US2993628A - Container spout and gasket combination - Google Patents

Description

July 25, 1961 J. E. BORAH 2,993,628

CONTAINER SPOUT AND GASKET COMBINATION Filed May 24, 1957 @g FIG. I

FIG. 4

INVENTOR. JOHN E. BORAH ATTORNEY John E. Borah, s15 Mishawaka Ave., Marmara, Ind.

Filed May 24, 1957, Ser. No. 661,537 2 Claims. ('Cl. 222-530) The present invention relates to containers and more particularly to a spout and sealing means therefor. This application is an improvement over my application Serial No. 520,495 filed July 7, 1955, now US. Patent No. 2,804,242.

Containers ranging in size from a quart to five gallons in which lubricating oils, anti-freeze and the like are shipped and sold are either not provided with a spout or are provided with a protruding spout which interferes with stacking of the containers and which has an ineifec tive pour lip so that the fluid trickles back along the underside of the spout to the container. This latter condition is sometimes overcome by providing a nozzle or a flexible metal tube which screws onto the spout after the container has been opened, but these must either be left protruding, interfering with storage, or must be removed and the container again rescaled. One of the principal objects of the present invention therefore is to provide a spout for containers of the aforesaid type which will be readily available for use when the container is opened and which can be left in place for future use without interfering with rescaling the container.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a spout for metal containers having the conventional screw cap closure, which can readily be attached to the container spout after the cap has been removed and which will retract into said spout when the container is recapped.

Another object of the invention is to provide a flexible spout for a container, which is sealed in the container beneath the cap and which functions as an eifective sealing gasket between the container and its cap.

It is another object of the invention to provide a collapsible spout of the aforesaid type which has a tamper proof seal to indicate whether the container has been opened prior to delivery toa customer.

Additional objects and advantages will become ap parent from the following description and accompanying drawings, wherein: v

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of a conventional metal container showing my improved spout mounted thereon;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the spout shown in its extended position ready to be placed on the neck of a container;

FIGURE 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the spout shown in its collapsed position in the neck of a container; and

FIGURE 4 is a top plan view of the spout in its extended position.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, numeral designates a container, such as that used for oil or gasoline, 12 the externally threaded neck and 14 my improved spout which is shown in detail in FIGURE 2. This spout is made of rubber, flexible plastic, or other like material and, as shown in FIGURE 2, consists of a frusto-conieal body portion 16, an annular skirt 18 joined to the bottom edge of the conical portion, and a top member 20 joined integrally to the upper part of the conical body portion. The entire spout is constructed of a flexible material such as natural or synthetic rubber or flexible easily deformable plastic material, rubber, how- United Stat s Pa end thereof and the body adjacent the. opening may be reinforced by a bead or the like (not shown) surrounding the opening. Top member 20 is relatively inflexible and relatively thick so that it will hold its shape while the spout is in either the extended or retracted position, and is provided with an outwardly extending marginal flange 24 joined integrally with the top member. An annular external bead or thickened portion26 is preferably provided on the lower edge of the skirt to assist in securely attaching the spout to the container, as will be more fully explained hereinafter.

The spout is mounted on the container neck 14 by slipping skirt 18 over the neck around the screw threaded portion. The inside diameter of the skirt before the spout is mounted on the neck is slightly smaller than the maximum outside diameter of the neck so that when the skirt is slipped over the neck it will grip the external side wall of the neck and contour itself to the screw threaded configuration on the neck. A band 30 having screw threads corresponding to thoseon the container neck is screwed onto the neck around the skirt to clamp the skirt firmly in place on the neck. While a tight fit between the skirt and the band is desirable, it is not essential for retaining the spout in place since bead 26 at the bottom of the skirt effectively prevents the skirt from slipping upwardly from between the neck and band. The outside surface of the band is provided with a screw threaded portion for receiving cap 32 when the spout is collapsed into the container neck, as shown in FIGURE 3.

After the present spout has been mounted on the container neck as described above it can be readily moved between either its extended and collapsed positions without the use of any tools or machinery and will not interfere with proper sealing of the container by cap 32. When the spout is collapsed conical portion 16 folds over the bead 34 on the upper end of the container neck and forms a seal for the cap so that the usual seal provided under the top panel of the cap can be eliminated. As shown in FIGURE 3, the conical portion 16 collapses downwardly into the container neck below the upper edge thereof and annular flange 24 engages the external side walls of the conical portion, as shown at numeral 36 above opening 22 thus sealing or closing said opening so long as the spout is in its collapsed position. This eliminates the need for replacing the container cap after each pouring operation in order to prevent contamination of the container contents. When the spout has been moved to its collapsed position it tends to remain in that position without any external force. A stem 37 or the like extending upwardly from the top of top member 20 may be provided for the user to grip in lifting the spout from its collapsed position.

In order to make the closure pilfer proof a thin disc 38 having a small upturned annular flange is forced in the container neck against the collapsed side walls of the spout, clamping said walls against the internal head on the container neck. Since the disc is constructed of thin metal it must be damaged or destroyed when it is removed from the neck so that it cannot be replaced, thus indicating that the container has been opened.

The present spout can be assembled on the container at the time the container is filled and capped and is ready for use as soon as the container is opened by the ultimate user or customer, or the spout may be assembled on the container by the user or customer at the time the contents are to be removed from the container. The spout can be reused over and over again on different containers and can be readily assembled on and removed from each container without the use of any tools or equipment and without any special knowledge on the part of the user.

Various combinations of features disclosed herein are possible. 'For example the construction and arrangement of 'the'liquid pour -openingzz 'and'top member 20 'can'be used with the type of annular base means disclosed in the parent application. Further, the skirt and band construction disclosed in this application can be'used with the type of conical portion and outlet opening disclosed in the parent application. Additional modifications and changes in structure can be made without departing from the scope of the invention;

I claim.

1. In combination with a threaded container neck, a spout for said neck including an annular means .of relatively thin flexible material ,for slippingover said neck at the screw threaded portion thereof, .a band-like means having'internal and external screw threads thereon for embracing said annular means and clamping said annular means against the screw threads on said neck, a hollow frusto-conical section of flexiblevmaterial joined .at its large end to said annular means and having an opening in the side wall adjacent the small end thereof, a disc shapedtop member sealing said conical section and having an annular flange thereon extending beyond the upper edge of said conical section, and -a cap having a screw 2. A spout for a container having a threaded neck, comprising an annular means of flexible material for slipping over said neck eat the screw threaded portion thereof, a band-likc'means-i'having internal and external screw threads thereon for embracing said annular means and clamping said annular means against the screw threads on=said neck, a hollow frusto-conical section of flexible materialjoined at its large end to said annular means and having an opening in the side wall adjacent the small end thereof, and a disc shaped top member joined to 'said section and sealing said conical section and having an annular flange thereon extending beyond the upper edge of'said conical section to close said opening.

, References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2565,699 Rike Aug. 28, 1951 2,730,273 Smith Ian. 10, 1956 2,746,651 May 22, 1956 2,763,402 Livingstone Sept. 18, 1956 2,775,369 "Waite Dec. 25, 195.6

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