Abstract:
In a bottle spout fitment ( 24 ) and cap ( 26 ) combination, the cap ( 26 ) has a removed condition disengaged from the spout fitment and an installed condition mounted to the spout fitment. The cap has a plurality of radially-protruding lugs ( 132 ). The spout fitment has a spout ( 60 ) and a plurality of channels ( 118 ) positioned to receive the lugs ( 132 ) in the installed condition to block a longitudinal extraction of the cap from the spout fitment.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    Benefit is claimed of U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 60/941,059, filed May 31, 2007, and entitled “POUR SPOUT”, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein as if set forth at length. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The invention relates to containers. More particularly, the invention relates to pour spouts for containers for liquid laundry detergent and the like. 
         [0003]    There has been an evolution in the configuration of containers for liquid laundry detergent, fabric softener, and the like. The dominant form of container is a wide mouth bottle having an attached spout with a drain-back trough and aperture. In a typical group of container configurations and their methods of assembly, a bottle, spout fitment, and cap are individually molded (e.g., of high density polyethylene (HDPE)). Exemplary bottle molding is via roto-molding whereas exemplary spout fitment and cap molding are by injection molding. An exemplary spout fitment includes the spout and a continuation of the spout defining the base and outboard wall of the trough. The fitment further typically includes a flange (e.g., extending outward at an upper end of the outboard extremity of the trough). 
         [0004]    The spout fitment may be inserted through a mouth of the bottle (e.g., so that an outer surface of the outboard trough wall whereof another wall outboard thereof engages the inner surface of the bottle neck). The spout fitment may be secured and sealed to the bottle such as by spin welding. The bottle may be filled and the cap may be installed. Exemplary caps typically have either an externally threaded skirt for engaging an internally threaded portion of the fitment or an internally threaded skirt for engaging an externally threaded portion of the fitment or bottle neck. With a typical externally threaded skirt, the cap includes an outwardly projecting flange above the skirt. Upon installation of the cap to the fitment, the flange underside contacts and seals with the fitment flange upper surface to seal the bottle. 
         [0005]    Various examples of bottles are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,923,341, 5,941,422, 5,566,862, and 5,603,787. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    One aspect of the invention involves a bottle spout fitment and cap combination. The cap has a removed condition disengaged from the spout fitment and an installed condition mounted to the spout fitment. The cap has a plurality of radially-protruding lugs. The spout fitment has a spout and a plurality of channels positioned to receive the lugs in the installed condition to block a longitudinal extraction of the cap from the spout fitment. 
         [0007]    The spout fitment may be combined with a container having a body with a body opening. The spout fitment is mounted within the body opening. 
         [0008]    The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]      FIG. 1  is a view of a bottle. 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is a rear view of an assembly of a spout fitment, cap, and bottle neck of the bottle of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is a front view of the assembly of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  is a top view of the assembly of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0013]      FIG. 5  is a sectional view of the assembly of  FIG. 4 , taken along line  5 - 5 . 
           [0014]      FIG. 6  is an enlarged view of a portion of the assembly of  FIG. 5 . 
           [0015]      FIG. 7  is a view of a cap of the assembly of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0016]      FIG. 8  is a side view of the cap of  FIG. 7 . 
           [0017]      FIG. 9  is a top view of the cap of  FIG. 7 . 
           [0018]      FIG. 10  is a sectional view of the cap of  FIG. 9 , taken along line  10 - 10 . 
           [0019]      FIG. 11  is a view of a spout fitment of the assembly of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0020]      FIG. 12  is an enlarged view of a rim portion of the spout fitment of  FIG. 11 . 
       
    
    
       [0021]    Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicate like elements. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0022]      FIG. 1  shows a container  20  comprising the assembly of a bottle body  22 , a spout fitment  24 , and a cap  26  (which may serve as a measuring/dispensing cup). Each may be made as a unitary plastic molding. Exemplary bottle body material is high density polyethylene (HDPE). Exemplary spout fitment and cap material is polypropylene. 
         [0023]    The body  22  comprises a unitary combination of a base  30 , a sidewall  32  extending upward from the base, a shoulder  34  at an upper end of the sidewall, and a neck  36  extending upward from the shoulder. The neck  36  extends to a rim  38  ( FIG. 6 ) and defines an opening  40  having a central longitudinal axis  500  ( FIG. 4 ). The bottle body has an interior surface  42  ( FIG. 6 ) and an exterior surface  44 . A handle  45  ( FIG. 1 ) may extend from the sidewall and the body interior may extend through the handle. 
