COMBINATION CONCENTRATE DRINKING BOTTLE AND STORAGE COMPARTMENT
A sports bottle with concentrate cup removably coupled thereto by a female coupling ring.
This is a non-provisional application claiming priority to Provisional Application No. 60/880,001, entitled Re-Fresh Sports Bottle, filed on Jan. 11, 2007, and Provisional Application No. 60/898,630, entitled Re-Fresh II, filed on Feb. 1, 2007, and Non-provisional application Ser. No. 11/800,016, filed May 3, 2007 which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates combination beverage bottles and storage compartments.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With the advent of a health conscious society, sports bottles have become particularly popular for carrying hydration beverages such as electrolyte rich fluid for flavored or high energy drinks. These bottles are often constructed of plastic material and are typically single fill bottles such that once the contents have been consumed, the bottles themselves are frequently disposed of and find their way to landfills or the like thus contributing significantly to the bulk of discard in the landfills. Traditionally such bottles are used in athletic events where the user is often in athletic attire, sometimes tight fitting and frequently without pockets for such necessities as car keys, house keys, credit cards, identification and the like. This then has been a longstanding need for sports bottles that can be conveniently re-filled to mix water with a concentrate and which includes a convenient and readily accessible storage compartment.
Efforts have been made in various areas to provide a convenient dispensing bottle with a container of liquid attached thereto. Such devices typically incorporate some type of communication valve or the like which is manually operable to open communication from the water reservoir to the baby formula bottle for introduction of water to be consumed by the newly fed baby. Such devices have been proposed with a male connector plug externally threaded on opposite ends for threadable connection between the baby bottle and a reservoir and incorporating the manually operable valve. A device of this type is shown in U.S. Patent Application No. 2007/0017890, filed Jun. 25, 2005. Such devices, while having utility for direct communication between a water reservoir and interior of a baby bottle, suffer the shortcoming that they are relatively expensive to manufacture, are cumbersome and, with reuse, sometimes encounter sanitation challenges.
Participants and spectators alike at various sporting events and gathering places often times carry beverage bottles with them. Frequently, the beverage bottles are carried in backpacks or sometimes mounted to the frame of a bicycle or the like. Thin wall molded water bottles have been proposed with an external screw thread on the lower bottom to connect directly with an interior screw thread of a storage cup for storage of car keys and the like. A water bottle of this type is available from Hangzhou Everich Houseware Co., Ltd., http.//everich.en.alibaba.com. While providing for convenient storage of car keys and the like, the screw thread connection of the cup is relatively expensive to manufacture and affords a relatively flimsy connection and does not provide a water tight seal for carrying liquid or fine powder concentrate in the cup for repeated unthreading thereof for access for replacement to refill with a concentrate from the cup.
In my pending patent application Ser. No. 11/800,016, filed May 3, 2006, I disclosed a mixing and drinking bottle to mount to a concentrate cup via coupling ring. While satisfactory as a reusable bottle, this device suffered the shortcoming that the ring, in some embodiments, included a snap connector for connecting to the bottle in a manner that, in some instances, left the connection somewhat lacking in integrity.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONA combination bottle and storage container disposed in stacked relationship with a connector ring interposed therebetween. First and second screw connectors are formed between the top side of the ring and bottom of the bottle and between the bottom side of the ring and the container and are configured to upon rotation of the ring in one direction relative to the bottle, to couple the ring to the bottle and upon rotation of the ring in the opposite direction relative to the cup, couple the ring to the cup.
Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, the features of the invention.
Referring to
Sports bottles have become popular with all segments of the public interested in a healthy life style and particularly those dedicated to fitness and training. Such sports bottles are often utilized to carry a beverage which may be an energy drink or other type of fluids for adding electrolytes or other liquids for hydration. Such sports bottles are typically single use thus resulting in discard when they become empty thereby contributing significantly to the bulk added to landfills each year. Thus, it is desirable to provide an economical and convenient combination bottle and concentrate container so that once the beverage is consumed from the bottle, the cap may be decoupled so a measure of that concentrate may be poured from the container cup into the bottle to be mixed with water or the like to thereby provide a refill thus continuing utilization of the same bottle.
