Abstract:
A drinking cup assembly having a cup having an open end, a cap adapted to enclose the open end, the cap having a drinking spout and an air vent and a pair of mating surfaces that align with the drinking spout and the air vent, and a removable flow control valve adapted to engage the mating surfaces. The cap has a retaining mechanism that in conjunction with one mating surface secures in place the flow control element when not in use.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    This application is a continuation-in-part of prior U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/645,975 filed on Feb. 4, 2000, which is a continuation of prior U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/019,765 filed on Feb. 6, 1998, which issued on Apr. 18, 2000, as U.S. Pat. No. 6,050,445. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0003]    The present invention relates generally to an improved leak-proof cup. More particularly, the present invention relates to a cup assembly having a drinking spout, an air vent spaced from the drinking spout, and a removable flow control element that engages in the vicinity of the drinking spout and air vent to control the flow of liquid and air from the drinking spout and the air vent. Moreover, the present invention provides a retaining mechanism to frictionally engage the flow control element when in a non-use or storage position.  
           [0004]    2. Description of the Prior Art  
           [0005]    Drinking cups having one or more drinking spouts and a separate air vent. These cups allow the user to drink from the spout without creating excessive vacuum in the cup. However, drinking spouts and air vents are liable to leak liquid stored in the cup between feedings, or if dropped during use. Accordingly, certain drinking cups have been developed that use one or more removable flow control elements or valve mechanisms at the spout and at the air vent. These valve mechanisms respond to suction generated during feeding to open and allow liquid to pass through the spout and to allow air to enter the air vent when a vacuum is developed in the interior of the cup.  
           [0006]    Two patents that disclose such removable valve mechanisms are U.S. Pat. No. 5,079,013 to Belanger and U.S. Pat. No. 5,542,670 to Morano, both commonly owned by the assignee of the present application.  
           [0007]    Applicant is aware of a competitive product having a flow control element of the configuration depicted in FIG. 4, sold as part of the Tumble Mates Spill Proof Cup by the First Years. Applicant has on the market a cup that employs a valve assembly discussed in priority U.S. Pat. No. 6,050,445. The removable flow control element or valve mechanism is shown in FIG. 3 of this application. These flow control elements are sold in position in the sleeves that extend from the underside of the cup&#39;s top or lid or are separated from the cup in the package. With both of these cups, the flow control elements are positioned in the sleeve and when removed from the sleeve is simply left in free. There is no provision for placement of the flow control element when out of the sleeve.  
           [0008]    In addition, despite the effectiveness of these mechanisms, applicant has discovered a way to improve flow rates by the combination of the flow control element, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,050,445, and corresponding element or valve positioning sleeve without sacrificing the valve&#39;s resistance to spills or the valve&#39;s durability.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0009]    It is an object of the present invention to provide a combination flow control element and corresponding element positioning member that reduces the amount of liquid left in the spout of the cup.  
           [0010]    It is another object of the present invention to provide a mechanism for holding the removable flow control element or valving mechanism for a cup when not is use.  
           [0011]    These and other objects and advantages of the present invention are achieved by a drinking cup assembly including a cup having an open end; a cap or lid adapted to enclose the open end, the cap including a drinking spout and an air vent and a pair of mating surfaces, one mating surface being aligned with the drinking spout and the other mating surface being aligned with the air vent; and a removable flow control valve having two valve portions each adapted to engage mating surface so that the valve portion aligned with the spout is positioned above the liquid line in the cup than the valve portion aligned with the air vent.  
           [0012]    Moreover, the present invention includes a retaining mechanism for retaining the flow control element in the underside of the cap or lid when the flow control element is not in use. The retaining mechanism includes a projection that extends downward from the underside of the cap in close proximity to one of the two mating surfaces so that a space is formed therebetween for retaining the flow control element when it is not in use.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0013]    [0013]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional trainer cup;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the trainer cup showing the placement of the removable valve of U.S. Pat. No. 6,050,445;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of the flow control element of U.S. Pat. No. 6,050,445;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a prior art flow control element or valve mechanism;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 5 is a top perspective view of the cap of the present invention;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines  6 - 6  of FIG. 5  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 7 is a bottom perspective view of the cap of FIG. 5;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines  8 - 8  of FIG. 7; and  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 9 is a bottom perspective view of the cap of FIG. 5, with the flow control element in its non-use position. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0022]    Referring to the figures and, in particular, FIG. 1, a cup is generally referred to by reference numeral  10 . The cup  10  includes a container  12  and a cap or lid  14  that is adapted to seal cup  12 . The cap or lid  14  has a spout  16  and an air vent  18  formed in its surface.  
