GB2622105A - Pourer - Google Patents

Abstract

A pourer 10 for a liquid container comprises a housing 11 defining a through passage 12 with an entry end and an exit end. A pouring tube 17 is arranged in the passage to be movable between a use position in which the tube projects from the housing and a stored position in which the tube is retracted into the housing. An air supply tube 22 extends through the pouring tube. A drip-catching tube 26 surrounds the pouring tube at a spacing to define a receptacle for catching drips from the pouring tube and conducting collected liquid to a liquid return path 20 extending to the entry end of the passage. The drip-catching tube has a drip inlet 29 adjacent to a pouring outlet of the pouring tube, but spaced from the pouring outlet in the direction of the entry end of the passage. The drip-catching tube is carried by the pouring tube so that they are movable together and the relative positions of the drip inlet and pouring outlet are maintained.

Description

POURER

The present invention relates to a pourer for a container for liquid and has particular reference to a pourer intended to avoid spillage of poured liquid.

Pourers serve the purpose of facilitating dispensing or discharge of liquid from a container by making the discharge controllable and by limiting spillage. They can be an integral part of the container or a separate item fitted by the container manufacturer or an end user. Pourers are commonly used in a domestic context or in catering to dispense a wide range of liquids, including edible oils, vinegars, sauces, syrups and beverages such as wine. They are also extensively used in industrial, technological and commercial applications for dispensing lubricating oils, fuels and a variety of chemicals.

A problem connected with pouring liquid is the propensity for spillage to occur, especially due to drips from a container outlet, and the consequences of that. Many liquids when spilt give rise to permanent damage, for example when liquids liable to stain or cause corrosion or other material degeneration come into contact with fabrics, paintwork, porous surfaces and skin, to give but a few examples. Spillage invariably causes inconvenience to a greater or lesser degree, whether simple cleaning away of spilt liquid or, at the other extreme, repair work. Also important is directional control of poured liquid so that it can be directed towards a receptacle or opening. Pouring, as such, ranges from slow and possibly metered discharge by dripping and drizzling to unrestrained and rapid decanting and in all cases accuracy is desirable or essential to prevent spillage and wastage.

In a common pourer construction a rigid container neck is replaced by a flexible extensible/retractable neck which can be pulled out of the container body to provide a spout for targeted pouring and pushed back into the body to recover compact body dimensions, an example of such a pourer being shown in US Patent Specification 3326421. Pourers of this kind are generally of basic form and make no provision for preventing spillage due to drips or for allowing ingress of air, except by way of the spout cross-section, to replace discharged container content.

Pourer designs offering features intended to enhance utility are disclosed in, for example, US Patent Specification 6026994 and Canadian Patent Specification 2530227. The US document discloses a pourer assembly with a housing which is press-fitted in the neck of a bottle and in which is slidably mounted a retractable spring-loaded spout biased into an extended position in which it projects from an end of the housing to provide a nozzle for targeted discharge of the bottle content. The spout carries an air return tube positioned asymmetrically with respect to the spout axis and coterminous with the spout at its outlet end. The bottle is closable by a screw-fitted cap which, when applied, also serves to transfer the spout together with the air return tube to the retracted position. There is no provision in the pourer assembly for spillage prevention, in particular spillage resulting from drips released into the environment.

The pourer disclosed in the Canadian document is a development in which the air return tube, again positioned asymmetrically in the spout, is held in a fixed position in the assembly housing so that it is not carried by and thus does not travel with the retractable spring-loaded spout. The housing at its end remote from a bottle on which the pourer is mounted is formed as a drip catcher surrounding the spout and, like the air return tube, does not travel with the spout. When the spout is in its extended position, the drip catcher and also the air return tube are in relative terms spaced a considerable distance from the tip of the spout, with the result that there is uncertainty the drip catcher will necessarily be able to catch drips detaching from the tip. In addition, the buried location of the air entry end of the air return tube within the spout and the disposition of the tube at one side of the spout detract from the capability to induct air unless the pourer is carefully oriented with that side of the spout uppermost, which in itself can be regarded as a limitation on the use of the pourer.

It is therefore the principal object of the present invention to provide a pourer which is suitable for use with a container for liquid to enable dispensing of liquid, in particular by pouring, from the container and which is configured to reduce or entirely prevent the risk of spillage during use, especially by allowing accurate delivery and by reducing or eliminating the risk of migration of drips to the environment.

A subsidiary object of the invention is provision of a pourer which may be designed in such a way as to permit use in any rotational orientation without detracting from the functionality of the features of the pourer.

