1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to plastic caps for bottles (unthreaded types and threaded screw) that are placed upside down and into the receiving and dispensing tank of a dispenser; and for bottles (unthreaded type and threaded screw) or containers that are turned upside down for dispensing into a receiving tank or reservoir.
There are water companies that commonly supply users (home, office and industry) with five gallon and larger bottles to be placed upside down and into receiving and dispensing tanks of water dispensers. There are also petroleum companies that provide the user with bottles for dispensing petroleum products, such as oil, antifreeze, oil and gasoline treatment, brake fluids into receiving tanks of automobiles, high performance vehicles, boats/watercraft, motorcycles, lawn and garden equipment.
Five gallon water bottles are conventionally produced by manufacturers in two types. A first type of bottle is designed for plastic screw cap closure. A second type of bottle eliminates the screw threaded terminal at the upper end of the neck and substitutes a crowned configuration. Such bottles may be closed by a hermetically sealed plastic cap which attaches to the bottles mouth and neck. Bottles for petroleum products may vary in size, but the most common in use is the screw threaded one-quart size for dispensing oil. These bottles are typically recycled.
In use, the water bottle cap is first removed. Thereafter, the water bottle is inverted and placed in a receiving and dispensing tank of a dispenser. Likewise, the screw threaded one-quart size oil bottle cap is removed. The bottle is turned upside down for dispensing into a receiving tank or reservoir.
Lifting, rotating and placing the fifty-pound five gallon water bottle upside down and into the receiving and dispensing tank of a water dispenser, generates problems of stability and control when lifting, rotating and aligning the mouth of the bottle upside down and into the receiving and dispensing tank of a dispenser. Spillage occurs, and accidental injury from slippage can follow. With the screw threaded one-quart size oil bottle, spillage on a car engine and deck can occur causing slippage and injury, in addition to a messy clean up. If the engine is hot, spillage on the manifold covers can produce choking smoke, and the smell of burnt oil. This occurs when dispensing oil into the receiving tank or reservoir.
Regarding such lifting, rotating and placing of the bottle, the commencement of flow is a problem. Specifically, flow starts before the bottle is finally placed. There is no control over the start of the flow. Spillage results. Untidy, unsafe and even dangerous conditions can follow.
2. Prior Art
Some plastic caps of the prior art are removed from and others remain on the mouth of bottles or containers prior to placement in dispensers or over receiving tanks and reservoirs. They do not eliminate the problems of stability, control over handling of the bottle by the user when lifting, rotating, and aligning the mouth of the bottle in a dispenser or over a receiving tank and reservoir. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,979,002 (Tearable Skirt Plastic Water Bottle Cap) to Faulstich (1976); 3,979,004 (Bottle Cap) to Bertario (1976); 3,985,255 (Bottle Cap) to Blair (1976); 4,302,029(Tamper-Proof Bottle Cap and Container) to Cochrane (1977); 4,106,653 (Tearable Bottle Cap) to Martinelli (1978); 4,884,707(Water Bottle Cap) to Crisci (1989); 4,911,316 (Plastic Bottle Cap Sealing Plural Neck Profiles) to Tackles (1990) are all plastic caps that are removed completely from the bottle by grip tab prior to lifting, rotating and placing the bottle upside down and into a dispenser. They do not eliminate the problems cited above. U.S. Pat. No. 4,261,485 (Automatic Bottle Cap Having a Magnetically Actuated Valve) to Borg (1981) addresses issues that are no longer issues with subsequent art and this invention. U.S. Pat. No. 4,793,514 (Cap For Inverted Water Bottle) to Sheets (1988) has need for magnets to start the flow. A valve starts to open while being tipped, and closes when returned to the upright position. Flow starts before the bottle is in the inverted position, and cuts off as the bottle is returned to its upright position. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,305,516 (Bottle Cap With Guaranteed Strip) to Perne' et al. (1981); 4,322,012 (Threaded Plastic Bottle Cap) to Conti (1982); 4,354,609 (Snap-On Tamperproof Bottle Cap) to Hidding (1982); 4,461,392 (Threaded Plastic Bottle Cap) to Conti (1984); 4,828,128 (Cap for Motor Oil Container) to Takcles (1989); 5,163,571 (Two-part plastic Bottle-Cap) to Marini (1992); 5,609,263 (Threaded Bottle Cap) to Perchedpied (1997); 5,913,437 (Tamper Evident Bottle Cap) to Ma (1999) are all plastic bottle caps that are removed completely from the bottle prior to lifting, rotating and placing the bottle upside down and into a receiving tank or reservoir. They do not eliminate the problems cited above. Further, all caps mentioned are not caps providing a flow through means. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,123,555 (Container Cap Having External Bead) to Luch et al. (1992); 5,232,125 (Non-Spill Bottle Cap Used With Water Dispensers) to Adams (1993); 5,273,083 (Bottle Cap and Assembly For A Bottled Water Station) to Burrows (1993); 5,370,270 (Non-Spill Bottle Cap Used With Water Dispensers) to Adams et al. (1994); 5,392,939 (Valved Bottle Cap) to Hidding et al. (1995); 5,413,152 (Bottle Cap and Valve Assembly For A Bottled Water Station) to Burrows (1995); 5,542,555 (Valved Bottle Cap) to Hidding et al. (1996); 5,653,270 (Bottle Cap and Valve Assembly For A Bottled Water Station) to Burrows (1997); 5,829,638 (Contact Opening Cap For Bottle Containers) to Lucas (1998); 5,868,281 (Non-Spill Bottle Cap) to Bietzer et al. (1999); 5,904,259 (Protective Taper-Evident label and Bottle Cap) to Hidding et al (1999); 5,909,827 (Non-Spill Bottle Cap) to Bietzer et al. (1999); 5,957,316 (Valved Bottle Cap) to Hidding et al. (1999) are all caps that requires a puncturing means to initiate flow when the bottle is placed upside down and into a dispenser or receiving tank or reservoir.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds