U.S. patent number RE37,016 [Application Number 09/130,227] was granted by the patent office on 2001-01-16 for flow control element and covered drinking cup.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Playtex Products, Inc.. Invention is credited to Emanuel P. Morano.
United States Patent |
RE37,016 |
Morano |
January 16, 2001 |
Flow control element and covered drinking cup
Abstract
A drinking cup has a cover which is formed with a drinking spout
at one side and a vent at the other. Elements extend down from
under the spout and the vent. A flow control element is provided
and made of elastomeric material having a pair of spaced cavities
on one side, each cavity having a floor at the bottom thereof. The
cavities receive in frictional engagement respectively the lower
ends of the elements. This engagement supports the flow control
element with the floor of each cavity in sealed relation to its
element. Each floor has a passage which is normally closed but
opens on the occurrence of a pressure differential on opposite
sides of the floor.
Inventors: |
Morano; Emanuel P. (Totowa,
NJ) |
Assignee: |
Playtex Products, Inc.
(Westport, CT)
|
Family
ID: |
24000887 |
Appl.
No.: |
09/130,227 |
Filed: |
August 6, 1998 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
|
Reissue of: |
503142 |
Jul 17, 1995 |
05542670 |
Aug 6, 1996 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
220/714 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47G
19/2272 (20130101); Y10S 215/902 (20130101); Y10S
215/07 (20130101); Y10T 137/86332 (20150401); Y10T
137/7843 (20150401) |
Current International
Class: |
A47G
19/22 (20060101); A47G 019/22 () |
Field of
Search: |
;215/355,11.1,11.4,11.5,DIG.7,902,387,389,262,270,307,271,309,329,354,311,315
;220/705,703,711,714,717,719,721,724,231,240,254,253,367.1
;222/482,490,494 ;137/588,845,512.4 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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DE |
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0 232 571 |
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Aug 1987 |
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EP |
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EP |
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EP |
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EP |
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1364891 |
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460274 |
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Feb 1937 |
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GB |
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1 253 398 |
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GB |
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2 029 379 |
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GB |
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2053865 |
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2169210 |
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Mar 1997 |
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WO |
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Other References
Advertisement, cover page titled: The first years . . . TUMBLE
MATES.RTM.. . . 2 spill-proof cups (7oz.) 2 pages, copyright 1996,
The First Years Inc. Second page discloses section entitled 2
spill-proof cups. .
Copy of Rear of package titled "Playtex.RTM. Spill-Proof Cup",
Copyright 1995, Playtex Products, Inc..
|
Primary Examiner: Cronin; Stephen K.
Assistant Examiner: Hylton; Robin A.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Ohlandt, Greeley, Ruggiero &
Perle, LLP
Claims
What I claim is:
1. A drinking cup comprising:
a cup-shaped container having a removable leakproof cover, the
cover comprising a top wall having at one side an upwardly
extending drinking spout and spaced therefrom a vent, the top wall
being formed on its underside with a pair of spaced elements, one
of the pair of spaced elements communicating with and extending
downward from under the spout and the other of the pair of elements
communicating with and extending downward from the vent; and
a flow control element comprising a flat piece of flexible
elastomeric material having a pair of spaced cavities on one side,
each of said pair of cavities having a floor at the bottom thereof,
each of said pair of cavities receiving the lower ends of the
elements in frictional engagement sufficient to support said flow
control element with said floors in sealed relation to the
respective elements, each of said floors having a passage
therethrough which is normally closed by opens upon occurrence of a
pressure differential on opposite sides of said floor.
2. The drinking cup according to claim 1, wherein the elements are
cylindrical.
3. The drinking cup according to claim 2, wherein the elements are
of different diameters.
4. The drinking cup according to claim 1, wherein the element
connected to the spout is of larger diameter than the element
connected to the vent.
5. The drinking cup according to claim 2, wherein each of said pair
of cavities is also cylindrical and sized to mate with element.
6. The drinking cup according to claim 1, wherein said floor
associated with the element connected to the spout is formed with a
plurality of openable passages.
