DISPENSER CAP
Provided herein is dispenser cap. The dispenser cap can be removably fitted to a mouth of a container containing a fluid. The dispenser cap can be operated to dispense a compound into a body of the container to mix with the fluid.
Beverages are frequently sold or distributed using containers that will be referred to herein as “bottles”. For example, many beverages are sold or distributed using plastic water bottles. In the United States alone, in 2014, it has been estimated that over 100 billion plastic beverage bottles were sold. Of those, an estimated 57 billion were water bottles. Many other types of beverage bottles are sold or distributed, including containers designed to reduce the use of plastics. These beverage bottles (whether formed of plastic or other materials) are typically sold or distributed with caps that are designed to seal the beverage inside the bottle. Some have caps that seal as well as provide a resealable opening to access the beverage.
There is increasing demand for beverages that are functional—such as sports drinks that are formulated to improve an athlete's performance and which have been mixed with substances such as carbohydrates, minerals or electrolytes. In addition to athletic performance improvements, functional beverages may be formulated to provide benefits such as improvement of heart health, immunity, digestion, or joint health. These beverages that are mixed or infused with biologically active substances will generally be referred to herein as “functional beverages.” Many functional beverages are pre-mixed (e.g., they are sold and distributed in bottles in which the biologically active substance has already been mixed with liquid). Unfortunately, pre-mixing can lead to a reduction in the efficacy of many biologically active substances. For example, efficacy can be reduced due to the amount of time the mixed beverage sits in the bottle (which can vary based on supply chain and distribution issues), variations in temperature, exposure to ultraviolet light, or the like. In general, it is difficult to ensure that any biologically beneficial properties are not reduced or even substantially eliminated when functional beverages are pre- mixed.
Some functional beverages are mixed just prior to consumption by the user. For example, some manufacturers provide the biologically active substance in powder or other form shipped or distributed separately from the beverage in which the substance is to be mixed. The user is then responsible for measuring and mixing the substance with the liquid. Unfortunately, such an approach is inconvenient and potentially messy for the user. Further, a user may not mix the appropriate amount of substance with the appropriate amount of fluid which can further reduce the efficacy of the mixture. Even further, such powders are typically produced in bulk and are not customized for each individual user.
It would be desirable to provide improved systems, methods and apparatus that allow on- demand mixing and dispensing of functional beverages.
Features and advantages of the example embodiments, and the manner in which the same are accomplished, will become more readily apparent with reference to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Throughout the drawings and the detailed description, unless otherwise described, the same drawing reference numerals will be understood to refer to the same elements, features, and structures. The relative size and depiction of these elements may be exaggerated or adjusted for clarity, illustration, and/or convenience.
In the following description, specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the various example embodiments. It should be appreciated that various modifications to the embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments and applications without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Moreover, in the following description, numerous details are set forth for the purpose of explanation. However, one of ordinary skill in the art should understand that embodiments may be practiced without the use of these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and processes are not shown or described in order not to obscure the description with unnecessary detail. Thus, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein.
Provided herein is dispenser cap. The dispenser cap can be removably fitted to a mouth of a container containing a fluid. The dispenser cap can be operated to dispense a compound into a body of the container to mix with the fluid. More particularly, pursuant to some embodiments, a dispenser cap comprises a body having a cap covering a first end and an opening formed by a second end, the opening sized to mate with a neck of a bottle or other container. The body includes a holding area positioned proximate the opening, the holding area holding a capsule containing a compound. The cap further includes a plunger positioned between the cap and the holding area, the plunger movable between a resting position and a depressed position, such that when the plunger is in the depressed position, the plunger causes the capsule to dispense the compound.
Features of some embodiments will now be described by first referring to
In some embodiments, an optional external removable protective element (not shown) may be provided. For example, the external removable protective element may be shaped like a ring and may encircle the flexible shell 104 such that it provides a rigid connection between the top 102 and the body 106. This element may prevent accidental depression of the flexible shell 104 before use (e.g., during transit or storage). The protective element also could be formed as one or more vertical plastic elements (formed to connect the top 102 and the body 106. Once the (optional) external removable protective element(s) are removed, the dispenser cap 100 can be operated to dispense the compounds into the bottle 150 for mixing with a fluid as will be described further herein.