         [0023]    Referring to FIG. 2, lid  14  has, extending from the undersurface thereof, a first sleeve  17  and a second sleeve  19 . The first sleeve  17  and second sleeve  19  are preferably cylindrical in shape. The first sleeve  17  aligns with spout  16 , while second sleeve  19  aligns with air vent  18 .  
         [0024]    Referring to FIG. 3, flow control element or valve mechanism  20  has first valve portion or stack  30  and second valve portion or stack  32  connected together by substrate  34 . Each valve portion  30 ,  32  has a lower portion  26 , an upper portion  28  and valve faces  36  bearing slits. Each valve portion  30 ,  32  is configured, to frictionally engage first sleeve  17  and second sleeve  19 , respectively, and place the flow control valve in fluid communication with spout  16  and air vent  18 , respectively.  
         [0025]    The flow control element  20  shown in FIG. 3 is that described in priority U.S. Pat. No. 6,050,445, which is incorporated in its entirety by reference. This flow control element  20  preferably has a concave shaped valve face  36  of valve portions  30  and  32 , in conjunction with the attendant curved shape of slits, provide superior fluid flow rate through the slit than existing valve configurations. This makes cup  10  easier to drink from and less frustrating and tiring to use.  
         [0026]    Likewise, the flow control element  20  in the prior art shown in FIG. 4, also has two valve portions  30 ,  32 . Valve portion  30  is a duck bill valve that aligns with the spout, while valve portion  32  is a short circular step that aligns with the air vent. In both this and the FIG. 3 flow control element, the cups having this flow control elements provide that the flow control element, and thus each valve portion, is about level in the liquid in the container.  
         [0027]    It is preferred that the removable flow control valve  20  be formed from a single piece of elastomeric material to facilitate easy insertion into and removal from first and second sleeves  17 ,  19 . The elastomeric material used is most preferably silicone, but TPE (thermoplastic elastomer), natural rubber, and synthetic rubber (e.g., isoprene) are also preferred.  
         [0028]    [0028]FIGS. 5 through 8 show cap  114  of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 5, cap  114  includes a lip  115  and an enlarged curved surface or step  113  across a majority of the extent of the top or upper surface of the cap. This surface  119  has a spout  116  with spout aperture  116 ′, and an air vent  118  therethrough.  
         [0029]    Referring to FIGS.  6  to  8 , as compared to FIG. 2, first sleeve  117  is shorter or has a less vertical extent than sleeve  17  of FIG. 2 or another prior art sleeve. As shown in the FIGS., second sleeve  119  may be the same height as sleeve  19  of FIG. 2, or it can also have less of a vertical extent than sleeve  19 .  
         [0030]    As shown clearly in FIGS. 6 and 8, it is important that first sleeve  117  has a shorter elongation or vertical extent than sleeve  17  so that the valve face  36  of first valve portion  30  is closer to the aperture  116 ′ of spout  116 . It has been found that this arrangement provides for a good balance of suction. Moreover, this arrangement reduces the amount of residual fluid that remains in the cup than would otherwise be provided. Thus, cap  114  enables the user to remove all or substantially all of the fluid or liquid that would otherwise remain in the cup.  
         [0031]    Therefore, cap  114  in combination with the positioning of first valve portion  30  of flow control element  20  with respect to spout  116  especially aperture  116 ′ enables less residual fluid or liquid to remain in the cup. In other words, first sleeve portion  117  of spout  116  is positioned further away from the level of the remaining fluid or liquid in the cup than provided in the prior art. In still other words, first sleeve portion  117  of spout  116  is recessed further towards bottom surface  111  of cap  114  than provided in the prior art. Accordingly, first sleeve portion  117  of spout  116  positions first valve portion  30  of flow control valve  20  further away from the level of residual fluid or liquid in the cup than provided in the prior art. In the preferred embodiment shown in the drawings, sleeve portion of spout  116  positions first valve portion  30  of flow control valve  20  further away from the level of liquid in the cup than second sleeve portion  119  positions second valve portion  32  (however, the second sleeve portion can position second valve portion  32  at the same level as first valve portion  30  shown in this application).  
