Water dispenser abstract
A bottled water dispenser stand having a pivoting cradle for receiving
an open bottle of water in an upright position and for dispensing
water from the open mouth of the bottle by rotating the bottle about
a pivot axis. The stand in a preferred embodiment comprises a pair
of vertical members joined by at least one horizontal cross-member.
The cradle comprises a cylindrical band which encircles the bottom
region of the bottle and at least one bottle bottom support member
which carries the weight of the bottle. The bottle bottom support
member has two vertical struts extending upwardly and affixed to
the cylindrical band. The vertical struts are rotatably attached
to the vertical members of the stand for relative rotation or pivoting
about an axis so that the cylindrical band and the bottle bottom
support members can be tilted with the bottle for pouring water
from the mouth of the bottle. A tilt control band is positioned
about the upper periphery of the bottle. The tilt control band has
a horizontally extending handle to facilitate ease of tilt control
so that the tilt angle of the bottle can be precisely determined
during dispensing of water. A pair of horizontally disposed leg
members provide a stable base for the stand.
Water dispenser claims
I claim:
1. A bottled water dispenser stand for holding a five gallon water
bottle in an upright position and permitting dispensing of water
from an open mouth of the bottle; the stand comprising: a pair of
vertical members; a cylindrical band for encircling the bottle;
at least one bottle bottom support member extending between said
vertical members and having a pair of vertical struts pivotally
connected to said vertical members and connected to opposing locations
of said cylindrical band; and a tilt control band press fit around
the bottle above said cylindrical band and having a horizontally-extending
handle.
2. A stand for supporting a water bottle and dispensing water therefrom;
the stand comprising: a pair of parallel elongated vertical support
members; and a cradle for receiving said water bottle in an upright
position, said cradle being pivotally supported by said vertical
support members for tilting said bottle for dispensing water from
an open mouth of said bottle.
3. The stand recited in claim 2 further comprising a tilt control
band encircling said bottle above said cradle and being graspable
to control the extent of tilting of the bottle.
4. The stand recited in claim 3 wherein said tilt control band
comprises a handle.
5. The stand recited in claim 2 wherein said cradle comprises a
cylindrical band for supporting the radial surface of the bottle
and at least one horizontal support member extending horizontally
across said cylindrical band for supporting the bottom of the bottle.
6. The stand recited in claim 5 wherein said at least one horizontal
support member comprises a pair of integral vertically extending
struts that are pivotally mounted to said vertical support members
for tilting said water bottle along a tilt axis.
7. The stand recited in claim 2 wherein said cradle comprises a
cylindrical wire mesh basket having bands at respective upper and
lower ends.
8. The stand recited in claim 7 wherein said cradle further comprises
a handle extending from said band at said upper end of said basket.
Water dispenser description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates generally to the field of
bottled water dispensers and more particularly to a free standing
dispenser stand for holding large heavy water bottles in a pivoting
cradle which controllably rotates the bottle to pour water from
the open spout of the bottle.
[0003] 2. Background Art
[0004] Five gallon water bottles are prolifically employed in offices
and residences to provide high quality drinking water. Typically,
they are deployed in liquid dispensers in the form of housings having
a reservoir. The bottle is placed on top of the housing in an inverted
position so that the reservoir is filled from the open mouth of
the bottle partially emptying the bottle. Water from the reservoir
is then selectively released in a controlled manner through a valved
spout. After the bottle is emptied, it is removed from the housing
and replaced by a full bottle which must be lifted to the height
of the housing and inverted with an open mouth thereby risking spillage.
Moreover, the housing tends to be large and bulky taking up a considerable
amount of floor space. Furthermore, the reservoir and valve eventually
collect bacteria and need to be cleaned or replaced periodically.
[0005] It would be advantageous to provide a bottled water dispenser
which was easier to load with a full bottle, less bulky, less likely
to require maintenance, of simple construction and less likely to
cause spillage.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The present invention comprises a bottled water dispenser
stand having a pivoting cradle for receiving an open bottle of water
in an upright position and for dispensing water from the open mouth
of the bottle by rotating the bottle about a pivot axis. The stand
in a preferred embodiment comprises a pair of vertical members joined
by at least one horizontal cross-member. The cradle comprises a
cylindrical band which encircles the bottom region of the bottle
and at least one bottle bottom support member which carries the
weight of the bottle. The bottle bottom support member has two vertical
struts extending upwardly and affixed to the cylindrical band. The
vertical struts are rotatably attached to the vertical members of
the stand for relative rotation or pivoting about an axis so that
the cylindrical band and the bottle bottom support members can be
tilted with the bottle for pouring water from the mouth of the bottle.
A tilt control band is positioned about the upper periphery of the
bottle. The tilt control band has a horizontally extending handle
to facilitate ease of tilt control so that the tilt angle of the
bottle can be precisely determined during dispensing of water. A
pair of horizontally disposed leg members provide a stable base
for the stand. A second embodiment employs a cradle comprising upper
and lower bands interconnected by a wire screen mesh cylinder for
entirely surrounding the water bottle.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] The various embodiments, features and advances of the present
invention will be understood more completely hereinafter as a result
of a detailed description thereof in which reference will be made
to the following drawings:
[0008] FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional view of a preferred embodiment
of the invention with the bottle installed;
[0009] FIG. 2 is a three-dimensional view of the preferred embodiment
without the bottle installed; and
[0010] FIG. 3 is a three-dimensional view of an alternative embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0011] Referring to the accompanying drawings and FIGS. 1 and 2
in particular, it will be seen that a bottled water stand 10 has
a pair of parallel extended vertical members 12 having horizontal
cross-members 24 and 26. A cylindrical band 14 is designed to encircle
a five gallon water bottle 13 having an open mouth 19. The band
14 is attached to a pair of orthogonal bottle bottom support members
16 via struts 17 and 18. Struts 18 are pivotally connected to the
vertical members 12 at a tilt axis 15. The pivoting angle of the
water bottle is controlled by a tilt control band 20 by means of
an affixed handle 28. Band 20 may be made of a stretchable resilient
material press fit around the upper end of the bottle. The stand
10 is stabilized by a pair of leg members 22 affixed to vertical
members 12 below cross member 26.
[0012] It will be observed that water bottle 13 sits up-right in
the stand 10 thereby avoiding the spillage problem of the prior
art. It will also be seen that there is no need for a reservoir
or valve operated spout and that the stand is far less massive and
bulky than conventional bottled water dispensers.
[0013] FIG. 3 illustrates an alternative embodiment in which the
stand 30 comprises a wire mesh basket or cradle 32 having a lower
band 34 and an upper band 38 for receiving a bottle 13. In other
respects, the stand 30 is essentially the same as stand 10 of FIGS.
1 and 2.
[0014] Having thus disclosed a preferred embodiment of the invention,
it will be understood that various modifications are contemplated.
By way of example, the shape and dimensions of the various structural
components may be altered without deviating from the salient features
of the invention. Moreover, the precise mechanical characteristics
of the bottle-holding mechanism may be readily altered. Therefore,
the scope hereof is to be limited only by the appended claims and
their equivalents. |