The present invention relates generally to drinking cups, in particular to drinking cups configured to be detachably coupled to a beverage container.
Many consumers of canned beverages prefer to dispense the contents of the can into a cup, rather than drinking directly from the container. A drinking cup is particularly desirable when filled with ice to chill the beverage. In addition, ice may be used to dilute a strong or highly carbonated beverage, making the beverage more palatable.
One drawback of using a drinking cup with a beverage container is that it can be unwieldy for a user to hold both the cup and the container while moving about. Furthermore, there are certain inefficiencies associated with separately serving a beverage container and a drinking cup. One example is when refreshments are dispensed to airline passengers by flight attendants, wherein a beverage container and a cup containing ice are typically separately provided to each passenger. Serving the beverage container and the cup in this manner takes more time than serving a single container. While not significant when serving a small number of passengers, the cumulative extra time to separately serve a beverage container and a drinking cup becomes substantial when considering large flights with hundreds of passengers.
A drinking cup is disclosed according to an embodiment of the present invention. A connector portion is formed in a bottom portion of the cup and is configured to be detachably coupled to a top portion of a beverage container. The container and cup may then be served as a single unit. Once served, a user may urge the drinking cup away from the beverage container to detach the cup from the container. The contents of the beverage container may then be dispensed into the cup by the user. The drinking cup is easily attachable to, and detachable from, the beverage container, allowing the cup to be filled with ice before serving with little risk of spilling the ice from the cup.
An object of the present invention is a drinking cup that is selectably attachable to a beverage container. A generally annular body of the drinking cup has a sidewall, an open end and an opposing closed end. A recessed connector portion is formed in the closed end, the connector portion being sized and shaped to detachably couple the drinking cup to a top portion of the beverage container. The drinking cup is capable of containing at least one of fluids and ice before being attached to the beverage container, while attached to the beverage container, and after being detached from the beverage container.
Another object of the invention is a drinking cup that is selectably attachable to a beverage container according to another embodiment. The drinking cup comprises a generally annular body having a sidewall, an open end and an opposing closed end. A generally annular recessed connector portion is formed in the closed end, the connector portion being sized and shaped to detachably couple the drinking cup to a top portion of the beverage container. The connector portion includes a rim formed therein, the rim being generally contiguous with a plane surface of the closed end and oriented at a predetermined acute angle with respect to the plane surface. The connector further includes a recessed surface that is contiguous with the rim and is oriented generally parallel to the plane surface, the recessed surface and plane surface being spaced apart by the rim. The drinking cup is capable of containing at least one of fluids and ice before being attached to the beverage container, while attached to the beverage container, and after being detached from the beverage container.
Further features of the inventive embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the embodiments relate from reading the specification and claims with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
In the discussion that follows, like reference numerals are used to depict like structures in the various figures.
The general arrangement of a drinking cup 10 is shown in
Further details of connector portion 16 may be seen with particular reference to
Drinking cup 10 may be formed in any convenient manner, such as by molding or machining, and made be made from any convenient material. Suitable materials may include, without limitation, one or more of plastics such as polystyrene, polyethylene, nylon, polycarbonate or any other material available in the art that is suitable for use as drinking cups. For example, biodegradable materials such as paper and corn starch may also be selected. The material thickness of drinking cup 10 may be uniform, or may vary as desired. For example, the thickness of drinking cup 10 and/or the various elements of connector portion 16 may be selected to provide a desirable amount of rigidity and, in turn, a desirable amount of gripping force of the connector portion when drinking cup 10 is attached to (or detached from) a beverage container 24, as generally shown in
With reference to
With continued reference to
As can be seen from the foregoing, drinking cup 10 is capable of containing at least one of fluids and ice before being attached to beverage container 24. Likewise, drinking cup 10 is capable of containing at least one of fluids and ice while attached to beverage container 24 and after being detached from the beverage container.
As previously indicated, the prior method of serving a beverage container 24 and a drinking cup 10 is to either use one hand to pass the container and the other hand to pass the cup, or to first pass the container and then pass the cup (or vice versa) with the same hand. The former is cumbersome if one or both hands are needed for other tasks. The latter requires two actions. Both methods represent a risk of spillage. The present invention allows a beverage container 24 and a drinking cup 10 to be joined together to form a single unit. This increases the efficiency and safety of passing or transporting both the drinking cup 10 and the beverage container 24. The present invention also allows a user to efficiently perform the task of passing a beverage container 24 and a drinking cup 10 as a unit and in less time than serving them separately, with reduced risk of spillage from an open container, even when the user is performing unrelated tasks with their other hand.
When a beverage container 24 is opened and not fully consumed it poses a short term storage problem with a risk of spillage. There is a risk that, in the time between opening and fully emptying the container, it will be shaken or tipped in such a manner that its contents will spill. Drinking cup 10, when attached to a beverage container 24 in the manner previously described (see
In addition, many beverages have high sugar content, which tends to attract insects. Insects have been known to contaminate such beverages when stored in open beverage containers 24. For example, bees and wasps often enter containers and subsequently sting users when they attempt to dispense the remaining beverage from the container. Drinking cup 10, when attached to a beverage container 24 in the manner previously described (see
It should also be noted that the present invention allows drinking cup 10 to be stored securely to top portion 26 of beverage container 24 when not in use. This maximizes the available space on small tables by reducing the footprint of the two drinking containers to just that of the beverage container.
The present invention may be used to advantage in a number of situations where drinks are served in beverage containers along with drinking cups. Examples include, without limitation, airline flights, boat rides, car rides, parties, sporting events and picnics.
As described, drinking cup 10 has a generally annular body having a sidewall 12, an open end 30 and an opposing closed end (i.e., bottom 14). The drinking cup 10 of this configuration may be altered in size and/or shape to fit the top portion of any size of beverage container 24 now known or later conceived, such as metal soft drink and alcoholic beverage cans of various fluid capacities. Non-limiting examples of drinking cup 10 include standard 9, 12, 16, and 24 ounce maximum fluid capacities. In addition, connector portion 16 (
A drinking cup 100 is shown in
The general arrangement of a drinking cup 200 is shown in
In some embodiments of the present invention a removable cover 34 (
While this invention has been shown and described with respect to a detailed embodiment thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that changes in form and detail thereof may be made without departing from the scope of the claims of the invention.
This application claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application No. 60/933,925, filed Jun. 11, 2007, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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60933925 | Jun 2007 | US |