JP7159234B2 - bottle cap - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to bottle caps for attachment to bottle openings. A bottle cap has a hollow tube that extends into the interior of the bottle. Additionally, the bottle cap has a drinking opening connected to the hollow tube. A drinking area is also provided and the drinking opening is provided within the drinking area.

In other words, the bottle cap can be screwed onto, for example, a beverage bottle. The exact design of the attachment to the bottle will in any case depend on how the bottle itself is designed. For example, if the bottle has male threads, the bottle cap will have female threads of complementary construction. The hollow tube extending into the interior of the bottle preferably extends to the area of the bottle base. However, this need not necessarily be the case. It is sufficient for the hollow tube to extend to the end of the bottle cap so as to be connected to the inside of the bottle. The hollow tube may also be configured, for example, in the form of a channel extending from the drinking area to the bottle-side end of the bottle cap.

The hollow tube terminates at its other end in a drinking opening provided within the drinking area. This allows liquid from the inside of the bottle to be drunk through the bottle cap.

According to the latest research by WHO, almost half of the German population can be classified as overweight. By the same criteria, in the United States, as many as 40% of the population is classified as obese as well as overweight.

One reason for this is, inter alia, the consumption of excessively sweetened beverages, which is accompanied by a very large caloric intake.

For example, it is known that such consumption should be avoided by switching to water, but this is often accompanied by a loss of taste experience, so in problem target populations In particular, switching is often not considered.

The present invention is therefore based on the object of identifying bottle caps whose use can reduce caloric intake.

This object is achieved according to the invention by a bottle cap having the features of claim 1 .

Advantageous embodiments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims, the description as well as the drawings and their description.

According to the present invention, a universal bottle cap has been developed by providing the drinking area with a plurality of small openings having a smaller diameter than the drinking opening. Additionally, a liquid reservoir was provided in the bottle cap that was fluid-tightly connected to the small opening. In addition, a dispensing device was provided which could also be placed in the bottle cap. With this dispensing device, a predeterminable amount of liquid is dispensed from a liquid reservoir through a small opening when the dispensing device is activated.

The basic concept behind the present invention is the finding that taste buds or gustatory nerves are not active or communicating information to the brain throughout drinking. The present invention is therefore based on the observation that information is transmitted from the taste buds to and processed in the brain substantially only at the beginning and end of the drinking process. In other words, there is a taste experience substantially at the beginning of drinking and at the end of the drinking process.

The present invention wishes to take advantage of this finding. According to the invention, a liquid reservoir is provided in the bottle cap, in which for example syrup or flavored liquid can be stored. This liquid can be dispensed by the dispensing device in a targeted manner through a small opening in the drinking area.

Here, if dispensing occurs, it is preferably at the beginning and/or at the end of drinking.

As a result, for example, there is water in the bottle itself, which is known to contain no calories and little taste. At the beginning of the drinking process, a small, predeterminable amount is dispensed from the liquid reservoir into the mouth of the drinker by means of a dispensing device using a small opening. In the meantime, a taste experience is obtained. The user of the bottle cap can then drink the water while the taste experience continues. At the end of the drinking process, a pre-determinable amount of liquid may be dispensed again, thus further enhancing the taste experience.

This achieves a significant reduction in the total amount of calories consumed during the drinking process compared to drinking processes carried out with, for example, sweetened liquids. According to the invention, a mug or cup can also be considered a bottle.

In principle, the plurality of small openings can be designed arbitrarily. However, it is advantageous if the small openings are arranged to atomize the liquid. Atomization at the beginning of the drinking process allows the liquid from the liquid reservoir to disperse particularly well into the drinker's mouth, enhancing the taste experience of even a small amount of liquid.

A stopper is preferably provided in the drinking area to close the opening in a fluid-tight manner, which stopper can be transferred from the closed position to the open position, for example by vertical and/or rotational movement. This type of design ensures that the bottle cap according to the invention can be used to close the bottle tightly so that the liquid from the bottle as well as the liquid from the reservoir cannot leak out during transport.

