JPH0249995B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] Industrial applications The present invention relates to carton spout fittings.

Conventional technology In particular, but not limited to milk, beverages such as milk,
It is now common practice to supply products in cartons with four sides connected at the top. In a carton constructed in this way, two opposite sides are lifted towards the central lip, the remaining two opposite sides are folded under these, and then folded back, so that the four sides are folded back. A sheet of cardboard extends along the central lip.

Such packs are sold in Australia under the trademark ``Tetrapak''.
Known as a carton with a "gabletop" top.

The carton is adapted to be opened for pouring the contents by tearing apart the preglued edges on one side of the central lip.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention To do this, a certain degree of manual dexterity is required and finger strength is required. In addition, there are many people in society, such as the elderly, the physically disabled, and infants.
It is known that there are people who do not have this kind of dexterity or finger strength.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a means of making a carton of the above-mentioned type easier to pour its contents into, even with less manual dexterity and finger strength than was previously required.

It is another object of the present invention to provide such a system which can be manufactured economically and which can form an effective seal at the point of insertion into the top of the carton so that no liquid escapes except through the pouring tube. to provide a means for assisting in accessing the liquid contents of the carton.

Means for Solving the Problems According to the invention, in a spout fitting for a carton of the type capable of punching a hole in the top of a cardboard carton having a "gabled" top, a hole parallel to the central lip of the cardboard carton is provided. first and second downwardly extending legs arranged to respectively engage each of two opposite sides of a cardboard carton; a cross portion extending between the legs; and a cross portion extending between the legs. first and second downwardly extending conduits supported by the first conduit, the first conduit being disposed proximate the first leg;
a pouring tube of U-shaped cross section with a pointed lower end on the side of the first leg of its wall, located below the cross section 15 in a position upwardly and inwardly away from the first leg; and further comprising a tongue extending downwardly between the edges of the U-shaped pouring tube, a second conduit being disposed proximate the second leg, each of the conduits extending downwardly between the edges of the U-shaped pouring tube. It has a pointed lower end for piercing a hole when pressed against the top, and the legs are pressed against opposite sides of the carton and rise within the carton while the top of the carton is being punched. avoid carton bulging due to pressure,
A spout fitting for a carton is provided.

Preferably, the tongue is adapted to engage the central lip of the carton, thereby engaging and retaining the spout fitting.

Preferably, the cross portion has a U-shaped portion in its center that surrounds the center lip of the carton.

Preferably, the portion of the pouring tube extending downwardly from its interconnection with the cross portion is formed with an outer wall of U-shaped cross section, the open portion of the U-shaped portion extending in a direction away from the first leg. It is open;
The cross-sectional area of the outer wall increases as the measurement point rises from the lower end to the interconnection with the cross section.

Preferably, the taper constituted by the increase in cross-sectional area forms a tip at an angle of about 30°.

Preferably, the legs are connected to the cross section such that their lower ends can be elastically pushed apart from each other, and preferably a pressure of the order of about 1 kg is applied to each side of the carton during punching. .

Effect According to the present invention, a tongue-like portion is provided on the carton spout fitting, and the tongue-like portion displaces the tab cut out from the carton by the pouring tube when the fitting is attached to the carton. This has the first effect of preventing the tab from blocking the pouring tube and engages the central lip of the carton, thereby interlocking the spout fitting with the carton and moving the fitting into the carton. It provides two functions, a second function to help hold it on.

Further features of the invention will be understood by reference to the claims and the following description of preferred embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. .

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring in detail to the accompanying drawings, an article is manufactured from an injection molded plastic suitable for use with food products and includes elastically interconnecting parts.
Styrene acrylonitrile (SAN) has been selected for both reasons and for food quality control.

The fixture 1 thus has two downwardly extending legs 2 and 3, each of which is connected to the carton 4.
is adapted to be placed on opposite sides of the This carton is of the type described above as having a "gabled" top.

The carton 4 has two oppositely located sides 5 and 6 which are bent inwards and then bent back outwards at 7 and 8 to form two opposite sides. It is connected to the sides 9 and 10 of. These sides 9 and 10 rise at a constant slope towards a commonly connected central lip 11.

