Water dispenser abstract
The water dispenser stand with storage provides a top platform
which is configured to support a ceramic water jar which receives
an inverted water bottle on top thereof. There are water bottle
holders between its legs for storage of water bottles which are
not in use. The structure is configured so that it may be shipped
disassembled. The legs may be made of metal or wood.
Water dispenser claims
What is claimed is:
1. A water dispenser stand with storage, comprising: a platform
sized to receive a water jar; first, second and third spaced legs
detachably attached to said platform to support said platform, each
of said first, second and third legs being formed of upper and lower
sections, said upper and lower sections of said legs being detachably
joined together with a telescoping joint, at least one of said upper
and lower sections being tubular at said telescopic joint and telescopically
receiving the other of said upper and lower sections so that said
upper and lower sections are telescopically overlapped with each
other to form each said leg; an upper bottle holder and a lower
bottle holder each positioned between said legs and below said platform,
said upper bottle holder and said lower bottle holder each being
curved and sized to releasably hold at least partially on its side
a water bottle which can be removed from its water bottle holder
and mounted on the top of the water jar, said upper bottle holder
and said lower bottle holder being attached to said legs by removable
fasteners for support by said legs.
2. The water dispenser stand with storage of claim 1 wherein said
first, second and third legs are downwardly divergent from each
other and said lower bottle holder is configured to hold a larger
water bottle than said upper bottle holder.
3. The water dispenser stand with storage of claim 1 wherein said
removable fasteners supporting said upper bottle holder pass through
said telescopic overlapped sections of said upper and lower leg
sections so that said removable fasteners supporting said upper
bottle holder also retain said telescopic overlapping sections in
engagement.
4. A water dispenser stand with storage, comprising: a top platform
sized to support a water jar; first, second and third leg brackets
attached to said platform; first, second and third legs detachably
attached to said first, second and third leg brackets, respectively,
said legs being attached by removable leg fasteners extending through
said legs into said leg brackets; an upper bottle holder and a lower
bottle holder positioned between said first, second and third legs,
said upper bottle holder being positioned between said top platform
and said top shelf, said upper bottle holder and said lower bottle
holder each being detachably attached to said first, second and
third legs so that said top platform and said upper and lower bottle
holders serve to position said legs, said lower bottle holder being
sized and curved to releasably receive a water bottle at least partially
on its side so that when stored in said lower bottle holder a water
bottle is substantially positioned between said legs, said upper
bottle holder being positioned above said lower bottle holder and
below said top platform, said upper bottle holder being detachably
attached to said first, second and third legs, said upper bottle
holder being sized and curved to releasably receive a water bottle
at least partially on its side and, when positioned on said upper
bottle holder, the water bottle thereon is positioned substantially
between said legs.
5. The water dispenser stand with storage of claim 4 wherein said
lower bottle holder is sized and configured to hold a bottle of
larger size than can be held by said upper bottle holder.
6. A water dispenser stand with storage, comprising: a top platform
sized to support a water jar; first, second and third leg brackets
attached to said platform; first, second and third legs detachably
attached to said first, second and third leg brackets, respectively,
said legs being attached by removable leg fasteners extending through
said legs into said leg brackets; each of said legs being formed
in upper and lower sections, said sections being configured so that
said sections telescopically interengage to form a leg, said upper
bottle holder being positioned between said legs adjacent said telescopic
overlap of said leg sections and there are releasable fasteners
retaining said upper bottle holder in place, said releasable fasteners
extending through said telescopic overlap section of said leg sections
to retain said leg sections in telescopic interengagement, said
upper bottle holder and said lower bottle holder each being detachably
attached to said first, second and third legs so that said top platform
and said upper and lower bottle holders serve to position said legs,
said lower bottle holder being sized and curved to releasably receive
a water bottle at least partially on its side so that when stored
in said lower bottle holder a water bottle is substantially positioned
between said legs, said upper bottle holder being positioned above
said lower bottle holder and below said top platform, said upper
bottle holder being detachably attached to said first, second and
third legs, said upper bottle holder being sized and curved to releasably
receive a water bottle at least partially on its side and, when
positioned on said upper bottle holder, the water bottle thereon
is positioned substantially between said legs.
7. The water dispenser stand with storage of claim 6 wherein said
releasable fasteners are bolts.
8. The water dispenser stand with storage of claim 6 wherein said
upper and lower water bottle holders are each configured to releaseably
hold a water bottle with its neck positioned above its bottom.
