Abstract:
A drink or other liquid container having a surface with a separable cap. A spout is mounted beneath the separable cap and the spout unfolds outwards when the cap is separated from the container. The unfolding spout is constructed of a flexible tubular piece which folds back on itself, under the cap.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to containers for a beverage or other liquid and in particular to containers such as cans and packing-cases having a closure lid which includes a separable closure strip. 
     2. Description of Prior Art 
     To date, in order for a consumer to drink straight out of a can of a pull-ring type, for instance he or she must remove the closure strip from the lid and then push his or her lips against the outer surface of the container. An external surface of the container is usually unsanitary as it is normally contaminated with dirt, germs and pollutions of all kinds while the container is stored and manipulated during the conditioning process, the transporting process and the stocking process of the containers. In the stores, too, the containers are frequently handled by different persons. In the refrigerators of stores, for instance, the containers are handled by many buyers who, among others, wish to appreciate the freshness degree of the containers. Furthermore, containers are often laid down on the floor and are thus within reach of animals or allowed to come into contact with chemical products, refuses, grease, oil and the like. Consequently, the beverage containers currently on the market very often do not remain sanitary for use. 
     Moreover, it is not uncommon that a consumer drinking straight from a container, in particular a child, cuts his or her lips or tongue. Further, beverage often spills over the top of the container or along the peripheral edge of a container lid. 
     In order to eliminate the concern about the drinking procedure being unsanitary there is known a closure lid arranged with a spout member which is folded over beneath a separable closure strip and which springs upwardly when the closure strip is separated from the remainder of the lid. However, nothing has been proposed so far to provide the present containers with an unfolding spout without the need to redesign the closure lids for the containers. This invention provides an improvement which solves this problem. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A container according to this invention includes a base member disposed beneath a closure lid and a spout portion which is folded over beneath a separable closure strip. The spout portion is received within a spout receiving recess formed in the base member and springs upwardly from the folded condition to an extended condition when the closure strip is separated from the remainder of the lid, thereby establishing an open passageway through the spout portion which accommodates the contents of the container and thus permits sanitary and safe drinking through the spout portion. 
     The base member can be easily manufactured in a standardized manner for insertion into an interior of any container in order to permit sanitary and safe drinking through the spout. The arrangement of the base member permits any usual lid to be used for sealing the containers. Further, the base member according to this invention is compatible with the present dimensions of the containers and can thus be easily placed in the usual automatic distributors and refrigerators. 
     Other features and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a sectional front view of a container according to this invention, with a lid in a closed condition; 
     FIG. 2 is a top view of the container of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a sectional front view of the container of FIG. 1, but with the closure lid in an open condition; and 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the container as shown in FIG.  3 . 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is illustrated in one preferred embodiment, a can having a body  10  with a lateral wall  11  and a bottom  12 , and having a lid  13  including a separable closure strip  14 . A pull ring is usually secured to the closure strip  14  to enable a consumer to easily separate the closure strip  14  from the lid  13 . The pull ring is not shown in the drawings. 
     A base member  15  is disposed beneath the lid  13  and is secured at its periphery to the can body  10  such that the base member  15  is located in the mouth of the can and extends in a substantially parallel direction with the closure strip  14 . The base member  15  comprises a first base portion  15   a  which is annular in shape and is secured to the lateral wall  11  of the container body  10 . To the first base portion  15   a  is secured a second base portion  15   b  which extends substantially parallel to the lid  13 . In the second portion  15   b  a spout receiving recess  16  is formed with an opening  17  through the bottom thereof A first end of a tubular spout portion  18 , which has an open free end, is secured to a periphery of the opening  17 . When the container is in a closed condition as shown in FIG. 1, the tubular spout portion  18  is folded over within the spout receiving recess  16  and is held in its folded condition by the closure strip  14 . 
     The base member assembly, including the first and second base portions  15   a  and  15   b  and the spout portion  18 , is inserted in the mouth of the container and secured to the can body  10  after the container is filled and the lid  13  is then sealed to the container using any known process. 
     Upon separating the closure strip  14  from the lid  13  the spout portion  18  can freely spring upwardly from the folded condition to an outward orientation relative to the remainder of the lid  13 , as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The spout portion  18  in an extended condition establishes an open passageway through which contents of the container can pass and thus permits a consumer to drink the contents of the container by oral contact with only the spout portion  18 . Because the spout portion  18  arranged beneath the lid  13  is not exposed to pollution or contamination, the spout portion  18  remains quite sanitary and safe and thus solves the concern of sanitary drinking. Further, because the spout portion  18  in a folded condition is secured from the contents of the container, the spout portion  18  can extend outwardly free from any liquid, whereby the contents of the container is unable to spill over the lid  13 . While separating the closure strip  14  from the remainder of the lid  13 , the consumer may hold the folded spout portion  18  with a finger until the separable closure strip  14  is completely separated from the remainder of the lid  13 . As shown in FIG. 4, a small embossing  19  can be provided at the junction of the tubular spout portion  18  and the base portion  15   b  to improve a tightness of the spout portion  18  in a folded condition. 
     While preferred embodiments of this invention are illustrated and described in the drawings and the foregoing description, it will be understood that this invention may be applicable to a variety of containers such as cans, packing-cases. “tetrabrik” containers, bottles for various liquids and products (pharmaceutical, chemical, etc.) and many changes and modifications can be made by one skilled in the art without departing from the desired results of this invention.