Patent Application
20250194832
The invention relates generally to beverage containers and specifically to anti-tampering safety covers for a beverage glass or cup.
Many people, both male and female, enjoy going out to bars to drink. Unfortunately, bars are often a dangerous place for women; a woman who leaves her drink unattended even for a second may have a date-rape drug or some other unwanted substance slipped into her drink by an unscrupulous attacker. In most bar situations, it takes less than a second for someone to slip a date-rape drug into someone's drink; maintaining the kind of vigilance that would prevent such an attack is so onerous that it would preclude any sort of enjoyment. Also, even a mildly tipsy person would find it very difficult to maintain perfect vigilance over their drink-alcohol inhibits the neurological functions that are needed to do this.
A need exists for a method of protecting a drink that makes it difficult to slip a substance into the drink while still making it easy for the owner to drink it.
An object of the present invention is to provide a safety cover that securely covers a beverage glass and that is difficult to remove.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a safety cover that protects a drink from unauthorized tampering.
Another object of the present invention is to allow women and other vulnerable persons to drink safely in a bar or other public drinking situation.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a safety cover that is unobtrusive and does not detract from the appearance of the drinking glass.
The safety cover of the present invention comprises an approximately flat circular top and a cylindrical body projecting from the flat circular top, both made of a thin elastic material. The height of the cylindrical body is at least 75% of the height of the drinking glass. The radius of the top and the cylindrical body is a little smaller than the radius of a drinking glass. At least two pull tabs are placed on the distal edge of the cylindrical body to assist in installation or removal. A small sip opening is located close to an edge of the flat circular top. The safety cover is configured in such a way as to make it difficult to remove once it is installed on a drinking glass
In an embodiment, the safety cover is made of silicone rubber. The thickness of the silicone rubber could be 1 mm for the top and 0.8 mm for the cylindrical body.
In an embodiment, the top cover could have a diameter of 2.5 inches. The cylindrical body could have a height of 2.5 inches or more, and a diameter that is less than a diameter of a drinking glass on which it is installed.
In an embodiment, the inner surface of the cylindrical body comprises a high-friction surface that adheres to the drinking glass. The high-friction surface could be a cylindrical ring around the circumference of the cylindrical body, with recessed rings above and below the cylindrical ring, and a second cylindrical ring below the lower recessed ring at the edge of the cylindrical body. The cylindrical ring could have a height of approximately 5 mm. The thickness of the material at the recessed rings could be 0.5 mm, with the thickness of the material being 0.8 mm at the cylindrical ring and 1 mm at the second cylindrical ring.
In an embodiment, the safety cover is translucent.
In an embodiment, the sip opening has a radius of approximately 5 mm. In another embodiment, the sip opening has a width of approximately 5 mm and a length of approximately 1 cm. The sip opening may also comprise a lip around the perimeter, and further comprise a sip plug that can close the sip opening entirely. The sip plug may comprise a ring that interlocks with the opening and a plug attached to the ring that plugs into the opening and occludes it completely.
In an embodiment, the safety cover has at least two pull tabs placed on a distal edge of the cylindrical body to assist in its installation or removal.
The present invention also discloses a method for protecting a drink from unauthorized tampering. The method comprises providing a drinking glass containing a beverage, and providing a safety cover comprising an elastic material. The safety cover comprises a top cover and a cylindrical body; the cylindrical body has a diameter that is slightly less than the diameter of the drinking glass and a height that is at least 75% of the height of the drinking glass. The top cover comprises a small opening near the edge. The method then comprises installing the safety cover onto the drinking glass. In an embodiment, the safety cover is installed in such a way as to make it difficult to remove unobtrusively. In an embodiment, the safety cover is installed in such a way that it cannot be removed without lifting up the drinking glass. In an embodiment, the method further comprises inserting a straw through the small opening, wherein the small opening is such that when a straw is inserted into the small opening, a pill cannot be inserted into it without removing the straw.
The safety cover preferably covers most of the glass, as shown in the Figure, to make it more difficult to remove or lift up without someone noticing. In an embodiment of the invention, it is made so as to cover approximately 75% of the vertical height of a typical glass. In an embodiment of the invention, the vertical height of the invention is approximately 2.5 inches, though it could be a little more or less than that dimension, depending on the desired size of glass that needs to be protected. The safety cover also is intended to fit very tightly over the glass in order to make it even harder to remove.
