Abstract:
Containers are provided which provide controlled dispensing for items such as saltshakers. Such containers can be produced in a simple and economical manner and can be adapted to different types of products, such as different types of salt. Such containers are particularly useful for dispensing fine salt.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a National Phase Application of PCT International Application No. PCT/IB2014/063611, International Filing Date, Aug. 1, 2014, claiming priority to Italian Patent Application No. TO2013A000666 (102013902181716), filed Aug. 2, 2013, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a container for pouring products in granule or powder form, particularly a saltshaker, provided with a pouring spout. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     It is known that containers, mostly made of cardboard and having a substantially parallelepipedal shape, provided with pouring spouts are commonly used for pouring various kinds of products in granule or powder form, such as salt, sugar and soluble food products. These spouts are made of metallic material (aluminium), plastic material or cardboard, and are fixed to a pivotable tab formed in a wall of the container, possibly by making a cut in this wall in the shape of an inverted U, the tab being fixed to a central portion of the spout. The pouring spout is inserted in the pouring opening and is movable between a retracted, closed position and an extracted position in which it is possible to pour a certain quantity of a product contained in the container. 
     Recently it has been proposed that pouring spouts should also be applied to saltshakers for containing fine table salt. These containers, generally of cylindrical shape and made of plastic material, have two pouring openings, namely a first opening for pouring the salt in bulk and a second opening for sprinkling a controlled portion of salt. This second pouring opening has a dispensing spout associated with a perforated wall that covers the pouring opening and allows the salt to pass out through the circular perforations only. 
     Saltshakers of the aforesaid type are limited in that a certain diameter of the perforations generally provides good controlled dispensing of salt having a specific degree of fineness, but the perforations impede the pouring of the salt if it has a coarser particle size, or allow too much salt to pass out if the salt has a finer particle size. Since salt is hygroscopic, the perforations easily tend to become occluded when moisture is present, especially in the case of salt which is not very fine. It would therefore be necessary to provide different types of saltshaker, having walls with perforations whose diameters are differentiated according to the degree of fineness of the salt contained. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A general object of the present invention is to provide a container which facilitates controlled dispensing. More particularly, an object of the invention is to produce, in a simple and economical way, a container which can be used to pour a measured and controlled quantity of a content in powder or similar form, for example foodstuffs or loose detergents, and to prevent the accidental pouring of excessive quantities. 
     This object is achieved according to the invention with containers having the features described and claimed herein. 
     Briefly, the container comprises a casing which has a pouring opening in which a pouring spout is inserted. The pouring opening is formed in an outer wall of the casing. The casing comprises an inner wall which is juxtaposed to the outer wall and forms a cutout at least partially aligned with the pouring opening. Thus a first part of the pouring opening is occluded by a portion of the inner wall, while a second part of the pouring opening, complementary to the first part, creates with the cutout a single passage for pouring the contents of the casing. The casing is formed by bending a single shaped sheet which forms in a single piece all the walls or flaps constituting the casing. The pouring opening is formed by a cut made in a first peripheral flap of the shaped sheet. The same sheet has a second peripheral flap, located on a side or end of the sheet opposite the side having the first peripheral flap. The cutout in the inner wall is formed in the second peripheral flap. 
     Because of this arrangement, the cutout can be prepared and adapted in a relatively simple way by the container manufacturer, in such a way that the inner wall forms, together with the outer wall, a pouring passage which can be adapted to different types of salt with minimal modification, and without the disadvantages of the prior art. 
     A few non-limiting embodiments of the invention will now be described, with reference to the attached drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic perspective view of a container according to a first embodiment, with a pouring spout in a closed position; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the container of  FIG. 1  with the pouring spout in a fully open position; 
         FIG. 3  is a partial view in vertical section of the container of  FIG. 2  with the pouring spout in a fully open position; 
         FIG. 4  shows a flat shaped sheet from which the casing of  FIGS. 1 and 2  can be formed by bending and gluing; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view showing the container of  FIGS. 1 and 4  in a partly assembled condition; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view which schematically illustrates the container of  FIG. 1 , with some parts removed for illustrative purposes; 
         FIG. 7  is a partial view in vertical section, similar to that of  FIG. 3 , with the pouring spout in a partly open position; 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view showing a container according to a second embodiment, in a partly assembled condition; 
         FIG. 9  shows a flat shaped sheet from which the casing of  FIG. 8  can be formed by bending and gluing; and 
         FIG. 10  is a perspective view which schematically illustrates the container of  FIG. 8 , with some parts removed for illustrative purposes. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     With initial reference to  FIGS. 1 to 7 , the letter C indicates the whole of a container, particularly a saltshaker. In the remainder of the present description, the container C is defined as a saltshaker, on the understanding that the container may be used to pour any product in granule, powder or flake form, not necessarily salt, although the invention was primarily devised for the purpose of sprinkling fine salt. For example, the container may be used to pour various kinds of product in granule or powder form, such as salt, sugar, detergents, and others. 
     The container C comprises a boxlike casing  10 , preferably having a generally parallelepipedal shape, and a pouring spout  20 . 
     Advantageously, but not necessarily, the casing  10  is made of cardboard. More generally, the casing may be made of a sheet material having a semi-rigid consistency, typically cardboard, pasteboard, polylaminate such as Tetra Pak, or the like. 
     In the examples illustrated here, the casing (or box)  10  has a horizontal lower rectangular bottom or base  11  ( FIG. 4 ), a horizontal upper rectangular base  12 , and four vertical outer lateral walls  13 ,  14 ,  15 ,  16 , two of which ( 13  and  14 ) are narrower than the others. 
     An opening  17  is formed in the upper part of the narrow outer wall  13 . The pouring spout  20  is inserted into the opening  17 . The opening  17  may be formed by making a cut  22 , substantially in the shape of an inverted U with two substantially vertical branches  21 , in an outer vertical wall  13 . The cut  22  forms a tab  23  which, by swinging outwards about a horizontal transverse line of articulation x, opens the opening  17 . As used here, the terms “transverse”, “longitudinal” and “lateral” should be interpreted with reference to the axis x, unless noted otherwise. Terms such as “inner” and “outer” relate to the inside and the outside of the container. 
     The design of the pouring spout may vary from the example illustrated here. The general configuration and the opening and closing operation of a pouring spout are considered to be generally known. In the present example, the spout  20  forms a central portion  20   a , which is the part attached to the tab  23 , and two lateral wings  20   b ,  20   c  bent along respective bending lines  20   b ′,  20   c ′ along which they are joined to the central portion  20   a . In the upper part, on the lateral edges of the wings  20   b ,  20   c , there are formed two identical protuberances  20   d  which act as stop elements; the protuberances  20   d  are adapted to bear against an inner surface  24  of the container to determine the maximum opening position of the spout, as shown in  FIG. 3 . 
     The pouring spout  20  is movable between a retracted, closed position ( FIG. 1 ) and an extracted, open position ( FIG. 2 ) for pouring a certain quantity of a product in granule, powder or flake form, in this example salt, contained inside the casing. 
     The casing  10  comprises an inner wall  25  which is juxtaposed to the outer wall  13  in the assembled condition. The inner wall  25  has a cutout  26  which is at least partially aligned with the opening  17  formed by the outer wall  13 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , when the spout is in the extracted or open position, a first part of the opening  17  is occluded by a portion  27  of the inner wall  25 , while a second part of the opening  17 , complementary to the first part, creates with the cutout a single passage  28  which extends through the casing. The passage created by the partial alignment of the opening  17  with the cutout  26  has a smaller area than that of the opening  17 . In other words, the inner wall  25  partializes the opening  17 . This reduction or partialization is configured in such a way that the resulting passage  28  allows fine salt to be poured in a controlled way. 
     By way of illustration, the area of the passage  28  created by the alignment of the cutout  26  and the opening  17  may range from a minimum of a few mm 2  to a maximum of about 40 mm 2 , depending on the size of the granules of the product to be poured. 
     The casing  10  can be formed by bending a single shaped sheet  10   a  which forms in a single piece all the walls or flaps constituting the casing, as is shown, for example, in the flattened configuration of  FIG. 4 . 
     In the embodiment of  FIG. 4 , the cut  22  forming the opening  17  is made in a first peripheral flap  13   a  of the sheet  10   a , which has a second peripheral flap  25   a  located on a side or end of the sheet  10   a  opposite to the side having the first peripheral flap  13   a . The cutout  26  is formed in the second peripheral flap  25   a.    
     In the assembled, three-dimensional condition, the second flap  25   a  forms the inner wall  25 , and is superimposed internally on the first flap  13   a , which forms the outer vertical wall  13 .  FIG. 6  shows schematically the position of the inner wall  25  behind the outer wall  13 ; for illustrative purposes, the pouring spout  20  and the cutout  22  in the outer part  13  are omitted from  FIG. 6 . The position of the line of articulation x of the outer tab  23  is shown. 
     Forming all the flaps and walls of the container from a single sheet is particularly advantageous in terms of cost and speed of production. 
     In an alternative embodiment (not shown), the inner wall  25  may be composed of a flap formed by a separate sheet, joined, by adhesive for example, to the sheet that forms the outer wall  13 . 
     In one embodiment, the flap  13   a  forming the cutout  26  has a lower free edge  29  and a pair of cuts  30  which extend upwards from the lower edge  29 , so as to form an inner tab  31  that can be superimposed on the outer tab  23 . In this embodiment, the portion  27  of the inner wall  25  serving to partialize the pouring passage  28  is formed by the inner tab  31 . 
     The cuts  30  can be superimposed internally on the branches  21  of the inverted U-shaped cut  22  so as to allow each of the wings  20   b ,  20   c  of the spout to be inserted through the outer wall  13  and inner wall  25 . The protuberances  20   d  of the spout bear against the inner wall  25  in the maximum opening position of the spout, as shown in  FIG. 3 . 
