U.S. patent application number 12/075294 was filed with the patent office on 2009-09-17 for cup adhesion device for fluid containment bottle.
Invention is credited to Heidi Dickerson.
Application Number | 20090230082 12/075294 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 41061872 |
Filed Date | 2009-09-17 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090230082 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Dickerson; Heidi |
September 17, 2009 |
Cup adhesion device for fluid containment bottle
Abstract
A cup adhesion device is described as an inexpensive 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. Nonpreferred embodiments have the
tabs replaced with small compressible invaginations into the cup's
sidewall, or are two part designs that require a prior art cup to
be clipped to the adhesion device as it is gripping the bottom of
the bottle. All embodiments allow 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 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.
Inventors: |
Dickerson; Heidi; (Las
Vegas, NV) |
Correspondence
Address: |
HEIDI DICKERSON
9720 HIGHRIDGE DRIVE
LAS VEGAS
NV
89134
US
|
Family ID: |
41061872 |
Appl. No.: |
12/075294 |
Filed: |
March 11, 2008 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
215/395 ;
220/737 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 23/12 20130101;
A47G 19/2205 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
215/395 ;
220/737 |
International
Class: |
B65D 23/12 20060101
B65D023/12; B65D 25/22 20060101 B65D025/22 |
Claims
1. A hygienic cup for the imbibing of fluids, said cup with a
minimum of one tab extending from the lip of said cup, said tab
formed of the same composition of matter as said cup, said tab of a
shorter length than the length of the side wall of said cup.
2. The hygienic cup of claim 1, with a plurality of compressible
tabs of similar configuration as said tab extending from said lip
of said cup.
3. The hygienic cup of claim 1, with said tab radiating into the
three-dimensional space not falling within the confines of the
interior of said cup.
4. The hygienic cup of claim 1, with said tab radiating into the
three-dimensional space falling within the confines of the interior
of said cup.
5. The hygienic cup of claim 4, said tab of a greater length than
width, said tab having a curved section, with said tab bent at the
connection point with said lip such that said tab extends down into
the confines of said cup following a roughly parallel direction as
said side wall of said cup, with said curved section of said tab
arcing away from said side wall of said cup.
6. The hygienic cup of claim 5, with said curved section of said
tab following a roughly straight path along said side wall of said
cup when sufficient exterior force is pressed against said curved
section to deform said curved section away from said force.
7. The hygienic cup of claim 6, together with a prior art bottle,
said bottle of a lesser diameter than the diameter of said lip of
said cup, where said bottle is the source of said sufficient
exterior force by the process whereby the bottom end of said bottle
is pushed directly down into said cup, with the ongoing result that
said cup is adhered around said bottom of said bottle by the return
force of said deformed tabs pressing back against said exterior
force generated by the presence of said bottle.
8. The hygienic cup of claim 1, with said composition of matter of
said cup having a uniform chemical identity.
9. The hygienic cup of claim 8, where said composition of matter is
thermoplastic.
10. The hygienic cup of claim 1, with said tab formed of a
different composition of matter as said cup, with said tab tightly
bonded to said cup.
11. The hygienic cup of claim 10, where said different composition
of matter is a soft compressible hydrocarbon in the grade of
plastics termed Styrofoam.
12. An adhesion device for a prior art fluid containment bottle,
said device having one contiguous length closing back on itself
such that there is a hollow space surrounded by said one contiguous
length, said hollow space of a greater diameter than the diameter
of said fluid containment bottle, said device having a minimum of
one clasping clip placed outside said hollow space contained within
said contiguous length, said clasping clip dimensionally stable,
such that when bent the portion of said clip that undergoes said
bending will exert pressure to return to its original shape, with
the inner lining of said greater diameter of said device having a
plurality of flexible bristles extending into said hollow space,
such that said bristles are deformed and bent away from the surface
of said fluid containment bottle when said contiguous length of
said device is placed around said fluid containment bottle, and
whereby the return pressure of said deformed bristles provides the
adhesive properties of said adhesion device.
13. The adhesion device of claim 12, together with a prior art cup,
where the lip of said cup is inserted within said clasping clip,
with the interior of said cup both wide and deep enough to contain
the bottom of said fluid containment bottle when a portion of said
bottle is inside said hollow space of said adhesion device.
14. The adhesion device of claim 12, where said bristles are longer
than wide, where the cross dimensional shape of said bristles is
circular.
15. The adhesion device of claim 12, where said bristles are longer
than wide, where the cross dimensional shape of said bristles is
not circular.
16. The adhesion device of claim 12, together with a second clip
placed 180 degrees away from said clasping clip such that said
second clip is as far as possible from said clasping clip.
17. An adhesion device for a prior art fluid containment bottle,
said device having a contiguous length failing to close back on
itself such that there is a hollow space surrounded by said one
contiguous length, and a separated section of said contiguous
length whereby said contiguous length has two noncontiguous ends in
close proximity to each other, said device having a minimum of one
clasping clip placed outside said hollow space contained within
said contiguous length, said clip dimensionally stable, such that
when bent the portion of said clip that undergoes said bending will
exert pressure to return to its original shape, said hollow space
of a smaller diameter than the diameter of said fluid containment
bottle when said bottle is not filling said hollow space, with said
contiguous length dimensionally stable, such that the inner lining
of said greater diameter of said device can be deformed and bent
away from the surface of said fluid containment bottle when said
contiguous length of said device is placed around said fluid
containment bottle, and whereby the return pressure of said inner
lining provides the adhesive properties of said adhesion
device.
18. The adhesion device of claim 17, with a minimum of one flexible
bristle extending outwards from said contiguous length such that
said bristle is not within said hollow space, where said bristle is
longer than wide, where the cross dimensional shape of said
flexible bristle is circular.
19. The adhesion device of claim 18, where the cross dimensional
shape of said flexible bristle is not circular.
20. The adhesion device of claim 17, together with a prior art cup,
where the lip of said prior art cup is inserted within said
clasping clip, with the interior of said prior art cup both wide
and deep enough to contain the bottom of said fluid containment
bottle when a portion of said prior art bottle is inside said
hollow space of said adhesion device.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 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
[0002] 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.
[0003] 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
[0004] 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.
[0005] 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.
[0006] 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.
[0007] 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.
[0008] 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.
[0009] 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
[0010] 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.
[0011] 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.
[0012] FIG. 3 is a cut-a-way side view of the embodiment of FIG.
2.
[0013] FIG. 4 is a top view of the embodiment of FIG. 2.
[0014] FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the embodiment of FIG. 2.
[0015] FIG. 6 is side view of the embodiment of FIG. 3 inserted
over the bottom of a typical prior art fluid-storage bottle.
[0016] 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.
[0017] FIG. 8 is a side view of the alternate embodiment of FIG.
7.
[0018] 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.
[0019] 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.
[0020] FIG. 11 is a side view of the alternate embodiment of FIG.
10, which depicts one of the stability bristles in profile.
[0021] 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.
[0022] FIG. 13 shows a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 12.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0023] 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.
[0024] 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.
[0025] 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.
[0026] 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.
[0027] 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.
[0028] 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.
[0029] 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.
[0030] FIG. 8 provides a side view of clasping ring 12 to see clip
14 in profile.
[0031] 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.
[0032] 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.
[0033] FIG. 11 is a side view of bristle 17 and the embodiment of
FIG. 10.
[0034] 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.
[0035] 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.
[0036] 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.
* * * * *