Bottle With Two-Stage Opening

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a cap for a container that can be opened to spray or to pour a fluid. More specifically, this invention relates to a push/pull type cap for a plastic bottle.

2. Description of Related Art

Plastic bottles typically have caps that are twisted or pulled open to dispense fluid and provide a seal against leaking. An example of a conventional squeeze bottle with a sealing cap that is pulled open and pushed closed is a typical cleanser bottle commonly used for dishwashing detergent. This bottle typically has a shell portion secured to the bottle body with a single, solid central stem surrounded by an annular channel with openings therein for fluid to pass from the bottle body to the cap. A tip is axially movably disposed on the shell with one large central opening that sealingly engages the stem in the closed position and is spaced from the stem in the open position. In operation, the tip is merely pulled up to dislodge the stem from the aperture whereby fluid can be dispensed from the bottle body.

Other types of conventional caps function by twisting. In these types of caps, a dispensing aperture is located off center of the tip of the cap. The shell is secured to the container body and has an upstanding stem positioned off center and aligned with the aperture in the tip. In a closed position, the stem covers and seals the aperture. In operation, the tip is rotated to one side, thus uncovering the aperture and allowing fluid to flow from the container body through the cap.

Some of these twisting type caps offer both a spray and a stream feature. In these caps, there is a spray opening and a stream opening both provided off center on the tip of the cap. An enlarged stem, which is generally arc-shaped, is disposed beneath both the spraying aperture and the stream aperture in the closed position. In operation, a user twists the tip of the cap to displace the desired aperture from the stem. Thus, twisting in one direction will uncover, for example, the spraying aperture and twisting in the other direction will uncover the stream aperture.

However, in the above described simple pull-type cap with the central pouring aperture only a single dispensing option is provided. A user is unable to select pouring or spraying. Further, in the twisting caps, a tight seal between the stem and the apertures is often not achieved because the stem is merely positioned to cover the apertures and then slide on the undersurface of the tip during the twisting/opening operation. Therefore, a tight seal between the tip and the stem cannot be maintained. Further, it is not convenient to twist a cap in situations where quick and easy access in closing is required.

Presently, bottles are being used as sport drink containers by athletes, especially during exercise activities. These containers require quick and easy access to the contents. Also, since these containers are generally carried with the athlete during exercise, a tight sealing cap is necessary. None of the above cap designs provide convenient access to the contents of the container and a sufficiently tight seal for use during recreation. Also, none of the above containers provide these features with both a spraying and pouring dispensing selection.

Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a cap that creates an excellent seal in a closed position, particularly after repeated opening and closing of the cap.

Another object of this invention is to provide a cap that is easily and quickly opened and closed.

A further object of this invention is to provide a cap that offers both pouring and spraying dispensing capabilities.

An additional object of this invention is to provide a cap that is easily and inexpensively manufactured.

To achieve the above and other objects, a cap is provided that is a pull-type closure comprising a shell adapted to be secured to a container and a tip movably secured to the shell. The shell includes a cylindrical chimney and an upstanding stem member centrally positioned within the chimney with a fluid passage defined therebetween adapted to communicate with the container. The tip has a pouring aperture and at least one spraying aperture and is axially movable with respect to the stem in three positions. The positions include a closed position with the pouring aperture and the spraying aperture sealed from fluid in the container. An intermediate spraying position opens the spraying aperture to fluid communication with the container, and a fully open position opens both the spraying aperture and the pouring aperture to fluid communication with the container.

In particular, the cap according to this invention comprises a resilient shell adapted to be coupled to a container and a resilient inverted cup-shaped tip movably coupled to the shell. The shell includes a shoulder portion for securing to the container, a hollow cylindrical chimney extending outwardly from the shoulder portion with an outer surface with first coupling formations thereon, and an upstanding stem assembly centrally disposed within the chimney and radially inwardly spaced from the chimney by an annular channel. The annular channel has at least one passage therein to the shoulder portion for allowing fluid to pass therethrough from the container. The tip includes a top with an upper surface and a lower surface with a large pouring aperture and at least one small spraying aperture extending therethrough. An outer cylindrical side wall extends from the top and has an interior surface with second coupling formations shaped to interlock with the first coupling formations in a plurality of positions. An annular rib extends from the lower surface of the top of the tip radially inward of the side wall. The side wall and the rib of the tip clamp the chimney of the shell therebetween in three positions. The positions include a closed position with the large pouring aperture and the small spraying aperture sealed off by the stem assembly, a spray position with the large pouring aperture sealed off by the stem assembly, and a pour position with at least the large pouring aperture open and in communication with the fluid passage in the annular channel of the shell.

