GB2420557A

GB2420557A - Cover for a drinking vessel such as a bottle

Info

Publication number: GB2420557A
Application number: GB0426121A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Felicity Bridget Go Mansbridge; Anthony James Gordon Machin
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2004-11-27
Filing date: 2004-11-27
Publication date: 2006-05-31
Also published as: GB0426121D0

Abstract

A cover for a drinking vessel such as a bottle 1 or like fluid container comprises a body portion 12 having an outer surface adapted to fit closely into the neck portion 3 of the drinking vessel and a top portion 13 which fits over the open end 4 of the drinking vessel's neck and which is provided with a drinking aperture 18 and a venting aperture 19 to allow air to enter the drinking vessel to replace liquid which has been drunk via the drinking aperture, both the drinking and venting apertures extending through the body portion. The drinking aperture may pass through an annular section of the body portion. The drinking aperture and the venting aperture may be positioned on opposite sides of the top portion.

Description

MNSBRIDGE 02-04 2420557

PROTECTIVE COVER FOR A DRINKING VESSEL SUCH AS A BOTTLE

The present invention relates to a protective cover for a drinking vessel such as a bottle in order to prevent unwanted substances from being inserted into the vessel while still allowing liquid to be poured from or drunk from the vessel as required. A drinking vessel such as a bottle has a neck portion having an open end through which liquid in the bottle can be drunk or poured.

When the bottle is in a resting position in which liquid in the bottle is not being poured out of the bottle or is not being drunk from the bottle, the bottle is normally in an upright position with the open end of the neck portion at the top. In this situation, unwanted substances can easily be put into the bottle through the open end.

The invention has a particular application in preventing drugs from being inserted into the drinking vessel.

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved protective cover for a drinking vessel such as a bottle.

According to the present invention a protective cover for a drinking vessel such as a bottle comprises a body portion having an outer surface adapted to fit closely into the neck portion of the drinking vessel through which liquid is normally drunk or poured, and a top portion adapted to fit over the open end of the neck portion and including a drinking aperture region and a venting aperture region, the drinking aperture region and the venting aperture region both being adapted to extend substantially vertically when the cover is attached to the drinking vessel and the drinking vessel is in a resting position, as defined above, in which it is not being used for drinking from, and including a first channel extending through the part of the body portion remote from the top portion and through the top portion to the drinking aperture region to form a drinking aperture through which liquid in the vessel can be drunk, and a

I

MNSBRlDGEO2-O4 second channel extending through the part of the body portion remote from the top portion and through the top portion to the venting aperture region to form a venting aperture through which air can enter the vessel to replace the liquid that has been drunk through the drinking aperture.

With this arrangement, if an unwanted substance is poured over the protective cover when the drinking vessel is in the resting position, the substance will tend to flow down the outside of the cover, over the drinking aperture region and over the venting aperture region, and down the outside of the drinking vessel and will not tend to flow through the drinking aperture and the venting aperture into the drinking vessel.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a bottle adapted to contain a liquid to be drunk, for example a beer bottle, Figure 2 is a perspective view of a sealing device for the bottle illustrated in Figure 1, Figure 3 is a perspective view from one side of a protective cover for the bottle illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 in accordance with the invention, Figure 4 is a perspective view of the cover illustrated in Figure 3 from the opposite side, Figure 5 is a perspective view from underneath of the protective cover illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, Figure 6 is a partial side view on a larger scale of the protective cover illustrated in Figures 3, 4 and 5 sectioned along the lines VI - VI of Figure 3, when inserted into the bottle illustrated in Figure 1, and M,-NSBRlDGE 02-04 Figure 7 is a partial side view on a larger scale of the protective cover illustrated in Figures 3, 4 and 5 sectioned along the lines VIl-VIl of Figure 4 when inserted into the bottle illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 1 illustrates a well known form of bottle I having a generally cylindrical body portion 2, a generally cylindrical neck portion 3 and an open end 4 formed with a beaded rim 5. The top surface 6 of the rim 5 (as viewed in Figure 1) is flat.

Figure 2 illustrates a sealing device 7 (commonly known as a crown cork) for sealing the open end 4 of the bottle 1 and comprising a generally circular body portion 8 with a cylindrical skirt portion 9 extending generally perpendicular to the body portion 8.

In use, the sealing device 7 is placed over the open end 4 of the bottle 7 and the skirt portion 9 is then shaped into corrugations 10 which clamp around the beaded rim 5 and secure the sealing device 7 in position. The sealing device 7 may include a sealing washer (not illustrated) which is located between the underside of the top portion 8 (as viewed in Figure 2) and the top surface 6 of the rim 5 sO as to seal the bottle. The sealing device 7 is arranged to be removed when the liquid contents of the bottle are to be consumed either by drinking them directly from the bottle through the open end 4 or by pouring them out through the open end 4 of the bottle.

* Figures 3, 4 and 5 illustrate a protective cover 11 in accordance with the invention which can be placed into the open end 4 of the bottle I when the sealing device 7 has been removed. The protective cover 11 comprises a generally cylindrical annular body portion 12 and a generally circular top portion 13, having an outer cylindrical surface 21, attached to the body portion 12. The outer diameter of the body portion 12 is substantially the same as the inner diameter of the neck portion 3 of the bottle 1. The diameter of the outer cylindrical surface 21 of the top portion 13 of the cover 11 is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the surface 6 of the rim 5 of the bottle 1 so that the top portion 13 covers the surface 6 of the rim 5.

