CARTON SPOUT

Abstract: Pouring apparatus for drink cartons which can be affixed to the top of a carton in gripping relationship therewith and which incorporates two tubular members (8,9) by means of which a carton can be pierced and through an end portion of one of which the drink flows to the exterior through a spout (22) from a reservoir on pouring and the other one of which said tubular members serves to introduce air into the carton. The apparatus is preferably provided with a closable boatlike reservoir into which the tubular members emerge and from which reservoir the drink is poured. When a carton is subjected to pressure or when the contents thereof are introduced thereinto under vacuum, no spillage of the drink occurs when apparatus is affixed to the carton or when the apparatus is used. When the reservoir is closable, the apparatus serves the function of conserving the contents of a pierced carton.

Description: The invention relates to a pouring apparatus the underside of which is provided with at least two portions which at least partially grip the carton when in use and on the same side of which there is provided at least two members of tubular form both with an open end portion with which the top of a carton can be pierced. These tubular members are mainly of a downwardly extending conical form and having a sharp extremity with which the upper wall of the carton can be pierced. The term drink cartons as used herein is to be construed as meaning packings of paper or cardboard which may be plasticised or are made completely or partially of a plastic and which are destined to contain milk, fruit drinks and suchlike. Pouring drinks from such drink cartons gives problems; an aperture must first be made in the carton through which the drink can be poured. In order to achieve a constant rate of flow, an extra aperture still has to be made very often to enable air to be drawn into the carton. The action following hereon to pour the drink is achieved only in an often difficult to control manner which in its turn can easily lead to the drink flowing down the sides of the carton in an undesirable manner. Various solutions have been proposed to overcome this problem, and in particular a solution has always been sought by affixing a pouring spout to the carton in one manner or another. For example, this has been achieved by contructing the carton in such a manner at a particular place thereon and by applying a certain force thereto, an aperture is made and through which the carton walls can also serve as a pouring spout. Solutions to the problem have also been sought in the form of a loose pouring aid which can co-operate with the carton in one manner or another to act as an outflow aperture with a pouring spout. Such apparatus is described for example in American Patent Specification No.3285.472. This apparatus comprises two platelike members by which means it can be pushed over the carton and which further comprises two tubular members the lower end of each of which is provided with a sharp edge which pierces the carton's upper wall to form a pouring tube and an air inlet tube respectively when the apparatus is pushed onto the carton. One problem encountered in using such a known apparatus still remains, and that is when the drink contained in the carton is subjected to a certain pressure in one manner or another the drink is expelled from the pouring tube and may possibly be expelled through the air inlet tube also. For example, such pressure can be caused when the carton is manually gripped to pour the drink and is squeezed somewhat in consequence. Problems also arise with these known types of apparatus when they are used with cartons which have been filled with the drink under certain vacuum conditions. When known apparatus of this type is used with such cartons, the drink quickly spurts out of the carton through one or both of the tubular members in an undesirable manner. The object of the invention is now to provide apparatus of the type described in the quoted American Patent Specification but which does not exhibit the disadvantages experienced when the apparatus is used with cartons under pressure or in which the carton has been filled with a drink under vacuum. According to the invention therefor, the apparatus is characterised in this that both the tubular members emerge out at their upper extremities into a deep traylike part of the apparatus which is provided with or gives access to a pouring spout. When the apparatus according to the invention is used with cartons under pressure or cartons with a drink under a vaccum therein, an undesired quantity of the drink flowing through the tubular members inserted into the carton will be received in the deepened traylike part, the reservoir; thereafter it can be discharged together with other drink from the carton through the pouring spout or it can flow back into the carton through the tubular members. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the deepened traylike portion of the apparatus is of rectangular boatlike form and one end of which functions as a pouring spout. In order to prevent drink flowing into the boat portion from spattering up against the upperside with force, the boat portion according to yet another preferred embodiment of the apparatus is closable on its upper side, preferably with a sliding shutter which can cover it completely. Such an embodiment of the boat is also of advantage when an uncompletely emptied carton is to be kept, it can be well closed by the sliding shutter. In a preferred embodiment of a sliding shutter according to the invention, it is movable along the length of the boat over a limited distance such that even when it is in a position where it allows pouring to take place from the pouring spout it always covers the mouths of the tubular members. This demand is made because not only can the drink spurt out when the carton is pierced by the tubular members but this can also easily happen during pouring. In such cases the upward spurting drink is required to be received in the boat and be maintained within the confines of the reservoir by the sliding shutter. According to yet another embodiment, the sliding shutter is so constructed that it is provided over at least part of its length on each side with two vertically downward extending ears which also extend inwardly to the engage the sidewalls of the deepened traylike portion and slide therealong between two stops which define the 'open' and 'closed' positions. When one end of the boat is to be used as a pouring spout and thus must be open, the sliding shutter is moved to the corresponding position. Naturally, and amongst other matters, the design must be such that when the drink must or can flow to the boat and from there via the pouring spout to the exterior, air must flow into the carton via the tubular member destined therefor and thus an air supply aperture must be provided in the carton to facilitate this. In order to easily clean the pouring apparatus according to the invention, it suffices in practice to provide a construction by which means the ears, via a snap-closure arrangement formed by them and the boat sidewalls, engage the boat and through which the sliding shutter is removable from the boat by bending the ears outward. In order to make the shutter easily slidable with respect to the boat, each of the exterior surfaces of the ears incorporates an indentation to provide a good holdfast for the fingers when it is held. The parts by which means the apparatus grips the carton preferably comprise at least two legs which grip the corners of the carton diagonally opposite one another and which engage adjoining exterior surfaces of the outer walls of the carton on both sides of a corner when in use. In General, the carton as construed herein has the form of a rectangular block, the feet of the apparatus thus engage diagonally opposite lying and vertically extending corners of the carton. When the carton may possibly be of another form instead of being rectangular and say hexagonal or something similar, the feet will grip the corners which lie diagonally opposite one another in order to ensure a firm grip on the carton. The legs themselves have the form of a bent strip running in the directions of their lengths. The angle at which the strips are bent correspond to the angle formed by adjoining wall surfaces of the carton with which the strips are in gripping engagement therewith. In order to easily push the apparatus into place on a carton in a single movement, the appartus is provided with legs of unequal length. The apparatus is firstly positioned above the carton with the longest leg pushed against a corner thereof and thereafter the shorter leg is pushed over the other corner diagonally opposite thereto. Finally the apparatus is pushed down further onto the carton and through which the carton's upper wall is pierced by the two tubular members. The invention is now further to be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig.1 is a side elevation of one embodiment of the pouring apparatus according to the invention; Fig.2 is a plan view thereof illustrating the manner in which the apparatus is fitted to a carton; Fig.3 is a plan view of an embodiment of a sliding shutter used to close off the apparatus from above. Figs. 1 and 2 show the two legs 1 and 2 by which means diagonally opposite corners 3 and 4 (see fig.2) of a drink carton 14 (see fig.2) grip the apparatus when in use. One leg 2 is provided with surfaces 23 and 24 which lie up against the outer surfaces 25 and 26 on each side of the corner 4 of the carton 14. In a like manner, the leg 1 grips the corner 3 of the carton 14.The legs 1 and 2 are joined by a portion 5 (see fig.2) which mainly comprises a boatlike member and a sidewall of which is designated by the reference numeral 6. The mouths 10 and 11 (see fig.2) of two mainly tubular members 8 and 9 emerge from