US2530253A - Drinking spout for cans - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 14, 1950 a INVENTORJS JUL (/6 MA 650 5 BY CAM/9M5 M- ARAMH? f n My Patented Nov. 14,. 1950 DRINKING SPOUT FOR CANS Julius Maged and Charles M. Kramer, Baltimore, Md.

Application August 28, 1947, Serial N 0. 771,050

This indenture relates to a drinking spout which is particularly adapted for use in connection with cans and is of such construction that when it is applied to a can the liquid contents of thecan may flowv through the spout and thus allow a person to drink'directly from the can.

An object of the invention is to provide a spout of. such formation that after a triangular shaped opening has been formed in the head. or top of a can witha can puncturing implement of conventional formganeck forming part of the spout may be'thrust through the 'openingin the can thus firmly mounting the spout so that it will be located near the edge of the can head and proj'ect'from the can a distance allowing it to be placed in a persons mouth and the contents of the can drunk through the spout.

Another object of the invention is to provide the spout with a neck which is triangular in cross section. and in such dimensions that when it is thrust through a triangular shaped opening of the can head it will fit snugly in the opening and have close contacting engagement with the walls of the opening.

Another object of the invention is to provide a spout having a tubular body with which the neck is aligned; a collar being disposed about the spout at the thick end of the bodyv and the neck and so formed that when the neck is thrust inwardly through the opening in the can head the collar will have flat contacting engagement with the upper surfaces of the can head and in addition have *portions flexed upwardly in a transverse directionand thus cause binding engagement between the can head and the collar and form a tightly sealed joint between the neck and the canhead to prevent leakage about the neck as the liquid contents of the can flows through the spout.

Another object of the invention is to provide a spouthaving a tubular body of such form and configuration that it may be conveniently placed in-a persons mouth when drinking through the i .{Another object of the invention is to provide a spout which is formed of plastic or equivalent material of such resiliency that the neck may be somewhatcompressed as it is forced inwardly through an opening in a can head and the collar then flexed until it has close contacting engagement with the upper surface of a can head about the opening therein, v 7

Another object of the invention is to provide a drinking spout for cans which is of similar construction and capable of being moulded as a unit 2 Claims. (01. 222-566) at low cost. The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a view showing a spout of the improved construction applied to a can, the can and the spout being partially in side elevation and partially. in vertical section.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view upon an enlarged scale taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 4 showing a portion of the head of a can in top plane and from the head of a can along margins of an opening formed therein.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 66 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 6 showing the spout before it has been completely forced through the opening of the can head.

'I'he'can I to which the improved spout has been shown applied is a conventional formation and represents a can of the type now used for holding beer, it being understood, however, that the can may be filled with other liquids. Such a can has a head '2 on each end and when the liquid contents is to be poured from the can it is customary to use a can opener which is engaged with the joint 3 connecting the marginal portion of the head of a can with the cylindrical wall of the can and then applied rocking motion to the can opener to force its blade downwardly through the head of the can. Asthe blade is forced downwardly through the can head a triangular shaped opening is formed therein having a tongue 4 extending downwardly across the base or outer end of the triangular shaped opening and other tongues 5 extending downwardly along the side edges of the opening which converge towards the inner end of the opening. These tongues are curved longitudinally and the upper end portions merge with the head of the can, as

flow downwardly along the side of the can. This objection is overcome by use of the improved spout constituting the subject matter of this invention.

This spout is moulded from plastic or other suitable material having resiliency and is formed as a unit. The body I of the spout is of a tubular formation and is substantially oblong in cross section and provided with flat side walls 8 and 9 and end walls which have transverse arcuate outer surfaces merging into the outer surface of the side walls 8 and 9. The corner portions ll of the body are inwardly thickened as shown in Fig. 2 in order to reinforce the tubular body and prevent it from collapsing during use of the spout for drinking purposes. About the outer end of the body a bead I2 is formed in order that the spout may be conveniently held between the persons lips and the outer end portion of the passage extending through the spout is flared to form a mouth l3 and thusallow the liquid to readily flow from the spout into a persons mouth.

A collar 14 surrounds the spout at the junction of the body I with a neck l which extends downwardly from the collar substantially in alignment with the body portion 1. The neck is triangular in cross section as shown in Fig. 5 and of such dimensions that when it is thrust downwardly through the discharge opening formed in the can head it will be slightly compressed by contact with the curved upper end portions of the tongues 4 and 5 and thus have close fitting engagement with walls of the discharge opening. The collar 14 is substantially triangular. but the diagonallyextending side edges of the collar terminate in opposed relation to the ends of the base or outer side edge of the collar. Therefore, the collar has a wide base or outer end portion and a tapered inner end portion having its apex spaced from the. inner or front side wall 9 of the body 7 of the spout midway the length of this side face. The-end surfaces of the converged side edge portions of the collar are bowed longitudinally to form portions [6 having longitudinal arcuate surfaces providing close contacting engagement of this side edge portion of the collar with slightly depressed portions of the can head along the side edges of the discharge opening formed therein. It should also be noted that the under-surfaces of the converging side edge portions of the collar extend inwardly at an upward incline as shown in Fig. '7 so that when the neck is thrust into the discharge opening of the can and then forced inwardly from the inserted position shown in Fig. 7 to the position shown in Fig. 6 the-marginal edges of the collar will first. make contact with the outer surface of the can head and the converging side edge portions of .the collar then flexed upwardly until their under-faces have fiat face-to-face engagement with the can head. When this is accomplished the curved upper end portion of the tongues 5 will cause the side walls of the neck to merge into the intersecting surfaces of the collar and a sealed joint will be formed about the neck and liquid will be prevented from leaking out of the can about the neck as the liquid flows through the spout. Thin webs (i extend along the under-face of the base portion or outer end of the collar and gradually increase in depth from their meeting inner ends to their outer ends. These webs serve to form a sealed joint between this outer end portion of the collar and the surface of the can headacross the base portion of the discharge opening from which the tongue 4 extends. It will then be seen that when the spout is applied to the can and its neck thrust inwardly through the discharge opening in the can head a tight joint will be formed about the neck and liquid cannot leak from the can about the neck. The spout will then be firmly held to the can and the outer end portion of the body I of the spout should be placed in a persons mouth and the cantilted until the liquid flows through the spout. Therefore, the beer or other liquid. contents may be consumed directly from the can. After the can has been emptied the spout may be easily withdrawn from the can and applied to another.

From the foregoing description of the construction of my improved drinking spout, the method of assembly and the operation thereof will be readily understood, and it will be seen that I have provided a comparatively simple, inexpensiveand efiicient means for carrying out the various objects of the invention.

While I have particularly described the elements best adapted to perform the functions set forth, it is apparent that various changes in form, preparation and in the manner details of construction may be resorted to, without departing from or sacrificing any of the principles of the invention,

Having thus described the invention, what is" claimed is:

1. A drinking spout for cans comprising atubular body surrounded by an outstanding collar, the body and the collar being integral with each other and formed of resilient material and the body being extended downwardly below the collar to form a neck for passing through an opening formed in a head of a can, said body being oblong in cross section and having transversely arcuate end walls merging into fiat side walls, said neck being triangular in cross section and of dimensions adapting it to fit snugly in the opening in the can, and the collar being triangular and having its under surface extending at a downward incline from the neck and. formed with longitudinally curved convexed portions meeting at intersections of side edges of the collar and causing the under face of the collar to have close face to face contact with the surface of the can head about the opening and form a tight joint between the can head and the neck.

2. A drinking spout for cans formed of resilient material and comprising a tubular body oblong in cross section and having. its upper end portion surrounded by an outstanding bead, a substantially triangular collar surrounding the body,-

and a neck extending downwardly from the'col lar and being triangular in cross section, the neck being of transverse dimensions adapting it to fit snugly in a triangular opening formed in the head of a can with its wide end presented towards the margin of the can head, and said collar having under surfaces of portions at opposite sides of the neck normally extending towards the neck at an upward incline and longitudinally convexed whereby contact of outer side edges of the under surface of the collar with the upper surface of the can head will flex the collar upwardly and cause close fitting contact between the can head and the collar andform a tight joint.

JULIUS MAGED.

CHARLES M. KRAMER (References on following page) 5 6 REFERENCES CITED Number Name Date The following references are of record in the 1436645 Brown 1922 file of t t t; 1,462,320 g July 1923 I 1,465,793 Sch1111ng Aug. 21, 1923 UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 2,160,705 McManus at al May 30, 1939 Nu b r Name t 2,344,680 De Cosmo Mar. 2 1, 1944 500,933 McLaughlin I July 4, 1893 FOREIGN PATENTS 742,201 Lindemeyer Oct. 27, 1903 763,618 Lindemeyer June 28, 1904 Number Cwntry Date 350,4 5 c n 16, 9 7 10 15267 Great Britain Au 1

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