As illustrated in Figures 3 and 5, the body portion 12 is formed with a generally rectangular cut away aperture 14 which extends into but not through the top portion 13 to form a recess 15. As illustrated in Figure 4, on the diametrically opposite side of the body portion 12 from the aperture 14 is formed a smaller M-tJSBRIDGEO2-O4 generally rectangular recess 16 which extends into but not through the top portion 13 to form a recess 17.

As illustrated in Figure 6, if, when the sealing device 7 has been removed, the protective cover 11 is inserted into the open end 4 of the bottle 1 so that the top portion 13 abuts against the top surface 6 of the rim 5, the aperture 14 and the recess 15 will form a first channel extending from the inside of the bottle, through the body portion 12, and between the top portion 13 and the top surface of the rim 5.

This first channel forms a drinking aperture 18 through which liquid in the bottle can be drunk if the bottle is suitably positioned.

Further, as illustrated in Figure 7 the recesses 16 and 17 will form a second channel extending from the inside of the bottle, between the outer surface of the body portion 12 and the inner surface of the neck portion 3 of the bottle and between the top portion 13 and the top surface of the rim 5. This second channel forms a venting aperture 19 to allow air to enter the bottle to replace the liquid which has been removed through the drinking aperture 18.

The portion 22 of the cylindrical surface 21 which includes the recess 15 forms a drinking aperture region and the portion 23 of the cylindrical surface 21 which includes the recess 17 forms a venting aperture region.

If the protective cover Ills inserted into the bottle 1 and the bottle I is placed in a resting position in which the bottle extends generally vertically (either in the hand of a person intending to drink from the bottle or placed on a table or other support) the cylindrical surface 21 of the top portion 13 will extend generally vertically so that the drinking aperture region 22 and the venting aperture region 23 will both extend generally vertically.

If any unwanted liquid, powder or other substance is poured onto the top surface of the cover 11, when the bottle 1 is in the resting position in which it is not actually being used for drinking, the liquid, powder or other substance will tend to flow down the outside of the cover 11 and of the bottle 1. Since the drinking aperture region 22 which includes the entrance 15 to the drinking aperture 18 and MINSBRIDGEO2-O4 the venting aperture region 23 which includes the entrance 17 to the venting aperture 19 both extend substantially vertically when the bottle is in the resting position, the unwanted substance will not tend to flow through the apertures 18 and 19 into the bottle.

It will therefore be appreciated that, with the cover 11 in place on the top of the bottle 1, any unwanted substance poured onto the cover 11 will not flow into the bottle and that the liquid in the bottle can still be drunk through the aperture 18.

An area 25 adapted to contain text or a diagram to represent a slogan or advertisement or a special message or a name may be formed on the top portion 13 of the cover 11.

The cylindrical outer surface of the body portion 12 of the cover 11 may be formed with corrugations to improve the seal formed between the body portion 12 and the inside of the neck portion 3 of the bottle.

The dimensions of the protective cover 11 are chosen so that the body portion 12 will fit tightly onto the neck portion 3 of the bottle I and the top portion 13 will extend fully over the top surface 6 of the rim 5 of the bottle.

The dimensions of the aperture 14 and the recesses 15, 16 and 17 are chosen so that, when the protective cover 11 is in position on the bottle as described above, the required amount of liquid can be drunk through the drinking aperture 22 and the required amount of air can pass through the venting aperture 23 into the bottle to replace the liquid which has been drunk.

The protective cover can be made of any suitable natural or synthetic material such as a plastic.

Claims

M-NSBRlDGE 02-04 CLAIMS

1. A protective cover for a drinking vessel such as a bottle (1) comprising a body portion (12) having an outer surface adapted to fit closely into the neck portion (3) of the drinking vessel through which liquid is normally drunk or poured, and a top portion (13) adapted to fit over the open end (4) of the neck portion and including a drinking aperture region (22) and a venting aperture region (23), the drinking aperture region and the venting aperture region both being adapted to extend substantially vertically when the cover is attached to the drinking vessel and the drinking vessel is in a resting position, as defined above, in which it is not being used for drinking from, and further comprising a first channel (14, 15) extending through the part of the body portion (12) remote from the top portion and through the top portion (13) to the drinking aperture region to form a drinking aperture (18) through which liquid in the vessel can be drunk, and a second channel (16, 17) extending through the part of the body portion remote from the top portion and through the top portion to the venting aperture region to form a venting aperture (19) through which air can enter the vessel to replace the liquid that has been drunk through the drinking aperture.

2. A protective cover as claimed in Claim 1 in which the first body portion includes an annular portion and the first channel extends through an aperture (14) in the annular portion.

3. A protective cover as claimed in Claim 1 in which the body portion comprises a recess (16) and the first channel extends between the recess (16) and the inner surface of the neck portion (3) of the bottle

4. A protective cover as claimed in Claim I or Claim 2 in which the top portion (13) comprises a recess (15) and the first channel extends between the recess (15) and the end of the neck portion (3) of the bottle.

M-JSBRIDGE 02-04

5. A protective cover as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the drinking aperture region (22) and the venting aperture region (23) are positioned generally on diametrical opposite sides of the top potion (13).

6. A protective cover for a drinking vessel substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.