BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a drinking bottle, more particularly to a drinking bottle including a bottle body and a hollow inner body mounted in the bottle body through a bottom cap.
2. Description of the Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 6,415,264 discloses a thermally-regulated drinking bottle that includes a bottle body having an outer wall portion defining a chamber therein, and an inner wall portion extending from a bottom end of the outer wall portion into the chamber and defining an inner space isolated from the chamber. A plug is fitted sealingly into a bottom open end of the inner wall portion. A coolant can be filled in the inner space in the inner wall portion so as to prolong a chilled temperature of a drinkable liquid in the chamber. Since the inner and outer wall portions are an integral single piece, they cannot be utilized independently.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a drinking bottle that can overcome the aforesaid drawback associated with the prior art.
Accordingly, a drinking bottle of the present invention comprises: a bottle body defining a chamber therein and having a top connecting portion and a bottom connecting portion that defines a bottom opening of the bottle body; a bottom cap coupled detachably to the bottom connecting portion of the bottle body for covering sealingly and uncovering the bottom opening of the bottle body; a hollow inner body disposed in the chamber of the bottle body, defining an inner space therein, and having a top closed end and a bottom connecting portion that defines a bottom opening of the inner body and that is coupled detachably to the bottom cap; and a sealing member coupled detachably to the bottom connecting portion of the inner body for covering sealingly and uncovering the bottom opening of the inner body.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the first preferred embodiment of a drinking bottle according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the first preferred embodiment;
FIG. 3 is a fragmentary exploded perspective view of the first preferred embodiment;
FIG. 4 is a fragmentary, exploded, partly sectional view of the first preferred embodiment;
FIG. 5 is a fragmentary partly sectional view illustrating a state where a valve of the first preferred embodiment is disposed at a closed position;
FIG. 6 is a fragmentary partly sectional view illustrating another state where the valve of the first preferred embodiment is disposed at an opened position; and
FIG. 7 is schematic view of the second preferred embodiment of a drinking bottle according to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Before the present invention is described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying preferred embodiments, it should be noted herein that like elements are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the disclosure.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the first preferred embodiment of a drinking bottle according to the present invention is shown to include: a bottle body 2 defining a chamber 20 therein and having a top connecting portion 25 and a bottom connecting portion 26 that defines a bottom opening 260 of the bottle body 2; a bottom cap 3 coupled detachably to the bottom connecting portion 26 of the bottle body 2 for covering sealingly and uncovering the bottom opening 260 of the bottle body 2; a hollow inner body 4 disposed in the chamber 20 of the bottle body 2, defining an inner space 42 therein, and having a top closed end 414 and a bottom connecting portion 413 that defines a bottom opening 410 (see FIG. 2) of the inner body 4 and that is coupled detachably to the bottom cap 3; and a sealing member 412 coupled detachably to the bottom connecting portion 413 of the inner body 4 for covering sealingly and uncovering the bottom opening 410 of the inner body 4.
In this embodiment, the bottom cap 3 has a circular base wall 31 and a surrounding wall 32 extending axially from a peripheral edge of the base wall 31 and engaging threadedly the bottom connecting portion 26 of the bottle body 2. The bottom cap 3 is formed with an annular wall 34 extending axially from a center of the base wall 31 into the chamber 20 of the bottle body 2 and engaging threadedly the bottom connecting portion 413 of the inner body 4. A sealing O-ring 36 is disposed between and is in sealing contact with the surrounding wall 32 and the bottom connecting portion 26 of the bottle body 2. The sealing member 412 includes a plug 412′ that is fitted sealingly into the bottom connecting portion 413 of the inner body 4.
Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, in combination with FIG. 2, the drinking bottle further includes a top cap 5 coupled detachably to the top connecting portion 25 of the bottle body 2. The top connecting portion 25 of the bottle body 2 has a lower end 251. The bottle body 2 further has an upper portion 24 enlarged in cross-section from the lower end 251 of the top connecting portion 25, and a middle portion 23 extending from the upper portion 24 and cooperating with the upper portion 24 to define a shoulder 230 therebetween. The top cap has a dome-shaped wall 53 formed with a central through-hole 523 (see FIG. 4) and having an inner surface 530 and a lower end 531, an annular connecting wall 51 having a lower end 511, extending from the inner surface 530 of the dome-shaped wall 53, and threadedly engageable with the top connecting portion 25 of the bottle body 2, and an annular central wall 52 extending axially from a periphery of the central through-hole 523 in a direction opposite to the annular connecting wall 51. The dome-shaped wall 53 encloses the top connecting portion 25 and the upper portion 24 of the bottle body 2, and the lower end 531 of the dome-shaped wall 53 abuts against the shoulder 230 (see FIG. 2) when the annular connecting wall 51 of the top cap 5 engages threadedly the top connecting portion 25 of the bottle body 2 and when the lower end 511 of the annular connecting wall 51 is disposed closest to the lower end 251 of the top connecting portion 25.
The drinking bottle further includes a valve-supporting member 50 (see FIG. 3) connected to the inner surface 530 of the dome-shaped wall 53 and having an annular plate 502 disposed coaxially with the annular central wall 52 within the annular connecting wall 51, and a valve 7 including an inner tube 70 extending axially from the annular plate 502 of the valve-supporting member 50 into and through the annular central wall 52 of the top cap 5, and an outer tube 71 fitted into and in sliding contact with the annular central wall 52 of the top cap 5, sleeved around the inner tube 70 to define a fluid channel 74 therebetween, and having a lower end 711. The valve-supporting member 50 further has a pair of supporting arms 501 extending from the inner surface 530 of the dome-shaped wall 53 and connected to the annular plate 502. The outer tube 71 is movable relative to the inner tube 70 between a closed position (see FIG. 5), in which the lower end 711 of the outer tube 71 abuts sealingly against the annular plate 502 of the valve-supporting member 50 so as to prevent fluid communication between the fluid channel 74 and the chamber 20 of the bottle body 2, and an opened position (see FIG. 6), in which the lower end 711 of the outer tube 71 is spaced apart from the annular plate 502 of the valve-supporting member 50 so as to permit fluid communication between the fluid channel 74 and the chamber 20 of the bottle body 2. The lower end 711 of the outer tube 71 is formed with two opposite stopping protrusions 73 protruding therefrom. The stopping protrusions 73 abut against the periphery of the central through-hole 523 (see FIG. 6) when the outer tube 71 is disposed at the opened position, thereby preventing undesired removal of the outer tube 71 from the inner tube 70.
FIG. 7 illustrates the second preferred embodiment of the drinking bottle according to the present invention. The second preferred embodiment differs from the previous embodiment in that the dome-shaped wall 53 of the top cap 5 cooperates with the middle portion 23 of the bottle body 2 to form a soccer-ball-like pattern. Preferably, the bottle body 2 is made from a transparent material so as to exhibit an aesthetic effect.
With the inclusion of the bottom cap 3 and the inner body 4 in the drinking bottle of this invention, the aforesaid drawback can be eliminated.
While the present invention has been described in connection with what are considered the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.
Patent Application
20090039045
