Patent Abstract:
A measuring vessel has cavity-defining wall structures and at least one ramp which rises from about the bottom of the wall structure toward the top of the wall structure. The at least one ramp has an upwardly directed surface with a lateral inner edge integral with portions of the wall structure below the ramp and a lateral outer edge integral with portions of the wall structure below the ramp. Indicia on the upwardly directed surface of the at least one ramp allows a user to look downwardly into the measuring vessel to visually detect the volume level of the contents in the vessel, thereby eliminating the need to look horizontally at the vessel at eye level. Preferably the vessel has two ramps, with at least one bearing indicia of standard English units, and another bearing indicia of metric units. In one embodiment a handle, covered with a cushioning grip sheath, is cantilevered from the top of the wall structure and has a distal end at the level of the bottom of the wall structure for cooperation therewith to support the vessel on an underlying support surface.

Full Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]    This is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/313,686, filed May 18, 1999, entitled “Measuring Cup.” 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND  
         [0002]    This invention relates to vessels for containing measurable contents. More specifically, this invention relates to a vessel having graduated indicia.  
           [0003]    Vessels such as cups, bowls, spoons and the like which have a measuring capability are known. Such devices can be made from a variety of materials, including plastic, metal and glass. One of the most common measuring vessels found on the market today is a transparent measuring cup made of Pyrex® which is resistant to sudden changes in temperature to which it may be subjected during use.  
           [0004]    The utility derived from a measuring vessel is related to the ease with which volumetric indicia on the measuring vessel&#39;s wall may be read by a user. Of course, any suitable units of measurement may be used to indicate the level to which contents have risen within a measuring vessel.  
           [0005]    Traditional measuring vessels have indicia marked upon the measuring vessel wall in a manner which sometimes makes the indicia difficult to read, depending upon how precise a measurement is needed, the materials from which the measuring vessel is manufactured and the physical condition of the user, for example. In the case of a measuring cup which is made from transparent or translucent material, e.g., Pyrex®, the most precise way to measure the contents contained therein is to place the measuring cup upon a level surface, pour the contents to be measured into the measuring cup and then stoop down to the vertical level of the measuring cup to attempt to visually detect the bottom of a liquid meniscus or a level surface of solid contents. An alternative method of reading the level to which contents in a transparent or translucent measuring cup have risen is to lift the measuring cup to eye level and attempt to hold the measuring cup steady while visually detecting the volume. In either use, the observer is looking in a generally horizontal direction to detect the volume.  
           [0006]    Prior art measuring cups that are opaque are more difficult to read than transparent or translucent measuring cups. In order to read the volume of contents held within an opaque measuring cup, a user must peer over the upper margin of the measuring cup to view, as closely as possible, the level to which contents have risen, either by stooping to the measuring cup&#39;s level or by lifting the measuring cup to eye level.  
           [0007]    While the above-described methods for determining the volume of contents in a measuring cup may seem simple enough for most users, these methods can prove to be difficult for others. Users with bad knees, a bad back, or arthritis, for example, may not only have substantial difficulty in stooping over to accurately read the volume of contents in a measuring cup placed on a level surface, but may also have just as much difficulty in lifting a measuring cup to eye level and holding the cup steady to read the volume of contents held therein. When precise measurement of the volume of contents within a measuring cup is critical to a task, the simple actions of bending over or lifting a measuring cup to eye level, which seem easy to some users, may become difficult and uncomfortable for others.  
           [0008]    Measuring the volume of cooking ingredients using prior art measuring cups can also be frustrating. As mentioned above, it can be difficult for a user to stoop over to read the level of contents when placed on a level surface or when lifted to eye level. An unsteady hand not only makes the volume of contents difficult to determine when a measuring cup is lifted to eye level, but a user may spill contents or even drop the measuring cup when attempting to do so.  
           [0009]    Measuring vessels are not limited in their utility to the kitchen, of course. They may also be used for measuring proper ratios of solutions, e.g., antifreeze, the precise measurement of which is critical to its application and simplicity of determining a precise volume is necessary. Other common household solutions can be dangerous, e.g., toxic or caustic, and when a measuring vessel is filled with these solutions, the possibility of spilling them within the proximity of a child or a pet greatly increases when a measuring vessel must be raised to eye level to determine the volume of its contents.  
           [0010]    It is an object of the present invention to simplify the way in which a person can accurately determine the volume of material held in a vessel.  
           [0011]    It is another object of the invention to improve a measuring vessel to make it more conducive to a simple and accurate volume determination.  
