US3831824A

US3831824A - Dispensing system

Info

Publication number: US3831824A
Application number: US00260860A
Authority: US
Inventors: M Coppersmith
Original assignee: PACKAGING AIDS Inc
Current assignee: PACKAGING AIDS Inc
Priority date: 1972-06-08
Filing date: 1972-06-08
Publication date: 1974-08-27
Anticipated expiration: 1991-08-27

Abstract

A dispensing system for transporting and guiding the flow of liquid or particulate matter from within a container to some external receptacle. The dispensing system includes a container and a retractable spout member normally located within the container when not in use. The container forms a closure having a removeable member integrally formed on a top wall of the container. The removeable member may be displaced with respect to the top wall along a pre-weakened contour outline thus forming an opening in the top wall of the closure. The spout member may be extracted from within the container through the opening to permit guidance in the pouring of matter from the container. The spout is trough shaped in a substantially conical form. The spout further includes a flange formed on a bottom end which has a greater dimension than the opening to prevent the spout from completely falling through the opening when the container is tilted. A lip formed on an upper end of the spout permits the spout to be manually pulled through the opening in the container.

Description

United States Patent [191 Coppersmith Aug. 27, 1974 DISPENSING SYSTEM [75] Inventor: Morris Coppersmith, Laverock, Pa.

[73] Assignee: Packaging Aids lnc., Erdenheim, Pa.

[22] Filed: June 8, 1972 211 Appl. No.: 260,860

[52] US. Cl 222/525, 222/569, 222/537, 222/569 [51] Int. Cl. B67d 3/00 [58] Field of Search 222/538, 537, 526, 525, 222/527, 528, 529, 541, 83, 569

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 203,672 5/1878 Swain 222/525 1,276,382 ll/l9l7 I Lovcland 222/525 1,836,729 12/1931 Rollason 222/525 2,048,859 7/1936 Grove 222/525 2,093,807 9/1937 Emery et a1. 222/525 2,232,029 2/1941 .luchli 222/525 2,574,105 11/1951 Janczah 222/538 2,617,561 11/1952 Marek..... 222/522 2,685,385 8/1954 Kuss H 222/527 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 8,144 3/1897 Great Britain 222/525 Primary Examiner-Allen N. Knowles Assistant Examiner-H. Grant Skaggs, Jr.

Attorney, Agent, or FirmPaul Maleson; Morton J. Rosenberg [57] ABSTRACT A dispensing system for transporting and guiding the flow of liquid or particulate matter from within a container to some external receptacle. The dispensing system includes a container and a retractable spout member normally located within the container when not in use. The container forms a closure having a removeable member integrally formed on a top wall of the container. The removeable member may be displaced with respect to the top wall along a pre-weakened contour outline thus forming an opening in the top wall of the closure. The spout member may be extracted from within the container through the opening to permit guidance in the pouring of matter from the container. The spout is trough shaped in a substantially conical form. The spout further includes a flange formed on a bottom end which has a greater dimension than the opening to prevent the spout from completely falling through the opening when the container is tilted. A lip formed on an upper end of the spout permits the spout to be manually pulled through the opening in the container.

12 Claims, 11 Drawing Figures PATENTEM MET 10$ 2 DISPENSING SYSTEM BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to the field of material transport. In particular this invention pertains to the field of dispensing systems. More in particular, this invention relates to the field of transferring and guiding material from within a container to some external environment. Still further, this invention pertains to the field of dispensing systems including a container and a retractable spout mechanism contained therein.

2. Prior Art Dispensing systems for guiding the flow of material from an enclosure or container are well known in the art. Further, some dispensing systems use spout guiding mechanisms in conjunction with a container. However, in most of these systems the spout member is separate from the containers. In these cases a hole must be punched or otherwise formed in the container before the spout is inserted. This procedure has been found to be time consuming as well as adding an additional step to the pouring process. Further, since the spouts are not integral with the container they are often lost thereby causing a delay in the pouring process. In other cases, the spouts are equiped with a sharpened edge to punch an opening in the container. These spouts have been found to be dangerous and possibly cause injury to. an operator when they slip on the walls of the container and accidentally strike the operators body. Further, when one spout is used for a number of containers containing different material, the spout must often be cleaned thus increasing the labor time in the pouring process.

