Patent Publication Number: US-2009230082-A1

Title: Cup adhesion device for fluid containment bottle

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This application relates to the field of fluid containment, and in more particular to the design of a binding device that can be temporarily adhered with a non-screwing motion to the bottom end of a storage bottle of potable fluids, such as water. The preferred embodiment of the instant invention is a single part design for an inexpensive plastic cup with compressible interior tabs, having the ability to slip around the bottom of a storage bottle and be held tightly by compressive forces as the tabs are flexed. This allows for the later removal of the cup to allow it to be used as a fluid containment medium for some of the contents of the bottle. This also allows for a hygienic transfer of fluid to an individual or small animal without the recipient drinking directly from the bottle, and either the convenient storage of the cup back around the bottom of the bottle for later additional use, or the disposal of the used cup if no longer required. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART 
     The addition of a drinking cup to a fluid-storage device has traditionally been done by having a cup, with a grooved interior lip, screw around a matching exterior grove ringing the top of the storage device, such as is seen with the well known thermos bottle. Rather than drinking directly from the thermos bottle, the prior art drinker can pour a portion into the detached threaded-lip cup, drink, and re-screw the cup back onto the main device for later re-use. 
     Unless the cup is sanitized between usages, the traditional thermos does not offer a hygienic way to allow a plurality of drinkers to safely imbibe from the stored fluids within the bottle. Secondly, there is a high relative expense in the preparation of a grooved cup with precise attachment capabilities to a complementary grooved top for the storage device. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The preferred embodiment of the instant invention is an inexpensively manufactured cup having compressible or bendable soft tabs inside the interior of the circular lip, which allows the entire cup to slide upwards over the bottom of a smaller-diameter bottle, or over another identical instant cup previously secured around the bottom of the same bottle. In this manner one, or several, cups of the instant design may be stored for later use around the bottom of a fluid-containing bottle. 
     The use of described prior art fluid-containment bottles, such as thermos bottles, is hindered by the use of an expensive threaded-lip cup and matching storage bottle. These prior art cup is too expensive to discard, and if shared, despite immediate washing, carries the possibility of introducing germs or microbes from one drinker to another. By design and intent, the instant invention can be disposed of after use by one individual. Another benefit of the instant invention is that a plurality of them allows a plurality of drinkers to safely nourish from the same contained source. Another benefit of the instant invention is that it allow the tabbed cup to be attached securely to a variety of pre-formed bottles of a smaller diameter, such as are found in supermarkets to contain distilled water or other prepared fluids such as fruit juices. 
     It is therefore accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a hygienic cup for a prior art fluid-containing bottle whereby the manufacturing process is so simplified the cup is economically disposable after use. 
     It is also accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a hygienic cup whereby non-threaded attachment means are provided, such that a plurality of different storage bottles, of varying diameters, are suitable for use with the cup. 
     It is also accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a means by which a plurality of said hygienic cups may be stored with the storage bottle. 
     It is also accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a hygienic cup whereby access to the capped spigot-end of a compatible storage bottle is always accessible without removal of the cup. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the instant invention before the attachment tabs are bent inside the cup, as would exit a plastic molding machine as the primary step of manufacture. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the instant invention after the attachment tabs are folded inside the cup by thermal repositioning. 
         FIG. 3  is a cut-a-way side view of the embodiment of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 4  is a top view of the embodiment of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 5  is a bottom view of the embodiment of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 6  is side view of the embodiment of  FIG. 3  inserted over the bottom of a typical prior art fluid-storage bottle. 
         FIG. 7  is an alternate embodiment of the invention using a bottomless clip design for the hygienic cup. This is a two part system, in that a prior art disposable cup (not shown in this drawing) can be attached at the lip to the bottomless clip design. 
         FIG. 8  is a side view of the alternate embodiment of  FIG. 7 . 
         FIG. 9  is a side view of the alternate embodiment of  FIG. 7  secured to a capped bottle, with a cut-a-way view of a prior art paper cup fastened to the flexible clip. 
         FIG. 10  is a side view of the alternate embodiment of  FIG. 7  further enhanced with flexible stability bristles to allow larger sized cups to be pressed firmly in place. 
         FIG. 11  is a side view of the alternate embodiment of  FIG. 10 , which depicts one of the stability bristles in profile. 
         FIG. 12  a side view of another alternate bottomless embodiment of the invention in which the clasping mechanism to attach to a bottle is a plurality of interior bristles capable of bending to fit the diameter of the bottle. The fixed diameter of the embodiment is depicted with two clips juxtaposed at 180 degrees from each other. Each clip can tightly secure the lip of a prior art disposable cup. 
         FIG. 13  shows a side view of the embodiment of  FIG. 12 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     As seen in  FIG. 1 , the hygienic cup  1  has circular lip  2 . It can be manufactured inexpensively in a two-faced mold by having one or a plurality of arm-like flanges  3  and  4  extending outwards from said lip  2 . This design allows the two mold faces to be pulled apart smoothly. Although shown somewhat vertical to the two-dimensional plane established by lip  2 , a more feasible arrangement would be to have the plurality of flanges initially contained by that same two-dimensional plane. Within the flanges curved sections  5  and  6  are formed as depicted. The side  7  of cup  1  is sloped at a small angle such that cup bottom  8  is a slightly smaller diameter than circular lip  2 , which allows a plurality of cups to be stacked inside each other for storage. The material to form cup  1  in the preferred embodiment is a flexible thermoplastic, which in  FIG. 1  is shown somewhat transparent. Thus, the far side of cup bottom  8  is shown with dashed line  9  for proper visualization in this line drawing. 
