WO1980002134A1

WO1980002134A1 - Device for liquid containers

Info

Publication number: WO1980002134A1
Application number: PCT/SE1980/000093
Authority: WO
Inventors: A Joeneman
Original assignee: Petersson New Prod Bengt; A Joeneman
Priority date: 1979-04-04
Filing date: 1980-03-28
Publication date: 1980-10-16
Also published as: NO803645L; EP0026194A1; SE429037B; NL8020113A; JPS56500332A; SE7902989L; DK515780A; GB2071068A

Abstract

A device for liquid containers comprising a discharge spout (6) fixed to this with an outer end provided with a discharge opening (8) which is adapted to be closed by means of a cap (5) at least partially surrounding the discharge spout. The container likewise comprises a filling opening which can be closed by means of a cover (11). The filling opening is situated on the inner portion (7) of the discharge spout (6) connected to the main part (1) of the container. The cap (5) comprises a terminal portion close to its open end which, when the cap is placed in position, is adapted to surround said inner portion (7) of the discharge spout and so to cover the filling opening with the associated cover (11).

Description

Title:

Device for liquid containers

Technical field: The present invention relates to those liquid containers which comprise at least one drainage opening and at least one filling opening. In liquid containers , a relatively small emptying opening is often needed, which often constitutes the opening to a spout, while a larger opening is needed for filling the container. A typical case is spare cans for engine fuel. A tube with a limited diameter is needed so that the fuel can be introduced into the petrol tank of the engine . Refilling of the can cannot be effected through this tube, however, because the diameter which can be permitted is not large enough to be able to introduce the nozzle of a petrol pump nor can fuel be poured conveniently and reliably through the tube from another container.

Background:

This problem has usually been solved in such a manner that the tube is fixed to a rotatable coupling so that it can be screwed pointing outwards when the can is to be emptied and screwed turned inwards in the storage state, in which case an extra stopper is needed to close the hole passing through the coupling and the tube, while during filling of the can the tube with its coupling is removed completely so that larger opening is formed. A similar arrangement is often used for smaller containers , such as oil cans and the like. Here there is an outer tube or spout which is not rotatable but can be unscrewed from the rest of the container so that a larger opening is obtained for filling. For emptying, on the other hand, the spout is used.

Technical problem:

The first-mentioned device involves major disadvantages . On the one hand it is relatively complicated and involves high production costs and on the other hand it is inconvenient to handle and involves the risk of soiling when the tube soaked with fuel has to be turned outwards . The greatest disadvantage, however, is that if there is excess pressure in the can , which easily occurs through evaporation of the volatile fuel, the fuel is forced out through the tube and can spill over whoever opens the coupling. Several serious accidents have happened in this manner . The other solution is awkward to handle, however, since the whole spout must be unscrewed which involves the risk of spilling and staining with the liquid present in the interior.

The solution: With the solution according to the invention, the filling opening of the container is situated on the inner portion of the drainage spout which is adjacent to the main part of the container. In addition there is a cap which is adapted to close the spout and which is adapted to be threaded over the spout with an open end. The cap comprises a terminating portion close to its open end which, when the cap is placed in position , is adapted to surround said inner portion of the drainage spout and so to cover the filling opening.

Advantages : The object of the present invention is to provide, a device for liquid containers w hich meets the need for a relatively small discharge opening or relatively narrow discharge tube and at the same time a relatively wide filling opening, which device is simple to handle with little risk of spilling liquid. In addition, a device of the said kind is provided which is simple in construction and can be manufactured at low cost, the device being particularly suitable for production in plastics material which can be easily worked.

Brief description of drawings :

In the accompanying drawings, the device is shown in three modifications . Fig. 1 show s a liquid container as a whole. Fig. 2 is a portion of the liquid container with discharge and filling opening shown in a view partially in section; Fig. 3 is a section on the line III-III in Fig. 2 of a first modification of the device; Fig. 4 shows another modification in a corresponding section, but on a larger scale and Fig. 5 shows a third modification in a section corresponding to the section in Fig. 4. Best mode of carrying out the invention :

According to Fig. 1 , a container comprises a main part 1 to contain liquid . The main part 1 may be circular, elliptical or angular in cross-section . Incised in the main part 1 is a narrower part 2 which is penetrated by a handle opening so that a carrying handle is formed. Extending from the main part 1. at its one end, is an opening portion 4 (Fig. 2) which is intended to be covered by means of a screw cap 5.

