Drink containers and cap assemblies
View Patent ↗Drink containers include a liquid container and a cap assembly removably coupled to the liquid container. Cap assemblies include a body that defines a drink outlet for dispensing drink liquid, and an operational assembly that is operatively coupled to the body and that has at least an open configuration permitting drink liquid to be dispensed and a closed configuration restricting drink liquid from being dispensed. In some embodiments, the operational assembly also has a cleaning configuration in which portions of the operational assembly are spaced away from the body of the cap assembly for cleaning. In some embodiments, the operational assembly is positioned predominantly on the exterior of the body of the cap assembly.
1. A drink container, comprising:
a liquid container having a neck with an opening and having an internal compartment sized to hold a volume of potable drink liquid; and
a cap assembly removably coupled to the liquid container, the cap assembly comprising:
a body that defines a drink outlet through which drink liquid may be selectively dispensed to a user; wherein the body has an exterior that is not received into the internal compartment of the liquid container when the cap assembly is coupled to the liquid container; and
an operational assembly operatively coupled to the body, the operational assembly having a closed configuration in which drink liquid is restricted from exiting the internal compartment via the drink outlet, and an open configuration in which drink liquid is permitted to exit the internal compartment via the drink outlet, wherein the operational assembly includes:
an actuator configured to be selectively engaged and pivoted by a user to selectively reconfigure the operational assembly from the closed configuration to the open configuration; and
an outlet closure operatively coupled to the actuator and configured to seal the drink outlet from the exterior of the body of the cap assembly when the operational assembly is in the closed configuration; wherein the outlet closure includes an end region with a tip that extends into the drink outlet when the operational assembly is in the closed configuration and when the operational assembly is in the open configuration; and further wherein responsive to pivotal movement of the actuator to reconfigure the operational assembly from the closed configuration to the open configuration, the tip is translated linearly to retract only partially from the drink outlet.
2. The drink container of claim 1 , wherein when the cap assembly is coupled to the liquid container, the tip is restricted from being removed entirely from the drink outlet responsive to user engagement of the actuator.
3. The drink container of claim 2 , wherein restriction of the tip from being removed entirely from the drink outlet restricts the operational assembly from being configured from the open configuration or the closed configuration to a cleaning configuration in which the outlet closure is pivoted away from the drink outlet.
4. The drink container of claim 1 , wherein the tip includes a conduit that extends through the tip and through which drink fluid from the liquid container may be dispensed via the drink outlet when the operational assembly is in the open configuration.
5. The drink container of claim 1 , wherein the body has an exterior that is not received into the internal compartment of the liquid container when the cap assembly is coupled to the liquid container, and further wherein the actuator and the operational assembly are coupled to the exterior of the body.
6. The drink container of claim 1 , wherein the body has an upper surface that is external to the internal compartment when the cap assembly is coupled to the liquid container, and further wherein the outlet closure includes at least one elongate member that extends proximate the upper surface when the operational assembly is in the open configuration and when the operational assembly is in the closed configuration; wherein the at least one elongate member extends from proximate the actuator to proximate the tip.
7. The drink container of claim 6 , wherein when the operational assembly is configured between the open configuration and the closed configuration, the outlet closure is translated linearly in a direction generally parallel to the upper surface of the body of the cap assembly.
8. The drink container of claim 1 , wherein the outlet closure includes a pair of spaced-apart elongate members that extends from proximate the actuator to proximate the tip of the outlet closure, and further wherein the pair of spaced-apart elongate members extends proximate an upper surface of the body of the cap assembly when the operational assembly is in the closed configuration and when the operational assembly is in the open configuration.
9. The drink container of claim 1 , wherein the actuator is configured to be selectively pivoted relative to the body of the cap assembly among a range of pivotal positions, wherein the actuator is restricted to a subset of the range of pivotal positions when the cap assembly is coupled to the liquid container, wherein the tip of the outlet closure is restricted from being fully withdrawn from the drink outlet when the actuator is positioned within the subset of the range of pivotal positions; and further wherein when the cap assembly is removed from the liquid container and the actuator is pivoted to a portion of the range of pivotal positions that is not within the subset of the range of pivotal positions, the tip of the outlet closure is fully withdrawn from the drink outlet.
10. The drink container of claim 9 , wherein when the tip of the outlet closure is fully withdrawn from the drink outlet, the outlet closure may be selectively pivoted away from the drink outlet and an upper side of the cap assembly to a cleaning configuration.
11. The drink container of claim 1 , wherein the cap assembly further includes a locking mechanism configured to selectively and temporarily retain the operational assembly in the open configuration without requiring maintained actuation of the actuator by the user.
12. The drink container of claim 11 , wherein the locking mechanism includes a housing configured to be selectively engaged by a user to selectively and temporarily retain the operational assembly in the open configuration; wherein the body includes a projection configured to cooperate with the locking mechanism to selectively and temporarily retain the operational assembly in the open configuration; and wherein the housing is configured to be selectively retained against the projection when the operational assembly is retained by the locking mechanism in the open configuration.
13. The drink container of claim 12 , wherein the projection is a ramped projection that extends at an angle away from the drink outlet, and further wherein the operational assembly is configured to be reconfigured from the closed configuration to the open configuration and retained in the open configuration by the locking mechanism responsive to a user urging the housing away from the drink outlet and over the ramped projection.
