US3399811A - Liquid pourout fitment - Google Patents

Description

P 1968 l. H. MILLER 3,399,811

LIQUID PQUROUT FITMENT Filed Jan. 2'7, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 12 j zpguvrox.

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ted tate P t Office 3,399,81 l Patented Sept. 3, 1968 LIQUID POUROUT FITMENT Ira H. Miller, West New York, 'NJ assignor to Owens-Illinois, Inc., a corporation of Ohio Filed Jan. 27, 1967, Ser. No. 612,171 Claims..(Cl. 222,-147) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE the outer surface of the neck of the bottle by interfitting ridges and grooves on the inner surface of the skirt and the bottle neck. The fitment includes a ball checkvalve permitting surge-free flow of fluid from the bottle, but which prevents refilling of the bottle. A means for ventingthe bottle is incorporated in'the fitment so that pouring of contents from the bottle is accomplished without the usual gurgling and surging effect.

My invention relates to liquid pourout fitments, sometimes referred to as non-refillable bottle closures.

An important object of my invention is the provision of a novel pourout fitment embodying means functioning both as an anti-splash device on the initial surge of the product incident to pourin'g'from a container and to at least impede and thus discourage efforts to. refill the container with perhaps; an inferior product. g

It is also an important objectof my invention to provide novel simple means for admitting air to the container during pouring of liquid therefrom to thereby insure easy, smooth, flow of the liquid, without the customary gurgling and surging which normally results from air flowing into the container through the pouring opening to replace dispensed product.

It is likewise an object of my invention to provide a non-directional pourout fitment, in that the airvents are so distributed that satisfactory pouring is possible regardless of how one holds the container.

Further, it is an obpect of my invention to provide a novel pourout fitment comprising only two molded plastic parts and a ball check-valve thus providing a relatively inexpensive fitment, easily assembled and attachable to a container neck.

Other objects will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of my application:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary sectional elevational view showing a pourout fitment, embodying my invention, attached to a bottle neck.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged vertical longitudinal sectional view taken substantially along the plane of line 2-2 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary detail sectional view showing sealing of the vent apertures by the closure cap.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the pourout fitment with a part broken away to reveal the air-vent chamber arrangement.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing the pourout fitment and bottle neck in liquid pouring position.

In the illustrated embodiment of my invention, it is shown assembled with the neck of a glass bottle 11, such neck including an annular rim 12 at its outer end. Externally, the neck is provided with double beads 13 immediately below the rim for secure holding engagement with the pourout fitment, as will be explained presently.

preferably formed of a suitable plastic material and spaced apart to create an annular air-vent chamber 18 or passage. These cylinders, at their inner end, are interconnected by a transverse annular wall 19' which in turn is formed with an annular series of openings 20 or ports creating air-vents through which air may enter the bottle to replace liquid being dispensed. The outer cylinder 17, at its outer, or upper end has a radial outwardly directed flange 21, or lip, which rests uponan inwardly downwardly sloping surface 22 at the inner margin of the rim 12 ;so that the top surface of the lip 21 lies in the plane of the rim 12. This end of the outer cylinder extends slightly above the corresponding end of the inner cylinder. Preferably this unit, comprising the two cylinders, is of such external diameter as to be easily and freely inserted in the bottle neck, being supported therein only. by the lip 21 resting upon the surface22. Also, it will be observed that these elements are molded as a single unit. The lip 21 has seal-ing contact with said surface 22.

