Locking cap for a drinking vessel

Abstract

A cap includes a housing, a flexible membrane made from a resilient material and disposed over at least a portion of the housing, a first slider at least partially disposed in the housing and movable between a first position and a second position with respect to the housing, and a second slider at least partially disposed in the housing and cooperating with the first slider, when the first slider is in the first position the second slider is in a locked position in which a distal end of the second slider presses against and extends the flexible membrane outwardly from the housing, and when the first slider is in the second position the second slider is in an unlocked position in which the distal end of the second slider does not extend the flexible membrane outwardly from the housing as much as compared to the locked position.

1 . A cap comprising:
 a housing;   a flexible membrane made from a resilient material and disposed over at least a portion of the housing;   a first slider at least partially disposed in the housing and movable between a first position and a second position with respect to the housing; and   a second slider at least partially disposed in the housing and cooperating with the first slider, when the first slider is in the first position the second slider is in a locked position in which a distal end of the second slider presses against and extends the flexible membrane outwardly from the housing, and when the first slider is in the second position the second slider is in an unlocked position in which the distal end of the second slider does not extend the flexible membrane outwardly from the housing as much as compared to the locked position.   
     
     
         2 . The cap according to  claim 1 , further comprising an annular fin extending from the flexible membrane and made from a resilient material, the annular fin being configured to deform outwardly from the housing as pressure is applied to the annular fin from beneath the annular fin. 
     
     
         3 . The cap of  claim 2 , wherein the annular fin is integrally formed with the flexible membrane. 
     
     
         4 . The cap of  claim 2 , wherein the annular fin forms a continuous exterior surface of the cap with the flexible membrane. 
     
     
         5 . The cap of  claim 1 , further comprising an upper cap connected with the housing and being more rigid than the flexible membrane. 
     
     
         6 . The cap of  claim 5 , further comprising a flexible cover connected to the upper cap and covering the first slider in the housing. 
     
     
         7 . The cap of  claim 6 , further comprising an actuator cooperating with the first slider and interposed between the flexible cover and the first slider. 
     
     
         8 . The cap of  claim 7 , wherein the actuator is configured to selectively interlock with the first slider when the actuator drives the first slider toward the second position, rotating the first slider with respect to the housing. 
     
     
         9 . The cap of  claim 8 , wherein the actuator is a button configured for being pressed through the flexible cover for driving the first slider toward the second position, and rotating the first slider with respect to the housing. 
     
     
         10 . The cap of  claim 1 , further comprising an actuator at least partially disposed in the housing and configured to drive the first slider toward the second position, wherein the first slider is biased toward the first position and configured to selectively interlock with the button. 
     
     
         11 . The cap of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a flexible cover covering the first slider in the housing;   a first actuator disposed on the housing, and interposed between the flexible cover and the first slider in a radial direction of the housing; and   a second actuator disposed on a side of the housing opposite the first actuator with respect to the radial direction of the housing, and interposed between the flexible cover and the first slider in the radial direction of the housing,   wherein the first actuator and the second actuator are each configured to drive the first slider toward the second position when pressed through the flexible cover, and   wherein the first slider is biased toward the first position and configured to drive the first actuator and the second actuator against the flexible cover.   
     
     
         12 . The cap of  claim 1  in combination with a vessel comprising a vessel wall which defines a recess for receiving the flexible membrane when the second slider is in the locked position. 
     
     
         13 . The combination of  claim 12 , wherein the cap further comprises an annular fin extending from the flexible membrane and made from a resilient material, the annular fin being configured to deform outwardly from the housing as pressure is applied to the annular fin from beneath the annular fin,
 wherein the vessel includes a ramp below the recess, and   wherein the annular fin presses against the ramp as pressure is applied to the annular fin from within the vessel beneath the annular fin.   
     
     
         14 . The cap of  claim 1 , further comprising a third slider at least partially disposed in the housing and cooperating with the first slider and the flexible membrane such that when the first slider is in the first position the third slider is in a locked position in which a distal end of the third slider presses against and extends the flexible membrane outwardly from the housing at a position spaced from the second slider in a circumferential direction of the housing. 
     
     
         15 . The cap of  claim 1 , wherein the first slider includes a sloped face configured to engage the second slider and drive the second slider from the unlocked position to the locked position when the first slider moves from the second position toward the first position. 
     
     
         16 . The cap of  claim 1 , wherein the first slider moves between the first position and the second position in a direction orthogonal to a direction the second slider moves between the locked position and the unlocked position. 
     
     
         17 . The cap of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 an actuator disposed on the housing and configured to drive the first slider in a longitudinal direction of the housing, toward the second position, when the actuator is pressed inward in a radial direction of the housing;   a rigid cover disposed over the actuator in the longitudinal direction of the housing, wherein the actuator is configured to slide along the rigid cover and the housing in the radial direction of the housing for driving the first slider toward the second position; and   a flexible cover disposed over the rigid cover, wherein the flexible cover cooperates with the flexible membrane to prevent ingress of liquid into an interior of the housing, wherein the actuator is configured for being pressed in the radial direction of the housing through the flexible cover, and   wherein the first slider is biased in the longitudinal direction of the housing, toward the first position and against the rigid cover, and the first slider is configured for driving the actuator in the radial direction of the housing toward the flexible cover.   
     
     
         18 . A method of assembling a cap, the method comprising:
 disposing a flexible membrane over at least a portion of a housing, with an annular fin extending downwardly from the flexible membrane and configured to deform outwardly as pressure is applied to the annular fin from beneath the annular fin;   providing a first slider at least partially disposed in a housing and moveable between a first position and a second position; and   providing a second slider at least partially disposed in the housing in cooperation with the first slider and the flexible membrane such that when the first slider is in the first position the second slider is in a locked position in which a distal end of the second slider presses against and extends the flexible membrane outwardly from the housing, and when the first slider is in the second position the second slider is in an unlocked position in which the distal end of the second slider does not extend the flexible membrane outwardly from the housing as much as compared to the locked position.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising:
 providing an actuator at least partially disposed in the housing, cooperating with the first slider;   covering the first slider and the actuator in the housing with a flexible cover such that the actuator is interposed between the flexible cover and the first slider; and   fixing the flexible cover with the flexible membrane such that the flexible cover and the flexible membrane cooperate to prevent ingress of liquid into an interior of the housing.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising:
 providing a first stop in the housing such that the first stop retains the first slider in the first position when the first slider is positioned against the first stop;   providing a second stop in the housing such that the second stop retains the first slider in the second position when the first slider is positioned against the second stop; and   providing an actuator at least partially disposed in the housing, cooperating with the first slider such that the actuator is configured to rotate the first slider relative to the housing for being positioned against one of the first stop and the second stop.