DRINKING VESSEL HAVING AN INNER SHELL OF A GLASS MATERIAL AND AN OUTER SHELL OF A NON-GLASS MATERIAL

Abstract

A rugged drinking vessel and a method of manufacturing such a drinking vessel are disclosed. In one embodiment, the drinking vessel includes: (1) an outer shell constructed of a non-glass material and (2) an inner shell positioned substantially within the outer shell, wherein the inner shell is constructed of a glass material and is configured to hold a liquid.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This Application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/558,913 filed on Nov. 11, 2011, entitled “GLASS ON THE GO” which is incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This application relates to drinkware and, more specifically, to drinkware that can be used on the go.

BACKGROUND

People often use glassware when enjoying beverages inside. Glass, however, can break or shatter. As such, glassware may be not appropriate for outside events or other environments where glass is more apt to break. For example, people will typically use plastic or Styrofoam cups at pool parties, picnics and other environments hostile to glassware.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, a drinking vessel is disclosed. In one embodiment, the drinking vessel includes: (1) an outer shell constructed of a non-glass material and (2) an inner shell positioned substantially within the outer shell, wherein the inner shell is constructed of a glass material and is configured to hold a liquid.

In another aspect, a method of manufacturing a drinking vessel is disclosed. In one embodiment, the method includes: (1) obtaining an inner shell constructed of a glass material and having a shape configured to hold a liquid, (2) obtaining an outer shell constructed of a non-glass material, wherein the inner and outer shell each have an open end and (3) affixing the inner shell within the outer shell wherein the open ends for the inner and out shells provide an opening for drinking a liquid within the inner shell.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a cut-away side view of an embodiment of a drinking vessel constructed according to the principles of the disclosure;

FIG. 1A, FIG. 1B and FIG. 1C illustrate different embodiments of a lip area of a drinking vessel constructed according to the principles of the disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates a side view of another embodiment of a drinking vessel constructed according to the principles of the disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates a side view of yet another embodiment of a drinking vessel constructed according to the principles of the disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates a side view of still another embodiment of a drinking vessel constructed according to the principles of the disclosure; and

FIG. 5 illustrates a side view of yet another different embodiment of a drinking vessel constructed according to the principles of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The disclosure provides a drinking vessel that combines the advantage of drinking from a glass vessel with the ruggedness of non-glass drinkware. The disclosed drinking vessel includes two shells (or at least two shells) of different materials, an inner shell and an outer shell. The inner shell is shaped to hold a liquid and is positioned substantially within the outer shell. The shapes of the inner and outer shells can vary. In some embodiments, the inner and outer shells have a similar or same shape, wherein a size of the outer shell is sufficiently greater than a size of the inner shell such that the inner shell substantially fits within the outer shell. In other embodiments, the shapes of the inner and outer shell are not the same. For example, the outer shell may have a cylindrical shape and the inner shell may have a cone shape.

Disclosed herein are embodiments having an inner shell constructed of a glass material and an outer shell constructed of a non-glass material. In some embodiments, the glass used for the inner shell is a glass that is used to construct drinking vessels. For example, the glass may be a conventional glass type that is used in the art for drinking vessels. In one embodiment, the glass may be soda-lime glass. In other embodiments, the glass material is a shatterproof glass, such as a laminated glass. Laminated glass is a safety glass that includes a layer, such as an interlayer, that holds the layer or layers of glass together when broken or shattered. In one embodiment, the outer shell is the layer that holds the inner shell of glass together.

The non-glass material of the outer shell is a break-resistant material. In one embodiment, the non-glass material is a type of plastic. In another embodiment, the non-glass material is metallic (such as aluminum) or wood. Conventional materials that are used in the art for constructing drinking vessels and/or containers can be used to construct the outer shell. In one embodiment, the outer shell is a neoprene or foam rubber material, such as with a Koozie, and the inner shell is a glass material. In some embodiments, such as with a neoprene outer shell, the outer shell is coupled to the inner shell via friction between the two shells.

