US20140224797A1 - Removable Bottle Cap Assembly with Internal Storage Compartment - Google Patents

Abstract

A removable cap assembly for a screw-top container includes a first portion, a second portion and a lower sealing member. The first portion is adapted to removably interface with a screw-top container. The second portion is adapted to removably interface with the first portion, and the second portion defines lateral sidewalls and a top surface. The lower sealing member is affixed to one of the first and second portions, and defines with the lateral sidewalls and the top surface an internal compartment. The other of the first and second portions, different from the one of the first and second portions to which the lower sealing member is affixed, comprises a cutting element arranged to breach the sealing member when the second portion is interfaced towards the first portion beyond a threshold point.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD
• The exemplary and non-limiting embodiments of this invention relate generally to removable caps for plastic and other types of bottles, and particularly such caps which have a separate compartment for storing liquids or powders separately from any contents of the bottle.
BACKGROUND
• It is known that a removable bottle cap may include a separate sealed chamber or bladder for storing an additive such that breaching the sealed chamber will allow the additive to be released into a separate bottle onto which the cap is attached. See for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,681,958 and 7,614,496; US Patent Publication 2009/0321380; and U.S. Design Pat. Nos. D640,552 and D640,553.
• U.S. Pat. No. 6,681,958 provides a supplement compartment in a nesting relationship atop a cap that covers the bottle/container. A liquid is disposed in the supplement compartment and it appears the user is required to fully remove the nested compartment/cap assembly before manually mingling the contents of the supplement compartment with the contents of the bottle.
• U.S. Pat. No. 7,614,496 and the two design patents referenced above build on this in that a twisting motion by the user breaches a seal between the supplement compartment and the bottle cap so the supplement falls into the bottle without necessitating removal of the cap. As illustrated, U.S. Pat. No. 7,614,496 implies a friction grip between the user's fingers and the lateral cylindrical exterior surface of the cap which causes knuckles to be driven downward in a rotating fashion to breach a plate into segments along score lines, which releases contents of the cap into the bottle. The two design patents referenced above provide larger lateral surfaces so that application by the user of a rotational force causes a circular cut along a score line of a divider between the cap compartment and the bottle, until a protrusion pushes the breached divider into an open position to release the cap contents into the bottle.
• US Patent Publication 2009/0321380 provides for a linear force by the user downward on the cap, which via gates and slots causes two gates to rotate relative to one another and align apertures in each so as to allow contents of the cap to fall into the bottle. Such an aperture-alignment approach does not appear suitable for liquids since it would appear that liquid would leak through even the misaligned apertures before the user intended to mix the cap contents into the bottle. The examples given in US Patent Publication 2009/0321380 provide for solids in the cap compartment such as aspirin and powder.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a bottle cap assembly having an internal compartment according to these teachings, in which the compartment remains sealed respecting contents of a bottle to which the bottle cap assembly might be removably affixed.
• FIG. 1B is similar toFIG. 1A but showing the compartment breached to allow mixing with contents of a bottle to which the bottle cap assembly might be affixed.
• FIG. 2A is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a bottle cap assembly having an internal compartment according to these teachings, in which the compartment remains sealed respecting contents of a bottle to which the bottle cap assembly might be removably affixed.
• FIG. 2B is similar toFIG. 2A but showing the compartment breached to allow mixing with contents of a bottle to which the bottle cap assembly might be affixed.
• FIGS. 3A-F illustrate an alternate implementation of the second embodiment, whereinFIG. 3A-B are sectional views with the compartment sealed,FIG. 3C is a sectional view with the compartment breached,FIG. 3D is a sectional view with the assembly in a flow through configuration, andFIG. 3E-F illustrating plan views of the respectively assembled and separated components.
• FIGS. 4A-C illustrate a third embodiment in which a drinking nipple is used for forming the internal compartment, whereFIG. 4A illustrates exploded and exploded sectional views,FIG. 4B is a sectional view with the internal compartment intact andFIG. 4C is a sectional view with the internal compartment breached.
• FIGS. 5A-B illustrate a fourth embodiment in which the sealing member of the internal compartment is punctured by an upward-facing cutter when the first and second portions of the bottle cap assembly are screwed against one another, in whichFIG. 5A is a cutaway view,FIG. 5B illustrate exploded views ofFIG. 5A, andFIG. 5C illustrates a variation on theFIG. 5A-B embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
• The description herein particularly details various embodiments illustrated in the drawing figures as well as various modifications to those illustrated embodiments and different implementation thereof. These illustrations are exemplary only and not limiting to the broader teachings enabled by those illustrations and of the modifications thereto which are detailed below with particularity.
• FIG. 1A-B illustrate a first embodiment of a removablebottle cap assembly100 having an internal compartment which is waterproof and suitable for storing liquids. There is afirst portion102 havinglateral sidewalls104, amating surface110 for mating with thesecond portion122 to be detailed further below, and a bottom opposedsurface108 which defines an aperture for receiving and mating with a neck of a bottle or similar container. Apart from themating surface110 thefirst portion102 of the removablebottle cap assembly100 may be largely conventional.
