Patent Publication Number: US-6334271-B1

Title: Cup

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to a cup, particularly to one having an inner decorative ring revolved to produce interesting and intriguing effect. 
     Cups are common utensils in our daily life, widely used, having quite variety of them for consumers to choose. Manufactures have competed in offering improved cups to attract consumers. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The objective of the invention is to offer an interesting cup, which includes a cup body consisting of an outer cup and an inner cup, a revolving member and a decorative ring between the outer and the inner cup. The revolving member has plural magnets and the decorative ring is fixed at an outer edge of the revolving member. The inner cup and the outer cup are adhered together at upper ends. The outer cup and decorative ring are transparent, and the decorative ring and the inner cup are printed with patterns. Further, a base is provided to include a housing containing a drive circuit, a motor, and a rotating member and a bottom cap closing up the bottom. The housing has an upper surface for the cup body to rest on, and the drive circuit powers the motor to rotate the rotating member via a gear unit. The rotating member has plural magnets to attract the magnets of the revolving member. In using the cup body is placed on the base and then the drive circuit is automatically turned on to rotate the motor and subsequently the rotating member. Then the magnets of the rotating member attract those of the revolving member to force the revolving member and the decorative ring to rotate, letting the patterns of the decorative ring and the of the inner cup cross over to produce intriguing effect. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
     This invention will be better understood by referring to the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a first embodiment of a cup of the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is cross-sectional view of the first embodiment of the cup of the present invention. 
     FIG. 3 is a preferred drive circuit for the cup of the present invention. 
     FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a second embodiment of a cup of the present invention. 
     FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a third embodiment of a cup of the present invention. 
     FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the third embodiment of the cup of the present invention, showing a cup body is placed on the base. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     A first preferred embodiment of a cup in the present invention, as own in FIG. 1,  2  and  3 , includes a cup body  1  and a base  2  as main components. 
     The cup body  1  consists of an outer cup  11 , a revolving member  12 , a decorative ring  13 , and an inner cup  14 . The outer cup  11  contains the revolving member  12 , the decorative ring  13  and the inner cup  14 , having an annular groove  111  formed in a bottom for projecting-down members  121  of the revolving member  12  to fit and move along therein. The projecting-down members  121  respectively have plural magnets  122 , and the revolving member  12  has plural U-shaped insert means  123  for the decorative ring  13  to fit therein. 
     The inner cup  14  has a shaft extending down from the center of the bottom to insert in a center hole  124  of the revolving member  12 , and a large flange  142  on top to fit around an upper annular edge of the outer cup  11  and adhered firmly together. The outer cup  11  and the decorative ring  13  are transparent, and the decorative ring and the inner cup  14  are printed with patters. The outer cup  11  further has a connect section  112  provided with an inverted L-shaped aperture  113 . 
     The base  2  includes a housing  21 , a drive circuit  22 , a motor  23 , a gear unit  23 , a rotating member  25  and a bottom cap  26 . The housing  21  has a smaller diameter connect portion  211  formed in an upper portion for the connect section  112  of the outer cup  11  to fit around, and the connect portion  211  has an engage projection  212  to engage the aperture  113  and rotate therein for an angle to combine the cup body  1  with the base  2 . 
     The housing  21  contains the drive circuit  22 , the motor  23 , the gear unit  24  and the rotating member  25 , having its bottom covered by a bottom cap  26 . 
     The bottom cap  26  has a battery  261  supplying electric power to the drive circuit  22  to drive the motor  23 , which then rotates the gear unit  24  fixed on its shaft. Then the gear unit  24  engages a gear  251  of a shaft of the rotating member  25  to rotate the rotating member  25 , which has many magnets  252  at an outer edge. Then the magnets  252  moves near the annular groove  111  to attract the magnets  122  of the revolving member  12 . In addition, the drive circuit  22  has a vibration switch  221  connected in series with a power input terminal, so the drive circuit will be turned on when the vibration switch  221  gets vibration. 
     In using, the cup body  1  is placed on the base  2 , and is vibrated to let the vibrate switch also vibrate to turn on the drive circuit  22 , which then powers the motor  23  to rotate the gear unit  24 , which then rotates the rotating member  25 , letting the revolving member  12  revolve by means of mutual attractions of the magnets  122 ,  252 , with the decorative ring  13  also revolving together. Therefore, the patterns of the decorative ring  13  and of the inner cup  14  mutually cross over to produce interesting views to onlookers. 
     Next, FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment of a cup, which has a housing  21  for the base  2 , and a plurality of light producers  222  (such as LED, light emitting diodes) are fixed on an upper surface of the housing  21  and connected to the output terminal of the drive circuit  22  connected to a musical IC  223  so that the IC  223  may sound out music whenever the vibration switch  221  is vibrated to light up the light producers  222 . 
     Further, FIGS. 5 and 6 show a third embodiment of a cup, which has the magnets  122  fixed on an outer edge, and the housing  21  has a center recess  213  for the bottom of the cup. body  1  to sit stabilized thereon. The magnets  252  of the rotating member  25  are positioned near the wall defining the center recess  213 , and the gear  251  of the rotating member  25  directly engages the shaft of the motor  23  or engages the gear unit  24  in FIG. 2 engaging the shaft of the motor  23 . In addition, a press means of a press switch  224  is fixed to protrude up the bottom of the center recess  213 , and the press switch  224  is electrically connected to the drive circuit  22 . Then when the cup body  1  is placed on the center recess  213  of the base  2 , the cup body may press the press switch  224  to turn on the drive circuit  22  to power the motor  23  rotate the rotating member  25 , and subsequently the revolving member  12  also revolves by mutual attraction of the magnets  122 ,  252 . Then the decorative ring  13  also rotates to cross over the pattern of the inner cup body to produce intriguing effect. 
     The invention has the following advantages, as can be understood from the aforesaid description. 
     1. The patterns of the decorative ring and of the inner cup body produce mutual cross over to cause intriguing effect, when the cup body is placed on the base, automatically turning on the drive circuit to drive the motor and the rotating member, which provokes mutual attraction of the magnets to make the revolving member and the decorative ring rotate. 
     2. The cup body can be easily taken off the base so as to wash. so the circuit contained in the base cannot be wetted by water in washing the cup body. 
     3. It can save electricity by the cup body pressing the press switch or vibrated to move the vibrate switch to cause the decorative ring rotate. 
     4. The music IC connected to the drive circuit produces music whenever the motor is powered. 
     5. The light producers on the housing of the base give out light whenever the motor is powered.