US2808182A - Pouring stopper - Google Patents

Description

Oct. l, 1957 c. FuREDl POURING sToPPER Filed Nov. 15. 1954 FIGA.

.fill.illllllllllIllfllilllelll INVENTOR. Colmdn Fl/raolf BY M mi;

United sus POURING STOPPER Colman Furedi, Wantagh, N. Y., assignor of one-half to Leonard Altman, Roslyn Heights, N. Y.

Application November 15, 1954, Serial No. 468,619

11 Claims. (Cl. 222-479) This invention is concerned with a pouring stopper which ts inside the cap of a bottle.

The pouring stopper according to the present invention provides a smooth, even, regulated llow of the liquid. Dripping is considerably reduced or eliminated. Only a minimum residual amount of the liquid is retained in the bottle when it is emptied through the pouring stopper. The pouring stopper can be cheaply and eliiciently manufactured.

The pouring stopper according to the present invention is a cup-shaped stopper tightly fitting into the neck of a bottle. A flange at the upper outer edge of the stopper is clamped between the upper rim of the bottle and the opposing portion of the cap for the bottle.

A pouring tube and an air vent lead through the .bottom of the stopper into the bottle and extend upwards 'to be closed by the cap of the bottle. To assure a liquidtight seal of the pouring and air vent tubes, these tubes are forced towards the cap.

Smooth pouring surfaces and sharp pouring edges facilitate pouring :and reduce or eliminate dripping.

The pouring stopper may be moulded, preferably from a non-wetting plastic material.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. l is a vertical section showing the neck of a bottle and one embodiment of the pouring stopper with the bottle cap removed;

Fig. 2 is a top view of the embodiment shown in Fig. i;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section similar to Fig. l with the bottle cap in place;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section showing the neck of a bottle and another embodiment of the pouring stopper with the bottle cap removed;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section similar to Fig. 4 with the bottle cap in place; and

Fig. 6 is a vertical section of the neck of a bottle and another embodiment of the pouring stopper with the bottle cap in place.

In Figs. l, 2 and 3, 10 designates the upper portion of a bottle having a neck 11. A cap 12 screws or slides onto the neck 11 as at 13. A stopper 14 lits into the neck 11 of the bottle 10.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figs. l, 2, and 3, the stopper 14 is substantially cup-shaped with a horizontal tlange 15 extending outwardly from its upper rim. Flange 15 rests on the upper rim of the neck 11 and tits tightly into the clearance formed by this rim and the opposing portion of the cap 12, assuring a reliable seal.

`A pouring tube 18 extends through the bottom 1% of the cup-shaped stopper 14. The upper rim 21 of tube 18 may be smooth and the outer edge 22 thereof sharp to reduce or eliminate dripping. Similarly the upper surface 16 of the iiange 15 is preferably smooth and its outer edge 17 sharp. An air tube 20, having a smaller inner diameter than the pouring tube 18, also extends through the bottom 19 of the stopper 14 by .an amount to assure Vsatisfactory pouring properties.

When the cap 12 is screwed in place, Fig. 3, tubes 18 assalti Patented oct. 1, 1957 ice and 20 extend to the cap 12 so that no liquid can escape through these tubes. To'improve the seal, the bottom 19 is slightly elastic to force the two tubes 18 and 20 towards the cap 12. Hence, when the cap is removed Fig. 1, no pressure is exerted on the upper rims of tubes18 and 20, and the slight curvature of the bottom 19 will straighten out pushing tubes 18 and 20 upwards beyond the upper surface 16 of flange 15.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, the bottom 31 of the cup-shaped stopper 32 is pretensioned by a slight upwards curvature towards its center, as shown in Fig. 4. The pouring tube 33 and the air vent 34 extend beyond the upper rim 35 of the cup-shaped stopper 32, as in the previous embodiment, when the cap is removed.

The cap 30 is lined with an elastic material 36 such as rubber or cork to engage the upper rims of tubes 33 and 34, Fig. 5, when they are forced upwards towards the cap through the pretensioning of the bottom 31.

The two tubes 33 and 34 are of substantially the ysame inner diameter. However, tube 34 is terminated at its lower end by a disk 37 having a small opening 38to prevent the liquid from entering therein.

In the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 6the bottom 41 of the cup-shaped stopper 42 is rigid. The pouring tube 43 and the air vent 44 extend beyond the horizontal ange 45 of stopper 42 when the cap 40 is in Yplace as shown. The cap 40 is provided with a resilient lining 46 of any suitable material such as rubber or cork which engages the upper rims of the tubes 43 and 44, thereby preventing escape of the liquid through either tube into the stopper 42 when the cap 40 is in place. f

It will be understood that in any of the embodiments the cap may penetrate into the cup of the stopper to con-v tact the two tubes and the two tubes terminate at any level slightly above the inside of the cap; they need not extend beyond the edge of the cup. It is, however, preferred that both tubes are forced towards the cap when the cap is in place. This is accomplished by positioning the upper rims of the tubes, with the cap removed, slightly above the opposing inside surfacel of the cap, With the cap in place.