• When specifically implemented to replace a conventional screw top of a water bottle or the like, interior portions (not shown) of thelateral sidewalls104 define an inclined plane wrapped about that interior portion which mates with a similar inclined plane wrapped about an exterior sidewall surface of a bottle's neck. This enables them to mate in a screw type fashion, and to prevent leakage of liquid between those mating screw surfaces under expected normal operating conditions of ambient temperature and pressure. The extent of the bottom opposedsurface108 of thefirst portion102 is in this case simply a ring having a surface area substantially smaller than the two-dimensional interior area that is circumscribed by the ring, such interior area being the aperture that receives the neck of the bottle.
• At least part of themating surface110 of thefirst portion102 is common with thesecond portion122 as shown atFIG. 1A, and preferably (but not essentially) thefirst portion102 is made as a unitary body with thelateral sidewalls124 of thesecond portion122 so they are not rotatable relative to one another. Acentral axis101 runs through the first102 and second122 portions, about which they are circularly symmetric as illustrated (excepting theslideable plate140 and related apertures125) but this circular symmetry is not necessarily in all embodiments.
• The second portion also haslateral sidewalls124 and atop surface128 opposite themating surface110 of thefirst portion102. While shown in the drawings herein, thetop aperture130 at the top of thesecond portion122 may not be present in all embodiments, and in such non-illustrated embodiments a user would need to remove thebottle cap assembly100 from the bottle prior to imbibing of the mixed contents. Thetop aperture130 is detailed further below.
• Penetrating thelateral sidewalls124 of thesecond portion122 are a pair of opposedlateral apertures125 through which aslideable plate140 is disposed. Theplate140 has asolid portion142 and a flow throughportion144 and is slideable between a first position shown atFIG. 1A and a second position shown atFIG. 1B. In the first position shown atFIG. 1A thesolid portion142 of the plate spans the entire distance between the opposedlateral apertures125. Thus when the plate is in the first position ofFIG. 1A, thesecond portion122 defines an internal andwatertight compartment150 with the internal surfaces of thelateral sidewalls124 and the opposedtop surface128. Such aninternal compartment150 may be used to store powders or liquids separate from any contents of the bottle which may be mated to the removablebottle cap assembly100 via thefirst portion102 as detailed above.
• So long as the relative sectional dimensions of theplate140 and thoseapertures125 are sufficiently close, they will form a seal against leakage of liquid from thatinternal compartment150. Forming theplate140 and thelateral sidewalls124 of the second portion from any of the various plastics commonly used for disposable water bottles will provide an effective seal in this respect, given sufficiently close tolerances in the physical dimensions of theplate140 andlateral apertures125 of thesecond portion122. Such types of plastics include but are not limited to polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PPTE) and low-density polyethylene (LDPE, including linear LDPE) which are commonly used in caps for water bottles, as well as high-density polyethylene (HDPE) which is used for liquid container caps less commonly. In an embodiment there may also be a sealing film such as a wax disposed at least at the interface between theplate140 and thelateral apertures125 to better assure they seal against liquid leakage. Such a sealing film is then breached when the plate is moved from theFIG. 1A first position.
• In the second position shown atFIG. 1B, the flow throughportion144 of theplate140 divides theinternal compartment150 from the bottle, allowing the powder or liquid within to flow via gravity into the bottle. While a plurality of apertures are shown for the flow throughsection144 of theplate140 atFIG. 1A-B, in another embodiment there is only one large aperture to allow passage of the powder or liquid.
• For shipping and tamper resistance, there may be a removable plastic strip which retains themovable plate140 in the first position until such a strip is removed by the user. Such a strip is shown atFIG. 3F atreference number303, though in theFIG. 1A-B embodiment such a strip would be disposed so as to prevent sliding of theplate140 towards the second position.
• Thetop surface128 of thesecond portion122 is shown atFIG. 1A-B as being slideable along thecentral axis101 such that liquid or powder may also pass through thetop aperture130. In this manner thebottle cap assembly100 forms a flow through arrangement. The user first moves theplate140 into the second position ofFIG. 1B to allow the powder or liquid stored within theinternal compartment150 to fall into and mix with the contents of the bottle, and thereafter raises the topopposed surface128 which is defined on aseparate plug146 so that the mixture can flow in the reverse direction and pass through thetop aperture130 which in this embodiment is also on theplug146 which forms thetop surface128. As illustrated theplug146 slides inside thelateral sidewalls124 of thesecond portion122 until stopped by a laterally protruding lip that extends radially from the topopposed surface128. A similar lateral protrusion at the bottom of theplug146 prevents it from being inadvertently separated entirely from thesecond portion122 under normal usage.
• FIG. 1A-B illustrate an embodiment of theassembly100 in which theinternal compartment150 is breached due to linear movement of a component (the plate140) perpendicular to thecentral axis101.FIGS. 2A-B and3A-F illustrate an embodiment of thebottle cap assembly200,300 in which theinternal compartment150 is breached due to linear movement of a component parallel to thecentral axis101.
• Thefirst portion102 ofFIG. 2A-B with itsmating surface110 is substantially similar to those same elements already detailed with respect toFIG. 1A-B. As shown also theplug146 with thetop surface128 and thetop aperture130 of thesecond portion122 are substantially similar to those shown inFIG. 1A-B but in another embodiment detailed below theplug146 is different.FIG. 2A-B and3A-F differ in that instead of a laterallyslideable plate140 there is one or more vertically slideable plungers or cutters (240 inFIG. 2A-B;340 inFIG. 3A-D) which are used to breach the seal of theinternal compartment150.