7. The drinking cup according to claim 6, wherein each of the
plurality of passages comprises a plurality of slits extending
radially out from a point so that during pressure differential
adjacent slits define pie-slice flaps.
8. The drinking cup according to claim 1, wherein each of said pair
of cavities has side wall surfaces formed with inward ribs.
9. A flow control element removably positioned on a pair of spaced
fluid-conducting elements, the flow control element comprising a
flat elongate piece of material having a pair of spaced cavities in
a first side thereof, each of said pair of cavities having a floor
at the bottom thereof, each of said pair of cavities snugly
receiving the ends of the fluid-conducting elements in frictional
engagement sufficient to support said flow control element with
said floors in sealed relation to the fluid-conducting elements,
each of said floors having a passage therethrough that is normally
closed, but opens upon occurrence of a pressure differential on
opposite sides of said floor.
10. The flow control element according to claim 9, wherein each of
said pair of cavities has a different diameter.
11. The flow control element according to claim 9, wherein each of
said pair of cavities is cylindrical and sized in diameter to mate
with the fluid-conducting elements.
12. The flow control element according to claim 9, wherein said
floor associated with the fluid-conducting element connected to the
drinking spout is formed with a plurality of openable passages.
13. The flow control element according to claim 12, wherein the
plurality of openable passages each comprise a plurality of slits
extending radially out from a point so that during pressure
differential adjacent slits define pie-slice flaps.
14. The flow control element according to claim 9, wherein each
cavity has side wall surfaces formed with inward ribs.
15. The flow control element according to claim 9, further
comprising a pair of shoulders.
16. The flow control element according to claim 14, wherein each of
said pair of shoulders extends in a direction opposite the first
side.
17. The flow control element according to claim 16, wherein each of
said pair of shoulders has a straight portion and a chamfered
portion.
18. The flow control element according to claim 17, wherein the
chamfered portion forms an angle of about seventy-seven
degrees.
19. The drinking cup comprising:
a cup-shaped container having a removable leakproof cover, the
cover comprising a top wall having at one side an upwardly
extending drinking spout and on the opposite side a vent, the top
wall being formed unnaturally on its underside with spaced conduits
extending downward from under the spout and the vent and
communicating therewith and
a flat flow controller of resilient material having a pair of
spaced cavities on one side, each of said pair of cavities having a
diaphragm at the bottom thereof, each of said pair of cavities
receiving the lower ends of the conduits in frictional engagement
sufficient to support the flow controller with the diaphragms in
sealed relation to the elements, each of the diaphragms having a
passage therethrough which is normally closed, but opens upon
occurrence of a pressure differential on opposite sides of the
diaphragm.
20. The drinking cup according to claim 19, wherein said flow
controller further comprises a pair of shoulders.
21. A method of controlling flow of fluid in a liquid-containing
closed vessel having a top wall formed with an outlet spout through
which the liquid may be aspirated and a vent spaced from the spout,
the spout and vent having parallel elements extending into the
vessel, the method comprising the steps of:
(1) providing a flat element of flexible elastomeric material
having a pair of spaced cavities on one side, each cavity having a
floor at the bottom thereof; and
(2) installing the flat element with the cavities receiving and
frictionally engaging the elements so that the elements are in
sealing relation with the floors, the floors each having passages
therein openable upon the occurrence of a pressure differential on
opposite sides of the floor. .Iadd.
22. A drinking cup comprising:
a container having a removable cover, said cover having a drinking
spout, a vent, and a pair of downwardly depending spaced elements,
one of said pair of spaced elements communicating with said spout
and the other of said pair of spaced elements communicating with
said vent; and
a flow control element comprising a pair of spaced cavities, each
of said pair of cavities having a wall and a flexible membrane in
communication with said wall, said wall of each of said pair of
cavities being frictionally engaged with one of said pair of spaced
elements to support said flow control element and seal said
cavities to said spaced elements so that said flexible membranes
are positioned respectively between said drinking spout and vent of
said cover and the interior of said container, each of said
membranes having a passage therethrough that is normally closed but
opens upon occurrence of a pressure differential on opposite sides
of said membrane..Iaddend..Iadd.
