GB2144392A

GB2144392A - Drinks flask

Info

Publication number: GB2144392A
Application number: GB08321194A
Authority: GB
Inventors: George William Thomas Faber; Dennis John Rhodes
Original assignee: STANDARD SHEET METAL Co
Current assignee: STANDARD SHEET METAL Co
Priority date: 1983-08-05
Filing date: 1983-08-05
Publication date: 1985-03-06
Also published as: GB2144392B; GB8321194D0

Abstract

The cup 6 of a drinks flask, such as a pocket spirit flask, is detachably located over the closure cap 3 of the flask by means of one or more pins at the cap, or at another part of the flask around which the circumferential wall of the cup extends, which bear resiliently on the internal surface of the circumferential wall of the cup. In the preferred embodiment two diametrically-opposed pins 7, slidably located in the skirt 5 of the cap 3, are urged radially outwards to engage with the cup 6 by the resilient sealing disc 12 inside the cap which bears at its periphery on the inner flanged ends of the pins. Alternatively, a compression spring may urge the pin(s) outwardly. The pins may be made of rigid plastics or non-corrosive metal or may be made of resilient material in which case no spring or disc is necessary. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements relating to drinks flask This invention relates to drinks flasks of the kind which have cups attached to them.

It is known to attach cups to drinks flasks by screwed connections, and in respect of flasks of the kind generally known as spirit flasks for carrying in the pocket it is known to retain the cups to the flasks by frictional engagement between rubber or like retaining rings around the peripheries of the caps of the flasks and the internal surfaces of the cups which are pushed over the caps. The latter arrangement provides a particularly easy means of attachment of the cups but it has disadvantages.

For example, the engagement between the retaining rings and cups produces a seal which can result in air being trapped in the cups and preventing the cups from fitting properly over the caps; the rings wear or perish in time so that the cups become loose on the flasks, and as a consequence of different materials being used in the manufacture of the cups and caps differential thermal expansion of the materials may occur giving rise to tightening or loosening of the attachment of the cups to the caps.

According to the present invention a drinks flask is provided having a cup which fits over a cap thereof and is releasably held on the flask by means of at least one pin at the cap or another part of the flask around which the circumferential wall of the cup extends, which pin projects laterally from the cap or other flask part and bears resiliently on an internal surface of the circumferential wall of the cup.

The cup is fitted to the flask simply by pushing it over the cap. To this extent the arrangement is comparable with the known arrangement described employing the retaining ring. However, because of the limited contact between the pin and the cup, and between any part of the cap and the cup, a seal is not created and so air will not be trapped in the cup which could prevent it from fitting properly over the cap.

Because of the resilience of the engagement of the pin with the internal surface of the cup and the limited extent of the engagement, differential expansion between the materials of the cup and the cap does not, or is less likely to, cause problems of unduly tight or loose attachment of the cup to the flask.

The pin may be of a suitable resilient material to provide the resilient engagement with the internal surface of the cup. Preferably the pin is resiliently urged to provide that engagement. It may be spring loaded, for example by a helical compression spring located in a socket in which the inner end of the pin is slidably received. In a preferred embodiment in which the pin is at the cap of the flask, the pin extends through the skirt of the cap and engages the periphery of the usual sealing disc of resilient material located in the cap which seals the cap to the lip of the flask, the sealing disc then also serving to urge the pin resiliently outwards. As the sealing disc is usually of appreciable thickness in relation to its diameter and of strong resilient material, long lasting and reliable resilient urging of the pin can be provided in this manner.

Preferably the pin is made of a hard wearing, rigid, or substantially rigid, plastics material. It may be made of a suitable non-corrosive metal, if desired. Urging the pin in the preferred manner described and having it made of a hard wearing material minimises the likelihood of wear occurring which could reduce the effectiveness of the retention of the cup on the flask.

There may be more than one pin. Two diametrically opposed pins may be provided, for example.

Conveniently the pin or pins are at the cap. It is possible that the pin or pins may be provided at the neck of the flask for engagement with the cup below the cap.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way.of example only with reference to the accompanying drawing which shows a partially sectioned side view of the upper part of a drinks flask with a cup in accordance with the invention.

