Abstract:
A compressible container ( 200 ) has a cap ( 100 ) configured to engage therewith. The cap ( 100 ) includes a first valve ( 150 ), preferably in the form of first and second disks ( 112,120 ), one above another, each disk having at least one hole ( 113,122 ) therethrough. The disks are rotatable with respect to one another The holes ( 113,122 ) of the first and second disks ( 112,120 ) align in a first position to create channel therethrough and misalign in the second position to close the channel. The cap ( 100 ) may also include a second valve ( 130 ) connected to the channel. The second valve ( 130 ) may comprise a ball ( 134 ) inside a conic section tube ( 132 ). The ball ( 134 ) is designed to float on the liquid ( 300 ) so that any liquid ( 300 ) attempting to exit the container cap ( 100 ) will be prevented from doing so as the second valve ( 130 ) will be closed when the liquid forces the ball ( 134 ) into engagement with the conic section tube ( 132 ).

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is in the field of collapsible containers for containing liquids to be dispensed and to caps for such containers. More specifically, the present invention is in the field of hand held collapsible containers for containing liquids to be dispensed and to the construction of caps for such containers. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Many liquids that are stored in sealed containers, such as alcoholic beverages, fruit juices and dairy products (e.g. milk), rapidly deteriorate upon exposure to oxygen after the sealed containers are opened. 
     The introduction of “bag in a box wine” (wherein the wine is contained in a collapsible plastic bag held in a cardboard box and dispensed through a valve at the bottom of the container, closed with a plastic cap) addressed both the problem of oxygen intrusion and the problem of adequate closure after initial opening. But such a container structure has limitations in its practical use since the valve prevents a user from enjoying pouring the wine from the collapsible plastic bag into a second container, such as a goblet. Instead, the wine must be dispensed from the plastic bag in an upright position. The same problem applies to any other liquid contained in such kind of container. 
     On the other hand, today&#39;s supermarkets and shops sell beverages such as carbonated drinks in increasingly large volumes. The containers of these beverages are usually plastic bottles, and generally hold up to around 3 liters of liquid, although there is no reason why larger containers cannot be used. However, a problem with carbonated drinks, especially those stored in large containers, is that once the containers have been opened and a quantity of the beverage is consumed, the quality of the beverage, i.e. the degree of carbonation, causing the effervescence or “fizzyness,” and hence the taste, of the beverage remaining in the container, diminishes over a relatively short period of time. This is because consuming the beverage increases the space in the container for gases, and the increase of the space changes the gas/liquid pressure equilibrium between the beverage and the space. As a result, the carbon dioxide in the beverage escapes quickly into the increased space and the carbon dioxide concentration in the beverage decreases. As the beverage keeps being consumed, there is eventually only a negligible amount of carbon dioxide remaining in the beverage and the beverage remaining in the container has lost its desired taste and/or become undrinkable. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with the present invention, the problems of the prior art are solved in that a cap is provided for a compressible container, which cap contains a first valve that allows air to be expelled when the container is collapsed, and does not allow the air to return to the container after the collapsing operation. In a preferred embodiment, the cap contains a second valve that permits air to be expelled when the first valve is open, but does not allow liquid to pass therethrough. 
     An apparatus in accordance with the present invention includes a compressible container having an opening, and a compressible surface such that the container may be capable of being compressed to reduce its volume, and a cap according to the present invention, configured to engage with the opening of the container. The compressible container may be used for storing a quantity of a liquid and allows the liquid to be poured out from the opening when the cap according to the present invention is disengaged from the compressible container. 
     The cap according to the present invention may comprise a channel connecting the inside of the compressible container to the outside of the apparatus; and at least a first disk and a second disk with one above the other, each disk having at least one hole therethrough. The first disk is rotatable with respect to the second disk between a first position and a second position. The holes of the first and second disks align with each other in the first position to open the channel and the holes of the first and second disks misalign to each other in the second position to close the channel. 
     In a further embodiment, the cap according to the present invention may include a device that prevents liquid from exiting the cap once the container is collapsed to the extent that all or most of the gas, such as air or CO 2 , therein has been expelled through the channel in the cap. In this regard, the cap may comprise a second valve within the channel. The second valve preferably comprises a conic section tube and a ball inside the conic section tube. The conic section tube preferably comprises a first end having a first diameter and a second end having a second diameter. The first diameter is preferably smaller than the second diameter and larger than the diameter of the ball. The second end of the conic section tube connects to one of the first and second disks. The ball preferably has a density smaller than the density of the liquid. 