23. A flow control element suitable for use in a substantially
leak-proof drinking cup that includes a lid, the lid having a
spout, an air vent and a pair of downwardly depending elements, the
first of the pair of elements depending from and being in liquid
tight communication with the spout and the second of the pair of
elements depending from and being in liquid tight communication
with the vent, said flow control element comprising:
a first valve having an elastomeric diaphragm;
a second valve having an elastomeric diaphragm;
a first wall being in communication with said first elastomeric
diaphragm and having a surface that is frictionally and sealingly
engagable with the first depending element; and
a second wall being in communication with said second elastomeric
diaphragm, and having a surface that is frictionally and sealingly
engagable with the second depending element, said surfaces of said
first and second walls relative to the first and second depending
elements being suitable for frictionally securing said flow control
element to the first and second depending elements of the lid so as
to position said first and second elastomeric diaphragms
respectively between the spout and air vent of the lid and the
interior of the drinking cup,
wherein each of said first and second elastometric diaphragms
includes at least one perforation therethrough such that said first
and second elastometric diaphragms can temporarily open to permit
fluid to pass through said diaphragms in response to a pressure
differential..Iaddend..Iadd.
24. A drinking cup comprising:
a container for holding a fluid; and
a sealing lid for sealing said container,
wherein said sealing lid has an air vent, a drinking spout and two
downwardly extending elements, one of said two elements being an
air vent element in communication with said air vent, and the other
of said two elements being a drinking spout element in liquid tight
engagement with said drinking spout,
wherein said drinking cup has an air vent valve and a drinking
spout valve, each of said valves having a wall and a self-sealing
elastomeric membrane in communication with said wall, wherein said
wall and said membrane of each of said valves together define a
cavity,
wherein said wall of said air vent valve is frictionally sealingly
secured to said air vent element, and wherein said wall of said
drinking spout valve is frictionally sealingly secured to said
drinking spout element so as to position said elastomeric membranes
of said valves respectively between said air vent and said drinking
spout of said lid and the interior of said container, and
wherein at least one of said elastomeric membranes has at least one
perforation therein..Iaddend..Iadd.
25. The drinking cup of claim 24, wherein said wall of said air
vent valve is secured to said air vent element by
friction..Iaddend..Iadd.
26. The drinking cup of claim 24, wherein said wall of said
drinking spout valve is secured to said drinking spout element by
friction..Iaddend..Iadd.
27. The drinking cup of claim 24, wherein said air vent valve and
said drinking spout valve are located on a common
substrate..Iaddend..Iadd.
28. The drinking cup of claim 27, wherein said common substrate is
elastomeric..Iaddend..Iadd.
29. The drinking cup of claim 28, wherein said air vent valve, said
drinking spout valve and said common substrate make up a single,
integrally molded element..Iaddend..Iadd.
30. The drinking cup of claim 24, wherein said drinking cup
includes a flow control element, said valves being part of said
flow control element, and wherein said flow control element is
secured to said lid only by said securement of said walls of said
valves to said two downwardly extending
elements..Iaddend..Iadd.
31. The drinking cup of claim 24, wherein said perforation includes
a slit..Iaddend..Iadd.
32. A method of controlling flow of fluid in a closed vessel having
a top wall formed with an outlet spout through which the liquid may
be aspirated and a vent spaced from the spout, the method
comprising the steps of:
(1) providing said top wall with a pair of downwardly depending
spaced elements, one spaced element being in communication with
said spout and the other spaced element being in communication with
said vent; and
(2) providing a flow control element with a pair of elastomeric
valves, each valve being in communication with a wall that is
sealingly engaged with one of said spaced elements so as to
position said elastomeric valves respectively between the outlet
spout and the vent of the top wall and the interior of the vessel,
each of said pair of elastomeric valves having a passage therein
that is normally closed and is openable upon the occurrence of a
pressure differential on opposite sides of said elastomeric
valve..Iaddend..Iadd.
33. The method of claim 32, wherein said passage is a
slit..Iaddend..Iadd.
34. The method of claim 32, wherein both of said elastomeric valves
are located on a single substrate..Iaddend..Iadd.
