Patent Application
20060045936
The present invention is related to an improved cup, and more particularly to a cup in which tea or coffee powder can be placed. The cup has an isolating member longitudinally disposed in the cup for isolating the soaked tea or coffee powder on one side of the cup. A user can drink the beverage from the other side of the cup.
The above two kinds of isolating devices are applicable to a glass or ceramic or porcelain cup. However, such complicated isolating devices can be hardly trans-used in a simple plastic cup or paper cup.
Besides, in the case that the tea is placed under the isolating plate 75, it is necessary to first take out the isolating plate and then place the tea on the bottom of the cup and then replace the isolating plate into the cup. Moreover, the control bar 76 extends out of the opening of the cup so that when drinking the tea, a user's nose tends to touch the control bar 76. Therefore, the tea is often first poured out from the cup into another cup and then drunk. This is quite inconvenient. In the case that the tea is filled in the isolating basket 84, when drinking the tea, it is necessary to previously remove the isolating basket 84. Obviously, it is inconvenient to use the above two types of isolating devices for the cups.
It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved cup in which an isolating member is disposed for dividing the interior of the cup into two spaces. A material such as tea can be placed in one space of the cup and soaked in water. The isolating member serves to isolate the material from the other space, while permitting the beverage to flow therethrough. Therefore, the material will not be entrained by the beverage so that it is ensured that a user can purely drink the beverage.
According to the above object, the cup of the present invention includes a main body and an isolating member fixedly disposed in the main body. The isolating member includes a frame section and a mesh-like stop section connected with the frame section. The frame section divides the interior of the main body into two isolated spaces. The mesh-like stop section serves to stop the beverage material, while permitting the beverage to flow through the isolating member from one isolated space to the other.
The present invention can be best understood through the following description and accompanying drawings wherein:
Please refer to FIGS. 1 to 4. According to a first embodiment, the cup of the present invention includes a main body 1 and an isolating member 11. In this embodiment, the main body is a disposable cup for a user to directly drink the beverage in the cup. The isolating member 11 includes a frame section 111 and a mesh-like stop section 112. When the frame section 111 is molten and molded, the mesh-like stop section 112 is connected with the frame section 111. The beverage can filter through the mesh-like stop section 112, while the material 12 is stopped by the mesh-like stop section 112. In this embodiment, the material 12 is tea. The frame section 111 divides the main body 1 into a first isolated space 13 and a second isolated space 14. A certain portion of the frame section 111 is formed with a bending line 113, whereby the frame section 111 can be easily bent about the bending line 113. Above the binding line 113, the frame section 111 has a semicircular transverse section 114. Below the binding line 113, the frame section 111 has two longitudinal sections 115.
The main body 1 is a cylindrical body. Two opposite inner sides 15 of the main body 1 are respectively formed with two longitudinal rails 16 each of which is formed of two parallel ribs 161. The ribs 161 are integrally connected with the inner circumference 15 of the cup. The two ribs 161 define there between a gap 162 in which the frame section 111 of the isolating member 11 can be inserted and located. In addition, an engaging section 17 is formed on the inner circumference 15 of the main body 1 and spaced from the top end of the main body 1 by a certain distance. The engaging section 17 is formed of a shoulder section 171 and a stop block 172 inward extending from the inner circumference 15 of the main body 1. After bent, the isolating member 11 can be fixedly engaged in the engaging section 17. Accordingly, the isolating member 11 divides the interior of the main body 11 into the first isolated space 13 in which the tea is accommodated and the second isolated space 14 which the tea cannot get in.
If the embodiment invention is designed for a disposable mode, therefore a worker in the factory can previously insert and locate the longitudinal section 115 of the frame section 111 of the isolating member 11 in the longitudinal rails 16 of the main body 1 to divide the interior of the main body 1 into two isolated spaces 13, 14. Then the tea 121 is placed into the first isolated space 13. Then the frame section 111 is easily bent about the bending line 113 of the frame section 111. Then the semicircular transverse section 114 of the frame section 111 is engaged in the engaging section 17 of the inner circumference 15 of the main body 1. Accordingly, the two spaces 13, 14 are isolated. Certainly, the main body 1 can be sealed and packed with a thermo-contractive plastic film.
In use, a user only needs to add water into the cup. When the tea is soaked in the water, a solution with higher concentration is produced in the first isolated space 13. According to principle of diffusion, the molecules in the solution with higher concentration will diffuse to the solution with lower concentration. Accordingly, the solution with higher concentration will pass through the mesh-like stop section 112 to even the concentration of the solution in the two isolated spaces 13, 14. The tea refuses are stopped by the mesh-like stop section 112 to remain in the first isolated space 13 as shown in
Moreover, the semicircular transverse section 114 of the isolating member 11 is fixed in the engaging section 17 of the main body 1. The engaging section 17 is spaced from the top end of the main body 1 by a certain distance. Therefore, when the user drinks the tea, the user's nose will not touch the isolating member 11.
Besides, the isolating member 11 is vertically arranged so that the first and second isolated spaces 13, 14 are respectively positioned on left and right sides of the main body 1. Accordingly, the tea flowing from the first isolated space 13 to the second isolated space 14 will not concentrate in upper or lower portion of the main body 1. Therefore, the user can drink the tea with even concentration without shaking the cup.
According to the above arrangement, in condition of use of a disposable cup, a user can still enjoy the beverage with even concentration. Also, the refuses will not be entrained by the beverage so that the user can conveniently drink the beverage.
The lug 243 of the isolating member 24 is fixedly engaged with the projecting block 23 of the inner circumference 21 of the main body 2, whereby the isolating member 24 divides the interior of the main body 2 into a central first isolated space 26 and a second isolated space 27 around the first isolated space 26. Therefore, the tea refuses 25 and the beverage can be separated without mixing with each other. In this embodiment, the isolating member 24 is also vertically arranged, whereby the two isolated spaces 26, 27 are respectively positioned at the center of the main body 2 and the circumference thereof. As in the first embodiment, the tea can be made with even concentration.
The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the present invention, not intended to limit the scope thereof. Many modifications of the above embodiments can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
