Patent Application
20180020852
The present invention relates generally to the education and training of conventional freeform or ‘natural’ drinking from a cup to individuals, and more specifically relates to a training drink receptacle apparatus and system configured to natively train a child to use the correct oral, head, and neck postures, form, and style of drinking conventionally to develop a normal, healthy drinking pattern using the normal physical sequential oral muscle movements.
Babies and young children learning to drink from containers other than a baby bottle or a mother's nipple are often provided beverages within conventional child ‘sippy’ cups. Often these cups are small and spill-proof, which is initially a benefit to many parents and caregivers, as less time is spent cleaning up messes. Sippy cups have a small, pacifier-like protrusion equipped with one or more tiny holes at the tip. The one or more holes are often reinforced with a one-way stop valve of silicone or a similar mechanism to prevent unwanted spillage. Therefore, the child is required to actively suckle on the pacifier-like protrusion (formed spout) in order for liquid to travel to the mouth of the child for consumption.
While this action excels as preventing waste and spillage, it unfortunately comes paired with several detrimental consequences. As a result of the use of conventional sippy cups, children learn an incorrect, developmentally detrimental, and unrealistic method of drinking, making it more difficult and time consuming to unlearn an opposed muscle pattern, and then learn to drink correctly from a conventional cup or glass. The use of oral muscles during use of the conventional sippy cup requires and enforces the infantile suckling of a nipple far beyond infancy, thereby inhibiting the child's ability to develop a normal drinking pattern. The normal or conventional drinking pattern is in exact opposition of the suckle pattern required by the formed spout of a sippy cup.
Additionally, use of sippy cups can cause children to develop oral fixations or complexes, reinforcing the need to suck thumbs and pacifiers later into childhood. Often, children bite the spout because they have not been afforded the opportunity to develop jaw stability. Similarly, due to sucking on the pacifier-like protrusion spout of conventional sippy cups, children are prone to speech disorders, as well as disordered lingual mandibular, alveolar rest posture, as the muscles in their tongues are not trained in the traditional mature manner. When the child locks his or her mouth onto the pacifier-like protrusion or similar sippy cup formed spout, the tongue is forced in an unnatural direction via a forward thrust or anchored down to the bottom of the mouth, which most often causes swallowing disorders, speech disorders, including, but not limited to speech sounds such as “S,” “Z,” “Ch,” “Sh,” “R,” “L,” “N,” “D,” and “T,” as well as an impaired lingual, mandibular/alveolar rest posture, making initial and continued pronunciations of words to be impaired. This often leads a large number of children to require speech, swallowing, and oral motor therapy to cure these disorders. This process is rather timely, usually taking several years, and in many cases, is very expensive.
Likewise, dental and oral structural damage can occur from use of sippy cups, which is exacerbated by the extended duration of time required to train children to drink from a standard cup. The longer a child uses a cup with a non-conventional lip, the greater the time it takes to ‘un-train’ the damaging behavior of using non-conventional muscle tension and movements to drink. This ‘un-training’ followed by correct muscle training/therapy can only be accomplished through swallowing therapy provided by a speech pathologist who is properly trained to provide this therapeutic treatment. The longer it takes a child to learn to drink correctly, with properly paced flow control and correct oral muscle patterns, from a standard glass or cup, the longer the child is biting and sucking on the sippy cup, potentially negatively affecting the growth of teeth and hard palate. Similarly, the longer the bad habit of drinking non-conventionally persists, the longer and more difficult it will be to reverse.
Additionally, other alternative cups possess other damaging abnormal oral patterns, such as cups that require the child to use lip muscle tension to release the stop valve to permit liquid to flow) are configured to function at any orientation, with some even having an internal and/or external straw, eliminating the need to tip the sippy cup at all to deliver liquid to the mouth via suction (suckling). With these cups, the straw placement in the child's mouth mimics the same suckling pattern as the sippy spout. The child is not afforded the opportunity to experience the natural drinking process via the correct tongue elevation and placement on the alveolar ridge because the straw anchors the tongue to the bottom of the mouth during use. The child is again forced to use the infantile suckle for liquid. This does not allow the child to experiment and eventually master the act of tipping both the cup and the child's head during drinking, and does not allow the practice of tongue elevation and correct placement on the alveolar ridge. Habitual practice of this impaired method of straw drinking is damaging. As the child gets older and as a result of extended drinking in this suckling fashion, additional time effort, and therapy by a professional speech pathologist is required to train the child to use graded head tilts to allow graduated flow control to the mouth, and dexterity required to drink from an normal lipped glass or cup.
