Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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This invention relates to a self-closing cap with a pouring spout
particularly useful for cans and the like and may likewise be used in con-
nection with containers such as bottles, and whereby the can or container
is converted to a sanitary pitcher, and in which the cap is readily cleaned
and reusable on other cans and containers.
The invention provides a self-closing cap adapted for detachable
securement to a can or container and comprising a cap body and an annular
disk. The cap body has an annular lower wall or band or skirt forming the
lower portion of the cap body, with the lower portion having means whereby
the cap body is detachably secured to the container. An upper wall extends
upwardly of the annular lower wall, with the upper wall having a spout at
the front thereof. A top wall is connected to the cap body and is provided
with a cutout adjacent the spout to form an outlet opening adjacent the
spout. An annular disk having an annular peripheral edge is positioned in
the cap body below the top wall. There are means for pivotally connecting
the disk to the top wall at a point intermediate the front and rear of the
disk and inwardly of the peripheral edge of the disk so that when the con-
tainer is tilted to pouring position the disk will automatically pivot with
respect to the outlet opening to permit passage of the container contents
through the outlet opening and the spout, and when the container is position-
ed in upright position the disk will move by gravity to a position to close
the outlet opening.
Preferably, the upper wall of the cap is flared outwardly of the
lower portion, with said flared portion extending around the top wall and
the front of said flared portion forming the spout of said cap.
Preferably also, the cap body and disk are each formed of a thermo-
plastic material such as polyethylene and the disk is inserted through the
bottom open end of the skirt of the cap body.
The means for pivotally connecting the disk to the top wall may
comprise a downwardly extending extension or post on the underside of the
top wall which engages an opening in the disk. A preferred embodiment is
disclosed in which the extension or post is positioned rearwardly of the
vertical axis of the top wall and in which the opening in the disk by which
the disk is connected to the extension or post is positioned rearwardly of
the vertical axis of the disk so that when the cap is in normal upright
position the front of the disk is tilted downwardly in respect to the front
of the cap and is positioned on a lower horizontal plane than the rear of
the disk. The extension or post has a pair of spaced members and the disk
has spaced openings in engagement with said spaced members to provide the
pivotal connection between the top wall and the disk.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the drawings:
Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the cap forming this invention.
Fig. 2 is a side elevational view thereof as applied to the
top of a can or container.
Fig. 3 is a central cross sectional view showing same
applied to the container, with the container in normal upright posi-
tion and with the disk valve in a closed positionO~
Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing the container
and the cap in tilted pouring position and the position of the disk
valve in such pouring position.
Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 5-5 of
Fig. 3.
Fig~ 6 is a fragmentary exploded perspective view showing
particularly the parts whereby the disk valve is pivotally secured
to the cap.
Fig. 7 is an enlarged sectional view of thé parts shown in
Fig~ 6 connected for pivotal movement of the disk valve; and
Fig~ 8 is a view taken on line 8-8 of Fig. 7.
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The conventional container in the form of a can, as shown
herein and indicated at 12, is provided at the top with the conven-
tional annular peripheral bead or rim generally indicated at 14
and with the top end of the can closed by a horizontal top wall 16.
The rim 14 is formed by the peripheral edge of the top wall 16
w~ich extends upwardly as at 17 of the top wall and then is turned
downwardly as at 18 over the top edge of the can and is crimped to
the upper edge of the body of the can for permanent attachment to
the can body. Said upper rim 14 is conventional. Nhen the cay of
this invention is used in connection with such a container, one or
more openings 20 and 22 are punched in the top wall 16 of the con-
tainer, with the opening 22 being closely adjacent the rim and
which opening then forms the outlet pour opening of the container.
The cap forming this inven~ion is readily attachable to the upper
rim or bead 14 of the container and when so attached the device
forming this invention serves as a self-closing cap for the con-
tainer as well as a pouring spout therefor.
The cap body as well as the valve disl; are each separately
molded of a plastic material such as polyethylene or the like. The
cap body generally indicated at 24 has an annular skirt or band 26
which forms the lower portion of the cap body. Formed integrally
with the skirt or band 26 is an inner annular band 28 which is con-
nected to but is spaced from the outer annular skirt 26 and which
provides an annular recess 29 therebetween. The inner annular
band 28 of the sXirt is shorter in height than the outer annular
skirt 26, as can best be seen in cross-section in Fig. 5.
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The inside wall of the outer annular skirt is providecl
adjacent its lower end with an annular inwardly extending rib or
lip 30 which tapers or inclines as at 32 to the bottom edge 33 of
the annular skirt 26. The annular rib or lip 30 is below the bot-
tom edge of the inner annular ring 280 This arrangement, as shown~
permits the cap body to be readily positioned on the top rim 14 of
the container, with the annular rib or lip 30 engaging the downwardly
turned portion 18 of-the upper rlm of the container and with a por-
tion of the upper rim 14 extending into the annular groove or recess
29.
Extending upwardly of the skirt 26 is annupper wall 34 which
flares outwardly of the skirt and which for its major portion is
annular and follows the annular portion of the skirt, except for
the front portion which extends outwardly and forwardly as indicated
at 36, to form the front pour spout indicated at 38~ The shape of
the front spout end is generally ovaloid as viewed in Fig. 1. The
upper outwardly flared wall 34 continues from the rear toward the
front to form the generally ovaloid-shaped front spout 38. The
spout extends upwardly of the top edge or rim 40 of the annular
upper flared wall 34.