The inner and outer shell can be fixed together via conventional means. In some embodiments, the inner and outer shell can be affixed together permanently. A chemical or mechanical means for affixing can be employed. In one embodiment, a conventional glue, epoxy or adhesive for joining dissimilar materials is used to fix the inner shell to the outer shell. For example, a glass to plastic or glass to metal adhesive can be employed. Heat may also be used when affixing the inner shell with the outer shell. When permanently affixed, a mechanical destruction of the inner and outer shells coupled together or at least a mechanical destruction of a portion of the coupled shells is required to separate the two shells.

The inner and outer shells can also be affixed together non-permanently. This allows an interchangeable connection wherein, for example, different shaped inner shells can be interchanged with the same outer shell. In some embodiments, the inner and outer shells are affixed by being screwed together. In these embodiments, at least a portion of the inner and outer shells have corresponding grooves allowing the inner shell to be screwed into the outer shell. The corresponding grooves can be located on the bottom portion of a lip of the inner shell and a top portion of the outer shell. In some embodiments, a corresponding groove or grooves are located between the lip and the main outer surface of the inner shell and a top portion of the outer shell. One skilled in the art will understand affixing the inner and outer shells together via corresponding grooves. An adhesive or another affixing compound may be used with the corresponding grooves to couple the inner shell to the outer shell for a more permanent coupling.

Other types of interchangeable connections can be used to couple the inner and outer shell together. For example, a turn-and-click connection may be used to interchangeably couple the inner and outer shells together. More than one such connection can be used. For an interchangeable connection, mechanical destruction of the joined shells is not required for this semi-permanent connection. Instead, a mechanical means is used to connect the inner and outer shells together that does not require destruction thereof to separate the connected two shells.

The inner and outer shell may be joined during manufacturing of the shells or after each shell is manufactured. In one embodiment, either the inner shell or the outer shell, or both, is obtained from a third party vendor and then joined together to make the disclosed drinking vessel. In other embodiments, the inner and outer shells are manufactured in-house by the drinking vessel manufacturer. In some embodiments, the inner and outer shells are coupled together by the user.

The space between the inner shell and the outer shell of different drinking vessels can vary. The space can also vary along the height or width of a single drinking vessel. In some embodiments, an upper portion of the inner shell and an upper portion of the outer shell are fixed together and the remaining portions of the inner and outer shells are separated. The distance of separation can vary along the height of the shells. In some embodiments, at least a portion of the separation area includes a filler. The filler may be an insulating material, an affixing material or both.

The disclosure provides a drinking vessel that allows someone to enjoy a beverage from a glass vessel and have the added ruggedness of a non-glass outer shell. In some embodiments, the glass inner shell is extended such that both lips of a drinker touch glass when drinking from the inner vessel. In one embodiment, a glass band may be placed within the outer shell where the bottom lip of a drinker would touch.

FIG. 1 illustrates a cut-away side view of an embodiment of a drinking vessel 100 constructed according to the principles of the disclosure. The drinking vessel 100 includes an inner shell 110 and an outer shell 120. The thickness of both the inner shell 110 and the outer shell 120 can vary in different embodiments.

The inner shell 110 is constructed of glass material and is shaped to hold a liquid. The inner shell 110 is sized to fit within or at least substantially within the outer shell 120. At least a portion of the inner shell is coupled to a portion of the outer shell. In FIG. 1, an upper portion of the inner shell 110 is affixed to an upper portion of the outer shell 120.

The outer shell 120 is constructed of a plastic. In another embodiment, the outer shell 120 may be constructed of another non-glass material, such as a metal, a wood, a rubber material or a mixture of non-glass materials.

A separation void 130 is located between the inner shell 110 and the outer shell 120. The volume of the separation void 130 is substantially the space between the outer wall of the inner shell 110 and inner wall of the outer shell 120. A distance m between the inner wall of the outer shell 120 and the outer wall of the inner shell 110 varies along the height of the inner and outer shells. A base of the inner shell 110 is separated from a base of the outer shell 120 by a distance n. The distances m and n vary based on the shape of the inner and outer shells. In some embodiments, the distances m and/or n may be zero or substantially zero.

