Patent Publication Number: US-6698628-B2

Title: Extension for bottle dispenser, in particular for food products

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to an extension for bottle dispenser, in particular for food products. 
     In this field, the requirements to be met differ from those typical of the dispensing of cosmetic products, both from the ergonomic and function viewpoints. In particular, it is convenient for the spout of the dispenser to be considerably long and to allow a vertical dispensing of the fluid product. Especially in the foodstuffs field, moreover, to prevent the product from drying in contact with air, a system for sealing the outflow channel should be provided. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     Currently, to meet such requirements in the dispensing of food products, long-spout dispensers are used, which provide for a substantially vertical dispensing action. A long spout is used because of the difficulty in obtaining, on hot-moulded components, curved paths for a fluid to be dispensed. In regard to the valves for sealing the outflow channel, they are infrequently used, although they would be useful in the foodstuffs field, because of their high cost, generally not compensated by the overall cost of the packaged product. In fact, known dispensers have a high number of components and the valve is generally cut after the moulding operation. Such a construction entails high costs due to the complexity of the cutting and assembly processes. 
     DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION 
     Therefore, the present invention aims to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks, providing an adapter for current conventionally produced dispensers. This would allow to use such dispensers in the foodstuffs field as well, hence obviating the need for studying and developing the production of dispensers dedicated to food products. 
     Therefore, the present invention provides an extension for bottle dispenser, in particular for food products, having a stopper part to be applied on the mouth of the bottle and provided with a spout which may be curved downwards, which, from a general point of view, is characterised in that it comprises, in a single piece: 
     a conduit portion in continuation of the cavity of said spout into which it can be inserted with interference; 
     a vertical tubular cavity portion into which said conduit portion converges, comprising an inner core and a coaxial external cylindrical wall; 
     a cladding portion in continuation of said vertical tubular cavity portion, destined to cover said conduit portion and to continue in a brace that surrounds said stopper part of the dispenser; said brace having projecting portions for latching inferiorly to the dispenser; and 
     a distinct elastomeric valve for closing said vertical tubular cavity portion. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention shall become more readily apparent from the detailed description that follows, of a preferred embodiment illustrated purely by way of non limiting example in the accompanying drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a lateral view of a dispenser with extension according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the dispenser of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a longitudinal section of the dispenser of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is a section obtained according to the lines IV—IV of FIG. 3; 
     FIG. 5 is a section obtained according to the lines V—V of FIG. 3; 
     FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view of the dispenser of FIG. 1; and 
     FIG. 7 is a partial, enlarged view of the extension shown in FIG.  3 . 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENT 
     In the figures, the reference number  1  globally indicates a conventional dispenser and the reference number  2  indicates an extension according to the present invention. 
     The dispenser  1  has a stopper part  10  to be applied on the mouth of a bottle (not shown) and provided with a spout  11  curved slightly downwards. Since the dispenser is conventional in nature, it requires no further description. 
     The extension  2  comprises, in a single piece, a conduit portion  20 , similar to a drinking straw, in continuation of the cavity of the spout  11  of the dispenser  1  into which it can be inserted with interference. The conduit portion  20  is perfectly blended with the spout  11 . 
     As FIG. 7 more clearly shows, the conduit portion  20  converges into a vertical tubular cavity portion  21 , formed by an inner core  22 , and by a coaxial outer wall  23 . The tubular cavity  26  of the portion  21  is open downwards. The inner core  22 , centrally holed, if desired, has three ribs at 120° (whereof one, visible in FIG. 7, is indicated with the reference number  24 ) and inferiorly a cone frustum shaped tapered profile  27 . The outer wall  23  has holding indentations  25 . The inner core  22  projects inferiorly from the ribs  24  with its cone frustum profile  27 . 
     The vertical tubular cavity portion  21  continues in a cladding portion  28 , destined to cover with a certain inter-space the conduit portion  20  and to continue into a brace  29  which surrounds the stopper part  10  of the dispenser. The inter-space in the upper part between the cladding portion  28  and the conduit portion  20  is selected slightly lesser than the thickness of the spout  11  so that it co-operates in holding the extension  2  in the spout  11 . As shown in FIG. 4, the cavity of the spout has rectangular section, but a different one can obviously be chosen. 
     The brace  29  has projecting portions  290  which inferiorly latch onto the dispenser  1  (as FIG. 6 more clearly shows), and which serve to prevent the upward lifting of the brace portion, with its consequent undesired disengagement of the extension  2  from the dispenser  1 . 
     The vertical tubular cavity portion  21  is closed inferiorly with an elastomeric valve  3 . The valve  3  has a cylindrical tubular body portion  30 , externally provided with engaging projections  31  which are inserted in the holding indentations  25  of the outer wall  23  of the vertical tubular cavity portion  21 . The tubular body portion  30  has a flange  32  and a lid  33 , centrally holed and elastically deformable. When bearing against the frustum cone profile  27  of the core  22 , the lid  33  comes to form curved lips. Once inserted in the tubular cavity  26  of the extension portion  21 , the valve  3  is also held internally by the 120° ribs  24  of the portion  21 . 
     The fluid product supplied by the dispenser  1  advances in the spout  11 , continues in the conduit portion  20  of the extension  2 , and therefrom to the cavity portion  26 . The pressure exerted against the lid  33  causes the central hole of the lid to be moved away, allowing the fluid product to flow out. When the fluid product is no longer supplied, the lid is repositioned with its curved lips on the cone frustum profile  26  of the core  22 , perfectly sealing the extension  2  of the dispenser. 
     The invention thus conceived can be subject to numerous modifications and variations, without thereby departing from the scope of the inventive concept.