Yet another object of the invention is creation of a pourer in which air can be efficiently inducted to replace discharged liquid, especially by way of a path dedicated to air and largely or entirely remaining free of liquid.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a pourer for a container for liquid, the pourer comprising a housing which defines a through passage with an entry end and an exit end and which is mountable at an outlet of the container so that the passage can communicate at the entry end with the interior of the container, a pouring tube arranged in the passage to be movable between a use position in which the tube projects from the housing at the exit end of the passage and a stored position in which the tube is retracted into the housing relative to the use position, an air supply tube extending through the pouring tube to, in use, allow ingress of air to replace liquid discharged from the container via the pouring tube and a drip-catching tube surrounding the pouring tube at a spacing to define a receptacle for catching drips from the pouring tube and conducting collected liquid to a liquid return path extending to the entry end of the passage, the drip-catching tube having a drip inlet disposed adjacent to a pouring outlet of the pouring tube, but spaced from the pouring outlet in the direction of the entry end of the passage and the drip-catching tube being carried by the pouring tube to be movable therewith so that the relative positions of the drip inlet and pouring outlet can be maintained.

A pourer of this kind when fitted to or forming part of a container for liquid creates an extendible and retractable nozzle allowing, when extended, targeted delivery of liquid from the container in conjunction with induction of air to replace discharged liquid and interception of drips to minimise or eliminate spillage caused by drips. Nozzle retraction minimises unit size and nozzle extension allows aiming by the user towards a point of receipt of delivered liquid. A particular advantage of the pourer is the feature of drip catching by the drip-catching tube and collection of undelivered liquid, which is derived from drips, for return to the container. This avoids or reduces loss and wastage and, most importantly, spillage liable to contaminate and potentially cause harm to the environment. In that connection, maintenance of a desired relationship of the drip inlet of the drip-catching tube and the pouring outlet of the pouring tube has been identified as critical to effective interception of drips. Typically, a drip initially forms a globule of liquid adhering to the edge and outside of the pouring outlet before detaching when gravity overcomes surface tension. Excessive spacing of the pouring outlet and drip inlet, as in the discussed prior art pourer, allows drips an opportunity to escape to the environment. The adjacent positioning of pouring outlet and drip inlet in the case of a pourer embodying the present invention eliminates or significantly reduces this risk and ensures that most or all detaching drips are captured by the drip-catching tube. The positioning is preferably such that the lowermost point of the drip inlet and the lowermost point of the pouring outlet substantially lie on a vertical line when the pourer is oriented at or approximately at 45 degrees with the drip inlet and pouring outlet facing upwardly. In the case of pourer dimensions -in particular maximum diameters of the drip inlet and pouring outlet -appropriate to a container in the form of a typical bottle (for example of one to two litre capacity) the positioning is preferably represented by a spacing in the direction of the entry end of the passage of 2 to 3 millimetres, especially about 2.6 to 2.7 millimetres. In the case of larger or smaller diameters, the spacing can be proportionally larger or smaller. Because the drip-catching tube is carried by the pouring tube and thus accompanies the pouring tube movement, the selected spacing and therefore the critical relationship of the drip inlet of the drip-catching tube and the pouring outlet of the pouring tube are not affected by transfer of the pouring tube from the retracted (stored) to the extended (use) position.

For preference the liquid return path is open in the stored position and closed in the use position of the pouring tube. The selective opening and closing of the path ensures that in the use position of the pouring tube the pourer can be tipped for discharge of liquid via the pouring tube as intended, but not additionally via the liquid return path, whereas in the stored position of the pouring tube, thus when the pourer is not intended to be used for dispensing liquid, the open liquid return path allows liquid collected by the drip-catching tube to return to the interior of a container to which the pourer is fitted. With advantage, the pourer comprises valve means for opening and closing the liquid return path, so that open and closed states of the liquid return path can be defined in a positive manner. In a simple, but effective construction the valve means may be formed by co-operable surfaces of, respectively, the housing and the pouring tube, in which case the valve function is achieved by suitable shaping of basic components of the pourer and no further parts are required. These co-operable surfaces are preferably annular surfaces inclined relative to an axis of the passage between its entry and exit ends, so that the surfaces form a cone valve and promote, in the region of the valve, a smooth flow of liquid along the liquid return path in the direction of the entry end of the passage. The liquid return path itself can be bounded at one side by an external peripheral surface of the pouring tube, which can provide a direct and uninterrupted course of the path.

In a preferred embodiment at least one of the pouring outlet and the drip inlet is flared, which in the case of the pouring outlet results in an enlarged outlet diameter for easier outflow of poured liquid and produces a more gradual transition from guided flow to free flow, i.e. prolonged adhesion to the outside of the pouring tube, and in the case of the drip inlet creates an enlarged inlet cross-sectional area for catching drips. The tubes themselves are preferably coaxial or concentric, which has the advantage that the pourer can be used in any rotational orientation, thus omnidirectional use, without influence on pouring, drip-catching and air supply behaviour. The coaxiality of the pouring tube and air supply tube and thus positioning of the latter at the centre of the former promotes laminar flow of the poured liquid, with the benefit that control of the flow rate of the liquid is facilitated.