It is further advantageous if the dispensing device can be actuated when the stopper is moved from the closed position to the open position. Similarly, the dispensing device may additionally or alternatively be enabled when the stopper is moved from the open position to the closed position.

By using such a design, desirable results can be obtained such that there is a taste experience for the drinker at the beginning of the drinking process and/or at the end of the drinking process. For this purpose, the bottle cap according to the invention can have a pull or push/pull system, which is known in particular from sports bottles. In this case, the stopper is moved vertically upwards away from the bottle body for drinking. This is usually done by the athlete or drinker biting the stopper to slightly push the bottle apart. When the dispensing device is connected to the stopper, this leads to the liquid from the liquid reservoir being dispensed just before the liquid from the bottle itself enters the athlete's mouth, thus creating a taste experience.

Similarly, closing will again provide the athlete with a gustatory experience. Overall, this gives the athlete the impression that he did not drink water, but substantially the liquid present in the liquid reservoir.

In alternate embodiments, a flip closure may be provided to close the drinking area, including the drinking opening and the small opening. Preferably, the flip closure can be configured to be laterally hinged. This type of construction allows the bottle cap to have a stop for the flip closure, and the stop to be configured to activate the dispensing device upon contact with the flip closure. is. The purpose of this type of design is then that upon opening, a small amount of liquid from the liquid reservoir can be sprayed via the dispensing device into the user's mouth before the actual drinking process begins.

In a further embodiment, the bottle cap may be configured generally cylindrical and may have an actuation device on its outer circumference for actuating the dispensing device. Ideally, the actuation device is positioned and sized such that the actuation device is grasped and thereby actuated when the bottle is brought to the mouth. This structure also allows a small amount of liquid from the liquid reservoir to be sprayed into the user's mouth prior to the actual drinking process, i.e. ingestion of the liquid from the bottle.

In a further embodiment, the dispensing device has at least one pressure chamber, which is fluid-tightly connected to the liquid reservoir and the small opening, and which allows liquid to flow between the liquid reservoir and the small opening. is placed within the dispensing path of the The amount of liquid to be dispensed e.g. when the stopper of the bottle cap is opened, the pressure chamber is emptied and the amount of liquid present in the pressure chamber is sprayed into the mouth of the drinker. As such, it can be temporarily stored in the pressure chamber. The provision of a pressure chamber allows for a simple construction and may also serve to determine the maximum amount of liquid from the liquid reservoir to be dispensed during the drinking process.

In this connection, the dispensing device is configured such that the pressure chamber is refilled via the dispensing device after dispensing when a predeterminable amount of liquid has been dispensed from the pressure chamber. preferably. As a result, the correct amount is automatically available in the pressure chamber in advance for the next drinking process.

It has been found that when a predeterminable amount of liquid is dispensed in one go by the dispensing device, even a very small amount is sufficient to provide a satisfactory taste experience received by the drinker. . Here, the amount of liquid is preferably about 1 ml to 10 ml, especially 4 ml to 6 ml, preferably 5 ml.

In principle, the dispensing device can be designed arbitrarily. A particularly simple design is possible if a pumping mechanism is provided which is arranged to dispense the liquid from the liquid reservoir. If a pressure chamber is provided, the transfer of liquid from the liquid reservoir into the pressure chamber can be achieved via a pumping mechanism. The pump mechanism can be designed in various ways, for example mechanical, electrical and/or piezoelectric designs. The exact manner in which the pump mechanism is designed is highly dependent on the area of use.

Advantageously, the pumping mechanism and/or the dispensing device itself are of electrical design, if, for example, a microcontroller, which can have an external communication interface, is additionally installed in the bottle cap. Accordingly, communication with the dispensing device may be accomplished via a microcontroller to more finely configure the dispensing device and/or retrieve log data, for example regarding the number of drinking processes.

