US3549062A - Dripless pouring vessel - Google Patents

Description

United States Patent [72] Inventor Macy 0. Teetor 24 Orpheum Ave., Metairie, La. 70005 [2]] App]. No. 788,388 [22] Filed Jan. 2, 1969 [45] Patented Dec. 22, 1970 [54] DRIPLESS POURING VESSEL 8 Claims, 8 Drawing Figs.

[52] [1.8. CI. 222/571 [51] Int. Cl. 865d 5/72 [50] Field of Search 222/564,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,057,745 10/1936 Pezachowicz et a1 222/571 FOREIGN PATENTS 277,087 9/1927 GreatBritain Primary Examiner-Stanley H. Tollberg Attorney-Hibben, Noyes & Bicknell muPtEss POURING VESSEL This invention relates to a novel and improved dripless pouring vessel such as a pitcher used for pouring milk, cream, syrup, or other liquids.

After the liquid has been poured from an ordinary pouring vessel by tipping the vessel and the vessel has been returned to an upright position, usually a droplet has been formed on the edge of the spout or pouring portion of the vessel. This droplet then usually drips or runs down the outside of the vessel. The result of this action is that the outside surface of the vessel and the surface upon which the vessel rests becomes messy.

Many suggestions have been made in the prior art to overcome this problem, e.g. by providing an exterior drip collecting channel which catches the drip asit leaves the spout and returns it to the interior of the vessel. Such prior suggestions, however, have frequently entailed an expensive or complex construction which is difficult to manufacture and inconvenient to use and maintain.

The present invention relies on a different principle. Rather than catching and returning the drip after it has formed and left the spout, the present invention utilizes a novel combination of structural features in the pouring portion of the vessel to retain the last droplet of liquid which would normally form a drip and to allow it to flow back into the vessel. In other words, the drip never has a chance to form. i

Accordingly, the primary object of the invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive, reliable, and easily cleaned pouring vessel having a novel and improved structure for avoiding dripping and the resulting mess that accompanies it.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be evident from the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a dripless'pitcher comprising one specific embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of the vessel shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the vessel shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a rear elevation of the vessel shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged portion of the pouring structure of the vessel shown in FIG 3;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary cross section of the pouring structure taken on line 6-6 of FIG. 3 showing the vessel in a pouring position;

FIG. 7 is the same cross section shown in F IG. 6 but with the vessel in an upright position after pouring has been completed; and

FIG. 8 is a front elevation of the pouring structure shown in FIG. 5 with a portion broken away.

FIG. 1 shows a dripless pitcher or pouring vessel comprised of a cup-shaped body 10 having a peripheral sidewall 11 and a bottom wall 12. The upper end of the sidewall 11 terminates in a peripheral edge 14. A handle means 15 is secured to the sidewall 11 at the rear of the vessel. The cross-sectional contour of the body 10 is generally ovate or egg-shaped, in this instance, so as to provide a somewhat restricted pouring portion or spout 16 at the upper edge 14 of the sidewall 11 adjacent the front of the vessel.

As best seen in FIGS. 1 and 3, the tubular or sidewall portion 11 of the cup-shaped body 10 has an inclined axis relative to the bottom wall 12. Thus, the sidewall at the front of the vessel slopes downwardly and outwardly from the pouring portion 16 to the forward edge of the'bottom wall 12, and the sidewall at the rear of the vessel has a similar slope and is parallel to the front of the vessel. The open upper end of the cup-shaped body 10 as defined by the edge 14 lies in a plane parallel to the bottom wall 12.

A drip retaining lip or flange 21comprising a curved elongated member is secured along its lower curved edge to the outside of the sidewall 11 at the front of the vessel and slightly below the pouring portion 16 of the sidewall. The lip 21 curves in the same plane as the upper edge 14 of the wall 11. The front portion of the lip 21 has a sharp upper edge 19 with a generally vertical outer face and only a very restricted horizontal surface as compared with the sides of the lip (FIG. 5). The width of lip 21 from its sharp edge 19 to the pouring portion 16 is such that the recess 20 has a restricted volume, whereby the retaining forces, such as surface tension and cohesive and adhesive forces of the liquid, will temporarily retain the last drop of liquid in the recess 20, as described below. It has been found that best'results are obtained if the width of the lip 21 (i.e. the distance from the edge 19 to the pouring portion 16) is not greater than about one-fourth inch.

