U.S. patent application number 11/467482 was filed with the patent office on 2007-03-15 for portable beverage container.
This patent application is currently assigned to CHEF'N CORPORATION. Invention is credited to David A. Holcomb.
Application Number | 20070056964 11/467482 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37854018 |
Filed Date | 2007-03-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070056964 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Holcomb; David A. |
March 15, 2007 |
PORTABLE BEVERAGE CONTAINER
Abstract
A portable beverage container comprises a base portion having a
seat adapted to support the beverage container on a surface and/or
in a holder, the base portion being fabricated from a first
material such as plastics, rubbers, metals, and/or silicone. The
portable beverage container further comprises a lip, which a user
contacts when consuming a beverage, sealingly and rigidly attached
to the base and fabricated from a second material, different from
the first, the second material being adapted to enhance a drinking
sensation of the user. The second material can for example comprise
ceramic, bone china, stones, and/or glass. In other embodiments,
the beverage container may include a bone china handle with a
silicone over-mold.
Inventors: |
Holcomb; David A.; (Seattle,
WA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
SEED INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW GROUP PLLC
701 FIFTH AVE
SUITE 5400
SEATTLE
WA
98104
US
|
Assignee: |
CHEF'N CORPORATION
1520 4th Avenue, 3rd Floor
Seattle
WA
|
Family ID: |
37854018 |
Appl. No.: |
11/467482 |
Filed: |
August 25, 2006 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60711797 |
Aug 26, 2005 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
220/4.03 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47G 19/22 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
220/004.03 |
International
Class: |
B65D 6/28 20060101
B65D006/28 |
Claims
1. A portable beverage container from which a user can consume a
beverage, the portable beverage container comprising: a base having
a seat adapted to support the beverage container, the base being
fabricated from a first material comprising at least one of a
metal, rubber, plastic, silicone, foam, and wood, to promote at
least one of portability and durability of the portable beverage
container; and a lip which the user contacts when consuming the
beverage, the lip sealingly and rigidly coupled to the base and
fabricated from a second material comprising at least one of
ceramic, bone china, stone, and glass, to enhance a drinking
sensation of the user.
2. The portable beverage container of claim 1, further comprising:
a coupling ring positioned between the base and the lip, the
coupling ring rigidly attaching the body to the lip, and being
adapted to prevent liquid from escaping therebetween.
3. The portable beverage container of claim 1 wherein the seat of
the base and a remainder of the base are fabricated from a unitary
body of material.
4. The portable beverage container of claim 1 wherein the base
further comprises a plurality of protrusions to prevent
slippage.
5. The portable beverage container of claim 1, further comprising:
a handle adapted to allow the user to manually manipulate the
beverage container.
6. The portable beverage container of claim 5 wherein the handle
further comprises a plurality of at least one of protrusions and
recesses to prevent slippage.
7. The portable beverage container of claim 5 wherein the handle
comprises a core of a first material at least partially over-molded
with a second material.
8. The portable beverage container of claim 7 wherein the second
material comprises silicone.
9. The portable beverage container of claim 5 wherein the handle
and the base are formed from a unitary body of material.
10. The portable beverage container of claim 9 wherein the unitary
body of material comprises at least one of a die cast alloy and
stainless steel.
11. The portable beverage container of claim 1, further comprising:
a sleeve portion circumscribing at least a portion of the base, the
sleeve portion comprising a non-slip material.
12. The portable beverage container of claim 11 wherein the sleeve
portion comprises material having thermal insulation
properties.
13. The portable beverage container of claim 1 wherein at least one
of the base and the lip form a body having a cylindrical shape.
14. The portable beverage container of claim 13 wherein at least a
portion of the body comprises a circular shape.
15. The portable beverage container of claim 13 wherein the body
comprises at least one angled side.
16. A portable beverage container from which a user can consume a
beverage, the portable beverage container comprising: a base having
a substantially cylindrical portion and a seat adapted to support
the beverage container, the substantially cylindrical portion being
fabricated from a first material comprising at least one of a
metal, rubber, plastic, silicone, foam, and wood, and the seat
being fabricated from a material selected to promote at least one
of portability and durability of the portable beverage container; a
lip which the user contacts when consuming the beverage, the lip
being fabricated from ceramic or bone china, to enhance a drinking
sensation of the user; and a coupling ring positioned between the
base and the lip, sealingly and rigidly coupling the base to the
lip to prevent liquid from escaping therebetween.