There are therefore four pieces of cardboard along the central lip 11, two of which extend half way through the central lip 11 from the edge 12 to the central position of the central lip 11.

In the conventional opening method, one end of the central lip 11,
For example, the four pieces of cardboard at end 12 are pulled apart, two of them to one side, the other two to the other side, and then the formed wings are bent back to form side 5. is the opening of the spout feature.

Although the carton spout fitting 1 does not require such manual labor, it does require that the fitting 1 be inserted from above from the position shown in FIG. In FIG. 5, the legs 2 and 3 are initially narrower than the distance separating the sides 13 and 14, but are widened by elastic pressure due to the shape and nature of the material of which the fixture 1 is constructed. The fixture 1 has a cross section 15 including a section 16 forming a U-shaped gap surrounding the central lip 11.

Two conduits 17 and 18 are provided, one of these conduits 17 being a pouring conduit and the second conduit 18 being a venting conduit.

A pouring tube 17 is placed close to one leg 2 on one side of the cross section, and a vent tube 18 is placed close to the other leg 3.

With specific reference to pouring tube 17, pouring tube 1
7 has a pointed lower end 19 on the side closer to the leg 2 of its wall, the cross-sectional shape of the pouring tube is U-shaped below the cross section 15, and the opening of this U-shaped The end portion is open in the direction away from the leg portion 2.

The outermost edge on each side of the U-shape, shown most clearly in FIG. 7, is pointed, as shown at 20 and 21. This is intended to have the effect of assisting in cutting out the tab 22 from the side 10 at the top of the carton when the pouring tube 17 is inserted into this side 10.

The tongue 23 is located between the U-shaped, pointed edges 20 and 21 of the lower part of the pouring tube 17. There is a gap between the tongue 23 and each edge 20, 21, with the tongue 23 projecting outwardly from the alignment portion 24, as shown at 25, such that the tab 22 is in sealing engagement. This effectively pushes them apart so that they do not overlap.

The shape and position of the tongue-like portion 23 are as follows:
The pressure exerted on the tab 22 at 5 and the pressure exerted on the four pieces of cardboard of the central lip 11 is
4 to provide a mating engagement effect to assist in holding the holder in the position shown in FIG.

The vent tube 18 has a pointed lower end 26 on the side of its wall remote from the leg 3, the shape of which lower end decreases in cross-sectional area as the measurement point is raised to 27. Tapered to increase
This cross-sectional shape reaches a maximum at 27, and the vent tube 18 remains constant in diametrical shape and diameter for the remainder of its length up to the cross section 15.

The position of the lower end 19 of the pouring pipe 17 and the ventilation pipe 18
With respect to the corresponding lower ends 28 and 29 of the legs 2 and 3, there is a downward push, as shown in relation to the outline of the carton indicated by dotted lines 30 in FIG. When the lower end 2
6 into the side 9, the lower end 29 of the leg presses the side 13 of the carton with a force of about 1 kg,
Similarly, when the lower end 28 strengthens the side 14, the pointed lower end 19 just fits into the side 10.

In this way, perforations can be made more effectively at the lower end of each conduit without wrinkling the carton material.

The angular relationship between the sides constituting the outer surface of the lower part of the pouring tube 17 tapers so that the cross-sectional area increases as the measuring point rises, as shown in particular in FIG. The angular relationship of the sides is approximately
It is 30°.

Base taper angle, carton wall thickness,
Experimentation is required to determine the degree of sharpness that can be obtained for the edges and bottom of each conduit, and the surface finish of the outer wall of the conduit to obtain an adequate seal for the desired purpose.

In use, first, the fixture 1 is placed in the position shown in FIG. Then, place at least one finger under each end of the central lip 11, place the thumbs of both hands over the center of the fixture 1, and press the fixture downwards with both hands in a gripping motion. At this time, the legs are spread out and abut against the outside of each side. This manual insertion continues with a gripping motion, resulting in the insertion of the respective conduits 17 and 18 into the sides 9 and 10 of the carton top. The fixture 1 is then inserted by pushing it fully in until the position shown in FIG. 4 is obtained.

