Back to results
US 2016/0355302 A1Published application
Bottle cap
OwnerMehdi Hatamian, Kamran Ghobadiinventors
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A cap for a container can be inserted into the mouth of the container and the pressure which it exerts against the mouth can be controlled by rotating the cap's knob in either circumferential direction. The cap includes a nut with grooves which can move up and down the axial direction within a guide member included in the cap. The guide member includes several prongs which engage the nut grooves and which expand and contract as the nut travels up and down the tapered inner surface of the guide. The cap further includes a plug whose outer surface is in contact with the mouth of the container and whose inner surface houses the guide member. As the prongs expand and contract they increase and decrease the radial pressure caused by the plug against the mouth of the container.
Claims21
A cap for a container, comprising:
- (a) a substantially cylindrical plug operative to engage a mouth of the container, said plug comprising a blind hole having a first depth along an axial direction of the plug thereby defining a plug inner surface having a plug inner diameter and a plug inner height, a plug outer surface having a plug outer diameter and a plug outer height, and a plug base having a plug thickness;
- (b) a substantially tubular guide operative to engage the plug inner surface, said guide having a guide outer surface, a guide height, and a guide inner surface wherein the guide inner surface is tapered along the axial direction, said guide comprising two or more slits having a second depth along the axial direction thereby defining two or more guide prongs;
- (c) a substantially cylindrical nut operative to engage the guide inner surface, said nut having a nut outer surface, a nut height, and a nut inner surface wherein the nut inner surface is threaded along the axial direction, said nut comprising two or more grooves along the axial direction, said two or more grooves operative to engage the two or more guide prongs;
- and
- (d) a substantially cylindrical knob comprising a threaded bolt having a bolt height, said bolt operative to engage the nut;
- wherein the nut moves upwardly toward the knob in the axial direction along the guide inner surface thereby expanding the two or more guide prongs when the knob is rotated in a circumferential direction around the axial direction, and wherein the nut moves downwardly away from the knob in the axial direction along the guide inner surface thereby contracting the two or more guide prongs when the knob is rotated opposite to the circumferential direction.
3 more elements
A method of capping a container, comprising:
- (a) providing a substantially cylindrical plug operative to engage a mouth of the container, said plug comprising a blind hole having a first depth along an axial direction of the plug thereby defining a plug inner surface having a plug inner diameter and a plug inner height, a plug outer surface having a plug outer diameter and a plug outer height, and a plug base having a plug thickness;
- (b) providing a substantially tubular guide operative to engage the plug inner surface, said guide having a guide outer surface, a guide height, and a guide inner surface wherein the guide inner surface is tapered along the axial direction, said guide comprising two or more slits having a second depth along the axial direction thereby defining two or more guide prongs;
- (c) providing a substantially cylindrical nut operative to engage the guide inner surface, said nut having a nut outer surface, a nut height, and a nut inner surface wherein the nut inner surface is threaded along the axial direction, said nut comprising two or more grooves along the axial direction, said two or more grooves operative to engage the two or more guide prongs;
- and
- (d) providing a substantially cylindrical knob comprising a threaded bolt having a bolt height, said bolt operative to engage the nut;
- wherein the nut moves upwardly toward the knob in the axial direction along the guide inner surface thereby expanding the two or more guide prongs when the knob is rotated in a circumferential direction around the axial direction, and wherein the nut moves downwardly away from the knob in the axial direction along the guide inner surface thereby contracting the two or more guide prongs when the knob is rotated opposite to the circumferential direction.
3 more elements
A cap for a container, comprising:
- (a) a means for plugging operative to engage a mouth of the container;
- (b) a means for pressuring operative to engage the means for plugging, said means for pressuring comprising two or more prongs;
- (c) a means for expanding/contracting operative to engage the two or more prongs of the means for pressuring;
- and
- (d) a means for rotating operative to engage the means for expanding/contracting;
- wherein the means for expanding/contracting moves upwardly toward the means for rotating in an axial direction along the means for pressuring thereby expanding the two or more prongs of the means for pressuring when the means for rotating is rotated in a circumferential direction around the axial direction, and wherein the means for expanding/contracting moves downwardly away from the means for rotating in the axial direction along the means for pressuring thereby contracting the two or more guide prongs when the means for rotating is rotated opposite to the circumferential direction.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.