The bottle 21 of the present invention may be constructed of any one of a various types of plastics and preferably of high density polyethylene. It will be sized for the particular application and will preferably have a volume of about 18 ounces to provide a convenient volume for mixing and to establish a reasonable supply of drinking beverage.
In one preferred embodiment, the combination of the present invention is of molded construction and the wall of the bottle and container cup may be relatively thin, on the order of 1/32 of an inch thick and certainly less than 1/16 of an inch thick and may be contoured to a generally cylindrical configuration. The bottle 21 is molded at its upper extremity with an annular, upwardly facing shoulder 41 surrounding an upstanding threaded neck for receipt of a cap 43 having a conventional valved drinking nozzle 45 mounted centrally thereon.
The bottle 21 is configured intermediately along its length with a radially inwardly indented groove defining a waist 47. The bottle is configured at its bottom extremity with an undercut to define a reduced-in-diameter cylindrical boss 51 (
The coupling ring 25 is configured with a cylindrical peripheral wall 55 of a diameter to be slip fit in female relationship over the boss 51 and is formed at its upper extremity with a radially inturned segments defining locking lip 57 received in snap fit relationship in the groove 31.
The ring 25 is formed medially with a radially inwardly projecting, horizontal flat annular band 61, configured to be nested against the bottom wall of the boss 51 when the lip segments of the ring 57 are received in snap fit relationship within the groove 31. Formed on the inside of the peripheral wall 55 annular are a plurality of axially extending index strips 63 spaced thereabout and sized for their upper extremities to be slip fit into the index slots 53 to lock the ring against rotation relative to the boss 51.
The peripheral wall 55 of the ring is formed in its lower extremity with a plurality of radially inturned teeth 35 to facilitate coupling to the other half of a bayonet coupling found in the cup 23.
The cup 23 is of generally cylindrical configuration and is formed in its upper extremity with the circumferential coupling ribs 37 about ⅛ to ¼ inches wide in the axial direction of the cup. Such coupling ribs are molded in the thin wall of the cup with a longitudinal cross section in the shape of a reverse “S” to be turned radially inwardly to form a horizontal flange 65 (
Referring to
With continued reference to
Referring to
A tubular cap 85 is received in friction fit sealing relation over the top end of the spout 103 and a friction fit plug 86 is formed with a male nipple 88 received in friction fit in the top end of the tube 103.
In operation, the bottle 21, cup 23, ring 25 and lid may be molded from flexible plastic such as polyethylene. The combination may then be assembled together by grasping the coupling ring 25 and pressing it upwardly on the boss 51 shown in
A charge of concentrate, baby formula, water or the like may be inserted in the cup 23 and the lid 91 placed there over by inserting the barrel 93 downwardly into the top of the cup and pressing downwardly to flex the latching bead 97 and wall of the barrel radially inwardly so such bead can pass axially downwardly past the annular edge 77 of the flange to clear such flange allowing the flange to nest in sealing relation in the annular groove formed between the bead and the underside of the flange 95 (
The bottle 21 may then be used in a conventional manner. When the athlete desires hydration or re-energization he or she may access the valved nozzle 45 for a reconstituted beverage. When the bottle 21 is emptied, it would be appreciated that the athlete may quickly and easily disconnect the cup 23 by rotating it clockwise as shown in
This process may then be repeated until such time as the concentrate has been depleted from the cup 23. Then with the cup decoupled from the ring 25 and the athlete may grasp the tab 102 (
Referring to
Referring to
As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the bottle cap 43 may take many different forms, such as a squirt or pour spout or, in some embodiments, a spray nozzle.