Other spouts are contoured to only fit one type of container. Where other container shapes are used, these spouts are found to be inadequate and may cause difficulty in their use. Where an operator tries to punch a hole in a container with a spout not contoured for that particular container shape, injury may result.

In some cases, spouts have been formed into an integral system with the material containing enclosure. However, in most of these cases, the spout is attached to a surface of the container and is slideable through an opening where the spout must be pulled to it's full extension manually. In these cases, the cost of the entire dispensing system is excessive due to the complex mounting mechanism of the spout with respect to the container.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of this invention is to provide a dispensing system for liquid or particulate matter stored within a container.

A further object of this invention is to provide a dispensing system which includes a retractable spout member within a closed container.

Another object of this invention is to provide an integral combination of spout and container where the spout is automatically released into a proper pouring position when the can is tilted.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a dispensing system where the spout is stored within the container and remains therein until a removeable section of the container is displaced.

Another object of the subject invention is to provide a combined dispensing and storage system which is easy to use as well as manufacture.

A still further object of the current invention is to provide a dispensing system which is of low cost to manufacture and assemble.

A dispensing system which includes a longitudinally extended container having opposing wall members displaced each from the other. At least one of the wall members includes a removeable section for forming an opening of predetermined contour when at least a portion of the removeable section is displaced from the wall member. A spout member is located internal to the container when the removeable section is contiguous to the wall member throughout the predetermined contour. The spout member is partially removeable from the container through the opening when the removeable section is removed from the wall member. The system includes a mechanism for releasably securing the spout member to the container when the spout member is partially removed from the container through the opening.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the dispensing system showing the spout member in phantom line drawing and positioned within the container;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the dispensing system taken along the section line 2J-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a spout member shaped in the form of a truncated cone having a bridge element attachment for partial removal of the spout member from the container;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a spout member shaped in the form of a truncated cone having extension tabs attached to an upper end portion of the spout member for partial removal of the spout member from the container;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the dispensing system partially removed and showing the spout member of FIG. 4 within the container with the extension tabs forced against an upper wall of the container;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the dispensing system showing the container with opposing recesses for spout member placement;

FIG. 7 is a perspective drawing of a container showing a partially removeable section member;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a spout member insertable within the container shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the dispensing system taken along the section line 9-9 of FIG. 7; and,

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the dispensing system showing the spout member extended through an opening in the top wall member of the container.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view, fragmented, showing a modified lip and a locking groove at the flange base.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2 there is shown dispensing system 1 to aid in dispensing and guiding the flow of liquid or particulate matter from within a container to some external receptacle. As shown in FIG. 1, transport or dispensing system 1 includes spout element 14 which is trough shaped and is internally located with respect to the container before the contained matter is dispensed externally. As will be described in the following paragraphs, spout 14 is retractable with respect to the interior of the container and is partially removeable therefrom. Removal of spout 14 from the container is accomplished through gravity assist as a direct result of tilting the container to permit material contained therein to flow out. Spout 14 may also be partially removed or extracted from the container manually through an opening provided in one of the container walls.

With retractable spout 14 included as an element of dispensing system 1, it can be seen that an operator or user is provided with an automatic, wholly integral material transport and guiding mechanism. In this way, spout 14 is maintained internal to the container until the user is ready to dispense the container matter. After use, the entire dispensing system 1 may be discarded.

As shown in FIG. 1, the container or enclosure is longitudinally extended in a direction defined by the height dimension of container side wall or lateral wall 2. The container includes opposing

wall members

3 and 4 defining an upper wall and lower container wall respectively. Upper wall member 3, as shown, illustrates the top surface member of the container and is displaced from the lower container member 4 by lateral side wall 2. Lower wall member 4 is formed in combination with lateral wall 2 into a cup-shaped configuration. With the addition of upper container wall 3, an internal chamber is formed wherein liquid or particulate matter may be contained.

