US2331971A

US2331971A - Detachable pour spout

Info

Publication number: US2331971A
Application number: US374549A
Authority: US
Inventors: Alfred J Gramp
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1941-01-15
Filing date: 1941-01-15
Publication date: 1943-10-19
Anticipated expiration: 1960-10-19

Description

.Oct- 1943. A. J. GRAMP 2,331,971

DETACHABLE POUR S'FOUT Filed Jan. 15, 1941 dfiedllmzzp Patented a. 19, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DETACHABLE roux srou'r Alfred J. Gramp, Atlantic City, N. J. Application January 15, 1941, Serial No. 374,549 2 Claims. (01. 22 -23) This invention relates to the dispensing of liquids and is more particularly concerned with the provision of a pour spout for use with liquid containers of-the type of paint cans.

Liquids such as paint, syrup, lubricating oils, etc., are at present very largely distributed'to the retail market in cans provided with lids of the t pe that seat in an annular groove provided in the top cylindrical wall of the container.' Cans of this type have many advantages in conjunction with the storage and shipment of liquid materials since such containers may be readily superimposed and occupy relatively little space for the volume of liquid contained. However, the user of materials so packaged is frequently .hampered by diiliculty in pouring the material from the container, the problem being misdirected flow caused by passage of the' liquid over that edge of the container in which the lid retaining groove is'impressed.

To overcome the difilculty outlined above, a number of pour spouts have been devised. These, when broadly considered, may be divided into two groups; a type permanently attached to the dispensing container, and a detachable type adapted for use with the container after the lid has been removed. The-chief advantage of the permanently attached type of pour spout is that it cannot become lost and may ordinarily be located in such a way as to avoid interference with the positioning of the lid. However, it is readily recognized that the transportation and storage of metallic containers having permanently attached pour spouts is a diflicult matter. Ordinarily, such cans cannot be superimposed and in shipment will occupy considerably more space than cans not so equipped. Naturally, the additional space occupied causes increases in shipping cost.

The detachable type of pour spout towhich this invention relates has heretofore been widely used but has not been totally devoid; of disadvantages. While a detachable pour spout does not in any way interfere with the transportation and storage of liquids in containers, the usual construction is ,flimsy, adaptable to but one size container and does not protect the lid retention groove of the can in such a way as to exclude the liquid material in the can from that groove so that the material will not act as an adhesive when the lid is restored to normal position. This is particularly true in the case of containers having paint or syrup therein and it is' a common practice to encounter considerable difliculty in removing the lid from a can after the lid retaining groove thereof has been accidentally filled with paint or syrup; incident to pouring, and the lid has been restored to position and allowed to stand for a period of time suflicient for the liquid material to dry.

Aside from difliculties incident to the entry of paint into the lid reception groove of a can, detachable pour spoutsof conventional construction are not adapted for removal from the can in such a way as to avoid soiling the hands.

It is an object of this invention to overcome all of the foregoing disadvantages and to provide a detachable pour spout adaptable for use with paint cans or the like of any size.

By the use of this invention, it is contemplated that the detachable pour spout may be used in conjunction with a paint can or thelike during a pouring operation and that during such operation the lid retention groove of the can. will be wholly protected against accidental filling by the material being dispensed. I

It is a further object of this invention to provide 'a detachable pour spout which may be cheaplyand easily constructed which is reliable and eflicient in operation and which may be readily attached to and separated from the container with which it is used in such a manner as to totally avoid soiling of the hands by contact with any material remaining on the pour, spout after the pouring operation.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description thereof in conjunction with the annexed drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view ofone form of this invention adaptable for use with cans of varying sizes, the flexing of the spout for insertion in a can of small diameter being illustrated in broken lines; and

Figure 2 is a View in vertical section showing the pour spout of Figure 1 in operative position in association with a can of conventional construction.

Referring particularly to Figures 1 and 2 of the annexed drawing, it will be seen that the pour spout illustrated consists of agenerally crescent-shaped pouring lip l0 and a reinforcing wire I l. The inner edge of the crescent-shaped lip Ill is provided with a plurality of integrally spaced depending tabs I 2. These tabs are deformed to define a barrel l3 through which wire H is passed,the free end of each tab being firmly secured tothe under side of lip I0. Thej' free ends of reinforcing wire ll extend from,

both ends of barrel l3. v{Iliese are bent, as shown i,

in Figures 1 and 2. to provide handles for the flexing of wire II and for the placement and removal of barrel it from the groove of the can.

