Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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[DESCRIPTION]
[Invention Title]
BOTTLE CAP
[Technical Field]
The present invention relates, in general, to bottle
caps and, more particularly, to a bottle cap in which an
additive different from the material contained in a bottle
body is stored in an isolated state and which opens an
isolated additive storage space thereof when desired to
discharge the additive into the bottle body, thus mixing
different kinds of materials together in the bottle body.
[Background Art]
Most bottles currently trading on the market contain
one kind of material in each bottle. However, in an effort
to provide a variety of tastes to users, it is sometimes
required to mix different kinds of materials together to
prepare a mixture prior to using the mixture. For example, a
coffee-based beverage may be mixed with sugar or cream
therein; medicines and chemicals are similar cases.
In order to mix two different kinds of materials
together to provide a mixture, however, it is necessarily to
buy two bottles respectively containing the two different
materials therein. Particularly, in the case of materials
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needing to be mixed together at an exact mixing ratio, a
measuring instrument should be used for accurate measurement.
Without such a measuring instrument, it is very difficult to
keep the mixture ratio exact, so that the properties of the
mixed materials may be worsened and, sometimes, the mixed
materials may not be used.
Thus, in an effort to overcome the above-mentioned
problems, a bottle cap which contains an additive different
from a bottled material has been proposed. However, the
bottle cap containing an additive is problematic in that the
additive storage space of the bottle cap is exposed to the
atmosphere or does not maintain a desired seal. In other
words, the fluidities of some additives contained in the
bottle caps may change in accordance with variation in
atmospheric temperature. If a bottle cap does not have a
desired seal in the above-mentioned state, the additive may
leak from the bottle cap due to an increase in the inner
pressure of the bottle cap. Particularly, the seal of a
bottle cap closely relates to changes in the quality and
properties of an additive during long distance transportation
of products and long-term storage of the products in changing
seasons. Thus, the seal structures of additive storage
spaces of bottle caps have been actively studied.
[Disclosure
Accordingly, the present invention has been made
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keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the related
art, and a first object of the present invention is to
provide a bottle cap which contains in an isolated additive
storage space thereof an additive to be mixed with a bottled
material, and opens the additive storage space simultaneously
with an opening action thereof as desired, thus easily
discharging the additive into the bottle body.
Another aspect of the first object of the present
invention is to provide a bottle cap which maintains the
desired seal on the additive storage space containing therein
the additive, thus withstanding a change in inner pressure of
the additive storage space, and preventing a change in
quality of the additive during long-distance transportation
or long-term storage of products, and, furthermore,
preventing vapor or gases generated from a bottled material
from being introduced into the additive storage space.
In order to accomplish the above-mentioned objects,
the present invention provides a bottle cap comprising: an
opening unit inserted into the mouth of a bottle body and
open at upper and lower ends thereof, with a cutting unit
integrally provided in a lower portion of the opening unit;
an additive storage container comprising a main cap
fastened to the mouth through a screw-type engagement, and
an additive storage part extending in an axial direction at
a position inside the main cap and being inserted into the
opening unit, with a recess provided at the lower end of
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the additive storage part and receiving therein the cutting
unit, and a breakable part integrated with the lower end of
the additive storage part such that the breakable part is
cut by the cutting unit during rotation of the additive
storage part, thus discharging an additive from the
additive storage part; and an upper cap which opens or
closes the upper end of the additive storage container.
A second object of the present invention is to provide
a bottle cap which causes breakage of a locking ring
simultaneously with a rotating action of an additive storage
container, thus allowing a user to conveniently use the
bottle cap.
In order to accomplish the above-mentioned object,
the present invention provides a bottle cap comprising: an
opening unit inserted into~the mouth of a bottle body and
provided with a receiving chamber in an upper portion
thereof; an additive storage container assembled with the
opening unit at a position outside the opening unit and
operated in conjunction with the opening unit to discharge
an additive into the bottle body; and a separation means
for controlling rotation of the additive storage container
relative to the opening unit, thus allowing the opening
unit to be removed from the bottle body when the additive
storage container is removed from the bottle body.
The opening unit is provided with the receiving
chamber which has a cylindrical shape, the receiving
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chamber having an open upper end, a lower end provided with
a discharge port, and a breaking unit protruding upward in
an axial direction from the lower end of the receiving
chamber; and the additive storage container comprises: an
end plate placed on the open upper end of the receiving
chamber; a main cap extending in an axial direction from an
outer circumferential edge of the end plate and being
provided with an internal thread which engages with the
external thread of the mouth through a screw-type
engagement; and a slider extending in an axial direction
from an inner circumferential edge of the end plate and
being movably inserted into the receiving chamber of the
opening unit such that the slider can be moved in the
chamber in an axial direction, the slider being
hermetically closed at a lower end thereof by a breakable
part which is broken by the breaking unit.
A third object of the present invention is to provide a
bottle cap which is configured such that an opening unit,
along with an additive storage container, is removed from a
bottle body during a rotating action of the additive storage
container, thus allowing a user to conveniently drink a
mixture.
