The present disclosure relates generally to a container for a motor vehicle fluid. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a fluid container for transporting and diluting a concentrated motor vehicle fluid and dispensing the resulting diluted motor vehicle fluid.
Windshield washer fluid is a vital motor vehicle fluid which is sold worldwide in vast quantities. The majority of windshield washer fluid is sold in a ready to use form popular with consumers for its convenience, often in containers holding 1 gallon of fluid. However, ready to use windshield washer fluid is heavy, and its transportation consumes significant resources, while the storage of windshield washer fluid containers requires large amounts of space. Furthermore, windshield washer fluid is typically sold in various formulas at different price points, with each formula having a different anti-freeze content and freezing point, requiring manufacturers and merchants to ship and store multiple formulas of windshield washer fluid to suit different consumer needs, seasons, and climates.
Concentrated washer fluid and solid washer fluid tablets alleviate some of the transportation and storage costs associated with ready to use washer fluid, at the expense of consumer convenience. The consumer must dilute the concentrated windshield washer fluid or dissolve the solid tablets using measured amounts of water using a separate container. Other varieties of windshield washer fluid distributed in concentrated or tablet form are meant to be mixed directly in the washer fluid tank of an automobile, leading to potential problems involving improper dilution such as clogging caused by undissolved particles. Furthermore, many windshield washer fluids sold in concentrated or tablet form do not contain anti-freeze, requiring consumers to add in the appropriate amount of anti-freeze separately, resulting in unexpected freezing of the windshield washer fluid caused by improper addition of the anti-freeze component.
A need therefore exists for a single container capable of transporting, mixing, and diluting a windshield washer fluid concentrate, and then dispensing the resultant windshield washer fluid, which address the transportation and storage costs of ready to use windshield washer fluid as well as the inconvenience and risk of improper dilution of windshield washer fluid in concentrated and tablet form.
In the present disclosure, where a document, act or item of knowledge is referred to or discussed, this reference or discussion is not an admission that the document, act or item of knowledge or any combination thereof was at the priority date, publicly available, known to the public, part of common general knowledge or otherwise constitutes prior art under the applicable statutory provisions; or is known to be relevant to an attempt to solve any problem with which the present disclosure is concerned.
While certain aspects of conventional technologies have been discussed to facilitate the present disclosure, no technical aspects are disclaimed and it is contemplated that the claims may encompass one or more of the conventional technical aspects discussed herein.
An aspect of an example embodiment in the present disclosure is to provide a single container which allows a concentrated motor vehicle fluid to be diluted and dispensed. Accordingly, the present disclosure provides a fluid container having an outer wall, a fluid chamber within the outer wall adapted to hold the motor vehicle fluid, and an additive concentrate stored within the fluid chamber which is adapted to dissolve when mixed with water to form the motor vehicle fluid. The fluid container further has a selectively sealable opening which allows water to be poured into the fluid chamber where it can be mixed with the additive concentrate to form the motor vehicle fluid, which can then be dispensed through the opening.
It is another aspect of an example embodiment in the present disclosure to provide a container which allows a user to prepare motor vehicle fluid having a desired freezing point. Accordingly, the additive concentrate contains an anti-freeze component, and the fluid container has a calibrated dilution scale which allows the user to dilute the additive concentrate according to one or more dilution levels, and the freezing point of the resultant motor vehicle fluid is determined by the dilution level. The outer wall has a transparent portion which allows the user to view the fluid chamber and the motor vehicle fluid contained within, and the calibrated dilution scale has one or more dilution markers positioned over the transparent portion to allow the user to precisely dilute the motor vehicle fluid to the desired dilution level.
It is yet another aspect of an example embodiment in the present disclosure to provide a container which allows the motor vehicle fluid to be transported and stored at reduced space and weight when compared to ready to use motor vehicle fluids. Accordingly, the outer wall of the fluid container is flexible and is adapted to expand from a flattened state to an expanded state as water is added to the fluid chamber, allowing the motor vehicle fluid to be transported and stored efficiently in the flattened state, in contrast to a container filled with ready-to-use motor vehicle fluid.
The present disclosure addresses at least one of the foregoing disadvantages. However, it is contemplated that the present disclosure may prove useful in addressing other problems and deficiencies in a number of technical areas. Therefore, the claims should not necessarily be construed as limited to addressing any of the particular problems or deficiencies discussed hereinabove. To the accomplishment of the above, this disclosure may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Attention is called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only. Variations are contemplated as being part of the disclosure.
In the drawings, like elements are depicted by like reference numerals. The drawings are briefly described as follows.
The present disclosure now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, which show various example embodiments. However, the present disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the example embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these example embodiments are provided so that the present disclosure is thorough, complete and fully conveys the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art.
The fluid container 10 comprises an outer wall 12, a container upper portion 16, and a container base 14. The outer wall 12 defines the shape of the fluid container 10 while the container base 14 supports the fluid container 10 in an upright position when the container base 14 is placed upon a horizontal surface. The outer wall 12 further has a first container face 22 disposed between the container upper portion 16 and the container base 14. The fluid container 10 further comprises a fluid chamber 24 disposed within the outer wall 12 which is adapted to hold the motor vehicle fluid 60, water, or other fluid. In order to allow the fluid chamber to be visible to a user, the outer wall 12 has a transparent portion 52 corresponding to part of the outer wall 12 or the entirety thereof. The surface of the motor vehicle fluid 60 or other fluid within the fluid chamber 24 corresponds to a fluid level 62 which is visible to the user through the transparent portion 52 of the outer wall 12. In a preferred embodiment, the transparent portion 52 may correspond to part of the first container face 22.
