Cap Assembly and Bottle Assembly

Abstract

The present application provides a cap assembly and a bottle assembly. The cap assembly includes a cap, an inner cylinder assembly, an elastic member and a blocking member. The cap includes a cap top and a cap side portion. The cap side portion is formed by extending downwardly from an outer edge of the cap top, and the cap top and the cap side portion define a cap cavity. The inner cylinder assembly is connected to the cap top, is arranged in the cap cavity, and forms an annular receiving portion with the cap side portion. The elastic member is arranged in the receiving portion. The blocking member is arranged in the receiving portion below the elastic member. The cap is provided with at least one locking portion for preventing the elastic member and the blocking member from falling from the receiving portion. The cap assembly has a lower height, and gas in a bottle body cavity can be exhausted from the bottle through an exhaust passage during opening of the bottle assembly according to the present application, especially when in an exhaust state.

Claims

1. A cap assembly, characterized by comprising: a cap (102) comprising a cap top (122) and a cap side portion (124) being formed by extending downwardly from an outer edge of the cap top (122), the cap top (122) and the cap side portion (124) defining a cap cavity (128); an inner cylinder assembly (104) connected to the cap top (122), arranged in the cap cavity (128), and forming an annular receiving portion (302) with the cap side portion (124); an elastic member (106) arranged in the receiving portion (302); and a blocking member (108) arranged in the receiving portion (302) below the elastic member (106); wherein the cap (102) is provided with at least one locking portion (126) for preventing the elastic member (106) and the blocking member (108) from falling from the receiving portion (302).

2. The cap assembly according to claim 1, wherein the elastic member (106) is a wave spring, and the blocking member (108) is annular.

3. The cap assembly according to claim 1, wherein each of the at least one locking portion (126) is arranged on an inner surface of the cap side portion (124) and is formed by extending inwardly from the inner surface; and the blocking member (108) is provided with at least one recess (152) formed by being recessed inwardly in an outer edge of the blocking member (108), and the at least one recess (152) is arranged to correspond to the at least one locking portion (126).

4. The cap assembly according to claim 1, wherein each of the at least one locking portion (126) is arranged at a distance from a lower surface of the cap top (122) to accommodate the elastic member (106) and the blocking member (108).

5. The cap assembly according to claim 1, wherein The at least one locking portion (126) of the cap assembly is configured to cooperate with at least one locking receiving portion (206) of a bottle, and the elastic member (106) is configured such that the elastic member (106) applies opposite forces to the bottle and the cap (102) when the at least one locking portion (126) is accommodated in the at least one locking receiving portion (206), so as to hold the at least one locking portion (126) in the at least one locking receiving portion (206).

6. A bottle assembly, characterized by comprising: the cap assembly of claim 1; and a bottle defining an annular mouth (202), the mouth (202) being capable of being received in the cap cavity (128).

7. The bottle assembly according to claim 6, wherein the bottle comprises a bottle head (200) provided with at least one locking passage (204), the at least one locking passage (204) is arranged to correspond to the at least one locking portion (126) for accommodating the locking portion (126).

8. The bottle assembly according to claim 7, wherein each of the at least one locking passage (204) is arranged on an outer surface of the bottle head (200), and is formed by recessed downwardly and to one side from the mouth (202); wherein each of the at least one locking passage (204) is further provided with a locking receiving portion (206), and a top of the locking receiving portion is higher than a top of the locking passage (204) adjacent thereto.

9. The bottle assembly according to claim 8, wherein the bottle assembly has a closed state and an exhaust state, when the bottle assembly is in the closed state, the locking portion (126) is located in the locking receiving portion (206) and when the bottle assembly is in the exhaust state, the locking portion (126) is located in the locking passage (204) between the locking receiving portion (206) and the mouth (202).

10. The bottle assembly according to claim 9, further comprising: a first seal ring (132) sleeved on the inner cylinder assembly (104); and a second seal ring (134) sleeved on the inner cylinder assembly (104) and is located below the first seal ring (132); wherein when the bottle assembly is in the closed state, the first seal ring (132) and the second seal ring (134) contact the bottle; and when the bottle assembly is in the exhaust state, the first seal ring (132) contacts the bottle and the second seal ring (134) is disengaged from the bottle.