In order to accomplish the above-mentioned object,
the opening unit of the present invention is provided with
the receiving chamber which has a cylindrical shape, the
receiving chamber having an open upper end and a lower end
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provided with a discharge port; and the additive storage
container comprises : an end plate placed on the open upper
end of the receiving chamber; a main cap extending in an
axial direction from an outer circumferential edge of the
end plate and being provided with an internal thread which
engages with the external thread of the mouth through a
screw-type engagement; and a slider extending in an axial
direction from an inner circumferential edge of the end
plate and being movably inserted into the receiving chamber
of the opening unit such that the slider can be moved in
the chamber in an axial direction, with a discharge opening
formed at a lower end of the slider such that the discharge
opening communicates with the discharge port at a
predetermined position.
The separation means comprises: an inside spiral
ratchet formed around a sidewall of the receiving chamber at
a position close to an open upper end of the receiving
chamber by extending outward in a radial direction; and an
outside spiral ratchet formed on an inner surface of the main
cap at a position above the internal thread by extending
inward in a radial direction so that the outside spiral
ratchet interferes with the inside spiral ratchet.
A locking ring is coupled to a lower end of the main
cap with a breakable line provided between the locking ring
and the main cap, the locking ring being restricted from
moving downward by an upper surface of a support ring which
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is formed around the outer circumferential surface of a lower
portion of the mouth.
An annular space is defined between the locking ring
and the outer circumferential surface of the mouth, thus
allowing the main cap to be inserted into the annular space.
A fourth object of the present invention is to provide
a bottle cap which is configured such that an outer cap and
an opening unit can be removed from the mouth of a bottle
body at the same time after an additive has been discharged,
thus realizing a desired cutting structure and a desired
sealing structure which may not be provided in a conventional
structure to discharge the additive without using an
isolating means.
In order to accomplish the above-mentioned object,
the present invention provides a bottle cap comprising: a
cylindrical opening unit opened at upper and lower ends
thereof, with a locking protrusion protruding inward in a
radial direction from the upper end of the opening unit,
and first and second cutting blades extending upward from
the lower end of the opening unit at diametrically opposite
positions, the opening unit being inserted into the mouth
such that the opening unit can move in an axial direction,
but is restricted from rotating in a predetermined
direction; and an additive storage container comprising: an
outer cap extending in an axial direction from an outer
circumferential edge of an end plate and being fastened to
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the mouth through a screw-type engagement; an additive
storage part extending in an axial direction at a position
inside the outer cap, with a locking protrusion provided
around an outer circumferential surface of the additive
storage part and engaging with the locking protrusion of
the opening unit; and an additive isolating plate which
extends along a central axis of the end plate and is placed
across a diameter of the additive storage part and which
acts as a partition wall.
The additive isolating plate may be configured as an
independent element which is fitted into a fitting groove
formed on the end plate.
An inclined slot is formed on the upper end of the
mouth, and a flange extends outward in a radial direction
from an outer circumferential surface of the opening unit at
a predetermined position, with a fitting protrusion axially
protruding from a lower surface of the flange and fitted into
the inclined slot, thus restricting the opening unit from
rotating in the predetermined direction.
A fifth object of the present invention is to provide a
bottle cap which has a function of directly discharging an
additive through a discharge opening formed on a breaking
unit, and which allows the breaking unit to easily pierce a
breakable part, thus allowing the additive to quickly flow
downward and to be quickly discharged, and which allows a
user to shake the bottle body, thus completely discharging
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the additive without any additive remaining in the additive
storage part, and efficiently dissolving the additive in a
bottled material.
In order to accomplish the above-mentioned object, the
present invention provides a bottle cap comprising: an
opening unit inserted into the mouth of a bottle body; an
additive storage container fastened to the outside of the
mouth and operated in conjunction with the opening unit, thus
discharging an additive into the bottle body; and a
separation means for controlling rotation of the additive
storage container relative to the opening unit, thus allowing
the opening unit to be removed from the bottle body when the
additive storage container is removed from the bottle body.
In the bottle cap, the locking ring can be separated from the
container during rotation of the container, thus allowing a
user to conveniently use the bottle cap. The bottle cap is
also advantageous in that the opening unit, together with the
container, can be removed from the bottle body during
rotation of the container.
