Closure device
OwnerJohn Philip Cliveinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A closure device has a hollow body with a side opening for liquid, an open end, and a closure end portion, and is slidably engaged in an end-piece screw-threadedly engaged on the end part of a neck of a bottle. The closure device seals the bottle when pressed down into the neck until its closure end portion seals against a ridge defining the end mouth of the outlet conduit constituted by the neck and its end-piece. When the device is raised to engage a lower bead in a groove of the end-piece, liquid can be poured out of the bottle by way of the interior of the hollow body and the opening while air enters the bottle by way of an air inlet region and venting passages leading to an air outlet port. An inner barrier to liquid is formed by contact between the widest part of a skirt of the hollow body and the internal surface of the neck.
Claims79
A closure device for an outlet conduit of a container, the outlet conduit having an end mouth, and the closure device having a closure end portion, an open end, and a hollow body extending from the closure end portion to the open end and defining a side outlet opening, the closure device being arranged at least partly within the outlet conduit and being settable in a closing position in which the closure end portion seals the outlet conduit, the closure device being positionable for a pouring operation with the closure end portion spaced away from the end mouth of the outlet conduit and at least part of the side outlet opening exposed beyond the end mouth to define an outlet aperture for permitting a coherent flowable material to leave the container through the closure device, and the closure device being slidable in contact with the outlet conduit between the closing position and the position for a pouring operation, and, when the closure device is positioned for a pouring operation, a venting passageway being established through which air can enter the container when coherent flowable material is poured out through the closure device, the venting passageway having an air inlet region substantially adjoining the outlet aperture, and having an air outlet port which is disposed at a position which is adjacent the open end of the device and displaced circumferentially of the hollow body from the position of the air inlet region, at least part of the venting passageway being a space between the hollow body and the outlet conduit, the said space being defined by the hollow body and the outlet conduit cooperating with one another when the closure device is positioned for a pouring operation.
A closure device for a container that includes an outlet conduit with an end mouth, the closure device having a closure end portion, an open end, and a hollow body extending from the closure end portion to the open end, and the hollow body defining a side outlet opening, the closure device being arranged at least partly within the outlet conduit and being settable in a closing position in which the closure end portion seals the outlet conduit, and the closure device being positionable for a pouring operation with the closure end portion spaced away from the end mouth of the outlet conduit and at least part of the side outlet opening exposed beyond the end mouth to define an outlet aperture for permitting a coherent flowable material to leave the container through the closure device and, when the closure device is positioned for a pouring operation, a venting passageway being established, through which air can enter the container when coherent flowable material is poured out through the closure device, the venting passageway having an air inlet region substantially adjoining the outlet aperture, and having an air outlet port which is disposed within the container at a position which is displaced circumferentially of the hollow body from the position of the air inlet region, at least part of the venting passageway being defined by the hollow body and the outlet conduit cooperating with one another when the closure device is positioned for a pouring operation.
A closure device for a container that includes an outlet conduit with an end mouth, the closure device having a closure end portion, an open end, and a hollow body extending from the closure end portion to the open end, and the device being adapted to cooperate with the outlet conduit with the device disposed at least partly within the outlet conduit both for closing the outlet conduit and for permitting a coherent flowable material to leave the container through the closure device, the hollow body defining a side outlet opening, and the closure device being settable in a closing position in which the closure end portion seals the outlet conduit and being positionable with the closure end portion spaced away from the end mouth of the outlet conduit and at least part of the side outlet opening exposed beyond the end mouth of the outlet conduit to define an outlet aperture for the coherent flowable material to leave the container through the closure device, and the hollow body and the outlet conduit cooperating to define therebetween a venting passageway through which air can enter the container when coherent flowable material is poured out through the outlet aperture, the venting passageway having an air outlet port which is disposed adjacent the open end of the device and an air inlet region substantially adjoining the outlet aperture, the venting passageway comprising inner and outer barrier means spaced apart and arranged to direct coherent flowable material that enters the venting passageway from the air outlet port towards the air inlet region when the coherent flowable material is poured out through the outlet aperture, the inner barrier means being disposed to prevent coherent flowable material from flowing directly into the air inlet region from within the container, and the outer barrier means being disposed to prevent coherent flowable material from escaping from the venting passageway except through the air inlet region.
A container that includes an outlet conduit with an end mouth, and has a closure device having a closure end portion, an open end, and a hollow body extending from the closure end portion to the open end, the hollow body defining a side outlet opening, and the closure device being arranged at least partly within the outlet conduit and being settable in a closing position in which the closure end portion seals the outlet conduit and being positionable for a pouring operation with the closure end portion spaced away from the end mouth of the outlet conduit and at least part of the side outlet opening exposed beyond the end mouth to define an outlet aperture for permitting a coherent flowable material to leave the container through the closure device and, when the closure device is positioned for a pouring operation, a venting passageway being established, through which air can enter the container when coherent flowable material is poured out through the closure device, the venting passageway having an air inlet region substantially adjoining the outlet aperture, and having an air outlet port which is disposed within the container at a position which is displaced circumferentially of the hollow body from the position of the air inlet region, at least part of the venting passageway being defined by the hollow body and the outlet conduit cooperating with one another when the closure device is positioned for a pouring operation.
