Patent Abstract:
A closure system for a drinking bottle or other container is disclosed. The closure system comprises a bottle and a bottle closure. The bottle closure, in turn, comprises among its components a cap interface manipulated directly by the user&#39;s hand, a platform that translates vertically in relation to the cap interface, and a flexible annular stopper body directly manipulated by the platform. When the bottle closure is placed on the open bottle neck and the cap interface is pushed downward toward the bottom of the bottle, a lever-based mechanism forces opposite upward movement of the platform. The platform squeezes the stopper body, and at the end of the downward pushing motion, the system is locked in a static position. The squeezed stopper body forms a liquid-tight seal with the bottle, while holding potential energy via elastic deformation. From this sealed position, the cap interface may be radially twisted relative to the bottle, releasing the locked platform and the stopper&#39;s potential energy. As the stopper gains its original shape, simultaneously the liquid-tight seal is removed, the cap interface moves upward, and the platform moves downward. The loosened bottle closure may now be separated from the bottle.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This disclosure relates generally to container closures, and, more specifically, to a push-on twist-off closure, which can be quickly secured onto the container or removed from the container. 
     2. Background 
     Various containers for storing and transporting liquids have been known and used throughout recorded history. Today, personal containers for transporting liquids are a normal part of our lives. Consumers regularly purchase beverages in single serving containers, which allow them to conveniently carry their beverage and dispose the container after use. Many individuals also own reusable bottles, which help avoid the costs of single serving beverage products, reduce impacts on the environment, and provide a convenient mode for ensuring those individuals receive ample daily hydration. 
     Reusable bottles are typically manufactured in plastic, metal, or glass. These containers often include a narrowing neck with a fluid access opening. A number of closures types have been used to secure this opening and prevent spillage or leakage, including lids, corks, snap-ons, and screw caps. However, many of these closure mechanisms do not provide the characteristics that modern consumers desire, such as speed of use, ease of use, and assurance that liquids are securely sealed inside the container. For this reason, consumers are continually seeking improved closure mechanisms for sealing containers. 
     The most common closures for reusable bottles are screw-on plastic or metal caps. Typically, these caps include threads on their inside diameter with counterpart threads on a bottle neck&#39;s outside diameter. The cap secures onto the bottle via a screwing motion, which engages the threads and pulls the cap downward onto the bottle. To seal liquid from escaping, the caps typically include a sealing material, which compresses between the bottle lip and the cap when the threads are completely engaged. This solution provides the consumer ease of use and assurance that their liquids are securely sealed. However, consumers would desire a closure mechanism that can be more quickly engaged and disengaged relative to the container. 
     One bottle closure system that takes into account speed of use includes male circular nubs evenly spaced around the outer diameter of the bottle neck. These nubs fit within short helical tracks formed within the inner diameter of the closure. The user pushes the cap down while completing perhaps a quarter turn to secure and seal the bottle. A fault with this system is that it may be considered overly easy to disengage and may not provide peace of mind that the liquids will remain secure inside the container during transport. 
     Swing-top solutions consist of a stopper made from cork, rubber, or other sealing materials attached to a latch system. When the latch is engaged, the stopper is secure and the bottle is sealed. When the latch is disengaged, the stopper swings away from the bottle neck and the user gains access to the contained liquid. While this system may provide quicker access to the bottle&#39;s contents than a screw-on solution, consumers would desire an even speedier solution. In addition, many consumers would not consider this mechanism easy to use. And further, the latch system must remain permanently affixed to the bottle, so the swinging feature is often an annoyance during typical pouring and drinking operations. 
     Button- or toggle-activated systems typically include more complex mechanics then the above described systems. These closures can often be quickly engaged to secure liquids in bottles and containers. In one button- or toggle-activated embodiment, the closure defaults to its locked configuration at all times except when the button or toggle is engaged. In order to seal the container, the user must perform two actions at one time, pushing the closure onto the container while concurrently pressing the button or toggle. When the closure is near its sealed position, the user releases the button or toggle, which attaches the closure to the container and forms a seal which liquid cannot escape. Although this mechanism can be quickly engaged and disengaged, a drawback of this system is that the user is required to perform two actions concurrently—placement of the closure on the bottle neck and active engagement of the button or toggle. These actions may be awkward for the user. Further, if the user performs the actions improperly, he risks releasing the button or toggle prematurely, which may result in various semi-secure interfaces between the closure and container. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY 
     In one aspect of this disclosure, a closure system for a drinking bottle or other container is disclosed. The closure system comprises a bottle and a bottle closure. The bottle closure, in turn, comprises among its components a cap interface manipulated directly by the user&#39;s hand, a platform that translates vertically relative to the cap interface, and a flexible annular stopper body directly manipulated by the platform. When the bottle closure is placed on the open bottle neck and the cap interface is pushed downward toward the bottom of the bottle, a lever-based mechanism forces opposite upward movement of the platform. The platform squeezes the stopper body, and at the end of the downward pushing motion, the system is locked in a static position. The squeezed stopper body forms a liquid-tight seal with the bottle, while holding potential energy via elastic deformation. From this sealed position, the cap interface may be radially twisted relative to the bottle, releasing the locked platform and the stopper&#39;s potential energy. As the stopper gains its original shape, simultaneously the liquid-tight seal is removed, the cap interface moves upward, and the platform moves downward. The loosened bottle closure may now be separated from the bottle. 
