Patent Application
20210221574
Embodiments described herein generally relate to drinkware and drink insulators, and more particularly to hygienic drinkware and drink insulator devices.
Drinkware is a major component of beverage enjoyment throughout the world. Some drinkware, such as cups, do not include lids, and therefore are open to environmental elements. Hence, many people are unable to enjoy their beverages in a cup because flies, other insects, and debris may land inside the drinkware directly in the liquid contained therein. This results in a contaminated beverage. Moreover, the insects may land on the drinking rim of the drinkware, which results in a contaminated drinkware.
Flies, in particular, may carry over two hundred diseases on their legs and body hairs. So, when a fly lands in your beverage or on the drinking area of the drinkware, the fly may transfer pathogens to the beverage and/or drinkware. If these pathogens are consumed by a person, the individual may become seriously ill. Hence, an improved drinkware with sanitary features is desirable.
The various advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure will become apparent to one skilled in the art by reading the following specification and appended claims, and by referencing the following drawing(s), in which:
Exemplary embodiments disclosed herein describe a hygienic drinkware and drink insulator device including a receptacle member, a lid member ad a lever member. The receptacle member having an open top area and includes an insulated cavity for storing a beverage or a beverage container. The lid member covers the open top area and a drinking coverage area of the receptacle member. The lid member is fixedly attached to the receptacle member. The lever mechanism is fixedly attached to the lid member and operates the lid member in an open state and a closed state.
In some exemplary embodiments, the insulated cavity stores a beverage.
In some exemplary embodiments, the insulated cavity stores a beverage container.
In some exemplary embodiments, the lid member includes an inner seal.
In some exemplary embodiments, the seal prevents insects from entering the receptacle member from underneath the lid member when the lid member is in a closed state.
In some exemplary embodiments, the lid member is fixedly attached to the receptacle member with a hinge.
In some exemplary embodiments, the drinking coverage area of the receptacle member is the region where an individual's mouth may reside when drinking from the receptacle member.
In some exemplary embodiments, the receptacle member includes a handle member.
In some exemplary embodiments, the lever mechanism is a thumb lever.
In some exemplary embodiments, the thumb lever and the handle allows access to the drinking coverage area of the receptacle member without touching the lid member and the drinking coverage area with a user's hand(s).
The present disclosure relates to a hygienic drinkware and drink insulator device (“the device”). The device may operate as a hygienic and thermally insulating drinking device for beverages stored therein (i.e., hygienic drinkware) and the device may operate as a hygienic thermal insulator for a beverage container stored therein (i.e., hygienic drink insulator). The device includes a lid which allows an individual to use the device as drinkware without the risk of insects or debris landing in the beverage stored in the device or on the drinking rim of the device. Moreover, the lid allows an individual to use the device as a drink insulator without the risk of insects or debris landing in the stored beverage container (i.e., particularly when the beverage container has been opened) or on the drinking rim of the stored beverage container.
As illustrated in
The receptacle member 12 may include insulation, e.g., vacuum insulation, to keep the stored beverage or beverage container hot or cold. The receptacle member may be made of any suitable material, such as, for example, plastic or stainless steel. The receptacle member may be designed in any suitable shape and size. In a preferred embodiment, the receptacle member 12 is a plastic insulated mug. Moreover, the mug may have a similar design as a Stein mug. The receptacle member 12 may include handle member 20 which may be attached to one side of receptacle member 12. The handle member 20 allows for ease of use of the device. The handle member may be made from any suitable material, such as, for example, plastic or stainless steel.
In some exemplary embodiments, the receptacle member may include design ornamentation on its exterior surface. The design ornamentation may include, for example, sports teams names and/or logos, animation, cartoon and video game characters, animals, etc. on its exterior surface, such as, for example, of the The lid member 14 is fixedly attached to receptacle member 12 with hinge member 18. The hinge member 18 allows for easy movement of the lid member 14. The hinged lid member may be positioned in an open state and a closed state. To ensure proper shielding of the device 10 from contamination, the lid member in a closed state covers the open-top area 17 of the receptacle member 12, the rim 13 of the receptacle member 12, and the area extending downward one or more inches from the rim (i.e., drinking coverage area). The drinking coverage area of the receptacle member 12 is the region where an individual's mouth may reside when drinking from the device 10. This region may include, for example, the region located between references 13 and 15.
The lid member 14 may include an inner seal inside the region of the lid member 14 that covers the drinking coverage area of the receptacle member. The inner seal prevents insects and any other objects from getting inside of the receptacle member 12 from underneath the lid member 14. The lid member 14 may be made from any suitable material, such as, for example, plastic or stainless steel. In a preferred embodiment, the lid member is made from the same material as the receptacle member 12.
A thumber lever member 16 may be attached to lid member 14 for operating the lid member 14 in an open state and a closed state. In operation, a user may apply pressure to thumb lever member 16 by pressing down on the thumb lever member (e.g., using the user's thumb to press down on the lever) to place the lid member in an open state. When pressure is applied to thumb lever member 16, the lid member 14 flips open. The lid member may open anywhere from a one hundred and twenty (120) degree angle to a one hundred and eighty (180) degree angle for easy access and easy cleaning.
When the lid member 14 is in an open state, the user may drink from the rim 13 of the receptacle member 12 or from the rim of the stored beverage container. The thumb lever member 16 may be attached to the receptacle member 12 at any suitable location. In a preferred embodiment, the thumb lever member 16 is attached to the receptacle member 12 on a same side as handle member 20. The thumb lever member 16 and handle member allow the user to drink from the device 10 without having to touch the lid member 14 and without having to touch the drinking coverage area with the user's hand(s), which further reduces any possible contamination from the user's hand(s).
In another exemplary embodiment, the lid member 14 is a standalone hygienic guard which may be attached to a beverage container or a drink insulator to shield the container or insulator from contamination. The hygienic guard may include a hinge attachment for attaching the hygienic guard to the beverage container or drink insulator. The hygienic guard may include a thumb lever for easy opening and closing of the guard when attached to a beverage container or a drinks insulator. The hygienic guard may be implemented in different sizes. In an alternative embodiment, the hygienic guard may be implemented as an adjustable size device. The hygienic guard may be implemented as an universal hygienic guard. In an alternative embodiment, the hygienic guard may be implemented to fit a particular beverage container or drink insulator.
Moreover, it should be understood that when an element is referred to as being “connected” or “coupled” to another element, it can be directly connected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly connected” or “directly coupled” to another element, there are no intervening elements present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.)
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes” and/or “including,” when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and/or groups thereof.
Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which example embodiments belong. It will be further understood that terms, e.g., those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art. However, should the present disclosure give a specific meaning to a term deviating from a meaning commonly understood by one of ordinary skill, this meaning is to be taken into account in the specific context this definition is given herein.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate from the foregoing description that the broad techniques of the embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in a variety of forms. Therefore, while the embodiments of this invention have been described in connection with particular examples thereof, the true scope of the embodiments of the invention should not be so limited since other modifications will become apparent to the skilled practitioner upon a study of the drawings, specification, and following claims.
