Dispensing capsule

• US 8,443,970 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2010
• Issued: 05/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Karma Culture, LLC (Constellation Brands Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Karma Culture, LLC (Constellation Brands Incorporated)
• Inventors: Coon, Darren
• Primary Examiner(s): Pickett, J. Gregory
• Assistant Examiner(s): DESAI, KAUSHIKKUMAR A
• Application Number:
  US12/766,868
• Publication Number:
  US 20110174642A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,123 Days
• Field of Search: 206/0.5, 206/219, 206/220, 206/221, 206/222, 215/227, 215/228, 215/301, 220/227, 220/258.4, 220/780, 220/783, 220/796, 220/797, 222/494, 222/80, 222/81, 222/83
• US Class Current: 206/222
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 51/2835 ruptured by a sharp element, e.g. a cutter or a piercer

Abstract

A dispensing capsule has a diaphragm button, stake and frangible membrane for a system for selectively dispersing the contents of a cup into an attached bottle. A frangible membraned cup has a diaphragm button operably attached to a stake with the stake'"'"'s sharp point at one end and the diaphragm button on the opposing end. A cavity is disposed in the cup for consumable product defined by side walls and a base plate. Preloaded ingredients contained within the hermetically sealed cup are discharged from the dispensing capsule into a bottle by simply depressing a button disposed on the diaphragm of the cup, thereby actuating the stake to thrust forward and apply concentrated pressure abaxially to the frangible membrane. This concentrated pressure pierces substantially the center of the frangible membrane, causing it to rupture and progressively opening it. The diaphragm button locks in this downward position, holding the stake into the opened frangible membrane to maintain the opening, permitting the contents to flow through the frangible membrane and exit the cavity of the cup.

Claims

1. A dispensing capsule for affixing to a mouth of a receiving container, said dispensing capsule comprising:

a) a base including a generally conical shaped base plate having a concentrically disposed frangible membrane having an upper surface and a lower surface and at least one elongated tear line having a reduced thickness;

b) a cup comprising a circular diaphragm functioning as a top wall, said cup including a shoulder disposed at a periphery of the diaphragm with said shoulder protruding above the entirety of said diaphragm and a side wall extending downwardly therefrom to create an opening at an opposing end thereof and defining a cavity on an interior of the cup, and further including a diaphragm button concentrically disposed on said diaphragm; and

c) a stake having a stake base fixedly attached to said diaphragm and a tip opposingly disposed from said stake base such that said diaphragm button and stake are axially aligned, said stake further including at least one stress concentrating rib extending in an abaxial relation with respect to said at least one elongated tear line;

wherein said cup and said base are affixed to one another such that frangible membrane is opposingly disposed from said diaphragm button and said base plate is in contacting engagement with said side wall of said cup to form an assembled dispensing capsule wherein said base plate forms a bottom wall which, together with said interior of said cup, defines a sealed cavity adapted to hold and store a predetermined ingredient within said sealed cavity;

and wherein said diaphragm is movable to an ingredient dispensing position by pushing said diaphragm button toward said frangible membrane which thereby causes said stake and said at least one stress concentrating rib to apply a pressure against said frangible membrane abaxially of said at least one tear line and thereby causing said at least one tear line to break and create an opening in said sealed cavity wherethrough an ingredient located within said cavity may freely pass.

2. The dispensing capsule of claim 1, wherein the ingredient of said cavity comprises a consumable product.

3. The dispensing capsule of claim 1, wherein said cup and said base are jointed together with a plastic weld.

4. The dispensing capsule of claim 1, wherein said base further comprises a cylindrical base mounting flange generally extending perpendicularly to said base plate along a periphery thereof having a receiving container receptacle disposed along a bottom periphery of said base mounting flange for receiving a receiving container, wherein said receiving container receptacle threadably connects to a mouth of the receiving container, thereby sealing liquid contents of the receiving container therein when said dispensing capsule is mounted for use on the receiving container.

5. The dispensing capsule of claim 4, wherein said receiving container receptacle comprises an inverted “

U”

shaped circular channel having an opening that receives the mouth of the receiving container and internal threading that cooperates with mating screw threading of the receiving container.

6. The dispensing capsule of claim 5, wherein said receiving container receptacle further comprises a wedge seal that comes in compression abutment with an upper periphery of the mouth of the receiving container and a bore seal disposed on a surface opposing the internal threading such that a seal is formed when the mouth and said receiving container receptacle are threadably engaged that seals liquid contents of the receiving container therein when said dispensing capsule is mounted for use on the receiving container.

