GB2125016A - Lid having a pouring spout for a powdering box having a flexible wall - Google Patents

Abstract

The pouring spout comprises an upper wall 6 which is integral with the upper wall 2 of the lid and articulated at 7 to the latter, two lateral walls 10, a front wall provided with a powder outlet opening 11 and a lower wall 13 which interconnects lateral walls 10. The upper wall of the spout, the lateral walls and the lower wall together define a flattened funnel whose small opening 11 for the outlet of the powder is located opposite the side by which the spout is articulated to the upper wall of the lid and whose large opening faces inwardly of the lid and box. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Lid having a pouring spout for a powdering box having a flexible wall The present invention relates to a lid having a pouring spout for a box of powdered product, and more particularly relates to a lid device having a pouring spout for a powdering box having a flexible wall adapted to be employed by exerting pressure on the flexible wall.

May containers are known which comprise a pouring spout which is articulated on a lateral wall, or on an upper wall or on a detachable lid, in which the pouring spout device comprises, in the well-known manner, a U-section element having two side walls in the shape of a sector of a circle interconnected by an intermediate portion which closes an opening in which the device is mounted in the closed position of the device.

In the field of powdering boxes having a flexible wall and adapted to contain powdered products which are expelled from the box by exerting pressure on its walls, there is known, in particular, a lid device having a pouring spout described in French Patent No.

2467789 in which the pouring spout, which is moulded with the body of the lid, is formed by an element having generally the shape of a sector of a cylinder having two lateral wings constituting sectors of a circle which are parallel to each other and to the axis of the container, at least one orifice for discharging powdered product being provided in the front curved wall of this element.

In the known arrangement, this pouring spout is articulated in a suitable orifice formed in a surface of the lid.

In this pouring spout, a rectilinear passageway is formed for the exit of the powdered product between the lateral wings of the articulated spout and this passageway has a width which is roughly equal to the width of the outlet orifice.

In this device, owing to its shape being a sector of a cylinder, the spout has a rectilinear front wall so that it can only be mounted set back from the edge of a circular lid, or in a flat portion provided for this purpose. Further, also owing to its shape, this device has a dead corner in which the powder accumulates on each side of the outlet orifice between the passageway and the wings of the articulated element, and a defective seal in the region of these wings. Futhermore, the stream of powder through the passageway is not concentrated.

An object of the present invention is to overcome these drawbacks and to provide a lid having an articulated pouring spout of the aforementioned type which has good sealing qualities in the closed and open positions and concentrates the stream of powder and is adapted to be capable of opening onto the edge of a lid of any shape.

The invention therefore provides a pouring lid for a powdering box having a flexible wall, of the type in which the pouring spout comprises an upper wall which is in one piece and preferably integral with the surface of the lid and articulated thereto, two wings or lateral walls and a front wall provided with an outlet opening for the powder, wherein said upper wall has a roughly triangular shape and is articulated to the lid at one side of the triangle, the said lateral walls extending along the two other sides of the triangle and being interconnected by a lower wall, the said walls together defining a flattened funnel whose small opening for the exist of the powder is located at the apex of the triangle opposed to the side by which the upper wall is articulated to the lid and whose large opening faces inwardly of the box.

The invention may be put into practice in various ways and one specific embodiment will be described by way of example to illustrate the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a lid having a pouring spout according to the invention, the spout being in the open position; Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the lid in the as-moulded condition, with the spout completely raised and its upper wall roughly perpendicular to the plane of the lid; Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2; Figure 4 is a top plan view of the lid in the position shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and Figure 5 is a partial perspective view of the pouring spout alone, showing its roughly triangular funnel shape.

With reference to the drawings, the lid having a pouring spout according to the invention comprises a body 1 having a wall 2 which has in plan, in the illustrated embodiment, a shape which is generally that of an equilateral triangle whose corners are rounded and whose sides are slightly convex.

The wall 2 includes a skirt 3 which is integral therewith and has a circular lower edge 4 which defines a plane parallel to that containing the upper surface 2.

The wall 2 is cut along part of two adjacent sides to the same length on each side so that at one of the corners of the equilateral triangular wall 2 there is defined, on one hand, a roughly triangular opening 5 and, on the other hand, a portion 6 which is also roughly triangular and is connected to the wall 2 by a rectilinear portion 7, which is preferably also cut but so as to be of decreased thickness and forms an articulation or hinge. This portion 6 constitutes the upper wall of the articulated pouring spout.

Advantageously and for the purpose which will be described hereinafter, the two edges 8 of the opening 5 opposed to the articulation line 7, which have a thickness equal to the thickness of the skirt 3, are chamfered so as to form a sealing lip 9.

Moulded with or attached to the lower face or under side of the upper wall 6 are two lateral walls 10 which are, in this embodiment, slightly convex and extend rearwardly, i.e. from the apex of the triangle formed by the upper wall 6 towards the articulation line 7 having the same length and marrying up or nesting with the shape of the opening 5 defined by the lips 9 of the edge 8, the said lateral walls 10 being slightly inclined inwardly towards the axis of symmetry (line 3-3) of the wall 6 and their height decreasing slightly in the direction going from the articulation 7 to the apex of the wall 6.

The lateral walls 10 terminate at a distance from each other in the region of the apex of the triangle and define therebetween an opening 11.

