US1952558A - Nonrefillable liquid-dispensing can - Google Patents

Description

March 27, 1934. G a L R 1,952,558

NONREFILLABLE LIQUID DISPENSING CAN Filed July 50, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR March 27, 1934. e. s. MILLER NONREFILLABLE LIQUID DISPENSING CAN 2 Shets-Sheet 2 Filed July 30, 1952 ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 27, 1934 ETE ill STATES PATENT OFFICE 5 Claims.

This invention relates to containers for lubricating oils, liquid fuels and the like, and more particularly refers to improvements in dispensing cans of the type from which, each time the can is tilted, only a limited amount of liquid can be poured.

It is often desirable to pour liquids from cans in predetermined quantities and as a rule this is done by pouring the liquid in a measuring container and then by pouring the contents of the measuring container in the place where the liquid is to be used. This is the case, for instance, when a certain quantity of oil is added to the body of gasoline in the gasoline tank of a motor car, a quantity of two ounces more or less, being added for each five gallons of gasoline.

Under these conditions, it becomes desirable to simplify, as much as possible, the measuring operation so as to decrease the time required by it and prevent the possibility of spilling part of the liquid being used through overflow or otherwise.

I have, therefore, devised a dispensing can, adapted to pour only a certain predetermined amount -of liquid each time the can be titled to a pouring position.

The primary object of this invention is, accordingly, to provide a dispensing can of a novel and improved construction, whereby a portion of the liquid contained in the can is automatically isolated from the major part of the body thereof each time the can is set in a vertical position, only said isolated portion being poured out of the can when the can is titled.

Another object is to provide a can of the character specified, so constructed that its interior will constitute an air trap preventing the refilling of the can after its contents have been used, this constituting an effective protection against the possibility of trade-mark or superior products being replaced by inferior products through unscrupulous competition.

A further object is to provide a dispensing can of the character specified, the construction of which is such as to permit of producing the can by standard methods at relatively low cost.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will more fully appear as the description proceeds and will be set forth and claimed in the apppended claims.

My invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section of my improved can in its filled condition; and

Fig. 2 is a similar section showing the isolated portion of the liquid contained in the can being poured therefrom. 7

Referring to Fig. 1, 10 designates the body of the can, provided with the top 11 and the bottom 12, the top being provided with a threaded spout l3 closed by a threaded cap 14, in the usual manner.

The interior of the can is divided into a main upper chamber and a fractional lower chamber 16, having a predetermined capacity, by a horizontal partition 17, said two chambers communicating with each other by means of a passage 18, provided at the very end of said partition adjacent the side of the can opposite to the side adjacent the spout 13, if the can has a square or rectangu lar shape, said opening 18 being diametrically opposite to the axis of spout 13, if the can is circular in shape.

Spout 13 communicates with the lower chamber 16 by means of discharge tube 19, the upper end of said tube being soldered or otherwise secured to the top 11 of the can, as shown at 20, so as to form a hermetic joint therewith.

For convenience of manufacture, partition 1'7 may be made integral with a skirt portion 21, depending therefrom, fitting the inside of the body of the can, the lower edge of said skirt portion, being originally bent'outwardly so that when the bottom 12 is placed against said lower edge of said skirt, which in its turn rests against the outwardly extending flange formed by the lower end of the body of the can, the three abutting peripheral flanges thus resulting can be bent together to form a triple double-seamed joint, as shown at 22, by means of double-seaming operations performed in the customary manner.

The top of the can is originally provided with an opening 23, and when the can is filled through spout 13, cap 14 being removed, said opening acts as an air vent, permitting the escape of the air from the inside of the can. After filling, said opening is permanently sealed by placing a disk 24 over it, and soldering said disk onto the top. of the can.

When the can is tilted to the pouring position, shown in Fig. 2, only that part of the liquid which is contained in chamber 16 and in outlet tube 19 will be discharged from the can, because the body of liquid contained in chamber 15 will be prevented by partition 1'7 from reaching chamber-16 through opening 18.

It will be understood that in order to pour the liquid. with relative ease, discharge tube 19 is made of a fairly large diameter, so that through it air can enter chamber 16 being poured.

Before another approximately equal quantity of liquid can again be poured from the can, it is necessary to replace the can in a vertical position, in order to give the air contained in chamber 16 a chance to escape into chamber 15 through opening 18 and to be replaced by a new liquid charge.

