EP4005431A1

EP4005431A1 - Drinking bottle

Info

Publication number: EP4005431A1
Application number: EP20210592.0A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Francesco ABBATE; Pierandrea QUARTA; José Vicente VILLANUEVA LÓPEZ
Original assignee: Re Co Sa; Re Company Sa
Current assignee: Re Co Sa; Re Company Sa
Priority date: 2020-11-30
Filing date: 2020-11-30
Publication date: 2022-06-01
Also published as: US20240000218A1; WO2022111962A1

Abstract

Smart bottles (10) with a bottle body (12) and a closure unit (20) are known from the prior art.A closure unit (20) is provided having a base (30) and a hinged lid (80) pivotally attached to the base (30), said hinged lid (80) being secured in a closed position by a retaining portion (42) of the base (30). Afirst button (44) is provided on the base (30), by means of which the retaining portion (42) can be pressed into a release position releasing the hinged lid (80).Furthermore, the closure unit (20) has a locking system (50) with a second button (54). Said second button (54) is coupled to a push-in lock (56) which can be switched between a locked state and an unlocked state by means of the second button (54), wherein the first button (44) being locked in the locked state.

Description

FIELD OF APPLICATION AND PRIOR ART

The invention relates a drinking bottle with a bottle body and a closure unit with a hinged lid attached to the closure unit.
Such drinking bottles are intended for repeated use and shall avoid the usage of disposable bottles. It is intended, that the user regularly refills the bottle with water, whereby the closure unit is preferably removable as a whole in order to simplify the refilling. In particular, the invention concerns drinking bottles having electronic components, especially sensors, for monitoring the liquid consumption and for giving feedback to the user.
In particular, the invention relates to the closure unit of such smart bottles. Such a closure unit has a hinged lid which is secured by a retaining mechanism. However, the known retaining mechanisms for this purpose are not considered to be sufficient safe, especially since an unintentional opening of the hinged lid cannot only cause a leakage of the liquid but also damage to the sensors on the hinged lid.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION AND SOLUTION