Upper wall or top surface member 3 includes removeable section 5, shown for the purposes of illustration as a circular contour. Removeable section 5 is integrally formed with wall 3 and attached thereto throughout a pre-weakened contour outline. In this embodiment of the invention removeable section 5 is positioned substantially central the geometric area of container upper wall 3. Pull-tab 6 is formed or otherwise rigidly attached to section 5 and provides a mechanism whereby an operator or user may grasp opening member or tab 6 to remove or partially displace removeable section 5 from container top 3. In this manner, once pull-tab 6 is utilized to pull removeable section 5 free of upper wall 3, an opening of predetermined contour is formed therethrough. This opening exposes the container material as well as spout 14 to the external environment.

The

container walls

2, 3, and 4 may be made or formed in one piece construction or separately in a number of standard procedures well known in the art and not important to the inventive concept as herein described. Further, the container elements may be constructed of a number of divergently composed materials such as plastic, aluminum, stainless steel or other metals. The only restriction on container material as pertaining to the invention being that the container element material used does not affect the proposed purposes of the contained matter.

In general, it is therefore seen that spout member 14 is located and positioned internal to the container when removeable section 5 is contiguously attached to upper container wall 3. When section 5 is partially displaced or removed entirely from top surface 3, spout member 14 is partially removeable through an opening provided by the displacement of section member 5. In normal operation, the container is tilted and spout member 14 passes through the described opening.

Spout member 14, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 6, extends in a longitudinal direction having a longitudinal dimension substantially equal but slightly less than the longitudinal displacement distance between opposing

container walls

3 and 4. Spout upper surface or first end 10 remains adjacent to an internal surface of upper wall member 3 when spout 14 is located internal to the container. Additionally, spout lower surface or second end 11 is contiguous with and rests on an internal surface of lower container wall 4. The longitudinal extension of spout 14 permits spout 14 to remain substantially aligned with the opening contour when the container is not being used. In this manner, the inclination or tilting of spout member 14 is minimized within the container.

Longitudinally directed wall 15 of spout member 14 is formed in one piece construction or otherwise secured to flange element 12. The flange 12 provides a mechanism for releasably securing the entire spout assembly 14 to the container when spout 14 is extracted through the opening created by the removal of section 5 from upper wall 3. As shown, flange 12 is rigidly attached or formed with lateral wall 15 at second end surface 11. Flange 12 further provides support for spout 14 by lying contiguous with the internal surface of lower wall 4. Additionally, flange 12 may be annularly shaped and has an external diameter substantially equal to but smaller than the internal diameter of longitudinal side wall 2 of the container. In this manner, flange 12 may be utilized to further restrict any tilting or inclination of spout 14 away from an aligned position with respect to the opening contour defined by removeable section 5. In order to ensure only partial removal of spout 14 from being internal to the container, the external dimensions or diameter of flange 12 is larger than the contour opening dimension at its greatest value.

Taken in a transverse plane substantially normal to the aforementioned longitudinal direction, trough spout wall 15 is substantially circular in profile but is discontinuous with respect thereto. As can be seen the transverse plane profile then becomes a circular segment at any longitudinal dimension throughout the height of spout 14. In this manner, side wall or longitudinal trough wall 15 has a substantially pie-shaped section removed therefrom, having the largest segment removed at upper spout end 10. The removed wall section gradually decreases with the minimum removed section wall near lower spout end 11. Channel 17 is created to provide a guide for liquid or particulate matter throughout the longitudinal extension of spout 14. The diameter of wall 15 continually increases from a minimum value near spout end 10 to a maximum value near end section 11. Second end 11 of longitudinal wall 15 has an external diameter substantially equal to the opening contour created by the removal of section 5. This permits extraction of spout 14 through the opening throughout the longitudinal length of spout 14 until flange 12 is positioned adjacent to the internal surface of upper wall 3. In this manner, channel 17 has a gradually decreasing material flow area taken from lower to upper spout-surfaces ll, 10 respectively.