         SUMMARY  
         [0012]    The present invention achieves the above-stated objectives by including with a vessel at least one sloped ramp having an upwardly directed surface having indicia which are readily observable by an observer looking downwardly toward the open end of the vessel.  
           [0013]    The structure simplifies volume determination because there is no need for the observer to move relative to the vessel in order to look in a horizontal direction at the vessel indicia. Thus, the possibility of spilling is reduced. Also, since the ramp preferably rises continuously and gradually from the bottom of the vessel, a user who is filling the vessel from above can actually see the volume indicia on the upwardly directed surface of the ramp while the vessel is being filled, looking along the same line of sight generally used during filling. These advantages result from the ability to visually determine the volume of the contents of the vessel by simply looking into the open upper end, and the gradual slope of the ramp.  
           [0014]    According to a first preferred embodiment of the invention, a cup has wall structure including a bottom wall and an encircling vertical side wall, so that the cup is cylindrical in shape with an open upper end. Inside the cup, at least one ramp slopes continuously upward from the bottom wall toward the open upper end. The ramp includes an upwardly directed surface bearing printed volume indicia viewable through the open upper end to visually determine the volume of cup contents. Preferably the cup has two ramps formed integrally along the side wall, with one bearing standard English units of measurement and the other bearing metric units. The two ramps have oppositely located bottom ends and oppositely located top ends. The cup also has a handle and a spout, with the handle located adjacent one ramp and the spout located adjacent another.  
           [0015]    In a second embodiment, the side wall is sloped somewhat, rather than vertical. The cup includes two integral, oppositely located ramps with adjacently located bottom ends and adjacently located top ends. The top ends feed toward the spout, and again, one ramp bears indicia in standard English units and the other bears metric indicia.  
           [0016]    In another embodiment, the handle is cantilevered from the side wall and has a vertical grip portion terminating at a distal end in the plane of the bottom wall to provide additional self-support, and covered with an elastomeric grip sheath.  
           [0017]    With any embodiment, the cup can be formed of any suitable material and via any suitable process, although transparent and moldable material is preferred and manufactured using a molding process is also preferred.  
           [0018]    Certain ones of these and other features may be attained by providing a vessel comprising: a wall structure defining a cavity with an open upper end for receiving contents having a measurable volume, a continuous ramp extending upwardly from adjacent to a lower end of the wall structure, and indicia positioned on the ramp so as to be observable by a user looking downwardly toward the open upper end and providing a readily observable indication of the volume of the contents of the vessel. 
       
    
    
       [0019]    These and other features will be more readily understood in view of the following detailed description and the drawings.  
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0020]    [0020]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a measuring cup according to a first preferred embodiment of the invention;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the measuring cup of FIG. 1;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the measuring cup of FIG. 2 taken along lines  3 - 3 ;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the present inventive measuring cup;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the measuring cup of FIG. 4;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 6 is a side view of the measuring cup of FIG. 4 illustrating the nesting feature thereof;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 7 is a top plan view of another embodiment of measuring cup; and  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of the measuring cup of FIG. 7. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0028]    FIGS.  1 - 3  show a first preferred embodiment of the present inventive vessel in the form of a measuring cup  10 . Generally, the measuring cup  10  is integrally formed of a suitable material and has a handle  12  and a spout  14  integrally attached to a substantially vertical side wall  16 . The measuring cup  10  has a base or bottom wall  18  integrally attached around its perimeter to the bottom edge of the side wall  16 . The side wall  16  cooperates with the bottom wall  18  to form wall structure which defines a cavity which has an open upper end.  
         [0029]    The wall  16  has an inside surface  20  and an outside surface  22  from which ramps  24   a ,  24   b  are formed in relief. The measuring cup is of unitary, one-piece construction, molded from any suitable food grade plastic known in the art. However, it will be understood that the measuring cup  10  may be manufactured by any suitable process. It will also be understood that the measuring cup  10  may be made of any other suitable material known in the art, e.g., Pyrex® or metal.  
