U.S. patent number 3,685,803 [Application Number 05/100,921] was granted by the patent office on 1972-08-22 for cup and lid therefor.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Jet-X Corporation. Invention is credited to Denver L. Proctor, Rudy R. Proctor.
United States Patent |
3,685,803 |
Proctor , et al. |
August 22, 1972 |
CUP AND LID THEREFOR
Abstract
A drinking cup having an enlarged mouth to receive a closure
lid. The mouth is formed with a shelf whereon the lid is seated.
The lid is slidably shiftable upon this shelf between guideways. A
channel at one side of the cup may be opened by shifting this lid.
The lid may be removed from the cup and replaced therein by a
simple elastic distortion of the rim of the cup spreading the
guideways apart. The lid may also be slidable through a slot in the
wall of the cup opposite the channel. This lid may be provided with
projections to snap under the edge of the slot and position the lid
to open the channel.
Inventors: |
Proctor; Rudy R. (Arvada,
CO), Proctor; Denver L. (Wheat Ridge, CO) |
Assignee: |
Jet-X Corporation (Denver,
CO)
|
Family
ID: |
22282222 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/100,921 |
Filed: |
December 23, 1970 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
366/130;
229/404 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D
43/12 (20130101); B65D 47/286 (20130101); A47G
19/2272 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A47G
19/22 (20060101); B65D 43/02 (20060101); B65D
47/04 (20060101); B65D 47/28 (20060101); B65D
43/12 (20060101); B01f 015/02 () |
Field of
Search: |
;229/1.5B ;222/486
;259/1,116,125,123,124,36,37,18,19,28 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Jenkins; Robert W.
Claims
What we claim is:
1. In a drinking cup having a body and a mouth:
a longitudinally extending channel in said body, providing an
outwardly disposed recess;
a flat shelf extending around at least a portion of the upper end
of said body and to said recess on each side thereof, said mouth
extending upwardly from the outer edge of said shelf and said
recess;
a lid movable across said shelf to at least a first position
substantially closing the upper end of said channel and a second
position providing an opening at the upper end of said channel;
and
means for retaining said lid on said shelf.
2. In a drinking cup as defined in claim 1, wherein:
said retaining means urges said lid towards said shelf.
3. In a drinking cup as defined in claim 1, wherein:
said lid has a longitudinal diameter less than the inner diameter
of the mouth to permit it to be shifted on said shelf and having
diametrically opposing side edges; and
diametrically opposing guideway means on the shelf at each side of
said body and spaced from said channel for engaging the side edges
of the lid to hold the lid upon the shelf and to permit the lid to
be shifted to close and open the channel opening.
4. In a drinking cup as defined in claim 3, wherein each said
guideway means comprise:
abutments having opposing walls in spaced parallelism which hold
the side edges of the lid; and
a ledge overhanging each wall adapted to engage the top of the lid
and hold it upon the shelf.
5. In a drinking cup as defined in claim 4, wherein:
said lid is formed to be normally upwardly bowed in the same
direction as the side edges thereof; and
said cup is formed of sufficiently elastic material that the mouth
of the cup may be compressed at opposed points between the guideway
means to flex the cup and spread the guideway means apart, thereby
permitting said lid to be released from said ledges and resume its
normal upwardly bowed condition.
6. In a drinking cup as defined in claim 3, wherein:
said shelf extends from one side of said channel around the inner
perimeter of said mouth to the opposite side of said channel.
7. In a drinking cup as defined in claim 6, wherein:
a narrow shelf extends along the outer edge of the upper end of
said channel.
8. In a drinking cup as defined in claim 7, wherein:
the underside of said narrow ledge and said first named ledge form
a seat for the upper end of an exterior thermal shell for said
cup.
9. In a drinking cup as defined in claim 3, wherein:
said lid provided with an upstanding tab disposed transversely to
said side edges for use in shifting said lid between said first and
second positions.
10. In a drinking cup as defined in claim 1, wherein:
said lid is provided on the underside with a depending stirring
device.
11. In a drinking cup as defined in claim 10, wherein:
said stirring device includes a depending hollow stem and a paddle
extending transversely there to at its lower end; and
said lid is provided on its underside with a depending nub adapted
to frictionally engage the upper end of said hollow stem.
12. In a drinking cup as defined in claim 11, wherein:
said ledge extends from each side of said channel to a position
beyond the adjacent edge of said slot.
13. In a drinking cup as defined in claim 12, wherein:
said lid is provided with projections for snapping under the edge
of said slot to retain said lid in said first and second
positions.
