AU2008100843A4 - Pouring and Sealing Attachment - Google Patents

Description

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AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 INNOVATION PATENT

SPECIFICATION

2008100-filed 3 rd September 2008 Invention Title A Pouring and Sealing Attachment Applicant: Oliver Clemens Robert KRATZER innovator: Oliver Clemens Robert KRATZER The invention is described in the following statement: 00

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NA POURING AND SEALING ATTACHMENT This invention relates to a new pouring and sealing attachment of the kind adapted to be mounted on a can particularly a paint can.

Background to the invention Paint can attachments are well known for a variety of purposes. There are two broad types of paint pouring attachments, including a clip on spout, which 00 Ofacilitates pouring only, and a decanting spout which is usually formed as part of a container lid as used with automotive tints). However, they must be removed S 10 to reseal the container, and the stacking of containers with a spout is not possible.

Paint can attachments may also function as a brush wiper for removing excess paint from the brush after it has been dipped into the paint and usually also facilitates the outpouring of paint from the can.

However, most known attachments suffer from the disadvantage that they must be detached from the can to facilitate reclosing thereof which is necessary to prevent the deterioration of any remaining paint and to prevent the ingress of contaminants. This step is time consuming and can be very messy.

The prior art is represented by Australian Patent Nos. 737661 and 638039; US Patent Nos. 4,724,979; 5,975,346 and 6,360,909; and International Patent Publication Nos. W002/49931 and WO 95/15861. All of these prior art publications disclose containers with hinged lids which have inherent design faults which restrict their use in the sealing and resealing of fluid products (liquids or powders).

Australian patent 2003238560 discloses a rim attachment and lid arrangement for sealing on the rim of a simple can wherein the handle for the combined container is part of the rim attachment. This is suitable for use on a new paint containers but is not suitable for fitting to conventional metal cans which have a triple tight seal rim and a handle on the can It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an alternative pouring and sealing attachment for a conventional paint can, which overcomes or at least ameliorates the above disadvantages of the prior art.

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SBrief description of the invention According to one embodiment of the invention there is provided a pouring attachment adapted to be mounted on an annular rim of a paint can and which receives a lid allowing sealing and re-sealing of said can with said lid, said pouring attachment including an outer annular rim defining an annular space and inner circumferential wall against which the lid sealingly abuts and lid retaining means oo for releasably securing the lid in the annular space for sealing and resealing of the Ocan.

00 The lid is a purpose-built lid for the pouring attachment, preferably moulded from 0 10 solvent-resistant plastics material. Preferably, the lid is hinged in such a manner that it hinges from the closed position to the open position(s) with the aid of an inbuilt cam and cam follower means. This is preferably supplemented by one or more other clips peripherally spaced abut the rim of the pouring attachment to securely hold the lid in sealing engagement with the rim of the pouring attachment.

Preferably, the lid includes means whereby the lid may be propped open substantially perpendicular (from about 800 to about 900 to the plane of the outer rim of the pouring attachment, to facilitate self-draining of paint from the underside of the lid back into the main paint container.

Preferably, the outer rim of the pouring attachment incorporates a forwardly or outwardly extending pouring spout and a brush-wipe edge.

Brief description of the accompanying drawings The invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings relating to a preferred embodiment of the invention:- FIG. 1 is an exploded view of the attachment and lid of this invention with a conventional paint can; FIG. 2 is sectional view of the assembled attachment and lid of this invention with a conventional paint can; FIG. 3 is a top perspective view of the rim attachment of this invention; FIG. 4 is a top perspective view of the lid of this invention.

List of features paint can 00 11. paint can wall 12. can rim e( a 13. can outer rim bead Annular rim attachment 21. Pouring spout S22 Clip engagement lug 00oo 23 Annular rim cover 024 can engagement flange 00oo 25 retention flange 0 10 26 lid bracket 27 Sealing flange or rim on spout lid 31 Spout cover on lid 32 retention Clip 33. Hinge 34 Sealing flange for spout on lid Draining rim of lid The components of the pouring attachment 20 are suitably fabricated by standard injection moulding techniques. Similarly the lid is also able to be fabricated by standard injection moulding techniques.

The attachment portion 20 seats over the outer rim of the can so that the engagement flange 24 extends beyond the outer can rim bead 13. In pushing the flange 24 over the bead 13 the retention flange 25 is bent inwardly to lie between flange 24 and the can wall 1 land beneath the bead 13 so that removal of the attachment 20 is resisted. The rim cover 23 covers the triple tight rim 12 of the can and defines the opening into the interior of the canl0. The internal edge of this rim cover 23 carries a sealing flange for the lid. Adjacent the spout 21 the flange 27 seals against the lid flange 34. Adjacent the hinge the drainage rim 35 of the lid is sealed by sealing flange 28 on the rim attachment.

The lid 30 is attachable to the rim attachment 20 by the hinge 33 engaging the lid bracket 26. The lid may be tilted back 80-90 degrees. Any paint collecting in the open lid drains back into the can by way of the drainage rim 35 of the lid. Tilting the lid back greater than 1290 degrees allows the lid to be removed. The lid 30 is 00 O secured to the rim attachment 20 by the retention clips 32 on the lid 30, engaging the lugs 22 on the rim attachment e( SSome of the main features and benefits of the invention may be conveniently summarized as follows: easy controlled pouring no drips or runs down the side of the can; oo paint is not trapped in the rim of the can the sealing edge is self-draining; large opening to allow proper stirring, mixing and the use of large brushes; 00oo self-draining straight-edge on the rim attachment and the lid for controlled brush wiping; interlocks when stacking cans on top of each other (palette, retail-display or at home); provides a self-draining seat for the lid while in use; works with paint tins with handles; does not rust and is solvent resistant; resilient construction retains shape even when dropped Although the invention has been described with reference to paint containers it is not limited thereto. The invention is also suitable for the packaging of other fluid products, including both liquids and powders. The invention is also adaptable to the packaging of other products in general.

Although an exemplary embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, it will be apparent to those having ordinary skills in the art that a number of changes, modifications or alterations to the invention described herein may be made, none of which depart from the spirit of the present invention. All such changes, modifications and alterations should therefore be seen as being with the scope of the present invention.

It should be apparent that the present invention provides a substantial advance in the field of painting accessories, providing all of the herein-described advantages without incurring any relative disadvantages.

Claims (1)

1. 3. A pouring attachment according to claim 1 or claim 2 substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated.