Patent Publication Number: US-2018050849-A1

Title: Travel Cup

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This application is directed to a cup for use in holding a liquid while travelling. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Travel cups are well-known and take many forms. Commonly, such cups have a two-piece construction: a large lower receptacle for holding a liquid, and a lid for securing to the lower receptacle and preventing spillage while the user is moving. Such cups work generally fine, but do suffer from some common drawbacks. 
     For example, some known cups have tops which are difficult to attach to the receptacle, and often do not seal properly. Others do not seal completely. For example, they offer a restricted opening in the top of the lid to limit the possibility of spillage, but this makes it difficult to drink from and also may not completely avoid spillage while in motion. 
     Another drawback of some travel cups which do seal the lid more completely, is that the lid may be difficult or cumbersome to open, particularly while travelling, and/or be difficult to hold if containing a hot beverage. For example, the travel cups shown by U.S. Pat. No. 8,833,587 and United States Published Patent Application No. 2016/0107808, include a resealable lid which utilizes a resealable plug for closing the drinking opening. However, such plugs are notoriously difficult to open easily, as they require the use of two hands: one to grip the cup, and the other to grip the plug with just the finger tips. 
     For travel cups which may have better seals, the locking mechanism may be on the exterior of the cup, lending it to interference or inadvertent activation, or be particularly complicated so that it may be difficult to maintain. 
     There is therefore a need in the art for a simple, easy-to-clean and -operate travel cup which offers improved performance. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a new and improved travel cup which is easy-to-use, easy-to-clean and easy-to-operate. 
     In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, an improved travel cup in accordance with the invention comprises a receptacle for holding a liquid and a lid for selectively closing the receptacle. The lid includes a first piece for engaging the top of the receptacle, the first piece having an impermeable portion which blocks the passage of the liquid therethrough and a first opening for allowing the passage of the liquid therethrough; and a second piece having an impermeable portion which blocks the passage of the liquid therethrough and a second opening for allowing the passage of the liquid therethrough. At least one of the first piece and the second piece is movable with respect to the other, between an open position in which the first and second openings align to allow passage of the liquid therethrough and a closed position in which the first and second openings are not aligned, thereby blocking passage of the liquid. 
     In accordance with a further refinement of the invention, the first piece further includes a third opening for allowing the return passage therethrough of air when liquid passes through said first opening, the second piece further includes a fourth opening for allowing the return passage therethrough of air when liquid passes through said second opening; and the third and fourth openings are positioned to align when the first and second pieces are in the open position and are out of alignment when the first and second pieces are in the closed position. 
     In accordance with a still further refinement of the invention, the receptacle further includes a band removably attachable to the exterior thereof. In this refinement, the band extends downwardly from the open top thereof, to permit the gripping of the band by a user without the user directly contacting the exterior of the receptacle. 
     In accordance with a still further refinement of the invention, at least one of the first and second pieces includes a barrier which extends from a side of the at least one of said first and second pieces towards the other of the first and second pieces and contacts a side of the other of the first and second pieces which faces the side of the at least one of the first and second pieces from which it extends, and is configured so as to provide a seal against leakage of the liquid from the first opening to the second opening when the first and second openings are not aligned. 
     Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the presently preferred embodiments, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed solely for purposes of illustration and not as a definition of the limits of the invention, for which reference should be made to the appended claims. It should be further understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale and that, unless otherwise indicated, they are merely intended to conceptually illustrate the structures and procedures described herein. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In the drawings: 
         FIG. 1  shows an exploded perspective of a travel cup in accordance with the invention; 
         FIG. 2  shows a perspective of a first piece of a lid in accordance with the invention; 
         FIG. 3  shows a second perspective of the first piece of the lid shown in  FIG. 2 , from the opposite perspective as  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  shows a perspective of the lower surface of a second piece of a lid in accordance with the invention; 
         FIG. 5  shows an exploded perspective of the lower surfaces of the first piece shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , and the second piece shown in  FIG. 3 , showing how they align; 
         FIG. 6  shows a perspective of the first and second pieces of the lid shown in  FIGS. 2-5  in combination in their open position; and 
         FIG. 7  shows a perspective of the first and second pieces of the lid shown in  FIGS. 2-5  in combination in their closed position. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENTLY PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       FIG. 1  shows an inventive travel cup, generally at  10 . Travel cup  10  includes a two-piece receptacle  12 , and a two-piece lid  14 . Receptacle  12  includes a cup  16  and a band  18 . Cup  16  is preferably generally cylindrical in shape about an axis  20 , and is preferably made of tempered glass, with a flat bottom surface  22  and an electroplated copper base  24 . Bottom surface  22  closes the bottom of cylindrically shaped cup  16 , so that cup  16  may hold a liquid to be consumed by the user. Bottom surface  22  and the cylindrical sidewalls of cup  16  define an interior of cup  16 . Cup  16  further includes a lower portion  26 , a shoulder  28  and an upper reduced portion  30 . Shoulder  28  joins lower portion  26  and upper portion  30 . Cup  16  includes an opening  32  allowing access to the interior of cup  16 . 
     Band  18  is also generally cylindrically shaped in cross-section, about the same axis  20 . Band  18  is preferably made of platinum silicone, which is thermally insulating and which also has a slightly tacky feel to it, to provide for a good grip. Band  18  is further sized and configured to attach to upper portion  30  of cup  16  via a friction fit, but is preferably removable therefrom to allow for cleaning of both cup  16  and band  18 . Band  18  includes a lower end  34  which is configured to abut shoulder  28 , allowing ease of placement of band  18  about upper portion  30  of cup  16 . Band  18  further includes an upper lip  36  which defines an opening  38  for allowing access to the interior of cup  16  when band  18  is in place. 
     Lid  14  is made up of a first, lower, piece  40  (shown more clearly in  FIGS. 2 and 3 ) and a second, upper, piece  42  (shown in more detail in  FIG. 3 ). Both first and second pieces  40  and  42  have generally circular cross-sections, using the same axis  20  as the remaining components of travel cup  10 , and are preferably made of Polypropylene—BPA Free, #5 Recyclable. This material is dishwasher safe and easy to clean and care for, so that each of the components of travel cup  10  may be cleaned in a dishwasher with no adverse consequences. Lower piece  40  includes a lower end  44  which defines an opening  46  and is sized to fit snugly over upper lip  36  of band  18  by friction fit. 
     The construction of lower piece  40  may be best seen in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , which show opposing perspective views thereof. Lower piece  40  includes a side wall  48  having a generally circular cross-section, centered on axis  20  ( FIG. 1 ), and a top wall  50 . Top wall  50  is impermeable to the passage of liquid therethrough, except through any openings therein. With this in mind, lower piece  40  includes a (preferably) generally triangular drinking opening  52 , and an air opening  54  for the return passage of air therethrough when the user is drinking (as will be explained presently). Lower piece  40  further includes a locking opening  56  defined by a lip  58 . Side wall  48  preferably includes at least one recess  60 . As seen in  FIG. 3  (and best in  FIG. 5 ), lower end  44  is not of an even extent about the circumference of side wall  48 , and includes a tab  62 . Lower piece  40  further includes a barrier  64 , preferably made of a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE). Barrier  64  prevents the undesired side-flow of liquid when the user is drinking, and therefore preferably extends about both drinking opening  52 , and air opening  54 , as well as in other areas on top wall  50 . In a preferred embodiment, barrier  64  is located in a channel (not shown) in top wall  50  for ease of manufacture. Further structural details of the underside of lower piece  40  will be described below in relation to  FIG. 5 . 
     Returning briefly to  FIG. 1 , upper piece  42  includes a generally circular side wall  66 , centered on axis  20 , and a generally flat and impermeable top wall  68 . To allow for the passage of liquid and return air, top wall  68  includes a generally triangular drinking opening  70  and an air opening  72 . Drinking opening  70  in upper piece  42  and drinking opening  52  in lower piece  40  are sized to be complementary to permit the user to drink through the two drinking openings  52 ,  70  when they are aligned Likewise, air opening  72  in upper piece  42  is sized to align and complement air opening in  54  in lower piece  40 , and is positioned so that, when the two drinking openings  52 ,  70  are aligned, the two air opening  54 ,  72  are also aligned. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 4 , upper piece  42  further includes a downwardly projecting (appearing upwardly projecting in  FIG. 4 , since  FIG. 4  shows the underside of upper piece  42 ) locking post  74  which is configured to mate with locking opening  56  in lower piece  40 . To this end, locking post  74  includes a generally circular (centered on axis  20 — FIG. 1 ) post  76  projecting downwardly (again, upwardly in  FIG. 4 ) from the underside of upper piece  42  towards lower piece  40  ( FIG. 5 ), with an outwardly extending flange  78  at the distal end of post  76 . Post  76  is sized to be approximately as long as lip  58  is thick, and flange  78  is dimensioned to project through locking opening  56  when lower and upper pieces  40 ,  42  are being joined for locking, and then extend under lip  58  when the two pieces  40  and  42  are rotated with respect to one another, thereby locking them in place. This process will be described below. 
     Upper piece  42  further includes at least one rib  80  on the interior of side wall  66  of upper piece  42 , and a cutout  82  on the lower end thereof. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 5 , further structural detail of the underside of lower piece  40  is now visible. Specifically, lower end  44  thereof includes a notch  84  sized and positioned to receive rib  80  of upper piece  42  when the two pieces  40 ,  42  are conjoined. This may be seen by dashed lines  86 . It may also be seen that tab  62  includes a wall portion  88  terminating in a lip  90  at a distal end thereof. Tab  62  is sized and aligned with cutout  82  in upper portion  42  so that, when lower and upper pieces  40 ,  42  are aligned for joining them, lip  90  fits into a portion of cutout  82  (as seen in  FIG. 5 ). The alignment of locking post  74  and locking opening  56  is shown by dashed lines  94 . 
     To lock lower and upper pieces  40 ,  42  together, they must first be aligned as shown by dashed lines  86 ,  92  and  94 . The user then snaps lower and upper pieces  40 ,  42  together and rotates one of them with respect to the other. This is illustrated by the movement indicated by arrow  96 , which shows a clockwise (when viewed from the underside) rotation of upper piece  42  with respect to lower piece  40 . It will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art that the direction of movement is arbitrary, and is governed by the relative positioning of the components of lower and upper pieces  40  and  42 , and as such is a matter of design choice. 
     It will also be appreciated that this movement may be accomplished by moving either piece  40 ,  42  with respect to the other, or by moving both pieces. In practice, however, since upper piece  42  substantially covers lower piece  40  when in use, it is likely that the user will find it easier to impart rotational movement to the exterior piece, i.e., upper piece  42 . 
     To accomplish the movement, it will also be necessary for rib  80  to be disengaged from notch  84 , which may be accomplished by slightly bending upper piece  42  outwardly and then rotating upper piece  42  in the direction shown by arrow  96 . If the user rotates upper piece  42  to the position shown in  FIG. 6 , the open position, rib  80  will contact a first side  98  of tab  62 , and lip  90  which acts as a stop on the rotational movement of pieces  40 ,  42 . Alternatively, as a matter of design choice, first side  98  of tab  62  may contact a first side  100  of cutout  82 . Either way, the rotational movement of pieces  40  and  42  is limited to place lid  14  in its open position. In this position, drinking openings  52 ,  70  are aligned allowing the free passage of liquid therethrough, and air openings  54 ,  72  are likewise aligned, allowing the free return passage of air therethrough. In this position, locking opening  56  and locking post  74  are also secured together, keeping lower piece  40  and upper piece  42  locked together. In this condition, barrier  64  (shown partially in dotted line in  FIG. 6 ) acts to surround and seal off drinking openings  52 ,  70  and air openings  54 ,  72  to permit the user to drink comfortably while preventing undesired leakage of the liquid being consumed. 
     The user may also rotate upper piece  42  to a position intermediate the open position shown in  FIG. 6  and the releasing position shown in  FIG. 5  to a closed position ( FIG. 7 ) in which drinking openings  52  and  70  and air openings  54  and  72  are out of alignment, in which position no liquid may flow through lid  14  and barrier  64  will prevent leakage. In this position, for example if a second end  102  of tab  62  contacts a second side  104  of cutout  82 , there will be a stop which serves to prevent further rotational movement of pieces  40 ,  42  before pieces  40 ,  42  get to the releasing position ( FIG. 5 ). 
     The travel cup thus described is easy-to-clean, and easy-to-operate and allows a user full control over the access to the liquid in receptacle  12 . 
     In the preceding Detailed Description, reference was made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this disclosure, and in which are shown illustrative specific embodiments of the invention. In this regard, directional terminology, such as “top”, “bottom”, “left”, “right”, “front”, “back”, etc., is used with reference to the orientation of  FIGS. 1-3  while the remaining figures are viewed from their respective undersides and so the terminology would appear “upside down” with respect thereto. Because components of embodiments can be positioned in a number of different orientations, the directional terminology is used for purposes of ease of understanding and illustration only and is not to be considered limiting. 
     Additionally, while there have been shown and described and pointed out fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the devices illustrated, and in their operation, may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, it is expressly intended that all combinations of those elements and/or method steps which perform substantially the same function in substantially the same way to achieve the same results are within the scope of the invention. Moreover, it should be recognized that structures and/or elements and/or method steps shown and/or described in connection with any disclosed form or embodiment of the invention may be incorporated in any other disclosed or described or suggested form or embodiment as a general matter of design choice. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the claims appended hereto.