(Description of Drawings]
FIG. 1 is a sectional view illustrating the
construction of an assembled bottle cap according to the
first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically
illustrating an important part of the first embodiment of
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the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a sectional view illustrating an open state
of the first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a sectional view illustrating the
construction of an assembled bottle cap according to the
second embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a sectional view illustrating the operation
of the second embodiment of the present invention when an
additive is discharged into a bottle body;
FIG. 6 is a sectional view illustrating the operation
of the second embodiment of the present invention when an
additive storage container is removed from the bottle body;
FIG. 7 is a sectional view illustrating the
construction of an assembled bottle cap according to the
third embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 8 is a sectional view illustrating the operation
of the third embodiment of the present invention when an
additive is discharged into a bottle body;
FIG. 9 is a sectional view illustrating the operation
of the third embodiment of the present invention when an
additive storage container is removed from the bottle body;
FIG. 10 is a sectional view illustrating an assembled
state of the third embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 11 is a sectional view illustrating the
operation of FIG. 10;
FIG. 12 is a sectional view illustrating the
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operation of FIG. 11;
FIG. 13 is a sectional view illustrating the
operation of FIG. 12;
FIG. 14 is a plan view illustrating the construction
of a bottle body mouth of FIG. 13;
FIG. 15 is an exploded perspective view illustrating
the construction of the interior of an additive storage
container of FIG. 12;
FIG. 16 is a sectional view illustrating the
assembled state of a bottle cap according to the fifth
embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 17 is a sectional view illustrating the
operation of FIG. 16 when an additive is discharged into a
bottle body;
FIG. 18 is a sectional view illustrating the
operation of FIG. 16 when an additive storage container is
removed from the bottle body; and
FIG. 19 illustrates a breaking means of FIG. 16 in a
sectional view and a plan view.
(Rest Mode)
FIG. 1 is a sectional view illustrating the
construction of an assembled bottle cap according to the
first embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in the drawing, the bottle cap according to
the present invention comprises a bottle body 100 having a
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mouth 110 with an external thread 112 formed around the outer
circumferential surface of the mouth 110, and an opening unit
200 inserted into the mouth 110 such that the opening unit
200 can be removed from the mouth 110. An additive storage
container 300 is fastened to the external thread 112 of the
mouth 110 through a screw-type engagement and interferes with
the opening unit 200 when the container 300 has been loosened
from the mouth 110 by a predetermined distance, thus removing
the opening unit 200 from the mouth 110. The bottle cap also
has an upper cap 400 which is assembled with the upper end of
the container 300.
The opening unit 200 is a cylindrical body which is
open at upper and lower ends thereof, with a cutting unit 250
integrally coupled to the lower end of the opening unit 200
by a coupling piece 258.
The additive storage container 300 includes an end
plate 310 placed on the upper end of the opening unit 200,
which is provided with a flange 221. The flange 221 will be
described in detail later herein. A main cap 320 integrally
extends downward in an axial direction from the outer
circumferential edge of the end plate 310 and is provided
with an internal thread 322 which engages with the external
thread 112 of the mouth 110 through a screw-type engagement.
An additive storage part 330 integrally extends downward in
an axial direction from the inner circumferential edge of the
end plate 310 and is movably inserted into the opening unit
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200 such that the storage part 330 can be moved in the
opening unit 200 in an axial direction. An extension part
350 integrally extends upward in the axial direction from the
outer circumferential edge of the end plate 310, with the
upper cap 400 assembled with the extension part 350 through a
screw-type engagement.
The flange 221 is integrally formed on the upper end
of the opening unit 200, and has an outside protrusion 222
which is formed around the flange 221 such that the outside
protrusion 222 protrudes outward in a radial direction. An
external thread 230 having the same pitch as that of the
external thread 112 of the mouth 110 is formed around the
outer circumferential surface of the opening unit 200 in a
range extending from the flange 221 to a position spaced
apart from the flange 221 by a predetermined distance. An
outside hooking protrusion 324 is formed around the uppermost
end of the internal thread 322 of the main cap 320 by
protruding inward in a radial direction so that the outside
hooking protrusion 324 engages with the external thread 230
of the opening unit 200 through a screw-type engagement and
also comes into contact with the outside protrusion 222 at a
predetermined position.
Furthermore, an inside protrusion 224 is formed around
the flange 221 such that the inside protrusion 224 protrudes
inward in a radial direction. An inside hooking protrusion
332 is formed around the outer circumferential surface of the
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additive storage part 330, which acts as a slider, at a
position corresponding to the outside hooking protrusion 324,
so that the inside hooking protrusion 332 protrudes outward
in a radial direction and comes into contact with the inside
protrusion 224 at a predete=-mined position.
The opening unit 200 has an internal ratchet 232
around the circumference of a root of the external thread 230
at a position close to the flange 221. The inside end of the
outside hooking protrusion 324 is provided with an external
ratchet 326 that is allowed to rotate only in one direction
relative to the internal ratchet 232.
A recess 360 is provided on the lower end of the
sidewall of the additive storage container 300 by being
dented inward in a radial direction. The cutting unit 250 is
integrally provided at the lower end of the opening unit 200
such that the cutting unit 250 is inserted into the recess
360.
As illustrated in detail in FIG. 2, the recess 360 is
defined by a breakable wall 362 and a support wall 364 so
that the recess 360 has a triangular shape. The cutting unit
250 is pointed at a tip thereof, with a curved cutting blade
252 formed along a lower edge of the cutting unit 250. The
cutting unit 250 is integrally coupled to the lower end of
the opening unit 200 by the coupling piece 258.
