Patent Application
20150225132
The present invention relates to a fluid outlet system, applicable for containers of liquid substances; comprising a circular opening, at a rear end of a cylindrical tube, having a removable metallic ball-covering that controls the flow of liquid from the container, as desired. Specifically, the present invention relates to a fluid outlet system comprising a circular opening, at a rear end of a cylindrical tube, having a removable ball-covering; wherein said removable ball-covering can be easily dislodged by a mechanical switch in order to dispense liquid, and wherein said removable ball-covering is securely held in place by magnets provided on a valve seat of the circular opening, in order to stop liquid flow.
Fluid outlet systems are known in the art and are used for various purposes, such as in water taps, faucets, coolers and water jugs, among others. These outlet systems essentially allow the passage of fluid, such as water, and at the same time, seal the passage opening when passage of fluid is unwanted.
The common fluid outlet systems already in use include those having stop-valves that adjust the size of the opening of the outlet, such as the screw-down tap mechanism. Globe valves have soft rubber screwed to a valve seat in order to stop water flow and eliminate leaks.
However, globe valves require maintenance; as the rubber washer and the valve seat are subject to wear, and the seat subject to corrosion, over time. When this happens, a tight seal can no longer be achieved at the closed position, resulting to leaks.
Fluid outlet systems have been used in portable water or beverage dispensers and containers. Commonly, these dispensers and containers use spring which loses elasticity over time. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,742,851, a coil spring extends into a counter-bore in the valve and is compressed between the valve and the finger button to resiliently bias the valve to the closed position. To control the flow of water or beverage, i.e., to close the faucet, the spring moves the valves rearwardly toward its original closed position. Liquid flow out of the container is stopped as the rear seal engages the small-diameter portion of the nut.
The present invention does not use spring to control liquid flow; and thus, it does not have the same defect of wear and tear over time as conventional fluid outlet systems of portable liquid dispensers and containers, such as the subject invention of U.S. Pat. No. 4,742,851.
The present invention relates to a fluid outlet system, applicable for containers of liquid substances, among others; comprising a circular opening, at a rear end of a cylindrical tube, having a removable metallic ball-covering that controls the flow of liquid from the container, as desired. Specifically, the fluid outlet system of the present invention comprises a circular opening at a rear end of a cylindrical tube, wherein the circular opening is provided with a removable metallic ball-covering; and wherein said removable metallic ball-covering can be easily dislodged by a mechanical switch in order to dispense liquid, and is securely held in place by magnets on a valve seat of the circular opening, when the fluid outlet system is at a closed position, to stop liquid flow.
The metallic ball-covering mechanism enables the present fluid outlet system to have a longer utility lifespan not achievable by current dispensers that use spring, which looses elasticity over time. Less wear and tear can also be expected; as less force is needed to remove the ball, thereby less strain is applied to it.
The present fluid outlet system also uses a mechanical easy-switch having movable rods, which easily dislodges the removable metallic ball-covering from the valve seat and allows water, beverages and other fluids to be dispensed very easily with a flick of the switch. The easy-switch is user-friendly especially to little kids and people having difficulty holding taps or buttons, such as finger buttons that are spring-operated. In addition, with the easy-switch, the present fluid outlet system provides a cheap way of controlling release of water, beverages or other fluids, without use of electronically-operated valve controllers or solenoids.
In addition, unlike water and beverage containers and dispensers at present, there is no need to partially open the lid of a container and dispenser having the fluid outlet system of the present invention to let air in and break the vacuum to make the flow of liquid continuous. The spout provided at the front end of the cylindrical tube contains an air release mechanism. Furthermore, this spout is retractable, and hence, can be pushed back to stop leaks. In addition, the user can retract the said spout, which is angled for the following purpose: 1) to cover both ends of the spout from the environment, especially when not in use, making the present fluid outlet system hygienic; 2) to act as a secondary means of stopping any leaks in case the main flow control fails; and 3) to keep it from sticking out when not in use.
