Self-righting cap for a beverage bottle

Abstract

A bottle cap having internal threads compatibly engageable with external threads on soda or similar bottles and having lightweight, down-hanging thin strips formed from plastic or another suitable material depending from a lower edge of the cap structure. These plastic strips, in cooperation with an optional weight in the upper portion of the cap, cause a dropped cap to orient itself in an upward-facing direction. Such an orientation keeps the bottle engaging surfaces of the cap from contacting the floor or other surface upon which the cap may land. In alternate embodiments, the cap may be provided as a slip-on configuration for placing over an existing bottle cap to provide the same self-righting benefit to the existing bottle cap.

1 . A substantially hollow, cylindrical screw-on bottle cap having a, thread-bearing surface on a inner vertical wall, and a solid top perpendicular to said vertical wall, the improvement comprising:
 a) a plurality of flexible strips spaced-apart along a circumference of a lower edge of said vertical wall.   
   
   
       2 . The bottle cap as recited in  claim 1 , the improvements further comprising:
 b) a weight affixed to said solid top.   
   
   
       3 . The bottle cap as recited in  claim 2 , wherein said weight is embedded within said solid top. 
   
   
       4 . The bottle cap as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said spaced-apart flexible strips comprise a polymer and each have a substantially rectangular shape. 
   
   
       5 . The bottle cap as recited in  claim 4 , wherein said spaced-apart flexible strips are integral with said vertical wall. 
   
   
       6 . The bottle cap as recited in  claim 4 , wherein said spaced-apart flexible strips are attached to said vertical wall. 
   
   
       7 . A self-righting bottle cap adapter, comprising:
 a) a substantially cylindrical, hollow member having a vertical wall having an inside surface;   b) a solid top disposed at a distal end of said substantially cylindrical, hollow member closing said distal end; and   c) a plurality of flexible strips spaced-apart along a circumference of a lower edge of said vertical wall.   
   
   
       8 . A self-righting bottle cap adapter as recited in  claim 7  further comprising:
 d) a weight affixed to said solid top.   
   
   
       9 . The bottle cap as recited in  claim 8 , wherein said weight is embedded within said solid top. 
   
   
       10 . The bottle cap as recited in  claim 7 , wherein said spaced-apart flexible strips comprise a polymer and each have a substantially rectangular shape. 
   
   
       11 . The bottle cap as recited in  claim 10 , wherein said spaced-apart flexible strips are integral with said vertical wall. 
   
   
       12 . The bottle cap as recited in  claim 10 , wherein said spaced-apart flexible strips are attached to said vertical wall.