Patent Description:
In general, bottles are used for storing liquid and a cap is used to close the opening of the bottle, a cap on a bottle serves several purposes. One of the primary reasons for having a cap is to create a seal that prevents liquids or other materials inside the bottle from spilling out. This is important for maintaining the freshness and integrity of the contents of the bottle. Additionally, a cap can also help to prevent contamination of the contents of the bottle. Caps can also be used to provide a means of opening and closing the bottle. Overall, the cap on a bottle serves to protect the contents of the bottle and make it easier to use. The cap can be removed from the bottle to allow contact with the liquid inside. The caps used today may easily be lost and misplaced or dropped such that they become contaminated, and the user do not want to reuse the cap. When the caps are lost, they may end up in the environment which results in pollution of the environment and may affect the wildlife. To reduce plastic litter, the industry has started to produce caps that are tethered to the bottle.

The tethered caps are connected to the bottle through a portion that connects the cap to the bottle also when the cap is removed from the opening. Thus, the risk that the cap is lost or thrown away is reduced. An example of such cap is provided in <CIT> where the cap is connected to a ring portion and where the cap is configured to be in abutment with a holding ring when opened. A problem with the tethered caps produced today is generally that they are not user-friendly compared to a conventional cap. The portion connecting the cap to the bottle result in complex designs and also in that the user needs to handle the cap when pouring the drink from the bottle. Thus, there is a need of a more user-friendly tethered cap.

It is an object to mitigate, alleviate or eliminate one or more of the above-identified deficiencies in the art and disadvantages singly or in any combination and solve at least the above-mentioned disadvantage in the art.

To achieve at least one of the above objects, and also other objects that will be evident from the following description, a cap for a bottled defined in claim <NUM> is provided according to the present disclosure. Preferred variants of the cap will be evident from the dependent claims.

More specifically, according to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a cap for a bottle with a threaded portion for securing the cap to the bottle to close an opening thereof. The cap comprises a cap housing which includes a cap portion having a closed end and an open end, said cap portion comprising a top structure at the closed end and a side wall extending from the top structure towards the open end, said side wall having a threaded portion on an inside surface for engagement with the threaded portion of the bottle, a band portion connected to the cap portion via an intermediate portion at the open end of the cap portion, wherein the intermediate portion comprises a plurality of elongated openings arranged circumferentially about the intermediate portion so as to define at least two connecting portions interconnecting the cap portion with the band portion, wherein each of the at least two connecting portions comprises a respective first end and a respective second end, and is connected to the cap portion at the first end and to the band portion at the second end, wherein the band portion comprises at least one holding structure at an outward facing surface thereof, wherein the plurality of elongated openings is structured and arranged to allow the cap portion to be unscrewed and removed from the opening of the bottle while being connected to the band portion via the at least two connecting portions and to be positioned in an open position in which an edge structure which is formed at the open end of the cap portion is forced towards the threaded portion of the bottle and engages with the at least one holding structure. The cap has a diameter that is smaller than a distance between the holding structure and the top structure when the cap portion is screwed to the bottle. The open position at which the cap portion is forced towards the threaded portion of the bottle and engages with the at least one holding structure may be advantageous as it secures the cap towards the bottle. When pouring, a cap, that is not secured, needs to be held or in some way controlled by the user to make sure that the cap does not move and disrupt the flow of liquid. If this happens, the liquid may be spilled and thereafter it needs to be cleaned up. When the cap is secured against the bottle, impact between the pouring liquid and the cap is prevented. Therefore, spill of the liquid may be avoided, and the user may concentrate on the pouring of the liquid. Thus, the user-friendliness will be increased and hence also the user-experience will increase. If the cap obstructs the flow of liquid, it may cause a user to get upset, removing the cap with the connecting portions, and throwing it away. Therefore, the user-experience is of importance as the cap otherwise may end up in the nature. The connecting portions together with the improved user-experience may therefore reduce the risk of plastic litter.