17. The portable beverage container of claim 16, further
comprising: a first seal ring fabricated from at least one of
rubber, plastic, and silicone, and positioned between the coupling
ring and the base to further prevent liquid from escaping
therebetween; and a second seal ring fabricated from at least one
of rubber, plastic, and silicone, and positioned between the
coupling ring and the lip to further prevent liquid from escaping
therebetween.
18. The portable beverage container of claim 17, further
comprising: a handle rigidly coupled to at least a portion of at
least one of the base and the lip, the handle having a bone china
core at least partially encased in a silicone over-mold.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.
119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/711,797 filed
Aug. 26, 2005, where this provisional application is incorporated
herein by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention generally relates to beverage
containers, and more particularly, to a portable beverage
container.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] Modern-day lifestyles are increasingly mobile, especially in
urban communities. Individuals are often on the go regardless of
financial status, marital status, sex, and parental status. Since
such individuals are typically stretched for time, they tend to
accomplish certain tasks while they are in route between
activities, errands and avocations and/or while they are attending
to their activities, errands and/or avocations. This trend has led
to products designed to suit such lifestyles.
[0006] One example of a category of tasks that contemporary
individuals accomplish while in route or during their activities is
mobile communications. Another category is replenishments and
consumables, for example, drinking beverages and eating foods in
portable containers in the car, at work, during sports activities
or other activities. In particular, beverages, such as coffee, tea
and sports drinks are often consumed on the go. For example, often
individuals either buy or make their beverages to take with them so
they can consume their beverage wherever, for example, in a
vehicle, in a meeting, during sports activities, or any other place
where traditional beverage containers such as ceramic mugs or glass
cups are not suitable.
[0007] Portable beverage containers are typically made from
material that is light and resilient to impact because portable
beverage containers often face demanding conditions such as being
placed on slippery surfaces, dropped, and/or aggressively
manipulated, for example while the user is driving. Such material
may include plastics, rubbers, silicone, or other material that is
light and not easily breakable. However, such material typically
adversely affect a taste of the beverage and/or take away from a
drinking sensation typically associated with non-portable beverage
containers such as cups and mugs made from ceramic, bone china,
stones, and/or glass.
[0008] Accordingly, there is a need for a beverage container that
is portable and enhances the user's drinking sensation while being
adapted to withstand demanding conditions of mobile use of the
container.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] According to one embodiment, a portable beverage container
from which a user can consume a beverage, comprises a base having a
seat adapted to support the beverage container, the base being
fabricated from a first material comprising a metal, rubber,
plastic, silicone, foam, and/or wood, to promote at least one of
portability and durability of the portable beverage container, and
a lip which the user contacts when consuming the beverage, the lip
sealingly and rigidly coupled to the base and fabricated from a
second material comprising ceramic, bone china, stone, and/or
glass, to enhance a drinking sensation of the user.
[0010] According to an aspect of the foregoing embodiment, the
portable beverage container may further comprise a coupling ring
positioned between the base and the lip, the coupling ring rigidly
attaching the body to the lip, and being adapted to prevent liquid
from escaping therebetween.
[0011] According to another aspect of the above embodiment, the
portable beverage container may further comprise a handle having a
core at least partially encased in an over-mold, such as a silicone
over-mold.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)
[0012] FIG. 1 is a partial isometric cutaway view of a portion of a
portable beverage container according to an embodiment of the
present invention.
[0013] FIG. 2 is a side view of a portable beverage container
according to another embodiment of the present invention.
[0014] FIG. 3 is a side view of a portable beverage container
according to yet another embodiment of the present invention.
[0015] FIG. 4 is a rear view of a portable beverage container
according to still another embodiment of the present invention.
[0016] FIG. 5 is a side view of a portable beverage container
according to a further embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0017] FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of the present invention
in which a portable beverage container 100 comprises a drinking
portion having a lip 102 which a user contacts when consuming a
beverage. The portable beverage container 100 may further comprise
a base portion 108 that may form at least a dominant portion of a
body 106 of the portable beverage container 100. The base portion
108 can be sealingly and rigidly attached and/or coupled to the lip
102, for example through a coupling device 110. The coupling device
110 can for example comprise a fitting or a coupling ring having
protrusions 117, 119 that lock into complementary recesses in the
lip and base portions 102, 108, or vice versa. Additionally, or
alternatively, the coupling device 110 can incorporate liquid-tight
first and second seals 121, 123, or can be silicone over-molded
onto the lip 102 and/or the base portion 108. Additionally, or
alternatively, the lip and base portions 102, 108 can be attached
via adhesives and/or bonding material, or by any other suitable
means that can sealingly and rigidly attach and/or couple the lip
102 to the base portion 108 and withstand temperatures and/or
conditions typically encountered by portable beverage
containers.