In this embodiment the invention is applied to a spirit flask which comprises a body 1 of known form made of sheet metal and a short externally screw-threaded neck 2 machined from metal tube secured and sealed centrally to the top of the body. A machined metal cap 3 having a crown portion 4 and an internally screw-threaded skirt portion 5 is screwed on to the neck 2. A pressed metal, substantially cylindrical, cup 6 fits over the cap 3.

Two pins 7 are carried by the cap 3 at diametrically opposed positions. They are located in holes 8 drilled radially into the skirt 5 of the cap adjacent to the crown 4. The pins 7 are nylon mouldings.

Each pin has a cylindrical shank portion 9 of a diameter such that it is a free sliding fit in the respective hole 8 and is longer than the wall thickness of the skirt 5, a rounded outer end 10 and an integral inner end flange 11 of larger diameter than the hole. The flange 11 abuts against the internal surface of the skirt bordering the hole to locate the pin in the hole with its rounded outer end 10 projecting radially from the skirt. The pins are retained in the holes 8 by a thick sealing disc 12 of rubber which is located as a push fit in an undercut portion 13 of the skirt adjacent to the crown, axially inwardly of the internal screw thread. The periphery of the sealing disc 12 bears on the flanges 11 of the pins and resiliently urges the pins outwards.

The cup fits with clearance over the cap. The projection of the pins 7 from the cap is such as to allow them to be deflected inwardly, against the resilient urging of the sealing disc 12, by the rim of the cup as it is pushed over the cap, and for the pins then to bear on the internal surface of the cup to hold the cup in place on the flask.

It will be appreciated that as the cap is screwed on the neck and the sealing disc 12 is engaged and compressed by the lip of the neck 2 the outward urging of the pins 7 is increased.

It will also be realised that, apart from its cap 3, the flask described may be made substantially similarly to the known flasks described herein having the retaining rings, and that in regard to the cap the only differences are the addition of the pins and the forming of the holes 8 in the cap instead of an annular locating groove for the retaining ring of the known cap.

Claims

1. A drinks flask having a cup which fits over a cap thereof and is releasably held on the flask by means of at least one pin at the cap or another part of the flask around which the circumferential wall of the cap extends, which pin projects laterally from the cap or other flask part and bears resiliently on an internal surface of the circumferential wall of the cup.

2. A drinks flask according to claim 1 wherein the pin is made of a resilient material whereby the resilient engagement with the internal surface of the cup is provided.

3. A drinks flask according to claim 1 wherein the pin is urged by resilient means into the resilient engagement with the internal surface of the cup.

4. A drinks flask according to claim 3 wherein the pin is urged by a helical compression spring located in a socket in the cap or other flask part in which an inner end of the pin is slidably received.

5. A drinks flask according to claim 3 wherein the pin is at the cap and extends through a skirt of the cap, and a sealing disc of resilient material located inside the cap is engaged at its periphery by an inner end of the pin, the sealing disc urging the pin resiliently outwards with respect to the cap into the resilient engagement with the internal surface of the cap.

6. A drinks flask according to claim 5 wherein the pin has a shank which is a sliding fit in a hole in the skirt of the cap and is longer than the thickness of the skirt, a rounded outer end and a flange at its inner end of larger diameter than the hole, the flange being arranged to abut against the internal surface of the skirt bordering the hole, thereby to locate the pin in the hole with its rounded outer end projecting from the skirt, and the sealing disc bearing at its periphery on the flange to urge the pin resiliently outwards and to retain the pin in the hole.

7. A drinks flask according to any preceding claim wherein the pin is made of a hard-wearing rigid, or substantially rigid, plastics material.

8. A drinks flask according to any of claims 1 to 6 wherein the pin is made of a non-corrosive metal.

9. A drinks flask according to any preceding claim wherein there are two of the pins which are diametrically opposed to one another.

10. A drinks flask according to claim 5 or claim 6 which is a spirit flask comprising a sheet metal body, an externally screw-threaded tubular neck secured and sealed to the top of the body, the cap which is made of metal and has an internal screw thread at a or the skirt thereof whereby the cap is screwed on to the neck, and the cup which is made of pressed metal is substantially cylindrical and fits with clearance over the cap, there being two of the pins at the cap which are located diametrically opposite to one another in the skirt and are urged to project radially from the skirt by the sealing disc into the resilient engagement with the internal surface of the cup.

11. A drinks flask substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying drawing.