It is advantageous with a smaller diameter of the cap than the distance between the holding structure at the band portion and the top structure of the cap portion, as it ensures that the full cap may be removed from the opening of the bottle when in the open position.

The terminology "forced towards" as used herein should be understood as "forced against". This implies that the cap portion is forced by the connection portions against, and thereby into contact with, the threaded portion. In other words, the connection portions will force the cap portion against, and thereby in contact with, both the threaded portion and the at least one holding structure.

The holding structure may be advantageous as it provides stability to the cap in the open position. The holding structure provides an area for the edge structure to grip and the risk of the cap disconnecting from the band portion may be reduced. The open position where the cap is held in place by the connecting portions and the holding structure may be advantageous as it may require no or very little extra material for producing the cap. The connecting portions are required to achieve a tethered cap and the holding structure may be formed in or by the existing material of the band portion. Thus, an economical-efficient and environmental-friendly cap may be produced.

The bottle has an extension in an axial direction. The bottle may be circular-symmetric about the axial direction but may alternatively be irregularly shaped. The bottle has a neck portion. The neck portion is arranged coaxially with the axial extension. A reference plane may be defined orthogonally to the axial direction. As seen when the cap is in a closed position on the bottle, the cap extends in the axial direction. The cap portion is connected to the intermediate portion in the axial direction and the intermediate portion is connected to the band portion in the axial direction. The intermediate portion comprises the elongated openings and the at least two connecting portions formed by the elongated openings.

When the cap is unscrewed and removed from the opening of the bottle, the connecting portions connects the cap portion to the band portion such that no portions of the cap is lost. When the cap is unscrewed from the bottle, the connecting portions will allow an increase of distance between the band portion and the cap portion. The open end of the cap portion and the first ends of the connecting portions will form the edge structure. The edge structure may be irregular if the first end of connecting portion protrudes or if the elongated openings have an irregular shape toward the cap portion.

The plurality of elongated openings may be structured and arranged such that each of the at least two connecting portions extends, from the first end to the second end, along a common rotational direction about the circumference of the intermediate portion.

It may be advantageous that the at least two connecting portions extends from the first to the second end along a common rotational direction as the at least two connecting portions will co-operate to hold the cap portion in the open position. One of the connecting portions will force the cap portion toward the bottle and another of the connecting portions will pull the cap portion downwards. Therefore, the stability in the open position is further enhanced.

The common rotational direction as seen in the closed position is defined in relation to the axial direction.

This implies that the first end and the second end may be arranged at different angular portions about the circumference of the intermediate portion. In other words, for each connecting portion, the first end may be arranged, as seen along an axial direction of the cap, in a nonalignment with the second end. However, it is also conceivable that the first end and the second end are arranged at the same angular position about the circumference of the intermediate intersection portion. In other words, for each connecting portion, the first end may be arranged, as seen along an axial direction of the cap, in alignment with the second end. For such embodiments, the connecting portion may extend a whole revolution, i.e. <NUM> degrees, about the circumference of the intermediate portion. In some cases, the connecting portion may extend for more than one revolution. In other words, the connecting portion may be offset in the axial direction during the revolutions such that the length of the connecting portion is longer than the circumference of the intermediate portion.

The plurality of elongated openings may be structured and arranged such that the two or more connecting portions are two connecting portions and such that the respective first ends of the two connecting portions are arranged substantially opposite to each other.

The first ends of the two connecting portions arranged substantially opposite to each other may be advantageous as it facilitates the movement where the cap portion is moved toward the open position. The opposite positions of the first ends allows the cap portion to be easily moved to the open position. Furthermore, with the two connecting portions arranged substantially opposite to each other, the stability in the open position may be further increased.

This implies that the first ends may be arranged at angular positions substantially <NUM> degrees from each other. In other words, the plurality of elongated openings may be structured and arranged such that the two or more connecting portions are two connecting portions and such that the respective first ends of the two connecting portions are arranged at angular positions substantially <NUM> degrees from each other as seen in an axial direction A of the cap. The position of the second ends of the two connecting portions may alternatively be arranged at angular positions different from <NUM> degrees. This may be advantageous as it allows adapting the length of the connecting portions.

