U.S. patent application number 13/680032 was filed with the patent office on 2014-05-22 for bottle capping assembly.
The applicant listed for this patent is Daniel A. Dopps. Invention is credited to Daniel A. Dopps.
Application Number | 20140138341 13/680032 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 50726941 |
Filed Date | 2014-05-22 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140138341 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Dopps; Daniel A. |
May 22, 2014 |
Bottle Capping Assembly
Abstract
A bottle capping assembly including a "C" member having an upper
arm, a lower arm, a stem section extending between the upper and
lower arms, and having a laterally opening concavity formed by the
arms and stem; a ceiling member, the ceiling member incorporating
the "C" member's lower arm; and a frangible channel incorporated
operatively into the ceiling member, the frangible channel being
adapted for, upon an application of an upward force to the "C"
member's upper arm, segmenting the ceiling member to form a fluid
outlet port; the assembly further including a cylindrical wall
fixedly attached to and extending downwardly from the ceiling
member.
Inventors: |
Dopps; Daniel A.; (Wichita,
KS) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Dopps; Daniel A. |
Wichita |
KS |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
50726941 |
Appl. No.: |
13/680032 |
Filed: |
November 17, 2012 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
215/43 ;
215/316 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 41/02 20130101;
B65D 23/00 20130101; B65D 47/36 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
215/43 ;
215/316 |
International
Class: |
B65D 41/02 20060101
B65D041/02; B65D 23/00 20060101 B65D023/00 |
Claims
1-6. (canceled)
7. A bottle capping assembly comprising: (a) a "C" member having an
upper arm, a lower arm, and a stem section extending between the
upper and lower arms, said arms and stem defining a laterally
opening concavity; (b) a ceiling member comprising an upwardly
opening concavity and comprising the "C" member's lower arm and a
living hinge; (c) opening means comprising a channel and frangible
channel floor combination, the opening means being connected
operatively to the ceiling member, the opening means being adapted
for, upon an application of an upward force to the "C" member's
upper arm, porting the ceiling member; (d) a wall fixedly attached
to and extending downwardly from the ceiling member, wherein the
living hinge has a pair of ends and wherein the channel and
frangible channel floor combination has a pair of ends, said
combination's ends being positioned at the hinge's ends, the living
hinge being adapted for facilitating movements of the "C" member's
upper arm between closed and opened positions, at least a portion
of the "C" member overlying the ceiling member's port upon movement
of the "C" member's upper arm to the opened position, and the port
closing upon movement of the "C" member's upper arm to the closed
position; and (e) a bottle having a neck, the neck having a
circular lip, the wall being circularly fitted for nestingly
receiving the circular lip, the ceiling's upwardly opening
concavity being circularly fitted for alternatively nestingly
receiving a portion of the circular lip, and the "C" member's
laterally opening concavity being fitted for further alternatively
nestingly receiving the portion of the circular lip, wherein the
ceiling member further comprises a transition extending about the
upwardly opening concavities' upper end, the transition being
adapted for, upon the nesting receipt by the "C" member's laterally
opening concavity of the circular lip portion, functioning as a
fulcrum for transferring torque from the neck to the circular lip
portion and to the "C" member's upper arm.
8. The capping assembly of claim 7 wherein the living hinge is
further adapted for facilitating movement of the "C" member's upper
arm to an oppositely laterally extending position, and further
comprising holding means connected operatively to the ceiling
member, the holding means being adapted for, upon the movement of
the "C" member's upper arm to the oppositely laterally extending
position, resisting movement of the "C" member's upper arm toward
the closed position.
9. The capping assembly of claim 8 wherein the holding means
comprise a snap ridge and snap channel combination.
