corresponding with the footprint of a bottle of the first pair and the second profile corresponds with the footprint of a bottle of the second pair. Suitably, the two profiles are radially offset about the common vertical axis. These two profiles of the socket formation may be of the same depth laterally offset about the common vertical axis and socket formation has a stepped-bore.

The jig may be fabricated from a single formed, stamped and/or machined sheet of material. Alternatively, the jig may be fabricated from one sheet of material formed, stamped and/or machined to provide the back, the shelf and a substrate or an underside of the base, and a second sheet of material formed, stamped or machined and subsequently attached on top of the substrate to provide the socket formation. In this alternative the jig may be fabricated from one sheet of material formed, stamped and/or machined to provide the back, the shelf and a substrate or underside of the base, a second sheet of material stamped or machined with the first socket profile and a third sheet of material stamped or machined with the second socket profile with the second and third sheets being attached coaxially to the substrate to provide the stepped-bore socket formation. The sheet material may be acrylic, aluminium, a combination thereof or other suitable material.

In a further aspect of the invention the elongate through-bore is elliptical in cross-section.

Viscous fluid draining apparatus in accordance with the invention comprises two or more laterally spaced apart stations with each providing a jig in accordance with any one of the aforementioned aspects of the invention.

In another aspect of the invention a method of draining viscous fluid from one bottle to another uses a jig in accordance with any one of the aforementioned aspects of the invention. The viscous fluid may be paint tinter.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of apparatus in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of a shelf portion of the first embodiment; Fig. 3 is a side elevational cross-sectional view of one station or jig of a second embodiment of the invention; and Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic plan view of a base portion of the second embodiment.

It will be appreciated that a jig or apparatus in accordance with the invention in use facilitates drainage from one bottle to another. Consequently, in the description and claims the terms vertical and horizontal may relate to mutually perpendicular orientations, but also may be read to include angular variations therefrom which still permit functional drainage.

Fig. I illustrates a three station tinter reclamation apparatus 1, typically fabricated from a single sheet of material, eg: acrylic or aluminium, formed to provide at one end thereof a generally horizontal elongate base portion 2, at the other end thereof a shelf portion 3 and a generally vertical rectangular back portion 4 intermediate and connecting the base portion 2 and shelf portion 3. The back portion 4 is provided with two keyhole attachment points 5 (one of which is visible in the drawings) adjacent respectively vertical edges 6,7. These keyholes 5 permit the apparatus I to be attached by means of screws, for example, to a wall, bench back or other upright fixed surface.

The base portion 2 extends forwardly and horizontally from a fold 8 defining the lower extent of the back 4 and a rear elongate side of the base portion 2. Three socket formations 9, 10 and 11 are provided equispaced along a central elongate axis of the base portion 2. In this embodiment the formations 9,10,11 are cylindrical.

However, in other embodiments (not shown) these formations 9,10,11 may correspond to the footprint of the bottle which they are intended to receive.

The shelf portion 3 extends from a rear elongate side thereof forwardly from a fold 12 defining the upper extent of the back 4. The shelf portion 3 further comprises a parallel sided inclined rear face portion 13 extending downwardly at an acute angle to the vertical from fold 12, and an elongate lower shelf portion 15 extending generally horizontally and forwardly from a fold 14 intermediate the shelf portions 3, 15. The lower shelf portion 15 is generally parallel to and spaced apart from the base portion 2. The vertical spacing between base portion 2 and lower shelf portion 15 is sufficient to allow ingress and egress of a tinter bottle which in use stands upright therebetween as will be described further.

The lower shelf portion 15 shown in Fig. 2 further comprises equi-spaced along a central elongate axis thereof three through-bores 17, 18 and 19. These through-bores 17, 18 and 19, typically machined or stamped in the sheet material prior to forming, are of identical elliptical crosssection, extending downwardly through lower shelf portion 15, with minor axes thereof being co-extensive along an elongate axis of shelf portion 15 and with the major axes thereof being parallel to one another extends forwardly from fold l4 and inclined rear face portion 13.

