Abstract:
A drinking flask cap is a convenient, three-position, push-pull lid. The top of the lid forms a drinking basis, and the drinking basin can be sealed with a hygienic cap. The cap can be removed and placed on the bottom of the flask for convenient storage and provides a stable base for the flask. A bottle portion of the flask is preferably made from a molded plastic material and can be provided with a finger hold such that the flask can be drunk from in a manner similar to a coffee cup.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
   Invention relates to sports-oriented bottles and flasks. More specifically, the invention relates to sports-oriented bottles and flasks having a substantially unbreakable body and a push-pull type lid. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   The general public has become increasingly aware that proper hydration is necessary for maintaining good health. Certain medical authorities have suggested that in order to obtain optimal health it is necessary for the average individual to drink six to eight glasses of water per day. Recreational athletes, such as cyclists, runners, and hikers, have recognized the importance of proper hydration while exercising for some time. Therefore, various styles of unbreakable water bottles have been developed, the most familiar of which is a substantially cylindrical, flexible plastic bottle having a push-pull top. The push-pull top can be actuated by grasping a transverse flange on the top with the user&#39;s teeth so as to open the bottle with one hand. The bottle itself is typically manufactured from a flexible material, such as polyethylene, so that the bottle may be squeezed by the user to provide a stream of water, either for drinking or for drenching the user&#39;s head or face to avoid overheating. 
   Bottles of this type have even been adapted for receipt in so-called “cages” on bicycles so that the cyclist may constantly hydrate himself or herself while riding the bicycle and without stopping simply with the use of a single hand. 
   Unfortunately, non-athletes and athletes not then engaged in athletic activities find such sports bottles to be limited in their effectiveness for use during routine daily tasks, such as being at the office. Specifically, the bottles are aesthetically unappealing for use in a business environment in that they cannot be sipped from in a manner similar to a coffee cup. In addition, the aforementioned sports bottles are typically cylindrical in configuration, having a diameter of approximately four inches. The typical thickness of a commuting briefcase may only be on the order of three inches, thus rendering transportation of the water bottle on a daily basis for the office environment difficult. 
   Thus, a need exists for a hydration flask or bottle optimized for daily use, including the ability to fit into a standard briefcase and the ability to drink from such a bottle in an appropriate manner, such as in sipping a beverage from a coffee cup or the like. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide for a hydration flask or bottle having a relatively thin profile and an ergonomic design suitable for drinking from in a non-casual environment, such as a business office. 
   It is a further object of the present invention to provide for a drinking bottle or flask which achieves the above object while providing a locking mechanism on the bottle which permits the bottle to be securely closed for traveling while in a briefcase or the like, yet which will permit the user to sip from the bottle in a manner similar to a coffee cup. 
   It is yet another object of the present invention to provide for a drinking bottle or flask which achieves the above objects and which also facilitates easy cleaning to maintain the same in a hygienic condition. 
   The invention achieves the above objects, and other objects and advantages which will become apparent from the description below, by providing a hydration bottle or drinking flask having an ergonomically shaped, substantially hollow bottle, surmounted by a removable, multi-position lid. The bottle preferably has a central, elongated columnar portion having top and bottom ends, the top end being adapted for receipt of a three-position drinking lid. The columnar portion preferably has a diameter of less than approximately three inches. To increase the volume of the bottle, the columnar portion is flanked by and in fluid communication with at least two wing-like appendages, which are substantially axially coextensive with the columnar portion. The lid is preferably removable from the bottle to permit filling the bottle with water or a sports beverage. The lid is preferably circular and forms a drinking basin, such that a user can drink from the lid in a manner similar to a coffee cup. 
   In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the lid has a base portion which is removably attached to the upper end of the columnar portion and an upper portion which is rotatably and axially movable with respect to the base portion. Thus, the lid is preferably provided with a mechanism for orienting the upper portion and the base portion in a first closed and locked position, a second drinking position, and a third position in which the upper portion is removable from the base portion for cleaning. The mechanism can be in the form of a bayonet-type mechanism in which the upper portion has one or more inwardly directed projections, or dogs, which mate with corresponding tracks in the base portion. The tracks can be provided with a first circumferential groove having at its beginning end the closed and locked position. The end of the first circumferential track can terminate in a vertically directed second track, wherein the upper portion is rotated and then lifted, with respect to the base portion, into a second open position, allowing fluid to flow from the inside of the bottle, through the base portion, and into the drinking basin defined by the upper portion. The second track can terminate in a short, circumferential third track, which terminates in a vertical fourth track. By rotating the upper portion with respect to the base portion, through the circumferential third track and vertically through the fourth track, the upper portion can be removed from the base portion so the two portions can be cleaned in a sink or dishwasher. In the preferred embodiment, various graphics may be provided in the upper portion to indicate the various positions of the lid. 
   The wing portions on the bottle can meet the columnar portion at inwardly directed sidewalls to provide external finger grooves for the bottle. In addition, one of the lateral-extending wing portions can define in an upper corner thereof a finger hole such that an upper shoulder portion of that wing forms a thumb rest. The aperture defines an index finger hole or handle, and a groove in a junction between that wing portion and the columnar portion forms a resting place for the remaining three fingers of a user&#39;s hand. In this way, the flask may be grasped in a manner similar to a coffee cup. 
   Finally, the upper portion of the lid can be provided with a removable hygiene cap which engages a rim of the upper portion in a friction fit. The bottom end of the columnar portion can be provided with similar structure so that the hygiene cap can be stored thereon. Preferably, the wing portions extend downwardly, slightly below the columnar portion, so that when the hygiene cap is accepted thereon, the entire flask forms a flat bottom surface for supporting the flask with respect to a flat surface, such as a table or the like. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a top, right isometric view of a drinking flask in accordance with the general principles of the invention. 
       FIG. 2  is front elevational view of the flask shown in  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 3  is a right side elevational view of the flask. 
       FIG. 4  is a left side elevational view of the flask. 
       FIG. 5  is a top plan view of the flask. 
       FIG. 6  is a bottom plan view of the flask. 
       FIG. 7  is a top left isometric view of the lid of the flask in a closed position, with a hygiene being removed therefrom. 
       FIG. 8  is a view, similar to  FIG. 7 , with the lid being shown in an open position. 
       FIG. 9  is an exploded, isometric view of the lid illustrating the top side of a bottom portion of the lid and the bottom side of an upper portion of the lid. 
       FIG. 10  is a schematic representation of the lid showing the base portion thereof and a dog ear of the upper portion in a closed and locked position. 
       FIG. 11  is a schematic representation, similar to  FIG. 10 , showing the base portion and a dog ear of the upper portion of the lid in a second drinking position. 
       FIG. 12  is a schematic representation, similar to  FIGS. 10 and 11 , showing the base portion and a dog ear of the upper portion of the lid and a third position in which the upper portion of the lid is vertically removable from the lower portion of the lid. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   A hydration bottle or drinking flask, in accordance with the principles of the invention, is generally indicated at reference numeral  20  in  FIGS. 1 through 6  of the attached drawings, where reference numerals in the drawings refer to like-numbered elements below. 
   The flask  20  has a substantially flask-shaped, hollow bottle  22  for receiving a liquid, such as water or a sports beverage, a two-piece lid generally indicated at reference numeral  24 , and a removable, friction-fit hygiene cap  26 . The bottle  22  is preferably manufactured from a transparent, rigid material, such as an injection-molded acrylic thermoplastic material. The bottle is provided with a central columnar portion  30  having a diameter of approximately two and one-half inches. In order to provided the bottle with an interior volume of approximately one-half liter (20 fluid ounces) and an ergonomic shape, the bottle is provided with two laterally extending wing portions  32 ,  34  which are in fluid communication with the columnar portion  30 . Each wing portion has upper shoulder sections  36 ,  38  and flat bottoms  40 ,  44 . The columnar portion  30  has a lower end  46  which is slightly raised with respect to flat bottoms  40 ,  44  by approximately the thickness of the hygiene cap  26 . The bottoms  40 ,  44  of the wing sections and the columnar portion  30  merge at indented regions  48 ,  50  so as to form laterally extended ledges  52 ,  54  adapted to receive the hygiene cap  26  in a snap fit thereon, such that the bottoms  40 ,  44  and the hygiene cap  26 , when mounted on the lower end  46 , reside substantially in the same plane so that the flask  20  may reside on a smooth surface, such as a table top, in a drinking configuration to be further described below. The wing portions  34 ,  36  further have inwardly canted sidewalls  56 ,  57 ,  58 , and  59 , providing fingertip resting surfaces for a user&#39;s hand when grasping either side of the flask  20 . One of the wings is preferably provided with a through hole in the form of a transverse bore  60 , such that an index finger may pass therethrough and a thumb may rest upon the upper shoulder section  38 , such that the flask may be grasped in a manner similar to a coffee cup, with the tips of the user&#39;s remaining fingers resting in a trough defined by the sidewall  59 . 
