IES20000038A2 - A container - Google Patents

Abstract

Container (1) is used to collect and store a fluid and comprises a tray (3) and a reservoir (2) for the fluid. In use, the container (1) is positioned flat and to store fluid is positioned in an upright manner. The tray (3) is located at one side and is sloped towards the reservoir (2) at the other side of the container (1). Reservoir (2) is provided with an outlet (12) and a dispensing hose (13) in order to decant its contents. A handle (15,16) is provided to enable the container to be manoeuvred when lying flat or standing upright. <Figure 4>

Description

A CONTAINER The present invention relates to a container and in particular to a container for collecting, storing, transporting and dispensing a pourable material, such as a fluid, for example engine coolant, engine oil or fuel etc in a clean and efficient way.

When changing engine oil, the oil must first be drained from the engine, before disposal. Collecting the oil in a manner which prevents spillage presents one problem and a further problem arises in that having been collected it must then be removed from beneath the vehicle. This problem is exacerbated, in that often the available space for doing so is limited. Disposing of used oil is a specialist operation and is carried out in specialist facilities, normally quite a distance from the point where the used oil is originally collected. In garages, where large volumes of oil are collected, safe storage of the oil can present a problem. This is particularly the case where collections of the used oil are infrequent. A variety of containers are used to collect oil from engines and lifting them from beneath the vehicle can prove awkward.

Similarly moving the container without undue spillage is not always possible. Once collected, the oil is usually transferred to a larger container to await collection for disposal. This transfer can in turn lead to spillage and waste as well as presenting a health risk to the workers in the vicinity as well as to the surrounding environment. Furthermore the space required to store the oil is not always readily available.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a container that will overcome the aforementioned problems.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a container comprising an enclosed reservoir having an inlet, a contiguous tray and a common partition wall defining the inlet, the inlet providing a communicating means for a pourable material between die tray and the reservoir.

Due to its preferred slim design, the container provides a means for collecting a pourable material from a confined and cumbersome location for example, collecting engine oil from beneath a vehicle, and storing and transporting the pourable material in a clean and secure fashion.

Ideally, the tray tapers toward the reservoir inlet.

The taper on the tray provides delivery of the pourable material to the reservoir as quickly as possible in a relatively simple manner.

Beneficially, the tray and reservoir may be integrally formed as a single unit thus preventing the tray and reservoir from becoming separated and lost. A further advantage lies in the reduction in the number of parts required thereby reducing the overall cost in production of the container.

In another arrangement, the tray is detachably mounted on the reservoir. Beneficially, this allows a single tray to be used with a number of reservoirs. This is particularly useful when dealing with engines having different volumes of oil. Furthermore, removal of the tray from the reservoir allows the reservoir to be stacked for storage.

In one arrangement, the tray incorporates ridges and grooves defining at least one channel for delivering the material to the reservoir. The provision of the channel further facilitates transport of the pourable material to the reservoir.

Preferably, the tray defines a plurality of such channels radiating from the reservoir inlet. This type of arrangement improves the efficiency of the collection means thereby improving the operation of the container as a whole.

In a preferred embodiment the tray incorporates a temporary storage means. This temporary storage means is required when the material for collection arrives with an initial surge such as occurs when the sump plug is taken from an engine to drain oil or an engine coolant hose is detached from the cooling system for servicing.

Preferably, the temporary storage means is provided by a flattened base in the tray.

In one embodiment, the reservoir incorporates dispensing means. The dispensing means provides a controllable method of transferring the material from the container to a storage vessel. This in turn reduces the risk of spillage of the collected pourable material during transfer to the larger storage vessel.

Preferably, the dispensing means is provided by a spout.

In a particularly preferred arrangement, the spout and tray are integrally formed. This arrangement reduces the overall size of the container and obviates the necessity for an external spout.

Preferably, a portion of the tray defines a conduit between a reservoir outlet and a flexible hose.

The provision of a conduit increases the controllability of the flow of the material, thereby reducing the risk of spillage during the transfer of the material from the reservoir to a larger storage vessel.

Preferably, the container has a transportation handle. This handle facilitates movement of the container particularly when the work space is limited.

Ideally, the container incorporates a filling handle for raising the container to the upright position such that residual material drains from the tray into the reservoir along the partition wall.

The filling handle reduces the risk of spillage and optimises the storage volume of the reservoir.

Preferably, the partition wall is angled to facilitate delivery of the material to the reservoir.

The provision of the angled partition wall further facilitates the expeditious collection of the pourable material.