In all embodiments illustrated the cup-shaped stopper is shown in an upright position. However, an inverted cup, having its bottom wall adjacent or close to the cap and its sidewall extending downward along the inside of the bottle neck may be advantageous for certain applications. The comparatively larger amount of liquid caught in the space of the bottle neck corresponding to the extension of the pouring tube below the bottom of the cupshaped stopper may prove a disadvantage in some instances. This amount of liquid can readily be removed after the stopper has been taken out. If desired, the bottom wall of the cup-shaped stopper may also extend somewhere between the upper and lower edge of the sidewall, thereby forming an upright cup and an inverted cup having a common bottom wall.

Further, although both tubes must extend through the bottom of the cup-shaped stopper, they need not extend beyond it. The bottom of the cup may be positioned to coincide with the lower end of one or both tubes. If it is made to coincide with the lower end of the pouring tube, no residual liquid will be left in the bottle. However, a comparatively long pouring tube improves the pouring properties, and saving of material indicates a short stopper depth.

Itis contemplated to cheaply and eliiciently manufacture the pouring stopper including the flange and both tubes as one piece of molded plastic byinjection moulding. A comparatively non-wetting type of plastic improves the pouring properties of the stopper.

In operation, when it is intended to dispense some of the liquid in the bottle, the cap is removed and the bottle une@ with the peering Ytube d ireeted `teward the reeeiying receptacle. The stopper will assure an even, smooth, regulated ow of the liquid at a desirable rate of ow which may be steppedr-.eedily aad substantially Witheet dripping by restoring the battle to a mere upright pesitieh- I claim: Y Y e f lf A pouring stepaer ier a bottle having a eap rerrrevf ably tting over its heele, a sap-shaved .stbpaerhavihg a bottom wall and a sidewall, at least Part et the sidewall et said stopper tightly iitting into `the inside of the bottle neck, a rst and a second tubel vextending through the bottom walt .of said stepper, `the iriaer `d iarrreter ei .the lower end of .said h rst tube being substantially larger than the. inner diameter et the lawer ebd, at .said seeerrd tube, and a flat shoulder extending Outside irerhthe upper rim of said stepper, said sbeulder -restirig eri the saper rira of the battle neek and ttihg tightly ia the spaee between the upper rirrr af the battle heels arid theY appositi?. seetieh of the. eap when` the eapis serewed @hte the battle sleek- 2. A pouring stepper as elairaed ia elairrr l, irl Whleh said two tubes abut against the eab ef. .the battle when the cap is in place.

3. A pouring stopper as claimed in claim 2, in which said two tubes .have substantially the seine ihrrer diameter throughout, the seeerrd at said tubes terrrrihatihg at its lower end in a disk having a hele smaller than the irrrier diameter of said tubes.'

4 e YA pouring stepper as elairhed in .elairri 2 irr which the upper rim of said first tube is. srrieeth and has a sharp Outer edge.

5. A pouring stepper as. elairaed ih Claim Y2, in which the upper rims 0f said flange et said ebp-shaped member and the upper rim ef said rst tube are srriebth and have a sharp outer edge.

6- A Pehriris stepper as elaiiaed ih elairrr Y2, ih Whieh the upper rims of said two tubes are forced towards the cap when the cap is in place.

7. A pouring stopper as claimed in claim 6, in which, when the cap is removed, said tubes terminate slightly above the position of the opposing surface of the cap when in place. i

8. A pouring stopper as claimed, in claim 6, in which the bottom of said cup-shaped stopper is adapted to force said two tubes towards the eap- 9. A pouring stopper as claimed in claim 6 in which the bottom of said cup-shaped stopper is of elastic material and said two tubes extend slightly beyond the upper rim of said flange of said cup-shaped member when the cap is removed.

l0. A pouring stopper as claimed in claim 6, in which the bottom of said cup-shaped member is slightly rounded with a raised center when the VCiti-l iS removed, thereby also raising said two tubes t0 extend slightly beyond the upper rim of said ange of said cup-shaped member.

l1. A pouring stopper as claimed in claim 6, said pouring stopper consisting of comparatively material.

Refereaees Cited h1 the tile ef this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,151,997 Beck et al. Aug. 31, 1915 2,424,151 Clark et al. July 15,1947

FOREIGN PATENTS 239,193 Switzerland Dec. 17, 1945 hen-wetting plastie Y

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