14. The drink container of claim 12 , wherein the body of the cap assembly further defines a vent through which gas may be selectively released from the internal compartment of the liquid container; wherein the operational assembly further includes a vent closure configured to restrict gas from entering and exiting the liquid container via the vent when the operational assembly is in the closed configuration and to permit gas to enter and exit the liquid container via the vent when the operational assembly is in the open configuration; wherein the vent closure is configured to pivot when the operational assembly reconfigures between the closed configuration and the open configuration; and further wherein the housing of the locking mechanism extends over the vent and the vent closure.
15. The drink container of claim 12 , wherein the operational assembly is biased toward the closed configuration from the open configuration; and further wherein the locking mechanism is configured to permit the operational assembly to return from the open configuration to the closed configuration upon a user selectively actuating the actuator.
16. The drink container of claim 15 , wherein the housing defines a spring that engages the body of the cap assembly and that is configured to bias the housing away from the body of the cap assembly when a user selectively releases the locking mechanism so that the operational assembly returns to the closed configuration.
17. The drink container of claim 1 , wherein the body of the cap assembly further defines a vent through which gas may be selectively released from the internal compartment of the liquid container; wherein the operational assembly further includes a vent closure configured to restrict gas from entering and exiting the liquid container via the vent when the operational assembly is in the closed configuration and to permit gas to enter and exit the liquid container via the vent when the operational assembly is in the open configuration, wherein the vent closure is configured to pivot with the actuator when the operational assembly reconfigures between the closed configuration and the open configuration.
18. The drink container of claim 17 , wherein the actuator includes a trigger, and further wherein the vent closure is integrally formed with the trigger.
19. The drink container of claim 18 , wherein pivoting of the trigger to reconfigure the operational assembly from the closed configuration to the open configuration results in the outlet closure permitting drink liquid to exit the liquid container via the drink outlet simultaneously with the vent closure permitting gas to enter and exit the liquid container via the vent.
20. A drink container, comprising:
a liquid container having a neck with an opening and having an internal compartment sized to hold a volume of potable drink liquid; and
a cap assembly removably coupled to the liquid container, the cap assembly comprising:
a body that defines a drink outlet through which drink liquid may be selectively dispensed to a user and a vent that is spaced apart from the drink outlet and through which gas may be selectively released from the internal compartment of the liquid container; wherein the body has an exterior that is not received into the internal compartment of the liquid container when the cap assembly is coupled to the liquid container; and
an operational assembly operatively coupled to the body, the operational assembly having a closed configuration in which drink liquid is restricted from exiting the internal compartment via the drink outlet, and an open configuration in which drink liquid is permitted to exit the internal compartment via the drink outlet, wherein the operational assembly includes:
an actuator configured to be selectively engaged and pivoted by a user to selectively reconfigure the operational assembly from the closed configuration to the open configuration;
an outlet closure operatively coupled to the actuator and configured to seal the drink outlet from the exterior of the body of the cap assembly when the operational assembly is in the closed configuration; wherein the outlet closure includes an end region with a tip that extends into the drink outlet when the operational assembly is in the closed configuration and when the operational assembly is in the open configuration; and further wherein responsive to pivotal movement of the actuator to reconfigure the operational assembly from the closed configuration to the open configuration, the tip is translated linearly to retract at least partially from the drink outlet; and
a vent closure configured to restrict gas from entering and exiting the liquid container via the vent when the operational assembly is in the closed configuration and to permit gas to enter and exit the liquid container via the vent when the operational assembly is in the open configuration, wherein the vent closure is configured to pivot with the actuator when the operational assembly reconfigures between the closed configuration and the open configuration; and further wherein the vent closure is configured to seal the vent from the exterior of the body of the cap assembly when the operational assembly is in the closed configuration.
21. The drink container of claim 20 , wherein the actuator includes a trigger, and further wherein the vent closure is integrally formed with the trigger and pivots with the trigger.
22. The drink container of claim 21 , wherein pivoting of the trigger to reconfigure the operational assembly from the closed configuration to the open configuration results in the outlet closure permitting drink liquid to exit the liquid container via the drink outlet simultaneously with the vent closure permitting gas to enter and exit the liquid container via the vent.
23. The drink container of claim 20 , wherein when the cap assembly is coupled to the liquid container, the tip is restricted from being removed entirely from the drink outlet responsive to user engagement of the actuator; and further wherein restriction of the tip from being removed entirely from the drink outlet restricts the operational assembly from being configured from the open configuration or the closed configuration to a cleaning configuration in which the outlet closure is pivoted away from the drink outlet.
24. The drink container of claim 20 , wherein the actuator is configured to be selectively pivoted relative to the body of the cap assembly among a range of pivotal positions, wherein the actuator is restricted to a subset of the range of pivotal positions when the cap assembly is coupled to the liquid container, wherein the tip of the outlet closure is restricted from being fully withdrawn from the drink outlet when the actuator is positioned within the subset of the range of pivotal positions; wherein when the cap assembly is removed from the liquid container and the actuator is pivoted to a portion of the range of pivotal positions that is not within the subset of the range of pivotal positions, the tip of the outlet closure is fully withdrawn from the drink outlet and further wherein when the tip of the outlet closure is fully withdrawn from the drink outlet, the outlet closure may be selectively pivoted away from the drink outlet and an upper side of the cap assembly to a cleaning configuration.