The additive storage container 300 has a projection
366 which comes into contact with a pressure part 256 of the
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cutting unit 250 at a predetermined position. The projection
366 is preferably formed in a range extending from the
support wall 364 to a predetermined position which is
angularly spaced apart from the support wall 364 at an angle
of about 30 - 60 degrees. An inclined surface 366a is
provided at the start end of the projection 366.
The bottom wall of the additive storage container 300
is formed by a breakable part 340 which is made of a thin
film so that the breakable part 340 is easily cut by the
cutting blade 252.
The breakable wall 362 is preferably provided with a
breakable line 368 thereon so that the breakable wall 362 can
be easily broken. In the present invention, the breakable
line 368 may be formed over the entire breakable part 340
including the breakable wall 362.
The reference numeral 312 in the drawings denotes a
communication hole which allows atmospheric pressure to act
in the additive storage container to easily discharge the
additive.
The first embodiment of the present invention having
the above-mentioned construction will be operated as follows.
The initial state of the bottle cap according to the
first embodiment is illustrated in FIG. 2. When the main cap
320 in the initial state is rotated in an opening direction,
the additive storage container 300 is rotated in the same
direction. During the rotation of the container 300, the
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cutting blade 252 breaks the breakable wall 362 and advances
into the additive storage part 330. When the cutting blade
252 has advanced into the additive storage part 330 to a
predetermined depth after breaking the breakable wall 362,
the bottom wall of the additive storage container 300, which
is the breakable part 340, is cut by the cutting blade 252.
During the above-mentioned cutting operation, the additive
storage container 300 is rotated along the external thread
112 of the mouth 110 so that the rotation of the container
300 causes upward movement of the container 300 to a
predetermined height. Thus, the height of the breakable part
340, which is pressurized by the pressure part 256 of the
cutting unit 250, gradually increases so that the cut part of
the breakable part 340 becomes sufficiently wide.
When the above-mentioned operation continues, the
projection 366 is cut by the cutting blade 252 and, at the
same time, pressurized by the pressure part 256. The
projection 366 in the above--mentioned state advances into the
lower surface of the pressure part 256 due to the inclined
surface 366a provided on the projection 366 so that the
projection 366 is excessively pressurized. Thus, the cut
part of the breakable part 340 is sufficiently opened
downward based on the lower end of the support wall 364 so
that an open state of the breakable part 340 illustrated in
FIG. 3 is accomplished. Therefore, the additive is
discharged from the container 300 into the bottle body 100.
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When the additive storage container 300 is further
rotated in the same direction, the outside hooking protrusion
324 comes into contact with the outside protrusion 222 at the
predetermined position and, at the same time, the inside
hooking protrusion 332 comes into contact with the inside
protrusion 224. Thus, the container 300, together with the
opening unit 200, starts to be removed from the mouth 110.
The construction of an assembled bottle cap according
to the second embodiment of the present invention is
illustrated in FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 4, the bottle cap
according to the second embodiment comprises a bottle body
100 having a mouth 110 with an external thread 112 formed
around the outer circumferential surface of the mouth 110,
and an opening unit 200 inserted into the mouth 110 such that
the opening unit 200 can be removed from the mouth 110. An
additive storage container 300 is fastened to the external
thread 112 of the mouth 110 through a screw-type engagement
and interferes with the opening unit 200 at a predetermined
position during the rotation of the container 300 relative to
the mouth 110, thus removing the opening unit 200 from the
mouth 110.
The bottle body 100 is provided with a support ring
114 which is formed around the neck of the bottle body 100 by
extending outward in a radial direction at a predetermined
position below the lower end of the external thread 112.
The opening unit 200 is a cylindrical body which is
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open at the upper end thereof and is provided with a
plurality of discharge ports 212 at the lower end thereof.
The plurality of discharge ports 212 is preferably formed
around the lower end of the sidewall of the opening unit 200.
It is more preferable to extend the discharge ports 212 to
predetermined positions on the bottom wall of the opening
unit 200. Furthermore, at least one breaking unit 220 is
formed on the inner surface of the bottom wall of the opening
unit 200 such that the breaking unit 220 protrudes upward in
an axial direction. In the present invention, it is
preferable to provide two or more breaking units 220.
The additive storage container 300 includes an end
plate 310 which has a ring shape and is placed on the open
end of the sidewall of a receiving chamber 210 of the opening
unit 200. A main cap 320 integrally extends downward in an
axial direction from the outer circumferential edge of the
end plate 310 and is provided with an internal thread 322
which engages with the external thread 112 of the mouth 110
through a screw-type engagement. An additive storage part
330 acting as a slider integrally extends downward in an
axial direction from the inner circumferential edge of the
end plate 310 and is movably inserted into the receiving
chamber 210 of the opening unit 200 such that the storage
part 330 can be moved in the receiving chamber 210 of the
opening unit 200 in an axial direction. The additive storage
part 330 opens or closes the discharge ports 212.
