US20060151426A1

US20060151426A1 - A reusable spill-resistant sip cap that fits beverage bottles of any size.

Info

Publication number: US20060151426A1
Application number: US10/905,406
Authority: US
Inventors: Mike Peters
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2005-01-03
Filing date: 2005-01-03
Publication date: 2006-07-13

Abstract

A reusable spill-resistant sip cap that creates a tight seal when inserted into the opening of a disposable beverage bottle. The sip cap uses a flexible rubber or silicone gasket to create the seal without using threads. This allows the cap to fit a wide range of opening sizes. Through the center of the rubber gasket is a hole with a plastic tube that extends upward to a sipping nozzle which contains pinholes to regulate the flow of fluid.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Before drinking directly from cups and bottles, an infant or toddler drinks from drinking cups commonly referred to as sipper cups. Sipper cups are comprised of a container for the liquid along with a top with a drinking device. These cups are widely used to enable infants and toddlers to drink.
While these cups are extremely useful, there is not always the need for such a device. In some cases, it is much more desirable to be able to drink beverages directly from the container, without first pouring them into a cup. This is especially the case when you are away from home where a cup is not available.
This creates a need for a reusable spill-resistant sip cap that can be placed onto disposable plastic beverage bottles to assist infants, toddlers and kids with drinking; effectively, converting a common beverage bottle into a sipper cup. Without such a cap, a beverage must be poured from the disposable bottle into a child's sipper cup.
Current caps on the market utilize the threads of the bottle; however, beverage bottles have various opening and thread sizes which makes it difficult to create a single cap that fits all bottles.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,112,926 describes a cap for beverage bottles; however this cap is threaded and will not fit a wide range of openings and thread sizes.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention is a reusable spill-resistant sip cap that creates a tight seal when inserted into the opening of a disposable beverage bottle. The sip cap uses a flexible rubber or silicone gasket to create the seal without using threads. This allows the cap to fit a wide range of opening sizes. Through the center of the rubber gasket is a hole with a plastic tube that extends upward to a sipping nozzle which contains pin-size holes to regulate the flow of fluid.
There are many advantages of such a device:
(1) This cap makes drinking from beverage bottles much easier for infants and toddlers.
(2) This cap prevents spillage caused by infants or toddlers drinking from beverage bottles.
(3) Beverage bottles, including water, juice, and soda, can be purchased just about anywhere. This cap can turn these common beverage bottles into a spill-resistant container instantly, even when traveling.
(4) This cap enables a parent to travel carrying only the cap which efficiently takes up less space than a sipper cup.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

In order that the invention may be more fully understood, it will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a cross section of the sip cap prior to insertion into a disposable beverage bottle.
FIG. 2 is a cross section view of the sip cap inserted into a disposable beverage bottle.
FIG. 3 is a top view and elevation of the sip cap.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention is composed of the following components, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings:

- (1) A flexible gasket (1D, 2B, 3F) is made of a rubber or silicone material that can compress to create a water-tight seal when placed into the opening (1F) of a disposable beverage bottle (1G, 2C). The gasket (1D, 2B, 3F) will fit all sizes of bottle openings (1H, 2D). A hole runs through the center of the gasket through which the water passes.
- (2) A plastic tube (1E) runs through the center of the flexible gasket (1D, 2B, 3F) and extends upward and is attached to a plastic knob (1C, 3A, 3E). The tube is made of high density plastic and prevents the gasket from compressing to a point where it restricts the flow of water.
- (3) A plastic knob (1C, 3A, 3E) allows the entire sip cap to be twisted. The twisting motion helps facilitate the insertion of the gasket in the beverage bottle and the removal of the gasket from the bottle.
- (4) A plastic sipping nozzle (1B, 2A, 3C, 3D) is oval-shaped to fit comfortably in an infant or toddler's mouth. At the top of the nozzle are small pin-size holes (1A, 3B) to regulate the flow of fluid and enable liquid to flow through the device at a decreased volume and rate. The nozzle (1B, 2A, 3C, 3D) is centered on top of the plastic knob (1C, 3A, 3E) below.

Claims

1. A reusable spill-resistant sip cap that creates a water-tight seal when inserted into the opening of a disposable beverage bottle, comprising: a flexible gasket which can fit a wide range of opening sizes and creates a tight seal without the use of threads; a knob which allows the entire cap to be twisted and helps facilitate the insertion and removal of the cap; and a plastic oval-shaped sipping nozzle is attached to the knob below.

2. A cap as defined in claim 1 wherein the said flexible gasket is fabricated from a rubber or silicone material.

3. A cap as defined in claim 1 wherein the said flexible gasket has a hole which runs through the center which contains a plastic tube through which water passes.

4. A cap as defined in claim 1 wherein the said knob is fabricated from a plastic or polymeric material with ridges along the outer edge to create a surface which is easy to grip.