Sippy Cap Hygienic Replacement Bottle Cap

Abstract

A hygienic bottle cap to replace the standard sized, standard designed cap or bottle top commonly found on plastic bottles and adapt the opening for use with kids spouts such as sippy cup spouts, nipples, straws and the like while providing flow control/spill resistance.

Claims

1. A drinking spout having form that limits the internal radii at all formed corners such that all interior surfaces are readily washable, and attaches to a typical bottle opening, while sealing the attachment point, and introduces an opening for a flow from inside the bottle and out through a nipple drinking detail that interfaces with a user's mouth, furthermore being made of flexible materials and is manually pressed over the threads of the bottle opening, further having details to retain to the spout to the opening with an interference fit over the bottle threads.

2. The drinking spout of claim 1 wherein the radius of any internal corner is 0.75 times the thickness of the material with which the spout is made.

3. The drinking spout of claim 1 having a flow control detail to reduce spillage such as but not limited to a pliable, normally closed but vacuum or fluid pressure opened valve at either one of the two ends of the spout, and a large top opening such that the interior of the spout on the valve end is readily washable and the interior of the opening is readily washable.

4. The drinking spout of claim 1 having an adapter, tube and spout configuration wherein the three components can be molded and adhered as a single unit, or are separable; the three components include a flexible bodied adapter that fits over the bottle opening, a tubular insert to pierce the top of the adapter, and a spout at the top of the tubular insert, thus creating an opening between inside and outside of the bottle, further, said adapters physically secure to the bottle opening with an interference fit and can be threaded or secured with an interference fit, flow control is provided by linear openings in the portion of the adapter that rests over the opening, said linear openings unflex to a closed position and form a seal when a tubular insert is not inserted, said adapters can be used without the tubular insert by squeezing or sucking on the bottle, said tubular inserts can be used without a spout attached, tubular inserts also have external retention details with interference fits to the adapter, further said spouts physically contact the user's mouth and are any of the type including but not limited to flip up spouts, straws, bottle nipples, baby nipples, wide spouts, twist to open spouts, and others having a generally hollow design that allows fluid to pass from the bottle and generally to the user.

5. The drinking spout in claim 1 wherein the materials used are made with materials impregnated with substances that reduce the propensity to grow contaminants, such but not limited to antimicrobial, antibacterial, and disinfecting substances.

6. The drinking spout in claim 1 wherein an invertible nipple and body are used as a single piece or as two attached components, the nipple being made of a pliable material such as rubber, and formed such that when the nipple is inverted from an extended orientation, any sharp corners that are made by the nipple in an extended orientation are exposed by the inversion; furthermore, outer corners and forms are made such that sharp corners are not created by the inversion, thus allowing all internal surfaces of the device to be more readily cleaned.

7. The drinking spout in claim 1 wherein the adapter and spout are sealed using an original bottle cap, whereby the adapter has internal threads that fit onto and seal the bottle opening, a rigid, tubular center section and external threads to receive the original bottle cap; and the spout formed as a nipple made of flexible material with an extended and a retracted orientation such that the nipple holds its position in each of the two functional states.

8. The drinking spout in claim 1 having an adapter and spout with an extended and vaned structure that is manually pushed inside the bottle through the bottle opening; having one or more vanes made of flexible materials and aligned along the center axis of the drinking spout; creating an interference and sealing fit between the inside of the bottle and the at least one vane.

9. The drinking spout in claim 1 wherein the assembly has external and internal threads on first and second, opposite ends of a short, cylindrical spout body; at the first end, external threads are present at a size sufficient to fit and are manually rotated and threaded to secure to the inside of a standard, threaded bottle cap; and at the second end, internal threads are present at size sufficient to fit and manually rotated and threaded to secure to the outside of a standard bottle opening.

10. The drinking spout in claim 1 wherein the adapter and spout include a nipple and are made of one flexible material, the spout having three stable, functional states of extended, collapsed and inverted; furthermore, the functional states being achieved by a user pushing along the center axis in either direction; in the extended state the spout is sized at one end to be manually pressed or threaded onto the bottle opening; in the collapsed state the spout has a generally planar, disc shape; in the inverted state, the inverted device is ready for cleaning, having been turned inside out, thus exposing any internal corners to the outside.

11. The drinking spout in claim 1 having two separate components, those being a cover and an inserted nipple; wherein the cover is made of a single, flexible material such as rubber or a polymer, and is manually screwed or pressed onto a standard sized bottle opening; the cover having linear slits to provide both a flow control when used without a nipple adapter and providing a clearance hole to receive a nipple adapter; the flow control allows use with or without an inserted nipple; the nipple being hollow, generally rigid and having a mouth interface at one end and a tubular shape at the other end, and the tubular end of the nipple is manually inserted through the cap linear slits to create a fluid path between the inside of the bottle, through the spout and to the outside and user.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL DRAWINGS

[0026] Drawings of the various embodiments is included with this specification to provide an exemplary description.

[0027] FIG. 1 Demonstration of an exemplary embodiment of a hygienic bottle spout that reuses the original cap.

[0028] FIG. 2 Demonstration of an exemplary embodiment of a hygienic bottle spout with an invertible spout.

