SPORTS BOTTLE

Abstract

A bottle (20) comprising an open-topped outer container (21) comprising a resilient body (22) for holding a water, an inner container comprising a flexible pouch (28) for holding a gel, a closure (24) adapted to fix to the top of the outer container thereby forming an enclosure for containing the water, a fixing (38,42) configured to allow the inner container to be suspended from the closure, an outlet that is in fluid communication with both the outer container and the inner container thereby allowing the outlet to dispense the water and the gel, a switch mechanism (41) including a switch moveable to select between placing the outlet in fluid communication with the outer container and placing the outlet in fluid communication with the inner container, and an air inlet and a one-way valve configured to allow air to flow into the outer container.

Claims

1. A bottle comprising: an open-topped outer container comprising a resilient body for holding a liquid beverage; an inner container comprising a flexible pouch for holding a gel; a closure adapted to fix to the top of the outer container thereby forming an enclosure for containing the liquid beverage; a fixing configured to allow the inner container to be suspended from the closure; an outlet that is in fluid communication with both the outer container and the inner container thereby allowing the outlet to dispense the liquid and the gel; a switch mechanism including a switch moveable to select between placing the outlet in fluid communication with the outer container and placing the outlet in fluid communication with the inner container; and an air inlet and a one-way valve configured to allow air to flow into the outer container.

2. The bottle of claim 1, wherein the one-way valve is an umbrella valve.

3. The bottle of claim 1 or 2, wherein the closure comprises the air inlet.

4. The bottle of claim 3, wherein the air inlet extends through a wall of the closure to connect directly the internal volume of the outer container to the ambient environment outside the bottle.

5. The bottle of claim 1, wherein the switch is rotatable to allow selection between placing the outlet in fluid communication with the outer container and placing the outlet in fluid communication with the inner container.

6. The bottle of claim 5, wherein the switch mechanism further comprises a core piece, and the switch is part of the core piece that is fixed to a central part of the closure to allow the switch to rotate about a central longitudinal axis of the bottle.

7. The bottle of claim 6, wherein the outlet comprises a mouthpiece slidably mounted to a post of the core piece, and wherein the mouthpiece may slide between a closed position where the post fills an exit aperture of the mouthpiece and an open position where the exit aperture is displaced from the post.

8. The bottle of claim 6, wherein the core piece is received within a recess formed in the top of the closure by a downwardly extending stub.

9. The bottle of claim 8, wherein the stub comprises at least a portion of the fixing that is configured to allow the inner container to be suspended from the closure.

10. The bottle of claim 9, wherein the stub comprises a screw thread and the inner container comprises a complementary screw thread.

11. The bottle of claim 8, wherein the core piece comprises a collar that extends over the recess and resilient members that extend through a central aperture in the base wall of the stub such that the closure is sandwiched between the collar and resilient members thereby retaining the core piece on the closure.

12. The bottle of claim 11, further comprising a disassembly tool that bends the resilient members so that they may pass back through the central aperture of the stub.

13. The bottle of claim 8, wherein the core piece is provided with a first hole and a second hole, and the stub is provided with a first hole and a second hole, and wherein the switch is rotatable between a first position in which the first holes are aligned such that the outlet is in fluid communication with the outer container and a second position in which the second holes are aligned such that the outlet is in fluid communication with the inner container.

14. The bottle of claim 13, wherein the first holes are provided in a side wall of the stub and a side wall of the core piece, and the second holes are provided in a base wall of the stub and a base wall of the core piece.

15. The bottle of claim 14, wherein the switch mechanism further comprises a cup member located in the recess between the stub and the core piece, wherein the cup member has a side wall provided with a first hole aligned with the first hole of the core piece and a base wall provided with a second hole aligned with the second hole of the core piece, and wherein the core piece and cup member have indexing means to ensure the cup member rotates with the core piece as the core piece is rotated thereby keeping the first and second holes of the cup member and the core piece in alignment.

