This invention relates to a cover/liner for containers to protect the container and/or its contents during use, storage, transportation, etc.
Drinking water for the home or business in many cases is stored in bottles, and dispensed by removing a cap and seal or a sealable cap, thus unsealing a bottle and turning it upside down onto a water dispenser. Other dispensers come in various sizes and shapes and some do not require turning upside down. Water dispensers are usually metal, ceramic or plastic devices, depending upon their size; some are free standing, and others are countertop models. Water dispensers generally have an interior storage chamber for the water, an opening usually on top of the dispenser for receiving an inverted water bottle, and means for dispensing the water from the chamber to the user. When a bottle is inverted onto the dispenser, the water flows into the interior storage chamber. Water dispenser bottles have been found to be round or angular in shape, and are usually made of clear or opaque glass or plastic. In transport, warehousing, storage, among other situations along the way the exterior of the bottles pick up and carry germs, bacteria, and dirt. Also, the exposed areas and even unexposed or partially exposed areas of the dispensers also accumulate and/or carry germs, bacteria, and dirt.
The goals of the present invention include covering or lining on the outside of a container, e.g., bottles, jugs, barrels, etc., that will protect the container and its contents from contaminants during use, storage, transportation, etc. For example, the cover/liner will separate the contaminated and unclean areas from the clean liquid flowing from a bottle, whether or not the liquid is flowing into a dispenser, to protect the clean liquid from contamination, as well as, blocking contaminants from air born movement into the ambient.
Summary of problem and solution available by storage/transportation/use container cover/liner.
The invention is a cover/liner for containers, e.g., bottles, jugs, barrels, etc., for separating the contents of the container (clean water, other liquid or other matter/material) and blocking the contents off from the dirt, germs, and bacteria (“contaminants”) on outside surfaces of the cover/liner while the “clean” contents are being removed from the container. The cover/liner comprising of the following: cover/liner formed from a single sheet or at least two separate sheets of flexible and/or retractably expandable material permanently bonded together for creating a tight fit to container; the cover/liner having a first end and a second end each with an opening to the ambient (holes); having at least two corresponding pleats, each set of corresponding pleats located on opposite sides of each other providing an ergonomic fit between cover/liner and container; the cover/liner can be made of at least one of elastic, rubber, or plastic or stretchable and retractable material(s), in part or in whole. The cover/liner can be shaped to fit snugly as a tight fit to the top of a container, such as the top, narrowest portion of a bottle, the nasal portion, preventing access to the exterior dirt, germs, and bacteria on the surfaces, thus preventing the flowing liquid from carrying the contaminants, and closely fits over the entire container including any changes in dimensions from top to bottom in depth, diameter, radius, circumference, and/or perimeter of cover/liner to correspond with similar changes in the dimensions of the container. The cover/liner acts as a shield between the contents of the container, such as the drinking water or other liquid that is to be stored in said reservoir portion of a water/liquid dispensing machine and the perimeter of the receiving section of said dispensing machine before/during/after the bottle is positioned or attached on or to the dispensing machine, and after the sealable cap has been removed from the bottle. The top and other exposed areas of the outside or outer portion of the container includes areas of germs, and bacteria, and it is also covered by the cover/liner and by doing so shields the ambient from dirt and bacteria. When the cover is used for a water bottle in a water bottle dispenser, the predominate larger barrel cover/liner section of said cover/liner usually rests above the dispenser, whereby said cover/liner becomes a shield between the clean air in a room environment and the bottle, thus preventing the potential air born movement of the dust, germs, and bacteria that stems from or comes from the air or is attached to the exterior of the water/liquid bottle. This is the same water/liquid bottle that for example gets picked up from being transported and handled from a manufacturing facility to a warehouse. Transportation, use, storage, etc. are different uses of same characteristics and technical design of cover/liner with water bottle (
Whether a consumer will use another new clean cover/liner for dispensing the container's contents is his/her choice. A cover/liner that is being used for storage or transportation is already unclean and might not provide for clean transfer of contents from the container, so a new clean cover/liner might be desired.