• Specifically for the embodiment ofFIG. 2A-B, there is alower sealing member252 which is penetrated by the plungers/cutters240 when the plungers/cutters240 are extended downward through themating surface110 of thefirst portion102 or through a plane defined by thatmating surface110. Thislower sealing member252 may be made from a same plastic as the remainder of the bottle cap assembly (200 inFIG. 2A;300 inFIG. 3A), or it may be an aluminum foil or a foil of some other disparate material that is secured to mate with thelateral sidewalls124 with an adhesive to assure a water tight seal.
• FIG. 2A-B show abottle cap assembly200 with the plungers orcutters240 exterior of thelateral sidewalls124 of thesecond portion122, though in other embodiments they may be disposed interior of thelateral sidewalls124. In theFIG. 2A-B embodiment the plunger/cutter240 is advantageously attached to theplug146 and moves with it. Similar toFIGS. 1A-B, in one particular embodiment atFIG. 2A-B theplug146 moves both upward and downward along thecentral axis101. A removable plastic ring may circumscribe theplug146 near the topopposed surface128 to retain theplug146 in a mid-range position for shipping and to ensure against tampering. Asimilar ring303 is shown atFIG. 3A.
• In the embodiment in which the plunger(s)/cutter(s) lie interior of thelateral sidewalls124, a portion of theplunger240, or one of the plungers/cutters if there are multiple plungers/cutters240, may have an inwardly extending protrusion so as to fold a major portion of thelower sealing surface252 downward after it is penetrated. This will allow rapid flow of the powder or liquid from theinternal compartment150 into the bottle by opening a large breach in the sealingsurface252 as opposed to only one or more slits.
• In theFIG. 2A-B embodiment the mid-range position of theplug146 is the sealed position in which powder or liquid is retained within theinternal compartment150 prior to breaching of the sealingmember252. The mid-range position theplug146 lies between the fully depressed position in which theplug146 is maximally within the confines of thelateral sidewalls124 via movement along thecentral axis101, and the fully extended position in which theplug146 is maximally outside the confines of thelateral sidewalls124 along thecentral axis101 without being separated from thetop portion122. In this mid-range position thetop aperture130 may be blocked by anipple132 as is conventional for sports bottles. Depressing theplug146 downward into the fully depressed position and towards the bottle breaches thelower sealing surface252 to release the contents of the powder or liquid within theinternal compartment150 into the bottle which is attached to thefirst portion102. If thetop aperture130 is sealed by such anipple132 it may remain sealed when theplug130 is so depressed downward, in which case the user will then raise theplug130 beyond the mid-range position towards the fully extended position so as to open thetop aperture130 and pour or drink from the bottle through the flow throughcompartment150.
• In another embodiment, instead thetop aperture130 is sealed by a removable plastic film or by a flipable or slideable or removable cover. In this embodiment thetop aperture130 will be open anytime the film is removed or the flip/slide cap is flipped/slid open or the removable cap is removed, and the user can pour or drink the contents of the bottle through the flow throughinternal compartment150 once theplug146 is depressed and thelower sealing surface252 is breached. In one implementation of this embodiment there is a removable plastic ring that retains theplug146 in the extended position shown atFIG. 2B, at which time the cap or film prevents leakage of the contents through thetop aperture130. Removal of this retaining ring would then allow the user to depress theplug146 linearly along thecentral axis101, driving the plunger(s)/cutter(s)240 downward to breach thelower sealing member252 and allowing the liquid/powder from thecompartment150 to fall into the bottle and mix. In one embodiment the user then raises theplug146 so the mixture can flow from the bottle through thecompartment150 and out thetop aperture130.
• In another embodiment there need not be a film or cap over the topopposed surface128 of the second portion. Instead thenipple132 seals thetop aperture130 when the plug is in the raised position (the position shown atFIG. 2B) which prevents leakage during shipping. In this embodiment there is a retaining ring that keeps the plug in the raised position, so that once the user removes the retaining ring from this embodiment theplug146 may be driven downward from the position shown inFIG. 2B by depressing theplug146 towards the position shown atFIG. 2A which breaches thelower sealing member252. In this embodiment thenipple132 may be flared at the top edge so that when theplug146 is depressed as inFIG. 2A thenipple132 will protrude slightly above thetop aperture130 and allow the mixture to flow from the bottle through theinternal compartment150, and the mixture's flow through thetop aperture130 would be about the narrower stem of thenipple132 which is not flared.
• In theFIG. 1A-B embodiment thesolid portion142 of theplate140 operates as a sealing member when theplate140 is in the first position (FIG. 1A) and the internal chamber orcompartment150 is breached when theplate150 is moved towards the second position (FIG. 1B) such that at least a portion of the flow throughportion144 defines theinternal compartment150. Theplate140 is movable between the first and second positions by an external force that is applied substantially perpendicular to thecentral axis101. Substantially in this regard means within about 10 degrees of true perpendicular.
• In theFIG. 2A-B embodiment the plunger/cutter240 is movable between a first position (FIG. 2A) in which the sealingmember252 is intact and a second position (FIG. 2B) in which theplunger240 is depressed so as to penetrate and deform the sealingmember252. In this embodiment the external force is applied substantially parallel to thecentral axis101. Substantially in this regard means within about 10 degrees of true parallel.
