Vented fluid closure and container

• US 20060071040A1
• Filed: 10/27/2005
• Published: 04/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: John L. Young
• Original Assignee: John L. Young
• Inventors: Young, John L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,328,820 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 222/484
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 47/0838 located at an edge of the base element
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 47/243 moving linearly, i.e. without rotational motion
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 47/268 the valve member pivoting about an axis perpendicular to the container mouth axis B65D47/266 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 47/32 with means for venting

Abstract

A vented closure for a liquid container which will not freely pour includes a cap hinged at one side and movable between open and closed positions relative to a base collar. In an open position, a primary fluid passageway extends through a shaped mouthpiece which is elongated and tapered to conform to a user'"'"'s mouth. One or more air vents of small size are located in a protected floor of the base collar at positions spaced within predetermined ranges of offsets from the dispensing opening so as to convey liquid into contact with the air vents in a manner to self-seal the air vents by surface tension of the liquid until an unbalance force is present. The cap and collar mate along an offset diagonal edge, and a grip area for the user'"'"'s thumb or finger is offset from a center line. The offsets cause the cap to flip open with additional clearance and without obstructing a user'"'"'s nose.

Claims

1. A vented closure for allowing a user to repeatedly drink liquid from a container, comprising:

a base collar engagable with the container and having an upright mouthpiece adapted to receive a user'"'"'s mouth and having an outlet aperture to dispense the liquid from the container, the collar including at least one vent aperture of a small size, a primary fluid passageway extending from the outlet aperture and through the base collar to an interior of the container for conveying liquid to the outlet aperture, a secondary fluid passageway at least partly separate from the primary fluid passageway and extending from the vent aperture to the interior of the container for conveying venting air into the interior of the container,

a cap having a closed position which partly covers the collar and blocks at least the outlet aperture to prevent dispensing of the liquid,

a hinge movably connecting the collar and cap to allow the cap to move about a hinged side of the collar to an open position away from the mouthpiece,

the collar including a wall located generally opposite the hinged side which extends upwardly to mate with an edge of the cap when in the closed position, the wall including an offset portion which causes the cap to rotate to the hinged side in a manner which minimizes obstruction with a user'"'"'s nose.

2. The vented closure of claim 1 wherein the hinge is at a tangent to the collar so that the cap flips open along a center line normal to the tangent, and the offset portion comprises a grip area for a user'"'"'s thumb or finger to move against and flip open the cap about the center line, the grip area being located at an offset angle from the center line whereby the opening force is offset from the center line.

3. The vented closure of claim 2 wherein the offset angle is an acute angle less than 90 degrees from the center line to thereby flip the cap open at an acute angle to the grip area.

4. The vented closure of claim 3 wherein the offset angle is from about 30 degrees to about 60 degrees from the center line.

5. The vented closure of claim 2 wherein the collar wall forms a curved portion around at least part of the mouthpiece, the cap has a curved portion which mates against the curved portion of the collar wall when the cap is closed, and the grip area for the user'"'"'s thumb or finger is recessed inwardly from at least one of the curved portions to thereby avoid protrusions outwardly of the curved portions.

6. The vented closure of claim 1 wherein the wall at the portion opposite the hinged side extends higher than at the hinge, the wall including an angled edge which extends downwardly toward the hinged side, the mating edge of the cap having an angled edge which mates with the wall angled edge when the cap is closed, whereby the angled edges form the offset portion which allows the cap to flip open further away from the mouthpiece and thereby minimize obstruction with the user'"'"'s nose.

7. The vented closure of claim 6 wherein the at least one vent aperture is located through a floor portion of the collar in a region closer to the portion opposite the hinged side than to the hinged side, and the wall extends above and covers a portion of the vent aperture to avoid blocking contact with the user'"'"'s mouth when drinking from the mouthpiece.

8. The vented closure of claim 6 wherein the wall near the portion opposite the hinged side includes a recessed grip area for a user'"'"'s thumb or finger to move against the cap and flip open the cap about the hinge.

9. The vented closure of claim 1 wherein the wall extends above the hinge and the hinge is offset at a lower position than the wall, and the cap is movable about the hinge to a position which is partly lower than the base collar when the cap is fully open.

10. The vented closure of claim 1 wherein the at least one vent aperture is located on the collar at a distance away from the outlet aperture which is selected to seal the vent aperture by surface tension of the liquid while the cap is open to thereby block the vent aperture unless an unbalance force is present.