the bottom 7 of the boat. As illustrated, these tubular members 8 and 9 are mainly of inverted conical form and extend vertically downward and are provided with sharp edges at their free extremities by which measn the upper wall of the carton 14 can be pierced. In the illustrated embodiment, drink flows into the boat through the aperture 10 via the portion of the inlet 12 thereof and air flows into the carton 14 through the aperture 11 of portion 9 the outlet 13 thereof. In the illustrated embodiment, the sidewalls of the boat are partially recessed inwardly toward one another to form wall portions 15. The boat can them be closed off from the exterior with a sliding shutter 16 (see fig.3) which can slide along the outside of the wall portions 15 by the engagement therewith of the inner walls of the the downwardly extending ears 17 of the shutter 16. The length portion of the boat over which the shutter is enabled to slide is limited by the stops 18 and 19 against which the extremities 20 and 21 of the shutter engage. When extremity 20 engages against stop 19, the boat is then open at one end (as illustrated in fig.3. i.e. when the shutter is in its leftward position) and through which drink can be poured from the boat via the pouring spout 22.. Fig. 2 illustrates the manner in which the pouring apparatus according to the invention is fitted to a rectangular carton. The apparatus extends outside the bounds of the carton 14 with its pouring spout 22. Fig. 3 illustrates the manner in which the boat is closed off by the flat sliding shutter. The ears 17 extend verticall downward from the shutter 16 on opposite sides thereof in a direction approximately perpendicular thereto. When the apparatus is in use, the ears 17 extend over the sidewalls 15 which they grip with their lower edges. Fitting and removal of the shutter to and from the boat respectively is achieved by bending the ears outward away from one another so that the snap-closure which is formed between the ears 17 and the sidewalls 15 enables the boat to be closed off when the shutter is fitted or open when the shutter is removed.

Claims: 1. Pouring apparatus for drink cartons the underside of which is provided with at least two portions (1,2) which at least partially grip the carton (14) when in use and on the same side of which there is provided at least two members of tubular form both with open end portions (8,9) by which means the top of the carton can be pierced, characterised in this that both tubular members (8,9) emerge out at their upper extremities into a deepened traylike part (5) of the apparatus which is provided with, or gives access to, a pouring spout (22). 2. Pouring apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterised in this that the parts by which means the the apparatus grips the carton (14) comprises at least two legs (1,2) the surface (23,24) of which when in use engage with the adjoining outer walls (25,26) of the carton (14) on each side of a corner. 3. Pouring apparatus as claimed in claim 2, characterised in this that the said parts comprise two legs (1,2) of unequal length. 4. Pouring apparatus as claimed in any one of the foregoing claims, characterised in this that the deepened traylike part (5) is boatlike in form and that a wall at least one end thereof forms a pouring spout (22). 5. Pouring apparatus as claimed in any one of the foregoing claims, characterised in this that the deepened traylike part (5) is closable on its upper side. 6. Pouring apparatus as claimed in claim 5 characterised in that that the closing element is a shutter slidable in the longitudinal direction of the member of boatlike form and in which the distance over which it can be slid is so limited that it is always located above the mouths (10, 11) of the tubular members (8,9). 7. Pouring apparatus as claimed in claim 6 in which the boatlike member (5) incorporates at least two mouths (10,11) of tubular members (8,9) respectively and in which the sliding shutter (16) is provided over at least part of its length on both sides thereof with two ears (17) which extend to the sidewalls (15) of the deepened portion (5) and which slide therealong between two stops (18,19) which define the 'open' and 'closed' positions. 8. Pouring apparatus as claimed 7, characterised in this that the ears (17) engage the side walls (15) through the action of a snap-closure formed therebetween and in which the sliding shutter (16) is removable by opening the closure by bending the ears (17) outward. 9. Pouring apparatus as claimed in claim6, 7 or 8, characterised in this that the ears (17) are provided with recesses on their outer surfaces. 10. Pouring apparatus according to any one or more of the foregoing claims, characterised in this that with the exception of the sliding shutter, the apparatus comprises a single piece of plastic.

Inventors: KORNMEHL, REUBEN JOSEF
Applicants: ARICOM B.V.
Application year: 1988
Main classification: B67B7
IPC codes: B67B7