WO1996035622A1

WO1996035622A1 - Pourer for pouring at least two different liquids

Info

Publication number: WO1996035622A1
Application number: PCT/IE1996/000027
Authority: WO
Inventors: Andrew Scudamore; Douglas Jennings; Martin Hughes; Raymond Wright; Simon Lugg; Paul Michael Christmas; Andrew Robert Blair
Original assignee: Idv Operations Ireland Limited
Priority date: 1995-05-11
Filing date: 1996-05-13
Publication date: 1996-11-14
Also published as: AU5701396A

Abstract

A pourer for pouring two liquids from a pair of juxtaposed containers comprising a main body portion (50) and an associated sealing cap (51). The main body portion (50) has a pourer body section associated with each container. Each pourer section has a pouring passageway (52). Fluid seals are provided on the cap (51) for sealing each pouring passageway (52). Lugs (76) on an inner surface of the cap (51) engage within complementary recesses (77) on the body portion (50) to secure the cap (51) on the body portion (50). An actuator button (60) is pivotally mounted in an opening (61) in a sidewall of the cap (51). The button (60) is pivotally movable through the opening (61) between a rest position and a release position to engage the pourer body (50) to flex the cap sidewalls apart to release the lugs (76) from the recesses (77) for removal of the cap (51) from the body portion (50).

Description

Pourer for pouring at least two different liquids

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a pourer and in particular to a sealing cap for a pourer for pouring liquids such as alcoholic beverages, liqueurs and the like from two or more containers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In our PCT Application No. PCT/IE94/00053 (WO 95/13230) we have described a pourer for simultaneously pouring two different liqueur beverage products from adjacent containers. The pourer has a sealing cap fitted with both air and liquid seals. The cap is of at least partially flexible material and is a push fit on the body of the pourer. The side walls of the cap are pressed inwardly to release the cap from the pourer. Some users find that this cap is difficult to operate.

This invention is therefore directed towards providing a pourer including an improved sealing cap which will overcome this problem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention, there is provided a pourer for pouring at least two different liquids from containers, the pourer comprising a main pourer body having two or more pourer body sections, a pourer body section being associated with each container, each pourer body section having a pouring passageway, a removable sealing cap for the main pourer body having a fluid seal for sealing each pouring passageway, engagement means for releasably securing the cap on the main pourer body and an actuator which is operable to release the engagement means for removal of the cap. Thus a user can readily easily remove the cap from the main pourer body by a simple operation of the actuator.

In one embodiment, the actuator is movable between a rest position in which the cap is in sealing engagement with the main pourer body and a release position in which the engagement means is released for removal of the cap.

Preferably, the actuator is interposed between the main pourer body and the sealing cap, the actuator being movable between the rest position and the release position. Most preferably, the actuator is a lever which is pivotally mounted on the sealing cap.

In another embodiment, the actuator is mounted by a hinge in an opening in a sidewall of the cap for pivotal movement through the opening between the rest position and the release position.

Preferably, the hinge has a male part pivotally engageable within a female part, one part being provided on the actuator and the other part being provided at a periphery of the opening.

In another embodiment, the male part comprises an elongate ledge and the female part is a complementary groove. Preferably, the ledge is provided at a periphery of the opening and the groove is provided in the actuator.

This hinge mounting arrangement for the actuator is relatively simple facilitating cheap production and reliable operation in use. In a further embodiment, the actuator has a cam surface engageable with the main pourer body upon moving the actuator between the rest position and the release position to release the cap from sealing engagement with the main pourer body. The cam arrangement eases the cap off the main pourer body in a smooth operation. Preferably, the actuator is operable to resiliently deform the cap to release the engagement means.

The resiliently deformable construction is simple and reliable giving good sealing when the cap is on the main pourer body and facilitating quick release of the cap when desired.

In another embodiment, the cap has a front sidewall and a rear sidewall, the actuator being mounted on the rear sidewall adjacent an upper end of the rear sidewall, a lower end of the front sidewall being pivotally engageable with a front of the main pourer body. This relative positioning of the actuator and the pivot mounting promotes a natural smooth release action of the cap which naturally peels away from the main pourer body upon operation of the actuator.

