Patent Application
20070062961
1 . Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to ergonomic wine glasses particularly, and relates more generally to ergonomic beverage drinking glasses. The present invention drinking glasses have a unique structure that includes a rim depression that provides for more convenient beverage filling, sniffing, breathing, decanting and drinking. This is particularly important to wine consumption and the present invention offers tremendous improvements over existing glasses for wine connoisseurs.
2 . Information Disclosure Statement
The following prior art id representative of the state of the art in the field of:
U.S. Pat. No. 6,502,712B1 describes a drinking vessel provided having the duel purpose of providing in addition to drinking therefrom to also smell the aroma emitted from the drink by providing the drinking vessel with at least one inner element inside the drinking vessel dividing the drinking vessel into drinking compartment from which a drink can be sipped and providing an aroma compartment from which the aroma of the drink can be smelled while drinking from the drinking compartment and that the drinking compartment and the aroma compartment have different configurations.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,293,034B1 describes a wine bottle ring of a continuous unbroken form for accepting a neck of a wine bottle so the ring may be supported on the wine bottle. A plurality of wine glass rings, are formed of spring steel in a loop having a pair of opposing and abutting ends. The loops are of a size for accepting a stem of wine glass, and further, for being supported on a base of wine glass. The wine glass rings each provide a distinctive ornamentation so as to distinguish the wine glasses from each other. The method includes serving the wine bottle with the wine glass rings attached to the bottle ring so that the decorative elements are immediately visible. When the wine, glasses are distributed to guests, each has one of the wine glass rings engaged on its stem so that one glass may be distinguished from the next.
U.S. Pat No. 5,899,354 describes a drinking mug including a body with a lipid-receiving interior volume with a handle connected to the body and extending outwardly therefrom. The body has a first eye relief channel extending longitudinally along the body and a second eye relief channel extending generally parallel to the first eye relief channel and extending longitudinally along the body. The first and second eye relief channels are indentations in the exterior surface of the annular configuration of the body. Each of the first and second eye relief channels extends from a top of the body to a bottom of the body. A nose bridge receptacle is formed in the body between the first and second eye relief channels.
U.S. Pat No. 5,014,865 describes drinking implements or utensils are devised by assembling various components having distinctive decorative features. A cup assembly is provided with a threaded ferrule at the base thereof receiving a threaded pin at the end of a stem assembly. A decorative collar is interposed between the two and adapted for covering and concealing the ferrule in a fashionable manner. A candle holder based upon the same modular assembly technique is also presented.
U.S. Pat No. 4,681,236 describes a drinking glass have a press-molded stem and a base (or pedestal), comprising at least one hallow passage extending approximately horizontally and transversely through the stem. An insert, formed of, for example, a colored plastic, may be fitted into the hallow passage.
U.S. Pat No. 4,555,040 describes a receptacle for holding liquid includes temperature measuring device to measure the temperature of the liquid contained therein. The receptacle may be a stemmed wine glass which includes a thermometer in the stem. The thermometer has a bulb with a tip adjacent to or extending into the bowl of the wine glass. Thus, the temperature of the contents of the wine glass may be easily measured to establish whether the wine has been stored and poured at the correct temperature.
U.S. Pat No. 3,400,855 describes a spill proof container comprising ajar having an interior surface, at least one set of diametrically opposed and foldable channel members secured to the interior surface, said members normally folded against the interior surface and adapted to be rotated to a position perpendicular to the interior surface, and a baffle member positioned in the channel members after rotation thereof to the perpendicular position.
U.S. Pat No. 2,196,450 describes a vessel comprising a body having a hollow top forming a container, and a depending flange forming a support, the underside of the top and flange together forming a pocket, said pocket having a screw threaded recess, detachable member shaped to fit the internal surface of said pocket, said detachable member having an opening registering with said recess, a screw projecting through said opening and screwing into said recess, said screw having a flanged head, a sheet bearing display matter clamped between said detachable member and said body, and compressible packing rings between said flanged head and the detachable member and the depending flange of the body.
U.S. Pat No. 2,170,311 illustrates it should be understood that this form of bowl is more or less conventional and other forms may be substituted as long as they lend themselves to the application of the special features about to be described.
U.S. Design Pat. No. Des 355,812 illustrates a beverage glass with a stem and base.
U.S. Design Pat. No. Des 143,778 describes a stem article of glass where in which the joint between the bowl and the foot is formed in the stem.
U.S. Design Pat. No. Des 77,942 illustrates a goblet or similar device with a rectangular center stem.
U.S. Design Pat. No. 77,227 illustrates a goblet with a stylized diamond center stem.
Notwithstanding the prior art, the present invention is neither taught nor rendered obvious thereby.
The present invention is a drinking glass and a set of drinking glasses that have an ergonomic structure utilizing a facial profile depression, and preferably a nose-receiving depression at the rim. The terms “drinking glass” and “drinking glasses” are used herein to describe one or more of any drinking vessel that holds a predetermined volume of consumable beverage, is hand held, has an open top that typically involves nose insertion partially into the open top when used to drink a beverage therefrom. This includes cups, mugs, steins, goblets, tumblers and wine glasses. It includes those drinking glass made from glass and those made from other materials, such as ceramic, metal, plastic, natural materials, etc. The term “tumbler” means any non-stemmed drinking glass that has no handle.
The present invention relates to a beverage drinking glass includes a base support segment and a beverage holding vessel segment.
The beverage holding vessel segment has at least one sidewall, a bottom, and a top rim to create the vessel segment. The bottom is connected to the base support segment. The top rim has a cut-out section to create a facial profile depression, and the cut-out section is less than 50% of the peripheral length of the rim.
In some preferred embodiments, the present invention beverage drinking glass cut-out section extends downwardly for at least one half inch from the top rim. Preferably, the beverage drinking glass cut-out section is a continuous curvilinear cut-out section. It is also preferably arcuate and symmetrical.
The present invention beverage drinking glass is preferably selected from the group consisting of tumbler, cup, wine glass, mug and goblet. Snifters are particularly popular goblets among wine connoisseurs.
In some embodiments, the present invention beverage drinking glass vessel segment bottom and the base support segment are the same component. In other embodiments, the beverage drinking vessel segment bottom and the base support segment are different components. For example, the beverage drinking glass base support component may include a flat base and a stem wherein the stem is connected to the vessel segment bottom.
The present invention drinking glass cut-out may have any shape that*reasonably accommodate a facial profile, e.g. angular linear sections and/or curved sections. In some present invention preferred embodiments, the beverage drinking glass cut-out has a portion that is selected from the group consisting of a circle arc, an ellipse segment, an oval segment, a parabola segment and a sine curve segment.
In many preferred embodiments, the present invention beverage is a wine glass.
The present invention also includes a set of beverage drinking glasses, which comprises:
a set of at least four beverage drinking glasses, each of the at least four beverage drinking glasses including:
a.) a unique identifier located thereon to distinguish it from all other beverage drinking glasses in the set;
b.) the base support segment;
c.) a beverage holding vessel segment having at least one side wall, a bottom, and a top rim, to create the bottom being connected to the base support segment, the top rim section to create a nose-receiving depression, the cut-out section being less than 50% peripheral length of the rim.
The present invention should be more fully understood when the specification herein is taken in conjunction with the drawings appended hereto wherein:
Ergonomic beverage drinking glass 100 includes a base support segment made up of a base 3 and a stem 5. There is a color indicia 7 that may be part of a set of glasses each having unique identifiers to distinguish it from others in the set.
There is also a beverage holding vessel segment 10 that includes a bottom 9, a wall. 11 and a top rim 13. There is also a cut-out section 15, as shown. The cut-out section 15 acts as a bottle neck rest for pouring water, wine, soda, beer or other consumable beverage. Additionally, cut-out section 15 permits closer nose contact with otherwise higher walls for testing bouquet or other sniffing. Finally, when a user is drinking from a present invention glass such as wine glass 100, the head need not be tilted to tip the glass without spilling because cut-out section 15 acts as a nose-receiving depression.
Obviously, numerous modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein.
