Abstract:
The present invention discloses a toddler&#39;s drinking cup design to teach toddler&#39;s and children how to drink properly without a sucking motion. The three piece self-righting toddler&#39;s drinking cup comprising a lid with threads, a concave surface having a ledge encircling the outside of the lid comprising a slit adapted for drinking and an air venting hole(s); a cup with matching threads, a weighted rubber round bottom and two diametrically opposed handles; and an o-ring seal adapted for sealing the lid to the cylinder.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a tumbler for use in connection with teaching a child to drink properly from a cup. Furthermore the present invention relates to a tumbler designed to be self-righting and minimize spilling of liquid 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Toddler&#39;s Tumbler is desirable to teach a child how to drink properly from a cup. 
     The use of cups designed to prevent spilling are known in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,303,170 to Panicii discloses a self-righting training cup. However, the Panicci &#39;170 patent does not contain an o-ring placed between the cover and the cup to aid in the sealing of these two parts so that liquid will not leak from where the two surfaces of the cover and the cup meet, and has further drawbacks of having a spout for drinking, which encourages children to develop improper drinking techniques. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,096,966 to Korshak discloses a self-righting cup with a weighted bottom. However, the Korshak &#39;966 patent also does not have an o-ring for sealing the cover to the cup and accordingly suffers from the same setback as discussed for the Panicci &#39;170 patent. Additionally the patent does not have a threaded cover and the receiving threads on the tumbler to aid in the sealing of the cover to the tumbler. Furthermore the bottom of the Korshak &#39;966 patent is flat and is thus different from the rounded rubber bottom found on the current toddler&#39;s tumbler. 
     Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. Des. 2,601,767 to Wall discloses a self righting cup that has a round bottom. However, the Wall &#39;196 patent does not have an o-ring to aid in sealing the cover to the cup, and also does not contain a cover with threads which can be threaded onto the matched threaded cup to further aid in sealing the top to the cup for prevention of liquid leakage. 
     Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. Des. 322,196 to Ohnuki discloses an infant&#39;s drinking cup. However, the Ohnuki &#39;196 patent does not have a weighted bottom, and has the additional deficiency of not having an o-ring to aid in the sealing of the cover to the cup or a threaded cover and cup to provide additional aid in the sealing of the liquid in the inside of the cup. 
     While the above-described devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe a toddler&#39;s tumbler that allows for training a child to drink without sucking from a spout like opening which could result in developing improper drinking techniques. The above patents make no provision for a toddler&#39;s tumbler possessing the previously mentioned attributes. 
     Therefore, a need exists for a new and improved toddler&#39;s tumbler that can be used for teaching toddler&#39;s how to drink properly and to minimize liquid from spilling by the use of an o-ring sealed placed between a threaded lid and matching threaded cup combined with a weighted self righting bottom. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need. In this respect, the toddler&#39;s tumbler according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of teaching toddlers how to drink from a cup in a proper manner and with the added features of an o-ring, threaded sealing cover and threaded sealing lid along with a weighted self righting bottom. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of toddler&#39;s or child&#39;s drinking cup now present in the prior art, the present invention provides an improved toddler&#39;s tumbler, and overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages and drawbacks of the prior art. As such, the general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new and improved toddler&#39;s tumbler which has all the advantages of the prior art mentioned heretofore and many novel features. This results in a toddler&#39;s tumbler that is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by the prior art, either alone or in any combination thereof. To attain this, the present invention essentially comprises a three piece self-righting toddler&#39;s drinking cup comprising a cover with a concave surface having a ledge encircling the outside of the cover comprising a slit adapted for drinking and an air venting hole; a cylinder, two diametrically opposed oval handles extending from the cylinder, and a base section connected to said cylinder comprising a round bottom interior, a round bottom exterior and a weight located between said bottom exterior and said bottom interior; an o-ring seal adapted for sealing the cover and cylinder together in a leak free configuration. 
     There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. 
     The invention may also include a design or picture that is pleasing to the consumer such as but not limited to the design as shown in FIG.  2 . There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims attached. 
     Numerous objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description of presently preferred, but nonetheless illustrative, embodiments of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In this respect, before explaining the current embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. In addition, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of descriptions and should not be regarded as limiting. 
     As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
     It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved toddler&#39;s tumbler that has all of the advantages of the prior art as mentioned above and none of the disadvantages. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved toddler&#39;s tumbler that may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed. 
     An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved toddler&#39;s tumbler that has a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such toddler&#39;s tumbler economically available to the buying public. 
     Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new toddler&#39;s tumbler that provides in the apparatuses and methods of the prior art some of the advantages thereof, while simultaneously overcoming some of the disadvantages normally associated therewith. 
     Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a toddler&#39;s tumbler for the purpose of teaching toddlers how to drink from a cup in a proper manner and with the added features of an o-ring, threaded sealing cover and threaded sealing lid along with a weighted self righting bottom all design to prevent the spilling of liquid during use. 
     These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty that characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there is illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of a preferred embodiment of the tumbler constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is an expanded view of the tumbler of the present invention. 
     FIG. 3 is a cutaway side view of the tumbler of the present invention clearly showing the concave cover, the rubber o-ring seal, the uniformly thick sidewalls of the cylinder; the rubber bottom, and the weighted bottom section. 
     FIG. 4 is a cutaway side view of the tumbler of the present invention clearly showing the liquid exiting the sipping hole and air entering the air vent, and no leaking occurring with the seal. 
    
    
     The same reference numerals refer to the same parts throughout the various figures. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to FIGS. 1-4, a preferred embodiment of the tumbler of the present invention is shown and generally designated by the reference numeral  10 . 