35. The method of claim 34, wherein said single substrate is
elastomeric..Iaddend..Iadd.
36. The method of claim 34, wherein said pair of elastomeric valves
and said single substrate make up a single integrally molded
element..Iaddend..Iadd.
37. The method of claim 32, wherein at least one of said walls in
communication with one of said pair of elastomeric valves is
sealingly engaged with said one of said spaced elements by
friction..Iaddend..Iadd.
38. A drinking cup comprising:
a container having a removable cover, said cover having a drinking
spout, a vent, and a pair of downwardly depending spaced
fluid-conducting elements, one of said pair of spaced elements
communicating with said spout and the other of said pair of spaced
elements communicating with said vent; and
a flow control element comprising a pair of spaced walls, each of
said pair of walls communicating with a separate diaphragm, wherein
each of said pair of walls and said diaphragm in communication
therewith define a cavity above said diaphragm, one of said pair of
walls being engaged with one of said spaced elements, and the other
of said pair of walls being engaged with the other of said pair of
spaced elements, to mount said flow control element onto and seal
said cavities relative to said spaced elements so that said
diaphragms are positioned respectively between said drinking spout
and vent of said cover and the interior of said container, each of
said diaphragms having a passage therethrough that is normally
closed but opens upon occurrence of a pressure differential on
opposite sides of said diaphragm..Iaddend..Iadd.
39. The drinking cup of claim 38, wherein said flow control element
is mounted to said spaced elements only by frictional engagement of
said walls with said spaced elements..Iaddend..Iadd.
40. The drinking cup of claim 38, wherein each of said pair of
walls extends in an upward direction relative to its respective
said diaphragm..Iaddend..Iadd.
41. The drinking cup of claim 38, wherein the shape of said pair of
walls complements the shape of said spaced
elements..Iaddend..Iadd.
42. The drinking cup of claim 41, wherein said pair of walls and
said spaced elements are tubular..Iaddend..Iadd.
43. A drinking cup comprising:
a container having a removable cover, said cover having a drinking
spout, a vent, and a pair of downwardly depending spaced
fluid-conducting elements, one of said pair of spaced elements
communicating with said spout and the other of said pair of spaced
elements communicating with said vent; and
a flow control element comprising a pair of spaced walls, each of
said pair of walls communicating with a diaphragm, wherein each of
said pair of walls and said diaphragm in association therewith
define a cavity on the same side of said diaphragm, one of said
pair of walls having a surface that receives and engages one of
said spaced elements, and the other of said pair of walls having a
surface that receives and engages the other of said spaced
elements, to mount said flow control element onto and seal said
cavities relative to said spaced elements so that said diaphragms
are positioned respectively between said drinking spout and vent of
said cover and the interior of said container, each of said
diaphragms having a passage therethrough that is normally closed
but opens upon occurrence of a pressure differential on opposite
sides of said diaphragm..Iaddend..Iadd.
44. The flow control element of claim 43, wherein said flow control
element is mounted to said spaced elements only by frictional
engagement of said pair of walls with said spaced
elements..Iaddend..Iadd.
45. The flow control element of claim 43, wherein each of said
diaphragms is elastomeric..Iaddend..Iadd.
46. The flow control element of claim 43, wherein said flow control
element is elastomeric..Iaddend..Iadd.
47. The drinking cup of claim 43, wherein the shape of said pair of
walls complements the shape of said spaced
elements..Iaddend..Iadd.
48. The drinking cup of claim 47, wherein said pair of walls and
said spaced elements are tubular..Iaddend.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a covered drinking cup of the type often
used by infants and children as a training cup because it
safeguards against spills and provides liquid flow through a
nipple-like spout. More specifically, this invention relates to
covered drinking cups that provide a leak-proof flow of the liquid
and venting of the head space as liquid is withdrawn.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the past nursing bottles and cups for dispensing milk and other
liquids to infants and children have often been in the form of
vented covered containers. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 2,372,281 to
Jordan, which issued on Mar. 27, 1945, has a cover that provides a
nipple on one side having flow-regulating means and a vent on the
other side also having flow-regulating means. By adjusting the two
flow-regulating means, the user can comfortably draw liquid from
the nipple. As the liquid is withdrawn, air moves in through the
vent to replace the withdrawn liquid and prevent negative pressure
build-up which in the extreme can stop liquid flow.