A container that includes an outlet conduit with an end mouth and a closure device, the closure device having a closure end portion, an open end, and a hollow body extending from the closure end portion to the open end and defining a side outlet opening, the closure device being arranged at least partly within the outlet conduit and being settable in a closing position in which the closure end portion seals the outlet conduit, the closure device being positionable for a pouring operation with the closure end portion spaced away from the end mouth of the outlet conduit and at least part of the side outlet opening exposed beyond the end mouth to define an outlet aperture for permitting a coherent flowable material to leave the container through the closure device and the closure device being slidable in contact with the outlet conduit between the closing position and the position for a pouring operation, and, when the closure device is positioned for a pouring operation, a venting passageway being established through which air can enter the container when coherent flowable material is poured out through the closure device, the venting passageway having an air inlet region substantially adjoining the outlet aperture, and having an air outlet port which is disposed within the container at a position which is displaced circumferentially of the hollow body from the position of the air inlet region, at least part of the venting passageway being a space between the hollow body and the outlet conduit, the space being defined by the hollow body and the outlet conduit cooperating with one another when the closure device is positioned for a pouring operation.
A container that includes an outlet conduit with an end mouth, and a closure device having a closure end portion, an open end, and a hollow body extending from the closure end portion to the open end, the device being adapted to cooperate with the outlet conduit with the device disposed at least partly within the outlet conduit both for closing the outlet conduit and for permitting a coherent flowable material to leave the container through the closure device, the hollow body defining a side outlet opening, and the closure device being settable in a closing position in which the closure end portion seals the outlet conduit and being positionable for a pouring operation with the closure end portion spaced away from the end mouth of the outlet conduit and at least part of the side outlet opening exposed beyond the end mouth of the outlet conduit to define an outlet aperture for the coherent flowable material from the container, and the hollow body and the outlet conduit cooperating to define therebetween a venting passageway through which air can enter the container when coherent flowable material is poured out through the outlet aperture, the venting passageway having an air outlet port which is disposed within the container, and an air inlet region substantially adjoining the outlet aperture, the hollow body and the outlet conduit cooperating to provide inner and outer barrier means spaced apart and arranged to direct coherent flowable material that enters the air outlet port towards the air inlet region when the coherent flowable material is poured out through the outlet aperture, the inner barrier means being disposed to prevent coherent flowable material from flowing directly into the air inlet region from within the container during a pouring operation, and the outer barrier means being disposed to prevent coherent flowable material from escaping from the venting passageway except through the air inlet region.
A closure device for a container that includes an outlet conduit with an end mouth, the closure device having a closure end portion, an open end, and a hollow body extending from the closure end portion to the open end, and the hollow body defining a side outlet opening, the closure device being arranged at least partly within the outlet conduit and being settable in a closing position in which the closure end portion seals the outlet conduit, and the closure device being positionable for a discharging operation with the closure end portion spaced away from the end mouth of the outlet conduit and the side outlet opening exposed beyond the end mouth to define an outlet aperture for permitting a coherent flowable material to leave the container through the closure device, a catcher space being established by cooperation of the closure device and the outlet conduit when the closure device is positioned for a discharging operation, the catcher space having an inlet region disposed to receive coherent flowable material descending from the outlet aperture, at least when the outlet conduit is substantially upright, and being formed with inner barrier means to retain such received material within the catcher space until the closure device is returned to the closing position, the inner barrier means being opened by return of the closure device to the closing position to release such retained material to the interior of the container.
A combination of a closure device and a bottle neck end piece, the end-piece comprising a collar portion, and an end mouth portion defining an end mouth, and the closure device having a closure end portion, an open end, and a hollow body extending from the closure end portion to the open end and defining a side outlet opening, the closure device being arranged at least partly within the end-piece and being settable in a closing position in which the closure end portion seals the end-mouth, the closure device being positionable with the closure end portion spaced away from the end mouth and at least part of the side outlet opening exposed beyond the end mouth to define an outlet aperture in communication with the open end of the hollow body, and the closure device and the end-piece cooperating to provide at least part of a venting passageway when the closure device is positioned to define the outlet aperture, the venting passageway having an inlet region substantially adjoining the outlet aperture, and an outlet port provided at a position which is displaced circumferentially of the hollow body from the position of the inlet region.
A combination of a closure device and a bottle neck insert, the insert comprising a bung having an axial through passage, an insertion portion, and a head portion, and the closure device having a closure end portion, and open end, and a hollow body extending from the closure end portion to the open end and defining a side outlet opening, the closure device being arranged at least partly within the axial through passage of the bung and being settable in a closing position in which the closure end portion seals the axial through passage, the closure device being positionable with the closure end portion spaced away from the head portion of the bung and at least part of the side outlet opening exposed beyond the head portion of the bung to define an outlet aperture in communication with the open end of the hollow body, and the closure device and the insert cooperating to provide at least part of a venting passageway when the closure device is positioned to define the outlet aperture, the venting passageway having an inlet region substantially adjoining the outlet aperture, and an outlet port provided at a position which is displaced circumferentially of the hollow body from the position of the inlet region.
A container that includes an outlet neck with an end mouth, and a closure device having a closure end portion, an open end, and a hollow body extending from the closure end portion to the open end, the device being adapted to cooperate with the outlet neck with the device disposed at least partly within the neck both for closing the outlet neck and for permitting a coherent flowable material to leave the container through the closure device, the hollow body defining a side outlet opening, and the closure device being settable in a closing position in which the closure end portion seals the outlet neck and being positionable for a pouring operation with the closure end portion spaced away from the end mouth of the outlet neck and at least part of the side outlet opening exposed beyond the end mouth of the outlet neck to define an outlet aperture for the coherent flowable material from the container and the hollow body and the outlet neck cooperating to define a venting passageway for air to enter when coherent flowable material is poured out through the outlet aperture, the venting passageway having an inlet region substantially adjoining the outlet aperture and communicating with an outlet port disposed within the container and at a position which is displaced circumferentially of the hollow body from the position of the inlet region.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.