Addition of powdered supplements to a beverage container is becoming increasingly popular. For example, powdered supplements may be stored in an assembly which is fitted to the neck of the container, to release the supplement into a container of water, to be consumed by the user. The assemblies can be expensive to manufacture, and typically are designed to fit a specific container size.
In one embodiment, there is a dispensing cap system for dispensing a supplement material through a bottle neck opening and into the bottle. The system may include the cap system along with the bottle, or just the cap system. The system may also be combined with supplement stored therein or without supplement therein to be filled later by a user.
An exemplary embodiment includes the cap member, which is configured with circumferentially arranged fingers at a lower end for connection to beverage bottle necks of different sizes, e.g., by engaging threads on the bottle neck. A seal member preferably of rubber is arranged to provide a liquid seal against the bottle's mouth or neck opening, and to fit inside the member. The cap member also has a storage member connected to it, and/or forms or is part of a storage compartment, where the supplement may be kept until use.
The cap system also includes a nipple for drinking liquid from the bottle, the nipple being of similar configuration to a standard water bottle or sports bottle nipple. There is also a valve member, preferably cylindrical and hollow, having an upper portion preferably inside the nipple, and a lower portion with an opening or openings for communicating the storage compartment and thus the supplement with contents of the bottle. The valve passes through the storage member or compartment which is positioned around the valve, and is configured for movement between a storage position and a dispensing position, in which passage is permitted of the supplement material from the storage member into the bottle for mixing with the bottle's contents. The valve is preferably normally closed, i.e., normally in the storage position, and preferably actuated by pressing down on the nipple until the valve's opening or openings are registered with the storage compartment, i.e., the dispensing position. The bottle may then be shaken to mix the liquid and supplement, and then the user may move the nipple fully upward to a drinking position.
Features and advantages of the disclosure will readily be appreciated by persons skilled in the art from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the drawing wherein:
In the following detailed description and in the several figures of the drawing, like elements are identified with like reference numerals.
One exemplary embodiment is directed to a bottle cap assembly, configured to fit beverage bottles of different neck dimensions, and to dispense a liquid or solid additive such as a nutritional supplement into the bottle contents. For example, the bottle cap assembly may be configured to fit onto both an Evian® water bottle of a relatively larger neck size and an Arrowhead® water bottle with a somewhat smaller neck size. In another embodiment, the bottle cap assembly is configured to fit onto at least three water bottles of different sizes. These exemplary embodiments includes a valve which the user pushes or pulls to release a supplement in powdered or liquid form into the bottle contents, and also remains in place for the user to drink through. The valve also closes and opens to allow the user to seal the bottle or drink from the bottle. Once the bottle contents have been consumed, the bottle cap is typically not re-used, in an exemplary embodiment. However, it could be cleaned and re-used, if desired.
The cap member 60 may be fabricated of a plastic material such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polysterene, styrene, ABS, Delrin™ or Nylon™, and the finger portions are thin and have some flexibility. The cap member and the length of the finger portions is sized so that the tips of the finger portions may flex outwardly as the cap member is pushed onto the neck 12 of the bottle, and the barb portions engage under the flange 20 extending from the bottle neck. The cap member further includes a circumferential vertical rib 68 extending upwardly from the web portion 64, of a smaller diameter than the diameter of the web portion, to provide an attach feature for attaching structure 80, described below. In this embodiment, cap member 60 includes a connection structure for non-threading connection of the cap system to a beverage bottle, by engagement with the bottle flange or collar. In this embodiment, the connection structure includes the finger portions and the barb portions. This type of connection structure does not have to match the threads of the bottle neck, which may vary with different beverage vendors and/or bottle types. The number of finger portions may vary in other embodiments. For example, fewer and relatively more rigid finger portions may be used. In other embodiments, the connection structure may include finger portions with barbs or teeth which engage the threads on bottle neck by sliding over some or all the threads as the cap system is pushed onto the bottle neck, and locking in place without rotationally being threaded onto the threads of the bottle. A small or slight turn of the cap system when the barbs slide of the threads of the bottle neck may help secure the cap system and limit any play in the combination of the cap system and bottle.
The cap system also includes a seal member 70, shown for clarity in
A supplement storage member 80 is configured for attachment to web portion of the cap member, and, as will be described more fully below, defines the outer periphery of a storage volume for a quantity of a supplement in granular, powder or liquid form. The storage member in this embodiment is a generally cup-like member, with a generally cylindrical sidewall portion 82 and a web portion 84 having an opening 86 formed therein. The storage member 80 may be fabricated of a semi-transparent or transparent plastic material such as, by way of example only, styrene, and is configured for attachment to the cap member by snap fit, adhesive, welding or other connection method. For example, the cap 60 top web surface may have a peripheral ridge with groove extending above the web portion 64, which may be engaged in a snap fit by an inwardly extending corresponding feature on the bottom of the wall portion 82.