Formed as:an integral yart of the cap body and particularly
the upper flared wall is a dome shaped or convexo-concave shaped
top wall generally indicated at 42, the annular peripheral edge 44
of which is integral with the inside of the upper flared wall 34
along said peripheral edge as it is molded as part of same and said
top wall 42 extends to the front portion, which front portion is
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provided with an arcuate-shaped cutout 46 adjacent the spout 38.
The arcuate-shaped cutout 46 in the dome or convexo-concave-shaped
; top wall 42 forms the outlet pour opening of the cap through which
the liquid or contents of the container is poured as it enters the
spout 38 when the container is tilted or tipped to a pouring posi-
tion, as shown in Fig. 4. The top edge or rim 40 of the outwardly
flared upper wall 34, as best seen in Fig. 2, extends from the rear
portion 48 and curves downwardly as at 49 and then rises at its
forward end as at 50 at the spout end and, as will be seen in Fig. 2,
lo the central portion of the dome or top wall 42 extends above the
plane of the shallow portion 49 of the rim 40.
Extending downwardly from the inside of the dome-shaped top
or convexo-concave wall 42 is an extension or post generally indi-
cated at 52 which extension or post has a generally U-shaped recess
54 at the lower end to provide a pair of spaced legs 56, the inside
wall of said legs forming inwardly extending projections 57 adjacent
the lower ends thereof, which continue with outwardly sloping sur-
faces 58 to facilitate the initial insertion of the disk valve.
The opposite sides ôO of the extension or post 52 taper downwardly
and inwardly. The lower end of the extension or post 52 terminates
in a plane upwardly of the bottom edge of the inner ring 28 and
said extension or post is alined with the center of the outlet pour
opening 46 but is positioned off-center or rearwardly of the ver~i-
cal axis of the top wall 42 of the cap to permit the disk valve to
tilt forwardly, as in Fig. 3, when in upright position. A small
opening 62'is provided in,lthe dome-shaped top wall 42.
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The annular-shaped disk valve generally designated at 64
is of a convexo-concave shape and is also formed of a plastic
material such as polyethylene or the like and said disk valve has
a pair of spaced rectangular-shaped openings 66, which openings are
alined and are separated by an intermediate wall portion 68~ The
openings 66 are off-center and are positioned rearwardly of the
vertical axis of the disk valve 64. The circumference of the disk
valve 64 is such that it can be inserted into the cap body through
the open bottom end of the cap body and is attachable to the exten-
sion or post 52 of the cap body by alining the openings 66 with the
spaced legs 56 of the extension or post and pushing the disk valve
inwardly so that the inte~mediate wall 68 passes the inward projec-
tions 57 of the spaced legs. After the disk valve has been thus
connected it will be held secured to the cap body for pivotal move-
ment with respect to the cap body and the inward projections 57
on the legs 56 will prevent accidental detachment of the disk valve
with respect to said cap body. However, for the purpose of cleaning,
the disk valve-may be manually ;detached from the extension or post
52 and then may be again manually attached as described.
It will be seen that the downward extension or post 52 on
the cap body and the spaced openings 66 in the disk valve are posi-
tioned in alinement with the outlet pour opening 46 of the cap top
wall 42 but are spaced rearwardly of the axis of the cap body. The
downward extension 52 and the openings 66 in the disk valve provide
a pivotal connection between the disk valve 64 and cap body which
is such that the disk valve is free to tilt or pivot or roc~ in
respect to the cap body and the outlet pour opening 46 by the tilted
or upright position in which the container is held. That is, the
disk valve 64 while not rotatable with respect to the cap body is
in effect free floating in respect to the cap body in ~he sense that
it is pivotable or tiltable freely, dependent upon the position of
the container and said pivoting is by gravity.
When the container and cap are tilted, as shown in Fig. 4,
the forward portion of the disk valve 64 will tilt o~ pivot away
from its normally closed positionS shown in Fig. 3, to provide an
entrance opening 70 into the spout so that the liquid or contents
in the container can pour through_the opening -~70 and through the
outlet pour opening 46 of the cap when it is left exposed by the
tilting of the disk valve at the front, and the liquid or contents
or the container will flow out through the spout to be discharged
therefrom. When the container is positioned to its upright position
`as shown in Fig. 3~ the disk valve 64 will by gravity assume its
normal tilted position due to the off~center pivotal connection,
and the disk valve will tilt downwardly at the front adjacent~the
spout end so that the front of the disk valve is on a horizontal
plane lower than the horizontal plane of the rear of the disk valve.
When in this position the front end o~ the disk valve is positioned
closer toward the top wall 16 of the container and covers the pour
opening 22 of the container and also closes the portion of the
outlet pour opening 46 of the cap which was formerly opened ~y the
tllting of the container. This closes the top, thus, the disk
valve pivots to permit the liquid to be poured when the container
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is tilted to a pouring position and then by gravity moves to a
position to close the outlet opening when the container is in an
upright position.
As can best, be seen in Fig. 4, when the container and cap
are tilted for pouring position the disk valve o4 is tilted in the
reverse from that shown in the Fig. 3 position, namely, in pouring
position the rear end of the disk valve is positioned in a plane
below the front end thus providing the opening for the pouring opera-
tion.
It will be readily apparent that after the contents of the
container has been exhausted that the device may be readily removed
from the rim of the container and used on another container and is
therefore capable of continued reuse.
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