CN111532577A

CN111532577A - Bottle cap

Info

Publication number: CN111532577A
Application number: CN202010080199.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 阿德里安·扎克尔; 伊万·菲尔斯特; 迪克·乌姆塞德尔-霍夫曼
Original assignee: Adivix Ltd
Current assignee: Adivix Ltd
Priority date: 2019-02-06
Filing date: 2020-02-05
Publication date: 2020-08-14
Anticipated expiration: 2040-02-05
Also published as: CN111532577B

Abstract

The present invention relates to a bottle cap for attachment to an opening of a bottle, having a hollow tube body and a drinking opening connected to the hollow tube body. In addition, a drinking area is provided, wherein the drinking opening is formed in the drinking area. The invention is characterized in that a plurality of small openings are formed in the drinking area, and a liquid container is arranged in the bottle cap. The liquid container is connected to the small opening in a fluid-tight manner. In addition, a dispenser is provided which, when activated, dispenses a predetermined amount of liquid from the liquid container via the small opening.

Description

Bottle cap

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a bottle cap for attachment to an opening of a bottle.

Background

The bottle cap has a hollow tube body that can extend into the interior of the bottle. In addition, the cap has a drinking opening connected to the hollow tube. Furthermore, a drinking area is provided, in which the drinking opening is arranged.

In other words, the cap may be screwed onto the drinking bottle, for example. In each case, the exact design of the connection to the bottle depends on how the bottle itself is designed. If it has, for example, an external thread, the cap is provided with a complementary internal thread. The hollow tube extending into the interior of the bottle preferably reaches the region of the bottom of the bottle as far as possible. However, this need not be the case. It may also be sufficient that the hollow tube extends to the end of the cap so that it is attached to the inside of the bottle body. The hollow tube body can also be configured in the form of a channel, which extends, for example, from the drinking area to the bottle-side end of the bottle cap.

The hollow bottle body terminates at the other end in a drinking opening disposed within the drinking area. This allows liquid to be drunk from the inside of the bottle via the cap.

According to the latest research by the world health organization, almost half of the germans can be classified as overweight. In the united states, up to 40% of the population is classified as overweight, but obese, according to the same criteria.

One of the reasons for this phenomenon is especially the consumption of high sugar beverages, which can lead to a very high calorie intake.

Although it is known that these situations should be avoided, for example by drinking instead, this often results in a loss of taste experience, so that they usually do not take into account the changes, especially for the target group in question.

Disclosure of Invention

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a bottle cap with which calorie intake can be reduced.

This object is achieved according to the invention by a closure having the following features.

Advantageous embodiments of the invention are described in the description and the drawings and the description of the figures.

According to the invention, the universal bottle cap is improved by providing a plurality of small openings in the drinking area, the diameter of which is smaller than the diameter of the drinking opening. In addition, a liquid container is provided in the bottle cap, which liquid container is connected to the small opening in a fluid-tight manner. In addition, a dispenser is provided, which can likewise be arranged in the bottle cap. With this dispenser, when activated, a predetermined amount of liquid is dispensed from the liquid container through the small opening.

The basic concept behind the present invention is to find that taste buds or gustatory nerves are not always active or do not always convey information to the brain when drinking. The invention is therefore based on the following observations: during drinking, information is essentially only transmitted from taste buds to the brain at the beginning and at the end and is processed in the brain. In other words, there is a taste experience mainly at the beginning and at the end of the drinking process.

The present invention seeks to exploit this finding. According to the invention, a liquid container is provided in the bottle cap, in which, for example, syrup or a tasty liquid is stored. The liquid can be dispensed in a targeted manner by the dispenser via a small opening in the drinking area.

It is preferred here that the dispensing takes place at the beginning and/or at the end of the consumption.

Thus, for example, there is water in the bottle itself which is known to contain no calories and to have hardly any taste. At the beginning of the drinking process, a small amount of (pre-definable) liquid is dispensed from the liquid container into the mouth of the drinker by means of the dispenser via the small opening. During this time, a taste experience is available. The user of the closure then drinks during which time the taste experience continues. At the end of the drinking process, a predetermined amount of liquid may be dispensed again, further emphasizing the taste experience.

This achieves a significant reduction in the total amount of calorie consumed during consumption, for example, compared to the consumption of a sweetened beverage. According to the invention, a mug or cup can also be regarded as a bottle.

