ASSEMBLY OF A VENTING MOUTH AND A COOPERATING CAP FOR BEING MOUNTED TO A CONTAINER

Abstract

An assembly of a venting mouth and a cooperating cap for being mounted to a container, wherein the cap is provided with a cap aperture and the venting mouth is provided with a venting mouth aperture. The cap is movable with respect to the venting mouth between an open condition in which a flow path between the venting mouth aperture and the cap aperture exists and a closed condition in which the flow path is closed.

Description

BACKGROUND

The discussion below is merely provided for general background information and is not intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

The present invention relates to an assembly of a venting mouth and a cooperating cap for being mounted to a container.

Such an assembly is known in the prior art. When the assembly is mounted to a container the cap can be temporarily removed from the venting mouth in order to release overpressure from the container.

SUMMARY

This Summary and the Abstract herein are provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary and the Abstract are not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor are they intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. The claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any or all disadvantages noted in the Background.

An assembly includes a cap provided with a cap aperture and a venting mouth provided with a venting mouth aperture, wherein the cap is movable with respect to the venting mouth between an open condition in which a flow path between the venting mouth aperture and the cap aperture exists and a closed condition in which the flow path is closed.

An advantage of the assembly is that it can be used for venting without removing the cap from the venting mouth.

In the closed condition the cap and the venting mouth may contact each other at a sealing region which is located between the venting mouth aperture and the cap aperture.

In a particular embodiment the venting mouth has a tubular portion including a venting plate at an inner side thereof, which venting plate is provided with the venting mouth aperture.

The venting plate may be located at an axial end of the tubular portion of the venting mouth.

The cap may have a closure plate opposite to the venting plate, which closure plate is provided with the cap aperture.

In the event that the cap and the venting mouth contact each other at a sealing region in the closed condition the sealing region may surround the venting mouth aperture and extend up to the cap aperture. This means that the cap aperture and the venting mouth aperture are not located above each other which minimizes the risk of material falling through the cap aperture into the venting mouth aperture.

In an embodiment the venting mouth aperture is surrounded by a rim at the sealing region and the cap is shaped such that in the closed condition the cap and the venting mouth contact each other at the rim and inside the rim.

Preferably, the cap and the venting mouth are adapted such that the cap moves away from the venting mouth when the cap is moved with respect to the venting mouth from the closed condition to the open condition, wherein a retaining system prevents the cap from being separated from the venting mouth in the open condition, since the cap will not be separated from the venting mouth in the open condition.

The cap may be a screw cap, which is advantageous in case of manually opening the cap.

In the latter case the retaining system may comprise cooperating blocking elements at cooperating threads of the venting mouth and the screw cap.

In a preferred embodiment the blocking elements are adapted such that they snap with respect to each other when turning the cap in a direction from the open condition to the closed condition and block with respect to each other when turning the cap in opposite direction, since this facilitates mounting the cap onto the venting mouth.

The blocking elements may be wedge-shaped projections which are located between neighbouring ribs of the threads of the venting mouth and the screw cap.

An advantage of applying the screw cap in combination with the retaining system is that when the cap has to be tightened, i.e. turned from the open condition to the closed condition, it is already positioned correctly with respect to the venting mouth.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Aspects of the invention will hereafter be elucidated with reference to the schematic drawings showing embodiments of the invention by way of example.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of an assembly of a venting mouth and a cooperating cap in a disassembled condition.

FIG. 2 is a similar view as FIG. 1, but showing the assembly from a different side and in an assembled condition.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the cap of FIG. 1 as seen from a different side.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the assembly as shown in FIG. 1 in an open condition.

FIG. 5 is a similar view as FIG. 4, but showing a closed condition.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENT

FIGS. 1-5 show different views of an embodiment of an assembly 1 of a venting mouth 2 and a cooperating cap 3. The assembly 1 is intended for being mounted to a container (not shown), for example a big bag. The assembly enables an operator to temporarily vent the container. The venting mouth 2 has a tubular portion including a circular cross-section which is surrounded by a circumferential flange 4. The flange 4 may be welded or glued to a container.

The venting mouth 2 has an venting plate 5 at an axial end of the tubular portion thereof. The venting plate 5 is provided with a plurality of venting mouth apertures 6. In this case the venting mouth apertures 6 are formed by discrete arched slots at radial and angular distance from each other, but alternative shapes and dimensions are conceivable.

