The flow limiting bottle cap relates to closures of beverage containers and more specifically to a cap having a pattern of holes therein reducing turbulent flow of a liquid poured through the cap and dripping from the cap upon ending a pour.
From earliest days, people have needed to quench thirst. After drinking and collecting water from surface locations, people developed containers of various kinds. The containers generally had one opening for filling and drinking of fluids within the container.
One such container includes the one gallon milk jug commonly used in homes nationwide. This jug has a rectangular base with rounded corners and then a somewhat rounded three sided pyramidal top portion. Opposite the top portion, a handle allows a person to grip the container. The handle and top portion join at a shoulder denoting the uppermost and narrowest portion of the container. The shoulder has a generally smooth, partially spherical form with the remainder of the container locating beneath it. The shoulder has a neck with an opening therethrough and threading upon the exterior of the neck for receiving a cap.
The inventor has experienced and witnessed over the years, that when pouring a liquid from the typical milk jug, the milk has gushed outwardly in a wide, single stream. Quick holders of a milk jug detect the onset of a milk gusher and correct the angle of pour in time. However, others suffer a preventable spill of milk.
Other containers, such as water bottles, often have a push pull type cap. This cap provides an aperture, sometimes a ring shape, that causes a single stream of fluid to exit a container. A user may compress the container to accelerate the stream. However, these push pull caps permit a gush of fluid to exit the container with the risk of spillage for the unwary.
Other devices have sought to regulate the flow of fluid through a cap upon a container, generally for beverages. The Japanese patent to Omi, No. 10-167309, describes a push/pull type cap with an over cap extending from a composite cap that mounts to the mouth of a container. Omi describes a ceiling wall that retains fluid within the container. The ceiling wall has polygonal scoring, here octagonal. A breaking protrusion from the over cap breaks the scoring, into triangular shaped pieces that deflect like a hinge. The triangular shaped pieces provide additional edges that must be sealed to prevent leaks. The breaking protrusion enters the composite cap when the cap is closed and when the cap opens in the second position, fluid is removed from the cap. The remaining piece 10c serves as a hinged flap in regulating the flow of fluid through the cap. The remaining pieces attain a flat orientation with the breaking protrusion removed.
On the other hand, the present invention has a membrane with a central orifice that admits fluids therethrough. The orifice remains open in the absence of the truncated cone. The round orifice has the minimum perimeter for a given surface area thus minimizing the risk of leaks. The orifice becomes closed as the truncated cone fits into it. The orifice retains its round shape as the truncated cone stretches the membrane slightly. The membrane generally retains its planar orientation and does not have hinged parts or subparts that move under the action of the truncated cone.
The present invention overcomes the difficulties of the prior art as described above. That is, the prior art has a push pull cap with a central orifice. The prior art orifice has a hexagonal outer perimeter and triangular shaped pieces as hinged flaps. The central orifice allows for continuous flow from a round opening. The present invention though reduces the onset of a sudden gush of fluid poured from a container regardless of the angle of the container. This invention operates upon milk, juice, water based beverages, and alcoholic beverages. Though containers for beverages are described, containers of other fluids where a gush of fluid causes difficulties are also foreseen.
Generally, the present invention is a two-piece bottle cap designed to fit a milk or other beverage container. The cap includes two portions and easily attaches upon the existing external threads of the container. The cap has a quick sealing feature from a truncated conical member inserted into a circular hole in a semi-flexible membrane. More particularly, the cap has its upper member with a plurality of conically shaped holes therein where the holes produce a laminar produce a laminar flow of fluid outwardly from the beverage container when tipped. The holes also have an edge condition that ceases flow of fluid promptly as the container moves into an upright orientation.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood and that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. The present invention also includes usage upon watering cans, a pattern of conically shaped holes guiding the flow of fluid through the cap, and a plunger seating in the orifice blocking flow out of the cap during non-usage. Additional features of the invention will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims attached.
Numerous objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description of the presently preferred, but nonetheless illustrative, embodiment of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Before explaining the current embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
One object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved flow limiting bottle cap.
Another object is to provide such a cap that provides for a constant flow through the cap regardless of the angle of the fluid container to which the cap connects.
Another object is to provide such a cap that provides for laminar flow of fluid through the cap during pouring from the fluid container having the cap.
Another object is to provide such a cap that provides for ceasing of fluid flow through the cap upon righting of a fluid container having the cap as in after pouring.
Another object is to provide such a cap that has a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly then has a low sale price to the milk packagers and then to the consuming public.
The above and further objects and novel features of the invention will be more fully apparent from the following detailed description when the same is read in connection with the accompanying drawings.
These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty that characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there is illustrated a preferred embodiment of the invention.
In referring to the drawings,
The same reference numerals refer to the same parts throughout the various figures.