Other objects, advantages and salient features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, which taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings discloses preferred embodiments of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings which form a part of this original disclosure:

FIG. 1A is a side view of a cap in cross-section in the closed position according to the first embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 1B is a side view in cross-section of the cap in FIG. 1A in the intermediate spraying position;

FIG. 1C is a side view in cross-section of the cap of FIG. 1A in the fully open pouring position;

FIG. 2A is a side view of the shell of the cap;

FIG. 2B is a plan view of the shell of FIG. 2A;

FIG. 3A is a plan view of the tip of the cap of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 3B is a side view of the tip of FIG. 3A;

FIG. 3C is a side view in cross-section of the tip in FIG. 3B;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a portion designated IV of FIG. 1A showing the sealing surfaces of the tip and shell of the cap in the closed position;

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the tip and shell prior to assembly of the first embodiment;

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the tip and cap prior to assembly of a second embodiment;

FIG. 7A is a side view in cross-section of the cap in a closed position according to a second embodiment;

FIG. 7B is a side view in cross-section of the cap of FIG. 7A in the intermediate spraying position;

FIG. 7C is a side view in cross-section of the cap of FIG. 7A in the fully opened pouring position;

FIG. 8A is a side view of the shell of the cap of FIG. 7A;

FIG. 8B is a plan view of the shell of FIG. 8A;

FIG. 8C is a bottom view of the shell of FIG. 8B;

FIG. 9A is a bottom view of the tip of the cap of FIG. 7A;

FIG. 9B is a side view of the tip of the cap of FIG. 7A;

FIG. 9C is a side view in cross-section of the tip of FIG. 9B;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of a portion designated X of FIG. 7B; and

FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of a portion designated XI of FIG. 7C.

FIGS. 1A-C and 5 show a cap 10 according to this invention. Cap 10 comprises two basic components including a shell 12 and a tip 14 movably secured to shell 12. Both shell 12 and tip 14 are preferably made of resilient material such as plastic. Cap 10 is intended to be used with any type of container and is very well suited for attachment to a plastic squeeze-type bottle.

As shown in FIGS. 1A-C and 2A-B, shell 12 includes an enlarged shoulder portion 16 that is shaped to fit over the mouth of a container. Shoulder portion 16 has internal threads 18 for securing to a threaded mouth of a container. Alternatively, threads 18 could be replaced by a snap-on ring assembly or other conventional fastening mechanism suitable for attachment to the mouth of a container. Also, shoulder 16 could be permanently fixed to a container or molded onto the mouth of the container.

The bottom edge of shoulder 16 has a frangible tamper evident ring 20. Ring 20 has an annular ridge 22 designed to mate with a container. When shell 12 is attached to a container, annular ridge 22 interlocks with a corresponding groove in the container. Then, if shell 12 is removed from the container, frangible ring 20 will break from shoulder portion 16 to provide visual evidence that shell 12 has been removed after assembly. Frangible ring 20 is an optional feature useful for containers with an interlocking groove.

Extending from shoulder portion 16, as shown in FIGS. 1A-C, FIG. 2A and FIG. 5, is a cylindrical, annular, upstanding chimney 24. Chimney 24 has an outer ridged wall designed to engage with tip 14. At the base of the outer wall of chimney 24 is an optional annular base groove 26 having a rectangular cross-section for interlocking with a tamper evident ring on tip 14 described below. Base groove 16 could also be in the form of notched indents.

Best seen in FIG. 2A, the outer wall of chimney 24 includes a plurality of axially spaced annular grooves or indents broadly designated as 28 and preferably including four individual grooves 28a, 28b, 28c and 28d extending along its length. Each groove 28a-d has an arcuate cross-section that is preferably concave but could be convex depending on the complimentary shape of tip 14 described below. Each groove 28a-d is separated by a flat ledge portion. Grooves 28 correspond to the different positions that tip 14 is arranged on shell 12.

The inside vertical wall of chimney 24 has an upper edge with an inwardly extending radial lip 30 best seen in FIGS. 1A-C. Lip 30 is preferably an annular lip that runs around the entire upper edge of chimney 24.