     Among the many advantages of the preferred bottle closure disclosed herein are that the preferred bottle closure:
         contains a locking mechanism that is activated by a pushing or smacking motion;   contains an unlocking mechanism that is activated by a short (less than 360-degrees) turning motion;   is secured to a bottle and locked more quickly than other closures;   is unlocked and released from the bottle more quickly than other closures;   allows the bottle neck to have a relatively high dimensional tolerance, allowing the closure to work well with glass containers, which are generally manufactured with less precision than plastic containers;   provides a tactile feeling or audible noise at the end of the turning motion indicating that the system has been unlocked; and   does not require moving parts to be permanently affixed to the bottle, as in some latch jar closures.       

     The foregoing has outlined rather generally the features and technical advantages of one or more embodiments of this disclosure in order that the following detailed description may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of this disclosure will be described hereinafter, which may form the subject of the claims of this application. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       This disclosure is further described in the detailed description that follows, with reference to the drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of the push-on twist-off bottle closure of the present invention in sealed and unsealed positions on a bottle top; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the push-on twist-off bottle closure of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3A  is a cross section view of the push-on twist-off bottle closure of the present invention is an unsealed position on a bottle top; 
         FIG. 3B  is a cross sectional view of the push-on twist-off bottle closure of the present invention in a sealed position on a bottle top; 
         FIG. 4  is a cross sectional view of a central housing component of the push-on twist-off bottle closure of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5A  is a perspective view of a cam component of the push-on twist-off bottle closure of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5B  is a cross sectional view of a cam component of the push-on twist-off bottle closure of the present invention; 
         FIG. 6A  is a cross section view of a central housing and cam component of the push-on twist-off bottle closure of the present invention during a locking operation; 
         FIG. 6B  is a cross section view of a central housing and cam component of the push-on twist-off bottle closure of the present invention during an initiation of an unlocking operation; 
         FIG. 6C  is a cross section view of a central housing and cam component of the push-on twist-off bottle closure of the present invention at the beginning of an expansion of the bottle closure during an unlocking operation; 
         FIG. 6D  is a cross section view of a central housing and cam component of the push-on twist-off bottle closure of the present invention at the end of an expansion of the bottle closure during an unlocking operation; 
         FIG. 7  is a cross sectional view of a cap interface of the push-on twist-off bottle closure of the present invention; 
         FIG. 8  shows from a top view a cam component connected to a cap interface looking inside the push-on twist-off bottle closure of the present invention; 
         FIG. 9  shows side and back views of a lever of the push-on twist-off bottle closure of the present invention; 
         FIG. 10  is a perspective view of a compressing platform of the push-on twist-off bottle closure of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 11  shows a front view of a main seal of the push-on twist-off bottle closure in sealed and unsealed positions. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     A preferred bottle closure allows a user to easily and quickly seal a bottle, and alternatively release the seal and remove contents from the bottle. The bottle closure has a shape and size that corresponds to an open bottle neck. The open bottle neck may be various sizes, such as the neck of a wine bottle or the neck of a canning jar. To seal in the contents of the bottle, a user loosely seats the closure on the bottle neck and pushes down on a cap interface until the bottle closure locks in place. Pushing down on the cap interface causes a flexible seal inside the closure to be squeezed vertically and expand radially forcing contact between the flexible seal and the bottle wall. The contact between the flexible seal and the bottle wall helps to preserve liquids, such as beverages, stored in the bottle. To remove the liquid stored in the bottle, the user turns the cap interface radially, causing the flexible seal to return to its original non-compressed form, and removing contact between the flexible seal and the bottle wall. The user is now able to easily lift the closure from the bottle to access the contents of the bottle. 
       FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of the push-on twist-off bottle closure of the present invention in sealed and unsealed positions on a bottle top. A sealable bottle closure  200  is removably attached to a bottle  100 , and can be transitioned between a sealed and unsealed position. After loosely seating the bottle closure  200  on the bottle  100 , the user pushes down in shown direction A on a cap interface  210  to seal the bottle closure  200  onto the bottle  100 . Pushing down in this direction A compresses the height of the bottle closure  200 , forcing a cylindrical flexible main seal  260  within the bottle closure  200  to bulge outward along its entire circumference to form a liquid-tight seal between the main seal  260  and the inner wall of the bottle  100 . At the end of the motion in shown direction A, a lock engages inside the cap so that the cap interface  210  remains in its pushed-down position, and the main seal  260  maintains its liquid-tight seal with the bottle  100 . To unlock the bottle closure  200 , the user twists the cap interface  210  in shown direction B through approximately a 50-degree turn. This twist releases the lock which in turn causes the bottle closure  200  to expand in height, the main seal  260  to regain its non-bulged cylindrical form, and the bottle closure  200  to lose its liquid-tight seal with the bottle  100 . The user may now remove the bottle closure  200  from the bottle  100  and access the contents within the bottle  100 . 
       FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the push-on twist-off bottle closure of the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 2 , the bottle closure is comprised of the cap interface  210 , a cam component  220 , a pair of levers  230 , a central housing  240 , a main seal  260 , and a compressing platform  270 . The components of the bottle closure  200  are dimensioned so as to fit an open-top neck  7  of the bottle  100 . 
       FIG. 3A  is a cross section view of the push-on twist-off bottle closure of the present invention in an unsealed position on a bottle top. The bottle closure  200  is loosely seated in its unlocked configuration on the neck of the bottle  100 . An outer housing wall  241  of the central housing  240  is slightly larger in diameter than the neck of the bottle  100 , and an inner housing wall  242  is slightly smaller in diameter than the neck of the bottle  100 . These concentric walls surround, but do not come into contact with, the neck of the bottle  100 . The size of the central housing  240  is therefore primarily determined by the diameter of the neck of the bottle  100 . The central housing  240  rests on the neck of the bottle  100  via a washer seal  251 , which is anchored between the inner and outer housing walls of the central housing  240 , and may be formed using an elastomer material. To remove the bottle closure  200  from the bottle  100 , the user lifts the cap interface  210  upward in a direction opposite that of shown direction C. A small inward protruding retaining ring  215  permanently attached to the cap interface  210  engages the bottom of the outer wall  241  of the central housing  240 , and the entire assembly is separated from the bottle  100 . 
     To seal the bottle closure  200  onto the bottle  100 , after seating the bottle closure  200  on the neck of the bottle  100 , the cap interface  210  is pushed downward in shown direction C, carrying the cam component  220 , which is sized to fit within the central housing  240 , in a similar downward motion. The lever heads  232  of the pair of levers  230 , also sized to fit within the central housing  240 , are forced to rotate in shown directions D 1  and D 2 , respectively. The lever feet  231  of the levers  230  push against the floor of the central housing  240  and pull the compressing platform  270 , sized to fit within the neck of the bottle  100 , upward in the shown direction E. 
     The main seal  260  is also sized to fit within the neck of the bottle  100 . The main seal  260  is anchored to both the central housing  240  and the compressing platform  270 , and becomes squeezed between these two components. As the compressing platform  270  lifts upward in shown direction E, the main seal  260  shortens and bulges outward, contacting the wall of the bottle  100 , preferably forming a liquid-tight seal that does not allow any contents out of the bottle  100 . Potential energy is stored in the bulged main seal  260  which is locked in this bulged form by interacting features of the cam component  220  and the central housing  240 . 
       FIG. 3B  is a cross sectional view of the push-on twist-off bottle closure of the present invention in a sealed position on a bottle top. To unseal the bottle closure  200 , the user twists the cap interface  210  approximately 50 degrees counter-clockwise in the shown direction F. This twist frees the cam component  220 , and the cap interface  210  to which it is attached, to move upward relative to the central housing  240 . After the twist, the spring-like potential energy stored in the main seal  260  begins to release as it regains its non-bulged cylindrical form. The expanding main seal  260  forces the compressing platform  270  downward in the shown direction G. The compressing platform  270  in turn pulls downward on the lever feet  231 . The interaction of the lever feet  231  against the floor of the central housing  240  supplies rotational motion to the lever heads  232  in shown directions H 1  and H 2 . The lever heads  232  push both the cam component  220 , and the cap interface  210  to which it is attached, vertically upward in shown direction I. Now the bottle closure  200  is back in its unsealed configuration, as seen in  FIG. 3A . 
