Patent Publication Number: US-11034489-B2

Title: Spill proof pull-push type lid assembly for a beverage bottle

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT DOCUMENTS 
     This patent application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/645,264, entitled “PULL-PUSH TYPE LID FOR A BEVERAGE BOTTLE,” filed Mar. 20, 2018, which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present disclosure relates to the field of beverage bottles and particularly to a spill resistant lid assembly for a beverage bottle that opens and closes a fluid passageway from the bottle by a simple pull up and push down mechanism. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Varieties of drinking bottles or beverage bottles are available in the market now days and take on different configurations. Reusable drinking bottles form an important part of daily life and are used by people in various places and for various occasions including driving excursions, at home, in office, during sports, while on vacations and so on. For reusable bottles, ability to have easy access to the drinking beverage, ease of cleaning of the bottle and prevention of the drinking beverage from spilling out of the bottle while on the go are the most important attributes. 
     The lids used with conventional drinking bottles often utilize threads as a means for attachment to the body of the bottle. Threaded lids are generally an effective means to attaching and detaching the lid and avoiding spilling of liquids within the bottle, even when the bottle is oriented in a manner that would otherwise cause liquids to escape. A typical procedure when one desires to drink from the drinking bottle involves first removing the lid, by unthreading or unscrewing the lid from the neck of the bottle, and then holding the bottle in one hand while holding the lid in the other hand and tipping the bottle to drink from the bottle. Further, when the user is done with drinking then they are required to reverse the process to seal the lid back to the bottle. Such a standard lid mechanism is quite time consuming, when the user has to drink from the drinking bottle frequently. In addition, such bottles are open to the risk of spilling the contents out of the bottle. In a scenario where the user is running out of time and doesn&#39;t properly thread the lid back on to the neck of the bottle, there is a chance that the bottle&#39;s contents will spill and/or the contents of the bottle could become contaminated through exposure to the outside elements. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , there are lids available that utilize a double press mechanism, which opens up the fluid passageway from the bottle to allow the fluid to flow out of bottle on first press and seals the fluid passageway from the bottle to restrict movement of the fluid out of the bottle on second press. Although such lids may be deemed to be more convenient and provide ease of use to the user compared to the twist and release lids discussed above, such lids are still not promising in terms of effective sealing off the fluid passageway or sealing off the fluid that remains stuck within the lid body/cavity after the user sips from the lid. In addition, these mechanized lids are often times harder to clean as they contain intricate components such as springs and levers. 
     To overcome aforementioned problems, the present invention tends to provide a novel lid assembly for a beverage bottle that would offer ease of use, greater spill resistance, and at the same time allow easy cleaning of the interior of the lid body. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY 
     Present invention provides a spill resistant or leak proof lid for a beverage bottle that works by a simple pull up and push down mechanism. 
     It is an objective of the present invention to provide a lid assembly for a beverage bottle that would completely seal off a fluid passageway from the bottle restricting the movement of the fluid out of the bottle to the lid and finally outside the lid for consumption. 
     It is another objective of the present invention to provide a lid for a beverage bottle that would allow easy cleaning of interior of the lid body. 
     It is another objective of the present invention to provide a lid for a beverage bottle that would effectively restrict entry of any dust or dirt particles from environment into the lid or into a drinking area of the beverage bottle. 
     It is another objective of the present invention to provide a lid that would allow 360 degree flow of fluid out of lid so the user has freedom to drink from any side of the bottle. 
     According to the embodiments of the present invention, the proposed lid assembly includes an inner core member, an outer core member, and other associated components configured thereon. In operation, the outer core member is configured to slide over the inner core member in a restrictive manner from a first position to a second position or vice versa to seal or open a beverage passageway from the beverage bottle to the lid, respectively. 
     These and other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the detailed description below, in light of the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS 
       The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, is better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. There is shown in the drawings example embodiments, however, the application is not limited to the specific system and method disclosed in the drawings. 
