U.S. patent application number 12/503959 was filed with the patent office on 2011-01-20 for bottle cap.
This patent application is currently assigned to GenMont Biotech Incorporation. Invention is credited to Ken-Te Chen.
Application Number | 20110011822 12/503959 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 43464553 |
Filed Date | 2011-01-20 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110011822 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Chen; Ken-Te |
January 20, 2011 |
BOTTLE CAP
Abstract
A bottle cap includes a cap seat and a cap. The cap seat has a
receiving space confined by an inner tubular wall and a bottom
wall. The cap is disposed within the inner tubular wall, and has a
top panel and a tubular cutter body. The tubular cutter body has a
beveled bottom open end that has a cutting end and a pushing end.
When the top panel is pressed, the cutting end cuts the bottom
wall, and the pushing end pushes a portion of the bottom wall so
that the bottom wall moves away from the cutting end. Preferably,
the bottom wall and the inner tubular wall are formed as one
piece.
Inventors: |
Chen; Ken-Te; (Shanhua
Township, TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
SHOOK, HARDY & BACON LLP;INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY DEPARTMENT
2555 GRAND BLVD
KANSAS CITY
MO
64108-2613
US
|
Assignee: |
GenMont Biotech
Incorporation
Shanhua Township
TW
|
Family ID: |
43464553 |
Appl. No.: |
12/503959 |
Filed: |
July 16, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
215/316 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 51/2835
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
215/316 |
International
Class: |
B65D 41/00 20060101
B65D041/00 |
Claims
1. A bottle cap comprising: a cap seat having an inner tubular
wall, a bottom wall closing a bottom end of said inner tubular wall
and having a peripheral connection portion that is connected to
said bottom end of said inner tubular wall, and a receiving space
confined by said inner tubular wall and said bottom wall; and a cap
disposed within said inner tubular wall, and having a top panel
proximate to a top end of said inner tubular wall and closing said
receiving space, and a tubular cutter body extending downwardly
from a peripheral end of said top panel toward said bottom wall,
said tubular cutter body having a beveled bottom open end slanting
downwardly from a higher part to a lower part, said bottom open end
having a cutting end formed at said lower part, a pushing end
formed at said higher part and diametrically opposite to said
cutting end, and two opposite valleys formed at said higher part
and between said cutting end and said pushing end, said bottom open
end slanting upwardly from said cutting end to said valleys and
extending downwardly from said valleys to said pushing end, said
cap being movable downwardly from a non-cutting position to a
cutting position when said top panel is pressed, said pushing end
pushing a part of said connection portion of said bottom wall when
said cap is in the cutting position.
2. The bottle cap as claimed in claim 1, wherein said bottom wall
and said inner tubular wall are molded as one piece.
3. The bottle cap as claimed in claim 1, wherein a height of said
pushing end from a bottommost end of said cutting end is
substantially equal to a distance between the non-cutting position
and the cutting position.
4. The bottle cap as claimed in claim 3, wherein said inner tubular
wall has an upper tubular portion that is proximate to said top end
thereof, that receives said top panel, and that has an inner
surface formed with upper and lower annular grooves, said cap
having an annular protrusion that engages said upper annular groove
when said cap is at the non-cutting position and that engages said
lower annular groove when said cap is at the cutting position, said
height of said pushing end from said bottommost end of said cutting
end being substantially equal to a distance between said upper and
lower annular grooves.
5. The bottle cap as claimed in claim 1, wherein said bottom wall
is thick at a center thereof and is thinned gradually from said
center to a peripheral end thereof, which is adjacent to said
bottom end of said inner tubular wall.
6. The bottle cap as claimed in claim 4, further comprising a
tearable lid disposed removably around said upper tubular portion
and covering said top panel.
7. The bottle cap as claimed in claim 6, wherein said upper tubular
portion further has an outer surface formed with an outer annular
groove, said tearable lid having a sealing ring extending around
said upper tubular portion, a puller fixed to said sealing ring, a
lid plate disposed above said top panel, and a plurality of spaced
apart tearable connectors interconnecting said lid plate and said
sealing ring, said sealing ring having an inner surface formed with
an annular ridge engaging said outer annular groove.
8. A bottle cap comprising: a cap seat having an inner tubular
wall, a bottom wall closing and connected to a bottom end of said
inner tubular wall, and a receiving space confined by said inner
tubular wall and said bottom wall, said inner tubular wall and said
bottom wall being formed as one piece; and a cap disposed within
said inner tubular wall, and having a top panel proximate to a top
end of said inner tubular wall and closing said receiving space,
and a tubular cutter body extending downwardly from a peripheral
end of said top panel toward said bottom wall, said tubular cutter
body having a beveled bottom open end slanting downwardly from a
higher part to a lower part, said bottom open end having a cutting
end formed at said lower part.