Paired combinations of through-bores and socket formations respectively each define a station or jig 20 of the apparatus 1, one of which is illustrated in Fig. 3. The respective minor and major axes of throughbores 17,18,19 each intersect adjacent the vertical axis of the corresponding socket formation 9,10,11.

In addition, the inclined rear face portion 13 further comprises indentations 21,22,23 corresponding respectively to through-bore socket formation pairs (17,9), (18,10), (19,11). These indentations 21,22,23 extend below an upper plane 24 of the rear face portion 13 each along a corresponding elongate axis extending perpendicular to folds 12 and 14. Each of these elongate axes are generally aligned with and/or adjacent to a corresponding vertical plane extending through the respective major axis of the corresponding socket formation 17,18,19.

The described three station apparatus I provides three spaced apart jigs or stations each comprising a combination of a socket formation, a through-bore and an elongate indentation, respectively combinations (9,17, 21), (10,18,22) and (11,19,23).

Use of a first such combination, illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 3 as combination, station or jig 20, will now be more particularly described. The jig 20 illustrated in use supports two identical bottles 25,26. In this embodiment the base portion 2 has socket formation 9 having a stepped-bore illustrated in plan view in Fig. 3. This stepped- bore has a first shallow profile 27 and a deeper profile 28. The deeper profile 28 is cylindrical and profile 27 is generally rectangular with rounded corners and its width being less than the diameter of the profile 28 whilst its length is greater. It will be appreciated from Fig. 3 that a central portion of profile 27 appears 'cut-away' by the deeper socket formation profile 28 extending therethrough. In this embodiment the stepped-bore socket formation may be machined in an elongate sheet 29 of complementary size and prior to attachment to base portion 2. Alternatively, these or other desired socket formations 9 may be machined or stamped in the base portion section of a single sheet of material prior to forming into apparatus 1. In other embodiments (not shown) a plurality of 'overlapping' socket formations may be machined in the base portion 2 to a constant depth radially offset about a common vertical axis.

The bottles 25,26 each have a cylindrical container portion 30 with a closed base portion 31, a tapered neck portion 32 and a narrow spout section 33 typically closable by a screw cap (not shown). Bottle 26 almost full with tinter is seated and retained upright in socket formation 28. The near empty bottle 25 is placed upended on the shelf 15 so that its spout 33 extends at least in part through the through-bore 17 and a rearwardly facing part of its cylindrical portion 30 rests in the complementarily shaped indentation 21 (not shown in the diagrammatic illustration Fig.4) to prevent the bottle 25 from rolling from side to side. It will be appreciated that bore 17 whilst allowing spout 33 to extend therethrough is not large enough to receive the bottle neck 32.

Consequently, the jig 20 retains and restrains bottle 25 upended and rearwardly inclined. This allows residual tinter contained therein to drain from its spout 33 into the open spout of bottle 26 retained and restrained in an upright position thereunder. Once the bottles 25,26 are in place in jig 20 they may be left for a period of time to maximise drainage or reclamation of residual tinter. Thereafter, bottle 25 may be removed, set to one side to dry out what little residual tinter remains therein and then discarded as regular or non-toxic industrial waste, and bottle 26 may be recapped and returned to stock for normal usage. It will be understood that once the contents of bottle 26 are dispensed to replenish a carousel reservoir it will subsequently contain residual tinter and may be processed to reclaim tinter using jig as aforedescribed.

BouIes 25,26 typically have a centrally disposed spout coaxial with the base portion 31 thereof Self-evidently the jig could readily be modified to function with and to accommodate bouIes with spouts laterally offset from a nominal central axis of the bottle container portion The described embodiments of the invention are of unitary or near unitary construction. However, there is no practical reason why couldn't be fabricated from an assembly of parts to provide the overall desired formation. These may be machined or injection moulded for example from a single material or a combination of materials. The claims should also be read to include such a possibility and supply of a kit of parts should fall within the remit of the claims.