10. The capping assembly of claim 7 wherein each member among the
ceiling and upper arm members has an upper surface, said surfaces
being, upon the movement of the "C" member's upper arm to the
closed position, substantially co-planar with each other.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates to plastic bottles and bottle cap
combinations. More particularly, this invention relates to such
bottle and cap combinations in which the cap component and an upper
ceiling portion of the cap component are adapted for performing
separate bottle opening and closing functions.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Consumer product plastic bottles such as disposable plastic
water bottles are known to be equipped with a plastic cap which
includes an upper ceiling portion, a cylindrical side wall portion,
and internal helical side wall threads for receiving and threadedly
engaging external helical threads extending about the bottle's
neck. In many instances, a user of such common plastic bottle and
plastic cap combination will remove the bottle's cap while
intending to totally consume the bottle's liquid contents without
any recapping or reclosing of the bottle. In such circumstances,
such user understands that the need for the cap's performance of
its bottle closing and liquid retaining function has ended. Such
circumstances and understanding often lead to the user's immediate
disposal of the cap. While the user's subsequent disposal of the
plastic bottle typically is properly directed to a recyclable
plastics bin, the user's earlier disposal of the bottle's plastic
cap is less often directed to recycling, and such caps are often
improperly disposed of, becoming ground and water polluting
litter.
[0003] The instant inventive bottle capping assembly solves or
ameliorates the above discussed problems, defects, and deficiencies
of common bottle and cap assemblies, while retaining substantially
all of those components' normal functionality, by providing a
specially configured cap which is capable of symbiotically
performing a bottle neck and bottle lip actuated port opening
function at the cap's ceiling.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] A first structural component of the instant inventive bottle
capping assembly comprises a "C" member having an upper arm, a
lower arm, a stem section extending between the upper and lower
arms, and having a normally laterally opening concavity, such
concavity comprising the hollow portion of the "C". In the
preferred embodiment, the invention's "C" member is composed of
plastic and is formed wholly with other portions of the cap
component of inventive assembly.
[0005] A further structural component of the instant inventive
bottle capping assembly comprises a ceiling member, such member
comprising the "C" member's lower arm.
[0006] Further structural components of the instant inventive
bottle capping assembly comprise opening means which are connected
operatively to the ceiling member. In the preferred embodiment, the
opening means are adapted for, upon an application of an upwardly
directed force to the "C" member's upper arm, opening and
segmenting or porting the ceiling member. The segmenting of the
ceiling preferably occurs at and about the "C" member's lower arm.
Suitably, such segmenting may alternatively occur at or about the
"C" member's stem section, or at or about the upper end of the stem
section.
[0007] In a preferred embodiment, the assembly's opening means
comprises a port or opening lining channel, such channel including
or defining a frangible or breakable channel floor. Suitably, the
opening means may alternatively comprise a snap channel and snap
ridge joint or an adhesively bonded joint.
[0008] A further structural component of the instant inventive
bottle capping assembly comprises a cylindrical wall which is
fixedly attached to or formed wholly with the ceiling member, such
wall extending downwardly from the ceiling member's periphery. In a
preferred embodiment, the wall is internally helically threaded for
threaded engagement with matching external helical threads
extending about the neck of a common plastic bottle.
[0009] In use of the instant inventive bottle capping assembly, and
assuming that the cap component covers a bottle containing a fluid
such as water or a soft drink beverage, and further assuming that
the opening means comprise the preferred channel and frangible
channel floor combination, a user may manually apply an upwardly
directed force against a distal end of the "C" member's upper arm,
such force causing such arm to segment and open the cap's ceiling
at and along the ceiling's frangible channel floor. Preferably, the
ceiling is further specially configured and adapted for
symbiotically utilizing the neck and lip of the bottle as a readily
available levering tool for the exertion of such upwardly directed
force.
[0010] Upon opening of the cap's ceiling via upward biasing against
the assembly's "C" member arm, the user may reattach the cap and
may drink from the bottle while the cap remains screwed onto the
bottle. Upon completion of drinking, the entire bottle and cap
assembly may be disposed of as a single unit. The instant invention
advantageously obviates and avoids the user's earlier permanent
removal of and potentially improper separate disposal of the cap
component.
[0011] Accordingly, objects of the instant invention include the
provision of a bottle capping assembly which incorporates
components, as described above, and which arranges those components
in relation to each other in manners described above, for the
achievement of the above described objects and benefits.