[0018] The user's lips and tongue typically contact the lip 102 and
a terminating surface 104 of the lip 102 of the portable beverage
container 100. Therefore, a material of the lip 102 can affect a
taste of the beverage or a drinking sensation of the user. The lip
of conventional portable beverage containers incorporate material
such as plastics or foam, which adversely affect the taste of the
beverage and take away from the drinking sensation. However, since
the lip 102 and the base portion 108 of the illustrated embodiment
of FIG. 1 are distinct, they can be fabricated from distinct
materials, materials that best suit the lip and base portion 102,
108 of the portable beverage container 100, respectively. For
example, the lip 102 can be fabricated from a first material
adapted to enhance the drinking sensation of the user, such as
ceramic, bone china, different types of stones, and/or glass or any
other material typically known to enhance the drinking sensation of
the user. Furthermore, the base portion 108 can be fabricated from
a material that promotes portability and/or durability of the
beverage container 100. For example, the base portion 108 can be
fabricated from material comprising plastics, natural and/or
synthetic rubbers, silicone, composites, metals, foams, woods
and/or any other material that may include qualities promoting
portability and/or durability, such as being light, non-slip,
non-stick, resilient, and/or durable.
[0019] In some embodiments, the base portion 108 may comprise more
of the body 106 than the lip 102, the lip 102 comprising a minimum
size to conform to lips of the user to create the drinking
sensation typically associated with material such as ceramic, bone
china, stones, and/or glass. The beverage container 100 can be a
cup, a mug, a sport bottle, or any other type of beverage container
used in different applications. Furthermore, the beverage container
100 can be of any size, such as small, medium, large, extra large
and/or short, tall, grande, and/or any other size. At least one of
the lip 102 and base portion 108 can form a body 106 of the
beverage container 100, the body 106 having a cylindrical shape
including parallel and/or non-parallel sides.
[0020] FIG. 2 illustrates another embodiment, in which a portable
beverage container 200 comprises a base portion 208 having a seat
212, adapted to support the beverage container 200 on a surface
and/or in a holder. The seat 212 can also be fabricated from
material comprising plastics, natural and/or synthetic rubbers,
silicone, composites, metals, foams, woods and/or any other
material that may be light, non-slip, non-stick, resilient, and/or
durable. The seat 212 may comprise an upper portion 213 that
supports the beverage container 200 and a lower portion 215 adapted
to rest on a surface and/or in a holder. In some embodiments, the
upper portion 213 can be fabricated from a first material and the
lower portion 215, from a second material, different from the first
material. For example, the upper portion 213 can be fabricated from
metals, such as stainless steel, to better support the beverage
container 200, and the lower portion 215 from plastics, rubbers,
silicone, or foams or any combination thereof, or any other
material that may be non-stick, non-slip, and/or resilient to
better support the beverage container 200 on a surface and/or in a
holder.
[0021] Accordingly, the user may rest the beverage container 200 on
a surface such as, a surface of a dashboard of a vehicle or a
surface of an exercise machine, a friction between the seat 212 and
the surface substantially preventing the beverage container 200
from slipping under typical conditions.
[0022] Furthermore, the beverage container 200 may comprise an
optional sleeve portion 214 circumscribing at least a portion of
the body 206 and/or the base portion 208 of the beverage container
200. The sleeve portion 214 may be fabricated from a material
having thermal insulation and/or non-slip qualities. Furthermore,
the sleeve portion 214 may be fabricated from a resilient material
to absorb impact to the beverage container. For example, the sleeve
portion 214 can be fabricated from material comprising plastics,
natural and/or synthetic rubbers, silicone, composites, metals,
foams, and/or any other material that may be light, non-slip,
non-stick, resilient, and/or durable. Furthermore, the sleeve
portion 214 may comprise at least one feature 216, such as
protrusions, recesses, coarse portions, or any other feature 216
that may aid in preventing the beverage container 200 from slipping
from the user's grip or from a holder or receptacle.
