Water container cap for holding additives to water

Abstract

A supplement dispensing closure couplable to an outlet of a container, such as a water container. When the closure is coupled to the container, liquid exiting the container through the outlet flows through a supplement retention area that retains a dissolvable supplement body inside the closure as the liquid flows therethrough and dissolves the dissolvable supplement body. A user may select one or more dissolvable supplement bodies and insert them inside the supplement retention area for dissolution in the liquid as it flows through the supplement retention area. The closure may include a selectively openable and closable cap portion. Optionally, the closure includes a filter configured to filter one or more components from the liquid before or after it flows through the supplement retention area.

The invention claimed is: 
     
         1 . A supplement dispensing closure couplable to an outlet of a container housing a liquid, the closure comprising:
 a supplement retention portion and a liquid flow pathway extending through the supplement retention portion, the liquid flow pathway being configured to guide a liquid exiting the container through the outlet through the supplement retention portion when the closure is coupled to the container, the supplement retention portion comprising an open upper portion and a perforated supplement support platform that are together configured to retain a dissolvable supplement body as the liquid flows through the supplement retention portion and dissolves the dissolvable supplement body, the supplement retention portion also comprising a plurality of elongated raised portions extending upwardly from the perforated supplement support platform configured to at least partially separate two or more dissolvable supplement bodies as a liquid flows through the supplement retention area and dissolves the separated dissolvable supplement bodies, and an open lower portion comprising a first connector portion couplable to the outlet of the container.   
     
     
         2 . The supplement dispensing closure of  claim 1 , wherein the open lower portion comprises a filter retainer projection, the supplement dispensing closure further comprising a first filter selectively attachable to the supplement retention portion by pressing the first filter upward into the open lower portion and forcing the first filter onto the filter retainer projection. 
     
     
         3 . The supplement dispensing closure of  claim 2 , wherein the first filter comprises a screen filter. 
     
     
         4 . The supplement dispensing closure of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 a second filter disposed within a portion of the liquid flow pathway downstream from the supplement retention portion, the second filter being operable to filter a liquid with a dissolved portion of the dissolvable supplement body dissolved therein after the liquid has flowed through the supplement retention portion.   
     
     
         5 . The supplement dispensing closure of  claim 2 , wherein the filter retainer projection comprises a circumferential projection disposed on an inner wall of the open lower portion. 
     
     
         6 . The supplement dispensing closure of  claim 1 , wherein the supplement retention portion comprises:
 a supplement stop portion disposed downstream from the open upper portion of the supplement retention portion configured to retain the dissolvable supplement body in the supplement retention portion, the supplement stop portion including an exit aperture positioned such that a liquid dissolving the dissolvable supplement body flows through the supplement retention portion and out the exit aperture of the supplement stop portion.   
     
     
         7 . The supplement dispensing closure of  claim 1 , further including a cap portion, wherein the open upper portion comprises a second connector portion, the cap portion being selectively couplable to and removable from the second connector portion. 
     
     
         8 . The supplement dispensing closure of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of elongated raised portions comprises three raised portions extending upwardly from the perforated supplement support platform, each raised portion having a first end adjacent an inner wall of the open upper portion and a second end adjacent the second end of the other two raised portions. 
     
     
         9 . The supplement dispensing closure of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of elongated raised portions extends upwardly from the perforated supplement platform to a height that is less than the height of the open upper portion. 
     