     In yet another embodiment the cap and the container include the second valve discussed above but not the first valve. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The above and other features and advantages will become more apparent by describing in detail example embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  illustrates an exploded perspective view of the container cap, according to an embodiment of the present invention, viewed from an angle above the horizontal; 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a perspective view of an assembled container cap, according to an embodiment of the present invention, viewed from an angle above the horizontal; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates an exploded perspective view of the container cap, according to the embodiment of the present invention, viewed from an angle below the horizontal; 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a perspective view of an assembled container cap, according to an embodiment of the present invention, viewed from an angle below the horizontal; 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a cross-sectional view of the container cap according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a cross-sectional perspective view of the container cap according to an embodiment of the present invention, viewed from an angle above the horizontal; 
         FIG. 7  illustrates a cross-sectional perspective view of the container cap according to an embodiment of the present invention, viewed from an angle below the horizontal; 
         FIG. 8  illustrates a perspective view of the compressible container showing the container cap disengaged from the container; 
         FIG. 9  illustrates a cross-section of a fully expanded compressible container with a container cap engaged with the container, according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 10  illustrates liquid being poured out from the compressible container when the container cap is disengaged therefrom; 
         FIG. 11  illustrates the compressible container being compressed with gas from the inside of the compressible container flowing out through the container cap, which is in an open position; 
         FIG. 12  illustrates the compressible container being compressed shown after all of the air has been expelled and the liquid within the container forces the ball valve in the container cap to close, thereby preventing loss of liquid during compression; 
         FIG. 13  shows a perspective view, from below, of the inside of the dome of the container cap in an embodiment that includes a built-in gasket; and 
         FIG. 14  shows a partially broken-away perspective view of an embodiment of the container cap of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which example embodiments are shown. In the drawings, the thicknesses of layers and regions may be exaggerated for clarity. Like reference numerals in the drawings denote like elements, and thus their description will not be repeated. 
     Although detailed illustrative embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein, the specific structural and functional details disclosed are merely representative for purposes of describing example embodiments of the present invention. The invention, however, may be embodied in many alternate forms and should not be construed as limited to only the embodiments set forth herein. 
     Accordingly, while example embodiments of the invention are capable of various modifications and alternative forms, embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intent to limit example embodiments of the invention to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, example embodiments of the invention are to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the appended claims. 
     It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and, similarly, a second element could be termed a first element, without departing from the scope of example embodiments of the present invention. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. 
     It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “connected” or “coupled” to another element, it can be directly connected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly connected” or “directly coupled” to another element, there are no intervening elements present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.). 
     The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of example embodiments of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” “including,” “has,” or “having” when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. 
     It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions/acts noted may occur out of the order noted in the FIGS. For example, two FIGS. shown in succession may in fact be executed substantially concurrently or may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality/acts involved. 
     The system of the present invention may, without limitation, be applied to dispense any liquid susceptible to oxygen (air) degradation and/or other gas degradation or deterioration, as well as carbonated liquids. According to the present invention, there is provided a cap and a container capable of being compressed to reduce its effective volume. The collapsible or compressible container may initially be filled with a liquid and then the cap is attached to the container. The cap (hereinafter “container cap”) is configured to allow any gas, such as air, to be removed from the container when some liquid in the container is consumed and the container is compressed to reduce its volume in order to compensate for the volume of the consumed liquid. 
       FIGS. 8 and 9  show a compressible container  200  and the container cap  100  that may be used in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The container  200  has a body  210  with a compressible section  220  and an opening  230 . The container cap  100  is preferably screwed onto the opening  230  of the container  200  in a conventional manner (see  FIG. 8 ), but may be removably engaged with the opening  230  of the compressible container  200  in any desired manner. The liquid  300  within the bottle may be consumed in the manner shown in  FIG. 10 . To consume the liquid  300 , the container cap  100  is removed from the opening  230  of the container  200  (as shown in  FIG. 8 ) and the liquid  300  is poured from the container  200  in a conventional manner (as shown in  FIG. 10 ). After a desired amount of liquid  300  has been consumed, the container cap  100  is returned to the opening  230  of the container  200 . As the container  200  is now partially empty, it may be compressed so as to diminish the volume of the container  200  for the purpose of convenience of storage, or for any other desired reason.  FIGS. 11 and 12  show the container in the process of compression—see arrows  240  indicating the compressive force against the bottom  245  of the container  200 . The compressible section  220  is constructed so as to allow it to accordion or otherwise compress when the container  200  is compressed in the direction shown by the arrows  240  in  FIG. 11 , resulting in the configuration shown in  FIG. 12 . In order to allow the air within the container to escape while the container  200  is being compressed to its compressed configuration, the container cap  100  is used, which is shown in greater detail in  FIGS. 1-7  and  14 . 