     In the embodiment of  FIG. 4 , the cutout  26  extends upwards in the inner tab  31  from the lower edge  29 , in an intermediate position between the cuts  30 . 
     In the example shown in  FIGS. 2, 4 and 5 , the cutout  26  is shaped as a cutout of inverted V shape. This shape is not to be considered as limiting. Other shapes, for example round or polygonal (e.g. rectangular or trapezoid) shapes may also be suitable for this purpose. 
     In order to fix the three-dimensional shape of the container, a quantity of adhesive may be applied to the interface G between the inner wall  25  and the outer wall  13  ( FIG. 5 ). 
     In the mounted or three-dimensional condition ( FIG. 2 ), an upper portion of the cutout  26  projects above the horizontal line of articulation x of the tab  23 . The alignment or superimposition of the upper part of the cutout  26  and the opening  17  defines the restricted pouring passage  28 . 
     When the spout is in the position of maximum extraction ( FIGS. 2 and 3 ), the salt or other loose content flows out of the pouring passage in a controlled way, so as to be sprinkled on to food. 
     The embodiment of  FIGS. 1 to 7  also allows the salt (or other contents) to be poured in rather larger doses. This pouring mode can be provided when the pouring spout is not fully extracted. The inner tab has a certain freedom to swing, being attached only at its top to the rest of the container. From the position of maximum extraction ( FIG. 3 ), the spout can be pushed back towards the closed position, but with the pushing movement halted midway ( FIG. 7 ). When the spout moves towards the closed position, the wings of the spout bear with a certain amount of friction on the sides of the inner tab, thus moving it to a small but perceptible degree towards the inside of the container. In this position, therefore, there is a larger gap between the inner tab and the surface of the spout facing the inner tab. In this position, the salt is not dispensed solely through the cutout  26 , but through a wider passage  28 , defined between the lower edge of the inner tab  31 , the cutout  26 , and the line of articulation x of the outer tab  23 . 
     In the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9 , the cutout  26  is formed as a through hole delimited by a closed line through the inner wall  25 . Two cuts  30  are also made in the wall  25 , these cuts being adapted to be superimposed internally on the branches  38  of the inverted U-shaped cuts so as to allow each of the wings of the spout to be inserted through the outer wall  13  and inner wall  25 . In this embodiment also, the protuberances  20   d  of the spout bear against the inner wall  25  in the maximum opening position of the spout. In this embodiment, the absence of a movable inner tab does not allow a more generous dispensing configuration to be provided, whereas this is possible in the example of  FIGS. 1 to 7 . Therefore, with a container such as that of  FIGS. 8 and 9 , it may be appropriate to provide a second cut  22   a  in the container ( FIG. 9 ) to form a second pouring opening shaped to allow pouring in more generous doses. This second pouring opening is entirely conventional, and therefore it has no inner wall adjacent to it for the purposes of partialization. 
     In one embodiment, the cutout  26 , in the shape of a hole, as shown for example in  FIGS. 8 and 9 , may be formed in such a way and in such a size that only a top part (or active part) of the cutout is aligned with or juxtaposed to the pouring opening, by projecting above the line of articulation x of the opening  17 . A lower (non-active) part of the cutout  26  is occluded by the outer wall  13 . Thus a hole which is not excessively small can be made by punching, and only a part of this hole can be used for dispensing the salt. In the paper and card industry, the forming of circular holes with diameters of 2-4 mm by punching gives rise to problems. 
     As shown schematically in  FIG. 10 , most of the cutout  26  is not used for dispensing salt, since it is occluded by the outer wall  13 . The cutout  26  is conveniently formed with a punch or blades whose sizes are not excessively small.  FIG. 10  shows schematically the position of the inner wall  25  behind the outer wall  13 ; for illustrative purposes, the pouring spout  20  and the cutout  22  in the outer part  13  are omitted from  FIG. 10 . The position of the line of articulation x of the outer tab  23  is shown. 
     In order to make the controlled pouring opening  17  more readily distinguishable from the uncontrolled pouring opening provided by the cut  22   a , part of the inner wall  25  located between the cuts  30  may be decorated with images of small holes  32  ( FIG. 9 ) which give the user an immediate impression of the holes in a saltshaker. 
     As will be appreciated, the container can be produced relatively easily by a manufacturer of cardboard blanks. A given cutout may serve for the controlled dispensing of various types of granular material; if it is desired to adapt the container to a product having a different particle size, this may be done without any particular added costs, as it will simply be necessary to use a smaller or larger punch; alternatively, if the same punch is used to stamp out the hole  26 , this punch can advantageously be moved to a higher or lower position, respectively, to increase or reduce the area created by the superimposition or juxtaposition of the cutout  26  relative to the opening  17  in the outer wall of the container. No appreciable changes are required in the production lines. 
     Various aspects and embodiments of the container have been described. It is to be understood that each embodiment can be combined with any other embodiment. Furthermore, the invention is not limited to the embodiments described, but may be modified within the scope of protection claimed herein.