It is known that children must practice the normal, intra-oral exercise of drinking, including maintaining the freedom of lingual range of motion, in order to learn to drink correctly without the tongue being held down by the formed spout of a sippy cup. With the use of a sippy cup, the tongue tip elevation to the alveolar ridge is completely inhibited. It is this posture that is essential in developing a normal drinking pattern. As such, the development of the correct drinking posture and pattern is essential in developing a normal drinking pattern and lingual/alveolar resting posture. A normal lingual/alveolar resting posture is necessary for normal palate development (expansion). It has been said that the tongue is the ‘place saver’ for the palate. The tongue, when in the correct resting posture, exerts almost constant pressure on the hard palate, starting at the alveolar ridge, and facilitates the normal palate expansion to coincide with the growth of the tongue and palate. This forms a normally sized and shaped palate. Depriving the child's tongue access to the palate, via a formed spout of a sippy cup can severely inhibit essential palatal widening, causing a high-vaulted, narrow palate, which is a structural abnormality in the mouth. This abnormality then causes dental and jaw problems and abnormalities, all of which can be very costly to repair.
Additionally, use of sippy cups by children can also cause ear infections. Aside from being an illness, ear infections can be temporarily detrimental to a child's hearing, as they may cause temporary hearing loss known as conductive hearing loss. As it is known that the first three years of a child's life are critical for the development of speech and language, any time with hearing loss in early development can hinder speech and language development, and may cause functional attention problems. The reason that sippy cups can cause ear infections is because a child can drink from the sippy cup while lying down. It is therefore advantageous to limit the chance of ear infections with a new cup design that makes it impossible for the child to drink while lying down, and forces the child to use the correct posture during drinking.
Conventional sippy cups are known to require consistent and thorough cleaning in order to be used, as conventional sippy cups are prone to harbor mold within the cap and spout components.
Thus, there is a need for a new form of child drink training cup configured to force the child to drink with the proper form, and encourage the education and practice of flow control by nearly simulating the free-form flow of a conventional glass or cup. Such an apparatus is preferably configured to train children the proper way to bring the cup slowly between the lips, level to the mouth, and tip the cup and their head with the proper amount of dexterity and head/cup grading to achieve usable flow and control without spilling. Importantly, such a child drink training cup would allow the normal unhampered movement and normal exercise of the tongue to allow development of a normal lingual/alveolar resting posture and normal palate growth/expansion. This resting posture tongue placement is identical to the correct swallow process and the posture of many normal speech/sound productions.
Other forms of drinking training cups have removable components within the lid, or those that slide or otherwise change position. These moving parts can be removed by the child, and can present a choking hazard for young children. Additionally, removal of parts from other alternative cups can lead to a total loss of the liquid in the cup, making a large mess in the process. Therefore, there is a need for a lid with a normal cup lip that is configured as a unitary piece, without any moving or removable parts, that is safer for young children to use while learning to drink with the conventional form, oral posturing, and flow pacing.
The present invention is a drinking training cup and system for children, configured to educate, facilitate, and reinforce the normal motor skills used for drinking from a typical cup or glass, facilitating the learning of proper lip, tongue, and neck posture/movement, as well as usable flow control. The present invention also acts to facilitate normal head and cup grading for appropriate tilt of the cup for flow control. The apparatus of the present invention is a container configured to hold liquids to be consumed by a human individual. The container body is preferably fashioned of an impact-resistant material, such as a BPA-free plastic or acrylic polymer, and is preferably molded into a rounded or hour-glass-like shape to facilitate grip of the present invention during use. The base of the present invention is preferably weighted, to allow the present invention to right itself to the upright position if knocked or pushed. The preferred placement of the handles of the present invention are such that the bottom portion of the handles help to keep the present invention level, contributing to spill prevention.
The present invention may be equipped with dual handles disposed on the right and left side of the container body, to encourage drinking with both hands, which helps to develop the normal, bilateral, symmetrical, and midline cup holding posture, and allow for the development of normal flow control and dexterity of the child with prolonged use. Use of the present invention in this manner also helps to inhibit spilling. Some embodiments of the present invention may feature removable handles.
