Abstract:
A dispensing cap has an open-bottomed flow tube connected to a surrounding skirt by a resilient diaphragm, forming an storage chamber surrounding the flow tube. An annular base cap at the base of the flow tube is releasably engageable with the skirt to close off the bottom of the storage chamber. The dispensing cap is sealingly mountable to a beverage container with the skirt and storage chamber disposed within the throat of the container. A downward force applied to the flow tube will resiliently deform the diaphragm and downwardly disengage the base cap from the skirt, thus releasing the contents of the storage chamber into the container, which can then be agitated to mix the storage chamber contents with liquid in the container. The flow tube extends above the storage chamber and terminates in a flow assembly having a cap sleeve movable between a closed position and an “consume” position in which the contents of the container can flow through the flow tube and out an opening in the cap sleeve.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates in general to beverage container closure devices having reservoirs for holding an additive substance, and operative to dispense the additive substance into the container to facilitate mixing of the additive substance with the beverage. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    It is known to use dispensing caps and closures with beverage containers such as bottled water and sport beverages. A dispensing cap incorporates a reservoir for receiving a quantity or dose of an additive substance, to be mixed with the base liquid (e.g., water; sport beverage) in the container. The additive substance could be of various types, and could be in either liquid or powdered form; examples would include flavoring ingredients, medicinal or pharmaceutical agents, dietary supplements, and therapeutic substances. Some additives may have diminished efficacy if mixed with the base liquid a significant length of time before consumption, or early mixing could reduce the mixture&#39;s shelf life. In other cases, such as for medicinal, therapeutic, or other health-related additives, proper proportioning of the additive may be important to ensure that the additive will have the desired benefits for the person consuming the mixture. Provision of the additive in a dispensing cap facilitates precise proportioning of the additive and base liquid, and also allows a consumer to ensure optimal freshness of the additive/base liquid mixture by dispensing the additive into the base liquid just prior to consumption. 
         [0003]    The prior art discloses numerous examples of container closures for dispensing an additive into the container, including the following patent documents:
       DE 31 40 398 A1   DE 42 38 819 A1   FR 1178 115 A1   FR 2 814 156 A1   JP 2002-282565   U.S. Pat. No. 4,315,570 A1   U.S. Pat. No. 5,217,433   U.S. Pat. No. 5,542,528   U.S. Pat. No. 5,839,573   U.S. Pat. No. 5,957,335   U.S. Pat. No. 6,435,341 B1   U.S. Pat. No. 6,513,650 B2   U.S. Pat. No. 6,540,070 B1   U.S. Pat. No. 6,854,595 B2   U.S. Pat. No. 6,959,839 B2   U.S. Pat. No. 7,503,453 B2   US 2007/0074979 A1   US 2007/0090000 A1   US 2008/0067172 A1   US 2008/0073307 A1   US 2008/0093381 A1   US 2008/0116221 A1   WO 2006/050538 A1   WO 2008/014444 A2       
 
         [0028]    Notwithstanding the identified prior art, there remains a need for an improved dispensing cap for beverage containers, and the present invention is directed to that need. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0029]    In general terms, the present invention is a dispensing cap that may be screwed onto or otherwise sealingly mounted to a conventional beverage container, and which may be actuated to dispense an additive substance from a reservoir within the dispensing cap, into the beverage container. The dispensing cap has an open-bottomed flow tube which is connected to a surrounding skirt by means of a resilient diaphragm, forming an annular storage chamber surrounding the flow tube. A substantially rigid annular base cap is provided at the bottom of the flow tube, with the outer perimeter of the base cap being adapted for releasably sealing circumferential engagement with the skirt, so as to close off the bottom of the storage chamber. The dispensing cap is threaded or otherwise adapted for sealing attachment to a beverage container, such that the skirt and storage chamber are disposed within the throat or neck of the container. A downward force applied to the flow tube will induce resilient downward deformation of the diaphragm, disengagement of the base cap from the skirt, and downward displacement of the base cap relative to the skirt, thus opening the lower end of the storage chamber and releasing the contents thereof into the container, whereupon the container can be agitated to mix the storage chamber contents with a liquid in the container. 
         [0030]    The flow tube extends above the storage chamber and terminates in a flow assembly which enables consumption of the container contents without removing the dispensing cap from the container. The upper end of the flow tube is closed off, and is sealingly engageable with an opening in a cap sleeve which is slidingly mounted over a wall structure defining a flow chamber. The portion of the flow tube disposed within the flow chamber has openings to permit liquid flowing in the flow tube to pass into the flow chamber. When the cap sleeve is in its closed position with the upper end of the flow tube engaging the cap sleeve opening, liquid cannot flow out of the container through the cap sleeve opening. When the cap is slidingly moved to its open position, with the upper end of the flow tube disengaged from the cap sleeve opening, liquid can flow from the container, through the flow tube, into the flow chamber, and out the cap sleeve opening. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0031]    Embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying figures, in which numerical references denote like parts, and in which: 
           [0032]      FIG. 1  is an isometric section through a dispensing cap in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, with the dispensing cap being screwed onto a beverage container and with security tab in place. 
           [0033]      FIG. 2  is an elevational section through the dispensing cap of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0034]      FIG. 3  is an isometric section through the dispensing cap of  FIG. 1 , with security tab removed in preparation for dispensing additive into the container. 
           [0035]      FIG. 4  is an isometric section through the dispensing cap of  FIG. 1 , shown after actuation to dispensing additive from the reservoir. 
           [0036]      FIG. 5  is an isometric section through the dispensing cp of  FIG. 1 , shown after actuation to allow consumption from the container. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0037]      FIGS. 1-5  illustrate a preferred embodiment of the dispensing cap  10  of the present invention, shown mounted on a beverage container  100  having a throat section  110 . In the illustrated embodiment, the dispensing cap  10  is adapted for mounting on a container  100  having a threaded neck, but this is not essential to the invention; the dispensing cap  10  of the present invention may be readily adapted for use with containers designed to receive alternative, non-threaded types of closures. All components of dispensing cap  10  are preferably made of a rigid or semi-rigid plastic material, but other materials providing suitable functional effectiveness may be used without departing from the scope of the present invention. 
         [0038]    Dispensing cap  10  has a flow tube  20  having an upper end  20 U and a lower end  20 L. In the illustrated embodiment, flow tube  20  is of generally cylindrical configuration, and the descriptions herein will be in the context of a generally cylindrical flow tube  20 . Persons of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate, however, that flow tube  20  could be of a different geometric configuration without departing from the scope of the present invention. 
         [0039]    Having reference to  FIG. 2 , flow tube  20  may be considered as comprising four contiguous sections, as follows:
       lower section  22 L, extending upward from lower end  20 L of flow tube  20  to a first intermediate point  20 - 1 ;   middle section  22 M, extending upward from first intermediate point  20 - 1  to a second intermediate point  20 - 2  a selected distance above first intermediate point  20 - 1 ;   a perforated section  22 P, extending upward from second intermediate point  20 - 2  to a third intermediate point  20 - 3  a selected distance above second intermediate point  20 - 2 ; and   a top section  22 T, extending upward from third intermediate point  22 - 3  to upper end  20 U of flow tube  20 .       
 
         [0044]    Lower end  20 L of flow tube  20  has an opening  21  which leads into a flow passage  24  extending the full length of flow tube  20 , from lower end  20 L to upper end  20 U. The cylindrical walls of flow tube  20  are solid except within perforated section  22 P, which is formed with a plurality of perforations  25 , for purposes to be explained herein. In the preferred and illustrated embodiment, perforations  25  are provided in the form of vertical slots, but this is not essential to the invention; perforations  25  could alternatively be provided in various other forms (e.g., round holes). In the preferred embodiment shown in the Figures, upper end  20 U of flow tube  20  is closed off by a cap member  26 . Top section  22 T of flow tube  20  is preferably somewhat smaller in cross-sectional diameter than perforated section  22 P. However, this feature is not essential to the invention, and in alternative embodiments top section  22 T and perforated section  22 P may be of substantially the same diameter. 
         [0045]    Dispensing cap  10  also has a cylindrical skirt  30  which surrounds lower section  22 L of flow tube  20 , so as to form a generally annular storage chamber  40  between the inner surface of skirt  30  and the outer surface of lower section  22 L of flow tube  20 . The outer diameter of skirt  30  is smaller than the inner diameter of throat section  110  of the container  100  on which dispensing cap  10  is to be installed, such that skirt  30  may be readily disposed within throat section  110 . Preferably (but not necessarily), the outer diameter of skirt  30  is only slightly smaller than the inner diameter of throat section  110 , thus maximizing the volume of storage chamber  40 . Skirt  30  has an upper end  30 U and a lower end  30 L. An annular skirt flange  31  extends radially outward from upper end  30 U of skirt  30 , and transitions at its outmost edge to a downwardly extending cylindrical collar  32 . As may be seen in the Figures, collar  32  has internal threads  32 A and is of a suitable diameter such that it can be screwed onto the top of container  100  with its internal threads  32 A engaging the external threading  115  at the top of container  100 . 
         [0046]    A resiliently flexible and generally annular diaphragm  42  is circumferentially and sealingly connected to flow tube  20  at first intermediate point  20 - 1 , and extends radially outward therefrom to circumferentially and sealingly connect to upper end  30 U of skirt  30 . Flow tube  20 , skirt  30 , and diaphragm  42  are preferably (but not necessarily) molded as an integral unit. Although this integral unit may thus be made of a rigid or semi-plastic material, the required flexibility of diaphragm  42  may be provided by making diaphragm  42  substantially thinner than the components to which it is connected (i.e., flow tube  20  and skirt  30 ). 
         [0047]    A substantially rigid and generally annular base cap  44  is circumferentially and sealingly connected to flow tube  20  at lower end  20 L, and extends generally radially outward therefrom for circumferentially sealingly engagement with lower end  30 L of skirt  30 . Unlike the connection of diaphragm  42  to upper end  30 U of skirt  30 , the circumferential engagement of base cap  44  with lower end  30 L of skirt  30  is not integral, but is adapted to permit ready disengagement and downward displacement of base cap  44  relative to skirt  30  in response to application of a sufficient downward force on flow tube  20  relative to skirt  30 . 
         [0048]    As shown in the Figures, base cap  44  preferably (but not necessarily) has a downward slope radially away from lower end  20 L of flow tube  20 , to promote efficient and complete dispensing of an additive substance from. 
         [0049]    Also as shown in the Figures, base flange  44  may be provided in the form of a discrete component that snaps onto a circumferential retention flange  20 F formed at lower end  20 L of flow tube  20 . In alternative embodiments, however, base cap  44  could also be integrally formed or molded with flow tube  20 . 
         [0050]    Having reference to  FIGS. 1 ,  2 , and  3  and the foregoing descriptions, it will be seen that when base cap  44  is sealingly engaged with lower end  30 L of skirt  30 , annular storage chamber  40  becomes a sealed and preferably liquid-tight chamber. Storage chamber  40  may be filled or partially filled with a selected additive substance in liquid, powder, or other form as appropriate. 
         [0051]    Dispensing cap  10  also incorporates a beverage flow assembly  50 , which may be most clearly understood with reference to  FIG. 3 . In the illustrated embodiment, flow assembly  50  comprises a base flange  52  which extends radially outward from second intermediate point  20 - 2  on flow tube  20 . An open-topped cylindrical flow chamber wall  54  extends upward from base flange  52 , forming a generally annular flow chamber  56  surrounding perforated section  22 P of flow tube  20 . A generally dome-shaped, cylindrical cap sleeve  58  having a top closure member  59 , with a flow opening  59 A formed in top closure  59 , is disposed over and around flow chamber wall  54  such that cap sleeve  58  is slidingly movable relative to cylindrical wall  54  between:
       a closed position (as seen in  FIGS. 1 to 4 ) in which top section  22 T of flow tube  20  sealingly engages flow opening  59 A; and   an open position (as seen in  FIG. 5 ) in which top closure  59  is displaced to a position above top section  22 T of flow tube  20  such that liquid can flow our of flow chamber  56  through flow opening  59 A.       
 
         [0054]    Flow chamber wall  54  and cap sleeve  58  are designed and configured such that cap sleeve  58  forms a substantially liquid-tight seal against flow chamber wall  54  as cap sleeve  58  moves between the closed and open positions. The Figures conceptually illustrate one particular design whereby this liquid-tight seal may be achieved, but the present invention is not limited to this or any other particular method or means of providing a sliding seal between cap sleeve  58  and flow chamber wall  54 , which as persons skilled in the art will recognize can be accomplished in a variety of ways using known technology. 
         [0055]    Although flow chamber wall  54  is described and illustrated herein as being generally cylindrical, persons skilled in the art will readily appreciate that flow chamber wall  54  and flow chamber  56  could be of different geometric configurations (with corresponding modifications to cap sleeve  58 ) without departing from the scope of the present invention. 
         [0056]    As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a generally annular security tab  60 , with pull tab  62 , is preferably (but not necessarily) disposed provided around middle section  22 M of flow tube  20 , between skirt flange  31  and base flange  52 . As will be explained in greater detail below, security tab  60  prevents unintentional release of the additive substance from storage chamber  40 , as could result from inadvertent downward displacement of flow tube  20  relative to skirt  30 . Accordingly, security tab  60  will typically be left in place until it is desired to release the additive substance into container  100 . 
         [0057]    The particular security tab configuration shown in the Figures is exemplary only. Embodiments of the present invention incorporating a security tab are not limited or restricted to the use of a security device as specifically illustrated herein or in accordance with any other particular design or style. 
         [0058]    The operation of dispensing cap  10  may be readily understood with reference to the Figures and the foregoing descriptions.  FIGS. 1 and 2  illustrate dispensing cap  10  threadingly mounted over the threaded neck of a beverage container  100 , with skirt  30  (and lower section  22 L of flow tube  20 ) disposed within throat  110  of container  100 . Security tab  60  is in place, storage chamber  40  has been filled with a selected additive substance (not shown), and cap sleeve  58  is in the closed position. 
         [0059]      FIG. 3  illustrates dispensing cap  10  essentially as in  FIGS. 1 and 2  but with security tab  60  removed. 
         [0060]      FIG. 4  illustrates dispensing cap  10  in the “dispense” position, which is achieved by applying a downward force on top closure  59  (and flow assembly  50  as a whole), such that flow tube  20  moves downward within skirt  30  (with corresponding deformation and downward deflection of diaphragm  42 ), causing base cap  44  to become disengaged from and displaced below lower end  30 L of skirt  30 , such that the additive substance will readily flow out of storage chamber  40  and into container  100 , whereupon the additive substance will become mixed with the liquid (e.g., water; sport beverage) in container  100 . 
         [0061]      FIG. 5  illustrates dispensing cap  10  in the open or “consume” position, which is achieved subsequent to the release of the additive substance from storage chamber  40 , by simply sliding cap sleeve  58  into the “consume” position as previously described. With dispensing cap  10  in the “consume” position, container  100  may be tilted or inverted to allow the mixed beverage to flow through opening  21  of flow tube  20  into flow passage  24  within flow tube  20 , and thence through perforations  25  in perforated section  22 P of flow tube  20  into flow chamber  56 , and out through flow opening  59 A in top closure  59 . 
         [0062]    A particular advantage of the present invention is that it provides the beverage consumer with the option of drinking the base liquid from container  100  without releasing the additive substance from storage chamber  40  into container  100 . This may be done by simply by sliding cap sleeve  58  into the “open” position without displacing flow tube  20 ; this can be done with security tab  60  either removed or in place. 
         [0063]    Another advantage of the present invention is that it gives the beverage consumer the option of releasing only a portion of the additive substance into container  100 . This can be done by, for example, displacing flow tube  20  only partially downward and then retracting flow tube  20  (by pulling upward on base flange  52 ) so as to sealingly re-engage base cap  44  with lower end  30 L of skirt  30 , thus retaining the remaining amount of additive substance within storage chamber  40  until the consumer is ready to dispense it into container  100  at a later time. 
         [0064]    It will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications of the present invention may be devised without departing from the essential concept of the invention, and all such modifications are intended to come within the scope of the present invention and the claims appended hereto. It is to be especially understood that the invention is not intended to be limited to illustrated embodiments, and that the substitution of a variant of a claimed element or feature, without any substantial resultant change in the working of the invention, will not constitute a departure from the scope of the invention. 
         [0065]    In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following that word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be one and only one such element. The word “sealing” and derivative forms thereof, as used herein, are to be understood as connoting the provision of a substantially liquid-tight seal. As used in this patent document, the words “cylindrical”, “annular”, or other words relating to shape, form, or properties are not intended to denote or require geometrical or technical precision, and are accordingly to be understood as denoting general or substantial conformity (e.g., “cylindrical” would be understood as “at least substantially cylindrical”) unless the context clearly requires otherwise.