Patent Application
20110056968
The present device relates to a sippy cup assembly having a valve insert for preventing accidental spillage but permitting outflow of liquid contained in the cup. Particularly, the present device relates to a removable valve insert having a stabilizing core embedded in an external sheath for providing structural support and durability to the valve insert.
Recent advances in silicone technology have resulted in a variety of valve designs for children's sippy cups. Although many existing designs are effective in preventing the escape of liquid from a container without the application of negative pressure from a user, these valves are generally permanently installed in the cup, thereby reducing sanitation and longevity of the cup. Particularly when used by children or the infirmed, sterilization of all components of a cup is extremely important, but cannot be accomplished without each component's removal.
Permanent valve installations in such cups can cause mold and bacteria buildup, which can eventually pose significant risks to the user. Accordingly, cups having permanent valve installations may be used a limited number of times before customary cleaning techniques are no longer able to thoroughly sanitize the valve components, requiring the user to dispose of the cup. Such requisite disposal has obvious economic and environmental implications to the users and consumers generally, in addition to the significant distress disposal of a child's favorite cup can impose on familial relations.
When sippy cup designs provide for a removable valve assembly, however, the assembly is generally constructed of a single material that, while flexible, is generally easily torn with repeated extractions and insertions of the valve assembly. Given the repeated washings required for utensils and containers used by children, in particular, durability is a significant aspect for consumers of such products. Accordingly, existing valve assemblies fail to provide the removability—desirable from a sanitation perspective—and durability—preferable from an economic and environmental perspective—deemed necessary to modern consumers, and possible to manufacturers given new advances in overmolding processes.
There is disclosed herein an improved sippy cup assembly which avoids the disadvantages of prior devices while affording additional structural and operating advantages.
Generally, a sippy cup assembly for permitting flow of liquid upon application of a suctioning force and preventing unwanted leakage is disclosed and claimed. The sippy cup assembly comprises multiple components, including a lid assembly and a valve insert, the valve insert comprising a sheath with a first rigidity and a core with a second rigidity, the first rigidity being less than the second rigidity.
In one embodiment of the claimed sippy cup assembly, there is claimed a container to which a lid is releasably coupled, an annular seal being disposed between the lid and the container when the components are coupled. In an embodiment, the lid includes a spout and an air exchange aperture. An aspect of the embodiment includes disposing a valve insert within the lid, the valve insert having a sheath formed over a stabilizing core, where the stabilizing core has a greater rigidity than the sheath.
Another aspect of an embodiment includes the sheath comprising an outflow port, having a valve face defining a slit, and a stem, where the outflow port corresponds to the spout and the stem corresponds to the air exchange aperture. In an embodiment, the stabilizing core includes a tab extending from a base, and first and second arms extending in a direction opposite the tab and being disposed within the outflow port. An embodiment provides for the tab having a depression for easy grasping by a user. Yet another aspect of an embodiment provides that the inner surface of the lid may include a protuberance and the valve insert may include a corresponding bore, where the bore accepts the protuberance to secure the valve insert to the inner surface.
An aspect of an embodiment includes that the slit and stem of the sheath are responsive to a negative pressure such that liquid is permitted to flow out of the container and air may flow into the container.
It is an aspect of an embodiment that the stabilizing core is embedded within the sheath, and in an embodiment, the stabilizing core is embedded in the sheath through overmolding. Individual aspects of an embodiment provide for the sheath being silicone, the stabilizing core being nylon, the annular seal being silicone, and the lid being polypropylene, each aspect being applicable in combination with or individually from each of the other aspects.
These and other aspects of the invention may be understood more readily from the following description and the appended drawings.
For the purpose of facilitating an understanding of the subject matter sought to be protected, there are illustrated in the accompanying drawings embodiments thereof, from an inspection of which, when considered in connection with the following description, the subject matter sought to be protected, its construction and operation, and many of its advantages should be readily understood and appreciated.
While this invention is susceptible of embodiments in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail a preferred embodiment of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the broad aspect of the invention to the embodiments illustrated.
Referring to
Specifically with regard to the lid assembly 15, illustrated in
In one embodiment, and as illustrated in
When the lid 16 is coupled to the open end 14 of the container 12, there is disposed between the container 12 and the inner surface 18 of the lid 16 an annular seal to prevent leakage of a liquid along a perimeter of the container 12. While it is preferred that the annular seal 26 may be installed in an appropriate mating surface formed in either the container 12 or the inner surface 18 of the lid 16, the annular seal 26 may also be secured to either component through alternate mechanical or chemical means known to those having ordinary skill in the art.
