Patent Publication Number: US-8528764-B2

Title: Drink bottle

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to provisional U.S. Patent Application No. 61/313,416, filed on Mar. 12, 2010, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention is directed generally to a drink bottle and, more particularly, to a reusable drink bottle that includes a number of user-friendly features, 
     2. Related Art 
     Typical disposable drink bottles are formed of a clear material, have a typically taller construction with a narrow spout that is closable. Users find this arrangement to be very desirable in that such a shape is usually easily carried and the drink that is contained in the drink bottle can be easily dispensed through the smaller spout and closed for later use. However, typical disposable water bottles cannot be readily reused in that they are not easily cleaned. For example, the smaller spout of such bottles does not allow one to easily and fully clean the inside of the bottle. Additionally, the light weight construction of such disposable bottles does not allow them to be dishwasher safe. In that regard, if disposable bottles are cleaned multiple times, the water bottle material deteriorates to some degree. Finally, such disposal water bottles do not lend themselves to being used in conjunction with a drink that has additional ingredients such as ice. In that regard, the small drink spouts of a typical disposable drink bottle do not allow large pieces of ice or drink powders to be easily put into the water bottle and accordingly users will typically not use such disposable water bottles in that way. In this regard, users of disposable water bottles will use the bottle once and then dispose of it. This causes a great deal of waste in that water bottles will be sent to a landfill or the like. Even, if the user recycles the water bottle there is a certain level of waste and energy needed to turn that water bottle into some sort of recycled product. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention meets the foregoing needs and provides a drink bottle that includes a tall shape and clear construction, together with the ability to be easily cleaned, and/or used with ingredients and that furthermore includes other advantages apparent from the discussion herein. 
     The invention may be implemented in a number of ways. According to one aspect of the invention a drink bottle comprises a lower bottle portion configured to hold a liquid and having a connection portion along an upper part thereof. The drink bottle further comprises an upper bottle portion configured to removably connect with the lower bottle portion and further configured to form a liquid-tight seal therebetween. A sleeve is configured to be arranged about one of the upper bottle portion and the lower bottle portion. The upper bottle portion includes a drink spout at the upper end thereof. 
     Accordingly, in one aspect of the invention a drink bottle comprising a lower bottle portion having a sidewall and a bottom. The sidewall has a lower bottle engagement portion. The drink bottle further comprises an upper bottle portion having a sidewall and a spout. The sidewall has an upper bottle engagement portion, a middle bottle portion having a sidewall with a first sidewall engagement portion adjacent a first edge of the sidewall and a second sidewall engagement portion adjacent a second edge of the sidewall. The lower bottle engagement portion is removably securable to the second sidewall engagement portion and the upper bottle engagement portion and the upper bottle engagement portion is removably securable to the first sidewall engagement portion and the lower bottle engagement portion. 
     According to another aspect of the invention a drink bottle comprises a lower bottle portion configured to hold a liquid and having a connection portion along an upper part thereof. The drink bottle further comprises an upper bottle portion configured to removably connect with the lower bottle portion and further configured to form a liquid-tight seal therebetween. The drink bottle has a sleeve configured to be removably affixed about one of the upper bottle portion and the lower bottle portion. The upper bottle portion includes a drink spout at the upper end thereof. 
     Additional features, advantages, and embodiments of the invention may be set forth or apparent from consideration of the following detailed description, drawings, and claims. Moreover, it is to be understood that both the foregoing summary of the invention and the following detailed description are exemplary and intended to provide further explanation without limiting the scope of the invention as claimed. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the detailed description serve to explain the principles of the invention. No attempt is made to show structural details of the invention in more detail than may be necessary for a fundamental understanding of the invention and the various ways in which it may be practiced. In the drawings: 
         FIG. 1  shows a drink bottle constructed according to the principles of the invention; 
         FIG. 2  shows an exploded view of the drink bottle constructed according to the principles of the invention; 
         FIG. 3  shows a cross-section of the drink bottle constructed according to the principles of the invention; 
         FIG. 4  shows a cross-section of the top of the drink bottle constructed according to the principles of the invention; 
         FIG. 5  shows a perspective view of the top of the drink bottle constructed according to the principles of the invention; 
         FIG. 6  shows a cross-section of the lower bottle portion of the drink bottle constructed according to the principles of the invention; and 
         FIG. 7  shows a perspective view of the lower bottle portion of the drink bottle constructed according to the principles of the invention. 
         FIG. 8  shows a cross-section of one embodiment of a drink bottle having a lower bottle portion, a middle bottle portion, and an upper bottle portion. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The embodiments of the invention and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments and examples that are described and/or illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description. It should be noted that the features illustrated in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, and features of one embodiment may be employed with other embodiments as the skilled artisan would recognize, even if not explicitly stated herein. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques may be omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments of the invention. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the invention may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments of the invention. Accordingly, the examples and embodiments herein should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention, which is defined solely by the appended claims and applicable law. Moreover, it is noted that like reference numerals represent similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings. 
       FIG. 1  shows a drink bottle constructed according to the principles of the invention; and  FIG. 2  shows an exploded view of the drink bottle constructed according to the principles of the invention. In particular,  FIG. 1  shows a drink bottle  100  having an upper bottle portion  104  connected to a lower bottle portion  102 . More specifically, the upper bottle portion  104  and the lower bottle portion  102  have a construction such that the two may be connected together in order to have a liquid tight seal between the two and may be separated from one another to form a large opening in order to be cleaned and/or so that a user may add ingredients such as ice or the like to the drink bottle easily. 
     The drink bottle  100  may also include a sleeve  106 . The sleeve  106  may provide a surface for a user to easily grip and may also have insulating properties as well. The sleeve  106  is shown in  FIG. 1  as being arranged on the lower bottle portion  102 . However, sleeve  106  may be just as easily be arranged on the upper bottle portion  104 , and in particular if upper bottle portion  104  extended further down vertically. The sleeve  106  may be primarily disposed about one of the lower bottle portion  102  or the upper bottle portion  104  with a smaller portion of the sleeve  106  disposed about the other of the lower bottle portion  102  or the upper bottle portion  104 . 
     The drink bottle  100  may also include a narrow spout ( 404  shown in  FIG. 4 ) which a user can drink from. The spout may have a closure. The closure may be a bottle cap, twist open cap, pop-up opening, or the like and generically referred to herein as a bottle cap  108 . In one embodiment, a straw is provided, for example, but not limited to, as an integral part of the cap or as a separate stand-alone structure. 
     Accordingly, in one embodiment, the drink bottle  100  of the invention includes two sections that may be separated, such as by manual action, as shown in  FIG. 2  between the lower bottle portion  102  and upper bottle portion  104  and may also have a narrow drink spout. The spout  404  may be closed with a bottle cap  108 , and may include the sleeve  106  that provides an attractive and insulating gripping surface for the drink bottle  100 . Accordingly, the drink bottle  100  allows for the drink bottle  100  to be easily cleaned, be dishwasher friendly, and include materials that are FDA food approved and that meet California Proposition 65 standards. Finally the drink bottle  100  may include a construction that does not easily trap food. 
     The drink bottle  100  may also further include a tether  110  to connect the bottle cap  108  in a tethered fashion to the drink bottle  100 . In that regard, the tether  110  may be constructed such that it allows the bottle cap  108  to freely spin so that it may be unthreaded or disconnected from the bottle  100  and then can freely hang from the tether along the side of the bottle  100  and not be lost or misplaced. As shown in  FIG. 2 , the drink bottle  100  may also include a gasket  202  arranged between the upper bottle portion  104  and the lower bottle portion  102 . The gasket  202  may be formed of silicone or other similar material that forms a liquid tight seal when the upper bottle portion  104  is arranged and attached to a lower bottle portion  102 . 
     The lower bottle portion  102  includes a sidewall  121 , a bottom portion  122 , and an upper opening  123 . In one embodiment, the lower bottle portion is substantially cylindrical, with the sidewall  121  corresponding to the curved surface of a cylinder and the bottom portion  122  corresponding to a bottom face of a cylinder and the upper opening  123  corresponding to the top face of a cylinder. The sleeve  106 , in embodiments where the sleeve is disposed about the lower bottle portion  102 , is disposed about the lower bottle portion sidewall  121 . In embodiments of the lower bottle portion having threading, the threading may be on an exterior face of the sidewall  121 , on an interior face, or both. In one embodiment, the lower bottle portion  102  includes a lower bottle engagement portion  125  adjacent the upper opening  123 . 
