Closure device for drinking from containers

• US 5,273,172 A
• Filed: 11/09/1992
• Issued: 12/28/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bank One Insurance Holdings Incorporated (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Original Assignee: Marsteller & Killmann GmbH & Co. KG
• Inventors: Metzger, Stefan, Killmann, Peter A., Rossbach, Kai
• Primary Examiner(s): Shoap, Allan N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Caretto, Vanessa
• Application Number:
  US07/973,754
• Time in Patent Office: 414 Days
• Field of Search: 215/1 A, 215/229, 215/235, 215/309, 215/322, 229/103.1, 220/213, 220/252, 220/256, 220/259, 220/345, 220/351, 220/361, 220/703, 220/705, 220/707, 220/708, 220/709, 220/717, 222/528, 222/529, 222/530
• US Class Current: 215/229
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 19/2266 Means for facilitating drinking, e.g. for infants or invalids
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 47/2043 the separate element being formed by an overcap which constricts a spout, the spout being either pushed into alignment with, or pushed through, an opening in the overcap upon rotation of the latter

Abstract

A closure device for drinking from a liquid container (2) is sealingly mounted with a bottom part (3) of a main body thereof extending into an opening of the container. A top part (4) has a circular-arc portion with a groove (6) therein. Liquid-emitting and air-admitting bore holes (10, 11) are positioned in a base of the groove. A pivotally movable cap (14) is mounted on the top part covering the groove. When the cap is pivoted, it causes a flexible hose (12) mounted in the liquid-emitting bore hole to bend and thereby closes it. At the same time, the bent hose closes the air-admitting opening.

Claims

1. A drinking closure device for liquid-holding containers comprising a main body with a bottom part for closing a container opening and a top part defining a liquid-emitting bore hole and a further, closable, air-admitting bore hole as well as a closable drinking hose extending from both sides of the liquid-emitting bore hole, at least an outer portion of the hose being elastic,

wherein the top part has a convex and circular-arc shaped surface on both sides of a longitudinal plane passing through the liquid-emitting bore hole,

wherein a groove is located in the convex and circular-arc shaped surface extending along the longitudinal plane,

wherein outer openings of the liquid-emitting and air-admitting bore holes are located in a base of the groove,

wherein a depth of the groove has a dimension that is smaller than an outer width dimension of the outer portion of the drinking hose,

wherein a cap is arranged on the top part, said cap including a pivoting means for pivoting the cap approximately about an axis on a center line of the circular-arc shaped surface,

wherein the cap has a shape and size which extends over a portion of the circular-arc shaped surface of the top part,

wherein an inside surface of the cap is arranged concentrically to, and close to, upper longitudinal edges defining the groove, and wherein said hose is bendable within said groove upon closing of said cap to close both said bore holes.

2. A drinking closure device for containers as in claim 1 wherein the groove extends from the outer opening of the liquid-emitting bore hole to an edge portion of the top part.

3. A drinking closure device for containers as in claim 2 wherein part of the circular-arc shaped portion close to an end of the groove has a protrusion and then, spaced from the groove, continues in a circular-arc shape to the other end of the edge, but with a smaller radius.

4. A drinking closure device for containers as in claim 1 wherein the top part has the approximate shape of a segment of a cylinder, located at a sectional interface on top of the bottom part.

5. A drinking closure device for containers as in claim 4 wherein the cap has the shape of a hollow cylinder with its inner shape corresponding to an outer shape of the top part and wherein an angle defining a circular segment of the cap is approximately half the size of a corresponding angle defining the top part.

6. A drinking closure device for containers as in claim 1 wherein a diameter of the liquid-emitting bore hole is larger than a diameter of the air-admitting bore hole.