The invention will be explained in conjunction with an illustrative embodiment shown in the accompanying drawing, in which
Referring to
a cylindrical tube (3) having, at its rear end, a circular opening (2) and provided with a removable metallic ball-covering (4), wherein said removable metallic ball-covering (4) is securely held on the said circular opening (2) by at least two magnets (7);
a detachable coarse screen (14), attached longitudinally and facing toward the rear end of the cylindrical tube (3), enclosing the removable metallic ball-covering (4); and
a mechanical switch (6) connected to a rod (5) tangentially positioned behind the removable metallic ball-covering (4), pushing and dislodging the said removable metallic ball-covering (4) away from the circular opening (2) upon a flick of the mechanical switch (6).
In a second embodiment, said fluid outlet system (1) may further comprise of a valve seat (8) provided on the said circular opening (2) of the cylindrical tube (3). In detail, said embodiment relates to fluid outlet system (1) comprising:
a cylindrical tube (3) having, at its rear end, a circular opening (2) containing a valve seat (8), and a removable metallic ball-covering (4), wherein said removable metallic ball-covering (4) is securely held on the valve seat (8) by at least two magnets (7);
a detachable coarse screen (14), attached longitudinally and facing toward the rear end of the cylindrical tube (3), enclosing the removable metallic ball-covering (4); and
a mechanical switch connected to a rod tangentially positioned behind the removable metallic ball-covering, pushing and dislodging the said removable metallic ball-covering away from the valve seat (8) upon a flick of the mechanical switch (6).
In still another embodiment, the present fluid outlet system (1) further comprises a retractable spout (9) having an air release mechanism (10) and attached by attaching means to the front end (23) of the cylindrical tube (3).
Referring to
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the removable metallic ball-covering (4) of the fluid outlet system (1) of the present invention is easily dislodged by a rod (5) of a mechanical switch (6) in order to dispense liquid. This removable metallic ball-covering (4) is securely held on a valve seat (8) by at least two magnets (7) provided on the valve seat (8) of the opening (2) of the rear end of the cylindrical tube (3), in order to stop liquid from flowing. Water or liquid pressure in portable water or beverage containers or dispensers is low and is expected not to be sufficient to keep the metallic ball-covering (4) on the valve seat (8) and seal the opening (2) of the rear end of the cylindrical tube (3). Thus, the fluid outlet system (1) of the present invention is provided with a plurality of magnets (7), preferably two magnets, on the valve seat (8) of the opening (2) of the rear end of the cylindrical tube (3).
The removable metallic ball-covering (4) mechanism enables the present fluid outlet system (1) to have a longer utility lifespan not achievable by current dispensers that use spring, which looses elasticity over time. Less wear and tear can also be expected; as less force is needed to remove the ball, thereby less strain is applied to it.
It is preferred that the metallic ball-covering (4) is coated with plastic material to avoid rust. As shown in
The metallic ball-covering (4), as shown in
The present fluid outlet system (1) uses a mechanical easy-switch (6) having movable rods (5), tangentially positioned behind the removable metallic ball-covering (4) to push the removable metallic ball-covering (4) and dislodge said removable metallic ball-covering (4) from the valve seat (8) and allow water, beverages and other fluids to be dispensed very easily with a flick of the switch (6). The easy-switch (6) is user-friendly especially to little kids and people having difficulty holding taps or buttons, such as those which are spring-operated. In addition, with the easy-switch (6), the present fluid outlet system (1) provides a cheap way of controlling release of water, beverages or other fluids, without use of electronically-operated valve controllers or solenoids. The rod may be made of known materials, such as hard plastics; provided that the push-force (inertia) of the rod (5) is more than the combined magnetic strength of the at-least-two conventionally known magnets (7) provided on the valve seat (8).
As shown in
Unlike water and beverage containers and dispensers at present, there is no need to partially open the lid of a container and dispenser having the fluid outlet system (1) of the present invention to let air in and break the vacuum to make the flow of liquid continuous. With reference to
Referring to
Referring further to
With a two-liter (2 L) water or beverage container, such as a water jug, water or beverage may be emptied out, if continuous flow is allowed, in approximately 35 to 40 seconds having a flow rate of approximately 0.05 to 0.06 liters per second. Flow rate increases as the size of the container, and/or the amount of liquid in the container, is increased.
While in the foregoing specification a detailed description of a specific embodiment of the invention was set forth for the purpose of illustration, it will be understood that many of the details herein given may be varied considerably by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