       FIG. 4  is a cross sectional view of a central housing component of the push-on twist-off bottle closure of the present invention. The central housing  240  is primarily cup-shaped and is comprised of an outer housing wall  241 , an inner housing wall  242 , a washer seal seat  243 , a motion interrupting gate  244 , cam barriers  245 , a housing floor  246 , lever tracks  247 , rectangular slots  248 , manipulating posts  249 , and hammer-head protrusions  250 . A washer seal  251  is permanently attached to the central housing  240 . 
     The cylindrical outer housing wall  241  is concentric to, and has a slightly larger diameter than, the neck of the bottle  100 . The cylindrical inner housing wall  242  is concentric to, and has a slightly smaller diameter than, the neck of the bottle  100 . Together these housing walls  241  and  242  force proper placement of the bottle closure  200  on the neck of the bottle  100 . 
     The outer housing wall  241  is also concentric to, and has a slightly smaller diameter than, the cap interface  210 . During operation of the bottle closure  200 , the cap interface  210  at times slides rotationally relative to its neighboring outer housing wall  241 , and at times slides vertically relative to the outer housing wall  241 . 
     Two pairs of cam barriers  245  protrude slightly inward from the inner housing wall  242 , running the complete vertical length of the inner housing wall  242 . The cam component  220 , as shown in  FIG. 2 , slides rotationally relative to the slightly larger diameter inner housing wall  242 . This rotational motion is limited by the cam barriers  245 , so that the cam component  220  is restricted to rotate within each of the cam barrier pairs  245 . 
     A washer seal seat  243  preferably extends orthogonally between the outer housing wall  241  and the inner housing wall  242 , closing the space between the two walls. A washer seal  251 , whose outer diameter approximates that of the outer housing wall  241  and whose inner diameter approximates that of the concentric inner housing wall  242 , may be made of an elastomer material and sit on the underside of the washer seal seat  243 . The washer seal  251  is kept in place by slight radial compression between the inner housing wall  242  and the outer housing wall  241 . The washer seal  251  provides a cushioning surface between the central housing  240  and the top surface of the neck of the bottle  100 . The washer seal  251  prevents the rigid material of the central housing  240  from wearing against the neck of the bottle  100 , and also provides friction so that the central housing  240  remains static against the bottle  100  during the rotational actions of the unsealing operation of the bottle closure  200 . 
     The upper surface of the washer seal seat  243  may be recessed below the upper ends of the outer housing wall  241  and the inner housing wall  242 , so that low hanging features of the cap interface  210 , as will be described in  FIG. 7 , are allowed relatively free radial motion between the outer housing wall  241  and the inner housing wall  242 . Jutting inward from the outer housing wall  241  is a motion interrupting gate  244 . The motion interrupting gate  244  angles inward from the inner diameter of the outer housing wall  241  and is positioned so that an aspect of the low hanging features of the cap interface  210 , as will be described in  FIG. 7 , encounter the motion interrupting gate  244 , creating a “click” sound or feeling during the unsealing operation. 
     Extending downward from the inner housing wall  242  is a housing floor  246  whose outer diameter is smaller than the diameter of the inner housing wall  242 . The upper end of the main seal  260 , as show in  FIG. 2 , fits snuggly around the housing floor  246 , and stays anchored to the housing floor  246  preferably by a tight fit around the housing floor  246 . Alternatively, the main seal  260  could be glued to the housing floor  246  for extra support, or could be anchored to the housing floor  246  by any other viable means of attachment. The housing floor  246  contains two radially symmetric rectangular slots  248 . Posts on the compressing platform  270 , as shown in  FIG. 2 , fit through these rectangular slots  248 , which allows the compressing platform  270  to move upward and downward relative to the central housing  240 . Rising a short distance from the upper surface of the housing floor  246 , bounding the rectangular slots  248 , are thin-walled lever tracks  247 . These lever tracks  247  provide a platform against which the lever feet  231  of the levers  230 , as shown in  FIGS. 3A and 3B , may slide. 
     Also rising from the housing floor  246  are two radially symmetric cam component manipulating posts  249 . At the upper end of these manipulating posts  249 , hammer-head protrusions  250  extend outward toward, and perpendicular to, the concentric housing walls  82 . These hammer-head protrusions  250  are dimensioned so that they may easily engage and slide against grooved pathways carved in the cam component  220 . The hammer-head protrusions  250  act as hooks that lock the cam component  220  vertically in place at the end of the locking operation. During the unlocking operation, the hammer-head protrusions  250  act as static pin-like features that ride pathways in the cam component  220 , forcing the cam component  220  to exhibit precise motions. 
