Device for dispensing flowable material

• US 5,941,380 A
• Filed: 01/10/1998
• Issued: 08/24/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: David Rothman
• Original Assignee: David Rothman
• Inventors: Rothman, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Kashnikow, Andres
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Dinh Q.
• Application Number:
  US09/005,435
• Time in Patent Office: 591 Days
• Field of Search: 222/129, 222/83, 222/189.06, 239/272, 239/309, 206/219, 206/220, 206/221, 206/222, 215/6, 215/228, 215/DIG. 8, 220/521, 220/258
• US Class Current: 206/222
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 51/2828 said element being a film or a foil B65D51/2821, B65D51/2842 take precedence

Abstract

A storage cap having a storage compartment, an aperture on the storage compartment, a rupturable membrane covering the aperture, and a receiving groove that engages a bottle, holds a measured amount of a powdered, granulated, or other flowable form of food or drug and provides for quickly, easily, neatly, and completely dispensing the food or drug into a typical 16 oz. to 1.5 liter water bottle. A preferred embodiment of the storage cap is filled with powdered flavor concentrate, and the aperture and the receiving groove are covered with the rupturable membrane. To dispense the powdered concentrate into a bottle, the storage cap is placed with the receiving groove facing the bottle neck lip. The storage cap is then pushed against the lip which urges the rupturable membrane into the groove. As the rupturable membrane is urged into the groove, the rupturable membrane is ruptured thus allowing the concentrate, but not the rupturable membrane, to flow into the bottle. This preferred embodiment storage cap has a receiving groove with a large enough outer diameter, and an aperture that is narrow enough, for engaging the storage cap onto a number of different size bottle openings.

Claims

1. A device for dispensing a flowable material into any receptacle randomly selected from a predefined group of receptacles, whose neck and mouth sizes, and shapes, may differ comprising:

a body, said body defining a storage compartment able to hold the flowable material;

an aperture in communication with said storage compartment and through which the flowable material can flow from said storage compartment;

a generally tubular wall protruding from said body, said tubular wall defining said aperture, and said tubular wall'"'"'s radius smaller than the radius of the smallest receptacle mouth in the predefined group;

a generally flat area surrounding said tubular wall on the surface of said body;

a generally cylindrical barrier protruding from said flat area and encircling said tubular wall, said cylindrical barrier'"'"'s center at the approximate center of said aperture, and said cylindrical barrier'"'"'s radius greater than the radius of the largest receptacle neck in the predefined group;

a generally cylindrical receiving groove formed by said cylindrical barrier, said flat area, and said tubular wall for engaging said device onto the upper end of the neck, and against the mouth, of the receptacle to insert said tubular wall into the mouth of the receptacle to connect said storage compartment to the interior of the receptacle;

a rupturable covering over the exposed open end of said tubular wall to cover said aperture to restrain flowable material within the confines of said storage compartment; and

said rupturable covering attached to said cylindrical barrier to compel the neck and mouth of the receptacle to contact and to rupture said rupturable covering when said receiving groove is urged onto the receptacle neck thereby allowing the flowable material to flow from said storage compartment into the engaged receptacle.

2. A device for dispensing a flowable material into any receptacle randomly selected from a predefined group of receptacles, whose neck and mouth sizes, and shapes, may differ comprising:

a body, said body defining a storage compartment able to hold the flowable material;

an aperture in communication with said storage compartment and through which the flowable material can flow from said storage compartment;

a generally tubular wall protruding from said body, said tubular wall defining said aperture, and said tubular wall'"'"'s radius smaller than the radius of the smallest receptacle mouth in the predefined group;

a generally flat area surrounding said tubular wall on the surface of said body for engaging said device against the upper neck surface and the mouth of the randomly selected receptacle to insert said tubular wall into the mouth of the receptacle to connect said storage compartment to the interior of the receptacle;

a rupturable covering over the exposed open end of said tubular wall to cover said aperture to restrain flowable material within the confines of said storage compartment; and

said rupturable covering attached to said flat area along a generally circular line which encircles said tubular wall, the line'"'"'s center at the approximate center of said aperture, and the line'"'"'s radius greater than the radius of the largest receptacle neck in the predefined group, thereby forming a tent over said flat area to compel the neck and the mouth of the receptacle to contact and to rupture said ruprurable covering when said flat area is urged against the randomly selected receptacle neck thereby allowing the flowable material to flow from said storage compartment into the engaged receptacle.

3. A device for dispensing a flowable material into a receptacle comprising:

a body, said body defining a storage compartment able to hold the flowable material;

an aperture in communication with said storage compartment and through which the flowable material can flow from said storage compartment;

a generally tubular wall protruding from said body, said tubular wall defining said aperture and able to fit within the mouth of the receptacle;

a generally flat area surrounding said tubular wall on the surface of said body;

a generally cylindrical barrier protruding from said flat area and encircling said tubular wall, said cylindrical barrier having threading adapted to engage reciprocal threading on the neck of the receptacle;

a generally cylindrical receiving groove formed by said cylindrical barrier, said flat area, and said tubular wall for threadely engaging said device onto the upper end of the receptacle neck to insert said tubular wall into the mouth of the receptacle to connect said storage compartment to the interior of the receptacle;

a rupturable covering over the exposed open end of said tubular wall to cover said aperture to restrain flowable material within the confines of said storage compartment; and

said rupturable covering attached to said cylindrical barrier to compel the neck and mouth of the receptacle to contact and to rupture said rupturable covering when said receiving groove is threadely engaged onto the receptacle neck thereby allowing the flowable material to flow from said storage compartment into the engaged receptacle.