[0012] Other and further objects, benefits, and advantages of the
instant invention will become known to those skilled in the art
upon review of the Detailed Description which follows, and upon
review of the appended drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] FIG. 1 is a partial side view of a preferred embodiment of
the instant inventive bottle capping assembly.
[0014] FIG. 2 is a sectional view as indicated in FIG. 1, the view
of FIG. 2 showing the assembly's cap component temporarily
separated from the plastic bottle component.
[0015] FIG. 3 redepicts the structure of the sectional view of FIG.
2, the view of FIG. 3 showing the assembly's cap portion in
levering engagement with the assembly's bottle neck and lip
components.
[0016] FIG. 4 is an upper view of the structure depicted in FIG.
2.
[0017] FIG. 5 redepicts the structure of FIG. 1, the view of FIG. 5
showing upper arm component of the assembly's "C" member upwardly
and oppositely laterally pivoted to a ceiling opening or porting
position.
[0018] FIG. 6 is an upper view of the structure of FIG. 5.
[0019] FIG. 7 depicts an alternative configuration of the structure
depicted in FIG. 2.
[0020] FIG. 8 depicts an alternative configuration of the structure
depicted in FIG. 5.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0021] Referring now to the drawings and in particular to Drawing
FIG. 1, a preferred embodiment of the instant inventive bottle
capping assembly is referred to generally by Reference Arrow 1. The
assembly 1 preferably comprises a lower bottle component which is
identified generally by Reference Numeral 50. Bottle 50 preferably
contains water or a soft drink beverage (not shown within views).
Referring further simultaneously to FIG. 3, the bottle 50 has an
upwardly extending neck portion 52, external helical threads 56 for
facilitating a bottle cap screw on/screw off function, and a
circular upper lip 54.
[0022] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a cap component of the instant
inventive assembly 1 is referred to generally by Reference Arrow 2.
The cap 2 preferably comprises a ceiling 4 having an upwardly
opening concavity 21, and a cylindrical side wall 3 which extends
downwardly from, and is preferably formed wholly with the circular
periphery of the ceiling 4. The ceiling 4 in combination with side
wall 3 defines a downwardly opening bottle neck and lip receiving
concavity 6, the side wall 3 presenting internal helical threads 8
which are, referring further simultaneously to FIG. 3, fitted for
threaded engagement with helical threads 56 of bottle neck 52.
[0023] Referring to FIG. 2, a "C" member subcomponent of the
instant inventive assembly comprises an upper arm 14, a lower arm
12, and a stem section 13. The "C" member's upper and lower arms
14,10,12 in combination with the stem section 13 form and define a
normally laterally opening bottle lip receiving concavity 25 whose
function is further discussed below. In the preferred embodiment of
the instant inventive assembly, the cap's ceiling 4 comprises the
"C" member's lower arm 10,12, such arm normally serving as an
integral part of the floor of the ceiling's upwardly opening
concavity 21.
[0024] The instant inventive bottle capping assembly preferably
further comprises opening means which are connected operatively to
the ceiling member 4. Referring to FIGS. 2-6, the opening means are
preferably configured as a combination of a channel 20 and an
underlying thinned or reduced thickness channel floor section 22,
such reduced thickness making the channel floor 22 frangible.
Suitably, the depicted relative over/under orientation of the
channel 20 and frangible floor 22 may be reversed. Upon application
of an upwardly directed force to the "C" member's upper arm 14,
such force is transmitted to the "C" member's stem 13, such force
at least causing the "C" member's upper arm 14 to pivot about a
living hinge 18, and such force is instantaneously exerted against
the ceiling 4 at the locus of the channel 20 and channel floor 22.
Such stress causes the ceiling 4 to separate or segment along
channel 20. Shearing of the ceiling 4 along channel 20
advantageously creates an opening or port 11.