When used for pouring, the fittings shown in both FIGS. 2 and 4, which illustrate the carton with spout fittings, and the carton can simply be tilted with the pouring tube down. Air enters the top of the carton through the vent tube 8 and replaces the liquid flowing out.

As the contents of the carton decrease, the tilt of the carton must be increased until the very small amount of residual liquid contents is dumped into tab 22 by completely tilting the carton and inverting it. Tongue 2
3 and the edge 20 or 21 of the pouring tube 17
It can be taken out effectively through the gap.

Effects The present invention greatly improves the conventional technology, and since the tongue-shaped portion is provided on the carton spout fitting, when the fitting is attached to the carton,
The tongue pushes away the tab that the pouring tube has cut from the carton, thereby preventing the tab from blocking the pouring tube.

Additionally, the tongue may engage the central lip of the carton, thereby interlocking the spout fitting and the carton and assisting in retaining the fitting on the carton.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a carton spout fitting in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, and FIG. 2 shows in dotted lines several conduits in the fitting and tabs cut from the carton. , FIG. 3 is a side view of an embodiment similar to that of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the same embodiment as FIG. , FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the same embodiment as that of FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, illustrating the view shown in FIG. 2 in further detail, FIG. , FIG. 6 is a perspective view shown in a position immediately before being introduced from above onto a "gabled" carton shown in a perspective view; FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6--6 of FIG. The figure is a sectional view taken along line 7-7 in FIG. 4. 1...Mounting tool, 2, 3...Legs, 4...Carton, 11...Central lip, 15...Cross part,
17...first conduit, 18...second conduit.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In a spout fitting for a carton of the type capable of punching a hole in the top of a cardboard carton having a "gabled" top, the fitting 1 has a hole parallel to the central lip 11 of the cardboard carton. Two opposing sides of a cardboard carton 1
3, 14, respectively, a cross portion 15 extending between the legs 2, 3; a downwardly extending first
and second conduits 17, 18, the first conduit 1
7 is a pouring tube of U-shaped cross-section disposed close to said first leg 2 and having a pointed lower end 19 on the side of the first leg of its wall; The cross section 15 is located upwardly and inwardly away from 2.
further comprising a tongue-shaped portion 23 located below and extending downwardly between the edges of said U-shaped pouring tube;
A second conduit 18 is disposed proximate said second leg 3, each conduit having a pointed lower end so as to be able to pierce said second leg 3 when pressed against said second leg 3; The legs 2, 3 are pressed against the opposite sides 13, 14 of the carton during the drilling of the top of the carton, in order to avoid the carton from bulging due to the pressure building up within the carton. , a carton spout fixture characterized by: 2. A carton pourer according to claim 1, characterized in that said tongue (23) is adapted to engage the central lip (11) of the carton and thereby engage and retain the spout fitting. Mouth fitting. 3. Carton spout fitting according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the cross section 15 has in its center a U-shaped section 16 which surrounds the central lip 11 of the carton. . 4. The portion of the pouring tube 17 extending downwardly from its interconnection with the cross portion 15 is formed with an outer wall of U-shaped cross section, the open U-shaped portion extending from the first leg 2. The cross-sectional area of the outer wall increases as the measuring point is raised from the lower end portion 19 to the interconnection portion with the cross portion. A spout fitting for a carton as described in any one of the above items. 5. The carton spout fitting of claim 4, wherein the taper defined by the increase in cross-sectional area forms an angled tip of about 30 degrees. 6. Any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the legs are connected so that one of the lower ends of the legs can be elastically pushed away from the other. The carton spout fitting described in item (1) above. 7. The carton of claim 6, wherein the legs are connected and arranged to apply approximately 1 kg of pressure to each side of the carton during drilling initiated from the conduit. Carton spout fitting. 8. A carton spout fitting according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the spout fitting is made of injection molded styrene acrylonitrile (SAN).