The present invention relates to a pouring device for a pouring package which on a pouring side is provided in a wall part with a pouring opening which is closed by a breakable seal, comprising a base part which can be adhered to the wall part with an edge part at least partially around the pouring opening, and comprising a pouring part on which a fluid exiting the pouring package can be received. The invention also relates to a pouring package provided with a pouring device. Pouring packages are applied on a large scale in the food industry for packaging for instance soft drinks, fruit juices and dairy products. In addition, a pouring package provides a solution for spillage-free pouring of sauces, dressings, oils and other liquid or sprinkle food products. This is usually a substantially block-shaped container which is assembled largely from cardboard and which is provided on an inner side with a liquid-tight coating and filled in an automated process with the fluid for packaging, such as a drink or other liquid or sprinkle product.

In order to enhance pouring from the package a wall surface is usually provided on a top side thereof with a pouring member of the type described in the preamble, with which the product can be poured after the seal has been broken. A volume of the package can vary here from typically in the order of 200 to 500 millilitres for portion packs to the order of 1, 1 Vz or even more than 2 litres for larger volume packages. A pouring member is often provided separately, for instance in the form of a straw in the case of a drink package, which must here be inserted through the seal into the outflow opening by the user him/herself, or in the case of motor oil a funnel into which the package must be poured after the seal has been pulled open.

A drawback of the existing pouring packages is that the fixed pouring members applied therein are usually not very user-friendly and protrude relatively high above the wall surface, which can disrupt processing in an automated process and can adversely affect the final packing density of the package. A drawback of a separately supplied pouring member is on the other hand the additional assembly and the limited convenience of use. Many previously proposed pouring devices and pouring members moreover have a relatively complex construction, whereby the manufacture thereof is in some cases time-consuming and relatively expensive.

The present invention has for its object, among others, to provide a pouring device and pouring package provided therewith which at least significantly obviates one or more of these drawbacks. In order to achieve the stated object a pouring package of the type described in the preamble has the feature according to the invention that the base part comprises within the edge part a roof which bounds a pouring cavity thereunder, which pouring cavity opens on a side remote from the roof, that the pouring part comprises an at least substantially form-retaining pouring base which is connected to the base part for pivoting about a pivot axis, with a substantially unprotected pouring surface extending substantially between the pivot axis and a distal outer end of the pouring base, that in a closed situation the pouring part lies with the pouring base substantially fiat over the roof of the base part and that in an open situation in which it is folded open round the pivot axis the pouring base lies in line with the pouring cavity, wherein a through- flow opening from the pouring cavity is present between the roof of the base part and the pouring base.

Because the base part and the pouring part of the pouring device thus both essentially comprise a single layer, i.e. the roof of the base part and the pouring base of the pouring part, which are freely accessible from either side, such a device allows for exceptionally simple serial manufacture, for instance in a usual thermoforming process and at a low cost price. A particular embodiment of the pouring device therefore has the feature according to the invention that the base part and the pouring part form part of one monolithic body, and are particularly formed from a suitable plastic by thermoforming in a combined processing step. Such a thermoforming process, such as injection moulding or vacuum forming, allows large-scale production at low cost and is therefore eminently suitable for the pouring device according to the invention.

If desired, the pouring device can be arranged only later, i.e. once the package has been filled, and so does not disrupt the filling and packaging process at all. Owing to relatively flat profile thereof the pouring device can moreover be arranged relatively flush with the wall surface, whereby the final packing density is not affected as a result, or hardly so. In addition to being applied for drinks and other food products, the pouring package according to the invention can otherwise also be applied for all manner of liquid or sprinkle non-food products. An example hereof are cleaning agents or maintenance materials, such as for instance motor oil, wherein it is also desirable that pouring can take place without spilling. Particularly in such a case the package can, in addition to being made from (coated) cardboard, with advantage optionally also be manufactured wholly from plastic, such as a plastic pouring bottle or jerrycan.

In a preferred embodiment the pouring device according to the invention is characterized in that the roof can be pressed in manually and is provided with at least one perforating member extending in the pouring cavity, and that the pouring base is substantially form-stiff and in the closed situation closes over the roof at least at the position of the at least one perforating member. The invention thus provides an exceptionally practical solution for breaking through the seal which initially closes the pouring opening and extends under the pouring device. By exerting a suitable pressure on the roof the perforating member can thus be forced through the seal in order to thus open the pouring opening. The form-stiff pouring base which lies over the roof in the closed situation avoids such a perforation already taking place undesirably during transport or storage of the container. The increased strength of the pouring base compared to the roof of the device can be obtained by different material choices for the two components. A particular embodiment of the pouring device according to the invention has the feature however that the pouring base and the roof are formed from the same material, wherein the pouring base has a greater wall thickness than the roof, and that the perforating member extends integrally from the roof. It thus remains possible to manufacture the device in a combined process, in particular by thermoforming such as injection moulding, whereby the cost price of the product can remain relatively low and the production speed high.

