POURERS FOR CARTONS

Abstract: A pouring aid for a carton of a type having sides arranged in a relative rectilinear alignment and a substantially flat top, the pouring aid, including sides (2, 3) adapted to engage against corresponding sides of the carton and having two downwardly directed conduits, one being a pouring conduit (13) and the other being an air conduit (14), the pouring conduit being located adjacent a side wall of the aid and shaped to include a lowermost sharp end (15) and having an aperture (16) extending between sharp end and that portion of the inner part of the conduit closest to the closest side of the aid, and a sharp outermost edge adapted to effect a cutting of the carton top as it passes thereinto which forms a tab positioned to be ensnared together with a top edge of a side wall of the carton between a portion of the conduit and a side wall of the aid when in a pouring position.

Description: POUBERS FOR CARTONS This invention relates to a pourer applicable to cartons. It is conventional to have cardboard cartons with the holding of liquid beverages. , # Such cartons are conventionally used for transport of milk and fruit juices and fruit juice drinks. Such cartons are sold under such trade marks as "Tetra Pak" or "Tetra Brik". This invention is directed to a specific form of Q^ carton namely a carton in which all of the sides.of the carton including the top are planar a d form a rectangular shaped body. Such cartons are presently being sold under the trade mark "Tetra Brik" in Australia. 15. In order to obtain access to the contents, it is conventional that an upper folded portion of the carton which is folded from a top face and extending down and secured alongside a side face, should be folded upwardly from the side face into a pouring position, and an outer- 20. most end is cut from such folded portion so as to leave an outermost end aperture through which the beverage within the carton can be poured. Devices for this purpose has been hitherto developed and while it is directed toward a so-called gable top carton, the United States Patent 3285472 in the name of V.D. Olsen illustrate previous attempts to provide a . convenient pouring aid. There are three distinct and difficult problems to overcome in relation to achieving an article which will provide an effective answer to the problem for commercial and practical purposes. 10. The first problem relates to the problem of effecting a seal between the effectively planar top of cardboard carton and the tube or conduit that passes through this. It will be self-evident that if this is not achieved liquid will leak around the outside of the tube and 15. pouring will become very messy indeed. Referring to the U.S. Patent 3285472 in the name of V.D. Olsen, it can be seen that sealing is effected by resilient ring like gaskets.The problem with such gaskets is that they firstly add to the cost of the 20. article, they have a tendency to both absorb and collect debris and therefore are very difficult to keep clean, and finally they must be kept in place by consistent pressure which is not easily achieved at all times in the circumstances. 25. The next difficulty relates to effecting a piercing of an otherwise planar top without causing the contents to be placed under pressure so that there is a spurting of the contents out of the aperture upon immediate formation. Finally, there is a problem of achieving an adequate emptying of the container once pierced through any device which has been inserted for pouring aid purposes. Previous devices such as those shown by Olsen do not achieve 5. a satisfactory solution in this regard and it is noted that the long conduit insertion of Olsen ensure that significant quantities of liquid will remain in the container. 10. Olsen describes a technique for avoiding squirting of the product from the carton upon first entry which amounts to holding of the top and then causing the insertion to occur under a very rapid thrust. With such a technique being necessary, significant 15. advantage of a pouring aid is being lost; . A further solution is proposed at least for a so-called gable top carton by R.A. Branda U.S. Patent 3143248. Such a device, however, still suffers by using an 20. entry conduit with parallel sides so that it would be found in practice that there would be no hope of effective sealing between the sides and the carton and although there is a retainer on one side to resist some deformation of the top of the carton, the first pressure is placed 25.in the middle of the one side of the top of the carton and this would inevitably deform the top and repeat the problems discussed previously. It is to be emphasised that the present patent is directed toward- a completely rectilinear carton with 30.a flat top as opposed to a gable top as shown in the two referred to U.S. Patent Specifications. The object of this invention accordingly is to propose a pouring aid which can be used with respect to a so-called flat top carton and achieve at least a reduction in the difficulties hitherto experienced with previous 5. devices. The invention in one form can be said to reside in a pouring aid for a carton of a type having sides arranged in a relative rectilinear alignment and a substantially flat top, the pouring aid including sides 10. adapted to engage against corresponding sides of the carton and having two downwardly directed conduits, one being a pouring conduit and the other being an air conduit, the