       FIG. 5A  is a perspective view of a cam component of the push-on twist-off bottle closure of the present invention. As shown, the cam component  220  is comprised of an upper retaining plate  221 , retaining grooves  222 , cam walls  223 , left cam wall edges  224 A, and right cam wall edges  224 B. 
     The upper retaining plate  221  is a thin flat surface that fits inside of, and has a static connection to, the cap interface  210 . In this embodiment of the invention, the cam component  220  is retained by the cap interface  210  by hook features that snap around the retaining grooves  222  of the cam component  220 . Because these parts are bound together statically, any motion experienced by the cap interface  210  is also experienced by the cam component  220 , and vice versa. 
     The cam walls  223  protrude downward from the upper retaining plate  221  and have a slightly smaller diameter than the inner housing wall  242  of the central housing  240 . The cam walls  223  do not form a complete cylindrical wall, but may instead each appear as sections of a cylindrical wall, bound by the cam wall edges  224 A and  224 B. The cam walls  223  slide rotationally and vertically adjacent to the inner housing wall  242  of the central housing  240 , and this sliding motion is confined between the cam barriers  245  protruding from the inner housing wall  242 . 
       FIG. 5B  is a cross sectional view of a cam component of the push-on twist-off bottle closure of the present invention. As shown, the cam walls  223  each include the left cam wall edge  224 A, the right cam wall edge  224 B, cam groove structures  225 , a locking ridge  226 , a ridge gap  227 , a cam ramp  228 , and a ramp gap  229 . 
     The cam groove structures  225  protrude inward from the cam walls  223 . The cam groove structures  225  include a locking ridge  226  slightly below the upper retaining plate  221 . The locking ridge  226  is a primarily horizontal surface extending inward from the cam wall  223 , starting at the left cam wall edge  224 A running the majority of the distance to the right cam wall edge  224 B. The locking ridge  226  provides a surface to which the hammer-head protrusion  250  of the central housing  240  hooks onto at the end of the locking operation. 
     The lack of a ridge protrusion near the right cam wall edge  224 B forms a ridge gap  227 . Starting directly below the ridge gap  227 , a cam ramp  228  juts inward from the cam wall  223 . The cam ramp  228  starts at the right cam wall edge  224 B and angles downward toward the left cam wall edge  224 A. The cam ramp  228  may not run along the entire cam wall  223  and may end before the left cam wall edge  224 A. The lack of a ramp protrusion near the left cam wall edge  224 A forms a ramp gap  229 . When viewed together, locking ridge  226 , ridge gap  227 , cam ramp  228 , and ramp gap  229  form an approximately right-angled triangular-shaped pathway  225 A. The hammer-head protrusion  250  tracks within this pathway  225 A during the locking and unlocking operations of the bottle closure  200  (though it must be made clear that, in this primary embodiment, the pathway  225 A itself travels around the hammer-head protrusion  250 , while the hammer-head protrusion  250  remains in a static position). 
     As previously discussed, a wide array of bottle neck circumferences (from those of wine bottles to canning jars) may be accommodated by this bottle closure  200  by altering the size of the levers, the mechanical advantage of the levers, the number of levers (with single lever configurations possible), the number and size of the manipulating posts, the number of cam barriers, the diameter of the compressing platform, the diameter of the main seal, the height of the main seal, and the height of the pivoting posts of the compressing platform. 
     In this preferred embodiment, the angle of the cam ramp (Angle α shown in  FIG. 5B ) must be between 5 and 85 degrees. If the degrees of turning during the unlocking operation (indicated by Curve X in  FIG. 5B ) is fixed, then a greater angle of the cam ramp Angle α will require a greater pushing distance (Distance Y shown in  FIG. 5B ) during the locking operation. A greater pushing distance requires a taller cam component  220 , a taller inner housing wall  242 , a taller cap interface  210 , and taller levers  230 . For configurations with taller levers  230 , all components that lie in the paths of the levers  230  must be adjusted to avoid component interference. In addition, to maintain the vertical distance traveled by the compressing platform  270  during the locking operation, the shape of the lever feet  231  must be adjusted in order to reduce the mechanical advantage delivered by the levers  230 . This reduction to the mechanical advantage consequentially reduces the pushing force required by the user during the locking operation. 
     If the degrees of turning during the unlocking operation is still fixed, but a smaller angle of the cam ramp is implemented, then a smaller pushing distance will be required. A smaller pushing distance requires a shorter cam component  220 , a shorter inner housing wall  242 , a shorter cap interface  210 , and shorter levers  232 . In addition, to maintain the vertical distance traveled by the compressing platform  270 , the shape of the lever feet  231  must be adjusted in order to increase the mechanical advantage delivered by the levers  230 . This increase to the mechanical advantage consequentially increases the force required by the user during the locking operation. Due to this required increase in force, extremely small pushing distances may be avoided in order avoid straining the human user. 