The perforating member can be embodied per se in various ways, although in a particular embodiment the pouring member according to the invention is characterized in that the perforating member comprises an at least axially extending cutting surface, in particular a v-shaped cutting surface. Such a perforating member has the advantage that an incision is thereby realized which extends over a longitudinal direction and thereby provides a more extended outflow section for the product. The product can hereby flow out more easily, particularly if the perforating member has the stated v- shape.

The pouring device according to the invention is suitable for so-called portion packs, which are intended to be emptied in one go, as well as for larger volume packages which are opened a number of times. With a view to this latter type, a further particular embodiment of the pouring device according to the invention has the feature that reclosable closing means are provided between the base part and the pouring part. The reclosable closing means thus provide for a covering of the pouring opening of a package once it has been opened. A particularly practical and effective embodiment of the pouring device according to the invention has in this respect the feature that the base part and the pouring part comprise form-retaining edges which are directed toward each other and which, at least in the closed situation, mutually engage in order to form a mutual snap connection. The edges are forced into each other by pressing together the pouring part and the base part of the pouring device after use, so that the snap connection, which is semi-permanent and can be easily released by hand, is realized therebetween. In order to prevent unintentional opening of a pouring package equipped therewith and to make an opened package recognizable as such, a further particular embodiment of the pouring device according to the invention is characterized in that a visible breakable closure is arranged between the base part and the pouring part. A broken breakable closure is thus immediately recognizable as such.

In order to enhance limitation of a liquid flow to the pouring surface a further particular preferred embodiment of the pouring device according to the invention has the feature that the pouring base is hydrophobic at least on the pouring surface. Due to the hydrophobic character of the pouring surface the liquid flow will tend less to spread thereover, which thus enhances a flow along the predetermined pouring path. A further contribution is made in this respect by a further particular embodiment of the pouring device according to the invention, which is characterized in that the pouring base comprises on the pouring surface a hollow pouring channel extending in axial direction, and more particularly in that the pouring surface has a substantially wedge-shaped surface profile extending in axial direction. The hollow channel here forms the above-mentioned pouring path for a product flow exiting a package, this preventing spilling and the like. A better directed pouring action is further enhanced in a further particular

embodiment of the pouring device according to the invention, characterized in that the pouring cavity and the pouring surface are elongate substantially in a common longitudinal direction. The elongate pouring cavity thus forms a tunnel which imposes a preferred direction on the product flow, which thus continues into a pouring path over the pouring surface.

The invention also relates to a pouring package comprising a substantially block- shaped container with a product space bounded by a wall for holding a fluid, which wall comprises on a side remote from a base a pouring opening closed by a seal in a wall part and is provided at that position with a pouring device according to the invention. The invention will be further elucidated hereinbelow on the basis of an exemplary embodiment and an accompanying drawing. In the drawing:

figure 1 shows a top view of an exemplary embodiment of a pouring device according to the invention in folded open situation;

figure 2 shows a bottom view of the pouring device of figure 1 in folded open situation;

figure 3 shows a longitudinal section of the pouring device of figure 1 arranged on a pouring package in closed situation; and

figure 4 shows a cross-section of the pouring device of figure 1 arranged on a pouring package in closed situation.

The figures are otherwise purely schematic and not drawn to scale. Some dimensions in particular may be exaggerated to greater or lesser extent for the sake of clarity. Corresponding parts are designated as far as possible in the figures with the same reference numeral.

The pouring device of figure 1 comprises a monolithic body which is manufactured from one material by injection moulding or, if desired, another thermoforming process. In this embodiment use is made of polyethylene as material for the device, although another suitable plastic such as polypropylene or the like is also suitable for this purpose. The pouring device comprises a base part 10 with a flat, relatively thin peripheral edge 11 with which it can be adhered to a surface, particularly around a pouring opening on a flat wall part of a pouring package. The base part can thus be connected with peripheral edge 11 to the wall surface around the pouring opening in liquid-tight manner, for instance by glueing or thermosealing.

