WO2003013962A1

WO2003013962A1 - A cap

Info

Publication number: WO2003013962A1
Application number: PCT/NZ2002/000003
Authority: WO
Inventors: Andrew Michael Collins; Michelle Anne Whitmore; Alastair Gilbert Pearce; Linda Margaret Pearce; Graeme Blake; Jeff Sharp; Kane Murray
Original assignee: Sji Limited
Priority date: 2001-08-06
Filing date: 2002-01-17
Publication date: 2003-02-20

Abstract

A cap (1) that can be engaged with a bottle (2) wherein the cap (1) has a compartment (36) for housing an additive (14), a release means for releasing the additive from the compartment into the bottle where it can be mixed with the contents of the bottle and an aperture for dispensing the resulting mixture. The additive is held within the compartment by a tab (18) which covers an opening (35) in the compartment and seals that opening. A user may remove the tab from the opening (35) and thus release the additive using a release means such as a ripcord (30) which extends from the tab (18), through the body of the cap (18) and beyond to where it can be manipulated by the user.

Description

A CAP

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to a cap that may be used in association with a container such as a bottle. The cap provides a means for retaining an additive (eg. a vitamin tablet, or pharmaceutical or cosmetic preparation) and a means for releasing the additive, for instance, into a fluid held in an associated container. The cap also includes a means to dispense the combined fluid and additive.

BACKGROUND ART

Bottle tops and discharge caps designed to retain an additive such as a powder or tablet or liquid and to subsequently release the additive into the attached bottle upon manipulation by a user are known in the pharmaceutical industry and more recently in the sports drinks industry. Examples of such discharge caps are disclosed in O98/40289, WO00/27717, WO98/00348 and O93/14990. Many of the prior art bottle tops and discharge caps are cumbersome and their size can cause difficulties in the packaging, transportation and display of bottles bearing such caps. Their bulk may also detract from the appearance of the product which is of importance in relation to certain products such as sports drinks. Further some are only suited to dispensing additives in tablet form while others are suited to liquid or powder additives only.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

The present invention broadly consists in a cap including:

- a canopy having a first aperture that is closable and sealable, a second aperture, a collar adapted to sealingly engage with a neck of a container in use, and a compartment having an opening and being adapted to, in use, house therein an additive;

- a tab adapted to seal the opening thus sealing said additive within said compartment;

- a release means engagable with said tab and extending through said second aperture in a manner allowing relative movement, said release means being adapted to partially or fully remove the tab from the opening of the compartment upon manipulation of said release means; the construction and arrangement being such that in use the cap is attached by way of the collar to a container containing a fluid or other substance, the tab seals the additive in the compartment and the release means can be manipulated resulting in the tab being disengaged from the opening of the compartment, allowing the release of the additive into the fluid or other substance in the container with the resulting mixture being dispensable via the first aperture.

The release means may be in the form of a rip cord.

The tab may extend across and be sealed around the opening of the compartment then fold back substantially across the opening to engage with the rip cord, the construction and arrangement being such that pulling the rip cord peels the foil tab away from the opening allowing the substance contained in the compartment to be released from the compartment into the container.

The rip cord may have a grip means, a first bung adapted to seal and be removably engaged with the second aperture in the canopy, a tether means adapted to extend through the second aperture and to a second bung.

The second bung may also be adapted to engage with and seal or block the second aperture in the canopy.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

One preferred form of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a preferred form of the cap of the present invention attached to a container.

Figure 2 shows a perspective view of a preferred form of the cap of the present invention from below and without the tab.

Figure 3 shows a plan view of a preferred form of the cap of the present invention.

Figure 4 shows a plan view of a preferred form of the cap of the present invention from below.

Figure 5 shows a side elevation view of a preferred form of the cap of the present invention and exterior cap and without the tab. Figure 6 shows a side elevation view of a preferred form of the cap of the present invention.

Figure 7 shows a front elevation view of a preferred form of the cap of the present invention.

Figure 8 shows a side elevation cross-section view of a preferred form of the cap of the present invention.

MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The preferred form of the cap of the present invention as shown in Figures 1 to 8 is a cap adapted for use as a drink dispenser. Figure 1 shows a container 2 capable of containing a fluid. The neck 11 of the container 2 engages the collar 7 of the cap. The engagement may be by way of complementary threading on the collar and neck or there may be a snap fit arrangement. Figures 2 and 8 show threading 50 adapted to screw onto complimentary threading on a container. The engagement should form a seal so that fluid does not escape between the container and the collar of the cap.

The collar may engage with inside or outside of the container neck or both.

The cap consists of a canopy 6 having a first aperture 8 adapted for use as a nozzle. The first aperture 8 has a valve 10 which can be manually pushed and pulled to open and close the aperture in use to allow the first aperture 8 to act as a nozzle particularly to facilitate drinking from the container and to seal the container. The canopy also has a second aperture 9 (shown best in Figure 8) . A rip cord 30 has a first bung 15, a tether means 16, a second bung 17, and a grip means 5. The rip cord 30 extends through the second aperture in the canopy and while in the position as shown in Figures 1-3 and 5-8, the first bung seals the second aperture 9 so that fluid 19 cannot escape the container 2 via the second aperture 9.