[0023] Additionally, or alternatively, the feature 216 can include
a decorative feature, such as artwork or a logo that includes
patterns that are brushed, polished, etched, or stamped.
[0024] The base portion 208 and sleeve 214 respectively contribute
to the portability of the beverage container 200 while the lip 202,
which is sealingly and rigidly attached to the base, is fabricated
from a material such as ceramic, bone china, stones, and/or glass,
to enhance the user's drinking sensation. As illustrated in FIG. 2,
the body 206 and/or base portion 208 of some embodiments may
include non-parallel sides or other shapes that are aesthetic
and/or ergonomic.
[0025] FIG. 3 illustrates yet another embodiment, in which a
portable beverage container 300 comprises a lip 302 and a base
portion 308. The base portion 308, including the seat 312, may
include at least one feature 318, such as protrusions, recesses,
coarse portions, or any other feature 318 that may aid in
preventing the beverage container 300 from slipping from a surface
or holder. Additionally, or alternatively, the feature 318 can
include a decorative feature, such as artwork or a logo that
includes patterns that are brushed, polished, etched, or stamped.
Furthermore, the beverage container 300 may comprise a handle 320
attached to at least a portion of the body 306, and in some
embodiments only to the base portion 308, the handle 320 adapted to
allow the user to manually manipulate the beverage container
300.
[0026] FIG. 4 illustrates still another embodiment, in which a
portable beverage container 400 comprises a handle 420 that may be
integrated with at least a portion of the base portion 408, such as
an upper portion of the seat 412. The handle 420 and at least the
portion of the base 408, which is integrated with the handle 420,
may be fabricated from a durable material, such as a die cast alloy
or stainless steel, bearing at least one feature 418, such as a
non-slip and/or non-stick coating. Furthermore, the feature 418 may
include protrusions, recesses, coarse portions, or any other
feature 418 that may aid in preventing the beverage container 400
from slipping from a surface or holder, or from the user's grip. In
some embodiments, the feature 418 may include indentations
conforming to the user's fingers for a better grip of the beverage
container 400 or the handle 420 thereof. The handle 420 may also
attach to the lip 402. The lip 402 may be fabricated from a
material adapted to enhance the user's drinking sensation, such as
material comprising ceramic, bone china, different types of stones,
and/or glass or any other material typically known to enhance the
drinking sensation of the user.
[0027] FIG. 5 illustrates a further embodiment, in which a portable
beverage container 500 includes a lip 502, a base portion 508, and
a handle 520 comprising an over-mold 522, the over-mold 522
including a material such as plastics, natural and/or synthetic
rubbers, silicone, composites, and/or any other material that may
be light, non-slip, non-stick, resilient, and/or durable. In such
embodiments, the handle 520 may comprise a core 524 fabricated from
a strong and/or durable material such as bone china, woods, metals,
composites, hard plastics, or any other strong and/or durable
material. The handle may further comprise the over-mold 522, such
as a silicone over-mold, at least partially encasing the core
524.
[0028] Furthermore, the beverage container 500 may comprise a base
portion 508 that includes at least one feature 518 that promotes
securing the beverage container in a receptacle or a holder. For
example, the feature 518 can include elongated recesses and/or
protrusions adapted to tightly engage an inner perimeter of a
receptacle or a holder.
[0029] In any of the embodiments, the beverage container 100, 200,
300, 400, 500 can be dishwasher and/or microwave safe by being
fabricated from material that does not melt and/or spark in the
dishwasher and/or the microwave. Furthermore, the beverage
container 100, 200, 300, 400, 500 can comprise any shape or
combination of shapes, for example circular, elliptical, irregular,
parallelogram, frustoconical, or any other right-angled or curved
shape, depending on the application and/or the design of the
beverage container 100, 200, 300, 400, 500.
[0030] All of the above U.S. patents, U.S. patent application
publications, U.S. patent applications, foreign patents, foreign
patent applications and non-patent publications referred to in this
specification and/or listed in the Application Data Sheet, are
incorporated herein by reference, in their entirety.
[0031] From the foregoing it will be appreciated that, although
specific embodiments of the invention have been described herein
for purposes of illustration, various modifications may be made
without deviating from the spirit and scope of the invention.
Accordingly, the invention is not limited except as by the appended
claims and equivalents thereof.
* * * * *