Abstract:
A new type of a water bottle is described. A suction mechanism is built into the structure of the water bottle. The apparatus also contains a retractable mouthpiece built into the bottle cap as an extension of the cap and which forms part of the internal suction mechanism. This mouthpiece retracts and closes to an airtight seal when not in use so that any carbonated beverage maintains its freshness during storage. Also a mechanism for maintaining internal liquid levels in the suction mechanism is described which serves to prevent air entry into the suction mechanism between suctions.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/048,206, filed Apr. 27, 2008. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to a new design for a water bottle that aims to eliminate the need for a straw, and at the same time allows the user to drink as if using a straw. It also aims to provide an airtight seal for the contents of the water bottle when the suction mechanism is moved into the closed position. It also aims to eliminate the interruption of suction by the intervention of air between suctions. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Water bottles have one drawback. Either a straw has to be inserted into an opening to allow a user to drink from it normally, or it has to be designed to be used by holding the bottle upside down and using gravity to force the liquid down. Both options are less than utilitarian or aesthetically appealing. 
         [0004]    Also there is a problem with the suction mechanism of a straw in that between suctions air becomes trapped within the suction mechanism. This leads to the ingestion of large amounts of air between suctions. This further leads to entry of air into the esophagus and the stomach and the need for frequent burping. 
         [0005]    Also, water bottles are sometimes used to hold non-H2O liquids such as carbonated beverages. It becomes possible during protracted periods of transport and storage that the liquid can lose carbonation due to lack of an airtight seal. Moreover this deficiency also implies a lack of a water-tight seal so that when the bottle is dropped or tilted, liquid can leak through the seals. 
         [0006]    In certain designs of the bottle, this leakage can even occur while it is being used, i.e. when it is held upside down for drinking. 
         [0007]    Some of these concerns, such as that of an airtight seal and that of air entry into the straw during suctions, have been addressed in prior inventions. 
         [0008]    However, the present invention addresses all of these concerns in a single mechanism that is both a functional and aesthetically pleasing part of the water bottle design, by the use of a “built-in” suction mechanism obviating the need for a straw which (however integrated in previous inventions) represents an extraneous mechanism, “separate and detached” structurally from the body of the bottle, and which must be inserted into the bottle. 
         [0009]    Moreover it is this built-in suction mechanism which naturally and functionally leads to the additional functionalities of an airtight/watertight seal and prevention of air intake during the suction process. I.e. they are not extraneous additional mechanisms but an integral part of the total suction mechanism. 
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    The present invention consists of a suction mechanism that is part of the bottle infrastructure so that the need for an extraneous straw is obviated. Moreover this suction mechanism houses a reverse stoppage mechanism that prevents liquid levels from falling between suctions, preventing air entry into the suction mechanism. Also a tight seal is created when the mouthpiece which forms an extension to the suction mechanism (comprising the upper portion of the suction mechanism) is closed for storage, preventing both spillage and loss of carbonation. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]    The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated into and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate one or more embodiments of the present invention and, together with the detailed description, serve to explain the principles and implementations of the invention. 
           [0012]    In the drawings: 
           [0013]      FIG. 1  shows a cross sectional view of the water bottle. 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  shows another cross sectional view of the water bottle at 45 degrees from  FIG. 1  rotated on its base, and includes the cap screwed on to the top of the bottle. 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  shows a top view of the water bottle with the cap removed. 
           [0016]      FIG. 4  shows a top view of the mouthpiece which forms the upper extension of the suction mechanism. 
           [0017]      FIG. 5  shows a side view of the water bottle cap with the mouthpiece in the open position. 
           [0018]      FIG. 6  shows a side view of the water bottle cap with the mouthpiece in the closed position. 
           [0019]      FIG. 7  shows an exploded view of a possible reverse flow stop mechanism. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0020]    Embodiments of the present invention are described herein in the context of a design, method, and apparatus for a water bottle that incorporates a highly efficient suction mechanism within its infrastructure. Those of ordinary skill in the art will realize that the following detailed description of the present invention is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. Other embodiments of the present invention will readily suggest themselves to such skilled persons having the benefit of this disclosure. Reference will now be made in detail to implementations of the present invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The same reference indicators will be used throughout the drawings and the following detailed description to refer to the same or like parts. 
         [0021]    “Suction mechanism” henceforth shall refer to an internal built-in structure of the water bottle that serves the function of a straw and extends from the bottom of the bottle to and including a suction extension that proceeds from the cap (the mouthpiece), which allows the user to drink the contents of the bottle without the need for inversion or a straw. 
         [0022]    “Suction extension” or “mouthpiece” henceforth shall refer to only the upper portion of this total suction mechanism, comprising the portion that proceeds from the cap which the user sucks on and which can be rotated into an open or closed positions. 
         [0023]    In the interest of clarity, not all of the routine features of the implementations described herein are shown and described. It will, of course, be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made in order to achieve the engineer&#39;s specific goals, such as compliance with design-related constraints, and that these specific goals will vary from one implementation to another and from one designer and engineer to another. Moreover, it will be appreciated that such a engineering effort might be complex and time-consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of engineering for those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure. 
         [0024]    In accordance with the present invention, the components and/or design elements may be implemented using various types of materials and deviations from the presented design. However, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that such deviations may be used without departing from the scope and spirit of the inventive concepts disclosed herein. 
         [0025]      FIG. 1  shows a diagram of the cross section of the water bottle. There is a vertical tube  1  attached (and firmly fixed) to a side of the water bottle on the inside. It is flat in shape and hollowed inside and serves as a type of a straw from the bottom of the water bottle. This inner tube  2  opens up to the inside of the bottle at the bottom. This inner tube  2  extends up the inside of the tube  1  and connects to a groove  3  that lines around the circumference of the upper rim of the bottle. This forms a continuous hollow tube that extends from the bottom to the rim and around the rim. The outer edge of the rim of the water bottle is ribbed  4  so that it can accommodate a screw cap. 
         [0026]      FIG. 2  shows another cross section of the water bottle, here shown with the cap  5  screwed on tight. Here the cross section cuts across the vertical tube  1  that was shown on the prior diagram. Here likewise it can be observed that there is a hollow tube  2  that extends up the length of the tube  1 . This hollow tube  2  then circles around a groove  3  inside the upper rim of the water bottle around its circumference. The outer edge of the rim  4  is ribbed to accommodate the cap that is screwed on tight. 
         [0027]    It can be observed that the “juxtaposition” of the top rim of the water bottle and the bottom edge of the cap  5  that is screwed on tight forms an inner canal  3  that completely circles the perimeter of the upper rim of the water bottle. This inner canal  3  connects with the vertical tube  1  that extends downward on the inner side of the water bottle, and to a thin inner tube  6  that cuts through the inner material of the cap on one side. What results, when the cap  5  is screwed on, is an airtight water canal that extends from the bottom of the bottle up the side, around the rim, through the cap  5 , and through the suction extension or mouthpiece  8  that is attached to the cap. The inner tube  6  actually connects to another tube that extends through the mouthpiece  8  itself when it is in the open position, which is not shown here in “this” diagram. 
         [0028]    The result is sort of a “silly straw” that is built into the infrastructure of the water bottle and which allows suction to be applied to the liquid by the user when the cap  5  is screwed on tight and the mouthpiece  8  is rotated in the open position. 
         [0029]    The mouthpiece  8  is fastened to the cap at a fulcrum  9  allowing it to rotate up and down. There is also another inner tube  7  that extends vertically through the cap which serves as an inlet valve to allow air to enter into the bottle during the suction process. When the mouthpiece  8  is in the open position (not shown here), its own network of internal inner tubes make connections to both the inner tube  6  that forms a part of the suction mechanism as well as this inlet valve  7  shown here. 
         [0030]      FIG. 3  shows a view of the water bottle without the cap from top. It shows the inner canal  3  that extends around the circumference of the rim and connects to the interior of the vertical tube  1  that runs down the inner side of the bottle. 
         [0031]      FIG. 4  shows the top view of the suction extension, mouthpiece  8 , and the fulcrum  9  by which it is attached to the rest of the cap  5 , allowing it to be rotated up and down from closed to open positions. 
         [0032]      FIG. 5  shows a cross section of the cap  5  with the mouthpiece  8  in the open position. It can be observed that there is an inner tube  6  which extends from the bottom rim of the cap through its material and connects through a canal  10  that extends through the mouthpiece  8 . Likewise a tube  11  extends through the cap vertically and through the base of the mouthpiece  8  and interfaces with the inlet valve  7  in the cap  5 . 
         [0033]    It is important of course that both the inner tubes  10  and  11  of the mouthpiece, one for the suction mechanism and the other for the intake valve, not cross each other but form separate paths within the material of the mouthpiece  8 . 
         [0034]    The material of the mouthpiece  8 , especially of its rounded base, is crucial in this context. It must be of such viscosity that it allows for smooth rotation of the mouthpiece  8  from its closed to upright positions. But it must also be able to form tight seals against the inner tubes  6  and  7 . (Silicone or such other material may serve as a suitable material for this portion of the invention.) 
         [0035]      FIG. 6  shows the cap  5  and the mouthpiece  8  in the closed position. It can be observed that the inner tubes  10  and  11  of the mouthpiece now fail to make a seamless connection with the inner tubes  6  and  7  of the cap. This effectively creates an airtight seal of the inner contents of the water bottle when the cap  5  is screwed on tight and the suction extension or mouthpiece  8  is closed in the down position. 
         [0036]      FIG. 8  shows cross section of a type of a reverse-flow stop valve. It is an enlarged view of a “portion”  14  of the suction mechanism, conceivably of a section of the inner tube that runs through the cap or the vertical tube that runs down the side of the bottle. It consists of a spring-loaded  12  ball  13  that sits against a constriction in the valve  14  and which is released by suction. 
         [0037]    The purpose of this view is to show a “type” of reverse flow stop mechanism that can be incorporated into the infrastructure of the suction mechanism (such as a ball check valve in this case) that prevents liquid from falling down when the suction pressure is relieved. (There are many possibilities of a check valve, including diaphragm check valve and swing check valve, among others, as well as other types of reverse flow stop mechanism that can be employed and the purpose of this diagram is to show only one such feasible implementation.) 
         [0038]    While various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example, and not limitation. It will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art(s) that various changes in form and detail can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus the present invention should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the specified claims and their equivalents. 
         [0039]    The essential claim of the invention is that a suction mechanism (or a type of “silly straw”) can be built into the structure of the water bottle obviating the need for an external suction device such as a straw. The preclusion of need for such an external device allows for an airtight (and watertight) seal to be created allowing for the preservation of contents as well as leakage-guard protection during transport. Also such a mechanism can more seamlessly house contraptions for the prevention of air intakes during suctions, as an integral part of the solution (and not external to it). Any method or system that fulfills any or all of these general claims falls within the field and ken of this present invention. For e.g. one variation or enhancement of the present invention is to use a clear plastic for the bottle as well as the cap—allowing for the action of the built in “silly straw” to be observed in action, adding to the total effect of the invention. 
         [0040]    The purpose of the present invention was to demonstrate one possible implementation of the underlying spirit and intention of the invention. It is easy to imagine further elaboration of the present demonstration as well as a totally different method or mode of its implementation without departing from the scope and spirit of the claims of the present invention.