The plurality of elongated openings may be structured and arranged such that the two or more connecting portions are two connecting portions, wherein the at least one holding structure may be two holding structures, and wherein the two holding structures are arranged, such that one of the two holding structures, when in the open position, engages with the first end of one of the two connecting portions.

It may be advantageous to arrange the holding structures such that the first end engages with the holding structure, as it provides a firmer engagement between the cap portion and the band portion. The first end of the connecting portion may protrude from the edge structure and may therefore be easier to connect to the holding structure. Furthermore, with two holding structures and two connecting portions the cap may be structured to allow the open position to be achieved in two different directions.

The plurality of elongated openings may be two elongated openings arranged opposite to each other about the circumference of the intermediate portion, wherein each of the two elongated openings may have a first portion arranged horizontally along an intersection between the intermediate portion and the cap portion and a second portion arranged horizontally along an intersection between the intermediate portion and the band portion, wherein the first and second portion may be interconnected by a bridge portion, and wherein the first portion of each of the two elongated openings partly overlaps with a second portion of another one of the two elongated openings.

It may be advantageous to have two elongated openings as a less complex cap may be achieved. With two elongated openings, the cap may be easier to manufacture. The overlap of the first portion of each elongated opening by the second portion of the other elongated opening may not be made directly on top of each other. The overlap may be only in part, i.e. with an overlap angularly and a displacement between the first portion of one connecting portion and the second portion of the other connecting portion in the axial direction. With such an overlap it may be possible to obtain two connecting portions with only two elongated openings. In other words, the overlap should be seen as where a first portion of one connecting portion and the second portion of the other connecting portion is located at the same angular position of the intermediate portion but with different axial position. There is no physical overlap of the first portion and the second portion.

With "arranged horizontally" is here described for a situation where the bottle is positioned in a standing upright position, e.g., on a table. Thus, a horizontal arrangement will be in a plane being transverse to a symmetry axis, or axial direction of the cap <NUM>.

The first portion of the elongated openings intersects the cap portion and the intermediate portion. Therefore, the shape of the first portion of the elongated openings and the first end of each connecting portions may define the edge structure of the cap portion.

The plurality of elongated openings may be structured and arranged such that a length of each connecting portion is larger than a distance between the open end of the cap portion and an inner surface of the cap portion at the closed end.

It may be advantageous with the length of each connecting portion being larger than the distance between the open end of the cap portion and the inner surface of the cap portion as it may allow a smooth removal of the cap from the bottle.

Each of the plurality of elongated openings have opposite elongated side walls which are at least partially interconnected with each other.

It may be advantageous to partly interconnect the side walls of the elongated openings to each other to provide a warranty if the cap has been open before. This is a safety feature to ensure the customer that the liquid in the bottle has not been manipulated. The interconnection may be a thin layer of material bridging the gap between the two side walls for the full length of the elongated opening or only partly. The interconnection should be breakable when unscrewing the cap for the first time.

The opposite elongated side walls of each of the plurality of elongated openings may be partially interconnected to each other by a plurality of tamper pins.

It may be advantageous to use a plurality of tamper pins as they are a well-known method for warranty that the cap has not been opened. Tamper pins are easy to structure such that they are breakable. The plurality of tamper pins may be arranged between the first end of the connecting portions and the band portion and between the second end of the connecting portions and the cap portion. The tamper pins extend substantially in the axial direction.

It shood be understood that in the context of the present disclosure, the tamper pins should not be interpreted as dividing the elongated openings into two or more separate elongated openings. The same elongated opening extends on both sides of each tamper pin. The plurality of tamper pins only connects the opposite elongated side walls of the elongated openings with each other.

The at least one holding structure may be a recess or a protrusion.