     
         10 . A supplement housing for use by a user having a mouth and for use with a dissolvable supplement body having a dissolve rate and a container housing a liquid, the container having an outlet portion through which the liquid may be poured from the container, the supplement housing comprising:
 a first connector portion couplable to the outlet portion of the container housing the liquid;   a supplement chamber configured to retain the dissolvable supplement body outside the container and apart from the liquid housed inside the container, the supplement chamber comprising an open lower portion having at least one inlet aperture and a filter retainer projection comprising a circumferential projection disposed on an inner wall of the open lower portion, and an open upper portion having at least one outlet aperture, the at least one inlet aperture being in fluid communication with the outlet portion of the container when the first connector portion is coupled thereto to receive liquid poured from the outlet portion of the container into the supplement chamber, the supplement chamber configured to limit the flow of liquid therethrough to a flow rate, the flow rate of the liquid received inside the supplement chamber selected to dissolve the dissolvable supplement body at the dissolve rate, the liquid and a dissolved portion of the dissolvable supplement body being receivable inside the mouth of the user via the at least one outlet aperture of the supplement chamber; and   a first filter selectively attachable to the filter retainer projection by pressing the first filter upward into the open lower portion and forcing the first filter onto the filter retainer projection.   
     
     
         11 . The supplement housing of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 a selectively openable cap, wherein the open upper portion comprises a second connector portion couplable to the selectively openable cap, the selectively openable cap being adjacent the at least one outlet aperture of the supplement chamber when the selectively openable cap is coupled to the second connector portion.   
     
     
         12 . The supplement dispensing housing of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 a second filter disposable above the open upper portion of the supplement chamber, the second filter being operable to filter a liquid with a dissolved portion of the dissolvable supplement body dissolved therein after the liquid has flowed through the supplement chamber.   
     
     
         13 . A kit comprising:
 an open ended supplement housing having a first open end, a second open end, a first connector portion at the first open end couplable to an outlet portion of a container, a second connector portion at the second open end, and at least one supplement chamber positioned between the first and second open ends, the first open end comprising a filter retainer projection;   a first filter selectively attachable to the filter retainer projection by pressing the first filter upward into the first open end and forcing the first filter onto the filter retainer projection; and   a cap having a connector portion couplable to the second connector portion at the second open end of the supplement housing, the cap being configured to retain a dissolvable supplement body inside the at least one supplement chamber as the dissolvable supplement body dissolves in a liquid flowing from the outlet portion of the container into the first open end of the supplement housing through the at least one supplement chamber and out the second open end of the supplement housing.   
     
     
         14 . The kit of  claim 13 , wherein the cap includes an open lower portion, the kit further comprising a second filter receivable inside the open lower portion of the cap. 
     
     
         15 . The kit of  claim 13 , further comprising a container having an outlet portion couplable to the first connector portion of the supplement housing. 
     
     
         16 . A kit comprising:
 an open ended threaded supplement housing threadably attachable to a threaded outlet portion of a container, the supplement housing including at least one supplement chamber disposed between the open ends of the supplement housing configured to retain a dissolvable supplement body as it dissolves in a liquid poured from the threaded outlet portion of the container into one of the open ends of the supplement housing through the at least one supplement chamber and out the other of the open ends of the supplement housing, the supplement housing further including a filter retainer projection;   a first filter selectively attachable to the filter retainer projection by forcing the first filter onto the filter retainer projection; and   at least one dissolvable supplement body positionable within the at least one supplement chamber.   
     
     
         17 . The kit of  claim 16 , further including a cap portion selectively couplable to and removable from the supplement housing. 
     
     
         18 . The kit of  claim 17 , wherein the cap portion includes an open lower portion, and the kit further comprising a second filter receivable inside the open lower portion of the cap portion. 
     
     
         19 . A supplement dispensing closure couplable to an outlet of a container housing a liquid, the closure comprising:
 a supplement retention chamber and a liquid flow pathway extending through the supplement retention chamber, the liquid flow pathway being configured to guide a liquid exiting the container through the outlet through the supplement retention chamber when the closure is coupled to the container, the supplement retention chamber being configured to retain a dissolvable supplement body as the liquid flows therethrough and dissolves the dissolvable supplement body; and   a selectively removable filter assembly disposed within a portion of the liquid flow pathway before the supplement retention chamber, the filter assembly being operable to filter a liquid guided by the liquid flow pathway before the liquid flows through the supplement retention chamber, wherein the filter assembly comprises a single molded piece.