         [0030]    The ramps  24   a ,  24   b  are located on opposite sides of the cup  10  but are identical in construction. Therefore, only one such ramp is described. Each ramp has a ramp base, or bottom end  25 , and a ramp top or upper end  26 . The ramp base  25  is located proximate the bottom edge of the side wall  16 , and the ramp top  26  is located proximate the top edge of the side wall  16 . The ramps  24   a ,  24   b  have respective upper ramp surfaces  30   a ,  30   b , which are generally upwardly directed and have a substantially constant slope between the ramp base  25  and the ramp top  26 . In the first preferred embodiment, the ramps  24   a ,  24   b  are oppositely disposed on the inside surface  20  of the wall  16 . Also, in the first preferred embodiment, the ramps  24   a ,  24   b  traverse substantially the same distance from the bottom margin of the wall  16  to the top margin of the wall  16  along the inside surface  20 . It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the ramps  24   a ,  24   b  may have a greater or lesser slope, which in turn would result in shorter or longer distances, respectively, traveled from the bottom margin to the top margin of the wall  16 .  
         [0031]    The ramps  24   a ,  24   b  have a slope great enough so that the ramps  24   a ,  24   b  do not extend more than half the circumference of the wall  16 , as seen in FIG. 2. Also, the ramps  24   a ,  24   b  do not overlap each other. That is, the ramp  24   a  does not rise over the ramp  24   b  on the inside surface  20  of the wall  16 . In the first preferred embodiment of the measuring cup  10 , the side wall  16  is substantially normal to the base  18 , so that the cup  10  is generally cylindrical in shape. In the illustrated embodiment the side wall  16  is slightly oval in transverse cross section but it could be circular or have other shapes. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the wall  16  may angle away from the perimeter of the base  18  so that the measuring cup  10  may receive a second measuring cup (not shown) therein, i.e., allow plural measuring cups  10  to stack inside each other.  
         [0032]    Each of the ramps  24   a ,  24   b  is provided with volume indicia  27   a ,  27   a , on the upwardly directed surface  30   a ,  30   b , so a user may easily look down toward the measuring cup  10  from above and view the volume level of the contents  28  within the cup  10 . In the first preferred embodiment, the ramp  24   a  is provided with metric indicia  27   a  on ramp surface  30   a , and ramp  24   b  is provided with standard English indicia  27   a  on ramp surface  30   b . It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the indicia  27   a ,  27   a  may be spaced differently relative to each unit of measurement on respective ramps  24 ,  24   b , depending on the desired slope of the ramps  24   a ,  24   b.    
         [0033]    The side wall  16  has portions below the ramps  24   a ,  24   b  integral with the lateral inner edges of the ramp surfaces  30   a ,  30   b , and portions above the ramps integral with the lateral outer edges of the ramp surfaces  30   a ,  30   b.    
         [0034]    FIGS.  4 - 6  show a second preferred embodiment of an inventive measuring cup  100 . The measuring cup  100  has wall structure including a side wall  116  integral with a bottom wall or base  118  for cooperation therewith to define a cavity with an open upper end  132  having a width A larger than the width B of the bottom wall or base  118 . Thus, the side wall  116  slopes outwardly away from the base  118  as the side wall  116  rises from its bottom edge to its top edge so that at least a second measuring cup  100 ′ (FIG. 6) can be stacked within the measuring cup  100 . The cup  100  has a handle  112  projecting from the side wall  116  adjacent to its upper end, and a spout  114  projecting from the upper end of the side wall  116  opposite the handle  112 , the spout  114  having a lower entry end and an upper exit end at the open upper end  132 . The measuring cup  100  has a pair of oppositely located, but identically sloped ramps  124  which are substantially continuous around the side wall inside surface  120  from the ramp bottom  125  toward the ramp top  126 . That is, both ramps  124  rise symmetrically along the inside surface  120  of the side wall  116  from about the bottom edge of the side wall inside surface  120  generally opposite the spout  114  to near the top edge of the side wall  116  adjacent to the base of the spout  114 .  
         [0035]    Because the open upper end  132  has a greater width A than the width B of the base  118 , upper surfaces  130  of the ramps  124  bear indicia  127   a ,  127   a  which are not spaced in equal intervals. That is, a given rise in level  128  of the contents near the bottom edge of the side wall  116  requires a smaller volume than an equal rise in the level of the contents near the upper edge of the side wall  116 . As a result, the indicia  127   a ,  127   a  are spaced upon the ramps  124  closer together near the top edge of the side wall  116  than at the bottom edge for an equivalent volume of contents  128 . It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the progressive change in the diameter of the measuring cup  100  from the base  118  to the upper edge of the side wall  116  may also be accommodated by decreasing the slope of the ramps  124  from the lower edge of the side wall  116  to the upper edge of the side wall  116  while maintaining the spacing between indicia  127   a ,  127   a  along the ramps  124 .  
