Dispensing – With container handle or handgrips – Vent in handle
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-16
2001-03-06
Shaver, Kevin (Department: 3754)
Dispensing
With container handle or handgrips
Vent in handle
C222S538000, C222S479000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06196425
ABSTRACT:
The invention relates to portable liquid containers which, in use, exhibit improved pouring characteristics.
Classical portable liquid containers comprising a single spout through which the liquid exits invariably exhibit turbulent pouring characteristics. This is due to the liquid completely filling the spout on pouring, and the inefficient mode in which such containers are vented to the exterior thereby rendering them unable to equalise the pressure inside with the external atmospheric pressure. Turbulent flow is a main cause of liquid spillage and, where the liquids in question are hazardous chemicals, this may place the user under potentially dangerous conditions. With a view to reducing this problem users often try holding the container at an angle at which the liquid does not entirely block the spout, such that air may enter in a counter-flow direction to the exiting liquid, thereby equalising the pressure inside with that outside the container. Such an angle however will tend to be unsatisfactorily small and result in extended pouring periods.
Alternative methods of circumventing turbulent flow characteristics from liquid containers as described above have been previously suggested. Such examples generally rely upon introducing some means for letting air into the container using a type of air duct design. The example given in GB 1329471 describes a complex pouring tube which is both extendible and retractable and arranged to be centrally mounted within an outlet spout of a container and spaced therefrom by means of four spacers to provide a continuous air passageway between the spout and the pouring tube. The air passageway formed between spout and pouring tube is sealed from a liquid outlet hole of a liquid holding receptacle portion of the container and leads instead into a hollow handle region formed on one side of the container. As the container is tilted to pour, air is channelled by the passageway and the handle to enter the receptacle portion by a first route whilst the liquid is poured out via a second route comprising the outlet hole of the receptacle portion and the interior of the pouring tube itself.
Whilst the arrangement described in the above document is a commercially successful, it does still exhibit some disadvantages. Firstly, because the tube itself is arranged to extend/retract for improving the container reach, the sealing between the exterior of the pouring tube and the liquid outlet hole of the receptacle portion is quite critical and generally requires a complicated tube formation to achieve satisfactory results. Secondly, having the tube centrally mounted within the pouring spout requires spacers between tube and spout interior to keep the tube in such a central position. Thirdly, it has been observed that when the tube is retracted and a pouring operation carried out at a shallow angle, some of the liquid can in certain circumstances get into the air passageway around the pouring tube and affect its efficiency. Finally, the pouring tube itself and its required spacers are of a relatively complex design due to both the perceived need to mount the tube centrally within the spout and to provide the extension feature. Such complication rules out the use of a simple extruded tube and means that a plastics injection moulding technique needs to be adopted.
With a view to solving or reducing at least one of the problems outlined above, it is an aim of embodiments of the present invention to provide a portable liquid container which displays good flow characteristics achieved by the incorporation of novel and simple modifications which are cheap to produce.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a container comprising: a body region, a hollow handle with first and second ends, said second end communicating with said body region, an outlet spout extending above said body region and communicating with both said body region and the first end of said handle, and an elongate pouring tube which is firmly located and fixed in position relative to said outlet spout, the pouring tube comprising a first end via which the interior of the pouring tube directly communicates with the body region and a second end from which, in use, liquid is dispensed such that the interior of the pouring tube forms a first passageway for the exit of the liquid, and such that a first portion of the outer surrounding surface of the pouring tube contacts with a corresponding first portion of the interior wall of the spout and a second passageway is formed by the handle and a region formed by an air gap between a second portion of the outer surrounding surface of the pouring tube and a second portion of the interior wall of the outlet spout to allow air to enter into the body region.
Preferably, the pouring tube is of a substantially uniform transverse cross-section.
The outlet spout may also have a substantially uniform transverse cross-section, but the shape of its cross-section is preferably dissimilar to that of the pouring tube.
Preferably, said first portion of the outer surrounding surface of the pouring tube and the corresponding first portion of the interior wall of the spout form an interference fit with one another.
Preferably, the first and second portions of the outer surrounding surface of the pouring tube when added together substantially form the totality of the outer surrounding surface and the first portion forms a larger proportion of the total outer surface area of the pouring tube than the second portion.
The pouring tube may be an extruded plastics tube.
Where the outlet spout is of generally circular cross-section, the pouring tube preferably has a cross-section which is, in part, of a corresponding circular formation such that the radius of curvature of the outer surrounding surface of the pouring tube in the first portion is substantially the same as the radius of curvature of the interior wall of the outlet spout.
The pouring tube may be held in position by fixing means. The fixing means may comprise adhesive.
The first end of the tube is preferably joined to the base region of the spout by a sealing means which seals the base region of the spout from the body region. The sealing means preferably comprises locating means for locating said first end of the tube at the base region of the outlet spout. The locating means may comprise a ring of material arranged to receive a first end of the pouring tube.
An upper region of the outlet spout may be provided with a top retaining lip for maintaining the pouring tube in position once inserted.
Preferably, the body region of the container may be thin walled and moulded out of a tough, liquid-resistant material, for example, a suitable synthetic plastic. The material may be coloured. The volume of the body region may be in the range of ½ liter to 30 liter.
The pouring tube may extend beyond the outlet spout so as to itself form an extension which increases the effective pouring length. The invention extends to such pouring tubes when sold separately from containers.
The outlet spout is preferably formed by a neck region of the container.
Spout extension means may be provided for increasing the effective length of the pouring tube. The spout extension means may incorporate an integral air passage. The spout extension means may include means for threaded connection with the container.
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Burnham Douglas Peter
Fielding Allan
Arent Fox Kintner & Plotkin & Kahn, PLLC
Bonderer David A.
Shaver Kevin
LandOfFree
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