The annular seal 26, furthermore, may be permanently installed, or removable to facilitate the thorough cleaning of the lid assembly 15 and prevent buildup of contaminants between the annular seal 26 and either of the container 12 or the inner surface 18 of the lid. The annular seal 26 is preferably formed of a deformable and elastic material, such as silicone. Most importantly, the annular seal 26 should be constructed of a material capable of providing a liquid-tight seal to prevent liquid from permeating the connection point between the container 12 and the lid 16.
Within the inner surface 18 of the lid 16 is also situated a valve insert 50 to further provide a seal for preventing unwanted escape of a liquid from the container 12 through the lid 16. The valve insert 50 is depicted in detail in
The stabilizing core 54 provides support to the less rigid sheath 52 for repeated removal and insertion of the valve insert 50 with respect to the lid 16. Not only does this construction of undergirding the sheath 52 with the stabilizing core 54 resist breakdown during removal and insertion, but also helps the valve insert 50 retain its shape during transport, storage, and repeated washings of the several sippy cup assembly 10 components. Additionally, the stabilizing core 54 prevents the sheath 52 from collapsing in response to the suction applied by a user to the spout 22.
Although the stabilizing core 54 and the sheath 52 may be formed in a variety of manners of a variety of materials, that the stabilizing core 54 have a greater rigidity than the sheath 52 is key. For example, it is provided that the sheath 52 may be formed of silicone for its liquid sealing capabilities, elasticity, and deformability, while the stabilizing core 54 may be formed of the more rigid nylon. Pairing a silicone sheath 52 with a nylon stabilizing core 54 produces a valve insert possessing the combined characteristics of flexibility—important, as will be explained, with respect to selectively permitting flow of a liquid—and rigidity—providing a convenient grasping point for the user while maintaining the shape and resisting tearing and unwanted deformation—in the aggregate, these components offer a valve insert 50 with the desirable qualities of durability, strength, operability, and washability, not otherwise offered by previously existing valve constructions. It is known to persons having ordinary skill in the art that a valve insert 50 comprising a sheath 52 and stabilizing core 54 constructed of comparable material will render similar results.
Although other designs are envisioned, the embodiment of the valve insert 50 illustrated in
Accordingly, and as is known to those having ordinary skill in the art, when suction is applied to the spout 22 through the plurality of holes 23 by the user, thereby creating a negative pressure in the container 12, the slit 62 of the valve face 60 is responsive to the negative pressure, and permits liquid to flow out of the container 12 through the valve face 60. More specifically, the panels defined by the slit or plurality of slits 62 in the valve face 60 selectively displace to create a passageway through which liquid may flow upon suction. Simultaneously, upon suction the connector 53 permits the stem 58 to be displaced away from the air exchange aperture, thereby permitting the ingress of air from the atmosphere to the container 12 and creating equilibrium within the container 12 with respect to the external atmosphere.
By this cooperation between the valve face 50, and more specifically the slit 62, permitting egress of a liquid, and the stem 58 unblocking the air exchange aperture permitting ingress of air, the user is able to continue sipping from the sippy cup assembly 10 without the buildup of negative air pressure within the container 12 that would otherwise result in increasing difficulty and ultimate cessation of the flow of liquid. Similarly, however, the valve insert 50 prevents liquid from escaping when suction is not applied to the spout 22 because the slit 62 is disposed to block passage from the container 12 to the spout 22, as the stem 58 is disposed to block the air exchange aperture and, when properly installed, the lid assembly 15 includes no other openings through which liquid may escape.
With reference to
In one embodiment, the valve insert 50 may be removably secured to the inner surface 18 of the drink lid 16 by providing the inner surface 18 with a protuberance 28 and the valve insert 50 generally with a bore 72 for accepting the protuberance. In this embodiment, the stabilizing core 54 is provided with the base defining a passage 65 cooperating with the bore 72, such that the protuberance 28 may extend through both the sheath 52 and the stabilizing core 54. Alternatively, or in addition to a snapping engagement between the components, the valve insert may simply be retained in the inner surface 18 of the lid 16 through fitted engagement between the outflow port 56 and the inner cavity of the spout 22. Other securing means to retain the valve insert with respect to the lid 16 are also possible, as known to those having ordinary skill in the art.
Just as the lid assembly 15 may be manufactured as a retrofit to a range of existing container designs, the valve insert 50 may serve as a retrofit to existing sippy cup designs that presently lack the sealing capacities and durability of the disclosed design. In such an application, the elongated connector 53 of the sheath 52 and the placement of the spout 22 and the stem 58 may be designed to accommodate the large variety of sippy cup lids presently offered on the market.
The matter set forth in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings is offered by way of illustration only and not as a limitation. While particular embodiments have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the broader aspects of applicants' contribution. The actual scope of the protection sought is intended to be defined in the following claims when viewed in their proper perspective based on the prior art.