The dispensing cap system 50 further includes a shuttle valve member 90 having a hollow generally cylindrical wall portion 92, and a top web portion 94 at one end thereof which extends across the end of the wall portion. A bottom flange 92B is formed at the distal end of the wall portion, and has an outer diameter larger than the diameter of the opening in the storage member 80. A tip 96 of reduced diameter relative to the wall portion 92 extends above the surface of the web portion 94. The sidewall of the tip has several ports 96A formed therein, and permit the beverage to pass through from the bottle when the valve is in an open position. The diameter of the wall portion 92 is sized in cooperation with the diameter of the opening 86 in the storage member, so that the cylindrical wall portion tightly fits within the opening in a sliding or even interference fit.
A nipple member 100 is sized to fit over the shuttle valve. The shuttle valve has a range of sliding movement within the storage member, and the nipple has a range of sliding movement on the shuttle valve, such that, when the nipple is in a closed position as in
Still referring to
The seal member 70 includes a center opening 72 through which the bottle contents may pass, and a generally flat upper surface 74. The outer periphery of the seal includes a downwardly extending peripheral wall 76. The lower surface of the seal defines a tapered surface 78 defining a partial conical seal surface which may be contacted by the bottle neck lip when the cap system is attached to the bottle neck. The conical seal surface has sufficient width relative to the bottle opening to seal a range of neck sizes, and also provide some adjustment to differences in the distance between the bottle neck flange and the top of the neck.
An exemplary embodiment of a bottle cap dispensing system may accommodate bottle necks of different dimensions, so that one cap dispensing system can be used with several bottle sizes, e.g. with different neck heights (flange to neck opening), and various bottle neck opening diameters. Exemplary ranges are from 5 mm to 25 mm (neck height range) and 18 mm to 30 mm (diameter range of bottle neck openings). A typical diameter range is from 26.5 mm to 28 mm.
An alternate embodiment of a dispensing cap system 50′ is illustrated in
The embodiment 50′ of
Use of the intermediate barb portions 62B with the tip barb portions 62A enables the bottle cap assembly 50′ to accommodate even more variations in the bottle neck. For bottle necks with relatively smaller distances from the bottle opening surface against which the bottle cap assembly will seal to the bottle neck flange, the intermediate barb portions 62B may engage the flange to hold the cap assembly in place. For other bottle necks with relatively larger flange distances, the barb tip portions may engage the flange to hold the cap assembly in place.
The versatility of the bottle cap assembly 50′ in accommodating bottle necks of different neck opening sizes and flange dimensions is illustrated in the cutaway views of
In the embodiment 50′, the cap member is provided with two barb positions relative to the bottle neck opening 14, i.e. the barb position of tip portion 62A and the barb position of intermediate barb portion 62B. In other embodiments, more than two barb portions positions may be provided, either on each finger portions or at staggered finger portions. This may provide a single bottle cap assembly configuration to accommodate more than two or three different bottle sizes. The bottle sizes are typically determined by a drink manufacturer, say a bottled water purveyor, sports drink purveyor or other drink vendor. Providing flexibility in the dispensing cap assembly to accommodate multiple bottle types provides the advantage of reducing the number of different types of dispensing cap assemblies needed to fit to the multiple bottle types.
In another embodiment shown in
Nipple 200 is the same or similar to nipple 100 and other nipples in the previous embodiments. It is sized to fit over shuttle valve 190. Around nipple 200 is a nipple seat and storage compartment member 210. This storage compartment member 210 is preferably of a rigid plastic, such as other rigid plastic members disclosed herein. The nipple at its lower end preferably has a rib that mates with a rib of the storage compartment member 210 to limit the upward movement of the nipple, or by other means that are well known in the art for sports bottle type nipples.