The lower edges 1 2 of the lateral walls 10 are interconnected by a lower wall 1 3 of curved preferably partly spherical shape, a roughly planar part of the wall 14 ensuring the connection between the edge 1 5 of the wall 1 3 and the adjacent edges 1 2 of the lateral walls 10 and thus affording the lower edge of and completing the definition of the central opening 11.

With this arrangement, the upper wall 6, the lateral walls 10 and the partly spherical lower wall 1 3 together define a kind of funnel which is flattened on one side and whose large opening 30 (see Fig. 3) faces inwardly of the lid proper when the articulated spout is folded over from the position shown in Figs.

2, 3 and 4 to that which is shown in Fig. 1 and in Fig. 3 in dot-dash lines.

With reference to Fig. 4, the chamfered lip 9 of the edge 8 is adapted to ensure a seal in contact with the lateral walls 10, when the pouring spout is in the closed position and also in the open position.

The lip 9 preferably affords at least two short inwardly extending tabs 1 6 which form stop members for cavities 1 7 formed in the lateral walls 10 at or adjacent the lower edges of the latter.

The lid having a pouring spout in accordance with the invention is moulded in the shape shown in Figs. 2 to 4. Thus when it is withdrawn from the mould the upper wall 6 is then folded down to the closed position by exerting a slight force so as to produce an elastic deformation of the tabs 1 6 and to enable them to slide along the walls 10.

Preferably, the lip 9 also has a projecting portion 1 8 located between the tabs 1 6 and having a width which is slightly less than the width of the opening 11, this portion 1 8 also resiliently projecting into the opening 11.

This ensures that in use the pouring spout cannot open wider than the position shown in Fig. 1 and this ensures that there is a seal on the periphery of the spout on each side of the outlet opening for the powder.

Two other cavities 1 9 are also preferably provided in the upper part of the lateral walls 10 above the cavities 1 7 and these are adapted to maintain the pouring spout in its closed position by reason of the projections 6 being able to protrude into them.

Preferably, as shown in the drawings, the lateral walls 10 are located slightly set back from the edges of the upper wall 6 so as to form a portion 20 constituting a projecting tab which facilitates manipulation of the pouring spout so as to open it.

It will be observed that the upper wall 6 has on each side, at the ends of the articulation 7, a short rectilinear part 21 which is perpendicular to this articulation and corresponds to the height of the rear end of the lateral walls 10, and is required for facilitating the moulding.

The lid also comprises a boss 22 which projects from the inner surface of the skirt 3 at any suitable position on its circumference and is adapted to cooperate with a cavity of complementary shape formed in the neck of the container so as to ensure that the lid can only be placed on the neck in such position as to orientate the pouring spout in a suitable direction, bearing in mind the shape of the container.

It will be understood that, owing to the convergent funnel shape of the passageway defined by the walls 6, 10 and 13, the powder contained in the container is assisted in being driven (by the pressure applied to the walls of the container on which the lid is located) and projected in the form of a concentrated stream through the opening 11. The lip 9 of the opening ensures a seal around the pouring spout in both the open and closed positions of the latter.

Claims (14)

1. A lid adapted for use with a powdering box having a flexible wall or walls, the said lid comprising a pouring spout which comprises an upper wall articulated to the upper wall of the lid, two lateral walls and a front wall provided with a powder outlet opening, the said upper wall being articulated to the upper wall of the lid at one side, the said lateral walls extending adjacent to the two sides adjacent the said one side and being interconnected by a lower wall, the said upper wall, the said two lateral walls and the said lower wall together defining a flattened funnel which comprises a small opening defining the said powder outlet opening and located at a position opposed to the side by which the spout is articulated to the lid and a large opening which faces inwardly of the lid and into the powdering box when the lid is located thereon.

2. A lid as claimed in Claim 1 in which the upper wall of the spout is integral with the upper wall of the lid.

3. A lid as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 in which the said lateral walls are convex and have a height which decreases going in the direction from the powder outlet opening to the side at which the spout is articulated to the lid.

4. A lid as claimed in Claim 1, 2 or 3 in which the said lower wall is curved.

5. A lid as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 4 in which the edges of the upper wall are chamfered and mate with correspondingly chamfered edges in the lid.

6. A lid as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 5 in which complementary structures are provided in the side walls and in the edges of the lid to facilitate maintenance of the spout in one of two predetermined positions.

7. A lid as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 6 in which a flexible projection is provided in the edge of the opening in the lid adapted to project into the opening in the apex of the spout so as to limit movement of the spout relative to the lid.

8. A lid as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 7 comprising a non-circular upper wall and a skirt which depends from the upper wall of the lid and defines a circular lower peripheral edge.

9. A lid having a pouring spout as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 8, comprising positioning means for cooperation with complementary positioning means on the box thus ensuring that the lid is placed on the box in a single position corresponding to a suitable orientation of the pouring spout relative to the box.

10. A lid as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 9 in which the upper wall of the pouring spout is of substantially triangular shape and the lateral walls extend adjacent the other two sides of the triangular.

11. A lid as claimed in Claim 10 in which the small opening of the spout is located at the apex of the triangle opposed to the side by which the spout is articulated to the lid.

12. A lid as claimed in any one of Claims 8 to 11 in which the non-circular upper wall is substantially triangular.

1 3. A lid as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 12 as a single integral moulding.

14. A lid as claimed in Claim 1 substantially as specifically described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.