[0025] Referring to FIGS. 2, 4, and 6, the opening means' channel
20 preferably has a pair of channel ends 20e which open at opposite
ends of the ceiling's living hinge 18. The pivoting movement of the
"C" member's upper arm 14 from the normally closed position
depicted in FIG. 2, toward the opened position depicted in FIG. 6
advantageously ports the ceiling 4 to allow the outward passage of
fluid through opening 11. The channel 20 and frangible floor 22
opening means which is depicted in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, is intended
as being representative of other suitably and alternatively, though
less desirably, utilized opening means such as adhesively bonded
joints and snap ridge and snap channel joints.
[0026] Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, all reference numerals having
the suffix "A" are configured substantially identically with
similarly numbered structures appearing in FIGS. 1-6. In the
alternative configuration of FIGS. 7 and 8, the frangible channel
configured opening means 30,31 is alternatively positioned at the
base of the "C" member's stem 13 rather than at the "C" member
floor lower arm 10,12 positioning which is represented by FIGS.
1-6. Upon operation of the opening means of FIGS. 7 and 8, the
ceiling 4 becomes ported or opened at a more vertically oriented
aperture bounded by the living hinge 18A and the lower end of the
"C" member's stem 13A. Provided that the living hinge 18A is
oppositely laterally positioned with respect to the upper end of
the "C" member's stem 13A, the preferred channel and frangible
channel floor combination opening means may suitably be further
alternatively positioned at the upper end of the "C" member's stem
section 13A. Upon such alternative configuration, the opening of
the resultant port faces upwardly and resides between such
differently positioned living hinge and the "C" member stem upper
end.
[0027] Referring to FIG. 2, the ceiling 4 of the cap component 2
is, as is noted above, preferably specially configured to present
an upwardly opening concavity 21. Upon positioning of the "C"
member's arm 14 at the closed position represented by FIG. 2, upper
arm surface 14u and upper ceiling surface 4u preferably assume a
substantially co-planar orientation with respect to each other,
such orientation advantageously allowing cased groupings of the
inventive cap and bottle assembly to be stored in a vertically
stacked arrangement without any undesirable protrusions of
underlying cap structures into undersurfaces packaging of overlying
bottles (not depicted within views).
[0028] Referring simultaneously to FIGS. 2, 3, and 6, it may be
seen that the wall of concavity 21 and upper end or transition 5 of
the concavity 21 are substantially circularly formed. Such
preferred circular configuration of structures of the cap 2
advantageously compliment the circular cylindrical shapes of the
neck 52 and upper lip 54 of the bottle 50. Such complimenting
circular geometry allows, for purposes discussed below, insertions
of the bottle neck 52 and bottle's lip 54 into concavities 21 and
25 in the manner indicated in FIG. 3.
[0029] Referring to FIGS. 1-6, in use of the instant inventive
assembly 1 and assuming that bottle 50 is filled with water or a
soft drink (not depicted within views), a user may initially grasp
bottle 50 with one hand and may grasp cap 2 with his or her other
hand. Thereafter, the user may turn cap 2 counter-clockwise with
respect to bottle 50, temporarily unscrewing and removing the cap 2
from the bottle 50. Thereafter, the user may partially invert the
cap 2 to assume the upwardly angled position depicted in FIG. 3.
Thereafter, the user may lower the cap 2 over a side portion of the
bottle's neck 52 and over a corresponding portion of the bottle's
upper lip 54, such lowering action causing the lip portion 54 to
initially enter the cap's upwardly opening concavity 21 and to
finally enter the laterally opening concavity 25 of the "C" member.
Thereafter, upon engaging positioning of the cap 2 and bottle 50 in
the manner depicted in FIG. 3, the user may firmly hold both the
cap 2 and the bottle 50 in opposite hands while counter-turning
those components against each other in the directions indicated by
upper and lower curved arrows drawn upon FIG. 3. Such
counter-turning forces applied to the cap 2 and to the bottle 50
advantageously allow the curved upper transition 5 of the concavity
21 to function as a fulcrum which causes the upward extension of
the bottle's neck 52 and the lip 54 to contact and to forcefully
lever against the "C" member's upper arm 14. Such levering action
directs a cap opening force against the upper arm 14 of the "C"
member, the force advantageously tearing or shearing the ceiling 4
along the channel and frangible floor 20,22 opening means. Upon
performance of such lever actuated cap opening function, the "C"
member's upper arm 14 advantageously pivots about living hinge 18
from the closed position depicted in FIG. 2 to the upwardly angled
and opened position depicted in FIGS. 5 and 6.