The base part further comprises a relatively thick- walled upright edge 12, which is thereby substantially form-retaining but nevertheless remains to some extent resilient so that it can move laterally. Inside the edge a relatively thin-walled roof 13 extends from base part 20 and bounds an elongate pouring cavity 14 thereunder, see also figure 3 and figure 4, which is wholly open on an opposite side. Roof 13 here leaves clear a through-flow opening 15 laterally of the pouring cavity. On the inside two perforating members 16,17 extend integrally from roof 13, see figure 2, i.e. a sharp spike 16 and a v-shaped cutting surface 17 which extends axially and which can thereby force a relatively extended outflow opening in a seal situated thereunder when a suitable pressure is exerted on the roof. A relatively small venting opening is simultaneously arranged in the seal by spike 16. One of the two perforating members can however optionally be omitted, or a different type of perforating member can be chosen, such as for instance a linear cutting surface in a direction of the seal. The pouring device also comprises a pouring part 20 connected to base part 10 for pivoting about a pivot axis 30. Pivot axis 30 is formed here by a local weakening in the material, such as for instance a hollow groove. Pouring part 20 comprises a pouring base 21 which on the side shown in figure 1 comprises an unprotected pouring surface which extends substantially from pivot axis 30 to a distal outer end 22, where an outflowing product can be received. Situated centrally in pouring surface 21 is a hollow pouring channel 23 which extends axially therein and deepens in a wedge shape toward a central axis. Pouring base 21 thus lies with pouring channel 23 in line with the pouring cavity so as to receive in the same direction a product exiting the pouring cavity via the through-flow opening. The material of the pouring base, in this example polyethylene, is naturally hydrophobic or can be provided at the position of pouring surface 21 with a hydrophobic coating in order to enhance a clean and directed flow thereof over the pouring surface. Furthermore, the elongate pouring cavity 14 as it were forms a tunnel which imposes a certain direction on the product flow. The pouring part thus provides a highly effective pouring function which considerably facilitates spillage-free evacuation of a pouring package equipped therewith.

The pouring part is also provided with a relatively thick-walled and therefore relatively stiff peripheral wall 24 which in the closed situation falls within the corresponding edge 12 of the base part, see figure 4. Due to the slightly curved profile of edges 12,24 the edge 12 of the base part is forced apart to some extent here and then snaps round the profile of edge 24 of the pouring part. A reclosable closure which can be used time and again can thus be realized between the two parts 20,10. Provided in addition between the two parts 10,20 is a breakable closure in the form of a tearing edge 40, which is directly discernible visually, see figure 3, and which is pulled open the first time the pouring device is opened and remains visible as such. A part 25 extending axially outward from pouring part 20 forms a tongue here which can be grasped in practical manner in order to open the whole and initially break the breakable closure 40. hi this closed situation, see figure 3 and figure 4, pouring part 20 drops over base part 10 and with pouring base 21 thus forms as it were a guard which shields roof 13 of the pouring cavity. The pouring base has a significantly greater wall thickness and, in contrast to the roof, is relatively form-stiff and cannot be pressed in, or hardly so. This avoids the penetrating member 16,17 unintentionally breaking through a seal, for instance during storage or transport. Because both the base part and the pouring base are relatively flat and the pouring base lies flat against the base part in the closed situation, the whole device can be arranged relatively flat against a wall surface of a package with negligible disruption of the wall profile and with negligible reduction in the packing density of a package equipped therewith.

Figures 3 and 4 show schematically a pouring package provided with a pouring device. This is for instance a per se known, standard package for drinks or a sprinkle product with a substantially block- like appearance. Walls 1 ,2 of the package are formed here from cardboard and enclose a product space 3. On their side directed toward the product space the walls are covered with a liquid-tight (plastic) foil.

Provided in a wall surface 2 on a top side of the package is a pouring opening 4 which is hermetically sealed by a breakable seal 5. Usually applied as seal 5 is an aluminium foil which is adhered against the wall surface on an inner side. The pouring device of figure 1 is arranged around pouring opening 4 and herein adhered with the flat peripheral edge 11 to wall surface 2 in liquid-tight manner by thermosealing or glueing. If desired, this can be carried out only after the filling of package 1 -3 so as to thus not disrupt the filling process.

Although the invention has been elucidated above on the basis of a single exemplary embodiment, it will be apparent that the invention is by no means limited thereto. On the contrary, many variations and embodiments are still possible within the scope of the invention for the person with ordinary skill in the art. The pouring device can thus be applied not only for the shown block package, but almost any pouring package can advantageously be equipped therewith. Not only can drinks and other liquid food products, such as sauces, dressings and oils, be provided in a pouring package in practical manner, but also non-food products such as for instance cleaning agents or maintenance materials, wherein the filling device according to the invention provides a solution enabling non-spill pouring therefrom. Particularly in such a case the packages can, in addition to being made from (coated) cardboard, optionally also be manufactured wholly from plastic. A specific example in this respect is motor oil, which can thus be supplied in a plastic bottle or jerrycan, wherein a pouring device according to the invention can be provided instead of a conventional cap so as to enable spillage-free pouring and possibly make a separate funnel unnecessary.