US3156272A - Bottle coupling device - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 10, 1964 w. G. INDRUNAS BOTTLE COUPLING DEVICE Filed Jan. 22, 1962 United States Patent 3,156,272 BOTTLE COUPLING DEVICE William G. Indrunas, New York, NY. (68-19A Clover-dale Blvd., Bayside, Long Island, N.Y.) Filed Jan. 22, 1962, Ser. No. 167,563 1 Claim. (Cl. 141-286) This invention relates generally to bottle coupling devices, and more particularly to coupling devices for draining ketchup bottles or the like.

In connection with the serving of various liquid condiments and sauces, it is desirable that the bottle at the table be substantially full when first served. To this end, it is usual and customary for waitresses and waiters to take partially emptied bottles and to so transfer the contents that there remain a lesser number of substantially full bottles. Because of the high viscosity and consequent slow pouring of these substances, such as, for example, ketchup, chili sauce, cocktail sauce and the like, this can become a slow, time-consuming operation.

It is therefore among the .principal objects of the present invention to provide structure whereby the contents of one bottle may be conveniently transferred to another bottle, requiring attention only at the time the operation is commenced, and when completed.

Another object of the present invention lies in the provision of coupling devices which are easily connected and disconnected to their respective bottles, and by use of which the flow of material from one bottle to another is improved.

Another object herein is the provision of devices of the character described which may be manufactured on a large scale at low cost to have a consequent wide distribution and use.

A feature of the invention lies in the fact that the devices may be easily cleaned and maintained in a sanitary condition so that the food products are uncontaminated.

These objects, and other incidental ends and advantages, will more fully appear in the progress of this disclosure, and be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing, in which similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view showing a first embodiment of the invention.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view as seen from the plane 2-2 on FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a partially exploded view corresponding generally to FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a vertical sectional view of the coupling device in accordance with the first embodiment.

FIGURE 5 is a vertical sectional view corresponding to FIGURE 4 but showing a second embodiment of the invention.

In accordance with the invention, the coupling device, generally indicated by reference character 10, comprises broadly: a first coupling element 12; a second coupling element 14; a first stop element 16; a second stop element 18; and air venting means 20.

While the device may be fabricated by integrating a plurality of separate parts, I prefer to make the same as a unitary device. An economical process for manufacturing the device 10 is that of casting, and the same may be cast of noncorroding alloys, glass, or natural or synthetic ruba.

her or resin. It made of synthetic resin, such as, for example, polystyrene, polyethylene, nylon, or the like, it is desirable that these materials be resistant to deformation when subjected to hot Water such as may beused in cleaning the same.

The first and second coupling elements are preferably generally cylindrical in shape and provided with internal threads 22 and 24. The pitch and effective internal diam- "ice eter of the threads 22 and 24 is such as to make the same detachably engageable with the threads 26 and 28 on the necks 30 and 32 of the bottles 34 and 36.

As will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which the present invention relates, where necessary, the threads 26 and 28 of the usual condiment containers may be suitably accommodated by the internal threads 22 and 24. Similarly, where the device 10 is made of resilient material, the first and second coupling elements 12 and 14 may be sutficiently expansible to be temporarily distorted so that in being coupled to the bottles 34 and 36, instead of screwing the same in by a twisting motion, it may be sufiicient to push them together along their common axes. A comparable separating motion may be used to disconnect the coupling after the transfer has been made. The resilient construction just described may be obtained, for example, by fabricating the device 10 of polyvinylchloride, natural rubber, synthetic rubber, or silicone.

The first and second stop elements are preferably integral constrictions, the internal diameter of which is sufficient to prevent the rims 38 and 40 of the necks 30 and 32, respectively, from coming into contact with each other. The purpose of this is two-fold. First, it prevents the containers, especially if they are made of glass, from becoming chipped by pressure against each other. This prevents glass chips from entering into the food substance, generally indicated by reference character 50, and also prevents the leaving of sharp edges which could be harmful to the users. The second reason for the spacing of the rims 38 and 4G is to allow entrapped air to exit through the venting means 20.

The venting means 29 preferably takes the form of at least one, or a plurality of, perforations in the second stop element 1%.

In use, the device may be arranged in a number of ways. Thus, for example, it is feasible to connect the second coupling element 14 upon the neck 32 of a container or bottle 36 until the neck 32 takes the position shown in FIGURES 1 to 3, inclusive. It will be noted that in this position the venting means 20 lies above the rim 40 but below the converging stop element 16 so that the inner ends of the perforations lie vertically below the inner wall 52 (FIGURE 3), and also below the inwardly converging wall 54. This arrangement of the parts prevents the food material from falling onto or clogging the perforations of the means 20. From a perusal of FIGURE 2 it will be seen that the juncture of the Walls 52 and 54 is circular and inwardly spaced from the inner openings of the perforations of the means 20.

It is then desirable to temporarily place the bottle 36 at an angle of approximately 45 and to connect the bottle 34 with the first coupling element 12. Because of the relatively high viscosity of the food substance 50 and its slow travel, this connection can be made before any of the substance 50 is spilled. In fact, because of the angle of the containers during this period, connection can be made before any of the food substance reaches the coupling device It The coupled bottles 34 and 36 may now be placed upon a horizontal surface, as a unit, and allowed to remain until substantially all of the food substance 50 originally disposed in the upper container (in this case, the bottle 34) flows into the lower container (the bottle 36). Be-

cause of the relatively elevated center of gravity in the While the food substance 50, such as, for example, ketchup, is draining from the upper container to the lower one, the arrangement needs no personal attention. Thus, where a number of bottles are being worked on, by the time the last of them are being connected, the first are already sufiiciently drained to permit this connection.

While the air venting means 20 have been described as forming an exit for entrapped air, whether or not they perform this function will depend upon the constituency, the consistency, and the amount of food substance being transferred, because under many conditions air will be entering through the means 20 to travel up into the upper container to take the place of the food substance as the same moves downwardly.

Turning now to the second embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGURE 5, for the purpose of avoiding needless repetition certain of the parts corresponding to the first embodiment are given the same reference characters with the addition of the prefix 2.

It will be noted that the second embodiment omits the venting means 20 with a loss of the function thereof.

The second embodiment is suited for those materials of lower viscosity where the entrapped air in the lower container may easily pass through the constricted area of the coupling device into the upper container, so that a sufiiciently rapid flow of food substance takes place.

I wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art to which the present invention relates.

I claim:

A bottle coupling device for draining ketchup bottles and the like from one bottle into another, comprising: a first annular coupling element having threaded means for engaging the neck of one of said bottles, a first converging stop element at an inner end of said first coupling element to limit the ingress of said neck of said bottle relative to said first coupling element, said stop element including a first upwardly flaring inner wall; a second coupling element similarly detachably engageable with the neck of the other of said bottles; a second converging stop element at an inner end of said second coupling element, said second stop element including a downwardly flaring inner wall, said last-mentioned wall having a perforation extending through the plane thereof forming air venting means; said upwardly and downwardly flaring walls meeting and forming a juncture which is inwardly spaced from the inner end of said perforation, whereby fluid material is prevented from falling into said perforation as said material flows from an uppermost bottle to a lowermost bottle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,083,183 Bednarowicz Dec. 30, 1913 1,728,965 Hein Sept. 24, 1929 1,881,929 Pottenger Oct. 11, 1932 2,773,521 Peroson Dec. 11, 1956

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