The fluid container 10 further has an opening 80 which allows the fluid container 10 to be filled with fluid, and also allows the motor vehicle fluid 60 to be poured out of the fluid container 10. The fluid container 10 further comprises a seal 82 which is adapted to selectively cover the opening 80, preventing the motor vehicle fluid 60 from exiting the fluid container 10 through the opening 80 unless the opening is uncovered.
Turning now to
Returning to
In a preferred embodiment, the calibrated dilution scale 50 is disposed on the first container face 22, and the dilution markers 56 are positioned along the transparent portion at intervals between the container base 14 and the container upper portion 16. Each dilution marker 56 may have a corresponding dilution marker volume indicator 54 which is a number representing a particular volume of fluid, as expressed in units of volume such as ounces, liters, or other unit of measurement for volume. The user may measure the volume of the motor vehicle fluid 60 within the fluid chamber 24 by comparing the position of the fluid level 62 with the nearest dilution marker 56, as the fluid level 62 rises or falls within the fluid chamber 24. When the fluid level 62 aligns with one of the dilution markers 56, the volume of the motor vehicle fluid 60 within the fluid chamber 24 is equivalent to the volume as expressed by the dilution marker volume 54 of the dilution marker 56. In a preferred embodiment, the dilution markers 56 may be formed as horizontal lines arranged in parallel with each other.
In certain embodiments, the transparent portion 52 forms a transparent window 52A which is oriented vertically and extends between an area proximate to the container base 14 and an area proximate to the container upper portion 16, and the dilution markers 56 are positioned over the transparent window 52A.
The calibrated dilution scale 50 further has a plurality of dilution marker temperature indicators 58 expressed as units of temperature such as degrees of Fahrenheit or Celsius, and each dilution marker temperature indicator 58 allows the user to identify the dilution marker temperature of its associated dilution marker. Prior to adding water 96 to the fluid chamber 24, the user determines a freezing threshold. The freezing threshold may be a temperature which is lower than the coldest anticipated temperature which the user expects the motor vehicle will be subjected to. The dilution marker temperature 58 indicator allows the user to select the appropriate dilution marker 56 so that the freezing point of the motor vehicle fluid 60 will be equal to or below the freezing threshold. The user then adds water 96 to the fluid chamber 24 until the fluid level 62 aligns with the selected dilution marker 56.
Turning now to
Prior to the addition of water 96 to the fluid chamber 24, the fluid container 10 may be placed in the flattened state whereby the first and second side walls 18A, 18B flatten towards each other and the bottom wall 20 folds inward towards the container upper portion 16. As water 96 or another fluid enters and fills the fluid chamber 24, the distance between the first and second side walls 18A, 18B increases and the bottom wall 20 unfolds, allowing the fluid chamber 24 to expand until it reaches its maximum capacity. This allows the fluid container 10 to be transported and stored in the flattened state to save space, in addition to weight. In a preferred embodiment, the fluid chamber 24 may have a maximum capacity of 1 gallon (32 ounces) but may further be adapted to have a larger or smaller maximum capacity. Note that the exemplary configuration of the outer wall 12 described above is non-limiting, and the outer wall 12 may be configured in a variety of shapes and arrangements in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure.
Turning now to
Turning now to
The dilution markers 56 of the calibrated dilution scale 50 are calibrated by taking into account the dimensions of the fluid container 10 and the characteristics of the motor vehicle fluid 60 and the additive concentrate 90, allowing the user to simply determine the desired freezing point which is equal to or below the freezing threshold, select the appropriate dilution marker 56, and fill the fluid chamber 24 with water 96 until the fluid level 62 aligns with the selected dilution marker 56. In a preferred embodiment, the container base 14 aids the alignment of the fluid level 62 with the dilution markers 56 by supporting the fluid container 10 such that it is upright and substantially perpendicular to the horizontal surface upon which the fluid container 10 is placed. The container base 14 also ensures that the dilution markers 56 are parallel with the horizontal surface and the fluid level 62, thus increasing the accuracy of the calibrated dilution scale 50.
Continuing to refer to
Once the motor vehicle fluid 60 is prepared, the fluid container 10 may be used to dispense the motor vehicle fluid 60 for use with the motor vehicle. As shown in
In certain embodiments, the fluid container 10 may also comprise a handle 84, as shown in
It is understood that when an element is referred hereinabove as being “on” another element, it can be directly on the other element or intervening elements may be present therebetween. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on” another element, there are no intervening elements present.
Moreover, any components or materials can be formed from a same, structurally continuous piece or separately fabricated and connected.
It is further understood that, although ordinal terms, such as, “first,” “second,” “third,” are used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another element, component, region, layer or section. Thus, “a first element,” “component,” “region,” “layer” or “section” discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings herein.
Spatially relative terms, such as “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper” and the like, are used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It is understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, the example term “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device can be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.
Example embodiments are described herein with reference to cross section illustrations that are schematic illustrations of idealized embodiments. As such, variations from the shapes of the illustrations as a result, for example, of manufacturing techniques and/or tolerances, are to be expected. Thus, example embodiments described herein should not be construed as limited to the particular shapes of regions as illustrated herein, but are to include deviations in shapes that result, for example, from manufacturing. For example, a region illustrated or described as flat may, typically, have rough and/or nonlinear features. Moreover, sharp angles that are illustrated may be rounded. Thus, the regions illustrated in the figures are schematic in nature and their shapes are not intended to illustrate the precise shape of a region and are not intended to limit the scope of the present claims.
In conclusion, herein is presented a motor vehicle fluid mixing and dispensing container. The disclosure is illustrated by example in the drawing figures, and throughout the written description. It should be understood that numerous variations are possible, while adhering to the inventive concept. Such variations are contemplated as being a part of the present disclosure.
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