Patent Description:
Such an easy-to-use drinking bottle closure is known from <CIT>. By mounting the closure cap in the center, it is possible to construct the closure and an associated bottle or cup with a small diameter. The drawback is that the sealing effect may be cancelled when the pressure inside the vessel increases. In this case, the cover can be lifted off the sealing ring. In addition, there is a risk that the cover will inadvertently be turned off by the user if it is rotated beyond the open position.

<CIT> also shows a generic drinking bottle closure with a rotatable closure cap for an insulated cup. Here, too, a sealing rim is pressed from above onto a contact surface when the cap is turned, so that the same disadvantages exist as mentioned above.

A further drinking bottle closure is described in <CIT>. The closure cap is screwed against the container body via a threaded spindle for sealing, whereby rapid opening and closing is not possible. The closure is not intended or suitable for drinking directly from the bottle.

<CIT> discloses a drinking bottle closure in which the housing comprises a sealing element comprising at least one sealing lip which is arranged below the sealing edge of the housing and an outer edge of the rotary closure cap is arranged to make contact on a lower part of the sealing lip. As the rotatable closing cap is arranged underneath the sealing edge it might be lost in the housing accidentally. Further, it is apparent from this arrangement that the maximum axial displacement of the closure cap, as well as therefore the maximum possible angle of rotation, are limited.

Another drinking bottle closure having the sealing element arranged beneath a sealing edge of the housing is disclosed in <CIT>. The same drawback applies here as the sealing element is arranged at the lowermost end of the closure arrangement.

Still another drinking bottle closure with a similar design concept and consequently with similar drawbacks is disclosed in <CIT>.

The object of the present invention is to prevent the cap from being unscrewed accidentally while still having an improved sealing effect when internal pressure inside the bottle which is covered by the closure rises.

This object is solved by a drinking bottle closure with a rotatable closure cap with the features of claim <NUM>.

Since the outer edge of the cap is positioned on the housing below the sealing ring any internal pressure arising inside a bottle which is connected to the drinking bottle cap presses the cap more strongly against the sealing and increases the sealing effect. Due to the fact that the closure cap is arranged below the sealing outer edge, but above a support element for the bearing of the sealing cap in the housing, the sealing cap cannot be lost accidentally. In addition, this arrangement results in that the maximum axial stroke of the sealing cap and, as a consequence, the maximum possible angle of rotation, are limited.

The drinking bottle closure according to the invention has a good sealing effect, is easy to handle and, moreover, is also simple in design. Since, with the exception of the two elements for forming the movement thread, there are no movable parts that can be displaced relative to one another. A movement thread is a thread having such a high pitch that a nut placed on this thread can easily move along the axis of the thread.

Very little installation space is required in the center of the drinking bottle closure. The diameter of the drinking bottle closure can thus be kept very small, so that the drinking bottle closure is also suitable for small beverage bottles with a small volume or for closable drinking mugs.

With a correspondingly small diameter of the pouring area and a suitable design of the thread causing the vertical movement of the cap, it is even possible to hold the drinking bottle cap in one hand and to move the knob of the cap at the same time from the open to the closed position by using other fingers of the same hand, at least to such an extent that the pouring slot is closed and protected against a surge of liquid when the bottle or mug provided with the closure of the invention is moved.

For the transfer of the closure cap into a closed position secured for the transport of the bottle or mug, it is particularly intended to override an additional pressure point when turning the closure cap. Thereby the screw connection is prevented from being inadvertently loosened and thus an unintentional opening of the closure cap is avoided.

Since right-hand threads are common in most countries, most users are used to tightening a screw connection or achieving a closed state of a screw cap with a right-hand movement, i.e., by turning clockwise. Conversely, they are used to opening a closure or releasing a screw connection by turning in the opposite direction, i.e., counterclockwise. This is the case, for example, with all common drinking bottle closures of disposable beverage bottles.