         FIG. 1  shows a prior art lid for a beverage bottle, flask or the like; 
         FIG. 2A  shows a top perspective view of a lid assembly for a beverage bottle, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2B-2C  show bottom perspective views of the lid assembly of  FIG. 2A , according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2D  shows a partial sectional view of an outer core member of the lid assembly, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2E  shows a partial sectional view of an inner core member of the lid assembly, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3A  shows a partial sectional view of the lid assembly of  FIG. 2A  taken along A-A′ without a top center piece connected onto the inner core member and where the outer core member is shown configured in its first position, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3B  shows another partial sectional view of the lid assembly of  FIG. 2A  taken nearly along A-A′ with the top center piece connected onto the inner core member and where the outer core member is shown configured in its first position, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3C  shows a partial sectional view of the lid assembly of  FIG. 2A  taken along A-A′ without the top center piece connected on top of the inner core member and where the outer core member is shown configured in its second position, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3D  shows an enlarged partial sectional view of the lid assembly of  FIG. 2A  taken along B-B′, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4A  shows the lid of the present invention connected over the beverage bottle with an outer core member of the lid in its first position to restrict flow of beverage from the beverage container to the lid; and 
         FIG. 4B  shows the lid of the present invention connected over the beverage bottle with the outer core member in its second position to permit flow of the beverage from the beverage container to the lid. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     As used in the specification and claims, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. The words “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” and “including,” and other forms thereof, are intended to be equivalent in meaning and be open ended in that an item or items following any one of these words is not meant to be an exhaustive listing of such item or items, or meant to be limited to only the listed item or items. Those with ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated, relative to other elements, in order to improve the understanding of the present invention. References to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, “another embodiment”, “an example”, “another example”, “some embodiment”, and so on, indicate that the embodiment(s) or example(s) so described may include a particular feature, structure, characteristic, property, element, or limitation, but that not every embodiment or example necessarily includes that particular feature, structure, characteristic, property, element or limitation. Unless stated otherwise, terms such as “first”, “second”, are used to arbitrarily distinguish between the elements such terms describe. Thus, these terms are not necessarily intended to indicate temporal or other prioritization of such elements. 
     Before describing the present invention in detail, it should be observed that the present invention utilizes a combination of components which constitutes a lid assembly for a beverage bottle. Accordingly, the components, their interconnectivity and operation have been represented, showing only specific details that are pertinent for an understanding of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those with ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein. 
     As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which can be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. Further, the terms and phrases used herein are not intended to be limiting but rather to provide an understandable description of the invention, such as the terms “lid”, “lid assembly” and so on are all interchangeably used for the purpose of this invention. Further, the terms “beverage”, “fluid”, and so on are interchangeably used for the purpose of this invention. Further, the terms “beverage passageway”, “fluid passageway”, “passageway”, and so on are interchangeably used for the purpose of this invention. Further, the terms “sheath of metal”, “metallic sheath, and so on are interchangeably used for the purpose of this invention. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , there is shown a prior art exemplary lid available in the marketplace that usually works on double press mechanism to open up or close down the fluid passageway from the bottle. As seen, the lid comprises a top body portion  1  and a bottom engaging portion  2  with engaging threads  2   a . The bottom engaging portion  2  is adapted to fit over the open mouth of a beverage bottle (not shown). Further, the top portion  1  embodies a press plate  3  centrally located and operationally engaged over the top portion  1 . The lid allows the fluid to flow out of the bottle on first press of the press plate  3  during which the outer ring  4  gets elevated slightly. The lid seals the fluid passageway from the bottle to restrict movement of the fluid out of the bottle on second press of the press plate  3 , which pushes back the outer ring  4  in closed position from the elevated position. Although such lids are convenient and provides ease of use to the user compared to the twist and release type lids conventionally available (as discussed in the aforementioned background). Still, the lids of type shown in  FIG. 1  are not promising in terms of effective sealing off the fluid passageway or sealing off the fluid that remains stuck within the lid body which can spill out of bottle when the bottle accidently changes its orientation. 
     The spill proof pull-push type lid assembly of a beverage bottle of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings  FIGS. 2-4 , which should be regarded as merely illustrative without restricting the scope and ambit of the disclosure. 
     Referring to accompanying figures, particularly to  FIGS. 2A-2E  and  FIGS. 3A-3D , the spill proof pull-push type lid assembly  100  (referred to as ‘lid’ hereafter) comprises an inner core member  106 , and an outer core  109  suitably designed to engage to each other. Particularly, the inner core member  106  is configured in a way to allow the outer core member  109  to slidably and restrictively move within the inner core member  106  which will be described in greater detail in the later part of the description. 
     The inner core member  106  is lower part of the lid assembly  100 . The inner core member  106  have a top  106   a , and a bottom  106   b  as shown in  FIG. 2E . The bottom  106   b  of the lid  100  includes an internal shaft  112  located at center of the bottom  106   b . The shaft  112  extends upward towards the top  106   a . The bottom  106   b  of the lid  100  further includes a set of pillars  110 , and a set of valves  106   c . Each of the pillars  110  and the valves  106   c  are alternatively arranged around the shaft  112 . Further, the inner core member  106  also includes a plurality of threads  108  (shown in  FIG. 2B ) configured on its outer surface to facilitate the lid&#39;s  100  engagement with a beverage bottle. 
     The shaft  112  located internally within the inner core member  106  is configured to engage to a top center piece  102 , as shown in  FIGS. 3B and 3D . As seen in  FIG. 3D , a free end  112   a  of the shaft  112  includes engaging threads that rotatably connects the shaft  112  to a threaded receiving structure  102   a  of the top center piece  102 . Further, as seen, the shaft  112  and the receiving structure  102   a  are substantially cylindrical in shape, however, one should understand the shape of shaft  112  or the structure  102   a  can also be made different for the implementation of the proposed invention. 