More than one liquid reservoir may be provided to further enhance the taste experience. For example, it is possible to provide two liquid reservoirs from which liquid is dispensed from one of the liquid reservoirs at the beginning of the drinking process and from the other liquid reservoir at the end of the drinking process. This is another way of influencing the user's taste experience.

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

The invention will be explained in more detail below using schematic exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a schematic view of a bottle cap according to the invention according to a first embodiment; FIG. Fig. 4 is a schematic view of a bottle cap according to the invention according to a second embodiment; Fig. 4 is a schematic view of a bottle cap according to the invention according to a further design;

Identical parts are labeled with the same reference numerals in the three figures.

Figure 1 shows a first embodiment of a bottle cap 1 according to the invention. This bottle cap 1 is attached by an internal thread 8 to a bottle 40 having an external thread 41 .

A hollow tube 3 extends through the bottle cap 1 and into the interior of the bottle 40 . This hollow tube 3 is connected to the upper end of a drinking opening 4 located in a drinking area 6 . Below the drinking area 6 pressure chambers 13, 14 are arranged. Beneath the two pressure chambers 13,14 are likewise arranged two liquid reservoirs 21,22. The connection between the first pressure chamber 13 and the first liquid reservoir 21 is made by a suitable valve 15 on a common contact surface or dividing wall. A similar valve 15 also provides a connection between the second pressure chamber 14 and the second liquid reservoir 22 . The two pressure chambers 13, 14 also have connections to small openings 11 which serve to atomize the fluid. A small opening 11 is provided in the drinking area 6 .

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

The functioning of the bottle cap 1 according to the invention is explained in more detail below. In this connection, a dispensing device consisting of multiple parts of the bottle cap 1 is also discussed.

In the initial state, the first pressure chamber 13 is filled with a predeterminable amount of liquid, while the second pressure chamber 14 is empty. When the stopper 30 is lifted, the base of the first pressure chamber 13 likewise moves upwards. Liquid contained in the first pressure chamber 13 is thereby squeezed out of the small opening 11 .

As the stopper 30 is pulled upwards, the dividing wall within the second pressure chamber 14 is also pushed downwards, thereby causing a portion of the liquid contained in the second liquid reservoir 22 to remain in proper contact with the container with which it is in communication. It is transported into the second pressure chamber 14 by a valve principle.

When the stopper 30 is opened, the user can drink the contents of the bottle through the drinking opening 4 . The user pushes down the stopper 30 as soon as the stopper 30 is closed. As a result, the base or movable wall is forced up within the second pressure chamber 14 by deflection, whereby liquid from the second pressure chamber 14 is dispensed through the small opening 11 . Similarly, the dividing wall is displaced downwards within the first pressure chamber 13 so that liquid from the first liquid reservoir 21 is thus transferred via the valve 15 into the first pressure chamber 14 . be.

Of course, other dispensing mechanisms are available, which in principle can likewise be implemented by mechanical, electrical and piezoelectric means.

Thus, according to the invention, the bottle cap 1 allows a certain amount of liquid to be initially sprayed into the user's mouth area before the drinking process begins. This provides a taste experience corresponding to the selected liquid. The actual liquid can then be drunk from bottle 40 . This liquid is preferably water which, as already mentioned, contributes little to the taste experience during the drinking process.

When the bottle cap 1 is closed, liquid is again sprayed from the second reservoir 22 or the second pressure chamber 14 into the user's mouth. This again enhances the taste experience so that the user is given the illusion that he or she has been drinking the flavored liquid all along.

In principle, it would of course also be possible to provide dispensing only when opening or only when closing. Likewise, it is not essential that two different liquid reservoirs 21, 22 are provided.