7. The dispensing capsule of claim 1, wherein said cup further comprises a cylindrical cup mounting flange disposed along a bottom edge of said cylindrical shaped side wall, said cup mounting flange having a seal edge at its bottom periphery;

and said base further comprises a cylindrical base mounting flange disposed substantially perpendicular to and along an edge of said base plate, said base mounting flange having a seal edge at its top periphery configured to receive said seal edge of said cup mounting flange.

8. The dispensing capsule of claim 7, wherein said seal edges of said cup mounting flange and said base mounting flange comprise a tongue and groove combination wherein a groove is disposed on said seal edge of said cup mounting flange and a mating tongue is disposed on said seal edge of said base mounting flange such that when said cup and said base are jointed together, said seal edge of said cup mounting flange is positioned in abutment with said seal edge of said base mounting flange and said tongue of said base mounting flange is seated snugly in the groove of said cup mounting flange.

9. The dispensing capsule of claim 1, wherein said diaphragm button is adapted to lock in said ingredient dispensing position after being pushed, holding said stake into said opened frangible membrane to maintain the opening such that the ingredient is discharged by flowing from said cavity through the opening in said frangible membrane and into the receiving container.

10. The dispensing capsule of claim 7, wherein an exterior peripheral surface of said cup mounting flange comprises ribbing.

11. The dispensing capsule of claim 7, wherein an exterior peripheral surface of said base mounting flange comprises ribbing.

12. The dispensing capsule of claim 7, wherein said dispensing capsule further comprises a drop band along the bottom edge of said base mounting flange that functions as a tamper evident seal.

13. The dispensing capsule of claim 1, wherein said diaphragm creates a flexible cavity volume such that an excessive pressure in said sealed cavity is relieved.

14. The dispensing capsule of claim 1, wherein said stake comprises a plurality of longitudinally disposed stress concentrating ribs which together define a diametric reach that is substantially constant throughout the entire stake but reduced at the opposing end of the diaphragm to a reduced diameter portion, wherein said stress concentrating ribs concentrate an axially transmitted force and direct it to said frangible membrane of said base plate via said reduced diameter portion.

15. The dispensing capsule of claim 14, wherein said stake is integrally formed with said diaphragm as a single injection molded unit.

16. The dispensing capsule of claim 14, wherein said stake further comprising a securing portion having increased diametric reach adjacent said diaphragm such that when said cup is inverted for filling operations, said securing portion causes said stake to be self standing and when an opening is fully formed in said frangible membrane, said securing portion prevents said stake from passing through the opening, thereby preventing a choking hazard from being deposited in the receiving container.

17. The dispensing capsule of claim 14, wherein said plurality of stress concentrating ribs are symmetrically disposed about the periphery of said stake.

18. The dispensing capsule of claim 14, wherein said plurality of stress concentrating ribs are asymmetrically disposed about the periphery of said stake.

19. The dispensing capsule of claim 1, wherein said at least one elongated tear line is disposed on the upper surface of said frangible membrane of said base plate inside said cavity of said dispensing capsule.

20. The dispensing capsule of claim 1, wherein said at least one elongated tear line is disposed on the lower surface of said frangible membrane of said base plate outside said cavity of said dispensing capsule.

21. The dispensing capsule of claim 1, wherein said at least one tear line comprises both a first groove on the upper surface and a second parallelly disposed corresponding groove on the lower surface of said frangible membrane of said base plate.

22. The dispensing capsule of claim 1, wherein said frangible membrane comprises a downward sloping surface such that a gravitational force urges the ingredient in the cavity to discharge through an opening in said frangible membrane and into the receiving container.

23. The dispensing capsule of claim 1, wherein said frangible membrane of the base plate comprises a door style frangible membrane.

24. The dispensing capsule of claim 1, wherein said cylindrical shaped side wall has sufficient transparency for preloaded contents to be visible to a user.

25. The dispensing capsule of claim 4, wherein said receiving container is a water bottle having a 38 millimeter mouth opening.

26. The dispensing capsule of claim 1, wherein said frangible membrane is capable of withstanding a differential gauge pressure of greater than 14 psi (9.653 e+004 newtons/square meter).

27. The dispensing capsule of claim 1, wherein said base of said stake comprises a cone shaped surface having a cone base that is concentrically disposed on said base of said stake such that when said diaphragm button is depressed, materials coming in contacting engagement with the cone shaped surface are pushed sideways, away from said stake, thereby facilitating movement of said stake downwardly toward said frangible membrane.