Preferably, the reservoir has an associated sealing means to prevent spillage of the collected material. This sealing means obviates the need for caution during the transfer of the pourable material to a storage vessel and during storage in the case of a detachable reservoir.

According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a container having an integrally formed collection tray and reservoir, divided by a partition wall, the tray incorporating means for delivery of a pourable material to a reservoir inlet and defining a conduit for dispensing material from the reservoir, the container having at least one carrying means.

Preferably, the tray incorporates a temporary store for accommodating a surge in material for collection. The tray ideally includes a fill marker to indicate capacity of reservoir when the container is in an upright position.

Ideally, the partition wall is angled to aid delivery of collected material to the reservoir.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings which show one embodiment of the container in accordance with the invention in which:- Figure 1 is a plan view of the container; Figure 2 is an elevation view of the container of figure 1; Figure 3 is a side view of the container of figures 1 and 2; Figure 4 is a perspective view of the container.

Figure 5 is a side view of the container in a flat position; Figure 6 is a perspective view of the container in the upright position, and Figure 7 is a perspective view of the container in the dispensing position.

Referring to the drawings there is shown in accordance with the invention a container indicated generally by the reference numeral 1. The container 1 comprises an enclosed reservoir 2 and an associated collection means provided by an integrally formed tray 3.

The tray 3 has a ramp 4 leading down to abase 5. The base 5 and ramp 4 include ridges 6 and grooves 7 which define channels for delivering material to the reservoir 2.

The reservoir 2 incorporates a dispensing means 11 provided in this case by a portion of the tray 3 defining a conduit 12 between the reservoir 2 and a flexible hose 13. The flexible hose 13 is attached to a side wall 14 of the container 1. The container 1 incorporates two handles, a filling handle 15 being on the tray 3 and a recessed dispensing handle 16 incorporated into the reservoir 2. The reservoir 2 is connected to the tray 3 along a partition wall 10. The partition wall 10 is at an angle to the reservoir 2 such that the wall 10 tapers toward a hole in the partition wall 10 defining a reservoir inlet 9.

In use, the container 1 is positioned flat (as shown in Figure 5) so that the pourable material to be collected is gathered in the tray 3. Any initial surge of material is stored temporarily on the base 5 having descended the ramp 4. This material will then drain into the reservoir 2 through the inlet 9. Drainage continues with material being delivered to the inlet along the channels defined by the ridges 6 and grooves 7 until all of the material has been collected up to the maximum level indicator 17 on the side wall of the tray 3 (Figure 4).

When collection is complete a user withdraws the container 1 using either the filling handle 15 or the dispensing handle 16. The user then raises the container to the upright position (as shown in Figure 6) using the filling handle 15 to drain residual material from the tray 3 into the reservoir 2. The residual material is directed to the inlet 9 along the partition wall 10 which is angled to aid this delivery. Once the final material is delivered to the reservoir 2, the inlet 9 is sealed with a lid (not-shown) and the container 1 may be transported by means of the filling/canying handle 15 or stored in the upright position as required.

When it is necessary to decant the contents of the reservoir 2 the flexible hose 13 is detached from the side wall 14 and the container 1 tilted to the dispensing position (Figure 7) with the dispensing handle 16 so that the reservoir contents flow along the conduit 12 and out the hose 13.

It will be understood that the channels may be formed to radiate from the inlet along all or a portion of the tray to facilitate delivery of the material to the reservoir. It will also be noted that the tray may be provided as a separate unit to the reservoir allowing numerous reservoirs to be filled using a single tray. Furthermore as the reservoir is then substantially rectangular in shape they may be easily stacked for storage.

While the embodiment described herein has a dispensing means provided by a conduit and hose it will be understood that any suitable dispensing means may be provided. For example, a dispensing tap or telescopic spout. Similarly the reservoir inlet and outlet may be integrally formed.

It will also be understood that the angle and length of the ramp may be varied depending on the material to be collected. It is anticipated that the ramp may be provided at an angle to the reservoir inlet to direct material initially against the partition wall rather than toward the inlet to prevent surge spillage. Similarly the size and shape of the temporary storage space may be altered to accommodate a variety of materials.

It will further be understood that the reservoir inlet may incorporate a filter for removing foreign objects from the collected material. This is particularly useful in applications such as draining oil from a car where components of the car may accidently fall into the material. These components may then be easily retrieved from the filter when all of the oil has been drained into the reservoir.

It will of course be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific details as herein described, which are given by way of example only, and that various alterations and modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the invention