14. In a drinking cup as defined in claim 1, wherein:
said cup is provided with a transverse slot in alignment with said
shelf; and
said lid is movable in said slot and across said shelf.
Description
This invention relates to improvements in cups which are provided
with lids, and more particularly to a cup having a lid which can be
used to control the flow of liquid from the cup.
Cup lids are used to prevent the liquid, ordinarily a beverage,
from being splashed or spilled from a cup. Also, a cup lid assists
materially in keeping the temperature of a beverage in the cup
either warm or cold, as desired, as where a hot beverage is being
served outdoors on a cold day. A common type of lid is adapted to
fit snugly over, upon or into the lip rim of its cup and the lid
will be removed from the cup when the beverage therein is to be
drunk. A more elaborate type of lid may remain upon the cup and
only a portion of this lid will be removed, or folded back to open
the cup, so the beverage is being poured from the cup or removed by
a straw. Both types of lids have advantages and limitations in
their use, and the present invention was conceived and developed to
provide, among other things, a more versatile lid arrangement for a
cup.
A primary object of the invention is to provide a novel and
improved cup and lid combination, for serving beverages and the
like, which is versatile in its uses, in that the lid may close the
cup, be partially opened to control the flow of liquid from the cup
or be removed from the cup.
Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved
cup and lid combination wherein the lid is shiftably mounted within
the mouth of the cup to function as a control, or gate, to close
the mouth of the cup, and to be shifted from the closed position to
other positions within the mouth of the cup to provide a narrow
opening at an edge of the cup to control the flow of the beverage
therefrom.
Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved
cup, having a shiftable lid securely held in the mouth of the cup,
which may be quickly and easily removed from the cup and
thereafter, easily replaced in the mouth of the cup.
Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved
cup and a shiftable, removable and replaceable lid therefor, of a
form which is suited for manufacture by the injection molding of
thermoplastic synthetic resins and thereby take advantage of the
smooth surface and close tolerances possible through injection
molding processes of manufacture.
Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved
cup with a closure lid, which cup is thermally insulated and will
hold the temperature of a beverage within the cup for a substantial
length of time.
Another object of the invention is to provide, in a novel and
improved utility cup with a removable closure lid, a stirrer on the
lid, to facilitate mixing the contents of the cup, as by shaking
when the lid is closed.
Another object of the invention is to provide an alternative
embodiment of the cup, in which the lid is slidable within a slot
in the cup.
Other objects of the invention are to provide a novel and improved
insulated cup having a shiftable, removable closure lid which is a
simple, neat appearing, economical and rugged unit capable of being
either manufactured as a single-use, throw-away item especially
suited for serving beverages at locations where tables are not
available, or of being used as a high quality permanent item for
serving beverages.
With the foregoing and other objects in view, our present invention
comprises certain constructions, combinations and arrangements of
parts and elements, as hereinafter described and illustrated in
preferred embodiment by the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is an isometric, exploded view of the individual components
of a preferred embodiment of the insulated cup and lid
therefor.
FIG. 2 is a top plan view of a variation of the lid per se, with
broken lines indicating radii to better depict the form of the
edges of the lid.
FIG. 3 is an edge view of the lid shown in FIG. 2, to better depict
the arcuate, bowed form of the lid which facilitates a tight,
leakproof fit when the lid is fitted in the cup.
FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the cup per se.
FIG. 5 is a central vertical section of the cup, taken along line
5--5 of FIG. 4, but with a thermal shell, also shown in section,
being affixed to the cup body.
FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view of the upper portion of the
cup, similar to the upper portion of FIG. 5 but on an enlarged
scale and with the lid in the cup closing the same.
FIG. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to FIG. 6, but with
the lid shifted to a partially open position, as for drinking from
the cup.
FIG. 8 is a fragmentary sectional detail, taken along line 8--8 of
FIG. 7 but on a greatly enlarged scale, and with broken lines
indicating the position of the lid whenever it is released or
placed in the mouth of the cup preparatory to securing it in
position.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a cup closed by its lid and being
held in a manner which will permit the lid to be released from the
cup by simply squeezing the rim of the cup, with arrows indicating
the direction of the squeezing forces and other arrows the
direction in which the rim of the cup flexes when so squeezed.
FIG. 10 is an isometric view of a lid similar to the lid shown in
FIG. 2, but with a stirring device attached thereto.
FIG. 11 is a fragmentary sectional detail, taken along line 11--11
of FIG. 10.
FIG. 12 is an isometric view of an alternative embodiment of the
cup.
FIG. 13 is an isometric view of the lid therefor.
FIG. 14 is a top plan view of the cup of FIG. 12.