16. The bottle of claim 13, wherein the switch is located within a notch provided in the closure, and wherein the notch comprises end walls defining the limits of movement of the switch such that the limits of movement correspond to the first and second positions of the switch.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] In order that the invention can be more readily understood, reference will now be made by way of example only, to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0029] FIG. 1 is a side view of a sports bottle according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] FIG. 2 is a further side view of the sports bottle of FIG. 1;

[0031] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of part of the sports bottle of FIG. 1 in a partially disassembled state;

[0032] FIG. 4 is perspective view of the pouch of the sports bottle of FIG. 1;

[0033] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of part of the sports bottle of FIG. 1 showing a vertical section through the lid;

[0034] FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the lid;

[0035] FIG. 7 is an inverted exploded view of the core piece and top cover; and

[0036] FIGS. 8a and 8b are side views of a vertical section through the lid and pouch, with the lid set to a first position for water dleivery;

[0037] FIGS. 9a and 9 b are side views of a vertical section through the lid and pouch, with the lid set to a second position for gel delivery;

[0038] FIGS. 10a and 10b are perspective views of the lid of the sports bottle set to different positions;

[0039] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the lid and disassembly tool.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0040] A sports bottle 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown in the accompanying figures. FIGS. 1 and 2 show most clearly that the bottle 20 has a largely conventional appearance with a body 22 and a screw-top closure or lid 24. The lid 24 is provided with a mouthpiece 26. The body 22 is transparent or translucent, which allows a flexible pouch 28 located within the body 22 to be seen. The pouch 28 is suspended from and supported by the lid 24. The pouch 28 is also transparent or translucent, which allows a user to see how much of the contents of both the body 22 and the pouch 28 remain. The top of the lid 24 comprises the mouthpiece 26 and a rotatable tab 30 that allows the user to set the sports bottle 20 to access the contents of the pouch 28.

[0041] The body 22 of the bottle 10 forms an outer container 31 that holds a liquid beverage such as water 32, as well as containing the pouch 28. The water 32 may be flavoured, for example using a squash or cordial. The water 32 may contain a supplement, for example a hydration supplement that may provide electrolytes, and also a stimulant like caffeine and/or flavour. For the sake of brevity, the outer container 31 is assumed to hold water 32 in the following.

[0042] The pouch 28 provides an inner container 33 in which a gel 34 such as an energy gel or similar may be stored. For the sake of brevity, the inner container 33 is assumed to hold an energy gel 34 in the following.

[0043] A user may consume either the water 32 or the energy gel 34 through the mouthpiece 26, and the tab 30 functions as a switch that allows the user to switch between delivery of the water 32 and the energy gel 34.

[0044] FIGS. 3 to 5 show most clearly that the pouch 28 is connected to the underside of the lid 24. The pouch 28 is transparent or translucent, like the body 22, to allow a visual indication of the amount of gel 34 remaining in the sports bottle 20. FIG. 4 shows that the top of the flexible pouch 28 comprises a plastic fitting 36 provided with a central threaded aperture 38.

[0045] The threaded aperture 38 cooperates with threads 42 provided on a stub 40 projecting from the underside of the lid 24, as shown in FIG. 5, thereby forming a fixing that allows the pouch 28 to be attached to the lid 24.

[0046] The lid 24 has a multipart construction, and includes a cap 56 with a threaded rim 64 that allows the cap 56 to be screwed into place on the body 22 of the bottle 20, via a cooperating thread 66 provided around the top of the body 20. The cap 56 also comprises the stub 40 to which the pouch 28 attaches. The stub 40 extends downwardly from the cap 56 and has a hollow interior which forms a recess 68 in the top of the cap 56. The recess 68 receives a switch assembly 41 that provides delivery of the water 32 and gel 34. The switch assembly 41 comprises the mouthpiece 26, a core piece 46, and a valve piece 54. The lid 24 also includes an air inlet 62 provided with an umbrella valve 58, as can best be seen in the exploded views of FIGS. 6 and 7. FIGS. 6 to 9 show most clearly how the parts of the lid 24 assemble.