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The lower end of the additive storage part 330 acting
as the slider is hermetically closed by a breakable part 340.
The breakable part 340 is made of a material which can be
easily broken by the breaking units 220. In the present
invention, it is possible to form the breakable part 340 by
integrating a thin film, made of a synthetic resin, with the
lower end of the additive storage part 330. Preferably, the
breakable part 340 is formed using a thin aluminum film.
More preferably, the breakable part 340 is configured such
that the breakable part 340 can be easily broken, but
reliably maintains its state coupled to the additive storage
part 330 without being completely removed from the storage
part 330 even when the breakable part 340 is broken.
The additive storage container 300 is provided with a
locking ring 341 which is coupled to the lower end of the
main cap 320. The locking ring 341 is integrally formed with
the main cap 320 through a molding process such that the ring
341 is coupled to the main cap 320 by a plurality of
connection ribs 342 forming a breakable line. The locking
ring 341 is placed around the external thread 112 with an
annular space defined between the locking ring 341 and the
outer circumference of the external thread 112. The size of
the above-mentioned annular space is determined to allow the
main cap 320 to be inserted into the space.
The upper end of the additive storage container 300,
which is formed by the end plate 310, is provided with an
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opening 334 so that the upper end of the slider 330 is open.
The opening 334 of the container 300 is closed by an upper
cap 350 so that the opening 334 can be opened or closed as
desired. The upper cap 350 may be assembled with the upper
end of the container 300 through a screw-type engagement as
shown in the drawing. It is possible to assemble the upper
cap 350 with the container 300 through a fitting process.
An inside spiral ratchet 214 is formed around the
outer circumferential surface of the sidewall of the
receiving chamber 210 at a position close to the open end of
the receiving chamber 210 by extending outward in a radial
direction. An outside spiral ratchet 325 is formed on the
inner circumferential surface of the main cap 320 at a
position above the internal thread 322 by extending inward in
a radial direction so that the outside spiral ratchet 325
engages with the inside spiral ratchet 214 of the opening
unit 200. The inside spiral ratchet 214 and the outside
spiral ratchet 325 are configured such that the outside
ratchet 325 is allowed to rotate only in one direction
relative to the inside ratchet 214.
The operation of the bottle cap according to the
second embodiment of the present invention will be described
herein below. In the following description, the term
"clockwise" means a tightening direction in which the
additive storage container 300 is tightened onto the mouth
110 of the bottle body, and the term "counterclockwise" means
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a loosening direction in which the additive storage container
300 is loosened from the mouth 110. FIG. 5 illustrates a
container 300 which has completely advanced into the opening
unit 200 by being rotated clockwise from an initial state
shown in FIG. 4. As shown in the drawings, when the
container 300 is rotated clockwise, the internal thread 322
of the main cap 320 is rotated along the external thread 112
of the mouth 110 and moves downward (in the tightening
direction). In the above state, the support ring 114
prevents downward movement of the locking ring 341 so that
the connection ribs 342 are broken. Thus, only the main cap
320 is inserted into the annular space between the mouth 110
and the locking ring 341. Furthermore, the additive storage
part 330 acting as a slider moves downward so that the
breakable part 340 of the slider 330 is broken by the
breaking units 220 placed below the breakable part 340.
Thus, the additive is discharged into the bottle body 100
through the discharge ports 212. As the slider 330 continues
its downward movement, the open part of the breakable part
340 becomes wider so that the additive is completely
discharged into the bottle body 100 when the opening action
is finished as shown in FIG. 5.
Furthermore, during the above-mentioned rotation of
the container 300, the outside spiral ratchet 325 is rotated
and moves downward. When the outside spiral ratchet 325
engages with the inside spiral ratchet 214, the outside
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spiral ratchet 325 can be rotated relative to the inside
spiral ratchet 214 due to the ratchet structure thereof.
Thus, the main cap 320 can continue its downward movement
while a click sound is generated from the spiral ratchets 214
and 325. In the above state, the teeth of the outside spiral
ratchet 325 pass over the teeth of the inside spiral ratchet
214 and are seated in the roots defined between the teeth of
the inside spiral ratchet 214. Because the two spiral
ratchets 214 and 325 in the above state are not restricted in
the rotating direction thereof, the outside spiral ratchet
325 can be freely rotated around the inside spiral ratchet
214.
When the container 300 in the above state is rotated
counterclockwise, the container 300 is rotated along with the
opening unit 200 because the inside spiral ratchet 214
prevents the outside spiral ratchet 325 from rotating in the
opposite direction. During the counterclockwise rotation o~
the container 300, the internal thread 322 of the container
300 is rotated along the external thread 112 of the mouth 110
and moves upward, so that the container 300 and the opening
unit 200 can be removed from the mouth 110 at the same time
as shown in FIG. 6.
In the above state, the locking ring 341, which
remains around the neck of the bottle body 100 after the
connection ribs 342 are broken, is independent from the main
cap 320 so that it is required to separately handle the ring
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341. In order to accomplish the above-mentioned object, a
skirt (not shown) is preferably provided at a position below
the lower end of the locking ring 341 so that the skirt is
stopped by the support ring 114 and supports the locking ring
341 around the support ring 114 without requiring additional
handling of the locking ring 341.