The only difference when cover/liner is being used for general storage/storage during transportation or when cover/liner is being used for dispensing the container's contents (e.g., into a glass or water-dispensing machine) is the manufacturer'/consumer's choice where and how the cover/liner is being used. When cover/liner is being used for general storage/storage during in transportation to or on a truck, or to your home or business and placed inside for storage, the container picks up the dirt and bacteria contaminants So, for example, when the container is placed on top of a water dispensing machine where air constantly is circulating, it's more sanitary to use a cover/liner of the present invention. There can be a nozzle section for a tight fit that does not allow water flowing into water dispensing machine from the bottle to be in contact with any outside or other surface on or in the dispensing machine or the outside of water bottle that can be contaminated.
The pleats of the inventive cover/liner for a container can be self-unfolding, expanding in size, and taking a shape adjustably corresponding to the changes in dimensions of the container, such as between nasal/spout and barrel areas of said bottle. The liner additionally may also be comprised of handles to grip hold of which can be simply the sealing sections between the sheets that are permanently attached together to form the cover/liner which have a dual purpose; that they run on both sides of liner along the sides of the liner and can be grabbed at any location for end user convenience. The presence of a handle on only one side of the liner can be sufficient too. The handles are at the bonding place for both sides of the material the plastic liner is made of, whether the liner is made of one or more sheets of material. A wide bonding area makes a stronger bond/hold. The cover/liner when being pulled downward from on top of a container has pleats that expand and open as the cover/liner is pulled downward and no additional user effort is needed to release the pleats.
The combined total size and shape of all said pleats, plus size and slope of shoulder, if present, corresponds with the circumference of the liner to produce a close fit.
For example, the cover/liner section corresponding to the bottle nasal section prior to pulling down the cover/liner over the bottle has a circumference smaller than the nasal section of the bottle or other container.
The cover/liner section corresponding to the barrel area on a bottle prior to pulling down the cover/liner over said bottle has a circumference larger than the corresponding bottle barrel section.
The cover/liner of the invention additionally can have extended material on the opposite and corresponding two sealed ends of the cover/liner creating a greater and stronger seal forming a rim or edge with radius and diameter which serves a second purpose continuing from top to bottom of cover/liner can also be used as a handle on both opposite sides, or the extended material forming the handle can only be on one side of the cover/liner.
The invention can have a “funnel” shaped tunnel, with a wider opening on one end and narrower opening on the other end, thus providing more direct guidance of the bottle nozzle into the area of destination with ease and to avoid mistake for the user's convenience. The cover/liner can also have openings of the same width on both ends, or can have an opening on just one end, depending on what is desired for the particular container on which it is being used.
The pleats and handles additionally can provide for an ergonomic fit between cover/liner and container and the expansion of the pleats provides for a transformation of the cover/liner from being a flat object into 3-dimensional shaped object with ease. The expansion and retraction of the elastic-material if present provides a tight hold on the cover/liner and container, that insures that no liquid or other materials from outside can penetrate that hold and no liquid or other materials will be contaminated from what is on the surface of the container.
The cover/liner's handles can be wide and run the length of the cover/liner on one or both sides from top to bottom or less, providing an ease of handling the cover during placing it on top of a container. When the handles are longer, it's easier for the user to change position of his/her hands-on top of handles as many times as needed and to grab onto the handles at any location on handles.
The pleats are assembled and bonded during the manufacturing process, thus the user has no need to fold, measure or do any assembly prior to cover/liner use.
The quantities of pleats and configuration of curves and shapes are subject to changes and adjustments based on individual specifications of given holding devices, e.g., containers like bottles, jugs, or barrels.
The number of pleats depends on container shape, size and configuration by different makers of such devices.