In order to further provide maintenance and restraint of spout 14 in a particularly aligned direction to the contour opening, the container may include modifications as shown in FIG. 6. In this embodiment of the invention, lower surface wall 4 of the container includes an inwardly directed recess or bulge section 16 which is mated and partially inserted into channel 17 at lower spout end 11. Further, upper container wall 3 includes an outwardly directed extension 18 of hemispherical shape to receive upper end 10. Upper end extends slightly above wall 3 into the hemispherical cavity provided by extension 18. In this manner, spout 14 is held in restrained relation to the contour opening and not permitted to be inclined or tilted away from a substantially aligned position. In this embodiment of dispensing system 1, the external diameter of flange 12 is not of critical importance, but must still be greater than the largest opening contour dimension in order that spout 14 will not completely pass therethrough.

Another embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 5. Spout member 7 is shown as being conically shaped in the form of a funnel. Spout member 7 has a truncated cone tubular shape with a longitudinally directed through channel for dispensing the contained material from the enclosure to an external environment. The truncated cone shape provides for a continually decreasing flow area for the material passage from second end II to first or upper end 10. Inclined side wall 8 is continuously formed in a transverse plane normal to the longitudinal extension direction of spout member 7. As is seen, the transverse plane profile of wall 8 is substantially circular throughout the longitudinal extension. Flange I2 is connected in one piece formation or otherwise rigidly attached to spout lower end 11 and has an overall diameter greater than the opening created by the removal of section 5. As shown in FIG. 3, inclined side wall 8 of cone shaped spout 7 includes bridge element 13 attached to opposing surfaces of upper end 10. Bridge element 13 may be formed integral with side wall 8 or otherwise rigidly fastened thereto. In this manner, bridge element 13 provides a mechanism for manually pulling funnel shaped spout 7 from within the container. Element 13 may be formed of flexible plastic or some like material. In this manner, bridge element 13 may be compressed downwardly when section 5 is in an attached position in relation to wall 3. When section 5 is removed, element 13 may be released through the opening created to provide a grasping mechanism.

FIGS. 4 and 5 clearly show extension tabs 9 to provide another mechanism whereby spout 7 may be manually extracted from the container, similar to the operation of bridge element 13. Extension tabs 9 may be formed integral with side wall 8 or otherwise secured thereto through bonding adhesive or some like means. Tabs 9, extending from upper surface 10 may be formed from a resilient material such as flexible plastic or like material in order that they be bent and positioned contiguously to the internal surface of upper wall 3 as shown in FIG. 5. In FIG. 5, extension tabs 9 are bent in a manner such that when section member 5 is removed to form an opening in upper wall 3, the tabs 9 are released. Tabs 9 then extend longitudinally above wall member 3 and allow an operator to grasp and pull spout 7 from the interior of the container.

Conical spout 7 may be formed of aluminum, stainless steel, flexible plastic or other metals with the only major restriction being that the spout 7 be compatible with respect to the material within the container.

A still further embodiment of dispensing system 1 is shown and detailed in FIGS. 7, 8, 9, and 10. In this embodiment of dispensing system 1, trough shaped spout 19 is longitudinally extended and includes side wall 20. Side wall 20 has a transverse area profile approximating the segment of a circle. As in the cases of previous embodiments, the longitudinal extension or height of spout 19 passes substantially between the internal surfaces of upper and

lower container walls

3 and 4 as shown in FIG. 9. Flow of material passes longitudinally within spout channel 21 from intezmal the container to some external environment. Trough shaped spout 19 is substantially cylindrically or conically formed. An open trough shaped form is provided by a section cut or otherwise removed from side wall 20. The cut is inclined to the longitudinal extension in a manner so as to provide a rectangularly shaped opening when viewed in a longitudinal cross-section.

