The invention refers to a sports bottle cap for a sports bottle with the features of the preamble of claim 1 .

Such a sports bottle cap is disclosed in EP 2 532 601 B1 . The drinking spout is designed as a flexible plastic tube that can be bent to close the internal flow channel. The bent position of the tube, which alone guarantees a tightness of the sports bottle cap, is secured by a cap which can be locked to the lower part of the sports bottle cap by means of a click-in connection. When the cap is released and folded back, the drinking spout can return to its original shape due to the elastic restoring forces, and the internal flow channel is released again. Such sports bottle caps are particularly intended for use during sports activities in which drinking directly from the bottle is intended via the drinking spout, also called drinking snorkel. For this purpose, the operation must also be as simple as possible and should be possible with one hand. The disadvantage of the known sports bottle cap is that the pivoting cap, which also serves as a lock, is an obstacle. When drinking through the drinking spout it must be held back with one finger.

The object of this invention is therefore to provide a sports bottle cap with a drinking spout which does not require an additional cap to bend the drinking spout, to hold it in the bent position and thus to create a tight closure.

According to the present invention, this object is achieved by a sports bottle cap with the features of claim 1 , in particular by the drinking spout being held in a guide element pivotably and/or shiftable mounted on the base element and by the bent drinking spout being storable within a receiving space encircled by the edge. In contrast to prior art where the receiving space for the drinking spout is formed in the cavity below the cap the receiving space is formed directly on the base part according to the invention. The drinking spout is secured in the bent position via the guide element which is located in the locking position at the top of the receiving space. According to the invention the drinking spout does not simply protrude from the base element but is held inside the guide element with its defined lateral bearing points. Thereby a defined bending point of the elastic drinking spout is provided.

The guide element is characterized in that, as opposed to the drinking spout, it is rigid and can therefore force the flexible drinking spout into the locking position and hold it in place. The guide element is preferably U-shaped in cross-section and accommodates the end area of the drinking spout in the open profile.

In f a preferred embodiment it is further provided that the guide element is arranged in relation to the position of the outlet opening in the base element in such a way that double bending occurs. This creates an S-shaped winding configuration of the drinking spout in side view so that the inner drinking channel is shut off at two points even and a secure seal is achieved

The interaction between the position of the guide element and the elasticity of the drinking spout is also essential for the invention. The guide element is pressed down e.g. with the thumb, tilts forward and takes the drinking spout with it. The restoring force resulting from the prior deformation of the drinking spout pressed down is used in all preferred embodiments of the invention to secure a locking position once set up by the user.

In several embodiments of the invention the hinge points of the guide element are intended to reach a horizontal position when being shifted. This is achieved due to the guidance in a slide element up to a rail which allows a linear retraction movement. This means that the user can easily pull back the guide element after pressing down the drinking spout, i.e. radially outwards, where the guide element is blocked by an unlocking button and thus also holds the bent drinking spout down. The locking position of the guide element is held by the fact that it is tilt-mounted and that the spring force of the deformed drinking spout presses the guide element firmly against the release button. To drink from the bottle again the user only needs to push the guide element slightly forward so that it gets out of the engagement with the release button. With the slight pressure by which the lock is released the guide projections on the guide carriage are also pressed back into the slide element so that the guide element can straighten up, resulting from the elastic resetting of the drinking spout. The user then pushes the guide element forward again thereby bending the drinking spout and moving the guide element back to its locking position.

To provide even greater protection against unintentional opening and against unintentional leakage of the beverage a safety slide is preferably provided for all embodiments, which can be moved to a position above the receiving space where it either additionally locks the bent drinking spout and/or secures the guide element, for example by forming a click-in connection with the guide carriage.

Since the locking slide can only be moved in a translatory manner, the guide element cannot tilt as long as the guide element is engaged with the locking slide. Instead, the user must first return the locking slide to the outer position to even be able to move the guide element and the drinking spout and then make the scaping movement of the guide element already described above in order to release it.

A further advantage of the sports bottle cap according to the invention is the combination of a pivoting movement of the guide element which brings it into the horizontal position in which the drinking spout is clamped off and a subsequent linear displacement for securing. This combination ensures a self-locking transport position, which can only be released by shifting.

With several embodiments the shifting can be carried out by the user himself by a retraction movement. However, it is preferably designed so that the guide element slides with a scaping edge or scaping surface on a guide block when the user moves the guide element downwards. This forced guidance is achieved when the guide element is pressed slightly below the transport position. Then the guide element is pushed outwards in an inclined position with its outer, rear supporting edge slightly raised until the supporting edge lies above a supporting surface. This has the advantage that the user only must push down the guide element to ensure the locking. When the user releases it the surfaces rest against on each other and the transport position is secured. To avoid that the user must make two different movements when closing, a preferred embodiment provides at least one additional spring element, which acts on bearing journals on the outside of the guide element. The user only must swing down the guide element with the drinking spout. The necessary retraction movement to produce the lock is achieved via the spring elements which push the guide element linearly back into the locking position.