For preference the drip-catching tube is guided by a boundary wall of the passage and has at least one encircling liquid-collecting groove at its outer circumference to resist or minimise entrainment of liquid by the drip-catching tube during its travel when the pouring tube moves to the use position. This arrangement thus acts to resist conveying of liquid, which may still be present in the liquid return path, to the exit end of the passage when the drip-catching tube moves along the boundary wall of the passage in the relevant direction of travel. The arrangement, i.e. the groove or grooves, also inhibits movement of liquid in the same direction by capillary effect. Further, any liquid which is present between the boundary wall of the passage and the outer circumference of the drip-catching tube acts as a lubricant to assist the guided movement.

At the other side or end of the pourer, that is to say the end intended to face into a container, the air supply tube preferably projects beyond the entry end of the passage and an inlet of the pouring tube so as to reduce any tendency for liquid to enter the air supply tube, in particular when in use the pourer is tilted for pouring liquid, and to instead promote entry of air at an air entry end of the air supply tube. The projection of the air supply tube beyond the entry end of the passage and an inlet of the pouring tube results in creation of a pressure difference within the container to encourage ingress of air into container via the air supply tube. The extent of projection of the air supply tube into, in practice, the interior of a container or which the pourer is mounted is preferably limited so that the tube will, after discharge of an initial amount of liquid, terminate above the level of the container content in the usual rest state of the container. This termination in an internal air space of the container allows any liquid that may have entered the tube to run or drip out into the body of liquid below.

In a preferred embodiment the pouring tube is resiliently biased into the use position so that this position is a default setting and the stored position requires constraint, for example by way of a removable cap, against return to the use position. The resilient bias can be conveniently provided by the compact and inexpensive medium of a coil spring, which can be readily accommodated in the passage and in that location act between the housing and the drip-catching tube. The spring can thus be fully concealed and bear against support surfaces of appropriate area and rigidity at the housing, for example an internal shoulder of the housing, and the drip-catching tube, for example an end of the drip-catching tube remote from the drip inlet; the action of the spring on the drip-catching tube is transmitted to the pouring tube, since the tubes move as one. The spring, which can concentrically surround the pouring tube, may require only a relative short length and low spring rate in order to exercise its function.

If a cap is provided to constrain the pouring tube it is preferably detachably securable to the housing to cover the tubes and in that case, when the pourer is fitted to a container with liquid content, serves to prevent escape of liquid from the container. The arrangement can be such that the pouring tube is movable into the stored position by the cap when the latter is secured to the housing. In the embodiment in which the pouring tube is resiliently biased into the use position the cap, when being secured to the housing, can move the pouring tube together with the drip-catching tube against the bias, which then acts to automatically return the pouring tube to the use position when the cap is removed. For preference the cap during securing to the housing bears on the drip-catching tube to transmit force to move the pouring tube into the stored position, in which case the cap preferably bears on a flange of the drip-catching tube to transmit the force. The interengagement of the cap and flange protects the tube extremities themselves from possibly damaging application of force by the cap and avoids contamination of the cap with liquid, such as might occur if the cap engaged the inlet end, which may carry liquid residue, of the drip-catching tube.

The cap itself can be securable to the housing by various methods, but preferably by screw-connection or clipping. The housing can be constructed, for example as an injection-moulded plastics material part, with sufficient strength and rigidity to incorporate a screw thread or clipping detent without susceptibility to distortion. If the cap is clipped, it can be retained at the housing by a hinge so as to be a captive part of the pourer. A captive cap potentially simplifies use of the pourer by reducing the number of manipulations involved in pouring and by removing the risk of the cap being mislaid, but at the possible expense of limiting the range of rotational orientation of the pourer for pouring.

Although the movement of the pouring tube together with drip-catching tube between the use position and storage position is preferably accomplished with the use of resilient biasing into the former position and urging into the latter position against the bias by application of a cap, it is conceivable to provide mechanically positive actuation in both directions of movement by way of, for example, a rack and pinion drive, a nut and spindle drive, a lever mechanism or even a solenoid or other electromagnetic drive. These alternative methods of imparting movement to the tubes might to some extent be subject to penalties of weight and complication, but offer the possibility of positive location in each of the use and storage positions In one preferred construction of the pourer, mounting of the housing on a container is achieved by way of a plug portion of the housing, the plug portion being insertable into the container outlet for sealed retention therein. If the housing is made of a slightly yielding or compressible material, for example a suitable plastic, the housing can be a push fit into a neck or other receptacle of the container and retained by the force exerted by the deflected or compressed material, which can also create a seal between the plug portion and receiving part of the container. It is equally possible to provide mechanically positive retention of the housing at the container, for example by way of a screw connection, preferable in conjunction with one or more resilient sealing rings.

