Mister water cap

Abstract

The present invention relates generally to a replacement cap for disposable water bottles with drinking spout and a mist sprayer. More particularly it discloses a unique flexible thread arrangement to allow it to fit on both US and European standard bottle threads.

1 . A Cap for liquid containers where said containers have necks, top openings with standard United States external threads or standard European external threads and an external ledge around the perimeter of the liquid container toward the bottom of said neck where said cap has a spout for drinking, internal threads on flexible tab sections of cap side wall for mounting said cap on either of said liquid containers and an opening for mounting a manually operable nozzle and pump assembly. 
     
     
         2 . A Cap for liquid containers as in  claim 1  where said liquid containers are disposable plastic water bottles. 
     
     
         3 . A Cap for liquid containers as in  claim 2  further comprising:
 a cylindrical base with an inside diameter, an outside diameter, a bottom, a top surface, a side wall that extends from said top surface to said bottom, and an axis; 
 two twist assist arms diametrically opposed extending radially outward from said side wall; 
 two flexible thread and ledge engaging tabs whose centers are located at approximately 90 degrees from the centers of said twist assist arms where said tabs have flex notches through said side walls up either side of said flexible thread and ledge engaging tabs starting at said bottom but stopping before reaching said top surface with 
 lower clips with an inside, an outside edge and a bottom surface located at the bottom of said flexible thread and ledge engaging tabs extending below the bottom of said side wall with 
 cam angles on said inside bottom surface such that when said Cap is forced onto said liquid containers said flexible thread and ledge engaging tabs flex radially outward, passing over said ledge and snapping back to position under said ledge with 
 external release tangs on said outside edge of said lower clips that when pulled radially outward release tabs from under said ledge allowing removal of said Cap from said liquid containers with a small counter clockwise turn; 
 upper clips are located toward the top of said flexible thread and ledge engaging tabs on their internal sides and have a thread detail that runs at a compromise angle, halfway between the United States standard and the European standard thread angles, such that with approximately a ¼ clockwise turn said Cap is drawn tightly against the bottom side of said top surface; 
 a first concentric wall that depends from the underside of said top surface that slip fits inside said top opening of said liquid container; 
 a second concentric wall that depends from the bottom side of said top surface that slip fits outside said top opening of said liquid container stopping before it reaches the top of said external threads; 
 a hollow drinking spout upstanding from said top surface, at a sufficient height as to allow drinking from said spout without interference from said pump and nozzle assembly, with a liquid passage running from bottom side of said top surface within said first depending concentric wall to external opening at said spouts distal end; 
 a cap that fits over said distal end of said drinking spout connected to 
 a thin plastic strap with cap retainer ring slidingly engaging perimeter of said drinking spout. 
 
     
     
         4 . A Cap for liquid containers as in  claim 2  further comprising:
 a cylindrical base with an inside diameter, an outside diameter, a bottom, a top surface, a side wall that extends from top surface to bottom, and an axis; 
 two twist assist arms diametrically opposed extending radially outward from said side wall; 
 two flexible thread and ledge engaging tabs located at approximately 90 degrees from the centers of said twist arms where said tabs have flex notches through said side walls up either side of said flexible thread and ledge engaging tabs starting at said bottom but stopping before reaching said top surface with 
 lower clips with an inside, an outside edge and a bottom surface located at the bottom of said flexible thread and ledge engaging tabs extending below the bottom of said side wall with 
 cam angles on said inside bottom surface such that when said Cap is forced onto said liquid containers said flexible thread and ledge engaging tabs flex radially outward, passing over said ledge and snapping back to position under said ledge with 
 external release tangs on said outside edge of said lower clips that when pulled radially outward release tabs from under said ledge allowing removal of said Cap from said liquid containers with a small counter clockwise turn; 
 upper clips are located toward the top of said flexible thread and ledge engaging tabs on their internal sides and have a thread detail that runs at a compromise angle, halfway between the United States standard and the European standard thread angles, such that with approximately a ¼ clockwise turn said Cap is drawn tightly against the bottom side of said top surface; 
 a first concentric wall that depends from the underside of said top surface that slip fits inside said top opening of said liquid container; 
 a second concentric wall that depends from the bottom side of said top surface that slip fits outside said top opening of said liquid container stopping before it reaches the top of said external threads; 
 a hollow drinking spout upstanding from said top surface at a sufficient height as to allow drinking from said spout without interference from said pump and nozzle assembly with a liquid passage running from bottom side of said top surface within said first depending concentric wall to external opening at said spouts distal end; and 
 a cap that fits over said distal end of said drinking spout. 
 
     
     
         5 . A cap for a liquid container as in  claim 3  where said opening for mounting a manually operable pump and nozzle assembly further comprises:
 a third cylindrical wall upstanding from said top surface; 
 a fourth internal concentric wall upstanding to a top level from said top surface, spaced a sufficient distance inside said third cylindrical wall to allow for clearance for the side walls of a plunger button with nozzle to slide up and down between them but said top level does not reach the height of said third cylindrical wall; 
 a fifth cylindrical wall depending from said top level reached by said fourth cylindrical wall is concentrically spaced inside said fourth wall as to provide tubular guidance for a piston fed through said bottom of said cap into a plunger button with nozzle; 
 a first retaining bump on the inside of said fourth wall provides a latching retention of said pump and nozzle assembly to said Cap where spring retaining body that has a second retaining bump on its top outside surface that snaps over said first retaining bump when said spring retaining body is shoved up into opening between said upstanding fourth wall and said depending fifth wall.