The present invention overcomes the prior art limitations and provides a flow limiting bottle cap for use upon beverage containers, primarily milk jugs.
The cap has a lower portion 30 and a concentric upper portion 31. The lower portion engages the neck 10a of the container and the upper portion allows for opening the cap and passage of fluid therethrough. The upper portion is generally outwardly from the lower portion. The lower portion is generally cylindrical with a continuous raised first rib 1 molded into the perimeter. The rib extends outwardly and generally has a semi-circular cross section. Above the raised rib, the lower portion has an upper edge 3 upon the perimeter also extending outwardly. As shown in the detail, the upper edge may have a generally trapezoidal cross section. Generally below the first rib 1 and within the lower portion, the cap has a membrane 16. The membrane extends inwardly from the perimeter and has a central round orifice 8. The membrane is generally semi-rigid and continuous around the inside of the lower portion and has a slight angle towards the lower portion. Beneath the membrane, the lower portion has internal threading, as at 9, that cooperates with the external threads 10b upon the neck 10a of the container. Upon the outer perimeter of the lower portion and generally outside the threads, the lower portion has a pattern of knurling, here shown as vertical lines 7, that aids a user in rotating the cap onto the neck.
The upper portion 31 also has a generally hollow cylindrical shape but with one end closed. Upon the perimeter of the upper portion, the upper portion has a second rib 2 having a semi-circular cross section and generally extending inwardly. The second rib abuts the upper edge 3 when the cap is in an opened position and abuts the first rib 1 when the cap is in a closed position as later described. The second rib extends from the lower edge of a wall 27 generally in cylindrical form. The wall extends away from the upper edge to the plate 12. The plate spans across the width of the upper portion 31. Depending from the center of the plate, the plunger 4 extends beyond the height of the upper portion 31 towards the lower portion. The plunger generally fits snugly within the orifice 8 of the membrane 16 when the cap is in the closed position. The snug fit of the plunger 4 into the orifice 8 prevents fluid from exiting the cap of the invention. The wall 27 generally is perpendicular to the plane of the plate. Upon the outside of the wall proximate the plate, the upper portion 31 has a knurling pattern here shown as 5 in a diamond pattern that aids a person in gripping the upper portion during rotation.
The cap occupies the closed position shown in
Another sealing feature takes place when the cap opens as in
To begin usage of the invention, referring to
Then during usage of the container having the invention installed, the user can turn the cap, particularly the upper portion 31 as need. If the upper portion of the invention is in the open, or pouring configuration, as in
where di is the hole 23 diameter, do is the orifice 26 diameter, a is the desired area ratio of di to do and N is the number of holes.
Turning to an alternate embodiment,
Viewing the plate 12 more closely,
When using the cap including the alternate embodiment, a user views the upper surface 12a of the plate 12 as shown in
From the aforementioned description, a flow limiting bottle cap has been described. The cap is uniquely capable of regulating the flow of a poured fluid from a beverage container to avoid an abrupt gush of fluid. Though milk and juice containers have been described, the present invention also may apply to watering cans, pesticide sprayers, other gardening applicators, paint spraying, and the like liquid dispensers. The cap and its various components may be manufactured from many materials, including but not limited to, polymers, high density polyethylene, polypropylene, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, their alloys, and composites. The material used to produce the cap is preferably high quality, semi-flexible, colored plastic. The preferred cap then undergoes injection molding in a steel die for its manufacturing.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. Therefore, the claims include such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and the scope of the present invention.
This non-provisional application is filed as a continuation in part of the non-provisional application Ser. No. 12/154,925 with a filing date of May 28, 2008 now abandoned which was filed as a response to a petition to revive application Ser. No. 09/288,739 and claims priority to the continuation in part application Ser. No. 09/288,739 filed Apr. 7, 1999 now abandoned under petition for revival, which claims priority to the continuation in part application Ser. No. 09/284,345 filed Apr. 14, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,129,295, and the continuation in part application Ser. No. 09/537,163 filed Mar. 27, 2000 which has been merged into the continuation in part application Ser. No. 09/288,739 which claims priority to the non-provisional application Ser. No. 09/034,757 filed Mar. 4, 1998, now abandoned and this non-provisional application claims priority to the non-provisional application Ser. No. 11/402,673 filed Apr. 13, 2006, now abandoned.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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3834596 | Brady et al. | Sep 1974 | A |
5810185 | Groesbeck | Sep 1998 | A |
7316067 | Blakey | Jan 2008 | B2 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20110215066 A1 | Sep 2011 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 12154925 | May 2008 | US |
Child | 13109220 | US | |
Parent | 09288739 | Apr 1999 | US |
Child | 12154925 | US | |
Parent | 09284345 | Apr 1999 | US |
Child | 09288739 | US |