• FIGS. 3A-F illustrate another implementation of the second embodiment. The implementation ofFIG. 3A-F is similar toFIG. 2A-B in that the linear motion to breach thelower sealing member252 is also substantially parallel to thecentral axis101. Theplug146 ofFIGS. 2A-B can be characterized as having two distinct components in the implementation ofFIGS. 3A-F; asleeve346 and a cover orcap304. In this embodiment of the plunger/cutter takes thesleeve346 embodies thecutter340 at a lower portion of thatsleeve346, and there is aseparate cover304 that defines the top surface of the second portion322.FIG. 3A additionally illustrates theremovable retaining ring303 and shows the cap or cover304 mentioned above, which may be fully removable from theassembly300 or flipable so as to be removed laterally from thecentral axis101 yet still attached to theassembly300. Thesleeve346 with thelower sealing member252 define the lateral and lower bounds of theinternal compartment150, and thecover304 overlies thesleeve346 to define the upper bound of thecompartment150 and to seal the top from leakage when closed. InFIGS. 3A-F thelateral sidewalls124 of the second portion322 which define in part theinternal compartment150 are sidewalls of thesleeve346, and the majority of the exterior surfaces of the second portion322 are defined by thecover304. Thelower sealing member252 is affixed to a portion of thefirst portion302.
• FIG. 3A illustrates thebottle cap assembly300 mated with a bottle. Thecompartment150 is fully sealed because thelower sealing member252 remains intact and thecover304 is in a lowered or closed position. Presence of thering303 prevents thecutter portion340 of thesleeve346 from being moved downward to breach thelower sealing member252.
• FIG. 3B is similar toFIG. 3A in that theinternal compartment150 is still sealed but inFIG. 3B thering303 removed. Thecutter portion340 of thesleeve346 definesseveral gaps340awhich allow the lateral expanse of thesecutter portions340 that are separated by thegaps340ato extend outward once thesleeve346 is moved the lowered position and thecutter portions340 are unconstrained by thefirst section302, as will be shown atFIG. 3C. BothFIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate the first position in which the sealingmember252 is intact.
• FIG. 3C illustrates breaching of thelower sealing member252; after removing thering303 shown atFIG. 3A the user depresses thecover304 towards the second position shown atFIG. 3C and this action also moves thesleeve346 downward towards thelower sealing member252. Specifically, thecover304 pushes against an extension346aof thesleeve346 so that in one motion thesleeve346 and cover304 move relative to thefirst section302. As can be seen atFIG. 3A, this extension346awas the means by which theremovable retaining ring303 prevented this same downward movement.FIG. 3C illustrates the second position in which the sealingmember252 is breached due to applying an external force downward and parallel to thecentral axis101. This downward movement causes thecutter portion340 of thesleeve346 to breach the sealingmember252 whichFIG. 3C shows is moved slightly outboard as compared toFIG. 3B. This breaching allows the contents of thecompartment150 to fall into the attached bottle. AtFIG. 3C thecover304 andnipple132 still remain sealed so the contents of the bottle andcompartment150, which are now combined within the bottle, can be shaken for a thorough mixing.
• Movement of thesleeve346 downwards as shown by the arrow atFIG. 3C towards the second position allows itscutter portion340 to extend further inside the bottle. In this second position thefirst portion302 no longer laterally constrains thecutter portions340 and thegaps340aallow thecutter sections340 to expand outboard and away from thecentral axis101. A protrusion340bon the outboard side of at least some of thesecutter sections340 catches against a portion of thefirst section302 once thecover304 andsleeve346 are moved to the second position (FIG. 3C). These protrusions340bprevent thesleeve346 andcutter340 from moving upward back to the position shown for them atFIG. 3B when thecover304 is raised along thecentral axis101 after the sealingmember252 is breached.
• AtFIG. 3D the user has raised thecover304 as shown by the arrow. Thesleeve346 remains in the lowered second position, with the extension346aremaining against themating surface110 of thefirst portion302, so thecover304 is moved relative to thesleeve346 and also relative to thefirst section302. Thenipple132 is attached to thesleeve346 and so remains in the lowered second position also. The overallintegrated cap assembly300 is now flow through in that thelower sealing member252 is breached and the mixture within the bottle can, when the bottle with thecap assembly300 is inverted, pass from the bottle andcap assembly300 to flow out through thetop aperture130 and around thenipple132.
• FIG. 3E is a plan view of theintegrated cap assembly300 described atFIG. 3A-D, andFIG. 3F is a view of the four distinct components (thefirst portion302, thesleeve340, thering302, and the cover304) which are assembled into thebottle cap assembly300 according to one particular embodiment.FIG. 3F best shows how thenipple132 is made one with thesleeve346 while still allowing flow-through as described above when thecover304 is raised.
• FIGS. 4A-C illustrate a third embodiment in which the external force is rotation about thecentral axis101, which theassembly400 converts to a linear force parallel to thecentral axis101 to breach the sealing member. This specific embodiment uses a baby bottle nipple or other such drinking nipple opposite a foil or other type of sealingmember252 to form the internal compartment. There may be a wax or other removable coating over the top aperture/small hole at the tip of the drinking nipple to prevent contents of the compartment from leaking out and contaminants from entering prior to the user's removal of such removable coating. In a specific embodiment the contents of theinternal compartment150 is in a powder form.