FIG. 15 is a vertical section of the cup, taken along line 15--15
of FIG. 14.
FIG. 16 is a fragmentary side elevation of the upper portion of the
cup, but on an enlarged scale and with the lid in the cup and
closing the same.
FIG. 17 is a fragmentary section of the upper portion of the cup,
similar to the upper portion of FIG. 15 but corresponding to FIG.
16.
FIG. 18 is a fragmentary section similar to FIG. 17, but with the
lid shifted to a position for drinking from the cup.
FIG. 19 is a fragmentary vertical section similar to the upper
portion of FIG. 15, but on an enlarged scale and showing a
modification of the cup of FIG. 12 in which special provision is
made for attachment of a thermal shell.
Referring more particularly to the drawings, the improved cup
combines three components: the cup C, a lid L and a thermal shell S
which are shown separated in FIG. 1. The lid is normally fitted
into the mouth of the cup, but it is easily removed therefrom, as
hereinafter described. The thermal shell S is normally fitted about
the body of the cup to provide a dead air space but is removable.
However, this thermal shell may be omitted from the assembly, if
desired. Each of these components, hereinafter described in detail,
are preferably made of a thermoplastic synthetic resin, such as
high-impact polystyrene, by injection molding processes to produce
accurate, low cost and neat appearing units. As is apparent, other
materials may be found to be suitable for the manufacture of the
cup and its components.
The cup C, as in FIGS. 1, 4 and 5, is formed with a body 20 and an
enlarged mouth 21 at the top of the body. The body has the general
form of an ordinary tumbler, i.e. a wall which is, geometrically,
an inverted frusto-cone closed by a bottom 22. The mouth 21 of the
cup is formed, above an annular shelf or ledge 23 outstanding from
and extending about the top of the body wall, by a short, annular
flange extending upwardly from the outward edge of the shelf 23.
The mouth flange slopes outwardly at a small angle to form a short,
inverted, frusto-conical wall member. The top lip of this annular
flange is finished with a beaded edge 24.
Distinctive to the present invention, the body of this cup includes
a tapered channel 25 which extends outwardly from and upwardly
along one side of the wall of the cup body. This channel commences
at the bottom 22 and increases in depth with respect to the wall as
it approaches the mouth of the cup, merging into the shelf 23 at a
channel opening 26, with only a narrow shelf portion 27 extending
between the upper edges of the channel 25 and the mouth 21. This
channel 25, extending through an arc of approximately 45.degree. of
the cup circumference, is proportioned to permit a user of the cup
to drink from the cup with his lips on bead 24 above the channel
opening, the channel then being at the underside of the cup. When
the cup is so held, the liquid flowing from the cup will not splash
over the ledge 23.
The lid L is adapted to engage the shelf 23 and to be shifted back
and forth to close the opening 26 of the channel, as will be
described. To guide this lid movement, two diametrically opposed
abutments 28 are provided upon the shelf 24, the abutments having
opposing slidewalls 29 upstanding from the ledge 23 and in mutual
spaced parallelism. The abutments 28 and slidewalls 29 are spaced
evenly from each side of the channel 25, to render the cup C mirror
symmetrical from each side of a center plane extending through the
axis of the cup and center of the channel. An overhanging ledge 30
is provided at the center of each slidewall to retain the lid in
place, each ledge 30 being spaced from shelf 23 a distance
preferably equal to the thickness of the lid L, with a slight
clearance. The top edge 31 of each ledge 30 is inclined downwardly
towards the center of the cup, to permit the lid to be snapped into
place, as will be described.
A shallow socket 32 is provided on the inner portion of the shelf
23 at each side of the channel 25, and the sockets 32 function to
admit air into the cup whenever the lid L is in use, as hereinafter
described. To complete the cup structure, an annular seat or
depending rim 33 is formed below the outer surface of the mouth 21,
on the underside of shelf 23, to hold the thermal shell S in place,
as will be described.
The lid L is formed as a disc-like member which is arched slightly
when unrestrained, as shown in FIG. 3, to fit snugly upon the shelf
23 and be resiliently biased against this shelf when held
downwardly at the center by the ledges 30. The lid has
diametrically opposed parallel side edges 34 which are spaced apart
to fit against the opposing slidewalls 29 and underneath the
restraining ledges 30, the normal arch of the lid being parallel to
the edges 34. Each opposing end 35 of the lid L, between the side
edges 34, is rounded to a curvature, as on a radius 36 shown in
FIG. 2, which corresponds to the radius of the lower inside edge of
the mouth 21. However, the width of the lid between the opposing
ends 35 is less than the diameter of the shelf; accordingly, the
lid may be shifted back and forth a short distance to open and
close the channel at the cup mouth, as best shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.