         [0032]    The following data demonstrate the improvements provided by cap  114  with regards to the amount of residual fluid remaining in the cup. Ten samples of cap  14  were tested using a small cup, Test A, and ten samples of cap  14  were tested using a large cup, Test B. This data is compared against five samples of cap  114  as depicted in FIGS. 5 through 8 tested using a small cup (same size as for Test A), Test C, and five samples of cap  114  tested using a large cup (same size as for Test B), Test D.  
         [0033]    During the tests, the cups were filled with liquid and caps  14 ,  114  were secured thereon. Liquid filled cups were held such that caps  14 ,  114  were at an angle of about 30 degrees below horizontal. Suction was applied to spouts  16 ,  116  until the flow of liquid from cups ceased. The amount of liquid remaining in cups was then measured in milliliters and recorded.  
                                                                     Sample   Cap 14   Cap 14   Cap 114   Cap 114       No.   Small Cup   Large Cup   Small Cup   Large Cup                                1   15.1   17.9   8.5           2   15.1   17.9   8.3       3   13.7   17.6   9.1       4   12.9   18.4   9.1       5   13.9   18.7   8.9       6   14.0   18.2       7.6       7   13.2   18.4       5.9       8   12.7   18.7       5.7       9   13.7   18.4       6       10    12.9   20.0       5.7       Average   13.72   18.42   8.78   6.78                  
 
         [0034]    As can be seen from the data above, the relative positioning of first valve portion  30  in cap  114  with respect to the level of liquid in the cup provides the user with the ability to remove substantially more liquid from the cup.  
         [0035]    As discussed above, cap  114  preferably has a step  113  formed therein. Spout  116 , air vent  118  and first sleeve portion  117  and second sleeve portion  119  are formed in step  113 . Thus, step  113  is adapted to indent or recess first sleeve portion  117  into or toward bottom surface  111  of cap  114  in the manner described above, which is a feature that further enhances the closer positioning of first valve portion  30  with respect to spout  116  especially aperture  116 ′.  
         [0036]    [0036]FIGS. 6 through 8 illustrate another important aspect of the present invention. Cap  114  has a retaining mechanism  160 . The retaining mechanism  160  is preferably one or more protrusions formed or connected to the bottom or under surface  111  of cap  114  even though in the preferred embodiment shown, there is one protrusion. The retaining mechanism  160  is adapted to cooperate with at least one sleeve portion  117 ,  119  to frictionally engage substrate  34  of flow control valve  20  in a non-use or storage position. In a preferred embodiment, retaining mechanism  160  forms a space  162  between the retaining mechanism and an exterior surface of second sleeve portion  119 . As shown in FIG. 9, flow control element  20  may be positioned in space  162  when the flow control element is not in use.  
         [0037]    As stated above, retaining mechanism can be one or more protrusions. A protrusion means any embossment, abutment, extension or the like extending from the underside of the cap, and may include a slight recess in the underside of the cap. The retaining mechanism  160  can be of any geometric shape as long as it provides a surface  164  along an exterior surface  167 ,  169  of first or second sleeve portion  117 ,  119 , respectively, of cap  114  that frictionally engages flow control valve  20  when placed in a non-use or storage position. Thus, the protrusion can be any shape, such as for example, a square, a rectangle, a pentagon, a hexagon, a cylinder, a pin, an arcuate surface or the like. Also, retaining mechanism  160 , especially surface  164 , may have any vertical or elongated extent. However, it preferably has a vertical or elongated extent that is almost the same, the same or slightly larger than that of width  38  (FIGS. 3 and 4) of substrate  34 .  
         [0038]    The retaining mechanism  160  shown in the figures is one protrusion. The shown protrusion is a thin walled partially arcuate structure.  
         [0039]    More importantly, the space  162  formed between surface  164  of retaining mechanism  160  and either exterior surface  167  or, more preferably, exterior surface  169 , must be sized to frictional engage width  38  (FIGS. 3 and 4) of substrate  34  of flow control element  20 . Thus, substrate  34  being of an elastomeric material that readily adapts itself to be squeezed into space  162  to frictionally engage surfaces  164  and  119  is desired.  
         [0040]    Various modifications may be made to the foregoing disclosure as will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Thus, it will be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art that the foregoing description and drawings are merely illustrative of certain preferred embodiments of the present invention, and that various obvious modifications can be made to these embodiments in accordance with the spirit and scope of the appended claims.