GB2501140A

GB2501140A - Cap with sealed resevoir

Info

Publication number: GB2501140A
Application number: GB1218093.1A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Timothy Maloney; Matthew Connell-Giammatteo; Dave Lovegrove; Gerald Stanton
Original assignee: TAMM Inc
Current assignee: TAMM Inc
Priority date: 2012-04-11
Filing date: 2012-10-09
Publication date: 2013-10-16
Also published as: GB2501138A; US20140131302A1; GB201218093D0; GB201215148D0; GB2501138B

Abstract

A removable bottle cap assembly 100 has an outflow cap 110, sleeve 140, reservoir section 120 and a breachable sealing member. The outflow cap comprising a threaded member 112 and a mouthpiece 114 configured to selectively block and enable liquid flow through the mouthpiece and may be conventional. The sleeve is configured to screw onto a bottle 160. The reservoir section is disposed between the outflow cap and the sleeve. And the breachable sealing member is disposed on the reservoir section such that when the sealing member is intact the sealing member and the outflow cap retain a volume of liquid within the reservoir section and when the sealing member is breached the sleeve provides a conduit between the volume of liquid within the reservoir section and a bottle to which the sleeve may be screwed. In the illustrated embodiments the reservoir section defines bulbous sidewalls, which may define an interior volume at least 1.5 fluid ounces.

Description

Bottle Cap Assembly with Bulbous Reservoir

Technical Field

The exemplary and non-limiting embodiments of this invention relate generally to removable caps for plastic and other types of bottles, and particularly such caps which have a separate compartment for storing liquids or powders separately from any contents of the bottle.

Background

It is known that a removable bottle cap may include a scparatc sealcd chamber or bladder for storing an additive such that breaching the sealed chamber will allow the additive to be released into a separate bottle onto which the cap is attached. See for example US Patent Nos. 6,681.958 and 7,614,496; US Patent Publication 2009/0321380; and US Design Patent Nos. D640,552 and D640,553.

US Patent 6,681,958 provides a supplement compartment in a nesting relationship atop a cap that covers the bottle/container. A liquid is disposed in the supplement compartment and it appears the user is required to fully remove the nested compartment/cap assembly before manually mingling the contents of the supplement compartment with the contents of the bottle.

US Patent 7,614,496 and the two referenced design patents build on this in that a twisting motion by the user breaches a seal between the supplement compartment and the bottle cap so the supplement falls into the bottle without necessitating removal of the cap. As illustrated, US Patent 7,614,496 implies a friction grip between the user's fingers and the lateral cylindrical exterior surface of the cap which causes knuckles to be driven downward in a rotating fashion to breach a plate into segments along score lines, which releases contents of the cap into the bottle. The two design patents provide larger lateral surfaces so that application by the user of a rotational force causes a circular cut along a score line of a divider between the cap compartment and the bottle, until a protrusion pushes the breached divider into an open position to release the cap contents into the bottle. Two problems are perceived in this design. Firstly, a twisting motion may not be suitable for some persons, particularly those with arthritis or who lack sufficient finger strength to impart enough rotational force to cause the breach these prior art teachings disclose. The rotational forcc nccdcd for the Activatc® linc of drinks, which appcar to implement the abovc design patents, is lot insubstantial. Secondly, the extent of the rotational force necessitates that those lateral surfaces be fairly large so the user can properly apply the needed rotational force. This takes excessive material to form the cap due to that large size and also a sufficient thickness that the lateral surfaces do not deform under normal operation.

US Patent Publication 2009/0321380 provides for a linear force by the user downward on the cap, which via gates and slots causes two gates to rotate relative to onc anothcr and align apertures in each so as to allow contents of the cap to fall into the bottle. Such an aperture-alignment approach does not appear suitable for liquids since it would appear that liquid would leak through even the misaligned apertures bcfore the user intcndcd to mix thc cap contcnts into thc bottlc. The cxamplcs givcn in US Patcnt Publication 2009/0321380 providc for solids in thc cap compartmcnt such as aspirin and powder.