[0029] FIG. 3 Demonstration of an exemplary embodiment of a hygienic bottle spout with a wine stopper arrangement.

[0030] FIG. 4 Demonstration of an exemplary embodiment of a hygienic bottle spout with a two-part puncture seal, tube and nipple arrangement.

[0031] FIG. 5 Demonstration of an exemplary embodiment of a hygienic bottle spout with a 3-state nipple adapter arrangement.

[0032] FIG. 6 Demonstration of an exemplary embodiment of a hygienic bottle spout with a resilient balloon adapter.

[0033] FIG. 7 Demonstration of an exemplary embodiment of a duck bill type valve.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] In FIG. 1 100 is an assembly drawing demonstration of an exemplary embodiment of a hygienic bottle spout that reuses the 110 original cap. 120 demonstrates the bottle spout assembly with the 140 flexible polymeric or rubber nipple extended and projecting above the bottle spout. 130 demonstrates the bottle spout assembly with the 140 nipple inverted. With the 140 nipple inverted, the 110 cap can be screwed onto the bottle spout over the outer threads of the 150 upper body of the bottle spout assembly. In turn, the hard plastic 160 lower body of the bottle spout assembly has internal threads that fit a standard bottle, and is screwed onto the standard bottle opening. This embodiment reuses the bottle cap and inverts to improve cleanability. 190 illustrates the visible outside location where there are internal corner locations that must meet the 0.75T radial requirement, here where the nipple is attached to the inside of the body of the spout.

[0035] In FIG. 2 is a demonstration of an exemplary embodiment of a hygienic bottle spout with a 220 flexible, invertible, covertype nipple that reuses an original bottle cap. 220 demonstrates the assembly of the bottle spout with the 220 nipple extended above the assembly. 230 demonstrates the assembly of the bottle spout with the 220 nipple inverted below the assembly, thus allowing the use of a bottle cap. The 250 spout body has an upper external threaded portion and a lower internal threaded portion. 220 also has one or more slits cut through it and above the bottle opening to allow a flow between the inside and outside of the bottle. 290 illustrates the visible outside location where there are internal corner locations that must meet the 0.75T radial requirement, here where the nipple is attached to the inside of the body of the spout.

[0036] FIG. 3 Assembly 300 demonstrates an exemplary embodiment of a hygienic bottle spout with a wine stopper arrangement. 310 is a mouth interface, spout opening. 320 is a rigid standoff section to limit travel the bottle spout into the bottle. 330 demonstrates a hollow neck that contains a valve. 340 demonstrates 2 flexible vanes. 350 demonstrates a larger vane, to retain the inserted portion of the bottle spout assembly inside the bottle. 360 demonstrates an intake or vent tube that can have a length near the bottom of the bottle to assist in the flow of air back into the bottle. 390 illustrates the visible outside locations where there are internal corner locations that must meet the 0.75T radial requirement. Here, this is where the vanes attach to the body of the assembly and where the vent tube connects to the body; also inside where the 330 valve is connected to the body, above and below the valve.

[0037] FIG. 4 Demonstration of an exemplary embodiment of a hygienic bottle spout with a three-part puncture seal, tube and nipple arrangement. The 410 flexible rubber or polymer cap fits over the top of a bottle. The 420 slits demonstrate the opening through which 440 tube is pierced, but also demonstrates the normally closed, sealing position. 430 nipple is integrated or separable from the 440 tube. 450 is the assembly view of the 410 flexible cap shown on the bottleready to receive the 440 tube. 490 illustrates the visible outside locations where there are internal corner locations that must meet the 0.75T radial requirement. Here, this is where the 440 cap has internal, circumferential corner between the cylindrical portion and its flat top portion.

[0038] FIG. 5, the 500 assembly demonstration of an exemplary embodiment of a hygienic bottle spout with a 3-state nipple adapter arrangement. The first state 510 extended assembly is the ready to drink state. The second state 520 assembly is collapsed and appropriate for packaging or storage. The third state 530 assembly is inverted and ready for cleaning by exposing the inside of the nipple to the outside. All components can be of one material, and would press or thread onto a standard bottle top, in the first state. 590 illustrates the visible outside locations where there are internal corner locations that must meet the 0.75T radial requirement. Here, where the flexible nipple section meets the cylindrical body, at least when in the inverted position but preferably when in either of the three positions.

[0039] FIG. 6 Demonstration of an exemplary embodiment of a hygienic bottle spout with a resilient balloon adapter. 610 is a single piece sized to fit over a standard bottle opening with an elastic interference fit, like a glove. The single piece spout is flexible, made of rubber or polymer. The single piece may be inverted to expose the interior of the spout, for easy cleaning. The hand demonstrates that the spout is flexible. 690 illustrates the visible outside locations where there are internal corner locations that must meet the 0.75T radial requirement. Here, this is where the 440 cap has internal, circumferential corner between the cylindrical portion and its flat top portion.

[0040] FIG. 7 Demonstration of an exemplary embodiment of a duck bill type valve. 790 illustrates the visible outside locations where there are internal corner locations that must meet the 0.75T radial requirement. Here, this is especially important at the corners along the 4 edges of the valve, and where the valve outer perimeter attaches to a spout assembly body.

[0041] FIG. 8 Demonstrates an embodiment of the spout.