Preferably, stop means is provided to restrict the movement of the actuator. Most preferably, the stop means comprises spaced-apart projections on the actuator engageable with the cap at opposite sides of the opening. The stop means conveniently retains the actuator in the desired operating position on the cap.

In a further embodiment, the engagement means comprises complementary interengageable formations on the cap and on the pourer body. Preferably, the formations comprise a number of two-part catches, each catch having a lug and a complementary recess, one part being provided on the cap and the other part being provided on the pourer body. Conveniently, the catches are provided at opposite sidewalls of the cap and the pourer body, the actuator being operable to spread apart opposite sidewalls of the cap to release the catches. Preferably, a catch on one side of the pourer forms a hinge for pivotal engagement of the cap with the main pourer body. The catch arrangement is of simple construction which is reliable in operation and easy to use. In another embodiment, the cap includes a tamper evident means.

In a further embodiment, the tamper evident means comprises a removable tamper evident seal on the actuator, the tamper evident seal retaining the actuator in the rest position preventing unauthorised movement of the actuator to the release position. Preferably, the tamper evident seal is a peel-away strip mounted on the actuator blocking movement of the actuator through the opening in the cap.

In another embodiment, the strip has a projection on an actuator-engaging face of the strip, the projection engaging within an associated recess in the actuator.

In another embodiment, the strip is hingedly attached along one edge to the actuator.

In a further embodiment, each pourer section has a pouring passageway and an air passageway and the sealing cap has a fluid seal for sealing each pouring passageway and an air seal for sealing each air passageway.

In another embodiment, the cap has a front sidewall and a rear sidewall, a lower end of the front sidewall pivotally engaging a front of the main pourer body, the actuator comprising a finger grip projection extending outwardly of the rear sidewall of the cap. Preferably, the main pourer body has a front face and a rear face, the cap has a front side wall and a rear side wall, the engagement means comprises a front catch and a rear catch, the front catch for engagement between the front face of the main pourer body and the front side wall of the cap, the rear catch for engagement between the rear face of the main pourer body and the rear side wall of the cap. Most preferably, the front catch comprises an inwardly projecting lug on an inner face of the front side wall and a complementary recess in a front face of the main pourer body. Conveniently, the lug is rotatably engageable within the recess, the front catch forming a hinge for pivotal engagement of the cap with the main pourer body.

In a further embodiment, the rear catch comprises a pair of spaced-apart inwardly projecting lugs on an inner face of the rear side wall of the cap and a complementary pair of spaced-apart recesses in a rear face of the main pourer body for reception of the lugs.

Preferably, the actuator is mounted on the cap, the actuator being movable between a rest position in which the cap is in sealing engagement with the main pourer body and a release position in which the engagement means is released for removal of the cap. Most preferably, the actuator is mounted on a side wall of the cap, the actuator being movable on the cap between a rest position and a release position, in the rest position the cap being in sealing engagement with the main pourer body, and in the release position, the actuator urging the side wall of the cap outwardly away from the main pourer body to release the engagement means. In another embodiment, the actuator is mounted on the rear side wall of the cap. Preferably, the actuator comprises an actuator button, the rear side wall of the cap having an opening for reception of the actuator button, the actuator button being pivotally mounted by a hinge in the opening for pivotal movement of the actuator button through the opening between the rest position and the release position. Most preferably, the actuator button has a tapered body with a narrow lower end and a broad upper end, the lower end of the body being pivotally mounted in the opening.

In another embodiment, stop means is provided on the actuator, the stop means being engageable with the cap when the actuator is in the rest position or in the release position. Preferably, the stop means comprises spaced-apart stop projections on the actuator button engageable against a peripheral edge of the slot.

In a further embodiment, the actuator comprises a wedge mounted between the pourer body and the cap, the wedge being slidable between the pourer body and the cap to flex the cap for release of the cap from sealing engagement with the pourer body.

In a further embodiment, the actuator comprises a latch on a sidewall of the cap, the latch being deformable to release the cap from the pourer body.

