Abstract:
Described is a bottle cap having one or more internal brushes included thereon. The internal brushes may be useful for scrubbing a cleaning liquid, such as laundry detergent, dispensed from a bottle into the bottle cap. Unlike conventional methods, wherein detergent is scrubbed by hand or with a separate brush, the present invention provides a built-in internal brush on a cap of the detergent bottle. After use, liquid left in the cap and on the brushes may return to the bottle through a conventional drainback mechanism.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    This invention relates generally to a bottle cap having an internal brush and more specifically to an internal brush or brush insert that can be used with the pouring spout of a drainback bottle. 
         [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0004]    Laundry detergent bottles often include a drainback dispensing opening for delivering the detergent from the bottle. The drainback dispensing opening allows for detergent that remains on the bottle&#39;s spout to drainback into the bottle. Laundry detergent bottles also often include a measuring cup which may threadably attach over the bottle&#39;s spout. After detergent is measured and placed into the clothes washer, the measuring cup may be screwed back over the bottle&#39;s spout thereby permitting detergent remaining in the measuring cup to flow back into the bottle through the drainback dispensing opening. 
         [0005]    Typical drainback bottles are well-known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,706,819 issued to Li; U.S. Pat. No. 4,993,605 issued to Del Re; U.S. Pat. No. 5,108,009 issued to Davidson et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,462,202 issued to Haffner et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,566,862 issued to Hafflier; U.S. Pat. No. 6,123,231 issued to Geisinger; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,223,945 issued to Giblin et al. each describe various types of drainback bottles. None of these designs, however, address the delivery and application of a liquid to a substrate, such as the delivery and application of laundry detergent to clothing. 
         [0006]    For stain removal from clothing, it is often useful to apply a cleaning agent, such as laundry detergent, directly onto the stain. It is further often useful to scrub the detergent into the stain. Conventionally, this may be accomplished by folding the clothing at the stain location and rubbing the detergent into the stain from each side. This method, however, may be messy and may cause detergent to spill out from the stain location before penetrating the clothing fabric. 
         [0007]    Another conventional method for scrubbing detergent into a stain may include the use of a separate scrubbing brush. While this method may avoid the mess of detergent run-off, as described above, this method requires the use of a separate brush. Furthermore, once the brush is used, detergent in the brush bristles may result in a detergent spill when the detergent eventually runs off the bristles. Alternatively, the brush requires rinsing after use, thereby providing an additional step for the user and wasting the detergent that is rinsed off the brush bristles. 
         [0008]    There are several conventional brushes known in the art. For example, cosmetic products, such as nail polish and mascara, typically have a brush attached at the end of a shaft which fits into the cosmetic product bottle. U.S. Pat. No. 6,966,716 issued to Pink and U.S. Pat. No. 6,237,609 issued to Vasas describe such brush assemblies. These brushes are typically designed for application of the cosmetic to a user and are generally not designed or suitable for the delivery and application of a consumer cleaning product to a substrate, such as a laundry detergent to a stain on clothing. 
         [0009]    Accordingly, what is needed is a simple, easy-to-use device for delivery and application of a liquid that provides the ease and less mess of a brush applicator with the convenience of a drainback design. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    In accordance with the principles of the present invention, in one embodiment, a bottle cap comprises a liquid receiving section; and a brush formed along at least a portion of the liquid receiving section, the brush extending beyond a lip of the liquid receiving section. 
         [0011]    According to another embodiment of the present invention, a container for a liquid comprises a bottle; and a bottle cap fitting on the bottle, wherein the bottle cap has a liquid receiving section and a brush formed along at least a portion of the liquid receiving section, the brush extending beyond a lip of the liquid receiving section. In one embodiment, the brush may be positioned adjacent to the interior or the exterior portion of the liquid receiving section or there may be one or more brushes or groups of brush bristles positioned on either side of the liquid receiving section. In another embodiment, the brush or groups of brush bristles may be positioned on top of the liquid receiving section, as an extension of the liquid receiving section. 
         [0012]    In another embodiment of the invention, one or more brushes may be attached to the bottle cap in a manner so that they can be in a recessed position when the bottle cap is in a closed position on the container and in an extended position when the bottle cap is separated from the container. In this embodiment, the brush or brushes do not have to extend beyond the lip of the liquid receiving section when the brush is in a recessed position, but in an extended position the brushes must extend beyond the lip of the liquid receiving section. The brushes may have a tab, pull, button or other suitable means for moving the brush or brushes between a recessed position and an extended position. 
         [0013]    According to a further embodiment of the present invention, a kit comprises a bottle; a bottle cap fitting onto the bottle; and instructions for use of the kit, wherein the bottle cap has a liquid receiving section and a brush or groups of brush bristles formed along at least a portion of the liquid receiving section, the brush extending beyond a lip of the liquid receiving section. 
