US3009610A - Combined cap and pouring spout for glass and metal containers - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 21, 1961 1. B. KUBlLlUNAS 3,009,610

COMBINED CAP AND POURING SPOUT FOR GLASS AND METAL CONTAINERS Filed March 8, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 36 H 5 a 2 44 2o 40 36 1e 48 6 4 INVENTOR. 8 IGNAS B. KUBILIUNAS fuzz W1 M ATTO RN EY S Nov. 21, 1961 I. B. KUBILIUNAS 3,009,610

COMBINED CAP AND POURING SPOUT FOR GLASS AND METAL CONTAINERS Filed March 8, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. IGNAS B. KUBILIUNAS ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,009,610 COMBINED CAP AND POURING SPOUT FOR GLASS AND METAL CONTAINERS Ignas B. Kubiliunas, 277 W. 2nd St., South Boston, Mass. Filed Mar. 8, 1960, Ser. No. 13,513 2 Claims. (Cl. 222484) This invention relates to a container closure in the form of a combined cap and pouring element which may be used with various types of containers, such as bottles or cans, that have top portions to which the unit may be atfixed.

' (In the typical case, the closure will be used with bottles containing liquids which customarily are poured therefrom in limited quantities. As is well understood, in pouring a liquid from a closeable container, it is essential that air enter the container to replace the liquid being poured therefrom. Usually at the outset of pouring the user will find that the liquid flows in an intermittent manner as the air gurgles in through the neck. Accordingly, one of the objects of this invention is to provide a closure which will permit continuous pouring without intermittent surging which makes control difiicult. This is accomplished through the use of two specially arranged apertures, one a vent through which air enters and the other an opening through which the liquid is discharged.

A further object of the invention is to provide as part of the closure a screw threaded cap so arranged with respect to the other part of the closure that the cap may be unscrewed sufiiciently to permit proper pouring but may not be removed. The cap, when the pouring operation has been completed, may be screwed downwardly to close both the vent and the pouring opening and also to engage the fixed part of the closure in such manner that dust and dirt cannot collect on the pouring lip of the lower part.

The invention further contemplates a cap of novel construction which seals the lower portion of the closure at positions inside and outside of the vent and pouring openings. In this way air is prevented from reaching the parts of the closure that have been moistened by the liquid during the pouring operation so that if the liquid has a sticky or gummy characteristic when the water has evaporated therefrom such gumming or sticking cannot occur because of the impossibility of evaporation from the dampened areas.

These and other objects of the invention will become more apparent as the description proceeds with the aid of the accompanying drawings in, which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the cap prior to installation, cut away in part to show the interior construction.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the lower part of the closure which is permanently affixed to the container. This lower part has been cut away in a manner similar to FIG. 1 to show the interior construction, including a transverse perforated member.

FIG. 3 shows the cap of FIG. 1 applied to and screwed down in closed position on the lower part, but here the lower part is atfixed to another type of container.

FIG. 4 shows a cap and lower part similar to FIGS. 1 and 2 in connected position with the vent and pouring openings in open position but having a crosswise extending perforated member of diflerent configuration than that shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary vertical section of the cap in closed position on the lower part :but disclosing a transverse perforated member in the form of a screen.

FIG. 6 is a horizontal section taken approximately on the line 6-6 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a detailed elevation showing the manner in part.

3,009,610 Patented Nov. 21, 1961 which the stop on the cap is forced by the stop on the lower part of the closure as the cap is being applied.

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7 showing the position the two stops assume when the cap, after application to the lower part, has been unscrewed to the maximum open position.

Referring first to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is disclosed a container 2 which may be a bottle having a conventional threaded neck 4. To this is applied the lower tubular part 6 of the closure which is correspondingly screw threaded at 8. This lower part will be screwed on tightly and may be permanently affixed in any convenient mani her. The upper end of the lower part 6 has a circular channel 10 having a bottom area 12 from which extends upwardly and outwardly a sloping curved wall 14 terminating in a pouring lip 16. This lip is sufliciently sharp so that upon termination of the pouring operation any drip on the edge thereof will run back into the channel rather than down the outer wall of the lower part 6.

