GB2433252A

GB2433252A - Pouring aid having a telescopic funnel

Info

Publication number: GB2433252A
Application number: GB0525711A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Garry Edward Doyle
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2005-12-17
Filing date: 2005-12-17
Publication date: 2007-06-20
Also published as: GB0525711D0

Abstract

A pouring aid device 10 comprises a stepped tubular side wall which is generally circular in section and open at its opposite ends. The sidewall tapers outwardly from a lower end to an upper end of the device and is provided with a concentric pair of axially-extending annular sections 11, 12 of substantially uniform respective diameters. The external diameter D1 of the lower section 11 is arranged to be slightly less than the internal diameter of D2 of the neck of the first bottle C1. The internal diameter D3 is arranged to be slightly greater than the internal diameter of D4 of the neck of the bottle container C2. The aid thus allows for the second bottle C2 to be held in an upright position, without the assistance of a person so that sauce therein can be emptied into the first bottle C1. The sidewall may be telescopic and may be made from plastics or cardboard, the cardboard may have a non permeable layer.

Description

1 2433252

POURING AID DEVICE

The present invention relates to a pouring aid device to enable material to be emptied from one container into another. In particular but not exclusively the pouring device is used to allow viscous or semi-viscous material to be poured.

Devices are known which are used to enable material and in particular liquids to be poured from one container into another An example of such a known device is a funnel. However, funnels are usually used to empty liquids from one container into another. Because liquid flows quickly, the emptying operation can be carried out quickly without a person wasting too much time in overseeing the pouring operation. However, there is the disadvantage in that a person needs to hold a container from which material is being poured while fluid is being poured through the funnel into a second container.

However, in particular in the case of viscous or semi-viscous materials, the flow rate is much slower and so with known devices, a person needs to supervise the pouring action which is time consuming and has the disadvantage that due to the time taken, a person may not wish to wait until all the contents are poured from one container into another.

US 5 385 180 discloses a pouring aid device for facilitating the above-mentioned process, the aid comprising a spout portion for insertion in an opening of one container arranged to receive material from a second container, and a funnel portion having stepped sides, the steps providing flanges on the inner surface of the funnel portion, so that the neck of the second container, when positioned to direct downwards into the funnel, can be held in an inverted state by the one or more of the flanges.

A particular problem arises in relation to food products such as bottled sauces, for example tomato sauce, when trying to avoid wastage by filling a first bottle with the remainder of a second bottle. The sauce flows so slowly out of the second bottle under gravity that the second bottle may need to be left in its inverted position over the first bottle for many hours before it completely empties into the first bottle. Sauce bottles are relatively tall and thin and comprise a narrow neck. Thus, unless both bottles are securely held in a substantially upright position, there is a risk that they may both fall over.

A disadvantage of the pouring aid device of US 5 385 180 is that it designed to allow the second bottle to be set at an inverted upright or angled position and accordingly, there is a risk that the bottle could move from the upright position to the angled position, whereupon both bottles would fall over.

The present invention seeks to overcome the problems associated with the pouring aid device of US 5 385 180 by providing a device that allows for one container to be held in a substantially upright inverted position over another container, without the assistance of a person so that a material can be poured into another container.

According to the present invention there is provided a pouring aid device arranged for insertion into the opening of a first container and to mount a second container in a generally inverted upright position over the opening of the first container, the pouring aid comprising a tubular side wall which is generally circular in section and open at opposite ends thereof, the sidewall tapering outwardly from a lower end to an upper end thereof and having at least one pair of axially-extending annular sections of substantially uniform respective diameters, the external diameter of the lower section being arranged as a close fit within the opening of the first container, the internal diameter of the upper section being arranged as a close fit around the opening of the second container.

The wall thickness of the necks of different types of container vary from 1 mm to 5mm. Accordingly, the external diameter of the lower section is preferably at least 2 to 10mm less than the internal diameter of the upper section, so that the pouring aid can be used to mount identical containers securely together.

Preferably, the pouring aid comprises a plurality of pairs of annular sections of different diameter to suit containers having different diameters of opening.

Preferably, the sections are interconnected by radially-extending annular side wall portions, which are preferably inclined outwardly relative to the longitudinal axis of the pouring aid.

Preferably the funnel portion is telescopic. This arrangement provides a device whereby the sections can be compressed to sit one within another so making the pouring device as compact as possible for ease of storage.

In a preferred arrangement, a flange extends in an outward direction from the periphery of the upper end of the sidewall. The outwardly extending flange provides a lip to assist in preventing spillage of material from the upper edges of the pouring aid. Further, it is preferred that the lip extends to provide an extension having an aperture to provide means for hanging the pouring device when not in use.