In another embodiment of the invention the movement of the guide element is reversed: after the drinking spout has been pushed down into the receiving space, the guide element is pushed forward in the direction of the center, whereby a radial locking pin on each bearing journal engages a recess in the bearing recess in the base element and secures the position of the guide element. To open it, the guide element must be pushed slightly radially outwards to release this engagement again. This embodiment does not require an unlocking button.

The invention is explained in more detail with reference to the drawings as follows. The figures show specifically:

Fig. 1 - 4 a sports bottle cap in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention with different positions of the drinking spout, each in sectional view;

Fig. 5A, 5B the sports bottle cap in secured transport position, in perspective view each;

Fig. 6A, 6B the sports bottle cap in the unsecured transport position, in perspective view each;

Fig. 7A, 7B the sports bottle cap in the unlocking position, in perspective view each;

Fig. 8 the sports bottle cap in drinking position in perspective view;

Fig. 9, 10 the sports bottle cap shortly before and shortly after establishing the transport position in sectional perspective view;

Fig. 1 1A a sports bottle cap according to a second embodiment in secured transport position, in perspective view; Fig. 1 1 B a sports bottle cap according to a second embodiment in unlocking position, in perspective view; and

Fig. 12 a sports bottle cap according to a third embodiment in a secured

transport position, in perspective view.

Fig. 13 a sports bottle cap according to a fourth embodiment of the invention in the drinking position in sectional perspective view;

Fig. 14 the sports bottle cap according to Figure 13 between drinking and transport position in sectional perspective view;

Fig. 15 the sports bottle cap according to Figure 13 shortly before establishing the transport position in sectional perspective view; and

Fig. 16 the sports bottle cap according to the fourth embodiment in secured transport position, in perspective view.

Figure 1 shows a sectional view of a sports bottle cap 100, which is comprises the following essential components:

a base element 10 made of a hard plastic;

an insert element 20 made of soft plastic or rubber;

a guide carriage 30;

a safety slide 40 and

an unlocking button 50.

The base element 10 has an outer, almost cylindrical body which extends from a lower edge, at which a screw thread begins, to an upper edge 15. The screw thread can be used to create a sealing connection with the neck of a sports bottle or a drinking bottle, especially an insulated bottle.

The interior of base element 10 is divided by a base plate 1 1 which has several openings 12, 19. The first is a pouring opening 19. There are also several small ventilation openings 12 in the base plate.

The insert element 20 fits from the underside to the base 1 1 in the base element 10 and is connected to it in a sealing manner. The pouring opening 19 covered by the insert element 20 is attached to a drinking spout 23, which has an internal flow channel 24, which starts from an inlet opening 21.

Around the ventilation openings 12 the insert element 20 is provided with a small dome, which is spanned over a spacer 13 that protrudes down from the base plate 1 1 .

Figure 1 shows the closed transport position of the drinking bottle closure 100. The drinking spout 23 is bent twice once radially outwards from the outlet opening 21 to the left from where it is redirected in a bend 22 and runs in the other direction. The double folding firstly allows the drinking spout 23 to be made longer and still be kept inside the edge 15 and secondly the double closure of the inner flow channel 24 provides greater protection against liquid leakage. The part of the drinking spout 23 behind the bend 22 lies completely within the receiving space 14 which is encircled by the edge 15 and confined at the rear by the base 1 1. Firstly, the position of the bent drinking spout 23 is secured by the guide element 30, which is in a locking position in Figure 1 . The guide element 30 has one bearing journal 31 on each side for pivoted mounting in the base element 10.

Secondly, in Fig. 1 a safety slide 40 is brought into the locking position in which the guide element 30 lies above the receiving space 14. The safety slide 40 is guided in a rail 16. It secures the guide element 30 and thus prevents the drinking spout 23 from unintentionally shooting up and thus releasing the flow channel 24 inside. The rail 16 is formed on both sides on the inner flanks of a U-shaped brace 17, which extends radially outwards beyond the edge 15 of the basic element 10. The brace 17 can also be used for carrying the flask when the cap is in the closed position.

Figure 2 shows the beginning of the opening process in another sectional view. The safety slide 40 is already pushed into its end position outside the edge 15 in the brace 17, which allows unobstructed movement of the guide element 30. The safety slide 40 is held in this position by a click-in protrusion 41 .

Despite being released by the safety slide the guide element 30 cannot yet automatically shoot up as it is still form-fittedly attached to the housing 10 over a short distance, so that it can be displaced in the radial direction but cannot yet rotate around its bearing journals. To overcome this intermediate position, the guide element 30 is pushed forward radially, in the direction of the center, by slightly pressing the release button 50. Then it is free at its rear end as shown in Figure 3. Now the guide element 30 is no longer secured against twisting relative to the base element 10 and can shoot up again due to the restoring force of the bent elastic drinking spout 23.

Figure 4 shows the drinking position. The drinking spout 23 has fully unfolded so that the internal flow channel 24 between the outlet opening 21 and the end of the drinking spout 23 is open. The drinking spout 23 is held in the guide carriage 30 so that both components are positioned in the same angular position.

In each of Figures 5A, 5B the closed position is shown analogically to Figure 1 but in a perspective view. Both the guide element 30 and the safety slide 40 are in an approximately horizontal position above the receiving space 14 inside and completely cover the opening of the receiving space 14. At the top of the guide element 30 and the safety slide 40 protrusions are formed which form a recessed grip to facilitate operation of the sports bottle cap 100 by scaping the components.

The guide element 30 is fixed on the one hand by the bearing journal 31 , visible in the partially sectional view in Fig. 5B, in a bearing recess 18 in the base element 10. On the other hand, the guide element 30 lies with a rear edge 32 on a ledge in the base element 10 and is held with its front edge by the safety slide 40. As can also be seen in Fig. 5B the bearing recess 18 is designed as a double bearing recess or as an oblong hole. This allows the bearing journal 31 to be moved transversally before rotation is enabled.

In Figure 6A, the safety slide 40 has already been transferred to its outer end position in the brace 17 so that the securing of the guide element 30 is already released on one side. However, the guide element 30 with its rear edge 32 still rests on a support surface 10.1 (see Fig. 6B) on the base element 10 and this position is held by the spring force of the elastic drinking spout 23. The bearing journal 31 is in the outer, rear position in the bearing recess 18.

Only by pressing the release button 50 - as shown in Fig. 7A - the guide element 30 can slightly be forwarded. The bearing journal 31 in the bearing recess 18 moves into the front, inner position. At the same time the rear edge 32 is released from engagement with the supporting surface 10.1 and the guide element 30 can pivot freely around the axis of the bearing journals 31 .

Due to the restoring forces of the elastic drinking spout 23 it completely straightens itself and the guide carriage 30 connected to it until the drinking position shown in Figure 8 which corresponds to the position in section in Figure 4 has been assumed.

While the previous illustrations refer mainly to the opening process Figures 9 and 10 show the transition from the drinking position according to Figures 4 and 8 back to the secured transport position according to Figures 1 , 5A or 5B.

Starting from the operating position or drinking position in Fig. 8 the user presses the guide element 30 from above and presses it downwards. This also deforms the drinking spout 23. If the user presses the guide element 30 a little further down into the receiving space 14 until it is below the upper side of the housing it reaches the curved concave surface of a guide block 13 in the base element 10 with its front, lower scaping edge 33.

Figure 9 shows the initial contact of the scaping edge 33 with the guide block 13. The guide element 30 is thereby slightly inclined inside-downwards. The rear side of the guide element 30 is slightly raised at the same time. The rear edge 32 is located above the supporting surface 10.1 at the base element 10. Since there is a contact on the guide block 30 on the one hand but the bearing journals 31 are held in the bearing recesses 18 (s. figure 6B, 7B) on the other hand, the power applied by the user is redirected so that the bearing journals 31 are radially shifted until they are in their rear position in the bearing recesses 18. If the user releases the guide element 30 again it is pressed upwards through the elasticity of the drinking spout 23 whereby the rear edge 32 places itself on the supporting surface 10.1 ensuring the transport position. Additional safety can be achieved by the safety slide 40 which prevents the guide element 30 from being moved out of the locking position by accidental slight pressure.

Figure 1 1A shows a sports bottle cap 100' according to a second embodiment in perspective view in a secured transport position. The guide element 30, the safety slide 40 and the base element 10 are substantially unchanged compared to the first embodiment.

As a difference a pressure spring element 25' is provided which is arranged between the bearing journal 31 and the base housing. In the illustrated embodiment it is part of the insert element and thus together with the drinking spout 23' integrally formed of elastomeric material. The pressure spring element 25' is a compressible body which presses the guide slide 30 in the secured position via the bearing journals 31 and holds it there.

To raise the drinking spout 23' the user must move the guide element 30 into the position shown in figure 1 1 B against the force of the pressure spring element 25'.