An inset of FIG. 1 denotes a cut-away view of a lip area of the drinking vessel 100. Different embodiments of the lip area are illustrated in FIG. 1A, FIG. 1B and FIG. 1C. FIG. 1 illustrates the lip area where an upper portion of the inner shell 110 extends over a top portion of the outer shell 120. A height of the upper portion, Hlip, is sufficient to correspond to the lips of a user. As such, the lips of the user touch glass when drinking a liquid from the inner shell 110 of the drinking vessel 100. For example, the height Hlip of the upper portion is within the range of ¼ inch to 1 inch. In one embodiment, the height Hlip is ¾ of an inch. In the embodiment FIG. 1, the top portion of the outer shell 120 is flush with a bottom side of an upper portion of the inner shell 110.

FIG. 1A illustrates an embodiment of the lip area wherein the upper portion of the inner shell 110 and an upper portion of the outer shell 120 are substantially flush. FIG. 1B illustrates another embodiment of the lip area wherein the inner shell 110 extends past the outer shell 120. FIG. 1C illustrates another embodiment of the lip area wherein the outer shell 120 extends past the inner shell 110. A sealant can be used at the intersection of the inner and outer shells 110, 120, as illustrated in FIG. 1B and FIG. 1C.

In FIG. 1, the inner shell 110 is coupled to the outer shell 120 by an adhesive 140. As illustrated in the various lip area embodiments, the adhesive 140 is applied between at least a portion of the outer wall of the inner shell 110 and the inner wall of the outer shell 120.

An affixing area is noted in FIG. 1. The size, height or width, of the affixing area can vary. In some embodiments, the affixing area corresponds to an area between the inner shell 110 and the outer shell 120 where either m or n are between zero and 1/16 of an inch. In one embodiment, the size of the affixing area is dependent on the type and strength of the adhesive 140 and the type of material used to construct the inner and outer shells 110, 120. The location and size of the affixing area is also based on the shapes of the inner and outer shells 110 and 120. A combination of chemical and mechanical means can be used to couple the inner shell 110 to the outer shell 120. A connecting arm or stabilizer 150 can also be used in various locations for affixing. The connecting arm 150 can be, for example, screwed or glued between the inner shell 110 and the outer shell 120. The connecting arm can be constructed of the same material as the outer shell 120.

In embodiments where a portion of the inner shell 110 is visible from a side view of the drinking vessel 100, at least the visible portion of the inner shell 110 may be colored or pattern the same as or at least substantially the same as the outer shell 120. As such, a user may view the outer layer of drinking vessel as a single shell. For example, in FIG. 1, the Hlip portion may be blue to match the blue outer shell 120. Alternatively, the Hlip portion may include a pattern, such as flowers, that is also included on the outer shell 120. Accordingly, the drinking vessel 100 can be viewed as a plastic cup.

FIG. 2 illustrates a cut-away side view of another embodiment of a drinking vessel 200 constructed according to the principles of the disclosure. The drinking vessel 200 includes an inner shell 210 and an outer shell 220. In some embodiment, the drinking vessel 200 can also include a handle 230 as indicated by the dashed lines. The handle 230 may be an extension of the outer shell 220. In this embodiment, the shape of the inner shell 210 and the outer shell 220 are the same or at least substantially the same. The inner shell 210 is a glass material and the outer shell 220 is a non-glass material. In one embodiment, the inner shell 210 is a shatterproof glass, such as laminated glass, and the outer shell 220 is a plastic that holds or at least assists in holding the inner shell 210 together if broken. The inner shell 210 and outer shell 220 can be coupled together employing any of the means described herein or conventionally known.

FIG. 3 illustrates a side view of yet another embodiment of a drinking vessel 300 constructed according to the principles of the disclosure. The drinking vessel 300 includes an inner shell 310 and an outer shell 320. The inner shell 310 and outer shell 320 can be coupled together employing any of the means described herein or conventionally known. In this embodiment, the shape of the inner shell 310 and a portion of the outer shell 320 are the shape of a martini glass. The drinking vessel 300 also includes a stem 330 and a base 340. The stem 330 and base 340 can be considered part of the outer shell 320.

