Pour assembly for a bottle or container

Abstract

A pour assembly to protect a pourer for a bottle from contamination. The pour assembly may include a rod that extends between a protector and a stop. The rod may be inserted through the pourer such that the protector engages and blocks the spout of the pourer when the bottle is in an upright position. A retention member may be received around an air return of the pourer and also at least partially around the rod. When the bottle is turned to complete a pour, the protector may be moved away from the spout. The movement of the rod may be limited to a predefined distance due to the stop encountering the retention member during a pour.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A pour assembly for a container, comprising:
 a rod extending from a top end to a bottom end;   a protector connected to the top end of the rod;   a stop connected to the bottom end of the rod; and   a retention member positioned around the rod between the protector and the stop.   
     
     
         2 . The pour assembly of  claim 1  further comprising a pourer having a seal, a spout, and an air return; the rod extending through the spout and the seal; and the retention member selectively and statically connected to the air return. 
     
     
         3 . The pour assembly of  claim 2  further comprising the protector having a bottom end, wherein the bottom end of the protector is positioned within a top end of the spout when in a blocked position. 
     
     
         4 . The pour assembly of  claim 3  wherein a shape of the protector is selected from a group consisting of a ball shape, a tear drop shape, a cylindrical shape, and a cylindrical shape with the bottom end of the protector having a spherical shape. 
     
     
         5 . The pour assembly of  claim 2  further comprising the rod having a length to transition between a blocked position, wherein the protector occludes an opening in the spout when the pourer is in an upright orientation, and an unblocked position, wherein the protector is moved away from the opening of the spout when the pourer is at a tilted orientation. 
     
     
         6 . The pour assembly of  claim 5  wherein the length of the rod is larger than a length of the pourer. 
     
     
         7 . The pour assembly of  claim 1  further comprising the retention member having a torsion lever, a torsion spring, and a rod holder. 
     
     
         8 . The pour assembly of  claim 7  further comprising a pourer having an air return; the air return having an external diameter larger than an internal diameter of the torsion spring; and the air return received through the internal diameter of the torsion spring. 
     
     
         9 . The pour assembly of  claim 8  further comprising the rod holder positioned around the rod a predefined distance from the stop, wherein the predefined distance is a length between the rod holder and the stop sufficient for the rod to travel to transition the protector occluding an opening in a spout of a pourer in a blocked position to the protector moving away from the opening in the spout in an unblocked position. 
     
     
         10 . The pour assembly of  claim 9  further comprising the pourer inserted in a bottle containing a liquid; and the predefined distance is sufficient to prevent the liquid from contacting the protector during a pour. 
     
     
         11 . The pour assembly of  claim 9  further comprising the rod holder positioned between the protector and the stop. 
     
     
         12 . The pour assembly of  claim 9  wherein the rod holder is configured to prevent the rod from traveling further than the predefined distance during a pour. 
     
     
         13 . The pour assembly of  claim 7  further comprising a guide leg extending from the rod holder at an angle that is out of alignment with a direction the rod holder extends. 
     
     
         14 . The pour assembly of  claim 7  further comprising the torsion lever extending from a first end of the retention member to the torsion spring; and the rod holder extending from the torsion spring to a second end of the retention member; wherein the torsion lever and the rod holder extend from the torsion spring in different directions. 
     
     
         15 . The pour assembly of  claim 7  further comprising the rod holder having a hook-like shape.