Additionally, the present invention is equipped with a cap. The cap preferably screws onto the body, so as to be difficult to remove for the child, and is easily removed for cleaning. Such a cap inhibits unwanted spillage of the liquid; however it may be unscrewed easily by an adult for cleaning. The cap is preferably equipped with a natural drinking lip, similar to those found on conventional glasses and cups. Preferably at least one drinking hole is disposed at the base of the natural drinking lip to permit the passage of liquid.
Likewise, at least one air hole is preferably disposed opposite the at least one drinking hole, and is configured to permit the free passage of air which displaces the liquid in the container portion of the present invention as the liquid is consumed. As such, the at least one drinking hole(s) function in tandem with the at least one air hole(s) to simulate the flow and natural drinking posture standard to drinking glasses and cups. The at least one drinking holes are preferably recessed into the cap of the present invention, facilitating drinking solely from the rim of the present invention.
The present invention is also equipped with a bottom which is preferably weighted to help encourage the child to put the cup down in the correct, upright orientation. As such, the center of gravity of the present invention is preferably near the bottom of the body of the present invention.
Some embodiments of the present invention may be equipped with a straw which extends from above the top of the cup lid. In such embodiments, the straw has a built-in lip stopper. This lip stopper will only allow the straw to enter the child's lips, not beyond the lips into the mouth, thus ensuring that the child cannot suckle on the straw, preventing dental and speech damage from straw use. Regular straw use can be as damaging as a spout since the child can put the straw into the mouth well beyond the lips and suckle the straw in the exact same way the child suckles the sippy spout. A lip stopper is disposed on the straw approximately one-eighth to one-quarter inch from the end of the straw to prevent the user from placing the straw beyond the lips into the mouth during use. This ensures that the child cannot suckle on the straw, thus preventing dental and speech damage caused by improper straw use. One embodiment includes the use of a one-way valve. Use of this one-way valve will ensure no spillage. Other embodiments of the present invention may include lids equipped with straws having lip stoppers at decreasing distances from the tip of the straw, starting at approximately three quarters of an inch from the lid, progressing to a final cap equipped with a straw extending one quarter to one eight of an inch from the op of the lid. Such a series of lids are designed for children who have learned incorrect straw/mouth placement, and require the progressive ‘grading down’ of the length of the straw tip in order to eventually achieve the normal and correct placement of the straw between the lips of the mouth. Some instances of this embodiment are preferably equipped with a lip stopper/straw cap, which is configured to press-fit onto the opening of the straw and butts up to the lip stopper, helping to keep the straw and lip stopper portion of the present invention sanitary when not in active use. Such a lip stopper/straw cap is preferably tethered to one of the handles of the present invention in order to prevent loss. The tether is preferably composed of silicone or a similarly flexible plastic.
Additionally, this arrangement can function well for use on food pouches with a spout-like pouch outlet. The system of the present invention includes the use of a food pouch component referred to as a capper, which is configured for use on conventional food pouches for babies and children. The capper is also equipped with a lip stopper, configured to limit the extent to which the capper can extend beyond the lips into the mouth of the child. The capper is designed to fit atop the stock spout or straw-like protrusion from the pouch. The capper is placed on the pouch spout manually. The child may then consume the food within the food pouch via the capper, and is unable to place the capper beyond his or her lips, facilitating a normalized oral pattern of use. It will be possible for the capper to fit over some makes/sizes of straws. Additionally, the food pouch capper is also equipped with a built-in lid, which preferably press-fits onto the top of the capper, and butts up to the lip-stopper, sealing the contents within the food pouch, and helping to keep dirt and debris from entering the food spout, or coming into contact with the lip stopper.
It should be understood that the capper portion of the present invention is external to the cup portion of the present invention, and that use of both the food pouch capper component as well as the drinking apparatus helps to eliminate issues that inhibit the development of oral postures, oral movements, and jaw/mouth anatomy as discussed in the background.
The present invention will be better understood with reference to the appended drawing sheets, wherein:
The present invention is a drinking training apparatus designed to educate and train children, including infants and babies, in the proper form and flow control required to drink from a conventional or standard glass or cup. The present invention has a container portion (10) housed within a body (20). The body (20) preferably provides insulation for the container portion (10). A cap (30) is configured to screw onto the body (20), and cover the container portion (10) of the present invention.