In principle, a plurality of small openings can be designed arbitrarily. However, advantageously, they are configured to be used for atomizing liquids. The atomization at the beginning of the drinking process results in a particularly good distribution of the liquid from the liquid container into the mouth of the drinker, so that the taste experience of even small amounts of liquid can be enhanced.

Preferably, a stopper for closing the opening in a fluid-tight manner is provided in the drinking region, which stopper can be transferred from a closed position into an open position, for example by a vertical and/or rotational movement. By this type of design it is ensured that the bottle can be tightly closed using the closure according to the invention, so that the liquid in the bottle and the liquid in the container do not leak out during transport.

It is also advantageous that the dispenser is activated when the stopper is moved from the closed position to the open position. Likewise, the dispenser may alternatively or additionally be activated when the stopper is moved from the open position to the closed position.

By such a design, the desired result may be achieved, providing the drinker with a taste experience at the beginning of the drinking process and/or at the end of the drinking process. To this end, the closure according to the invention may be provided with a pull or push/pull system known in particular for sports bottles. In this case, the stopper is vertically moved upward from the bottle body for drinking. This is usually done by the player or drinker biting on the stopper and pushing the bottle slightly open. If the dispenser is attached to a bottle stopper, this results in dispensing of liquid from the liquid container, so that there is a taste experience just before the liquid in the bottle itself enters the mouth of the athlete.

Similarly, turning off may cause the athlete to experience the taste experience again. Overall, this gives the player the illusion that he is not drinking water, but is actually drinking the liquid present in the liquid container.

In an alternative embodiment, a flap for closing the drinking opening and the small opening in the drinking area may be provided. The flap may preferably be configured such that it is laterally hinged. With this type of construction, the bottle cap may have a stop for the flip cap, and the stop may be configured to activate the dispenser upon contact with the flip cap. The purpose of this design is that, at opening, a small amount of liquid from the liquid container can be sprayed through the dispenser into the mouth of the user before the actual drinking process begins.

In another embodiment, the bottle cap may be configured to be substantially cylindrical and may have an activator on a circumferential surface thereof for activating the dispenser. Ideally, the activator is positioned and dimensioned such that when the bottle is brought to the mouth, the activator is gripped and thereby activated. This configuration also allows a small amount of liquid from the liquid container to be sprayed into the user's mouth prior to the actual drinking process (i.e., ingesting the liquid from the bottle).

In a further embodiment, the dispenser has at least one pressure chamber which is connected in a fluid-tight manner to the liquid container and to the small opening and is located in the liquid dispensing path between the liquid container and the small opening. A quantity of liquid to be dispensed can be temporarily stored in the pressure chamber, for example, in order to empty the pressure chamber when the stopper of the bottle cap is opened and to spray the quantity of liquid therein into the mouth of the drinker. The provision of the pressure chamber makes construction simple and can also be used to define the maximum amount of liquid to be dispensed from the liquid container during drinking.

In this case, it is preferred that the dispenser is configured such that, when a predetermined amount of liquid has been dispensed from the pressure chamber, the pressure chamber can be refilled via the dispenser after dispensing. In this way, the correct quantity for the next drinking process can be automatically stored in the pressure chamber.

It has been shown that for a predetermined amount of liquid dispensed by the dispenser at one time, even a minimal amount is sufficient to produce a taste experience that the consumer thinks is sufficient. It is preferred here that the amount of liquid is about 1ml to 10ml, in particular 4ml to 6ml, and preferably 5 ml.

In principle, the dispenser can be designed arbitrarily. A particularly simple design provides for a pump mechanism which is designed for dispensing the liquid from the liquid container. If a pressure chamber is provided, liquid can be transferred from the liquid container into the pressure chamber by means of the pump mechanism. The pump mechanism may be designed in a number of ways, for example, mechanical, electrical and/or piezoelectric designs are feasible. The exact manner in which the pump mechanism is designed will depend to a large extent on the area of use.

For example, if a microcontroller, which may have an external communication interface, is additionally installed in the bottle cap, it is advantageous if the pump mechanism and/or the dispenser itself is of electrical design. Thereby, communication with the dispenser may be provided via the microcontroller in order to configure the dispenser in a more specific manner and/or retrieve log data, e.g. the number of drinking sessions etc.