It may be advantageous to have a recess or a protrusion as holding structure as these are structures that are easy to implement in the band portion and only marginally aggravating the manufacturing process. The holding structures may be recesses that extends partly into the material of the band portion. In other words, the holding structures may not be through-going recesses, i.e. through-openings. However, the holding structures may alternatively be through-going recesses, or through-openings.

The cap housing may be integrally formed by a single material.

It may be advantageous to integrally form the cap housing from a single material as it may improve the manufacturing process compared to a cap housing of more than one material.

This implies that the cap portion is integrally formed with the intermediate portion, and that the intermediate portion is integrally formed with the tamper band portion. This further implies that the cap housing may be a one-piece element. Even for embodiments having a cap housing being a one-piece element, the cap as such may comprise more than one element. As readily appreciated by the person skilled in the art, caps typically have a sealing element to seal the cap to the bottle.

The cap housing may be made of a flexible material such as plastic.

Plastic may be advantageous as material for the cap housing as it is flexible and suitable for use in combination with liquid.

The band portion may have at least one protrusion on an inner surface thereof which at least one protrusion is configured to engage with a blocking protrusion of the bottle when positioned thereon so as to prevent the band portion from leaving the bottle.

The band portion is prevented from leaving the bottle to keep the cap portion connected to the bottle also after the cap has been open. In the closed position, the threads keep the cap connected to the bottle. However, in the open position the band portion is connecting the cap portion to the bottle via the connecting portions. It may be advantageous to prevent the band portion from leaving the bottle as it reduces the risk that the cap leaves the bottle and end up in the nature. Thus, plastic litter may be further reduced.

The at least one protrusion prevents the band portion from moving in the axial direction. However, as readily appreciated by the person skilled in the art, the band portion may still be able to rotate around the axial direction.

Each of the at least one holding structure may have a surface geometry which is complementary to a surface geometry of the edge structure.

It may be advantageous if the holding structure have a surface geometry that complements the surface geometry of the edge structure. With such surface geometry the stability of the cap in the open position may be further increased. The customer may also easily see where the cap should be arranged in the open position, which further increases the user-friendliness. As an example, the holding structure may be shaped as a curve with the same radius as the cap portion.

The holding structure may extend tangentially about the circumference of the tamper band portion.

The elongated openings may have a first end that bends away from the cap portion.

The first end bending away from the cap portion may be advantageous as it may provide a smoother transition between the band portion and the intermediate portion. By bending the first end the connecting portions may have an increased strength.

According to a second aspect there is provided a bottle with a cap according to the first aspect, wherein the bottle has a bottle neck with a height larger than the diameter of the cap.

It may be advantageous with a bottle neck that has a height larger than the diameter of the cap as it allows the full cap to be situated on the bottle neck in the open position. It may further allow that the diameter of the band portion is uniform over its full axial extension.

According to a third aspect there is provided a method for manufacturing a cap according to the first aspect, wherein the method comprises manufacturing a cap housing at least in part by a moulding process.

The moulding process may be an injection moulding process. Alternatively, the moulding process may be a compression moulding process. Manufacturing the cap housing at least in part by a moulding process implies that some parts of the manufacturing of the cap housing may not be manufactured by a moulding process. For example, the plurality of elongated openings may be manufactured by another process, such as cutting or stamping, after a moulding process. The method may alternatively comprise manufacturing the cap housing entirely by a moulding process.

It may be advantageous to use a moulding process as it is efficient and offers high repeatability and reliance.

Effects and features of the second and third aspect are largely analogous to those described above in connection with the first aspect. Embodiments mentioned in relation to the first aspect are largely compatible with the second aspect and third aspects. It is further noted that the inventive concepts relate to all possible combinations of features unless explicitly stated otherwise.

A further scope of applicability of the present disclosure will become apparent from the detailed description given below.

Hence, it is to be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the particular component parts of the device described or steps of the methods described as such device and method may vary.

