Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
385
This invention relates to a dispensing device for
liquids, and iII particular to a combination closure and pouring
spout for liquids.
The art relating to container closures and pouring or
dispensing devices for liquids is quite crowded. The devices
described in U.S. Patents Nos. 2,585,3~1, issued to E. Gronemeyer
et al on February 12, 1952; 2,593,634, issued to G.M. ~osburg on
April 22, 1952; 2,908,426, issued to D. Goldstein on October
13, 1959; 3,252,634, issued to l~.R. Scholle on ~ay 24, 1966
and 3,754,691, issued to E`. S. Flider on August 28, 1973 are
typical o~ inventions of the same general type as the invention
disclosed and claimed herein~
Unfortunately, the prior art devices are somewhat com-
plicated and consequently expensive to manu~acture. There is a
need for a dispensing device for liquids such as motor oil which
can be used once and discarded. Such a device must be structurally
simple, and use the smallest possible quantity of material,
while still being effective for closing and dispensing.
The object o~ the present invention is to attempt to
meet such need by providing a relatively simple liquid dispensing
device, which contains a relati~ely small quantity of material.
Accordingly, the present invention relates to a liquid
dispensing device for use on a container of the type incuding
a circl~lar opening through which liquid can be poured, said
device comprising a tubular body for slidable mounting in the
opening, the diameter of said body being substantially the same
as the diameter of said opening whereby said body is slidable
in said opening while providing a liquid seal between the body
and the side of the opening; said body having a closed bottom
end and an open top end; inlet openings in said body near the
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bottom end thereof for discharging liquid from the container
through the body; annular stop means on said body above the
longitudinal centre thereof for limiting movement oE the
body into the container; and projection means at the bottom end
of said body for limiting movement of the body out of the
container, whereby said body can be moved between a closed position
in which said body is at the outermost position with respect to
the container and said inlet openings are blocked by the side
of the opening, and a closed position in which said body is at
the innermost position with respect to said container and the
inlet openings are open with respect to the interior o the
container .
Ir will be appreciated that the present invention has
distinct advantages over the devices described in the above
listed prior art. The most obvious advantage is structural
simplicity, which results in relatively inexpensive production.
The simplicity stems from the use of one movable element, which
defines both the entire bod~ of the closure portion device and
a pouring nozzle. The invention defined herein is particularly
adapted for use on motor oil containers which have an externally
threaded neck containing the outlet opening. By simple move-
ments the device is moved between the open and closed position,
and avoids the spilling of oil when the container is tilted to the
dispensing or pouring position.
The invention will now be described in greater detail
with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate
preferred embodiments of the invention, and wherein:
Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view from above of
the top end of a container, a device in accordance with the
present invention, and a cap or cover;
~2~L~3~3~
Figures 2 and 3 are cross-sectional views o~ the device
of Fig. 1 in use;
Figure 4 is a partly sectioned, perspcctive view o~
a second embodiment of the device of the pre~ent in~ention; and
Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the device of
Fig. 4 on a closed container.
With reference to the drawings, the dispensing device o~
the present invention which is generally indicated at 1 i5 in-
tended for use on a containerr in this case a plastic bottle 2,
which has a restricted, ex-ternally threaded neck 3 for receiving
an internally threaded cover 4.
The device 1 includes a tubular plastic body 5 defined
by a cylindrical bottom portion 6 and a tapering top portion 7.
The outer diameter o~ the bottom portion 6 of the body 5 is
only slightly less than the inner diameter of the neck 3 of the
bottle 2, so that the body is slidable in the neck 3. However r
the friction fit between the body 5 and the neck 3 is such thai
the body 5 will normally remain in one position (i.e. open or
closed) until a small force is applied to move the body 5 to
another position. The body 5 has a closed bottom end 9. Liquid
10 from the bottle 2 is introduced into the body 5 through in-
let openings 11 in the side of the body near the bottom end 9
thereof.
The body 5 is slidable in the neck 3 between an outer
or closed position (Fig. 2) in which the openings 11 are blocked
by the neck 3, and an inner or open position (Fig. 3) in which
the openings are in the bottle 2, permitting the flow of liquid
10 into the body 5. Movement of the bodv 5 into the bottle
2 is limited by a stop defined by an annular flange 1~. Out-
ward movement of the body 5 is limited by small projections 15
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near the bottom end 9 of the body.
The top portion 7 of the body 5 defines a taperingnozzle with an outlet opening 16 at the upper end thereof. The
cover ~ includes a top portion 17 with the same shape as the
nozzle 7 for providing a tight seal. The bottom end of the
cover 4 is defined by an internally threaded sleeve 18 for
holding the cover on the bottle 2. ~7hen the cover ~ is on the
bottle 2, an internal shoulder 20 ~Fig. 5) retains the body
5 in the inner position.
The device of Figs. 4 and 5 is similar to that of
Figs. 1 to 3, and accordingly the same reference numerals have
been used wherever possible in all figures to identify the same
or similar elements. In the dispenser of Figs. 4 and 5, the
bottom wall 21 is conical and is located at the bottom edge
of rectangular inlet openings 11. The projections 15 of the
device of Figs. 1 to 3 are replaced by an annular flange 22
extending outwardly from the bottom edge 23 of the body S.
The use of the device should be obvious. However, for
the sake of completeness, such use will be described. When used
on an oil container, the bottle 2 and cover 4 are received in the
closed condition (Fig. 5). When the cover 4 is removed, the
body 5 is open with respect to the interior of the bottle 2.
However, because the bottle 2 is in the upright position, no
oil enters the body 5. With the body 5 still upright, the
body 5 is moved upwardly manually from the open to the closed
position (Fig. 2). In the closed position, the openings 11
are blocked by the neck 3 of the bottle 2. The bottle 2 can
be inverted without loss of oil. The nozzle 7 is inserted into
an engine oil inlet 25. When the container 2 is pressed
against the top of the neck 3, the flange 1~ restricts inward
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movement of the body 5, while the bottle 2 slides downwardly to
the open position (Fig. 3). In the open position, oil 10 is
discharged through the openings 11 and the body 5 into the oil
inlet 25.
Referring again to Figs. 4 and 5, the use of a conical
bottom wall 21 in the dispenser prevent~s the spilling of oil
on an engine. The wall 21 ensures that any oil entering the
dispenser during handling returns to the bottle 2. Thus, the
body 5 is empty when tilted to the use position.
It will be appreciated that the flange 14 could be
larger in diameter than the neck 3, in which case the body 5
could be held stationary while the bottle is moved upwardly from
the open to the closed position. Thus, the bottle 2 could be
re-used, i.e. if all of the liquid in the bottle can be closed
and stored for future use of the remaining liquid. ~hile the
dispensing device has been described for use with an engine oil
container, the device can be used to dispense other liquids.
It will also be appreciated that by making the top portion 7 of
the body 5 cylindrical, molding of the body 5 would be easier.