The material from which the pouring lip is made is of considerable importance. It has been found that a heavy weight paper or light card stock may be used satisfactorily, while the wire II should be made of a material such as lead which is readily deformable but will maintain the position into which it is flexed. In lieu of lead, the member ll may be made of reed, a resilient fiber or other material satisfactory for the purpose. It is essential, however, that the material used for wire ll be easily deformable and of a type which will maintain the position into which it is flexed. It will be apparent that both lip II and barrel it may be made as a unit of molded paper stock of suitable rigidity. In this event, a continuous wire, such as wire ii, may be eliminated, it being sufficient to provide only wire portions projecting from either end of the barrel to serve as gripping handles. By reference to Figure 2, it will be seen that the cumulative thickness of barrel l3 and wire ii is just suflicient to fully occupy the groove ll of a shipping can of conventional construction.

In operation, the form of the invention illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 is ordinarily stored, shipped and sold in a fully flat condition as'indicated in the full lines of Figure 1. device is to be used, the lid is removed from the liquid container and the free ends of the wire ii are gripped and moved toward one another. This movement is continued until the wire has been flexed into a curvature corresponding to that of the groove into which it is to be placed Thus, by a slight flexure of wire II, the device may be adapted for cans of large size, while greater flexure will render the device useful for smaller cans. In view of the fact that tabs l2 are spaced apart, the card stock from which pouring lip II is made will not be distorted or wrinkled at the point of attachment to wire ll thereby avoiding any overlapping of the paper which would cause ridges tending to either hamper or prevent the insertion of the barrel l3 and its contained wire ll into groove ll. As indicated in the drawing, advertisements may be applied to either surface of lip ll and, of course,

directions for use may be likewise imprinted thereon. In the commercial distribution of this device, it may be desirable for the manufacturers of paint and like materials to furnish devices shown in Figures 1 and 2 free of charge to purchasers of the material which they are selling.

Although the device is made of paper, the flexure of wire H imparts a curvature to lip it which considerably increases its strength. By the use of ordinary light weight card stock, one may be assured that the pour spout will be sufficiently When the and integral lip it from groove It. It will be recognized that during the pouring operation the free ends of wire II will not come in contact with the material being dispensed. As a consequence, when removing pour lip 10 from operative position, it is only necessary to pull up on the free ends of wire ii to effect separation of the spout i'rom the container with which it was used. It will be understood that when a can is placed in upright position after a pouring operation the flow-back of liquid along lip ID will be partly interrupted by the inside rim of the can. In order to avoid seepage of. paint into groove ll, one free end of wire H is grasped and slowly lifted upwardly and at the same time moved toward the center of the can. This causes a wiping action serving to force the remaining paint back into the can without spilling, either outside of the can or within groove i4 thereof.

The crescent shape of lip i0 is of considerable importance since the pour spout in operative position will notconstitute a vertical extension of the cylindrical wall of the container with which it is used (see in particular Figure 2). The sloping arrangement, on the other hand, permits considerably improved flow control with less tilting of the container.

Having now described the invention in its preferred form, it is understood that variations and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it is desired that the scope thereof be limited only by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A detachable pour spout for paint cans and the like comprising, a generally crescent-shaped pouring lip of paper card stock provided at its inner edge with a plurality of integral spaced tabs formed to define a barrel, and a wire of soft rigid for use even with heavy material such as paint. I

The free ends of wire Ii are also very useful in conjunction with the removal of barrel i3 metal disposed within said barrel the free ends of said tabs being attached to the solid body portion of said lip, said barrel reinforced with said wire being adapted to be flexed for insertion in the groove normally provided for a can lid, the

- softness of said wire rendering the device adaptable to any angle of curvature of said groove and the flexure of said paper serving to maintain the spout rigid, while the spaced tabs forming the barrel render the latter of approximately constant cross sectional area regardless of the angle of curvature thereof to substantially fill a groove regardless of its radius.

2. A detachable pour spout for paint cans and the like comprising, a generally crescent shaped pouring lip of disposable deformable material provided at its inner edge with a plurality of spaced tabs deformed to define a barrel, and a readily deformable reinforcing element located within said barrel, said barrel with said reinforcing element therein being adapted to flex, without appreciable variation in cross sectional area, for insertion in the groove in a paint can regardless of the radius of said groove.

ALFRED J. GRAMP.