[0047] The cup-shaped valve piece 54 is seated in the recess 68, the core piece 46 extends through the valve piece 54, and the mouthpiece 26 pushes down onto the core piece 46 from above. The core piece 46 fixes the switch assembly 41 to the lid 24, as will now be explained.

[0048] The core piece 46 comprises a barrel-shaped body 52 that is open-topped and provided with a base, a post 48 extends upwardly from the base of the barrel 52, a collar 50 that extends from the body 52 over and around the top of the recess 68, and a pair of opposed resilient prongs 70 that extend downwardly from base of the core piece 46. The mouthpiece 26 is seated on the post 48. The core piece 46 is fixed to the cap 56 by sandwiching the stub 40 between the collar 50 and the ends of the prongs 70. The core piece 46 is pushed into the recess 68 so that the prongs 70 extend through aligned central apertures 51a,b provided in the bases of the valve piece 54 and recess 68. Each prong 70 has an enlarged distal end with a tapering side 71 and a backward-facing shoulder 72. The tapering sides 71 push against the edges of the central apertures 51a,b as the core piece 46 is pushed into the recess 68 which causes the prongs 70 to deflect inwardly. Then, the prongs 70 snap back as the shoulders 72 clear the bottom of the stub 40. The shoulders 72 then abut against the bottom of the stub 40. In this position, the collar 50 is level with the top of the cap 56, thereby attaching the core piece 46 to the cap 56 and preventing the core piece 46 from being pulled back out of the recess 68. However, the core piece 46 may be rotated about its vertical axis, and the tab 30 is provided to allow a user to cause such rotation.

[0049] The valve piece 54 is also held in the recess 68, between the bottom of the recess 68 and the collar 50 of the cap 56, and the valve piece 54 may also rotate about a vertical axis. Rotation of the valve piece 54 is driven by rotation of the core piece 46 with the tab 30 via upwardly extending splines 74a,b provided on the inside of the valve piece 54 and the outside of the barrel 52 of the core piece 46.

[0050] Rotation of the valve piece 54 opens and shuts a pair of passages 76 from the outer container 31 to the mouthpiece 26. The passages 76 are formed by two sets of three aligned water holes 76a,b,c provided in the stub 40 of the cap 56, the valve piece 54 and the barrel 52 of the core piece 46. The water holes 76a,b of the barrel 52 and the valve piece 54 rotate together and are always aligned in their pairs by virtue of the splines 74a,b. The water hole 76c of the stub 40 does not rotate. The tab 30 is used to rotate the water holes 76a,b of the valve piece 54 and the barrel 52 into and out of alignment with the water hole 76c of the stub 40. When all the waterholes 76a,b,c are aligned, water 32 may flow from the outer container 31 into the centre of the core piece 46 and then to the mouthpiece 26.

[0051] The core piece 46 is provided with the post 48 that is upstanding from the base of the barrel 52, thereby creating an annular space between the post 48 and the outer wall of the barrel 52. The mouthpiece 26 is of a conventional design and is generally mushroom-shaped with an enlarged head 25 and a hollow stem 27. A channel 44 extends through the mouthpiece 26 from top to bottom. The mouthpiece 26 pushes onto the post 48 of the core piece 46 such that the post 48 is received within the channel 44. The bottom of the stem 27 is provided with a pair of opposed shoulders 78 that locate within the water hole 76a provided in the barrel 52 of the core piece 46 and a second, matching hole 79 provided in the barrel 52. The mouthpiece 26 may slide up and down on the post 48 as guided by the outer wall of the barrel 52. The shoulders 78 fouling on an upper edge of the holes 76a and 79 prevents the mouthpiece 26 from being pulled off the core piece 46 (see FIG. 9b), although the mouthpiece 26 may be removed for cleaning as will be described below. In addition, two seals 81 are provided on the mouthpiece 26 that form a seal with the core piece 46 to prevent leakage. The seals 81 also provide a friction force that holds the mouthpiece 26 in its current position on the post 48.

