Dispensing spout

Abstract

A dispensing spout for dispensing pourable contents from a package is described. The spout comprises a shaft having a mouth at its distal end and a flange extending radially around an aperture at its proximal end. The spout is characterized by the flange having an adhesive layer upon its underside for retrofitting the spout to an outer surface of the package. Pourable contents are dispensable from the package in a controlled manner after puncturing the surface of the dispensable package through the aperture.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This U.S. Utility Application claims priority to Israeli Patent Application No. 181657, filed Mar. 1, 2007.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to providing a means and associated method for dispensing pourable materials from a package.

BACKGROUND

The problems associated with the dispensing of pourable materials from their packaging are well known. These include spillage which is commonly associated with the dispensing of pourable materials including various liquids, granulated or powdered materials for example, sugar, salt, cement, sand, vegetables, pulses and the like. Spillage can result in financial loss due to wastage, in contamination of the environment, such as where the pourable material is of a hazardous nature or simply non-biodegradable, and, perhaps even more significantly, the generation of an undesirable mess.

Many packages are supplied with lips, spouts or other pouring aids attached to them to facilitate the controlled dispensing of the materials from there within. Such packages are typically manufactured with integral dispensing spouts. For example, in US 2005/0236425 to Casale, a spout is described which can be attached to a container by being screwed onto the container wall. In JP 11100050 to Shigeo a spout is described that is heat welded to the container during manufacture. Other devices include that described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,398,075 to Laciacera et al. which can be attached to the rigid wall of a carton.

Nevertheless many consumerables are supplied in a package lacking any means for facilitating the dispensing of contents from within. A common example of such a package is a heat sealed plastic bag which is typically opened by cutting or by pulling the seam open. Such bags usually lack a method of resealing after use. Apart from the risk of spillage, poor sealing may result in deterioration of the consumerable which is no longer isolated from the environment.

There is a need for a means and associated method for dispensing pourable materials from packaging and the present invention addresses this need.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an aim of the invention to provide a device and method for dispensing pourable materials from packages.

In accordance with a first aspect, the present invention is directed to providing a dispensing spout for dispensing, pourable contents from a package. The spout comprises a shaft having a mouth at its distal end and a flange extending radially around an aperture at its proximal end, the flange has an adhesive layer upon its underside for attaching the spout to an outer surface of a package such that a pourable material is dispensable from the package in a controlled manner by puncturing the surface of the package encompassed by the flange.

Typically the spout further comprises a resealable lid for covering the mouth and stoppering the spout.

Optionally the resealable lid is selected from the list of caps, bungs, covers and hinged elements for example adapted to stopper the spout.

The term “cap” as used herein refers to any resealable lid adapted to fit over and around a spout. It is noted that a cap may additionally include an element adapted to fit inside the mouth of the spout.

The term “bung” as used herein refers to any resealable lid adapted to fit inside the mouth of a spout.

The term “cover” as used herein refers to any resealable lid adapted to fit over the mouth of a spout.

Optionally the shaft is adapted to be compatible with the lid, for example where the resealable lid is a screw cap, the shaft is adapted by providing a thread there-around.

According to preferred embodiments, the dimensions of the flange and composition of the adhesive material are suitable for attaching the spout to any of a variety of package types such as inter alia, a cardboard carton, a plastic carton, a paper bag or a woven fabric.

Particular embodiments may have dimensions and may be fabricated from specific materials for specific applications.

Typically the spout further comprises a removable release adhered to the adhesive layer.

Typically the removable release comprises waxed paper.

In one embodiment, the spout further comprises a cutter for puncturing the surface of the dispensable package under said aperture.

According to a second aspect, an array of connected dispensing spouts as described above are provided in a two dimensional array from which individual spouts are detachable as required.