pouring" conduit being located adjacent a side wall of the aid and shaped to include a lowermost 15. sharp end and having an aperture extending between the sharp end and that portion of ' the inner part of the conduit closest to the closest side of the aid, and a sharp outermost edge adapted to effect a cutting of the carton top as it passes thereinto which forms a 20. tab positioned to be ensnared together with a top edge of a side wall of the carton between a portion of the conduit and a side wall of the aid when in a pouring position. By having the pouring conduit in the adjacent position 25. to a side wall both of the aid and therefore a carton when being used in association with the pouring aid, there is provided both a much more effective reaction to a piercing and cutting action before entry, and further, when entry is achieved with a cutting action, there 30. is an aperture with a reasonably defined edge by which the conduit by gripping with the tab and side wall, can provide positive location relative to this to assist in effective location, and therefore sealing with the aperture. This can be achieved because the side of the carton can be used as a reaction point so that the edge of the conduit can be pressed against the cut edges and therefore caused to be more effectively sealed against 5. these. The effect is improved in the preferred instance by providing that the other side of the inner end of the pouring conduit is tapered so as to effect a spreading of the carton top material as the inner end is urged therethrough. 10. In preference, the inner end of the pouring conduit is adapted to cut a crescent shaped aperture within the top and effect a pushing of a crescent shaped tab thus formed against the adjacent side wall as it is serted through the top. 15. In preference, the pouring conduit is off-set so that where a carton of the type described is used, the entry can be through a single thickness of carton material. In preference, the breather conduit is located at an opposite side to the pouring conduit. 20. n preference, the breather conduit has the same lowermost sharpened end, an outermost cutting edge defining an aperture and a location of an aperture equivalent to the pouring conduit together with a tapering of the external sides of the breather conduit so this can engage 25. with the carton on the same manner to provide a sealed engaging contact. Preferably, there are tabs limiting the degree of entry of such a device into the end of a carton. The invention would be better understood when referred to a preferred embodiment which shall now be described 5. with the assistance of drawings in which FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a pouring aid according to the embodiment located in a sealing position on a rectilinear carton, FIG. 2 is the same view as in FIG. 1 except that 10. the pouring aid is in an entry position with respect to the rectilinear carton, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the pouring aid according to the embodiment viewed from above and to one side, 15. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the pouring aid viewed from beneath, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view along the lines * B-B as shown in FIG. 8, • FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view when shown along 20. the lines C-C as shown in FIG. 8, FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view along the lines A-A, FIG. 8 is a plan view of the embodiment as shown in all of the other drawings and, 25. FIG. 9 is a view from beneath the pouring aid as Shown in all of the other drawings, FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a rectilinear carton of-the type for which the pouring aid is intended, FIG. 11 is a cross-section of the pouring conduit. 30. The pouring aid 1 includes four sides which are in order a front side 2, a back side 3 and two further sides 4 and 5 which together provide effective and reasonably tight confinement with however reasonable sliding freedom for a carton such as 6. The carton 6 is of a type including rectilinear sides as shown at 7 and 8 with a substantially flat top at 9 which, however, is closed off by having the single thickness cardboard joined as a medial strip 5. at 10 and then laid over with ends at 11 and 12 folded over each side and held in this folded down position by an appropriate glue. The pouring aid 1 includes a downwardly directed pouring conduit 13 and a downwardly directed breather 10. conduit 14. The pouring conduit has a lowermost sharp end 15 and an aperture 16 which is located so as to be outwardly facing adjacent a closest side which is the front side 2 in the embodiment. 15. The condui.t 13 has an outer side which is tapered. At an upper end of the aperture 16 this terminates in a slot 17 which is positioned and adapted to ensnare a tab cut by the conduit together with the side wall of the carton and by holding these tight also ensure 20. a stable positioning of the conduit 13 with respect to the carton. Both side edges of the aperture 16 are of a sharp shape size to provide a cutting effect as these pass through the top of the carton. 25. In like manner, the breather conduit 14 has a lower¬ most sharp end 20 and an aperture 21 including a surrounding sharp side 22 which enable the breather tube to pierce and then cut a substantially crescent shaped aperture in the top of a carton such as carton 30. 