A central, upstanding finger tab 37 may be provided upon the
surface of the lid, to facilitate gripping and moving the lid,
while the lid may be reinforced by diagonal ridges 38. Or, a tab
37' may be provided adjacent one end 35 of lid L' of FIGS. 2 and
3.
The thermal shell S is also formed like a tumbler, having a wall 40
which is, geometrically, an inverted frusto-cone closed by a bottom
41. The upper end of shell S has a diameter which fits around the
seat 33 and is thereby secured in position to form an annular air
space between the body of the cup and the shell, as in FIG. 5, with
the upper edge of shell S fitting beneath narrow ledge 27 around
channel 25. Shell S may be removed from the cup, as for non-use,
when desired, or for cleaning purposes. However, the shell may be
secured in place by any suitable cement or a solvent for the
plastic being used, a common solvent being methylethyl ketone.
In using the cup, lid L or L' will normally fit upon the shelf 23
with the edges 34 at the opposing slidewalls 29 and held in flat
position, against the pressure produced by the normal arch or bow
of the lid, by the ledges 30, as heretofore described. When the lid
is to close the mouth of the cup, it is shifted to a position which
covers the narrow shelf 27 at the top of the channel and also
covers the vents 32. The length of the lid is such as to also lap a
portion of the shelf 23 at the opposite side from the channel, to
effect a complete closure, as in FIG. 6 The lid may be shifted to
open the channel opening 26 any desired amount to control the flow
therethrough with the maximum opening being with the opposite end
35 of the lid abutted against the inside of mouth 21 opposite the
channel, as illustrated in FIG. 7. It is to be noted that when the
lid is shifted to open the channel, a flow of beverage from the cup
through the channel opening 26, as by tilting the cup, will require
air replacement into the cup; such air will be supplied through the
vents 32, which are formed in the shelf adjacent to the channel, so
they will be closed when the channel is closed by the lid but open
when the lid is shifted to open the channel.
Occasions will arise when it becomes desirable to remove the lid L
from the cup C and the present invention provides a simple, easy
mode of removal. By grasping the outer edges of the mouth 21 of the
cup at diametrically opposed points between the slidewalls 29, as
by a thumb and forefinger in the manner illustrated in FIG. 9, the
lid may be released by a moderate pressure, squeezing in the
direction of the arrows 42. The flexure at the rim, outward in the
direction of arrows 43 at a position 90.degree. from the arrows 42,
will spread the slidewalls apart to the point that the overhanging
ledges 30 will pull away from the edges 34 of the lid. Thus, the
released lid will arch upwardly, due to its normal arch or bow, to
spring away from the shelf 23, with the center of the lid above
ledges 30. It may then be removed from the cup by merely lifting it
out of the mouth of the cup, as by gripping the finger tab 37. The
lid may likewise be replaced on the cup by simply placing it in the
position indicated in broken lines in FIG. 8 and pushing downwardly
above each ledge 30. The arched portion of the lid will contact the
ledges 30, but the slope 31 of the upper surface of these ledges 30
will cause the rim of the cup to spread apart, responsive to a
slight pressure, and the lid will snap under the ledges.
The arrangement shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 provides for the
attachment of a stirrer 45 to the underside of the lid. A stirrer
of this type is commonly formed as a stem 46 depending from the
underside of the lid L and the stem carries, at its lower end, a
circular paddle 47 having perforations 48. When the lid is on the
cup, the stem holds the paddle an appropriate distance from the lid
inside the cup. Shaking the cup will then effectively stir the
contents therein. The stem and paddle may be formed integrally with
the lid, as by injection molding, However, an arrangement more
suitable for molding, as illustrated in FIG. 11, includes a nub 48
on the underside of the lid L which is adapted to tightly fit into
a socket formed by the upper end of passage 50 of the hollow stem
46. The stem may be pulled off the lid when use of the stirrer is
not desired, but the stem may be secured upon and bonded to the nub
by the use of a suitable solvent or adhesive.
In the cup of the alternative embodiment of FIG. 12, certain
features of the cup previously described are applied to a cup
similar in the use of a slot in the cup and a lid slidable in the
slot, such as described and claimed in the Matthew J. Kramer U. S.
Pat. No. 2,815,161. Thus, the cup C' is provided with a slot 55
near its upper end into which lid L" may be inserted, either to
leave sufficient space in the top of the cup for filling the same
or completely across the top, so as to close the same, as in FIG.
