Water cooler abstract
A water bottle sanitation shield covers the neck and shoulder regions
of the bottle and effectively insulates the interior of the cooler
tank from contaminants that may have accumulated on the bottle during
transport and handling. The shield comprises film of non porous
material that is secured around the mouth of the bottle by an annular
retention cap. The film has a perforated region for placement over
the mouth of the bottle and a pull cord attached to the perforated
region. The film is sized so that, when the bottle is inverted and
lowered onto the tank opening, the film extends beyond its edge,
thereby effectively closing off the tank opening. To remove the
perforated region, the bottle is tilted at its shoulder region,
to provide free movement for the pull cord. Pulling the cord causes
the perforated region of the film to tear away, thereby allowing
the water within the bottle to pass through the mouth of the bottle
and into the water cooler tank. Since the shield is now in place
between the bottle and the interior of the tank, being firmly captured
by the retention cap and by the pressure of the shoulder region
of the bottle against the perimeter of the tank opening, the interior
of the tank is completely shielded from the intrusion of contamination
that may be present on the external surface of the bottle.
Water cooler claims
What is claimed:
1. For use with a water bottle which, when installed in a water
cooler, is placed in an inverted position over an opening in the
water cooler tank, a device for effectively shielding the water
cooler tank from contaminant material that may be present on the
outside of the water bottle comprising:
a shroud of non porous material sized to extend over the mouth,
neck and shoulder region of said water bottle, so that, when said
bottle is supported over said opening in the water cooler tank,
said shroud extends beyond the edge of said opening, said shroud
having a removable region for placement over the mouth of the bottle;
a retainer cap having an opening through which the removable region
of said shroud extends, said retainer cap cooperating with the mouth
of said bottle, so that said shroud is retained thereby and extends
over the shoulder region of said bottle; and
means, attached to the removable region of said shroud, for removing
the removable region of said shroud, thereby allowing the contents
of said bottle to pass through the mouth of the bottle and into
the water cooler tank.
2. A device according to claim 1 wherein said retainer cap comprises
an annular cap that snaps onto the mouth of the water bottle and
said shroud comprises non porous film having a removable perforated
region to which said removing means is attached.
3. A device according to claim 2 wherein said removing means comprises
a pull cord that extends at least from the mouth to beyond the shoulder
of the bottle and contains a stick-on fastener for securing one
end of the cord to the bottle.
4. A device according to claim wherein said shroud comprises a
plastic film.
5. A method of effectively shielding a water cooler tank from contaminant
material that may be present on the outside of a water bottle which,
when installed in a water cooler, is placed in an inverted position
over an opening in the water cooler tank, comprising the steps of:
(a) providing a shroud of non porous material having a removable
region for placement over the mouth of the bottle and a pull cord
attached to said removable region of said shroud;
(b) placing said shroud over the mouth, neck and shoulder region
of said water bottle, so that said removable region is located over
the mouth of said bottle;
(c) securing said shroud to the mouth of said bottle by attaching
a retainer cap, having an opening through which the removable region
of said shroud extends, to the mouth of said bottle, whereby said
shroud is retained thereby and extends over the shoulder region
of said bottle;
(d) inverting said bottle, to the mouth of which said shroud has
been secured by means of said retainer cap, and placing the inverted
bottle upon said water cooler tank so that the neck of the bottle
extends into the opening of the water cooler tank; and
(e) pulling said pull cord, thereby removing the removable region
of said shroud, and allowing the contents of said bottle to pass
through the mouth of the bottle and into the water cooler tank.
6. A method according to claim 5 wherein step (e) comprises tilting
the inverted bottle to provide free movement of said pull cord through
the opening in said water cooler tank, and pulling said cord so
as to remove said removable region of said shroud, thereby allowing
the contents of said bottle to pass through the mouth of the bottle
and into the water cooler tank.
7. A method according to claim 5 wherein said retainer cap comprises
an annular cap that snaps onto the mouth of the water bottle, and
wherein said pull cord contains a stick-on fastener for securing
one end of the cord to the bottle as the bottle is inverted and
placed over the opening in said water cooler tank.
8. A method according to claim 5 wherein said retainer cap comprises
an annular cap that snaps onto the mouth of the water bottle and
said shroud comprises non porous film having a removable perforated
region to which said pull cord is attached.
9. A method according to claim 5 wherein said shroud comprises
a plastic film.
10. A method of effectively shielding a water cooler tank from
contaminant material that may be present on the outside of water
bottle which, when installed in a water cooler, is placed in an
inverted position over an opening in the water cooler tank, so that
the water bottle is supported at a shoulder region of the bottle
at the perimeter of said opening, comprising the steps of:
(a) providing a film of non porous material having a perforated
region for placement over the mouth of the bottle and a pull cord
attached to said perforated region of said film, said film being
of a size, so that, when said bottle is supported over said opening
in the water cooler tank, said film extends beyond the edge of said
opening;
(b) placing said film of non porous material over the mouth, neck
and shoulder region of said water bottle, so that said perforated
region is located over the mouth of said bottle;
(c) securing said film to the mouth of said bottle by attaching
a retainer cap, having an opening through which the perforated region
of said film extends, to the mouth of said bottle, whereby said
film is retained thereby and extends over the shoulder region of
said bottle;
(d) inverting said bottle, to the mouth of which said film has
been secured by means of said retainer cap, and placing the inverted
bottle upon said water cooler tank, so that the neck of the bottle
extends into the opening of the water cooler tank and so that the
water bottle is supported against said film at its shoulder region
at the perimeter of said opening; and
(e) tearing away the perforated region of said film by tilting
the inverted bottle at its shoulder region, and thereby provide
free movement of said pull cord through the opening in said water
cooler tank, and pulling said cord so as to cause said perforated
region of said film to tear away, thereby allowing the contents
of said bottle to pass through the mouth of the bottle and into
the water cooler tank.
11. A method according to claim 10 wherein said retainer cap comprises
an annular cap that is snapped onto the mouth of the water bottle,
and wherein said pull cord contains a stick-on fastener for securing
one end of the cord to the bottle as the bottle is inverted and
placed over the opening in said water cooler tank, and wherein step
(c) comprises attaching said stick-on fastener to a portion of said
bottle beyond its shoulder region, prior to installing the bottle
in its inverted condition over the opening in said water cooler,
so as to facilitate grasping said one end of said pull cord after
said bottle has been installed in said water cooler and tilted to
permit the tearing away of the perforated region of said film.
Water cooler description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates in general to container opening attachments
and is particularly directed to a protective shield that attaches
to the mouth of a water cooler bottle, and prevents contaminant
material that may be present on the outside of the bottle from falling
into the water cooler tank when the bottle is installed in an inverted
position over an opening in the water cooler tank.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Water coolers, which are commonplace throughout business and industry,
typically employ a large capacity (e.g. five-gallon) water bottle.
During transport to the customer's premises, the water bottles are
usually carried on an open truck bed and thereby exposed to contaminants
such as automobile exhaust, road grime and other atmospheric pollutants.
Moreover, during handling by installation personnel, the external
surface of the bottle is exposed to communicable disease organisms.
When a replacement bottle is to be installed in the water cooler,
the empty (inverted) bottle is lifted off the rim of the opening
in the water tank. Then, with the new bottle being lowered into
the tank, the installer holds the cap against the mouth of the bottle
and removes the cap as the shoulder region of the bottle comes to
rest on the circular rim of opening of the tank, as diagrammatically
illustrated in FIG. 1. Namely, the bottle 10 is installed such that
it is supported at its shoulder region 12 around the rim or perimeter
14 of the opening 16 in the top of the water cooler tank 18. Because
a substantial portion of the upper portion of the bottle, specifically
its neck 15 and shoulder regions 14 is exposed through opening
16 there is nothing to prevent contaminants on these exposed bottle
surfaces from falling into the cooler tank.
A commonplace household procedure is to simply wipe off the bottle
before installation. A problem with this sanitizing effort is that,
in the course of cleaning the bottle, there is further contact with
the surfaces of the bottle to which the tank water will be exposed.
Moreover, most water cooler bottles are currently made of plastic,
which, in practice, cannot be hygienically cleaned. As a consequence,
the condition of the installed water bottle is still less than sanitary.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, the potential health
hazards created by transport and installation procedures for water
cooler bottles are remedied by a new and improved sanitation shield
which covers the neck and shoulder regions of the bottle and effectively
insulates the interior of the cooler tank from contaminants that
may have accumulated on the bottle during transport and handling.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention,
the water cooler tank is effectively shielded against the introduction
of contaminant material, that may be present on the outer surface
of the water bottle, by means of a film of non porous material (e.g.
mylar plastic film) that is secured around the mouth of the bottle
by an annular retention cap. The film has a perforated region for
placement over the mouth of the bottle and a pull cord attached
to the perforated region. The film is sized so that, when the bottle
is inverted and lowered onto the tank opening, the film extends
beyond its edge, thereby effectively closing off the tank opening.
During installation of a new bottle, the film is placed over the
mouth, neck and shoulder region of the bottle, so that the perforated
region is located over the mouth of the bottle. The annular retention
cap, which preferably comprises a snap-on configuration, has an
opening through which the perforated region of the film extends,
beyond the end of the mouth of the bottle, so that the film is captured
around and across the mouth of the bottle and extends over the shoulder
region of the bottle. The pull cord contains a stick-on fastener
for securing one end of the cord to the bottle as the bottle is
inverted and placed over the opening in the cooler tank. The inverted
bottle is lowered onto the rim of the opening of the cooler tank,
so that the neck of the bottle extends into the opening of the tank
and the bottle is supported against the film shield at its shoulder
region around the perimeter of the tank opening. To remove the perforated
region, the bottle is then tilted at its shoulder region, thereby
providing free movement for the pull cord through the opening in
the tank. Pulling the cord causes the perforated region of the film
to tear away, thereby allowing the water within the bottle to pass
through the mouth of the bottle and into the water cooler tank.
