Abstract:
The present invention relates generally to a replacement cap for disposable water bottles with drinking spout and a mist sprayer. More particularly it discloses a unique flexible thread arrangement to allow it to fit on both US and European standard bottle threads.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    1. Field of Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates generally to a replacement cap for water bottles that includes a drinking spout and a mist sprayer. More particularly it discloses a unique flexible thread arrangement to allow it to fit on both US and European standard bottle threads. 
         [0003]    2. Prior Art 
         [0004]    Spray tops for bottles have been on the market for many years. Pull-up and flip-up drinking spouts have also been available on several different brands of bottled drinking water. Most US bottled water brands have a standard cap with a standard thread design. European water bottles have a slightly different thread design. Thus a one size cap to fit both designs has been heretofore unavailable. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    Bottled water is sold at many venues such as sporting events, concerts, beaches or pools and other competitive endeavors. It would be beneficial after purchasing a bottle of water to replace its sealed cap with one that could be used for either hydration by drinking from its sealable spout or used for spraying water onto the skin in a fine mist, allowing evaporation to cool the user. Parents of children may also find it useful for minor clean ups as well. It is an object of this invention to fit both United States and European threads and thus work on almost all plastic disposable water bottles by having flexible thread sections on the inside diameter of this new invention. 
     
    
     
       DRAWINGS: 
         [0006]    In order that the invention is fully understood it will now be described with reference to the following drawings in which: 
           [0007]      FIG. 1  is an enlarged top view of a Mister Water Cap. 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is an enlarged front section view thereof taken along cutting plane  2 - 2  in  FIG. 1 . 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is an enlarged staggered section view taken along cutting plane  3 - 3  in  FIG. 1 . 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  is an enlarged bottom view thereof. 
           [0011]      FIG. 5A  is a partial section view taken on cutting plane  2 - 2  in  FIG. 1  of a Mister Water Cap also showing, in exploded form, a nozzle and pump assembly and standard disposable water bottle. 
           [0012]      FIG. 5B  is an extension of the partial section view of  FIG. 5A  taken on cutting plane  2 - 2  in  FIG. 1  of a Mister Water Cap also showing, in exploded form, a nozzle and pump assembly and standard disposable water bottle. 
           [0013]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a Mister Water Cap with an assembled nozzle and pump assembly, and showing a standard disposable water bottle and cap. 
       
    
    
       [0014]    Bottles, bottle caps, nozzles and pump assemblies are shown in broken lines in  FIG. 5A and 5B  in exploded form and in  FIG. 6  in an assembled perspective view as they are not part of this invention but shown for illustrative purposes only. 
       REFERENCE NUMBERS 
       [0015]    The same reference numbers will be used throughout this application for the same and like features. 
       DESCRIPTION 
       [0016]    In order that Mister Water Cap  10  is fully understood it will now be described by way of the following example. This new invention is a convenient and easily adaptable apparatus for use as a replacement for the sealed cap  74  on refillable liquid containers and purchased water bottles  56 . Mister Water Cap  10  mounts on refillable liquid containers and water bottles  56  after sealed caps  74  are removed. It can be used to either drink from spout  32  or to spray a fine mist with pump and nozzle assembly  16 . Standard bottles  56  have a very similar top opening, approximately 1-inch diameter, and a common thread dimension so that they can use a standard cap regardless of the volume of the bottle itself. Typically standard bottles  56  also have a concentric ledge  48  around the outside diameter of the neck, approximately ½ inch below the top of the bottleneck. Unfortunately U.S. and European standards for plastic bottle cap threads  58  are slightly different. Typically caps  74  have a bottom section separated by serration  92  that fits between ledge  48  and separator edge  90 . When cap  74  is twisted in a counterclockwise direction it separates along serration  92  as cap  74  moves axially upward and is removed from bottle  56 , leaving serrated section attached to bottle  56 . 
         [0017]    Mister Water Cap  10  consists of housing  12  with the general shape of cap  74 . It is further disclosed that it has bottom  60  and upper surface  62  with cylindrical sidewall  70  descending from upper surface  62  to bottom  60 . It also disclosed that it has two twist assist arms  30  extending radially outward from the base of body of housing  12 . Twist assist arms  30  can be straight or curved. Depending from the bottom side of upper surface  62  are two concentric cylindrical walls  66  and  68 . Wall  68  depends approximately 0.2 inches below bottom side of top surface  62 . Upstanding from upper surface  62  is drinking spout  32 . A preferred embodiment has drinking spout  32  upstanding from upper surface  62  approximately 1¾ inches to avoid interference with nozzle and pump assembly  16  while drinking. It contains water passage  18  that runs from the bottom side of upper surface  62  within the inside diameter of cylindrical wall  66  to external opening  64  at its distal end. Opening  64  is sealed with cap  14 . Cap  14  may remain attached to Mister Water Cap  10  when it is removed for drinking by means of thin plastic strap  34  with cap retainer ring  36  slidingly engaging the perimeter of drinking spout  32  as shown in  FIG. 2  or it may be simply unattached. Removal of cap  14  is facilitated by upward pressure on cap removal lip  38 . 
         [0018]    Internal cylindrical wall  66  slips inside the internal diameter of bottle  56  top opening. Shorter external cylindrical wall  68  slips over the external diameter of bottle  56  top opening, stopping before it reaches bottle  56  top&#39;s male threads  58  at approximately 1/16 inches. On opposing sides of cylindrical sidewall  70  at approximately 90 degrees from the attachment center of twist assist arms  30  are flexible thread  58  and ledge  48  engaging tabs  72 . Flex notches  54  on either side of thread and ledge engagement tabs  72  start at bottom  60  and end approximately 0.4 inches up sidewall  70 . Tabs  72  deflect when pulled out by release tangs  46  or are cammed away by the slope of lower clip  40  being forced over separator edge  90  and ledge  48 . Flex notches  54  are approximately 1/16 inches wide and have radiused tops so as to not create stress risers. Thread and ledge engagement tabs  72  are approximately % inch wide continuing on the same arc as sidewall  70 . Thread engaging details  42  on the internal surfaces of d tabs  72  are running at a compromise angle approximately half way between the U.S. and European standard thread angle. At the bottom end of tabs  72  are ledge  48  retaining lower clips  40 . They have sloped bottom surfaces such that when Mister Water Cap  10  is pushed down on the top of open bottle  56 , tabs  72  spring outward over ledge  48  and snap back into place below ledge  48  providing retention but not sealing. The tips of upper clip  42  drop in between threads  58  on bottle  56  when tabs  72  snap back into place. A small, approximately ¼ turn twist of Mister Water Cap  10 , using twist assist arms  30 , will draw the bottom side of top surface  62  tightly against the top of bottle  56 , between depending walls  66  and  68  providing the required sealing action. 
         [0019]    Mister Water Cap  10  has cylindrical wall  78  upstanding approximately 0.4 inches from upper surface  62  with an internal concentric wall  80  upstanding approximately 0.3 inches from upper surface  62 . A further internal concentric cylindrical wall  82  depending approximately 0.2 inches provides tubular opening  52  through to the bottom side of top surface  62 . The space between walls  78  and  80  provides the guide for standard spray nozzle and plunger button  28 . 
         [0020]    Nozzle and pump assembly  16  is not a part of this invention as there are many in the current art. A typical pump assembly  16  is disclosed here for illustrative purposes only. A typical nozzle and pump assembly  16  is comprised of standard spray nozzle and plunger button  28  with a concave surface on its top side and a piston retaining cylindrical wall  86  on its underside, concentric with the external wall of standard spray nozzle and plunger button  28 . It contains a small channel leading to misting nozzle orifice  88 . 
         [0021]    A hollow piston  26  is typically fed up through tubular opening  52  and press fit into piston retaining cylindrical wall  86  in standard spray nozzle and plunger button  28 . Piston  26  slides smoothly inside spring retainer  22 . Axially beneath piston  26  is pump seal  24  that has a shoulder abutting the top of coil spring  20 . Piston  26  and seal  24  are biased upward by spring  20 . The space between upstanding wall  80  and depending wall  82  has a small spring retainer bump  44  protruding from the inside of wall  80 . It locks spring retainer  22  into this space when spring retainer  22  is pushed into place as the top outside surface of spring retainer  22  has a matching bump  84  that pops over bump  44  and provides minimum retention of pump assembly  16  to Mister Water Cap  10 . Spring retainer  22  has feed tube  18  inserted into its proximal end. 
         [0022]    In use, cap  74  is replaced on bottle  56  with Mister Water Cap  10  with standard nozzle and pump assembly  16  installed. Cap  14  can be removed by upward pressure on cap removal lip  38  and liquid can be obtained through distal opening  64  from drinking spout  32 . Pressing standard spray nozzle and plunger button  28  causes liquid to be drawn into proximal end of feed tube  18 , through pump assembly  16  and to be forced through misting orifice  88  to dispensing a fine mist of cooling spray. Flexible thread and ledge engagement tabs  72  allow for lower clips  40  to be forced over ledge  48 . When they snap back into at rest positions beneath ledge  48  they bring the internal threads  42  into contact with the external threads  58  on the bottle top. The flexibility of these tabs  72  allows upper clips  42  to engage either United States or European standard bottle top threads  58 . A small twist of arms  30 , approximately % turn, draws Mister Water Cap  10  firmly against the distal opening of liquid container  56  preventing leakage around interface. 
         [0023]    The descriptions in the above specification are not intended to limit this invention to the particular pump assembly disclosed here. Nor is it intended to only work with purchased disposable water bottles. It also works well with various forms of refillable beverage containers such as the refillable sports drink type. Rather, they are shown for illustration purposes only as one skilled in these arts could easily scale the invention&#39;s dimensions and materials to work with any size liquid container.