     As opposed to the above scenarios, if the pushing distance required during the locking operation is fixed, then the greater the angle of the cam ramp Angle α, the smaller the degrees of turning during the unlocking operation. Accordingly, the smaller the angle of the cam ramp Angle α, the greater the degrees of turning during the unlocking operation. When the required degrees of turning is increased, the distance between the left cam wall edge  224 A and the right cam wall edge  224 B must be increased. The distance between the members of the cam barrier pairs  245  must be increased as well. When the required degrees of turning is above 90 degrees, the number of cam walls  223  protruding from the cam component  220  reduces from two to one, the number of manipulating posts  249  on the central housing  240  reduces from two to one, and the number of cam barriers  245  decreases from two pairs to one pair. 180 degrees of turning is the maximum possible arrangement. With 180 degrees of turning, there will only be a single cam barrier protruding from the inner housing wall of the central housing  240 . 
       FIG. 6A  is a cross section view of a central housing and cam component of the push-on twist-off bottle closure of the present invention during a locking operation. During the locking operation, the cam groove structures  225  move downward in shown direction J relative to hammer-head protrusions  250  of the central housing  240 . This downward motion continues until the manipulating post  249  temporarily bends away from the cam groove structures  225 , allowing the hammer-head protrusion  250  to snap past the locking ridge  226 , locking the cam component  220  in place vertically, and effectively locking the main seal  260  in its bulged state. 
       FIG. 6B  is a cross section view of a central housing and cam component of the push-on twist-off bottle closure of the present invention during an initiation of an unlocking operation. During the unlocking operation, the cam groove structures are turned in a shown counter-clockwise direction K. This rotational motion causes the ridge gap  227  to move closer to the hammer-head protrusions  250 . At the end of the turning motion in shown direction K, the ridge gap  227  is preferably directly under the hammer-head protrusion  250 . 
       FIG. 6C  is a cross section view of a central housing and cam component of the push-on twist-off bottle closure of the present invention at the beginning of an expansion of the bottle closure during an unlocking operation. During the turning motion, the cam component  220  is prevented from overturning by the interaction of the left cam wall edge  224 A against the cam barrier  245  of the central housing  240 . The cam component  220  automatically lifts upward in shown direction L due to the potential energy released into the system as the main seal  260  returns from its bulged state to its non-bulged state. The ridge gap  227  passes by the hammer-head protrusion  250 . 
       FIG. 6D  is a cross section view of a central housing and cam component of the push-on twist-off bottle closure of the present invention at the end of an expansion of the bottle closure during an unlocking operation. The hammer-head protrusion  250  preferably engages a cam ramp  228  of the cam groove structures  225 . The normal force between the hammer-head protrusions  250  and the cam ramp  228  is angled, as illustrated by shown force line FN. Both downward resistance, indicated by shown component force line FC 1 , and lateral acceleration, indicated by shown component force line FC 2 , are supplied to the upward moving cam component  220 . The cam component  220  may thus automatically rotate in a clockwise helical direction as indicated by shown direction M. At the end of this motion, the system returns to the state shown in  FIG. 6A . Overturning of the cam component  220  in shown direction M at the end of this automatic operation is prevented by the interaction of the right cam wall edge  224 B against the cam barrier  245 . 
     It should be obvious to someone practiced in the art that the embodiments of the cam groove structures  225  and the manipulating posts  249  could be altered so that their exhibited motions are essentially swapped. In an alternative embodiment, the cam groove structures  225  are a static feature of the central housing  240 , and the manipulating posts  249  extend from the cam component  220 . In another alternative embodiment, the cam groove structures  225  are a static feature of the central housing  240 , and the manipulating posts  249  extend from the cap interface  210 . 
       FIG. 7  is a cross sectional view of a cap interface of the push-on twist-off bottle closure of the present invention. The upside-down cup-shaped cap interface  210  is comprised of a thin outer cap wall  211 , a closed circular surface  212 , fastener clips  213 , and a retaining ring groove  214 . A retaining ring  215  is permanently attached to the retaining ring groove  214 . 
     The cap interface  210  is defined by the thin cylindrical outer cap wall  211  with the closed circular surface  212  on its top end. The outer cap wall  211  is concentric and adjacent to the outer housing wall  241  of the central housing  240 . The user pushes on the closed circular surface  212  during the locking operation, forcing the outer cap wall  211  to slide vertically downward relative to the central housing  240 . During the unlocking operation, the user twists the outer cap wall  211 , rotating the outer cap wall  211  relative to the central housing  240 . 
