Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02292086 1999-12-13
Title: Flask
The present invention relates to a flask for liquids,
such as, for instance, bath soap, shampoo and the like. In
practice, the closure of such flasks frequently presents
difficulties in that a relatively laborious manner of opening
and closing is involved, through, for instance, a screw cap,
or in that, for instance in the case of a snap closure, after
pouring out a particular amount of liquid, leakage arises
easily.
The object of the invention is to provide a flask which
can be opened and closed in a very simple manner and in which
leakage is avoided virtually completely.
To achieve this object, according to the invention, the
flask comprises a liquid holder and a screening cap fixable
thereon with a pouring opening and with a clip-shaped closure
therefor, which clip-shaped closure comprises a first clip
element and a second clip element which at one end is
hingedly connected to the first clip element and at the other
end is hingedly connected to the screening cap, which second
clip element is provided with a closing element which fits
into the pouring opening, while the clip-shaped closure can
be brought from a position closing the pouring opening to a
position clearing the pouring opening and vice versa by
moving the first clip element in the direction away from the
liquid holder, and towards the liquid holder, respectively.
In a first embodiment, the first clip element is
relatively rigid and, at the end remote from the hinged
connection with the second clip element, is hingedly
connected to the screening cap, and the second clip element
is more flexible, while the second clip element both in the
first and in the second position is substantially free from
bending forces, and the clip-shaped closure can be brought
from the first to the second position and vice versa while
bending the second clip element.
In a second embodiment, both clip elements are
relatively rigid, and the first clip element, at the end
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remote from the hinged connection with the second clip
element, is detachably connected to the screening cap, while
after breaking the connection between the first clip element
and the screening cap, the clip-shaped closure is movable
away from the liquid holder, and the pouring opening is
cleared, while the pouring opening can be closed by moving
the clip-shaped closure towards the liquid holder and
securing the relevant end of the first clip element on the
screening cap. Preferably, in the hinge joints between the
second clip element and the screening cap and the first clip
element, respectively, a bias is provided, so that after
releasing the connection between the first clip element and
the screening cap, the two clip elements move directly in the
direction away from the liquid holder.
From a viewpoint of costs, it is favorable when the
clip-shaped closure is manufactured as one whole from plastic
and the hinged connections are obtained by deformation on
folding seams.
In order to prevent, when pouring out liquid from the
liquid holder, the screening cap from being filled in its
entirety, which readily gives rise to leakage at the
connection of the screening cap to the liquid holder, there
is provided in the screening cap an outflow space which is in
communication with the pouring opening and which, when the
screening cap is fitted on the liquid holder, connects to an
outflow opening of this liquid holder, which is formed by a
spout.
In order to readily obtain, upon fitting the screening
cap on the liquid holder, a proper connection of the outflow
space to the pouring opening, the outflow space is bounded by
an edge provided with lips, limiting the outflow opening. In
particular, the lips fit into the outflow opening of the
spout.
To prevent the screening cap from being removed from the
liquid holder in normal use, an annular element is present in
the screening cap which, when the screening cap is fitted on
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the liquid holder, engages the spout under an edge on the
outer side of the spout.
The invention will now be further explained with
reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:
Fig. 1 schematically shows a cross section through the
flask according to the invention;
Fig. 2 schematically shows a longitudinal section
through this flask;
Fig. 3 schematically shows the clip-shaped closure
therein;
Fig. 4 shows in perspective the screening cap; and
Fig. 5 shows a further exemplary embodiment of a clip-
shaped closure according to the invention.
In the drawings, corresponding parts are designated by
the same reference numerals.
The flask in Figs. 1 and 2 comprises a liquid holder l,
and a screening cap 2, securable thereon, with a pouring
opening 3 and with a clip-shaped closure 4 therefor. The
clip-shaped closure 4 comprises a first, relatively rigid
clip element 5 which is hingedly connected to the screening
cap 2, and a second, more flexible clip element 6, which at
one end is hingedly connected to the first clip element 5 and
at the other end is hingedly connected to the screening cap
2. The second clip element 6 comprises a closing element 7,
which fits into the pouring opening 3.