What is needed in thc art is a cap having a compartmcnt suitable for storing a liquid separate from contents of a bottle which is breachable by a less forceful user action. Moreover, none of the above disclosures appears to provide for a flow through compartment in the cap such that a user may mix the cap contents with that of the container and then drink the mixture without ever having to remove the cap. Such a flow through cap is a popular convcnicncc in sports bottles. Co-owned provisional US patent application 61/686,751 (filed April 11, 2012) which is priority to co-owned UK patent application GB1215148.6 (filed August 24, 2012) solve some of those issues. These teachings improve upon the concepts provided in those co-owned applications.

Summary

Thc forcgoing and othcr problcms arc ovcrcome, and othcr advantagcs are realized, by the use of the exemplary embodiments of this invention.

In one aspect of the invention, exemplary embodiments of these teachings provide a removable bottle cap assembly comprising: an outflow cap comprising a threaded member and a mouthpiece configured to selectively block and enable liquid flow through the mouthpiece; a sleeve configured to screw onto a bottle; a reservoir section disposed between the outflow cap and the sleeve; and a breachable sealing member disposed on the reservoir section such that when the sealing member is intact the sealing member and the outflow cap retain a volume of liquid within the reservoir section and when the sealing member is breached the sleeve provides a conduit between the volume of liquid within the reservoir section and a bottle to which the sleeve may be screwed.

In another aspect of the invention, exemplary embodiments of these teachings provide a sleeve having a lower section configured to screw onto a bottle and this slccvc is cxpandablc by finger pressure bctwcen diameters of at least 25 mm to at least 45 mm. In this embodiment, opposite the lower section of the sleeve there may be an outflow cap, or there may be an upper section for mating with a reservoir section that lies between the sleeve and an outflow cap.

Different embodiments of these aspects are illustrated in the several examples which are detailed more fully below.

Brief Descrintion of the Drawina!s Figures lA-B are respectively an exploded plan view and an exploded perspective view of a bulbous reservoir bottle cap assembly, according to an exemplary embodiment of these teachings.

Figurcs 2A-B arc rcspectivcly a plan view and a sectional view of the fully assembled bulbous rcscrvoir bottle cap asscmbly shown at Figures lA-B, according to an exemplary embodiment of these teachings.

Figures 3A-B are similar to Figure 2A and particularly illustrating an intact removable sealing ring at Figure 3A and the sealing ring removed at Figure 3B, according to an exemplary embodiment of these teachings.

Figures 4A-B are respectively a perspective view and a sectional view similar to Figure 3B and particularly illustrating an upper assembly being depressed against a lower assembly which is affixed to a bottle in order to breach a sealing member, according to an exemplary embodiment of these teachings.

Figure 5 is similar to Figure 3B but a sectional view thereof; particularly illustrating an intact sealing member dividing contents of the bulbous reservoir from the bottle when the upper assembly has not yet been depressed against the lower assembly, according to an exemplary embodiment of these teachings.

Figure 6 is a sectional view similar to Figure 5 and particularly illustrating the sealing member having been breached from the upper assembly having been depressed against the lower assembly, according to an exemplary embodiment of these teachings.

Figures 7A-C are perspective views of the bulbous reservoir bottle cap assembly in various stages of use according to respective Figures 3A, 5 and 6, according to an exemplary embodiment of these teachings.

Figures SA-B arc sectional views, and Figure SC is a perspective view, of another embodiment of the threaded stretching member shown at Figure IA.

Figures 9A-C are similar to Figures 7A-C but with the threaded stretching member of Figures 8A-C.

Detailed Description

The description herein particdarly details at least two major improvements over the teachings in co-owned provisional US patent application 61/686,751 and co-owned UK patent application GB 1215148.6. A first such improvement enables the reservoir to be larger and thus hold a larger volume of liquid or powder. Alongside this larger reservoir is another implementation of how to breach the scaling member which will be detailed further bclow.