Further details of some embodiments of dispenser cap 100 will be described by reference to
The dispenser body 106 includes a holding area 120 which holds a capsule (not shown) from which a compound may be released to be dispensed into the bottle 150 (the compound is not shown in
The dispenser cap 100 also includes a flexible shell 104 which is positioned proximate the holding area 120 of the dispenser body 106. Pursuant to some embodiments, the flexible shell 104 is flexible such that the flexible shell 104 can be depressed (in a direction toward the neck of a bottle 150). When the flexible shell 104 is depressed and then released, the flexible shell 104 returns to its original position (extended away from the neck of the bottle 150). The flexible shell 104 further has (or is connected to) a plunger 130 which extends towards the holding area 120. The plunger 130 has a tip 132 which is formed to pierce or otherwise open or puncture a capsule when the plunger 130 is moved by the action of the flexible shell 104. In some embodiments, the plunger 130 and the tip 132 may be formed of a hard plastic such that the tip 132 may be reused to pierce, open or puncture capsules more than once. The plunger 130 is sized such that the length of the plunger 130 extends beyond the bottom stop 122 of the holding area 120 when the flexible shell 104 is depressed. Referring briefly to
A further view of a dispenser cap 100 pursuant to some embodiments is shown in
Referring to
In the dispenser cap 100 of
Reference is now made to
In some embodiments, the film material may be formed using one or more (or a combination of) materials such as: aluminum foil, paper, polyethylene (PE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyvinyl nylon (OPA), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH), polyamide (PA), fiberglass, rubber, silicone. Other suitable materials also could be used. In some embodiments, the capsule may be manufactured using food grade plastic materials that are sufficiently strong to withstand transportation and handling. In some embodiments, instead of or in addition to the top film and bottom film a plastic reinforcing plate could be attached to the film (or used instead of a film). For example, the plastic reinforcing plate may be provided with a hole in the shape of the cross-section of the plunger 130. The hole would be covered with a film. In use, when a cartridge 200 is inserted into the area 120 the plunger 130 will enter the hole in the reinforcing plate and break the film covering the hole. The broken film may act as a seal between the edge of the plunger 130 and the hole, thus preventing powder or other substances within the capsule 200 from entering the upper part of the cap and ensuring that the powder is available to be properly dispensed into the container once the plunger 130 is further depressed (to break the bottom film).
A cross section view of the capsule 200 is shown in
Reference is now made to
In the embodiment shown in
While the above embodiments have been described in conjunction with a dispenser cap 100 having a sealed top 102, in some embodiments, the dispenser cap 100 may be modified to allow fluid to be dispensed through the top 102. For example, a nipple may be attached to the top 102 allowing the dispenser cap 100 to be used with baby formula or other compounds to feed an infant without having to remove the dispenser cap 100 from the bottle. In some embodiments, the plunger 130 may be modified to allow fluid to flow through or past the plunger 130 into a hole in the top 102.
The above descriptions and illustrations of processes herein should not be considered to imply a fixed order for performing the process steps. Rather, the process steps may be performed in any order that is practicable, including simultaneous performance of at least some steps. Although the disclosure has been described in connection with specific examples, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions, and alterations apparent to those skilled in the art can be made to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as set forth in the appended claims.
Claims
1. A dispenser cap, comprising:
- a body having a top covering a first end and an opening formed by a second end, the opening sized to mate with a neck of a bottle;
- a holding area positioned proximate the opening, the holding area holding a capsule containing a compound; and
- a flexible shell positioned between the top and the holding area, the flexible shell movable between a resting position and a depressed position, such that when the flexible shell is in the depressed position, a plunger is operated to cause the capsule to dispense the compound.
2. The dispenser cap of claim 1, wherein the plunger has an elongated member extending from the top toward the holding area.
3. The dispenser cap of claim 2, wherein the capsule has a cylindrical body with a top film covering a top opening of the capsule and a bottom film covering a bottom opening of the capsule.
4. The dispenser cap of claim 3, wherein a tip of the elongated member is positioned proximate the top film when the flexible shell is in the resting position.
5. The dispenser cap of claim 4, wherein the tip of the elongated member is positioned to pierce the bottom film when the flexible shell is in the depressed position.
6. The dispenser cap of claim 3, wherein the top film, the bottom film and the cylindrical body form a sealed enclosure to hold the substance.
7. The dispenser cap of claim 1, wherein the top, the body, the holding area and the flexible shell form a sealed enclosure when the dispenser cap is attached to a neck of a bottle.
8. The dispenser cap of claim 1, wherein the capsule is removably replaceable within the holding area.
9. The dispenser cap of claim 1, wherein the opening is compatible with at least one of a 28 mm, a 34 mm and a 42 mm threaded bottle neck.
10. The dispenser cap of claim 1, wherein the opening is compatible with a bottle neck compliant with a standard bottle neck size including at least one of a Plastic Closure Only (“PCO”) bottle neck standard, a Bericap bottle neck standard, and a BPF bottle neck standard.
11. A dispensing system, comprising:
- a container, having a neck; and
- a dispenser cap having a top connected to a plunger, the dispenser cap having a body extending from the top to a base, the base removably attached to the neck, the body having an interior holding area holding a capsule containing a compound;
- wherein depressing the top causes the plunger to interact with the capsule to dispense the compound.
12. The dispensing system of claim 11, wherein the body has a flexible portion that allows the plunger to be moved within the body.
13. The dispensing system of claim 11, wherein the capsule has a top film and a bottom film and wherein depressing the top causes the plunger to pierce the bottom film.
14. The dispensing system of claim 13, further comprising:
- a stopper positioned proximate the flexible area which prevents the top from moving until the stopper is removed.
Type: Application
Filed: Feb 22, 2021
Publication Date: Aug 25, 2022
Inventors: Aleksei Valentinovich Kramarenko (Cheboksary), Mikhaylov Dmitry Mikhaylovich (Moscow), Gordeev Vladimir Vladimirovich (Moscow), Stolyarov Alexander Dmitrevich (Moscow), Paul Ostling (New Canaan, CT), Ilman Shazhaev (Dubai)
Application Number: 17/180,953