US2511493A - Nonspill liquid container - Google Patents

Description

June 13, 1950 E. D. CERRUTI 2,511,493

NONSPILL LIQUID CONTAINER Filed May 16, 1945 INVENTOR EDWARD 0. CERRUT/ BY 2 r ATTORNEYS Patented June 13 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE NONSPILL LIQUID CONTAINER Edward D. Cerruti, Oakland, Calif.

Application May 16, 1945, Serial No. 594,061

2 Claims.

This invention relates to non-spill containers for liquids. One of the objects of the invention is the provision of a container which will measure ofi pre-determined quantities of the liquids into a ready access reservoir and which will insure against the spilling of the liquids in the event that the container is accidentally tipped or dropped.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a container of the class described wherein the means utilized to pass measured quantities of the contents to a ready access dipping well or reservoir, and to guard against spilling, may be combined into a unit for attachment to conventional container bodies, as in the case of a closure cap, or may be built into the container itself as a permanent part thereof.

The device forming the subject matter hereof will be found useful as a container for ink, medicines, chemicals and in fact any fluid in the use of which it is desirable to reservoir small quantities of the same and guard against accidental spilling of any quantities of the liquid.

Other objects of this invention will become more apparent as this specification proceeds and the novelty thereof will be pointed out with the requisite degree of particularity in the appended claims.

In the appended drawings wherein certain embodiments of the invention are shown by way of illustration,

Figure l is the vertical section of a container embodying the principles of this invention,

Figure 2 is a horizontal section taken along the line 2-2 of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is vertical sectional view showing the device of Figure 1 in its inverted position to illustrate the compartmental entrapment of the liquid contents,

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view showing the device of Figure l restored to its upright position.

Referring now to the subject matter of Figures 1 to 4, inclusive, the numeral designates any conventional bottle or vessel serving as the body of the container and having secured thereto a top closure or cap II carrying the novel concepts of this invention. While the cap II is shown attached to the body In by the conventional threads 12, it will be understood that this is for purposes of illustration only since the two members may be joined in other known ways such as a friction fitting or by the use of an adhesive. Also, if desired, a washer or a gasket (not shown) may be utilized in the connection to ill 2 render the joint fluid tight. In the handling of certain liquids it may even be desirable to permanently connect cap II and body In to render the device non-refillable, and that is, of course, within the purview of this invention.

It will be seen from Figures 1, 3 and 4 that the closure cap II is chambered as at l5, having a bottom 16 adapted to abut the top edge of the container Ill to seal off its contents, and a top I! spaced apart therefrom. The bottom l6 has a centrally disposed conical shaped depression therein to define a dipping well or reservoir 18 for the capture of predetermined quantities of the liquid contents of the container l0 upon inversion thereof, and to hold the same for ready access. Access to the reservoir I8 is obtained through theinternally projecting tubular member 20, centrally disposed in the top ll of cap II in co-axial alignment with reservoir 18. As illustrated in Figure 4 of the drawings, the device is adapted to receive a pen, dropper or other instrumentality through the tubular member 20 for the taking of portions of the fluid in reservoir It. The member 20 will also accommodate a stopper or plug (not shown) where complete sealing off of the contents of the container 10 may be desired, as in the case of highly volatile liquids and in storage of the device over any considerable period of time where evaporation is to be avoided.

The measuring and non-spill elements of the device, illustrated in Figures 1 to 4, assume the form of compartments or chambers 23 and 2A aligned radially between the internally projecting tubular member 20 and the peripheral wall of cap ll. Chambers 23 and 24 are defined by the vertically extending side walls 25 and 26, common to both chambers, and connected to the peripheral wall of the cap H at their outer ends and to the member 20 at their inner ends. A transverse partition 29 interconnects the side walls 25 and 26 to divide the said chambers 23 and 24. This partition has upper and lower ports 30 and 3|, respectively, establishing communication between the chambers 23 and 24 for a purpose to become more apparent as this specification proceeds.

Chamber 23 is open at its bottom end to provide unobstructed communication between said chamber and the interior of the container l0. Similarly, chamber 24 has a bottom opening directed toward reservoir [8 at a level beyond port 3| to the end that any liquid temporarily captured in chamber 24 will seal both ports and be charged into the said reservoir on righting the container.

