Patent Application
20190055060
The present invention relates to the field of water bottles. More specifically, the present invention relates to a reinforced glass water bottle with a silicone sleeve and cap that does not have a plastic part touching the liquid in the bottle.
Glass bottles have gradually garnered more popularity over the last decade due to increasing concerns over the health risks of plastic water bottles. At least two factors, however, weigh heavily against using glass bottles. One factor is the fragility of glass another factor is the lack of reliable non-plastic sealers used for the caps of glass bottles.
Glass is naturally easy to shatter when falls from table height, resulting in shards, glass pieces, which often need to be carefully cleaned up. Consumers naturally feel reluctant to carry glass bottles with them in workplaces, classrooms, or other public areas. As for a liquid tight cap for glass bottles, most manufacturers use plastic pieces as the sealer, defeating the purpose of choosing glass bottles over plastic ones.
Therefore, there is a recognized need in the art for a glass bottle that is reinforced to minimize fragility. Particularly, the previous art is deficient in this aspect. The present invention fulfills this long-standing need and desire in the art.
The present invention is directed to a water bottle. The water bottle comprises a glass body portion, a bottle mouth, a base, a sleeve, and a cap. The bottle mouth has exterior threads disposed thereon formed at a proximal end of the glass body portion. The base is formed at a distal end of the glass body portion and the sleeve is removably fitted around an outer surface of the glass body portion and the base. The cap is removably securable around the mouth of the glass bottle body. The cap comprises a cap body with threads interiorally disposed thereon engageable with the exterior threads on the bottle mouth. A stopper is interiorally disposed in the cap body with dimensions configured to stop the bottle mouth and a gasket is disposed inside the cap between an inner surface of the cap body and an outer surface of the stopper. A finger ring is formed on an outer surface of the cap body. The present invention is directed to a related water bottle where the base further comprises a reinforcing rib disposed thereon.
The present invention also is directed to a reinforced water bottle. The reinforced water bottle comprises a borosilicate glass body, a silicone sleeve with a phosphorescent material coated thereon and a cap removable fitted around an outer surface of the borosilicate glass body. The borosilicate glass body comprises a body portion with a substantially cylindrical shape; a mouth portion formed at a proximal end of the body portion; and a base formed on a distal end of the body portion. The silicone sleeve comprises a sleeve portion and a sleeve base portion removably fitted around an outer surface of the borosilicate glass body. The cap comprises a cap body with a stainless steel stopper disposed therein such that both the cap body and the stainless stopper are engageable with the mouth portion of the borosilicate glass body and a gasket disposed between an inner surface of the cap body and an outer surface of the stainless steel stopper. A finger ring is formed on an outer surface of the cap body. The present invention is directed to a related reinforced water bottle where the base further comprises a reinforcing rib disposed thereon.
Other and further aspects, features, benefits, and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of the presently preferred embodiments of the invention given for the purpose of disclosure.
So that the matter in which the above-recited features, advantages and objects of the invention, as well as others which will become clear, are attained and can be understood in detail, more particular descriptions and certain embodiments of the invention briefly summarized above are illustrated in the appended drawings. These drawings form a part of the specification. It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention and therefore are not to be considered limiting in their scope.
As used herein, the following terms and phrases shall have the meanings set forth below. Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood to one of ordinary skill in the art.
As used herein, the term, “a” or “an” may mean one or more. As used herein in the claim(s), when used in conjunction with the word “comprising”, the words “a” or “an” may mean one or more than one. As used herein “another” or “other” may mean at least a second or more of the same or different claim element or components thereof. The terms “comprise” and “comprising” are used in the inclusive, open sense, meaning that additional elements may be included.
As used herein, the term “or” in the claims refers to “and/or” unless explicitly indicated to refer to alternatives only or the alternatives are mutually exclusive, although the disclosure supports a definition that refers to only alternatives and “and/or”.
As used herein, the term “about” refers to a numeric value, including, for example, whole numbers, fractions, and percentages, whether or not explicitly indicated. The term “about” generally refers to a range of numerical values (e.g., +/−5-10% of the recited value) that one of ordinary skill in the art would consider equivalent to the recited value (e.g., having the same function or result). In some instances, the term “about” may include numerical values that are rounded to the nearest significant figure.
As used herein, the term “proximal end” refers to an end that is toward the mouth of the glass bottle and the term “distal end” refers to an end that is away from the mouth of the glass bottle or water bottle.
As used herein, the term “polymer” refers to a substance (or a mixture of substances) that includes a set of macromolecules. Macromolecules included in a polymer can be the same or can differ from one another in some fashion. The term “polymer” also can include silicon polymers such as, but not limited to, polysiloxanes, for example, polydiphenylsiloxane and and polydimethylsiloxane.
As used herein, the term “plastic” refers to any synthetic or organic material that can be molded or shaped, generally when heated, and then hardened into a desired form including, but not limited to, polymer, resin, and cellulose derivative. Examples of plastics include polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polycarbonate, polyvinylchloride, high density polyethylene (HDPE) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
As used herein, the term “color” refers to any color of the color spectrum, including fluorescent or phosphorescent colors.
As used herein the term “glowing material” refers to biosafe phosphorescent or afterglow materials or components of materials that glow in the dark after exposure to light. For example, phosphorescent paint made from phosphors such as silver-activated zinc sulfide or doped strontium aluminate.
In one embodiment there is provided a water bottle, comprising a glass body portion; a bottle mouth with exterior threads disposed thereon formed at a proximal end of the glass body portion; a base formed at a distal end of the glass body portion; a sleeve removably fitted around an outer surface of the glass body portion and the base; and a cap removably securable around the mouth of the glass bottle body, comprising a cap body with threads interiorally disposed thereon engageable with the exterior threads on the bottle mouth; a stopper interiorally disposed in the cap body with dimensions configured to stop the bottle mouth; a gasket disposed inside the cap between an inner surface of the cap body and an outer surface of the stopper; and a finger ring formed on an outer surface of the cap body. Further to this embodiment, the sleeve may comprise a supporting layer disposed along an inner surface of a sleeve portion of the sleeve, supporting ribs disposed along an inner surface of a sleeve base on the sleeve or a combination thereof.
In all embodiments, the glass bottle body may comprise a borosilicate glass, a high silicate glass, a soda-lime glass, an aminosilicate glass, a crystal glass, or an alkali silicate glass. In all embodiments, the sleeve may comprise a rubber material, a carbon fiber, a silicone, a natural plant fiber, a fabric rope material, cotton, silk, or a polymer or a combination thereof. In addition, the sleeve or the cap or a combination thereof may comprise a phosphorescent material, a transparent material or a colored material. The stopper within the cap may comprise stainless steel, a plastic, a glass rubber, wood, a carbon fiber, or a polymer. Further still, the gasket may comprise a silicone.
In one aspect the glass body portion may have a cylindrical shape, a square shape, a rectangular shape, an arched rectangular shape, a hexagonal shape, or is jar shaped. The glass body portion may have a thickness of about 3.5 mm to about 4.0 mm and the base may have a thickness of about 5 mm to about 10 mm along an outer circumference thereof.
In another aspect, the sleeve may comprise a plurality of openings disposed therethrough. In this aspect the sleeve may have a grid-like structure comprising a plurality of substantially square openings disposed therethrough. The sleeve may comprise a sleeve portion having a thickness of about 3 mm and a sleeve base portion having a thickness of about 5 mm. In addition, the sleeve base portion may comprise a substantially circular opening or a substantially polygonal shaped opening centrally disposed through a bottom surface thereof.