Wall member 3 includes a totally removeable or partially displaceable section 24 having a contour outline 25. As seen, outline 25 is substantially oblong in nature and permits section 24 to be bent in a partially displaced manner with respect to upper wall 3 as shown in FIG. 10. As in the previous embodiments, by pulling opening member 6 away from wall 3, section 24 is released from a secured position along the pre-weakened contour outline 25. This permits extension or extraction of spout element 19 through the opening provided. Flange member 26 is attached to the lower surface of spout 19 and is dimensionally in excess of the largest dimension provided by contour outline 25 opening. This permits spout 19 to remain removeably secured to upper surface member 3 when material is flowing through channel 21 and spout 19 is in an extended position with respect to the container.

Additionally, lip element 23 is formed at an upper surface 22 of spout I9. Lip 23 is seen to extend in an outwardly directed manner from side wall 20 and provides suitable means for an operator to manually extract spout 19 from the container. Lip 23 is formed in one piece construction with side wall 20 or otherwise secured thereto. Element 23 extends laterally with respect to side wall 20 and fits adjacent upper wall 3 when spout 19 is positioned within the container.

FIG. 11 illustrates a modification of both the lip, used to pull the spout out of the contents of the can, and a modification of the line of join between the flange and the longitudinally directed wall of the spout. In FIG. 11, lip 23 is similar to the previously shown and described lip 23 except that it extends at an angle upwardly from the longitudinal axis of the spout, rather then substantially horizontal as shown in the other embodiments. This lip structure is useful in helping the user to raise the spout from the contents of the container without getting his fingers into the contents. It is common to supply cans or similar containers in which the contents do not completely fill the can to the top. In certain types of products, it is known to have as much as onesixteenth of the total height of the can empty when on the shelf for purchase. It will be appreciated that the top of the spout, and particularly, the lip 23 or 23' may extend above the top level of the liquid or other material in the can so that it may be grasped without immersing the fingers in the can contents.

At the bottom fragmented portion of FIG. 11 is shown a modified structure at the point of join between the flange l2 and the longitudinally directed wall 15.

Instead of there being a simple join line as is shown in FIG. 8, the embodiment of FIG. lll illustrates a structure in which a groove is provided on the outer surface of the wall R at the place where the wall intersects the flange 12. This groove may be called a detent, or a depression. Broadly, it is a locking means to firmly hold the spout in the raised position suitable for pouring, and yet have the capability of being disengaged or unlocked so that the spout may be returned to the interior of the can. The container top and wall 3 is shown in its relative position to the groove 27 with the spout in the raised and locked position. The natural resiliency of the spout, if made of thin gauge sheet metal for example, permits what has been found to be easy and positive locking and unlocking merely by respectively raising and lowering the spout. The lip 23' can be used with flange structures other than that shown in F lG. l1 and the groove 27 can be used with spout tops differing from that shown in FIG. 11.

In this manner, there has been herein shown and described a dispensing system 1 which includes a retractable spout member positioned wtihin an enclosure or container. The dispensing system herein described provides for a simple, efficient and time saving apparatus whereby material may be dispensed. It will be understood that various changes and modifications may be made from the foregoing without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A dispensing system comprising:

a. a longitudinally extended container having opposing wall members displaced each from the other, at least one of said wall members having a removable section formed integral with said wall member in a plane substantially coincident with said wall member for forming an opening of predetermined contour when at least a portion of said removable section is displaced from said wall member;

b. a spout member located wholly within said container and freely floating in a liquid within said container when said removable section is contiguous to said wall member throughout said predetermined contour, said spout member extending substantially between said opposing wall members when said spout member is located wholly within said container, said spout member being only partially removable from said container through said opening when said removable section is displaced from said wall member; and,

c. means for releaseably securing said spout member to said container when said spout member is only partially removed from said container through said opening by gravity assist, said releaseable securing means forming a flange member having a diameter greater than at least one dimension of said opening predetermined contour.