     A preferred embodiment of the container cap according to the present invention is provided in  FIGS. 1-7  and  14 . As shown, the container cap  100  has an upper surface  142 , which in the ornamental construction shown in  FIGS. 1-7  and  14  is in the shape of a dome. It should be understood, however, that any other shape could also be used without departing from the essentials of the present invention. The upper surface  142  includes a surface hole  140  from which air may escape. While one such surface hole  140  is shown, it should be understood that more than one such hole may be present. 
     The container cap includes a first valve  150  that permits fluid communication between the opening  230  of the container  200  and the surface hole  140  when the first valve is in a first position, and prevents fluid communication between the opening  230  of the container  200  and the surface hole  140  when the first valve is in a second position. In one embodiment of such a first valve, the container cap includes two overlapping disks, an upper disk  112  and a lower disk  120 . The upper disk  112  has a plurality of holes (perforations)  113  and the lower disk  120  has an equal number of such holes (perforations)  122 . The number of such holes may vary, although four are shown in the present figures. The holes  113 ,  122  in the upper and lower disks  112 ,  120  are configured to align with each other upon rotation of either one of the disks  112 ,  120  to a particular aligned position. In this aligned, or open, position of the upper and lower disks  112 ,  120 , the holes  113  and  122  align with one another and a channel is formed through the aligned holes  113 ,  122 . This channel allows fluid communication from the interior of the container  200 , through the aligned holes  113 ,  122  in the upper and lower disks  112 ,  120  and on to the surface hole  140 , as shown, for example, by the arrows  250  in  FIG. 11 . This fluid communication between the inside space of the container  200  to the outside space allows gas to flow in and out of the container. By compressing the container in the manner shown in  FIG. 11 , the liquid  300  that remains within the container  200  will force the air in the space  260  above the liquid level in an upward direction and the air will flow out of the container through the aligned holes  113 ,  122  and the surface hole  140 , as shown, for example by arrows  250  in  FIG. 11 . 
     Once the liquid  300  reaches the top of the container  200 , one of the disks  112 ,  120  is rotated so that the upper and lower disks  112 ,  120  are in a second relative position (i.e., a closed position). In the closed position, the holes  113 ,  122  in the upper and lower disks  112 ,  120  are misaligned with respect to each other and no gas can pass through the disks  112 ,  120  and thus no gas can flow in or out of the container. Accordingly, when the disks  112 ,  120  are rotated to the closed position, the fluid communication channel is closed. When the container  200  is finished collapsing, a disk of the container top is rotated as shown by arrow  260  in  FIG. 14  so as to close the channel and prevent air from re-entering the container  200 . As a result of this operation, the container  200  has a reduced size, and there is less space and/or no space left for gas within the container. The reduction of the space for the gas may facilitate storing of the container (i.e., through reducing the volume of the container) and/or reduce the deterioration rate of liquids susceptible to oxygen and/or other gaseous substance and prevent the loss of carbonation in carbonated liquids. 
     In the preferred embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1-7  and  14 , the disk  120  is designed as a wheel with an outer cylindrical portion  118  and a plurality of spokes  116 , four of which are illustrated as spokes  116 A,  116 B,  116 C and  116 D. The hub  124  of the wheel (disk  120 ) is in the center and contains the through-holes  122 . A cylindrical element  110  is provided with slots  108  (illustrated as  108 A,  108 B . . . ) between upstanding portions illustrated as  110 A- 110 D. The circumference of the cylindrical portion  118  of the disk  120  is slightly larger than that of the cylindrical element  110  so that the latter can nest within the outer element  118  of disk  120 . The spokes  116  of the disk  120  fit into the slots  108  of the cylindrical element  110  so that the sides of the slots  108  will limit rotation of the spokes  116 . As seen most clearly in  FIGS. 5-7  and  14 , the cylindrical element is preferably glued or otherwise fastened to the disk  112  after being inserted into the disk  120  and the disk  112  is preferably glued or otherwise fastened to the upper surface  142 . A disk  114 , which may be a gasket, fits within the circumference of the element  110  to close off the interior of disk  120  from the liquid. Disk  114  may be held in place by a flange  126 , which is fixed to the inner circumference of the element  110 , or disk  114  may be directly glued or otherwise affixed to the inner circumference of element  110 . The bottom of the inner circumference of element  110  is screw-threaded to permit engagement with the screw-threads  232  of the container  200 . 
     The disk  120  is free to rotate with respect to the remainder of the cap, which is fixed in place once screwed onto the container  200 . This allows the disk  120  to be rotated with respect to the disk  112  within the confines of slots  108  so that when in one extreme position, such as is shown in  FIG. 14 , the through-holes  122  and  113  are aligned and the valve  150  is open, and when rotated to the other extreme position, such as is shown after rotation in the direction shown by arrow  260  in  FIG. 14 , the slots  108  allow the spokes to rotate enough to prevent alignment of the through-holes  122  and  113  and thus close the valve  150 . 