In the exemplary embodiment shown, the clip-shaped
closure is manufactured as one whole from plastic. The hinged
connections therein are then formed by folding seams. The
first clip element 5 has, as is indicated in Fig. 4, a curved
shape and is thus relatively rigid. The clip-shaped closure 4
has a part 8 fixedly connectable to the screening cap 2. The
transition of this part 8 to the first clip element 5 is
formed by a folding seam 9. The first clip element 5 is
capable of hinging about this folding seam 9. The second clip
element 6 consists of a flat strip and thus forms a flexible
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part of the clip-shaped closure 4 with respect to the first
clip element 5. The transition between the two clip elements
is formed by a folding seam 10. The clip-shaped closure 4
further has a part 11 fixedly connectable to the upper part
of the screening cap 2. This part is fixedly connected to the
screening cap 2 via a run-through element 11'. The transition
from the part 11 to the second clip element 6 is formed by a
folding seam 12. The second clip element 6 is capable of
hinging about the folding seams 10 and 12. At the end of the
first clip element 5 where it is hingedly connected to the
second clip element 6, an outwardly projecting part 13 is
arranged to enable the first clip element 5 to be moved
upwards therewith.
In a first position, in which the pouring opening 3 is
closed by the closing element 7, the second clip element is
in a virtually unstressed condition. This is also the case in
a second position, in which the flask is opened and the first
clip element 5 has reached its extreme position, as
represented in Fig. 3 by chain-dotted lines. When the clip-
shaped closure 4 is moved from the first to the second
position or vice versa, this can only be done while bending
the second clip element 6, as indicated in Fig. 3 by the
broken lines. When the part 13 is moved up, at some point the
clip-shaped closure 4 will swing to its second position and
the flask is opened for use. When after use the part 13 is
moved down, the clip-shaped closure 4 will at some point
swing to its first position and the flask will be closed.
In the screening cap, an outflow space 14 is present,
which is in communication with the pouring opening 3 and
which, when the screening cap 2 is fitted on the liquid
holder 1, connects to an outflow opening of the liquid holder
1, formed by a spout 16. The outflow space 14 is bounded by
an edge 18 provided with lips 17. The lips 17 fit into the
spout 16. The outflow space 14 is further bounded entirely by
the edge 18 fully surrounding the outflow space 14 and
extending up against the underside of the screening cap 2.
CA 02292086 1999-12-13
Further, in the screening cap 2, an annular element 19
is present, which, when the screening cap is fitted on the
liquid holder, engages under an edge 20 on the outer side of
the spout 16. Because the transition of the liquid holder 1
5 to the spout 16, which, for that matter, has a circular cross
section, has an elliptical shape, the annular element 19 too
is elliptical in shape. The annular element 19 is connected
with the underside of the screening cap 2 through strips 21.
The screening cap, the edge 18 with the lips 17, and the
l0 strips 21 with the annular element 19 are manufactured as one
whole from plastic.
Fig. 5 shows a second embodiment of a clip-shaped
closure 4. In this embodiment, the two clip elements 5 and 6
are relatively rigid and the connection of the first clip
element 5 to the screening cap 2 is detachable. For that
purpose, the relevant end 22 of the first clip element 5 is
hook-shaped and can be snapped into a recess 23 in the
screening cap 2. In this embodiment too, the clip-shaped
closure is preferably manufactured as one whole. In the hinge
joints 10 and 12, a certain bias then acts very favorably.
When in that case the end 22 is removed from the recess 23,
the clip-shaped closure swings to the position represented in
Fig. 5 and the pouring opening is cleared. When the first
clip element 5 is moved down, i.e., in the direction of the
liquid holder 1, the second clip element 6, by way of the
closing element 7, closes the pouring opening 3 and the flask
is held in this closed position by clicking the end 22 into
the recess 23.
The invention is not limited to the embodiments
presented here, but comprises all kinds of modifications
thereof, naturally insofar as they fall within the scope of
protection of the following claims.
