Container apparatus for substances soluble in fluid media and method for the preparation of mixtures in situ

• US 5,967,309 A
• Filed: 05/20/1998
• Issued: 10/19/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Luis Miguel Hernandez-Zamorano, Pablo Andres Robles-Gonzalez
• Original Assignee: Luis Miguel Hernandez-Zamorano, Pablo Andres Robles-Gonzalez
• Inventors: Hernandez-Zamorano, Luis Miguel, Robles-Gonzalez, Pablo Andres
• Primary Examiner(s): FOSTER, JIMMY G
• Application Number:
  US09/081,924
• Time in Patent Office: 517 Days
• Field of Search: 206/219-222, 206/568, 215/6, 215/10, 215/256, 215/DIG. 8
• US Class Current: 206/221
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 51/2892 the element, e.g. a valve, opening an aperture of the auxiliary container B65D51/2864, B65D51/2878 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 81/3222 with additional means facilitating admixture
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 215/08 Mixing

Abstract

The present invention refers to a container apparatus for substances soluble in fluid media, for the preparation of mixtures in a single container, and to a method for the preparation of mixtures thereof. The apparatus of the present invention is characterized by: threaded cover, an internal sleeve having a thread on the internal wall, and a recipient or container wall that in its external wall having a matching groove. The method comprising the steps of:

operating the closure means together with the fluid media container means through the internal sleeve means, thus allowing communication between the soluble substances and the fluid media inside the closed container,

shaking the fluid media with the soluble means; and

removing the closure means and pour the formulated mixture.

Claims

1. A method for preparing mixtures of fluid medium and soluble substances, said method comprising the steps of:

providing a recipient and a cap, the fluid medium being at least initially held in the recipient, the soluble substances being at least initially held in the cap, the cap being disposed on the recipient, the cap being selectively moveable between non-open and open modes, the cap including an inner sleeve, a cover, and a container, the cover including a press tab, the container including a base and an external wall, the external wall being fixedly attached to the base, the external wall being formed with at least a first release window and a guide, the press tab being adjustably received in the guide, the at least first release window being blocked by said press tab to prevent communication between the soluble substances and the fluid medium when the cap is in the non-open mode, the at least first release window being at least partially unblocked when the cap is in the open mode;

operatively engaging the press tab with the guide to move the cap from the non-open position to the open position;

allowing communication between the soluble substances and the fluid medium; and

shaking the fluid medium with the soluble substances inside the recipient.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the step of operatively engaging the press tab with the guide includes the step of rotationally engaging the press tab with the guide to cause the rotation of the container with respect to the inner sleeve.

3. In combination a recipient and a cap;

comprising;

said recipient having an open end, the recipient adapted to selectively hold a fluid medium;

said cap disposed within the open end of said recipient, the cap adapted to selectively hold a soluble substance and to selectively retain the fluid medium within the recipient;

said cap including an internal sleeve, a container, and a cover;

the container having a base and an external wall fixedly attached to the base, said external wall being formed with at least a first release window;

the internal sleeve being disposed in the open end of said recipient and interposed between said recipient and said external wall of said container;

the cover being disposed across the internal sleeve;

said cap being selectively moveable between non-open and open modes, said cap adapted to retain the soluble substance therein when said cap is in the non-open mode and adapted to permit communication between the fluid medium and the soluble substance through the first release window when said cap is in the open mode.

4. The combination as set forth in claim 3, wherein said container is formed with a guide adjacent the first release window, and wherein the cover includes a press tab slidably received in said guide to prevent communication between the fluid medium and the soluble substance through said release window when said cap is in the non-open mode, said press tab adapted to permit communication through said release window between the fluid medium and the soluble substance when said cap is in the open mode.

5. The combination as set forth in claim 4, wherein said container is selectively rotatable with respect to said inner sleeve, said press tab rotationally engaging said guide to rotate said container with respect to said inner sleeve to move said cap between non-open and open modes.

6. The combination as set forth in claim 5, wherein one of said inner sleeve and said container is formed with a thread, and wherein the other of said inner sleeve and said container is formed with a groove, the thread and the groove being selectively threadable with one another, whereby said container is rotatable with respect to said inner sleeve.

7. The combination as set forth in claim 6, wherein said cover includes a release tab and a security band, the security band being selectively removable from said cover, the release tab selectively removing said security band from said cover, and said cover being selectively removable from the recipient when the security band is removed from the cover.

8. The combination as set forth in claim 3 wherein the fluid medium is a fluid.

9. The combination as set forth in claim 3 wherein the fluid medium is a gas.

10. The combination as set forth in claim 3 wherein the soluble substance is a powder.

11. The combination as set forth in claim 3 wherein the soluble substance is a concentrated liquid.

12. A cap for selectively holding a soluble substance, the cap being mountable on a recipient having an open end, said cap comprising:

an internal sleeve, the internal sleeve adapted to be disposed within the open end of the recipient;

a container having a base and an external wall, the external wall being fixedly attached to the base, said external wall being formed with at least a first release window disposed along a portion of said external wall;

said external wall of said container being disposed adjacent said internal sleeve;

a cover disposed across said inner sleeve;

said cap being selectively moveable between non-open and open modes to retain the soluble substance therein when said cap is in the non-open mode and to permit the soluble substance to flow out of said cap through the first release window when said cap is in the open mode.

13. The cap as set forth in claim 12, wherein the container is formed with a guide adjacent the first release window, and wherein the cover includes a press tab, the press tab being selectively slidably received in the guide to retain the soluble substance within said container when said cap is in the non-open mode and to permit the soluble substance to flow out of said cap through said first release window when said cap is in the open mode.

14. The cap as set forth in claim 13, wherein the container is selectively rotatable with respect to the inner sleeve, said press tab rotationally engaging said guide to selectively rotate said container with respect to said inner sleeve to move said cap between the non-open and open modes.

15. The cap as set forth in claim 14, wherein one of the inner sleeve and the container is formed with a thread and the other of said inner sleeve and said container is formed with a groove, the thread and the groove being selectively threadable with one another, said container being selectively threadably rotatable with respect to said inner sleeve.

16. The cap as set forth in claim 15, wherein the cover includes a release tab and a security band, the security band being selectively removable from said cover, the release tab selectively removing said security band from said cover, said cover adapted to be selectively removable from said recipient when said security band is removed from said cover.