Patent Application
20080006643
Similar reference numbers denote corresponding features throughout the attached drawings.
With reference to
The cup shell 12 may be made of a clear plastic such as a polycarbonate while the liner 16 may be one of various opaque plastics. Preferably, the mug would be made of a certain percentage of recycled plastic to enhance the environmental friendliness of the product. Also, the plastic should be microwave and dishwasher safe.
Built onto the handle 14 is an elastic spill plug 22 with an integral leash 24 that connects the plug 22 close to a proximal end of the handle 14. The elastic leash 24 is shown here at a transition state from a rest position along an outward face of the handle 14 to a deployed position to allow the plug 22 inserted in an outlet 26 of the lid 20 after the cup 18 is received in the container 10.
To the bottom of the cup shell 12 is affixed a non-slip elastic base 28 or a frictional layer may be deposited thereto for securely positioning the container 10 even on a slippery surface.
The elastic leash 24 is shown in its rest position providing an effective grip surface for a user's thumb and other parts of the hand. The structures of container parts and their positional relations are detailed in
The spill plug 22 has a rounded tip 34, which may be pushed into the outlet 26 of the lid 20 or a plug port 36 formed in the handle 14 at its distal area. The plug 22 also has a peripheral flange 38 for limiting the depth of insertion of the plug 22 into the handle 14 or the outlet 26 of the lid 20. The flange 38 doubles as a pull-tab for a finger to pull out the plug 22 from the port 36.
At its proximal end opposite to the plug 22, the plug leash 24 is terminated by a ring 40, which may be seated in an annular groove 42 formed in the handle 14 near its proximal end at an oblique angle to the perpendicular direction to the extension of the handle 14 to prevent weakening of the handle 14 against possible deflections of the handle 14 about its junction with the cup shell 12.
Though the handle 14 in the illustrated embodiment is integrally formed with the cup shell 12, it is contemplated that differing materials of handle may be prepared with an oversized sleeve, which may be pressed over the cup shell having smooth round sidewalls.
Referring to
The shell 12 has a round interior of sidewalls 44 with downward tapers closed at a flat bottom but formed with an annular lip 46 at an open top extending upwardly and outwardly. The lip 46 is formed from an L-shaped cut out around the upper outer edge of the shell 12 so that it has a chamfered end 48, which overhangs relative to its base at the junction with the body of the shell 12 just below. In addition, a number of teeth 50 are equidistantly formed on the lip 46. Notches 52 in between define the teeth 50, which will releasably clutch the corresponding areas of the opposing liner 16 to prevent the liner 16 from rotating against an axial force relative to the shell 12.
At the bottom end, a protruding rib 54 is formed on the outer surface of the shell 12 as shown in
The liner 16 is generally cup shaped to hug the disposable cup 18 at a slightly elevated level except its flared top portion, which includes an outwardly expanded rim 58 having an inner thread 60 for fastening an optional sliding lid for allowing the container to be used in containing a beverage by itself without a disposable cup as will be described below. The thread 60 is displaced outwardly of the extension line of the interior walls of the liner 16. At the junction of the rim 58 to the liner 16 there is formed a step 62 that protrudes slightly inwardly of the apexes of the thread 60. The opposite end of the rim 58 is folded back to form an annular clip 63 with downward tapers that is adapted to be press fitted over the chamfered end 48 of the outer shell 12. Therefore, an insulating space 64 is formed between the shell 12 and liner 16 under the rim 58 and throughout the bottom area of the container 10.
The overhang of the shell end 48 and the downward tapers of the rim clip 63 secure a tight interconnection between the shell 12 and liner 16 while yielding to an intentional manual separation of the two when necessary.
It is important that the assembly and disassembly of the shell 12 and liner 16 can be done at user's hands. Slightly pulling the liner 16 away from the shell 12 will release their assemblage to allow an access to the insulation space 64 therebetween. Taking advantage of the access as well as the translucency or transparency of the shell 12, a user can place a visually pleasing graphic sheet or a choice of photo before reassembling the two components without interfering the insulating performance. This allows personalization of the individual container that a user loves to take along a statement of the owner's lifestyle and interests. The retail stores or distributors of the container 10 may initially use their own graphics in the container 10 as a marketing tool that may be swiftly replaced by the consumer's creations.
For this purpose, the distance between the opposing surfaces of the shell 12 and liner 16 is preferably 0.075″.
The spill plug 22 with elastic leash 24 is in its rest position in
When threaded, the tubular section 68 of the lid 65 abuts the step 62 of the liner 16 to provide a primary sealing contact. Externally of the tubular section 68 the lid 65 also has an annular concave area 70 facing downwardly. Then, a corresponding annular convex area 72 formed on the top surface of the liner 16 mates with the lid 65 at the concave area 70 providing a secondary sealing contact against any possible leakage of beverage between the threads 60 and 69. The convex and concave areas may switch places between the liner 16 and the lid 65. In addition, a rubber or silicone ring 73 running tightly about the outer surfaces of the tubular section 68 near its junction to the lid body may further seal the container 10.
The mating threads of the liner 16 and the lid 65 may be replaced by a frictional coupling through multiple elastic rings installed on the opposing tubular sections of the liner 16 and the lid 65 to provide a simpler opening or closing of the container.
The optional lid 65 also has a slot 74 in the center and a sliding plug 76. The plug 76 consists of an upper member 77 and a lower member 78 snap fitted together through the central slot 74 so that the plug 76 can be sealingly pushed or pulled toward and away from the outlet 67 along a path parallel to the lid 65. For an easy sliding push or pull the upper plug member 77 has a knob 79 in the center. A plug portion 80 extending from the lower plug member 78 into the spout 66 can close a fluid communication through the outlet 67.
The lid preferably has a rubber grommets mounted against the outside surface of an inserted portion that fits into the container biasing the rubber grommets against the inside surface of the container. The inside diameter of the lid is preferably 3.3″ and the outside diameter of the lid is preferably 3.45″.
Ventilation holes not shown may be formed on the lid body 65 and the sliding plug 76 so that when the knob 79 is in its open position the holes communicate to vent excessively hot steam in the container 10 as is well known in the art.
The axial position of the spout 66 may be adjusted relative to handle 14. With the lid 65 tightened to the liner 16 one can pull them off the cup shell 12 by grasping the container 10 at the handle 14 with one hand and at the liner 16 or lid 65 with another hand disengaging the teeth 50 and notches 52 to reposition spout 66 relative to the handle 14. Then, the liner/lid assembly may be turned against the shell 12 and pushed back into an appropriate locked position on the shell 12. Once this position is set, subsequent opening or closing the lid 65 may always initiate and stop at the same axial position best suited to the user's preference, which may change. The liner/lid assembly is preferably a black color.
With the lid 65 on, the container 10 is fully functional to carry out a home beverage by itself. But after removing the lid 65 with some washing the container 10 is refreshed as a disposable-cup sleeve complete with the built-in spill plug 22 as described above.
Therefore, while the presently preferred form of the insulated container for disposable coffee cups or beverages has been shown and described, and several modifications thereof discussed, persons skilled in this art will readily appreciate that various additional changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, as defined and differentiated by the following claims.