When the additive storage container 300 of the bottle
cap according to the second embodiment of the present
invention is rotated, the locking ring 341 naturally becomes
separated from the main cap 320 so that it is not necessary
to intentionally separate the ring 341 from the main cap 320.
Thus, it is possible to conveniently use the bottle cap and
remove both the container 300 and the opening unit 200 from
the bottle body at the same time.
FIGS. 7 through 9 illustrate the third embodiment of
the present invention. In this embodiment, the additive
storage container 300 is provided with a plurality of
discharge openings 336 capable of allowing the additive to be
more efficiently discharged into the bottle body. In the
third embodiment, those elements common to both the second
and third embodiments carry the same reference numerals and
further explanation of the elements is not necessary in the
following description.
In the third embodiment, the opening unit 200 is
provided with a plurality of discharge ports 212 around the
lower end of the sidewall thereof. The discharge openings
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336 are formed around the lower end of the sidewall of the
slider 330 such that the openings 336 communicate with the
discharge ports 212 at predetermined positions.
In the initial state of the bottle cap having the
above-mentioned construction according to the third
embodiment, the discharge openings 336 are closed by the
sidewall of the opening unit 200 as shown in FIG. 7. When
the container 300 in the above-mentioned state is rotated
clockwise, the slider 330 moves downward and the discharge
openings 336 are rotated toward the discharge ports 212 so
that the openings 336 are gradually aligned and communicate
with the ports 212. Thus, the additive is initially
discharged through the openings 336 and the ports 212 into
the bottle body. If the container 300 is completely rotated
and finishes its downward movement, the openings 336 fully
communicate with the ports 212 and completely discharge the
additive into the bottle body 100. The actions of the other
parts during the operation of the bottle cap, which include
the action of breaking the locking ring 341 and the relative
action of the two spiral ratchets, remain the same as those
described for the second embodiment, and further explanation
is not necessary. Furthermore, the operation of removing the
bottle cap from the mouth of the bottle body remains the same
as that of the second embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 9,
so that the operation can be understood from the drawing
without further explanation.
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The above-mentioned third embodiment is advantageous
in that the additive can be discharged by communication of
the discharge openings 336 of the slider 330 with the
discharge ports 212, so that it is possible to more
efficiently discharge the additive into the bottle body using
a simple structure.
FIGS. 10 through 13 illustrate a bottle cap according
to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 10, the additive storage container
300 comprises an outer cap 320 and an additive storage part
330 configured to contain two kinds of additives therein. To
provide the above-mentioned container 300, a fitting groove
351 is provided on the inner surface of the upper end of the
container 300. A partition wall 352 is fitted into the
fitting groove 351 so that the interior of the storage part
330 is divided into two spaces respectively containing
therein different kinds of additives, for example, sugar and
cream. The lower end of the storage part 330 is closed by a
thin film which forms a breakable part 340. The upper end of
the mouth 110 of the bottle body 100 is provided with
inclined slots 160. The opening unit 200 is provided with
fitting protrusions 212 which are fitted into the inclined
slots 160 after moving on the inclined surfaces of the slots
160 during clockwise rotation thereof. To assemble the
container 300 with the opening unit 200, the storage part 330
is inserted downward into the receiving chamber 210 of the
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opening unit 200. In the above state, the internal thread
312 of the outer cap 320 engages with the external thread 112
of the mouth 110 until a locking protrusion 386 of the
additive storage part 330 forcibly passes downward over a
locking protrusion 286 of the opening unit 200.
The container 300 is stopped at a position in which
first and second cutting blades 220C and 220D of the opening
unit 200 are placed just below the breakable part 340 of the
container 300. A precise stop position of the container 300
relative to the cutting blades is determined during an
automatic packaging process. It is preferable to
protectively seal the outer cap 320 while the insertion of
the container 300 into the opening unit 200 is stopped during
the automatic packaging process. Furthermore, a breakable
safety skirt may be provided along the lower end of the outer
cap 320.
As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the outer cap 320 is
rotated clockwise and moves downward so that the breakable
part 340 is cut by the first and second cutting blades 220C
and 220D at the same time. Thus, the additives are
discharged into the bottle body through the discharge ports
212.
The opening unit 200 in the above-mentioned state is
stopped by the inclined slots 160 so that the lower end of
the additive storage part 330 is stopped by a stop ring 115.
In the present invention, it is preferable to charge
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gas, such as nitrogen gas or argon gas, in the additive
storage part 330 after the desired additives, such as powder
or extract, have been loaded into the additive storage part
330. In the above state, the gas charged in the storage part
330 protects the additives and promotes the discharge of the
additives when the breakable part 340 is opened.
