GB2081233A - Container cap - Google Patents

Abstract

A cap for a container for holding particulate material such as powdered foodstuffs comprises a first (1) and a second lid (2) each of substantially cylindrical shape and each having a base surface provided with an aperture appropriate to permit outflow of material from a container to which the cap is attached. The lids (1, 2) are interconnected to allow a relative rotary movement therebetween by means of a pivot (5) which projects from the first lid 91) and locates in a seat (6) formed in the second lid (2). The lid (2) may be screwed to the container by means of a thread (2a). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A cap for a container for holding particulate material The present invention relates to a cap for a container for holding particulate material such as powdered foodstuffs.

There are numerous existing kinds of such caps Some comprise two lids, one superposing the other, which have the ability to rotate one with respect to the other, and which are furnished with apertures in to allow outflow of the material from inside the jar. By the rotation of one lid with respect to the other outflow of material can take place when the aperture in one lid is positioned so that it registers with the aperture in the other lid.

Caps such as these invariably give rise to various inconveniences owing principally to the problem of obtaining a tight seal between the container and the cap, to the ease with which the two lids become separated, and to the difficulty experienced in rotating one lid with respect to the other.

The object of the present invention is to eliminate or substantially mitigate the aforementioned inconveniences and to provide a cap shaped in such a way as to create a tight seal between the cap and the container to avoid unwanted separation of the component parts of the cap and allow ease of rotation between these parts.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an easily and inexpensively produced cap.

According to the present invention there is provided a cap for a container for holding particulate material such as powdered foodstuffs, comprising a first and second lids each of substantially cylindrical shape and each having a base surface provided with an aperture appropriate to permit outflow of the material contained within a jar to which the cap is attached, the lids being capable of being united, -in such interconnected to allow a relative rotary movement therebetween by means of a pivot which projects from the first lid and locates in a seat 6 formed in the second lid.Preferably, the internal lateral surface of the first lid is provided at its rim with an annular first projection and the external lateral surface of the second lid is provided with a truncated conical surface with its largest diameter substantially equal to the internal diameter of the said first lid, the external lateral surface of the second lid also defining an annular second projection at a distance from its rim which corresponds substantially to the thickness of the annular first projection, and the external diameter of the second projection being approximately equal to the internal diameter of the first lid.

Preferably also, the internal lateral surface of the second lid defines two coaxial cylindrical surfaces one of which has a smaller diameter than the other and is provided with an abutment ring at its junction with its other surface, one of the annular edges of the abutment ring conjoining said one cylindrical surface and the other annular edge of the abutment ring being disposed adjacent said other cylindrical surface so that the abutment ring defines a conical internal surface against which the mouth of a container to which the cap is fitted can rest.

The present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a plan view of a first lid of a cap according to the present invention; Figure 2 shows a plan view-of a second lid of the cap; Figure 3 shows a cross-section, of the first lid and of the second lid along the lines A-A and B-B respectively in Figures 1 and 2, the former lid superposing the latter; Figure 4 shows a partial cross-section of the complete cap fitted to the mouth of the jar, the latter being partly in evidence.

With reference to the drawings, the cap comprises a first lid 1 and a second lid 2 both of basically cylindrical shape.

The second lid 2 is screwed onto the container/duster jar 3, - partly in evidence in the drawing -- by means of a thread 2a located on the said lid's inner surface area.

Lid 1 is united to lid 2 by means of a pivot 5, located on the interior of lid 1 and coaxial thereto, being inserted into a seat 6 located in and coaxial to the base surface of the said second lid 2. The two lids may thus rotate reciprocally. The base surface areas of the two lids are furnished with apertures which in the course of the lids' rotary movement become correspondingly disposed one with the other thus allowing the powder's passage out from the inside of the container.

More precisely, there is a single aperture 7 located in lid 1 whereas lid 2 is provided with both an aperture 8 having dimensions correspondent with aperture 7 and with a cluster of through holes 9; the former 8 and the latter 9 occupying different sectors of the base of the said lid 2.

When the position of aperture 7 corresponds with that of aperture 8 there is an ampie outflow of powder; when aperture 7 corresponds with the holes 9 the flow of powder is relatively restricted; when aperture 7 is in correspondence with the lid base's solid sector 10 there can be no flow of powder.

