GB2199252A

GB2199252A - Hot water bottle

Info

Publication number: GB2199252A
Application number: GB08727314A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Reginald Gordon Hillier
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1986-11-25
Filing date: 1987-11-20
Publication date: 1988-07-06
Anticipated expiration: 2007-11-20
Also published as: GB8727314D0; GB2199252B; GB8628187D0

Abstract

A hot water bottle has a filler opening which is closable by a stopper. The bottle and the stopper are made of materials that are transparent to microwave radiation. The stopper has a pressure relief valve which is closed when the stopper is fully home and opens on partial release of the stopper. The stopper can have a hollow, externally-threaded shank portion the valve being constituted by a hole passing through the wall of the shank positioned so that it is open when the stopper is partially screwed. When the bottle is heated in a microwave oven, any steam generated can escape through the hole. Subsequently, the stopper is screwed home, thereby closing and sealing the bottle.

Description

HOT WATER BOTTLE This invention relates to a hot water bottle, and to a method of heating water contained in a hot water bottle.

Usually, hot water bottles are made of rubber or plastics material. Such a hot water bottle is filled with hot water via a neck, which is subsequently closed by a stopper. Typically, the stopper of a hot water bottle has an externally-threaded shank portion which can be screwed into a correspondingly internally-threaded portion of the neck of the bottle. Traditionally, the shanks of hot water bottles are made of metal, as are the threaded neck portions.

The present invention provides a hot water bottle comprising a container provided with a filler opening, and a stopper for closing the container and sealing the interior of the container against leakage of its contents, wherein the container and the stopper are made of materials that are transparent to microwave radiation, and wherein the stopper is provided with a pressure relief valve having open and closed positions, the pressure relief valve being in its closed position when the stopper is fully inserted into the filler opening, and the pressure relief valve being in its open position when the stopper is partially inserted into the filler opening.

Advantageously, the container is made of a soft, resilient plastics material, and the filler opening is formed in a reinforced portion of the container.

Preferably, the stopper is made of a rigid plastics material.

In a preferred embodiment, the stopper is formed with a hollow, externally-threaded, shank portion which is engageable with a complementarily-shaped internally-threaded portion of the filler opening.

Conveniently, the pressure relief valve is constituted by a hole formed in the shank portion of the stopper, the hole being spaced from the upper end of the shank portion. Preferably, the hole is spaced from the upper end of the shank portion by about two turns of its screw thread.

The invention also provides a method of heating a hot water bottle constituted by a container and a stopper, the container being provided with a filler opening and holding water, the container and the stopper being made of materials that are transparent to microwave radiation, and the stopper being formed with a pressure relief valve, the method comprising the step of heating the water held in the container in a microwave oven with the stopper positioned in the filler opening in such a manner that its pressure relief valve is open.

Two forms of hot water bottle, each of which is constructed in accordance with the invention, will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the first form of hot water bottle; Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the stopper of the bottle of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the second form of hot water bottle.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. 1 shows a hot water bottle 1 hafing a stopper 2. The bottle 1 is made entirely of rubber or soft, resilient plastics material, and the stopper 2 is made of a rigid plastics material.

Where the bottle 1 is made of plastics material, it is preferably formed by an injection moulding process. The stopper 2 has a hollow, externally-threaded shank portion 2a which is engageable with a complementary internally-threaded bottle portion (not shown) which surrounds the filler opening la of the bottle 1. The internally-threaded portion of the bottle 1 constitutes a reinforced neck portion, which provides firm support for the stopper 2 when this is secured into the filler opening to seal the hot water bottle. The stopper 2 is provided with a manually-engageable portion 2c which is used to facilitate engagement and disengagement of the screw-threaded shank portion of the stopper 2 with the complementary screw-threaded portion of the filler opening. A hole 2b is formed in the wall of the shank portion 2a of the stopper.This hole 2b constitutes a pressure relief valve when the stopper 2 is only partly screwed into the neck portion of the bottle 1. For this purpose, the hole 2b is preferably positioned a couple of turns from the top of the threaded shank 2a.

