Twist up spout for beverage container
A container cap includes an outer cap, an inner cap and a drinking tube. The drinking tube is extendable and/or retractable through a twisting motion of the outer cap. When retracted, the drinking tube is protected by the outer cap from environmental contaminants.
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This application claims priority benefit of U.S. provisional application No. 60/640,261 filed on Dec. 29, 2004.
BACKGROUND1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure is generally directed to container caps or spouts, and more particularly to extendable and/or retractable caps or spouts for drinking containers.
2. Description of Related Art
With a traditional drinking bottle or vessel, the drinker's mouth comes into contact with a surface that has been exposed to environmental debris. Many current container caps used on water bottles, including the popular push-pull squirt spout are easily subjected to dirt and other impurities when knocked over, especially when used outdoors.
There are current solutions that provide a separate cap piece that covers the drinking surface. Some of these caps are connected to the bottle with some sort of hinge, tether, or strap. The cap pivots or pulls out of the way and allows the user access the liquid. The cap can then be pivoted or replaced when the user wants to protect the drinking surface. In addition to the hinged solutions, there are a number of products that offer a separate cap that covers the drinking surface and can be fully removed.
The hinged or tethered cap solutions described above have at least two drawbacks. First, as the cap hinges out of the way, it hangs to the side of the bottle, often making it cumbersome to drink from the container, to manage or store in a cup holder or to store on a bicycle water bottle cage and the like. Second, it requires the drinker to perform two actions to access the liquid. They must first open the cap, and then a second operation is needed to access the water such as pulling up on a traditional push-pull squirt spout. Further, if the cap is free from the bottle, then the drinker needs to remove the cap and manage it in some way. With the separate cap solution, the cap can possibly be lost.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSObjects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following description in conjunction with the drawing figures, in which:
Observations and research of current users makes it clear that keeping a drinking surface of a container cap protected is a highly desirable feature. As water bottles are used in a variety of environments from outdoor activities to public work-out facilities, shielding the drinking surface and orifice from penetration of, or contact with, dirt, debris, sweat, or other environmental elements while still gaining easy access to the liquid is a product feature that is desired by many users.
The container cap disclosed herein extends and retracts a drinking tube with a twisting motion of an outer cap. When extended, the drinking tube is partially exposed creating a drinking interface for a user. When retracted, the drinking tube is substantially covered and protected from contaminants by the outer cap. The drinking tube is mechanically linked to the outer cap and may be extended through rotation of the outer cap.
The outer cap 16 substantially surrounds both the drinking tube 14 and the inner cap 12 in the closed position. The outer cap 16 provides protection for the drinking tube 14 from the outside environment. The retainer ring 18 attaches the outer cap 16 to the inner cap 12 by capturing the flared retaining flange 74 of the outer cap 16 and engaging the threads 24 of the inner cap 12. The retainer ring 18 may be removed by applying a force in two generally opposing locations on the retainer ring 18, thus distorting the retainer ring 18 and allowing the inner threads of the retainer ring 18 to disengage the threads 24 of the inner cap 12. In this manner, the container cap 10 may be disassembled for cleaning and reuse.
The downward projecting fingers 56 penetrate through each of the plurality of openings or ports 30. The arched portions 58 provide a fluid passageway from the container volume through the inner cap 12. In the closed condition, the first and second seals 26, 28 prevent the fluid from escaping to the environment. Additionally, the fingers 56 guide and stabilize the drinking tube 14 during extension and/or retraction.
The top edge 47 of the drinking tube 14 may include a notch 90 (See
When the drinking tube 14 is extended, the inner wall of the drinking tube 14 adjacent the first seal 26 moves from a smaller diameter to a larger diameter portion, thus causing the first seal 26 to lose contact with the inner wall of the drinking tube 14. The second seal 28, however, maintains contact with the inner wall of the drinking tube 14, thus allowing fluid to travel in only one direction when exiting the plurality of openings or ports 30. A shoulder 96 of the drinking tube 14 contacts the outer cap 16 at the fully extended and open position providing an oral and tactile indication to the user that the container cap 10 is open.
Generally, the components of the container cap 10 can be manufactured from plastic and/or elastomers through an injection molding process. However, one or more of the components may be manufactured from any appropriate material, such as, for example, metal or ceramic. One skilled in the art could select an appropriate material.
Additional features such as a “wiper” that swipes, and then covers the drinking tube 14 as the drinking tube 14 retracts and/or extends could be incorporated into the container cap 10. The wiper could be disposed between the drinking tube 14 and the outer cap 16 and would wipe the drinking tube 14 as the drinking tube 14 is extended and/or retracted further facilitating keeping the drinking tube 14 clean. The wiper could be generally formed from a flexible material, such as rubber, but may also be formed from a more rigid material such as plastic.
