Patent Application
20250153908
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The disclosure relates to drip devices and more particularly pertains to a new drip device for capturing liquid that drips from a beverage cup. The device includes an annular channel that is positionable around a beverage cup. The annular channel is positioned beneath a lid on the beverage cup such that the annular channel captures liquid that drips from the lid. In this way the liquid is inhibited from potentially staining a user's clothing.
The prior art relates to drip devices including a variety of beverage cup lids that each has a modular construction that includes a drip ring to inhibit liquid from dripping from the lid and a spill preventing beverage cup that has a pair of annular rings that are attachable around a beverage cup. In no instance does the prior art disclose a drip ring device that includes an annular channel which is positionable around a beverage cup such that the annular channel defines a drip space beneath a lid attached to the beverage cup.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a beverage cup and a lid that is attached to the beverage cup such that the lid closes the beverage cup. An annular channel is positionable around the beverage cup. The annular channel is urgeable into a seated position having the annular channel being positioned beneath the lid when the lid is attached to the beverage cup. In this way the annular channel defines a drip space beneath the lid to capture liquid that drips from the lid.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
An annular channel 24 is provided and the annular channel 24 is positionable around the beverage cup 12. The annular channel 24 is urgeable into a seated position having the annular channel 24 being positioned beneath the lid 18 when the lid 18 is attached to the beverage cup 12. In this way the annular channel 24 defines a drip space 26 beneath the lid 18 to capture liquid 28 that drips from the lid 18. Thus, the liquid 28 is inhibited from dipping on a user's clothing, for example, which can often result in unsightly stains.
The annular channel 24 has a basal wall 30 extending between an outer wall 32 and an inner wall 34. The outer wall 32 has an angled portion 36 angling upwardly from the basal wall 30 and a planar portion 38 extending upwardly from the angled portion 36. The planar portion 38 is spaced from and lies on a plane that is oriented parallel to the inner wall 34 such that the drip space 26 is defined between the inner wall 34 and the outer wall 32. Each of the inner wall 34 and the outer wall 32 is continuously arcuate about a center of the annular channel 24 such that inner wall 34 and the outer wall 32 define concentric rings.
The inner wall 34 abuts the exterior wall 14 of the beverage cup 12 when the annular channel 24 is positioned around the beverage cup 12. A top edge 40 of the inner wall 34 abuts an intersection between the upper edge 16 of the beverage cup 12 and the lid 18 when the annular channel 24 is in the seated position. Additionally, the perimeter wall 22 of the lid 18 extends downwardly into the drip space 26. The annular channel 24 is comprised of a fluid impermeable material, including but not being limited to plastic or pressed paper, thereby facilitating the annular channel 24 to contain the liquid 28. Additionally, the annular channel 24 may have an interior diameter ranging between approximately 5.7 cm and 9.4 cm and an outside diameter ranging between approximately 6.9 cm and 10.6 cm and the drip space 26 may have a width of approximately 2.4 cm. In an alternative embodiment 42 as is shown in
In use, the annular channel 24 is slid 18 around the beverage cup 12 until the top edge 40 of inner wall 34 of the annular channel 24 abuts the intersection between the upper edge 16 of the outer wall 32 of the beverage cup 12 and the lid 18. In this way the perimeter wall 22 of the lid 18 extends downwardly into the drip space 26 defined by the annular channel 24. Thus, the drip space 26 captures liquid 28 that drips from the lid 18 when the liquid 28 passes between the upper edge 16 of the outer wall 32 of the beverage cup 12 and the lid 18. In this the annular channel 24 inhibits the liquid 28 from dripping on a user's clothing and potentially staining the user's clothing.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, device and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