FIG. 3 shows the cap 3 as a separate part. The cap 3 is a screw cap and has an internal thread which cooperates with an external thread 7 of the tubular portion of the venting mouth 2. For clarity reasons the internal thread is not shown in FIG. 3. The cap 3 has a closure plate 8 which is located opposite to the venting plate 5 of the venting mouth 2 and which extends substantially parallel to the venting plate 5 of the venting mouth 2, see FIGS. 4 and 5. The closure plate 8 is provided with a plurality of cap apertures 9, in this case six cap apertures 9, which are located at equiangular distance from each other in circumferential direction of the cap 3. The cap apertures 9 are provided at thickened portions of the cap 3 which provide projections around the cap 3. The thickened portions reinforce the cap 3 at locations where the cap apertures 9 are provided as well as provide grip to facilitate manual turning of the cap 3 with respect to the venting mouth 2.

The cap 3 is rotatable with respect to the venting mouth 2 between an open condition, as shown in FIG. 4 and a closed condition, as shown in FIG. 5. In the open condition a flow path 10 between the venting mouth apertures 6 and the cap apertures 9 exists. In the closed condition the flow path 10 is closed. In the latter case the closure plate 8 of the cap 3 and the venting plate 5 of the venting mouth 2 contact each other at a sealing region 11 between the venting mouth apertures 6 and the cap apertures 9. The sealing region 11 surrounds the venting mouth apertures 6 and extends up to the cap apertures 9. In this case the sealing region 11 is provided with a rim 12 which surrounds the venting mouth apertures 6. In the closed condition the cap 3 and the venting mouth 2 contact each other at the rim 12 and inside the rim 12.

When the cap 3 is rotated anti-clockwise with respect to the venting mouth 2 the closure plate 8 of the cap 3 moves away from the venting plate 5 of the venting mouth 2 from the closed condition to the open condition, hence opening the flow path 10.

The assembly is provided with a retaining system which prevents the cap 3 from being separated from the venting mouth 2 in the open condition. In the embodiment as shown in the figures the retaining system comprises cooperating blocking elements 13 at the threads of the venting mouth 2 and the screw cap 3, see FIGS. 1 and 3. The blocking elements 13 are wedge-shaped projections which are located between neighbouring ribs of the threads and which snap behind each other when turning the cap 3 in a direction from the open condition to the closed condition. This means that the cap 3 can be turned in a direction from the open condition to the closed condition relatively easily in order to facilitate assembling the assembly, whereas the blocking elements 13 makes turning the cap 3 in opposite direction difficult when the cooperating blocking elements of the cap 3 and the venting mouth 2 contact each other. Hence, in the open condition the cap 3 cannot be turned further in a direction from the closed condition to the open condition easily. The cap 3 can be turned from the open condition to the closed condition without being blocked.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment shown in the drawings and described hereinbefore, which may be varied in different manners within the scope of the claims and their technical equivalents.

Claims

1. An assembly of a venting mouth and a cooperating cap for being mounted to a container, wherein the cap is provided with a cap aperture and the venting mouth is provided with a venting mouth aperture, wherein the cap is movable with respect to the venting mouth between an open condition in which a flow path between the venting mouth aperture and the cap aperture exists and a closed condition in which the flow path is closed.

2. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein in the closed condition the cap and the venting mouth contact each other at a sealing region which is located between the venting mouth aperture and the cap aperture.

3. The assembly according to claim 2, wherein the venting mouth has a tubular portion including a venting plate at an inner side thereof, which venting plate is provided with the venting mouth aperture.

4. The assembly according to claim 3, wherein the venting plate is located at an axial end of the tubular portion of the venting mouth.

5. The assembly according to claim 4, wherein the cap has a closure plate opposite to the venting plate, which closure plate is provided with the cap aperture.

6. The assembly according to claim 5, wherein the sealing region surrounds the venting mouth aperture and extends up to the cap aperture.

7. The assembly according to claim 6, wherein the venting mouth aperture is surrounded by a rim at the sealing region and the cap is shaped such that in the closed condition the cap and the venting mouth contact each other at the rim and inside the rim.

8. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the cap and the venting mouth are adapted such that the cap moves away from the venting mouth when the cap is moved with respect to the venting mouth from the closed condition to the open condition, wherein a retaining system prevents the cap from being separated from the venting mouth in the open condition.

9. The assembly according to claim 8, wherein the cap is a screw cap.

10. The assembly according to claim 9, wherein the retaining system comprises cooperating blocking elements at cooperating threads of the venting mouth and the screw cap.

11. The assembly according to claim 10, wherein the blocking elements are adapted such that they snap with respect to each other when turning the cap in a direction from the open condition to the closed condition and block with respect to each other when turning the cap in opposite direction.

12. The assembly according to claim 11, wherein the blocking elements are wedge-shaped projections which are located between neighbouring ribs of the threads of the venting mouth and the screw cap.

13. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the cap is a screw cap.

14. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the venting mouth has a tubular portion including a venting plate at an inner side thereof, which venting plate is provided with the venting mouth aperture.

15. The assembly according to claim 3, wherein the cap has a closure plate opposite to the venting plate, which closure plate is provided with the cap aperture.