9. The bottle cap as claimed in claim 8, wherein said bottom wall
is thick at a center thereof and is thinned gradually from said
center to a peripheral end thereof, which is connected to said
bottom end of said inner tubular wall.
10. A bottle cap comprising: a cap seat having an inner tubular
wall, a bottom wall closing and connected to a bottom end of said
inner tubular wall, a receiving space confined by said inner
tubular wall and said bottom wall, and an outer tubular wall, said
inner tubular wall and said bottom wall being formed as one piece,
said inner tubular wall having an upper tubular portion that is
proximate to a top end of said inner tubular wall, and that has an
inner surface formed with upper and lower annular grooves, and an
outer surface formed with an outer annular groove, said outer
tubular wall surrounding and being spaced apart from said inner
tubular wall, and having an inwardly bending top end connected to
said inner tubular wall below said upper tubular portion; a cap
disposed movably within said inner tubular wall, and having a top
panel received in said upper tubular portion and closing said
receiving space, and a tubular cutter body extending downwardly
from a peripheral end of said top panel toward said bottom wall,
said tubular cutter body having a beveled bottom open end slanting
downwardly from a higher part to a lower part, said bottom open end
having a cutting end formed at said lower part, said top panel
engaging one of said upper and lower annular grooves; and a
tearable lid having a sealing ring extending around said upper
tubular portion above said inwardly bending top end of said outer
tubular wall, a puller fixed to said sealing ring, a lid plate
disposed above said top panel, and a plurality of spaced apart
tearable connectors interconnecting said lid plate and said sealing
ring, said sealing ring having an inner surface engaging said outer
annular groove.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] This invention relates to a cap, more particularly to a
bottle cap.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a conventional bottle cap 1
includes a cap seat 11 that threadedly engages a mouth 22 of a
bottle 2 and that has an inner tubular wall 112, a membrane 12
attached to a bottom end of the inner tubular wall 112 to cover a
receiving space 15, a cap 13 that has a top panel 131 and a tubular
cutter body 132 extending downwardly from the top panel 131, and a
sealing ring 14 that detachably interconnects the top panel 131 and
the cap seat 11.
[0005] In use, the sealing ring 14 is pulled outwardly away from
the top panel 131 and the cap seat 11. Thereafter, referring to
FIG. 3, when the top panel 131 is pressed, the tubular cutter body
132 is moved downwardly and penetrates the membrane 12 by virtue of
a cutting end 134 of a beveled bottom open end 133 of the tubular
cutter body 132. Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, subsequently, the
membrane 12 is cut by the bottom open end 133 and hence has a cut
portion 121. An additive disposed in the receiving space 15 can
fall into the bottle 2 through a gap between the bottom open end
133 and the cut portion 121, thereby mixing the additive and a
substance disposed in the bottle 2.
[0006] However, when the membrane 12 is cut by the bottom open end
133, because the membrane 12 is made of aluminum foil and still has
a connection portion 123 that is not cut, the cut portion 121 tends
to indent upward and contact the bottom open end 133 due to
residual internal stress of the membrane 12 so that the additive in
the receiving space 15 (see FIG. 2) is unable to easily fall into
the bottle 2. Even if half of a periphery of the membrane 12 is
cut, the same phenomenon is observed. If the periphery of the
membrane 12 is entirely cut, the membrane 12 may undesirably fall
into the bottle 2.
[0007] In addition, the membrane 12 is attached to the cap seat 11
by an additional adhesive bonding process, thereby increasing the
production cost and an incidence of contaminating the additive.
When the membrane 12 is not securely attached to the cap seat 11 or
is deformed on account of heat, leakage of the additive can
result.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] The object of the present invention is to provide a bottle
cap that can overcome the aforesaid drawbacks of the prior art.
