Abstract:
A vacuum-insulated beverage container has a body and a vacuum-insulated liner enclosed by the body. Seals between the body and the liner prevent all types of leaks of the beverage held in the liner. A handle is attached to the container using a method that permits the handle to be removably attached with only a single removable fastener. Nesting drinking cups are provided that removably attach to the container and to one another. The drinking cups can be separated from one another by directly pulling the cups apart or by rotating one cup relative to another.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/758,226 filed on Jan. 12, 2001, now patent No. 6,332,557. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The field of this invention is portable beverage containers and more specifically vacuum-insulated portable beverage containers for carrying and dispensing liquids. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Various designs for portable beverage containers, including vacuum-insulated portable beverage containers, are known in the art. None have all of the advantageous features of the container of this invention. More specifically, the prior art containers do not include the same capability as this container to seal against all kinds of beverage leaks. The prior art containers also do not have the same advantageous connecting means for connecting a handle as this container. The prior art containers also do not have nesting cups which attach to and detach from the container and to one another in the same advantageous manner as this container. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to one aspect of the invention, a beverage container has a body including a body cylinder portion and a base portion. The body cylinder portion and the base portion have complementary screw threads formed thereon and are attached to one another by the complementary screw threads. The body cylinder portion has a first open end. A liner is generally disposed inside of the body and includes an open end and an interior space for holding liquids, the interior space being vacuum-insulated for resisting heat transfer between the interior and the exterior of the liner. The open end approximately aligns with the first open end of the body cylinder. An elongated handle is attached at a first end to the base portion and at an opposing second end to the body cylinder portion with attaching means for attaching the handle to the body with a single removable fastener. 
     According to another aspect of the invention, a beverage container has a body with an opposing first open end and a second open end. A liner is generally disposed inside of the body and includes an open end and an interior space for holding liquids. The interior space is vacuum-insulated for resisting heat transfer between the interior and the exterior of the liner, and the open end generally aligns with the first open end of the body. A first gasket closes the space between an open end of the liner and the first open end of the body and prevents liquids from passing in between the open end of the liner and the first open end of the body. A base plug is disposed in the second open end of the body, the base plug exerting force on the liner to hold the liner in position inside of the body. A second gasket closes the space between the base plug and the second open end of the body and prevents liquids from passing in between the base plug and the second open end of the body. A stopper removably attaches to the body near the first open end of the body. A third gasket closes the space between the stopper and the first open end of the body and prevents liquids from passing in between the stopper and the first open end of the body when the stopper is attached to the body. Two drinking cups are removably attached to the body near the first open end. Each of the cups has an exterior locking groove with a top lip above the exterior locking groove and an interior locking flange. A largest radius of the top lip is larger than a smallest radius of the interior locking flange and the interior locking flange can flex to slide past the largest radius of the top lip and engage the exterior locking groove. The exterior locking groove and the interior locking flange each have a ramping surface so that when the cups are rotated relative to one another in a first direction the ramping surfaces cam, and further rotation in the first direction causes the interior locking flange to flex so that the interior locking flange disengages with the exterior locking groove. 
    
    
     The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a container with two cups nested thereon in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the container of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 is a rear elevational view of the container of FIG. 1 with the two cups removed. 
     FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the container taken along cutting line  4 — 4  in FIG.  3 . 
     FIGS. 5A and 5B are detail views of the container of FIG.  3 . 
     FIG. 6A is a side elevational view of the handle on the container of FIG.  3 . 
     FIG. 6B is front elevational view of the handle of FIG.  6 A. 
     FIG. 6C is a sectional view of the handle taken along cutting line  6 A— 6 A of FIG.  6 B. 
     FIG. 7A is a front elevational view of the cup in FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 7B is a side elevational view of the cup in FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 7C is a rear elevational view of the cup in FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 7D is a top plan view of the cup in FIG.  1 . 
     FIGS. 8-13 are sectional views of the cup taken from cutting lines indicated in FIG.  7 D. 
     FIGS. 14 and 15 are perspective sectional views of the cups of FIG. 1 nested together, with most of the top cup cut away and the remainder thereof shown in section. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to corresponding elements. 
     With reference to FIG. 4, a container  100  of the preferred embodiments comprises a body  10 , a liner  20 , a base plug  30 , a stopper  40 , and a handle  50 . FIG. 1 illustrates two cups  60  which may be nested on top of the container  100 . 