The lower part-has an interiorly extending flange 18 from which extends upwardly a tubular part or neck 20 exteriorly threaded with a coarse thread 22. Cut through the wall '20 at oppositely disposed positions is a vent 24 and a pouring opening 26.

A perforated member 28 extends across the interior of the space within flange 18 and in the form shown this perforated member may be integral with the lower part. It contains a substantial number of relatively small openings as at 30 and is in the form shown in FIG. 2 in the nature of an inverted pyramid. Along the interior wall of the cylindrical upper portion 20, which is cut back as at '21, is a stop 32 which has an upwardly sloping upper surface 34. This stop is designed to cooperate with another stop to be found on the cap which will be explained in more detail shortly. 1

The cap that is suitable for use with the lower part shown in FIG. 2 is disclosed in FIG. 1. This cap 36 has a depending outer flange 38 which terminates in a flaring skirt 40. This skirt then curves downwardly and inwardly as at 42: to terminate in a cylindrical bottom flange 44. The outer flange 38 is interiorly threaded as at 46 with threads whose pitch corresponds to that of the threads 22 on the lower part. Depending from the top of the cap is an interior secondary flange 48, on the. side of which is a stop 50 having a sloping bottom surface 52. The radial dimension of stop 50 enables it to reside within the cut back area 21 when the cap is applied to the lower When the cap is initially applied to the lower part 6, the threads 46 and 22 engage and as the cap is rotated the sloping surfaces 34 and 52 engage each other in the manner shown in FIG. 7. However, since the two parts of the cap will preferably be made of molded plastic the application of sufiicient force will cause the surfaces 52 and 34 to slide past each other to assume the position shown in FIG. 8. Thereafter it will be impossible to unscrew the cap beyond the point of engagement of the stops; but on the other hand, the pitch of the threads is such that the cap may be screwed down tightly on the lower part by rotation to the right through an angle which is less than one full turn so that the stops have not come into engagement when the cap has been closed tightly.

When the cap of FIG. 1 is screwed down tightly on the lower part 6 of FIG. 2, the cylindrical bottom'flange 44 vwill rest tightly against the circular area 12 as shown in FIG. 5, thus effectively sealing pouring opening 26 and the vent 24 from the exterior atmosphere. The skirt 40 is so shaped as to come closely adjacent the pouring lip 16 thereby preventing, during periods of non-use, the accumulation of dirt or dust on the interior 14 of the lip. The outside diameter of the interior cylindrical flange 48 is such that when the cap is open it rests against the interior of the circular wall 20 and when the cap is closed the lower outer periphery of flange 48 also engages the interior circular wall of the flange 18. In this way, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the interior sides of pouring opening 26 and vent opening 24 are sealed when the cap is closed. Thus any fluid that may remain in the pouring opening 26 cannot dry up to block the pouring opening for subsequent use.

In the operation of the above closure, the cap is unscrewed until the stop 50 engages stop 32. This occurs in less than a turn, and in this position the pouring opening 26 and vent opening 24 will be fully open as indicated in FIG. 4. The bottle is then turned to pouring position and liquid runs through the openings 30 in the perforated member 28 and thence out through pouring opening 26. At the same time air enters vent 24 and passes through the uppermost of the openings 3% to enter the bottle. It has been determined experimentally that when a perforated member of the type disclosed either in FIG. 2, in which it is in the form of an inverted pyramid, in FIG. 3, in which the perforated member is a horizontal plate, in FIG. 4, in which the perforated member is generally in the form of a portion of a sphere, or in FIG. 5, in which the perforated member is screening of suitable mesh, the air will be conducted steadily into the container and the liquid will pass through openings 30 so that liquid will run continuously and smoothly out of the pouring opening 26.

It will be noted in FIG. 4 that when the cap is fully open the flange 48 is in continuous engagement with the interior circumference of wall 20 at a position above the two openings 24 and 26. Thus liquid is effectively prevented from getting into the upper part of the cap between wall 48 and the outer flange 38. This insures that the threads will not be gummed up by the fluid of the container.