The cap (30) of the preferred embodiment of the present invention is equipped with a lip (50), drinking holes (60), and air holes (80). There is preferably an equal number of drinking holes (60) and air holes (80). In this respect, in some embodiments of the present invention, the air holes (80) or the drinking holes (60) can be used by the child to consume the beverage. Neither the air holes (80) nor the drinking holes (60) are equipped with a silicone stop valve, and instead allow liquid to freely flow from the container portion (10), out of the drinking holes (60), down the lip (50), and into the mouth of the child. During this process, the air holes (80) permit the passage of air into the container portion (10) to displace the liquid, facilitating the free flow of liquid from the container portion (10) of the present invention. As there are no extraneous components, such as a stop valve or other means of impeding the liquid that is not easily removed, mold or unwanted bacteria cannot grow within the cap (30) of the present invention, unlike the lids or caps of conventional sippy cups.
Additionally, the cap (30) of the present invention preferably screws onto the body (20), and is threaded with specifically oriented threading to ensure that the drinking holes (60) and lip (50) of the present invention align with the front of the body (20), equidistant between the two handles (40). This helps to ensure that the drinking holes (60) are centered between the handles (40), and thereby causing the flow of liquid to be centered between the handles (40) during use.
The drinking holes (60) of the present invention are small enough to limit flow of liquid to the lip of the cup, preventing complete spillage of the liquid if turned over, yet large and plentiful enough to provide a significant, freeform flow of liquid to the mouth of the child. It is envisioned that the cap (30) can be covered with a spill cover, which is configured to affix to the lip (50) of the cap (30), providing an air-tight seal.
The body (20) of the preferred embodiment of the present invention preferably has a round shape, and is equipped with a cavity disposed between the handles (40) and the body (20), providing for adequate hand placement on the handles (40). In alternate embodiments of the present invention, the handles (40) may be removed without tools for cleaning or replacement. The handles (40) of the present invention preferably curve out from both sides of the body (20), and are disposed opposite of one another. As the goal of consistent use of the present invention is to get the child to understand how to bring a cup up and tilt it towards the mouth properly and to determine the appropriate head/cup tilt based on the development of tactile proprioceptive learning of handle control. The handles (40) are disposed across from one another or diametrically opposed to one another, as seen in
Additionally, the present invention is preferably equipped with a weighted bottom (70), which helps to keep the present invention upright between sips. Additionally, the weighted bottom (70) helps to teach and remind children that cups are supposed to go upright, rather than simply tossed on a couch or floor, as is done with conventional spill-proof sippy cups. The effect of the weighted bottom (70) is preferably accomplished via an embedded weighted disc disposed in the bottom portion of the present invention. Such a weighted disc is preferably composed of metal or a mineral or composite, such as cement or stone.
To prevent spillage during transport, the present invention is preferably equipped with a removable spill cap, configured to plug and/or cover the drinking holes (60) during transit, or when otherwise not in use.
The process of use of the present invention, as depicted in
Alternate embodiments of the present invention include variations on the coloring, texture, and material of the body (20) and handles (40) of the present invention. Additionally, some alternate embodiments of the present invention may employ a varied number of drinking holes (60) to provide even faster flow of liquid from the container portion (10) of the present invention as the child's skill increases. For example, a second embodiment of the cap (30) of the present invention is equipped with one drinking hole (60) and one air hole (80), as shown in
As the child learns the procedure of drinking properly, it is envisioned that the child may graduate to more advanced caps (30) of the present invention. For example, when a child is first learning to drink, the child should first use the embodiment of the cap shown in
The fourth embodiment of the present invention employs a straw cap in which a straw (35) is equipped with a lip stopper (45) and a one-way valve to afford the greatest protection against spilling, yet easy access for cleaning. A lid (75) is preferably provided to seal the top of the straw, preventing contamination of the straw (35) when it is not in use. The lid (75) is equipped with a tether (85) which secures the lid (75) to one of the handles (40) so that it is not lost during use of the present invention. The tether (85) may easily be removed from the handle (40) for cleaning by the owner. The lid (75) is configured to cover both the opening at the top of the straw (35), as well as the entirety of the lip stopper (45) of the straw (35), ensuring that all points of contact between the present invention and the mouth/lips of the child are kept clean until used. A portion of the lid (75), shown as the press-fit cavity (105) is configured to press-fit onto a straw opening (115) or tip of the straw (35) to help keep the lid (75) in place securely.