     The body  10  includes a first open end  10   a  and a second open end  10   b . The body  10  may be one unitary piece, or may be an assembly of several separate pieces joined together. In a preferred embodiment, the body  10  includes two separately formed portions: a body cylinder  11  and a base  12 . The body cylinder  11  and the base  12  are joined together during assembly of the container  100 . In the preferred embodiment, complementary threads  13  are formed on the exterior of the body cylinder  11  and the interior of the base  12 . A gasket  14  is disposed between the body cylinder  11  and the base  12  to seal against leakage of liquid from and into the interior of the container  100 . 
     A liner  20  is generally disposed inside of the body  10 . The liner  20  includes an open end  20   a  and an interior space  20   b  for holding liquids. The interior space  20   b  is vacuum-insulated against heat transfer between the exterior of the liner  20  and the interior space  20   b  in a manner well known in the art. The open end  20   a  is approximately aligned with the first open end  10   a  of the body  10 . A gasket  15  closes the space between the open end  20   a  of the liner  20  and the first open end  10   a  of the body  10  and seals against leakage of liquid from and into the interior of the container  100 . 
     A base plug  30  is disposed in the second open end  10   b  of the body  10 . In a preferred embodiment, the second open end  10   b  is formed in the base  12 . The base plug  30  exerts a force on the liner  20  in the direction of the first open end  10   a  and holds the liner  20  generally stationary inside of the body  10 . A force also assists with sealing the container  100  by compressing the gasket  15  against the first open end  10   a  and the open end  20   a  of the liner  20 . A gasket  16  closes the space between the base plug  30  and the body  10  and seals against leakage of liquid from and into the interior of the body  10 . A rubber bumper  31  may be disposed between the base plug  30  and the liner  20  to more evenly distribute the force against the liner  20 . The rubber bumper  31  and the gasket  15  will also act as dampers to absorb some of the shocks and vibrations that would be transferred from the body  10  to the liner  20 . The rubber bumper  31  and the gasket  15  also accommodate the expansion and contraction of the liner  20  when it is filled with hot or cold liquids. In the preferred embodiment, the rubber bumper  31  can also help hold the gasket  16  in position. In order to produce the force which the base plug  30  exerts against the liner  20 , the base plug  30  and the body  10  are provided with complementary threads  32 . Screwing the base plug  30  into the body  10  with the complementary threads  32  will advance the base plug  30  axially against the liner  20 . 
     A stopper  40  removably attaches to the body  10 . The stopper  40  may be partially or completely detached in order to pour or dispense liquids from the interior space  20   b . A gasket  17  closes the space between the stopper  40  and the body  10  and seals against leakage of liquid from and into the interior of the container  100  when the stopper  40  is attached to the body  10 . As is known in the art, the stopper  40  may be removably attached to the body  10  using complementary threads or any other connection suitable for this purpose. 
     Due to the placement of the gaskets  15 ,  16 , and  17 , liquids inside the interior space  20   b  are generally prevented from leaking i) from the interior space  20   b  to the space between the body  10  and the exterior of liner  20 , and ii) from anywhere inside the body  10  to the exterior of the container  100 . In particular, the gasket  15  generally prevents internal leakage of liquids from the interior space  20   b  to the space between the body  10  and the exterior of the liner  20 . Even if any liquids do reach the space between the body  10  and the exterior of the liner  20 , such as would occur if the liner  20  shattered inside of the body  10 , liquid would be prevented from leaking from the container  100  by the gaskets  16  and  17  (with the stopper  40  in place). The gaskets  15 ,  16 , and  17  also prevent any liquids from penetrating inside the container  100 —either the interior space  20   b  or in the space between the body  10  and the exterior of the liner  20 —when, for example, the container  100  is submersed during washing. If the body  10  is formed of more than one piece, the pieces should be joined in a leak-tight manner, such as by using the threaded connection  13  with the gasket  14  between the body cylinder  11  and the base  12 . 
     As shown in FIGS. 4,  5 A-B, and  6 A-C, the flexible handle  50  is attached at a first end to the base  12  and at a second opposing end to the body cylinder  11  by attaching means. The attaching means includes one screw-type connection and one T-type connection. The flexible handle  50  is either attached to the base  12  with a T-type connection and to the body cylinder  11  with a screw-type connection, or the flexible handle  50  is attached to the base  12  with a screw-type connection and to the body cylinder  11  with a T-type connection. There must be at least one screw-type connection. 