11. A vented closure for allowing a user to repeatedly drink liquid from a container, comprising:

a base collar engagable with the container and having an upright mouthpiece adapted to receive a user'"'"'s mouth and having an outlet aperture to dispense the liquid from the container, the collar including at least one vent aperture of a small size, a primary fluid passageway extending from the outlet aperture and through the base collar to an interior of the container for conveying liquid to the outlet aperture, a secondary fluid passageway at least partly separate from the primary fluid passageway and extending from the vent aperture to the interior of the container for conveying venting air into the interior of the container,

a cap having a closed position which partly covers the collar and blocks at least the outlet aperture to prevent dispensing of the liquid,

a hinge movably connecting the collar and the cap to allow the cap to move about a hinged side of the collar to an open position away from the mouthpiece,

the mouthpiece having a generally elongated and tapered shape with a pair of opposite wide sides adapted to contact a user'"'"'s lips and thereby conform with the user'"'"'s mouth when drinking from the container.

12. The vented closure of claim 11 wherein the mouthpiece is elongated along an axis which intersects the hinge so that the opened cap extents to one side of a user'"'"'s nose when the user drinks from the shaped mouthpiece.

13. The vented closure of claim 12 wherein the closure includes a grip area for a user'"'"'s thumb or finger to move against the cap and flip open the cap, the grip area being offset at an acute angle from the elongated axis of the mouthpiece.

14. The vented closure of claim 11 wherein the mouthpiece is formed of a hollow tube which extends downwardly to define the primary fluid passageway, the tube includes a diverter wall which at least partly separates the primary fluid passageway from the secondary fluid passageway so that vent air passing through the vent aperture and into the container has reduced intermixing with liquid in the primary fluid passageway.

15. The vented closure of claim 14 wherein the primary fluid passageway extends through a central region of the collar and the secondary fluid passageway is asymmetrically formed and defined by a space between the base collar and the divider.

16. The vented closure of claim 14 wherein a barrier surface is located in the secondary fluid passageway to create a circuitous air path for vent air bubbles being conveyed through the secondary fluid passageway.

17. The vented closure of claim 16 wherein the barrier surface includes a floating ring captured within the secondary fluid passageway and located to force vent air to flow around the ring to thereby create a circuitous air path.

18. The vented closure of claim 16 wherein the barrier surface includes a plurality of ribs which are spaced along and extend into the secondary fluid passageway so as to form portions of non-straight paths for vent air in the secondary fluid passageway.

19. The vented closure of claim 11 wherein the mouthpiece is elongated along a major axis and extends upwardly from a floor member, a pair of vent apertures extending through the floor member and located on opposite sides of the major axis to allow vent air bubbles to enter into the secondary fluid passageway.

20. The vented closure of claim 19 wherein the collar includes a wall which extends above the pair of vent apertures and is located to block the user'"'"'s lips from covering the vent apertures when the user'"'"'s lips contact the wide sides of the mouthpiece.

21. A vented closure for allowing a user to repeatedly drink liquid from a container, comprising:

a base collar engagable with the container and having an upright mouthpiece adapted to receive a user'"'"'s mouth and having an outlet aperture to dispense the liquid from the container, the collar including at least one vent aperture of a small size, a primary fluid passageway extending from the outlet aperture and through the base collar to an interior of the container for conveying liquid to the outlet aperture, a secondary fluid passageway and extending from the vent aperture to the interior of the container for conveying venting air into the interior of the container,

a cap having a closed position which partly covers the collar and blocks at least the outlet aperture to prevent dispensing of the liquid,

a hinge movably connecting the collar and the cap to allow the cap to move about a hinged side of the collar to an open position away from the mouthpiece,

the collar having a wall which extends above the vent aperture and located to prevent the user'"'"'s lips from blocking the vent aperture when contacting the mouthpiece.

22. The vented closure of claim 21 wherein the wall adjacent the vent aperture is higher than the collar portion adjacent the hinge, and the cap includes an angled edge which mates with the wall of the collar when the cap is closed.

23. The vented closure of claim 21 wherein the wall near the vent aperture includes a recessed grip area for a user'"'"'s thumb or finger to move against the cap and flip open the cap about the hinge.

24. The vented closure of claim 23 wherein the hinge defines a hinge axis for flipping open the cap along a center line normal to the hinge axis, and the recessed grip area being spaced from the center line and located at an acute angle from the center line.

25. The vented closure of claim 21 wherein the mouthpiece has a generally elongated and tapered shape with a pair of opposite generally wide sides adapted to contact a user'"'"'s lips and conform with the user'"'"'s mouth when drinking from the container.

26. The vented closure of claim 25 wherein the mouthpiece is elongated along an axis which intersects the hinge so the cap opens to one side of a user'"'"'s nose when the user drinks from the elongated mouthpiece.

27. The vented closure of claim 21 wherein the cap includes extending posts which mate with and block the vent aperture when the cap is closed.