Ingredient dispensing cap for beverage container

Abstract

A beverage ingredient dispenser can include a seal assembly configured to form spillproof seals with the inner surface (I.D.) of a beverage container opening. Additionally, a beverage ingredient dispenser can include a beverage ingredient reservoir containing a beverage ingredient to be mixed with another ingredient for creating a mixed beverage. For example, the beverage ingredient dispenser can include a dried powdered, tablet, or liquid ingredient to be mixed with water contained in a water bottle. The dispenser can also include a sealing mechanism configured to generate spillproof seals with a plurality of different sizes of beverage containers. The dispenser can also include an anchoring mechanism configured to enhance an anchoring of the dispenser to a beverage container.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONSField of the Inventions[0001]The inventions disclosed herein relate to ingredient dispensing devices, for example, devices that can be connected to an opening of a beverage container for facilitating release of beverage ingredients stored therein into the beverage container for later consumption.Description of the Related Art[0002]Presently, there are thousands of beverage products widely available to the consuming public. The vast majority, if not all, of these beverages are made by mixing dry or concentrated ingredients with water. Alongside these beverages, various brands of bottled water in variety of differently sized bottles are also widely marketed.[0003]Many retailers normally cannot sell all of the different beverages and waters currently offered by beverage manufacturers. The practical reality of the large amount of shelf space required for selling beverages effectively limits the number of different beverages many retailers can offer for sale a...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0021]An aspect of at least one of the inventions disclosed here includes the realization that a beverage ingredient dispenser can include blister pack alignment and sealing features and functionality for connection to a beverage container so as to facilitate a more accurate and complete discharge of the beverage ingredient from a blister pack into a beverage container. For example, in some embodiments, beverage ingredient dispenser can include a seal assembly configured to seal to an opening of a beverage container, a blister pack receiver portion ends an aperture aligned with the opening of the beverage container. As such, a user can attach the dispenser to a beverage container with the aperture aligned with the opening of the container. Additionally, user can insert a blister pack into the blister pack receiving portion such that the frangible portion of the blister pack is aligned with the aperture. As such, a user can compress the compressible portion of the blister pack so as to compress the ingredient against the frangible wall, thereby breaking the frangible wall and allowing the ingredient to flow into the opening of the beverage container.

[0022]In some embodiments, the blister pack receiving portion can be configured to form a leak reducing seal with a portion of the bottom surface of the blister pack surrounding the frangible portion. For example, the blister pack receiving portion can include a surface complimentary to the bottom surface of a blister pack and with a conforming material such that when a user presses the blister pack against the blister pack receiving portion, a spill proof seal can be formed against the blister pack receiving portion and the bottom surface of the blister pack. With such a sealing feature, a user can hold the water bottle while pressing down on the blister pack and shake the water bottle, thereby more thoroughly mix the ingredient within the blister pack with the beverage contained in the beverage container.

[0023]Another aspect of at least one of the inventions disclosed herein includes the realization that beverage ingredient dispensers with blister pack related features and functionality can include blister pack receiving portions configured to simplify the process of insertion of the blister pack into the receiving portion, for example, so as to more easily achieve alignment of the blister pack in the blister pack receiving portion. In some embodiments, blister pack portions can be provided with a circular shape around at least a portion of the outer periphery of the blister pack. As such, the blister pack receiving portion can include a complimentary, partly circular shape. Thus, a blister pack can be inserted with the partly circular periphery pressed against the partly circularly shaped portion of the blister pack receiving portion and thus be more easily alignable with the blister pack receiving portion.

Problems solved by technology

Thus, a dispensing cap provided with a threaded collar designed for engagement with one water bottle will not work on most other water bottles.

Such beverage ingredient dispensing caps can leave a user without the ability to connect the cap to the bottles that may be available at a given time.

For example, threaded engagement surfaces such as those provided on the caps of water bottles add a significant amount of cost to the manufacturing of such caps from plastic.

Thus the timing and procedures necessary for successfully molding such a part presents significant cost to the manufacturing of such a component.

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