• Thebottle cap assembly400 in this third embodiment consists of three components shown in exploded and exploded sectional views atFIG. 4A: ascrew cap410, adrinking nipple420, and acutting element430. Thescrew cap410 forms thefirst portion402 in thisembodiment400 and thedrinking nipple420 with the cuttingelement430 for thesecond portion422.FIG. 4A additionally shows the mating portion of a bottle for context. The cuttingelement430 defines an outwardly extendinglip432 to prevent it from dropping fully into the bottle. There is afoil sealing member252 affixed across a major opening of thedrinking nipple420. Thedrinking nipple420 is pliable, and defineslateral sidewalls124 which meld gradually into a top surface that defines thetop aperture130.
• FIG. 4B illustrates theassembly400 according to the third embodiment attached to the bottle and all of the components with their reference numbers, including theinternal compartment150. There is also shown aretaining ring403 which is removably attached to thescrew cap410 at a lowermost surface (shown atFIG. 4C); thisring403 functions as a physical spacer from the bottle itself to prevent thescrew cap410 from being tightened too much until thering403 is removed by the end user.FIG. 4B illustrates the first position in which theinternal compartment150 is filled with theassembly400 contents and the sealing foil/member252 is intact and not breached.
• FIG. 4C illustrates the second position. In this case the external force which causes breaching of the sealingmember252 is rotational about thecentral axis101 and is applied to thescrew cap410 after the retainingring403 is removed. This rotational motion on thescrew cap410 drives thedrinking nipple420 further towards the bottle as thescrew ring410 is tightened against the bottle. The sealingmember252 is affixed to thedrinking nipple420 and is breached by the cuttingelement430 which has a portion that extends above thelip432 for this purpose. While the cuttingelement430 is shown inFIGS. 4B-C with this extension above thelip432 defining a plane parallel to a plane defined by the bottle opening and/or the sealingmember432, in another embodiment the plane of that extension is angled with respect to the plane of the bottle/sealing member so as to not fully separate a portion of the sealingmember432 when breached. Once the sealingmember252 is breached the user can simply shake the bottle which now has the mixture of the contents of the bottle and of thecompartment150.
• FIG. 5A illustrates a fourth embodiment which combines features ofFIGS. 2A-B and3A-F.FIG. 5B shows an exploded view of the various components ofFIG. 5A. This fourth embodiment also has a first portion502 that mates with a host bottle viabottle mating threads111. WhileFIG. 5B illustrates the first portion502 having two components, this is to illustrate a convenient manufacturing method for it in that the lowermost component atFIG. 5B bearing the bottle mating threads is over-molded onto the uppermost component of the first portion502 bearing thecutter540,male mating threads110 and femalelateral sidewalls525′, but in other implementations these two components may be manufactured together in a single molding step.
• There is acutter540 in the first portion502 which is generally centrally disposed along thecentral axis101 and facing upwards towards thesecond portion522. Thecutter540 lies within and near the base of female lateral sidewalls which define an interior cylindrical surface oppositemale mating threads110. The first portion502 and asecond portion522 of the this fourth embodiment of thebottle cap assembly500 are jointed together via thesemale mating threads110 defined in the first portion502 and complementaryfemale mating threads110′ defined in thesecond portion522. There is aremovable ring503 which, until removed by the end user, acts as a stop against thesecomplementary threads110,110′ so as to prevent thesecond portion522 from closing with the first portion502 sufficiently to break the sealing member352, which in this embodiment is disposed on the second portion.
• The lowermost component of thesecond portion522 atFIG. 5B bearing thefemale mating threads110 defines theinternal compartment150 via male lateral sidewalls which form the interior surface of thesleeve546. Thesleeve546 tapers to a conventional sports-bottle type nipple132 at the top, which is sealed by means of thecover504 being depressed against thesleeve546. When the first portion502 and the second portion544 are assembled such that the male110 and female110′ mating threads interlock, then the portion of thesleeve546 that defines the malelateral sidewalls525 is laterally enveloped by the femalelateral sidewalls525′ of the first portion502. Thus the vertically extending member of the first portion502 which bears themale mating threads110 is received within a gap between thesleeve546 and thefemale mating threads110/exterior sidewalls524 of the second portion544.
• With thering503 in place this disposes the sealingmember252 immediately over but not yet in contact with thecutter540. Thering503 ensures thesecond portion522 cannot be screwed further towards the first portion502 and with thering503 in place the sealingmember252 remains intact and thecompartment150 remains sealed. Once the end user removes thering503, s/he is able to further screw thesecond portion522 onto the first portion502, and similar in principle toFIG. 4B theupward facing cutter540 breaches the sealingmember252, allowing the contents of theinternal compartment150 to fall into the bottle and mix with the bottle's contents. Unlike the illustration ofFIG. 4B, in the case ofFIG. 5B thecutter540 breaches a central region of the sealingmember252 as opposed to outboard circumferential regions, but either type ofcutter430,540 can be deployed in either of these embodiments.
• For this fourth embodiment there may further be an overcap501 that substantially surrounds thecover504 during shipping, and this overcap501 may be held in place via breakaway plastic threads that attach to an upper part of thesleeve546, or by a shrink-wrapped film, or by other means known in the bottling arts. When in place the overcap501 prevents thecover504 from being extended away from thesleeve546/nipple132, thus keeping the upper part of theinternal compartment150 sealed.
• The embodiment ofFIGS. 5A-B is a flow-through design in that the mixture can enter theinternal compartment150 from the bottle via the breached sealingmember252 and exit via the gap formed between thenipple132 and thecover504 when thecover504 is in the raised position.