A sccond such improvement is a more clcgant implementation for fitting the assembly which has the reservoir onto different sized bottles and/or different thread dimensions. Those co-owned applications describe multiple concentric threaded rings arranged in a layered or staggered fashion such as layers of a traditional wedding cake with each ring fitting a different size bottle. These teachings enable a single threaded stretching member which is expandable by finger pressure to seal against bottle openings from approximately 28 mm to approximately 50 mm. Such a threaded stretching member is shown at Figure 1A, and another embodiment is shown in isolation at Figures 8A-C. In this manner a single bottle cap assembly can properly mate with 85-90% of the conventional soda, water and sports drink bottles now on the market.

While the illustrations and the description herein incorporate both these two improvements in a single bottle cap assembly, this is not a limiting implementation.

The bottle cap assembly having the larger reservoir may be deployed with a threaded member that is not stretchable and which mates with only one specific size bottle and thread spacing. And similarly the threaded stretching member that is expandable by finger pressure may be deployed without a cutting member and with a cap that does not have an internaLlbulbous reservoir for liquids or powders that are separated from the contents of the bottle by a breachable sealing member.

Figure lA is an exploded plan view of a bulbous reservoir bottle cap assembly 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of these teachings. Figure lB is an exploded perspective view of that same assembly 100. For reference the male threaded portion 162 of a bottle 160 is shown at the lowermost portion of these figures. This bottle 160 is conventional, and for example represents conventional plastic bottles varying in nominal capacity from 8-ounces to 2-liters or even 3-liters.

The bulbous reservoir bottle cap assembly 100 screws onto those male threads 162 of the conventional bottle 160 to form a water-tight seal once the assembly 100 is tightened sufficiently.

The reader will likely recognize the outflow cap 110; in conventional sports bottles this outflow cap 110 screws directly onto the male threads 162 of the bottle 160. For completeness the outflow cap 110 has a female threaded member 112 and an extendable mouthpiece 114 which seals against the female threaded member 112 when collapsed and which allows liquid to flow from the bottle out of an aperture typically at the center of the mouthpiece when the mouthpiece 114 is extended slightly away from the female threaded member 112. Alternatively there may be a mouthpiece made one with the female threaded member 112 and the flow of liquid through that mouthpiece is blocked or allowed by a flip cap. In embodiments of these teachings the outflow cap 110 may also be conventional.

The female threaded member 112 of the outflow cap 110 mates with a male threaded member 122 of a reservoir section 120. A reservoir 124 defining bulbous sidewalls is disposed between the male threaded member 122 and an opposed throat 126 on which is formed parallel ridges. When the cap assembly 100 is adapted for mating with bottles having a capacity between about 8 ounces and 28 ounces, the reservoir 124 is particularly adapted to hold about 2 ounces of liquid or an equivalent volume of powder. When the cap assembly 100 is adapted for mating with bottles having a capacity between about 36 ounces and 3 liters (which typically exhibit a bottle opening having diameter about 2 inches or 50 mm), the reservoir 124 can be made even larger. From a manufacturing and distribution perspective, greater efficiencies are gained if there is only a single size for whole the cap assembly 100 which, via the threaded stretching member described below, can mate with typical conventional bottles exhibiting any of those capacities.

The parallel ridges on the throat 126 of the reservoir section 120 mate with a sleeve 140 which is shown in Figures 1A through 7C as a threaded stretching member with a skin 150 (and in Figures 8A through 9C without a separate skin). Specifically for Figures IA through 7C, the throat 126 with the ridges are pressed into an upper section 142 of the sleeve 140 so as to be retained therein, and with sufficient downward force exerted for example by an end user the reservoir section 120 can be depressed thrther into the upper section 142 of the sleeve 140, breaching a sealing member 128 which Figure 2B will show lies at the base of the reservoir 124 and within the interior of the throat 126 on the reservoir section 120 that defines the parallel ridges.