To further improve the taste experience more than one liquid container may be provided. For example, two liquid containers may be provided, from one of which liquid is dispensed at the beginning of the drinking process and from the other at the end of the drinking process. This is another way of influencing the taste experience of the user.

Furthermore, the invention relates to a bottle with a bottle cap according to the invention. As already explained, in this case the bottle cap is suitably constructed and dimensioned such that it can be applied to a bottle. For example, the bottle cap may be sized so that it can be applied to standard PET bottles that are commercially available.

Drawings

The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to the drawings and by means of exemplary embodiments which are schematic. These drawings are as follows:

fig. 1 shows a schematic view of a bottle cap according to the present invention according to a first embodiment;

figure 2 shows a schematic view of a bottle cap according to the present invention according to a second embodiment;

figure 3 shows a schematic view of a closure according to the present invention according to another design.

In the three figures, like parts are indicated with like reference numerals.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 shows a first embodiment of a closure 1 according to the invention. The cap is connected to a bottle 40 having an external thread 41 by means of an internal thread 8.

The hollow tube 3 extends to the inside of the bottle 40 through the bottle cap 1. The upper end of such a hollow tubular body 3 is connected to a drinking opening 4 located in a drinking area 6. Below the drinking area 6, two

pressure chambers

13,14 are provided. Two

liquid containers

21,22 are again arranged below the two

pressure chambers

13, 14. The connection between the first pressure chamber 13 and the first liquid container 21 is realized by means of a suitable valve 15 on a common contact surface or dividing wall. The connection between the second pressure chamber 14 and the second liquid container 22 is also realized by means of a similar valve 15. The two

pressure chambers

13,14 are also connected to a small opening 11 for atomizing the fluid. A small opening 11 is provided in the drinking area 6.

At the upper end of the bottle cap a stopper 30 is constructed, which is made in the form of a nipple. In principle, the stopper has a known construction such that it exposes the drinking opening 4 when it is pulled out, so that liquid from the interior of the bottle 40 can be drunk through the drinking opening 4.

The function of the closure 1 according to the present invention will be described in more detail below. In this case, a dispenser consisting of parts of the closure 1 will also be discussed.

In the initial state, a predetermined amount of liquid is located in the first pressure chamber 13, while the second pressure chamber 14 is empty. If the stopper 30 is pulled upward, the bottom of the first pressure chamber 13 is also moved upward. This results in the liquid located in the first pressure chamber 13 being pressed out of the small opening 11.

When the stopper 30 is pulled upwards, the partition wall in the second pressure chamber 14 is also pushed downwards, so that a part of the liquid located in the second liquid container 22 is transported into the second pressure chamber 14 by the principle of communicating containers and appropriate valves.

With the stopper 30 open, the user can drink the contents of the bottle through the drinking opening 4. Once he wants to close the stopper 30 he pushes it downwards. Thereby, the bottom wall or the movable wall is pushed upwards in the second pressure chamber 14 by deflection, so that liquid from the second pressure chamber 14 can be dispensed through the small opening 11. Similarly, the partition wall in the first pressure chamber 13 is displaced downwards, whereby liquid from the first liquid container 21 is again conveyed into the first pressure chamber 13 via the valve 15.

Of course, in principle, other dispensing mechanisms that can operate in a similar manner by mechanical, electrical and piezoelectric means are also possible.

Thus, with the closure 1, it is possible according to the invention to first spray a certain amount of liquid into the mouth area of the user before starting the drinking process. This results in a taste experience corresponding to the selected liquid. The actual liquid from the bottle 40 is then ready for consumption. As mentioned before, this is preferably water which hardly contributes any to the taste experience during drinking.

When the closure 1 is closed, liquid is again sprayed from the second container 22 or the second pressure chamber 14 into the mouth of the user. This again enhances the taste experience, thus giving the user the illusion that the liquid with the taste is always being drunk.

In principle, it is of course also possible to provide dispensing only when open or only when closed. Likewise, it is not necessary to provide two different

liquid containers

21, 22.