The first bung has a cover means 19 that prevents foreign matter becoming lodges in or around the second aperture-.

The grip means extends from the top of the canopy so that it is accessible to a user.

The cap also has a compartment 36 which is best shown in Figure 2. In the preferred form as shown, the compartment 36 is a cylindrical extension extending from the underside of the canopy. The compartment has an opening 35 at distal end from the canopy.

In use the opening 35 is covered by a tab 18 (see Figures 4 and 6-8) and contains an additive such as an effervescent vitamin tablet 14 or pharmaceutical composition.

The tab may be composed of a metallic foil, plastic or metallic laminate or a range of other suitable materials.

In the preferred form as shown in Figure 4, the tab is composed of a laminate foil having a cover part 31 that, in use, covers and seals the opening 35 of the compartment 36 of the cap 1. As shown in Figure 4 (and figures 6-8), the foil tab 18 also has an extension part 32 that is folded back across the opening of the compartment and engages with the lower regions of the rip cord 30. As can be seen in Figure 8, the second bung 17 in this preferred form, is attachably and detachably engaged with the tether means 16 of the ripcord 30 by way of the second bung 17 having a corrugated plug 21 and the tether means 16 having a corrugated socket 22.

This assists in the manufacture and assembly of this preferred form and allows the second bung 17 to detach from the remainder of the ripcord 30 after it lodges and seals the second aperture. This in turn allows the remainder of the ripcord to be removed so that it does not hinder the user from, for instance, drinking from the cap.

The compartment is occupied by a tablet, for instance, a vitamin tablet 14. The compartment could alternatively be occupied by a powder or a fluid additive. The cover part 31 of the tab 18 will preferably be heat sealed (though other forms of sealing are possible) across the opening 35 of the compartment 36, hermetically sealing the compartment. The seal should be a breakable hermetic seal to protect the additive from the atmosphere and from the contents of the container. The seal is not so strong so as to prevent the tab being pulled away from the compartment and the opening of the compartment upon the pulling of the rip cord.

The canopy may include engagement means, which in the preferred form shown in Figure 5 takes the form of an annular ring 41 moulded on the exterior of the cap's canopy. This engagement means is for the fitting of an exterior cap 51 (as shown in Figure 5) . The exterior cap 51 can be snap fitted and is used to protect the cap, particularly the rip cord and the nozzle from tampering and dirt.

In use the container 2 may contain a fluid such as spring or sparkling water and the compartment 36 retains and protects a tablet 14 consisting of perhaps soluble health or medicinal supplements, or similar. A person removes the exterior cap 51 and grabs the grip means 5 of the rip cord 30 that projects from the canopy 6 of the capped container. Upon pulling, the first bung 15 is disengaged from the second aperture 9 and the tether means 16 is pulled through the second aperture 9 until the second bung 17 engages and/or blocks the second aperture 9. If the rip cord is pulled further, the tether means 16 may detach from the second bung 17 leaving the second aperture 9 sealed and allowing the grip means 5, first bung 15 and tether means 16 to be removed and possibly discarded. The pulling of the rip cord 30 also results in the foil tab 18 being peeled away from the compartment 36, allowing the additive contained within the compartment to be released through the opening 35 into the container 2 and the fluid therein. Shaking may help the release of the substance from the compartment and the dissolving or mixing of the substance with the fluid.

Once mixed, the mixture or solution can be dispensed through the first aperture 8. In the preferred for as shown in Figures 1-8 the aperture is closable and sealable and takes the form of a nozzle 10 adapted for drinking.

A cylindrical nozzle wall 25 (shown best in Figure 8) extends from the canopy and supports a central plug 26 by way of struts 24. A sheath 27 having a hole 23 that complements the plug 26 is slidably engaged with the nozzle wall 25. The top of the wall 29 is flanged and the bottom of the sheath has an annular ring 28 that together prevent the sheath from detaching from the nozzle wall 25. By manual manipulation the sheath 27 is slid up and down the nozzle wall 25. In the "down" position, the central plug 26, plugs the hole 23 in the sheath 27 as shown in Figure 8, sealing the first aperture 8. In the "raised" position the plug does not plug the hole in the sheath. The first aperture is open and the contents of the container can be dispensed through it.

The above description describes one preferred form of the present invention. A number of variations will be apparent to a person skilled in the art.

For instance, nozzles of different designs may be used to provide a sealable, closable first aperture and in some forms of the invention these need not be adapted for drinking.

Additives may be in various forms and comprise a range of compounds. In addition to tablets the additives may be powders, liquids etc. and they may include health supplements, pharmaceutical compositions, flavourings, etc.

The tab may take a variety of forms and be composed of one or more of a variety of materials although laminate foils are effective. The tab need not include an extension part that folds back over the cover part . For instance the tether means of the ripcord may be extended and flexible and may extend across the opening of the compartment and attach to the tab.