9. The water dispenser stand with storage of claim 6 wherein said
upper bottle holder and said lower bottle holder are each made of
a metal frame.
Water dispenser description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention is directed to a stand especially configured to
carry a ceramic water jar in dispensing position on its top and
to carry one or more water bottles in storage position between its
legs.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Many householders prefer to use drinking water from a bottle because
it is from a known source. This is wise in many countries foreign
to the United States, and many persons carry this cultural preference
with them when they come to the United States. Others prefer the
flavor of bottled water or require water which is low in sodium
or other minerals.
For these and related reasons, bottled water is commonly available
in the United States. It is purchased or delivered in large bottles,
such as 3-gallon and 5-gallon bottles. Such bottles are difficult
to use when it is desired that only a small amount of water be dispensed.
Because of this, several dispensing structures are available. One
of these dispensing structures is a ceramic jar with a valve and
spout on the side thereof. When the jar is filled with water and
the valve is opened, the spout issues waters. These ceramic jars
are configured to carry one of the large water bottles inverted
on the top thereof. Thus, the water bottle dispenses water to the
jar, as required, and the jar dispenses water from its valve and
spout.
Since deliveries of water bottles are intermittent and since it
is desired that a continuous supply be available for dispensing
out of the spout, it is common to have on hand extra water bottles.
Usually, these extra water bottles stand on the floor adjacent the
dispenser. However, in such a position, they are in the way. It
is desirable to have a suitable nearby location in which to store
extra water bottles.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In order to aid in the understanding of this invention, it can
be stated in essentially summary form that it is directed to a water
dispenser stand with storage. The stand has at least three legs
and a stand top supported by the three legs. The stand top is configured
for carrying thereon a ceramic water jar. Between the legs, there
is at least one bottle support configured to hold a water bottle
which is not presently in use.
It is, thus, a purpose and advantage of this invention to provide
a water dispenser stand with storage for extra water bottles which
are not presently in use dispensing water.
It is another purpose and advantage of this invention to provide
a water dispenser stand which is configured to receive a ceramic
water dispensing jar on its top with the jar being configured to
receive an inverted water bottle so that the jar dispenses water,
together with storage in the stand for one or more water bottles
not presently in use.
It is another purpose and advantage of this invention to provide
a water dispenser stand which is configured so that it can be easily
assembled so that it can be shipped in a compact configuration and
assembled when needed.
It is a another purpose and advantage of this invention to provide
a water dispenser stand which is ornamental so that its appearance
at the water dispensing location is not objectionable.
Other purposes and advantages of this invention will become apparent
from a study of the following portion of the specification, the
claims and the attached drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a front-elevational view of a water dispenser stand in
accordance with this invention shown storing two water bottles together
with a water jar on the top and a water bottle inverted into the
jar.
FIG. 2 is an end view of the lower bottle storage support.
FIG. 3 is a side view thereof.
FIG. 4 is an end view of the middle bottle support.
FIG. 5 is a side view thereof.
FIG. 6 is an enlarged front-elevational view of the water dispenser
stand of FIG. 1 with the lower part of the legs broken away.
FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 but showing alternate leg structure.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The water dispenser stand with storage of this invention is generally
indicated at 10 in FIG. 1. The stand has a top platform 12 which
is sized to support a ceramic water jar 14. The water jar 14 has
a large top open mouth on which can be inverted a water bottle 16.
The water bottle 16 is usually made of glass or polymer composition
material and is usually of 2- to 5-gallons in size. The water empties
into jar 14 until the water level in jar 14 rises to the neck of
the water bottle. If the user desires water, he dispenses it to
himself from water spout 18 which is fitted to the side of the
water jar near its bottom. The flow in the water spout is controlled
by valve 20.
Three legs support the top platform 12. As seen from the front,
the legs comprise left leg 22 right leg 24 and back leg 26. The
top platform has three leg brackets secured thereto. The leg brackets
are seen in FIGS. 1 and 6 and include left leg bracket 28 right
leg bracket 30 and back leg bracket 32. The leg brackets are secured
to the top platform 12 and may be made of the same material and
form a unitary part thereof. For example, the top platform may be
a metal ring with a floor in it, and the leg brackets may be welded
thereto. The leg brackets may be strengthened by braces, such as
the functional and decorative brace 34 shown with respect to bracket
28. There is a corresponding functional and decorative brace for
the bracket 30 and there may also be one for the bracket 32. The
top platform 12 is circular, and the leg brackets are positioned
120 degrees apart around the circumference thereof.