Each of the first and second cutting blades 220C and
220D is toothed along the upper end thereof and is tapered
from the upper end to.the lower end thereof so that the
blades 220C and 220D cut the breakable part 340 and break
away the cut part of the breakable part 340 while folding the
cut part due to clockwise rotation and downward movement of
the outer cap 320.
Furthermore, if a user wants to shake the transparent
bottle body after the two kinds of additives have been
completely discharged into the bottle body, the bottle cap of
the present invention allows the user to shake the bottle
body without worrying about the leakage of a mixture from the
bottle body because the gap between the mouth 110 and the
outer cap 320 is sealed as shown in FIG. 13.
During counterclockwise rotation of the container 300,
the fitting protrusions 212 are separated from the inclined
slots 160 and the locking protrusion 386 of the container 300
is stopped by the locking protrusion 286 of the opening unit
200 as shown in FIG. 13, so that the container 300 and the
opening unit 200 can be removed from the mouth 110 at the
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same time.
The detailed construction of the inclined slots 160,
the fitting protrusions 212 and the partition wall 352 is
illustrated in FIGS. 14 and 15. As shown in the drawings,
the bottle cap according to this embodiment improves the
operational effect due to the improved structure of the mouth
110.
FIG. 16 illustrates the fifth embodiment of the
present invention. As shown in the drawing, the bottle cap
according to this embodiment comprises a bottle body 100
having a mouth 110 with an external thread 112 formed around
the outer circumferential surface of the mouth 110, and an
opening unit 200 inserted into the mouth 110 such that the
opening unit 200 can be removed from the mouth 110. An
additive storage container 300 is fastened to the external
thread 112 of the mouth 110 through a screw-type engagement
and interferes with the opening unit 200 at a predetermined
position during rotation, thus removing the opening unit 200
from the mouth 110.
The bottle body 100 is provided with a support ring
114 which is formed around the neck of the bottle body 100 by
extending outward in a radial direction at a predetermined
position below the lower end of the external thread 112.
The opening unit 200 is a cylindrical body which is
open at the upper end thereof, thus allowing a slider 330 of
the additive storage container 300 to be inserted downward
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into the opening unit 200. A conical breaking unit 220
projects upward at the lower end of the opening unit 200.
The vertical axis of the conical breaking unit 220 coincides
with the central axis of the opening unit 200, so that the
conical breaking unit 220 breaks the breakable part 340 which
hermetically closes the lower end of the container 300. A
pointed pin 337 axially extends upward from the peak of the
conical breaking unit 220.
Furthermore, a plurality of linear cutting blades 336
protrude on the conical surface of the breaking unit 220 at
spaced positions such that the cutting blades 336 linearly
extend downward from the peak to the lower end of the
breaking unit 220 and form a pattern like umbrella ribs. The
cutting blades 336 cut the breakable part 340 during downward
movement of the container 300. A plurality of discharge
openings are formed on the conical surface of the breaking
unit 220 at positions between the linear cutting blades 336.
When the breakable part 340 is cut by the cutting
blades 336, the additive can be quickly discharged through
the discharge openings without being impeded by a discharging
structure, unlike a conventional bottle cap.
The additive storage container 300 includes an end
plate 310 which is placed on the open end of the sidewall of
a receiving chamber 210 of the opening unit 200. A main cap
320 integrally extends downward in an axial direction from
the outer circumferential edge of the end plate 310 and is
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provided with an internal thread 322 which engages with the
external thread 112 of the mouth 110 through a screw-type
engagement . An additive storage part 330 acting as a slider
integrally extends downward in an axial direction from the
inner circumferential edge of the end plate 310 and is
movably inserted into the receiving chamber 210 such that the
storage part 330 can move in the receiving chamber 210 in an
axial direction. The additive storage part 330 opens or
closes the discharge ports 212 formed around the lower end of
the sidewall of the opening unit 200. The lower end of the
additive storage part 330 is hermetically closed by the
breakable part 340.
The breakable part 340 is preferably made of a
material which can be easily broken by both the pointed pin
337 and the cutting blades 336 of the breaking unit 220. In
the present invention, it is possible to form the breakable
part 340 by integrating a thin film, made of aluminum or a
synthetic resin, with the outside edge of the lower end of
the additive storage part 330 through thermal bonding or
ultrasonic bonding.
Preferably, the breakable part 340 is configured such
that the breakable part 340 can be easily pierced by the
pointed pin 337 and can be easily cut by the cutting blades
336, but reliably remains coupled to the additive storage
part 330 without being completely removed from the storage
part 330 even when the breakable part 340 is cut.
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Furthermore, the additive storage container 300 is
provided with a locking ring 341 which is coupled to the
lower end of the main cap 320. The locking ring 341 is
integrally formed with the main cap 320 through a molding
process such that the ring 341 is coupled to the main cap 320
by a plurality of connection ribs 342. The locking ring 341
is placed around the external thread 112 with an annular
space defined between the locking ring 341 and the outer
circumference of the external thread 112. The size of the
above-mentioned annular space is determined to allow the main
cap 320 to be inserted into the space.