     As seen in  FIG. 2 , flanged arms  3  and  4  have been folded down into the interior of cup  1  after (not shown) the point of attachments to lip  2  were heat-stressed. The permanent bending causes curved sections  5  and  6  to be oriented such that a smaller diameter bottle dropped down into cup  1  will cause both curved sections to flex inwards and thus cling to the bottle. There is sufficient clearance for the tips of the tabs to not reach cup bottom  8  when completely deformed against cup side  7 . 
       FIGS. 3 ,  4 , and  5  show a side, top, and bottom perspective view of the post-folded embodiment of  FIG. 2 . In the bottom view, the thermoplastic is shown opaque to better induce a proper visualization, as the folded flanges are no longer visible. 
       FIG. 6  is a side cut-a-way perspective showing proper engagement of curved sections  5  and  6  when bottle  10  is inserted inside of cup  1 . Bottle cap  11  may be removed without also removing cup  1  from its storage location as shown. 
     In the preferred embodiment, the approximate diameter of lip  2  is about 2.7 to 3.0 inches, with the height of side  7  about 2.0 to 2.5 inches. The curved segments protrude about 0.3 to 0.5 inches each into the interior of cup  1 , which allows bottles of about a 2.2 to 2.9 inch range of diameters to be secured by compression adhesion. The desired cup material is a soft-when-cool thermoplastic approved for safe use as a fluid-containment medium. The hygienic cup may be varied in manufacturing processes from the sizes listed to capture different size bottles, as well as the composition of matter from which it is formed. The curvature of the cup can be made with irregular diameters to accommodate irregular bottles, such as square shaped ones, or can be varied as to shape for cosmetic purposes. The shape of the cup is not important, as the novelty of the invention lies with securing a fluid containment device to a separate bottle, such that the device can first be adhered with a non-screwing motion, and second that can later be detached with a non-screwing motion. The purpose of the fluid containment device is to serve as a cup or to provide a cup to receive some of the fluid contents from the bottle for a drinker. 
     Although the preferred embodiment is shown with flexible curved plastic tabs  5  and  6 , other adhesion designs well known to this art are possible to enable the same novelty as described above, which could include altering the number and configuration of tabs, or securely placing a non-poisonous foam plastic insert within the confines of the cup in lieu of the tabs. The tabs could be replaced with a plurality of compressible dimple-type invaginations protruding into the interior cavity. A heated rod tip gently pressed against a thermoplastic cup creates the invaginations. Other alternate embodiments can utilize a two part bottomless clip design in which the clasping mechanism to the bottle is not physically integral to the sides and bottom of the drinking cup. Two variations are depicted to illustrate the two part concept. One uses a circular clasp with an incomplete ring, and the other uses a completed circle. Both of these two part embodiments have clips to attach prior art cups to the bottomless design. 
       FIG. 7  shows an incomplete clasping ring  12  with a separation  13 , which allows the ring sides to bend to a larger diameter to fit around the various fixed diameters of fluid containing bottles. Flexible clip  14  is attached at the farthest point away from separation  13 . Clip  14  is of a clasping design known as a horseshoe clip. 
       FIG. 8  provides a side view of clasping ring  12  to see clip  14  in profile. 
       FIG. 9  shows a side view of the embodiment of  FIG. 8  with a cut-a-way view of a prior art cup  15  with its side lip held by clip  14 . Bottle  10  is inside ring  12 . 
       FIG. 10  shows a top view of the incomplete ring  12  with two stability bristles  16  and  17 . These bristles are designed to flex against the inner confines of larger cups, securing these cups from wobbling. These bristles expand the utility of the invention by allowing a plurality of cups with various diameters to be individually secured. 
       FIG. 11  is a side view of bristle  17  and the embodiment of  FIG. 10 . 
       FIG. 12  is a top view of an embodiment different from the previous incomplete ring design in that the ring is complete, and must therefore be larger in diameter than the bottle it is secured around. Non-clasping ring  18  has a second clip  19  placed 180 degrees away from clip  14 , and the inner ring diameter has a plurality of flexible bristles, one of which is shown as bristle  20 . A dozen bristles are depicted. 
       FIG. 13  is a side view of the embodiment of  FIG. 12  showing clips  14  and  19  in profile. This design requires using a prior art cup of a particular diameter to fit the inner diameter of the two clips. However, the circular clasp can be slide fitted over a variety of lesser bottle diameters and held by the return force of the inner ring of bristles, of which there may be many more than the dozen depicted. There are other clipping designs that can be used other than the horseshoe clip depicted. The circumference of the bristles can be other than circular, such as ovoid or rectangular. The prior art cup  15  utilized by either bottomless clip design of  FIG. 7  or  12  may be formed of many materials, including paper, coated paper, or hydrocarbon plastic. 
     This invention should not be confined to the embodiments described, as many modifications are possible to one skilled in the art. This paper is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention following the general principles as described and including such departures that come within common practice for this art and fall within the bounds of the claims appended herein.