[0009] According to this invention, a bottle cap includes a cap
seat and a cap. The cap seat has an inner tubular wall, a bottom
wall closing a bottom end of the inner tubular wall and having a
peripheral connection portion that is connected to the bottom end
of the inner tubular wall, and a receiving space confined by the
inner tubular wall and the bottom wall. The cap is disposed within
the inner tubular wall, and has a top panel proximate to a top end
of the inner tubular wall and closing the receiving space, and a
tubular cutter body extending downwardly from a peripheral end of
the top panel toward the bottom wall. The tubular cutter body has a
beveled bottom open end slanting downwardly from a higher part to a
lower part. The bottom open end has a cutting end formed at the
lower part, a pushing end formed at the higher part and
diametrically opposite to the cutting end, and two opposite valleys
formed at the higher part and between the cutting end and the
pushing end. The bottom open end slants upwardly from the cutting
end to the valleys and downwardly from the valleys to the pushing
end. The cap is movable downwardly from a non-cutting position to a
cutting position when the top panel is pressed. The pushing end
pushes a part of the connection portion of the bottom wall when the
cap is in the cutting position.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] Other features and advantages of the present invention will
become apparent in the following detailed description of the
preferred embodiment of this invention, with reference to the
accompanying drawings, in which:
[0011] FIG. 1 shows a conventional bottle cap for a bottle;
[0012] FIG. 2 is a sectional elevational view of the conventional
bottle cap;
[0013] FIG. 3 is the same view as FIG. 2 but with a membrane of the
bottle cap being cut;
[0014] FIG. 4 is a sectional plan view of the conventional bottle
cap;
[0015] FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the preferred
embodiment of a bottle cap according to this invention;
[0016] FIG. 6 is an exploded sectional view of the preferred
embodiment;
[0017] FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the preferred embodiment in an
assembled state;
[0018] FIG. 8 is the same view as FIG. 7 but with a tubular cutter
body in a cutting position;
[0019] FIG. 9 is a partly enlarged view of the preferred
embodiment; and
[0020] FIG. 10 is a sectional plan view of the preferred
embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0021] Referring to FIGS. 5, 6, and 7, the preferred embodiment of
a bottle cap according to the present invention is adapted to be
mounted on a bottle 3 for containing a substance (e.g., a potable
drink, a medicinal liquid, a cleaning liquid, or water). The bottle
3 has a mouth 33 formed with an external screw thread 332. The
bottle cap includes a cap seat 4 and a cap 5.
[0022] The cap seat 4 threadedly engages the mouth 33 and has an
inner tubular wall 43, a bottom wall 44 closing a bottom end of the
inner tubular wall 43 and having a peripheral connection portion
445 (see FIGS. 8 and 9) that is connected to the bottom end of the
inner tubular wall 43, a receiving space 46 confined by the inner
tubular wall 43 and the bottom wall 44, and an outer tubular wall
41. Preferably, the bottom wall 44, the inner tubular wall 43, and
the outer tubular wall 41 are molded as one piece from a plastic
material. The receiving space 46 is adapted to contain an additive,
such as probiotics, a microbe, a microbial spore, food, medicine, a
cleaning agent, or a dietary supplement. The additive can be in a
form of powders, a liquid, or solid granules.
[0023] The inner tubular wall 43 has an upper tubular portion 45
that is proximate to a top end thereof, and that has an inner
surface formed with upper and lower annular grooves 451,452, and an
outer surface formed with an outer annular groove 453. The upper
and lower annular grooves 451,452 are spaced apart from each
other.
[0024] The outer tubular wall 41 surrounds and is spaced apart from
the inner tubular wall 43, and has an inwardly bending top end 42
that is connected to the inner tubular wall 43 below the upper
tubular portion 45, and an internal surface that is formed with an
internal screw thread 412 for engaging the external screw thread
332 of the mouth 33. The inner and outer tubular walls 43,41
confine a space therebetween, which can receive the mouth 33 of the
bottle 3.
[0025] The bottom wall 44 is thick at a center thereof and is
thinned gradually from the center to a peripheral end thereof,
which is adjacent to the bottom end of the inner tubular wall 43.
The bottom wall 44 has a substantially flat top face 441, and a
downwardly protruding bottom surface 442 that is opposite to the
flat top face 441, that protrudes downwardly and substantially
conically at the center of the bottom wall 44, that inclines
upwardly and gradually from the center of the bottom wall 44 toward
the peripheral end of the bottom wall 44, and that thereafter
extends substantially parallel to the flat top face 441 when
approaching the peripheral end of the bottom wall 44. It should be
noted that the bottom wall 44 could have a uniform thickness in
other embodiments.
[0026] The cap 5 is disposed within the inner tubular wall 43, has
a top panel 51 that is proximate to the top end of the inner
tubular wall 43, that is received in the upper tubular portion 45,
that closes the receiving space 46, and that has an annular
protrusion 511 engaging the upper annular groove 451 when the cap 5
is at a non-cutting position (see FIG. 7), and engaging the lower
annular groove 452 when the cap 5 is at a cutting position (see
FIG. 8). The cap 5 further has a tubular cutter body 52 that
extends downwardly from a peripheral end of the top panel 51 toward
the bottom wall 44, and is movable downwardly from the non-cutting
position (see FIG. 7) to the cutting position (see FIG. 8) when the
top panel 51 is pressed. Preferably, the top panel 51 and the
tubular cutter body 52 are molded as one piece from a plastic
material. It is noted that the annular protrusion 511 can be formed
on an outer surface of the tubular cutter body 52 in other
embodiments.