         [0014]    To use the bottle cap with internal brush according to the present invention, a user may pour a small amount of a liquid (e.g., laundry detergent, stain pre-treatment, whitening or bleaching compositions) from a bottle either directly on the substrate (e.g., a stain on clothing) or into the bottle cap. When poured directly on the substrate, the user may use the brushes built into the bottle cap to scrub the liquid into the substrate, for example, as for stain pretreatment. In the case that the liquid is first poured into the bottle cap, the liquid may be allowed to flow down the side of the bottle cap and into the brushes. The brushes built into the bottle cap can then be used to scrub the liquid into the substrate. After use, the bottle cap may be returned to the bottle, allowing any liquid remaining on the brushes or in the bottle cap itself to flow back into the bottle. 
         [0015]    In one embodiment, the brushes may be formed integrally with the bottle cap. In another embodiment, the brushes may be a separate component adapted to fit on conventional detergent bottle caps, thereby allowing retrofit of internal brushes onto conventional drainback bottles. These features are described in greater detail below. 
         [0016]    Further features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the detailed description of embodiments below, when considered together with the attached drawings and claims. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0017]    The foregoing aspects and others will be readily appreciated by the skilled artisan from the following description of illustrative embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
           [0018]      FIG. 1  shows a perspective front view of a bottle cap in accordance with the principles of the present invention; 
           [0019]      FIG. 2  shows a side perspective view of the bottle cap of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0020]      FIG. 3  shows a plan view of the bottle cap of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0021]      FIG. 4  shows a perspective view of a bottle cap retrofitted to become a bottle cap with internal brushes according to one aspect of the present invention; 
           [0022]      FIG. 5  shows a front perspective view of a bottle and bottle cap in accordance with the principles of the present invention, the bottle receiving the bottle cap of the present invention; 
           [0023]      FIG. 6  shows a plan perspective view of bottle and bottle cap of  FIG. 5 ; and 
           [0024]      FIG. 7  shows a perspective view of the bottle and bottle cap of  FIG. 5  being fit together. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0025]    Reference will now be made to the drawings wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout. Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are illustrated in the context of a bottle cap having an internal brush included thereon, fitting on a consumer cleaning product bottle, such as a laundry detergent bottle. The skilled artisan will readily appreciate, however, that the materials and methods disclosed herein will have application in a number of other contexts where a bottle cap having an internal brush may be advantageous, such as carpet cleaners, tire cleaners, other professional and institutional products, personal care products and the like. 
         [0026]    All publications, patents and patent applications cited herein, whether supra or infra, are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety to the same extent as if each individual publication, patent or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference. 
         [0027]    It must be noted that, as used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” include plural referents unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to a “surfactant” includes two or more such surfactants. 
         [0028]    Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains. Although a number of methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice of the present invention, the preferred materials and methods are described herein. 
         [0029]    As used herein, the term “drainback” when referring to a “drainback feature”, “drainback mechanism”, “drainback bottle” and the like, refers to a bottle allowing for the flow of residual liquid back from the cap back into the bottle when the cap is replaced on the bottle. Examples of drainback bottles may include those described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,706,819 issued to Li; U.S. Pat. No. 4,993,605 issued to Del Re; U.S. Pat. No. 5,108,009 issued to Davidson et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,462,202 issued to Haffner et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,566,862 issued to Haffner; U.S. Pat. No. 6,123,231 issued to Geisinger; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,223,945 issued to Giblin et al. as well as others known in the art. 
         [0030]    As used herein, the term “internal” when referring to an “internal brush” refers to the position of the brush when a bottle cap is in place on a bottle. For example, an internal brush on a bottle cap would be encased within an external structure defined by the bottle and bottle cap when the bottle cap is in place on the bottle. 
         [0031]    As used herein, the term “substrate” refers to an item to which a liquid may be applied. For example, when the liquid is a laundry detergent, the substrate may be a piece of clothing; when the liquid is a tire cleaner, the substrate may be a tire; when the liquid is a carpet cleaner, the substrate may be carpet. 
         [0032]    Referring now to  FIG. 1 , there is shown a bottle cap  10  having an internal brush  12  according to one embodiment of the present invention. The bottle cap  10  may include a liquid receiving section  14  for dispensing liquid from a bottle (not shown) therein. A pouring lip  16  may be included to assist in the delivery of the liquid from the bottle cap  10  to a substrate. The brush  12  may be formed along at least a portion of the liquid receiving section  14 . The brush  12  may extend, as shown in  FIG. 1 , beyond a lip  16   a  of the liquid receiving section  14 . The bottle cap  10  may also include an attachment means  18 , such as threads, to attach the bottle cap  10  to a bottle. 