In another embodiment, the actuator comprises a pull tab mounted on the cap operable for resilient deformation of at least portion of the cap to release the engagement means.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will be more clearly understood from the following description of some embodiments thereof, given by way of example only, in which:

Figs. A and B are respectively perspective views from the front and rear of a pourer as described in our PCT Application No. PCT\lE94\00053;

Fig. C is a plan view of the pourer of Figs. A and B;

Fig. D is a perspective view of the pourer of Figs. A to C in use;

Fig. 1 is a side partially cross sectional view of a pourer according to the invention, with an actuator on a sealing cap of the pourer in a rest position;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 with the actuator in a release or opening position;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the pourer with a tamper evident seal fitted to the cap;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view similar to Fig.3 illustrating the removal of the tamper evident seal;

Fig. 5 is an exploded partially cross sectional perspective view illustrating the cap engagement with a body of the pourer;

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of an actuator button forming part of the cap;

Fig. 7 is a side elevational view of the actuator button; Fig. 8 is an underneath plan view of the actuator button;

Fig. 9 is an end view of the button;

Fig. 10 is a cross sectional view on the line X-X in Fig. 9;

Figs. 11A, 11B and 11C are perspective views of a sealing cap with another tamper evident seal according to a second embodiment of the invention;

Figs. 12A and 12B are perspective views of a sealing cap with a further tamper evident seal according to a third embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 13 is a perspective view of a sealing cap of another pourer according to a fourth embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 14 is a perspective view of a further sealing cap of another pourer according to a fifth embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 15 is a perspective view of another arrangement of a sealing cap for a pourer according to a sixth embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 16 is a detail side cross sectional view of part of the sealing cap of Fig. 15;

Fig. 17 is a perspective view of a further sealing cap of another pourer according to a seventh embodiment of the invention; Fig. 18 is a side, partially cross sectional view of the cap of Fig. 17 shown mounted on an associated pourer body; and

Fig. 19 is a perspective view of another sealing cap of a pourer according to an eighth embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring initially to Figs. A to D of the drawings, there is illustrated a pourer as described in our PCT Application No. PCT\IE94\00053 for pouring from two or more containers. In this case, the pourer is used for pouring dark and white liqueurs from a bottle A comprising two adjacent containers, B,C having respective outlet necks D,E.

The pourer comprises a main pourer body having a pourer body section 3,4 associated with each container B,C. Each pourer body section 3,4 has an engagement means which may be in the form of a depending skirt portion for engaging with an associated container outlet or may snap-fittingly engage the container necks. Each pourer body section 3,4 has a pouring passageway which extends from a liquid inlet from an associated container B,C to a pouring outlet 10b, lib.

The main pourer body has separate air passageways associated with each liquid passageway. The air passageways 30a,31a extend from respective air inlet ports to respective air outlets. The air inlets are located above the associated fluid outlets 10b, lib in the pouring position and are offset from the fluid outlets. Referring now to Figs. 1 and 2 there is illustrated a pourer according to the invention having a main pourer body indicated generally by the reference numeral 50. A removable sealing cap 51 is releasably engageable with the main pourer body 50. Complementary interengageable formations (described later) on the main pourer body 50 and cap 51 releasably engage the cap 51 with the main pourer body 50.

The main pourer body 50 has a pair of liquid pouring passageways 52 and a pair of air passageways 53 provided at a front face 55 and a rear face 56 respectively of the main pourer body 50. The cap 51 has fluid seals (not shown) and air seals 54 (Fig. 5) inside the cap 51 for engagement with and sealing of the liquid pouring passageways 52 and air passageways 53.

The cap 51 has a front side wall 57 and a rear side wall 58 interconnected by end walls 59 and a top 59a.

Actuator means is provided for releasing the cap 51 from the main pourer body 50. In this case the actuator means is provided by an actuator button 60 which is movable in the direction of the arrow M in Fig. 1 from a rest position shown in Fig. 1 in which the cap 51 is in sealing engagement with the main pourer body 50 to a release position shown in Fig. 2 in which at least portion of the cap 51 is resiliently deformed or flexed to release the cap 51 from sealing engagement allowing it to be easily removed from the main pourer body 50. It is easily removed because the direction of the actuation is in the same direction as that required for removal of the cap 51 from the main pourer body 50.