An inside spiral ratchet 214 is formed around the
outer circumferential surface of the sidewall of the
receiving chamber 210 at a position close to the open end of
the receiving chamber 210 by extending outward in a radial
direction. An outside spiral ratchet 325 is formed on the
inner circumferential surface of the main cap 320 at a
predetermined position by extending inward in a radial
direction so that the outside spiral ratchet 325 comes into
engagement with the inside spiral ratchet 214 of the opening
unit 200.
The inside spiral ratchet 214 and the outside spiral
ratchet 325 are configured such that they are allowed to
rotate only in one direction relative to each other.
The operation of the bottle cap according to the fifth
embodiment will be described herein below. In the following
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description, the term "clockwise" means a tightening
direction in which the additive storage container 300 is
tightened to the mouth 110, and the term "counterclockwise"
means a loosening direction in which the additive storage
container 300 is loosened from the mouth 110.
FIG. 17 illustrates the container 300 which has
completely advanced into the opening unit 200 by being
rotated clockwise from an initial state shown in FIG. 16. As
shown in the drawings, when the container 300 is rotated
clockwise, the internal thread 322 of the main cap 320 is
rotated along the external thread 112 of the mouth 110 and
moves downward (in the tightening direction).
In the above state, the support ring 114 prevents
downward movement of the locking ring 341 so that the
connection ribs 342 are broken. Thus, only the main cap 320
is inserted into the annular space between the mouth 110 and
the locking ring 341.
Furthermore, the additive storage part 330 moves
downward so that the breakable part 340 of the storage part
330 is primarily pierced by the pointed pin 337 which
projects upward at a position below the breakable part 340.
When the downward movement of the storage part 330 continues,
the breakable part 340 is cut and opened by the cutting
blades 336 which are formed on the conical surface of the
breaking unit 220 in the pattern like umbrella ribs. Thus,
the additive is quickly discharged into the bottle body 100
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through the discharge openings of the breaking unit 220 and
the discharge ports 212.
When the downward movement of the additive storage
container 300 is stopped, the user shakes the bottle body,
thus completely discharging the additive from the receiving
chamber 210 into the bottle body.
In the above state, no structure impeding the
discharge of the additive from the container is provided
between the interior of the bottle body 100 and the receiving
chamber 210 which communicates with the bottle body through
the breaking unit 220. Thus, the additive is efficiently
mixed with the bottled material.
The breakable part 340 is preferably made of the
above-mentioned material which has a surface strength and
flexibility capable of preventing the part 340 from being
broken into fragments.
During the above-mentioned rotation of the container
300, the outside spiral ratchet 325 is rotated and moves
downward. When the outside spiral ratchet 325 engages with
the inside spiral ratchet 214, the outside spiral ratchet 325
can be rotated relative to the inside spiral ratchet 214 due
to the ratchet structure thereof. Thus, the main cap 320 can
continue its downward movement while a click sound is
generated by the spiral ratchets 214 and 325.
In the above state, the teeth of the outside spiral
ratchet 325 pass over the teeth of the inside spiral ratchet
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214 and are seated in the roots defined between the teeth of
the inside spiral ratchet 214.
Because the two spiral ratchets 214 and 325 in the
above state are not restricted in the rotating direction
thereof, the outside spiral ratchet 325 can be freely rotated
around the inside spiral ratchet 214. When the container 300
in the above state is rotated counterclockwise, the container
300 is rotated along with the opening unit 200 because the
inside spiral ratchet 214 prevents the outside spiral ratchet
325 from rotating in the opposite direction. The internal
thread 322 of the container 300 in the above state is rotated
along the external thread 112 of the mouth 110 and moves
upward, so that the container 300 and the opening unit 200
can be removed from the mouth 110 at the same time as shown
in FIG. 18.
The locking ring 341, which remains around the neck of
the bottle body 100 in the above state, is independent from
the main cap 320 so that it is required to separately handle
the ring 341.
Preferably, the above-mentioned object is accomplished
by a skirt (not shown) which is preferably provided at a
position below the lower end of the locking ring 341 so that
the skirt is stopped by the support ring 114 and supports the
locking ring 341 around the support ring 114 without
requiring additional handling of the locking ring 341. The
locking ring 341 naturally becomes separated from the main
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cap 320 during rotation of the container 300 so that it is
not necessary to intentionally separate the ring 341 from the
main cap 320. Thus, the bottle cap can be easily operated
and, furthermore, both the additive storage container 300 and
the opening unit 200 can be removed from the mouth of the
bottle body at the same time.
[Industrial Applicability]
As described above, the present invention provides a
bottle cap in which a breakable part is cut and opened during
rotation of an additive storage container, thus discharging
an additive into a bottle body. The present invention
effectively seals the additive storage container so that the
container withstands changes in its inner pressure caused by
variation in atmospheric temperature, thus preventing
leakage, oxidations or decomposition of the additive, and
preventing a change in quality of the additive during long-
distance transportation or long-term storage of products.
