Water Bottle Cap With Three-Position Valve for Cooling and Spillage Control
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional water bottle caps do not effectively address the issue of body temperature regulation and water distribution for athletes in muggy environments or post-exercise, as they either allow water to spill or fail to provide a controlled method for cooling.
Innovation Solution
A water bottle cap with a valve that can be operated in closed, open, or spraying positions, featuring an annular flange and bottom extension to control water flow through apertures and channels, allowing for drinking, spraying, or preventing spillage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the water bottle cap uses a conventional pushbutton type outlet design, then the structure is simple, but the water flow control is limited and cannot provide fine droplet distribution for cooling
Solution Approach 1:
The valve is designed to be movable with three distinct positions (closed, spraying, open) that can be dynamically adjusted by the user. The valve body can slide along the flow channel axis to change the flow path configuration, enabling transition between different water delivery modes (direct drinking, spraying for cooling, or blocked for storage).
Solution Approach 2:
The single valve mechanism provides multiple functions: blocking the flow channel for water storage, creating fine droplet spray for body cooling, and enabling direct water flow for drinking. The annular flange with multiple aperture configurations allows one structure to perform diverse water distribution tasks.
2Productivity
If the water bottle cap provides direct water flow for drinking, then water consumption is efficient, but water may spill and dampen clothes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the flow parameters by providing three distinct valve positions that control water flow rate and distribution pattern. The spraying position creates fine droplets with lower individual flow rate but distributed coverage, while the open position provides high flow rate for direct drinking, allowing users to select appropriate parameters for their needs.
3Reliability
If the water bottle cap blocks the flow channel for water storage, then spillage is prevented, but body temperature regulation capability is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The valve provides dynamic control between closed position for reliable water storage and spraying position for active cooling. Users can switch between these states as needed, maintaining both spillage prevention capability and temperature regulation capability at different times.
4Ease of manufacture
If the water bottle cap uses a simple cap body design, then manufacturing is easy, but controlled water distribution for spraying is not achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The cap body is segmented into functional zones: the annular flange with multiple apertures for spraying, the flow channel for water transport, and the valve assembly for control. The apertures are arranged in a circular pattern around the flow channel, with each aperture positioned to receive water from the channel and spray outward in a controlled manner.
Data Source
AI summary
A water bottle cap includes a cap body including a space, an upper hole member through a top and communicating with the space of the cap body, a plurality of apertures spaced around and through the top, and a lower through hole communicating with both the space of the cap body and an internal space of a bottle, and a valve moveably disposed in the cap body and comprising an axial flow channel, a tube disposed through the hole member into the space of the cap body, an annular flange extending outward from an outer surface of the tube into the space of the cap body, and a bottom extension extending downward from a joining portion of the tube and the annular flange into the through hole. The valve is configured to move to a closed position, a spraying position, or an open position relative to the cap body.