6 and which is adapted to ensnare a crescent shaped tab thus formed with the side wall of the carton within the slot at 23. The aperture 21 faces the closest side 3 of the aid 1. Stops at 24 and 25 assist in limiting downward move¬ ment of the aid 1 with respect to the carton 6. 5. The breather conduit 14 like the pourer conduit 13 is tapered so that subsequent to cutting of a crescent shaped aperture within the top of the carton 6 the outer- face of the respective conduits continues to push against the thus cut surface of the top causing this to curl 10. and in fact react against the then outward pressure which is increasingly effected by the continuing entry of the respective conduits through the top. Finally, when the conduit has reached its fully inserted position, the position is secured by reason 20. of * the fact that the top edge of the respective side of the carton is ensnared or otherwise jammed with the tab that has been cut from the top into a respective slot position adjacent the respective conduit and in this way the position of the conduit together with the 25. aid itself is held relatively firmly in position but most of all the carton is held with the curled face which has been cleanly cut and pushed against the outer face of the conduit and thereby effecting in practice a shape which assists sealing by reason of liquid coming from below and 30. causing the curl to slightly uncurl, but as well because of the pressure any leaking is significantly resisted. With the sides of the aid tightly confining the carton 6, the sides of the carton can be expected to be firmly held particularly upon entry of the respecting sharp ends of the 35 pourer and breather conduits hence resisting buckling and hence pressurising the contents of any beverage within the container and hence spurting of this upon the first entry. < The pouring aid 1 is manufactured in the embodiment by the technique of injection moulding of plastics material appropriate for food and of a sufficient hardness to provide for maintenance of the respective sharp edges on the conduits. A pouring spout 26 is included at the upper end of the aid 1 to assist in directing a fluid being poured from the pouring conduit 13.

Claims: THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS-: 1. A pouring aid for a carton of a type having sides arranged in a relatively rectilinear alignment and a substantially flat top the pouring aid including sides adapted to engage against corresponding sides of the 5• carton and having two downwardly directed conduits, one being a pouring conduit and the other being an air conduit, the pouring conduit being located adjacent a side wall of the aid and shaped to including a lowermost sharp end and having an aperture extending between the 10. sharp end and that portion of the inner part of the conduit closest to the closest side of the aid, and a sharp outermost edge adapted to effect a cutting of the carton top as it passes thereinto which forms a tab positioned to be ensnared together with a top edge of 15. a side wall of the carton between a portion of the conduit and a side wall of the aid when in a pouring position. 2. A pouring aid as in claim 1 further characterised in that the outer side of the lower end of the pouring conduit is tapered so as to effect a spreading of the 20. carton top material as the end is urged therethrough. 3. A pouring aid as in either of claims 1 or 2 further characterised in that the end of the pouring conduit is adapted to cut a crescent shaped aperture within the top and effect a pushing of a crescent shaped tab 25. thus formed against the adjacent side wall as it is inserted through the top. 4. A pouring aid as in any one of the preceding claims further characterised in that the aid is adapted to be used with a carton having a middle strip of greater 30. thickness than a remainder of the top extending from one side to an opposite side of the top the pouring conduit being offset to an extent that the end of the conduit will enter through the top only where the thickness is less than that of the strip. 5. A pouring aid as in any one of the preceding claims further characterised in that the air breather conduit is located toward an opposite side of the aid to the pouring conduit. 5« 6. A pouring aid as in any one of the preceding claims further characterised in that the breather conduit has a lowermost sharp end and a tapering external shape extending from that end. 7. A pouring aid as in the last preceding claim further 10. characterised in that the aperture at the lowermost end of the breather conduit has a sharp end extending from the sharp end and located so as to effect the cutting of a crescent shaped aperture at the top. 8 * A pouring aid as in the last preceding claim -further 15. characterised in that the breather conduit is further * " shaped and positioned whereby to effect an ensnarement of a crescent shaped tab between a portion of the conduit, the side wall of the carton, and the side wall of the aid. 20. 9. A pouring aid as in any one of the preceding claims further characterised in that the aid includes stops adapted to engage the top of a carton to limit the entry depth of the respective conduits. 10. A pouring aid substantially as described in the 25. specification with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying illustrations.

Inventors: DUNSTAN ROBERT JOHN, DUNSTAN, ROBERT, JOHN
Applicants: DUNSTAN ROBERT JOHN, DUNSTAN, ROBERT, JOHN
Application year: 1986
Main classification: B67B7
IPC codes: B67B7