The cover/liner can also be utilized as a storage jacket or storage protector to protect the container from dust and uncleanliness in its environment while it is being stored. It can also be used as a packaging/storage jacket/protector when the container is being transported. Generally, the cover/liner has a shape and size corresponding to the container's shape and size. The cover/liner does not have to be a one size fits all “cover”. For each container, the cover/liner can be produced according to the shape and size of the container, e.g., barrel, bottle or other object that it is being used for. The cover/liner can be manufactured specifically for the container, e.g., barrel, jug, bottle or other object that it is being used for, so that the same basic construction can be used regardless of the shape and size of the object being covered/lined. Some examples include wine bottles, water bottles, perfume bottles, etc.
Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention should not be limited to the described preferred embodiments. Rather, various changes and modifications can be made within the spirit and scope of the present invention as part thereof.
Nozzle's area 35 of liner 10 has a circumference smaller than nozzle area 30 of bottle 5 prior to use. However, Nozzle's area 35 is made from stretchable and retractable materials. When nozzle area 35 is being pulled down by user force on top of area 30, it deforms or stretches its shape and retracts by taking exact form or shape as it tightens around the bottle, taking shape and size of bottle's area 30 creating a tight grip that does not allow liquids or any foreign materials to get in and/or out of the space between liner and bottle.
Water 20 in reservoir of dispensing machine 1 (
Dust that sits on top of bottle 5 cannot penetrate through the tight fit between liner's area 35 of liner 10.
Liner 10 locks dust and dirt in barrel area of bottle 5 to prevent it from becoming air born. It protects the room and ambient from outside dirt found on top of the bottle from storage or transportation and contact with unclean objects.
Pleat number 25 has width that is calculated in a formula which is described below and in the claims. Numbers of pleats depends on water bottle shape, size and configuration and by different makers of such devices. This embodiment shows 4 pleats in total (
Formula
One half the length of the bottle's barrel area circumference less/minus the length of the bottle's barrel area diameter, all divided by the number of pleats on each side of the liner that will be desired or needed, with an equal length/width for each pleat.
Note: In the figures pleat 28 is the same pleat as pleat 27 but in a different state/format/condition/mode. In other words, pleat 28 is pleat 27 after it has been folded in manufacturing process. In at least one embodiment, the pleats come fully assembled and no user involvement is needed in the process of extending the pleats. Before use, the pleat 28 is folded from one end of liner 10 to another end of liner 10.
Pleat 25 from
Pleats:
A bottle outer cover/liner for separating clean water/liquid and blocking off contaminants on outside surfaces while transferring the clean water/liquid from within the bottle into a reservoir or dispenser, for keeping the contaminants away from the ambient environment during storage of use, and for storing the bottle while not in use with the reservoir or water dispenser.
In
Both the “home/office cover/liner” and the “storage/packaging/transport cover/liner” shown in
For example, the cover can protect drinking water from contamination and protect the ambient from mixing with dust that has collected on top of the bottle. Also, another cover-jacket can keep the surface of the bottle from being exposed to outdoor uncleanliness.
The claimed invention includes a water-bottle covered by protective “storage/transportation cover” and then removed by end-user before use, so that it is in a much cleaner and healthier condition than a (naked) unprotected bottle. This is an improvement over a washed water-bottle that goes through storage and transportation to end-user home/office bringing outdoor uncleanliness.
The claimed invention also includes a cover/liner which can be placed manually and/or in an automated fashion on a water-bottle before or after the bottle is filled with water by the manufacturer. This is especially true when the cover/liner has the inventive ergonomic technical design that creates a close fit for “storage/transportation cover”.
This application takes priority to and benefit of provisional applications No. 62/588,355 filed on 11/19/2017 and No. 62/480,562 filed on Apr. 4, 2017 which are both incorporated in their entirety herein by this reference, and this application takes priority and benefit from its parent application Ser. No. 15 854 068, filed Dec. 26, 2017, which is incorporated in its entirety herein by this reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62588355 | Nov 2017 | US | |
62480562 | Apr 2017 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 15854068 | Dec 2017 | US |
Child | 17390111 | US |