[0030] The functions described above, along with their facilitating
structures, create a symbiotic relationship between the bottle 50
and the cap 2 components of the instant invention, the symbiosis
comprising the bottle's service as a cap opening tool and the cap's
service as a bottle opening and closing tool. Such symbiotic
relationship assures that the channel and frangible channel floor
20,22 opening means may strongly initially close the ceiling
(preventing any premature or unintended opening of the cap), and
further assures that a tool (i.e., the neck and lip of bottle 50)
which is capable of breaking such closure will be readily available
to the consumer.
[0031] Referring simultaneously to FIGS. 2, 5, and 6, it may be
seen that plastic memory existing within the living hinge 18 will
normally tend to move the "C" member's arm 14 from the opened
position depicted in FIG. 5 toward the closed position depicted in
FIG. 2, such normal closing bias potentially undesirably
interfering with outward passage of fluid through port 11.
Accordingly, the ceiling 4 is preferably further specially
configured to include holding means which, upon further pivoting of
the "C" member's arm 14 toward an oppositely laterally extended
position, may hold such arm at an such position. In a preferred
embodiment, the holding means comprise the molded formation of an
upwardly opening tab clearance concavity 19 within the ceiling 4,
in combination with formation of a snap ridge 15 and snap channel
17 fastener. Upon full oppositely lateral pivoting of the "C"
member's arm 14 about living hinge 18, the ridge 15 situated at the
distal end of the "C" member's upper arm 14 may snap into and nest
within channel 17 which is formed at the upper end of the
oppositely lateral wall of concavity 19. Preferably, the ridge 15
and channel 17 snap fastener structures are sized in relation to
each other to allow finger pressure directed laterally against the
upwardly extended ceiling structures to disengage the upper arm 14
from channel 17, such finger pressure then counter-pivoting the "C"
member's arm 14 in the lateral direction to cause re-closure of
opening 11. Upon such counter-pivoting motion, frictional contacts
between the plastically deformed and torn surfaces of the frangible
channel floor 22 advantageously maintain the cap in a re-closed
configuration.
[0032] The holding means 15,17,19, depicted in FIGS. 2-6 is
intended as being representative of other structures which may be
suitably substituted for holding "C" member's arm 14 at the
oppositely laterally extended position and for resisting lateral
movement toward the closed position, such other structures
including over-center biasing hinges, snap lug and snap socket
combinations, adhesive contacts, and hook and slot fasteners.
[0033] Subsequent to a user's utilization of the bottle neck 52 and
lip 54 for opening the cap 2, the user may screw the cap 2 back
onto the bottle 50, and the user may advantageously drink from the
bottle via passage of fluid through the port or opening 11. The
instant inventive assembly 1 advantageously configures the bottle
50 and cap 2 as components which are compatible with fluid
consumption while the cap is screwed in place. Upon completion of
consumption of the fluid within the bottle, both the bottle 50 and
the cap 2 may be properly disposed of as a single unit within a
plastic waste recycling bin. Accordingly, the instant inventive
assembly reduces occurrences of separate disposals of plastic caps,
reduces littering disposals of plastic caps, and advantageously
promotes recycling of plastic caps.
[0034] While the principles of the invention have been made clear
in the above illustrative embodiment, those skilled in the art may
make modifications in the structure, arrangement, portions and
components of the invention without departing from those
principles. Accordingly, it is intended that the description and
drawings be interpreted as illustrative and not in the limiting
sense, and that the invention be given a scope commensurate with
the appended claims.
* * * * *