The operation of the device forming the subject matter of Figures 1 to 4, inclusive, will be best understood by reference to Figures 3 and 4 of the drawings. When the device of Figure 1 is inverted to the position of Figure 3 the liquid 33 in container body will commence flowing into chamber 23 and from thence through port 35 in partition 29 into trap chamber 24. Port 3| will in this initial stage function as a breather aperture through which air within cap M will flow to displace that portion of the liquid 33 which has passed into the chambers 23 and 24. When the liquid has risen in chamber 24 to a point at which port 3| is closed off (as indicated in Figure 3) an air lock is thereby created which prohibits any further venting of the fluid 33 from the container 10. Both of the ports 30 and 3| are of such relatively small cross-sectional area that the capillary tension of the liquid thereacross tends to restrain passage of the ink through said ports. This factor prevents any tendency of the ink column to rise slightly, after the air-lock has been efiected, due to the fluid head in the inverted bottle.

Upon restoring the container I0 to its upright position, the main body of the fluid 33, along with that in chamber 23, will fall by gravity into the container i8. Simultaneously therewith, the air lock established at port 3| will be broken and the measured quantity of the fluid entrapped in chamber 24 will flow by gravity into the ready access reservoir Is as indicated at 34. As the supply it of liquid in the reservoir I8 is depleted or taken by any instrumentality through the internally projecting tubular member 20, additional quantities may be measured into the reservoir i S by simple repetitive inversion of the container body H] in the manner above described.

It will be appreciated that the structural characteristics of thi device preclude the possibility of overfilling the reservoir l8 once the reservoir i8 has been filled, as repeated inversion of the container |fl will simply return the fluid 34 into the area of the cap surrounding the member and further measured quantities of the fluid 33 will commingle therewith in sufiicient quantity to automatically seal off the ports 3| and 30 in partition 29 providing an air lock against further venting of the remaining contents of the liquid 33 within the container H).

The structural characteristics of the device likewise guard against accidental spilling of the contents since under no circumstances can a su icient quantity of the liquid 33 be by-passed tlnough the ports 30 and 3| to overfill cap H in a degree permitting flow through the tubular member 20 even though the device be tipped to its side.

It will be apparent that the invention forming the subject matter hereof may take other and additional forms and is susceptible of change without departing from its spirit and hence full protection is desired in accordance with the scope of the appended claims.

The invention claimed is:

l. A liquid container comprising, a hollow main body member, a chambered top closure therefore, a central dipping well in the bottom of the chamber in the closure, an internally projecting tubillar member in the closure open to atmosphere and vertically aligned with the well, a pair of horizontally aligned compartments within the chamber of the closure extending radially between the internally projecting tubular member and the peripheral wall of the closure, the outer compartment being in open communication with the interior of the main body member and the inner compartment being in open communica tion with the chamber and dipping well in the closure, and a partition between the inner and outer compartments formed with two vertically spaced restricted ports positioned to become sealed as liquid flowing therethrough fllls the inner compartment which therefore will trap a predetermined amount of fluid for discharge by gravity to the dipping well upon righting the container.

2. A liquid container comprising a hollow main body, a separable top closure for the body including a chamber having a central, conical, depression extending into the hollow body and constituting a clipping well, a central access opening in the closure formed with a depending marginal wall extending into the chamber in alignment with the dipping well, and fluid measuring means in the closure constituting the sole communication between the main body and dipping well and operated by inversion of the liquid container,

, comprising a pair of horizontally aligned compartments the outer one of which is in open comunication with the body and the inner one with the chamber in the closure, said compartments including a separating partition formed with two vertically spaced restricted ports positioned to be sealed by liquid as the inner compartment becomes full, thereby limiting flow therethrough to the capacity of said compartment and causing its contained fluid to flow into the dipping well by gravity upon righting the container.

EDWARD D. CERRUTI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 308,100 Ross Nov. 18, 1884 611,093 Baldwin Sept. 20, 1398 1,273,479 Gosselin July 23, 1918 1,798,067 C'omstock 'Mar. 24, 1931 1,864,263 Tharrington June 21, 1932 2,091,929 Kappenberg Aug. 31, 1937 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 260,415 Great Britain Nov. 4, 1926 417,136 France Aug. 23, 1910

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