The present invention relates to a dispenser for oil and vinegar.
Oils (e.g., olive oil) and vinegars (e.g., balsamic vinegar) are two very popular ingredients for salad dressings. These ingredients are typically combined by a user in different relative amounts in proportion based on his or her taste. Because these two ingredients are typically stored in separate containers, mixing them requires the use of a mixing receptacle (e.g., a mixing bowl) where both can be brought together. Alternatively, the oil and vinegar can be applied directly to the salad from their respective containers or via a dispenser, such as a gasket/stopper that is centrally pierced by a hollow tube that extends into the container and allows its contents to flow out when the container is rotated towards the horizontal plane.
One obvious deficiency with this type of dispenser is that each container requires its own dispenser, which is both inconvenient and costly for users. While there are dispensers that include an oil container and a vinegar container integrated together, these dispensers have two different external tubes on each side for pouring separately the oil on one side and the vinegar on the other side.
Another known deficiency is the user difficulty in controlling the relative amounts of oil/vinegar dispensed.
Therefore, there is a need for a dispenser of oil and vinegar that stores and dispenses oil and vinegar in a single dispenser and also allows the user to adjust the amounts of oil and vinegar applied as a salad dressing to their liking.
As embodied and broadly described herein, the present invention provides a dispenser for oil and vinegar, the dispenser comprising: (a) an outer container having a bottom wall and a peripheral wall defining an internal space for receiving oil, the outer container having a top rim defining an opening; (b) an inner container having a bottom wall and a peripheral wall defining an internal space for receiving vinegar, the inner container being at least partially located within the internal space of the outer container, the inner container having a shoulder projecting outwardly and being located above the top rim of the outer container; (c) a cap having a top wall and a peripheral wall for enclosing the top rim of the outer container and the shoulder of the inner container, the top wall and peripheral wall defining an internal space; (d) a first tube having a bottom end defining a bottom opening facing the internal space of the outer container and a top end defining a top opening opened to the atmosphere, wherein the first tube defines a first passage for allowing fluid communication between the internal space of the outer container and the atmosphere; and (e) a second tube having a bottom end defining a bottom opening facing the internal space of the inner container and a top end defining a top opening opened to the atmosphere, wherein the second tube defines a second passage for allowing fluid communication between the internal space of the inner container and the atmosphere; wherein, in use, when a user tilts the dispenser, the first and second tubes allow separate and simultaneous dispensing of oil and vinegar through the first and second passages respectively.
The invention also provides a dispenser for oil and vinegar, the dispenser comprising: (a) an outer container having a bottom wall and a peripheral wall defining an internal space for receiving oil, the outer container having a top rim defining an opening; (b) an inner container having a bottom wall and a peripheral wall defining an internal space for receiving vinegar, the inner container being at least partially located within the internal space of the outer container, the inner container having a plurality of arms that project outwardly from the peripheral wall up to a peripheral ring, the peripheral ring having a shoulder projecting outwardly and being located above the top rim of the outer container, the inner container having a top rim with a portion located above the shoulder of the inner container and defining an opening, and wherein the inner container has a plurality of openings defined between the peripheral wall, plurality of arms and peripheral ring; (c) a cap having a top wall and a peripheral wall for covering the top rim of the outer container and the shoulder of the inner container, the top wall and peripheral wall defining an internal space; (d) a first tube having a bottom end defining a bottom opening facing the internal space of the outer container and a top end defining a top opening opened to the atmosphere, wherein the first tube defines a first passage for allowing fluid communication between the internal space of the outer container and the atmosphere; (e) a second tube having a bottom end defining a bottom opening facing the internal space of the inner container and a top end defining a top opening opened to the atmosphere, wherein the second tube defines a second passage for allowing fluid communication between the internal space of the inner container and the atmosphere; (f) a first aeration tube having a bottom end defining a bottom opening facing the internal space of the outer container and a top end defining a top opening located in the internal space of the cap, wherein the first aeration tube defines a first air passage; and (g) a second aeration tube having a bottom end defining a bottom opening facing the internal space of the inner container and a top end defining a top opening located in the internal space of the cap, wherein the second aeration tube defines a second air passage; wherein the first and second tubes and the first and second aeration tubes are part of a unitary member, the unitary member having a base for covering the shoulder of the inner container and overlapping the plurality of openings and first and second inner peripheral walls defining therebetween a groove for receiving the top rim of the inner container such that in use, when the user tilts the dispenser, the first and second tubes allow separate and simultaneous dispensing of oil and vinegar wherein oil contained in the internal space of the outer container passes through at least one of the plurality of openings and is directed towards the bottom opening of the first tube for allowing dispending of the oil through the first passage of the first tube while air can also penetrate into the internal space of the outer container via the first air passage and wherein vinegar contained in the internal space of the inner container is directed towards said bottom opening of said second tube for allowing dispensing of the vinegar through said second passage of said second tube while air can also penetrate into said internal space of said inner container via said second air passage.
