Drink bottles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10676255-B2
Application number	US-201816035418-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 13, 2018
Priority date	Apr 11, 2005
Publication date	Jun 9, 2020
Grant date	Jun 9, 2020

Abstract

Drink bottles, or drink containers with cap assemblies that include a drink spout. In some embodiments, the drink spout is pivotally coupled to a base of the cap assembly. In some embodiments, the drink spouts include mouthpieces, including self-sealing and/or bite-actuated mouthpieces. In some embodiments, the cap assembly includes a handle, which may include at least one guard for the drink spout and/or mouthpiece. In some embodiments, the drink containers include a manual on/off valve. In some embodiments, the dispensing spout includes a mount for the mouthpiece and/or cooperates with the cap to provide a manual on/off valve to selectively restrict flow of drink fluid from the drink container regardless of the drink spout's and/or mouthpiece's configuration. In some embodiments, the drink containers include a drink tube extending from external of the drink containers and/or an air return system.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A drink container, comprising:
a fluid container having a neck with an opening and having an internal compartment sized to hold a volume of potable drink fluid;
a cap assembly removably coupled to the fluid container to cover the opening, wherein the cap assembly defines a fluid conduit for drink fluid to flow from the fluid container and through the cap assembly to a user, wherein the fluid conduit includes an inlet through which drink fluid from the fluid container may enter the fluid conduit, and a dispensing outlet through which drink fluid in the fluid conduit may be dispensed from the cap assembly to a user, and further wherein the cap assembly comprises:
a cap assembly base removably coupled to the neck of the fluid container, wherein the cap assembly base is configured to be selectively and repeatedly decoupled from and re-coupled to the neck of the fluid container;
a pivotal mount coupled to the cap assembly base for pivotal movement relative to the cap assembly base, wherein the pivotal mount includes a pair of lateral projections, wherein the cap assembly base defines a pair of sockets into which the pair of lateral projections extend;
a resilient mouthpiece coupled to the pivotal mount for pivotal movement with the pivotal mount relative to the cap assembly base, wherein the resilient mouthpiece is pivotal about an axis defined by the pair of lateral projections as the pair of lateral projections rotate within the pair of sockets;
wherein the resilient mouthpiece defines a portion of the fluid conduit, including the dispensing outlet;
wherein the resilient mouthpiece and the pivotal mount are configured to be selectively pivoted between a stowed position and a dispensing position, and further in the dispensing position, the dispensing outlet is positioned further away from the cap assembly base than when the resilient mouthpiece and the pivotal mount are in the stowed position;
wherein the resilient mouthpiece is adapted to resiliently compress responsive to compressive forces applied to the resilient mouthpiece by a user's teeth; and
a manual on/off valve having a closed configuration, in which the manual on/off valve obstructs the fluid conduit to restrict drink fluid from flowing between the inlet and the dispensing outlet, and an open configuration, in which the manual on/off valve permits drink fluid to flow through the fluid conduit from the inlet to the dispensing outlet; wherein the manual on/off valve includes a flexible tube that defines a portion of the fluid conduit;
wherein when the manual on/off valve is in the closed configuration, the tube is crimped to obstruct the flow of drink fluid through the fluid conduit; and
wherein when the manual on/off valve is in the open configuration, the tube is not crimped and does not obstruct the flow of drink fluid through the fluid conduit.

2. The drink container of claim 1 , wherein the cap assembly base further comprises a handle that extends from the cap assembly base, and further wherein the handle is secured to the cap assembly base in a position that obstructs removal of the pair of lateral projections from the pair of sockets.

3. The drink container of claim 1 , wherein the cap assembly includes a pair of lateral guards that extend on opposed sides of the resilient mouthpiece when the resilient mouthpiece and the pivotal mount are in the stowed position, and further wherein the cap assembly includes a dust cover extending between the pair of lateral guards and positioned to protect the dispensing outlet of the resilient mouthpiece by extending across at least a portion of the dispensing outlet of the resilient mouthpiece when the resilient mouthpiece and the pivotal mount are in the stowed position.