[0027] The tubular cutter body 52 has a beveled bottom open end 521
that slants downwardly from a higher part to a lower part. The
bottom open end 521 has a cutting end 523 that is formed at the
lower part, a pushing end 525 that is formed at the higher part and
that is diametrically opposite to the cutting end 523, and two
opposite valleys 524 that are formed at the higher part and between
the cutting end 523 and the pushing end 525. The bottom open end
521 slants upwardly from the cutting end 523 to the valleys 524 and
extends downwardly from the valleys 524 to the pushing end 525. A
height of the pushing end 525 from a bottom most end of the cutting
end 523 is substantially equal to a distance between the
non-cutting position and the cutting position. In this embodiment,
the height of the pushing end 525 from the bottommost end of the
cutting end 523 is substantially equal to a distance between the
upper and lower annular grooves 451,452. The cutting end 523 is
more adjacent to the bottom wall 44 than the pushing end 525. Both
of the cutting end 523 and the pushing end 525 are more adjacent to
the bottom wall 44 than the valleys 524. A distance between the
cutting end 523 and one of the valleys 524 is longer than a
distance between the pushing end 525 and one of the valleys
524.
[0028] The bottle cap further includes a tearable lid 6 that is
disposed removably around the upper tubular portion 45 and that
covers the top panel 51. The tearable lid 6 has a sealing ring 61
that extends around the upper tubular portion 45, a puller 62 that
is fixed to the sealing ring 61 for being pulled by a user, a lid
plate 63 that is disposed above the top panel 51, and a plurality
of spaced apart tearable connectors 64 that interconnect the lid
plate 63 and the sealing ring 61. The sealing ring 61 has an inner
surface that is formed with an annular ridge 612 for engaging the
outer annular groove 453 of the upper tubular portion 45, and a
bridge 613 that bridges a discontinuation in the sealing ring 61.
The puller 62 has a connection section 621 that is fixed to the
sealing ring 61 adjacent to the bridge 613, and a free section 622
that is not fixed to the sealing ring 61. The tearable lid 6 serves
to prevent a user from undesirably pressing the top panel 51,
thereby avoiding an undesired movement of the cap 5.
[0029] An operation of the bottle cap is described as follows.
Referring to FIG. 7, the cap 5 is at the non-cutting position,
where the cutting end 523 is proximate to the bottom wall 44. The
puller 62 is pulled outwardly so as to break the bridge 613 and
disengage the annular ridge 612 from the outer annular groove 453.
Therefore, the sealing ring 61 is pulled away from the upper
tubular portion 45 and the lid plate 63. As a result, the tearable
lid 6 is entirely removed from the upper tubular potion 45, and the
top panel 51 is accessible. Thereafter, referring to FIG. 8, when
the top panel 51 is pressed, the annular protrusion 511 is moved
downwardly from the upper annular groove 451 until the same engages
the lower annular groove 452. Thus, the cap 5 is at the cutting
position, where the cutting end 523 cuts the bottom wall 44.
Downward displacement of the tubular cutter body 52 is equal to the
distance between the upper and lower annular grooves 451,452.
[0030] Referring to FIGS. 8, 9, and 10, when the cap 5 is moved
downwardly to the cutting position, the cutting end 523 first
penetrates the bottom wall 44, and the bottom open end 521 then
cuts a portion of the periphery end of the bottom wall 44. A gap is
formed between a cut portion 443 of the bottom wall 44 and the
bottom open end 521. Meanwhile, the pushing end 525 pushes
downwardly a part of the connection portion 445 of the bottom wall
44. Thus, a portion of the bottom wall 44 inclines downwardly from
the connection portion 445. The additive in the receiving space 46
is able to easily fall into the bottle 3, thereby mixing the
additive and the substance in the bottle 3. In this embodiment, the
substance is a low-nutrition drink, and the additive is
sporolactobacillus or other probiotics powders. A lactobacillus
drink is formed by virtue of the combination of the additive and
the substance.
[0031] Some of the advantages of the bottle cap of this invention
are as follows:
[0032] 1. Since the pushing end 525 pushes the bottom wall 44
downwardly after the bottom wall 44 is cut, the cut portion 443 can
be moved away from the bottom open end 521 and can permit the
additive to fall therethrough.
[0033] 2. Since the bottom wall 44 and the inner tubular wall 43
are molded as one piece, no additional process is required to
attach the bottom wall 44 to the inner tubular wall 43, thereby
lowering a production cost of the bottle cap of the present
invention and preventing the additive from contamination. Moreover,
the bottom wall 44 is securely connected to the inner tubular wall
43 even under heat or cold such that undesired leakage of the
additive is prohibited. The preservation of the substance in the
bottle 3 is achieved as well.
[0034] While the present invention has been described in connection
with what is considered the most practical and preferred
embodiment, it is understood that this invention is not limited to
the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various
arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest
interpretation and equivalent arrangements.
* * * * *