The present invention relates generally to cups for children and more particularly to a child's cup that replaces sippy cups.
A myriad of health problems are associated with bottles and sippy cups. First is the interference with infant swallow maturation. Swallow maturation from the infant suckle-swallow pattern requires the tongue tip to rise to the alveolar ridge, the overuse of hard nipples can impede the tongues ability to rise. Impeding the swallow maturation can also promote a tongue that rests low and forward in the mouth can have an impact on speech, promote mouth breathing and even affect palette development.
Both the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) recommend that children be transitioned to regular, lidless cups at 12 months of age. It would be advantageous to have a regular, spoutless cup that provides more of the convenience of bottles and sippy cups to parents looking to wean their children off or avoid spouts from bottles and sippy cups.
While some practitioners have advocated using very small cups (1 to 2 oz capacity) for children: “a normal sized cup is akin to an adult drinking from a pail”; the present invention uses a larger cup which not only provides more capacity but is also easier to handle by providing at least on spout.
The present invention relates to a cup that provides more of the convenience of bottles and sippy cups to parents looking to wean their children off or avoid spouts from bottles and sippy cups.
A goal of the present invention is to provide a cup that is less likely to spill, tip or dribble, is easier for children to drink from, and easier for children and parents to hold.
It is also a goal of the invention to provide a cup that is sealable so that it can be transported or stored full without spilling or leaking. The present invention provides a soft surface proximate to the baby's face that reduces the danger from a fall or impact with the cup.
It is a goal of the invention to reduce the number of tight crevices or nooks which are hard to clean and thus can accumulate mold or bacteria, a known hazard with other designs.
Another goal of the invention is to avoid a vacuum system so that it can allow use by all children (many infants have not yet mastered the motor controls necessary to use “360 degree” vacuum lids)
Another goal of the invention is to reduce the number of user parts to 2-3 to facilitate operation and cleaning
Another goal of the invention is to provide adjustable flow control making it easier for both parents to feed as well as toddlers to feed themselves without being overwhelmed by the excessive flow from open topped cups, requiring less dexterity from both caregivers and children alike
Another goal of the invention to provide legs that reduce tipping and spilling that can also be used as handles.
Finally, it is a goal of the invention that the legs can be removable for the purpose of making the cup usable in situation where the legs may interfere the use of the cup, such as in cup holders in strollers or in close quarters where protruding legs may get in the way of infant feeding.
The present invention addresses many of the problems young children have with open-topped cups, and as a result, gives a more viable option for minimizing or eliminating artificial nipples. For those parents who require greater spill proofing (for “on the go” and the like) the present invention allows the top to be placed in a fully closed position, so that the cup can be transported in a bag or the like without spilling.
Attention is now directed to several drawings that illustrate features of the present invention.
Several figures and illustrations have been provided to aid in understanding the present invention. The scope of the present invention is not limited to what is shown in the figures.
In a first embodiment, a cup 20 is supplied with a removable lid 1 and a set of legs 21. The cup body 20 is removable from the legs 21. The lid 1 is a soft material such as silicone rubber. The lid 1 has a number of holes 2 that allow adjustment for flow control. The lid 1 has a plate 3 that flexes to allow insertion and removal of the lid 1 from the cup body 20. There is a protrusion 4 attached to the plate 3 that allows locking under a mating cup lip 5 on the cup body 20. The cup lip 5 is undercut so that it locks over the protrusion 4 in the lid 1.
The cup body 20 has protrusions 6 that interface with the holes 2 in the lid 1. These protrusions 6 allow the lid to control flow rate. Cavities 7 on the cup portion 20 allows tabs 10 on the legs 21 to lock to hold them in place. There may also be an optional concave cut-out 8 on the cup portion 20 that allows easy gripping. The legs 21 can have a band 9 that receives the cup body 20. A tab 10 on each leg 21 mates with the cavities 7 in the cup body. This is shown in detail in
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As viewed in
As illustrated, the present invention includes three separate parts: a lid 1, a cup body 20 and a leg assembly 21.
The lid is has a lip 1 with inward curved sections and a lowered section that may be curved outward for drinking. The body of the lid 1 may be made from a soft material such as a silicon material, overmolded over a flexing plate. The flexing plate 3 provides greater rigidity over the silicon body, but allows for flexing to allow the insertion and removal of the lid. The flexing is facilitated by the user pressing the finger tabs 12, which are proximate to the protrusions 4 in the lid 1 that serve as interlocking tabs in conjunction with the internal cup lip 5 (which protrudes into the interior of the cup for the purpose of interfacing with the interlocking tabs). As the user presses inward, this causes the flex plate to bow allowing the tabs to move towards the center of the cup and out of the way of the rim, thus allowing the lid to be removed from the cup.
The cup body protrusions 6 are designed to interface with the holes in lid 2 to provide flow control in the following manner: By positioning the holes 2 relative to the body protrusions 6, the user can select the amount of flow allowed. If the holes are positioned directly on top of the protrusions the flow is altogether stopped, and such a position seals the lid and cup, allowing the cup to be transported or stored without spilling. If the holes are positioned partially on top of the protrusions, and partially offset, then the holes are partially blocked, and the flow control is reduced, but not stopped altogether providing an effectively smaller hole for liquid to flow through. By varying the offset of the holes and protrusions the caregiver can modify the effective size of the hole to provide the desired orifice size to provide the optimal amount of liquid flow. Finally, the holes can be offset entirely from the protrusions, where the protrusions do not cover the hole at all, thus allowing the maximum liquid flow.
In
Several descriptions and illustrations have been presented to aid in understanding the present invention. One with skill in the art will realize that numerous changes and variations may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Each of these changes and variations is within the scope of the present invention.