The present disclosure will by way of example be described in more detail with reference to the appended drawings, which show example embodiments of the disclosure.

The present disclosure will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which currently preferred embodiments of the disclosure are shown. This disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided for thoroughness and completeness, and fully convey the scope of the disclosure to the skilled person.

Turning to <FIG>, and <FIG>, where two different side views of a cap <NUM> is illustrated. The cap <NUM> comprises a cap housing <NUM> which includes a cap portion <NUM>, an intermediate portion <NUM> and a band portion <NUM>. The cap portion <NUM> has a closed end <NUM> and an open end <NUM>. The cap portion <NUM> comprises a top portion <NUM> and a sidewall <NUM> connected to each other at the closed end <NUM>. The sidewall <NUM> extends from the closed end <NUM> to the open end <NUM>. The sidewall <NUM> in <FIG> is cylindrical and has a threaded portion (not shown) on an inside surface for engagement with a threaded portion <NUM> of a bottle <NUM>, which may be seen in <FIG> and <FIG>. To enhance the grip of the cap <NUM>, the cylindrical sidewall <NUM> is provided with a grip structure <NUM>.

The band portion <NUM> is connected to the cap portion <NUM> via the intermediate portion <NUM> at the open end <NUM> of the cap portion <NUM>. To connect the cap portion <NUM> to the band portion <NUM>, the intermediate portion <NUM> comprises two elongated openings <NUM> arranged opposite to each other about the circumference of the intermediate portion <NUM>. Each of the two elongated openings <NUM> may have a first portion <NUM> that is arranged horizontally along an intersection between the intermediate portion <NUM> and the cap portion <NUM> and a second portion <NUM> that is arranged horizontally along an intersection between the intermediate portion <NUM> and the band portion <NUM>. With "arranged horizontally" is here described for a situation where the bottle is positioned in a standing upright position, e.g., on a table. Thus, a horizontal arrangement will be in a plane being transverse to a symmetry axis, or axial direction A of the cap <NUM>. The first portion <NUM> and second portion <NUM> are interconnected by a bridge portion <NUM>. In the example embodiment, a first end <NUM> of each second portion <NUM> is bent in the axial direction A away from the cap portion <NUM>. In other embodiments, the first end <NUM> may be straight. The first portion <NUM> of each of the two elongated openings <NUM> partly overlaps with a second portion <NUM> of the other one of the two elongated openings <NUM>. The overlap is best illustrated in <FIG>. The first portion <NUM> extends in a first plane P1 which is transverse to the axial direction A, and the second portion <NUM> extends in a second plane P2 which is spaced from the first plane P1 and transverse to the axial direction A. The first plane P1 and the second plane P2 are illustrated in <FIG>. The bridge portion <NUM> extends between the first <NUM> and second <NUM> portions such that it interconnects the first P1 and second P2 planes. In the example embodiment, the bridge portion <NUM> extends substantially orthogonally to the first P1 and second P2 planes, respectively, but in alternative example embodiments, the bridge portion <NUM> may form an oblique angle with the first P1 and second P2 planes, respectively. In other words, the overlap of the first portion <NUM> of each elongated opening <NUM> by the second portion <NUM> of the other elongated opening <NUM> is not made directly on top of each other. Thus, the first portion <NUM> of each elongated opening <NUM> may only partially overlap with the second portion <NUM> of the other elongated opening <NUM>. The axial direction A defines the extension of the bottle <NUM> or the extension of the cap <NUM> when mounted on the bottle in a closed position, and also defined the symmetry axis of the substantially cylindrical geometry of the cap <NUM>.