The second embodiment of the present invention has only one air hole (80) and one drinking hole (60), and is preferably used after ability is demonstrated by the child. Progressively, the child may then graduate to the second embodiment of the cap (30) of the present invention for slightly less restrictive flow of liquid. It should be understood that the cap (30) of the present invention is a specially designed lid. This design is easy to clean thoroughly.
A fourth embodiment of the cap (30) of the present invention is equipped with a straw (35) configured to promote correct use, as the straw (35) does not enter the mouth, but rather remains on the lips of the child during use. A lip stopper (45) is preferably disposed on the straw (35) such that it circumscribes the straw (35) horizontally, preventing the straw (35) from entering the user's mouth beyond the lips during use. In the present invention, the straw (35) may be integrated or molded within the cap (30). In such embodiments, the lip stopper (45) is preferably molded to the straw (35). All embodiments are preferably molded such that the straw (35) and lip stopper (45) are one unitary piece. It should be understood that the straw (35) is preferably available with or without a one-way valve.
It is envisioned that the straw (35) extends nearly to the bottom of the container portion (10). This is to allow the consumption of all of the liquid housed within the container portion (10) while maintaining correct drinking posture. As with conventional straws, the present invention preferably must remain upright and nearly level for the straw to function correctly. Additionally, the child is required to use a chin tuck or tilt his or her head down for the lips to meet the end of the straw (35). Adequate training of drinking with a straw is important because it works to strengthen the tongue and lip muscles. Adequate strength and posturing of the lip and tongue muscles is necessary for proper swallowing, and for the correct production of many speech sounds.
The system of the present invention includes the use of a capper (55), which is configured for use on conventional food pouches for babies and children. The capper (55) is also equipped with a lip stopper (45) configured to limit the extent to which the capper (55) can extend beyond the lips into the mouth of the child. Additionally, the capper (55) is equipped with a lid (75), which is permanently connected to a base (95) of the capper (55) via a tether (85). The lid (75) is configured to press-fit onto an opening (65) of the capper (55) via a press-fit cavity (105), preventing contamination of the contents of the food pouch, the entirety of the lip stopper (45), as well as the capper (55) itself. The capper (55) is designed to fit atop the stock spout or similar straw-like protrusion from the pouch. The child may then consume the food within the food pouch via the capper (55), and is unable to place the opening (65) of the capper (55) beyond his or her lips. The capper (55), lid (75), and tether (85) of the present invention are preferably fashioned out of a rubber, silicone, or similar food-grade, flexible, water-tight material. The capper (55) is configured to form an air-tight seal on the food pouch. The lip stopper (45) disposed on the capper (55) is preferably built into the capper (55), such that the capper (55) and lip stopper (45) are a unitary piece which can be easily cleaned. It should be understood that the capper (55) of the present invention is equipped with an opening (65) to facilitate the consumption of food through the capper (55), as shown in
It should be noted that the capper (55) of the present invention does not inhibit the flow of food from the pouch. Other pouch toppers on the market can make it difficult for the child to get the food out of the food pouch easily via suction. Additionally, it should be noted that the capper (55) of the present invention differs from other pouch toppers on the market in that it is equipped with the lip stopper (45) to prevent damage to the child from use, as well as a lid (75) to prevent contamination. Additionally, it should be understood that the capper (55) of the present invention may be equipped with a means by which it may be affixed to the body or spout of the food pouch when not in use in order to prevent loss of the capper (55). For example, the capper (55) may be equipped with an attachment ring configured to wrap around and adhere to the body and/or neck of the spout of the food pouch.
It should be understood that all embodiments of the present invention are envisioned for use by all children, including babies, physically impaired children, and some physically impaired adults.
Having illustrated the present invention, it should be understood that various adjustments and versions might be implemented without venturing away from the essence of the present invention. Further, it should be understood that the present invention is not solely limited to the invention as described in the embodiments above, but further comprises any and all embodiments within the scope of this application.
The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The exemplary embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the present invention and its practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the present invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.
This application is a Continuation-in-Part of non-provisional patent application Ser. No. 15/218,786, filed on Jul. 25, 2016, and priority is claimed thereto.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 15218786 | Jul 2016 | US |
| Child | 15337106 | US |