As mentioned above, the retractable drinking tube 14 keeps the surface that interacts with the drinker's mouth away from environmental debris and therefore gives the drinker a cleaner and more hygienic drinking experience. Further, the one-handed extension of the spout allows the drinker to not have to divert their attention from other activities.
Although certain functions and features of a twist up spout have been described herein in accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure, the scope of coverage of this patent is not limited thereto. On the contrary, this patent covers all embodiments of the teachings of the disclosure that fairly fall within the scope of permissible equivalents.
Claims
1. A cap for a container comprising:
- an inner cap including at least one port therein;
- a drinking tube partially surrounding a portion of the inner cap and slidably movable relative to the inner cap;
- an outer cap partially surrounding a portion of the drinking tube; and
- a retainer ring disposed around one end of the outer cap and rotatably attaching the outer cap to the inner cap;
- wherein the outer cap is rotatable relative to the drinking tube, the retaining ring and the inner cap;
- wherein rotation of the outer cap displaces the drinking tube in a longitudinal direction relative to the inner cap.
2. The cap of claim 1, wherein the inner cap has an opening at a first end adapted to mount the inner cap on a container.
3. The cap of claim 2, wherein the inner cap has at least one port proximate a second end.
4. The cap of claim 2, wherein an inner surface of the opening is threaded.
5. The cap of claim 2, wherein the inner surface of the opening is adapted to secure the cap to the container in a snap-fit arrangement.
6. The cap of claim 2, wherein the opening is threaded on an inner surface thereof.
7. The cap of claim 1, wherein the inner cap includes a thread on an outer surface thereof adapted to mount the retainer ring to the inner cap.
8. The cap of claim 1, wherein an outer surface of the drinking tube is threaded.
9. The cap of claim 8, wherein an inner surface of the outer cap is threaded and cooperates with the thread of the drinking tube to drive the drinking tube in a longitudinal direction when the outer cap is rotated.
10. The cap of claim 1, wherein the retainer ring is integral with the outer cap.
11. The cap of claim 1, wherein squeezing at two points along a circumference of the retainer ring allows the retainer ring to be removed from the inner cap freeing the outer cap and the drinking spout.
12. The cap of claim 1, wherein the inner cap is open at a first end and includes top surface at a second end.
13. The cap of claim 12, wherein at least one port is disposed in a wall of the inner cap proximate the top surface.
14. The cap of claim 13, wherein a resilient seal extends outward from the wall of the inner cap between the at least one port and the top surface.
15. The cap of claim 14, wherein a second resilient seal extends outward from the wall of the inner cap between the first end of the inner cap and the at least one port.
16. The cap of claim 15, further including a third resilient seal extending inward from the wall of the inner cap proximate the first end of the inner cap.
17. A resealable container for fluids comprising:
- a container base;
- an inner cap having at least one port therein;
- a drinking tube partially surrounding a portion of the inner cap and slidably movable relative to the inner cap;
- an outer cap partially surrounding a portion of the drinking tube; and
- a retainer ring disposed around one end of the outer cap and rotatably attaching the outer cap to the inner cap;
- wherein the outer cap is rotatable relative to the drinking tube and the inner cap;
- wherein rotation of the outer cap displaces the drinking tube in a longitudinal direction relative to the inner cap.
18. A method of dispensing liquids from a container comprising:
- providing a cap comprising: an inner cap having at least one port therein; a drinking tube partially surrounding a portion of the inner cap and slidably movable relative to the inner cap; an outer cap partially surrounding a portion of the drinking tube; and a retainer ring disposed around one end of the outer cap and rotatably attaching the outer cap to a portion of the inner cap; wherein the outer cap is rotatable relative to the drinking tube and the inner cap; wherein rotation of the outer cap displaces the drinking tube in a longitudinal direction relative to the inner cap;
- extending the drinking tube by rotating the outer cap;
- exposing the at least one port in the inner cap; and
- tilting the container to pour the liquid.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 29, 2005
Publication Date: Aug 17, 2006
Applicant: Rubbermaid Incorporated (Huntersville, NC)
Inventors: Ian Cunningham (Huntersville, NC), Brian Furlong (Davidson, NC), Kenneth Hull (Huntersville, NC), Christopher Claypool (Huntersville, NC)
Application Number: 11/321,026
International Classification: B65D 51/16 (20060101); A47G 19/22 (20060101); B65D 83/00 (20060101);