Centrally disposed within chimney 24 is stem 32. Stem 32 is preferably a hollow cylindrical upstanding tube having an upper closed end that extends beyond chimney 24. The hollow central portion is open to shoulder 16 as shown in FIGS. 1A-C. Stem 32 is formed hollow for simplicity of design and reduction of materials. However, stem 32 could be formed as a solid cylinder. Stem 32 includes a lower enlarged cylindrical section 34 that extends generally parallel to chimney 24. A tapered frustoconical section 36 extends from lower enlarged section 34 and tapers toward a central narrow solid cylindrical plug 38. Best seen in FIG. 4, an enlarged ledge 40 extends from tapered section 36 at the junction with lower enlarged section 34. Ledge 40 is an annular protruding ring that extends toward chimney 24.

An annular channel 42 is provided between chimney 24 and stem 32 and defines a fluid passage from the container to tip 14. The base of channel 42 has fluid passages 44 that extend through chimney 24 into open shoulder portion 16, best seen in FIG. 2B. As seen in FIG. 2B, stem 32 is supported within chimney 24 by support posts 46. Fluid passages 44 are formed by the open areas between support posts 46. Alternatively, annular channel 42 could have a solid base with apertures therein to function as fluid passages.

Tip 14 as detailed in FIGS. 3A-C is formed as an inverted cup shaped member having a top 50 and a cylindrical, annular side wall 52. As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, top 50 is slightly convex but could be formed as a flat planar member. Formed through top 50 are dispensing apertures, including a large central pouring aperture 54 and a plurality of radially spaced smaller spraying apertures 56 surrounding central pouring aperture 54. As seen in FIGS. 1A-C and FIG. 3C, pouring aperture 54 is surrounded by a sleeve 58 that protrudes from an inner surface of top 50.

Outer sidewall 52 extends from top 50 and tapers slightly inwardly. Since tip 14 is preferably made of resilient plastic, sidewall 52 can flex outwardly. The outer surface of sidewall 52 can either be smooth or textured to provide a gripping surface for a user. Sidewall 52 has an outer edge that includes an optimal frangible tamper evident ring 60. Frangible ring 60 has an inner annular ridge 62 that is designed to interlock with base groove 26 of stem 12 upon assembly. When tip 14 is opened, frangible ring 60 will break from sidewall 52 to provide visual evidence that tip 14 has been opened.

The inner surface of sidewall 52 has a plurality of protruding annular rings collectively shown as 64, including a first ring 64a, a second ring 64b and a third ring 64c best seen in FIG. 3C. Each ring protrudes from the inner surface of sidewall 52 and has an arcuate cross-section preferably convex. Alternatively, rings 64 could be formed as concave grooves to compliment modified convex rings on chimney 24. As shown in FIG. 3C, rings 64a and 64b are closely spaced together and located in a central region of sidewall 52. Ring 64c is spaced from ring 64b and located near top 50. Rings 64a, b and c are identical in size and are shaped to compliment arcuate grooves 28a, b, c or d. Depending on the position of tip 14 with respect to shell 12, any one of rings 64a-c can mate with any one of arcuate grooves 28a-d. The three rings 64a-c correspond to the three different possible dispensing positions of tip 14 as described below.

Protruding downwardly from the inner surface of top 50 is an annular rib 66 spaced from sidewall 52. Rib 66 flares outwardly toward sidewall 52 and is also resilient. The end of rib 66 is an outwardly extending finger 68 designed to engage inwardly extending lip 30 of chimney 24. Disposed on the inner surface of rib 68 generally aligned with ring 64c is an annular indent 70 with an upwardly angled surface. Annular indent 70 is designed to engage enlarged ledge 40 of stem 32 as seen in FIG. 4. Annular rib 66 is shaped to fit over and around stem 32, in particular lower enlarged section 34. Also, rib 66 is spaced from sidewall 52 to provide a clamping channel therebetween to clamp chimney 24, as shown in FIGS. 1A-C.

To assemble cap 10, tip 14 is formed over chimney 24 with the frangible ring 60 engaging base groove 26 as shown in FIG. 1A. Central plug 38 of stem 32 fits sealingly within central pouring aperture 54. Rib 66 surrounds and engages enlarged lower enlarged section 34 of stem 32 within annular channel 42. Annular indent 70 is sealingly engaged with enlarged ledge 40 of stem 32 as shown in FIGS. 1A and 4. Sidewall 52 of tip 14 clamps around chimney 24 of shell 12 and rings 64 mate with grooves 28 in a sealing relationship as shown in FIGS. 1A and 4. Further, finger 68 of rib 66 sealingly engages the inner wall of chimney 24 as shown clearly in FIG. 4. Thus, in the closed position, tip 14 seals annular channel 42 to prevent fluid from passing from shoulder 16 to either pouring aperture 54 or spraying apertures 56.

In the closed position shown in FIGS. 1A and detailed in FIG. 4, four distinct sealing areas A, B, C and D are illustrated. Specifically, central plug 38 is sealed within pouring aperture 54 to provide sealing surface A. Rib 66 is clamped around stem 32 with annular indent 70 sealingly engaging enlarged ledge 40 for a sealing surface B. Sidewall 52 of tip 14 engages chimney 24 and provides sealing surface C at each mating groove 28 and ring 64. Finally, finger 68 of rib 66 sealing presses against the inner surface of chimney 24 providing a fourth sealing surface D. Thus, no fluid will escape from annular channel 42 to top 50 of tip 14.

The second intermediate spraying position is shown in FIG. 1B where tip 14 is axially moved upward along stem 12. Rings 64 are displaced upwardly in grooves 28 and still provide an outer sealing surface C. Also, central plug 38 is still sealingly engaged in central pouring aperture 54 to provide sealing surface A. Similarly, finger 68 is sealingly engaged against the inner surface of chimney 24 to provide sealing surface D, preventing fluid from escaping around chimney 24. However, as seen in FIG. 1B, annular indent 70 is released from beneath enlarged ledge 40 thus providing a passage for fluid from annular channel 42 to spraying apertures 56.

FIG. 1C shows the fully opened pouring position. In this position tip 14 is fully axially moved up chimney 24 of stem 12. Rings 64a and b still engage grooves 28 of chimney 24, but, as seen in FIG. 1C, ring 64c is lifted above chimney 24. Also, finger 68 has axially moved up the inner surface of chimney 24 and engages inward lip 30 in a sealing manner to prevent fluid from escaping around chimney 24. Inward lip 30 also acts as a stop member to prevent tip 14 from becoming disengaged with stem 12. Plug 38 is disengaged from pouring aperture 54 and fluid is free to flow through annular channel 42 between stem 32 and rib 66 and out through both pouring aperture 54 and spraying apertures 56.

To close cap 10, tip 14 is merely pressed down stem 12 toward shoulder 16. Due to the resiliency of sidewall 52 of tip 14 and chimney 24, grooves 28 and ring 64 engage and disengage with a user's pushing and pulling force. Opening cap 10 by pulling tip 14 upward along stem 12 causes frangible tamper evident ring 60 to break from sidewall 52 and remain engaged with base groove 26 as seen in FIGS. 1B and 1C. As shown by the drawings, a reliable seal can be maintained between all sealing surfaces A, B, C and D through repeated opening and closing operations. Further, a user may select the dispensing option of spraying or pouring.

A second embodiment is illustrated in FIGS. 6-11 showing a modified version of cap 110. Those elements of cap 110 that are similar to cap 10 will not be described in detail.

Cap 110 comprises shell 112 with tip 114 axially movably secured thereto. Shell 112 includes shoulder portion 116 having internal threads 118 and a frangible ring 120 similar to shell 12 of the first embodiment. Shell 112 includes chimney 124 with a base groove 126 for a frangible tamper evident ring and arcuate grooves on its outer wall 128 generally referred to as 128, including grooves 128a, 128b, 128c, and 128d. Chimney 124 is shown in FIGS. 7A-C with a smooth inner surface. However, an inwardly extending lip similar to lip 30 of the first embodiment could be used for additional sealing.

Shell 112 also includes a stem assembly 132 centrally located within chimney 124. Stem assembly 132 comprises a pair of stems 134 and 136 formed as smooth solid upstanding cylinders that extend beyond chimney 124. As shown in FIGS. 8A, 8B and 8C, stems 134 and 136 are equal in size and have the same height. Each stem 134 and 136 is equally spaced from a central longitudinal axis of shell 112 and are located 180.degree. apart. Each stem 134 and 136 is supported by a support post 138 extending across the bottom of chimney 124 as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8C. The stems 134 and 136 are secured to the top of the support post 138 as shown in the bottom view of FIG. 8C. The space between support posts 138 are fluid passages 140 that provide a passage for fluid from shoulder 116 to tip 114.

In this embodiment, the posts 138 are shown as crossed arms. However, the support could take the form of a circular plate with apertures therein to provide fluid passages. Also, the supports could be cantilevered from the inner wall of chimney 124 with no central section. Further, any number of support posts could be used depending on the strength required of the stem assembly.

Tip 114 is detailed in FIGS. 9A-C. Tip 114 includes a top 150 shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B as having a flat platform with sloping concave sides. A cylindrical, annular sidewall 152 extends from top 150 and ends in a frangible tamper evident ring 160 similar to ring 60 of the first embodiment. Extending through top 150 is a large pouring aperture 154 and a plurality of radially arranged spraying apertures 156. As shown best in FIG. 9C, aperture 154 is surrounded by a sleeve 158 that protrudes downwardly from the inner surface of top 150. Sleeve 158 can either be ring shaped or constitute a semicircle as shown in FIG. 9A, which is a bottom view of tip 114. Formed on the inner surface of top 150 beneath spraying apertures 156 is a cylindrical indent 162. Both the inner diameter of sleeve 158, which defines pouring aperture 154, and indent 162 are sized to receive stems 134 and 136 in sealing engagement as shown in FIG. 7A.

Pouring aperture 154 and spraying apertures 156 are equally spaced from a centrally longitudinal axis of tip 114 as shown in FIG. 9A. They are positioned to correspond to stems 134 and 136 and are located 180.degree. apart. Spraying apertures 162 are arranged in a circular configuration with the center of the circle being spaced the same distance as the center of the diameter of pouring aperture 154.

The inner surface of sidewall 152 of tip 114 has annular convex rings 164 collectively referred to as 164, including rings 164a, 164b and 164c similar to rings 64 of the first embodiment. Rings 164 releasably engage with grooves 128 of chimney 124. Rings 164 are positioned in the same manner as rings 64 of the first embodiment.

Extending downwardly from the inner surface of top 150 is a cylindrical, annular rib 166. Rib 166 shown in FIG. 7A-7C is flared outwardly with a planar wall facing sidewall 152 and a tapered inner wall. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 9C, rib 166 can include an outwardly extending annular finger 168 to provide sealing engagement with chimney 124 as described in the first embodiment.

FIG. 7A-7C show the operation of cap 110 with FIGS. 10 and 11 highlighting the spraying and pouring positions. As shown in FIG. 7A, in the closed position, tip 114 fits over chimney 124 of shell 112. Frangible tamper evident ring 160 locks into base groove 126. Grooves 128 in chimney 124 mate with rings 164 in sealing engagement to prevent fluid from flowing around the chimney 124. Sidewall 152 of tip 114 and rib 166 clamp around chimney 124 in a sealing relationship. Stem 134 sealingly engages an indent 162 to seal off spraying apertures 156. Stem 136 sealingly engages pouring aperture 154 by fitting within sleeve 158 to seal off the pouring aperture 154. In this position, fluid is not permitted to enter apertures 154 or aperture 156 and is prevented from leaking out beyond chimney 124 and tip 114.

In the intermediate spraying position shown in FIG. 7B and FIG. 10, tip 114 is axially moved up stem 112 by disengaging and engaging grooves 128 and rings 164 similar to cap 10 described in the first embodiment. In this position, stem 136 is still engaged within sleeve 158 to seal off pouring aperture 154 as highlighted in FIG. 10. However, stem 134 is displaced from indent 162 allowing fluid to pass through fluid passage 140 past stem assembly 132 through spraying apertures 156. Similar to the first embodiment, by pulling tip 114 up from the initial closed position, frangible tamper evident ring 160 is separated from sidewall 152.

The third open pouring position is shown in FIG. 7C and FIG. 11. In this position, tip 114 is axially moved farther up chimney 124 of stem 112. Grooves 128 and rings 164 are still sealingly engaged to prevent fluid from leaking beyond chimney 124. However, in addition to stem 134 being displaced from indent 162, stem 136 is spaced from sleeve 158 to open pouring aperture 154. Thus, fluid is permitted to flow through fluid passage 140 past stem assembly 132 to both pouring aperture and spring apertures 156.

The resiliency of outer wall 152 and rib 166 of tip 114 and chimney 124 of stem 112 allows tip 114 to repeatedly move up and down along chimney 124 and maintain a sealing engagement therewith. Because stems 134 and 136 fit within sleeve 158 and indent 162, respectively, rather than merely covering a flat surface with apertures therein, a tight seal is maintained over these apertures when a user desires them to be closed.

It is possible to modify the second embodiment by using a stem assembly with a pair of stems having unequal heights and a tip 114 having a top with apertures therein and a flush inner surface. In that way, selective spraying and pouring could be accomplished.

While advantageous embodiments have been chosen to illustrate the invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.