The invention relates to pull-out spouts for containers of the type having lids and more particularly to a pull-out spout having a cap that can only be removed after the spout has been at least partially pulled out from a stored position.
It is often desirable to provide a pouring spout in a lid for an industrial container for pourable materials such as liquids and particulates. Common features of such spouts are a soft plastic tube that can be folded into an annular rim structure for storage and extended for pouring, and a screw-on cap with bails that are normally held in a flat position.
The present invention provides an improved pull-out spout generally of the type described above but having a further feature that prevents rotation of the cap in the removal direction unless and until the spout is at least partially extended from the stored position. In general, this feature comprises one or more one-way stops concentrically formed on an interior surface of a flanged spout body and one or more lugs formed on an exterior surface of the cap and dimensioned so as to provide interference with the one-way stops whenever an attempt is made to rotate the cap in the removal or “off” direction while the spout is in the fully inverted condition. The lugs and stops are disengaged by extending the spout at least partially. The one-way stops allow the cap to be rotated in the on direction whether or not the spout is extended. The lugs accommodate the use of mechanized equipment to install the cap on the spout.
Other advantages, features and characteristics of the present invention, as well as methods of operation and functions of the related elements of the structure, and the combination of parts and economies of manufacture, will become more apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description and the appended claims with reference to the accompanying photographs, the latter being briefly described hereinafter.
The description herein makes reference to the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views and wherein:
Looking now to
As shown in
Describing now the cap 34, a closed cylindrical plastic cap is provided with interior threads 38 which mate with the threads 26 on the spout neck 24, thus allowing the cap 34 to be screwed onto and off of the spout neck 24 by means of conventional rotation directions of the cap relative to the spout. Surrounding the cap body are integral semi-circular bail rings 42 which are molded flat and generally flush with the top of the cap. Each ring has a bent-up edge 44 in the center. The opposite ends of the semi-circular bail rings 42 are integrally connected to the side wall of the cylindrical cap 34 by rectangular depressed lugs 40, also aptly described as locking channels, which cooperate with the ramps 30 and stops 32 of the spout assembly as hereinafter described. While the lugs 40 provide permanent points of attachment between the bail rings 42 and the cap body 36, semi-permanent attachments are also provided by small frangible sections 46 at four points, two on each of the bail rings 42. These frangible sections can be broken by lifting the bail rings 40 from the essentially flush condition shown in
As shown in
To release the cap 34 from the spout assembly, it is first necessary to raise the bail rings 40, this move being facilitated by the bent-up ring edges 44 until the frangible sections 46 are broken, thus providing the first of two tamper evident features. An attempt at this point to rotate the cap 34 relative to the spout assembly will be defeated by interference between the cap lugs 40 and the stops 32 on the interior surface of the spout ring. However, by pulling upwardly on the cap 34 and the spout so as to unfold and extend the spout neck 24 as shown in
Summarizing, there are two motions which are required to move a fully and properly seated and locked cap assembly 34 from the spout assembly. First, the bail rings 42 must be raised, thus breaking the frangible connectors 46 and providing the first of the two tamper evident features. The raised bail rings are then used to pull the spout neck 22 from the nested or inverted condition shown in
As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the entire assembly including the lid, spout and cap area all injection molded using polyethylene as the preferred material, albeit other polymers and blends of polymers may also be used.
While the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiments but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims, which scope is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures as is permitted under the law.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20140069955 A1 | Mar 2014 | US |