     The set of pillars  110  (as shown in  FIG. 3B  or  FIG. 2E ) are all arranged around the shaft  112 . In the preferred embodiment, the inner core member  106  includes four pillars  110  (although only two front pillars  110  are visible in  FIG. 3B  or  FIG. 2E ), it should be understood that number of such pillars  110  can vary. Further, although the pillars  110  are shown to be substantially rectangular in shape, it should be understood that the pillars  110  may be made in any other shapes such as square, triangular and so on. The term “substantially” for the purpose of this invention means equivalent or nearly equivalent as would be understood by a person skilled in the art. 
     The inner core member  106  further includes a stopper  111  (as shown in  FIG. 3B  or  FIG. 2E ) disposed over top of the set of pillars  110 . The stopper  111  facilitates a restrictive movement to the outer core member  109  when the outer core member  109  is operated to slidably move within the inner core member  106 . The stopper  111  includes slots  111   a . The stopper  111  disposed over the top of the pillars  110  is locked therein restricting displacement of the stopper  111  when the outer core member  109  is slidably moved relative to the inner core member  106 . The stopper  111  disposed over the top of the pillars  100  is locked using fastener means  111   b  such as a set of screws  111   b . In use, once the stopper  111  is placed over the top of the pillars  110  such that the slots  111   a  on the stopper  111  gets lined up over slots (not shown) present on top end of the pillars  110 , the stopper  111  is then locked by using screws  111   b  that pass through the slots  111   a  on the stopper  111  and that further go through the slots of the pillars  110 . Although the screwing mechanism is disclosed for engaging the stopper  111  over top of the pillars  110 , one should understand suitable design changes can be made and other different mechanism can also be used for engaging the stopper  111  on top of the pillars  110  or even the stopper  111  and the pillars  110  may be made as a one piece unit. 
     The inner core member  106  includes a first inner gasket  107   b  and a first outer gasket  107   a  as shown in  FIG. 3A  and  FIG. 2E . The inner gasket  107   b  facilitates a tight fit to the inner core member  106  with the outer core member  109 , prevent beverage passage between the inner core member  106  and the outer core member  109 , and a smooth sliding between the inner core member  106  and the outer core member  109 . The outer gasket  107   a  facilitates a tight fit to the lid  100  over the beverage bottle, and prevent passage of beverage from the beverage bottle to the lid  100  or the inner core member  106 . 
     The outer core member  109  includes a bottom  109   a  and a top  109   b . The outer core member  109  includes a second inner gasket  107   d , and a second outer gasket  107   e  as shown in  FIG. 2D  and  FIG. 3A . The inner gasket  107   d  and the outer gasket  107   e  provides a tight fit to the outer core member  109  with the inner core member  106 , and restrict any beverage flow within the lid  100 . 
     In some embodiment, the inner core member  106  further includes one or more notch or bump (not shown) present internally within the inner core member  106  on the side of the shaft  112 . The bump may interact with the inner gasket  107   b  of the inner core member  106  to notify the user about the closure and opening of the lid  100 , when the user pushes or pulls the lid  100  respectively. The notification may be in the form of swift sound. 
     In an embodiment, the outer core member  109  is rolled over with a sheath of metal  104  on outer surface of the outer core member  109  such as to give an ergonomic appearance to the lid  100 . The metallic sheath  104  may be made of any suitable metal known in the art such as stainless steel. The metallic sheath  104  rolled over the outer surface of the outer core member  109  is non-porous thus facilitating easy cleaning and safer drinking of the beverage compared to other prior art lids which are made of purely plastic porous material. The sheath of metal  104  when embodied over the outer surface of the outer core member  109  function together with the outer core member  109  and acts as a place of grip for a user to operate the outer core member  109  from a first position to a second position or vice-versa. The sheath of metal  104  covering the outer core member  109  is slightly tapered at a portion (T 1 , T 2 ) shown in  FIG. 3D . The tapering of the sheath of metal  104  provides a tight gap between the metal sheath  104  and the top center piece  102  when the top center piece  102  is engaged to the free end  112   a  of the shaft  112 . The tight gap so formed restricts entry of dust or dirt particles from environment to the lid  100  or a drinking area when the outer core member  109  is moved from the first position to the second position. The inner tapered design of the metal sheath  104  allows a level of variance/“play” in the outer core member  109 . Due to the inner tapering of the metal sheath  104  at the portion (T 1 , T 2 ), the outer core member  109  and the inner core member  106  don&#39;t get hung up resulting in an uninterrupted slide movement relative to each other, when the user pushes/pulls the metal sheath  104  (or so to say the outer core member  109 ) to open or close the fluid passageway from the beverage bottle to the lid  100 . 
