Squeeze bottle with insulating jacket

• US 5,529,217 A
• Filed: 11/09/1989
• Issued: 06/25/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AUMA Licensing Corporation
• Original Assignee: AUMA Licensing Corporation
• Inventors: Siegel, Gerald
• Primary Examiner(s): Kashnikow, Andres
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bomberg, Kenneth
• Application Number:
  US07/434,103
• Time in Patent Office: 2,420 Days
• Field of Search: 222/92, 222/105, 222/175, 222/181, 222/183, 222/131, 222/206, 222/211-212, 222/214-215, 222/209, 222/158, 215/1 C, 215/1 A, 215/100 R, 215/229
• US Class Current: 222/131
• CPC Class Codes: A45F 3/20 of flexible material; Collapsible or stackable cups
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 19/2266 Means for facilitating drinking, e.g. for infants or invalids
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 81/3841 formed with double walls, i.e. hollow

Abstract

A squeezable, insulated drink bottle includes a flexible, semi-rigid, plastic beverage container that fits inside of and in spaced relationship to a flexible, semi-rigid plastic housing. An inwardly oriented flange around a top opening of the housing locks into a groove under a cover shoulder of the beverage container. Recesses in the housing facilitate gripping of drink bottle.

Claims

1. An insulated squeezable drink bottle, comprising in combination:

(a) a cylindrical, squeezable inner container having an openable top cover, wherein the inner container is composed of semi-rigid, flexible plastic;

(b) a liquid delivery tube supported by the cover to deliver liquid in response to squeezing of the inner container;

(c) a cylindrical, squeezable outer container of larger diameter than the inner container, having a top opening into which the inner container slideably fits, wherein the outer container is composed of semi-rigid, flexible, transparent plastic;

(d) means for locking the inner container in fixed relationship to the outer container to maintain a constant insulative air gap between the inner and outer containers,

whereby liquid in the inner container can be easily ejected through the delivery tube by squeezing the outer container enough to also squeeze the inner container.

2. The insulated squeezable drink bottle of claim 1 including a plurality of recesses in the outer container to ease gripping the drink bottle extending to the inner container to maintain the spacing of the insulative air gap.

3. The insulated squeezable drink bottle of claim 1 including a circumferential recess extending around the outer container to aid in gripping the drink bottle.

4. The insulated squeezable drink bottle of claim 1 wherein the delivery tube extends through the cover into a lower portion of the inner container, whereby the delivery tube can serve as a straw through which liquid can be sucked.

5. The insulated squeezable drink bottle of claim 1 including indicia imprinted on an outer surface of the inner container.

6. The insulated squeezable drink bottle of claim 5 including indicia imprinted on an outer surface of the outer container.

7. The insulated squeezable drink bottle of claim 6 including means for aligning the outer container with the inner container to prevent coaxial rotation of the inner container relative to the outer container and thereby maintain a fixed relationship between the indicia on the outer container and the indicia on the inner container.

8. The insulated squeezable drink bottle of claim 1 wherein the locking means includes a groove in an upper shoulder portion of the inner container and an inwardly oriented flange bounding the top opening of the outer container, a lower portion of the groove being bounded by a sloped upper portion of a cylindrical wall of the inner container, whereby when the inner container is forced into the outer container through the top opening, the flange encounters the sloped surface, slides over it, and snaps into the groove.

9. A thermally insulated bottle for liquid products comprising:

(a) a first container of elongated, tubular form having an axially-extending side wall, a bottom wall closing one end of said container and a connector neck carried by said side wall at an opposite top end, said connector neck having an opening formed at an axial end thereof;

(b) a second container of elongated, tubular form adapted to be axially projected into the interior of said first container through the connector neck opening thereof, said second container including an axially extending side wall, a bottom wall closing one end of said second container and a connector section disposed at an opposite top end thereof provided with an opening for enabling discharge of product into or from said second container, said connector section adapted to mechanically interengage with said connector neck for securing of said first and second containers in coupled relationship with the respective side walls and bottom walls thereof disposed in spaced relationship;