The two elongate openings <NUM> define two connecting portions <NUM> which each interconnects the cap portion <NUM> with the band portion <NUM>. The aforementioned overlap should be seen as where a first portion <NUM> of one connecting portion <NUM> and a second portion <NUM> of the other connecting portion <NUM> is located at the same angular position, as seen in relation to the axial direction A, of the intermediate portion <NUM> but with different axial positions. There is thus no physical overlap of the first portion <NUM> and the second portion <NUM>. The interconnection is made by each of the two connecting portions <NUM> having a respective first end <NUM> that is connected to the cap portion <NUM> and a respective second end <NUM> that is connected to the band portion <NUM>. Thereby, the cap portion <NUM> and the band portion <NUM> are connected to each other. Although the present example embodiment discloses two elongate openings defining two connecting portions, it is also conceivable with more than two elongate openings defining two or more connecting portions.

The two elongated openings <NUM> are structured such that the respective first ends <NUM> of the two connecting portions <NUM> are arranged substantially opposite to each other. This implies that the first ends <NUM> are arranged at angular positions substantially <NUM> degrees from each other, as seen in relation to the axial direction A. In the figures, the second ends <NUM> are also positioned substantially opposite to each other. However, the position of the second ends of the two connecting portions may alternatively be arranged at angular positions different from <NUM> degrees. This may be advantageous as it allows adapting the length of the connecting portions <NUM>. The connecting portion <NUM> may extend substantially a whole revolution, i.e. <NUM> degrees, about the circumference of the intermediate portion <NUM>. In other example embodiments, the connecting portion <NUM> may extend for more than one revolution. In other words, the connecting portion <NUM> may be offset in the axial direction A during the revolutions such that the length of the connecting portions <NUM> are longer than the circumference of the intermediate portion <NUM>.

The two elongated openings <NUM> are structured such that the two connecting portion <NUM> extends along a common rotational direction R about the circumference of the intermediate portion <NUM>. The common rotational direction as seen in the closed position is defined in relation to the axial direction A.

To provide a warranty to the customer that the cap <NUM> of the bottle <NUM> has not been open before, each of the two elongated openings <NUM> may have opposite elongated side walls 39a, 39b that are partially interconnected with each other by a plurality of tamper pins <NUM>. The tamper pins <NUM> are structured such that they are breakable and may be ripped off when the cap <NUM> is unscrewed from the bottle <NUM> for the first time. The plurality of tamper pins <NUM> are arranged between the first end <NUM> of the connecting portions <NUM> and the band portion <NUM>, and between the second end <NUM> of the connecting portions <NUM> and the cap portion <NUM>, respectively. The tamper pins <NUM> extend substantially in the axial direction A. As used herein, the term "elongated opening" defines the whole length of the opening irrespective of the presence of tamper pins <NUM>. Thus, the tamper pins <NUM> should not be construed as dividing the elongated openings <NUM> into separate elongated openings. The same elongated opening <NUM> extends on both sides of each tamper pin <NUM>. The plurality of tamper pins <NUM> only connects the opposite elongated side walls 39a, 39b of the elongated openings <NUM> with each other.

The band portion <NUM> comprises two holding structures <NUM> at an outward facing surface <NUM> of the band portion <NUM>. The holding structures <NUM> are in the example embodiment recesses <NUM> but could in other embodiments be shaped differently, such as e.g. protrusions. Each of the holding structures <NUM> has a surface geometry which is complementary to a surface geometry of an edge structure <NUM> at the open end <NUM> of the cap portion <NUM>. The two holding structures <NUM> are positioned opposite to each other and in alignment with the first end <NUM> of each connecting portion <NUM>. The holding structures <NUM> are shaped as a curve with the same radius as the cap portion <NUM>, the holding structures <NUM> thereby complementing the edge structure <NUM> of the cap portion <NUM>. The holding structures <NUM> in the example embodiment are recesses that extends partly into the material of the band portion <NUM>. In other words, the holding structures <NUM> of the example embodiment are not through-going. However, in other embodiments the holding structures <NUM> may be through-going recesses, or through-openings.

For the example embodiment of <FIG>, the cap housing <NUM> is integrally formed by a single material, wherein the material is plastic.

Turning to <FIG>, parts of the cap portion <NUM> is removed to better illustrate the intermediate portion <NUM>. As can be seen the intermediate portion <NUM> have two elongated openings <NUM> that each have the first portion <NUM>, the second portion <NUM> and the bridge portion <NUM> as earlier discussed in connection to <FIG> and <FIG>. The bridge portion <NUM> divides the two connecting portions <NUM> off such that each connecting portions <NUM> is provided between the two elongated openings <NUM>. The bridge portion <NUM> have the first end <NUM> of one connecting portion <NUM> on one side, and the second end <NUM> of the other connecting portion <NUM> at the other side.

Turning to <FIG>, the cap <NUM>, from <FIG>, is illustrated in an open position. In <FIG> the cap <NUM> is illustrated without the bottle <NUM>, while in <FIG> the cap is illustrated with the bottle <NUM>.

The two elongated openings <NUM> are structured and arranged to allow the cap portion <NUM> to be unscrewed and removed from the opening <NUM> of the bottle <NUM> while being connected to the band portion <NUM> via the two connecting portions <NUM> and to be positioned in the open position in which the edge structure <NUM>, which is formed at the open end <NUM> of the cap portion <NUM>, is forced towards the threaded portion <NUM> of the bottle <NUM> and engages with a holding structure <NUM>. The edge structure <NUM> is, for the present example embodiment, defined by the first portion <NUM> of the elongated openings <NUM>, where the cap portion <NUM> and the intermediate portion <NUM> intersects, and the first end <NUM> of each connecting portion <NUM>. As the holding structure <NUM> have a surface geometry that complements the surface geometry of the edge structure <NUM> the stability of the connection is improved. The holding structure <NUM> provides an area for the edge structure <NUM> to grip and the risk of the cap portion <NUM> disconnecting from the band portion <NUM> is reduced. In the open position the cap <NUM> is forced towards and into engagement with the threaded portion <NUM> of the bottle <NUM> and also engages with the at least one holding structure <NUM> securing the cap <NUM> towards the bottle <NUM>. In <FIG> it is illustrated how the first end <NUM> of the connecting portion <NUM> is connected in the holding structure <NUM> and the first end <NUM> of the other connecting portion <NUM> is forced toward the threaded portion <NUM> of the bottle <NUM>. When the cap portion <NUM> is secured against the bottle <NUM>, impact between the pouring liquid and the cap <NUM> is prevented.

When the cap portion <NUM> is unscrewed and removed from the opening <NUM> of the bottle <NUM>, the connecting portions <NUM> connects the cap portion <NUM> to the band portion <NUM> such that all parts of the cap <NUM> are still connected to the bottle <NUM>. When the cap <NUM> is unscrewed, the connecting portions <NUM> will allow an increase of a distance between the band portion <NUM> and the cap portion <NUM>, which allows the user to lift the cap portion <NUM> off the opening <NUM>. The elongated openings <NUM> are designed such that the length of the connecting portions <NUM> are larger than a distance between the open end <NUM> of the cap portion <NUM> and the inner surface of the cap portion <NUM> at the closed end <NUM> to allow a smooth removal of the cap portion <NUM>.

The two connecting portions <NUM> extends from the first end <NUM> to the second <NUM> end along a common rotational direction as the two connecting portions <NUM> will co-operate to hold the cap portion <NUM> in the open position. As can be seen in especially <FIG> and <FIG>, the first end <NUM> of one connecting portion <NUM> will be connected to the holding structure <NUM> and this connecting portion <NUM> will subject at least a force toward the holding structure <NUM>, thereby keeping the first end <NUM> pushed into the holding structure <NUM>. The other connection portion <NUM> will follow it first end <NUM> up to the threaded portion <NUM> of the bottle <NUM> and exert at least a force downwards on the cap portion <NUM>.

In <FIG> the diameter D of the closed end <NUM> of the cap portion <NUM> is smaller than the distance d1 from the holding structure <NUM> to the top structure <NUM> when the cap portion <NUM> is in the closed position. The bottle <NUM> has a bottle neck <NUM> that has a height H that is larger than the diameter D of the cap portion <NUM>.