• FIG. 5C illustrates a variation of this fourth embodiment which is not flow-through.FIG. 5C differs fromFIGS. 5A-B in that there is nocover504 ornipple132, and so to access the mixture in the bottle after breaching the sealingmember252 the user would unscrew and fully remove thesecond portion522 from the first portion502, or alternatively remove both the first502 and second522 portions and drink or pour the mixture directly from the bottle.
• Any of the above embodiments may be made disposable. Additionally, the first portion of any of the assembly embodiments may be made to fit different sized bottles and/or different thread dimensions. This can be done for example by having multiple concentric threaded rings, each similar to the screw cap shown atFIG. 4A-C, arranged in a layered or staggered fashion such as layers of a traditional wedding cake. When such an assembly is mated to a small bottle one of the smaller inboard screw cap rings will mate with the bottle, and for a larger bottle one of the larger outboard screw cap rings will mate. Being made in one piece there will be no leakage regardless. In this manner the same cap assembly can for example mate with a standard 16 ounce water bottle, a standard one-gallon milk container, and a standard five-gallon jerry can.
• All of the above embodiments have certain common elements when arranged for the flow-through feature. In this case the removable flow-through cap assembly for a container can be described generically as comprising:
• • a first portion configured to removably interface with a container such as a screw-top bottle;
  • a second portion which is securable to a container by the first portion and defining sidewalls and a top surface, which may also define a top aperture; and
  • a lower sealing member affixed to at least one of the first portion and the second portion, the lower sealing member defining with the lateral sidewalls and the top surface an internal compartment.
• Common to all the above flow-through embodiments is that the removable flow-through cap assembly is arranged such that at least one component of the first portion or of the second portion is movable between a first position and a second position so as to breach the internal compartment and allow fluid to flow through opposed ends of the assembly.
• For the embodiment ofFIGS. 1A-B, the at least one component of the above paragraph is of thesecond portion122 and comprises theplate140 having asolid portion142 which forms the lower sealing member and a flow-throughportion144. Recall that the plate was slideable between the first position (FIG. 1A) in which the solid portion defines the internal compartment and the second position (FIG. 1B) in which at least a portion of the flow-through portion defines the internal compartment, which in that case is breached. Fluid flows through the opposed ends of theentire assembly100 via the flow-throughportion144 of the plate and thetop aperture130.
• For the embodiment ofFIGS. 2A-B, the at least one component noted above is of the second portion and comprises aplug146 defining the top surface with the top aperture and at least one plunger orcutter240 internal or external of the lateral sidewalls. Recall that the plunger/cutter was movable with the plug between the first position (FIG. 2A) in which the sealing member is intact and a second position (FIG. 2B) in which the plunger/cutter is depressed to breach the sealing member.FIG. 3B additionally shows the cap raised to allow the fluid to flow through the opposed ends of theentire assembly300 via the breached sealingmember252 and thetop aperture130.
• For the embodiment ofFIGS. 3A-F, the second portion comprises acap304 and asleeve346. In this case the at least one component noted above then comprises thesleeve346 which defines thelateral sidewalls146 and anipple132 and which has cuttingportions340. ForFIGS. 3A-F the sleeve is movable between a first position in which the sealing member is intact while thenipple132 seals against thetop aperture130, and a second position in which the cuttingportion340 of thesleeve346 breach the sealing member. In this embodiment it was theseparate cap304 which defined the top surface with the top aperture, and thecap304 is movable with theFIGS. 3A-F plug240 from the first position (FIG. 3B) to the second position (FIG. 3C) and is further movable from the second position back to the first position (FIG. 3D) while thesleeve340 remains in the second position and the nipple is not sealed against the top aperture. LikeFIGS. 2A-B, forFIGS. 3A-F fluid similarly flows through the opposed ends of theentire assembly300 via the breached sealingmember252 and thetop aperture130.
• For the embodiment ofFIGS. 4A-C, the second portion comprises apliable drinking nipple420 defining thelateral sidewalls124 and the top surface with thetop aperture130, and the sealingmember252 is affixed to the drinking nipple opposite the top surface. In this embodiment the at least one component mentioned above is the first portion which comprises ascrew ring410. This embodiment of the removable flow-throughcap assembly400 further comprises acutting element430 arranged to breach the sealing member when the screw ring is moved from a first position (FIG. 4B) relative to a container/bottle to which the screw ring is interfaced, and a second position (FIG. 4C) in which the screw ring is tightened against the container which drives the sealing member against the cutting element to effect the breach. Similar toFIG. 2A-B and3A-F, the fluid flow through the opposed ends of the entireFIG. 4A-C assembly400 is then via the breached sealingmember252 and thetop aperture130 which is a small hole in thepliable drinking nipple420.
• For the embodiment ofFIGS. 5A-B, the sealingmember252 is disposed within thesecond portion522, and the first502 and second522 portions screw into one another. Aremovable ring503 prevents breaching of the sealing member until thatring503 is removed by the end user.
• With the possible exception of certain implementations of the drinking nipple of the third embodiment ofFIGS. 4A-D, any of the above embodiments that are flow-through can be implemented with a particulate filter disposed within theinternal compartment150. Such a filter may be implemented as an activated carbon filter, a ceramic filter, a sediment filter, or any of the various other types of water filters known in the filtration arts. In this case once the sealing member is breached the user can filter the contents of the bottle via the particulate filter.
