Self-venting spout
AssigneeScepter Manufacturing Company Limited
InventorsCharlie L. Forbis, Grant Kernan
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A normally-closed pour spout is operable to pour fluid from a container to a receptacle. The normally-closed pour spout includes a fluid conduit and a valve. The fluid conduit has proximal and distal ends, with the proximal end being fluidly connectable to the container and the distal end being configured for fluid association with the receptacle. The fluid conduit forms a passageway configured to pass fluid therethrough and fluidly communicate with the container and the receptacle. The valve is operably assembled with the fluid conduit so that the valve controls fluid flow through the passageway.
Claims26
A normally-closed pour spout operable to pour fluid from a container to a receptacle, said normally-closed pour spout comprising:
- a fluid conduit having proximal and distal ends, with the proximal end being fluidly connectable to the container and the distal end being configured for fluid association with the receptacle,
- said fluid conduit forming a passageway configured to pass fluid therethrough and fluidly communicate with the container and receptacle,
- said fluid conduit defining a valve seat spaced along the passageway from the distal end;
- a valve operably assembled with the fluid conduit so that the valve controls fluid flow through the passageway,
- said valve including a valve element shiftable between a valve closed position, in which the valve element engages the valve seat to occlude the passageway, and a valve open position, in which the valve element is spaced from the valve seat to permit flow through the passageway,
- said valve element shifting in a first direction from the closed position to the open position and in an opposite second direction from the open position to the closed position,
- said valve element being shiftable in the second direction beyond the closed position to disassemble the valve from the fluid conduit;
- and
- a retention device that restricts shifting of the valve element in the second direction beyond the closed position to thereby prevent disassembly of the valve from the fluid conduit,
- said valve further including a catch operable to selectively prevent shifting of the valve element in the first direction out of the closed position,
- said passageway extending along a passageway axis,
- said valve element being slidable along the passageway axis between the open and closed positions,
- said catch being shiftable into and out of a locking position, in which the catch prevents sliding of the valve element out of the closed position,
- said valve including a retainer configured to releasably retain the catch out of the locking position so as to permit sliding of the valve element out of the closed position,
- said catch being automatically released by the retainer when the valve body is in the valve open position so that the catch is permitted to return to the locking position.
A normally-closed pour spout operable to pour fluid from a container to a receptacle, said normally-closed pour spout comprising:
- a fluid conduit having proximal and distal ends, with the proximal end being fluidly connectable to the container and the distal end being configured for fluid association with the receptacle,
- said fluid conduit forming an axially extending passageway configured to pass fluid therethrough and fluidly communicate with the container and receptacle;
- and
- a valve operably assembled with the fluid conduit so that the valve controls fluid flow through the passageway,
- said valve including a valve body slidably coupled to the fluid conduit for axial movement along the passageway between a valve open condition, in which fluid is permitted to flow through the passageway, and a valve closed condition, in which the passageway is occluded,
- said valve including a catch shiftable into and out of a locking position, in which the catch prevents sliding of the valve body out of the closed condition,
- said valve including a retainer configured to releasably retain the catch out of the locking position so as to permit sliding of the valve body out of the closed condition,
- said catch being automatically released by the retainer when the valve body is in the valve open condition so that the catch is permitted to return to the locking position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.