The invention relates to the opening portion 4 and hereinafter only this will be dealt with. Thus the main part 1 lacks any significance for the invention and can be made in many ways apart from the forms shown, which have only been selected by way of example. According to Fig. 2, the opening portion 4 comprises an outer tubular part 6 and an inner rougher part 7. The outer part 6 ends with a discharge opening 8 and the part 6 thus forms a discharge spout. The inner part 7 ends towards the main part 1 with a screw thread 9. In the wall of the inner part 1 there is an opening 10 which can be closed by a resilient stopper 11. The stopper 11 comprises a bead 12 which can penetrate into the hole 10 and close this . At the outside, the stopper 11 comprises an outer edge portion 13 and a centre pin 14, the outer surfaces of which are in a common tapered surface which is concentric with the opening portion 4. Originating from one edge of the resilient stopper 11 is a band 15 which is adapted to be held by means of an end portion 16, in a depression 17 in the wall of the opening portion 4. As a result, the stopper remains hanging on the band 15 if it is removed from the hole 10, so that it cannot be lost. Opposite the band 15 there is handle 33 to pull out the stopper. The material of the stopper may appropriately be synthetic rubber or some other elastomer. The container, on the other hand, consits of somewhat stiff er material and can be produced in a simple and cheap manner by blowing plastics material.

The centre pin 14 is penetrated by a hole 18 in the modification shown in Fig. 3. In the modification shown in Fig. 4 there is a hole 19 in the centre pin 14 which penetrates only partially through the stopper from the outside . Between the bottom of the hole 19 and the inner surface 20 of the stopper there extends a knife slit 21. Finally, in the modification shown in Fig. 5 a hole 22 extends through the stopper 13 and ends in a space 23 at the inside of the stopper. Snapped into a groove 24 in the wall of the space 23 is a star-shaped washer 25. In the space 24 there is a ball 26. The bottom of the space 23 forms a tapered seat 27 for the ball. The cap 5 comprises a mouth with a female thread 28 at the inner part of which there is a soft packing 29. The inner wall of the cap 5 adjacent to the mouth forms an inner tapered surface 30 which coincides with the tapered surface in which there are the edge portion 13 and the centre pin 14 of the stopper 11. Opposite the opening, the cap 5 comprises a bottom 31 with an inner projection 32 which is dimensioned to close the outer mouth 8 of the opening portion 4.

The outer part of the opening portion 4 is dimensioned in length and diameter for the discharge purpose for which the container is intended. Thus , if the container constitutes a spare can for a motor vehicle, the part 6 can have the form shown in Fig. 2. It is thus relatively short and has its diameter adapted to the tank opening of a motor vehicle or a motorized implement such as a lawn-mover or power saw . A suitable diameter is about 20 mm. On the other hand, if the liquid container is intended for filling even smaller containers , the portion 6 would have to be made correspondingly narrower. It can also be formed as a lubricating nozzle .

The hole 10 which is intended to constitute the filling opening can be made with the necessary size regardless of the diameter of the part 6. Thus an opening of about 25 m m is required for filling by means of a filling pipe of a petrol pump to be possible. Larger or smaller dimensions are conceivable, however.

During filling, the cap 5 is first removed and then the cover 11 is pulled out by means of the handle 33. It can then be left hanging on the band 15. The filling pipe is introduced into the hole 10 and the container is filled to the required extent. Then the stopper 11 is again pressed into the hole 10. For the final closure of the container, the cap 5 is screwed tight by means of its threads 28 on the threads 9 of the container. In the course of this , the projection 32 closes the discharge opening 8. The tapered surface 30 comes to rest against the edge portion 13 and the centre pin 14 so that the stopper 11 is reliably held in the hole 10 while at the same time the hole 18 , 19 or 22 is closed by the wall 30. During the screwing tight, the soft packing 29 is compressed somewhat and so a seal is obtained at the mouth of the cap .

Thus the container is very carefully sealed after the cap has been screwed on . Even if some leakage should occur at the discharge opening 8 or at the stopper 11 or if liquid should have collected at the outside of the opening part 4, the packing 29 prevents a leakage regardless of the position which the container assumes . Furthermore, the threads 9, 28 constitute a sealing element. During the drawing off of liquid, the cap 5 is unscrewed and the outer part 6 is introduced into the opening of the receptacle which is to be filled or is taken to the place where the liquid is to flow out. Then the container is tilted with the stopper 11 directed upwards until liquid flows out through the opening 8. While the liquid is flowing out, air can enter through the hole 18 in the modification shown in Fig. 3. By this means it is possible to avoid the bursts of liquid in the discharge tube which occur with many liquid containers and delay the emptying as a result of the fact that the column of liquid periodically runs out and is periodically forced back with the intake of air.

