Patent Application
20250074647
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The disclosure relates to containers and more particularly pertains to a new container for removing a cap of another identical container.
The prior art describes containers which include integral cap removal structures. However, the prior art fails to disclose such a container in which the cap removal structure is shaped to twist a cap off of another identical container. The prior art also fails to disclose a container in which the cap removal structure contains a leveraging means for lifting the cap off of the other container wherein the leveraging means surrounds the other container to apply a leveraging force over a majority of a bottom edge of the cap.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a vessel defining an interior space therein and having a rim positioned on a top side of the vessel which defines an opening to the interior space. A cap is removably couplable to the rim of the vessel to close the opening. The cap has a top wall and a perimeter wall, wherein the perimeter wall is coupled to and extends away from the top wall. The perimeter wall surrounds the rim when the cap is coupled to the rim. The vessel defines a notch extending upwardly into a bottom surface of the vessel. The notch is shaped such that the notch is configured to receive another cap identical in size and shape to the cap. The notch is also shaped such that the vessel is configured to engage the other cap when the other cap is positioned in the notch to remove the other cap from another vessel.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
The vessel 12 defines a notch 20 which extends upwardly into a bottom surface 22 of the vessel 12. The notch 20 is shaped such that the notch 20 is configured to receive another cap 30 identical in size and shape to the cap 30. The notch 20 is also shaped such that the vessel 12 is configured to engage the other cap 30 when the other cap 30 is positioned in the notch 20 to remove the other cap 30 from another vessel 12. The vessel 12 may be formed of glass, metal, polymer, or the like.
In a first embodiment, the cap 30 has interior threads (not shown) which engage exterior threads 19 of the vessel 12 when the cap 30 is coupled to the vessel 12. The container 10 further comprises a plurality of teeth 23 which are coupled to the vessel 12 and extend into the notch 20. The plurality of teeth 23 is positioned such that the plurality of teeth 23 is configured to engage a perimeter wall 34 of the other cap 30 and the vessel 12 is rotatable to twist the other cap 30 off of the other vessel 12. The teeth 23 of the plurality of teeth 23 are spaced such that the plurality of teeth 23 is configured to be positioned in alternating fashion with a plurality of fins 36 of the other cap 30 when the notch 20 receives the other cap 30. The plurality of teeth 23 is integrally formed with the vessel 12.
In a second embodiment, the notch 20 defines a recessed surface 24 of the vessel 12 which extends at an acute angle to the bottom surface 22 of the vessel 12. The vessel 12 has a ledge 26 which extends into the notch 20 and has an edge engagement surface 28 which faces the recessed surface 24. The edge engagement surface 28 is configured to be urged against a free edge of the perimeter wall 34 of the other cap 30 to remove the other cap 30 from the other vessel 12. The ledge 26 has a U-shape such that the ledge 26 is configured to extend around the other vessel 12 below the other cap 30. The ledge 26 also has a pair of tapered ends 27 such that the ledge 26 is configured to facilitate guiding the other vessel 12 into the notch 20.
In use, two containers are used in conjunction with each other. The vessel of the first container receives the cap of the second container into the notch and is urged against the cap of the second container to remove the cap of the second container off the vessel of the second container. The same can be done to the cap of the first container by the vessel of the second container.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
