US2155259A - Liquid dispenser filter - Google Patents

Description

BEST AVAILABLE COPY April 1939- J. T. DICKSON 2,155,259

. LIQUID DISPENSiIR FILTER Filed April s, 1937 I Inventor:

JamesT. Dickson,

by I a I 76:

His Attorney.

Patented Apr. 18, 1939 UNITED STATES LIQUID DISPENSER FILTER James T. Dickson, Lakewood, Ohio, assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation New York Application April 3, 1937, Serial No. 134,910

1 Claim.

My invention relates to liquid dispensers of the inverted bottle type and more particularly to a gasket therefor.

It is an object of my invention to provide a gasket for liquid dispensers of the inverted bottle type which embodies an improved arrangement for filtering air passing therethrough.

Further objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds, and the features of novelty which characterize my invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification.

For a better understanding of my invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. l is a fragmentary front elevation, partly in section, of a liquid dispenser provided with a gasket embodying my invention; and Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the gasket shown in Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing, in Fig. 1, I have shown the-upper portion of a liquid or water dispenser provided with a cabinet including a sheet metal outer shell l0 having a substantially flat top wall H in which an annular depression I? is formed. The inner periphery of the annular depression i2 defines an opening l3 in the top wall ll about which there is disposed an annular flange I4 projecting into the interior of the cabinet. Preferably, the annular flange I4 is formed integral with the top wall H of the sheet metal outer shell "I and has the shape of an inverted frustum of a cone. A bowl I5 is arranged in the cabinet to receive the lower end of the annular flange 14, the bowl being supported in the cabinet by a suitable frame IS. A rubber gasket I1 is arranged about the upper edge of the bowl [5 and in engagement with the outer surface of the lower end of the annular flange I4 in order to provide a liquid tight seal therebetween. The annular flange l4 and the bowl l5 thus constitute a liquid container in the cabinet arranged below the opening I3 in the top wall H. A liquid outlet plug I8 is secured in an opening in the bottom of the bowl l5 and is connected by conduit l9 to a faucet 20 supported by the front wall of the sheet metal outer shell Ill. A suitable heat exchange device may be associated with the conduit IS in order to cool the liquid dispensed at the faucet 20. A liquid or water storage bottle 2| is supported in an inverted position in the opening I3 with its mouth 2|a projecting into the bowl l5 by an annular flexible rubber gasket 22 positioned in the annular depression l2 formed in the top wall II. The resilient gasket 22 is seated inthe annular de pression l2 and against the outer wall of the bottle 2|. Ordinarily, the weight of bottle 2| is suflicient to form a tight seal between bottle 2| and gasket 22 and also between gasket 22 and the annular depression |2 thereby substantially sealing the space between the opening |3 and the bottle 2| and preventing the entry of dust or other foreign matter into the liquid container.

As shown in Fig. 2, the gasket 22 includes a tubular body provided with a plurality of spaced apart apertures 23 for the passage of air therethrough, and a core 24 of any suitable air filtering material.

In the liquid dispenser illustrated, liquid is stored in the inverted bottle 2| and supplied to the liquid container formed by the annular flange l4 and the bowl I5 arranged therebelow, from which the liquid is drawn off at the faucet 20 for use as desired. As the liquid is drawn off at the faucet 20 the level of the liquid standing in the liquid container falls until the mouth 2la of the bottle 2| is only slightly submerged. Air in the upper portion of the liquid container then enters the mouth 2|a of the bottle 2| and replaces a quantity of the liquid therein, which quantity of liquid is supplied to the liquid container to be dispensed at the faucet 20. The air which enters the bottle from the upper portion of the container is replaced by air passing through the apertures 23 and the core 24 of air filtering material in the gasket 22 from the exterior of the cabinet. The gasket 22 being tightly sealed between the annular depression l2 and the bottle 2| positively prevents dust and other foreign matter from entering the liquid container through the opening IS in the top wall H, except through the filtering material 24, and insures that the replacement air drawn into the liquid container from the exterior of the cabinet is free of impurities. Obviously the openings 23 need not be directly opposite each other as in the section illustrated in Fig. 2 but may be staggered as are the other two openings 23 shown in Fig. 2. This staggered arrangement of the openings makes possible a considerably longer filter path for the air passing through the gasket.

While I have shown a particular embodiment of my invention, I do not desire my invention to be limited to the particular construction shown and "described, and I intend in the appended claim to cover all modifications within the spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

A gasket comprising a resilient tubular body provided with a plurality of apertures spaced apart in staggered relation to provide air paths through said gasket of greater length than the diameter of said tubular body, and a core of air filtering material arranged in said tubular body.

JAMES T. DICKSON.

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