The pull cord and torn away perforated region of the shield are
then discarded and the bottle is tilted back to its normal inverted
position. Since the shield is now in place between the bottle and
the interior of the tank, being firmly captured by the retention
cap and by the pressure of the shoulder region of the bottle against
the perimeter of the tank opening, the interior of the tank is completely
shielded from the intrusion of contamination that may be present
on the external surface of the bottle.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 diagrammatically shows an unshielded water bottle supported
upon the circular rim of the opening of a water cooler tank;
FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic pictorial arrangement of the components
of the sanitation shield in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 3 diagrammatically shows the arrangement of the components
of the sanitation shield of the present invention prior to installation
of a new bottle in the water cooler tank; and
FIG. 4 diagrammatically shows an inverted bottle having the sanitation
shroud of the present invention supported upon the rim of an opening
of a water cooler tank.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring now to FIG. 2 a diagrammatic pictorial arrangement of
the components of the sanitation shield in accordance with the present
invention is depicted as comprising a thin shroud 21 of non porous
material, such as a circular sheet of mylar plastic film, having
a circular perforation 23 at a central portion 22 of the film and
a pull cord or string 25 one end of which is attached (e.g. adhesively
bonded) to a folded or pinched portion 27 of the central portion
of the perforated region of the shroud. A second end of the pull
cord 25 preferably has pull tab or ring 28 and a stick-on fastener
(e.g. adhesive tape fastener) 29 for securing the pull cord to the
side of the bottle during installation of the bottle into the cooler.
Shroud 21 is sized so that its skirt portion 24 is at least as wide
as the shoulder region of the bottle. As a consequence, when the
bottle is inverted and lowered onto the tank opening, the skirt
portion 24 of the shroud extends over the shoulder of the bottle
and beyond the edge of the opening in the tank, thereby effectively
closing it off.
Shroud 21 is secured to bottle 10 by means of an annular retention
cap 31 that is preferably configured to `snap-on` the lip region
33 of the mouth 35 of bottle 10. Retention cap 31 has an opening
32 the diameter of which substantially corresponds to that of the
mouth of the bottle, so that the perforated central portion 22 of
the shroud readily passes through the opening in the retention cap.
As diagrammatically shown in FIG. 3 prior to installation of a
new bottle in the water tank, shroud 21 is placed over the mouth
35 neck 36 and shoulder regions 37 of bottle 10 so that the central
perforated portion 22 is located over the mouth 35 of the bottle.
To prevent any contamination, the individual changing the bottle
places his hand between bottle 10 and shield 21. Retention cap 31
is then placed over the mouth of the bottle such that the perforated
portion 22 of the shroud and pull cord 25 pass through the opening
32 in the cap. The cap is then `snapped on` the lip 33 of the mouth
35 of the bottle, so that the central portion of the shroud is captured
around and across the mouth of the bottle and its skirt portion
24 extends over the shoulder region 37 of the bottle. Stick-on fastener
29 is then attached to the body of the bottle below the shoulder
portion for securing the cord to the bottle as the bottle is inverted
and placed over the opening in the cooler tank.
Next, as diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. 4 (inverted) bottle
10 is lowered onto the rim 14 of opening 16 of the cooler tank 18
so that neck 16 of the bottle extends into the opening of the tank
and the bottle is supported against the film shield 21 at its shoulder
region 37 around the perimeter or rim 14 of the tank opening. To
remove the central perforated portion 22 of the film shield 21
bottle 10 is preferably tilted at shoulder region 37A, thereby providing
free movement for pull cord 25 through the opening in the tank adjacent
shoulder region 37B. Pulling cord 25 causes the central portion
22 of shield to tear away along perforation 23 thereby allowing
the water within the bottle to pass through the mouth 35 of the
bottle and into water cooler tank 18. The pull cord and torn-away,
perforated region of the shield are then discarded and the bottle
is tilted back to its normal inverted position, being supported
completely around its shoulder region. Since shield 21 is now in
place between the bottle and the interior of the tank, being firmly
captured by the retention cap and by the pressure of the shoulder
region of the bottle against the perimeter of the tank opening,
the interior of the tank is completely shielded from the intrusion
of contamination that may be present on the external surface of
the bottle.
As will be appreciated from the foregoing description, the potential
health hazards created by transport and installation procedures
for water cooler, especially non sanitizable plastic bottles, are
remedied by the sanitation shield configuration of the present invention,
which covers the neck and shoulder regions of the bottle. Once the
shield is in place between the bottle and the interior of the tank,
being firmly captured by the retention cap and by the pressure of
the shoulder region of the bottle against the perimeter of the tank
opening, the interior of the tank is completely shielded from the
intrusion of contamination that may be present on the external surface
of the bottle.
While I have shown and described an embodiment in accordance with
the present invention it is to be understood that the same is not
limited thereto but is susceptible to numerous changes and modifications
as known to a person skilled in the art, and I therefore do not
wish to be limited to the details shown and described herein but
intend to cover all such changes and modifications as are obvious
to one of ordinary skill in the art. |