When a sufiicient quantity has been poured from the container, the unit is turned upright and any drip will be caught in channel with the surplus running back through the pouring opening 26 into the container. Thereafter the cap will be screwed down to closed position as shown in FIG. 5 whereby the container will be effectively sealed in the manner already referred to.

In the construction shown in FIG. 3, the lower part of the closure has been modified, showing the manner in which it may be mounted on the top of a can instead of a bottle. A can top indicated at 54 has a circular opening therein into which is snapped the lower part 6 of the closure. The lower end is tapered as at 56 and a circular groove 58 is provided of such dimensions as to effectively snap into position in the cylindrical opening in the can top. The structure of the cap in relation to the lower part 6 is, however, the same as already described in connection with FIGS. 1, 2, 4 and 5. The invention does not reside in the manner in which the closure is attached to the container but rather in the effective cooperation of the cap and the lower part whereby when the device is open steady and continuous pouring of liquid may be achieved without causing contamination of the threads, and when the cap is closed the pouring and vent openings will be sealed on both their inner and outer sides so that the liquid cannot evaporate and gum up in these areas. Additionally the interior of the lip 16 is kept clean by skirt 40. The inclusion of the stop mechanism prevents removal of the cap so that it cannot become lost or mislaid, while at the same time allowing the cap to be opened to the full extent necessary.

It is my intention to cover all changes and modifications of the example of the invention herein chosen for 7 purposes of the disclosure which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A closure for a container, said closure compris ng a cap and a lower part, the said lower part including means whereby it may be applied to a container, said lower part having an upper exteriorly threaded neck and a cylindrical interior surface, said cap having a depending outer flange with a narrow bottom flange extending therebelow, said outer flange interiorly threaded and in threaded engagement with the said threaded neck, said lower part having vent and pouring openings through said neck located opposite each other, one of the said openings sloping downward and inwardly through said neck, and a circular area curving radially upwardly to form a pouring lip and extending about said neck below said openings and located at a level to drain into said openings, cooperating stop means on both the cap and lower part to limit rotation of said cap with respect to said lower part to not more than one full turn, the cooperating threads on said outer flange and neck being of such pitch that when said cap is rotated to the limit of its travel toward said lower part the said openings will be closed on the outside by said outer flange and said narrow bottom flange will be in engagement with said circular area near said neck, and when said cap is rotated in the opposite direction until said stops engage the said openings will be uncovered by said outer flange, the outer flange of said cap also having a circular bottom surface located radially outwardly of said narrow bottom flange for making sealing engagement with the outermost portion of said circular lip area of the lower part, said cap having a secondary interior flange coaxial with said outer flange whose exterior surface makes sealing engagement with the interior cylindrical surface of said neck below said openings when said cap is closed and above said openings when said cap is open.

2. A closure for a container comprising a cap and a lower part, said cap having a main outer depending flange and a narrow circumferential bottom flange depending therefrom, said outer flange threaded interiorly, said lower part having means for attachment to a container and having an upstanding cylindrical neck, said neck being externally threaded, oppositely disposed openings through said neck, an annular area curving radially upwardly at the bottom of the exterior of said neck with its interior on the same level as the bottom of said openings, cooperating stops on the said cap and on the said neck, said stops acting to limit the rotation of said cap with respect to said lower part to less than one full turn, said cap when screwed to its downmost limit with respect to said lower part being in a position where the lower edge of said narrow bottom flange of said outer flange will engage said annular area close to said openings on the exterior and the exterior lip of said annular area will also be engaged by said outer flange, and a perforated member extending across the area within said neck below said openings, said perforations in said member acting to cause simultaneous smooth inflow of air through some of said perforations and outflow of liquid through other perforations when the said closure is open and said container has been tilted to pouring position whereby fluid will flow continuously out through one of said openings and air will enter continuously through the other said opening.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 301,946 Wright July 15, 1884 728,610 Posno May 19, 1903 1,760,946 Hammerstein June 3, 1930 2,179,423 Pari Nov. 7, 1939

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