REUSABLE CONTAINER CLOSURE

Abstract

A reusable closure device is secured to an engagement member on the nozzle of a container. The device has a stopper which can partially abut the nozzle. The stopper is connected by one or more hinge members to a sleeve. The sleeve has a retaining member which engages the engagement member. The hinge members allow the stopper to pivot about the nozzle from a closed position, which forms a leak-proof and air tight seal, to an open position, which allows access to the container contents.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a reusable closure for providing access to the contents of a container without the necessity of completely removing the closure.

BACKGROUND

Bottled beverages such as water, juices, carbonated beverages, iced tea, and alcoholic beverages are stored in a wide variety of different containers such as cartons, bottles, flasks or jugs, made from materials including paper, plastic and glass. A large number of different types of closures for these containers have been utilized, including corks, crown caps, lids, snap-on caps, push-pull caps and screw caps. Bottled beverages typically are sold in plastic or glass bottles, with metal or plastic closures sealing the container. At present most plastic beverage bottles are fabricated using polyethylene terephthalate plastic (PET), which is generally clear, tough and provides a good barrier to gas and moisture.

Beverage containers typically include a narrowing neck with an opening for access to the beverage therein. Typical closures which cover the container opening include metallic crown caps that require a bottle opener or other similar device to remove, metal or plastic screw caps, and pull up and push down type caps. With the exception of metallic crown caps, these closures are designed to be reusable such that the closure may be removed and replaced onto the container thereby allowing a portion of the beverage contained within the container to be consumed over a period of time.

Such closures have been designed to address a number of concerns, which include spillage, evaporation, retention of carbonation and ease of use. Spoilage is a particular concern with certain beverages, as prolonged contact with air is the primary cause of spoilage.

A significant disadvantage associated with these closures is the requirement that the closure be completely removed in order to gain access to the container. This creates the risk that the closure will be discarded or misplaced.

Several attempts have been made to develop reusable container closures with limited success. U.S. Pat. No. 184,908 to Root is an early example. Root discloses a container closure consisting of a spherical stopper, perforated with an aperture, firmly secured to a bottle by means of a wire yoke or other rigid material, a pintle and two projecting trunnions. By rotating the spherical stopper a quarter turn about the pintle, the aperture is aligned with the nozzle of the bottle, allowing access to the contents stored within. The yoke allows the rotation of the sphere about the pintle's axis. Access to the entire nozzle opening is not possible with this closure.

The reusable container closure of U.S. Pat. No. 5,104,008 to Crisci engages a bottle such as a blow moulded water bottle. These types of reusable container closures are commonly referred to as push-pull caps, and are frequently used by energy and sports beverage providers. The contents stored within the bottle are accessed by pulling a movable spout vertically into its “open” position. When placed in the open position, the contents stored within are dispensed through an opening located at the top of the movable spout. The bottle is re-sealed by pushing the movable spout into its “closed” position. An empty bottle may be refilled by removing a tear tab, prying the closure off the bottle, filling the bottle and prying the closure back on. Repeated use of this closure with multiple water bottles or bottles having various nozzle diameters or configurations is not contemplated.

The two-part reusable container closure of U.S. Pat. No. 6,264,051 to Reidenbach consists of a hinged cap attached to a sleeve containing internal threads for twisting the closure onto a threaded bottle. The contents stored within the container are accessed by partially unscrewing the closure until the hinged threaded cap portion is released. This closure is for use with a specific threaded bottle as the internal threads of the closure must engage the external threads of the nozzle.

A need exists for an improved reusable container closure that can be coupled to various types of containers which addresses the limitations of the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention, a reusable container closure is provided for providing access to the container contents without the necessity of completely removing the closure and thereby subjecting the closure to loss or damage, and the contents of the container to spillage, spoilage, evaporation and contamination.

In one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a reusable closure device which can be secured to the nozzle of a container, such as a bottle. Bottles used with the device include a standard polyethylene terephthalate beverage bottle.