The internal lateral surface of the first lid 1 is furnished at its lower rim with a first annular protrusion 12. The external lateral surface of the second lid 2 is provided with a truncated-conical upper area 14 whose upward-facing greater base has a diameter approximately equal to the internal diameter of the first lid 1; the greater base of the truncated-conical entity 14 forms as it were the base surface of the second lid 2.

There is located further, -at a distance from the lesser base of the lateral surface of the truncated cone 14 approximately equal to the thickness of the first protrusion 12-, a second annular protrusion 1 5 whose external diameter is approximately equal to the internal diameter of the first lid 1.

To achieve insertion of the pivot 5 into the seat 6, and thus unite the two lids, it is sufficient to exert slight pressure on the first lid 1; a slight elastic deformation of lid 1 is produced thus permitting annular protrusion 12, whose intemal diameter is marginally less than the intemal diameter of the first lid 1 and therefore marginally less than the extemal diameter of the truncated cone's 14 greater base, to encompass the truncated-conical area itself; by exerting further slight pressure, the first protrusion 12 will pass over the second protrusion 15 and come to rest in the space immediately below protrusion 15.In this manner lid 1 becomes firmly anchored to lid -2; that unwanted separation of the two lids 1 s 2 is prevented not only by annular protrusion 15 but also by that protrusion constituted by the truncated cone's 14 greater base. The relative rotary movement between the two lids is dictated by the coaxial disposition of all the described protrusions and is inhibited, -this in order to preclude unwanted rotatlon--, by the friction generated between the said protrusions. The desired rotary movement is facilitated by the lid's 1 external lateral surface's being knurled with axially disposed reeds 16.

The internal lateral surface of the second lid 2 which is composed of two coaxial cylindrical surface areas, the uppermost of which has the lesser diameter, is fumished with an abutment ring 18 at the juncture of the two cylindrical surface areas, one of whose extremities conjoins with the uppermost surface area and whose other extremity is disposed as it were parallel with the lower surface area; When lid 2 is screwed onto the mouth of the jar 3 the upper portion of the actual jar mouth comes to rest on the ring's 18 internal surface, -the latter being conically fashioned.

The ring 18 thus provides an efficient seal between cap and jar and prevents the escape of powder, -and to some extent smell-, from inside the jar via the underside of the cap itself. It also prevents humidity and foreign bodies from passing to the inside of the jar. When the said second lid 2 is screwed to the jar mouth 3, the ring 18 undergoes a slight elastic deformation and, by exerting pressure on the jar mouth 3, subsequent unwanted unscrewing of the lid 2 from the jar mouth will thus be rendered difficult.

Claims (5)

1. A cap for a container for holding particulate material such as powdered foodstuffs, comprising a first and second lids each of substantially cylindrical shape and each having a base surface provided with an aperture appropriate to permit outflow of the material contained within a jar to which the cap is attached the lids being capable of, being united, --in such interconnected to allow a relative rotary movement therebetween by means of a pivot which projects from the first lid and locates in a seat 6 formed in the second lid.

2. A cap as claimed in claim 1, In which the intemal lateral surface of the first lid is provided at its rim with an annular first projection and the external lateral surface of the second lid is provided with a truncated conical surface with its largest diameter substantially equal to the internal diameter of the said first lid, the extemal lateral surface of the second lid also defining an annular second projection at a distance from its rim which corresponds substantially to the thickness of the annular first projection, and the extemal diameter of the second projection being approximately equal to the intemal diameter of the first lid.

3. A cap as claimed in claim 2 or 3 in which the internal lateral surface of the second lid defines two coaxial cylindrical surfaces, one of which has a smaller diameter than the other and is provided with an abutment ring at its junction with other surface, one of the annular edges of the abutment ring conjoining said one cylindrical surface and the other annular edge of the abutment ring being disposed adjacent said other cylindrical surface so that the abutment ring defines a conical intemal surface against which the mouth of a container to which the cap is fitted can rest.

4. A cap as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3, in which the extemal lateral surface of the~said first lid is knuried.

5. A cap for a container for holding particulate material such as powdered foodstuffs substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.