In accordance with a third aspect of the invention a method for dispensing pourable contents from a package is provided. The method comprises the steps of:

• • a. providing a spout comprising a shaft having a mouth at its distal end and a flange extending radially around an aperture at it proximal end, wherein the flange has an adhesive layer upon its underside;
  • b. optionally, where the adhesive is covered by a removable release, removing the removable release;
  • c. attaching the spout to an outer surface of a package via the adhesive layer;
  • d. puncturing the surface of the dispensable package below the aperture; and
  • e. pouring the contents through the spout.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

For a better understanding of the invention and to show how it may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, purely by way of example, to the accompanying drawings.

With specific reference now to the drawings in detail, it is stressed that the particulars shown are by way of example and for purposes of illustrative discussion of the preferred embodiments of the present invention only, and are presented in the cause of providing what is believed to be the most useful and readily understood description of the principles and conceptual aspects of the invention. In this regard, no attempt is made to show structural details of the invention in more detail than is necessary for a fundamental understanding of the invention; the description taken with the drawings making apparent to those skilled in the art how the several forms of the invention may be embodied in practice. In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1a is a schematic isometric projection of a dispensing spout as viewed from above;

FIG. 1b is a schematic isometric projection of the dispensing spout of FIG. 1a as viewed from below;

FIG. 2 is a schematic isometric projection of the dispensing spout according to a first embodiment where the adhesive layer is a glue applied directly to the flange;

FIG. 3 is a schematic exploded isometric view of the dispensing spout according to a second embodiment wherein the adhesive layer is a double sided self-adhesive membrane;

FIG. 4 is a schematic representation of the dispensing spout of the invention attached to a carton;

FIG. 5 is a schematic representation of the dispensing spout of the invention attached to a bag;

FIG. 6 is a schematic representation of a dispensing spout having a screw cap thereupon according to a further embodiment of the current invention;

FIG. 7 is a schematic representation of a dispensing spout having a hinged element adapted to stopper the spout according to another embodiment of the current invention;

FIG. 8 is a schematic representation of a dispensing spout with a removable release layer appended to and protecting the adhesive layer attached to the flange;

FIG. 9 is an exploded view of a preferred dispensing spout incorporating a cutter according to still another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 10 is a schematic isometric projection of a plurality of connected dispensing spouts coupled together in a two dimensional array; and

FIG. 11 is a flow chart representing a method for dispensing pourable contents from a package according to a second aspect of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

With reference now to FIGS. 1a and 1b a dispensing spout, 10 is shown. The dispensing spout 10 consists of a tube 12 having a mouth 14 at its distal end and a flange 16 extending radially around an aperture 15 through its proximal end. In contradistinction to spouts of the prior art, an adhesive layer 17 is attached to the underside of the flange 16. The spout 10 are typically injection molded from polymeric feedstock such as polypropylene or polystyrene for example, but may be machined, vacuum formed or manufactured by other techniques, and from other materials.

FIG. 2 shows the spout 10 having an adhesive layer 18 applied directly to the surface of the flange 16 for example by silk-screening or brushing. The composition of the adhesive layer 18 is selected to be compatible with the material of the flange 16, typically a polymer, and the material of the package to which the spout is to be attached, which may be paper, carton or another polymer for example.

A second embodiment is shown in FIG. 3 where the adhesive layer includes a double sided self-adhesive membrane 19a. Where no single binding agent is available to attach the material of the flange 16 to the surface of the container (not shown) to which the effort is to be forced, a double sided membrane 19a may be used with two distinct adhesives 19b and 19c applied to the opposing surfaces of the membrane. The composition of the first adhesive 19b being selected to adhere the membrane 19a to the flange 16 and the composition of the second adhesive 19c being selected to attach the membrane 19a to the container.

