Abstract:
A device for attachment to a container. The device having an upper cap member connected to a middle cap member. The middle cap member connected to a lower cap member, and the lower cap member covering and sealing a neck of the container. A chamber for storing a predetermined substances defined by the connection of the middle cap member to the upper cap member. An aperture formed on the top plate member of the middle cap member. A sliding door placed on the top plate member for covering the aperture and enclosing the chamber. The door being movable to an open position for discharge of any contents in the chamber therethrough. The lower cap member having an aperture formed therethrough for passage of any contents discharged through the aperture of the middle cap member into the container.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    This invention relates to caps, and more particularly, this invention relates to a cap for storing and dispensing additives into a container.  
           [0003]    2. Description of the Prior Art In the pharmaceutical, beverage, scientific, and other relevant industries, when two or more substances require mixing in predetermined amounts for creation of a desired solution, the substances are usually kept in separate containers and mixed together into a single container as necessary. The mixing procedure can be time consuming as it may require measuring or it may be messy as there may be some spilling or cleaning necessary during and after the cleaning process. It is also known that mixtures of substances in a solution can change the composition, color, or efficiency of the ingredients and solution with passage of time. For instance, in the chemical industry, mixture of compounds can create a solution having certain desired reactive properties; however, the desired reactive efficiency of the product can diminish with the passage of time. Also, in the beverage industry, many flavored drinks are comprised of a mixture of substances. With passage of time in storage, these flavored drinks can loose their freshness, taste, and appearance. In addition, with prolonged storage, undesirable precipitation of compounds may even begin to appear in these flavored drinks. Often, in many nutritional drink solutions, the efficacy of the nutrition in such a drink may be lost with passage of time after mixture of key ingredients. These disadvantages are often encountered in commercial production and sales of the above mixed solutions, which often requires prolonged storage periods.  
           [0004]    As such, there is a need for a cap for a container which can hold substances separately in storage and release the substances for mixture just prior to use to eliminate the disadvantages described earlier.  
           [0005]    Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a cap for a container capable of storing additives and releasing the additives into the container at the desired time. It is another object of the present invention to provide a container wherein the contents in the bottle are stored separately from additives contained in a cap device attached to the bottle for mixture when the cap device is being released from the bottle.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    The present invention as shown is a device for use as a cap with a container. The device holds a predetermined additive for addition to a liquid or substance within the container at the desired time. The container shown in the illustrations has a neck. The device comprises an upper cap member, a middle cap member, and a lower cap member.  
           [0007]    The additive substance is stored in a chamber defined by the connection of the middle cap member to the upper cap member. The middle cap member has a top plate member and an aperture formed therethrough. The chamber is enclosed by, covering the aperture of the top plate member with a sliding door in a closed position. The door can be moved to an open position to uncover the aperture on the top plate member. In the open position, any contents within the chamber can exit through the aperture of the top plate member. The door further has a downwardly protruding tab member.  
           [0008]    The middle cap member removeably connects to the lower cap member. A layer of filter can be placed between the middle cap member and the lower cap member. The middle cap member has a skirt portion having an inner surface for twistably connecting onto the outer surface of the lower cap member. The lower cap member has a top surface and an aperture formed therethrough. A catch member protrudes upwardly from the top surface. A skirt protrudes upwardly and downwardly from along the edge of the top surface to form a cylindrical wall around the top surface. The cylindrical wall and top surface of the lower cap member are constructed and arranged to receive the neck of the container therein such that an outer surface of the neck of the container is sealed by at least a portion of the inner surface of the skirt of the lower cap member.  
           [0009]    In a locked position of the device, the lower cap member is connected to the container, and the lower, middle, and upper cap members are all connected. Furthermore, in the locked position of the device, the door is in the closed position to retain the additive substance within the chamber. The contents in the chamber are discharged into the container by twisting the middle cap member in a predetermined direction around the lower cap member. The tab member and door are constructed and arranged to engage the catch member for a predetermined distance sufficient to slide the door to the open position as the middle cap member is twisted around the lower cap member in a predetermined direction to open the device from the locked position. As the middle cap member is twisted to cause the door to open, the aperture of the middle cap member becomes aligned with the aperture of the lower cap member so that the contents in the chamber can pass through both apertures and into the container.  
           [0010]    For storing an additional predetermined substance in the device, another embodiment has a fourth cap member attached above the upper cap member. The upper cap member is provided with an aperture through a top surface thereof. The fourth cap member defines an open well having an open bottom covered by a bottom lid to form a cavity therebetween. The bottom lid has an aperture therethrough. The bottom lid has a sliding door covering the aperture formed thereon. The door of the bottom lid can be moved to uncover the aperture of the bottom lid. In a locked position of the device, the fourth cap member is connected to the upper cap member, and the door of the bottom lid is in the closed position. As the fourth cap member is twisted around the upper cap member in a predetermined direction, the door of the bottom lid is moved to the open position. As this door moves to the open position, the aperture of the bottom lid becomes aligned with the aperture of the upper cap member to discharge any contents therein to the chamber below. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]    With the above and additional objects and advantages in view, as will hereinafter appear, this invention comprises the devices, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described, by way of example, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings of a an embodiment in which:  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 1 is an exploded top perspective view of the present invention;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 2 is an exploded bottom perspective view of the present invention;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional attached side view of the present invention;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 4 is a partially detached cross-sectional side view of the present invention  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 6 is top perspective exploded view of the alternative embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 6B is a top perspective exploded view of an embodiment of FIG. 6 including a filter;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 7 is a bottom perspective exploded view of the alternative embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 8 is an exploded cross-sectional side view of the alternative embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a second alternative embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 10 is top perspective exploded view of the second alternative embodiment of the present invention; and,  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 11 is a bottom perspective exploded view of the second alternative embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0024]    The present invention as shown in FIGS. 1 through 4 is a device  10  for use as a cap with a container. The container  12  on which the device  10  can be utilized is of the type having a neck  15  defining an opening  17  leading into the container  12  as illustrated in FIGS.  1  to  4 . The device  10  of the present invention comprises an upper cap member  20 , a middle cap member  25 , and a lower cap member  30 .  
         [0025]    The middle cap member  25  connects to the upper cap member  20  and defines a chamber  24  therebetween. The chamber  24  serves to hold a predetermined quantity of an additive substance (not shown) therein. The middle cap member  25  has a top plate member  27 , and an aperture  28  is formed through the top plate member  27 . A sliding door  29  is placed on top plate member  27  which moves interchangeably between a closed position and open position along a track  32  formed on the top plate member  27 . In the closed position shown in FIG. 2, the door  29  is positioned to completely cover and seal the aperture  28 . In the closed position, the chamber  24  is sealed and any contents therein cannot leak through the aperture  28 . In the open position, the door  29  is positioned away from the aperture  28 , and the door  29  no longer covers the aperture  28 . In the open position, any contents within the chamber  24  can exit through the aperture  28 . The door  29  further has a downwardly protruding tab member  34 . As shown in the illustrations, the middle cap member  25  further comprises a skirt  26  extending downwardly from around the top plate member  27  to form a cylindrical wall  36 . The skirt  26  forming the cylindrical wall  36  has an inner surface  37  threaded with female threading.  
         [0026]    The lower cap member  30  has a top surface  39  and an aperture  40  formed therethrough. A catch member  42  protrudes upwardly from the top surface  39 . A skirt  43  protrudes upwardly and downwardly from around the edge of the top surface  39  to form a cylindrical wall  45  around the top surface  39 . In the illustrations shown, the lower cap member  30  has an upwardly extending  46  and a downwardly extending  48  portion of the cylindrical wall  45 . However, in an alternative construction (not shown), the present invention can have a lower cap member  30  having skirt extending only downwardly from around the edge of the top surface. For purpose of illustration, the construction having an upwardly extending  46  and downwardly extending  48  portion of the cylindrical wall  45  will be described.  
         [0027]    The downwardly extending  46  portion of the cylindrical wall  45  and top surface  39  of the lower cap member  30  are constructed and arranged to receive the neck  15  of the container  12  therein such that an outer surface  16  of the neck  15  of the container  12  is sealed by at least a portion of the inner surface  49  of the downwardly extending portion  48  of the cylindrical wall  45  in a locked position of the device  10  as shown in FIG. 3.  
         [0028]    Additionally, in the locked position of the device  10 , the lower cap member  30  is connected to the middle cap member  25 . The cylindrical wall  45  formed around the top surface  39  of the lower cap member  30  has an outer surface  50  threaded with male threading. The threaded inner surface  37  of the skirt  26  of the middle cap member  25  receives the threaded outer surface  50  of the cylindrical wall  45  of the lower cap member  30  such that the outer surface  50  of the cylindrical wall  45  of the lower cap member  30  is sealed by at least a portion of the inner surface  37  of the skirt  26  of the middle cap member  25 .  
         [0029]    The upper cap member  20  has a crown portion  52  and a skirt portion  53  extending downwardly from the crown portion  52  to form a cylindrical wall  55 . The upper cap member  20  removeably connects to the middle cap member  25 . In the construction illustrated herein, a portion of the outer surface  56  of the cylindrical wall  36  of the middle cap member  25  has male threading formed thereon. The inner surface  58  of the skirt portion  53  of the upper cap member  20  has female threading placed thereon for receiving and sealing at least a portion of the threaded outer surface  56  of the middle cap member  25  as shown in FIG. 3. The upper cap member  20  further comprises an aperture  59  formed therethrough. The aperture  59  is sealed closed with a removeable lid  60  covering the aperture  59 . In the alternative, the aperture  59  of the upper cap member can have a push button lid  60  hingeably mounted within the aperture  59 . The lid  60  is positioned to seal and enclose the aperture  59  in a closed position of the lid  60 . The lid  60  can be moved to an open position to unseal the aperture  59 .  
         [0030]    An alternative embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS.  5  to  8 , the alternative embodiment is for use with a container  12  having a neck  15  with an outer surface  14  threaded with male threading. The skirt  43  of the lower cap member  30  extends downwardly from around the top surface  39  of the lower cap member  30  to form a cylindrical wall  45 . The downwardly extending portion  48  of the cylindrical wall  45  has an inner surface  62  threaded with female threading. The inner surface  62  of the downwardly extending portion  48  of the cylindrical wall  45  and top surface  39  of the lower cap member  30  are constructed and arranged to receive the neck  15  of the container therein such that the outer surface  14  of the neck  15  of the container  12  is sealed by at least a portion of the inner surface  62  of the downwardly extending portion  48  of the cylindrical wall  45  in the locked position of the device  10 .  
         [0031]    Furthermore, in the alternative embodiment, the sliding door  29  is hingeably connected to the top plate member  27  at a hinge point  65 . The sliding movement of the door  29  from the closed to the open position is determined by the movement of the door  29  relative to the hinge point  65 . In both embodiments as illustrated in FIG. 6B, a layer of filter  67  can be placed between the middle cap member  25  and the lower cap member  30 .  
         [0032]    In operation, a predetermined additive substance is placed within the chamber  24  defined by the joining of the upper cap member  20  and middle cap member  25 . The device  10  holding the additive substance is placed in a locked position. In the locked position of the device  10 , the upper cap member  20  is connected completely with the middle cap member  25 , and the lower cap member  30  is connected completely with the middle cap member  25 . Furthermore, in the locked position of the device  10 , the door  29  on the middle cap member  25  is in the closed position, and the lower cap member  30  is connected completely with the neck  15  of the container  12 . To discharge the contents of the chamber  24  into the container  12 , the middle cap member  25  is first twisted in a predetermined direction. The tab member  34  and door  29  are constructed and arranged to engage the catch member  42  for a predetermined distance sufficient to slide the door  29  to the open position as the middle cap member  25  is twisted about the lower cap member  30  in a predetermined direction to open the device  10  from the locked position. As the middle cap member  25  is twisted to cause the door  29  to open, the aperture  28  of the middle cap member  45  becomes aligned with the aperture  40  of the lower cap member  30  so that the contents in the chamber  24  can pass through both apertures  28 ,  40  and into the container  12 . Furthermore, the aperture  59  on the upper cap member  20  should be unsealed for improved discharge of the contents within the chamber  24 .  
         [0033]    In yet a third embodiment of the present invention as shown in FIGS.  9  to  11 , an additional fourth cap member  70  is added above the upper cap member  20 . The construction of the upper cap member  20  is modified slightly to add the fourth cap member  70 . The upper cap member  20  comprises as in the earlier embodiments, a crown portion  52  and a skirt portion  53  extending downwardly from the crown portion  52  to form a cylindrical wall  55 . The inner surface  58  of the skirt portion  53  has female threading placed thereon. In addition, a portion of the outer surface  75  of the skirt portion  53  is threaded with male threading, and an aperture  77  is formed through the crown portion  52 . A second catch member protrudes upward (not shown) from the surface of the crown portion  52 . The fourth cap member  70  comprises a top cap portion  79  and a bottom lid  80 . The top cap portion  79  comprises a crown portion  82  and a skirt portion  83  extending downwardly from around the crown portion  82  to define an open well. The opening at the bottom of the top cap portion  79  is covered with the removeable bottom lid  80  to form a second chamber  85  therebetween. A predetermined additive substance can be stored within the second chamber  85 . The bottom lid  80  has a top plate  87  and a cylindrical wall  89  protruding downward from around the top plate  87 . The top plate  87  has an aperture  90  formed therethrough. A sliding second door (not shown) is placed on top plate  87  which moves interchangeably between a closed position and open position along a track formed on the top plate  87 . In the alternative, the second door can be hingeably attached to the top plate  87  and slide interchangeably between the closed and open position. In the closed position, the second door is positioned to completely cover and seal the aperture  90 . In the closed position, the second chamber  85  is sealed and any contents therein cannot leak through the aperture  90 . In the open position, the second door is positioned away from the aperture  90 , and the second door no longer covers the aperture  90 . In the open position, any contents within the chamber  85  can exit through the aperture  90 . The second door further has a downwardly protruding second tab member (as shown in the previous embodiments). An inner surface  92  of the cylindrical wall  89  of the bottom lid  80  is threaded with female threading to receive and seal the outer surface  75  of the skirt portion  53  of the upper cap member  20 . The second tab member and second door are constructed and arranged to engage the second catch member for a predetermined distance sufficient to slide the second door to the open position as the fourth cap member  70  is twisted around the upper cap member  20  in a predetermined direction to open the device from a locked position. As the fourth cap member  70  is twisted around the upper cap member  20  to cause the second door to open, the aperture  77  of the upper cap member  20  becomes aligned with the aperture  90  of the bottom lid  80  so that the contents in the second chamber  85  can pass through both apertures  77 ,  90  and into the first chamber  24  defined by the middle and upper cap members  25 ,  20 .  
         [0034]    The third embodiment of the present invention further comprises a second aperture  93  formed through an upper portion of the top cap portion  79 . The second aperture  93  is sealed closed with a removeable cover  95  covering the second aperture  93 . In the alternative, the second aperture  93  of the fourth cap member  70  can have a push button lid  95  hingeably mounted within the second aperture  93 . The push button lid  95  is positioned to seal and enclose the aperture  93  in a closed position of the lid  95 . The lid  95  can be moved to an open position to unseal the second aperture  93 .  
         [0035]    In operation of the third embodiment, an additive substance is placed within a first chamber  24  defined by the joining of the middle  25  and upper cap  20  portions. Another predetermined additive substance is placed within the second chamber  85  defined by the joining of the bottom lid  80  and top cap portion  79 . The device holding the additive substance is placed in a locked position. In the locked position of the device, the fourth cap member  70  is connected completely with the upper cap member  20 , and the upper cap member  20  is connected completely with the middle cap member  25 . The lower cap member  30  is in turn connected completely with the middle cap member  25  and the container  12 . Furthermore, in the locked position of the third embodiment of the device, the door  29  on both the middle cap member  25  and second door on the bottom lid are in the respective closed positions, and the lower cap member  30  is connected completely with the neck  15  of the container  12 . To discharge the contents of the first chamber  85  into the container  12 , the middle cap member  25  is first twisted in a predetermined direction around the lower cap member  30 . As the middle cap member  25  is twisted to cause the door  29  to open, the aperture  28  of the middle cap member  25  becomes aligned with the aperture  40  of the lower cap member  30  so that the contents in the chamber  24  can pass through both apertures  28 ,  40  and into the container  12 . To discharge the contents of the second chamber  85 , the fourth cap member  70  is twisted around the upper cap member  20  to cause the second door to open. As the second door becomes opened, the aperture  77  of the upper cap member  20  becomes aligned with the aperture  90  of the bottom lid  80  so that the contents in the second chamber  85  can pass through both apertures  77 ,  90  and into the first chamber  24  defined by the middle  25  and upper cap members  20  and thereafter through the already opened first door  29  and apertures  28 ,  40  of the middle  25  and lower cap members  30  and into the container  12 . Furthermore, the second aperture  93  on the top cap portion  79  of the fourth cap member  70  should be unsealed for improved discharge of the contents within both chambers  24 ,  85 .  
         [0036]    In an alternative construction for each of the embodiments, the doors can be removed along with the catch member on the respective lower cap member  30  and upper  
         [0037]    In an alternative construction for each of the embodiments, the doors can be removed along with the catch member on the respective lower cap member  30  and upper cap member  20 . Without the doors, the contents within the chambers  24 ,  85  in the locked position of the device are enclosed in the following respective manners. FIG. 10 and  11  show an illustration of the embodiments without the doors and the catch members according to this construction. For the embodiment with the second chamber  85 , in the locked position of the device, the bottom lid  80  and crown portion  52  of the upper cap member  20  are constructed and arranged so that the aperture  90  of the bottom lid  80  is completely covered by the crown portion  52  of the upper cap member  20  as the bottom surface  97  of the bottom lid  80  contacts the crown portion  52  of the upper cap member  20 . To discharge the contents of the second chamber  85 , the fourth cap member  70  is twisted around the upper cap member  20  to cause the aperture  77  of the upper cap member  20  to become aligned with the aperture  90  of the bottom lid  80  so that the contents in the second chamber  85  can pass through both apertures  77 ,  90  and into the first chamber  24  below. For the first chamber  24  defined by the connection of the upper cap member  20  and middle cap member  25 , in the locked position of the device, the middle cap member  25  and lower cap member  30  are constructed and arranged so that the aperture  28  of the middle cap member  25  is completely covered by the top surface  99  of the lower cap member  30  as the lower cap member  30  contacts the bottom surface  100  of the middle cap member  25 . To discharge the contents of the first chamber  24 , the middle cap member  25  is twisted around the lower cap member  30  to cause the aperture  28  of the middle cap member  25  to become aligned with the aperture  40  of the lower cap member  30  so that the contents in the first chamber  24  can pass through both apertures  28 ,  40  and into the container  12  below.  
         [0038]    While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been described and illustrated for purposes of clarity and example, it should be understood that many changes, substitutions and modifications to the described embodiment will be apparent to those having skill in the art in light of the foregoing disclosure without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention which is defined by the claims which will follow.