To prevent this from happening prematurely, such as if a box of such cap assemblies 100 are dropped during distribution, a removable sealing ring 130 is imposed between the reservoir 124 and the sleeve 140. This sealing ring 130 is wrapped about an upper portion of the throat 126 and prevents the reservoir section from being depressed towards the sleeve 140. As can be seen in Figure IB, there is a cutting edge 148 recessed within the upper section 142 of the sleeve 140. This cutting edge 148 faces upwards towards the reservoir section 120. There is a sealing member 128 in the throat 126 (or more preferably at the open end of the throat 126 opposite the reservoir 124) of the reservoir section 120 that keeps the liquid or power within the reservoir 124. When the reservoir section 120 is depressed toward the sleeve 140, the sealing member 128 presses against the cutting member 148 which breaches the sealing member 128. The sealing ring 130 is a physical barrier about the throat 126 to prevent this relative movement between the reservoir section 120 and the sleeve 140.

In another embodiment shown at Figures 8A-C, in place of the parallel ridges the throat 126 defines male threads and the upper section 142 of the sleeve defines female threads. The sealing member 128 (Figure 9A) is at the open end of the throat.

These components are assembled by screwing the throat 126 of the reservoir section 120 into the female threads within the sleeve 140, but not fully. Still the sealing ring is used to prevent over-tightening of the reservoir section 120 against the cuffing edge 148 of the sleeve 140 (with a skin 150 bonded along the areas shown at Figure 8A). When the end user removes the scaling ring 130 he/she can then screw the reservoir section 120 tighter into the sleeve 140 which drives the cuffing edge 148 through the scaling member 128 to breach it. While the scaling ring 130 is in place there is still no leakage of liquid from the reservoir 124 since the sealing member 128 is at the end of the throat 126, and so the lack of tightness between the reservoir section 120 and the sleeve 140 is acceptable for shipping and storage of the assembly 100.

In either implementation of the sleeve 140, since the upper section 142 of the sleeve 140 mates with the reservoir section 120 which is also a part of the overall assembly, the relative dimensions are known and can be particularly adapted to mate with one another. For this reason the upper section 142 of the sleeve 140 can be rigid even when the sleeve is implemented to be expandable under finger pressure to fit different sized bottles, or at least need not be as stretchable by finger pressure as is the lower section 144 described below. In other embodiments that are expandable by finger pressure, the entire sleeve 140 is made of the same material and thus has a uniform flexibility and stretchability throughout.

The lower section 144 of the sleeve 140 defines a female threaded section, preferably with discontinuous threads so as to better mate with different spacing of male threads 162 on different types of bottles 160. Protruding laterally of the lower section 144 are a plurality of finger rings 146 spaced about a circumference of the lower section 144. In Figures IA through 7C these finger rings 146 lie between the upper 142 and lower 144 sections of the sleeve 140, whereas in Figures 8A through 9C they lie at a lower edge of the sleeve 140. The end user inserts his/her fingertips into the finger rings 146 and pulls to expand the circumference of the lower section 144 and of the female threads thereot when such expansion is necessary to mate the threaded stretching member 140 to the male threads 162 of a particular boftle 160.

For the embodiment shown at Figures 1A through 7C, there are additionally slits 149 running from a terminal end of the lower section 144 toward the upper section 142 to better facilitate this expansion without requiring excessive finger pressure being exerted by the end user. Such slits may be imposed in the embodiment at Figures 8A through 9C, but are less necessary because the silicone skin is bonded to the female threaded portion of the sleeve which receives the throat 126 of the reservoir section 120.

For the embodiment of Figures 1A through 7C there may be a stretchable skin 150 which circumscribes at least the lower section 144 of the sleeve 140. This skin functions to seal the slits 149 (if any) against leakage once the lower section 144 is screwed onto the male threads 162 of a bottle 160. For the embodiment of the sleeve 140 at Figures 8A through 9C, the silicone skin is bonded to keep the female threads for receiving the bottle 160 and the reservoir section 120 in position relative to one another.