The nozzle has at least one engagement member, such as an annular flange, to allow the device to be secured thereon. The device comprises a stopper formed of a flexible and resilient material. The stopper has a non-abutting portion which does not contact the bottle neck and an abutting portion which is adapted to contact the bottle neck. The stopper is joined to one or more flexible, elastic and resilient hinge members at one end. At the other end, the hinge member(s) extend to and join a sleeve. The sleeve, which may be in the form of a ring or a resilient clamp, comprises a retaining member which is adapted to engage the engagement member of the nozzle. The hinge members are adapted to allow the stopper to pivot about the nozzle. The abutting portion of the stopper is adapted to form a leak-proof, air tight seal when it abuts the nozzle.

If the device has one hinge member, it may be in the shape of a membrane which extends from the stopper to the sleeve. If the device has two or more hinge members, the members extend between the stopper and the sleeve such that they allow the stopper to pivot about the nozzle.

In another embodiment, the sleeve further comprises a gripper tab which is adapted to aid in the removal of the device from the container. For devices having a ring-shaped sleeve, the gripper can be located anywhere on the sleeve. For devices having a clamp sleeve, the gripper is preferably located opposite the clamp opening.

The stopper may be generally spherical or hemi-spherical in shape. The abutting portion of hemi-spherical shaped stoppers is not on the flat portion of the hemi-sphere.

In another embodiment, aesthetic accessories may be releasably engaged to the stopper at the non-abutting portion.

In another embodiment, the stopper further comprises a generally vertical cylindrical opening and a normally closed valve which closes the opening, such that the valve can receive a drinking straw.

In other embodiments, the stopper can be made of regulatory approved food grade silicon rubber, regulatory approved food grade natural resins, and regulatory approved food grade synthetic resins.

In other embodiments, at least one of the stopper, retaining member, and resilient hinge members comprises a food grade additive that imparts an aroma.

In another embodiment, the stopper and/or the gripper comprise a hard plastic portion formed using co-injection mould techniques.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1a shows a front view of an embodiment of the present invention with a spherical stopper.

FIG. 1b shows a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 1a.

FIG. 1c shows a top view of the embodiment of FIG. 1a.

FIG. 1d shows a bottom view of the embodiment of FIG. 1a.

FIG. 1e shows a perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention with a hemi-spherical stopper.

FIG. 1f shows a perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention with a stopper adapted to receive a drinking straw through a normally closed valve.

FIG. 1g shows a perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention with a hemi-spherical stopper and attachment means for a removable accessory shown in the detached position.

FIG. 1h shows a perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention with a spherical stopper with another attachment means for another removable accessory shown in the detached position.

FIG. 1i shows a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 1g with the removable accessory shown in the attached position.

FIG. 1j shows a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 1h with the removable accessory shown in the attached position.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention attached to a standard PET beverage bottle in the closed position.

FIG. 3 shows a top perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention attached to a standard PET beverage bottle in the semi-closed position.

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention attached to a standard PET beverage bottle in the open position.

FIG. 6 shows another perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7a shows a front view of another embodiment of the present invention with a clamp portion adapted to engage a bottle.

FIG. 7b shows a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 7a.

FIG. 7c shows a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 7a.

FIG. 8 shows a front view of the embodiment of FIG. 7a attached to a standard PET beverage bottle in the closed position.

FIG. 9a shows a perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention with a single hinge member.

FIG. 9b shows a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 9a.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is now described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It may be evident, however that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details.

A reusable container closure according to an embodiment of the invention is shown generally in FIGS. 1a-d. The reusable container closure comprises a stopper 100 coupled to fasteners 105. Fasteners 105 are coupled to hinge members 120, which are coupled to sleeve or ring portion 125. Stopper 100 is generally spherical, and is fabricated from food grade regulatory approved silicon rubber or other suitable resins, natural or synthetic. The material for stopper 100 is also preferably chosen such that it does not absorb or impart any odour to the contents of the container. Stopper 100 further comprises an abutting portion 115 which abuts the upper surface of the nozzle of a container. Since the upper portion of stopper 100 is not adapted to engage the nozzle, it is referred to as the non-abutting portion 117.

Optionally, the material for at least one element of the reusable container closure contains a food grade regulatory approved scent additive, which imparts an appealing aroma. Those skilled in the art will appreciate a variety of different scent additives are available, including additives which impart chocolate, cherry, citrus or cola aromas.