         [0024]    The neck  36  has an external thread  46  ( FIG. 6 ) along a portion  48  below the rim  38 . Below the portion  48 , the neck has a flange  50  ( FIG. 2 ). A pair of lugs  52  extend upward from the flange  50  partially along the portion  48 . Each lug  52  has first and second circumferential ends/faces/surfaces  54  and  55 . As is discussed below, the flange threads help retain the spout fitment to the neck while the lugs  52  help angularly orient the spout fitment about the axis  500 . 
         [0025]    The spout fitment  24  includes an inner wall  60  ( FIG. 5 ) and an intermediate wall or inner sidewall  62  joined by a lower or base wall  64  so as to define a drain-back trough/channel  66 . One or more drain-back apertures  68  along the trough base and/or vents  70  thereabove are open to the trough (e.g., through the wall  64  and sidewall  62 , respectively). To define a spout, the inner wall  60  has an upper end  72  defining a spout opening  74 . The upper end  72  peaks along a forward portion and dips along a rearward portion so that the opening  72  is asymmetric and defines a preferential direction for pouring. The exemplary spout fitment has a double wall at a forward end of the spout opening  74 . An inner wall portion  75  is separated from an outer wall portion  76  by a gap  77  especially when beginning and ending pouring, the separation reduces the tendency of detergent to wick or drip onto the outer surface of the outer wall. Detergent wicking or dripping onto the outer surface of the inner wall accumulates in the channel. At the end of pouring, when the spout is upright, this may drain-back through recesses/gaps  78  at lateral ends of the inner wall. 
         [0026]    The spout fitment sidewall  62  has an inboard surface  80  ( FIG. 6 ). The sidewall  62  has an external/outboard surface  82 . The sidewall has an upper end  84  and a lower end  86 . An annular upper wall  88  extends outward from the upper end  84 . The upper wall  88  has an upper surface  90  and a lower surface  92 . 
         [0027]    An outer sidewall (outer wall)  94  depends from an upper end at an outboard periphery of the upper wall  88  to a lower end/rim  96 . The outer sidewall  94  has an inboard surface  98  and an outboard surface  100 . A pair of recesses  102  ( FIG. 3 ) extend upward from the rim  96 . Each recess  102  has first and second sides  104  and  106 . As is discussed further below, each recess  102  captures an associated neck lug  52  so that adjacent surfaces of the recess and neck lug angularly retain the spout fitment relative to the neck. 
         [0028]    The inboard surface  98  bears an internal thread  110 . As is discussed below, whereas the recess  100  functions to orient the spout fitment on the body, the thread  110  cooperates with the external thread  46  in retaining the spout fitment to the body. 
         [0029]    A plurality of arms  111  ( FIG. 2 ) extend from proximal ends  112  at the upper wall upper surface  90  to distal ends  113 . The arms have partially upwardly extending proximal portions  114  and an approximately circumferentially/radially extending distal portions  115 . Each arm has an upper surface  116  and a lower surface  117 . The lower surface  116  cooperates with the upper wall upper surface  90  to define a channel  118  ( FIG. 12 ) for receiving a lug of the cap (described below). The lower surface includes a detent recess  119  for receiving a complementary detent projection of the lug. 
         [0030]    The cap  26  ( FIG. 5 ) includes a sidewall  120  and a transverse web  122  at the upper end of the sidewall. The sidewall extends to a lower end/rim  124  and has an inboard surface  126  and an outboard surface  128 . At an intermediate location along the sidewall, the sidewall bears radially-protruding/projecting lugs. The exemplary lugs are formed as a first pair of diametrically opposed lugs  130  ( FIG. 9 ) and a second pair of diametrically opposed lugs  132  offset from the first pair by 90°. The exemplary lugs project from a small flange  134 . 
         [0031]    In the exemplary cap, at the lower rim  124 , the sidewall  120  protrudes outward to form a first sealing projection/lip  138  ( FIG. 6 ). A second (upper) sealing projection/lip  140  is formed slightly below the flange  134 . A plurality of vertical reinforcing ribs  142  depend from the lip  140  as branches thereof These help keep the cap centered when installed. Although  FIG. 6  shows the lip  138  interfering (an artifact of the computer aided engineering model that yielded  FIG. 6 ) with the fitment inboard surface  80 , the actual lip would be flexed by the engagement to provide a seal. 
