Bottle cap

• US 9,776,777 B2
• Filed: 05/20/2015
• Issued: 10/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Helen of Troy Limited
• Original Assignee: Helen of Troy Limited
• Inventors: Gorbold, Timothy Dryden
• Primary Examiner(s): Nicolas, Frederick C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zadeh, Bob
• Application Number:
  US14/718,014
• Publication Number:
  US 20150336720A1
• Time in Patent Office: 867 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 19/2266 Means for facilitating drinking, e.g. for infants or invalids
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 47/243 moving linearly, i.e. without rotational motion
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 47/32 with means for venting
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 51/242 provided with means for facilitating lifting or suspending of the container

Abstract

An embodiment of a cap for a bottle may comprise a body and nozzle. The body may include an annular wall, an aperture configured to receive a nozzle, and a plug rigidly attached within the aperture. The nozzle may be movable between a retracted position in which fluid cannot pass between plug and nozzle, and an extended position in which fluid can pass between plug and nozzle. The nozzle may include an inner wall and an outer wall. The outer wall may have at least one longitudinal recess. The longitudinal recess may allow selective passage of air. The longitudinal recess may allow air to flow through the recess and into the bottle when the nozzle is in the extended position, and is contained within the aperture and is thus configured to prevent air from flowing through the recess and into the bottle when the nozzle is in the retracted position.

Claims

1. A cap, comprising:

a body including an annular wall, a cylindrical aperture disposed in a protrusion generally opposite the annular wall, and a cylindrical plug rigidly attached within the aperture and defining an annular gap between an outer surface of the plug and an inner surface of the aperture; and

a hollow nozzle configured to fit within the annular gap and including;

an inner wall having a lower diameter exceeding a diameter of the plug and an upper diameter tapering to become smaller than the diameter of the plug,

an outer wall having a lower diameter smaller than a diameter of the inner surface of the aperture and an upper diameter tapering to become larger than the diameter of the inner surface of the aperture, the outer wall further including at least one guide protrusion having a diameter approximately equal to the diameter of the inner surface of the aperture and configured to hold the nozzle in a stable orientation with respect to the aperture, and at least one longitudinal recess formed in the outer wall and configured to allow selective passage of air;

wherein the nozzle is movable within the annular gap between a retracted position in which fluid cannot pass between the outer surface of the plug and an inner surface of the nozzle due to a fluid tight seal formed between the upper diameter of the inner wall and the plug, and an extended position in which the fluid can pass between the outer surface of the plug and the inner surface of the nozzle; and

wherein the longitudinal recess terminates proximate to the upper diameter of the outer wall and is thus configured to allow the air to flow through the recess when the nozzle is in the extended position, and is contained within the aperture and is thus configured to prevent the air from flowing through the recess when the nozzle is in the retracted position.

2. The cap of claim 1, wherein the nozzle includes a stop extending outward from a lower portion of the outer wall of the nozzle, the stop including a lower surface configured to abut a complementary lip of the plug when the nozzle is in the retracted position and thus to prevent further movement of the nozzle into the aperture, and an upper surface configured to abut a complementary surface within the body portion when the nozzle is in the extended position and thus to prevent further movement of the nozzle out of the aperture.

3. The cap of claim 1, wherein the recess defines inner surfaces formed from a low surface energy material configured to inhibit water from flowing through the recess due to capillary action.

4. The cap of claim 3, wherein the low surface energy material is selected from a set consisting of silicone and polypropylene.

5. The cap of claim 1, wherein the recess defines a cross sectional area between 0.1 square millimeters and 0.5 square millimeters.

6. The cap of claim 1, wherein the nozzle includes a plurality of longitudinal recesses formed in the outer wall of the nozzle and configured to allow the to flow when the nozzle is in the extended position.

7. The cap of claim 6, wherein the plurality of longitudinal recesses define a total cross sectional area between 3 square millimeters and 15 square millimeters.

8. A cap, comprising:

a body including an annular wall, an elongated cylindrical aperture disposed generally opposite the annular wall, and a cylindrical plug rigidly attached within the aperture and defining an annular gap between an outer surface of the plug and an inner surface of the aperture; and

a hollow nozzle configured to fit within the annular gap and including an inner wall and an outer wall having at least one longitudinal recess formed therein;

wherein the nozzle is movable within the annular gap between a retracted position in which fluid cannot pass between the outer surface of the plug and an inner surface of the nozzle due to a fluid tight seal formed between the inner wall and the plug, and an extended position in which the fluid can pass between the outer surface of the plug and the inner surface of the nozzle; and

wherein the longitudinal recess is configured to allow air to flow through the recess when the nozzle is in the extended position, and to prevent the air from flowing through the recess when the nozzle is in the retracted position.

9. The cap of claim 8, wherein the recess defines inner surfaces formed from a low surface energy material configured to inhibit water from flowing through the recess due to capillary action.

10. The cap of claim 9, wherein the low surface energy material is selected from a set consisting of silicone and polypropylene.

11. The cap of claim 8, wherein the recess defines a cross sectional area between 0.1 square millimeters and 0.5 square millimeters.

12. The cap of claim 8, wherein the nozzle includes a plurality of longitudinal recesses formed in the outer wall of the nozzle and configured to allow the air to flow when the nozzle is in the extended position.

13. The cap of claim 12, wherein the plurality of longitudinal recesses define a total cross sectional area between 3 square millimeters and 15 square millimeters.