Object of the invention is to provide a drinking bottle that overcomes the problems mentioned above.
For this purpose, a drinking bottle with a bottle body and a closure unit attached to its bottle outlet is proposed, whereby the closure unit is preferably attached to the bottle body by means of a thread. The longitudinal axis of the preferably essentially rotationally symmetrical bottle body and/or the bottle outlet and the thread provided there define a center main axis of the drinking bottle.
The drinking bottle according to the invention is intended for repeated use. The closure unit is therefore preferably removable as a whole, so that the drinking bottle can be easily refilled. Since it is a reusable bottle, it does not have to be manufactured at a particularly low price. Therefore, high-quality materials such as glass or metal can be used for the bottle body and high-quality plastic for a housing of the closure unit. Preferably the closure unit comprises at least parts or segments made of metal.
The closure unit has a base and a hinged lid attached to it. When closed, the hinged lid is secured to the base by means of a retaining portion, in particular by means of retaining portions on the hinged lid and on the base which engage behind each other in a form-fitting manner. The closed hinged lid prevents the outflow of liquid and the ingress of dirt. Additionally, electronic components, especially an optical sensor, which can be located in the hinged lid and is described below, are also protected when the lid is closed.
A first button is provided on the base and especially on a circumferential lateral surface, which preferably can be pressed in radially towards the center main axis, and by means of which the base retaining portion can be pressed into a release position. In this release position it no longer prevents movement of the lid side retaining portion, so that the hinged lid can then be opened or automatically opens under the force of a spring.
To prevent the hinged lid from opening unintentionally by accidentally pressing the first button, a locking system with a second button is provided. This second button is coupled with a push-in lock. Using the second button, the push-in lock can be switched between a locked and an unlocked state. In the locked state, the first button is blocked, which means that it is either not actuatable due to a blocking section or an actuation is decoupled from the base retaining portion so that the retaining portion is not displaced when the first button is pressed in.
The switchable push-in lock prevents the opening of the drinking bottle from being too easy and especially unintentional. As long as the second button has not been moved, it is not possible to open the bottle with the first button. However, the push-in lock, which can be actuated by means of the second button, is preferably designed bistable, so that an unlocked state is maintained as long as the second button is not brought back into a locking position. In particular, it is therefore possible to configure the first button to be easily movable when it is not blocked, so that opening the unlocked bottle is very easy, which is a gain in convenience as long as the bottle is not transported. Before the bottle is transported, e.g. in a rucksack, the locking system can be activated using the second to lock the bottle and thus secure it.
As stated above the drinking bottle is preferably a drinking bottle with electronic components for the purpose of data processing, in particular for monitoring the drinking processes and/or for sending signals to the user. Such drinking bottles are also called smart bottles. Depending on their design, smart bottles can use sensors to detect drinking processes and/or measure the amount of liquid remaining in the drinking bottle and, if necessary, communicate with a mobile phone or other device via a radio link.
It is considered advantageous if at least some of the electronic components of the drinking bottle are located in the hinged lid. This applies in particular to an optical sensor which can be arranged on the underside of the hinged lid so that it can make an optical detection of the liquid present in the bottle body when the hinged lid is closed.
The described design of the locking system is of particular relevance for the arrangement of the electronic components in the hinged lid as well as the sensors, if any, on the underside of the hinged lid. The described sensors, in particular the optical sensor and an optical fibre of the sensor can be very easily damaged if mechanical stress is applied. For this reason in particular, it is important that unintentional opening of the hinged lid is avoided. The arrangement of the electronic components in the hinged lid means that the installation space there is quite limited. Therefore, the intended design with a locking system on the base side according to the invention is of particular value.
If the drinking bottle is a smart bottle, it can be advantageous if the electronic components include an acceleration sensor. This allows the detection of the vibration of the first or second button or the unlocking process, in particular by means of software running on an integrated circuit of the bottle.
According to a particularly preferred design the second button is positioned in a circumferential direction opposite the first button. The first and the second button are thus provided on opposite sides of the base with respect to the main axis. This allows a very simple and elegant opening by grasping the bottle, shifting the second button by means of the index finger or thumb and then shifting the first button by means of the thumb or index finger.
Particularly in the case of such an opposing arrangement of the two buttons, it is advantageous to provide a connecting element by means of which the second button is connected to the locking portion. The locking portion can thus be provided in the immediate vicinity of the first button. If the second button is moved, the connecting element is also moved and with it preferably also the locking portion.
The connecting element can be designed in the form of a ring. This means that it extends with two sections on both sides of a liquid outlet and these sections are joined together opposite the second button and thus in the area of the first button. In particular, the locking portion may be located in the area of this junction. Preferably, the connecting element, which is ring-shaped in this sense, has a roughly circular outer surface, which is guided by an also circular surface of the base.
The connecting element is preferably arranged inside the base, invisible from the outside. Preferably, the second button is on the outside and movably provided on a lateral surface of the base. The second button is connected to the connecting element, preferably by means of at least one bridge section. For this purpose, the bridge section is movably provided in an opening of a lateral surface of the base.
While the first button is preferably provided for radial pressing in, the second button for locking or unlocking the first button is preferably designed as a sliding button which is either vertically slideable substantially parallel to the main axis or as a sliding button which is rotatablydisplaceable around the main axis in the peripheral direction and thereby sliding circumferentially on a lateral surface of the base. This makes unintentional operation of the first and the seconding button very unlikely. In particular, a force acting on the bottle cannot easily and simultaneously actuate the first and the second button due to the different needed movement.
In order to make unintentional movement of the second button even much more difficult, it is advantageous if an externally projecting hinge device is provided by means of which the hinged lid is hinged to the base. The second button can be provided below this hinge device, i.e. offset in the main direction from the hinge device. The articulation device protects the second button against unintentional application of force.
As already explained, the preferred arrangement is that the second button is intended to move a locking portion which, in one position, prevents the first button from being pushed. In particular, this locking portion can be designed to prevent in that position a tilting movement of a tilting retaining element. This tilting retaining element is provided on the base and is preferably formed in one piece with a surrounding surface of the base, in particular due to one bridge or two bridges connecting the retaining element and the lateral surface on both sides of the retaining element. At least the first button is provided on this retaining element, preferably also the base retaining portion for securing the closed lid.
In particular, the retaining element is preferably provided to tilt against the base or adjacent surfaces of the base in such a way that pressing the first button inwards causes a radial movement of the retaining portion outwards. In such a design, the corresponding retaining portion of the lid points outwards and is secured there by the inwardly pointing retaining portion of the base until the retaining element tilts and the retaining portion of the base moves outwards and out of engagement with the retaining portion of the lid. Now the lid can be opened.

SHORT DESCRIPTION OFTHE DRAWINGS

Further advantages and aspects of the invention result from the claims and from the following description of preferred embodiments of the invention, which are explained below using the figures.