The actuator button 60 may have a tamper evident seal which in the case of the pourer illustrated in Figs. 1 to 10 is provided by a tear-off strip 65 or piece of plastic. When in place, the strip 65 locks the actuator button in the rest position.

The strip 65 is pulled in the direction of the arrow N (Fig. 4) to allow the actuator button 60 to operate.

The actuator button 60 is shown in detail in Figs. 6 to 10 and is mounted within a complementary opening 61 adjacent an upper end of the rear sidewall 58 of the cap 51 by locating a groove 79 at a bottom of the button 60 on a ledge 80 provided at a bottom peripheral edge of the opening 61 of the sealing cap 51. By engagement of the groove 79 with the ledge 80 the actuator button 60 is hingedly mounted within the opening 61 of the cap 51, the actuator button 80 pivoting about the ledge 80 within the opening 61 for pivotal movement through the opening 61 between the rest position and the release position.

When assembled, on pushing of the button 60 inwards, a front cam surface 81 on the button 60 engages the rear face 56 of the main pourer body 50 urging the rear sidewall 58 of the cap 51 outwardly away from the main pourer body 50 thus raising lugs 76 on an inside face of the rear sidewall 58 of the cap 51 out of associated recesses 77 in the main pourer body 50 to facilitate removal of the cap 51. The cam action is such that the actuator button 60 automatically resets on replacement of the cap 51 on the main pourer body 50. The actuator button 60 has side pips 82 which engage with sides of the opening 61 on an inside face of the rear sidewall 58, the pips 82 forming a stop to prevent the button 60 from falling out of the cap 51 when the cap 51 is replaced on the main pourer body 50. A raised lip 83 at a top portion of the actuator button 60 acts as a stop to prevent the actuator button 60 from dropping through the opening 61 of the cap 51 and limits the inward movement of the button 60 in the opening 61 (as shown in broken outline in Fig. 2) engaging with an upper edge of the opening 61.

Referring to Figs. 6 to 10, the actuator button 60 is shown in more detail. The button 60 has a tapered body with a narrow lower end 85 and a broad upper end 86. The groove 79 is provided at the lower end 85. End walls 87 and a rear wall 88 interconnect the lower end 85 and upper end 86.

The complementary interengageable formations of the engagement means for releasably securing the cap 51 on the main pourer body 50 comprises a front catch 90 and a rear catch 91 (see Fig. 1). The front catch 90 engages between the front face 55 of the main pourer body 50 and the front sidewall 57 of the cap 51 and comprises a central lug 92 projecting inwardly at a lower end of an inner face of the front sidewall 57 of the cap 51 and a complementary recess 93 in the front face 55 of the main pourer body 50. It will be noted that the lug 92 and recess 93 are curved forming a hinge for pivotal engagement of the cap 51 with the main pourer body 50. Thus, the cap 51 will pivot about this hinge as the cap 51 is removed as shown in Fig. 2. Operation of the actuator button 60 naturally pivots the cap 51 about this hinge for smooth release of the cap 51 from the main pourer body 50. The rear catch 91 is formed by the pair of spaced-apart lugs 76 on the inner face of the rear sidewall 58 of the cap 51 and the associated recesses 77 on the rear face 56 of the main pourer body 50.

It will be appreciated that the actuator may be colour coded to allow the actuator to be easily identified for removal. Referring to Figs. 11A to 11C there is illustrated another cap according to the invention in which like parts to the cap of Figs. 1 to 10 are assigned the same reference numerals. In this case the tamper-evident strip 65 has an underside projection 66 for location and engagement in a corresponding recess 67 in the button 60.

Referring to Figs. 12A and 12B there is illustrated another cap according to the invention in which parts similar to the cap of Figs. 1 to 10 are assigned the same reference numerals. In this case a tamper evident strip 69 is hingedly attached along one edge to the button 60 and is pulled outwardly in the direction of the arrow P to allow the actuator button 60 to operate and may then be removed if required.