Tn another embodiment the sealing member 128 is breached by pressure within the reservoir 124, pressure which is increased by the end user squeezing the bulbous sidewalls of the reservoir 124. This increased pressure is sufficient to breach the sealing member 148, and so in this embodiment there is no need for the cutting edge 148. In another embodiment there is no stretehiness to the portion of the assembly which mates with the male threads 162 of the bottle 160. In this implementation the sleeve 140 may be rigid throughout, and may mate at its upper section 142 with the throat 126 via the parallel ridges or the male threads as descried above.

Figure 2A illustrates the assembly 100 with all of the components fitted together. The finger rings 146 extend through apertures in the skin 150. Figure 2A also illustrates a tamper resistant paper 132 which overlies the upper section 142 of the sleeve 140 and which tears away when the sealing ring 130 is removed. Figure 2B illustrates a cutaway view similar to Figure 2A and best illustrates the position of the breachable sealing member 128, either within the throat 126 of the reservoir section 120 or at the opening of that throat 126.

Figure 3A is similar to Figure 2A but illustrating a gap 170 which is the width of the sealing ring 130 which in Figure 3A lies underneath the tamper resistant paper 132. Figure 3B is similar to Figure 3A but with the paper 132 and the sealing ring removed. The gap 170 is the same distance meaning the reservoir section 120 has not been depressed towards the sleeve 140, and so the breachable sealing member 128 inthethroat 126 isintact andthe liquid orpowderwithinthereservoir 124 is still retained there.

Figure 4A illustrates a force applied to the top of the outflow cap 110, which drives the upper assembly 180 (the outflow cap 110 and the reservoir section 120) towards the lower assembly 190 (the sleeve 140, which if implemented as a threaded stretchable member also includes the stretchable skin 150) and collapsing the gap.

With rcfcrcncc to thc bottle 160, thc lower assembly 190 remains stationary and the entire upper assembly 180 is driven towards the bottle 160, downward in Figure 4k At the cutaway view of Figure 4B, the entire arcuate line indicated by reference number 148 is the cuffing edge, which has breached the sealing member illustrated at Figure 2B and which was intact at Figures 3A-B when the gap 170 was not yet collapsed.

This juxtaposition and the breaching of the sealing member 128 are also shown in the cutaway plan views of Figures 5 and 6. The gap 170 is not yet collapsed at Figure 5 and so the sealing member 128 is intact above the cutting edge 148.

Driving the upper assembly 180 towards the lower assembly 190 as in Figure 6 collapses the gap and drives the sealing member 128 across the cutting edge 148, breaching the scaling member 128 and allowing the contents of thc reservoir 124 to mix with thc contents of the bottlc 160.

Figures 7A-C are perspective renditions of the bulbous reservoir bottle cap assembly 100 in various stages of use, similar to respective Figures 3A, 5 and 6.

Specifically, Figure 7A represents the assembly as it leaves the bottler and is in transit to the retail end user; the retaining ring 130 and tamper resistant paper 132 are intact.

At Figure 7B the retail end user has removed the retaining ring 130 and the temper resistant paper 132, and the gap 170 is evident between the upper assembly 180 and the lower assembly 190 just below the bulbous reservoir 124. At Figure 7C the retail end user has moved the upper assembly 180 and the lower assembly 190 towards one another linearly along the ceniral axis (which in this embodiment is an axis of rotation of the assembly 100 excluding the finger rings 146). This breaches the sealing member 128 as detailed for Figures 5-6, allowing the contents of the reservoir 124 to fall by gravity through the sleeve 140 and into the bottle 160. For reference, the top of that bottle is shown at the lowermost portion of Figure 7C.