In fig. 2 an alternative embodiment of a bottle cap 100 according to the present invention is shown. It differs from the closure 1 shown in fig. 1 mainly in that the stopper is not used for activating the dispenser. For this purpose, a lever 135 is provided on the circumferential surface 132. The lever 135 presses the pin 133 in the region of the circumferential surface 132 to activate the dispenser. In the simplest case, a suitable overpressure can be established in the container 21 by means of the lever 135, so that the liquid is sprayed out of the small opening 11 when the lever 135 or the pin 133 is actuated. Similarly, however, a micro-pump may be provided here, which can cause the pressure in the container 21 to increase due to the pulse triggered by the lever 135 or the pin 133, so that part of the liquid can be dispensed through the small opening 11. It can also be dispensed directly by a pump without increasing the pressure in the container 21.

In fig. 3 another embodiment of a bottle cap 200 according to the present invention is shown. The bottle cap has a flip cap 230. A pin 233 is further provided on the lid 230, and the pin 233 interacts with a stopper 231 provided on the circumferential surface 232 when the lid 230 is opened. The stopper may for example activate a pump which causes a small amount of liquid in the container to be dispensed via the small opening 11.

In principle, various means for dispensing the liquid in the container are conceivable, which can be realized in a manner known to the person skilled in the art. In each case, whether active pumping is achieved by a mechanical or electrical pump or by the application of external pressure depends on the desired embodiment.

However, important for the present invention is the following finding: a small portion of the liquid is dispensed before and/or after drinking so that the user feels as if he is drinking another liquid than water.

Therefore, with the bottle cap according to the present invention, the calorie intake during drinking can be reduced without significantly affecting the taste experience.

Claims

1. A closure (1,100,200) for attachment to an opening of a bottle (40),

having a hollow tubular body (3) extending inside the bottle (40),

having a drinking opening (4) connected to the hollow tube body (3),

having a drinking area (6), wherein the drinking opening (4) is arranged in the drinking area (6),

the bottle cap further comprises:

a plurality of small openings (11) which are configured in the drinking area (6) and have a smaller diameter than the drinking opening (4),

a liquid container (21,22) in the closure (1,100,200), the liquid container being connected to the small opening (11), and

a dispenser which, when activated, dispenses liquid from the liquid container (21,22) via the small opening (11),

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the liquid container (21,22) being connected to the small opening (11) in a fluid-tight manner,

the dispenser, when activated, dispenses a predetermined amount of liquid from the liquid container (21,22) via the small opening (11), and

the plurality of small openings (11) is configured for atomizing the liquid.

2. A closure (1) according to claim 1, wherein a stopper (30) is provided for closing the drinking opening (4) and the small opening (11) in the drinking area (6) in a fluid-tight manner, the stopper (30) being transitionable from a closed position to an open position by a vertical and/or rotational movement.

3. A closure (1) according to claim 2, wherein the dispenser is activatable upon movement of the stopper (30) from a closed position to an open position.

4. A closure (1) according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the dispenser is activatable upon movement of the stopper (30) from an open position to a closed position.

5. A bottle cap (200) according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein a side hinged flap (230) is provided for closing the drinking area (6),

a stopper (231) for the flip cap (230) is provided on the bottle cap (200), an

The stop (231) is configured to activate the dispenser upon contact with the flip cover (230).

6. The bottle cap (100) according to any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the bottle cap (100) is configured to be cylindrical, and wherein

An activator for activating the dispenser is formed on a circumferential surface (132) of the closure (100).

7. A bottle cap (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the dispenser has at least one pressure chamber (13,14) which is arranged such that it is connected in a fluid-tight manner to the liquid container (21,22) and the small opening (11) in the dispensing path of the liquid.

8. A bottle closure (1) according to claim 7, wherein said dispenser is configured to dispense a predetermined amount of liquid from said pressure chamber (13,14) and to refill said pressure chamber (13,14) after dispensing.

9. A closure (1,100,200) according to any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the predetermined amount of liquid is between 1ml and 10ml, in particular between 4ml and 6 ml.

10. The closure (1,100,200) according to any of claims 1 to 11, wherein the dispenser has a pump mechanism.

11. The closure (1,100,200) according to claim 10, wherein the pump mechanism is configured as mechanical, electrical and/or piezoelectric.

12. The closure (1,100,200) according to any of claims 1 to 11, wherein a microcontroller with an external communication interface is provided, and

the dispenser is configured for communication with the microcontroller.

13. A closure (1,100,200) according to any of claims 1 to 12, wherein at least two liquid containers (21,22) are provided.

14. Bottle (40), mug or cup, characterised in that a closure (1,100,200) according to any of claims 1 to 13 is provided.