Pourer

• US 20060081649A1
• Filed: 01/04/2004
• Published: 04/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vacu Vin Innovations Limited
• Original Assignee: Vacu Vin Innovations Limited
• Inventors: Witteveen, Eelco Jan Gerardus, Kerkhof, Patrick Lambertus, Zweekhorst, Arnoldus Willem
• Granted Patent: US 7,407,067 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 222/108
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 23/065 Loose or loosely-attached drip catchers or drip preventing means

Abstract

Pourer consisting of an elongated, tubular part of plastic material. This part of plastic material is made resilient and has an external diameter greater than that of the associated bottles. The tubular part is provided with a split, as a result of which the diameter can be reduced to some extent and the pourer can be accommodated with a clamping action in a bottle. This clamping can be even further promoted by providing ribs. The pourer is provided with a search point to facilitate introduction into a bottle and the pouring end is flared.

Claims

1. Pourer (1, 21) comprising a sleeve-shaped elongated body constructed at one end (3, 23) for clamping introduction into the pouring facility of a container and constructed at the other end (15, 35) as a collector for liquid droplets, wherein a pouring section (2, 22) is arranged in said other end (15, 35), the free end (9, 29) of said puring section in the pouring position producing further than the free end (13) of the collector, wherein a collection channel (14) is delimited between said collector and said pouring section, said collection channel having a transverse section (19) extending transversely with respect to the longitudinal axis (7) of said elongated body and merging into a longitudinal section (18) on either side, characterized in that the longitudinal section (18) of the collection channel opens into the sleeve-shaped body.

2. Pourer according to claim 1, wherein said collector and pouring section comprise a single material part.

3. Pourer according to one of the preceding claim 1, wherein the cross-section of said channel gradually decreases from said transverse section to the opening of said longitudinal section into the sleeve-shaped body.

4. Pourer according to claim 3, wherein the height of the pouring section (2, 22) protruding from the sleeve-shaped section decreases from the free end thereof towards the one end of the sleeve-shaped section.

5. Pourer according to claim 2, wherein the end limit of the second edge (13) is at an angle (a) with respect to the longitudinal axis (17) of said pourer, which angle (a) is positive.

6. Pourer according to one of the preceding claim 1, wherein the other end of said tubular body has an annular part provided with a split (6) extending in the longitudinal direction of said body over the entire length thereof, which annular part is made of a resilient material.

7. Pourer according to claim 6, wherein said split comprises a gap (6) of at least 20 degrees.

8. Pourer according to claim 5, wherein in the non-compressed position, the external diameter of the annular part is at least approximately 20 mm.

9. Pourer according to claim 5, wherein said annular part is provided with external ribs (4).

10. Pourer according to claim 8, wherein the annular part is provided with an elastomer sealing ring (25).

11. Pourer according to claim 5, wherein the free end of the annular part comprises a point (5) extending in the longitudinal direction.

12. Pourer according to claim 8, wherein from said point, said end limit of the annular part extends in accordance with a spiral, with the longitudinal direction as core.

13. Pourer according to claim 6, wherein said one part is flared after the free end.

14. Pourer according to one of the preceding claims, in combination with claim 5, wherein said one end comprises part of a circle, wherein the arc spanned by said part of a circle decreases towards the free end.

15. Pourer according to claim 1, made from plastic material.