Within the inner cylinder 16 near its lower end is a continuous annular valve seat 23 to accommodate a ballvalve 24 and defining a pour opening 24a. Three equidistantly spaced longitudinal ribs 25 or webs formed internally of the inner cylinder, extend upwardly from the valve seat 23 to a point near, but spaced from the outer end of the inner cylinder. These ribs guide the ball 24, insuring its proper contact with the valve seat. Being spaced apart circumferentially, these ribs define channels 26 through which liquid may flow to the spout 27. This spout 27 is a short tube 28 or sleeve, providing a pouring-lip 29 at its outer end. A plurality of radial spokes 30 or arms interconnect a hub 31 and the inner end portion of the cylinder 28, which in part fits snugly into the inner cylinder 16 and preferably abuts the ribs 25. These spokes 30 and the hub provide a spider functioning to confine the ball valve within the inner cylinder 16. To further insure against unintended separation of the spout 27 and cylinder 16 an interengaging head 32 and channel 33 are provided near the spokes 30. The inner upper end of the inner cylinder 16 may be tapered to provide a guiding surface 34 to facilitate assembling the spout and other units. A radially outwardly extending wall 35 formed integral with the short tube 28 of the spout 27, overlies the upper end of the annular chamber 18 and the lip 21, extending also beyond the neck rim 12. An attaching skirt 36 at the periphery of the radial wall 35 is internally beaded for holding engagement with the double head 13 on the neck 10. Thus, the fitment is firm, yet secured to the bottle against easy removal and the radial lip 21 is held tightly against the glass, to prevent leakage of liquid. This radial wall 35 is formed with a plurality of ports 37 which create air-vents through which outside air may enter the chamber 18 and thence the bottle via the ports 20 at the inner end of the cylinders 16 and 17. Shallow concentric grooves 38 are formed in the upper side of the radial wall 35, one at each side of the row of air-vent ports 37 for cooperation with a part of the mail closure cap C in sealing these parts.

The closure cap C (FIG. 1) comprises a panel 39 or top portion and a depending attaching skirt 40 provided internally near its open lower end with screwthreads 41 for holding engagement with the threads 14 on the neck 10. An annular depending collar 42 formed coaxially with and as an integral part of the cap panel 39 closes the adjacent air-vent ports 37 when the ports 3 are completely assembled. Ribs 43 on the collar snugly fit into the pair of concentric grooves 38 to aid in effective sealing.

Assuming the bottle to be filled and sealed, dispensing involves first, removing the closure cap C, thus opening the air-vents 37 and the discharge end of the spout. Tipping the bottle results in unseating the ball-valve 24 under the influence of both gravity and surge of the liquid product against the ball. This ball then comes to rest upon the hub 31 (FIG. 5) and immediately the liquid flows around the ball through the channels 26 between the ribs 25, the spaces between the spokes 30 and over the pour-lip 29 after flowing through the tube 28. As the liquid is dispensed, air enters the bottle by way of the ports 37, chamber 18 and ports 20 at the inner end of the walls 16 and 17, thereby replacing dispensed liquid and avoiding the annoying gurgling and uneven flow of liquid customarily experienced. Reinversion of the bottle reseats the ball-valve 24. With the pouring opening normally closed by the ball-valve 24, it obviously is somewhat diflicult and inconvenient, though not impossible to refill the emptied bottle with another and perhaps inferior product.

Modifications may be resorted to within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A liquid pourout fitment comprising inner and outer straight-sided cylinders spaced apart to provide an elongated annular chamber having inner and outer ends, a

transverse annular wall at the inner end interconnecting a one end of said cylinders and having at least one airvent port opening into the chamber, a valve seat within and near said one end of the inner cylinder and facing away from said end, a ball-valve capable of contact with said seat, a plurality of ball-valve guide ribs extending upwardly from the valve-seat within and formed on the inner cylinder, a spider limiting movement of the ballvalve away from the seat, a pour-spout including a tube coaxial with and having an inner end secured within and to the inner cylinder at that end remote'trom said annular wall, a wall extending radially outward from said tube to at least in part close that end of the chamber opposite said annular wall and formed with at least one air-vent port opening into said chamber, means at the periphery of the last named wall for securing it to themouthdefining neck of a container, a closure cap adapted to enclose at least the pour-spout tube, and means within the cap for sealing the air-vent port in the radial wall.

2. In a liquid pourout fitment as defined in claim 1, there being a radially outwardly extending annular lip on the outer cylinder snugly contacting the tube supported radial wall, said lip providing means for supporting engagement with the neck of a container.

3. In a liquid pourout fitment as defined in claim 1, the air-vent ports being arranged in an annular series in each of said walls.

4. In a liquid pourout fitment as defined in claim 1, the tube of the pour-spout extending into theinner cylinder and separably connected thereto.

5. In a fitment as defined in claim 1, the cylinders and valve guiding ribs being a single unit and there being an annular lip extending radially outward at the outer end of the outer cylinder forcontact with the rim end of a container neck.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 281,611 7/1883 Burnett 222147 2,119,463 5/193 8 Lewis 222l47 FOREIGN PATENTS 189,456 5/ 1964 Sweden.

ROBERT B. REEVES, Primary Examiner.

HADD S. LANE, Assistant Examiner.

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