It is thus seen that except for the relatively small diiferences in the quantities of liquid successively poured from the can, due to the gradually decreasing level of said liquid within the discharge tube, said quantities will be approximately equal to one another.

A can constructed in accordance with my invention has in every way the appearance of a can such as ordinarily used for lubricating oils and liquid fuels, and is operated in exactly the same manner.

An important feature of my invention is that except for passage 18, causing it to communicate with chamber 16, chamber 15 is permanently hermetically sealed and cannot be reached except by piercing the top or one of its sides.

Once part or all of the liquid contained in the can has been poured, it becomes, therefore, impossible to replace it while the can is held in its normal upright or filling position, because chamber 15 forms an air trap positively preventing liquid being poured into the can beyond a certain height, that is beyond the point where the pressure acquired by the air imprisoned within chamber 15 equals the pressure exerted by the liquid in tube 19. However, even if by some manipulation an attempt to fill the can should be made while the can is held in any other than upright position, it would be impossible to entirely fill both chamber 15 and chamber 16.

This feature is especially important when it is necessary to protect the user against the possibility of substitution of inferior goods and the maker against unscrupulous competition by the use of his trademark.

The constructional details of my invention may vary from those shown without departure from the inventive idea; the drawings, therefore, should be understood as being intended for illustrative purposes only and not in a limiting sense.

I, accordingly, reserve the right to carry my invention into practice in all those ways and manners which may enter, fairly, into the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A liquid dispensing container, having a chamber d vided into a storage compartment and a dispensing compartment, said compartments communicating with each other at a point adjacent the side of container, and a discharge passage lead ng from the end of said dispensing compartment opposite the end thereof communicating with the storage compartment, to the top of the container, said storage compartment b ing otherwise hermetically sealed ina permanent manner, thereby forming an air trap preventing the possibility of the conta ner being refilled through said discharge outlet and dispensing compartment, when said container is held in its normal upright position.

2. A liquid dispensing can having a chamber divided into a storage compartment and a dispensing compartment, said compartments communicating with each other at a point adjacent the side of the can, a discharge passage leading from the end of said dispensing compartment opwhile the liquid is posite the end thereof communicating with the storage chamber, to the top of the can, said can having an opening at the top permitting of said can being filled with liquid, and a disc soldered over said opening after the filling of the can, hermetically closing said opening, thereby causing said storage compartment to form an air trap preventing the possibility of the container being refilled through said discharge passage and dispensing compartment, when said container is held in its normal upright position.

3. A liquid dispensing can comprising a body having a hermetically sealed top, an inverted cup member inserted within the lower part of said body, the top of said cup member forming a transversal partition separating the interior of said body into an upper storage compartment and a lower dispensing compartment, an opening through said partition adjacent the side of the can, a discharge passage leading from the end of said dispensing compartment opposite the end thereof communicating with the storage compartment, to the top of the can, a removable closure for said passage, and a bottom for said can and inverted cup member, the lower edge of said body, the lower edge of said cup member,

and the edge of said bottom all being sealed together into a single hermetic joint.

4. A liquid dispensing can comprising a body having a hermetically sealed top, an inverted cup member inserted within the lower part of said body, the top of said cup member forming a transversal partition separating the interior of said body into an upper storage compartment and a lower dispensing compartment, an opening through said partition adjacent the side of the can, a discharge passage leading from the end of said dispensing compartment opposite the end thereof communicating with the storage compartment, to the top of the can, a removable closure for said passage, and a bottom for said can and inverted cup member, the lower edge of said body, the lower edge of said cup member, and the edge of said bottom being originaL ly formed with outwardly extending flanges superposed on one another, said flanges being folded together to form a triple double-seamed joint for the bottom of the can.

5. A liquid dispensing can comprising a top hermetically joined therewith, an inverted cup member inserted within the lower part of said body, the top of said cup member forming a transversal partition separating the interior of said body into an upper storage compartment and a lower dispensing compartment, an opening through said partition adjacent the side of the can, a discharge passage leading from the end of said dispensing compartment opposite the end thereof communicating with the storage compartment, to the top of the can, a removable closure for said passage, a bottom for said can and inverted cup member, the lower edge of said body, the lower edge of said cup member, and the edge of said bottom all being sealed together into a single hermetic joint, an opening through said top, permitting of said can being filled with liquid, and non-removable means for permanently hermetically sealing said opening after filling of the can, thereby causing said storage compartment to form an air trap preventing refilling of the can through said discharge passage and dispensing compartment.

GUY S. MILLER.

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