In Figure 2 an alternative embodiment of a bottle cap 100 according to the invention is shown. This bottle cap 100 differs substantially from the bottle cap 1 shown in Figure 1 by the fact that no stopper is used to actuate the dispensing device. For this purpose, a lever 135 is provided on the outer peripheral surface 132 . This lever 135 pushes a pin 133 for actuating the dispensing device in the area of the outer peripheral surface 132 . In the simplest case, a suitable overpressure can be built up in reservoir 21 so that liquid is sprayed out of small opening 11 when lever 135 or pin 133 is actuated. But likewise a micropump is provided here which increases the pressure in the reservoir 21 as a result of the pulse caused by the lever 135 or the pin 133 so that part of the liquid is dispensed through the small opening 11. It is possible. Direct dispensing via a pump without pressure build-up in reservoir 21 is also feasible.

In figure 3 a further embodiment of a bottle cap 200 according to the invention is shown. This bottle cap 200 has a flip closure 230 . A pin 233 is also provided on the flip closure 230 which interacts with a stop 231 provided on the outer peripheral surface 232 when the flip closure 230 is opened. This stop can, for example, activate a pump that causes the dispensing of a small amount of liquid provided in the reservoir through the small opening 11 .

In principle, various devices achievable in a manner known to those skilled in the art can be considered for dispensing liquids from reservoirs. Whether active pumping is provided by a mechanical or electrical pump, or by applying external pressure, in each case depends on the desired embodiment.

Critical to the present invention, however, is the finding that dispensing small amounts of liquid before and/or after drinking makes the user feel as if they are drinking a liquid other than water.

Thus, the use of bottle caps according to the present invention can reduce caloric intake during drinking without significantly compromising the taste experience.

Claims (9)

having a hollow tube extending inside the bottle ,
having a drinking opening connected to the hollow tube ;
having a drinking area ,
A bottle cap for attachment to the opening of the bottle , wherein the drinking opening is provided within the drinking area ,
a plurality of small openings defined within the drinking area, the small openings having a smaller diameter than the drinking opening;
at least two liquid reservoirs connected to the small openings ;
a dispensing device that, when actuated, dispenses liquid from one liquid reservoir through said small opening ;
with
said liquid reservoir is fluid-tightly connected to said small opening ;
The dispensing device, when activated, dispenses a predeterminable amount of the liquid through the small opening configured to atomize the liquid from the one liquid reservoir . ,
A stopper is provided for fluid-tight closing of the drinking opening and the small opening in the drinking area, the stopper moving from the closed position to the open position or from the open position to the closed position by vertical and/or rotational movement. can be migrated to
the dispensing device is operable when the stopper moves from the closed position to the open position;
the dispensing device is operable when the stopper moves from the open position to the closed position;
said at least two liquid reservoirs being provided in said bottle cap;
said dispensing device having two pressure chambers arranged in fluid-tight connection to said liquid reservoir and said small opening in said liquid dispensing path;
A bottle cap , wherein the dispensing device is configured to dispense the predeterminable amount of the liquid from the pressure chamber and to refill the pressure chamber after dispensing . a laterally hinged flip closure is provided for closing the drinking area ;
a stop for the flip closure is configured on the bottle cap;
2. The bottle cap of claim 1 , wherein the stop is configured to activate the dispensing device upon contact with the flip closure . the bottle cap is cylindrically configured,
3. Bottle cap according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein an actuating device for actuating the dispensing device is arranged on the outer peripheral surface of the bottle cap. 4. A bottle cap according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said predeterminable amount of said liquid is between 1ml and 10ml. 5. Bottle cap according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the dispensing device comprises a pump mechanism. 6. Bottle cap according to claim 5 , wherein the pump mechanism is mechanically, electrically and/or piezoelectrically constructed. A microcontroller having an external communication interface is provided,
7. Bottle cap according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein the dispensing device is arranged to communicate with the microcontroller. A bottle, mug or cup provided with a bottle cap according to any one of claims 1-7 . 5. A bottle cap according to claim 4, wherein said predeterminable amount of liquid is between 4ml and 6ml.

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