Dispensing device

March 8, 1966

3,239,104

W. R. SCHOLLE

DISPENSING DEVICE

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March 8, 1966

3,239,104

W. R. SCHOLLE

DISPENSING DEVICE

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INVENTOR.

William R. Scholle

BY

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March 8, 1966

3,239,104

W. R. SCHOLLE

DISPENSING DEVICE

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United States Patent Office

3,239,104

Patented Mar. 8, 1966

3,239,104

DISPENSING DEVICE

William R. Scholle, Long Beach, Calif., assignor to Scholle Container Corporation, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois

Filed Jan. 2,1964, Ser. No. 335,141

Claims. (Cl. 222—81)

This invention relates to improvements and means for dispensing the contents of plastic lined paperboard containers in a quick, convenient, economical and sanitary manner.

Heretofore, it has been proposed to package liquids, such as milk, water, fruit juices and the like, in plastic liner bags such as those composed of polyethylene and polypropylene, and dispose these within confining paperboard containers, such as of corrugated board, for the purpose of ready shipment, storage and use.

In the case of liquids which are required to be refrigerated after the container has once been opened, the packages of the present invention are adapted to be conveniently placed in a household refrigerator, and the contents incrementally dispensed, as required, by convenient probe and spigot means.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved assembly comprising a holder tray for packages of the class described and to which there may be quickly and conveniently accommodated and engaged suitable probe and spigot means, whereby the contents may be readily and securely dispensed or withdrawn as required in whole or in part.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention, its details of construction and arrangement of parts and economies thereof, will be apparent from a consideration of the following specification and accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the assembly of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the characterizing tray of the present invention illustrating a probe-spigot unit adapted to be engaged thereto.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the tray of FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a section on the line 4—4 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of the tray of FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the container adapted to be disposed within the tray of FIG. 2.

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the probe-spigot unit adapted to be engaged to the tray of FIG. 2, and as shown in perspective in said FIG. 2.

FIG. 8 is a front elevational view of the unit of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view of the probespigot combination of FIG. 7 with the probe and spigot separated.

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary sectional view through a tray of the present invention with a package comprising a paperboard container having disposed therein a liquid containing flexible plastic liner bag, and to which the probe-spigot of FIG. 7 is engaged, showing the spigot in closed position.

FIG. 11 is a view similar to that of FIG. 10 with the spigot in open dispensing position.

Referring to the drawings, the reference numeral 10 indicates generally an upwardly open tray of rectangular form, suitably composed of plastic or metal, comprising side walls 11, one of said side walls having integral sleeve 12, and a bottom 13 which inclines downwardly towards the side wall 11 which has the sleeve 12.

The sleeve 12 as shown is formed with a bayonet slot 14 for reception of the pin 15 on the collar portion 16 of the probe generally indicated as 17. The probe 17 is adapted to be extended through the sleeve 12 to within the confines of the tray 10 and by rotating movement to releasably engage the probe 17 to the sleeve 12. Although not shown, it will be understood that in lieu of the bayonet slot-pin arrangement, the collar 16 and sleeve 12 may be provided with complementary threads, or in the alternative the two parts may be adapted to be frictionally wedged one within the other, the materials of both the sleeve 12 and the probe 17 or at least the collar portion 16 thereof being composed of somewhat compressible plastic such as polypropylene, polyethylene and the like.

As shown in FIG. 1, the tray 10 is adapted to snugly receive and seat within its side walls a paperboard container generally indicated as 18, said paperboard container having disposed therein a plastic liner bag 19 suitably containing a liquid material 20 of the character previously described and which is to be dispensed. The liner bag 19 is suitably secured adjacent the carton side wall 21 as at 22 by means of an adhesive so that it will be retained adjacent the wall 21 in a substantially firm maimer for probing purposes as hereinafter explained. With the same end in view, as shown in FIG. 11, a corner 23 of the liner bag 19 may be disposed and gripped between the bottom closure flaps 24 and 25 of the container.

As indicated in FIG. 6, the front wall 21 of the container is desirably formed with a knock-out aperture forming disc 26 defined by the score lines 27, this aperture being disposed in the front wall 21 so that it will be aligned with the aperture in the tray 10 leading to the sleeve 12. The knock-out portion 26 is adapted to remain in the carton during handling and shipping but prior to use, and prior to disposing it in the tray 10, it is removed.

Thus, two sanitary purposes are served by the knockout portion 26 as it completely covers the liner bag 19 prior to use and in use it is removed so that when the probe 17 is inserted fibers of the paperboard carton will not be injected into the liquid contents 20 of the liner bag 19.

The probe component generally indicated as 17 comprises a tubular cylindrical shank portion 28 having a solid pointed end portion 29 and an open pouring end portion 30 defined by a concentric collar portion 31. Between this collar portion 31 and the solid pointed end portion 29, one or more apertures 48 are provided in the shank 28 to provide communication from the exterior of the shank 28 through the open end portion 30. The collar 31 is provide with screw threads 32 adjacent its open end 3® adapted for cooperative engagement with the externally threaded skirt 33 of the cup-shaped member embracing the tube 34 of the spigot component generally indicated as 35.

This spigot 35 which comprises the tube 34 has an open end 36 and a closed end 37 at which there is suitably provided a hand-hold 38 for actuation of the spigot.

The skirt 33 is integral with the head portion 40 of the concentric cap, said cap being annular and terminating in the sleeve component 39 which snugly embraces the tube 34. Suitably disposed between one end of the sleeve 39 and the flange projection at the closed end 37 is a gasket 41. Although not shown, the gasket 41 can be dispensed with by slightly enlarging the diameter of the tube 34 adjacent the closed end portion 37 so that the sleeve 39 may be brought in wedged engagement.

As indicated, the tube 34 is provided with an aperture which is adapted to be alternately covered and uncovered by the sleeve 39 as shown in the alternative positions of FIGS. 10 and 11. The aperture 42 is normally maintained in covered position by means of the coil spring which embraces tube 34 and is anchored at one end thereof as by means of a component 44 extending through

3,239,104 apertures 45 in the tube, the opposed end of the spring resting against the internal face of cap 40. Thus, the spring normally maintains the aperture 42 covered by the sleeve 39 as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, and by grasping the hand-hold 38 the aperture 42 is caused to be uncovered or withdrawn from coverage of the sleeve 39 to permit dispensing as shown in FIG. 11.

The skirt 33 is provided with an internal thread 46 for engagement with the external thread 32 on the collar portion 30 so that the spigot and probe may be securely joined together as a unit.

For dispensing purposes this spigot-probe unit is projected through the sleeve 12 and through the aperture formed by knock-out portion 26 of the paperboard container and through the liner bag 19. The liner bag 19 as previously indicated is of flexible, plastic material and tends to be stretched as it is punctured and to form a secure seal as at 47 by snugly embracing and shrinking around shank 28.

Although I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of my invention it will be understood by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in the details thereof without departing from its scope as comprehended by the following claims.