• This implementation would be quite useful in a survival situation or on military maneuvers, where the weight of an individual's water supply over multiple days is impractical to carry on his/her person. In this case the individual would have a single (or only a few) water bottle or canteen but one or several of the bottle cap assemblies with the particulate filter disposed within the internal compartment. Once the original water bottle/canteen is empty the individual can opportunistically find water in the wild and filter it via the particulate filter in the bottle cap assembly. In this case the assembly may be re-usable for multiple water bottles. In one embodiment this particulate filter is a micron filter having specifications as capable of filtering 99.9% of human-harmful elements as well as debris.
• In the above survival or military situations there is also a risk that water found in the wild may be contaminated with bacteria from any number of disease vectors, such as for example a dead animal upstream of a river where the individual is re-filling his/her canteen, or the water source is stagnant and therefore suspect. To address this concern theinternal compartment150 can be equipped with a particulate filter and an iodine or chlorine tablet, or other such anti-bacterial substance. Breaching of the sealing member would allow the tablet to drop into the bottle as previously described, and when the user drank via the flow-through feature the treated water in the bottle/canteen is filtered for micron-sized particulates (or sub-micron sized in other implementations of the filter, such as a reverse osmosis type of filter). In this case since weight is at a premium in a survival situation the user may have only multiple of the relevant components that house the filter, such as for example multiple ones of the second portion shown atFIGS. 5A-B, enabling him/her to re-use the first portion as necessary.
• The embodiments of the removable cap assembly shown atFIGS. 3A-F and5A-C may be characterized as having:
• • afirst portion302,502 adapted to removably interface with a screw-top container;
  • asecond portion322,522 adapted to removably interface with the first portion, the second portion defining lateral sidewalls (interior surfaces of thesleeve346,546) and a top surface (upper portion of theinternal compartment150 which may include the nipple132); and
  • alower sealing member252 affixed to one of the first and second portions, the lower sealing member defining with the lateral sidewalls and the top surface aninternal compartment150;
  • wherein the other of the first and second portions, different from the one of the first and second portions to which the lower sealing member is affixed, comprises acutting element340,540 arranged to breach the sealing member when the second portion is interfaced towards the first portion beyond a threshold point (the retainingring303,503 prevents interfacing beyond this point).
• More specifically for particular implementations of theFIG. 3A-G embodiment:
• • thelower sealing member252 is affixed to thefirst portion302 and the second portion322 comprises the cuttingelement340;
  • the second portion322 comprises asleeve346 that defines the lateral sidewalls and the sleeve itself (lower extensions thereof) comprises the cuttingelement340;
  • the removable cap assembly further comprises aremovable retaining ring303 disposed between the first and second portions that prevents the first and second portions from interfacing beyond the threshold point;
  • the first and second portions are slideably interfaced to one another;
  • with the retaining ring the first and second portions are interfaced with one another in a first position (FIG. 3A) in which thesleeve346 is partially disposed within thefirst portion302, and after removal of the retaining ring the second portion322 is movable by a linear force along acentral axis101 of the removable cap assembly to a second position (FIG. 3C) beyond the threshold point, and this linear force drives the cuttingelement340 to breach the sealingmember252.
• More specifically for particular implementations of theFIG. 5A-B embodiment:
• • thelower sealing member252 is affixed to thesecond portion522 and the first portion502 comprises the cutting element;
  • thesecond portion522 comprises asleeve546 that defines thelateral sidewalls525 andexterior sidewalls524 of the removable cap assembly, said lateral and exterior sidewalls defining a gap therebetween for interfacing with the first portion502;
  • the removable cap assembly further comprises aremovable retaining ring503 disposed between the first and second portions that prevents the first and second portions from interfacing beyond the threshold point;
  • the first and second portions are screwably interfaced to one another viacomplementary mating threads110,110′;
  • with the retainingring503 the first and second portions are interfaced with one another in a first position (FIG. 5A) in which the sleeve is partially disposed within the first portion and the first portion is partially disposed in the gap, and
  • after removal of the retaining ring the second portion is movable by a rotational force about acentral axis101 of the removable cap assembly to a second position beyond the threshold point, said rotational force operating to drive the cuttingelement540 along thecentral axis101 to breach the sealingmember252.
• Both theFIG. 3A-G andFIG. 5A-C embodiments may have acover304,504 that when closed seals theinternal compartment150, and when open allows the cap assembly to be flow-through such that contents of the container may flow through the internal compartment and out via the open cover. In some particular embodiments theinternal compartment150 comprises a particulate filter, such as for example a filter made of activated carbon and/or ceramic.
• The above are non-limiting embodiments which are presented to give an understanding of the more general principles of the invention, some of which are set forth in the claims below. Some of the features of the various non-limiting and exemplary embodiments of this invention may be used to advantage without the corresponding use of other features. As such, the foregoing description should be considered as merely illustrative of the principles, teachings and exemplary embodiments of this invention, and not in limitation thereof.

