When drinks having a high viscosity, such as smoothies and frozen drinks, are poured from a blender cup or other container into smaller containers or glassware, the “thick” liquid tends to flow slowly. If the blender cup is tipped at an angle that will cause a faster flow, the liquid will pour out from a wider area at the front of the blender cup and may spill around, rather than into, the smaller container or glassware. The device of the instant invention is intended to prevent such spills. It is particularly helpful when used, for instance, in connection with an apparatus for preparing frozen drinks utilizing an ice dispensing machine and a blender having a blender cup for receipt of the drink ingredients and the dispensed ice, such as those shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,681,030 entitled “Apparatus for Making Frozen Drinks,” and U.S. Pat. No. 6,095,677 entitled “Magnetic Drive Blender,” both owned by Island Oasis Frozen Cocktail Company, Inc., of Walpole, Mass.
This invention relates to a device for preventing unwanted spills while pouring liquid or other material from a container, and particularly to a device that may be securely and removably affixed to the rim of the container to permit the liquid or other material to be poured into a receptacle such as a glass, without the material spilling out around instead of pouring into the receptacle.
The following description of the invention will be more fully understood with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
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It is important that the flanges on the spill guard device are not too large so that they do not hinder the making of a smoothie or frozen drink. For example, if the blender cup is used in connection with the making of a drink using the machine depicted in U.S. Pat. No. 6,324,313 (incorporated herein by reference), there must be an opening that will allow introduction into the cup of the ingredients of the drink, including the shaved ice delivered by the machine. The device of the instant invention may be positioned on the top rim of the blender cup before the cup is introduced into the drink making machine and may remain on the cup throughout the making and pouring of the drink, because it leaves ample room for the introduction of the flavoring ingredients and the delivery of the shaved ice by the machine. When desired, the device may be readily removed from the blender cup to facilitate cleaning.
The particular embodiment of the spill guard device here described is made from plastic, and is fairly rigid. Other materials, such as rubber, might be employed instead. The device here shown is approximately 6 inches in its outer diameter and about one-half inch in height. The groove on the underside of the device is about ⅛th inch wide and about ⅜ths inch deep. The opening between the flanges at the front of the device is about 2 and ½ inches wide.
The foregoing description is intended primarily for purposes of illustration. This invention may be embodied in other forms or carried out in other ways without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.
This application claims the priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/758,134, filed on Jan. 11, 2006, now pending, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety into this specification.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20070158353 A1 | Jul 2007 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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60758134 | Jan 2006 | US |