11. The bottle assembly according to claim 10, wherein the bottle head (200) is provided with an exhaust passage (208), and the exhaust passage (208) is arranged through the bottle head (200); wherein when the bottle assembly is in the exhaust state, the first seal ring (132) and the second seal ring (134) are respectively located above and below the exhaust passage (208).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] The features and advantages of the present application can be better understood by reading the following detailed description with reference to accompanying drawings. In all the accompanying drawings, the same reference numeral represents the same component. In the accompanying drawings:

[0017] FIGS. 1A-1B are perspective views of a cap assembly according to the present application;

[0018] FIGS. 1C-1D are exploded views of the cap assembly shown in FIG. 1A;

[0019] FIG. 2A is a perspective view of a bottle head and a bottle neck matching with a cap assembly according to the present application;

[0020] FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view of the bottle head and the bottle neck shown in FIG. 2A;

[0021] FIG. 3A is a perspective view of a bottle assembly according to the present application;

[0022] FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view of the bottle assembly shown in FIG. 3A in a closed state; and

[0023] FIG. 3C is a cross-sectional view of the bottle assembly as shown in FIG. 3A in an exhaust state.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] Various specific implementations of the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings which form a part of this description. It should be understood that, in the following accompanying drawings, the same reference numeral is used for the same component.

[0025] Various specific implementations of the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings which form a part of this description. It should be understood that although the terms indicating directions, such as upper, lower, left, right, inner, outer, and so on are used in the present application to describe structural parts and elements in various examples of the present application, these terms are used herein only for ease of description and are determined based on the exemplary orientations as shown in the accompanying drawings. Since the embodiments disclosed in the present application can be arranged in different directions, these terms indicating directions are merely illustrative and should not be considered as limitations.

[0026] FIGS. 1A-1B are perspective views of a cap assembly 100 according to the present application. FIGS. 1C-1D are exploded views of the cap assembly 100 shown in FIG. 1A. As shown in FIGS. 1A-1D, the cap assembly 100 comprises a cap 102 and an inner cylinder assembly 104. The cap 102 comprises a cap top 122 and a cap side portion 124. Specifically, the cap top 122 is substantially disc-shaped. The cap side portion 124 extends downward from an outer edge of the cap top 122 to form an annular shape. The cap top 122 and the cap side portion 124 define a cap cavity 128 with an opening facing downward. The inner cylinder assembly 104 is arranged in the cap cavity 128. Specifically, the inner cylinder assembly 104 comprises a first cylinder 141 and a second cylinder 143 which are connected to each other. The first cylinder 141 is arranged above the second cylinder 143. A top of the first cylinder 141 is connected to a lower surface of the cap top 122, such that an annular receiving portion 302 (see FIG. 3B) is formed between the cap side portion 124 and the first cylinder 141. A central axis of the first cylinder 141 coincides with a central axis of the second cylinder 143, and the first cylinder 141 has an outer diameter greater than that of the second cylinder 143, thus forming a stepped portion.

[0027] As shown in FIGS. 1A-1D, the cap assembly 100 further comprises a first seal ring 132 and a second seal ring 134 for contact with a bottle for sealing. The first seal ring 132 is sleeved on the outer side of the first cylinder 141, the second seal ring 134 is sleeved on the outer side of the second cylinder 143, and the first seal ring 132 is arranged above the second seal ring 134.

[0028] As shown in FIGS. 1C-1D, the cap assembly 100 further comprises an elastic member 106 and a blocking member 108 which are arranged in the receiving portion 302. Specifically, the elastic member 106 is a spring having a short height. In the present application, the elastic member 106 is a wave spring. The wave spring is substantially annular and arranged in the form of a wave in a height direction. When the wave spring is subjected to an external force in a vertical direction, the wave spring can deform with a reduced height. Although a single ring (i.e.: one turn) of wave spring indicated in the present application is provided, in other embodiments, at least two turns of wave springs can be used. The blocking member 108 is substantially annular and arranged below the elastic member 106. In the present application, the blocking member 108 is provided with four recesses 152 uniformly arranged in a circumferential direction. The recesses 152 is formed by being recessed inwardly in an outer edge of the blocking member 108.