17, or slightly withdrawn from the closed position, as in FIG. 18,
to permit drinking from the cup. As before, the cup comprises a
body 20', which is essentially an inverted frusto-conical wall,
closed at its lower end by a bottom 22'. The mouth 21' of the cup
C' extends upwardly and slightly outwardly from the body,
preferably being circular and provided with an upper beaded edge
24'. A tapered channel 25' extends outwardly from the body and
upwardly along one side of the cup body, opposite the slot 55. As
before, the upper end of the channel 25' provides an opening 26',
through which fluid may flow, when the lid is shifted to the
position of FIG. 18. A shelf 23' is disposed between the body and
the mouth of the cup, extending inwardly from the lower edge of the
mouth, at opposite sides of the channel 25' and along the inside of
the cup to a position beyond the adjacent edge of the slot 55. The
slot 55 extends for slightly less than 180.degree. around the cup,
while the cup body is provided with an inward offset 56 beneath
each shelf 23'. To strengthen the portion of mouth 21' above the
slot 55, the mouth may be thickened at each end of the slot, as
over the area 57 of FIGS. 12, 14 and 15.
The lid L" is provided with an arcuate front edge 58 which has the
same diameter and therefore fits snugly against the inside of the
base of the mouth 21', when the lid is in the fully closed position
of FIG. 17. The rear edge 59 of the lid has a diameter slightly in
excess of the outside diameter of the base of the mouth 21', so as
to extend beyond the mouth, when the lid is in closed position, as
in FIGS. 16 and 17. In this closed position, the front of the lid
will rest on and engage each shelf 23', the thickness of slot 55
preferably being such, as compared with the thickness of the lid
L", that a slight frictional fit is secured and the slot will thus
tend to retain the lid against each shelf 23', in both the closed
position of FIG. 17 and the channel opening position of FIG. 18.
The lid is also provided with a pair of outwardly extending handles
or flanges 60, one edge of each of which fits against the
corresponding inside edge of slot 55, when the lid is in closed
position. Each flange is also provided with a boss 61 which permits
the lid to be more readily grasped at a flange 60 by the thumb and
finger of one hand of the user. However, for movement between the
closed position of FIG. 17 and the drinking position of FIG. 18, or
to a more fully opened position, as for pouring liquid into the
cup, the cup may be held in one hand and pressure exerted against
the front edge of one of the flanges 60 by the thumb of the hand in
which the cup is held.
In order to retain the lid in the drinking position of FIG. 18, a
pair of bumps or upwardly extending projections 62 are provided on
the lid, preferably on the top, the projections 62 being spaced
apart a distance greater than the thickness of the wall of mouth
21', so as to be spaced on each side of the mouth wall, when the
lid is in the drinking position. The projections 62 conveniently
have a height such that they will snap readily under the upper edge
of slot 55, when the lid is pushed through the slot or between the
various positions described above. In addition, a narrow groove 63
may be formed in the underside of the lid and essentially extending
between the positions of the projections 62 on the top side of the
lid, so that, in the drinking position of FIG. 18, groove 63 will
bridge the lower edge of slot 55 to permit air to flow into the cup
above the liquid during drinking. It will be noted that the slight
pressure of the mouth above slot 55 exerted downwardly on the lid
will retain the lid against each shelf 23' in the drinking
position, while the opening 26' at the top of channel 25' will tend
to be full of liquid, particularly when the cup is half full or
less and is thus tipped further upwardly for drinking purposes.
The cup C', as shown in FIGS. 12-18, is not provided with a thermal
shell. However, the cup may be slightly modified, as in FIG. 19, to
permit the attachment of a thermal shell S, shown in dotted lines.
For this purpose, the front lower edge of mouth 21' may overhang
the front of channel 25' for a distance corresponding to a narrow
shelf 27', the underside of which provides an abutment for the top
edge of the thermal shell. Around the inward offsets 56, the
underside of each shelf 23' provides an abutment for the upper edge
of the thermal shell. However, around the remainder of the cup body
20', i.e. beneath slot 55, the upper end of the body is outwardly
offset to provide a ledge 64 which provides a seat for the upper
end of the thermal shell. In the modification of FIG. 19, the
diameter of the base of the mouth 21' may be increased slightly
over the diameter of the base of the mouth 21' of the cup C' of
FIG. 12 an amount sufficient to accommodate the front narrow shelf
27', the slightly increased outer diameter of each self 23' and the
ledge 64.
We have now described our invention in considerable detail.
However, it is obvious that others skilled in the art can build and
devise alternate and equivalent constructions which are
nevertheless within the spirit and scope of our invention.
* * * * *