     In general, the screw-type connection is formed by providing a hole in a first part and a hole in a second part, aligning those two holes, and inserting a screw or other fastener into the two holes for removably attaching the two parts. 
     For example, in a preferred embodiment, a post  51  projects from the body cylinder  11  and has a hole  52  formed therein. The flexible handle  50  includes two matching end projections  53  with a hole  54  passing through each. The two end projections  53  fit around the post  51  and the two holes  52 ,  54  register with one another while a screw  55  is threaded into the two holes  52 ,  54  to hold the flexible handle  50  and the body cylinder  11  together. This arrangement allows a small amount of relative rotation between the body portion  11  and the flexible handle  50  about an axis coaxial with the screw  55 . Other screw-type connections known in the art are also acceptable. 
     In general, the T-type connection is formed by providing a “T”-shaped projection on one part. On the other part are formed a slot and an opening to the slot. The “T”-shaped projection is partially inserted into the opening and into the slot and then the handle is turned 90°. Once the handle is turned 90°, the “T”-shaped projection can no longer pass through the opening so that it is partially locked inside the slot. 
     For example, in the preferred embodiment a “T”-shaped projection  56  projects from the base  12 . A slot  57  is formed in the flexible handle  50 . An opening  58  is formed adjacent the slot  57 . To assemble the T-type connection, the “T”-shaped projection  56  is aligned with and inserted into the opening  58  formed in the handle  50 . When the “T”-shaped projection  56  has passed through the opening  58  and into the slot  57 , the flexible handle  50  is turned 90° relative to the “T”-shaped projection  56 . When the flexible handle  50  is turned 90°, the “T”-shaped projection  56  is locked inside of the slot  57  because it is no longer properly aligned to pass through opening  58 . This arrangement allows a small amount of relative sliding motion between the flexible handle  50  and the base  12 . Other T-type connections known in the art are also acceptable. 
     Attaching means advantageously permit the flexible handle  50  to be detached so the base  12  can be removed and the liner  20  can be replaced, if necessary. The attaching means attach the flexible handle  50  to the body  10  using only one separate and removable fastener—screw  55 . This is advantageous as a reduction in the number of separate parts and assembly time. Also, because the flexible handle  50  may rotate slightly relative to the body cylinder  11  at the screw-type connection and may slide slightly relative to the base  12  at the T-type connection, the flexible handle  50  extends away from the container to facilitate carrying as in FIG. 2, and can fold flush with the container for storage. Having the T-type connection formed on the base  12  can be an advantage since the base  12 , in the preferred embodiment, is constructed of ABS plastic. The T-type connection, when constructed with ABS plastic, will be tough and resistant to cracking. 
     The “T”-shaped projection  56  formed on the base  12  and the post  51  formed on the body cylinder  11  must be in alignment after the base  12  is screwed onto the body cylinder  11 . A stop can be provided with complementary threads  13  formed between the base  12  and the body cylinder  11  to facilitate this alignment. Since the base  12  is not readily adjustable relative to the body cylinder  11  due to the need for this alignment, the base plug  30  is needed to be able to effectively adjust the force exerted on the liner  20  during assembly. The base plug  30  can be readily adjusted to exert the optimal amount of force to hold the liner  20  in place inside of the body  10 . In the preferred embodiment, the force is adjusted by screwing the base plug  30  into the base  12  with complementary threads  32 . Other adjustment means are also possible. 
     Two removable drinking cups  60  may be releasably stored on the container  100  as shown in FIG. 2, with a first cup  60  nesting on top of the container  100  proximate the first open end  10   a , and a second cup  60  nesting on top of the first cup  60 . In the preferred embodiment, the cups  60  are identical to simplify manufacturing. Yet they need not necessarily be entirely identical. For example, the cups  60  may have some differences, yet still include identical nesting features so that the nesting order of the cups  60  is not exclusive and the user need not determine which cup  60  is a bottom cup and which cup  60  is a top cup  60 . Since the cups  60  are identical in the preferred embodiment, the features of the cups  60  can be described with reference to a single cup  60 . 