Preferably, the pouring aid is formed of a plastics material to allow for multiple use. However, in an alternative embodiment the pouring aid can be formed of cardboard, which is preferably coated with a non permeable layer for example a plastics or wax coating to prevent the material being absorbed. A cardboard structure allows for the pouring aid to be recycled.

Preferably, the pouring aid is adapted so that viscous or semi-viscous materials can be poured and in particular food materials such as sauces.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying figures in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view from above of a pouring aid in accordance with this invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view from below and to the side of the pouring aid of Figure 1; Figure 3 shows a side view of the pouring aid of Figure 1, when being used to pour material from one bottle to another; and Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional view through the assembly of Figure 3 Referring to the drawings, there is shown a one- piece pouring device 10 of moulded plastic material arranged for insertion into the opening of a first bottle Cl and to mount a second bottle C2 in a generally inverted upright position over the opening of the first bottle Cl The device 10 comprises a stepped tubular side wall which is generally circular in section and open at its opposite ends. The sidewall tapers outwardly from a lower end to an upper end of the device and is provided with a concentric pair of axially-extending annular sections 11, 12 of substantially uniform respective diameters.

The external diameter Dl of the lower section 11 is arranged to be slightly less than the internal diameter of D2 of the neck of the first bottle Cl. The internal diameter D3 is arranged to be slightly greater than the internal diameter of D4 of the neck of the bottle container C2. The bottles Cl and C2 are of substantially identical construction.

The upper and lower sections 11,12 of the device are interconnected by a flange 1 3 which tapers radially outwardly from the upper end of the lower section 11 to the lower end of the upper section 12. In the embodiment shown, another pair of similarly configured but wider sections 14,15 are provided towards the upper end of the device for use with containers having wider necks.

The upper end of the device comprises a radially-extending flange 15 having an extension 16, which includes an aperture 17. This extension 16 and aperture 17 provide an eyelet portion to enable the pouring aid to be hung from a hook when not in use.

In use, the pouring aid device 10 is inserted in the neck of the first bottle Cl as shown in Figures 3 and 4. The lower section 11 of the device 10 is a close but sliding fit within the neck of bottle Cl. The second bottle 02 is inverted and the neck of the bottle C2 is positioned so it rests inside the device 10 against one of the flange 13. The neck of the bottle C2 is a close but sliding fit within the upper section 12.

The relationship of the diameters of the paired sections 11,12 to the diameter of the neck of the bottles Cl and C2 provides an arrangement that allows the second bottle 02 to be self supporting, so there is no need for an individual to supervise pouring of material. This is particularly so if the second container contains only a small amount of material compared with the first container.

The present invention thus provides a pouring device that allows a relatively tall and thin bottle comprising tomato sauce or the like to be held in a substantially upright inverted position over another such bottle, without the supervision of a person, so that the sauce can be left to empty from the inverted bottle over a prolonged period without any risk that the bottles may misalign and fall over

Claims

CLAIMS

1. A pouring aid device arranged for insertion into the opening of a first container and to mount a second container in a generally inverted upright position over the opening of the first container, the device comprising a tubular side wall which is generally circular in section and open at opposite ends thereof, the sidewall tapering outwardly from a lower end to an upper end thereof and having at least one pair of axially-extending annular sections of substantially uniform respective diameters, the external diameter of the lower section being arranged as a close fit within the opening of the first container, the internal diameter of the upper section being arranged as a close fit around the opening of the second container.

2. A pouring aid as claimed in claim 1, in which said sidewall is telescopic.

3. A pouring aid as claimed in claims 1 or 2, in which the sidewall comprises a lip extending in an outward direction from the periphery of an upper surface thereof.

4. A pouring aid as claimed in claim 3, in which the lip extends to provide an extension having an aperture.

5. A pouring aid as claimed in any preceding claim formed of a plastics material.

6. A pouring aid as claimed in any of claims 1 to 4 formed of a cardboard material.

7. A pouring aid as claimed in claim 6, in which the cardboard is coated with a non permeable layer.

8. A pouring aid as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the annular sidewall sections are interconnected by a radially-extending annular side wall portion.

9. A pouring aid as claimed in claim 8, in which the radially-extending annular side wall portion is inclined outwardly relative to the longitudinal axis of the pouring aid.

1O.A pouring aid as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the external diameter of the lower section is preferably 2 to 10mm less than the internal diameter of the upper section.

11.A pouring aid as claimed in any preceding claim, comprising a plurality of pairs of annular sections of different.

12.A pouring aid substantially as herein described with reference to the accompany drawings.