In the illustrated embodiment, hinge members 120 and fasteners 105 attach stopper 100 to ring portion 125. Additional hinge members and fasteners having different shapes are contemplated in other embodiments. Fasteners 105 are not required in the closure if hinge members 120 are capable of being fastened to stopper 100 or stopper and hinge members are made from a unitary mould.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that there are a variety of suitable shapes for the stopper including hemi-spherical stoppers 100a and 100c as shown in FIGS. 1e and 1g, respectively. Regardless of the stopper's shape, it must have an abutting portion 115, 115a, 115b, 115c, 115d and a non-abutting portion 117, 117a, 117b, 117c, 117d.

Referring to FIG. 1f, stopper 100b comprises a generally vertical opening 110 and a normally closed valve 102 adapted to receive a drinking straw through the opening 110 thereby allowing access to the beverage contained within the bottle (not illustrated in FIG. 1f) even when the reusable container closure is in the closed position. As illustrated, the valve 102 is situated adjacent the non-abutting portion 117b of stopper 100b. The valve 102 may be, for example, a flap that can be lifted to insert the straw, thereby bypassing the requirement to use the invention in the open position when accessing the contents.

In another embodiment (not illustrated), the valve may be positioned adjacent the abutting portion 115b.

Referring to FIG. 1g, hemi-spherical stopper 100c further comprises an attachment mechanism 103a having a first configuration for engagement to a removable accessory 104a for aesthetic purposes. The illustrated attachment mechanism 103a has a male-female configuration, wherein the male portion is coupled to, or integral with hemi-spherical stopper 100c.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that a variety of removable accessories, for example removable accessory 104b as shown in the embodiment of FIG. 1h for engagement with spherical stopper 100d. Other accessory shapes are contemplated. This embodiment employs attachment mechanism 103b having another configuration, cylindrical in shape, for the engagement of stopper 100d to removable accessory 104b. The illustrated attachment mechanism 103b has a male-female configuration, wherein the female portion is within spherical stopper 100d and the male portion is coupled to, or integral with accessory 104b. Removable accessories 104a, 104b are shown in the attached position in FIGS. 1i and 1j, respectively.

Removable accessories 104a, 104b may be fabricated from hard plastic or other suitable materials. Optionally, removable accessories 104a, 104b further comprise a printed design, logo, insignia or trade-mark (not shown), thereby allowing the ‘accessorized’ reusable container closure to be used for marketing or promotional campaigns. In addition, certain removable accessories have the potential to become highly collectable.

A variety of attachment mechanisms may be used to engage removable accessories 104a, 104b including attachment mechanisms 103a, 103b and other known attachment mechanisms (not illustrated). In the attached position, the attachment mechanism may be visible as in FIG. 1i or hidden as in FIG. 1j.

In the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 1-6, hinge members 120 are flexible, elastic and resilient, and are fabricated from materials having sufficient elasticity and resilience to exert sufficient force to hold stopper 100, 100a, 100b, 100c and 100d in place against the opening in the container. When stopper 100, 100a, 100b, 100c and 100d abuts the opening of the container, it is said to be in the closed position as illustrated in FIGS. 2, 3 and 8.

In some embodiments, ring portion 125 includes retaining member 130, and gripper 135. Retaining member 130 is resilient, and shaped to enable the insertion and engagement of a cap portion, such as the threaded cap portion of a standard PET beverage bottle.

The present invention may be fabricated using co-injection mold techniques, which permits the various elements of the reusable container closure to be integrally formed with the other elements within a single mold. Furthermore, a hard plastic portion may be formed adjacent the silicon, onto which printing may be applied. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention may also be fabricated using plastic injection or other known mold techniques.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, perspective views of an embodiment of the present invention attached to a container or beverage bottle such as a standard PET beverage bottle in the closed position are shown. The nozzle of bottle 150 comprises a threaded cap portion 155, an upper annular flange 158 and a lower annular flange 160. Annular flange 158 is adapted to restrain and detach the safety seal (not shown) of a standard twist bottle cap. The radius of annular flange 160 is typically greater than the radius of annular flange 158 and is spatially positioned on bottle 150 to restrain the safety seal in place once the seal is broken. The reusable container closure of the present invention is attached to bottle 150 by inserting threaded cap portion 155 of bottle 150 into ring portion 125. As threaded cap portion 155 is inserted into ring portion 125, retaining member 130 is compressed by annular flange 160 until retaining member 130 has cleared annular flange 160. In this manner, annular flange 160 is an engagement member since it engages retaining member 130 of ring portion 125. The safety seal from the bottle cap may or may not be located between annular flanges 158 and 160. In the closed position, abutting portion 115 of stopper 100 abuts the upper perimeter of threaded cap portion 155. Hinge members 120 exert sufficient force to circumferentially deform abutting portion 115 of stopper 100 in contact with cap portion 155 so as to form a liquid leak-proof and airtight seal.

