Lid with cap for beverage receptacle

Abstract

Lid with cap for drink receptacles comprising at least one hole for the exit of liquid from the receptacle, at least one hole for the entrance of air into the receptacle, said air inlet incorporating a check valve allowing the entrance of air but not the exit of liquid therethrough; said valve being built into the body of the lid and having a plug element, by way of an axially sliding cap, allowing simultaneous front double closure of both holes, as well as an ergonomic swallowing of any liquid and aseptic use of the receptacle.

Description

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates to a lid with cap for beverage receptacles or containers of the type that is coupled to an opening of the receptacle or container, such as PET bottles, although it also can be used in other types of containers, such as bottles used by cyclists or athletes for example. Particularly, the lid with cap described in the application is applied to a liquid receptacle and comprises at least one hole for the exit of liquid from the receptacle and at least one hole for the entrance of air into the receptacle, said air inlet comprising a check valve allowing the entrance of air into the receptacle but not the exit of the liquid and a double plug element, or cap, in a single piece, axially movable. Said check valve is built into the lid thus forming part of the body of the lid, or in other words built into the same part of the lid, the same as the hole for the exit of liquid.[0002]This invention applies to the sector of closures for liq...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0021]The valve of the lid is an air check or control valve allowing the entrance of air when sucking the liquid contained inside the recipient or receptacle but preventing the exit of the liquid when the liquid outlet is not sucked on, thus allowing the exit of the liquid only through the hole intended for such purpose. In other words, when the user sucks through the liquid outlet to drink, the valve opens allowing the entrance of air into the receptacle, thereby aiding in drinking the liquid. It is also important to stress again that said check valve is built into, forming part of the body or part of the lid, therefore being made from the same material as the body of the lid, the same plastic. In this way, when the consumer drinks, they can regulate the flow of liquid they want by controlling the suction and as a result the entry of air in the receptacle, i.e. the greater the suction, a greater flow is achieved and vice versa. When the suction stops, the valve is automatically closed, thus preventing both the entry of air and the exit of liquid.

[0027]By means of the configuration of the lid with the check valve, the user wanting to drink the liquid from the receptacle through the liquid outlet will suck the liquid through the outlet. The valve allows the entrance of air into the receptacle because said suction created by the user causes a pressure drop inside the receptacle that forces the membrane-shaped walls of the second free end of the tubular body to separate, thereby allowing the entrance of air into the receptacle and therefore aiding the liquid in flowing through the liquid outlet without deforming said receptacle and with a minimum controlled suction force. When the user stops sucking, the walls of the second end or free end come into contact with one another again, thereby closing the conduit of the tubular body and preventing both the entrance of air and the exit of liquid through the air inlet. Also due to the check valve, the lid object of the present invention allows the user to drink without needing to stop the consumption to take a breath and continue drinking, as occurs in lids with one liquid outlet currently used in PET receptacles, PET recipients or preferably PET bottles.

[0029]The cap or plug element will move axially with respect to the cited liquid outlets and air inlets, along at least one guiding element which ensures the movement of the cap or plug to be axial with respect to said holes. The upward axial movement of the plug allows the opening of both holes whereby the consumer will be able to access the liquid in the receptacle, while the opposite movement closes both holes simultaneously at the user's will.

[0035]The top surface of the lid can be slightly recessed with respect to the perimeter wall such that the horizontal outer surfaces of the plug are inserted therein assuring the closure of both the air inlet valve and of the liquid outlet without projecting above the body of the lid.

Problems solved by technology

However, said devices are not widely applied to bottles, mainly to bottle lids for mineral water, soft drinks or isotonic drinks mainly due to the size of the lid and particularly to the surface of said lid.

This is because the distance between both inlet and outlet is limited by the surface of the lid, making it necessary to arrange the inlet and outlet close to one another.

The fact that the closure device is formed by different bodies or elements coupled to one another involves a manufacturing cost increase because the assembly and coupling of different components to the body of the lid must be added to the independent manufacture of the different components, sometimes with materials having specific characteristics such as latex or silicone.

This means that these closure devices are intended to be reused due to their high cost compared with lids typically used in small volume PET bottles containing liquid for personal consumption and mainly used by children, the elderly and athletes.

Obviously this accumulation of dirt / moisture is little hygienic, and can generate health problems to the person using the device, in addition to not being nice aesthetically.

If the consumer sucks, problems derived from said suction, such as the need to stop sucking to take a breath and be able to continue drinking and deformation of the receptacle due to collapse, being creased and / or crushed indiscriminately while sucking, causing a change in the shape of the receptacle, especially when it is made of PET, making it difficult to hold, will occur.

These problems are worsened if the consumers are young children, convalescents or the elderly who need a break to take a breath, running the risk of drinking a lot of liquid since they cannot control the suction exerted with the subsequent risk of choking.

A suction cup effect that is annoying for the consumer is created in lids of the state of the art when drinking stops.

However there is no knowledge of any lid incorporating said device and having a hole for the entry of air into the receptacle equipped with a valve.

A problem common to all known lids of the state of the art and with the characteristics of those previously described is that they do not guarantee the asepsis of the liquid included in the receptacle, since they do not have effective closure means to prevent the entry of air through the two holes, for liquid and air, with the consequent risk of infection of the content.

This problem of infection can occur in different conditions:During the practice of sport in adverse situations, more specifically when the athlete circulates by dirty areas such as e.g. muddy areas or swampy areas that can release unwanted items that are deposited on the lids of the receptacles,During the use of the cap with dirty hands, orDuring storage in the refrigerator, after having used the lid to cool the remaining content, since it prevents outside air from entering the receptacle, since lowering the temperature causes a depression by cooling inside the receptacle and air can enter by the air inlet through the valve if the hole is not tightly closed.

The former problem is usually avoided by incorporating a top or cover to the lid, which can be integral or not with the same, however said top or cover, which may be useful in certain circumstances, is quite useless in the receptacles used by athletes.

Likewise, another problem in the lids of small dimensions with two holes, one for liquid outlet and another one for air inlet, is that the user, when drinking through the liquid outlet can plug with their mouth the air inlet, what would prevent the correct operation of the lid since it prevents the entry of air into the receptacle, leading to the use of the lid as a lid with a single hole.

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