Referring to
Referring to
The cup 263 is formed at its upper extremity with a reduced-in-diameter neck 275 configured at its top edge with an annular in-turned flange 276. Referring to
With continued reference to
In a similar fashion the coupling ring 261 is formed in its lower extremity with respective radially inwardly projecting teeth 35 disposed thereabout for registration with the respective access notches 123 in the neck 275 and formed integrally with the respective strips 113 for receipt in the respective 111 as described above.
Referring to
With continued reference to
As will appreciated by those skilled in the art, the respective bayonet coupling ribs, slots and teeth may be configured and disposed spaced equidistance about the periphery of the bottle and cup, typically spaced, for instance, 180°, 220°, or 90° apart.
In the preferred embodiment, the bayonet couplings are so configured that by rotation of the coupling ring 261 in one direction relative to the bottle 251 the bayonet coupling will be latched and by rotation of the cup 263 and the opposite direction relative to the coupling ring 261 the cup will be latched.
In operation, it will be appreciated that the combination shown in
Bulk concentrate may be inserted in the cup 263 and the lid 265 placed thereon to dispose the sealing lip 297 over the top flange of the neck 276 (
When the contents of the bottle have been consumed, the user may easily decouple the cup 263 and remove the lid 265 to pour a selected measure of concentrate into the bottle for recharging thereof with water or the like for dilution.
Referring to
For the bottle, generally designated 309, in
The bayonet thread coupling device is intended to include a sloped, course thread element having a wedge shaped rib having an inclined camming surface to be engaged by a complementally coupling element as exemplified in one preferred embodiment by the teeth but which may take many different forms. Such a bayonet connection provides the advantage that the coupling function may be achieve rapidly and efficiently and with the rather robust rib construction provides a high integrity connection.
From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the combination beverage bottle and concentrate of the present invention provides an economical and effective means for making and assembling a concentrate cup for convenient coupling to a beverage bottle and which is convenient to use and provides for a sanitary and orderly containment of concentrate ready for addition to the beverage bottle.
Claims
1. A combination bottle and concentrate container apparatus comprising:
- an elongated bottle formed on one end with a beverage outlet and on the opposite extremity with an first screw threads;
- a concentrate cup, open at one end to form a mouth and formed adjacent the one end with second screw threads;
- a connector ring interposed between the bottle and cup and formed on one extremity with third screw threads to engage the first screw threads and formed on the other extremity with fourth screw threads to connect with the second screw threads; and
- a lid on the open lid of the cup to sealingly engage the mouth.
2. The combination bottle and concentrate container apparatus of claim 1 wherein:
- the first screw threads includes a plurality of laterally outwardly projecting peripheral ribs having respective camming surfaces facing away from the connector ring and the ring includes laterally projecting teeth to engage the respective camming surfaces.
3. The combination beverage bottle and concentrate container apparatus of claim 1 wherein:
- the ring includes a band interposed between the bottle and cup.
4. The combination beverage bottle and concentrate container apparatus of claim 1 wherein:
- the cup is formed adjacent its open extremity with a peripheral, laterally inwardly directed closure flange; and
- the lid includes a laterally out turned lip to engage the closure flange.
5. The combination beverage bottle and concentrate container apparatus of claim 4 that includes:
- a closure lid on the open end of the cup and wherein;
- the bottle is formed on its bottom extremity with boss constructed to, when the first and third and second and forth screw threads are connected together, engage the lid to apply an axial pressure thereto to press the lip against the mouth.
6. The combination beverage bottle and concentrate container apparatus of claim 5 wherein:
- the ring includes a web configured on one side with a piston for engaging the lid and on the side opposite the one side with a nest for receiving the boss.
7. The combination beverage bottle and concentrate container apparatus of claim 6 wherein:
- the lid is formed with a well to complementally receive the piston in close fit relationship.
