U.S. patent number 3,700,146 [Application Number 05/022,472] was granted by the patent office on 1972-10-24 for cup with pour spout and circular finish.
This patent grant is currently assigned to General Foods Corporation. Invention is credited to Morison S. Cousins, Rennold L. Klawson, Roy Watson.
United States Patent |
3,700,146 |
Cousins , et al. |
October 24, 1972 |
CUP WITH POUR SPOUT AND CIRCULAR FINISH
Abstract
A cup having an inverted generally frusto-conical configuration
is formed with a flattened surface area shaped to include a tapered
channel extending between said surface area and the rim of said cup
and constituting a pour spout disposed internally of the generally
frusto-conical outline of said cup. An open handle attached to said
cup near its rim, slanted at substantially the same angle as the
cup side wall permits nesting of said cups in a compactly arranged
stack. A bead formed on the circular rim or finish of the cup
renders it adaptable for enclosure with a circular snap-on lid.
Inventors: |
Cousins; Morison S. (Plainview,
NY), Klawson; Rennold L. (Darien, CT), Watson; Roy
(Mt. Kisco, NY) |
Assignee: |
General Foods Corporation
(White Plaines, NY)
|
Family
ID: |
21809769 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/022,472 |
Filed: |
March 25, 1970 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
222/465.1;
222/572; D7/533 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47G
19/23 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A47G
19/22 (20060101); A47G 19/23 (20060101); A47g
019/22 () |
Field of
Search: |
;222/465,572
;220/97C,94A,DIG.44,9.1 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Coleman; Samuel F.
Assistant Examiner: Stack, Jr.; Norman L.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A measuring cup formed of relatively rigid packaging material
and having a main body circular in cross section, except for one
side thereof, and bounded by a circular bottom and a circular
finish of a diameter at least as large as that of the bottom, the
side wall of said main body at said one side being indented along a
vertical section extending between said top and bottom and shaped
to present a flattened surface interrupted by a convex channel
extending longitudinally from a point in said surface near said
bottom to said finish, said channel being flanked by opposed
flattened areas of said one side wall and merging at its upper
terminus with said finish to constitute a pour spout for said
cup.
2. The invention according to claim 1 wherein the general
configuration of said main body is frusto-conical with the diameter
of said finish being greater than that of said bottom.
3. The invention according to claim 2 wherein the indentation of
said side wall section becomes progressively greater running from
bottom to top of said section, whereby said convex channel becomes
progressively deeper running in the direction toward said
finish.
4. The invention according to claim 3 wherein said flattened areas
lie in substantially the same plane and said indented wall includes
flanges flaring outwardly in another plane and bridging the upper
limit of said flattened areas with said finish.
5. The invention according to claim 1 wherein said finish includes
a peripheral bead.
6. The invention according to claim 1 including a handle joined to
the side wall of said main body by a strut projecting therefrom at
a point diametrically opposed to said spout and immediately below
said finish, said handle being an elongate open sided tubular
member of which the longitudinal axis presents substantially the
same angle relative to vertical as does the adjoining side wall of
said main body.
7. The invention according to claim 6 wherein said main body is
frusto-conical in configuration, except at said one side, with the
diameter of said finish larger than that of said bottom, the
longitudinal axis of said handle deviating from vertical at
substantially the same angle as, but in the opposite direction
from, the side wall of said main body facing said handle.
8. The invention according to claim 7 wherein said handle is open
at its upper extremity, and the side wall of said handle flares
outwardly running from the bottom to the top thereof.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A cup intended for use as a measuring cup characteristically is
formed with a pour spout to facilitate the pouring out of its
contents. Providing a pour spout on a cup-like article has
heretofore altered or modified the otherwise regular geometric
shape of the cup's rim or finish, since the pour spout normally
constitutes a rather isolated convexity in the finish of the
article. This being so, the provision of a pour spout has
heretofore militated against use of such a cup for other purposes
requiring placement thereon of a lid, such as if the cup were to be
used as a container for packaging a loose product or any product
advantageously packaged in a sealed container. A reason for the
foregoing would be the need for designing a lid especially for the
particular configuration of the irregular finish in addition to the
added problems and special mechanism which would be required on a
filling and capping line for properly orienting such a container so
that lids may be automatically affixed thereto. These
considerations give rise to problems which would substantially
increase manufacturing and processing costs and accordingly would
also weigh against provision of measuring cups adapted to serve
such a dual function.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the invention, a measuring cup is provided which
has a general configuration of a regular geometric body, e.g., a
frusto-conical shape, except for one side which is somewhat
indented from top to bottom to produce a flattened surface
approximating what may be considered a conic section. Fashioned
from said flattened surface, starting near the bottom of the cup
and extending to the circular rim of the cup, is a convexity the
boundaries and crest of which all lie within the general
frusto-conical outline of the cup. The upper terminus of said
convexity merges into the circular finish of the cup and does not
distort or deform the circular shape of the cup's finish. Thus the
cup is adapted to receive a circular lid of a conventional type,and
the securing of such a lid to the cup's finish can readily be
accomplished on conventional automated capping equipment.
