Flexible bottle mouth insert
An insert for placing in a bottle mouth for providing an improved interface for a person drinking a liquid from the bottle. According to one aspect, the insert has a flexible and resilient outer perimeter dimensioned so that the insert is an interference fit with the mouth of the bottle. The resilient and flexible characteristics allow a user to force the insert into the bottle mouth, thereby accommodating a range of bottle mouth sizes. A preferred insert material has a durometer in the range of 60-80. The insert is configured so that when installed in the bottle mouth, a first opening is provided for drinking that is smaller than the bottle mouth. The insert also provides for air intake into the bottle by way of either a second opening or an extension of the first opening.
The present invention is directed toward drinking bottles, and more particularly toward an insert for removable placement in a bottle mouth for facilitating drinking from the bottle, and wherein the insert is constructed of a flexible and resilient material and configured for accommodating a range of bottle mouth opening sizes.
BACKGROUNDBottles of various sizes are made for use as drinking bottles or for other purposes. Those configured specifically for drinking often have a separate lid/cap or nozzle on the lid that can be opened and closed for allowing a person to drink from the bottle without removing the lid/cap. This is often inconvenient and unsanitary. No means is provided for keeping the cap portion clean that comes in contact with the user's lips. Also, there is generally no provision for return air into the bottle, and in addition the drinking opening in the lid or nozzle is necessarily small. Because of this, the rate that a person can drink from the bottle is limited, and often a frustration when the user is in a hurry, such as while peddling a bicycle. Generally, a user will stop, and remove the lid/cap from the bottle, exposing a fairly large bottle mouth. A relatively wide bottle mouth is highly desirable for providing access for cleaning the inside of the bottle, but it is not well suited for drinking. In the drinking process, some of the liquid can easily slip by the sides of the person's mouth. This is particularly true when the person is a small child, for example.
The present inventor's co-pending U.S. Application Ser. No. 10/409,699, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein, solved many of the above problems and dramatically advanced the state of the art by introducing a removable insert for use with such wide mouth bottles. When inserted into the mouth of such bottles, the insert allows splash-free drinking, and is adapted to frictionally fit within the mouth so as not to interfere with a separately provided cap. The prior invention has enjoyed commercial success and has greatly extended the use and enjoyment of wide mouth bottles.
The prior invention also contributed to an explosion in the popularity of wide-mouth bottles. Such bottles, typically made of a rigid and durable plastic material such as polycarbonate/LEXAN (PC), high density polyethylene (HDPE), low density polyethylene (LDPE), or polypropylene (PP), were initially popular with campers and hikers. However, this popularity has grown, thanks to the utility of the prior invention, to include various additional segments such as cyclists, fitness center members, and general consumers. Wide-mouth bottles are also being supplied by a growing number of vendors, including Nalgene®, GSI Outdoors, Outdoor Products, Pacific Cornetta, and others. Such bottles, though similar in material and overall design, can have various dimensions. This is a problem when inserts and/or bottles are lost or damaged, and when replacements are needed. Moreover, inserts that are initially sold and bundled together with bottles may be of inferior quality or utility, but replacement inserts sold by other vendors may not fit. It would be desirable if the advantages of the prior invention could be extended to a wider variety of bottles having various dimensions.
SUMMARYThe present invention relates to drinking bottles, and more particularly to an insert for placing in a bottle mouth for providing an improved interface for a person drinking a liquid from the bottle. According to one aspect, the insert has a flexible and resilient outer perimeter dimensioned so that the insert is an interference fit with the mouth of the bottle. The resilient and flexible characteristics allow a user to force the insert into the bottle mouth, thereby accommodating a range of bottle mouth sizes. A preferred insert material has a durometer (Shore A scale) in the range of 60-80, although 30-100 is possible. The insert is configured so that when installed in the bottle mouth, a first opening is provided for drinking that is smaller than the bottle mouth. The insert also provides for air intake into the bottle by way of either a second opening or an extension of the first opening.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSThese and other aspects and features of the present invention will become apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art upon review of the following description of specific embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying figures, wherein:
The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings, which are provided as illustrative examples of the invention so as to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. Notably, the figures and examples below are not meant to limit the scope of the present invention to the embodiments described, but other embodiments are possible by way of interchange of some or all of the described or illustrated features. Moreover, where certain elements of the present invention can be partially or fully implemented using known methods, only those portions of the embodiments that are necessary for an understanding of the present invention will be described, and detailed descriptions of other portions will be omitted so as not to obscure the invention. Applicants do not intend for any term in the specification or claims to be ascribed an uncommon or special meaning unless explicitly set forth as such. Further, the present invention encompasses present and future known equivalents to the inserts referred to herein by way of illustration.
Generally, the present invention relates to bottle apparatus used for drinking liquids and more particularly to a flexible insert that can be placed in the mouth of a bottle for facilitating the drinking of the bottle's liquid content, and to a combination of a bottle and insert. One embodiment of an insert 10 according to the present invention is shown in
The insert of the present invention provides a reduced area opening for passage of bottle liquid contents. The insert 10 of
Although the present invention has been particularly described with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, it should be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that changes and modifications in the form and details may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Various embodiments of the present invention have been described, with each for demonstrating a particular element and its advantage. The present invention also includes any combinations of the features of one embodiment with another. For example, the tapered walls, as described in reference to
Claims
1. An insert for a bottle comprising:
- an insert for installing in a mouth of a bottle, wherein said insert includes material that is resilient and flexible, and said insert is configured so as to seal a substantial portion of said mouth upon installation in said mouth, said insert providing upon installation in a bottle mouth at least one first opening for passage of liquid from said bottle.