Thereby the elastomer pressure spring element 25' is compressed. This position corresponds to the illustration of the first embodiment in Figure 7B. Accordingly, the drinking position in which the drinking spout 23' is erected is exactly the same even in the case of the sports bottle cap 100' as illustrated in Figure 8.

Figure 12 shows a sports bottle cap 100" in a perspective view according to a third embodiment and again in an unlocking position. The guide element 30, the safety slide 40 and the base element 10 are here essentially unchanged compared to the first and the second embodiment as well. The insert element with the drinking spout 23" has no molded elastomer spring element but instead a metallic pressure spring element 50" in the same position and function, is different. The pressure spring element 50" pushes the bearing journals 31 in the oblong-hole shaped bearing recess 18 in the base element 10 to the outside and thus automatically moves the guide slide 30 back into the locking position, as soon as the user does no longer exerts pressure on the guide slide 30.

The pressure spring element 25' in the case of the sports bottle cap 100' respectively the pressure spring element 50" in the sports bottle cap 100" facilitates on the one hand the closing process as the user only has to press down the guide element 30 with the drinking spout 23, but not has to pull back the guide element 30 actively into the locking position. On the other hand, it slows down the shooting up of the guide element 30 with the drinking spout 23, as the user has to leave his finger on it over a longer way of the guide element 30 while he moves it against the force of the pressure spring element 50. As a result, the user automatically damps the raising guide element 30.

In the second embodiment of the sports bottle cap 100' the friction between the bearing journals 31 and the elastomer pressure spring element 25' additionally brakes the movement

Figure 13 shows still another embodiment of a sports bottle cap 200 placed on a drink bottle 1. A base element 210 is formed similarly to the previously described embodiments and has also a raised edge 215 above a base plate 21 1 defining a receiving space 214. The base plate 21 1 has a ventilation opening 212 as well as a pouring opening 221 . A part of an elastomer insert element 220 is arranged below the base plate 21 1 covering the pouring opening 221 as well as the ventilation opening 212. The insert element 220 also contains a drinking spout 223 having an inner flow channel 224 flowing into the area of an inlet opening 221.

The drinking spout 223 is held in a guide element 230 which is movably mounted in the base element 210. Figure 13 shows the drinking position, in which the drinking spout 223 and the guide element 230 are upright, so that the tubular pin 222 between the drinking spout 223 and the inlet opening 221 is open. The guide element 230 is located with a rear edge 233 in a recess 213 of the insert element 220 in order to avoid an overstretching of the insert element 220 beyond the illustrated drinking position to the outside.

Furthermore, a safety slide 240 being arranged in the drinking position outside the receiving space 214 is illustrated in Figure 13. A bracket 217 is attached to the base element 210. The safety slide 240 is guided in a rail 216. Due to the shaping of the rail 216 the safety slide 240 must once dive under the nose of the rail 216 while being moved into the closed position as shown in Figure 16 and is then positively secured against unintended shifting.

Figure 14 shows the sports bottle cap 200 in an intermediate position in which the drinking spout 223 is brought from the drinking position into the locking and transport position. The shaping of a bearing journal 231 is essential. It connects the side surface of the guide element 230 and the associated bearing recess 218 in the base element 210. The bearing journal 231 is not only shaped as cylindrical axle stub but has an additional locking pin 232 extending radially outwards. The bearing recess 218 is shaped in such way that the bearing journal 231 with the locking pin 232 has enough space for the necessary movement while the guide element 230 is pressed down.

Figure 15 shows the position of the guide element 230 shortly before the final locking position. The guide element 230 already lies flat down, so that its surface is largely flush with the surroundings at the base element 210. The drinking spout 223 is already lowered in the receiving space 214. The safety slide 240 is still outside of the receiving space 214. The locking pin 232 on the bearing journal 231 is now approximately horizontal and is positioned directly in front of a pocket 219 in the bearing recess 218. If the guide element 230 is now slightly pushed forward, i.e. in the direction of the bracket 217 or the receiving space 214, the locking pin 232 engages the pocket 219. As a restoring force is exerted on the guide element 230 due to the elasticity of the kinked drinking spout 223 the locking pin 232 is pressed against the wall of the pocket 219. The locking position of the guide element 230 is thus automatically held by the locking pin 232 and the pocket 219, even when the user does not touch the guide element 230 anymore.

To secure the guide element 230 further the locking slide 240 is pushed along the rail 216 until it lies above the receiving space 214 and additionally secures a front edge 234 of the guide element 230 in a form-fit manner. So, the drinking spout 223 cannot shoot up quickly even if the locking pin 232 should move out of the pocket 219 in the bearing recess.

Figure 16 shows the final locking and transport position wherein the locking slide 240 is positioned close to the guide element 230.