With reference to FIG. 4, a dispensing spout 10 is shown attached to a carton 24 containing pourable contents 26. The spout 10 is attached to the carton 24 by the adhesive layer 25. The pourable contents 26 contained within the carton 24 may be a liquid for example a beverage such as milk or wine or a non-foodstuff such as a detergent. Alternatively the pourable contents 26 may be a solid particulate such as sugar, salt or washing powder for example. The pourable contents 26 is dispensed by perforating the wall of the package 24 in the area 27 encompassed by the flange 29. The pourable contents 26 may then be poured through the spout 10 in a controlled stream 28. FIG. 5 shows a dispensing spout 10 attached to a bag 34, such as a cellophane bag containing pourable contents 36 such as rice for example.

It is noted that the dimensions of the spout may be varied so as to be compatible with a variety of pourable contents. By way of non-limiting examples, these include:

• • a. shaft diameters of between about 0.5-10 mm compatible with gels or liquids such as tooth-paste, glue, oil-based paint or jelly;
  • b. shaft diameters of between 5-50 mm compatible with contents comprising liquids or particulates such as fruit juices, milk, beans, screws or powdered paint;
  • c. shaft diameters of between 30-100 mm compatible with contents comprising larger solid units, such as frozen vegetables, balls or candies, or particulates typically dispensed in larger quantities such as cement or the like;
  • d. shaft diameters of over 100 mm compatible with contents typically dispensed in very large quantities such as gravel, garden compost, sand or the like.

With reference to FIG. 6 a fourth embodiment is shown wherein the dispensing spout 40 has a male thread 42 around the shaft 43 and a screw cap lid 44 is provided, having a female thread 46 on the inside surface thereof, the outer surface 48 of the screw cap 44 is typically fluted to provide an easy grip. The screw cap 44 may be removed and replaced to reseal or close the spout 40 and thereby block the flow through the spout 40.

With reference to FIG. 7, a dispensing spout 50 in accordance with a fifth embodiment of the current invention is shown wherein the dispensing spout 50 includes a lid element 54 hinged along a seam 56. When the lid element 54 is closed it stoppers the spout 52.

Referring now to FIG. 8, a dispensing spout 60 according to a sixth embodiment of the invention is shown that includes a release layer, 62 covering the adhesive layer 64 attached to the flange 66 thus preventing the spout 60 adhering to any surface or trapping dust prior to the release layer 62 being removed.

An exploded view of a preferred dispenser 100 according to a seventh embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 9, wherein the dispenser 100 includes a flanged spout 120, a screw-cap 140, a release layer 160 and a cutter 180.

The screw-cap 140, which has a female thread 144 around its inner surface 142, may be screwed onto the spout 120 which has a male thread 124 about its outer surface 123. This provides a way to seal the spout 120 when not in use so as to prevent spillage therefrom.

The release layer 160 covers an adhesive layer (not shown) coating the underside 126 of the flange 121 of the spout 120. To attach the spout 120 to a package (not shown), the release layer 160 is removed and the underside 126 of the flange 121 is pressed against the package wall.

The cutter 180 is provided to puncture a container (not shown) to which the spout 120 is fixed and consists of a toothed annulus 182 housed within the spout shaft 122. Protrusions 184 around the distal mouth 181D of the toothed annulus 182 are configured to engage with the inside of the screw-cap 140. When the screw-cap 140 is screwed onto the spout 120 the toothed annulus 182 is rotated and the teeth 186 around proximal mouth 181P of the toothed annulus 182 are thus forced into the wall of the package thereby puncturing it. It is noted that cutters 180 may be provided for both single use and/or multiple use dispensers.

In some embodiments, teeth guards 127 are provided around the inside of the flange 121 of the spout 120 to prevent the teeth 186 from projecting from the spout shaft 122 prematurely and causing injury to users or damage to equipment.