[0029] As shown in FIGS. 1C-1D, the cap side portion 124 is provided with four locking portions 126 for preventing the elastic member 106 and the blocking member 108 from falling from the receiving portion 302. Specifically, the four locking portions 126 are arranged on an inner surface of the cap side portion 124 and are formed by extending inwardly from the inner surface. The four locking portions 126 are uniformly arranged in the circumferential direction. Each of the four locking portions 126 is arranged at a distance from the lower surface of the cap top 122 to accommodate the elastic member 106 and the blocking member 108.

[0030] Referring to FIGS. 1C-1D, during assembly, an assembler may place the wave spring in the receiving portion 302. The wave spring has a certain deformability and can be accommodated in the receiving portion 302 across the locking portions 126. The assembler may then align the recesses 152 in the blocking member 108 with the locking portions 126. After the blocking member 108 is accommodated in the receiving portion 302 across the locking portions 126, the assembler may slightly rotate the blocking member 108 to cause the recesses 152 to be misaligned with the locking portions 126 in the circumferential direction, thereby allowing the locking portions 126 to prevent the blocking member 108 and the elastic member 106 from falling from the receiving portion 302.

[0031] In a conventional cap assembly, a cap is provided with a thread on an inner side to match with a thread provided on a bottle, so as to be connected to the bottle. However, the inventors of the present application have found that when the cap is connected to a bottle body by means of threads, the cap assembly has a higher height occupied by the threads. Especially in the field of vehicles, a higher cap assembly would lead to a higher overall height of the front of a vehicle.

[0032] In the present application, the cap 102 of the cap assembly 100 is provided with no thread, and the cap 102 is held in place by the cooperation of the locking portions 126 and the bottle. More specifically, the cap assembly 100 is configured such that when the cap 102 is tightly fastened on the bottle body, the elastic member 106 is compressed by a force in the vertical direction, such that upward and downward forces (i.e., forces in opposite directions) are respectively applied to the cap 102 and the bottle body, thereby holding the cap 102 in place. As an example, the wave spring in the present application has a height of 5 mm when the wave spring is not subjected to an external force, and the height of the wave spring is even lower when the wave spring is compressed by the external force. Due to the lower height of the elastic member in the cap assembly 100 according to the present application, it is possible to achieve a lower height of the cap assembly.

[0033] The cap assembly according to the present application may match with a corresponding bottle to cap the bottle. The bottle comprises a bottle head 200, a bottle neck 201 and a bottle body (not shown). FIG. 2A is a perspective view of the bottle head 200 and the bottle neck 201 matching with the cap assembly 100 according to the present application, and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view of the bottle head 200 and the bottle neck 201 shown in FIG. 2A. As shown in FIGS. 2A-2B, the bottle head 200 is arranged above the bottle neck 201 and connected to the bottle neck 201. Both the bottle head 200 and the bottle neck 201 are substantially annular, and the bottle head 200 has an inner diameter greater than that of the bottle neck 201, thus forming a shape matching with the stepped portion of the cap assembly 100. The bottle head 200 and the bottle neck 201 define a bottle passage 203. The bottle body defines a bottle body cavity (not shown) in communication with the bottle passage 203. The bottle head 200 further defines an annular mouth 202 at the top, and defines an opening 201 in communication with the bottle passage 203. The mouth 202 is configured to be capable of being received in the cap cavity 128.

[0034] As shown in FIGS. 2A-2B, the bottle head 200 is provided with four locking passages 204 uniformly arranged in the circumferential direction, so as to be arranged respectively to correspond to the four locking portions 126 for accommodating the locking portions 126. Each locking passage 204 is arranged on an outer surface of the bottle head 200, and is formed by recessed downwardly and to the left side from the mouth 202. A locking receiving portion 206 is provided at a closed end of each locking passage 204. A top of the locking receiving portion 206 is higher than a top of the locking passage 204 adjacent thereto on the right thereof, such that it is possible to prevent the locking portion 126 from escapping from the locking receiving portion 206 when the locking portion 126 of the cap assembly 100 is received in the locking receiving portion 206.

[0035] As shown in FIGS. 2A-2B, an exhaust passage 208 is further provided in a lower part of a side wall of the bottle head 200. The exhaust passage 208 is arranged through the bottle head 200 in a radial direction to enable a gas in the bottle body cavity to be exhausted from the bottle through the exhaust passage 208.