Whilst the invention has been described with reference to drainage of residual paint tinter, it will be understood that it may be usuable for other viscous fluids or liquids.

Claims (17)

1. CLAIMS: 1. A jig for supporting generally upright a first bottle and

   generally upended a second bottle to permit viscous fluid contained in the second bottle to drain into the first bottle, with the bottles being generally identical to one another and each comprising a container portion of generally constant annular cross-section closed at its lower or base end, a neck portion tapering inwardly from the upper or open end of the container portion and a narrow spout portion extending from the upper or restricted end of the neck portion typically closable by a screw cap; comprises:- a base portion adapted in use to support the closed end or footprint of the upright first bottle; a shelf portion with an inclined rear face, a lower portion extending generally horizontally therefrom and a through-bore extending generally vertically through the lower portion which is adapted in use to support the upended second bottle; and a back portion connecting and spacing apart the base and the shelf; wherein the base portion further comprises a socket formation which in use receives generally horizontally the closed end of the first bottle and retains it about a common vertical axis, and the shelf through-bore is elongate in cross-section with minor and major axes intersecting adjacent the vertical axis of the socket formation, and wherein in use the container portion of the second bottle rests against the shelf's inclined rear face and the spout thereof extends downwardly into the shelf through-bore enabling viscous fluid to pour, drip or drain from the lip of the spout into the open spout of the first bottle immediately adjacent a vertical axis thereof
2. 2. A jig in accordance with claim 1, wherein the shelf rear face has a longitudinal indentation generally aligned with a vertical plane extending through the major axis of the shelf through-bore adapted in use to receive and retain in part the second bottle container.
3. 3. A jig in accordance with claim 2, wherein the longitudinal indentation is of complementary profile to a peripheral portion of the container portion receivable thereby.
4. 4. A jig in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, for supporting complementary pairs of bottles with the respective container portion of each pair having a different annular cross-section or footprint at the respective closed end thereof, wherein the base socket formation has two discrete and partially overlapping profiles about a common vertical axis with the first profile corresponding with the footprint of a bottle of the first pair and the second profile corresponds with the footprint of a bottle of the second pair.
5. 5. A jig in accordance with claim 4, wherein the two profiles are radially offset about the common vertical axis.
6. 6. A jig in accordance with claim 5, wherein the two profiles of the socket formation are of the same depth.
7. 7. A jig in accordance with claim 4, wherein the two profiles are laterally offset about the common vertical axis and socket formation has a stepped-bore.
8. 8. A jig in accordance with anyone of the preceding claims fabricated from a single formed, stamped and/or machined sheet of material.
9. 9. A jig in accordance with any one of claims 1 to 7, fabricated from one sheet of material formed, stamped and/or machined to provide the back, the shelf and a substrate or an underside of the base, and a second sheet of material formed, stamped or machined and subsequently attached on top of the substrate to provide the socket formation.
10. 10. A jig in accordance with claim 7, fabricated from one sheet of material formed, stamped and/or machined to provide the back the shelf and a substrate or underside of the base, a second sheet of material stamped or machined with the first socket profile and a third sheet of material stamped or machined with the second socket profile with the second and third sheets being attached coaxially to the substrate to provide the stepped-bore socket formation.
11. 11. A jig in accordance with any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the sheet material is acrylic, aluminium, a combination thereof or other suitable material.
12. 12. A jig in accordance with any one of the preceding claims in which the elongate through-bore is elliptical in cross-section.
13. 13. Viscous fluid draining apparatus comprising two or more laterally spaced apart stations with each providing a jig in accordance with any one of the preceding claims.
14. 14. A method of draining viscous fluid from one bottle to another using a jig in accordance with any one of claims 1 to 12, or apparatus in accordance with claim 13.
15. 15. A method in accordance with claim 14, wherein the viscous fluid is paint tinter.
16. 16. A jig or apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described and/or illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
17. 17. Any invention substantially as hereinbefore adequately disclosed.