[0052] The mouthpiece 26 is slid up and down the post 48 to open up and shut off flow of water 32 or gel 34. FIGS. 8a and 9a show the mouthpiece 26 in a closed position such that neither water 32 nor gel 34 may flow from the bottle 20. In this position, the mouthpiece 26 is pushed down on the post 48 such that the top of the post 48 sits flush with the top of the head 25 of the mouthpiece 26 to form a continuous surface. The top of the post 48 fills a narrowed exit orifice 45 of the channel 44 that extends through the mouthpiece 26. The channel 44 widens immediately below the exit orifice 45 to leave a gap 82 between the post 48 and the stem 27 that forms a conduit for the water 32 and gel 34 to flow through to reach the exit orifice 45. The gap 82 extends to the bottom of the stem 27 of the mouthpiece 26 to meet the volume within the core piece 46 and valve piece 54 adjacent the water holes 76a,b,c. Hence water 32 may flow into this volume and through the gap 82. However, in FIG. 8a, the water 32 is prevented from flowing from the mouthpiece 26 because the end of the post 48 fills the exit orifice 45 of the channel 44.

[0053] FIG. 8b shows the mouthpiece 26 moved up to the open position in which the shoulders 78 of the mouthpiece 26 are stopped by the upper edges of the water holes 76a provided in the core piece 46. In this open position, the exit orifice 45 of the channel 44 is raised clear of the post 48 such that water 42 may flow out of the mouthpiece 26. FIGS. 8a and 8b also show the water holes 76a,b,c in the barrel of the core piece 46, the valve piece 54 and the stub 40 aligned such that the water 32 has a continuous flow path from the outer container 31 of the bottle 20 to the exit orifice 45 at the mouthpiece 26.

[0054] To switch to delivery of the gel 34 from the pouch 28, the user rotates the tab 30. This rotates the core piece 46 and the valve piece 54 that are joined by the splines 74a,b. This sees the water holes 76a,b of the core piece 46 and the valve piece 54 move out of alignment from the water holes 76c of the stub 40 of the cap 56. Thus, water 32 can no longer flow from the outer container 31 to the exit orifice 45 at the mouthpiece 26.

[0055] In addition to moving the water holes 76a,b,c out of alignment, rotation of the tab 30 brings two sets of three gel holes 84a,b,c into alignment, as shown in FIGS. 9a and 9b. A pair of gel holes 84a are provided in the base of the barrel 52, to either side of the prongs 70. A corresponding pair of gel holes 84b are provided in the base of the valve piece 54, to either side of the central aperture 51b. The splines 74a,b keep the holes 84a,b in the core piece 46 and valve piece 54 aligned at all times. A pair of gel holes 84c are provided in the bottom of the stub 40. When the tab 30 is rotated into the position shown in FIG. 10, the two sets of gel holes 84a,b,c align to form a pair of passages 84 linking the pouch 28 to the interior of the core piece 46. Hence, the gel 34 may pass from the pouch 28, through the gel holes 84a,b,c into the core piece 46, and then up through the gap 82 between the post 48 and the stem of the mouthpiece 26. If the mouthpiece 26 is set to the open position, as shown in FIG. 9b, the gel 34 may flow from the exit orifice 45 of the mouthpiece 26. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 9a, the mouthpiece 26 may be pushed down such that the top of the post 48 blocks the exit orifice of the mouthpiece 26.