Referring to Fig. 13, there is illustrated another sealing cap 95 which has an actuator provided by an outwardly extending finger grip flange portion 96 against which a user pushes upwardly as indicated by the arrow. The flange portion 96 gives a mechanical advantage which assists removal of the cap 95.

In a further embodiment illustrated in Fig. 14 a sealing cap 97 in this case has a finger grip projecting portion 98 at the lower end thereof to assist a user in removal of the cap 97.

Referring to Figs. 15 and 16 another sealing cap 100 has an actuator provided by a lever 101 which is pushed upwardly in the direction of the arrow to release the cap 100.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 17 and 18, a sealing cap 110 has an actuator provided by a latch 111.

The latch 111 has an upper part 112 and a lower part 113. The lower part 113 engages the main pourer body 50 as illustrated in Fig. 18 and is released, thus releasing the cap 110, by pressing the upper part 112 inwardly in the direction of the arrow A. This action pulls the lower part 113 outwardly in the direction of the arrow B, allowing the cap 110 to be removed as illustrated by the arrow C.

. Referring to Fig. 19 another embodiment is shown. A pourer in this case has a pull tab or ribbon 120 to provide an actuator to assist in removal of a sealing cap 121. As the ribbon 120 is pulled, the cap 121 may be readily removed.

It will be appreciated that the invention provides a pourer with a cap of relatively simple construction which can be readily easily removed from the main pourer body by operation of the actuator. The construction facilitates cheap production and reliable, simple operation in use.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments hereinbefore described which may be varied in detail.

Claims

1. A pourer for pouring at least two different liquids from containers, the pourer comprising a main pourer body having two or more pourer body sections, a pourer body section being associated with each container, each pourer body section having a pouring passageway, a removable sealing cap for the main pourer body having a fluid seal for sealing each pouring passageway, engagement means for releasably securing the cap on the main pourer body and an actuator which is operable to release the engagement means for removal of the cap.

2. A pourer as claimed in claim 1 wherein the actuator is movable between a rest position in which the cap is in sealing engagement with the main pourer body and a release position in which the engagement means is released for removal of the cap.

3. A pourer as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the actuator is interposed between the main pourer body and the sealing cap, the actuator being movable between the rest position and the release position.

4. A pourer as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the actuator is a lever which is pivotally mounted on the sealing cap.

5. A pourer as claimed in claim 4 wherein the actuator is mounted by a hinge in an opening in a sidewall of the cap for pivotal movement through the opening between the rest position and the release position.

6. A pourer as claimed in claim 5 wherein the hinge has a male part pivotally engageable within a female part, one part being provided on the actuator and the other part being provided at a periphery of the opening.

7. A pourer as claimed in claim 6 wherein the male part comprises an elongate ledge and the female part is a complementary groove.

8. A pourer as claimed in claim 7 wherein the ledge is provided at a periphery of the opening and the groove is provided in the actuator.

9. A pourer as claimed in any of claims 2 to 8 wherein the actuator has a cam surface engageable with the main pourer body upon moving the actuator between the rest position and the release position to release the cap from sealing engagement with the main pourer body.

10. A pourer as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the actuator is operable to resiliently deform the cap to release the engagement means.

11. A pourer as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the cap has a front sidewall and a rear sidewall, the actuator being mounted on the rear sidewall adjacent an upper end of the rear sidewall, a lower end of the front sidewall being pivotally engageable with a front of the main pourer body.

12. A pourer as claimed in any of claims 2 to 11 wherein stop means is provided to restrict the movement of the actuator.

13. A pourer as claimed in claim 12 wherein the stop means comprises spaced-apart projections on the actuator engageable with the cap at opposite sides of the opening.

14. A pourer as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the engagement means comprises complementary interengageable formations on the cap and on the pourer body.

15. A pourer as claimed in claim 14 wherein the formations comprise a number of two-part catches, each catch having a lug and a complementary recess, one part being provided on the cap and the other part being provided on the pourer body.

16. A pourer as claimed in claim 15 wherein the catches are provided at opposite sidewalls of the cap and the pourer body, the actuator being operable to spread apart opposite sidewalls of the cap to release the catches.