   The columnar portion  30  is also provided with an upper end  62  forming an open mouth (not shown) in the conventional manner of a bottle. The upper end supports the two-piece lid  24  so as to permit passage of fluid from the bottle to the lid. The lid is of the push-pull type. However, the lid consists of a base portion  46  and a rotationally and axially movable upper portion  66 . As best seen in  FIGS. 7 and 8 , the upper portion  66  has an upper, circular drinking lip  68  and a lower circular rim  70 , defining therebetween a spherical or conical drinking basin  72 . The base  64  has a circular, central stopper portion  74 , which is adapted to close a drinking aperture  76 , defined by the rim  70 , when the lid is in a first, closed position shown in  FIG. 7 . Alternately, and as will be described in further detail below, the lid  24  can be moved to a second, open position by rotating the upper portion  66  counter-clockwise with respect to the base portion  64  and then axially moving the upper portion with respect to the base portion  64 . In this manner, a user can drink from the basin  72  when the lid is in the open position shown in  FIG. 8 . 
   The lid  24  is secured to the upper end  62  of the columnar portion  30  by providing cooperative threads on the upper end  62  (not shown) and on an underside of the base portion  64  (not shown) in the conventional manner. The base portion is provided with a floor region  78  surrounding the stopper portion  74 , such that the stopper portion  74  is elevated with respect thereto. The floor region defines a plurality of flow apertures  84  for drinking basin  72  to be in communication with the interior of the bottle  22  when the lid is in the open position shown in  FIG. 8 . In order to provide for relative rotational and axial movement of the upper portion  66  with respect to the base portion  64 , the base portion is provided with a circumferential, upwardly directed cylindrical section  82  having an outer sidewall  84 . The sidewall  84  preferably has two, diametrically opposed tracks  86 . Tracks  86  form a means for actuating the upper portion  66  of the two-piece lid  24  from a first closed and locked position shown in  FIG. 7 , through an open drinking position shown in  FIG. 8 , and to a third position in which the upper portion can be removed from the base portion shown in  FIG. 9 . Each track  86  has an elongated, circumferential first groove  88  terminating in a short, vertical second groove  90 , which itself terminates in a short, circumferential third groove  92 . Thus, the short, circumferential third groove  92  is disposed above the elongated, circumferential first groove approximately by the height of the grooves, with the short vertical second groove  90  forming a pathway therebetween. The short, circumferential third groove itself terminates in a short, vertical fourth groove  94 , terminating in an open end  96 . The first groove preferably subtends an angle of approximately 40 degrees, while the second groove subtends an angle of approximately 5–10 degrees. 
   The upper portion  66  has a downwardly depending sidewall  100 , which overlaps the outer sidewall  84  of the base portion  64 . An inside  102  of the sidewall  100  includes diametrically opposed, radially directed projections  104 , which are sized and shaped to be received in the tracks  86 . In this manner, and as best seen in  FIGS. 10 through 12 , the upper portion  66  is constrained to rotate in a counter-clockwise fashion, from the closed and locked position shown in  FIG. 7  and schematically illustrated in  FIG. 10 , until the projection  104  reaches the end of the first groove  88  and can be pulled vertically into the open position shown in  FIG. 8 , with the projections  104  residing at the end of the second vertical grooves as shown in  FIG. 11 . In order to remove the upper portion from the base portion, such as for cleaning, the upper portion  66  then may be further rotated in the counter-clockwise direction, such that the projection  104  assumes the position shown in  FIG. 12 , and the upper portion may be vertically removed from the base portion such that the projection  104  travels in the direction of arrow  110  in  FIG. 12 . The upper portion  66  of the two-piece lid  24  is preferably provided with graphical symbols  112  to indicate the closed and locked position, the drinking position, and the removable position. 
   In order to provide a leakproof seal when the lid  24  is in the closed and locked position, the upper portion  66  of the two-piece lid  24  is preferably provided with a central, downwardly directed annulus  114  having a toroidal seal  116  on a lower surface thereof for blocking the flow apertures  80  whenever the projections  104  are received in the first groove  88 . Detents in the form of short, raised bars  118  are preferably provided adjacent to a beginning end of the first groove  88 , and between an end of the first groove  88  and a transition between the end of the second groove  90  and the third groove  92 . This manner of making detents is believed to be well known to those of ordinary skill in the thermoplastic injection molding art and thus will not be described further. 
   The above-described drinking flask  20  provides a convenient means for office workers and the like to maintain optimal hydration in a semi-formal environment, such as a business office. The flask is easily transportable in a briefcase or sports bag without fear of leakage due to the sealing arrangement of two-piece lid  24 , yet is extremely convenient due to the push-pull operation of the lid. The hygienic cap  26  prevents the drinking basin  72  from becoming soiled, yet can be conveniently stored on the lower end  46  of the columnar portion  30  so as to provide a flat, stable base for the entire flask. Other embodiments and minor variation of the above-described preferred embodiment are contemplated and will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the relevant art upon reviewing this disclosure. Therefore, the invention is not to be limited by the above disclosure, but is to be determined in the scope of the claims which follow.