DISPENSING CAP FOR BEVERAGE CONTAINER

摘要

A dispensing cap sealingly mountable within the throat of a beverage container has an open-bottomed flow tube connected to a surrounding skirt by a resilient diaphragm, forming a reservoir surrounding the flow tube. A membrane attached to the periphery of the skirt seals off the bottom of the reservoir. The lower end of the flow tube extends into the reservoir and is adapted for piercing the membrane. A downward force applied to the flow tube will resiliently deform the diaphragm, causing the lower end of the flow tube to pierce the membrane, thus allowing the contents of the reservoir to flow into the container. The flow tube extends above the diaphragm and terminates in a flow assembly operable between a closed position and a “consume” position in which the contents of the container can flow through the flow tube and out an opening in the cap sleeve.

主权项

1. A dispensing cap sealingly mountable to a beverage container having a throat section, said dispensing cap comprising:
(a) an open-bottomed flow tube having an upper end, a lower end, and a sidewall, said sidewall having an outer perimeter; (b) a skirt surrounding a lower region of the flow tube so as to form a reservoir between the flow tube and the skirt, with said reservoir having an upper end and a lower end, and with said skirt being adapted for disposition within the throat section of the beverage container; (c) a resilient diaphragm, wherein said resilient diaphragm is a single piece with the flow tube sidewall and the skirt, and is sealingly connected to an upper perimeter region of the skirt and to an intermediate perimeter region of the flow tube; and (d) a membrane sealingly attached to the periphery of the skirt at a lower end thereof;wherein:
(e) the diaphragm sealingly closes off the upper end of the reservoir, and the membrane sealing closes off the lower end of the reservoir; (f) the flow tube extends into the reservoir, with the lower end of the flow tube being disposed above the membrane; and (g) the lower end of the flow tube is adapted to pierce the membrane upon being pressed against the membrane;such that when the dispensing cap is mounted to the beverage container with the skirt disposed within the throat thereof and with the reservoir containing an additive substance, a downward force applied to the flow tube will resiliently deform the diaphragm, such that the lower end of the flow tube will move downward and pierce the membrane, thus allowing the contents of the reservoir to flow into the container.