U.S. patent application number 10/291961 was filed with the patent office on 2004-05-13 for anti-spill drinking apparatus.
Invention is credited to Villaescusa, Paul M., Villaescusa, Tangie K..
Application Number | 20040089629 10/291961 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 32229332 |
Filed Date | 2004-05-13 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040089629 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Villaescusa, Paul M. ; et
al. |
May 13, 2004 |
Anti-spill drinking apparatus
Abstract
An anti-spill drinking straw and cap assembly for use with a
beverage container is disclosed. The assembly includes a drinking
straw and receptacle cover having a substantially sealed interface,
either by interference fit or thermal or chemically fused
attachment to provide an anti-spill sealed interface. According to
either embodiment, the straw-and-cap assembly is readily adapted to
be used with any container having either a full-rim opening, or an
opening such as that defined by a scored region or other
predetermined opening provided within the top surface of the cap
removed by a pull-tab or push-through structure either central to
or eccentric with a central portion of the top surface. The
drinking straw and cap may be provided as an assembly for use with
any receptacle configured to receive it, with standard or custom
sized openings. The cap may include a threaded engagement collar
for engagement with a corresponding threaded collars common to many
standard-sized beverage containers, or may include a snap-fit
collar for universal attachment to like-sized containers. The
assembly may include orifices/straws that are positioned either
centrally or offset from a center point of the cap, to be readily
received and affixed to open containers, or in an offset
relationship corresponding to offset "pop-top" or push-through
openings of soda cans, juice boxes, or other containers of various
shapes such as square or rectangular with either central or offset
openings where a discrete opening is provided.
Inventors: |
Villaescusa, Paul M.;
(Thousand Oaks, CA) ; Villaescusa, Tangie K.;
(Thousand Oaks, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Marshall E. Rosenberg
The Gilbert Law Building
22130 Clarendon Street
Woodland Hills
CA
91367
US
|
Family ID: |
32229332 |
Appl. No.: |
10/291961 |
Filed: |
November 9, 2002 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
215/388 ;
220/709 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 17/4012 20180101;
B65D 47/06 20130101; B65D 2517/0014 20130101; B65D 2517/0041
20130101; B65D 2231/02 20130101; A47G 19/2266 20130101; B65D
2517/0049 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
215/388 ;
220/709 |
International
Class: |
A47G 019/22 |
Claims
We claim:
1. A container cap and drinking straw assembly, the assembly
comprising: a cap having a top surface and an undersurface, the cap
adapted for use with a container supporting a quantity of a
flowable foodstuff in a concavity thereof, the cap including an
access port, the cap further being removably securable to the
container about an opening adjacent to the concavity, and a
drinking straw having a proximate drinking end and a distal suction
end, the straw being adapted to be projected through the access
port and sealingly retained within the access port with the distal
suction end concurrently positioned within the concavity, wherein a
peripheral aspect of the straw and adjacently mounted access port
are assembled and secured in a substantially leakproof
configuration.
2. The container cap and straw assembly as recited in claim 1,
further comprising: a seal between the straw and the access port,
for sealing the container cap between the top surface and the
undersurface of the cap.
3. The container cap and straw assembly as recited in claim 2,
further comprising: a straw receiving sleeve secured to the access
port for receiving the peripheral aspect of the straw.
4. The container cap and straw assembly as recited in claim 3,
wherein the straw receiving sleeve extends from the undersurface of
the cap toward the concavity of the container.
5. The container cap and straw assembly as recited in claim 4,
wherein the straw receiving sleeve extends in a range of about zero
degrees to about 45 degrees normal to the plane of the container
cap.
6. The container cap and straw assembly as recited in claim 3,
wherein the sleeve is integrally formed with the container cap.
7. The container cap and straw assembly as recited in claim 6,
further comprising a fusible seal provided between the sleeve and a
circumferential aspect of the straw supported in opposing position
therewith.
8. The container cap and straw assembly as recited in claim 7,
wherein the fusible seal is selected from the group including a
thermally induced melt seal, and an adhesive seal.
9. The container cap and straw assembly as recited in claim 3,
wherein the sleeve is a sealing grommet at least a portion of which
is secured within the recess defined by the access port, and an
outer circumferential periphery of the sealing grommet forming a
leakproof seal with the access port, and an inner circumferential
periphery of the sealing grommet forming a leakproof seal with a
periphery of the drinking straw.