To improve the sealing effect and to provide a closure with a captive closure cap, it is intended to press the closure cap with its outer edge against the sealing lip from below. An upward movement of the closure cap is required when transferring it from the open to the closed position.

However, with a right-hand thread, the cap would be lowered by a right-hand rotation. Therefore, the invention provides a left-hand thread through which the consumer can perform a closing movement of the closure cap intuitively associated with a right-hand rotation. The left-hand thread thereby creates an upward stroke. As with the opening of beverage bottles, the counterclockwise rotation movement leads to an opening. Due to the left-hand thread, the lid is lowered in the process.

Besides the invention provides a threaded stud or pin which is positioned in the center of a lower portion of the cap. The associated threaded receptacle is positioned in the center of a spoke-shaped support member of the housing.

The reverse arrangement is also possible, in which a threaded receptacle or a threaded nut is provided in an inner cavity of the cover and a threaded pin projecting upwards is held on the housing by a support element. In this embodiment, too, the cover is fixed between the support element on the inner housing member and the sealing outer edge of the housing outer part and is thus captive.

With respect to the two complementary parts of the housing provided according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, a snap-in connection may be provided. When the outer part of the housing is put over the inner part of the housing, including the upper sealing ring and the cap, the snap-in connection is closed during the manufacture of the drinking bottle closure and is subsequently no longer releasable.

According to a further advantageous embodiment, the joint between the inner and outer parts of the housing at the lower edge is alternatively or additionally joined together around the entire circumference by means of laser welding, so that a liquid-tight joint is produced there.

The sealing rings provided between the housing members can be formed as separate inserts made of silicone. Alternatively, they can be made of a thermoplastic elastomer which is molded onto one of the housing members to be produced by injection molding. In this case, molding onto the inner housing member is particularly suitable because both sealing rings can be formed on this part at the same time.

The construction of the housing from an inner part and a separate outer part also has the advantage that the parts can be produced in a contrasting color. For example, the inner part of the housing can be red, while the outer part of the housing is black, so that when the closure cap is lowered into the open position, a red stripe will become visible below the sealing edge, which visually signals the open position.

The threaded nut for receiving the threaded pin of the closure cap can be formed in a slip clutch element which is made of an elastomer, for example, and which has a non-round, in particular polygonal, outer contour. Harder thermoplastics such as polypropylene can also be used for this purpose, in which case sufficient elastic deformability is made possible by suitable shaping. The slipping clutch element is inserted into a support ring connected to the housing, which has a compatible non-circular, in particular polygonal, inner contour. If the user continues to rotate the lid with high force even though one of the end positions has already been reached, the slip clutch element deforms elastically and rotates relative to the support ring by at least a partial angle before elastic recovery of the slip clutch element and the form fit takes hold again.

The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the embodiments shown in the figures. The figures show in detail:.

<FIG> shows a drinking bottle closure <NUM> which can be placed on a bottleneck <NUM> of an insulated bottle <NUM>. The drinking bottle closure <NUM> has a housing, of which the housing outer part <NUM> with a pouring rim <NUM> is visible here. A sealing edge <NUM> is formed on the inside lower edge of the pouring rim <NUM>. Below the sealing edge <NUM>, a closure cap <NUM> is arranged which can be rotated by means of a knob <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates the drinking bottle closure <NUM> in an exploded view. It consists essentially of the following parts:.

The closure cap <NUM> is constructed in two parts. The knob <NUM> is part of an upper member. A separately manufactured lower member <NUM> is engageable therein and contains a threaded pin <NUM> with a movement thread in its center. The threaded pin <NUM> engages in a threaded recess <NUM> in the inner housing member <NUM>. The threaded recess <NUM> is located in a support ring <NUM> at the center of a support element, which is integrally formed with the inner wall of the housing inner member <NUM> via spokes <NUM>.

