Patent Publication Number: US-2004045928-A1

Title: Stopper with air intake

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of container stoppers, more especially stoppers intended to be mounted on the necks of bottles.  
       [0002] Such stoppers generally comprise a mouthpiece intended for the removal of the liquid contained in the bottle. It is then desirable to provide an air inlet allowing the generation of a stream of air entering the internal volume of the bottle in response to the removal of the liquid, for example sucked out by the user.  
       DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART  
       [0003] There is thus known a stopper intended to be mounted on a container, of the bottle type, containing a liquid, said stopper comprising a base provided with means for mounting on the container, a mouthpiece intended to be positioned in the user&#39;s mouth to remove the liquid from the container, an air inlet allowing air into the container in response to the removal of the liquid, said mouthpiece comprising at least one duct communicating with the internal volume of the container and ending toward the outside in the form of an outlet orifice.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0004] The object of the present invention is to produce a stopper for containers of the bottle type, incorporating an air inlet, which is particularly simple to manufacture.  
       [0005] Another object of the present invention is to produce a stopper allowing the liquid contained in the container on which said stopper is mounted to be removed efficiently.  
       [0006] The objects assigned to the present invention are achieved using a stopper in which the air inlet comprises at least one fluid passage one of the ends of which opens to the outside and the other end of which opens near the outlet orifice which, with this other end, are intended to be introduced into the user&#39;s mouth.  
       [0007] According to an exemplary embodiment, the mouthpiece comprises at least two ducts.  
       [0008] According to an exemplary embodiment, the mouthpiece comprises ducts of approximately semicircular cross section spaced apart by a slot forming the air passage, said slot extending from the base up to the level of the outlet orifices.  
       [0009] According to an exemplary embodiment, the mouthpiece comprises a duct provided with an outlet orifice, with a cylindrical collar, concentric and connected to the duct by bridges of material, thus delimiting an annular space, which extends from the outlet orifice with one of its ends as far as a peripheral slot defined between the base and said collar, said peripheral slot allowing the annular space to communicate with the outside.  
       [0010] According to an exemplary embodiment, the stopper comprises a retractable cap attached to the mouthpiece and allowing the outlet orifice to be sealed off.  
       [0011] According to an exemplary embodiment, the stopper according to the invention is mounted on a bottle. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0012] other features and advantages will also become apparent from reading the detailed description given hereinafter, with reference to the illustrative   by way of examples, in which:  
     [0013]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one exemplary embodiment of a stopper according to the invention.  
     [0014]FIG. 2 is a view in cross section of the stopper of FIG. 1, mounted on a bottle.  
     [0015]FIG. 3 is another exemplary embodiment of the stopper according to the invention 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
     [0016]FIG. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of a stopper according to the invention. The stopper comprises a base  1 , for example cylindrical, intended for example to be mounted by screw-fastening or by any other removable or nonremovable mounting means on the neck of a container  6  as shown partially in FIG. 2.  
     [0017] The stopper according to the invention also comprises a mouthpiece  2  intended to be positioned in the mouth of the user who wishes to ingest beverages contained in the container  6 .  
     [0018] The mouthpiece  2  comprises, according to one exemplary embodiment, at least two ducts  3  communicating with the internal volume of the container  6 .  
     [0019] The mouthpiece  2  consists, for example, of two ducts  3  communicating with the internal volume of the container  6 , and arranged side by side. The two ducts are also separated or spaced apart by a slot  5 , extending from the base  1  up to the other end of the mouthpiece  2 , where there is an outlet orifice  4  for each duct  3 . The slot  5  in this scenario is closed at its other end by the base  1 .  
     [0020] The means of mounting the base  1  on the neck of a bottle consist, for example, of an internal screw thread la, as shown in FIG. 2.  
     [0021] Thus, when the user wishes to ingest the beverage contained in the container  6 , the mouthpiece  2  is partially introduced into the mouth of said user. The slot  5  extends over at least the entire length of the mouthpiece  2 . The sizing of this mouthpiece is such that the end of the slot  5  located near the base  1  opens to the outside, rather than into the mouth of said user. The slot  5  therefore forms a fluid passage between the outside and the interior volume of the container  6 , via the user&#39;s mouth.  
     [0022] Such a design is particularly advantageous and, contrary to all expectation, causes no dribbling or accidental emptying of the liquid from the mouth of said user.  
     [0023] The ducts  3  each have a semicircular shape in cross section. Other shapes may of course be envisioned without departing from the scope of the present invention, according to another exemplary embodiment. it is thus conceivable to produce three, four or more ducts  3 , of identical or different shapes, arranged side by side.  
     [0024] In the exemplary embodiment of the stopper according to the invention in FIG. 3, the mouthpiece  2  has just one duct  3  and therefore one outlet orifice  4  located at its end distal from the base  1 . The cylindrical duct  3  in surrounded by a peripheral collar, concentric with said duct  3 , and separated from the latter by bridges of material  8 .  
     [0025] Annular spaces  9  stretching from the outlet orifice  4  toward a peripheral slot located near the base  1  are thus obtained between the collar  7  and the duct  3 . The annular spaces  9  thus form fluid passages allowing external air to enter via the periphial slot  10  and reach the internal volume of the container  6 , passing respectively through at least one annular space  9 , the user&#39;s mouth, and the duct  3 , in the opposite direction to the direction in which the removed liquid travels. The collar  7  depicted in FIG. 2 has been partially cut away, for the purpose of clarity.  
     [0026] The present invention finds an application especially in the field of bottles of the cyclist&#39;s or sportsman&#39;s bottle type.  
     [0027] One appreciable advantage of the stopper according to the invention lies in its relatively simple and inexpensive manufacture. Indeed such a stopper can be obtained in a single molding or injection-molding operation.