This and other aspects and features of the present invention will now become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon review of the following description of specific embodiments of the invention and the accompanying drawings.
A detailed description of examples of implementation of the present invention is provided hereinbelow with reference to the following drawings, in which:
In the drawings, embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example. It is to be expressly understood that the description and drawings are only for purposes of illustration and as an aid to understanding, and are not intended to be a definition of the limits of the invention.
To facilitate the description, any reference numeral designating an element in one figure will designate the same element if used in any other figures. In describing the embodiments, specific terminology is resorted to for the sake of clarity but the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific terms so selected, and it is understood that each specific term comprises all equivalents.
Unless otherwise indicated, the drawings are intended to be read together with the specification, and are to be considered a portion of the entire written description of this invention. As used in the following description, the terms “horizontal”, “vertical”, “left”, “right”, “up”, “down” and the like, as well as adjectival and adverbial derivatives thereof (e.g., “horizontally”, “rightwardly”, “upwardly”, “radially”, etc.), simply refer to the orientation of the illustrated structure. Similarly, the terms “inwardly,” “outwardly” and “radially” generally refer to the orientation of a surface relative to its axis of elongation, or axis of rotation, as appropriate.
In the figures, a dispenser 10 in accordance with the invention is shown, the dispenser 10 being suitable for dispensing oil and vinegar simultaneously.
The dispenser 10 has an outer container 12 having a bottom wall 14 and a peripheral wall 16 defining an internal space 18 for receiving the oil. The outer container 12 also comprises a neck 20 provided at its top end, the neck 20 having external threads 22 and a top rim 24 defining an opening 26.
The dispenser 10 further comprises an inner container 28 having a bottom wall 30 and a peripheral wall 32 defining an internal space 34 for receiving the vinegar. The inner container 28 also comprises a plurality of arms 36 that project outwardly from the peripheral wall 32 and a peripheral ring 38 having a shoulder 40 projecting outwardly at its top end and being located above the top rim 24 of the outer container 12. The inner container 28 has therefore a plurality of openings 42 defined between the peripheral wall 32, arms 36 and peripheral ring 38. As shown in
The dispenser 10 also comprises a seal (O-ring/gasket) 48 encircling the peripheral ring 38 and mounted between the upper surface of the top rim 24 of the outer container 12 and the bottom surface of the shoulder 40 of the inner container 28 so as to create a seal between the outer and inner containers 12, 28.
The dispenser 10 has a cap 50 comprising a top wall 51 and a peripheral wall 52 for enclosing the neck 20 of the outer container 12 and the shoulder 40 of the inner container 28 and defining an internal space 54 inside the cap 50. The cap 50 also has internal threads 56 registering with the external threads 22 of the outer container 12 such that a user can screw and unscrew the cap 50 on the outer container 12. The peripheral wall 52 of the cap 50 further comprises first and second apertures 53, 55 within which first and second spouts 58, 60 are received. The first spout 58 has a distal end portion 58D projecting outwardly from the cap and a proximal end portion 58P located within the internal space 54 of the cap and the second spout 60 has a distal end portion 60D projecting outwardly from the cap and a proximal end portion 60P located within the internal space 54 of the cap. The cap may comprise a base having a slot for allowing communication between the internal space 54 of the cap 50 and the internal spaces 18, 34 of the outer and inner containers 12, 28.
The dispenser 10 also comprises a first tube 62 having a bottom end 64 defining a bottom opening 66 facing the internal space 18 of the outer container 12 and a top end 68 mounted around the first spout 58, the top end 68 defining a top opening 70. The first tube 62 therefore defines a first passage 72 allowing fluid communication between the internal space 18 and the atmosphere such that, in use, a user can dispense oil through the first passage 72 of the first tube 62 when the user tilts the dispenser 10.
The dispenser 10 also comprises a second tube 74 having a bottom end 76 defining a bottom opening 78 facing the internal space 34 of the inner container 28 and a top end 80 mounted around the second spout 60, the top end 80 defining a top opening 82. The second tube 74 therefore defines a second passage 84 allowing fluid communication between the internal space 34 and the atmosphere such that, in use, the user can dispense vinegar through the second passage 84 of the second tube 74 when the user tilts the dispenser 10.