Figs. 1 and 2 show a drinking bottle according to the invention with a closure unit in closed and open state.
Fig. 3 shows a sliding button and a locking system on the rear side of the drinking bottle compared to Fig. 1 and 2.
Fig. 4 shows an exploded view of the drinking bottle.
Fig. 5 to 8 show the process of unlocking and opening the locking unit.
Fig. 9 shows an alternative design of the locking system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXAMPLES

Figs. 1 and 2 show a drinking bottle 10 with a closure unit 20. This drinking bottle 10 is a smart bottle with electronic components for monitoring the remaining fluid level in the drinking bottle 10.
The drinking bottle 10 has a preferably double-walled bottle body 12 for storing liquid, especially for storing water. The closure unit 20 is screwed onto a bottle neck of the bottle body.
The closure unit 20 has a base 30, which is attached to the bottle neck, and a hinged lid 80, which can be pivoted by means of a hinge device 70.
When the hinged lid is in the closed position of fig. 1, the drinking bottle is closed and no liquid can escape through the liquid outlet 14. To open the bottle, it is not sufficient to grasp the hinged lid 80 and swivel it, as it is secured by retaining portions 42, 82 on the base 30 and the hinged lid 80. The user must therefore press a first button 44 as shown by the arrow 2 to tilt a retaining element 40 and thereby move retaining portion 42 in the direction of the arrow 4 out of the engagement of retaining section 82. Then the hinged lid 80 can be grasped and swiveled. The open state is shown in fig. 2. However, the drinking bottle can only be opened this way via the button 44 if the locking system 50 is not in the locked state.
As shown in fig. 3, the locked state is established and released by means of a second button 54, which is provided opposite the first button 44 in the area of the lateral surface 32 of the base 30. When this second button 54 is pushed upwards in the direction of arrow 6A, the locked state is established in which the first button 44 cannot be pushed in. Sliding the second button 54 downwards in the direction of arrow 6B creates the unlocked state in which the first button 44 can be pushed in.
Fig. 4 shows the individual components of the closure unit 20 in an exploded view.
The hinged lid 80 has two housing parts 84, 86 which, when assembled, together form an interior space in which the electronic components of the smart bottle are arranged, namely a battery 98, a circuit board 96 and sensors 90, 92 mounted on the circuit board, as well as a microprocessor 94 for processing the data of the sensors 90, 92. The sensor 90 is an optical distance sensor by means of which, when the hinged lid 80 is closed, the liquid level in the bottle body 12 can be determined through a liquid outlet 14.
A hinge section is provided on the hinged lid 80, which forms a hinge device 70 together with a hinge section on the base 30.
In the manner already described, the base 30 has a lateral surface 32 and the aforementioned liquid outlet 14. On the lateral surface 32 the tiltable retaining element 40 is provided, which is integrally connected to the lateral surface by two connecting bridges. The retaining element 40 forms with its lower section the first button 44. On the opposite side of the lateral surface 32, openings 34 are provided.
The base side locking system 50 comprises the second button 54, which is coupled in the assembled state with a push-in lock 56 by means of bridge elements 62 through the openings 34 in the lateral surface 32. The push-in lock 56 has a ring-shaped connecting element 60 on which a locking portion 58 opposite the second button 54 is provided, which is arranged behind the first button 44 in a locking manner depending on the position of the locking system 50.
Figures 5 to 8 illustrate the process of opening the closure unit 20 of the drinking bottle 10 starting from the locked state of Fig. 5.
In this locked state it is not possible to push in the first button 44, because the locking portion 58 is located directly behind the first button 44. Since the ring-shaped connecting element 60 lies with its outer side on an inner side of the lateral surface 32, it cannot deform, so that even a forceful impact on the first button 44 does not result in sufficient displacement of the locking portion 58 to bring the base-side retaining portion 42 out of engagement with the cap-side retaining section 82.
Only when the second button 54 and with it the push-in lock together with the locking portion 58 have been shifted vertically downwards in the manner illustrated in Fig. 6 by the arrow 6B, the first button 44 can be pressed.
Fig. 7 shows this pressing in of the first button 44, which results in a tilting movement of the retaining element 40 and thus a displacement of the retaining portion 42 radially outwards. As can be seen in Fig. 7, the retaining sections are disengaged, so that the hinged lid 80 can now be swung open in the direction of arrow 8.
This can be seen in Fig. 8.
Fig. 9 shows a second variant of an invented locking system 50 which, in contrast to the design of Fig. 1 to 8, provides the second button 54 on the same side as the first button 44. Furthermore, it is provided here that the second button 54 is not movable vertically but horizontally. Due to the horizontal shifting a locking portion 58 connected to the second button can be moved between a first end position under the first button 44 and a second position shifted so far that the first button 44 can be actuated to unlock the hinged lid 80.

Claims

Drinking bottle (10) having the following features:
a. the drinking bottle (10) has a bottle body (12) for receiving liquid, and

b. the drinking unit comprises a closure unit (20) with a base (30) and a hinged lid (80) pivotally attached to the base (30), said hinged lid (80) being secured in a closed position by a retaining portion (42) of the base (30), and

c. a first button (44) is provided on the base (30), by means of which the retaining portion (42) can be pressed into a release position releasing the hinged lid (80),
characterized by the following additional features:

d. the closure unit (20) has a locking system (50) with a second button (54), and

e. the second button (54) is coupled to a push-in lock (56) which can be switched between a locked state and an unlocked state by means of the second button (54), the first button (44) being locked in the locked state.
Drinking bottle (10) according to claim 1 having the following additional feature:
a. the push-in lock (56) has a locking portion (58) which, in the locked state, acts on the first button (44) in such a way that the first button (44) cannot be actuated.
Drinking bottle (10) according to claim 1 or 2 having the following additional feature:
a. the second button (54) is arranged opposite the first button (44).
Drinking bottle (10) according to any of the above claims with the following additional feature:
a. the push-in lock (56) has a connecting element (60) by means of which the second button (54) is connected to the locking portion (58).
Drinking bottle (10) according to claim 4 with the following additional feature:
a. the connecting element (60) is designed as a ring surrounding a liquid outlet (14) of the drinking bottle (10).
Drinking bottle (10) according to claim 4 or 5 with the following additional feature:
a. the second button (54) is connected to the connecting element (60) by means of at least one bridge element (62) which penetrates a lateral surface (32) of the base (30).
Drinking bottle (10) according to any of the above claims with the following additional feature:
a. the second button (54) is designed as a slide button.
Drinking bottle (10) according to claim 7 with the following additional feature:
a. the second button (54) and preferably the locking portion (58) are vertically displaceable on the base (30).
Drinking bottle (10) according to claim 7 with the following additional feature:
a. the second button (54) and preferably the locking portion (58) are rotatably movable.
Drinking bottle (10) according to any of the above claims with the following additional features:
a. an externally projecting hinge device (70) is provided by means of which the hinged lid (80) is hinged to the base (30), and

b. the second button (54) is provided below this hinge device (70).
Drinking bottle (10) according to any of the foregoing claims with the following additional feature:
a. the first button (44) is provided on a tiltable retaining element (40) of the base (30), the retaining element (40) preferably being formed integrally with a surrounding lateral surface (32) of the base (30).
Drinking bottle (10) according to claim 11 having the following additional feature:
a. the retaining element (40) comprises the first button (44) and the retaining portion (42), preferably with the following additional feature:

b. the retaining element (40) is provided tiltably movable on the base (30) in such a way that a radial pushing in of the first button (44) inwards causes a radial movement of the retaining portion (42) outwards.
Drinking bottle (10) according to one of the above claims with the following additional features:
a. the drinking bottle (10) comprises electronic components (90, 92, 94) for detecting a drinking process and/or for sending signals to a user, and

b. at least a part of the electronic components (90, 92, 94) is arranged in the hinged lid (80).
Drinking bottle (10) according to claim 13 with the following additional feature:
a. the electronic components comprise an optical sensor (90) which is arranged on the underside of the hinged lid (80) so that, when the hinged lid (80) is closed, it can conduct an optical detection of the liquid present in the bottle body (12), and/or

b. the electronic components comprise an acceleration sensor (92), wherein preferably a software running on an integrated circuit (94) is able to detect corresponding acceleration profiles upon movement of at least one of the buttons (44, 54).
Drinking bottle (10) according to one of the above claims with at least one of the following additional features:
a. the bottle body (12) has a rotationally symmetrical shape, and/or

b. the bottle body (12) has a filling volume of 1 litre or less, preferably 0,5 litres or less; and/or

c. the closure unit (20) is detachably attached to the bottle body (12), in particular by means of a screw thread.