Valved Water Container With Seal

The present invention relates to improved means and techniques useful in the art of dispensing bottled water and in general involves improvements in a filtered dispenser shown in our U.S. Pat. No. 3,667,197 issued June 6, 1972.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved sealing element for positioning between a water bottle and an improved container referred to as an olla on which such bottle is supported in inverted condition.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved sealing element of this character which has the additional feature of providing a more dependable seal between the bottle and container which in this instance is an improved container or olla of plastic material with a faucet or valve body, also of plastic material releasable secured to such plastic olla.

Another object to the present invention is to provide an improved sealing element of this character which is snugly fitted within the new cylindrical olla to assure a good seal between these elements that prevent extraneous materials and crawling insects from entering space between the sealing element and the olla.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being made to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side view, partly in section of essential elements of a water dispenser embodying features of the present invention with a typical or conventional water bottle shown in relation to the combination sealing and venting and filtering means.

FIG. 2 is a view taken as indicated by the lines 2--2 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of the structure shown in FIG. 1 but with the weight of a partially filled water bottle distorting the sealing means to effect a good seal.

FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 are views taken substantially as indicated by the lines 4--4 and 5--5 in FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view on line 6--6 of FIG. 2.

A feature of this invention is that the conventional water bottle 14 of 5 gallon capacity may be supported on the new reservoir or olla 8 which is of plastic material with an improved sealing element 20 therebetween, a feature of this new sealing element 20 is that it is snugly received within the cylindrical mouth portion of the olla 8 so as to not only provide a means for supporting the bottle 14 on the olla 8 but also to provide an improved sealing arrangement which is particularly effective against dust, dirt, and crawling insects all of which are prevented from entering the olla by virtue of the snug fitting of element 20 within olla 8.

The open mouth portion of bottle 14 extends through said element 20 and into olla 8 with a portion of said bottle being engaged by an annular sealing portion 20F of element 20. Water flows by gravity and is dispensed through valve 30 upon pressing the valve actuator 30A downwardly.

The olla 8 of plastic is formed using blow molding techniques with an apertured portion 8A to receive a plastic internally threaded bushing 31, such bushing 31 being permanently secured in opening 8A by an epoxy 6 or other means. The valve 30 has an externally threaded nipple portion 30B threaded within bushing 31 with a sealing gasket 34 between bushing 31 and valve flanged portion 30C.

It will be seen that the wall thickness of the olla 8 is relatively thin with respect to the length of the internally threaded bushing 31 and these relative dimensions introduce a problem. The solution of this problem involves forming the plastic material of which the olla is made to provide a suitable means for securing the relatively long bushing on the thin wall olla. As seen in FIGS. 1, 2 and in particular FIG. 6 such suitable means involves forming the apertured portion 8A of the same plastic material in a particular manner so as to provide an inwardly extending cylindrical portion 8B which terminates with a radially inwardly directed flange portion 8C. This flange portion 8C serves as a stop member that limits and establishes the amount of inward movement of the bushing 31 and together with the internal surface of the cylindrical portion 8B provides a relatively large composite surface area adjacent to a comparable surface area of bushing 31 between which the above mentioned epoxy 6 is disposed. It will thus be seen that this construction allows permanent mounting of the bushing 31 on olla 8 without the necessity of gaining access to the inside of the olla and without the necessity of mounting anything inside the olla.

The annular seal structure 20 is also of plastic material and is formed in accordance with an important feature of the present invention, with a downwardly extending cylindrical portion 20M which snugly engages the inside of the olla neck portion 8E so as to provide not only a firm support for the bottle 14 but also as a seal which prevents dirt, dust, crawling insects and the like from entering the olla 8 and also as a means sealing against possible leakage of water.

The presence of such sealing structure 20, if not vented would cause sub-atmospheric pressure to be developed in that internal space adjacent such seal when and as water is dispensed from the lower end of reservoir 12 and thus cause an objectionable diminution in rate of dispensed water flow. To obviate that problem, the sealing structure 20 is provided with a vent channel or bore 20A that extends through the sealing flange 20F of element 20 and terminates in a chamber 20B within which a replaceable filter element 22 is frictionally held.

A purpose of such filter 22 is to filter the air which passes from the surrounding contaminated and dust or dirt laden atmosphere through such filter 22 and channel 20A into the air space above water in reservoir 8 in the automatic process of maintaining the desired full atmospheric pressure above the water in reservoir 8.

For these multipurposes, the combination sealing, venting, and filtering structure is of the construction now described in detail.

The sealing structure 20 is of plastic material in the general form of a ring which in cross section includes, as seen in FIG. 3 the relatively heavy sealing and mounting flange 20M which is contigous with a relatively thin circular portion 20N from which a thin wall flexible and tapered sealing ring portion 20F extends upwardly as a cantilever to sealingly contact the outer surface of water bottle 14. Also, this base portion 30E has a generally L-shaped flange portion 20G extending radially outwardly therefrom with its downwardly extending leg 20H for sealingly contacting a flat surface of a mounting stand 40 that surrounds the olla 8 and upon which the olla 8 rests, the horizontally extending leg portion 20K being sufficiently prolonged and sufficiently thin in cross section to be flexible to assure a good seal with stand 10 despite any irregularities in its surface.

Likewise the base portion of element 20 between the two flanged portions 20F and 20M is sufficiently resilient to accomplish these purposes.

The previously mentioned chamber 20B which frictionally receives and retains filter element 22 is releasably secured to the sealing ring 20 as seen in FIG. 5 using a pair of circular extensions 20P snugly fitted within corresponding apertured portions in element 20.

This filter element 22 may be replaced each time a bottle is emptied and replaced by a filled bottle.