[0036] It should be noted that although four recesses 152, four locking portions 126 and four locking passages 204, which are uniformly arranged in the circumferential direction, are shown in the present application, any number of locking portions 126 fall within the scope of protection of the present application, as long as the numbers and positions of the recesses 152 and the locking passages 204 correspond to the number and position of the locking portions 126.

[0037] It should also be noted that although the locking passages 204 are arranged on the outer surface of the bottle head 200 and formed by recessed downwardly and to the left side from the mouth 202 in the present application, the locking passages 204 may also be recessed to the right side in other embodiments. In addition, although the locking receiving portion 206 is arranged at the closed end of the locking passage 204 in the present application, the locking receiving portion 206 may also be arranged in the middle of the locking passage 204 in other embodiments, as long as the top of the locking receiving portion 206 is higher than the top of the locking passage 204 adjacent thereto.

[0038] In the present application, the bottle assembly comprises a cap assembly 100 as shown in FIG. 1A and a bottle as shown in FIG. 2A. The cap assembly 100 is movable relative to the bottle. The bottle assembly has a closed state and an exhaust state. When the bottle assembly is in the closed state, the cap assembly 100 is capable of capping the opening 201 at the mouth 202 and the exhaust passage 208 in a sealed manner, thereby sealing the bottle. When the bottle assembly is in the exhaust state, the cap assembly 100 is capable of capping the opening 201 at the mouth 202 in a sealed manner, but does not seal the exhaust passage 208, enabling the gas in the bottle to be exhausted from the bottle through the exhaust passage 208.

[0039] FIG. 3A is a perspective view of a bottle assembly according to the present application, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view of the bottle assembly as shown in FIG. 3A. In FIGS. 3A-3B, the bottle assembly is in the closed state. As shown in FIGS. 3A-3B, when the bottle assembly is in the closed state, the locking portion 126 is located in the locking receiving portion 206, and the wave spring is in a compressed state, applying forces in opposite directions respectively to the cap 102 and the mouth 202 so as to hold the locking portion 126 in the locking receiving portion 206. The first seal ring 132 and the second seal ring 134 are respectively in contact with inner walls of the bottle head 200 and the bottle neck 201. In other words, the second seal ring 134 not only seals the bottle body cavity, but also seals the exhaust passage 208. When it is necessary to open the cap assembly 100, an operator may press the cap 102 down and rotate the cap 102, such that the locking portions 126 in the cap 102 rotates out of the locking passages 204.

[0040] FIG. 3C is a cross-sectional view of the bottle assembly as shown in FIG. 3A in an exhaust state. As shown in FIG. 3C, when the bottle assembly is in the exhaust state, the locking portion 126 is located in the locking passage 204 between the locking receiving portion 206 and the mouth 202. The blocking member 108 and the elastic member 106 move downwardly due to gravity and abut against an upper surface of the mouth 202. The first seal ring 132 is in contact with the inner wall of the bottle head 200, however, the second seal ring 134 is disengaged from the inner wall of the bottle neck 201. In other words, the first seal ring 132 seals the bottle passage 203, thus sealing the bottle body cavity. However, because the second seal ring 134 is no longer in contact with the inner wall of the bottle neck 201, the bottle body cavity may communicate with the exhaust passage 208, enabling the gas in the bottle body cavity to be exhausted from the bottle through the exhaust passage 208. This makes it possible to prevent a gas (e.g., a high-temperature refrigerant gas) from gushing out through the mouth 202 during opening of the cap assembly 100.

[0041] Although the present application is described in conjunction with the examples of embodiments outlined above, various alternatives, modifications, variations, improvements, and/or substantial equivalents that are known or current or to be anticipated before long may be obvious to those of at least ordinary skill in the art. Furthermore, the technical effects and/or technical problems described in this description are exemplary rather than limiting; therefore, the application in this description may be used to solve other technical problems and have other technical effects and/or may solve other technical problems. Accordingly, the examples of the embodiments of the present application as set forth above are intended to be illustrative rather than limiting. Various changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the present application. Therefore, the present application is intended to embrace all known or earlier disclosed alternatives, modifications, variations, improvements, and/or substantial equivalents.