         [0033]    Referring to  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3 , there are shown side and plan views, respectively, of the bottle cap  10  of  FIG. 1 . The brushes  12  may be formed in an inner ring  20  formed circumferentially and fitting within the liquid receiving section  14  of the bottle cap  10 . The brushes  12  may be in a continuous line or arch shape around the interior of exterior of the liquid receiving section  14 . The brushes  12  may be in the form of groups of brush bristles or a combination of one or more brushes in lines or bunches. The inner ring  20  may be a separate component inserted into the receiving section  14  via, for example, a friction fit or with glue, epoxy or the like. This embodiment may allow retrofit of conventional bottle caps to be upgraded to the bottle cap  10  of the present invention. Alternatively, the inner ring  20  may be formed integrally with the bottle cap  10 . 
         [0034]    The brushes  12  may attach to the inner ring  20  by any conventional means. In one embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 2 , the brushes may form bunches  22  that may be attached to holes  24  in the inner ring  20 . The brushes  12  may be included in from about 10% to about 90%, more preferably from about 20% to 80% of the circumference of the inner ring  20 . Typically, the brushes  12  are included in from about 40% to about 70% of the circumference of the inner ring  20 . In another embodiment, the brush may cover the entire circumference of the inner ring  20  or extend all the way around the liquid receiving section  14 . In this embodiment where the brush or brushes extend around the entire circumference the cap may include a spout or funnel or other suitable configurations for pouring liquids which are positioned closer to the interior of the liquid receiving section. This allows the liquids to be poured onto a substrate being treated or back into the bottle without being poured over or into the brushes. 
         [0035]    The brushes  12  may also be attached over a conventional bottle cap  10 ′ having a receiving section  14 ′ as shown in  FIG. 4 . In this embodiment, the brushes  12  may be formed in a flexible base  30  having a slot  32  cut therein. The slot  32  may frictionally fit along an upper edge  14   a  of the receiving section  14 ′. Alternatively, the upper edge  14   a  may contain glue, epoxy or the like, to affix the base  30  onto the bottle cap  10 ′. 
         [0036]    In addition to the above embodiments, any means may be used to form a brush  12  within a bottle cap. In one embodiment of the present invention, one requirement for the brush  12 , among these various means for forming a brush  12  within a bottle cap, is that the brush  12  may be required to fit into a dispensing region (as described below) of a bottle when the bottle cap is placed on the bottle. 
         [0037]    Referring now to  FIG. 5  and  FIG. 6 , there are shown front and plan views, respectively, of a bottle  40  and a bottle cap  10  according to one embodiment of the present invention. The bottle  40  and bottle cap  10  may be of conventional design, however, the bottle cap  10  contains internal brushes  12  according to the present invention. In a typical embodiment of the present invention, the bottle  40  may include a drainback feature, as described above, for draining liquid from the bottle cap  10  and the brushes  12  back into the bottle  40  when the bottle cap  10  is placed onto the bottle  40 . The drainback feature may include a drainback reservoir  42  for receiving fluid from the bottle cap  10  and/or the brushes  12  and a drainback hole  44  for communicating fluid in the drainback reservoir  42  to the inside of the bottle  40 . The brushes  12  may be disposed within the drainback reservoir  42  when the bottle cap  10  is on the bottle  40 . 
         [0038]    Referring to  FIG. 7 , there is shown a perspective view of the bottle cap  10  being placed on the bottle  40 . As mentioned above, the brushes  12  are so-called internal brushes as they are internal to the bottle/bottle cap combination when the bottle cap  10  is placed on the bottle  40 . In other words, the brushes  12  may fit into a dispensing region  46  of the bottle  40  when the bottle cap  10  is placed on the bottle  40  as shown in  FIG. 7 . The dispensing region  46  may include a protruding spout  48 . As can be seen, when the bottle cap  10  is placed on the bottle  40 , any liquid that remains on the bottle cap  10  or within the brushes  12  may flow into the drainback reservoir  42  and back inside the bottle  40 . 
         [0039]    While the above description describes a bottle cap  10  having internal brushes  12  for use with a drainback bottle  40 , the present invention may include any application wherein a bottle cap  10  having internal brushes  12  may be useful. For example, instead of an open dispensing region  46  being capped by the bottle cap  10 , a spray mechanism or a pop-up or flip-up squirt top, as are known in the art, may be capped by the bottle cap  10 . This spray mechanism/pop-up squirt top may be used to dispense liquid from the bottle onto a substrate. In this embodiment, the brushes  12  may then be used to scrub the liquid into the substrate. 
         [0040]    In one embodiment of the present invention, a kit is provided. The kit may include the bottle cap  10  and the bottle  40 , as described above, filled with a liquid, along with instructions for use of the liquid and the bottle  40 /bottle cap  10  combination. The instructions may be, for example, pre-treatment instructions when the liquid is a cleaner, such as a laundry detergent. 
         [0041]    This invention has been described herein in considerable detail to provide those skilled in the art with information relevant to apply the novel principles and to construct and use such specialized components as are required. However, it is to be understood that the invention can be carried out by different equipment, materials and devices, and that various modifications, both as to the equipment and operating procedures, can be accomplished without departing from the scope of the invention itself.