10. The container cap and straw assembly as recited in claim 1,
wherein the cap has a container-engaging collar, the collar having
a securing structure adapted for engaging the container opening
with a substantially sealed engagement.
11. The container cap and straw assembly as recited in claim 10,
wherein the securing structure is a threaded structure.
12. The container cap and straw assembly as recited in claim 10,
wherein the securing structure is a lip.
13. The container cap and straw assembly as recited in claim 1,
wherein the cap-engaging portion of the container has a shape, and
the container cap has a complementary shape.
14. The container cap and straw assembly as recited in claim 13,
wherein the access port is symmetrically or asymmetrically
positioned relative to the top surface of the container cap.
15. The container cap and straw assembly as recited in claim 1,
further comprising a flange extending from the underside of the
container cap, the flange substantially sealingly engaging with a
circumferential aspect of the container opening when the container
cap is fully engaged with the container to achieve concurrent
plural sealed engagements between the assembly and container.
16. A modular container cap and drinking straw assembly for use
with a container having a concavity for supporting a quantity of a
flowable foodstuff, the modular assembly comprising: a cap having a
top surface and an undersurface coextensive with and extending to a
collar for engaging the container to encompass an opening to the
concavity, the cap including an access port, and a drinking straw
having a drinking end and a suction end, an intermediate peripheral
aspect of the straw projecting through the access port being
sealingly supported within a sleeve immediately adjacent to the
access port in a substantially leakproof configuration with the
suction end positioned within the concavity when the modular
assembly is secured to the container.
17. The container cap and straw assembly as recited in claim 16,
further comprising: a seal for sealingly locating the straw within
the access port.
18. The container cap and straw assembly as recited in claim 17,
wherein the sleeve is set at an angle relative to the plane of the
container cap.
19. The container cap and straw assembly as recited in claim 17,
wherein the straw receiving sleeve extends from the undersurface of
the cap toward the concavity of the container.
20. The container cap and straw assembly as recited in claim 16,
wherein the straw receiving sleeve extends in a range of about zero
degrees to about 45 degrees normal to the plane of the container
cap.
21. The container cap and straw assembly as recited in claim 16,
wherein the sleeve is integrally formed with the container cap.
22. The container cap and straw assembly as recited in claim 16,
further comprising a fusible seal provided between the sleeve and a
circumferential aspect of the straw supported in opposing position
therewith.
23. The container cap and straw assembly as recited in claim 22,
wherein the fusible seal is selected from the group including a
thermally induced melt seal, and an adhesive seal.
24. The container cap and straw assembly as recited in claim 16,
wherein the sleeve is a sealing grommet at least a portion of which
is secured within the recess defined by the access port, and an
outer circumferential periphery of the sealing grommet forming a
leakproof seal with the access port, and an inner circumferential
periphery of the sealing grommet forming a leakproof seal with a
periphery of the drinking straw.
25. The container cap and straw assembly as recited in claim 16,
wherein the cap-engaging portion of the container has a shape, and
the container cap has a complementary shape.
26. The container cap and straw assembly as recited in claim 16,
wherein the access port is symmetrically or asymmetrically
positioned relative to the top surface of the container cap.
27. The container cap and straw assembly as recited in claim 16,
further comprising a flange extending from the underside of the
container cap, the flange substantially sealingly engaging with a
circumferential aspect of the container opening when the container
cap is fully engaged with the container to achieve concurrent
plural sealed engagements between the assembly and container.
28. A container cap for use with a drinking straw and a container
having a concavity for supporting a quantity of a flowable
foodstuff, the container cap comprising: a straw-supporting sleeve,
and a top surface and an undersurface coextensive with and
extending to a collar for engaging the container to encompass an
opening to the concavity, the cap including an access port for
supporting in sealing engagement an intermediate aspect of the
straw projecting through the access port within the sleeve
positioned immediately adjacent to the access port.
29. The container cap recited in claim 28, further comprising: a
seal for sealingly locating the straw within the access port via
the sleeve.
30. The container cap as recited in claim 28, wherein the sleeve is
set at an angle relative to the plane of the container cap.
31. The container cap recited in claim 28, wherein the straw
receiving sleeve extends from the undersurface of the cap toward
the concavity of the container with which it is to be secured.
32. The container cap as recited in claim 28, wherein the straw
receiving sleeve extends in a range of about zero degrees to about
45 degrees normal to the plane of the container cap.
33. The container cap as recited in claim 28, wherein the sleeve is
integrally formed with the container cap.
34. The container cap as recited in claim 33, further comprising a
fusible seal to be provided between the sleeve and a
circumferential aspect of the straw supported in opposing position
therewith.
35. The container cap as recited in claim 33, wherein the fusible
seal is selected from the group including a thermally induced melt
seal, and an adhesive seal.
36. The container cap as recited in claim 28, wherein the sleeve is
a sealing grommet at least a portion of which is secured within the
recess defined by the access port, and an outer circumferential
periphery of the sealing grommet forming a leakproof seal with the
access port, and an inner circumferential periphery of the sealing
grommet forming a leakproof seal with a periphery of a drinking
straw installed therewith.
37. The container cap as recited in claim 28, wherein the container
cap has a shape complementary to a cap-engaging portion of the
container with which it is to be secured.
38. The container cap as recited in claim 28, wherein the access
port is symmetrically or asymmetrically positioned relative to the
top surface of the container cap.
39. The container cap as recited in claim 28, further comprising a
flange extending from the underside of the container cap, the
flange substantially sealingly engaging with a circumferential
aspect of a container opening in the fully engaged position with
the container to achieve concurrent plural sealed engagements
between the container cap and container.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] not applicable
STATEMENT RE: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT
[0002] not applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] 1. Field of the Invention
[0004] The present invention relates to straws for dispensing
fluids, and more particularly to an anti-spill drinking straw for
use with receptacles and containers having dispensing openings
through which a foodstuff such as a beverage is to be
dispensed.
[0005] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0006] The related art includes various configurations of
individual beverage receptacles, such as beverage bottles, cans,
and cartons, each having a top-side opening for direct dispensing
or for accommodating a drinking straw. The top-side opening may be
concentric with the circular opening common to most bottles, or
concentric with or offset from a central top-surface opening
provided in the top surface of square or rectangular beverage
containers. In any such configuration, and according to the related
art, a drinking straw may be may be inserted into the top-side
opening and projected into the contents therein to extract by
sucking a desired volume of contents from the container, the straw
remaining loosely positioned within the periphery of the top-side
opening. Straws conventionally used in this manner are typically
provided separately and apart from the beverage receptacle. In
other configurations, the drinking straw may be provided in a
separate sealed plastic envelope, optionally affixed to the
beverage receptacle.
[0007] In any case, however, a well known but heretofore
unsatisfactorily addressed problem is the absence of an effective
sealing fit between the loose straw and the top-side opening in the
beverage receptacle with which it is to be used. Accordingly, a
perennial problem in the art is a failure to prevent leakage or
unintended dispensation when the receptacle is tilted or upended
due to the loose fit between the straw and the container opening
through which it projects. This problem is especially well known by
parents of young children, who must remain ever vigilant for the
wayward juice or soda container with which a loose drinking straw
is used, which is at risk of spillage. This risk is further
increased by the fact that a high percentage of such beverages are
consumed by children, individuals that may lack some degree of hand
coordination, or the genuinely clumsy. This, of course, is not
desirable or a game to the parent. The problem of spillage may be
exacerbated when the receptacle is used in mobile environments,
such as during car or boat travel, or even in the instance where a
consumer wishes to carry a partially consumed beverage in a
backpack or other container that has means for maintaining the
receptacle in a generally upright position (but without means for
preventing sloshing and spillage in the manner described above).
Further, the problem remains of unconsumed contents, and the
propensity for those contents to be spilled, during or after
consumption or upon disposal of the receptacle due to the unsealed
receptacle opening. Yet a further problem presented by the unsealed
opening of conventional container-and-straw combinations even when
a straw has been received therein, is the possibility of
undesirable and unintended introduction of debris, insects, or
other environmental elements.
[0008] Packages such as the beverage container having a
self-contained pop-up drinking straw shown in U.S. Pat. No.
6,431,382 to Li include the containment of a straw in the nature of
containers known as "juice boxes", whereby the straw is sealingly
affixed to the container, and is neither separately provided nor is
a separately provided straw usable therewith. However, most
beverage containers are not provided in this form, and do not
provide a drinking straw that overcomes the problems described
above.
[0009] Accordingly, there is a need for an anti-spill drinking
straw that is adapted for use with conventional beverage bottles,
cans and so-called juice boxes, and that overcomes the
disadvantages of the related art. There is a further need for an
anti-spill drinking apparatus adapted to use conventional straws
and container tops, in a readily available and usable
configuration, at low cost and suitable for the disposable market
place. There is yet further need for an anti-spill drinking straw
that is hygienic in its application and which substantially
maintains the contents of the container in hygienic condition.
[0010] Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a solution to these
well-known but heretofore insufficiently addressed shortcomings of
the related art.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to
provide a drinking straw with anti-spill qualities in connection
with a beverage container with which it is to be used.
[0012] It is another object of the present invention to provide an
anti-spill straw adapted for use with conventionally shaped
beverage containers.
[0013] It is a further object of the present invention to provide
an anti-spill straw that substantially maintains the contents of
the container in hygienic condition during and after consumption of
the contents of the container.
[0014] It is another object of the present invention to provide an
anti-spill straw that may be provided at relatively cost and is
suitable for the disposable market place.
[0015] These and other objects and advantages are obtained with an
anti-spill drinking straw that overcomes the limitations of the
prior art by providing a drinking straw and receptacle cover
interface having a substantially sealed interface according to the
disclosed embodiments. According to a first embodiment, a
conventional drinking straw having an industry standard outer
diameter is projected through and retained within a corresponding
orifice with a slip fit/interference fit therebetween after the
straw has been received within a grommet fitted to the orifice.
According to this embodiment, the straw may alternatively be sealed
to the cap by thermal or chemical fusing. In either embodiment, the
cap is readily applied to any container to which it is sized to be
sealingly affixed. According to another embodiment, the drinking
straw and cap are provided as a preassembled product, optionally
individually or bulk packaged, for use with any receptacle
configured to receive it. The cap may include a threaded engagement
collar corresponding to threaded collars common to many beverage
containers, or alternatively, may include a snap-fit collar for
universal attachment to like-sized containers. It is contemplated
that such assemblies may include orifices/straws that are
positioned either centrally or offset to the top of the cap, to be
readily received and affixed to common open containers (typically
circular) where either central or offset drinking straw placement
is desirable or accepted, or in an offset relationship
corresponding to offset "pop-top" openings of soda cans or the
like. The assemblies may be configured for use with containers of
any size or shape. While cylindrical drink containers are most
commonly available, other container shapes such as square or
rectangular with either central or offset openings may be
accommodated with the apparatus of the present invention.
[0016] The invention will be better understood upon a reading of
the following specification, read in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] FIG. 1 is a partial side elevational view of an upper
portion of an assembly of a beverage container and cap/straw
assembly according to the present invention.
[0018] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a first embodiment of
the assembly shown in FIG. 1, further showing a fused assembly of
the cap and straw assembly.
[0019] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of
the assembly shown in FIG. 1, further showing an assembly of the
cap and straw assembly secured with a friction fit via a
grommet.
[0020] FIG. 4 is a partial side elevational view of an upper
portion of an assembly of a beverage container and cap/straw
assembly according to another embodiment of the present invention,
showing an alternatively-sized cap for assembly with a drinking
straw.
[0021] FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the cap/straw
assembly of one embodiment of the invention, showing the
orifice/straw provided in an offset location of the cap to be
secured in opposing, mating configuration with an offset opening
provided in a common beverage container.
[0022] FIG. 6 is a partial side elevational view of the assembly
shown in FIG. 5, illustrating the inventive cap/straw assembly in
the fully installed condition, the straw secured to the cap with
the grommet interface.
[0023] FIG. 7 is a partial side elevational view of the assembly
shown in FIG. 5, illustrating the inventive cap/straw assembly in
the fully installed condition, the straw secured to the cap with
the fused interface.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0024] With reference now to the drawings, and according to the
present invention, FIG. 1 illustrates a first embodiment of an
anti-spill drinking straw and cap assembly 10 of the present
invention. The assembly 10 includes a drinking straw 12 having a
proximate drinking end 12(a) and a distal suction end 12(b) that is
projected through and secured within a port 13 provided in a cap
14, which in turn is configured to be secured to the mouth or
opening 16 of a container 18 such as a beverage container
containing a beverage or other foodstuff within cavity 20 of the
container 18 by threaded connection or snap fit in the manner to be
more fully described below.
[0025] With particular attention now to FIGS. 2 and 3, two
embodiments of the securing arrangement of the drinking straw 12 to
and through the cap 14 via port 13 will be described. As described
above, an important aspect of the present invention is providing
means to substantially seal the drinking straw 12 within port 13
when the cap 14 is secured to container 18. Cap 14 as shown in FIG.
2 includes a top planar surface 22 extending to and bounded by
flange 24 oriented substantially perpendicular to the plane of top
surface 22. Flange 24 includes a threaded region 26 formed about
its radially inward surface for engaging a corresponding threaded
region provided adjacent the mouth or opening 16 of container 18 to
which it is to be secured. Alternatively, the flange 24 may be
provided with a shoulder or lip (not shown) for engaging the
threaded region 26 or other engagement structure provided adjacent
the mouth or opening 16 of container 18. It will be appreciated
that the selected engagement structure will provide a substantially
leak-proof seal. The outer periphery 27 of the flange 24 may be
textured as by ribs or knurling for enhancing attachment/detachment
of the cap to the container 18.
[0026] According to the invention and as shown in FIG. 2, drinking
straw 12 is received in port 13 with a sliding fit through a
internal sleeve 28 formed coextensive with the port 13 provided at
the underside of cap 14 and extending into the cavity defined by
the top planar surface 22 and flange 24. The annular inner
periphery of internal sleeve 28 substantially engages a
longitudinal extent 29 of the periphery of the drinking straw 12
with a snug, interference fit after the drinking straw 12 is
projected through port 13 and internal sleeve 28 to a depth
sufficient to position the distal end 12(b) of the drinking straw
12 proximate to a lower portion of the container 18 with which the
assembly 10 is selected to be used. As will be appreciated by the
skilled artisan, the relative projection of the distal end 12(b) of
the drinking straw 12 may be preestablished and then secured in
place utilizing a bonding process in accordance with one aspect of
the present invention, molded in place with the cap 14 according to
another aspect of the invention to a preselected projection
determined by the anticipated application (i.e. height of the
container 18 with which it is to be used), or allowed to be
slidably adjustable through the internal sleeve 28 by the user.
[0027] According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, drinking straw
12 is concurrently projected through port 13 and internal sleeve 28
to position the distal end 12(b) of drinking straw 12 close to the
floor of container 18, avoiding substantial contact with the floor
that could cause blockage or crimping of the distal end 12(b) or
lower portion of the straw 12. The drinking straw 12 is then fixed
to the internal sleeve 28, either by application of a bead of an
adhesive 32, a pre-shaped adhesive element, or by thermal fusing
between the periphery 29 and internal sleeve 28, to establish a
leak-proof barrier between the top and bottom surfaces of the cap
14. As the apparatus is intended for use with consumable
foodstuffs, it will be apparent that the adhesive 32 has a
non-toxic composition.
[0028] As also shown in FIG. 2, and to further secure a leak-proof
barrier, a downwardly extending annular ring 30 may be optionally
provided at the underside of the cap 14 in coaxial alignment with
the internal sleeve 28, and may be sized to provide a mating face
31 directly opposed to an open, upwardly extending portion of the
opening of the container 18 with which the assembly of the present
invention is to be used. Alternatively, the annular ring 30 may be
sized and positioned to nestingly engage either radially internally
or externally with the opening of the container 18 to form a
labyrinth seal therebetween when the cap 14 is fully engaged with
the opening 16 of the container 18. It will be appreciated that
although the port 13 and coextensive internal sleeve 28 are shown
and described as being normal to the plane of the top surface 22 of
cap 14, it is contemplated that the internal sleeve 28 may be
provided at an acute angle to direct the distal end 12(b) to a
position axially offset from the centerline of the container 18.
The port 13 would likewise be sized and shaped to accommodate the
drinking straw 12 therethrough. The acute angle "A" shown in FIG. 1
is contemplated to range from normal to the plane of the cap 14 to
about 45 degrees therefrom, although it is contemplated that
greater acute angles may be employed such as when the assembly 10
of the present invention is used in connection with a container 18
having a small aspect ratio such as would be found with a
relatively short, squat shape, with a wide diameter relative to the
height of the container.
[0029] As will be further appreciated, the port 13/internal sleeve
28 may be provided at a position offset from the centerline of a
circular cap and container assembly, and either a normal or angular
offset of the straw positioning may be achieved in the manner
described above. For example, such offset positioning may be
applicable for use of the inventive assembly 10 with soda cans
typically having radially offset openings. For a cap configured for
use with a container having a non-circular engagement surface, such
as a rectangular "juice box" or the like, the
cap-and-drinking-straw assembly 10 of the present invention is
equally useful, whereby the port 13 may be centrally or
non-centrally positioned, and whereby the annular ring 30 may be
optionally provided. It is contemplated that the annular ring 30
may be used for puncturing a flexible membrane at the top surface
of such container and then being partially projected therethrough
to provide a baffle effect for the semi-rigid cardboard-like
material commonly used with so-called juice boxes when the assembly
10 of the present invention is in the fully installed
condition.
[0030] With reference now to FIG. 3, another embodiment of the
invention includes cap-and-drinking-straw assembly 40, in which the
drinking straw 12 is secured to cap 14 by a sealing grommet 42
having a top annular flange 44 from which a coextensive annular
sleeve 46 extends downwardly through port 13 to substitute for the
internal sleeve 28 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2. The sealing
grommet 42 may be comprised of a highly flexible composition that
provides a leak-resistant or even leak-proof seal while allowing
for selective installation and positioning adjustment of the
drinking straw 12. Alternatively, the sealing grommet 42 may be
bonded to the straw 12 by adhesive or chemical bonding methods
described above. Furthermore, the sealing grommet 42 may be provide
with normal or angular orientations as also described above.
[0031] With reference to FIG. 4, the screw-top configuration
provided in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 is replaced with a
snap-lid cap 50 having a top surface 51 supporting a flange 52
provided with a lip or shoulder 54 for positively engaging with a
corresponding thread or shoulder provided on container 56. Either
the internal sleeve of assembly 10 or grommet of assembly 40 may be
employed in this embodiment. As will also be apparent to the
skilled artisan, the various embodiments of the present invention
may be incorporated in caps 14, 50 having different sizes,
diameters, or flange measurements and proportions, in either the
threaded or snap-lid configurations, and with either an internal
sleeve or grommet drinking straw engagement.
[0032] With reference to FIGS. 5-7, it will be further apparent
that the snap-lid configuration is particularly suitable for use
with a standard 12 ounce soft-drink can 60 having a top rolled
shoulder 62 that readily supports snap-lid cap 50. In this
instance, a radially offset container opening is common to
"pop-top" soft drink cans and the like. Accordingly, a cap 50 of
the present invention readily accommodates a drinking straw 12 in
this radially-offset position in the manner previously described.
It will be appreciated that cap 50 may be provided with an internal
sleeve 28, or with a grommet 42 as described above.
[0033] Common to all configurations, however, and according to an
important aspect of the present invention, however, is the
important feature that any cap-and-straw arrangement herein
described and claimed may be preassembled, distributed and marketed
separately (and packaged either individually or in bulk) from any
beverage container with which it is to be ultimately used. For the
embodiments enabling slidable engagement/disengagement of the
drinking straw 12 with a corresponding cap 14, 50, standard sized
drinking straws 12 may be separately procured for use with a cap
14, 50, and indeed, the caps 14, 50 may be either reused or
disposed of at the user's discretion. According to any of the
disclosed embodiments, the caps may be fabricated of polypropylene
or other material suitable for high-speed, low cost injection
molded production that supports the leak-resistant sealing features
of any embodiments of the present invention. Similarly, the sealing
grommet 42 may be comprised of a low-cost elastomeric, chemically
inert composition suitable for food service purposes, which is
amenable to disposable use.
[0034] It is to be understood that the present invention is not
limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and
all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.
* * * * *