4. The drink container of claim 3 , wherein when the resilient mouthpiece is pivoted from the stowed position to the dispensing position, the resilient mouthpiece pivots away from the dust cover.

5. The drink container of claim 3 , wherein the dust cover projects above an upper surface of the cap assembly base.

6. The drink container of claim 3 , wherein the cap assembly further includes a handle that extends from the cap assembly base and includes the pair of lateral guards and the dust cover.

7. The drink container of claim 1 , wherein the cap assembly further comprises a handle that extends in a fixed orientation from the cap assembly base and which defines at least a portion of a closed loop with an aperture through which a user's finger may be inserted to carry the drink container.

8. The drink container of claim 1 , wherein the resilient mouthpiece is permanently secured to the pivotal mount.

9. The drink container of claim 1 , wherein the resilient mouthpiece includes projections that extend generally transverse to the portion of the fluid conduit that extends through the resilient mouthpiece, and further wherein the projections engage an end region of the pivotal mount.

10. The drink container of claim 9 , wherein the projections are internal projections.

11. The drink container of claim 1 , wherein the resilient mouthpiece is configured to be selectively removed from and recoupled to the pivotal mount.

12. The drink container of claim 11 , wherein the resilient mouthpiece includes a mouthpiece base with an end distal the dispensing outlet that has a contoured configuration that does not extend at a constant distance from the dispensing outlet, wherein the end of the resilient mouthpiece base includes a projecting region and a concave region, wherein the projecting region of the end of the mouthpiece base extends a greater distance away from the dispensing outlet than the concave region of the end of the mouthpiece base, and further wherein the pivotal mount is configured to engage the projecting region and the concave region of the mouthpiece base to restrict rotation of the resilient mouthpiece relative to the pivotal mount.

13. The drink container of claim 1 , wherein the resilient mouthpiece includes a dispensing face, and further wherein the dispensing outlet extends through the dispensing face of the resilient mouthpiece.

14. The drink container of claim 13 , wherein the dispensing outlet is defined by a slit that extends through the dispensing face of the resilient mouthpiece.

15. The drink container of claim 1 , wherein the resilient mouthpiece includes a dispensing face that defines the dispensing outlet, wherein the resilient mouthpiece includes opposed bite regions, wherein the dispensing face includes opposed lips between which the dispensing outlet is defined, and further wherein when a user applies compressive forces to the opposed bite regions, the lips are urged away from each other to enlarge the dispensing outlet.

16. The drink container of claim 15 , wherein the opposed lips seal against each other when the opposed bite regions are not urged toward each other.

17. The drink container of claim 1 , wherein the pivotal mount further includes a projecting flange that extends away from a portion of the fluid conduit that extends through the pivotal mount, wherein the projecting flange provides a lever arm that is configured to be engaged by a user's finger to pivot the pivotal mount from the stowed position to the dispensing position.

18. The drink container of claim 1 , wherein the pivotal mount is adapted to selectively engage the flexible tube to apply crimping forces thereto and thereby configure the manual on/off valve to the closed configuration as the pivotal mount is pivoted from the dispensing position to the stowed position.

Assignees

• Camelbak Products Llc

Inventors

• Choi Robert
• Forsman Barley A
• Galten Jeremy

Classifications

• A47G19/2266 Primary

  Means for facilitating drinking, e.g. for infants or invalids · CPC title

• B65D47/065 Primary

  with hinged, foldable or pivotable spouts · CPC title

• A47G19/2272

  from drinking glasses or cups comprising lids or covers · CPC title

• A45F3/20

  of flexible material; Collapsible or stackable cups · CPC title

• B65D47/066

  the spout being either flexible or having a flexible wall portion, whereby the spout is foldable between a dispensing and a non-dispensing position (B65D47/2043 takes precedence) · CPC title