In an embodiment, the safety cover comprises a high-friction material such as silicone rubber to improve adhesion to the glass and make it harder to remove, especially if the cover is stretched over the glass. The safety cover could also comprise a special adhesion feature to improve adhesion still more, as shown in
This is a major advantage of the present invention. While other lids do exist for preventing spills and assisting children or vehicle passengers to drink their beverages without spillage, typically such lids are designed to be easy to install and remove. It would only add stress to a parent's day to have to struggle with the lid to a child's sippy cup, or to a commuter's day if they had to expend significant effort to install the lid on their travel mug. However, in a situation where one wishes to prevent unauthorized tampering with one's drink, a typical sippy cup lid or travel mug lid is going to be too easy for someone to lift up without the owner noticing, and the goal should be to make the lid as difficult as possible to remove. If it takes a significant amount of effort to remove the cover, it is more likely that someone will notice the attempted drink tampering and alert the owner.
The diameter of the safety cover may vary in order to fit different sizes of glass; however, since the safety cover can stretch, any given safety cover can fit a range of glass sizes. In an embodiment of the invention, the diameter of the safety cover is 2.5 inches, and it is flexible enough to fit cups or glasses with a diameter range of 2.5-4.33 inches.
The safety cover is preferably made of an elastic material such as silicone rubber, which has enough stretch to fit over different sizes of drink glasses while also being tight enough that it would be difficult to remove. In an embodiment of the invention, the material is food-safe silicone rubber, so that it can come into contact with the drink without issues; other materials may also be used as long as they are elastic and food-safe. In an embodiment of the invention, the thickness of the silicone is approximately 0.8 mm on the cylindrical body and 1 mm on the top cover.
In an embodiment, the safety cover is translucent, to make it less obtrusive and obvious in a bar or other public drinking situation where a user may not want to look unfashionable or uncool.
The opening 130 is preferably large enough to enable the insertion of a straw, and may be shaped like an elongated rectangle with two semicircles at each end, as shown in the Figure. The opening should also be small and narrow enough to prevent the insertion of a pill or powder into the drink through it. In the preferred embodiment, the width of the opening is approximately 5 mm to enable the insertion of a 5 mm straw. The length of the opening may be slightly longer, such as 1 cm, to allow for comfortable sipping if a user decides to drink directly through the opening, or for air to enter the glass if the user uses a straw. However, the opening should be small enough that a pill cannot be easily inserted into the opening when a straw is in place.
In an embodiment, the opening 130 comprises a lip around the opening that can interlock with a removable sip plug 140, as shown. The sip plug comprises a ring 200 that interlocks with the opening and an attached plug 210 that plugs into the opening, as shown in
In an embodiment, the safety cover comprises tabs 150 to pull it onto the drink. While the Figures show two tabs, other numbers of tabs are possible, to make it easier to pull the safety cover onto the glass. For example, the safety cover could comprise three or four tabs, evenly spaced around the circumference. Given that the safety cover of the present invention is intended to be as difficult as possible to install and to remove, the tabs should be strong enough to withstand the requisite amount of force.
While the primary purpose of this invention is to protect a drink from unauthorized tampering, it is also useful for preventing spillage during car trips or travel, for helping young children drink without making a mess, and for keeping insects out of one's drink at outdoor drinking occasions.
Another advantage of the present invention is that when the safety cover is placed on a glass and the sip opening is closed, the drink can float in water without being contaminated by the water. This would mean that a person can enjoy a drink in a pool or at the beach without worrying about dropping the drink by accident; if the drinking glass falls in the water, it will float and the water will not enter the drink. A typical prior art lid is not as securely attached to the drink and is more likely to fall off if the drink is dropped.
Exemplary embodiments are described above. It will be understood that the present invention encompasses other reasonable equivalents to the elements described above, as is evident to a person of reasonable skill in the art.
The present application takes priority from Provisional App. No. 63/610,687, filed Dec. 15, 2023, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63610687 | Dec 2023 | US |