The invention also embraces, in a second aspect, an assembly comprising a liquid container with an outlet and a pourer according to the first aspect of the invention, the housing of the pourer being mounted at the outlet of the container so that the passage of the housing communicates at the passage entry end with the interior of the container. Such an assembly can be realised by the pourer and any suitable container, including a proprietary container. The pourer may be removable from the container, but could equally well be a permanent fitting, in which case the container, pourer and a liquid filling of the container may constitute a retail unit. In a preferred simple form of the assembly the container has a neck and the pourer is sealingly fitted in the neck. The necked container is typically a rotationally symmetrical bottle, but the pourer can be used in conjunction with any appropriate form of container including box-shaped containers of generally cubical or cuboidal form. If the container is a bottle it could be made of deformable material to allow, if desired, a faster discharge of liquid content by compression of the bottle so that discharge takes place under pressure. The pourer then permits discharge produced by gravity of the liquid without applied pressure and forced expulsion with applied pressure.

In one embodiment of the assembly the air supply tube of the pourer projects beyond the entry end of the passage of the housing of the pourer to the vicinity of a base of the container. This provides optimised separation of liquid and air within the container during discharge of the liquid via the pourer and assists intake of air under the effect of differential pressure as mentioned above.

A preferred embodiment of the pourer will now be more particularly described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of a pourer embodying the invention, showing a pouring tube, drip-catching tube and air supply tube of the pourer in a use position relative to a surrounding housing of the pourer; Fig. 2 is an elevation similar to Fig. 1, but with a cap of the pourer fitted to the housing and with the tubes in a storage position, the pouring and drip-catching tubes being wholly unsectioned and the housing and cap partly unsectioned in the righthand half of Fig. 2; Fig. 3 is a simplified, schematic view to a reduced scale of the pourer of Fig. 1 with the tubes in the use position, but with the pourer in a downwardly tilted orientation for pouring and with pouring taking place; Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, but with the pourer in an upwardly tilted transitional orientation in which the tubes are still in the use position and drips from the pouring tube are being caught by the drip-catching tube; Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, but with the pourer in an upright storage orientation and with the cap fitted and the tubes in the storage position, and Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation of part of a modified pourer embodying the invention.

Referring now to the drawings there is shown in Figs. 1 to 5 a pourer 10 for a container for liquid, in relation to which the pourer can in principle be a removably attachable or permanently attached fitting for or of the container (not shown). The container can be a bottle, box, flagon, flask or any other suitable form of storage vessel that can be manipulated, in particular tilted, to discharge a liquid content or part of a liquid content by pouring. The pourer can be used with any liquid with a viscosity allowing relatively free flow during pouring and is especially intended for a liquid capable of forming drips at the point of departure from the container. A particular field of use of the pourer is in conjunction with liquids such as oils and chemical products of a character that may give rise to issues if spillage, such as from drips, occurs and/or in situations in which targeted delivery if liquid during pouring is desirable.

The pourer 10, in particular its constituent parts as described below, can be made from, for example, plastics material, elastomeric material, metallic material or any combination of these materials and by any suitable methods, for example moulding, extrusion, casting, stamping and forging. The principal part of the pourer 10 is represented by a generally cylindrical housing 11 which can be mounted at an outlet of a container and which defines a through passage 12 with an entry end and with an exit end bounded by a chamfer of the housing, the entry end being in communication with the interior of the container when the pourer is mounted. In the illustrated embodiment of the pourer, which by way of example is intended for mounting in the neck of a bottle, a lower part of the housing 11 in the orientation in Figs. 1 and 2 has the form of a mounting shank 13 with spaced-apart encircling grip ribs 14 at its outer circumference. The maximum diameter of the shank 13, thus of the ribs 14, is determined by reference to a given internal diameter of the neck of the bottle so that when the shank is inserted into the neck the ribs 14 pressurably engage the internal surface of the neck so as to frictionally retain the pourer in the neck and provide a liquid-tight seal. For this purpose, it is advantageous of the housing 11 is made of a material with a compliance so that the ribs can yield, especially resiliently compress, under the pressurable engagement. Alternatively, the shank 13 could be provided at its outer circumference with spaced-apart encircling grooves receiving rubber 0-rings which have the same function as the ribs 14, but which allow greater tolerance in fit.

The upper part of the housing 11 in Figs. 1 and 2 is integrally formed with an internally threaded shroud 15 providing a screw connection point for an externally threaded hollow cap 16, which is shown in Fig. 2 screwed into the shroud and thereby secured to the housing. The secured cap 16 covers, at a spacing, the exit end of the passage 12 and in more general terms functions as a closure, especially a hermetic closure, of the container outlet when the pourer is mounted. As already mentioned, however, a captive hinged cap can be employed in place of a screw-connected cap and configured to exercise the same function.