8. The combination beverage bottle and concentrate container apparatus of claim 1 wherein:
- the first and third threads are constructed to unscrew in one direction and the second and fourth threads are constructed to unscrew in the direction opposite the one direction.
9. The combination beverage bottle and concentrate container apparatus of claim 1 wherein:
- the first and third threads are configured as bayonet threads.
10. The combination beverage bottle and concentrate container apparatus of claim 1 wherein:
- the second and fourth threads are configured as bayonet threads.
11. The combination beverage bottle and concentrate container apparatus as set forth in claim 1 that includes:
- a latch for releasably latching the first and third threads connected to one another.
12. A combination bottle and concentrate apparatus comprising:
- an elongated bottle formed on one end with a beverage outlet and on its opposite end with a first connector;
- a cup opened at one end to form a mouth and further formed adjacent the one end with a second connector;
- a connector ring interposed between the bottle and cup and formed on one extremity with a third connector to engage the first connector and further formed on the extremity opposite the one extremity with a fourth coupler to connect with the second connector;
- a lid constructed to cover the mouth of the cup;
- the bottom of the bottle and mouth being so construed as to, when the first and third and third and fourth connectors are operative to connect the bottle and cup together, the bottle is operative, press the lid into sealing engagement with the mouth.
13. The combination beverage bottle and concentrate container apparatus as set forth in claim 12 that includes:
- a latch for releasably latching the first and third connectors connected to one another.
14. A combination bottle and concentrate container apparatus comprising:
- an elongated upstanding cylindrical bottle formed with a predetermined horizontal cross section and configured in its lower extremity with a reduced diametrical cross section defining a boss configured about its periphery with a first bayonet coupling element;
- a cup formed with a reduced in cross section neck opening into a mouth and configured with an enlarged in horizontal cross section body, the neck being formed at is periphery with second bayonet coupling element;
- a cup shaped lid formed with a upwardly opening well and configured about its upper periphery with a laterally outwardly projecting sealing lip to nest on the top edge of the neck;
- a coupling ring configured with a peripheral hoop wall to, having an upper extremity to project over the boss and lower extremity to project over the neck, the coupling ring further including a web configured with a downwardly projecting piston to be slidably received in the well, the coupling ring further including in its upper extremity a third bayonet coupling element for coupling with the first bayonet coupling element upon rotation of the bottle in one direction relative to the coupling ring, the coupling ring further including in its lower extremity a fourth bayonet coupling element for coupling with the second coupling element upon rotation of the cup in a direction opposite the one direction relative to the coupling ring;
- the bottle ring, lid and cup being so shaped and configured that, when the first and third, and second and fourth coupling elements are coupled together, the piston is operative to drive the received in the well and drive the piston downwardly into the neck to sealingly engage the peripheral lip with the mouth.
15. A combination beverage bottle and concentrate container comprising:
- an elongated cylindrical bottle formed on one end with a reduced-in-cross section threaded neck;
- a closure element threadably received on the neck;
- the bottle formed on its end opposite the one end with a reduced-in-cross section boss formed about its periphery with an outwardly opening snap groove;
- a cup for connection to the bottle and being formed with an open end constructed with peripheral connector ribs and configured with axially opening access slots;
- a lid removably mounted in sealing engagement on the cup;
- a coupling ring interposed between the bottle and cup and formed on one extremity to be received complementally over the boss and having an inturned container lip constructed to be snap fit in the snap groove, the ring being formed on its opposite end with a plurality of laterally inturned teeth constructed to pass axially through the respective access slots to be received in retaining engagement with the respective ribs when the cup is rotated in one direction relative to the bottle.
Type: Application
Filed: Aug 4, 2008
Publication Date: Jul 30, 2009
Inventors: Steven D. Nelson (Buena Park, CA), Leona I. Nelson (Buena Park, CA)
Application Number: 12/185,621
International Classification: B65D 1/04 (20060101); B65D 41/04 (20060101);