Like Figures 7A-C, Figures 9A-C are perspective renditions of the bulbous S reservoir bottle cap assembly 100 in various stages of use, but with the alternative embodiment of the sleeve 240 in which the sleeve has female threads to receive the reservoir section 120. The cutting edge 148 is shown particularly at Figure 8B, and the female threads for accepting the reservoir section 120 are shown most particularly near the top of Figure SC just above the cutting edge 148.

Specifically, Figure 9A represents the assembly as it leaves the bottler and is in transit to the retail end user; the retaining ring 130 is intact and prevents the reservoir section 120 from being screwed too tightly against the sleeve 140 so the sealing member 128 is not breached. At Figure 9B the retail end user has removed the retaining ring 130, but the reservoir section 120 has not yet been tightened against the sleeve 140 so there is a gap as was described for Figure 7B and the sealing member 128 is still not breached. At Figure 9C the retail end user has tightened the reservoir section 120 (upper assembly) against the sleeve 140 (lower assembly), driving them towards one another linearly along the central axis so that the cutting edge 148 breaches the sealing member 128. As detailed for Figures 7A-C, this allows the contents of the reservoir 124 to fall by gravity through the sleeve 140 and into the bottle 160.

The assembly 100 is fully flow-through. Whether the sleeve 140 is implemented as a threaded stretching member with bonded or removable skin 150 or as a rigid sleeve, the mixture from the bottle 160 passes through the sleeve 140 and throat 126, through the reservoir 124, and through the outflow cap 110 without the user ever having to remove the cap assembly 100 from the bottle 160. The user need only install the cap assembly 100 on a bottle 160 one time. To imbibe, the user first breaches the sealing member (by linear motion of the upper/lower assemblies 180, relatively towards one another, or by squeezing the bulbous reservoir 124 to mix the contents, and then pulls open the extendable mouthpiece 114 (or flips open the cap over the unitary mouthpiece) to drink the mixture.

The reservoir 124 can be filled at the bottler or manufacturer with a variety of liquids or powdcrs. For cxamplc, a soda manufacturcr which providcs a variety of colas such as regular, diet, vanilla, cherry, lemon and lime can instead fill different instances of the cap assembly with these different flavorings and distribute the full-sizc bottles in only onc flavor that is generic to them all. The end uscr can thcn purchase his preference by selecting one bottle of generic flavored cola and choosing one bottle cap assembly with the specific flavor of his/her choice. The generic flavor may cvcn bc unflavored carbonatcd watcr.

In another deployment the contents of the reservoir is itself a carbonated liquid, and thc cnd user nccd only attach thc cap assembly to a bottle of flat, non-carbonated water to obtain the flavor preference. In this case the pressure within the reservoir 124 would be quite a bit higher than would be normal for a carbonated bcvcragc that is conventionally distributcd in its cnd uscr bottle from which thc uscr nccd only unscrcw thc unitary cap. Thc spccific up-stcp in prcssurc dcpcnds on thc size of the reservoir 124 and the volume of liquid in the bottle 160 to which the assembly 100 is to matc. This higher pressure can bc accommodated by designing a sufficiently robust thickness for the bulbous sidewalls of the reservoir 124 as well as thickness and adhesion of the sealing member 128.

In another deployment, rather than a high pressure carbonated liquid inside the rcscrvoir 124 thcrc is instead a carbonation cartridge which thc uscr activatcs to dissolve carbon dioxidc in thc mixturc of thc contcnts of thc bottlc 160 and thc contcnts of thc rcscrvoir 124. Thc addcd cost of such a carbonation cartridgc may bc offset by less material needed for the thinner sidewalls of the reservoir 124 and a thinner sealing member 128.

In othcr dcploymcnts thc cnd mixture nccd not bc carbonatcd, in which casc the pressurization issues noted above are not relevant. For example, a sports drink manufacturer can simply bottle and sell a concentrated 2-ounce serving of its product as bottled in a cap asscmbly consistent with thosc detailcd hcrcin, and thc rctail cnd user simply re-uses his own water bottle for the mixing and diluting of the manufacturer's concentrate.