The legs 22 24 and 26 are tubular metal legs and are preferably
attached by screws such as machine screws passing through the legs
and brackets. The machine screws 36 and 38 are shown with respect
to the bracket 30. They may have a head on the outside and be threaded
through corresponding holes in the bracket 30 or may have nuts thereon,
preferably on the interior surface of the bracket 30. Each of the
legs is attached in the same way.
The attachment of the legs by such fasteners as machine screws
or sheet metal screws permits assembly after shipping from the manufacturer
by the ultimate user or by the retailer. This saves considerable
volume in the shipping of the water dispenser stands. Another way
of providing compact shipping includes configuring the legs 22
24 and 26 in two telescoping parts which may be disassembled during
shipping and assembled into full length thereafter. In FIGS. 1 and
6 it is seen that the tubular leg 2243 has an upper section 40
and a lower section 42 which are joined at a telescopic joint 44.
The lower tube 42 is a slightly reduced upper nose 43 which fits
into the lower end of the upper tubular end of the upper tubular
section 40. Dividing the legs during shipment and joining them during
assembly of the water dispenser stand saves further shipping space.
Another feature of the water dispenser stand of this invention
is the presence of two bottle holders. As seen in FIG. 1 there
is an upper bottle holder 46 and a lower bottle holder 48 respectively
holding upper water bottle 50 and lower water bottle 52. The upper
and lower water bottles 50 and 52 are not in active use, but are
stored for future use or comprise empty bottles from which the water
has already been dispensed.
As seen in FIGS. 4 and 5 the upper bottle holder 46 has left and
right arms 54 and 56 which are respectively secured to the left
and right legs 22 and 24 as seen in FIG. 6. These arms are secured
to the legs in the same manner by a fastener 58 in each leg which
is the same as the fastener 38. In addition to securing the upper
water bottle holder 46 in place between the legs, these fasteners
also pass through both portions of the telescoping leg sections
to prevent them from coming apart. The upper bottle holder 46 also
has a back arm 60 which attaches to the back leg 26. Between the
arms, the upper bottle holder 46 is configured as a holder or a
cradle, which includes a curved front section 62 of substantially
the same radius as the water bottle 50 being stored therein. Behind
the front curved section 62 the upper bottle holder 56 extends
backward in bar 64 which includes bottom rest 66 against which
the upper bottle rests when it is in position, as seen in FIG. 5.
The upper water bottle holder 46 is also seen in FIG. 6.
The lower bottle holder 48 is not shown in FIG. 6 because the legs
are broken away therein, but it is seen in FIG. 1 and is seen in
front- and side-elevational view in FIGS. 2 and 3. The lower bottle
holder 48 has a front bar 68 which has left and right arms thereon,
which are secured adjacent the bottom of the legs 22 and 24 by the
same attachment as used on the top, for example, machine screws
70 and 72 through the arm and leg.
Bar 74 extends to ward the back and has a flange 76 thereon, which
is attached to the back leg 26 see FIG. 1. Support arm 78 extends
upward from the middle of front bar 68. At the top, it Carries a
yoke 80 which serves as a front bottle support or cradle. It has
substantially the same radius as the bottle. Support bar 82 extends
backward and downward from yoke 80 is attached to the bar 74 and
extends upward to create bottom rest 84. A second yoke 86 is preferably
formed intermediate the ends of support bar 82. The lower bottle
holder 48 can be configured to hold a larger bottle than the bottom
holder 46 because there is greater distance between the divergent
legs of the dispenser stand. The lower bottle holder is preferably
configured to hold a 5-gallon water bottle, or the like.
When it is received, the water dispenser stand is assembled with
the indicated screws. Thereupon, the water jar 14 is placed in its
top, and a water bottle 16 is inverted thereon so that the stand
is performing its principal function of supporting the water jar
and the water bottle thereon. Extra water bottles are then placed
on the bottle holders 46 and 48 as required. As previously discussed,
they can be full or empty, as the occasion arises.
The stand 88 shown in FIG. 7 is the same as stand 10 except that
the legs 90 92 and 94 are made of wood. Wood screws attach the
top platform and upper and lower bottle holders to the legs. The
stand 88 may be preferred by some users to fit the decor better.
It can also be shipped disassembled and assembly accomplished by
the retailer or user.
This invention has been described in its presently preferred embodiment,
and it is clear that it is susceptible to numerous modifications,
modes and embodiments within the ability of those skilled in the
art and without the exercise of the inventive faculty. Accordingly,
the scope of this invention is defined by the scope of the following
claims. |