The present invention relates to a device for dispensing powders for preparing beverages and the like, particularly for bottles and the like.

As is known, for the preparation of beverages the use is widespread of powders which are conveniently measured into a bottle, which is then agitated in order to homogenize and dissolve the powder in the water contained in the bottle.

The operation described above involves the necessity for the consumer to pour a correct quantity of powder into the bottle, normally by using a teaspoon or the like, with the drawback that the measured powder can spill outside the bottle while it is being poured into it, or it can stick to the neck of the bottle and not be completely dissolved, or the measurement might not be correctly executed since the consumer is required to pour the powder into the bottle by empirically estimating the dose.

The aim of the present invention is to provide a device for dispensing powders for preparing beverages and the like, particularly for bottles and the like, that makes it possible to eliminate the task on the part of the consumer of having to measure the correct quantity of powder into the bottle, without being able to replicate the same measurement each time.

Within this aim, an object of the present invention is to provide a device for dispensing powders for preparing beverages, that makes it possible for the consumer to not have to resort to using a teaspoon in order to measure the powder to insert into the bottle.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a device for dispensing powders for preparing beverages that makes it possible for the consumer to measure the powder into the bottle without soiling the surrounding environment.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a device for dispensing powders for preparing beverages that is highly reliable, easy to implement and at low cost.

This aim and these and other objects which will become better apparent hereinafter are achieved by a device for dispensing powders for preparing beverages, particularly for bottles and the like, characterized in that it comprises a body adapted to be screwed onto the neck of a bottle and adapted to accommodate a cartridge that contains a powder to be dispensed into said bottle, said body being provided with a hole adapted to connect said cartridge to the inside of said bottle, said cartridge being provided with a pusher for dispensing the powder contained in said cartridge from said cartridge to said bottle.

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the description of a preferred, but not exclusive, embodiment of the device according to the present invention, which is illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of a dispensing device according to the present invention applied to a bottle;

Figure 1 a is a perspective view from below of the dispensing device according to the invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the actuation of the dispensing device according to the present invention, applied to a bottle;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the dispensing device applied to a bottle;

Figure 4 is a plan view from above of the dispensing device according to the invention without the cartridge and applied to the bottle;

Figure 5 is a plan view from above of the dispensing device according to the invention.

With reference to the figures, the dispensing device according to the invention, generally designated by the reference numeral 1, comprises a body 2 that is adapted to be applied to the neck 3 of a bottle 4 and is thus provided with a threaded portion 5 so as to fix the body 2 on the neck 3 of the bottle. The body 2 is internally hollow and defines a seat 6 for the accommodation of a cartridge 7 which contains a powder to be dispensed into the bottle 4.

In particular, the body 2 is provided with an opening 8 in a lower region that makes it possible to connect the neck of the bottle with the lower end 9 of the cartridge 7.

The lower end 9 of the cartridge 7 is integral with a pusher, such as a button 10, so as to be movable downwardly following a pressure action exerted on the pusher. The pusher is arranged so as to be located at the upper face of the cartridge 7, on a level with the upper face, and can be actuated by the consumer.

The button 10 thus enables the downward movement of the lower end 9 and thus the outflow of the powder contained in the cartridge, through the hole 8, into the neck of the bottle.

Conveniently, the body 2 is for example quadrangular in shape, with the sides 11 made concave so as to enable the consumer to easily apply the body 2 onto the neck 3 of the bottle.

In order to lock the cartridge 7 within the body 2, the cartridge 7 is conveniently provided with engagement means 15 which are arranged at the lower end of the cartridge and are adapted to rest and slide along a circumferential raised edge 12 that terminates with an end 13 inclined at a seat 14 that is adapted to accommodate engagement means 15.

Substantially, the cartridge 7 rests inside the body 2 with the engagement means resting on the raised edge 12 and the rotation of the cartridge brings the engagement means to slide within the edge 12 and to follow the inclined profile of such edge until the engagement means effectively become engaged in the seats 14 arranged diametrically opposite, thus allowing the locking of the cartridge 7, in bayonet fashion, within the body 2.

Conveniently, the cartridge 7 is also quadrangular in shape so as to be adapted to the shape of the body 2 and the cartridge 7 is also provided with concave portions 18 arranged at each one of its sides, the concave portions blending with the concave portions 11 of the underlying body 2.

The body 2 is moreover provided with a gasket seal 16, which is made to withstand the pressure, at the hole 8 that connects the body 2 to the inside of the bottle 4.

The body 2 can naturally be made in different sizes so as to be adapted to different types of bottles.

Operation of the dispensing device according to the invention is as follows.

First, the consumer inserts the cartridge 7 which contains the powder for preparing the desired beverage into the body 2, inserting the cartridge 7 into the body 2 in a bayonet-like manner. At this point, the consumer screws the body 2 onto the neck of the bottle 4 and, once the body 2 is screwed, he or she presses the button 10 of the cartridge 7 so as to release the powder contained in the cartridge 7 into the bottle.

In this manner, the consumer is able to mix the powder contained in the cartridge 7 in the bottle 4 and thus to prepare the desired beverage.

In practice it has been found that the dispensing device according to the present invention fully achieves the intended aim and objects, in that it makes it possible for a consumer to dispense a powder for preparing a beverage into a bottle without having to resort to using a teaspoon, without running the risk of soiling the surrounding environment, and, especially, quickly and safely.

The dispensing device thus conceived is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims.

Thus, for example, the cartridge 7 can be provided internally with a distribution element 20, for example provided by way of a profile in the shape of a cross, which is adapted to distribute the powder contained in the cartridge 7 and intended to be dispensed into the bottle.

The distribution element 20 thus has the peculiarity of preventing lumps, since it makes it possible to separate the powder contained in the cartridge uniformly at the bottom of the cartridge, so that the dispensing of the powder occurs in a similarly homogeneous manner.

Moreover, all the details may be substituted by other, technically equivalent elements.

In practice the materials employed, and the contingent dimensions and shapes, may be any according to requirements and to the state of the art.

The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. MI2011A001329 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.

Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly, such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.