In the center of the pouring portion 16 is an upright slot 23 which extends between the top edge of the pouring portion 16 and the base of the recess 20 at the junction of the lip 21 with the wall 11. The slot 23 has a lower narrow portion, and the upper end or entrance to the slot has beveled comers, as at 28, to eliminate sharp points. The width of the slot 23 is preferably restricted so as to have the desired effect on the liquid being poured, as hereinafter described. A slot width on the order of about one-sixteenth inch in the narrow portion has been found to give best results.

The handle means 15 is composed of a generally rectangular thin flat member 24 which is secured generally perpendicularly to the outside of the sidewall 11 opposite the pouring portion 16 of the vessel. The member 24 is secured to the sidewall 11 by a pair of restricted connection portions 26 so that the portion of the handle that is'contacted or gripped by the user is substantially separated from the body 10 by an elongated open space 25. This construction limits the amount of heat transferred to the portion of the handle contacted by the user and the large exposed surface of the flat member 24 quickly dissipates any heat that is transferred.

As is best seen in FIG. 6, as the vessel filled with liquid is tipped a stream of liquid flows through the slot 23 and over the upper edge of the pouring portion 16 of the sidewall 11, passes beyond the sharp edge 19 of the lip 21, and flows downwardly. As seen in FIG. 7, when the vesselis righted the stream of liquid is interrupted by the pouring portion 16 and is cut off by the sharp edge 19 on the lip 21. The last droplet formed on the downstream side of the pouring portion 16 is caught or trapped inthe recess 20 so that it cannot form a drip running down the outside of the vessel. The cohesive and adhesive characteristics and the surface tension of the liquid cause the entrapped droplet to remain temporarily in the recess 20 and to enter the slot 23 in the pouring portion 16. The action of gravity enhanced by the downward and outward inclination of the sidewall 11 beneath the pouring portion 16 causes the droplet to drain along the inner surface of the sidewall 1 1 back to the liquid in the vessel.

The invention has been described particularly in connection with an open top pouring vessel. However, it can also be used with other types of liquid transfer devices. It should be understood that the particular embodiment shown represents only a preferred form of the invention and that other embodiments are included within the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. In a liquid pouring vessel having a peripheral sidewall with a pouring portion at its upper edge from which liquid is adapted to be poured upon tipping of the vessel, the improvement which comprises a drip-retaining lip having an intermediate portion disposed a slight distance below said pouring portion and extending forwardly from said wall and upwardly, and aperture means in the form of a slot in said pouring portion extending from the upper edge of said wall to the juncture of said intermediate portion of said lip with said wall, said lip also extending upwardly at its outer edge on opposite sides of said intermediate portion and terminating in spaced relation from opposite sides of said slot to define between said wall and said lip a drip-retaining recess of restricted volume such that, upon completion of a pouring operation, the retaining forces of the liquid will temporarily retain in said recess the last drop of liquid formed at the outside of said pouring portion, and

said slot providing a flow passage for said drop from said recess to the interior of the vessel.

2. The structure of claim 1 further characterized in that the distance between said spouring portion and the forward edge portion of said lip is not greater than about one-fourth inch.

3. The structure of claim l.further characterized in that the front portion of said lip has a restricted sharp edge.

4. The structure of claim 1 further characterized in that said slot extends generally vertically when the vessel is in upright position.

v 5. The structure of claim 1 further characterized in that said wall slopes downwardly and outwardly beneath said pouring portion when the vessel is in upright position.

6. In a pouring vesselhaving aperipheral sidewall and a bottom wall for supporting the vessel in upright position, the improvement wherein a portion of said sidewall comprises a the outside of said sidewall below said pouring portion, said lip extending outwardly and upwardly and defining with said pouring portion a drip-retaining recess, said pouring portion having a slot extending downwardly from the upper edge thereof to the base of said recess and providing alflow passage from said recess to the interior of the vessel, the configuration of said sidewall being such that the portion of said sidewall beneath said pouring portion slopes downwardly and outwardly from said pouring portion when the vessel is in upright position.

7. The structure of claim 6 further characterized in that the outer portion'of said lip has a restricted sharp edge.

8. The structure of claim 7 further characterized in that the distance between said pouring portion and said sharp edge of said lip is not greater than about one-fourth inch and the width of said slotis on the order of about one-sixteenth inch.

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