         [0036]    Also in this embodiment, the ramp tops  126  are continuous with an inner surface of the spout  114  to allow a user to more easily pour contents from the measuring cup  100  without spilling.  
         [0037]    The side wall  116  has a lower portion  116   a  below the ramps  124  which is offset inwardly by the width of the ramp upper surfaces  130  from an upper portion  116   b  of the side wall  116 . This offset allows other measuring cups  100 ′ to nest within the measuring cup  100  and each other when stacked. More specifically, the lower portion  116   a  of the side wall  116 , which is below the ramps  124 , is integral with the lateral inner edges of the ramps, while the upper portion  116   b , which is above the ramps, is integral with the lateral outer edges of the ramps.  
         [0038]    [0038]FIGS. 7 and 8 show another embodiment of an inventive measuring cup  200 . The measuring cup  200  has wall structure including a side wall  216  integral with a bottom wall or base  218  for cooperation therewith to define a cavity with an open upper end  232  having a width larger than the width of the bottom wall or base  218 . Thus, the side wall  216  slopes outwardly away from the base  218  as the side wall  216  rises from its bottom edge to its top edge. The cup  200  has a handle  212  projecting from the side wall  216  adjacent to its upper end, and a spout  214  projecting from the upper end of the side wall  216  opposite the handle  212 , the spout  214  having a lower entry end and an upper exit end at the open upper end  232 . The measuring cup  200  has a pair of oppositely located, but identically sloped ramps  224  which are substantially continuous around the side wall inside surface  220  from the ramp bottom  225  toward the ramp top  226 . That is, both ramps  224  rise symmetrically along the inside surface  220  of the side wall  216  from about the bottom edge of the side wall inside surface  220  generally opposite the spout  214  to near the top edge of the side wall  216  adjacent to the base of the spout  214 .  
         [0039]    Because the open upper end  232  has a greater width than the width of the base  218 , upper surfaces  230  of the ramps  224  bear indicia  227   a ,  227   a  which are not spaced in equal intervals for the same reasons indicated above for the cup  100 . It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the progressive change in the diameter of the measuring cup  200  from the base  218  to the upper edge of the side wall  216  may also be accommodated by decreasing the slope of the ramps  224  from the lower edge of the side wall  216  to the upper edge of the side wall  216  while maintaining the spacing between indicia  227   a ,  227   a  along the ramps  224 .  
         [0040]    The side wall  216  has a lower portion  216   a  below the ramps  224  which is offset inwardly by the width of the ramp upper surfaces  230  from an upper portion  216   b  of the side wall  216 . More specifically, the lower portion  216   a  of the side wall  216 , which is below the ramps  224 , is integral with the lateral inner edges  224   a  of the ramps, while the upper portion  216   b , which is above the ramps, is integral with the lateral outer edges  224   b  of the ramps.  
         [0041]    The periphery of the bottom wall  218  lies in a base plane P to provide a stable support on an underlying support surface. The handle  212  is generally L-shaped, having a short arm  213  projecting laterally outwardly from the side wall  216  and integral at the outer end thereof with an elongated depending grip portion  215  which extends substantially perpendicular to the base plane P and terminates at a generally flat distal end  217  which lies substantially in the base plane P. Thus, when the measuring cup  200  is resting on its base or bottom wall  218 , the end  217  provides an additional support point. Furthermore, the depending portion  215  of the handle  212  is covered with a grip sheath  219 , preferably formed of a suitable flexible and cushioning elastomeric material, such as that sold under the trade name SANTOPRENE. This affords a comfortable, non-slip, frictional grip surface to facilitate grasping of the handle  212 .  
         [0042]    While in the disclosed embodiments the ramps have fixed or constant slopes, it will be appreciated that the slopes could vary. Also, while each of the disclosed embodiments has two ramps, a single ramp could suffice. Preferably, the entire measuring cup is formed of a transparent material, but, if desired, the ramps could be translucent to enhance contrast with the vessel side walls.  
         [0043]    While the illustrated embodiments are cups, it will be appreciated that the principles of the invention are applicable to other vessels, such as bowls, ladles, spoons and the like and, indeed, to any vessel-defining structure, whether or not self-supporting and whether or not provided with a handle or a spout, and of any size or shape.  
         [0044]    The matter set forth in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings is offered by way of illustration only and not as a limitation. While particular embodiments have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the broader aspects of applicants&#39; contribution. The actual scope of the protection sought is intended to be defined in the following claims when viewed in their proper perspective based on the prior art.

Technology Classification (CPC): 6