Claims
- 1. A liquid dispenser for use with a disposable liquid supply container, the liquid dispenser comprising:
- valve means for regulating the flow of liquid from the dispenser;
- support means for holding the container in a loaded position generally elevated above the valve means, the support means including means for enabling placement of the container into the loaded position and removal of the container from the loaded position;
- a tapping stem for communicating the interior of the container with the valve means absent any liquid storage reservoir other than the container, the stem comprising a generally elongated body having a piercing end, a discharge end and sealing means for sealingly engaging the container, the stem piercing end including piercing means for piercing a wall of the container and the stem body including a passage extending from an intake opening in the piercing end to a discharge opening in the discharge end in communication with the valve means; and
- means for holding the stem in a fixed position so that when the container is moved into the loaded position the piercing means penetrates into the interior of the container and the sealing means forms a sealed relationship with the container;
- whereby gravity flow of liquid from the container to the valve means is enabled absent any liquid storage means other than the container.
- 2. The liquid dispenser of claim 1 wherein the passage comprises an intake passage and a discharge passage alligned generally along separate parallel axes and dimensioned to intersect each other.
- 3. The liquid dispenser of claim 2 wherein the intake passage and the discharge passage comprise generally clindrical bores.
- 4. The liquid dispenser of claim 1 wherein the piercing means includes a sharp tip on the piercing end.
- 5. The liquid dispenser of claim 4 wherein the tip has a generally conical shape.
- 6. The liquid dispenser of claim 5 wherein the tip forms an angle of approximately 20 degrees.
- 7. The liquid dispenser of claim 2 wherein the intake passage comprises a channel in the piercing end.
- 8. The liquid dispenser of claim 1 wherein the sealing means for sealingly engaging the wall of the container comprises a peripheral flange affixed to the discharge end of the body.
- 9. The liquid dispenser of claim 8 wherein the sealing means for sealingly engaging the wall of the container further comprises a peripheral rib on the flange.
- 10. The liquid dispenser of claim 8 wherein the means for sealingly engaging the wall of the container further comprises a compressible washer on the flange.
- 11. The liquid dispenser of claim 8 wherein;
- the piercing end of the stem includes at least one rib projecting therefrom, the rib including a generally helical member extending around at least a portion of the periphery of the stem body for inserting the piercing end through the wall of the container by a pushing and twisting motion;
- the helical member being in spaced relation to the peripheral flange so that the wall of the container is compressed between the helical member and the flange when the piercing end is inserted through the wall of the container.
- 12. A liquid dispenser for use with a disposable liquid supply container, the liquid dispenser comprising:
- valve means for regulating the flow of liquid from the dispenser;
- support means for holding the container in a loaded position generally elevated above the valve means, the support means including means for enabling placement of the container into the loaded position and removal of the container from the loaded position;
- a tapping stem for communicating the interior of the container with the valve means absent any liquid storage reservoir other than the container, the stem comprising a generally elongated body having a piercing end, a discharge end and sealing means for sealingly engaging the container, the stem piercing end including piercing means for piercing a wall of the container and the stem body including a passage extending from an intake opening in the piercing end to a discharge opening in the discharge end in communication with the valve means;
- means for holding the stem in a fixed position so that when the container is moved into the loaded position the piercing means penetrates into the interior of the container and the sealing means forms a sealed relationship with the container; and
- means for controlling the temperature of the liquid stored in the container when the container is in the loaded position;
- whereby gravity flow of liquid from the container to the valve means is enabled absent any liquid storage means other than the container.
- 13. The liquid dispenser of claim 12 wherein the means for controlling the temperature comprises a heat pump.
- 14. The liquid dispenser of claim 13 wherein the heat pump comprises a thermoelectric module.
- 15. The liquid dispenser of claim 12 wherein the means for controlling the temperature comprises a refreezable eutectic cooling device.
- 16. A liquid dispenser for use with a disposable liquid supply container, the liquid dispenser comprising:
- valve means for regulating the flow of liquid from the dispenser;
- support means for holding the container in a loaded position generally elevated above the valve means, the support means including means for enabling placement of the container into the loaded position and removal of the container from the loaded position and a platform including means for vertically slidably receiving the container into the loaded position, at least one upwardly projecting container pedestal for contacting a bottom wall of the container when the container is in the loaded position, and an upwardly projecting stem pedestal; and
- a tapping stem for communicating the interior of the container with the valve means absent any liquid storage reservoir other than the container, the stem comprising a generally elongated body having a piercing end, a discharge end and sealing means for sealingly engaging the container, the stem piercing end including piercing means for piercing a wall of the container and the stem body including a passage extending from an intake opening in the piercing end to a discharge opening in the discharge end in communication with the valve means; and
- the stem pedestal including an opening therein for receiving the stem with the piercing end upward so that when the container is moved into the loaded position the piercing means penetrates into the interior of the container and the sealing means forms a sealed relationship with the container;
- whereby gravity flow of liquid from the container to the valve means is enabled absent any liquid storage means other than the container.
- 17. The liquid dispenser of claim 16 wherein the platform further comprises a catch basin having an inclined or slanted bottom providing a low drain point and a drain spout positioned therein for diverting liquid caught in the catch basin away from the platform.
- 18. The liquid dispenser of claim 16 wherein the support means includes means for removably receiving the platform.
- 19. The liquid dispenser of claim 16 wherein the valve means comprises:
- a flexible tube in communication with the discharge opening of the stem;
- a rigid tube seat projecting downward from the platform for loosely receiving the tube;
- a valve actuator generally in the shape of a lever arm having a handle end and a gate end for compressing the tube against the tube seat to restrict flow of liquid therethrough when the actuator is in a closed position;
- valve support means for rotatably supporting the valve actuator and providing a fulcrum about which the valve actuator can rotate from the closed position to an open position, the valve support means supporting the valve actuator in spaced relation to the tube and the tube seat so that the gate end of the valve actuator compresses the tube against the tube seat when the valve actuator is in the closed position, thereby restricting flow of liquid through the tube;
- means for holding the valve actuator in the closed position and allowing the actuator to be rotated to the open position in response to an external force.
Parent Case Info
This is a divisional application of application Ser. No. 08/811,135, filed Mar. 3, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,855,298 which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/292,732, filed Aug. 18, 1994, now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (6)
Divisions (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
811135 |
Mar 1997 |
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Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
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Parent |
292732 |
Aug 1994 |
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