(c) a cap adapted to removably interengage in mechanically coupled relationship with said second container'"'"'s connector section in closing relationship to the opening thereof; and

(d) an elongated drinking tube carried by said cap and having a first end portion adapted to extend a distance into the interior of said second container to become immersed within liquid product contained therein, and a second end portion extending a distance exteriorly of the bottle for enabling transmission of liquid product from the interior of said second container, said cap and drinking tube having a fluid impervious seal formed therebetween;

(e) said first and second containers being formed of material having a resilient characteristic with the axial side walls of each being of a thickness to enable collapsing of the side walls radially inward under application of compressive force by a person'"'"'s hand, whereby portions of said first container'"'"'s side walls may be collapsed into contacting engagement with opposed portions of said second container'"'"'s side walls and the contacting portions of said side walls then further jointly collapsed to effect a reduction of said second container'"'"'s interior volume whereby liquid product can be expelled from the interior of said second container through said tube, said side walls returnable to their spaced apart configuration upon removal of compressing force as a consequence of the resilient characteristic.

10. An insulated squeezable drink bottle, comprising in combination:

(a) a cylindrical, squeezable inner container having an openable top cover, wherein the inner container is composed of semi-rigid, flexible plastic;

(b) a liquid delivery tube supported by the cover to deliver liquid in response to squeezing of the inner container;

(c) a cylindrical, squeezable outer container of larger diameter than the inner container, having a top opening into which the inner container slideably fits, wherein the outer container is composed of semi-rigid, flexible plastic;

(d) means for locking the inner container in fixed relationship to the outer container to maintain a constant insulative air gap between the inner and outer containers,

whereby liquid in the inner container can be easily ejected through the delivery tube by squeezing the outer container enough to also squeeze the inner container.

11. A thermally insulated bottle for liquid products comprising:

(a) a first container of elongated, tubular form having an axially-extending side wall, a bottom wall closing one end of said container and a connector neck carried by said side wall at an opposite top end, said connector neck having an opening formed at an axial end thereof;

(b) a second container of elongated, tubular form adapted to be axially projected into the interior of said first container through the connector neck opening thereof, said second container including an axially extending side wall, a bottom wall closing one end of said second container and a connector section disposed at an opposite top end thereof provided with an opening for enabling discharge of product into or from said second container, said connector section adapted to mechanically interengage with said connector neck for securing of said first and second containers in coupled relationship with the respective side walls and bottom walls thereof disposed in spaced relationship;

(c) a cap adapted to removably interengage in mechanically coupled relationship with said second container'"'"'s connector section in closing relationship to the opening thereof; and

(d) an elongated drinking tube, said cap having an opening through which said tube is projectable with a first end of said tube extendible into liquid product contained within said second container, said tube having a second end portion disposed exteriorly of the bottle for enabling transmission of liquid product from the interior of said second container;

(e) said first and second containers being formed of material having a resilient characteristic with the axial side walls of each being of a thickness to enable collapsing of the side walls radially inward under application of compressive force by a person'"'"'s hand, whereby portions of said first container'"'"'s side walls may be collapsed into contacting engagement with opposed portions of said second container'"'"'s side walls and the contacting portions of said side walls then further jointly collapsed to effect a reduction of said second container'"'"'s interior volume whereby liquid product can be expelled from the interior of said second container through said tube, said side walls returnable to their spaced apart configuration upon removal of compressing force as a consequence of the resilient characteristic.

12. A thermally insulated bottle according to claim 11 wherein said cap and said tube are formed with cooperative retaining means operable to maintain said tube in a selected axially disposed position relative to said cap.

13. A thermally insulated bottle according to claim 11 wherein said cap and tube are formed with cooperative sealing means for forming of a fluid impervious seal therebetween at said opening in said cap through which said tube is projectable.

14. A thermally insulated bottle according to claim 13 wherein said cap includes a selectively operable vent valve, said valve being selectively operable to either an open position permitting airflow therethrough into or out of said second container or to a closed position preventing airflow therethrough.