In use, the bottle 1 is filled with cold water via its filler opening, and the stopper 2 is then screwed partly into the neck portion, the screwing-in being stopped before the hole 2b engages with, and is sealed by, the neck portion of the bottle. The bottle 1 is then placed in a microwave oven (not shown), and its contents heated by turning the microwave oven on at full heat for about two minutes. The heating time will obviously depend upon the size of the bottle 1, the degree to which it is filled, the original temperature of the water, and the power rating of the microwave oven. Once heating has finished, the bottle 1 is removed from the oven, and the stopper 2 is firmly screwed into the neck portion, thereby closing the hole 2b. The stopper 2 is provided with standard seals (not shown) to ensure that leakage of water is prevented.If the heating process proves to be too long, and the water in the bottle 1 reaches boiling point, any steam given off will escape from the bottle 1 via the pressure relief valve constituted by the hole 2b in the hollow shank 2a of the stopper 2. There is, therefore, no danger of the bottle 1 fracturing or even exploding if it is heated for too long.

Fig. 3 shows a modified form of hot water bottle or pad 11. This pad is a smaller, slimmer, more flexible version of that shown in Fig. 1. It incorporates a stopper 12 which is generally similar to that shown in Fig. 2. The pad 11 is intended to be used for therapeutic heat treatment of, for example, rheumatism.

It will be apparent that a number of modifications could be made to the bottles described above. For example, they could be made of alternative materials, provided that such alternative materials are transparent to microwaves. In other words the bottles should not be made of, or include parts made of, metal (which reflects microwaves) or organic materials (which absorb microwaves).

It would also be possible to modify the shape of the hot water bottles described above. In particular, hot water bottles could be made in a variety of "novelty" shapes such as teddy bears. Moreover, the position of the stopper is not critical, it being possible, for example, to position the stopper in a neck portion as in traditional hot water bottles. Also, the pad of the Fig.

3 embodiment could be shaped to fit various parts of the body requiring heat treatment. For example, for heat treatment of arms, the pad could be sized and shaped so as to wrap around an arm.

Another possibility would be to make a hot water bottle whose interior is "filled" with a porous, foam-like structure. Where the bottle is made of plastics material, this structure could be integrally formed therewith. The advantage of this modification, particularly for novelty hot water bottles, is that bottles of this type retain their shape when empty.

Yet another possibility would be to use a liquid other than water in hot water bottles constructed in accordance with the invention. In this case, the liquid could be kept permanently in the bottle, though topping-up might be necessary at infrequent intervals.

The advantage of this is that a liquid having a higher heat capacity than water could be used, so that the bottle remains hot for a longer period. Consequently, the term "hot water bottle" should be construed throughout this specification as encompassing containers (bottles) which can contain liquids other than water.

Claims

1. A hot water bottle comprising a container provided with a filler opening, and a stopper for closing the container and sealing the interior of the container against leakage of its contents, wherein the container and the stopper are made of materials that are transparent to microwave radiation, and wherein the stopper is provided with a pressure-relief valve having open and closed positions, the pressure relief valve being in its closed position when the stopper is fully inserted into the filler opening, and the pressure relief valve being in its open position when the stopper is partially inserted into the filler opening.

2. A hot water bottle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the container is made of a soft, resilient plastics material.

3. A hot water bottle as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the filler opening is formed in a reinforced portion of the container.

4. A hot water bottle as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the stopper is made of a rigid plastics material.

5. A hot water bottle as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the stopper is formed with a hollow, externally-threaded, shank portion which is engageable with a complementarily-shaped internally-threaded portion of the filler opening.

6. A hot water bottle as claimed in claim 5, wherein the pressure relief valve is constituted by a hole formed in the shank portion of the stopper, the hole being spaced from the upper end of the shank portion.

7. A hot water bottle as claimed in claim 6, wherein the hole is spaced from the upper end of the shank portion by about two turns of its screw thread.

8. A hot water bottle substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated by, the accompanying drawings.

9. A hot water bottle as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the bottle contains a liquid having a higher heat capacity than water.

10. A method of heating a hot water bottle constituted by a container and a stopper, the container being provided with a filler opening and holding water, the container and the stopper being made of materials that are transparent to microwave radiation, and the stopper being formed with a pressure relief valve, the method comprising the step of heating the water held in the container in a microwave oven with the stopper positioned in the filler opening in such a manner that its pressure relief valve is open.

11. A method of heating a hot water bottle substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.