17. A pourer as claimed in claim 15 or 16 wherein a catch on one side of the pourer forms a hinge for pivotal engagement of the cap with the main pourer body.

18. A pourer as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the cap includes a tamper evident means.

19. A pourer as claimed in claim 18 wherein the tamper evident means comprises a removable tamper evident seal on the actuator, the tamper evident seal retaining the actuator in the rest position preventing unauthorised movement of the actuator to the release position.

20. A pourer as claimed in claim 19 wherein the tamper evident seal is a peel-away strip mounted on the actuator blocking movement of the actuator through the opening in the cap.

21. A pourer as claimed in claim 20 wherein the strip has a projection on an actuator-engaging face of the strip, the projection engaging within an associated recess in the actuator.

22. A pourer as claimed in any of claims 19 to 21 wherein the strip is hingedly attached along one edge to the actuator.

23. A pourer as claimed in any preceding claim wherein each pourer section has a pouring passageway and an air passageway and the sealing cap has a fluid seal for sealing each pouring passageway and an air seal for sealing each air passageway.

24. A pourer as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the cap has a front sidewall and a rear sidewall, a lower end of the front sidewall pivotally engaging a front of the main pourer body, the actuator comprising a finger grip projection extending outwardly of the rear sidewall of the cap.

25. A pourer as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the main pourer body has a front face and a rear face, the cap has a front side wall and a rear side wall, the engagement means comprises a front catch and a rear catch, the front catch for engagement between the front face of the main pourer body and the front side wall of the cap, the rear catch for engagement between the rear face of the main pourer body and the rear side wall of the cap.

26. A pourer as claimed in claim 25 wherein the front catch comprises an inwardly projecting lug on an inner face of the front side wall and a complementary recess in a front face of the main pourer body.

27. A pourer as claimed in claim 26 wherein the lug is rotatably engageable within the recess, the front catch forming a hinge for pivotal engagement of the cap with the main pourer body.

28. A pourer as claimed in any of claims 25 to 27 wherein the rear catch comprises a pair of spaced- apart inwardly projecting lugs on an inner face of the rear side wall of the cap and a complementary pair of spaced-apart recesses in a rear face of the main pourer body for reception of the lugs.

29. A pourer as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the actuator is mounted on the cap, the actuator being movable between a rest position in which the cap is in sealing engagement with the main pourer body and a release position in which the engagement means is released for removal of the cap.

30. A pourer as claimed in claim 29 wherein the actuator is mounted on a side wall of the cap, the actuator being movable on the cap between a rest position and a release position, in the rest position the cap being in sealing engagement with the main pourer body, and in the release position, the actuator urging the side wall of the cap outwardly away from the main pourer body to release the engagement means.

31. A pourer as claimed in claim 29 or 30 wherein the actuator is mounted on the rear side wall of the cap.

32. A pourer as claimed in any of claims 29 to 31 wherein the actuator comprises an actuator button, the rear side wall of the cap having an opening for reception of the actuator button, the actuator button being pivotally mounted by a hinge in the opening for pivotal movement of the actuator button through the opening between the rest position and the release position.

33. A pourer as claimed in claim 32 wherein the actuator button has a tapered body with a narrow lower end and a broad upper end, the lower end of the body being pivotally mounted in the opening.

34. A pourer as claimed in any of claims 29 to 33 wherein stop means is provided on the actuator, the stop means being engageable with the cap when the actuator is in the rest position or in the release position.

35. A pourer as claimed in claim 34 wherein the stop means comprises spaced-apart stop projections on the actuator button engageable against a peripheral edge of the slot.

36. A pourer as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3 wherein the actuator comprises a wedge mounted between the pourer body and the cap, the wedge being slidable between the pourer body and the cap to flex the cap for release of the cap from sealing engagement with the pourer body.

37. A pourer as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3 wherein the actuator comprises a latch on a sidewall of the cap, the latch being deformable to release the cap from the pourer body.

38. A pourer as claimed in claim 1 wherein the actuator comprises a pull tab mounted on the cap operable for resilient deformation of at least portion of the cap to release the engagement means.

39. A pourer substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings .

40. A sealing cap for a pourer as claimed in any preceding claim .