In further deployments the manufacturer bottles one or two ounces of alcohol in the reservoir, which the end user can mix with a club soda, or quinine, or cola as the case may be for a given alcoholic product in the reservoir.

In most of the above embodiments the manufacturer has the potential to save substantial shipping costs and greatly reduce its burden for inventory management.

Just as the different conventionally bottled products are labeled differently, so can the cap assembly be labeled differently for different cola flavors, or type of alcohol, or sports drink concentrate, etc. The bulbous sidewalls of the reservoir 124 are a particularly appropriate location for such product labeling.

Additionally, users may enjoy seeing the mixture, particularly for carbonated beverages which may exhibit as a bit of an explosion within the reservoir 124. This may be especially compelling for certain age groups when the sealing member 128 can be breached by the end user squeezing the bulbous reservoir 124 rather than relative motion of the upper 180 and lower 190 assemblies to cause a piercing of the sealing member 128. For this reason the reservoir may be manufactured to be transparent, or at least less than about 50% opaque.

The various components 110, 120, 130, 140, 150 of the assembly may be made from any of various plastics well known in the beverage bottling arts. The stretchable skin 150 and at least the lower section 144 of the sleeve 140 (when implemented as a threaded stretching member to fit multiple different sizes of bottles) may be made from silicone or a silicone compound. Other components of the assembly 100 may be formed of, but are not limited to: polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PPTE) and low-density polyethylene (LDPE, including linear LDPE) which are commonly used in caps for water bottles, as well as high-density polyethylene (HDPE) which is used for liquid container caps less commonly.

The sealing member 128 may also be made of any of the above plastics or others with one or more scored lines to define a thinner cross section and enable its breaching, or it may be a metal foil or even a cellulose film, depending on how much pressure the un-breached sealing member is to resist. In an embodiment the sealing member is affixed to an opening of the throat 126 via an adhesive, such as an adhesive that is heat cured to seal against the throat. The finger rings 146 can be silicone or plastic or any of a variety of other materials. The cuffing edge 148 if present can also be formed of plastic.

The thily manufactured assembly 100 may be provided intact to the bottler, who can simply fill the reservoir 124 from the outflow cap 110 and install a shrink-wrap tamper resistant plastic or other such tamper resistant seal over the extendable mouthpiece 114. Or the bottler can perform final assembly after filling the reservoir 126 via the throat and thereafter affixing the sealing member 128 to the throat 124.

In an embodiment of these teachings there is a removable bottle cap assembly having at least the following components. There is an outflow cap 110 comprising a threaded member 112 and a mouthpiece 114 configured to selectively block and enable liquid flow through the mouthpiece. There is a sleeve 140 configured to screw onto a bottle 160. There is a reservoir section 120 disposed between the outflow cap 110 and the sleeve 140. And there is a breachable scaling member 128 disposed on the reservoir section 120 such that when the sealing member 128 is intact the sealing member 128 and the outflow cap 110 retain a volume of liquid within the reservoir section 120, and when the sealing member 128 is breached the sleeve 140 provides a conduit between the volume of liquid within the reservoir section 120 and a bottle 160 to which the sleeve 140 may be screwed.

In the illustrated embodiments which are not limiting to the broader teachings herein, the reservoir section 120 defines bulbous sidewalls that extend outboard beyond a greatest outboard extent defined by the sleeve 140 and by the outflow cap 110. The reservoir can in an embodiment with side ranging use defme an interior volume at least 1.5 fluid ounces and more preferably at least 2.0 fluid ounces.

One of the embodiments above described that the reservoir section 120 is deformable under hand pressure, and the sealing member 148 is configured to be breached by increased pressure within the reservoir section 120 due to deformation under hand pressure.