     The first position of the outer core member  109  refers to the position when the outer core member  109  is in a relaxed position or in fully in position as shown in  FIGS. 3A and 3B . During the first position, the outer core member  109  seals the valves  106   c  present in the inner core member  106  to restrict beverage flow from the beverage bottle to the lid  100  (as best seen in  FIG. 2C ). This sealing is achieved by pushing the outer core member  109  vertically in a downward direction. The second position of the outer core member  109  refers to the position when the outer core member  109  opens the valves  106   c  present on the inner core member  106  to allow the beverage flow from the beverage bottle to the lid  100  which is achieved by pulling the outer core member  109  vertically in an upward direction as shown in  FIG. 3C . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 3B and 3D , the lid assembly  100  further includes a gasket  107   c . The gasket  107   c  tightly fits on the top of the outer core member  109  surrounding the threaded receiving structure  102   a  of the top center piece  102  to further seal any leftover beverage stuck inside the lid  100  after the consumption of the beverage from the beverage bottle. The gasket  107   c  is easily removable. The user can easily unscrew the top center part  102  from the shaft  112  of the inner core member  106  and remove the gasket  107   c  for easy cleaning of the area inside the lid  100  with water or using other cleaning agents such as soap water and then place the gasket  107   c  again and screw the top center part  102  over the shaft  112 . The outer peripheral of the gasket  107   c  makes connection with the outer core  109  to prevent any excess liquid from coming out of the lid  100  that may be left behind within the lid  100  after uses and prevent the left over water from flowing out of small drink gap when the beverage bottle is tipped over and/or placed upside down. For example, the user after consuming the beverage such as water from the beverage bottle may close the lid  100  by a push action and put the bottle in his gym bag or travel bag. The peripheral of the gasket  107   c  ensures the drink gap is fully sealed so no fluid drips out of the lid body. The gasket  107   c  also prevents external dust or dirt particles from entering into the lid  100 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 2D , the lid assembly  100  further includes a gasket  107   f . The gasket  107   f  is configured within a plastic groove or groove (not shown) on the top of the outer core member  109 . The gasket  107   f  further prevents any beverage from getting up and over the edges and in-between the outer core member  109 , and the metal sheath  104 . Another function the gasket  107   f  is to prevent the stainless steel sheath  104  from rotating separate from the outer core member  109  while twisting the lid  100  to on/off the bottle. 
     In operation, when the outer core member  109  is moved from the first position to the second position, the outer core member  109  can have a restricted upward movement that allows fluid passage from the bottle to the lid body. The upward movement of the outer core member  109  is actuated by the user by grabbing the sheath of metal  104  embodied outside of the outer core member  109  and pulling it upward that partially disengages the outer core member  109  from the inner core member  106 . The upward movement of the outer core member  109  is restricted by the presence of the pillars  110  and the stopper  111  configured on top of the pillars  110  internally within the inner core member  106 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 4A , the lid  100  connected over the beverage bottle  200  with an outer core member  109  of the lid  100  in its first position is shown. As seen, the lid  100  is shown in a closed position. The lid&#39;s  100  closed position over the bottle&#39;s neck means the outer core member  109  is in its first position or relaxed position that seals the fluid from flowing out from the beverage container  202  (part of the beverage bottle  200  holding the beverage) to the lid  100 . In the first position, the user operates or pushes the outer core member  109  vertically in a downward direction. During this position, the lower or bottom  109   a  of the outer core member  109  seals the bottom  106   b  of the inner core member  106  (particularly seals the valves  106   c ) restricting the fluid flow from the beverage container  202  to the lid  100 , as shown in  FIG. 2C . 
     Referring to  FIG. 4B , the lid  100  connected over the beverage bottle  200  with the outer core member  109  in its second position is shown. As seen, the lid  100  is shown in an opened position. The lid&#39;s  100  opened position over the bottle&#39;s neck means the outer core member  109  is in its second position or restrictively pulled backward to allow fluid from flowing out from the beverage container  202  to the lid  100 . In the second position, the user pulls the outer core member  109  vertically in an upward direction. During this position, the bottom  109   a  of the outer core member  109  opens up the bottom of the inner core member  106  (particularly opens the valves  106   c ) allowing fluid flow from the beverage container  202  to the lid  100 . 
     The lid or lid assembly of the present invention including associated components thereof (the inner core member, the outer core member, the gaskets, the metal sheath etc) may be made using suitable metals or plastic, or ABS material or any other material or any combinations thereof and in variety of dimensions or sizes as needed. The gaskets as described above may be made of plastic, silicon or rubber material or any other like material. The use of material should not be construed as any limitation for implementation of the present invention; however the material is desired to have good durability and at the same time is inexpensive for the production and affordability of the end users. 
     Although particular embodiments of the invention have been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.