Another covered drinking cup is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.
2,608,841 to Rice which issued on Sep. 2, 1952. As the venting
means, the Rice cup provides a manually adjustable valve which
controls the ease with which air is admitted into the cup for
venting. It thereby regulates the flow of liquid.
With respect to the admission of air into nursing bottles and the
like, check valves have often been used and are disclosed in the
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,401,224 to Alonso which issued on Aug. 30, 1983;
4,545,491 to Bisgaard, et al. which issued on Oct. 8, 1985;
4,723,668 to Cheng which issued on Feb. 9, 1988; and 4,828,126 to
Vincinguerra which issued on May 6, 1989.
Other vent means are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,865,207 to
Joyner, et al. which issued on Sept. 12, 1989 in which a fabric
hydrophobic filter passes air into the nurser.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,135,513 to Arisland, which issued on Jan. 23, 1979,
discloses a drinking nozzle for a nursing bottle which incorporates
air venting means, opening a valve when the pressure within the
container is substantially less than atmospheric pressure to
thereby vent the head space.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,079,013 to Belanger, which issued on Jan. 7, 1992,
discloses a dripless liquid feeding/training container in which the
cover is provided with two spring-biased check valves. One check
valve is a spring biased ball check that permits inward air flow
for venting and the other check valve is a spring-biased outlet
valve that opens by the sucking action of the infant and springs
closed when the sucking action relents. The container is described
as "dripless".
One of the shortcomings of some of the prior art is that the valves
involved have metal parts. Further, the number of the parts
involved makes such containers difficult to manufacture, assemble
and clean. There is, hence, a need for a less complicated structure
that eliminates the metal parts, and is readily washable. It is to
such a need that the present invention is directed. In a preferred
embodiment, the control element has additional means to retainer it
in place in the cup even during impact.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a control element for a drinking cup, and
the drinking cup in which the cover has a drinking spout at one
side and a vent at the other. Tubular elements extend down from
under the spout and the vent. The flow control element of
elastomeric material is provided having a pair of spaced cavities
on one side, each cavity having a floor at the bottom thereof. In
assembly, the cavities receive in frictional engagement the lower
ends of the tubular elements. This engagement supports the flow
control element with the floor of each cavity in sealed relation
with respect to its tubular element. Each floor has a passage that
is normally closed but opens on the occurrence of a pressure
differential on opposite sides of the floor.
In a preferred embodiment, the control element includes a pair of
shoulders that assist in maintaining the control element in place
even during impact.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Further objects and features of the present invention will be
apparent to those skilled in the art from a study of the following
specification and the accompanying drawings, all of which disclose
a non-limiting embodiment of the invention. In the drawings:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an assembled drinking cup that
embodies the invention;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a first embodiment of the
flow control element of the invention;
FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the flow control element of FIG.
2;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on the line
4--4 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of a second embodiment of
the flow control element of the invention; and
FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on the line
4--4 of FIG. 1 of the flow control element of the second embodiment
of FIG. 5.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to the drawings and, in particular, FIG. 1, a drinking
cup that embodies the invention is generally represented by
reference numeral 10. The drinking cup 10 comprises a cup-shaped
container 12 having a cover 14 that may be screwed on to the top of
the container by cooperant threads shown in FIG. 4. The cover 14
comprises a top wall 16 and a depending downward or side wall 18
formed with interior threads that engage exterior threads about the
mouth of the container 12 as described.
Just inside the downward wall 18, the cover 14 may be provided with
a short annular wall 20. Also, an O-ring (not shown) may be
disposed in between the annular wall 20 and the side wall 18 of the
cover 14. The O-ring may be compressed to form a liquid sealing
joint between the cover 14 and the container 12.
One side of the top wall 16 is provided with a drinking spout 22
which has dispensing openings 24 at its distal end. Formed
unnaturally with the cover 14 and extending downward from the spout
22 inside the cover is an element 26. In the embodiment shown in
FIG. 1, the spout 22 and element 26 are tubular elements, however
these elements can be any geometric shape. It is important that the
spout 22 and element 26 communicate into liquid tight engagement.
Therefore, the spout 22 and element 26 preferably have holes
therethrough of the same shape.
At the opposite side of the top wall 16, the cover 14 is provided
with a vent 28. Formed unnaturally with the cover 14 is a downward
element 30 which communicates with the vent 28. In a preferred
embodiment, element 30 is tubular in shape, however it can also be
any shape. It is also preferable, that the since the vent 28 and
element 30 have air tight communication between each other, that
they have holes therethrough of the same shape.
Both elements 26 and 30 terminate downwardly at the same level in
downwardly facing openings. In the preferred embodiment, both
elements 26 and 30 are tubular or cylindrical. Since element 26
communicates with the spout 22, while the element 30 communicates
with the vent 28, the diameter of element 26 is preferably larger
than the diameter of element 30. However, it is understood that the
diameter of the holes of each element 26, 30 can be any size and
shape depending on the size and shape of the spout 22 and vent 28,
respectively.
As shown in FIG. 2, there is provided a flow control element 40. It
is preferably a single piece of elastomeric material, such as, for
example, thermoplastic elastomer, silicone, or a soft rubber. The
elastomeric material is resilient and flexible and does not have
any separate parts, such as balls and springs. The control element
40 has a pair of spaced cavities 42, 44 formed in one side. The
pair of spaced cavities 42, 44 are formed near opposite ends 41 of
the control element 40. The cavities 42, 44 can have any shape,
however they should have a shape that complements the shapes of
elements 26, 30, respectively. Therefore, in a preferred
embodiment, cavities 42, 44 should have a tubular or circular
shape. Each cavity 42, 44 has a one or any number more of ribs 50,
52, respectively. In the preferred embodiment, each cavity 42, 44
has two ribs. These ribs 50, 52 act to seal the cavity 42,44 to the
respective element 26, 30.
Also, cavity 42 complements element 26 that communicates with spout
22, and cavity 44 complements element 30 that communicates with
vent 28. Accordingly, in the preferred embodiment, the cavities 42,
44 are cylindrical. Furthermore, the diameter of cavity 42 is
greater than the diameter of cavity 44 due to the difference in the
diameters of the spout 22 and the vent 28. For example, in an
embodiment in which the elements 26, 30 are cylindrical and with
conventional, different diameters, cavity 42 has a rib diameter
about 0.57 inches and a flat (the area between ribs) diameter about
0.63 inches, whereas cavity 44 has a rib diameter about 0.50 inches
and a flat diameter about 0.55 inches.
In the preferred embodiment, the spout 22 is closer to side wall 18
than vent 28. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 4, the cavity 42 is
closed to edge 41 than cavity 44 is to respective edge 41. It
should be understood, however, that if the relationship of the
spout 22 and vent 28 to side wall 18 varies so does the
relationship of the cavities 42, 44 to edge 41. Accordingly,
cavities 42, 44 can be equidistant from respective edges 41, or
cavity 44 can be closer than cavity 42 to respective edge 41.
The control element 40 is formed with floors 46, 48 at the bottom
of each cavity 42, 44, respectively. As stated above, extending
inward from the sides of each cavity 42, 44 are, in a preferred
embodiment, a pair of spaced horizontal inward circumferential ribs
50, 52, respectively. In particular, cavity 44 has a pair of ribs
50, and cavity 44 has a pair of ribs 52. As also stated above, each
cavity may have any number of ribs. The ribs 50, 52 secure the
control element 40 onto elements 26, 30, respectively, by
frictional engaging the exterior walls of the elements. It is
preferred that the lowermost one of the pair of ribs 50 in cavity
46 not contact floor 46, and likewise the lowermost one of the pair
of ribs 52 in cavity 44 not contact floor 48. By this feature, the
least amount of tension is placed on the control element 40 during
use. By minimizing this tension, the sealing characteristics of the
slit is optimized.
Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the floors 46, 48 are formed with slits
54, 56, respectively. The slits 54, 56 can have many forms, two of
which are "Y"- or "X"-shaped slits for the passage of fluid.