With reference to FIG. 10, a schematic isometric projection of an array 68 comprising a plurality of connected dispensing spouts 70a, 70b etc. is shown (by way of a non-limiting example only a 3×4 array is shown) the spouts 70 are connected to each other. The array 68 may be manufactured from sheet metal by deep drawing or from a thermoplastic by injection molding or vacuum forming for example. The spouts 70 may usefully be supplied in such an array 68 with snappable seams 74 between spouts 70 such that a single spout 70a may be detached from the array 68 and then attached to a package (24, 34 in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5) when required. It is noted that in order to facilitate separation it may be useful to weaken the boundary lines 74 between the spouts 70a, 70b etc. Methods of boundary weakening such as by perforation or scoring are well known in the art.

Reference is now made to FIG. 11 showing a flow chart representing a method for dispensing pourable contents from a package including: providing a spout as described hereabove (Step a); optionally, where the adhesive layer is covered by a removable release, removing the release (Step b); attaching the spout to an outer surface of a package, (Step c) puncturing the surface of the package within the area encompassed by the flange (Step d); and pouring the pourable contents through the spout (Step e).

Thus the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and includes both combinations and sub combinations of the various features described hereinabove as well as variations and modifications thereof, which would occur to persons skilled in the art upon reading the foregoing description.

In the claims, the word “comprise”, and variations thereof such as “comprises”, “comprising” and the like indicate that the components listed are included, but not generally to the exclusion of other components.

Claims

1. A dispensing spout for dispensing pourable contents from a package, said spout comprising a shaft having a mouth at its distal end and a flange extending radially around an aperture at its proximal end; the spout characterized by said flange having an adhesive layer upon its underside for attachment of the spout to an outer surface of the package such that the pourable contents are dispensable from the package in a controlled manner after puncturing the surface of the dispensable package under said aperture.

2. The spout according to claim 1, further comprising a removable lid for covering said mouth and for sealing the shaft, thereby preventing passage of the pourable contents through the spout.

3. The spout according to claim 2, wherein said lid is selected from the group comprising screw-caps, bungs and hinged elements adapted to stopper said spout.

4. The spout according to claim 2, wherein the shaft is provided with a male screw thread there-around and the lid comprises a screw-cap having a female screw thread around its inside surface.

5. The spout according to claim 1, wherein the dimensions of the flange and composition of said adhesive layer are suitable for attaching the spout to a cardboard surface of a carton.

6. The spout according to claim 1, wherein the dimensions of the flange and composition of said adhesive layer are suitable for attaching the spout to a plastic surface of a carton.

7. The spout according to claim 1, wherein the dimensions of the flange and composition of said adhesive material are suitable for attaching the spout to a polyethylene bag.

8. The spout according to claim 1, wherein the dimensions of the flange and composition of said adhesive material are suitable for attaching the spout to a paper bag.

9. The spout according to claim 1, wherein the dimensions of the flange and composition of said adhesive material are suitable for attaching the spout to a woven fabric.

10. The spout according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive layer is protected by a release layer which is removed before attachment to said package.

11. The spout according to claim 10, wherein said release layer comprises waxed paper.

12. The spout according to claim 1, further comprising a cutter for puncturing said surface of the dispensable package under said aperture.

13. The spout according to claim 12 wherein said cutter is configured to puncture said surface by rotating.

14. An array of connected dispensing spouts as claimed in claim 1 supplied in an array from which individual spouts are detachable as required.

15. A method for dispensing pourable contents from a package as claimed in claim 1, by:

a. providing a spout comprising a shaft having a mouth at its distal end and a flange extending radially around an aperture at its proximal end, wherein said flange has an adhesive layer upon its underside;

c. attaching said spout to an outer surface of the package via said adhesive layer;

d. puncturing the surface of the dispensable package within an area encompassed by said flange; and

e. pouring contents through said aperture.

16. The method for dispensing pourable contents from a package according to claim 15, where the adhesive layer is covered by a removable release additionally comprising the optional step between step a and step c, of;

b. releasing the removable release.

17. A method for dispensing pourable contents from a package according to claim 15 wherein said spout further comprises a lid configured to cover said mouth and seal the shaft thus preventing passage of material through the spout and isolating the package contents from the environment.