Patent Application
20200397165
The present invention is directed to a weighted drinking vessel and, more particularly, to a mug that includes a removable base plate for selectively attaching and removing weight plates of a variety of weight to the bottom of the mug.
Drinking a beer has sometimes been referred to as doing 12 ounce curls; humorously suggesting that the arm motion of lifting a beer from a bar top or table and tilting the beer towards ones mouth is the equivalent of performing a bicep curl exercise with weights (e.g., using a dumbbell) as part of a fitness routine. Depending on the size of the drinking vessel (i.e., bottle, can, mug, etc.) the action may be referred to as a 12 ounce curl, 16 ounce curl, 20 ounce curl, etc.
In the past, others have proposed novelty drinking vessels that exploit the humorous suggestion of doing curls while drinking beer. One example is a donut shaped weight that fits over the neck of a beer bottle. Other examples, as seen in U.S. Design Pat. Nos. D456,215; and Des. 298,901, combine a beer mug with a dumbbell that is positioned vertically so that the beer mug sits on the top of the dumbbell.
The present invention proposes a novelty beer mug and coffee mug that allows for attaching different weight plates, of varying weight, to the bottom of the mug. For example, for a beer mug, the weight of the plate may range between 5 pounds to possibly as much as 25 pounds, while the weight of the plate for the coffee mug may range between 0.25 pounds to 2.5 pounds.
Considering the forgoing, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a mug that allows for selective attachment and removal of different size weight plates of varying weight to the bottom of the mug.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a mug that is molded as a single, unitary piece including an integrally molded handle, and a separate base plate that easily screws into the bottom of the mug for removably securing any one of a variety of size weight plates (i.e., having varying weight) to the bottom of the mug.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a beer mug formed of a solid plastic material including an integrally molded handle, and further including a base plate with a threaded shaft that is received within a threaded bore in the bottom of the mug, and further wherein a conventional weight plate can be placed over the shaft and sandwiched between the base plate and the bottom of the beer mug to thereby effectively secure the weight plate to the bottom of the beer mug.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a coffee mug that allows for selective attachment and removal of different size weight plates to the bottom of the coffee mug.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a mug that allows for selective attachment of different size weights (i.e., of varying weight) to the bottom of the mug, and wherein the mug is dishwasher safe.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a beer mug that allows for selective attachment of different size weight plates to the bottom of the beer mug, and wherein the beer mug is molded as a solid transparent plastic material including an integrally formed handle that can be securely grasped by the user's hand while comfortably lifting the filled mug including a weight on the bottom.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention are more readily apparent with reference to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
The present invention is directed to a drinking vessel that includes an open top communicating with an interior reservoir for holding a liquid beverage, and a handle integrally molded with an exterior side wall of the drinking vessel. A bottom of the drinking vessel includes a threaded bore extending vertically along a longitudinal central axis of the mug. The threaded bore is surrounded by an area of increased thickness at a lower portion of the drinking vessel. A separate base plate includes a bottom surface, a top surface and a shaft extending upwardly from the top surface and including screw threads for threaded engagement within the threaded bore, to thereby attach the base plate to the bottom of the drinking vessel. A weight plate with a central aperture fits over the threaded shaft and is sandwiched between the base plate and the bottom of the mug when the threaded shaft of the base plate is fully screwed into the bottom of the mug so that the top surface of the base plate is pressed against the weight plate. In one embodiment, the drinking vessel is a beer mug. In another embodiment, the drinking vessel is a coffee mug. A further embodiment includes an insulated sleeve that fits snugly within the interior reservoir of the drinking vessel for holding a beverage can or bottle.
For a fuller understanding of the nature of the present invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
Referring initially to
As seen in
In one embodiment of the invention, the beer mug 12 is molded of a transparent plastic composition so that the vertically extending side wall structure 16 has a thickness of approximately 0.25 inches and the bottom portion 14 has a thickness measured from the exterior bottom surface to the inner interior bottom surface of the reservoir of approximately 1.5 inches. The threaded bore 30 has an inner diameter of approximately 1.0 inches and depth of approximately 1.25 inches. Moreover, in one embodiment of the invention, the base plate is also molded of a transparent plastic composition and has a thickness of approximately 0.5 inches. The threaded shaft 46 has an outer diameter of approximately 1.0 inches to match the inner diameter of the threaded bore 30. The length of the shaft 46 is longer than the depth of the threaded bore 30 so that the length of the shaft 46 is greater than the depth of the threaded bore 30 to accommodate for the thickness of the weight plate 50 that is sandwiched between the base plate and the exterior bottom surface of the mug 12. In one embodiment, the threaded shaft 46 has a length of approximately 1.75 inches. Additionally, the base plate and the mug have an overall diameter of approximately 5.0 inches. Finally, in one embodiment of the invention, the beer mug 12 has an overall height measured from the bottom surface of the mug to the top rim of approximately 7.75 inches. While the above dimensions are set forth in accordance with one preferred embodiment, it is recognized that the dimensions of all the structural features of the beer mug 12 and the base plate 40, including the threaded bore 30 and threaded shaft 46 can vary.
The combination of the base plate 40 with the threaded shaft 46 and the threaded bore 30 through the bottom of the beer mug 12 allows for selective attachment and removal of varying size weight plates 50 having a variety of weight, as selected by the user. The weight plate 50 can be any conventional weight plate, as commonly used with dumbbells and barbells in the fitness industry. Alternatively, the weight plate 50 may be specifically designed for use with the present invention. In any case, the weight plate 50 includes a central aperture 52 that is sized (i.e., diameter) to allow for passage of the threaded shaft 46 of the base plate 40 therethrough with no resistance but without leaving a significant gap that would allow for excess play (i.e., movement) between the shaft 46 and the aperture 52 in the weight plate 50. To selectively attach a weight plate 50 to the bottom of the beer mug, the weight plate 50 is placed onto the base plate 40, with the threaded shaft 46 of the base plate passing through the aperture 52 of the weight plate 50. With the weight plate 50 resting on the top surface 42 of the base plate, the mug 12 can be screwed onto the threaded shaft 46. More specifically, the mug 12 is placed down onto the threaded shaft 46, so that the threaded shaft aligns properly with the threaded bore 30 in the bottom of the mug, and the mug 12 is then rotated to engage the male threads of the shaft 46 on the base plate 40 with the female threads within the bore 30 in the bottom of the mug. The mug 12 is continuously rotated until tightened down onto the weight plate 50, so that the weight plate is effectively sandwiched between the base plate 40 and the exterior bottom surface of the mug 12, as seen in
Referring to
Referring to
While the present invention has been shown and described in accordance with several preferred and practical embodiments, it is recognized that departures from the instant disclosure are fully contemplated within the spirit and scope of the present invention which is not to be limited except as defined in the following claims as interpreted under the Doctrine of Equivalents.
