GB2174971A - A removable pouring device - Google Patents

Abstract

A pouring device for releasable attachment to an open container comprises a spout of resilient material and of channel form 1 having one end of part circular configuration 2, the channel narrowing from this end to an outer tip, the sides of which form a constriction 10 in the flow path formed by the channel 1. The part circular end 2 is provided with a peripheral recess between two parallel flanges which, upon manual depression of the spout, may be engaged securely with the rim 3 of the container, the upper flange 4 overlying the channel 7 in the rim of the container. The constriction 10 is configured to prevent spillage during pouring, this being particularly useful where the liquid is paint. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A removable pouring device Field of the invention The present invention relates to a pouring device for releasable attachment to a container particularly containing a viscous material, to enable the container contents to be dispensed without leaving a residue of the material being poured around the rim and!or outside walls of the container, the poured viscous material as an example, being paint from a conventional paint tin.

Background of the invention The action of pouring paint from a conventional paint tin, for example when it becomes necessary to thin small quantities of the paint, use a portion of the contents of the tin for application to a working surface by roller or spray, or where the paint has to be intermittently used as a mixing component of some final paint colour which it is desired to achieve, can lead to problems using present methods.

Thus by virtue of the fact that the paint is usually poured over the rim of the tin, certain quantities have the tendency to run down its sides either during or after pouring, and a residue is always left in the channel formed around the rim of the conventional paint tin, both these results inevitably occurring irrespective of the normally employed attempts to clean the sides of the tin or the rim by brushing or with a rag, before replacing the lid.

Obliteration of the sides of a paint tin by paint residue is quite undesirable in the case of industrial paint mixing because, apart from the wastage involved the residue is liable to cover the identification code and colour identification thus rendering it of no further use unless time consuming efforts to ascertain its identity are resorted to.

Moreover any residue left in the rim channel will set hard in time, and thus when the lid is removed the hardened paint will flake and contaminate the usable paint in the interior of the tin, which then has to be filtered before it can be used.

The above discussion will reveal that there is a distinct need for a pouring device which may be readily attached to the rim of open tins and containers particularly those containing viscous fluids such as paint, in a fast releasable fashion without complicated manoeuvres, and which will ensure that the fluid being poured is directed wholly or substantially wholly into the receiving receptacle, and that any fluid which may escape other than through the pouring device does not get into the rim channel or deposit itself catastrophically down the side of the container.

- It is to solving the problems of the prior art and to achieving the objectives above stated that the present invention is primarily directed.

Summary of the invention According to the invention there is provided a pouring device made of a resilient material for re leasable attachment to an open container compris ing a spout portion, and means on the spout portion which by resilient depression and subsequent release is engageable with the rim of the container to allow the contents of the container to be dispensed through the spout portion.

In this way the pouring device may be readily attached to a container just by simple hand manipulation which is of considerable usefulness where the need to mix paints on a regular basis arises.

The spout portion may be in the form of a channelled element one end of which is provided with a recessed rim of part circular configuration so that deformation of the rim by squeezing the two ends of the rim together between for example the thumb and first two fingers of the hand, allows the device to be inserted within a representative paint tin for example, and then released so that the recessed rim, having appropriate dimensions in respect of the tin to which it is to be attached, engages, between its opposing walls, a portion of the flanged rim of the tin, so firmly attaching the pouring device in place to allow pouring to commence.

The recess in the rim of the channelled element may be provided between two parallel flanges formed on the channelled element, the uppermost flange being of a size such as to cover the channel found in the flanged rims of normal paint tins for example, when the pouring device is in place and ready to be used.

In this way any paint spillage which may occur will not be allowed to collect in this channel even over many paint mixing operations, so that the lid of the tin may be replaced between such operations without the need to worry about dried paint residue subsequently flaking during opening and contaminating the contents of the t in Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention given by way of illustrative example only with reference to the drawings.

Brief description of the drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of a pouring device according to the invention; and Figure 2 is a perspective view of the pouring device of Figure 1 in the engaged position on the rim of a conventional paint tin.

Best modes of carrying out the invention The following preferred embodiment will be described with reference to its application to pouring paint from a normal paint tin but this must not be taken in any limiting sense as regards the scope of the invention as defined in the claims appendant hereto.

The pouring device shown in Figures 1 and 2 is made of a resilient stiff plastics material and comprises a spout portion in the form of a channelled element 1 one end 2 of which is part circular to conform to the circular rim 3 of a representative paint tin from which material is to be poured, shown in Figure 2.

The part circular rim 2 of the channelled element 1 is provided with a pair of spaced part circular flanges 4 defining between them a peripheral recess 5, the distance between the flanges 4 defining the recess 5 corresponding to the thickness of the flanged rim 6 of the representative paint tin shown in Figure 2.

The depth of the uppermost flange 4' is at least minimally designed to cover the channel 7 formed in the flanged rim 6 of the paint tin shown in Figure 2, so that in its mounted position it covers the channel 7 and prevents paint which may find its way down the spout portion, collecting in it.

The channelled element 1 is formed of a base portion 8 of constant part circular configuration conforming to the recessed rim 2, the base portion 8 gradually narrowing from adjacent the uppermost flange 4' to the tip of the channelled element forming the outlet of the pouring device, and being bounded by two opposing inwardly directed walls 9 forming a constriction 10 in the flow path of the channelled element 1.It has been found that a preferred angle of inclination of the inwardly directed walls 9 of the channelled section 1 with respect to the base portion 8, is, or is in the region of, 16 for a 1 litre paint tin for example, and 26 for a 5 litre tin, thereby to form, in proportion to the variable sizes of the base portion 8 required to fit differing rim diameters, a spout configuration commensurate with ensuring maximum pouring efficiency and minimal spillage.

In essence the configuration is such as to assist in ensuring that paint being poured is constrained to be directed towards the receiving receptacle (not shown) so avoiding spillage down the sides of the pouring device, and thence to the sides of the paint tin.

Since the device is made of a resilient material the ends of the recessed rim 2 may be gripped between the thumb and two fingers of the hand, for example, depressed and then subsequently released to adopt the position shown in Figure 2 where the rim 6 of the paint tin of Figure 2 is received within the recess 5 and held in position by means of the parallel flanges 4 gripping the upper and lower sides of the said rim 6 of the paint tin.

Also in this position the uppermost flange 4' covers the channel 7 and prevents paint collecting there should any by chance run down the body of the channel element 1 forming the pouring spout.

Claims (5)

1. A pouring device for releasable attachment to an open container comprising a spout portion, and means on the spout portion which by resilient depression and subsequent release is engageable with the rim of the container to allow the contents of the container to be dispensed through the spout portion.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the spout portion is in the form of a channelled element, said engageable means being formed by a recessed rim at one end of said channelled element into which is complementarily received the rim of a said container to effect said engagement upon release from a said resilient depressed position.

3. A device as claimed in claim 2 wherein said recessed rim forming said engageable means is of part circular configuration, the body of said chan nelled element being at that end adjacent the re cessed rim of similar circular configuration and extending therefrom to the tip of said spout por tion to form a narrowing base of the channelled element of constant circular profile and bounded by inwardly directed opposed side walls which form a constricted section in the flow path of the channelled element to retain fluid therewithin mov inq, or which has moved, in said flow path.

4. A device as claimed in claim 3 wherein said recessed rim is formed between two flanges between which is engaged the rim of a said container in said released position with an upperm -ost flange of said flanges extending to cover he channel in said flanged rim of a said representative container.

5. A pouring device substantially as hereinbe fore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.