[0056] When not in use, the mouthpiece 26 will be kept in the closed position shown in

[0057] FIGS. 8a and 9a. This prevents water 32 or gel 34 leaking from the bottle 20. When the user wants to drink water 32, the user first ensures that the tab 30 is set to the correct position. To aid this, the top of the cap 56 may be provided with indicia 97 to indicate the required positions of the tab 30 for water and gel delivery. In addition, the positions may be at the ends of a range of rotation of the tab 30. As shown in FIGS. 10a and 10b, the tab 40 sits within a notch 86 provided in the top of the cap 56. At its two extreme positions, the tab 30 abuts against the end walls of the notch 86, and these two extreme positions correspond to the positions for water delivery (FIG. 10b) and gel delivery (FIG. 10a). Further or alternative features may be provided to indicate the correct positions for water and gel delivery. For example, the tab 30 may provided with a slot that aligns with a ridge provided on the rim of the cap 56 within the notch 86 to guide the rotation of the tab 30. Also, edges of the slot 88 may catch on a protrusion provided on the ridge as the tab 30 is rotated, thereby providing tactile feedback to the user to confirm that the position for water delivery has been correctly engaged.

[0058] With the tab 30 set to the water delivery position of FIG. 10b, the user may pull up on the mouthpiece 26, for example using their teeth. This moves the mouthpiece 26 up into the open position shown in FIG. 8b. Water 32 may now flow freely from the bottle 20, when the user squeezes the body 22 of the bottle 20 to force the water 32 out and/or when the user sucks on the mouthpiece 26.

[0059] Air is admitted into the outer container 31 through the air inlet 62 via the umbrella valve 58. As the user sucks on the mouthpiece 26, a volume of water 32 flows from the outer container 31 creating a pressure drop in the outer container 31. The pressure drop causes the umbrella valve 58 to open and air rushes into the outer container 31 to replace the volume of water 32 lost from the outer container 31. This maintains the shape of the bottle 20. Alternatively, if the user squeezes the bottle 20 to force water 32 out of the mouthpiece 26, the bottle 20 will return to its undeformed shape when the user releases his or her grip on the bottle 26. Once the grip on the bottle 20 is released, air may rush back into the outer container 31 through the air inlet 62. When not in use, the outer container 31 is at ambient pressure such that the umbrella valve 58 seals around the air inlet 62. This prevents water 32 leaking from the air inlet 62.

[0060] When the user wants to consume gel 34, the user sets the tab 30 to the gel delivery position shown in FIG. 10a, and moves the mouthpiece 26 to the open position shown in FIG. 9b. Most energy gels 34 have a viscosity that means they will not readily flow out of the bottle 20. To consume the gel 34, the user squeezes the body 22 of the bottle 20. The water 32 cannot flow from the outer container 31 as the water valves 76a,b,c are not aligned (see FIG. 9b) and the umbrella valve 58 is closed. Hence, the force applied by the user to the body 22 of the bottle 20 is transmitted to the pouch 28. As the pouch 28 is squeezed, gel 34 is forced out of the pouch 28 through the aligned gel holes 84a,b,c (see FIG. 9b) and to the mouthpiece 26. The gel 34 is then expelled from the exit orifice 45.

[0061] To ensure quick delivery of gel 34 to the user, the pouch 28 should be empty of air. Otherwise, the initial squeezing effort merely forces air out of the pouch 28. This is achieved by the air inlet 62 and the umbrella valve 58. When the user stops squeezing the bottle 20 to force gel 34 from the mouthpiece 26, the bottle 20 returns to its undeformed shape due to the resilient body 22. This causes a pressure drop in the outer container 31 which activates the umbrella valve 58 to allow air to rush back into the outer container 31 through the air inlet 62 to equalize the pressure in the outer container 31 with ambient pressure. Consequently, a constant pressure is maintained in the outer container 31 that is exerted on the pouch 28 thereby preventing the pouch 28 from filling with air.

[0062] Pouches 28 of different sizes may be provided. The pouch shown in FIG. 4 is big enough to hold the contents of two or three regularly-sized energy gel packs (260 ml or 340 ml). The pouch 28 may be filled by removing the lid 24 from the body 22, and unscrewing the pouch 28 from the lid 24. The threaded aperture 38 provided in the pouch 28 is large to make filling with gel easier.

[0063] When the pouch 28 is partially filled, it is better for the user to remove air from the pouch 28. This may be done by squeezing the pouch 28 as it is reattached to the lid 24, and by sucking out any remaining air through the mouthpiece 26 before the lid 24 is screwed back onto the body 22.

