Bottle cap and handle assembly
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to heavy bottle handling and, more particularly, to means for capping and carrying large narrow-necked water bottles. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Currently more and more households have begun consuming bottled water because of the desire for pure clean water. Such water is commonly delivered to homes in plastic five gallon bottles that weigh over forty-two pounds when full. It is therefore incumbent to find ways to facilitate the handling of such bottles and to maintain the water free of contaminants. 
     Generally, the aforementioned bottles are provided with a plastic cap which covers the bottle opening and encompasses the top rim portion. Such caps are shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,066,820. These caps work well if the bottle is simply lifted by hand about the neck flange or about the neck and bottom areas. 
     Unfortunately, workmen delivering larger numbers of bottles to households and commercial establishments have experienced a high frequency of hand, wrist and arm disablements. For this reason, applicant devised a reinforced handle similar to that shown in U.S. Pat. No. Des. 277,080. This handle has a cradle portion with an opening that closely fits around the bottle recessed neck area and engages the neck flange when lifted. This greatly relieves stress on workmen&#39;s hands, wrists and arms and contributes to a safer work environment. 
     However, when the sealed bottle cover is removed and the prior art temporary cap is in place, the afore-mentioned handle will dislodge the cap during lifting of the bottle. This is caused by the handle cradle pushing up against the end of the tapered up skirt. It was also caused by distortion of the bottleneck area. 
     It will be appreciated that present day five gallon water bottles are constructed of resilient thin-walled plastic. Although the plastic is strong, it does flex under stress. When the bottle weight is shifted to the neck area during handle lifting, the neck region flexes causing the prior art caps to pop-off. In fact, the inner ring of the cap shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,066,820 exacerbates the problem since it becomes pinched and creates additional force to pop the cap. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention comprises a unique combination of cap and handle for flange-necked bottles. It provides a means for carrying the heavy bottles that are heavily laden with liquids such as water while affirmatively maintaining a protective cap over the bottle opening. 
     The cap includes sidewalls extending across the annular bottleneck recess. It also includes an inner ring for inhibiting distortion during lifting. The handle has a tapered bottleneck engagement opening adapted to fit over the recess and sidewalls and engage the bottle rim underside during lifting. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the combination cap and handle in lifting position on a fragmentary water bottleneck. 
     FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the cap of the invention on the neck of a bottle shown in fragment. 
     FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 3--3 of FIG. 2. 
     FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 3 with the handle cradle shown in cross-section in position for lifting. 
     FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 5--5 of FIG. 4. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     With reference now to the drawings and, more particularly to FIG. 1 thereof, the combination handle 10 and bottlecap 12 assembly is shown in position for lifting a bottle shown in fragment by reference number 14. The handle includes a grasping bar 16 having opposing side-members 18, 19 connected to a bottleneck engagement member or cradle 20. Because the bottles being lifted frequently weight in excess of 40 pounds, it is desireable to include cross-member 21 to support and reinforce the handle. The cross-member provided is attached to the inner mid-point surfaces of the opposing side-members 18 and 19 and provides lateral support therefore. 
     The cradle portion of the handle has a front opening 22 having a width W 1  that tapers inwardly to a closed end portion 24 having a smaller width W 2 . The front opening width is sufficient to encompass the cap sidewalls 30 in their normal unflexed posture as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. 
     The closed end portion width must be less than the width of the enlarged bottle rim 32 and slightly greater than the width of bottleneck annular recess 34 plus about twice the thickness of the bottle cap sidewalls 30. As shown, end 24 defines a circular segment having a radius R 2  which is about equal to the radius R 1  of the annular recess 34 plus the thickness of sidewall 36. Preferably, the inner and upper surfaces 26 of the neck engagement member 20 are curved to facilitate engagement of the handle with the cap and bottleneck. 
     Bottle cap 12 includes topwall 28 that overlies the bottleneck opening 29. As shown, the topwall is flat and circular in plan with sidewalls or skirt 30 extending downwardly from the periphery thereof. An essential feature of the invention is that the sidewalls extend across bottleneck annular recess 34 for a purpose to be hereinafter described. 
     It is expected that the sidewall will include at least two opposing segments for effective contact with opposing sides of engagement member 20. As shown in the drawings, four equally spaced-apart segments 36 are shown with corresponding open portions 38 between each segment. 
     The wall segments 36 are preferably uniform in thickness. As shown, they are arcuate in shape with rounded corners and terminate at straight bottom edge 37. The open portions are arch-shaped but could be narrow slit-like openings depending on the wall segment size and design. The walls must be flexible and non-corrosive and are preferably constructed of plastic materials. 
     Extending downwardly and about perpendicularly from the topwall underside 39 is inner support ring 40. The ring is positioned concentrically to the center axis of the cap and contacts the inside surface 41 of bottleneck rim 32. The ring renders support to the bottleneck opening 29 and inhibits distortion thereof during lifting of the bottle. 
     In operation, a user will manually grasp handle 10 about bar 16 and direct handle opening 22 across the wall segments 36 in the direction shown by arrow F 1 . As a result of the opening tapering inwardly to a lesser diameter W 2 , the sidewall segments will become pinched inwardly and be forced against the annular recess 34 as best shown in FIG. 4. As so engaged a user may then impart an upwardly lifting force shown by arrow F 2  at which point the force will be transmitted through the cradle 20 to the skirt segments and underside of rim 32. In this manner the bottle may be lifted and suspended from the handle cradle and carried as desired. 
     With the skirt segments being securely pressed against the bottleneck, dislodgement is not possible and the opening will be affirmatively covered by the bottle cap. Release of the cradle from its engagement with the annular recess will allow the skirt segments to return to their original configuration as shown in FIG. 2. A user may then readily remove the cap for access to the bottle&#39;s contents. 
     It is expected that the bottle cap may be attached by wire, plastic or string attachment means known in the art to the carrying handle for repetitive use with water bottles. 
     While the invention has been described with respect to a preferred embodiment, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited by the aforementioned embodiment but only by the scope of the appended claims.