2. The dispensing system as recited in claim 1 wherein said spout member includes at least one transverse cross-sectional area profile substantially normal to said longitudinal extension having a dimensional contour substantially equal to at least a portion of said predetermined contour of said opening formed by said displacement of said integrally constructed removeable section from one of said opposing wall members.

3. The dispensing system as recited in claim 2 wherein said spout member is trough shaped forming an open channel formed longitudinally within a wall of said spout member for guiding passage of material from said container when said spout member is partially removed from said container, said transverse crosssectional area profile of an end-section of said spout member positionally located adjacent said removable section being less than an opposing end section of said spout member.

4. The dispensing system as recited in claim 3 wherein said transverse cross-sectional area profile of said spout member monotonically decreases in said longitudinal extension from a first end section to a second end section of said open channel trough shaped spout member.

5. The dispensing system as recited in claim 2 wherein said spout member is a trunated cone having a through passage for guiding material from said container when said spout member is partially removed from said container.

6. The dispensing system as recited in claim 5 including means for partially removing said spout member from said container when said removeable section is displaced from said wall member, said partial removal means being formed in one piece construction and integral with an end of said spout member adjacent said removeable section, said partial removal means being contiguous to said removeable section of said wall member and deformably compressed elastically in said longitudinal direction when said spout member is located wholly internal to said container.

7. The dispensing system as recited in claim 6 wherein said partial removal means includes a bridge element secured in one piece formation to opposing sides of said spout member on said end of said spout member adjacent said removeable section, said bridge element extending above said spout member.

8. The dispensing system as recited in claim 7 wherein said bridge element in combination with said spout member provides a longitudinal length greater than the distance between said opposing wall members of said container when said removeable section is displaced from said wall member, said bridge element being extended through elastic restoration when said removeable section is displaced from said wall member.

9. The dispensing system as recited in claim 6 wherein said partial removal means includes at least one extension tab element substantially extending in said longitudinal direction, at least one of said extension tabs formed integral with one side of said spout member in one piece formation on said end of said spout member adjacent said removeable section, at least one of said extension tabs extending above said spout member when said removeable section is displaced from said wall member.

10. The dispensing system as recited in claim 9 wherein at least one of said extension tabs is formed of a resilient material adapted to be deformably mounted within said container prior to displacement of said removeable section when said spout member is wholly within said container.

11. The dispensing system as recited in claim 1 including means for partially removing said spout member from said container when said removeable section is displaced from said wall member, said partial removal means being formed on an end of said spout member adjacent said removeable section when said spout member is located internal said container, said partial removal means forming a lip element integral with said spout member being mounted within said container prior to said displacement of said removeable section of said wall member.

12. The dispensing system as recited in claim ll 5 container.

wherein one of said opposing wall members defines a

Claims

1. A dispensing system comprising: a. a longitudinally extended container having opposing wall members displaced each from the other, at least one of said wall members having a removable section formed integral with said wall member in a plane substantially coincident with said wall member for forming an opening of predetermined contour when at least a portion of said removable section is displaced from said wall member; b. A spout member located wholly within said container and freely floating in a liquid within said container when said removable section is contiguous to said wall member throughout said predetermined contour, said spout member extending substantially between said opposing wall members when said spout member is located wholly within said container, said spout member being only partially removable from said container through said opening when said removable section is displaced from said wall member; and, c. means for releaseably securing said spout member to said container when said spout member is only partially removed from said container through said opening by gravity assist, said releaseable securing means forming a flange member having a diameter greater than at least one dimension of said opening predetermined contour.

3. The dispensing system as recited in claim 2 wherein said spout member is trough shaped forming an open channel formed longitudinally within a wall of said spout member for guiding passage of material from said container when said spout member is partially removed from said container, said transverse cross-sectional area profile of an end section of said spout member positionally located adjacent said removable section being less than an opposing end section of said spout member.

12. The dispensing system as recited in claim 1 wherein one of said opposing wall members defines a lower wall, said lower wall including a recess directed into said container, said spout member being releaseably captured by within said recess of said lower wall member when said spout member is wholly within said container.