The reusable container closure is easily adaptable to non-standard PET beverage bottles, such as bottles with crown or screw caps that comprise at least one engagement member located near the nozzle. In this embodiment, the circumference of retaining member 130 is adjusted such that at least one engagement member on the nozzle of the bottle is sufficient to engage retaining member 130. Typically the engagement member is an annular flange, although those skilled in the art will appreciate that other protrusions or sharp changes in curvature on the neck of non-standard bottles may also function as an engagement member.

The reusable container closure is easily removed from bottle 150 when the stopper is in the open position by grasping and pulling gripper 135 in a generally vertical direction away from bottle 150, such that ring portion 125 disengages annular flange 160, thereby allowing retaining member 130 to decompress reversing the above described attachment process. The gripper 135 can be located anywhere on ring portion 125.

In the closed position, the height that the reusable container closure extends above bottle 150 is relatively small, typically about 1 inch above the top surface of threaded cap portion 155. This allows for convenient storage inside a refrigerator, without requiring to increase the shelf height. In addition, the reusable container closure is compatible and does not interfere with beverage bottle holders on bicycles and other recreational vehicles.

The reusable container closure of the present invention is opened by applying sufficient force to stopper 100 in a generally horizontal direction away from bottle 150 until abutting portion 115 of stopper 100 is no longer in direct contact with the surface of cap portion 155, as shown in FIG. 4. As stopper 100 is retracted from cap portion 155, elastic hinge members 120 are actuated to pivot stopper 100 approximately 90° about cap portion 155, thereby allowing access to the beverage contained within bottle 150. When the reusable container closure is in the open position, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, hinge members 120 exert sufficient force to firmly secure stopper 100 against the threaded portion of cap portion 155. As such, bottle 150 is freely movable in the open position with stopper 100 firmly secured, thereby providing clear access to the contents of bottle 150.

Hinge members 120 are of sufficient thickness to permit repeated openings and closings without breakage. Hinge members 120 may be circular in cross section, although any shape can be utilized, and are approximately 3/16 inch in diameter.

In another embodiment, sleeve portion 125, fasteners 105 and hinge members 120 are fabricated from the same material as stopper 100 using injection molding techniques. This permits the various elements of the reusable container closure to be integrally formed with the other portions, including stopper 100 and retaining member 130.

A reusable container closure according to another embodiment of the invention is shown generally in FIGS. 7a-c and 8. This embodiment comprises a stopper 200 coupled to fasteners 205. Fasteners 205 are coupled to hinge members 220, which are coupled to clamp portion 225. As illustrated, stopper 200 is generally spherical, and is fabricated similar to the stoppers discussed above. In the illustrated embodiment, fasteners 205 and hinge members 220 attach the stopper 200 to clamp portion 225. Clamp portion 225 is fabricated from resilient material such as moulded plastic. Clamp portion 225 is generally C-shaped with an opening and adapted to encircle the neck of beverage bottle 250, such as a standard PET beverage bottle, by engaging an engagement member on bottle 250 such as annular flange 260.

Optionally, clamp portion 225 also comprises gripper 235. The gripper 235 is preferably located on clamp portion 225 opposite the opening to maximize the effect of a lateral force on gripper 235 when disengaging the device of this embodiment from bottle 250.

The closure of this embodiment is attached to bottle 250 by positioning the opening of clamp portion 225 adjacent to the neck portion of bottle 250 below annular flange 260. Sufficient force is applied in a generally lateral direction against clamp portion 225, thereby expanding the opening of clamp portion 225. Once the opening of clamp portion 225 exceeds the diameter of the neck of bottle 250, the neck of bottle 250 passes through the opening and clamp portion 225 contracts to encircle the neck of bottle 250 as shown in FIG. 8.

The reusable container closure is easily removed from bottle 250 by applying sufficient force to clamp portion 225, such that clamp portion 225 expands, thereby allowing the neck of bottle 250 to pass through the opening reversing the above described attachment process.

In embodiments that comprise gripper 235, the reusable container closure is easily removed from bottle 250 by grasping and pulling gripper 235 in a generally lateral direction away from bottle 250, such that clamp portion 225 expands, thereby allowing the neck of bottle 250 to pass through the opening reversing the above described attachment process.

A reusable container closure according to another embodiment of the invention is shown generally in FIGS. 9a-b. The reusable container closure comprises a stopper 300 coupled to a single hinge member 320. Hinge member 320 is coupled to and partially encircles clamp portion 325. Hinge member 320 is fabricated from materials having sufficient flexibility, elasticity and resilience to exert sufficient force to hold stopper 300 in place against the opening in the container. Optionally, hinge member 320 is fabricated from the same food grade regulatory approved silicon rubber or resins, natural or synthetic as stopper 300. Optionally, clamp portion 325 also comprises gripper 335. The gripper 335 can be located anywhere on ring portion 125.

As such, the reusable container closure of the present invention may comprise one or more hinge members which couple the stopper to the clamp or ring portion. The clamp or ring portion are retaining members which engage the engagement member on the container.

The reusable container closure of the present invention is effective, safe, and can be easily cleaned and reused in association with various sizes of bottles, having various nozzle configurations, so long as the nozzle comprises at least one engagement member that can engage the closure's retaining member. In addition, the surface of grippers 135, 235 and 335 and/or any hard plastic co-injected with the silicon can readily accommodate the application of decals, logos or printing, making the reusable container closure aesthetically pleasing, and particularly marketable as a promotional item.

While the present invention has been described with respect to specific embodiments, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, it is to be understood that the present invention is capable of numerous changes, modifications and arrangements and such changes, modifications and arrangements are intended to be covered by the following claims.

Claims

1. A reusable closure device securable to the nozzle of a container, the nozzle having at least one engagement member thereon, the closure device comprising: wherein said abutting portion is adapted to form a leak-proof, air tight seal when it abuts said nozzle.

a stopper formed of a flexible and resilient material, said stopper comprising a non-abutting portion and an abutting portion;

a sleeve comprising a retaining member; said retaining member adapted to engage the engagement member of said nozzle; and

one or more flexible, elastic and resilient hinge members extending between said stopper and said sleeve, the hinge members adapted to allow the stopper to pivot about the nozzle;

2. The reusable closure device of claim 1, wherein said sleeve further comprises a gripper adapted to aid in the removal of the reusable closure device from the container.

3. The reusable closure device of claim 1, wherein said sleeve is a ring adapted to accommodate the insertion of said nozzle about said retaining member.

4. The reusable closure device of claim 1, wherein said sleeve is a resilient clamp with an opening adapted to accommodate the insertion of said nozzle through said opening.

5. The reusable closure device of claim 1, wherein said closure device further comprises two or more flexible, elastic and resilient hinge members extending between said stopper and said sleeve, the hinge members adapted to allow the stopper to pivot about the nozzle;

6. The reusable closure device of claim 1, wherein said engagement member is an annular flange.

7. The reusable closure device of claim 1, wherein said stopper is generally spherical.

8. The reusable closure device of claim 1, wherein said stopper further comprises an attachment member adapted to releasably engage an aesthetic accessory.

9. The reusable closure device of claim 1, wherein said stopper further comprises a generally vertical cylindrical opening and a normally closed valve which closes the opening, said valve adapted to receive a drinking straw.

10. The reusable closure device of claim 1, wherein the material for said stopper is selected from the group consisting of regulatory approved food grade silicon rubber, regulatory approved food grade natural resins, and regulatory approved food grade synthetic resins.

11. The reusable closure device of claim 1, wherein the material for at least one of said stopper, retaining member, and resilient hinge members comprises a food grade additive that imparts an aroma.

12. The reusable closure device of claim 1, wherein said stopper further comprises a hard plastic portion formed using co-injection mould techniques.

13. The reusable closure device of claim 2, wherein said gripper further comprises a hard plastic portion formed using co-injection mould techniques.

14. The reusable closure device of claim 1, wherein said container is a standard polyethylene terephthalate beverage bottle.