Sports bottle

Abstract

A bottle ( 20 ) comprising an open-topped outer container ( 21 ) comprising a resilient body ( 22 ) for holding a water, an inner container comprising a flexible pouch ( 28 ) for holding a gel, a closure ( 24 ) adapted to fix to the top of the outer container thereby forming an enclosure for containing the water, a fixing ( 38,42 ) configured to allow the inner container to be suspended from the closure, an outlet that is in fluid communication with both the outer container and the inner container thereby allowing the outlet to dispense the water and the gel, a switch mechanism ( 41 ) including a switch moveable to select between placing the outlet in fluid communication with the outer container and placing the outlet in fluid communication with the inner container, and an air inlet and a one-way valve configured to allow air to flow into the outer container.

1 . A bottle comprising:
 an open-topped outer container comprising a resilient body for holding a liquid beverage;   an inner container comprising a flexible pouch for holding a gel;   a closure adapted to fix to the top of the outer container thereby forming an enclosure for containing the liquid beverage;   a fixing configured to allow the inner container to be suspended from the closure;   an outlet that is in fluid communication with both the outer container and the inner container thereby allowing the outlet to dispense the liquid and the gel;   a switch mechanism including a switch moveable to select between placing the outlet in fluid communication with the outer container and placing the outlet in fluid communication with the inner container; and   an air inlet and a one-way valve configured to allow air to flow into the outer container.   
     
     
         2 . The bottle of  claim 1 , wherein the one-way valve is an umbrella valve. 
     
     
         3 . The bottle of  claim 1  or  2 , wherein the closure comprises the air inlet. 
     
     
         4 . The bottle of  claim 3 , wherein the air inlet extends through a wall of the closure to connect directly the internal volume of the outer container to the ambient environment outside the bottle. 
     
     
         5 . The bottle of  claim 1 , wherein the switch is rotatable to allow selection between placing the outlet in fluid communication with the outer container and placing the outlet in fluid communication with the inner container. 
     
     
         6 . The bottle of  claim 5 , wherein the switch mechanism further comprises a core piece, and the switch is part of the core piece that is fixed to a central part of the closure to allow the switch to rotate about a central longitudinal axis of the bottle. 
     
     
         7 . The bottle of  claim 6 , wherein the outlet comprises a mouthpiece slidably mounted to a post of the core piece, and wherein the mouthpiece may slide between a closed position where the post fills an exit aperture of the mouthpiece and an open position where the exit aperture is displaced from the post. 
     
     
         8 . The bottle of  claim 6 , wherein the core piece is received within a recess formed in the top of the closure by a downwardly extending stub. 
     
     
         9 . The bottle of  claim 8 , wherein the stub comprises at least a portion of the fixing that is configured to allow the inner container to be suspended from the closure. 
     
     
         10 . The bottle of  claim 9 , wherein the stub comprises a screw thread and the inner container comprises a complementary screw thread. 
     
     
         11 . The bottle of  claim 8 , wherein the core piece comprises a collar that extends over the recess and resilient members that extend through a central aperture in the base wall of the stub such that the closure is sandwiched between the collar and resilient members thereby retaining the core piece on the closure. 
     
     
         12 . The bottle of  claim 11 , further comprising a disassembly tool that bends the resilient members so that they may pass back through the central aperture of the stub. 
     
     
         13 . The bottle of  claim 8 , wherein the core piece is provided with a first hole and a second hole, and the stub is provided with a first hole and a second hole, and wherein the switch is rotatable between a first position in which the first holes are aligned such that the outlet is in fluid communication with the outer container and a second position in which the second holes are aligned such that the outlet is in fluid communication with the inner container. 
     
     
         14 . The bottle of  claim 13 , wherein the first holes are provided in a side wall of the stub and a side wall of the core piece, and the second holes are provided in a base wall of the stub and a base wall of the core piece. 
     
     
         15 . The bottle of  claim 14 , wherein the switch mechanism further comprises a cup member located in the recess between the stub and the core piece, wherein the cup member has a side wall provided with a first hole aligned with the first hole of the core piece and a base wall provided with a second hole aligned with the second hole of the core piece, and wherein the core piece and cup member have indexing means to ensure the cup member rotates with the core piece as the core piece is rotated thereby keeping the first and second holes of the cup member and the core piece in alignment. 
     
     
         16 . The bottle of  claim 13 , wherein the switch is located within a notch provided in the closure, and wherein the notch comprises end walls defining the limits of movement of the switch such that the limits of movement correspond to the first and second positions of the switch.