2. An insert as recited in claim 1 wherein said insert is configured to provide upon installation at least one second opening for air to flow into said bottle while a person is drinking from said bottle having said insert installed.
3. An insert as recited in claim 2 further including a wall defining a perimeter of said insert, wherein a portion of said wall is configured for an interference fit with said mouth of said bottle, requiring a user to push said insert into said mouth to facilitate said installation.
4. An insert as recited in claim 3 further including a base, and wherein said wall extends from said base.
5. An insert as recited in claim 4 wherein said wall extends from said base at an oblique angle.
6. An insert as recited in claim 4 wherein said wall includes a first inwardly bending portion, and said first opening is a space between said first inwardly bending portion and a rim of said mouth when said insert is installed in a bottle.
7. An insert as recited in claim 4 wherein said second opening is a hole having a first portion extending into a portion of said wall and a second portion into said base.
8. An insert as recited in claim 4 wherein said base slopes from a more upper portion of said wall to a lower portion of said wall.
9. An insert as recited in claim 1 wherein said first opening is a hole in said insert that substantially extends from a perimeter of said insert substantially toward a center of said insert, thereby providing for air passage into said bottle at a portion of said opening near said center of said insert.
10. An insert as recited in claim 6 wherein said wall includes a second inwardly bending portion and said second opening is a space between said second inwardly bending portion and a rim of said mouth when said insert is installed in a bottle.
11. An insert as recited in claim 6 wherein said second opening is a hole having a portion in said base and a portion in said wall.
12. An insert as recited in claim 1 further including a first wall defining a perimeter of said insert, wherein a portion of said first wall is configured for an interference fit with said mouth of said bottle, requiring a user to push said insert into said mouth to facilitate said installing.
13. An insert as recited in claim 12 further including a base wherein said first wall extends from said base.
14. An insert as recited in claim 13 wherein said wall extends from said base at an oblique angle.
15. An insert as recited in claim 13 wherein said wall includes a first inwardly bending portion, and said first opening is a space between said first inwardly bending portion and a rim of said mouth when said insert is installed in a bottle.
16. An insert as recited in claim 13 wherein said insert is configured to provide upon installation at least one second opening for air to flow into said bottle while a person is drinking from said bottle having said insert installed.
17. An insert as recited in claim 13 wherein said wall includes a first inwardly bending portion, and said first opening is a space between said first inwardly bending portion and a rim of said mouth when said insert is installed in a bottle.
18. An insert as recited in claim 17 wherein said wall includes a second inwardly bending portion and said second opening is a space between said second inwardly bending portion and a rim of said mouth when said insert is installed in a bottle.
19. An insert as recited in claim 13 wherein said base slopes from a more upper portion of said wall to a lower portion of said wall.
20. An insert as recited in claim 16 wherein said second opening is a hole having a first portion extending into a portion of said wall and a second portion into said base.
21. An insert as recited in claim 13 wherein a perimeter of said first opening is surrounded in part by a portion of said first wall, and in part by a second wall extending from said base.
22. An insert as recited in claim 1 wherein said material has a durometer in the range of 60 to 80.
23. An insert as recited in claim 1 wherein said insert includes a tab for facilitating removal of said insert from a bottle mouth.
24. A drinking apparatus comprising:
- a) a bottle with a mouth
- b) a removable insert for installing in said mouth of said bottle, wherein said insert includes material that is resilient and flexible, and said insert is configured so as to seal a substantial portion of said mouth upon installation in said mouth, said insert providing upon installation in a bottle mouth at least one first opening for passage of liquid from said bottle.
25. A drinking apparatus as recited in claim 24, wherein a value of said resiliency and flexibility is selected so that said insert will be insertable with an interference fit in a first bottle mouth, and also a second bottle mouth that has an opening diameter about 96% of said first bottle mouth.
26. An insert as recited in claim 1, wherein a value of said resiliency and flexibility is selected so that said insert will be insertable with an interference fit in a first bottle mouth, and also a second bottle mouth that has an opening diameter about 96% of said first bottle mouth.
27. A drinking apparatus as recited in claim 25, wherein said value corresponds-to a durometer (Shore A scale) of between 60 and 80.
28. An insert as recited in claim 26, wherein said value corresponds to a durometer (Shore A scale) of between 60 and 80.
29. A drinking apparatus as recited in claim 25, wherein said value corresponds to a durometer (Shore A scale) of between 30 and 100.
30. An insert as recited in claim 26, wherein said value corresponds to a durometer (Shore A scale) of between 30 and 100.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 30, 2005
Publication Date: Jan 11, 2007
Inventor: Joshua Guyot (Palo Alto, CA)
Application Number: 11/173,807
International Classification: A47G 19/22 (20060101); B65D 51/16 (20060101); B65D 41/18 (20060101); B65D 83/00 (20060101);