     On the underside of the closed circular surface  212 , four fastener clips  213  protrude vertically downward. These fastener clips  213  statically retain the cam component  220  to the underside of the closed circular surface  212  by grasping complimentary retaining grooves  222  cut into the upper retaining plate  221 . It should be obvious to someone practiced in the art that the cam component  220  could be statically connected to the cap interface  210  by a variety of alternate means, including gluing, heat staking, ultrasonic welding, various snap fit connections, or by creating a single integrated part in a single injection mold. 
     In the primary embodiment, during the unlocking operation, before the bottle closure  200  begins to expand, one of the fastener clips  213  also acts as an obstruction that must be turned past the motion interrupting gate  244  of the central housing  240 . 
     A retaining ring groove  214  is cut into the bottom of the thin outer cap wall  211  of the cap interface  210 . A retaining ring  215 , whose inner diameter is preferably smaller than the outer diameter of the outer cap wall  211 , may be ultrasonically welded to the retaining ring groove  214 . At the end of the unlocking operation, when the user wishes to access the contents of the bottle  100 , he lifts the bottle closure  200  off of the bottle  100  via the cap interface  210 . As the user pulls upward on the cap interface  210 , the retaining ring  215  lifts the outer housing wall  241  upward, ensuring that all components of the bottle closure  200  lift off of the bottle  100  together. 
       FIG. 8  shows from a top view a cam component connected to a cap interface looking inside the push-on twist-off bottle closure of the present invention. One of the hook features  213  of the cap interface  210  that fastens the cam component  220  to the cap interface  210  may also double as an obstruction  216  to the turning motion during the unlocking operation. During the unlocking operation, as the cap interface  210  is turned by the user in a shown counter-clockwise direction M, the obstruction  216  pushes against the motion interrupting gate  244  at the point directly before the bottle closure  200  begins to expand. At this point, the user preferably adds turning strength to the cap interface  210  forcing the obstruction  216  to deform the motion interrupting gate  244  so that it becomes somewhat flush with the outer housing wall  241  of the central housing  240 . The obstruction  216  moves past the motion interrupting gate  244 , and its friction against the motion interrupting gate results in a “click” feeling or audible “click” noise, which serves as an indication to the user that their turning motion is completed. The bottle closure  200  begins to automatically expand in height. 
       FIG. 9  shows side and back views of a lever of the push-on twist-off bottle closure of the present invention. This lever  230 , together with its counterpart lever (an exact copy of lever  230  not shown in this  FIG. 9 ), primarily acts to enable the opposing motions of the compressing platform  270  and the cap interface  210 , so as the cap interface  210  is pushed downward, the compressing platform  270  moves upward, and vice versa. The lever  230  is comprised of a thin-walled arm  233 , a lever head  232 , a lever foot  231 , a pivoting recess  234 , pivoting foot members  235 , circular nubs  236 , long flat foot surfaces  237 , and short flat foot surfaces  238 . 
     The lever  230  consists of a thin-walled arm  233  with a lever head  232  protruding laterally at one end, and a lever foot  231  protruding laterally at the opposing end. The lever head  232  maintains loose contact with the underside of the upper retaining plate  221  of the cam component  220  in all of the locked and unlocked positions that may be taken by the bottle closure  200 . The lever foot  231  maintains contact with the lever tracks  247  in all configurations of the bottle closure  200 . 
     A pivoting recess  234  may be cut through the lever foot  231 , forming two pivoting foot members  235 . Two circular nubs  236  may extend inward from each of the pivoting foot members  235 , corresponding in size and shape to bores in the post features of the compressing platform  270 . The circular nubs  236  connect to and are able to rotate within the bores of the compressing platform. As the compressing platform  270  rises and falls, so do the circular nubs  236  rise and fall, and vice versa. 
     Each of the foot members  235  contains a long flat surface  237  that rests against the lever tracks  247  in the unsealed configuration. A smaller adjacent short flat surface  238  rests against the lever tracks  247  in the sealed configuration. The shown orthogonal distance X between the central axis of the nubs  236  and the surface of the long flat surface  237  is preferably shorter than the shown orthogonal distance Y between the central axis of the nubs  236  and the short flat surface  238 . During the locking operation, when the cap interface  210  is pushed downward, and in turn pushes the lever head  232  downward, the lever foot  231  is forced to rotate, with the circular nubs  236  at the center of that rotation. Contact between the lever foot  231  and the lever tracks  247  transfers from the long flat surface  237  to the short flat surface  238 . The distance between the circular nubs  236  and the lever tracks  247  increases from distance X to distance Y. This increase in distance allows the levers  230  to raise the compressing platform  270 . In turn, when the unlocking operation is performed, the decrease in this distance, from distance Y to distance X, allows the compressing platform  270  to lower. 