Claims (12)

What is claimed is:

1. A removable cap assembly for a screw-top container, the assembly comprising:

a first portion adapted to removably interface with a screw-top container;

a second portion adapted to removably interface with the first portion, the second portion defining lateral sidewalls and a top surface; and

a lower sealing member affixed to one of the first and second portions, the lower sealing member defining with the lateral sidewalls and the top surface an internal compartment; and

wherein the other of the first and second portions, different from the one of the first and second portions to which the lower sealing member is affixed, comprises a cutting element arranged to breach the sealing member when the second portion is interfaced towards the first portion beyond a threshold point.

2. The removable cap assembly according toclaim 1, wherein:

the lower sealing member is affixed to the first portion; and

the second portion comprises the cutting element.

3. The removable cap assembly according toclaim 2, wherein:

the second portion comprises a sleeve that defines the lateral sidewalls; and

the sleeve comprises the cutting element.

4. The removable cap assembly according toclaim 3, further comprising a removable retaining ring disposed between the first and second portions that prevents the first and second portions from interfacing beyond the threshold point.

5. The removable cap assembly according toclaim 4, wherein the first and second portions are slideably interfaced to one another;

with the retaining ring the first and second portions are interfaced with one another in a first position in which the sleeve is partially disposed within the first portion, and

after removal of the retaining ring the second portion is movable by a linear force along a central axis of the removable cap assembly to a second position beyond the threshold point, said linear force driving the cutting element to breach the sealing member.

6. The removable cap assembly according toclaim 1, wherein:

the lower sealing member is affixed to the second portion; and

the first portion comprises the cutting element.

7. The removable cap assembly according toclaim 6, wherein:

the second portion comprises a sleeve that defines the lateral sidewalls and exterior sidewalls of the removable cap assembly, said lateral and exterior sidewalls defining a gap therebetween for interfacing with the first portion.

8. The removable cap assembly according toclaim 7, further comprising a removable retaining ring disposed between the first and second portions that prevents the first and second portions from interfacing beyond the threshold point.

9. The removable cap assembly according toclaim 8, wherein the first and second portions are screwably interfaced to one another via complementary mating threads;

with the retaining ring the first and second portions are interfaced with one another in a first position in which the sleeve is partially disposed within the first portion and the first portion is partially disposed in the gap, and

after removal of the retaining ring the second portion is movable by a rotational force about a central axis of the removable cap assembly to a second position beyond the threshold point, said rotational force operating to drive the cutting element along the central axis to breach the sealing member.

10. The removable cap assembly according toclaim 1, wherein the assembly comprises a cover that when closed seals the internal compartment and when open allows the cap assembly to be flow-through such that contents of the container may flow through the internal compartment and out via the open cover.

11. The removable cap assembly according toclaim 1, wherein the internal compartment comprises a particulate filter.

12. The removable cap assembly according toclaim 11, wherein the particulate filter is made of activated carbon and/or ceramic.

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