Abstract:
A drinking cup usable by persons having limited physical faculties includes a vessel portion having one or more walls and being closed at a bottom end to define a bottom surface, the vessel portion being configured to retain a liquid; a drinking portion having one or more walls and an open top end from which the liquid located in the vessel portion can be removed, the open top end defining a rim; and a flexible member connecting the vessel portion and the drinking portion. The flexible member facilitates movement of the drinking portion relative to the vessel portion.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefits of U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 61/023,513, filed on Jan. 25, 2008, entitled “Flexible Drinking Cup,” the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    The present invention relates generally to drinking cups and, more particularly, to a drinking cup having a drinking portion that is flexibly attached to a vessel portion to allow for the drinking portion to be moved relative to the vessel portion. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    When drinking from a conventional cup, it is generally necessary for a user to put his lips on the rim of the cup, tilt his head back while maintaining the contact between his lips and the rim of the cup, and turn his mouth upward while raising and tilting the cup itself a suitable amount to direct the liquid into his mouth. In raising the cup, the level of liquid is raised above the user&#39;s open mouth, and in tilting the cup the liquid is poured into the open mouth. 
         [0004]    Both the raising of the cup and the pouring of liquid from the cup can pose obstacles to users having limited physical faculties. For example, a disabled person with limited upper body mobility may have difficulty raising his arms to bring a cup to his mouth, difficulty tilting his head back to drink, or both. A person with Parkinson&#39;s disease may have difficulty in maintaining the cup steady enough to pour the liquid into his mouth without spilling it. Any person bedridden and unable to sit up or who must remain laying on his side or front would also find it difficult, if not impossible, to drink from a cup. Additionally, persons having dental devices in their mouths or those without teeth may also have difficulty drinking from conventional cups. 
         [0005]    At least some of these issues can still be present when the user drinks from a cup using a straw, assistive mouthpiece, or similar apparatus. In particular, the use of some assistive mouthpieces still involves tilting the head back to pour the liquid into the mouth. Furthermore, the sucking ability required for the use of a straw can be difficult for some users depending upon their particular disabilities. 
         [0006]    Based on the foregoing, it would be desirable to have a cup that can be utilized by persons of limited physical faculties to promote their independence and facilitate their self reliance with regard to the drinking of liquids. 
       SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
       [0007]    In one aspect, the present invention resides in a drinking appliance such as a drinking cup. Such a cup includes a vessel portion having one or more walls and being closed at a bottom end to define a bottom surface and a drinking portion having one or more walls and an open top. The vessel portion holds the liquid, and the liquid is poured from the open top. A flexible member connects the vessel portion and the drinking portion and allows the drinking portion to be moved relative to the vessel portion. 
         [0008]    In another aspect, the present invention resides in a flexible drinking cup. This flexible drinking cup includes a bottom vessel portion for holding a liquid and a top drinking portion flexibly connected to the bottom vessel portion. The top drinking portion directs the liquid from the bottom portion to the mouth of a user. In use, the top drinking portion can be offset from the bottom vessel portion to enable a person having limited physical faculties (or any person) to drink from the cup without fully tilting the cup or without fully tilting his head to receive the liquid from the top drinking portion. 
         [0009]    In another aspect, the present invention resides in an articulated drinking cup. As used herein, the term “articulated” means a joint between two members that allows the members to move relative to each other. The articulated drinking cup includes a vessel portion that retains a liquid and has one or more walls and is closed at a bottom end to define a bottom surface. This cup also includes a drinking portion having one or more walls and an open top end from which the liquid can be removed. The open top end defines a rim having a drinking edge, portions located at opposing ends of the drinking edge that extend out of a plane coincident with the drinking edge, and a cutout located opposite the drinking edge. The articulation of the top drinking portion and the bottom vessel portion derives from a member that connects the vessel portion and the drinking portion to allow the vessel portion and the drinking portion to flex relative to one another. This flexing facilitates drinking from the cup by a user having limited physical capacities. 
         [0010]    In any form, the drinking cup of the present invention is usable by persons having limited or impaired physical capacities. The flexibility of the upper drinking portion relative to the lower vessel portion in which liquid is contained obviates or lessens the need for the user to tilt the head back in a manner that is consistent with typical drinking cups. Also, there is no need (or less of a need) to tip the cup itself to the same degree as a typical drinking cup. This also obviates the need for straws or mouthpieces, which thereby removes the need for the user to suck through a straw or mouthpiece. Accordingly, the drinking cup of the present invention facilitates the independence of the user. Users that may be particularly helped by use of the drinking cup of the present invention include, but are not limited to, patients with Parkinson&#39;s disease, physically-challenged people, injured people, people with chronic illnesses and/or limited mobility, patients in hospitals, bedridden patients, children, and the like. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a drinking cup of the present invention. 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the drinking cup of  FIG. 1  showing the drinking portion thereof flexibly offset relative to the vessel portion thereof. 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the drinking portion of the drinking cup. 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  is a sectional view of the attachment of the drinking portion to the vessel portion. 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  is a sectional view of a pleated member connecting the drinking portion and the vessel portion. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0016]    As is shown with reference to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a drinking cup of the present invention is designated generally by the reference numeral  10  and is hereinafter referred to as “cup  10 .” Cup  10  comprises a vessel portion  12  in which a liquid can be contained, a drinking portion  14  from which a user can drink, pour, or otherwise remove the liquid from the vessel portion, and a flexible member  16  connecting the vessel portion and the drinking portion such that the vessel portion and the drinking portion are connected in an articulated configuration. The cup  10  as defined by the vessel portion  12 , the drinking portion  14 , and the flexible member  16  is a substantially cylindrical object. The vessel portion  12  includes one cylindrical wall  20  closed at one end to form a substantially flat bottom surface  22  that allows the cup  10  to be supported on a suitable surface. The drinking portion  14 , which also includes one cylindrical wall  26 , includes an open bottom that is connected to the vessel portion  12  and an open top  28  through which the liquid can be removed from the cup  10 . The present invention is not limited to either the vessel portion  12  or the drinking portion  14  being defined by only one cylindrical wall, however, as either or both the vessel portion and the drinking portion can comprise two or more walls (e.g., eight walls to define the cup as being octagonal in cross section). 
         [0017]    An outer surface of the vessel portion  12  includes texturing or the like on an outer surface of said cylindrical wall  20  for facilitating the gripping of the cup  10 . As is shown, texturing of this outer surface includes a grip  30  having raised ridges  32  and bumps  34  disposed thereon. The raised ridges  32  extend perpendicularly with respect to a longitudinal axis  36  coincident with the cylindrical form of the cup  10 . The grip  30 , however, is not limited to the combination of raised ridges  32  and bumps  34 , as either the raised ridges or the bumps can be used individually. Also, other surfaces that facilitate the gripping of the cup are within the scope of the present invention. Such other surfaces include, but are not limited to, grooves, knurling, knobs, dimples, depressions that approximate the shape of fingers, combinations of the foregoing, and the like. 
         [0018]    The grip  30  is also fabricated from a material that is conducive to being gripped. Such a material includes rubber, foam, or any suitable elastomeric material. The material of the grip  30  is not so limited, however, as other materials such as plastics, papers, and cloth are within the scope of the present invention. In one exemplary embodiment, the grip  30  is fabricated from a suitable elastomeric material having the desired surface configuration and stretched over the vessel portion  12  of the cup  10 . The cup  10  is also not limited in this regard, as the grip  30  may be attached to the cup in any suitable manner or be made to be integral therewith. 
         [0019]    The drinking portion  14  forms the open top  28  of the cup  10  from which the user may drink, pour, or otherwise remove the liquid. This open top  28  is defined by a rim  40 . 
         [0020]    In the embodiment described herein, the flexible member  16  is a stretchable ribbed ring or band that may resemble a bellows. When the flexible member  16  is used to connect the bottom end of the drinking portion  14  to the top end of the vessel portion  12 , the drinking portion can be offset relative to the vessel portion as is shown in  FIG. 2 , thereby allowing the user to tilt the drinking portion to drink therefrom without having to tilt the vessel portion any appreciable amount. 
         [0021]    As is shown in  FIG. 3 , the rim  40  is defined by an irregularly contoured edge. A drinking portion of the rim  40  is substantially straight to allow the user to drink therefrom and is hereinafter referred to as “the drinking edge  44 .” As used herein, the term “substantially straight” means not substantially curved in a plane indicated by line  46  coincident with the drinking edge  44  wherein the plane indicated by line  46  extends parallel to the longitudinal axis  36  of the cup  10 . Two portions of the rim  40 , one on either side of the drinking edge  44 , extend slightly out of the plane indicated by line  46  to facilitate in directing liquid to the drinking edge. Another portion of the rim  40  (opposite the drinking edge  44 ) extends down and out of the plane indicated by line  46  to provide a “cutaway” section  48  in the rim, which is a cutout that can accommodate the user&#39;s nose if the cup  10  is tilted in the direction of the user&#39;s face. The rim  40  is not limited to the configuration shown, however, and other configurations in which the various portions of the rim are contoured to other degrees are within the scope of the present invention. 
         [0022]    As is shown in  FIG. 4 , the drinking portion  14  is flexibly connected to the vessel portion  12  via the flexible member  16 . The flexible member  16  can be an elastic material fabricated into a cylinder form that is open on opposing ends to accommodate the drinking portion  14  and the vessel portion  12 . Stitching or other manipulation of the material of the cylinder form can be used to define “ribs” that are laterally oriented with respect to the longitudinal axis  36  extending through the vessel portion  12  and drinking portion  14  and which facilitate the movement of one end of the flexible member relative to the other end of the flexible member. 
         [0023]    An upper end of the flexible member  16  is stretched over the cylindrical wall  26  of the drinking portion  14 . A lower end of the flexible member  16  is also stretched over the cylindrical wall  20  of the vessel portion  12 . The ends of the flexible member  16  are stretched over each portion such that a gap  50  is defined between a lower edge of the cylindrical wall  26  and an upper edge of the cylindrical wall  20 , which thereby allows for movement of the drinking portion  14  relative to the vessel portion  12 . Stretching of the flexible member  16  over the cylindrical walls effects a tight seal with the drinking portion  14  and the vessel portion  12 , thereby preventing leakage of liquid around the flexible member  16  and outside the cup  10 . Irrespective of the manner in which the flexible member  16  is attached to the vessel and drinking portions, the flexible member is preferably connected to the vessel and drinking portions proximate the gap  50  to limit the amount of liquid that contacts and may seep into the interface of the flexible member and the outer surfaces of the vessel and drinking portions. 
         [0024]    The present invention is not limited to embodiments in which the flexible member  16  is stretched over the vessel portion  12  and the drinking portion  14  to define a gap, however, as the flexible member may be integrally formed with the vessel and drinking portions, as is shown in  FIG. 5 . In particular, the flexible member  16  can be attached to the outer surface of the cylindrical wall  26  and the outer surface of the cylindrical wall  20  using heat welding, ultrasonic welding, an adhesive, combinations of any of the foregoing, and the like. Furthermore, the flexible member  16  may be integral with the vessel and drinking portions (e.g., directly molded as a unitary piece) and formed of a material that is pleated or the like (e.g., as in the material from which “flexible” drinking straws are made.) 
         [0025]    In any embodiment, the cup  10  can be fabricated from materials that are non-breakable and dishwasher-safe. 
         [0026]    Although this invention has been shown and described with respect to the detailed embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those of skill in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed in the above detailed description, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the following claims.