       FIG. 10  is a perspective view of a compressing platform of the push-on twist-off bottle closure of the present invention. The compressing platform  270  primarily acts to squeeze the main seal  260  vertically, forcing the main seal  260  into its bulged form. The compressing platform  270  is comprised of a solid circular disk  271 , a lower seal seat floor  272 , a lower seal seat wall  273 , two radially symmetric pivot posts  274 , and cylindrical bores  275 . 
     The base of the compressing platform  270  is a solid circular disk  271 . Two radially symmetric pivot posts  274  extend upward from the solid circular disk  271 . These pivot posts  274  have primarily rectangular cross-sections and are dimensioned to slide into the rectangular slots  248  of the central housing  240 . The pivot posts  274  and the rectangular slots  248  confine the compressing platform  270  to exhibit only upward and downward motions (and not any side to side or rotational motions). Preferably cutting through the top of these pivot posts  274 , from one side to the other side of the pivot posts  274 , are cylindrical bores  275  whose axes are parallel to each other and to the solid circular disk  271 . The nubs  236  of the levers  230  attach to and rotate within the cylindrical bores  275 . During the locking and unlocking operations, as the nubs  236  lift or lower, so does the compressing platform  270  lift or lower. 
     A lower seal seat floor  272  and lower seal seat wall  273  are defined by a cut around the circumference of the solid circular disk  271 . The lower end of the main seal  260 , as shown in  FIG. 2 , fits snuggly around the lower seal seat wall  273 , and stays anchored to the lower seal seat wall  273  preferably by a tight fit around the lower seal seat wall  273 . Alternatively, the main seal  260  could be glued to the lower seal seat wall  273  for extra support, or could be anchored to the lower seal seat wall  273  by any other viable means of attachment. 
     The bottom surface of the main seal  260  stays in contact with the lower seal seat floor  272 . During the locking operation, as the compressing platform  270  rises, the lower seal seat floor  272  pushes upward on the bottom of the main seal  260 , and the main seal  260  bulges, storing potential energy. During the unlocking operation, the main seal  260  shifts from its bulged state to its non-bulged state, and converts the potential energy into kinetic energy. The bottom of the main seal  260  pushes downward against the lower seal seat floor  272 , moving the entire compressing platform  270  downward. 
     In an alternative embodiment, the amount of energy stored during the locking operation and released during the unlocking operation is supplemented by a spring. The spring is anchored in a central bore or on a central rod embodied by the compressing platform  270 . In the unlocked state, the spring spans the distance from the solid circular disk  271  of the compressing platform  270  to the underside of the housing floor  246  of the central housing  240 . During the locking operation, the spring compresses and stores potential energy. During the unlocking operation, the spring expands converting potential energy into kinetic energy. 
       FIG. 11  shows a front view of a main seal of the push-on twist-off bottle closure in sealed and unsealed positions. A main seal  260  may be primarily cylindrically shaped and is preferably molded using a flexible, non-porous, food-safe material, such as a suitable rubber. The top end  261  has an inner diameter that is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the housing floor  246  of the central housing  240 . The flexible material of the top end  261  squeezes inward against the central housing  240 , so that the main seal  260  stays anchored to the central housing  240 , and so that no liquid may pass through the surfaces in contact between the main seal  260  and the central housing  240 . The bottom end  262  has an inner diameter that is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the lower seal seat wall  273  of the compressing platform  270 . The flexible material at the bottom end  262  squeezes inward against the compressing platform  270 , so that the main seal  260  stays anchored to the compressing platform  270 , and so that no liquid may pass through the surfaces in contact between the main seal  260  and the compressing platform  270 . 
     The bottom end  262  of the main seal  260  is slightly larger in diameter than the top end  261 . When the main seal  260  is compressed vertically along its central axis, this difference in diameters forces the main seal  260  to bulge outward in a predictable manner, creating bulge  263 . At the end of the locking operation, this bulge  263  presses up against the inner wall of the bottle  100  around its entire circumference, sealing the contents of the bottle  100  inside the bottle  100 . 
     Having described and illustrated the principles of this application by reference to one or more preferred embodiments, it should be apparent that the preferred embodiment(s) may be modified in arraignments and detail without departing from the principles disclosed herein and that it is intended that the application be construed as including all such modifications and variations insofar as they come within the spirit and scope of the subject matter disclosed herein.

Technology Classification (CPC): 1