WO1986007584A1

WO1986007584A1 - Particulate material pourer

Info

Publication number: WO1986007584A1
Application number: PCT/AU1986/000146
Authority: WO
Inventors: Paul Thomas Wilding
Original assignee: Paul Thomas Wilding
Priority date: 1985-06-17
Filing date: 1986-05-23
Publication date: 1986-12-31
Also published as: EP0227700A1

Abstract

A pourer (1) for particulate materials which includes a guide (8) spaced apart from a sharply pointed conduit (2) to assist in locating the piercing point and later holding the pourer (1) in a pouring position. The inner end of the conduit has a sharp cutting edge (5) to assist in cutting of an opening cut part and a bottom tab (12) to cause clearance of the thus cut part.

Description

PART1CULATE MATERIAL POURER

This invention relates to a particulate material pourer.

The problem to which this invention is directed relates to a difficulty in opening boxes from which particulate material such as but not limited..t.o soap powder can then be poured.

This has been found in the past to be a signifi¬ cant difficulty for many people, especially where the opening is to be achieved by tearing of a cardboard tab which is tearable to some extent by indentations partially through the wall of the cardboard.

Many people are simply not able to effectively achieve this, or at least can only achieve it with some difficulty.

The invention can be said to reside in a pourer for particulate materials including a conduit adapted to be positioned through a wall of a carton from which the materials are to be poured and provide for egress therethrough, characterised in that the conduit has a sharply pointed part at an innermost end, stop means to limit the extent of entry through the wall of a carton of the conduit, and guide means adjacent to and spaced apart from the conduit adapted to engage along a top or side of a carton when the conduit has entered through a wall of the carton.

In preference, the conduit has parallel sides for its internal bore, which bore has at its innermost end a portion of the wall providing the sharply pointed part. Further features of the invention can be gained by reference to the accompanying claims and to the following description of the preferred embodiment which shall now be described with the assistance of drawings in which

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a carton with a pourer according to the embodiment located therein,

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view through the carton and pourer as shown in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is an underneath perspective view of the pourer according to the embodiment,

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the top of the pourer according to the embodiment,

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the pourer, and, ' FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view along the lines 6-6 as shown in FIG. 5.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the pourer 1 includes a conduit 2 which has an innermost end 3 which is a sharply pointed part and is thereby adapted to pierce -the cardboard material of typically a soap powder carton as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

The shape of the inner end of the conduit 2 tapers back from the sharply pointed part 3 and has a sharp edge at 5 to provide a cutting effect with respect to the cardboard of the carton 4 so that carton part 6 as shown in FIG. 2 is cut in an approximately semi-circular shape as the conduit is pushed fully home.

There are stops means 7 which are in fact constituted by a surrounding yoke which, by engaging against the outer face of the wall of the carton 4, limit the extent of entry of the conduit 2. The pourer 1 is made from injection moulded plastic and as such it is often difficult to get or even maintain an extremely sharp point.

In order to achieve best effect without -crushing the cardboard of the carton, it is found preferable that the entry point be adjacent a reinforced part of the carton 4 and accordingly by using guide 8, the location of the point 3 can be first established by having end 9 lie on an outer end of the top of the carton 4 and then of course with pushing of the pourer 1, this will cause the part 3 to engage just below the reinforced top and hence achieve best effect of entry.

Once the pourer 1 is fully in position however, it is of significance to assist in keeping the pourer in such a position and accordingly there is a gap 10 defined between the respective parallel faces of the underneath side of the guide 8 and the upper outer edge of the conduit 2 between which the respective parts 11 of the top of the carton 4 can be held.

The guide 8 is resiliently retained inherently because of the plastic character of the material and by reason of the characteristic of cardboard and the shape of the respective parts and accordingly this does provide for an arrangement to assist in holding of the pourer 1 in a pouring position.

Our next problem is the cut part of the wall of the carton 1 at 6.

If this is simply left as a cut piece, it can have the effect of closing across the open inner end of the conduit 2. Accordingly, there is provided a downwardly projecting tab 12 located at the lowermost position in the conduit 2 and the effect of this is to firstly push the cut part 6 and then wride over this so as to hold it in the position as shown in FIG. 2 when the pourer is fully locked in position.

Projecting from an outer side of the conduit 2 is a hood 13 which has for its purpose to limit scatter of powder when this is being poured from the carton 4.

This then describes the pourer.

In.use, an unopened carton is simply presented to- the pourer and the pourer is located centrally and with the guide on the uppermost top portion at one end of the carton, the pourer is then simply pushed so that the sharply pointed part 3 pushes against the reinforced thin wall of the side of the carton 4 passing through this and then with the remaining edges cutting a half moon shape, forming a cut portion 6 which is finally pushed out of the way by the tab 12.

The unit provides an economic and yet effective answer to the problem of opening the walls of cartons for the pouring of particulate materials such as soap powder, bird seed and other appropriate materials.

With the inner open bore of the conduit 2 of a sufficient size and having sides which are parallel one to the other as shown in the drawings, it is convenient for a user to place a finger through the open bore and ensure that the cut part 6 is fully depressed for best operation. It has also been found useful to provide a strengthening rib 14 which runs along the top of the conduit 2 helping to hold the sharply pointed part 3 in the appropriate position and maintain its sharp characteristic.

Claims

1. A pourer for particulate materials including a conduit adapted to be positioned through a wall of .a carton from which the materials are to be poured and provide for egress therethrough, characterised in that the conduit has a sharply pointed part at an innermost end, stop means to limit the extent of entry through the wall of a carton of the conduit, and guide means adjacent to and spaced apart from the conduit and adapted to engage along a top or side of a carton when the conduit has entered through a wall of the carton.

2. A pourer for particulate materials as in claim 1 further characterised in that the conduit has parallel sides for its internal bore which, has^' at its innermost end a portion of the wall providing the sharply pointed part.

3. A pourer for particulate materials as in the last preceding claim further characterised in that the guide has an inner face which extends, in a direction parallel to the inner bore of the conduit.

4. A pourer for particulate materials as in either of the two last preceding claims further characterised in that there is a gap defined between the outer surface of the conduit and the guide.

5. A pourer for particulate materials as in any one of the preceding claims further characterised in that the position and shape of the guide means are such as to provide a retaining pressure with respect to a carton that it may be engaging.

6. A pourer for particulate materials as in any one of the preceding claims further characterised in that the conduit has its sharply pointed part at a location around the wall of the conduit which is closest to the guide means.

7. A pourer for particulate materials as in any one of the preceding claims further characterised in that the inner end of the conduit has a shape which tapers back from the sharply pointed part and has a sharp edge to provide a cutting effect, on the said inner end of the said conduit.

8. A pourer for particulat-e materials as in any one of the preceding claims further characterised in that there is. a tab adapted to engage and further open a cut portion of carton upon passage therepast of the conduit.

9. A pourer for particulate materials as in any one of the preceding claims further characterised in that the tab is lowermost with respect to the conduit and protrudes beyond the wall shape of the conduit to effect the clearing effect.

10. A pourer for particulate materials as in any one of the preceding claims further characterised in that there is a hood on the outer side of the conduit to limit scatter qf particles poured from a carton with the pourer located therein.

11. A pourer as described in the specification with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.