Preferably, one slit 54, 56 in each floor 46, 48, respectively, is
sufficient to facilitate the passage of liquid in element 26 and
the passage of air in element 30. However, multiple slits in each
floor may be designed to provide the same function.
In the assembly shown in FIG. 4, the two cavities 42, 44 are
aligned with the two, preferably tubular, elements 26, 30 and the
control element 40 is raised. The elastomeric nature of the control
element 40 is sufficient to flex as the control element is
effected. The control element 40 is then shoved "home" on each
element 26, 30 so that the lower ends of the elements abut against
the floors 46, 48, respectively and effect therewith a snug contact
that amounts to a seal, especially in view of ribs 50, 52
frictional contact on elements 26, 30, respectively. Slight
imprecision in the dimensions of the cavities 42, 44 or of the
control element 40 can be tolerated due to the soft resilient
nature of the control element and, perhaps, the ribs 50, 52.
After the container 12 is filled with liquid, the cover 14 is
screwed onto the container. As the infant tilts the container and
sucks liquid through the openings 24, the slits 54 yield and part
in the center of the slits. When the sucking pressure relents, the
resilience of the cavity 42 causes the slit 54 to close once more
so that were the cup 10 to be tipped over or to fall on the floor,
no appreciable liquid would pass out the openings 24.
As the liquid is removed as by sucking on spout 22, a negative
pressure builds up in the head space above the liquid. To avoid
this pressure--pressure differential across the floor 48--becoming
too great, the slits 56 yield, the centers moving downward to
permit passage of atmosphere through the opening 28 and through the
slits. When the pressure differential is substantially returned to
zero, the resilience of the control element 40 causes the slits to
close so that should an upset occur, no liquid could escape
outwardly therefrom through vent opening 28, and a leak through
that route is avoided.
Referring to the second embodiment of FIGS. 5 and 6, the same
elements recited above will bear the same reference numeral except
with a prime. As shown in FIG. 5, the control element 40' includes
a pair of shoulders 62, 64 adjacent the opposite ends or edges 41'
of the control element, and extending in a direction opposite the
opening of each cavity 42', 44'. Each shoulder 62, 64 has a surface
configuration analogous to that of the ends 41'.
As shown in FIG. 6, in the most preferred embodiment, each shoulder
62, 64 has a portion 66 that may be either straight or chamfered
and an inwardly chamfered or angled portion 67. The chamfered
portion 67 is adapted to mate with the inside surface of the side
walls 18' of the container in order to prevent the control element
from disengaging elements 26' and 30'. In a preferred embodiment,
the chamfered portion 67 may be at angle of about seventy-seven
degrees with the vertical, straight portion.
In the most preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 6, each shoulder 62,
64 has a vertical extant of the valve and shoulder about 0.54
inches. The vertical extant of each shoulder 62, 64 is affected by
its distance from edge 41, which as stated above is dictated by the
position of spout 22' and vent 28' from the side wall 18' of the
container.
It is understood that the shoulders 62, 64 can consist solely of a
straight portion, an outwardly angled, an inwardly angled portion
or any combination of same depending on the angle of the walls of
the container 12. In addition, the shoulders 62, 64 can have any
shape. The sole criteria is that is mates with the inside of the
side walls 18' of the container to help prevent the control element
40 from disengaging the elements 26', 30'. The pressure for the
control element 40' to dislodge particularly occurs when the
control element 40' is forced away from the spout and vent of the
cover upon impact.
In either embodiments, after use, the cup 10 of the invention may
be readily disassembled. Referring to FIG. 1, the cover 14 may be
removed and the control element 40 simply withdrawn off the
elements 26, 30. All of the components are readily washable.
It will be seen that the invention provides a training cup of three
simple parts which is inexpensively and readily made and assembled
and works effectively to avoid spills and drips.
The invention described here may take a number of forms. It is not
limited to the embodiment disclosed but is of a scope defined by
the following claim language which may be broadened by an extension
of the right of exclude others from making, using or selling the
invention as is appropriate under the doctrine of equivalents.
* * * * *