Evacuated bottle system

Abstract

An evacuated bottle system including a bottle defining a hollow interior, the bottle having a neck with a rim defining an opening; a cap assembly supported on the bottle, the cap assembly including a funnel having a first portion and a second portion, the first portion being insertable within the interior of the bottle and the second portion engaging a portion of the bottle to support the funnel above the rim, the funnel defining a bore that fluidly communicates with the hollow interior of the bottle; a self-sealing membrane that covers the bore formed by the funnel to selectively seal the hollow interior of the bottle; a cap attachable to the bottle, the cap including a cover portion that extends at least partially over the self-sealing membrane to restrain movement thereof, the cover portion being axially spaced from the self-sealing membrane to define a gap that permits axial movement of the self-sealing membrane to selectively open the bottle to fluid communication outside of the bottle.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A cap assembly configured to be coupled to a neck of a bottle, the cap assembly comprising:
 a funnel having a first portion and a second portion, wherein
 the first portion is sized to be received within the neck of the bottle and includes a first wall defining a first bore, 
 the second portion includes a first floor, and a second wall extending upward from the first floor defining a second bore; and 
 the funnel includes one or more ribs that extend inwardly from the second wall toward a center of the funnel; and 
   a self-sealing membrane having a first portion configured to be insertably received within the first bore of the funnel and a second portion extending radially outward relative to the first portion and configured to cover a mouth of the bottle when the first portion is inserted in the first bore of the funnel.   
     
     
         2 . The cap assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more ribs includes six ribs. 
     
     
         3 . The cap assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the funnel further comprises a second floor below the first floor. 
     
     
         4 . The cap assembly of  claim 3 , further comprising a lip in between a transition from the first floor to the second floor. 
     
     
         5 . The cap assembly of  claim 4 , wherein the one or more ribs extend to the lip. 
     
     
         6 . The cap assembly of  claim 3 , wherein the second floor is recessed in comparison to the first floor. 
     
     
         7 . The cap assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a cap that is configured to fit over the self-sealing membrane, and the cap includes a cover portion that defines a gap above the self-sealing membrane to allow the first portion of the self-sealing membrane to be at least partially displaced from the first portion of the funnel when a suction is applied to the cap, wherein
 the cap assembly is configured to selectively allow fluid communication between an interior of the bottle and an outside atmosphere when the suction is applied to the cap.   
     
     
         8 . The cap assembly of  claim 7 , wherein the cover portion includes an annular wall that defines a central opening, and at least one evacuating opening is located radially outward of the central opening. 
     
     
         9 . The cap assembly of  claim 8 , wherein the cover portion defines three evacuating openings circumferentially spaced from each other and located on a common circle that overlies a perimeter of the self-sealing membrane. 
     
     
         10 . The cap assembly of  claim 8 , further comprising a cap seal configured to be releasably coupled to a top side of the cap. 
     
     
         11 . The cap assembly of  claim 10 , wherein the cap seal includes a clip mechanism extending from a bottom side of the cap seal, wherein the clip mechanism is configured to attach to the central opening of the cap. 
     
     
         12 . The cap assembly of  claim 11 , wherein the clip mechanism is configured to affix the cap seal to the top side of the cap to cover the evacuating openings and the central opening. 
     
     
         13 . The cap assembly of  claim 10 , wherein the cap seal further comprises a knob extending from a top surface of the cap seal. 
     
     
         14 . The cap assembly of  claim 7 , wherein the cap further comprises a cap wall, the cap wall defining an internal thread on an interior surface thereof. 
     
     
         15 . A cap assembly configured to be coupled to a neck of a bottle, the cap assembly comprising:
 a funnel having a first portion that defines a first bore and a second portion that defines a second bore;   a self-sealing membrane having a first portion configured to be insertably received within the first bore of the funnel and a second portion extending radially outward relative to the first portion and configured to cover a mouth of the bottle when the first portion is inserted in the first bore of the funnel;   a cap that is configured to fit over the self-sealing membrane, and includes a cover portion that defines a gap above the self-sealing membrane to allow the first portion of the self-sealing membrane to be at least partially displaced from the first portion of the funnel when a suction is applied to the cap; and   a cap seal configured to be releasably coupled to a top side of the cap, wherein   the cap assembly is configured to selectively allow fluid communication between the interior of the bottle and an outside atmosphere when the suction is applied to the cap.   
     
     
         16 . The cap assembly of  claim 15 , wherein the cap seal includes a clip mechanism extending from a bottom side of the cap seal, wherein the clip mechanism is configured to attach to the central opening of the cap. 
     
     
         17 . The cap assembly of  claim 16 , wherein the clip mechanism is configured to affix the cap seal to the top of the cap to cover the evacuating openings and the central opening. 
     
     
         18 . The cap assembly of  claim 15 , wherein the cap seal further comprises a knob extending from a top surface of the cap seal. 
     
     
         19 . The cap assembly of  claim 15 , wherein the cap further comprises a cap wall, the cap wall defining an internal thread on an interior surface thereof. 
     
     
         20 . A cap assembly configured to be coupled to a neck of a bottle, the cap assembly comprising:
 a funnel having a first portion that defines a first bore and a second portion that defines a second bore, wherein the funnel includes one or more ribs within the second bore of the funnel; and   a self-sealing membrane having a first portion configured to be insertably received within the first bore of the funnel and a second portion extending radially outward relative to the first portion and configured to cover a mouth of the bottle when the first portion is inserted in the first bore of the funnel.