Pouring of liquid by the pourer 10 is achieved by way of a pouring tube 17 coaxially arranged in the passage 12 to be movable between a use position (Figs. 1, 3 and 4) in which the pouring tube projects from the housing 11 at the exit end of the passage and a stored position (Figs. 2 and 5) in which the pouring tube is retracted into the housing 11 relative to the use position, but still projects -to a smaller extent -from the passage exit end. The pouring tube 17 is composed of a generally cylindrical main shaft section 17a disposed at a spacing from a surrounding boundary wall 12a of the passage 12 and terminating at its upper end in a flare, which forms a pouring outlet 18 of the tube, a frustoconical intermediate section 17b connected at its narrower cone end with the lower end of the shaft section 17a, and a substantially cylindrical skirt section 17c connected with the wider cone end of the intermediate section and also disposed at a spacing from the boundary wall 12a of the passage 12, this spacing being much smaller than that at the shaft section 17a. The intermediate section 17b of the pouring tube is surrounded in part by a frusto-conical portion, which has the same cone angle as the intermediate section, of the passage wall 12a. In the use position of the pouring tube as shown in Fig. 1 the frustoconical intermediate section 17b and the frusto-conical portion of the passage wall 12a bear against one another by co-operating annular surfaces thereof, which by virtue of the identical conicity of the intermediate section 17b and frusto-conical portion of the passage wall have the same inclination relative to an axis 12b of the passage 12 between its entry and exit ends. Conversely, in the stored position of the pouring tube 17 as shown in Fig. 2 the annular surfaces are spaced from one another. The co-operating annular surfaces accordingly form a cone valve 19 with the pouring tube acting as a movable valve body and the housing as a stationary valve seat. The annular surface of the frusto-conical portion of the passage wall 12a is, however, reduced in area by a centrally positioned encircling groove so that a sealing action of the valve is achieved by way of, in effect, two sealing edges, which outlie the groove and provide more concentrated sealing pressure, and also by way of a pocket of liquid that in use accumulates in the groove.

The space present between the external peripheries of the sections 17a to 17c of the pouring tube 17 and the surrounding boundary wall 12a of the passage 12 in the stored position of the tube 17 defines a liquid return path 20 which runs from the entry end to the exit end of the passage and which is open in the stored position, but closed by the valve 18 in the use position of the pouring tube.

The pouring tube 17 is resiliently biased into the use position by a helical compression or thrust spring 21 arranged in the passage 12 concentrically with the shaft portion 17a of the tube 17. The spring 21 acts between an annular step in the wall 12a of the passage 12 and a component carried by the pouring tube 17 as described further below. As also described below, the pouring tube is movable into the stored position by the cap 16 against the bias of the spring 21 when the cap is secured to the shroud 15 of the housing 11. This movement of the pouring tube can equally well be provided by a hinged cap if used instead of the screw cap 16. In either case, the helical thread of the screw cap or the leverage of a hinged cap supplies mechanical advantage to readily overcome the resistance of the spring.

In addition to the pouring tube 17 for discharge of liquid from a container to which the pourer 10 is fitted the pourer includes an air supply tube 22 extending coaxially through the pouring tube to, in use, allow ingress of air to replace discharged liquid. The air supply tube 22 projects beyond both the flared pouring outlet 18 of the pouring tube 17 and the opposite end, which functions as a liquid inlet, of the pouring tube and preferably also beyond the entry end of the passage 12, which is represented by the free end of the mounting shank 13. Preferential induction of air by the air supply tube 22 externally of the container as opposed to undesired intake of liquid internally of the container is a function of differential pressure within a container to which the pourer is fitted and accordingly the tube 22 can extend only a short distance beyond the free end of the shank 13. It is desirable if the tube 22 can terminate above the liquid filling of the container in its stored or upright state, so that any liquid remaining in the tube can escape into an air space. Such an air space, if it does not exist at the outset, may arise relatively quickly after discharge of a small proportion of liquid content has taken place.

The air supply tube 22 is carried by and thus movable with the pouring tube 17.