FIG. 4 illustrates a cut-away side view of another embodiment of a drinking vessel 400 constructed according to the principles of the disclosure. In this embodiment, an inner shell 410 and an outer shell 420 are coupled together via being screwed together with corresponding grooves 430.

FIG. 5 illustrates a side view of another embodiment of a drinking vessel 500 constructed according to the principles of the disclosure. In this embodiment, an inner shell 510 and an outer shell 520 are coupled together via a twist-and-click connection 530. The twist-and-click connection 530 includes a nipple 535 on the outer side of the inner shell 510 that corresponds to a channel 537 on the inner side of the outer shell 520. For connecting, the nipple 530 and the vertical portion of the channel 537 are aligned. The inner shell 510 is then pushed down until the nipple 535 reaches the bottom of the vertical portion of the channel 537. The inner shell 510 is then twisted (see arrow) until meeting the left wall of the horizontal portion of the channel 537. This allows the simple interchange of inner shells according to, for example, different types of drinks that are in the drinking vessel. For example, the inner shell 510 may be shaped as a martini glass, different type of wine glasses (red or white), cocktail, etc.

As illustrated in the various embodiments, the shape of the drinking vessel can vary. Additionally, the shapes of the inner and outer shells can vary. Regardless the shape, the disclosed drinking vessels allow a user to drink a liquid from a glass container with the advantage of a break-resistant outer layer. In one embodiment, the entire drinking vessel may be constructed of a shatterproof glass having, for example, glass or a glass material inner shell or layer for containing a liquid and a strengthening shell or layer external to the inner layer to provide ruggedness for the glass or glass material inner layer. The strengthening layer can be a plastic. Thus, a user would drink a liquid from the glass or the glass material inner layer. A lip or band of glass or glass material can also be included. The disclosure provides various drinking vessels that can be used on the go and that include the advantage of drinking from glass. Accordingly, users can enjoy ice tea, wine, mixed drinks or other beverages from glass containers at locations where glass drinking ware is not allowed or typically not used. The disclosed drinking vessels, therefore, provide an improved alternative to disposable cups. As such, the disclosed drinking vessels reduce waste and assist in obtaining or maintaining a healthy environment or earth. In addition to providing a healthy environment, the disclosed drinking vessels also reduce the exposure to humans from toxins associated with drinking from plastic bottles, cups, etc. Instead, a glass alternative and green solution is provided.

Those skilled in the art to which this application relates will appreciate that other and further additions, deletions, substitutions and modifications may be made to the described embodiments.

Claims

1. A drinking vessel, comprising:

an outer shell constructed of a non-glass material; and

an inner shell positioned substantially within said outer shell, wherein said inner shell is constructed of a glass material and is configured to hold a liquid.

2. The drinking vessel as recited in claim 1 wherein said inner shell is constructed of a shatterproof glass.

3. The drinking vessel as recited in claim 1 wherein a shape of said outer shell and a shape of said inner shell are substantially the same.

4. The drinking vessel as recited in claim 1 further comprising a band positioned at top of said drinking vessel, wherein said band is constructed of said non-glass material.

5. The drinking vessel as recited in claim 1 wherein said band is part of said inner shell.

6. The drinking vessel as recited in claim 1 wherein said inner and outer shell are permanently affixed together at manufacturing.

7. The drinking vessel as recited in claim 1 wherein said inner shell and said outer shell are mechanically affixed together via a coupling means.

8. A method of manufacturing a drinking vessel, comprising:

obtaining an inner shell constructed of a glass material and having a shape configured to hold a liquid;

obtaining an outer shell constructed of a non-glass material, wherein said inner and outer shell each have an open end; and

affixing said inner shell within said outer shell wherein said open ends for said inner and out shells provide an opening for drinking a liquid within said inner shell.

9. The method as recited in claim 8 wherein said affixing includes permanently affixing.