     In FIG. 1, a new and improved tumbler  10  of the present invention for teaching a toddler to drink properly and prevent spilling of liquid is illustrated and will be described. More particularly, the toddler&#39;s tumbler  10  has a cover  12 . The cover  12 , consist of a sipping slot  14  and an air vent  16  located on the outer rim  20 . The rim  20  of the cover can be from 0.01 to 1 inches thick and encircles the outside of the cover as shown in FIG.  1 . The cover  12  has a concave interior surface  18 , which helps to prevent the spilling of liquid by collecting liquid. Preferably the cup  10  has the sipping slot  14  diametrically opposed to air vent hole  16 . Sipping slot  14  can have a width of 0.1 to 1 inches, and preferably the size is determine so as to allow for small quantities of liquid to exit the tumbler for a child to drink. Air vent hole,  16 , is sized to allow the air pressure to equalize between the inside of the cup and the outside. 
     The tumbler also includes a cylinder shaped body  22 , on which a logo may be placed, an example is the design showing three T&#39;s shown in FIG. 1 . Two handles  24 , are positioned on the cup  22 , diametrically opposed to each other. The handles are oval in shape and can be made with varying thickness as deemed appropriate for ergonomic purposes. The toddler&#39;s tumbler includes an o-ring,  32  situated between the cover  12  and the cup  22  to aid in sealing the cover  12  to the cup  22  as shown in FIG.  1 . Additionally the tumbler consists of a rubber bowl shaped bottom  26 . In certain embodiments the toddler&#39;s tumbler can include a plurality of air vents. For example, the cover  12  may have one rectangular sipping hole  14  and three small circular air vents  16  located on the opposite side of the cover  12  as shown in FIG.  1 . 
     In FIG. 2, further embodiments of a new and improved tumbler  10 , is illustrated and is further described. A frontal view of the toddler&#39;s tumbler with the different components separated for clarity is shown. The toddler&#39;s tumbler includes a cover  12  with threads  30  encircling the outside of the bottom of the cover  12 , a rubber o-ring  32 , which when aligned properly, as represent by the dotted lines, with the cup  22  allow the cover  12  to be threaded on to the matching threads of cup  22  to form a seal against liquid leaks when used for drinking. FIG. 2 shows a frontal view of the toddler&#39;s tumbler with the different components separated for clarity. Also included with the toddler&#39;s tumbler is an o-ring  32 , which further aids in providing a seal between cover  12 , and cylinder  22  when the cover  22  is threaded onto cylinder  22  as shown in FIG.  2 . Additionally FIG. 2 shows oval handles  24  attached to cup  22  and arranged so that they are on opposite sides of the cup  22 . In the middle of cup  22  is a logo consisting of Three T&#39;s and graphic design, any logo could be used in place of this preferred embodiment. Furthermore, FIG. 2 contains a frontal view of the rounded rubber bottom  26 , which is attached to the bottom section of cup  22 . 
     In FIG. 3, a further embodiment of a new and improved tumbler  10 , is illustrated in a cutaway view wherein cover  12  with threads  30  is shown connected to receiving threads  34  with the rubber o-ring  32 . The o-ring may be located in an o-ring channel between the cover  12  and cup  22 . The threads  30 , receiving threads  34  and o-ring  32  are provided to ensure a no leak seal between the cover  12  and the cup  22 . Additionally the walls of cup  22  are shown to be of the same uniform width as the walls of the rubber bottom  26  to which it is connected. The toddler&#39;s tumbler  10  has an outer wall  23  and in inner wall  25  which is part of the cavity  28  in which the liquid is contained. 
     A further aspect of the invention shown in FIG. 3 is weight  38  shown located at the center of rubber bottom  26 . The weight  38  helps in keeping the cup in an upright position to prevent the spilling of the liquid contained within the tumbler by providing a center of gravity that restores the toddler&#39;s tumbler  10  to an upright or substantially upright position after it is tipped over. The weight  38  can be made from a metal material or any other material weighing 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, or more ounces or any intermediate weight. The weight  38  may be shaped into any shape that will fit into the space between the outside and inside walls of the tumbler&#39;s bottoms. The weight  38  shown in FIG. 3 is uniform in width. In a further embodiment the weight can be a flat oval shape, a flat circular shape, a flat square shape, or a flat rectangular shape. 
     In FIG. 4, further embodiments of a new and improved tumbler  10 , is illustrated in a cut away side view wherein liquid  40  is shown to be draining from sipping hole  14  while air  42  is entering air vent  16 . The figure also illustrates that there is no leak or spill, occurring between cover  12 , o-ring  32  and cylinder  22  when the toddler&#39;s tumbler  10  properly sealed together. 
     While a preferred embodiment of the toddler&#39;s tumbler has been described in detail, it should be apparent that modifications and variations thereto are possible, all of which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention. For example, any plastic or moldable material may be used for the toddler&#39;s tumbler. It may be formed with patterns and/or bright colors to be pleasing to the toddler&#39;s or parent&#39;s eye. The material may be colored throughout or a color may be painted on the surface. In addition, although a child&#39;s cup has been described, it should be appreciated that the toddler&#39;s tumbler herein described is also suitable for adult use when spilling may be a problem. 
     As used herein, the terms “approximately” and “about” means within 25% of the stated value, or more preferentially within 15% of the value. As used herein in the claim(s), when used in conjunction with the word “comprising”, the words “a” or “an” may mean one or more than one. As used herein “another” may mean at least a second or more. 
     Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.