Storage compartment member 210 has a hollow circumferential section 220 open at its lower end for mating with an upper portion of a cap member 160 thereby forming a storage compartment 220A for supplement. The storage compartment member 210 has two opposing curved indentations 210A so that even when the nipple 200 is in the downmost position (e.g., as shown in
In this embodiment, there is a cap member 160 that functions the same or similar to the cap member 60 and other cap members of the prior embodiments. Generally, cap member 160 has a lower portion with a plurality of finger portions 162 projecting from a web portion 164. The finger portions 162 are the same or substantially the same as in the prior embodiments, and preferably as depicted here with two barbs or tabs that operate the same as in the prior embodiments, forming an attach portion for attaching the cap system and in particular the cap member to the bottle. The web portion has a hollow upwardly projecting ring portion 166, i.e. projecting above the web portion away from the finger portions. The ring portion 166 has a plurality of spaced dispensing openings 166A formed between adjacent posts 166B, and these openings will allow the supplement material to pass through when the shuttle valve member openings 190A are aligned with the these openings 166A of the storage chamber, as described more fully below with reference to
The cap member 160 further includes an outer circumferential surface 164A and a circumferential vertical wall 164B extending upwardly from the web portion 164 and together defining the outer circumferential surface 164A. Surface 164A receives a bottom circumferential edge of the storage compartment member 210. The storage compartment member 210 has an inwardly projecting circumferential rib 220B that snap fits over and mates with an outwardly projecting circumferential rib 164C from wall 164B, the rib 164C being of slightly greater diameter than that of rib 220B, thereby providing an attach feature of the storage compartment member 210 to the cap member.
The cap system also includes a seal member assembly 170 that fits into cap member 160, i.e., sized to fit snugly within a barrel of the cap member formed by the fingers and pressed upwardly against an underside of the web portion 164 of the cap member. The seal member assembly is preferably two members, a seal member 172 and a rigid member 174. The seal member 172 is resilient and preferably fabricated of an elastomeric material, such as, by way of example only, thermoplastic rubber (TPR) (molded rubber), SBR, neoprene rubber, or closed cell foam, and has a center opening configured for concentricity with the opening through the boss. The rigid member 174 is preferably a rigid plastic of a type disclosed herein or other type of rigid member.
The rigid member 174 has upper tabs 174A that engage slots 172A of the seal member 172 and an upper interior substantially annular surface 174B that receives a corresponding annular downwardly depending tab 172B of the seal member 172. The seal member assembly 170 includes a center opening through which the bottle contents may pass, and a generally flat upper surface 74.
The outer periphery of the seal member 172 includes a downwardly extending peripheral wall 172E that also extends or tapers outwardly, and even more so at its lower and outermost portion 172F to frictionally engage the inner portion of the web member barrel, e.g., as shown in
The web portion 164 has an opening or openings 164D through which supplement can be inserted into the chamber. The chamber could also be filled in advance, prior to assembly, then snapped on to the cap member at the web portion, in which case the openings 164D would not be needed but could still be present. The member 210 may be fabricated of a semi-transparent or transparent plastic material such as, by way of example only, styrene, and is configured for attachment to the cap member by snap fit mentioned above, although adhesive, welding or other connection method could be used. As noted elsewhere herein, single use is preferred for the cap system, although multiple use is possible. Shipment with the chamber filled, or subsequent filling by the user are possible.
The dispensing cap system 150 further includes the shuttle valve member 190 having a hollow generally cylindrical wall portion 192, and a top web portion 194 at one end thereof which extends across the end of the wall portion and is for mating with the nipple when the nipple is closed to flow of liquid. A bottom of the shuttle valve has tabs or fingers 190B that have a gripping projection 190C at their ends. The gripping portions engage a bottom inner annular portion 174C of the rigid member 174 of the seal assembly to hold the shuttle valve 190 securely in the open position as best shown in
A tip 196 of reduced diameter relative to the wall portion 192 extends above the surface of the web portion 194. The sidewall of the tip has several ports (e.g., such as shown as 96A in earlier embodiments) formed therein, and permit the beverage to pass through from the bottle when the valve is in an open position. The diameter of the wall portion 192 is sized in cooperation with the diameter of the opening in the storage member, so that the cylindrical wall portion tightly but slidably fits within the opening.
The shuttle valve has a range of sliding movement within the storage member, and the nipple has a range of sliding movement on the shuttle valve, such that, when the nipple and shuttle valve are in a closed position as in
In the shipping or storage state of
When the system 150 is installed on a bottle such as bottle 10, the nipple 200 and shuttle valve 190 may be pressed down by the user, resulting in the tabs 190D passing downward below the annular portion 174C and engaging the lower surface of the annular portion. This communicates the openings 190A in the shuttle valve with the openings 166 in the web portion and allows supplement to mix with liquid from the bottle. There is an annular gap between the openings 190A and openings 166 so that actual alignment of the openings 190A with openings 166 is not necessary for the system to operate, although alignment would be preferred. The user shakes the bottle until a good mix is achieved. The openings 190A positively stay in communication with the openings 166, thus allowing complete mixing.
This application is a CIP of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/789,861, filed May 28, 2010, and which is incorporated by reference herein.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 12789861 | May 2010 | US |
Child | 12983813 | US |