Reusable Magnetic Bottle Closures, Methods, and Systems

Abstract

Reusable drinking bottle closures, and methods and systems for storing and using the same, are provided. The drinking bottle closures include a sealing portion, an upper side that may bear indicia, and a magnet retained in fixed relation to the sealing portion and the upper side. The magnet may be retained in a cavity of the closure separated from the sealing portion by a seamless barrier, such as a unitary body comprised at least partially in the sealing portion. The sealing portion may fit one or multiple bottle opening sizes. Multiple opening sizes may be accommodated by a frictionally retained tapered plug feature for sealing insertion into a bottle opening, or an end sealing feature operating in conjunction with a separate retention feature, such as a radially compressible cap liner configured to grip bottle threads in an interference fit. The end sealing feature may be a downward-facing compressible ring or disc on a lower side of the closure. In a method of use, the cap may be retained on a magnetically attracted surface until used to close and identify a drinking bottle. The magnetically attracted surface may be part of an existing wall, fixture, or movable article, or it may be a component of a closure storage system according to the invention, such as a plate connected to a mount for connecting the magnetic surface to a non-magnetic surface, such as a pushpin, suction cup, hook-and-loop fastener patch, snap, button, fabric with a button-hole, adhesive, or hole in the surface itself.

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         17 . A device comprising
 a bottle closure body having an upper side and a lower side;   a bottle sealing portion disposed on the lower side;   a cavity disposed on the upper side; and   a magnet retained in the cavity proximate to the lower side, the magnet operative to retain the lower side against a magnetically attracted vertical storage surface;   the bottle sealing portion comprising a sealing surface and a retention feature, the sealing surface being operative to sealingly engage a bottle opening of a bottle, and the retention feature being operative to engage the bottle to retain the sealing surface in sealing engagement with the bottle opening, without a magnetic force attracting the magnet toward the bottle.   
     
     
         18 . The device of  claim 17 , further comprising a lower end of the bottle closure body, the magnet being retained vertically proximate to the lower end. 
     
     
         19 . A manufacturing method comprising
 forming a unitary bottle closure body around a magnet to retain the magnet in the unitary bottle closure body proximate to a lower side of the unitary bottle closure body, the magnet operative to retain the lower side against a magnetically attracted vertical storage surface, the unitary bottle closure body including a bottle sealing portion formed on the lower side;   the bottle sealing portion comprising a sealing surface and a retention feature, the sealing surface being operative to sealingly engage a bottle opening of a bottle, and the retention feature being operative to engage the bottle to retain the sealing surface in sealing engagement with the bottle opening, without a magnetic force attracting the magnet toward the bottle.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein forming the unitary bottle closure body around the magnet comprises molding the unitary bottle closure body around the magnet. 
     
     
         21 . A manufacturing method comprising
 forming a bottle closure body, including a cavity formed in the bottle closure body and a bottle sealing portion disposed on a lower side of the bottle closure body; and   retaining a magnet in the cavity proximate to the lower side, the magnet operative to retain the lower side against a magnetically attracted vertical storage surface;   the bottle sealing portion comprising a sealing surface and a retention feature, the sealing surface being operative to seal a bottle opening of a bottle, and the retention feature being operative to engage the bottle to retain the sealing surface in sealing engagement with the bottle opening, without a magnetic force attracting the magnet toward the bottle.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein said forming a bottle closure body comprises molding a hard plastic material. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising assembling a screwcap including said bottle sealing portion to the bottle closure body. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising forming said bottle sealing portion of a resilient material. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein said bottle closure body is formed as a unitary body of the resilient material comprising the bottle sealing portion. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein said bottle sealing portion is formed separately from the bottle closure body, further comprising assembling the sealing portion to the bottle closure body. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein said assembling comprises permanently bonding the sealing portion to the bottle closure body. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein said assembling comprises removably inserting the sealing portion into the bottle closure body. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein said retaining a magnet in the cavity comprises adhesively bonding the magnet to a surface of the bottle closure body. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein said retaining a magnet in the cavity comprises press fitting the magnet in the cavity. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein said retaining the magnet in the cavity comprises positioning the magnet to be retained by a detent. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising forming the cavity as a cylindrical cavity. 
     
     
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         35 . A system comprising
 a device including a bottle closure body having an upper side and a lower side, a bottle sealing portion disposed on the lower side, a cavity disposed on the upper side, and a magnetically attracted component retained in the cavity;   a magnetically attracted storage surface operative to retain the drinking bottle closure against the storage surface; and   a storage surface mount connected to the magnetically attracted storage surface, the storage surface mount operative to mount the storage surface and retained closure to a non-magnetically attracted storage system support.   
     
     
         36 . The system of  claim 35 , wherein the storage surface comprises a magnet. 
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising forming the bottle sealing portion as a tapered male plug comprising the sealing surface and the retention feature, the tapered male plug being operative, when inserted downwardly into the bottle opening, to press outwardly against an inner cylindrical surface of the bottle to seal the bottle opening, to frictionally engage the inner cylindrical surface, and to alternately fit bottle openings of different sizes. 
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising
 forming a downward facing sealing seat disposed on the lower side of the bottle closure body, the sealing seat comprising the sealing surface of the bottle sealing portion and being operative to press down on a rim of the bottle to seal the bottle opening and to alternately fit bottle rims of different sizes;   and forming the retention feature of the bottle sealing portion as a resilient female plug operative to yield to grip external threads of the bottle and to alternately fit external bottle threads of different outer diameters.