Travel Cup

Abstract

A travel receptacle comprising a receptacle for holding a liquid and a lid for selectively closing the receptacle. The lid includes a first piece for engaging the top of the receptacle, the first piece having an impermeable portion which blocks the passage of the liquid therethrough and a first opening for allowing the passage of the liquid therethrough; and a second piece having an impermeable portion which blocks the passage of the liquid therethrough and a second opening for allowing the passage of the liquid therethrough. At least one of the first piece and the second piece is movable with respect to the other, between an open position in which the first and second openings align to allow passage of the liquid therethrough and a closed position in which the first and second openings are not aligned, thereby blocking passage of the liquid.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This application is directed to a cup for use in holding a liquid while travelling.

2. Description of the Related Art

Travel cups are well-known and take many forms. Commonly, such cups have a two-piece construction: a large lower receptacle for holding a liquid, and a lid for securing to the lower receptacle and preventing spillage while the user is moving. Such cups work generally fine, but do suffer from some common drawbacks.

For example, some known cups have tops which are difficult to attach to the receptacle, and often do not seal properly. Others do not seal completely. For example, they offer a restricted opening in the top of the lid to limit the possibility of spillage, but this makes it difficult to drink from and also may not completely avoid spillage while in motion.

Another drawback of some travel cups which do seal the lid more completely, is that the lid may be difficult or cumbersome to open, particularly while travelling, and/or be difficult to hold if containing a hot beverage. For example, the travel cups shown by U.S. Pat. No. 8,833,587 and United States Published Patent Application No. 2016/0107808, include a resealable lid which utilizes a resealable plug for closing the drinking opening. However, such plugs are notoriously difficult to open easily, as they require the use of two hands: one to grip the cup, and the other to grip the plug with just the finger tips.

For travel cups which may have better seals, the locking mechanism may be on the exterior of the cup, lending it to interference or inadvertent activation, or be particularly complicated so that it may be difficult to maintain.

There is therefore a need in the art for a simple, easy-to-clean and -operate travel cup which offers improved performance.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a new and improved travel cup which is easy-to-use, easy-to-clean and easy-to-operate.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, an improved travel cup in accordance with the invention comprises a receptacle for holding a liquid and a lid for selectively closing the receptacle. The lid includes a first piece for engaging the top of the receptacle, the first piece having an impermeable portion which blocks the passage of the liquid therethrough and a first opening for allowing the passage of the liquid therethrough; and a second piece having an impermeable portion which blocks the passage of the liquid therethrough and a second opening for allowing the passage of the liquid therethrough. At least one of the first piece and the second piece is movable with respect to the other, between an open position in which the first and second openings align to allow passage of the liquid therethrough and a closed position in which the first and second openings are not aligned, thereby blocking passage of the liquid.

In accordance with a further refinement of the invention, the first piece further includes a third opening for allowing the return passage therethrough of air when liquid passes through said first opening, the second piece further includes a fourth opening for allowing the return passage therethrough of air when liquid passes through said second opening; and the third and fourth openings are positioned to align when the first and second pieces are in the open position and are out of alignment when the first and second pieces are in the closed position.

In accordance with a still further refinement of the invention, the receptacle further includes a band removably attachable to the exterior thereof. In this refinement, the band extends downwardly from the open top thereof, to permit the gripping of the band by a user without the user directly contacting the exterior of the receptacle.

In accordance with a still further refinement of the invention, at least one of the first and second pieces includes a barrier which extends from a side of the at least one of said first and second pieces towards the other of the first and second pieces and contacts a side of the other of the first and second pieces which faces the side of the at least one of the first and second pieces from which it extends, and is configured so as to provide a seal against leakage of the liquid from the first opening to the second opening when the first and second openings are not aligned.

Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the presently preferred embodiments, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed solely for purposes of illustration and not as a definition of the limits of the invention, for which reference should be made to the appended claims. It should be further understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale and that, unless otherwise indicated, they are merely intended to conceptually illustrate the structures and procedures described herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 shows an exploded perspective of a travel cup in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 shows a perspective of a first piece of a lid in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 3 shows a second perspective of the first piece of the lid shown in FIG. 2, from the opposite perspective as FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 shows a perspective of the lower surface of a second piece of a lid in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 5 shows an exploded perspective of the lower surfaces of the first piece shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and the second piece shown in FIG. 3, showing how they align;

FIG. 6 shows a perspective of the first and second pieces of the lid shown in FIGS. 2-5 in combination in their open position; and

FIG. 7 shows a perspective of the first and second pieces of the lid shown in FIGS. 2-5 in combination in their closed position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENTLY PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows an inventive travel cup, generally at 10. Travel cup 10 includes a two-piece receptacle 12, and a two-piece lid 14. Receptacle 12 includes a cup 16 and a band 18. Cup 16 is preferably generally cylindrical in shape about an axis 20, and is preferably made of tempered glass, with a flat bottom surface 22 and an electroplated copper base 24. Bottom surface 22 closes the bottom of cylindrically shaped cup 16, so that cup 16 may hold a liquid to be consumed by the user. Bottom surface 22 and the cylindrical sidewalls of cup 16 define an interior of cup 16. Cup 16 further includes a lower portion 26, a shoulder 28 and an upper reduced portion 30. Shoulder 28 joins lower portion 26 and upper portion 30. Cup 16 includes an opening 32 allowing access to the interior of cup 16.

Band 18 is also generally cylindrically shaped in cross-section, about the same axis 20. Band 18 is preferably made of platinum silicone, which is thermally insulating and which also has a slightly tacky feel to it, to provide for a good grip. Band 18 is further sized and configured to attach to upper portion 30 of cup 16 via a friction fit, but is preferably removable therefrom to allow for cleaning of both cup 16 and band 18. Band 18 includes a lower end 34 which is configured to abut shoulder 28, allowing ease of placement of band 18 about upper portion 30 of cup 16. Band 18 further includes an upper lip 36 which defines an opening 38 for allowing access to the interior of cup 16 when band 18 is in place.

Lid 14 is made up of a first, lower, piece 40 (shown more clearly in FIGS. 2 and 3) and a second, upper, piece 42 (shown in more detail in FIG. 3). Both first and second pieces 40 and 42 have generally circular cross-sections, using the same axis 20 as the remaining components of travel cup 10, and are preferably made of Polypropylene—BPA Free, #5 Recyclable. This material is dishwasher safe and easy to clean and care for, so that each of the components of travel cup 10 may be cleaned in a dishwasher with no adverse consequences. Lower piece 40 includes a lower end 44 which defines an opening 46 and is sized to fit snugly over upper lip 36 of band 18 by friction fit.

The construction of lower piece 40 may be best seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, which show opposing perspective views thereof. Lower piece 40 includes a side wall 48 having a generally circular cross-section, centered on axis 20 (FIG. 1), and a top wall 50. Top wall 50 is impermeable to the passage of liquid therethrough, except through any openings therein. With this in mind, lower piece 40 includes a (preferably) generally triangular drinking opening 52, and an air opening 54 for the return passage of air therethrough when the user is drinking (as will be explained presently). Lower piece 40 further includes a locking opening 56 defined by a lip 58. Side wall 48 preferably includes at least one recess 60. As seen in FIG. 3 (and best in FIG. 5), lower end 44 is not of an even extent about the circumference of side wall 48, and includes a tab 62. Lower piece 40 further includes a barrier 64, preferably made of a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE). Barrier 64 prevents the undesired side-flow of liquid when the user is drinking, and therefore preferably extends about both drinking opening 52, and air opening 54, as well as in other areas on top wall 50. In a preferred embodiment, barrier 64 is located in a channel (not shown) in top wall 50 for ease of manufacture. Further structural details of the underside of lower piece 40 will be described below in relation to FIG. 5.

Returning briefly to FIG. 1, upper piece 42 includes a generally circular side wall 66, centered on axis 20, and a generally flat and impermeable top wall 68. To allow for the passage of liquid and return air, top wall 68 includes a generally triangular drinking opening 70 and an air opening 72. Drinking opening 70 in upper piece 42 and drinking opening 52 in lower piece 40 are sized to be complementary to permit the user to drink through the two drinking openings 52, 70 when they are aligned Likewise, air opening 72 in upper piece 42 is sized to align and complement air opening in 54 in lower piece 40, and is positioned so that, when the two drinking openings 52, 70 are aligned, the two air opening 54, 72 are also aligned.

Referring now to FIG. 4, upper piece 42 further includes a downwardly projecting (appearing upwardly projecting in FIG. 4, since FIG. 4 shows the underside of upper piece 42) locking post 74 which is configured to mate with locking opening 56 in lower piece 40. To this end, locking post 74 includes a generally circular (centered on axis 20—FIG. 1) post 76 projecting downwardly (again, upwardly in FIG. 4) from the underside of upper piece 42 towards lower piece 40 (FIG. 5), with an outwardly extending flange 78 at the distal end of post 76. Post 76 is sized to be approximately as long as lip 58 is thick, and flange 78 is dimensioned to project through locking opening 56 when lower and upper pieces 40, 42 are being joined for locking, and then extend under lip 58 when the two pieces 40 and 42 are rotated with respect to one another, thereby locking them in place. This process will be described below.

Upper piece 42 further includes at least one rib 80 on the interior of side wall 66 of upper piece 42, and a cutout 82 on the lower end thereof.

Referring now to FIG. 5, further structural detail of the underside of lower piece 40 is now visible. Specifically, lower end 44 thereof includes a notch 84 sized and positioned to receive rib 80 of upper piece 42 when the two pieces 40, 42 are conjoined. This may be seen by dashed lines 86. It may also be seen that tab 62 includes a wall portion 88 terminating in a lip 90 at a distal end thereof. Tab 62 is sized and aligned with cutout 82 in upper portion 42 so that, when lower and upper pieces 40, 42 are aligned for joining them, lip 90 fits into a portion of cutout 82 (as seen in FIG. 5). The alignment of locking post 74 and locking opening 56 is shown by dashed lines 94.

To lock lower and upper pieces 40, 42 together, they must first be aligned as shown by dashed lines 86, 92 and 94. The user then snaps lower and upper pieces 40, 42 together and rotates one of them with respect to the other. This is illustrated by the movement indicated by arrow 96, which shows a clockwise (when viewed from the underside) rotation of upper piece 42 with respect to lower piece 40. It will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art that the direction of movement is arbitrary, and is governed by the relative positioning of the components of lower and upper pieces 40 and 42, and as such is a matter of design choice.

It will also be appreciated that this movement may be accomplished by moving either piece 40, 42 with respect to the other, or by moving both pieces. In practice, however, since upper piece 42 substantially covers lower piece 40 when in use, it is likely that the user will find it easier to impart rotational movement to the exterior piece, i.e., upper piece 42.

To accomplish the movement, it will also be necessary for rib 80 to be disengaged from notch 84, which may be accomplished by slightly bending upper piece 42 outwardly and then rotating upper piece 42 in the direction shown by arrow 96. If the user rotates upper piece 42 to the position shown in FIG. 6, the open position, rib 80 will contact a first side 98 of tab 62, and lip 90 which acts as a stop on the rotational movement of pieces 40, 42. Alternatively, as a matter of design choice, first side 98 of tab 62 may contact a first side 100 of cutout 82. Either way, the rotational movement of pieces 40 and 42 is limited to place lid 14 in its open position. In this position, drinking openings 52, 70 are aligned allowing the free passage of liquid therethrough, and air openings 54, 72 are likewise aligned, allowing the free return passage of air therethrough. In this position, locking opening 56 and locking post 74 are also secured together, keeping lower piece 40 and upper piece 42 locked together. In this condition, barrier 64 (shown partially in dotted line in FIG. 6) acts to surround and seal off drinking openings 52, 70 and air openings 54, 72 to permit the user to drink comfortably while preventing undesired leakage of the liquid being consumed.

The user may also rotate upper piece 42 to a position intermediate the open position shown in FIG. 6 and the releasing position shown in FIG. 5 to a closed position (FIG. 7) in which drinking openings 52 and 70 and air openings 54 and 72 are out of alignment, in which position no liquid may flow through lid 14 and barrier 64 will prevent leakage. In this position, for example if a second end 102 of tab 62 contacts a second side 104 of cutout 82, there will be a stop which serves to prevent further rotational movement of pieces 40, 42 before pieces 40, 42 get to the releasing position (FIG. 5).

The travel cup thus described is easy-to-clean, and easy-to-operate and allows a user full control over the access to the liquid in receptacle 12.

In the preceding Detailed Description, reference was made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this disclosure, and in which are shown illustrative specific embodiments of the invention. In this regard, directional terminology, such as “top”, “bottom”, “left”, “right”, “front”, “back”, etc., is used with reference to the orientation of FIGS. 1-3 while the remaining figures are viewed from their respective undersides and so the terminology would appear “upside down” with respect thereto. Because components of embodiments can be positioned in a number of different orientations, the directional terminology is used for purposes of ease of understanding and illustration only and is not to be considered limiting.

Additionally, while there have been shown and described and pointed out fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the devices illustrated, and in their operation, may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, it is expressly intended that all combinations of those elements and/or method steps which perform substantially the same function in substantially the same way to achieve the same results are within the scope of the invention. Moreover, it should be recognized that structures and/or elements and/or method steps shown and/or described in connection with any disclosed form or embodiment of the invention may be incorporated in any other disclosed or described or suggested form or embodiment as a general matter of design choice. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the claims appended hereto.

Claims

1. A travel cup comprising: a receptacle including an interior for holding a liquid,an exterior, andan open top; anda lid for selectively closing said top of said receptacle, said lid including a first piece for engaging said open top of said receptacle, said first piece having an impermeable portion which blocks the passage of the liquid therethrough and a first opening for allowing the passage of the liquid therethrough, anda second piece having an impermeable portion which blocks the passage of the liquid therethrough and a second opening for allowing the passage of the liquid therethrough, at least one of said first piece and said second piece being movable with respect to the other of said first piece and said second piece, between an open position in which said first and second openings align to allow passage of the liquid therethrough and a closed position in which said first and second openings are not aligned, thereby blocking passage of the liquid from said interior of said receptacle to said exterior of said receptacle.

2. The travel cup of claim 1, wherein said receptacle is generally cylindrical in shape about an axis, and said open top is located at a top end of said cylinder.

3. The travel cup of claim 2, whereby at least one of said first piece and said second piece may be rotated to align said first and second openings and allow the passage of the liquid therethrough.

4. The travel cup of claim 3, wherein said first piece further includes a third opening for allowing the return passage therethrough of air when liquid passes through said first opening;wherein said second piece further includes a fourth opening for allowing the return passage therethrough of air when liquid passes through said second opening; andwherein said third and fourth openings are positioned to align when said first and second pieces are in said open position and are out of alignment when said first and second pieces are in said closed position.

5. The travel cup of claim 3, wherein at least one of said first and second pieces further includes a stop to limit the relative rotation of said first and second pieces.

6. The travel cup of claim 5, wherein said stop includes a first stop for limiting the relative rotation of said first and second pieces when in said open position and a second stop for limiting the relative rotation of said first and second pieces when in said closed position.

7. The travel cup of claim 3, wherein said impermeable portions of said first and second pieces are configured so that they do not interfere when said first and second pieces are rotated between said open and closed positions.

8. The travel cup of claim 7, wherein said impermeable portions of said first and second pieces are positioned to provide the minimal amount of clearance necessary to accommodate relative rotation of said first and second pieces without interference therebetween during rotation.

9. The travel cup of claim 1, wherein at least one of said first and second pieces further includes a stop to limit the relative rotation of said first and second pieces.

10. The travel cup of claim 9, wherein said stop includes a first stop for limiting the relative rotation of said first and second pieces when in said open position and a second stop for limiting the relative rotation of said first and second pieces when in said closed position.

11. The travel cup of claim 1wherein said first piece further includes a third opening for allowing the return passage therethrough of air when liquid passes through said first opening;wherein said second piece further includes a fourth opening for allowing the return passage therethrough of air when liquid passes through said second opening; andwherein said third and fourth openings are positioned to align when said first and second openings are aligned.

12. The travel cup of claim 1, wherein said receptacle further includes a band removably attachable to said exterior of said receptacle, and extending from said open top downwardly from said open top, to permit the gripping of said band by a user without the user directly contacting said exterior of said receptacle.

13. The travel cup of claim 12, wherein said band is removably attachable to said exterior of said receptacle, said band being configured to prevent the passage of fluid between said band and said receptacle.

14. The travel cup of claim 13, wherein said band is made substantially of platinum silicone.

15. The travel cup of claim 1, wherein at least one of said first and second pieces includes a barrier which extends from a side of said at least one of said first and second pieces towards the other of said first and second pieces and contacts a side of said other of said first and second pieces which faces said side of said at least one of said first and second pieces and is configured so as to provide a seal against leakage of the liquid from said first opening to said second opening when said first and second openings are not aligned.

16. The travel cup of claim 15, wherein said barrier includes a portion thereof which substantially surrounds one of said first and second openings located in said at least one of said first and second pieces on which said barrier is positioned, and is sized to not interfere with the passage of fluid through said first and second openings when said first and second pieces are in said open position.

17. The travel cup of claim 1, wherein said first piece may be rotated with respect to said receptacle into a disengaging position in which said first piece may be disengaged from said receptacle.

18. A travel cup comprising: a receptacle which is generally cylindrical in shape about an axis and having a top end located at one end of said cylinder, said receptacle including an interior for holding a liquid,an exterior, andan open top located at said top end of said cylinder;a band removably attachable to said exterior of said receptacle, and extending from said open top downward a predetermined distance from said open top, said predetermined distance being selected to permit the gripping of said band by a user without the user directly contacting said exterior of said receptacle; anda lid for selectively closing said top of said receptacle; said lid including a first piece for engaging said open top of said receptacle, said first piece having an impermeable portion which blocks the passage of the liquid therethrough and a first opening for allowing the passage of the liquid therethrough, said first piece being generally circular in cross-section, and having a first axis of rotation which is generally aligned with said axis of said cylindrical receptacle; anda second piece having an impermeable portion which blocks the passage of the liquid therethrough and a second opening for allowing the passage of the liquid therethrough, said second piece being generally circular in cross-section, having a second axis of rotation, and being sized to overlie and substantially enclose said first piece when in use, said first and second axes of rotation being generally co-linear;wherein at least one of said first piece and said second piece is movable with respect to the other of said first piece and said second piece, between an open position in which said first and second openings align to allow passage of the liquid therethrough and a closed position in which said first and second openings are not aligned, thereby blocking passage of the liquid from said interior of said receptacle to said exterior of said receptacle;wherein at least one of said first and second pieces further includes a stop for limiting the relative rotation of said first and second pieces when in at least one of said open position and said closed position;whereby at least one of said first piece and said second piece may be rotated to align said first and second openings to permit passage of liquid therethrough.

19. The travel cup of claim 18wherein said first piece further includes a third opening for allowing the return passage therethrough of air when liquid passes through said first opening;wherein said second piece further includes a fourth opening for allowing the return passage therethrough of air when liquid passes through said second opening; andwherein said third and fourth openings are positioned to align when said first and second openings are aligned.

20. The travel cup of claim 18, wherein at least one of said first and second pieces includes a barrier which extends from a side of said at least one of said first and second pieces towards the other of said first and second pieces and contacts a side of said other of said first and second pieces which faces said side of said at least one of said first and second pieces and is configured so as to provide a seal against leakage of the liquid from said first opening to said second opening when said first and second openings are not aligned.