         [0032]    The exemplary first and second lugs are different from each other. Each of the lugs has an upper surface  150  and a lower surface/underside  152  ( FIG. 10 ). The upper surfaces of the exemplary first lugs  130  each include a first upward projection  156  and a second upward projection  158 . The first upward projection  156  is relatively rounded and is positioned to cooperate with the arm recess  119  to detent the closed condition. The second projection  158  serves as a stop. For example, the cap may be installed via an initial downward translation toward the spout fitment. During this translation, the arms pass through spaces between the lugs. After initial seating of the lug undersides on the fitment upper wall, the cap is rotated (e.g., clockwise when looking downward). An exemplary rotation is 5-20°. Leading ends  170  of the lugs pass below the distal ends of the arms. The leading ends may have a camming surface  172  to engage the arm distal ends to facilitate passing. The first projections  156  may pass into receipt by the arm recesses  119 . When this occurs or shortly thereafter, the second projections  158  may abut the arm distal ends to prevent further rotation. The exemplary second lugs  132  each include an upward projection  174 . Relative to the exemplary projections  156  and  158 , the projections  174  are circumferentially/tangentially elongate rather than radially elongate. The projections  174  add sufficient height to the second lugs so as to provide positive vertical engagement with the undersides of the associated arms when the cap is in the closed condition. This helps retain the cap. By making these projections  174  circumferentially/tangentially elongate, mold release may be simplified (e.g., because these projections  174  are parallel to the projections  156  and  158  rather than perpendicular thereto). 
         [0033]    In an exemplary method of assembly, the cap is first installed to the spout fitment. The spout fitment is then installed to the bottle neck. This installation may involve screwing the spout fitment onto the bottle with the spout fitment thread  110  engaging the bottle thread  46 . A terminal stage of this screwing may bring the lugs  52  into locking receipt with the recesses  102 . The bottle may be filled with liquid prior to the spout fitment installation. 
         [0034]    Various sealing features may be provided to respectively seal the cap to the spout fitment and the spout fitment to the bottle. In the exemplary embodiment, the cap lower sealing lip is positioned to engage an internal shoulder in the spout fitment sidewall  62  near the lower end thereof. The exemplary lip may be flexed near the internal apex of the shoulder. In the assembly views, parts are shown generated from a solid model and not reflecting strain. Accordingly, interference is shown which would produce strains. The upper lip sealingly engages the inboard surface of the sidewall  62  near the upper end thereof. 
         [0035]    To seal the spout fitment to the bottle, a downwardly projecting lip  200  ( FIG. 6 ) may depend from the underside  92  of the upper wall  88 . A distal end of the lip  200  may engage the rim  38  and be flexed inward and upward in sealing engagement. As with the lip  138 ,  FIG. 6  shows the lip  200  interfering with the bottle body, the actual lip  200  would be flexed upward and radially inward by the rim surface  38  to seal between the bottle body and the spout fitment. 
         [0036]    Various implementations may have one or more of various advantages. One group of advantages may relate to the elimination of the spout internal thread. This may provide a cleaner appearance and provide a smoother drain-back flow (e.g., without detergent accumulating on the threads). In manufacture, a threading tool may be eliminated, thus simplifying manufacture. The bayonet lug-like fitting arrangement also provides a clear indication that the cap is in an installed condition (e.g., it is not visually easy to determine a slightly loose screw-on cap). The short range of rotational motion for opening (e.g., less than 90° compared with a full turn or more for a screw-on cap) may also present an ease of use. One group of advantages may relate to elimination of welding or adhering of the spout fitment to the bottle body. In addition to the economy of a saved step, this may facilitate delivery of the liquid before attaching the spout fitment to the bottle body which may allow more efficient processing (e.g., including higher flow delivery or less precisely aimed delivery through an opening in the bottle body larger than the spout opening). The spout fitments and caps may be delivered to the bottler as units and installed in units, thereby easing installation. Other potential advantages include weight reduction and reduced intrusion of the spout fitment into the bottle body (thereby permitting higher fill levels). Other potential advantages include improved sealing. Finally, there may be greater flexibility in aesthetics by permitting relatively easy use of differently-styled spout fitments with a given bottle body or differently styled bottle bodies with a given spout fitment. 
         [0037]    One or more embodiments of the present invention have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, when implemented in the reengineering of an existing container configuration, details of the existing configuration may influence or dictate details of any particular implementation. Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.