The top end 68 of the first tube 62 may be mounted around the proximal end portion 58P of the first spout 58 and the top end 80 of the second tube 74 may be mounted around the proximal end portion 60P of the second spout 60.
The dispenser 10 also comprises a first aeration tube 86 having a bottom end 88 defining a bottom opening 90 facing the internal space 18 of the outer container 12 and a top end 92 located in the internal space 54 of the cap 50, the top end 92 defining a top opening 94. The first aeration tube 86 therefore defines a first air passage 96 such that, in use, when oil is dispensed through the first passage 72 of the first tube 62, air can also penetrate into the internal space 18 of the outer container 12 to replace the volume of oil being dispensed out. As a result, oil can dispense out through the first passage 72 of the first tube 62 smoothly, without the risk of bubbles interrupting the flow.
The dispenser 10 further comprises a second aeration tube 98 having a bottom end 100 defining a bottom opening 102 facing the internal space 34 of the inner container 28 and a top end 104 located in the internal space 54 of the cap 50, the top end 104 defining a top opening 106. The second aeration tube 98 therefore defines a second air passage 108 such that, in use, when vinegar is dispensed through the second passage 84 of the second tube 74, air can also penetrate into the internal space 34 of the inner container 28 to replace the volume of vinegar being dispensed out. As a result, vinegar can dispense out through the second passage 84 of the second tube 74 smoothly, without the risk of bubbles interrupting the flow.
The inner and outer containers 12, 28 may be made of transparent plastic or glass and the cap 50 may be made of aluminum, plastic or stainless steel.
As best shown in
The member 110 has a base 112 for covering the shoulder 40 of the inner container 28 and for overlapping the plurality of openings 42 and first and second inner peripheral walls 114, 116 defining therebetween a groove 118 for receiving the top rim 44 of the inner container 28. When the cap 50 has been attached to the outer container 12, an internal peripheral shoulder of the cap 50 presses against the periphery of the base 112 of the member 110 that is pushed against the upper surface of the shoulder 40 of the inner container so as to create a seal between the member 110 and the inner container 28. Due to the presence of the top rim 44 within the groove 118, when the user tilts the dispenser 10, the first and second tubes 62, 74 allow separate and simultaneous dispensing of oil and vinegar wherein the oil contained in the internal space 18 of the outer container 12 passes through the opening 26 of the outer container 12 and through at least one of the plurality of openings 42 such that the oil is directed towards the bottom opening 66 of the first tube 62 for allowing dispending of the oil through the first passage 72 of the first tube 62 while air can also penetrate into the internal space 18 of the outer container 12 via the first air passage 96 of the first aeration tube 92 and wherein the vinegar contained in the internal space 34 of the inner container 28 passes through the opening 46 of the inner container 28 and is directed towards the bottom opening 78 of the second tube 74 for allowing dispensing of the vinegar through the second passage 84 of the second tube 74 while air can also penetrate into the internal space 34 of the inner container 28 via the second air passage 108 of the second aeration tube 104.
The dispenser 10 also comprise a first valve for reducing flow of oil and a second valve for reducing flow of vinegar.
Referring to
Referring to
When the user releases pressure on the actuator 120 or 124, due to the resiliency of the material of the first and second tubes 62, 74, these tubes return to their original shape.
As shown in
While the diameter of the first tube 62 between the bottom and top ends 64, 68 may reduce of about 90% to 70%, the one of the second tube 74 between the bottom and top ends 76, 80 may reduce of about 40% to 10% such that different ratios between the oil and vinegar can be obtained when selecting the appropriate diameters and tempering of the first and second tubes 62, 74. For example, for the same diameter of the first and second tubes 62, 74 at the bottom, the length and tempering of the first and second tubes 62, 74 can be selected such that the ratio of oil for vinegar is from 6 for 1 up to 12 for 1.
In one embodiment, the diameter of the first tube 62 may be between 0.300″ and 0.340″ at the bottom end and between 0.195″ and 0.235″ at the upper end and the diameter of the second tube 74 may be between 0.293″ and 0.333″ at the bottom end and between 0.040″ and 0.080″ at the upper end and the length of the first tube 62 may be between 2.2″ and 2.6″ and the length of the second tube 74 may be between 2.8″ and 3.2″.
Although various embodiments have been illustrated, this was for the purpose of describing, but not limiting, the invention. Various modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art and are within the scope of this invention, which is defined more particularly by the attached claims.
This application claims the benefit under 35 USC §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application 61/308,614 filed on Feb. 26, 2010. The contents of the above-mentioned patent application are incorporated herein by reference.
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