TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention, in general, relates to liquid measuring and dispensing apparatuses. Particularly, the invention relates to a liquid measuring and dispensing apparatus adapted to be plugged into bottles containing liquid to be dispensed. More particularly, the present invention relates to a liquid measuring and dispensing apparatus, wherein a part of said apparatus is configured, to be inserted into a bottle containing liquid through its mouth, in order to extract the desired quantity of liquid and dispense it through the outlet provided.

BACKGROUND ART

[0002] CA1112614 A teaches a liquid dispensing device including a container, safety closure and syringe type dispenser. However, in said device, to dispense the liquid, the syringe dispenser has to be removed from the container and again put it back in place. Also, said design is not conclusive enough to confirm the ability to suck in the last drops of medicine/liquid from the bottom of the bottle.

[0003] US Pat No 4966312 teaches a disposable oral liquid measure dispenser for administering measured, pre-packaged dosages of liquid medication or food to human or animal patients. But it does not have a means to measure varying quantity of liquid dispensed. [0004] US Pat No. 6,877,639 teaches a liquid measuring and dispensing devices measure and dispense a quantity of cooking oil or other liquids or flowable powders.

[0005] US Pat No. 5301845 discloses a liquid measuring and dispensing container. But said dispenser works only in squeezable bottles. Also, the user got to invert the bottle and squeeze it again to discharge the measured liquid.

[0006] US Pat No. 5884816 teaches a liquid measuring device and method of using the same. But said device only works with bottles with flexible walls.

[0007] From the foregoing, it becomes apparent that there is a need for a device to extract desired quantities of liquid from a bottle of any type precisely and easily.

[0008] My invention proposes a liquid measuring and dispensing apparatus, wherein a part of said apparatus is configured to be inserted into a bottle containing liquid through its mouth to extract the desired quantity of liquid and dispense it through the outlet provided. Said apparatus is not required to be removed from the bottle to dispense the liquid. Once the apparatus is inserted into the bottle, it only needs to be removed when the liquid is all extracted. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] It is therefore the primary objective of the present invention to propose a liquid measuring and dispensing apparatus configured to extract and dispense precise quantity of liquid from a bottle.

[0010] It is another object of the invention to provide a liquid measuring and dispensing apparatus that lets a user extract desired amount of liquid from a bottle without having to remove or unplug any of said apparatus's components.

[0011] It is yet another object of the invention to propose a liquid measuring and dispensing apparatus configured to extract liquid from bottles of varying depths.

[0012] It is a further object of the invention to propose a liquid measuring and dispensing apparatus that is easy to use and cheap to manufacture.

[0013] It is yet another object of the invention to provide a liquid measuring and dispensing apparatus that is human friendly.

[0014] Accordingly, the present invention proposes a liquid measuring and dispensing apparatus configured to extract required quantity of liquid from a bottle of any volume, said apparatus comprising of:

• a flexible lid configured to replace the lid of the bottle containing liquid; • a cylinder extending perpendicularly from the inside of said lid, wherein a plunger (5) is movably fixed inside said cylinder, wherein the handle of said plunger extends out of the lid through a sealed opening at its top portion;

• a flexible tube fixed at the bottom end of the cylinder, wherein said tube opens into the cavity of the cylinder through a one-way vaive; and

• a vertical channel fixed on the outer surface of the cylinder, wherein the bottom end of said channel is connected to the cavity of the cylinder through an exit valve through which said liquids are extracted.

[0015] The other objectives, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the ensuing detailed description of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0016] FIG.1 illustrates the cross section of the liquid measuring and dispensing apparatus.

[0017] FIG.2 shows the bottle with the liquid measuring and dispensing apparatus installed.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

10018] The preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be explained with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that however the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. The following description and drawings are not to be construed as limiting the invention and numerous specific details are described to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention, as the basis for the claims and as a basis for teaching one skilled in the art how to make and/or use the invention. However in certain instances, well- known or conventional details are not described in order not to unnecessarily obscure the present invention in detail.

[0019] The preferred embodiment of the present invention discloses a liquid measuring and dispensing apparatus configured to extract required quantity of liquid from a bottle and dispense it as desired. Said apparatus finds use in house hold application, Hospitals, labs, research institutions etc.

[0020] Referring to FIG.1 , the liquid measuring and dispensing apparatus is realized in the form of a bottle attachment that let users measure and extract liquids from said bottle. It has a 'plug and play' concept, wherein it is configured to be mounted on any existing bottle design that requires a measured liquid extraction. The apparatus comprises of a cylinder (6) adapted for uni-directional flow wherein it is fixed on the inside part of a capping (2) mechanism that is adapted to be screwed/clamped onto the bottle's cap thread. [0021] As shown in FIG.1 , the cylinder tip features a flexible tube (9) wherein said tube is connected to the cylinder cavity through a one-way valve (8). The flexible tube facilitates the use of the apparatus in bottles of different volumes and depth. The cylinder further features a plunger (5), wherein said plunger features markings on its surface to indicate the measurement scale (e.g 1 ml, 2ml etc). The cap and cylinder (1 ) are so designed that when it is inserted into a new bottle, it takes into account for any liquid displacement wherein the plunger can be pulled above the cap to avoid any spillage of liquid. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, a glass cylinder is used even though cylinders made from other non-reactive materials can also be used, and is included within the scope of the present invention.

[0022] Referring to FIG.1 , the capping unit also features a non-movable outlet nozzle (3) configured to act as the extraction outlet for the liquid. When the plunger is depressed, the liquid from the cylinder moves up to the extraction outlet through a channel (4) provided on the side of the syringe wall, wherein said channel and cylinder cavity are connected through an exit valve (7).

[0023] When a certain quantity of liquid is required to be dispensed, the plunger is pulled upwards until the desired volume of liquid is sucked into the cylinder. Now the plunger is pushed downwards, and subsequently, the liquid is pushed into the mouth piece, as shown in the figure.

[0024] Although the present invention has been described in connection with the preferred embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be noted that various changes and modifications are possible and are apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications are to be understood as included within the scope of the present invention unless they depart there from.

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