It is, therefore, an object of this invention to adapt a measuring
cup for use also as a sealed container.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a measuring cup
having a circular finish with a pour spout which merges into said
circular finish.
Further objects of the invention, together with the features
contributing thereto and the advantages accruing therefrom, will be
apparent from the following description when read in conjunction
with the drawing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a measuring cup according to the
invention;
FIG. 2 is a side elevational view thereof;
FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view thereof;
FIG. 4 is a rear elevational view thereof; and
FIG. 5 is a front elevational view thereof.
Referring now to the drawing, a cup according to the invention may
be made from any suitable material of a relatively rigid nature,
such as glass, metal, plastic or the like, and has a main body
portion 10 of which the bottom 11 and finish 12 are circular. Said
main body portion presents a generally frusto-conical configuration
having for its front side wall a flattened surface 13. The
flattened surface 13 may be considered as representing
substantially a conic section of the generally frusto-conical
configuration, except for the formation therein of an incomplete or
partial conical convexity 14, intended to serve as a pour spout,
and flanges 15 bridging the upper limit of surface 13 with the
circular finish 12 of the cup body.
As seen, the pour spout 14 represents a convex channel in the form
of one side half of a hollow inverted cone, the vertex 16 of which
lies near the bottom of said surface 13 and the base 17 of which
terminates at the cup's finish 12 by merging therewith. With such a
construction, it will be noted that the crest or outer border of
the convex channel constituting the pour spout lies within the
general frusto-conical configuration of the cup body such that the
provision of the pour spout does not alter or in any way deform the
circular configuration of the cup's finish. It will be apparent
that when the cup contains a free-flowing product and is tilted in
the direction of spout 14 to a product dispensing position, the
relatively narrow pour spout will represent the lowermost surface
area of the cup and, therefore, serve to guide or direct the
product into a correspondingly narrow stream as it flows out over
the rim of the cup. Preferably the cup's finish includes a bead 18
peripherally bounding the cup structure and serving as a means by
which a conventional form of snap-on lid, not shown, may be
securely attached to render the cup useable as a sealed
container.
As shown, the cup may be provided with a handle 20 attached to the
side wall of the cup body by a ribbed strut 21 just below bead 18
at a point diametrically opposite the pour spout 14. The handle
preferably comprises an open sided tubular type body 22 opened at
its upper end and closed by a web portion 23 at its bottom end. The
side wall of the handle which, as aforesaid, is a tubular type
design and extends along a substantially straight-line axis flares
slightly outwardly from bottom to top, and the axis of the handle
body is oriented to present substantially an angle of the same
degree relative to vertical as that of the side wall of the cup
body 10.
As will be evident, the construction as shown enables said cups to
nest one inside the other when empty and unsealed. When thus
nested, with both the cup body portion 10 and handle 20 of one
container fitted telescopically into the same portions of the next
container, the strut 21 of each bearing on the rim or finish of the
next lower cup serves to limit the telescoping fitment and provides
an abutment which will prevent unintentional wedging or jamming of
one within the other when in nested stack arrangement. The abutment
provided by strut 21 avoids the need for a separate stacking
shoulder adjacent the rim of the container as is conventionally
provided for this purpose.
While there has been shown and described what is considered to be a
preferred embodiment of the invention, it will, of course, be
understood that changes in form could readily be made without
departing from the spirit of the invention. It is, therefore,
intended that the invention be not limited to the exact form herein
shown nor to anything less than the whole of the invention as
hereafter claimed.
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