In another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a reinforced water bottle comprising a borosilicate glass body comprising a body portion with a substantially cylindrical shape; a mouth portion formed at a proximal end of the body portion; and a base formed on a distal end of the body portion; a silicone sleeve with a phosphorescent material coated thereon comprising a sleeve portion and a sleeve base portion removably fitted around an outer surface of the borosilicate glass body; and a cap removably securable to the borosilicate glass body, comprising a cap body with a stainless steel stopper disposed therein such that both the cap body and the stainless stopper are engageable with the mouth portion of the borosilicate glass body; a gasket disposed between an inner surface of the cap body and an outer surface of the stainless steel stopper; and a finger ring formed on an outer surface of the cap body. Further to this embodiment, silicone sleeve may comprise a supporting layer disposed along an inner surface of the sleeve portion or supporting ribs disposed along an inner surface of the sleeve base portion or a combination thereof.
In all embodiments, the body portion of the borosilicate glass body may have a thickness of about 3.5 mm to about 4.0 mm and the base of the borosilicate glass body may have a thickness of about 10 mm along an exterior circumference thereof. In all embodiments the gasket may comprise a silicone.
In all embodiments, the silicone sleeve may have a grid-like structure comprising a plurality of openings disposed therethrough. In addition, the sleeve portion of the silicon sleeve may have a thickness of about 3 mm and the sleeve base portion may have a thickness of about 5 mm. In addition, the silicone sleeve may comprise a substantially circular opening centrally disposed through a bottom surface of the sleeve base portion. Furthermore, the silicone sleeve may be coated with a phosphorescent paint.
Provided herein are water bottles or reinforced water bottles that comprise reinforced glass bodies, sleeves and liquid-tight caps. The water bottle and sleeve configuration or design improves or enhances its ability to withstand damage when falling from at least a table height. It is to be noted that while the glass bottles may be identified as water bottles, the bottles may be used for any liquid for human consumption. In addition, it is contemplated that the glass bottles may be adapted for mixing or dissolving powders into a liquid. For example, the bottle may comprise a sieve or sieve-like structure or configuration inside the body to aid in keeping a powder from clumping during mixing with a liquid.
The glass bodies or reinforced glass bodies of the bottles described herein may comprise a borosilicate glass, high silicate glass, a soda-lime glass, aluminosilicate glass, crystal glass or an alkali silicate glass or other glass useful in bottles. Particularly, the vertical body portion or tube portion of the glass bottles described herein have a thickness of about 3.5 mm to about 4.0 mm which is atypical for, for example, borosilicate glass bottles known in the art. Generally, a typical borosilicate glass bottle has a 2 to 3 mm tube wall thickness. Also, the glass bottles and reinforced glass bottles provided herein may have, for example, a borosilicate base of variable thickness, such as about 3 mm to about 10 mm in contrast to typical borosilicate bottle base thicknesses from 1 mm to 3 mm. In addition, the glass bottle or reinforced glass bottle bases may comprise a reinforcing rib disposed thereon to further enhance the ability to withstand damaging forces. Furthermore, the sleeve in addition to providing a cushion for the glass bottle enables a user to better grip the bottle.
Moreover, the design of the glass bottles and reinforced glass bottles provided herein utilizes optimal dimensions and/or proportions that accommodate manufacturing limitations particularly in the design and manufacture of a silicon sleeve. For example, the increased thickness in a borosilicate glass bottle requires additional annealing time and at a higher temperature than would be expected, due to the thicker base.
Particularly, in a silicon sleeve, the silicon sleeve base cannot be significantly thicker than the sleeve or tube portion or vertical portion of the sleeve. Due to the baking time of the silicone sleeve, if the sleeve portion is significantly or substantially thinner than the sleeve base or sleeve base portion, the silicone is overcooked and unusable. Similarly, if the base is too thick, the silicone of the sleeve portion is properly manufactured while the thicker base remains deformed or underbaked. An optimal proportion of the sleeve base to sleeve portion thickness is achieved herein. Furthermore, the thicker a manufactured silicone is, the more inferior the manufacturing quality is, due to air bubbles forming inside the silicone sleeve during formation, thus shortening the life and usability of the sleeve.
In addition, the inner surface of the sleeve which comes into contact with the glass is condensation cured more than the outer surface by using an additional condensation catalyst and silanes. This additional step creates a tack-free surface on the inner sleeve surface that enables easier and faster removal of the sleeve, such as when washing the bottle, while retaining a slightly tackier outer surface for the user to better grip the bottle, making it more difficult to drop and thus shatter.
The glass bottles and reinforced glass bottle may comprise safety features. For example, the sleeve may comprise a material or glowing material that phosphoresces or glows in the dark, such as a phosphorescent paint, to allow for easy use during evenings or in the dark. This is especially important to users, as many individuals place bottles or glasses of water at their bedside at night and one of the hazards of using glass in the dark is that it is more susceptible to breakage due to decreased visibility and typical fatigue exhibited by an individual waking up during mid-sleep. This problem is resolved because the phosphorescent sleeve may have a sustained glow that lasts up to 12 hours after exposure to light. In addition, the glow in the dark feature is useful for other activities that take place in the dark, such as, outdoor activities, for example, camping, night hiking, night skiing, watching astronomical events like meteor showers, etc. The sleeve provides insulation to keep the liquid hot or cold for a longer period of time than without the sleeve.
Generally, the cap is configured so that a stopper and gasket combination seal the mouth when the cap is secured to the bottle and prevents spillage should the bottle be dropped or knocked over. In addition, the sleeve may comprise openings which enable a user to observe and visually measure how much liquid is drunk throughout the day or over any given time period of interest. As such, the silicone sleeve or glass bottle may comprise volume markings to enable the user to more accurately measure daily volume of a liquid, such as water, consumed. This is beneficial when a record must be kept for health-related purposes. In alternative embodiments the cap may be a flip-type cap that is secured to the bottle such that when the cap is flipped off it remains secured to the bottle.
Particularly, embodiments of the present invention are better illustrated with reference to the Figure(s), however, such reference is not meant to limit the present invention in any fashion. The embodiments and variations described in detail herein are to be interpreted by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.
The glass body or glass body portion of the water bottle may have a cylindrical shape, a square shape, a rectangular shape, an arched rectangular shape, a hexagonal shape, or is jar shaped. Water bottle 1a has an effective volume of 32 oz.
The diameter of the glass body of the water bottle is about 3.25 inches. The height 11a of the water bottle is about 28 cm or 11 inches from the top of the cap or the bottle mouth to the base and the diameter of the cap is about 28.5 mm or 1.125 inches. The height 11b of the liquid containing body portion of the bottle is about 23 cm or 9 inches. Water bottle 1b has an effective volume of 22 oz. The height 12a of the water bottle is about 20 cm or 8 inches from the bottle mouth to the bottle base with the same diameters for the glass body and cap as for the 32 oz bottle. The height 12b of the liquid containing body portion of the bottle is about 15 cm or 6 inches. Water bottle 1c has an effective volume of 12 oz. The height 13a of the water bottle is about 19 cm or 7.5 inches from the bottle mouth to the bottle base. The height 13b of the liquid containing body portion of the bottle is about 15 cm or 6 inches. The 12 oz. water bottle has a smaller body diameter of about 5 cm or 2.5 inches and a cap diameter of about 28.5 mm or 1.125 inches.
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The present invention is well adapted to attain the ends and advantages mentioned as well as those that are inherent therein. The particular embodiments disclosed above are illustrative only, as the present invention may be modified and practiced in different but equivalent manners apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings herein. Furthermore, no limitations are intended to the details of construction or design herein shown, other than as described in the claims below. It is therefore evident that the particular illustrative embodiments disclosed above may be altered or modified and all such variations are considered within the scope and spirit of the present invention.