In order to avoid the risk of liquid running out through an open hole such as the hole 18 if the stopper should happen to be turned downwards , the stopper can be made in the manner shown in Fig. 4. Thus the hole 19 is normally closed but the knife slit 21 can be caused to open by pressing the resilient stopper inwards in the centre, so that air is allowed through.

In the form of embodiment shown in Fig. 5, the ball 26 acts as a valve . Thus if there is liquid pressure from the inside against the ball, it seals the hole 22. On the other hand, if the hole 22 is turned upwards , the ball falls down against the star-shaped washer 25 and air can flow through the hole 22 and past the perforated washer 25. If no admission of air is necessary , the stopper 11 can be made completely sealing.

Several modifications besides the embodifments shown are conceivable within the scope of the invention . Thus the cap can be secured by other means than by a thread as by means of a bayonet socket, by friction or by snapping on . The securing member such as a thread or a bayonet socket can be placed elsewhere than at the connection of the opening portion to the rest of the container, for example at the mouth or outside the filling hole. If it is desired that the filling hole should be directed more upwards when the container stands upright, the taper for the part in which the filling hole is situated can be made more obtuse. Another suitable form of embodiment of the container is that if a container of the appearance shown in Fig. 1 has a supporting surface at the opposite side to the handle, than the opening portion 4 may appropriately be situated at the edge of the container at which the handle 3 is situated. At the same time, the filling hole is directed out from this edge. As a result the filling hole comes to be situated at the upper edge of the container when it stands on said supporting plane. In addition , if the discharge tube 6 is swung upwards somewhat from this position, so that the mouth comes over the filling hole, the container can stand in this position and be filled. As a result, elongated containers can stand in their steadiest position during the filling.

What is important about the liquid container according to the invention is that the discharge opening and the filling opening are at a limited distance apart and are surrounded by a cap or the like which, in the present case, constitutes the sealing for the liquid discharge opening and forms a securing means for the closure of the filling opening. As a result, a simple and at the same time very reliable closure is obtained. Within the scope of this idea, the closing devices for the two openings can be varied. Thus the liquid discharge opening can be provided with a separate closure which is also secured by the cap . On the other hand, the liquid filling opening may lack any separate closure and be closed entirely by the cap . If both openings are closed by the cap the simplest embodiment is obtained but in this case the two openings must be so placed that the risk of accidentally spilling liquid through one of the openings when the cap is removed is made as slight as possible.

Claims

Claims :

1. A device for liquid containers comprising a discharge spout (6) connected by an inner portion (7) to a main part (1) of the container and preferably fixed to the container, and having an outer end provided with a discharge opening (8) which is adapted to be closed by means of a cap (5) which at least partially surrounds the discharge spout and which is adapted to be threaded over the spout by an open end, which container further comprises a filling opening (10) which can preferably be closed by means of a cover (11) or the like, characterized in that the filling opening (10) is situated on the inner portion (7) of the discharge spout (6) connected to the main part (1) of the container and that the cap (5) comprises a terminal portion close to its open end which, when the cap is in position, is adapted to surround said inner portion (7) of the discharge spout and so to cover the filling opening (10) with the preferably associated cover (11) or the like.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the inner wall (30) of the cap (5) is adapted, close to its open end, to form a support for the cover (11) so that this is reliably held over the filling opening (10) .

3. A device as claimed in claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the cap is adapted to be held on the main part (1) of the container by means of a union, for example a screw connection (9, 28) which is situated on the inner portion (7) of the discharge spout (6) close to the main part (1) of the container and inside the filling opening (10) .

4. A device as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that the connection (9, 28) comprises a sealing member (29) adapted to seal the cap (5) at its said connection to the container, so that any liquid leaking out through the discharge opening (8) or the filling opening (10) can be caused to remain in the cap (5) so long as this is held by means of the connection (9, 28) .

5. A device as claimed in one of the preceding claims , characterized in that the cover (11) comprises a ventilating opening (18/21/22) .

6. A device as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that the ventilating opening has the form of an open channel (18) which is adapted to be sealed by means of the inner wall (30) of the cap (5) when this is placed in position.

7. A device as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that the ventilating opening (21) has the form of a sht in the cover (11) which is made at least partially of rubber elastic material, which slit tends to be held in the closed state by the resilience of the material but which can be opened by deformation of the rubbery elastic material.