Drinking container with a closure device having a reservoir chamber therein

• US 8,627,967 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2006
• Issued: 01/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Armin Enghard, Florian Enghard, Suat Polat
• Original Assignee: Armin Enghard, Florian Enghard, Suat Polat
• Inventors: Enghard, Florian
• Primary Examiner(s): Weaver, Sue A
• Application Number:
  US12/083,118
• Publication Number:
  US 20090223921A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,665 Days
• Field of Search: 215/227, 215/228, 215/DIG.8, 215/6, 215/211, 215/356, 206/222, 206/221, 426/115, 426/519, 222/145.5
• US Class Current: 215/6
• 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

Abstract

A drinking container has an interior space (5) for receiving a drinking liquid (14) and a container opening (4) preferably arranged on the top side of the container, into which a closure device (3) with a receiving chamber (9) is provided. The content of the receiving chamber can be selectively released into the interior space (5). The closure device (3) has an externally threaded upper part (6) and a bottom part (7) as well as connection elements (8) disposed therebetween. The receiving chamber (9) is formed between the upper part and the lower part, and has an introduction opening (22) leading to the interior space. Thus, the content of the receiving chamber (9) is releasable into the interior space by a turning-in process of the closure device. The drinking container is suitable for preparing an unstable mixed drink of creatine powder (13) and an aqueous drinking solution (14).

Claims

1. A closure device for a drinking container,

wherein the drinking container includes a container body that bounds therein a container inner space adapted to receive therein a drinking liquid, and an internally threaded container outlet that extends from the container body along an axis and that has an internal threading provided on an inner cylindrical surface of the container outlet which bounds therein a container opening which communicates from an exterior environment into the container inner space;

wherein said closure device comprises a reservoir which comprises;

an imperforate bottom part that is sized and adapted to selectively close and open the container opening respectively by moving along the axis toward and into sealing contact with the container outlet and by moving along the axis away from the container outlet and into the container inner space;

an externally threaded upper body that is sized and adapted to fit axially movably in the container opening in the container outlet, and that has an external threading provided on an outer cylindrical surface thereof, wherein said external threading is adapted to engage with the internal threading of the container outlet; and

plural connector members that extend between said upper body and said bottom part and that rigidly and fixedly connect said bottom part with said upper body so that said upper body, said connector members and said bottom part are constrained to move together as a reservoir unit rotationally about the axis and axially along the axis, wherein a hollow reservoir chamber adapted to receive a beverage supplement substance is formed at least in a space axially between said upper body and said bottom part, and plural discharge openings are defined respectively circumferentially between successive ones of said connector members and axially between said upper body and said bottom part;

wherein said closure device further comprises a circumferential collar extending circumferentially around said upper body and sized to fit externally circumferentially around at least a portion of the container outlet, and an annular rim that extends annularly from said upper body and connects said circumferential collar with said upper body; and

wherein said reservoir is configured, constructed and adapted so that a screwing engagement of said external threading of said upper body with the internal threading of the container outlet and a rotation of said reservoir unit about the axis, respectively depending on a direction of the rotation, will cause said reservoir unit to move axially along the axis respectively selectively;

in an opening axial direction into the container inner space whereby said bottom part moves away from the container outlet and into the container inner space so as to open the container opening and communicate said reservoir chamber with the container inner space through said discharge openings, and

in a closing axial direction out of the container inner space whereby said bottom part moves toward and into the sealing contact with the container outlet so as to close the container opening and seal said reservoir chamber from the container inner space.

2. The closure device according to claim 1, wherein said annular rim rigidly and fixedly connects said circumferential collar with said upper body, wherein said annular rim and said circumferential collar are also parts of said reservoir unit.

3. The closure device according to claim 2, wherein said circumferential collar, said annular rim, said upper body, said connector members and said bottom part are integrally formed together with one another to form said reservoir unit as a one-piece monolithic reservoir unit.

4. The closure device according to claim 1, wherein said annular rim is configured and arranged to limit a range of axial motion of said reservoir along the axis into the container outlet due to said annular rim contacting a rim of the container outlet.

5. A combination comprising said closure device according to claim 1 together with said drinking container, wherein said container outlet is a container neck that is permanently fixedly connected to said container body as one piece, and said container opening has a diameter smaller than said container inner space.

6. A combination comprising said closure device according to claim 1 together with said drinking container, wherein said container body includes a container outlet shell, said container outlet comprises an adapter piece including a cylindrical sleeve that forms said inner cylindrical surface of said container outlet having said internal threading of said container outlet provided thereon, and said adapter piece further includes an adapter collar that extends circumferentially around said container outlet shell, wherein an inner circumferential surface of said adapter collar has a connection structure provided thereon, and wherein said connection structure is releasably engaged with a mating configuration on an outer circumferential surface of said container outlet shell.

7. The combination according to claim 6, wherein said adapter piece including said cylindrical sleeve and said adapter collar is a one-piece component of a material selected from the group consisting of plastic and metal, and said container outlet shell is a fixed integral part of said container body.

8. The combination according to claim 6, wherein said mating configuration on said outer circumferential surface of said container outlet shell of said container body is a second external threading, and said connection structure on said inner circumferential surface of said adapter collar is a second internal threading that mates with said second external threading.