     Lower bottle portion  102  may be manufactured using a blow molding process. However, it is contemplated that other types of manufacturing processes may be used. The material of lower bottle portion  102  may be, in one embodiment, an appropriate polymer, such as Tritan™. However, other materials with similar qualities may also be used. Finally, the lower bottle portion  102  may be formed of a transparent, translucent, or opaque material in order to emulate the common disposable water bottle. 
     The upper bottle portion  104  includes a sidewall  141 , a lower opening  143 , and the spout  404 . The sidewall  141  defines the lower opening  143  and extends therefrom to the spout  404 . The sleeve  106 , in embodiments where the sleeve is disposed about the upper bottle portion  104 , is disposed about the upper bottle portion sidewall  141 . In embodiments of the upper bottle portion  104  having threading, the threading may be on an exterior face of the sidewall  141 , on an interior face, or both. In one embodiment, the upper bottle portion  104  includes an upper bottle engagement portion  145  adjacent the lower opening  143 . The lower bottle engagement portion  125  is removably securable to the upper bottle engagement portion  145 . 
     The upper bottle portion  104  may also be formed of blow molding. However, other types of manufacturing processes are also contemplated. Upper bottle portion  104  may be, in one embodiment, an appropriate polymer, such as Tritan™. However, other materials with similar qualities may also be used. Finally, the upper bottle portion  104  may be formed of a transparent, translucent, or opaque material in order to emulate the common disposable water bottle. However, other materials and/or constructions are also contemplated. Additionally, in one embodiment, the upper bottle portion  104  is formed of generally thicker material than the typical disposable type water bottle. 
       FIG. 3  shows a cross-section of the drink bottle constructed according to the principles of the invention. In particular,  FIG. 3  shows the details of the bottle cap  108  in an aspect when implemented as a twist on cap. In particular, the bottle cap  108  and the spout portion of the drink bottle  100  may include threading  304  on one or both surfaces thereof. In a particular aspect, the threading will be such that a quarter turn will release the bottle cap from the spout. However other threading or attachment arrangements are contemplated, such as friction fit. The bottle cap  108  may also include an interference gasket  302  arranged in the bottle cap  108 . Accordingly, when the bottle cap  108  is arranged on the spout of the drink bottle  100 , the interference gasket  302  will form a liquid tight seal therebetween. Additionally, the bottle cap  108  may include a connection to the tether  110 . The bottle cap—tether connection  306  may be configured so that the bottle cap  108  may be able to rotate with respect to the tether  110 . In that regard, the bottle cap  108  may include a slot therearound in which the tether  110  can rotate with respect to the bottle cap  108 . 
     In a particular aspect, the tether  110  may include an upper tether ring  318 . It is this upper tether ring  318  that may be arranged in the slot of the bottle cap  108  to form a connection with the same. This upper tether ring  318  may be sized such that it will allow the bottle cap  108  to rotate freely about the upper tether ring  318 . The tether  110  may also include a lower tether ring  316 . The lower tether ring  316  may be arranged about the spout of the drink bottle  100 . The drink bottle  100  may further include a retaining ring  314  that will limit the ability of the tether  110  and, in particular, the retaining ring  314  to not be disconnected easily from the drink bottle  100 . The connection between the retaining ring  314  and the lower tether ring  316  may also be such that it rotates freely with respect to one another. Finally, the tether  110  may include a tether connection  320 , connecting the upper tether ring  318  to the lower tether ring  316 . 
     As further shown in  FIG. 3 , the upper bottle portion  104  may include threads  308 . The threads  308  may interact with corresponding threads in the lower bottle portion  102  as shown in  FIG. 6 . More specifically as shown in  FIG. 6 , threads  602  mesh with the threads  308  shown in  FIG. 3 . 
     As further shown in  FIG. 3 , the sleeve  106  is shown as arranged on the lower bottle portion  102 . The sleeve  106  may be formed from injection molding. However, other types of manufacturing processes are also contemplated. Additionally, the sleeve  106  may be formed of TPE. The sleeve  106  may be any sort of fanciful colors, textures, patterns or the like. The sleeve  106  is engagable with the lower bottle portion  102 , the upper bottle portion  104  or both. In one embodiment, the sleeve  106  is affixed to the lower bottle portion  102  and arranged about a portion of the lower bottle portion  102  and the upper bottle portion  104 . In an alternative embodiment, the sleeve  106  is affixed to the upper bottle portion  104  and arranged about a portion of the lower bottle portion  102  and the upper bottle portion  104 . The sleeve may be affixed via friction fit. The sleeve  106  may comprise a protrusion  309  that is engageable with a recess  321  of the respective upper bottle portion  104  or lower bottle portion  102  with which the sleeve  106  is engagable. In one embodiment, the protrusion  309  is an annular ridge  310  engageable with an annular groove  322 . It should be appreciated that the respective positions of the protrusion  309  and the recess  321  may be switched such that the lower bottle portion  102  or upper bottle portion  104  contains the protrusion  309  and the sleeve  106  includes the recess  321 , the protrusion  309  being arranged in the recess  322  to help reduce the possibility that the sleeve  106  may slide off the drink bottle  100 . 