Specifically, the air supply tube comprises a metal tube 23 extending through and fixed in a bore of an injection-moulded plastics material carrier (not shown) which has integrally formed webs 24 projecting radially outwardly of the metal tube and serving for attachment of the air supply tube 22 to the pouring tube 17 at its inner circumference. In this embodiment, two diametrically opposite webs are present (only one shown, in the lefthand half of Fig. 1), but a greater number -preferably uniformly spaced-apart around the axis 12b -can be provided. The end portion of each web 24 towards the pouring outlet 18 is constructed as a resilient prong 25 which, as can be seen in Fig. 1, at its radially outer edge is gently tapered outwardly in the direction of its free end. At the base of the prong 25, the web 24 gently tapers outwardly in the direction of its opposite end, with the consequence that the web widens in opposite directions from the region of the base of the prong. The pouring tube 17 is formed at its inner circumference in the region of the web 24 with complementary tapers so as to produce a mechanical interlock with the web and thereby locate the air supply tube 22 in the pouring tube 17. For the purpose of assembly the air supply tube 22 is inserted into the pouring tube 17 at the end thereof opposite the pouring end 18, in the course of which each prong 25 resiliently bends inwardly until it passes the junction of the oppositely directed tapers of the inner circumference of the pouring tube and then under spring force returns to the relaxed state shown in Fig. 1. Location of the air supply tube 23 in the pouring tube 17 can be enhanced if complementary interengageable detent shoulders are formed, respectively, at each web 24 at the base of the prong 25 and at the inner circumference of the pouring tube 17, in particular shoulders which interengage in the finally inserted position of the air supply tube 22 so as to resist return movement in the direction opposite to the direction of insertion.

The interlock of the tubes 17 and 23 achieved by the oppositely directed tapers provides secure fixing of the latter in in the former by way of a simple assembly procedure, but other means of fixing the air supply tube in the pouring tube are possible, including use of adhesive, co-moulding, press-fitting and/or fasteners.

A particular feature of the pourer 10 is inclusion of means for catching drips from the pouring tube 17 to reduce or eliminate spillage, which emanates from escaping drips, during use of the pourer. These means take the form of a relatively short drip-catching tube 26 concentrically surrounding the pouring tube 17 over an upper part of the length of its shaft section 17a and at a spacing from that section so as to define a receptacle for catching drips from the pouring tube and conducting collected liquid, thus liquid originating from an intercepted drip or intercepted drips, to the liquid return path 20. The drip-catching tube 26 is fixedly attached to the pouring tube 17 at a plurality of attachment points, for example three or four such points, formed by radially outwardly projecting resilient clips 27 provided at the outer circumference of the tube 17 at uniform spacings therearound and a common co-operating detent shoulder 28 at the inner circumference of the tube 26; the clips 27 are present in the liquid return path 20, but create only inconsequential obstruction of the path. The clips 27, of which one is shown in the lefthand half of each of Figs. 1 and 2, are integral with the pouring tube 17, here an injection-moulded plastic material component. As can be seen in those figures, the clips 27 of the pouring tube 17 and the inner circumference of the drip-catching tube 26 have mutually complementary surfaces slightly inclined relative to the passage axis 12b so that the drip-catching tube 26 firmly seats on the pouring tube 17, in particular on its clips 27, after assembly by pushing the former onto the latter until undercut noses of the clips 27 engage behind (with respect to the direction of pushing) the detent shoulder 28. In order to increase the area for interception of drips from the pouring tube 17 the drip-catching tube 26 has a flared drip inlet 29 disposed adjacent to the pouring outlet 18 of the pouring tube 17, but spaced from the pouring outlet 18 in the direction of the entry end of the passage 12. As mentioned earlier, the adjacent positioning of the pouring outlet 18 and the drip inlet 29 facilitates capture of drips detaching from the pouring outlet, as discussed further below with reference to Fig. 4, and ensures that most or all detaching drips are captured by the drip-catching tube.

By contrast with the prior art, the drip-catching tube 26 is carried by the pouring tube 17 and thus movable therewith, so that the relative positions of the pouring outlet 18 and the drip inlet 29 are invariable and the drip-catching capability of the drip-catching tube 26 is not compromised by change in an optimal relationship, i.e. spacing, of the outlet 18 and inlet 29. The spring 21, which bears at one end on the above-mentioned annular step in the passage wall 12a, acts at its other end on the end of the drip-catching tube 26 remote from the drip inlet 29 and by virtue of the fixed connection of the drip-catching tube 26 with the pouring tube 17 urges the latter into its use position and correspondingly resists movement into the stored position.

The drip-catching tube 26 and hence the pouring tube 17 together with the air supply tube 22 are guided by the boundary wall 12a of the passage 12, the tube 26 having several encircling liquid-collecting grooves at its outer circumference to minimise entrainment of liquid when the pouring tube is moved into its discharge position and also to discourage capillary migration of liquid in the direction of the drip inlet 29. Any liquid which is entrained by the drip-catching tube 26 tends to collect in the grooves and can act as a lubricant to ease movement of the tube assembly 17/22/24 relative the housing 11.

Finally, the drip-catching tube 26 is integrally formed at its outer circumference and adjacent to its flared end forming the drip inlet 29 with an annular flange 30 which provides a bearing point for an internal step of the cap 16 during securing to the housing 11 by screwing into the shroud 15. During securing, the cap 16 slidingly bears on the flange 30 to transmit force to the drip-catching tube 26 and thence to the pouring tube 17 to move the latter into the stored position against the force of the spring 21. Conversely, when the cap 16 is unscrewed, the pouring tube is released for automatic movement by the spring 21 into the use position. The bearing point provided by the flange 30 avoids the need for direct engagement of the cap 16 with the adjacent free ends of the tubes 17, 22 and 26 so as to prevent damage and, more particularly, preclude transfer of liquid residue to the inside of the cap; any transfer of liquid other than the directed pouring to a desired location is undesirable and tantamount to spillage. This measure promotes cleanliness, in the sense of freedom from liquid contamination, of the liquid discharge or pouring region of the pourer 10.

Use of the pourer 10 is evident in general from the foregoing description and is described in more detail in the following with reference to Figs. 3 to 5. The pourer is mounted on a container (not shown) for liquid by -in the case of the pourer construction of Figs. 1 and 2 -insertion of the shank 13 of the housing 11 into a neck of the container, for example a bottle, in which case the resiliently compressible ribs 14 co-operate with the inner circumferential surface of the neck to provide sealed retention of the pourer in the neck. The container, partly or wholly filled with pourable liquid, is normally stored standing on its base and thus with the pourer at the top. In order to discharge liquid from the container the cap 16 is removed and the container tilted into an attitude usual for pouring, such as represented by the inclined pourer orientation shown in Fig. 3 with the pouring outlet 18 downward. In this orientation the valve 19 is closed and thus the liquid return path 20 blocked. Liquid can exit the container via the pouring tube 17 as indicated by the arrows pointing downwardly in Fig. 3 and replacement air can enter the container via the air supply tube 22 as indicated by the arrows pointing upwardly. The entry of air into the tube 22 from outside the container rather than liquid from within the container is, as already stated, promoted by differential pressure within the container as a consequence of the extension of the air supply tube into the container beyond the pouring tube. The protrusion of the pouring tube 17 beyond the exit end of the passage 12 assists aiming of the pourer so that the issuing liquid can have a trajectory directed towards a place of intended receipt of the liquid and the flared end of the shaft section 17a of the pouring tube, thus the pouring outlet 18, promotes smooth flow of the liquid at the point of departure from the tube.

The pouring action is typically terminated by returning the container and pourer to an upright stance with the pourer uppermost as shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 4 shows a transitional state between the pouring orientation of Fig. 4 and the storage orientation of Fig. 5, specifically a state in which the container and pourer are tilted so that the pouring outlet 18 now faces upwardly. In the course of this movement, residual liquid that has reached the lip of the flared pouring outlet attaches under surface tension to the lip and also to the concave surface under the lip at the outside of the pouring tube and forms an accumulation which, in the case of a liquid of usual viscosity, detaches as a drip when gravitational force overcomes the surface tension. As shown by the arcuate arrow in Fig. 4, such a drip will fall into the drip inlet 29 of the drip-catching tube 26 and thus be caught by the latter and led to the liquid return path 20. The lowermost point of the pouring outlet 18 and the lowermost point of the drip inlet 29 lie on a notional vertical line when the pourer is oriented as shown in Fig. 4, thus at approximately 45 degrees with the outlet 18 and inlet 29 facing upwardly. In the illustrated embodiment, the distance between the outlet 18 and inlet 29 along the notional vertical line is 2 to 3 millimetres, more specifically about 2.6 to 2.7 millimetres.

As the container and pourer 10 are moved towards the upright position shown in Fig. 5 liquid collected by the drip-catching tube 26 can run down the liquid return path 20 in the direction of the exit end of the passage 12, although the valve 19 remains closed by the action of the spring 21 until the cap 16 is applied and tightened onto the flange 30 of the drip-catching tube 26, whereupon the tube assembly 17/22/26 is displaced into a storage position and the valve 19 opened. The collected liquid can then run fully through the liquid return path 20 to depart from the pourer at the exit end of the passage and return to the interior of the container. In the course of running along the path 20 the collected liquid migrates around the internal circumference of the drip-catching tube 26 and ultimately flows in at least a substantial part of the cross-section of the path 20.

The spring-loaded tube assembly 17/22/26 upon cap removal provides automatic movement of the pouring tube 17 from its stored position to its use position and consequently closing of the valve 19 without user intervention. However, displacement of the pouring tube in that direction and also in the opposite direction, i.e. from the use position to the stored position, as well as conjunctive valve operation can be achieved by other means, including a positive drive system, for example a manually operated rack and pinion, capable of retaining the pouring tube in each of the use positon and stored position. This may also be achievable by suitable weighting of the tube assembly so that gravitational force alone or optionally with a small spring assist in the direction of the use position is sufficient to move the pouring tube between its two positions and to open and close the valve. Also conceivable is lever operation in which, for example, a lever is manually actuated by finger pressure to move the pouring tube into the use position and is spring-loaded to return the tube to the stored position once the pressure is removed.

Fig. 6 shows a modification in which the drip-catching tube 26 is formed outwardly of the drip inlet with an auxiliary collector 31 in the form of an annular trough which is set back slightly relative to the drip inlet 29 and which is positioned to collect any overflow liquid, such as might possibly arise if the pourer is held in a generally horizontal attitude for an extended period of time to achieve a slow rate of pouring of a viscous liquid. This circumstance may induce a build-up of liquid in the pouring tube 17 and drip-catching tube 26 with the result that liquid ultimately pours from the latter as well as the former. The base of the trough has drain openings 32 to allow collected liquid to pass from the collector 31 into the passage 12 at its exit end, the boundary chamfer of which is in this case concave to attract, by capillary effect, any liquid that may have reached the outside of the collector 31.

A pourer embodying the invention can be produced economically from, especially, injection-moulded plastics material components and proprietary metal parts such as the metal tube for air supply and the spring and enables targeted pouring of liquid with reduction in or elimination of the risk of spillage due to drips.

Claims (21)

1. CLAIMSA pourer for a container for liquid, the pourer comprising a housing which defines a through passage with an entry end and an exit end and which is mountable at an outlet of the container so that the passage can communicate at the entry end with the interior of the container, a pouring tube arranged in the passage to be movable between a use position in which the tube projects from the housing at the exit end of the passage and a stored position in which the tube is retracted into the housing relative to the use position, an air supply tube extending through the pouring tube to, in use, allow ingress of air to replace liquid discharged from the container via the pouring tube and a drip-catching tube surrounding the pouring tube at a spacing to define a receptacle for catching drips from the pouring tube and conducting collected liquid to a liquid return path extending to the entry end of the passage, the drip-catching tube having a drip inlet disposed adjacent to a pouring outlet of the pouring tube, but spaced from the pouring outlet in the direction of the entry end of the passage and the drip-catching tube being carried by the pouring tube to be movable therewith so that the relative positions of the drip inlet and pouring outlet can be maintained.
2. 2. A pourer according to claim 1, wherein the liquid return path is open in the stored position and closed in the use position of the pouring tube.
3. 3. A pourer according to claim 2, comprising valve means for opening and closing the liquid return path.
4. 4. A pourer according to claim 3, the valve means being formed by co-operable surfaces of, respectively, the housing and the pouring tube.
5. 5. A pourer according to claim 4, wherein the co-operable surfaces are annular surfaces inclined relative to an axis of the passage between its entry and exit ends.
6. 6. A pourer according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the liquid return path is bounded at one side by an external peripheral surface of the pouring tube.
7. 7. A pourer according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one of the pouring outlet and the drip inlet is flared.
8. 8. A pourer according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the tubes are coaxial.
9. 9. A pourer according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the drip-catching tube is guided by a boundary wall of the passage and has at least one encircling liquid-collecting groove at its outer circumference to resist or minimise entrainment of liquid by the drip-catching tube during its travel when the pouring tube moves to the discharge position.
10. 10. A pourer according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the air supply tube projects beyond the entry end of the passage and an inlet of the pouring tube.
11. 11. A pourer according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the pouring tube is resiliently biased into the use position.
12. 12. A pourer according to claim 11, wherein the resilient bias is provided by a coil spring.
13. 13. A pourer according to claim 12, wherein the spring is accommodated in the passage and acts between the housing and the drip-catching tube.
14. 14. A pourer according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a removable cap detachably securable to the housing to cover the tubes.
15. 15. A pourer according to claim 14, wherein the pouring tube is movable into the stored position by the cap when being secured to the housing.
16. 16. A pourer according to claim 15, wherein the cap during securing to the housing bears on the drip-catching tube to transmit force to move the pouring tube into the stored position.
17. 17. A pourer according to claim 16, wherein the cap bears on a flange of the drip-catching tube to transmit the force.
18. 18. A pourer according to any one of claims 14 to 17, wherein the cap is securable to the housing by one of a screw-connection and clipping.
19. 19. A pourer according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the housing has plug portion insertable into the container outlet for sealed retention therein.
20. 20. An assembly comprising a liquid container with an outlet and a pourer according to any one of the preceding claims, the housing of the pourer being mounted at an outlet of the container so that the passage of the housing communicates at its entry end with the interior of the container.
21. 21. An assembly according to claim 20, wherein the container has a neck and the pourer is sealingly fitted in the neck.