[0064] The body 24 may be provided with marks to indicate how much water 32 should be added to the body 22 depending on the amount of gel 34 in the pouch 28. This assists in not overfilling water 32 such that water 32 is displaced from the bottle 20 when the lid 24 is placed back onto the body 22 and the pouch 28 enters the water 32.

[0065] FIG. 11 shows a tool 94 that allows the lid 24 and switch assembly 41 to be taken apart for cleaning. The tool 94 is cup-shaped and provided with an internal thread 96 that corresponds to the thread provided on the pouch 28. This allows the tool 94 to be tightened on the threads 42 of the stub 40 provided on the underside of the cap 56. The tool 94 is provided with an external fin 98 that may be grasped and used to screw the tool 94 onto the stub 40.

[0066] The tool 94 is also provided with a sloping ring 100 that faces upwardly as the tool 94 is screwed onto the stub 40. As the tool 94 moves closer to the core piece 46, the ring 100 contacts the tapering sides 71 of the prongs 70 of the core piece 46. The sloping surface of the ring 100 deflects the prongs 70 inwardly such that the shoulders 72 of the prongs 70 disengage from the underside of the central aperture 51a provided in the bottom of the stub 40. This allows the core piece 46 and mouthpiece 26 to be lifted from the bottle 20 by grasping the mouthpiece 26. The mouthpiece 26 and core piece 46 lift off the cap 56 together as the prongs pass through the apertures in the cap 56 and valve piece 54. The mouthpiece 26 may be freed from the core piece 46 by the user pressing the shoulders 78 at the base of the stem 27 of the mouthpiece 26 inwardly through the holes 76a and 79 provided in the core piece 46. Once the shoulders 78 are clear of the holes 76a and 79, the mouthpiece 26 may be slid off the post 44 of the core piece 46. The valve piece 54 may be lifted out of the recess 68 in the cap 56.

[0067] The disassembled parts of the lid 24 may be cleaned thoroughly. To reassemble the lid 24, the tool 94 is removed from the cap 56, the valve piece 54 is returned to the recess 68 in the cap 56, the mouthpiece 26 is slid back down the post 44 of the core piece 46, and the mouthpiece 26 and core piece 46 are pushed back into the valve piece 54 with the splines 74a,b aligned and such that the prongs 70 pass through the central apertures 51a,b in the cap 56 and valve piece 54, and snap open to hold the core piece 46 in place. The splines 74a,b have a non-symmetric arrangement such that the core piece 46 fits into the valve piece 54 in a unique orientation that aligns the water holes 76a,b

[0068] A person skilled in the art will appreciate that the above embodiments may be varied in many different respects without departing from the scope of the present invention that is defined by the appended claims.

[0069] For example, the body 22 may have one of a number of different sizes to accommodate different amounts of water 32 or other liquid beverage. For example, the body 22 may form an outer container 31 that holds 500 ml, 600 ml, 750 ml of 1 l of water. Also, the pouch 28 may be of different sizes to accommodate different amounts of gel 34. The bottle 20 may be supplied with pouches of different sizes, but having a common size of threaded aperture 38 to allow them all to be attached to the stub 40.

[0070] The bottle 20 need not be used with water 32 and/or gel 34. Any liquid beverage may be used in the outer container 31, and any gel 34, liquid or flowable substance may be used in the inner container 33.

[0071] Although the figures show a bottle 20 with a single air inlet 62, further air inlets 62 connecting the outer container 31 to the ambient atmosphere may be provided. Advantageously, the air inlet(s) 62 is (are) provided at the top of the bottle 20, for example in the lid 24, but could be provided in the body 22 of the bottle 20. An umbrella valve 58 is but one example of a one-way valve that regulates air admittance into the outer chamber 31. Other forms of one-way valve may be used in the place of the umbrella valve 58. Where multiple air inlets 62 are provided, each air inlet 62 should be provided with a one-way valve such as an umbrella valve 58.