       FIG. 4  shows a cross-section of the top of the drink bottle constructed according to the principles of the invention; and  FIG. 5  shows a perspective view of the top of the drink bottle constructed according to the principles of the invention. In particular,  FIG. 4  shows the upper bottle portion  104 , the drink spout  404 , and the retaining ring  314 . 
       FIG. 6  shows a cross-section of the lower bottle portion of the drink bottle constructed according to the principles of the invention; and  FIG. 7  shows a perspective view of the lower bottle portion of the drink bottle constructed according to the principles of the invention. In particular  FIG. 6  shows the details of one embodiment of the lower bottle portion  102 . More specifically,  FIG. 6  shows the details of the annular recess  322  and how the sleeve  106  and annular protrusion  310  may interact therewith. 
       FIG. 6  further shows the lower bottle engagement portion  125 . The lower bottle engagement portion  125  is constructed to receive the upper bottle engagement portion  145 . In this regard, the lower bottle engagement portion  125  may include threads  602  as shown in  FIG. 6 . The lower bottle engagement portion  125  further may include a ring  604  for holding the gasket  202  shown in  FIG. 2 . Although  FIG. 6  illustrates the upper bottle portion  104  as fitting within the lower bottle portion  102  with interaction of threads  308  between the upper bottle portion and lower bottle portion, it should be appreciated that the arrangement may be reversed, with the upper bottle portion  104  exterior to the lower bottle portion  102 , and the upper bottle portion  104  having the ring  604  for retaining the gasket  202 , without departing from the scope of the invention. 
     Additionally, the lower bottle portion  102  may include a plurality of horizontal ribs  612 . The plurality of horizontal ribs  612  may create a stronger construction and increase the strength of the lower bottle portion  102  and also mimics similarities to the typical disposable water bottles. A smooth portion  610  may be provided, such as for interacting with the sleeve  106 . The lower bottle portion  102  may also include a plurality of lower groove portions  702  as shown in  FIG. 7 . In one embodiment, the plurality of lower groove portions  702  extend from the side of the lower bottle portion  102  to the bottom of the lower bottle portion  102 . These increase the strength of the lower bottle portion  102  and also give the drink bottle  100  the appearance of an iconic disposable water bottle. 
     In one embodiment, a middle bottle portion  103  is provided. The middle bottle portion  103  has a sidewall  131 , an upper middle bottle portion opening  133  and a lower middle bottle portion opening  134 . In one embodiment, the middle bottle portion  103  has a substantially cylindrical shape wherein the sidewall  131  corresponds to the curved face of a cylinder, the upper middle bottle portion opening  133  corresponds to the upper face of a cylinder and the lower middle bottle portion opening  134  corresponds to the lower face of a cylinder. In one embodiment, the middle bottle portion  103  includes a first sidewall engagement portion  135  adjacent the upper middle bottle portion opening  133  and a second sidewall engagement portion  136  adjacent the lower middle bottle portion opening  134 . The lower bottle engagement portion  125  is removably securable to the second sidewall engagement portion  136  and the upper bottle engagement portion  145  is removably securable to the first sidewall engagement portion  135  and the lower bottle engagement portion  125 . 
     Thus,  FIG. 8  shows the upper bottle portion  104  connected to the middle bottle portion  103  connected to the lower bottle portion  102 , thus defining the drink bottle  100 . The middle bottle portion  103  may be removed and the upper bottle portion  104  connected directly to the lower bottle portion  102 , allow a user to alter the volume of the drink bottle  100 . 
     While the invention has been described in terms of exemplary embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention can be practiced with modifications in the spirit and scope of the appended claims. These examples given above are merely illustrative and are not meant to be an exhaustive list of all possible designs, embodiments, applications, or modifications of the invention.