To prevent the band portion <NUM> from leaving the bottle <NUM> and thereby keeping the cap portion <NUM> still connected to the bottle <NUM> also after the cap portion <NUM> has been disengaged from the bottle <NUM>, the band portion <NUM> is provided with protrusions <NUM> on an inner surface <NUM>. The protrusions <NUM> is illustrated in <FIG>. The protrusions <NUM> of the band portions <NUM> engages blocking protrusion(s) (not shown) of the bottle <NUM> that is arranged on the bottle and on both axial sides of the protrusions <NUM>. Thereby, the band portion <NUM> is prevented from moving in the axial direction A. However, as readily appreciated by the person skilled in the art, the band portion <NUM> may still be able to rotate around the axial direction A.

Turning to <FIG>, a method <NUM> for manufacturing a cap <NUM> is illustrated. The method <NUM> comprises manufacturing <NUM> a cap housing <NUM> at least in part by a moulding process.

The moulding process may be an injection moulding process. Alternatively, the moulding process may be a compression moulding process. Manufacturing the cap housing <NUM> at least in part by a moulding process implies that some parts of the manufacturing of the cap housing may not be manufactured by a moulding process. For example, the plurality of elongated openings <NUM> may be manufactured by another process, such as cutting or stamping, as a subsequent step performed after the moulding process. The method may alternatively comprise manufacturing the cap housing entirely by a moulding process.

The person skilled in the art realizes that the present disclosure by no means is limited to the preferred embodiments described above.

For example, the cap may be manufactured in other processes, the cap may have more than two connecting portions or elongated openings.

Claim 1:
A cap (<NUM>) for a bottle (<NUM>) with a threaded portion (<NUM>) for securing the cap (<NUM>) to the bottle (<NUM>) to close an opening (<NUM>) thereof, the cap (<NUM>) comprising:
A cap housing (<NUM>) which includes:
a cap portion (<NUM>) having a closed end (<NUM>) and an open end (<NUM>), said cap portion (<NUM>) comprising a top structure (<NUM>) at the closed end and a sidewall (<NUM>) extending from the top structure (<NUM>) towards the open end (<NUM>), said sidewall (<NUM>) having a threaded portion on an inside surface for engagement with the threaded portion (<NUM>) of the bottle (<NUM>),
a band portion (<NUM>) connected to the cap portion (<NUM>) via an intermediate portion (<NUM>) at the open end (<NUM>) of the cap portion (<NUM>),
wherein the intermediate portion (<NUM>) comprises a plurality of elongated openings (<NUM>) arranged circumferentially about the intermediate portion (<NUM>) so as to define at least two connecting portions (<NUM>) interconnecting the cap portion (<NUM>) with the band portion (<NUM>),
wherein each of the at least two connecting portions (<NUM>) comprises a respective first end (<NUM>) and a respective second end (<NUM>), and is connected to the cap portion (<NUM>) at the first end (<NUM>) and to the band portion (<NUM>) at the second end (<NUM>),
wherein the band portion (<NUM>) comprises at least one holding structure (<NUM>) at an outward facing surface (<NUM>) thereof,
wherein the plurality of elongated openings (<NUM>) is structured and arranged to allow the cap portion (<NUM>) to be unscrewed and removed from the opening (<NUM>) of the bottle (<NUM>) while being connected to the band portion (<NUM>) via the at least two connecting portions (<NUM>) and to be positioned in an open position in which an edge structure (<NUM>) which is formed at the open end (<NUM>) of the cap portion (<NUM>) is forced towards the threaded portion (<NUM>) of the bottle (<NUM>) and engages with the at least one holding structure (<NUM>),
characterized in that the cap (<NUM>) has a diameter that is smaller than a distance between the holding structure (<NUM>) and the top structure (<NUM>) when the cap portion (<NUM>) is screwed to the bottle (<NUM>).