A different one of the embodiments above detailed that the sleeve 140 comprises a cutting edge 148, and the reservoir section 120 is movable relative to the sleeve 140 such that driving one towards the other causes the cutting edge 148 to penetrate the sealing member 128.

For either of those two embodiments the reservoir section 120 can define a throat 126 that is configured to be inserted (parallel ridges) or screwed (male threads) into an upper section 142 of the sleeve 140, and the sealing member 128 is disposed at an end of the throat 126. For the embodiment having the cutting edge 148 and the threads along the throat 126, further screwing down the reservoir section 120 into the sleeve 140 is the driving of one towards the other which causes the cutting edge 148 to penetrate the sealing member 128.

In one embodiment in which the sleeve is not adaptable to fit different size bottles, the sleeve 140 can be rigid. In another embodiment in which the sleeve is adaptable to fit different size bottles, the sleeve 140 comprises a lower section 144 configured to screw onto a bottle 160 and an upper section 142 configured to mate with a throat 126 of the reservoir section 120, and in this ease the sleeve 140 characterized in that at least the lower section 144 is expandable by finger pressure between diameters of at least 25 mm to 45 mm, and preferably between 25 mm to at least 50mm. The illustrations show this embodiment with the sleeve 140 having a plurality of outboard extending finger rings 146 to facilitate this expansion by finger pressure. These illustrations also depict that the lower section 144 defines slits 149 running from an end of the lower section 144 nearest the bottle 160, and the assembly further comprises a stretchable skin 150 disposed fully about at least the lower section 144 of the sleeve 140.

The above are non-limiting embodiments which are presented to give an understanding of the more general principles of the invention, some of which are set forth in the claims below. Some of the features of the various non-limiting and exemplary embodiments of this invention may be used to advantage without the corresponding use of other features. As such, the foregoing description should be considered as merely illustrative of the principles, teachings and exemplary embodiments of this invention, and not in limitation thereof

Claims

Claims 1. A removable bottle cap assembly comprising: an outflow cap comprising a threaded member and a mouthpiece configured to selectively block and enable liquid flow through the mouthpiece; a sleeve configured to screw onto a bottle; a reservoir section disposed between the outflow cap and the sleeve; and a breaehable scaling member disposed on the reservoir section such that when the sealing member is intact the sealing member and the outflow cap retain a volume of liquid within the reservoir section and when the sealing member is breached the sleeve provides a conduit between the volume of liquid within the reservoir section and a bottle to which the sleeve may be screwed.
2. The removable cap assembly according to claim 1, wherein the reservoir section defines bulbous sidewalls that extend outboard beyond a greatest outboard extent defined by the sleeve and by the outflow cap.
3. The removable cap assembly according to claim 2, wherein the reservoir section defines an interior volume at least 1.5 fluid ounces.
4. The removable cap assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the reservoir section is deformable under hand pressure and the sealing member is configured to be breached by increased pressure within the reservoir section due to deformation under hand pressure.
5. The removable cap assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the sleeve comprises a cutting edge, and the reservoir section is movable relative to the sleeve such that driving one towards the other causes the cutting edge to penetrate the sealing member.
6. The removable cap assembly according to claims 4 or 5, in which the reservoir section defines a throat configured to be inserted or screwed into an upper section of the sleeve, and the sealing member is disposed at an end of the throat.
7. The removable cap assembly according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the sleeve is rigid.
8. The removable cap assembly according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the sleeve comprises a lower section configured to screw onto a bottle and an upper section configured to mate with a throat of the reservoir section, the sleeve characterized in that at least the lower section is expandable by finger pressure between diameters of at least 25 mm to 45 mm.
9. The removable cap assembly according to claim 8, wherein the sleeve further comprises a plurality of outboard extending finger rings to facilitate said expansion by finger pressure.
10. The removable cap assembly according to claims 8 or 9, wherein the lower section defines slits running from an end of the lower section nearest the bottle, and the assembly further comprising a stretchable skin disposed fully about at least the lower section of the sleeve.