To assemble the drinking bottle cap <NUM>, the lower cap member <NUM> is inserted into the upper member of the closure cap <NUM>. The finished closure cap <NUM> is inserted with its threaded pin <NUM> into the threaded recess <NUM> of the inner housing member <NUM>. The sealing ring <NUM> is placed on the upper edge of the inner housing member <NUM>. Finally, the outer housing member <NUM> is slipped over it, with the sealing ring <NUM> enclosed between the inner housing member <NUM> and the outer housing member <NUM>, as is the closure cap <NUM>. All four components <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, after the latching projections <NUM> of the outer housing member <NUM> have latched onto the latching receptacles <NUM> on the inner housing member <NUM>, together form a unit which cannot be subsequently detached.

The further sealing ring <NUM> may be inserted into the inner housing portion <NUM> from below and seals the latter relative to the bottleneck <NUM> when the closure cap is in use in connection with an insulated bottle <NUM>.

The function of the drinking bottle closure <NUM> according to the invention can be seen from <FIG> and <FIG>, each of which shows a section through the drinking bottle closure <NUM> being placed on the bottleneck <NUM> of the insulated bottle <NUM>. In both illustrations the drinking bottle closure <NUM> is sealed to the bottleneck <NUM> via the sealing ring <NUM> which is inserted into a groove <NUM>.

The upper sealing ring <NUM> is T-shaped in cross-section, so that it is well anchored with a wide base <NUM> in the two-part wall consisting of housing inner and outer members <NUM>, <NUM>. The radially inwardly projecting sealing lip <NUM> is supported from below on the sealing edge <NUM> of the pouring rim <NUM>, which also projects radially inward.

It should also be emphasized that in this embodiment of a drinking bottle closure <NUM> the sealing ring <NUM> not only serves to abut the closure cap <NUM> for sealing the drinking bottle closure <NUM> in a liquid-tight manner during use, but that it simultaneously seals the parting line between the inner housing member <NUM> and the outer housing member <NUM> latched thereto. The integrated sealing ring <NUM> enables to easily manufacture two housing members <NUM>, <NUM> that can be produced by injection molding.

The support element formed with a plurality of spokes <NUM> on the inner housing member <NUM> has the threaded recess <NUM> in its center, into which the threaded pin <NUM> of the closure cap <NUM> is inserted.

In order to bring the drinking bottle closure <NUM> from the closure position shown in <FIG> into the open position, the closure cap <NUM> is rotated by means of the knob <NUM> relative to the base consisting of the inner and outer housing members <NUM>, <NUM>. An axial stroke of the cap <NUM> is effected via the threaded elements <NUM>, <NUM> causing the closure cap <NUM> to move downwards such that its outer edge <NUM> lifts off the sealing lip <NUM> of the sealing ring <NUM> and a pouring opening is created.

The open position is shown in <FIG>. A slit-shaped opening between the closure cap <NUM> and the sealing lip <NUM> has been created around the entire circumference, through which the beverage contained inside the insulated bottle <NUM> can flow out into the area of the pouring rim <NUM>.

It can be seen from the position of the knob <NUM> that, due to the large pitch of the movement thread on the threaded pin <NUM>, only a small angle of rotation of the closure cap <NUM> of about <NUM>° is required to bring it from the closed position shown in <FIG> to the open position shown in <FIG>.

<FIG> shows an enlarged sectional view of <FIG> to illustrate in detail the design of the area in which the sealing is effected and the pouring of the beverage is made possible.

As explained above, the sealing ring <NUM> is positioned in the parting line between the inner housing member <NUM> and the outer housing member <NUM>. The inner housing member <NUM> has a groove which is accessible from above before the housing members are joined, so that the lower part of the base <NUM> of the sealing ring <NUM> can be inserted therein.

The shaping of the outer tip of the sealing lip <NUM> and of the outer edge <NUM> of the closure cap <NUM> is optimized to create a tolerance range with respect to the force with which the closure cap <NUM> is twisted by the user relative to the housing:.

<FIG> shows the drinking bottle closure <NUM> from the underside, in which in particular the shape of the spoke elements <NUM> is visible. The spoke elements <NUM> each extend inwardly from the annular outer wall of the inner housing member <NUM> to the center. Together they hold the support ring <NUM> with the threaded recess <NUM> in the center. The spoke elements <NUM> are not extending radially outwards but are curved which enables better elastic deformation, in particular in the event that the closure cover <NUM> is subjected to an excessive force at one of the end points of its possible movement path. Such a high force causing deformation will arise if the user does not stop the rotational movement of the closure cover <NUM> in time before the end position and continues to rotate with force.

<FIG> shows a sectional view of a second embodiment of a drinking bottle closure <NUM>'. Compared to the first embodiment, the drinking bottle closure <NUM>' has differences in the design of the housing members <NUM>', <NUM>' and in the threaded recess <NUM>' in the center.

The housing consists of an outer housing member <NUM>', an inner housing member <NUM>' and two sealing elements <NUM>', <NUM>' which are molded-on and made of a thermoplastic elastomer. The lower sealing element <NUM>' is used for sealing against a bottleneck of a drinking bottle onto which the drinking bottle cap can be placed.

The upper sealing element <NUM>' fills a cavity between the rigidly formed inner housing member <NUM>' and the likewise rigidly formed outer housing member <NUM>'. The entire pouring rim <NUM><NUM>' on the housing outer part <NUM>' is otherwise thin-walled. The sealing element <NUM>' not only seals with its sealing lip <NUM>' against the outer edge <NUM> of the closure cover <NUM> in a liquid-tight manner, but at the same time it connects the inner housing member <NUM>' to the housing outer member <NUM>' in a material-fit manner, so that an additional snap-in connection or the like is not required.

To prevent damage to the drinking bottle cap <NUM>' if the user applies excessive force when rotating the closure cap <NUM> to one of the end positions, a threaded recess <NUM>' for receiving the threaded pin <NUM> of the closure cap <NUM> is not arranged directly in a support ring <NUM>', but in a slipping clutch element <NUM>'.

As shown in the partially cut view from below of the inner housing member <NUM>' in <FIG>, the inner circumference of the support ring <NUM>' is polygonal. The slipping clutch element <NUM>' is made of an elastomeric material or it is elastically deformable due to its shape. It is annular in shape, being polygonal on the outer circumference and having the central, round threaded recess <NUM>' on the inside.

A form fit is achieved via the polygonal shaping on the support ring <NUM>' and the slipping clutch element <NUM>', so that rotation of the slipping clutch element <NUM>' relative to the inner housing member <NUM>' is initially prevented when the closure cap is rotated.

Claim 1:
Drinking bottle closure (<NUM>; <NUM>') with a rotatable closure cap (<NUM>) for an insulated bottle (<NUM>) or for an insulated mug, at least comprising:
- a housing with a pouring rim (<NUM>; <NUM>') surrounding a pouring opening delimited by a sealing edge (<NUM>; <NUM>');
- the closure cap (<NUM>), which is rotatably mounted above a support element connected to the housing;
- a sealing element (<NUM>; <NUM>') for sealing the closure cap (<NUM>) on the sealing edge (<NUM>; <NUM>') of the housing,
wherein:
- at least one sealing lip (<NUM>, <NUM>') of the sealing element (<NUM>; <NUM>') is arranged below the sealing edge (<NUM>; <NUM>'),
- an outer edge (<NUM>) of the closure cap (<NUM>) is arranged below the sealing lip (<NUM>, <NUM>') and wherein:
- the closure cap (<NUM>) is secured to the support element (<NUM>; <NUM>') by a threaded joint and
- the closure cap (<NUM>) is coupled to the housing such that clockwise rotation of the closure cap (<NUM>) causes a vertical stroke from below toward the sealing lip (<NUM>; <NUM>').