     In FIGS. 7-13, the cup  60  has an interior locking flange  61  and an exterior locking groove  65  integrally formed thereon. It is the interaction between the interior locking flange  61  and the exterior locking groove  65  which permits nesting—releasably attaching one of the cups  60  on top of another. The interior locking flange  61  and the exterior locking groove  65  are positioned so that they will be in close proximity to one another when one of the cups  60  is placed on top of another of the cups  60 . In addition, the body  10  also includes the exterior locking groove  65  as shown in FIG. 3, so that one of the cups  60  may be nested on top of the container  100  for convenient carrying. 
     The interior locking flange  61  includes six separate regions: two separate stopping regions  62 , two separate retaining regions  63 , and two separate free regions  64 . The different regions are easily recognized in cross-section in FIG.  8 . Each of the stopping regions  62  includes a stopping surface  62   a  and a ramping surface  62   b . Each of the retaining regions  63  includes a radially-inward extending surface whose radius R 1  (FIG. 12) is smaller than the radius R 2  (FIG. 10) of the surfaces of the interior locking flange  61  in each of the free regions  64 . The radii herein are measured at right angles from the central axis A 1  of the cup  60  to the surfaces. In the preferred embodiment, the stopping regions  62  as well as the retaining regions  63  are symmetrically arranged on diametrically opposed sides of the interior locking flange  61 . The regions could also be asymmetrically arranged. The preferred embodiment also includes two of each region, however one or more than two of each region is also acceptable. 
     The exterior locking groove  65  includes two separate stopping regions  67 . The two stopping regions  67  are easily recognized in cross-section in FIG.  9 . Each of the stopping regions  67  includes a stopping surface  67   a  and a ramping surface  67   b . Located above the exterior locking groove  65 , in a direction following the narrowing of the cup  60 , is a top lip  66 . The largest radius R 3  (FIG. 12) of the top lip  66  above the stopping region  67  is larger than the largest radius R 4  (FIG. 10) of the top lip  66  above the other regions of the exterior locking groove  65 . In the preferred embodiment, the stopping regions  67  are symmetrically arranged on diametrically opposed sections of the exterior locking groove  65 . The regions could also be asymmetrically arranged. The preferred embodiment also includes the two stopping regions  67 , however, one or more than two is also acceptable. 
     The relationship of the radii are as follows: R 1 &lt;R 2 &lt;R 4 &lt;R 3 . Thus, it is necessary for the interior locking flange  61  to flex in order for it to slide over and engage the exterior locking groove  65  since the smallest radius R 4  of the top lip  66  is smaller than the smallest radius R 1  of the retaining region  63 . This flexion is possible since the cups  60  are constructed of plastic and are relatively thin-walled. Normally, the user will apply a generally downward force against a top cup  60  to flex the interior locking flange  61  into engagement with a bottom cup  60 . Once engaged, an opposite force will cause the cups  60  to disengage. 
     As shown in FIG. 14, once the interior locking flange  61  is engaged with the exterior locking groove  65 , if the two cups  60  are rotated relative to one another in a first direction, the stopping surfaces  62   a  and  67   a  will abut and prevent any further relative rotation in the first direction. As shown in FIG. 15, if the cups  60  are rotated relative to one another in a second direction opposite the first direction, the ramping surfaces  62   b  and  67   b  will cam against one another causing the interior locking flange  61  to flex outward and disengage from the exterior locking groove  65 . This is a second method for disengaging the cups  60  which may be more convenient for some users who have difficulty applying force directly to the top cup to disengage the cups. 
     In the exterior locking groove  65  provided on the body  10 , the stopping surface  62   a  is placed so that when the stopping surface  62   a  abuts the stopping surface  67   a  on the cup  60 , the cup  60  will be aligned with the handle  50 . 
     When the stopping surfaces  62   a  and  67   a  abut, as in FIG. 14, the retaining region  63  is located directly below the stopping region  67 . Because the radius R 3  of the top lip  65  is larger in the stopping region  67  and the radius R 1  of the retaining region  63  is smaller in this region, applying force to disengage the cups  60  is even more difficult than it would ordinarily be. Thus, the position shown in FIG. 14 can be used as a locking position such as for storage or transport of the container with the nested cups  60 . In practice, a user will normally align the retaining regions  63  of the interior locking flange  61  of the top cup  60  away from the locking regions  67  of the exterior locking groove  65  of the bottom cup  60  for engaging one cup  60  on top of another. In this position the least amount of force is necessary to flex the top cup  60  onto the bottom cup  60 . The cups  60  can be aligned to this configuration for flexing the top cup  60  off of the bottom cup  60  as well. 
     It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the apparatuses of the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.