In the preferred form as described the container is adapted to hold fluid and be used as a drink bottle. In other forms, for instance when the additive in the compartment is itself a fluid, the container may be adapted to hold solids.

The cap may be attachable to the container in a number of ways such as complementary threading, snap fit, adhesives, plastic welds etc. and the collar of the cap may attach to the inside or outside of the container neck or both. Similarly, where an exterior cover is used the means by which this engages with the cap and/or container may take a wide variety of forms .

In other forms of the invention a push bar could be substituted for the rip cord. The push bar would serve the same function as the rip- cord but could be pushed down into the container as opposed to the rip cord which is pulled out of the container. In such a case the push bar would need to be sufficiently rigid to pull the tab away from the walls of the compartment. The push bar could include first and second bungs similar to the ripcord.

In other forms of the invention the additive compartment may be moulded separately from the rest of the cap and may be detachably engagable with the rest of the cap. This could allow compartments sealed by a tab and containing an additive to be sold separately so that a user can attach the separate compartment to the cap and attach the tab to the ripcord (by disengaging and re-engaging the second bung) thus enabling re-use of the cap and container.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The present invention provides a compact means of retaining two separate ingredients, usually a fluid in the container and a solid additive in the cap compartment, and allowing them to be kept separate until they are mixed at a time determined by the user. The cap of the present invention allows use of tablet or powder or liquid additive substances. The present invention has applications to sports and health drink products but also may be applied for use in any circumstances where two components must be or should be kept separate during storage but mixed prior to use. Such applications could include health supplements, medicines, adhesives, and cosmetic products to name a few. The device is particularly useful in cases where the additive may degrade over time when dissolved or exposed to air or fluids .

Claims

1 . A cap including : a canopy having a first aperture that is closable and sealable, a second aperture, a collar adapted to sealingly engage with a neck of a container in use, and a compartment having an opening and being adapted to, in use, house therein an additive; a tab adapted to seal the opening thus sealing said additive within said compartment in use; a release means engagable with said tab and extending through said second aperture in a manner allowing relative movement, said release means being adapted to partially or fully remove the tab from the opening of the compartment upon manipulation of the said release means; the construction and arrangement being such that in use the cap is attached by way of the collar to a container containing a fluid or other substance and the release means can be manipulated resulting in the tab being disengaged from the opening of the compartment, allowing the release of the additive into the fluid or other substance in the container with the resulting mixture being dispensable via the first aperture.

2. A cap as claimed in claim 1 wherein the release means is a ripcord.

3. A cap as claimed in claim 2, wherein the tab extends across and is sealed around the opening of the compartment then folds back substantially across the opening to engage with the rip cord, the construction and arrangement being such that pulling the rip cord peels the tab away from the opening allowing the additive contained in the compartment to be released from the compartment into the container.

4. A cap as claimed in any one of claims 2 or 3 wherein the rip cord has a grip means, a first bung adapted to seal and be removably engaged with the second aperture in the canopy, a tether means, and a second bung also adapted to engage with and seal the second aperture in the canopy.

5. A cap as claimed in claim 4 wherein the second bung is detachable.

6. A cap as claimed in claim 5 wherein the tab is consists of a laminate foil.

7. A cap as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein the first aperture is closable and sealable.

8. A cap as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein the compartment contains an additive in the form of a tablet.

9. A cap as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8 wherein the canopy includes an engagement means adapted to engage with an exterior cover.

10. A cap as claimed in claim 1 wherein the release means is a push- bar.

11. A container having a cap, said cap consisting of a canopy having a first aperture that is closable and sealable, a second aperture, a collar, and a compartment having an opening and being adapted to, in use, house therein an additive; a tab adapted to seal the opening thus sealing said additive within said compartment in use; a release means engaged with said tab and extending through said second aperture in a manner allowing relative movement, said release means being adapted to partially or fully remove the tab from the opening of the compartment upon manipulation of the release means; the construction and arrangement being such that collar of the cap is sealingly engaged with a neck of the container which in use contains a fluid and the release means can be manipulated resulting in the tab being disengaged from the opening of the compartment, allowing the release of the additive into the fluid or other substance in the container with the resulting mixture being dispensable via the first aperture.

12. A cap comprising: a canopy having a first aperture that is closable and sealable, a second aperture, a collar adapted to sealingly engage with a neck of a container in use, and a compartment having an opening that in use may house therein an additive and be sealed closed by a tab; and a release means engagable with said tab in use and extending through said second aperture in a manner allowing relative movement, said release means being adapted to partially or fully remove the tab from the opening of the compartment; the construction and arrangement being such that in use the cap is attached by way of the collar to a container containing a fluid or other substance and the release means can be manipulated resulting in the tab being disengaged from the opening of the compartment, allowing the release of the additive into the fluid or other substance in the container with the resulting mixture being dispensable via the first aperture.

13. A cap substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings .