Patent Application
20150344203
NA
N/A
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to dosing and dispenser caps for primary containers to dispense various ingredients into a primary container at the time of use to prolong shelf life and more particularly to a single-piece molded dispensing cap for ingredient dispensing at the time of use into a primary container.
2. Description of Related Art
Most if not all liquids, creams, gels and even certain powders and other substances are formulated and created for the longest shelf life and not necessarily for optimal performance and/or usefulness. There are many ingredients and/or combinations of ingredients that have reduced shelf life due to requiring combinations of liquid substances. In most cases when ingredients are exposed to one another, deterioration begins and the clock on the limited shelf life starts. Ambient air exposed to certain ingredients can also reduce product shelf life. In most products in any category, “Shelf Life” is the key factor with respect to expiration dates based on the product and category.
Several attempts have been made to design capsules and containers to improve the shelf lives of compositions such as gels, liquids, powders and the like; however, the majority of the available devices rely on a plurality of interconnected parts which are not cost effective to manufacture and assemble. The present invention is designed to be inexpensive to mass produce, fill and seal and to be able to deliver an affordable dispensing capsule in virtually any application and category. This invention allows formulas and new products in many categories to be invented and made for desired end effects without rapid shelf life deterioration. The invention eliminates many unhealthy ingredients that are currently being used in most products as preservatives. The present invention, therefore, is useful for packaging ingredients such as enzymes, calcium and magnesium with bio flavinoids, vitamin C, probiotics, creatine and many more. The solution is to mix ingredients at the time of use to eliminate shelf life problems of deterioration.
It is, therefore, to the effective resolution of the aforementioned problems and shortcomings of the prior art that the present invention is directed. However, in view of the container and dispensing capsules and related devices in existence at the time of the present invention, it was not obvious to those persons of ordinary skill in the pertinent art as to how the identified needs could be fulfilled in an advantageous manner.
A dispensing cap for use with a primary container such as a water bottle comprising a one-piece rigid cylindrical body having an internal ingredient storage compartment, the internal compartment sealed at the top and by a flexible actuator wall. The storage compartment cylindrical body bottom is open until filled with ingredients at the factory. The flexible actuator is configured to deform downwardly under manual force, moving an internal plunger connected at one end to the bottom side of the flexible actuator. The cap body bottom compartment is sealed by a foil cover or a plastic cover having a line of weakening. When punctured, the storage compartment bottom end cover will be punctured, dispensing an ingredient stored in the internal compartment of the storage chamber. A plunger of the flexible actuator includes a beveled cutting surface configured to readily break the bottom cover seal.
The cap body includes an annular exterior wall having internal threads configured to threadably engage a primary container such as a water bottle and is sized in diameter to fit in the neck opening of a water bottle. When the flexible actuator is depressed, the chamber bottom cover is ruptured, and the ingredients in the chamber fall by gravity into the primary container mixing with the ingredients in the primary container. In some embodiments, the flexible actuator comprises a flexible stair-step shaped sealed actuator.
The dispensing cap can include a protective cover hinge and will be attached to the cap body. The cover prevents accidental activation.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a dispensing cap and dosing cap that is a single molded piece when manufactured.
It is another object of the invention to provide a versatile dispensing capsule that can be used in conjunction with a plurality of containers and dispense an ingredient contained therein in an easy and efficient manner to increase the shelf life of the combined ingredients being consumed.
In accordance with these and other objects which will become apparent hereinafter, the instant invention will now be described with particular reference to the accompanying drawings.
Referring to
A frangible lower cover and seal (not shown) is attached to the bottom of the internal compartment 12c annular surface of the cap body 12, once the storage compartment is filled with an ingredient or substance. Storage chamber 12c includes a plunger element 22 having an angle cut or beveled edge in the shape of a serrated arc 24 that is configured to pierce, puncture, and/or break a bottom cover seal (not shown) upon activation of the dispensing cap 10 as further described herein.
The top of the cap body 12 includes a thin molded flexible sealed wall that constitutes the flexible actuator 16 having deformable stair-step shaped wall portions 16a, all of which is molded to the storage chamber 12b upper surface in conjunction with the annular cylindrical bottle cap threaded connector 12a. The storage chamber seal cover 26 is added after the device is filled with ingredients. The cover has an annular protrusion around its periphery that is mounted within an annular groove 12bb at the base of the storage chamber wall 12b. The attachment may also be heat sealed or sonically welded for a tight seal after the ingredients are added to the device.
The single molded piece also includes a safety band 20 removably attached to the base of the cylindrical threaded connector 12a. If the safety band 20 is removed, the entire cap body 12 can be removed from a primary container so that the contents can be consumed directly from the primary container through the opening of the primary container.
The bottom side surface of the flexible actuator 16 has a plurality of elongated molded plunger elements 22 that also have serrated an arcuate cutting surface 24 attached thereto which may be in the form of a 270° arc. The plunger and cutting surface 24 are used to tear through the storage chamber bottom cover 26 when the flexible actuator 16 is depressed manually allowing the flexible actuator walls 16 to be moved downwardly forcing the cutting surface 24 into direct contact perforating or puncturing seal cover 26 at the end of the storage chamber. This allows any ingredients and substances within the storage chamber to fall by gravity in the primary container attached to the cap body. The plunger elements 22 are separated from each other to allow ingredients to flow around them during dispensing.
The instant invention has been shown and described herein in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.