     It should be emphasized that while the illustrated embodiment is a preferred embodiment, the present invention is intended to include any construction of a first valve that will permit the channel to be open when in a first position and closed when in a second. It is within the skill of those of ordinary skill in the art of valves to design alternative constructions of such a first valve that will maintain the desired function. 
     In a preferred embodiment according to the present invention, the container cap  100  further comprises a second valve  130  to prevent liquid  300  from flowing through the fluid communication channel. Thus, the second valve  130  allows gas passing through the first valve  150  to be expelled through surface hole  140  when the first valve  150  is in the open position. However, when all of the air has been expelled and the liquid  300  tries to pass through the open first valve  150 , the second valve  130  will prevent the liquid from passing through the surface hole  140 . 
     In a particularly preferred embodiment, the second valve  130  is positioned above the upper disk (see  FIGS. 1-7  and  14 ) of the first valve  150 . The second valve  130  includes a tube  132 , in the shape of a conic section, that fits between the upper disk  112  and the upper surface  142 . The lower end  138  of the tube  132  surrounds the holes  112  in the upper disk  112 , and the upper end  136  of the tube  132  surrounds the surface hole  140  on the upper surface  142 . The lower end  138  is the larger diameter portion of the conic section tube  132  and the upper end  136  is the smaller diameter portion of the conic section tube  132 . The tube  132  is effectively sealed to the upper disk  112  and the upper surface  142  to substantially prevent any fluid communication from the interior to the exterior of the tube  132  within the container cap  100 .  FIG. 13  shows a view of the upper surface  142  from below. In this preferred embodiment, an elastomeric material  144  is made a part of the upper surface  142  surrounding the hole  140  so as to create a kind of a gasket when in engagement with the upper surface  136  of the tube  132 , thereby forming a seal that prevents leakage. 
     A ball  134  is positioned within the tube  132 . The diameter of the ball  134  is smaller than that of the lower side  138  of the tube  132  but larger than that of the upper side  136  of the tube  132 . The ball  134  within the conic section tube  132  of the second valve  130  preferably has a specific weight and/or has a density smaller than that of the liquid  300  intended to be kept in the container  200 , such that it is capable of floating on the liquid  300 . Upon rotating one of the disks  112 ,  120  of the first valve  150  to the open position and compressing the container  200 , as shown in  FIG. 11 , the gas inside the container  200  within the open space  260  is pushed up and flows out of the container through the channel (i.e., through the aligned holes  113 ,  122 , around the ball  134 , and out of the surface hole  140 ). When all of the gas has flown out, the liquid will reach to the top of the container  200  and begin to flow into the container cap  100 . However, the ball  134  prevents the loss and waste of such liquid during compression of the container  200 . When the liquid  300  reaches the ball  134 , the ball  134  will be forced up by the liquid  300  until it contacts the inside surface of the tube  132 , which will prevent liquid  300  from passing by the ball  134  and thus effectively cause the second valve  130  to close, as is shown in  FIG. 12 . As a result, the liquid  300  is prevented from flowing out from the container cap  100 . When this happens, the container will compress no farther and the first valve  150  is then closed, preferably manually. In the illustrated embodiment, one of the disks  112 ,  120  is rotated to the closed position, as shown by arrow  260  in  FIG. 14 . Once closed, no carbonation can escape the container  200  and no outside air can reenter. Furthermore, there will be no air, or other gas, within the container  200  that might cause deterioration or degradation of the quality of the liquid  300  therewithin. 
     It should be emphasized that while the illustrated embodiment is a preferred embodiment, the present invention is intended to include any construction of a second valve that will permit the passage of air but will prevent the passage of liquid. It is within the skill of those of ordinary skill in the art of valves to design alternative constructions of such a second valve that will maintain the desired function. 
     The shape of the compressible container  200  and the particular construction of the compressible section  220  thereof are not important, as long as compression is possible. For example, the container may be a foldable PET bottle as described in WO02/47988. The PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottle may comprise a plurality of folding lines around its side walls in such a way that the container is capable of being folded along the folding lines in a state wherein the volume thereof is minimized. Generally a PET bottle may be formed in any desirable manner, such as by a blow molding technique. 
     Other foldable containers that may also be used, without limitation, with the container cap of the present invention are the bottles as described in WO2005/061336, FR2607109, U.S. Pat. No. 5,333,761, US2009/0057321, U.S. Pat. No. 5,310,068, U.S. Pat. No. 6,116,448, WO96/05113, WO2008/022605, and WO2009/081167. 
     Whilst the present invention has been described above according to its preferred embodiments, it can be modified within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. This invention is therefore intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the present invention using the general principles disclosed herein. Further, the instant invention is intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within the known or customary practice in the art to which this invention pertains and which fall within the limit of the following claims. The invention claimed is: