Patent Application
20210053726
The present disclosure generally relates to cups, and more particularly, to a universal cup including a universal handle configured to enable both able-bodied and upper limb amputee users to use the cup.
Individuals who have had a portion of one (or more) limbs amputated, such as, upper limb amputees (e.g., amputated at the hand, wrist, forearm, etc.) are often forced to resort to expensive and/or cumbersome solutions for performing everyday tasks. For example, amputees may use prosthetics to perform everyday tasks, such as grasping an object. While prosthetics may aid an amputee to perform a basic task, prosthetics can be prohibitively expensive, need replacing as an amputee's body grows, and are often slow and/or cumbersome in operation. Instead of forcing amputees to acquire expensive and complicated devices to overcome their disabilities, a more elegant and inclusive solution would be to design products that amputees may use without the need for external assistance. An even better approach is to design products that both amputees and able-bodied individuals can use without external assistance. For example, one of the most ubiquities devices that exists today is the standard cup or mug for consuming liquids. Despite the ubiquity of the cup, current designs do not enable single arm operation by upper limb amputees. Therefore, a need exists for products, such as cups, that can be used by both amputees and able-bodied individuals without the need of using expensive assistive devices such as prosthetics.
The present disclosure is directed to a universal cup or mug that is configured for use by both able-bodied individuals and upper limb amputees. The universal cup of the present disclosure includes a handle designed to enable an upper limb amputee to insert a portion of their arm (e.g., their forearm) through the handle to operate (e.g., pick up, drink from, and put down) the cup such that single arm operation of the cup is easy, efficient, and effective. The handle, which will be described in greater detail below, is configured to keep the cup stable and secure while in use (e.g., when the cup is filled with liquid, lifted off a surface, and titled to enable the user to drink) for easy operation by the user. Furthermore, the handle of the universal cup is also configured to enable easy use for able-bodied users. Thus, the handle of the present disclosure enables the cup to be universal in use.
According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a cup is provided including a cylindrical portion including a closed end and an open end to receive a liquid; and a handle coupled to an outer wall of the cylindrical portion, the handle including a first portion, a section portion and a third portion, the first portion having a first end coupled to the outer wall and a second end coupled to a first end of the second portion at a first predetermined angle, a second end of the second portion coupled to a first end of the third portion at a second predetermined angle and the second end of the third portion coupled to the outer wall, wherein the first predetermined angle is greater than the second predetermined angle.
In one aspect, the second portion is configured at a third predetermined angle relative to the outer wall of the cylindrical portion.
In another aspect, the third predetermined angle is in the range of about 30 degrees to about 45 degrees.
In a further aspect, the open end of the cylindrical portion has a diameter d and a width w of the handle is defined by the formula w=d/2.5.
In yet another aspect, each of the first portion, second portion and third portion of the handle have a respective thickness and the thickness of the third portion being greater than the thickness of the first portion and the thickness of the second portion to lower a center of gravity of the cup.
In one aspect, the cup further incudes a gripping means coupled to the closed end of the cylindrical portion.
In another aspect, the gripping means is at least one of circular member and/or an annular member.
In still another aspect, the first portion of the handle includes an aperture configured to receive a thumb of a user while the handle is being gripped.
In another aspect, a cross section of the first portion, second portion and third portion of the handle is at least one of an oval shape and/or a rectangular shape.
In a further aspect, each of the first portion, second portion and third portion of the handle have a respective thickness and the thickness is ¼ of the width w.
According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a cup is provided including a cylindrical portion including a closed end and an open end to receive a liquid; and a handle coupled to an outer wall of the cylindrical portion, the handle including a first portion, a section portion and a third portion, the first portion having a first end coupled to the outer wall and a second end coupled to a first end of the second portion at a first predetermined angle, a second end of the second portion coupled to a first end of the third portion at a second predetermined angle and the second end of the third portion coupled to the outer wall, wherein the first predetermined angle is greater than the second predetermined angle and wherein the cylindrical portion is foldable upon a cease formed thereon.
In one aspect, the handle of the foldable cup incudes first and second handles, each of the first and second handles including the first portion, the section portion and the third portion, wherein the first and second handles are spaced apart by a predetermined width w.
The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent in light of the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
It should be understood that the drawing(s) are for purposes of illustrating the concepts of the disclosure and is not necessarily the only possible configuration for illustrating the disclosure.
Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described herein below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail to avoid obscuring the present disclosure in unnecessary detail. The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any configuration or design described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other configurations or designs. Herein, the phrase “coupled” is defined to mean directly connected to or indirectly connected with through one or more intermediate components.
The present disclosure is directed to a universal cup or mug that is configured for use by both able-bodied individuals and upper limb amputees. The universal cup of the present disclosure includes a handle designed to enable an upper limb amputee to insert a portion of their arm (e.g., their forearm) through the handle to operate (e.g., pick up, drink from, and put down) the cup such that single arm operation is easy, efficient, and effective. The handle, which will be described in greater detail below, is configured to keep the cup stable and secure while in use (e.g., when the cup is filled with liquid, lifted off a surface, and titled to enable the user to drink) for easy operation by the user. Furthermore, the handle of the universal cup is also configured to enable easy use for able-bodied users. Thus, the handle of the present disclosure enables the cup to be universal in use.
Referring to
When cup 100 is used by an upper limb amputee user, the amputee user inserts the distal most portion of their arm (e.g., the distal end of their forearm) through aperture 115 until the outer circumference of their forearm is lodged or wedged between inner surface 120 of handle 106 and outer surface 112 of main portion 102. For this use case, handle 106 includes several features that enable the cup to be lifted and operated (whether filled with liquid or not) with the amputee's arm (e.g., a portion of their forearm) disposed through aperture 115 while maintain the cup in a stable and secure position. Each of the features of handle 106 will be described below.
First portion 114 and second portion 116 are disposed at a first, predetermined angle relative to each other such that at portion 122 of inner surface 120, i.e., where portions 114 and 116 meet at the first, predetermined angle, inner surface 120 has a greater degree of concavity than the portion of inner surface 120 between the ends of portion 116. Second portion 116 and third portion 118 are disposed at a second, predetermined angle relative to each other such that at portion 124 of inner surface 120, i.e., where portions 116 and 118 meet at the second, predetermined angle, inner surface 120 has a greater degree of concavity than the portion of inner surface 120 between the ends of portion 116. The respective lengths of portions 114, 116, 118 are selected such that portions 122, 124 are each disposed at distinct predetermined distances from outer surface 112, where portion 122 is disposed more proximately to surface 112 than portion 124. Also, as shown in
To understand the features of handle 106, it is first useful to understand the anatomy of the forearm. Referring to
Referring again to
Angle a (shown in
Also, as shown in
It is to be appreciated that, when used by an able-bodied user (i.e., having a full anatomical arm), the angle a with which portion 116 of handle 106 extends enables the rotational force (illustrated by arrow b) experienced by the cup 100 due to gravity to be applied exclusively to the user's palm and easily counteracted by holding the user's wrist steady (i.e., preventing rotation) to hold the cup in a stable position. This is in contrast to conventional designs, which would require the user to place one or more fingers below end 110 of cup 100 (or at the very least beneath portion 118 of handle 106) to maintain cup 100 in a stable position. It is also to be appreciated that, when used by elder user's or user's having a disability (e.g., Parkinson's, etc.) other than an amputation of one or both of their arms, the features of handle 106 enable easier use than conventional designs of cups. It is further to be appreciated that the wide handle will prevent rotating or slipping in all three directions.
In one embodiment, a change in profile section of handle 106 may be provided to lower the center of mass of the cup for better balance. For example, in one embodiment, lower portion 118 may have a larger thickness t, as compared to the thickness of portions 114 and 116, making the bottom portion of the cup heavier and thus more stable by lowering the center of gravity of the cup. In another embodiment, portion 118 may have the same thicknesses as portions 114 and 116 but is weighted to lower the center of gravity.
It is to be appreciated that cup 100 is configured to be used for both left handed and right handed operation. Furthermore, the ends of handle 106 are shown terminating proximately to top 108 and bottom 110 of portion 102, respectively, in other embodiments, top 108 may extend past portion 114 of handle 106 and bottom 110 may extend past portion 118 of handle 106.
In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a gripping means (e.g., a rubber gasket, an O-ring, a rubber disk, a suction cup, or any other appropriate gripping material or object) may be coupled to bottom 110. The gripping means may provide appropriate grip or friction relative to a surface (e.g., a table top) that cup 100 is placed on, such that, when an amputee attempts to insert their forearm through aperture 115 of handle 106, cup 100 does not rotate or otherwise move relative to the surface that cup 100 is placed on. It is to be appreciated that the gripping means may be a flat circular member having substantially the same diameter as the bottom 110 of the cup 100, a flat circular member having a smaller or larger diameter as the bottom 110 of the cup 100 or an annular member. It is to be appreciated that gripping means of other shapes and diameters are contemplated to be within the scope of the present disclosure.
In another embodiment, the upper portion 114 of handle 106 may include an aperture 130, as shown in
It is further to be appreciated that the handle 106 may be configured in various shapes and thicknesses. Referring to
In certain embodiments, the thickness t of handle 106 may be proportional to the width w of the handle. For example, in one embodiment, thickness t is ¼ of the width w of handle 106. Other thicknesses and ratios of the handle are contemplated to be within the scope of the present disclosure.
In one embodiment, universal cup may be configured to be foldable. For example, referring to
It is to be appreciated that the various features shown and described are interchangeable, that is a feature shown in one embodiment may be incorporated into another embodiment.
While the disclosure has been shown and described with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims.
Furthermore, although the foregoing text sets forth a detailed description of numerous embodiments, it should be understood that the legal scope of the invention is defined by the words of the claims set forth at the end of this patent. The detailed description is to be construed as exemplary only and does not describe every possible embodiment, as describing every possible embodiment would be impractical, if not impossible. One could implement numerous alternate embodiments, using either current technology or technology developed after the filing date of this patent, which would still fall within the scope of the claims.
It should also be understood that, unless a term is expressly defined in this patent using the sentence “As used herein, the term ‘ ______’ is hereby defined to mean . . . ” or a similar sentence, there is no intent to limit the meaning of that term, either expressly or by implication, beyond its plain or ordinary meaning, and such term should not be interpreted to be limited in scope based on any statement made in any section of this patent (other than the language of the claims). To the extent that any term recited in the claims at the end of this patent is referred to in this patent in a manner consistent with a single meaning, that is done for sake of clarity only so as to not confuse the reader, and it is not intended that such claim term be limited, by implication or otherwise, to that single meaning. Finally, unless a claim element is defined by reciting the word “means” and a function without the recital of any structure, it is not intended that the scope of any claim element be interpreted based on the application of 35 U.S.C. § 112, sixth paragraph.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/891,383, filed Aug. 25, 2019, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62891383 | Aug 2019 | US |
