MUG

Abstract

A mug is configured such that it can be combined with one or more other mugs such that all of the mugs can be grasped in one hand and carried without the use of a tray.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims priority under 35 USC §119 to Venezuelan patent application serial No. 219-2016, filed May 17, 2016, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to drinking receptacles and more particularly, to a mug that is configured such that it can be combined with one or more other mugs such that all of the mugs can be grasped in one hand and carried without the use of a tray.

BACKGROUND

Drinking receptacles come in a variety of different styles, as well as different shapes and sizes. One common drinking receptacle is a mug which is a large cup, typically cylindrical and with a handle. In many different settings, including at home and especially in commercial establishments, such as restaurants and bars, a person may be required to carry and transport more than one filled mug. Due to the shapes of the mug, it is often awkward and difficult to carry more than one mug in a hand due to the shapes of the bodies of the mugs and/or the shapes of the handles. As a result, a tray is often used to transport more than one mug. There is therefore a need to provide a mug that has a construction that allows it to be combined with additional mugs and transported without the use of a tray.

SUMMARY

A mug is configured such that it can be combined with one or more other mugs such that all of the mugs can be grasped in one hand and carried without the use of a tray.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a top and side perspective view of a mug in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the mug;

FIG. 3 is another side elevation view of the mug showing a handle thereof;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view thereof;

FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view thereof;

FIG. 6 is a transverse cross-sectional view thereof;

FIG. 7 is a top and side perspective view of five mugs arranged in an abutting relationship;

FIG. 8 is a transverse cross-sectional view of the combined mugs of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a top and side perspective view of four mugs arranged in an abutting relationship;

FIG. 10 is a top and side perspective view of three mugs arranged in an abutting relationship; and

FIG. 11 is a top and side perspective view of two mugs arranged in an abutting relationship.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

FIGS. 1-7 illustrate a mug 100 in accordance with the present invention. The mug 100 has a body 110 that has a hollow interior space 120 that holds a liquid or other material or object(s). The body 110 thus has a closed bottom (floor) 112 at a first end 111 and an open top at an opposing second end 113. The illustrated body 110, which is exemplary of the present invention, has a cylindrical shape. It will be appreciated that the body 110 can be formed to have any number of other shapes besides the illustrated cylindrical shape.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 5, the first end 111 includes an annular shaped structure 120 that is formed along an outer surface of the closed bottom 112 so as to define a foot on which the mug 100 rests. In particular, the flat annular shaped structure 120 is intended to seat against a support surface, such as a table, whereby the remaining body 110 is slightly elevated relative to the support surface. This arrangement provides a means by which the body 110 which may contain a hot or cold beverage is elevated from the support surface so as to protect the support surface from direct contact with the hot or cold body 110.

As shown, the annular shaped structure 120 has a diameter less than the diameter of the body 110.

The mug 100 also has a handle 130 that extends radially outward therefrom. As shown, the handle 130 is formed of a first flange 140 that is formed at the first end 111 and extends radially outward from an outer surface of the body 110. The handle 130 also has a second flange 150 that is formed at the second end 113 and extends radially outward from the outer surface of the body 110. The first and second flanges 140, 150 are horizontally oriented and thus are parallel to one another. As shown in the figures, the first and second flanges 140, 150 are triangular shaped defined by two angled sides 160, 162 that converge to a point 164 that is spaced from the body 110.

A space 155 is thus formed between the body 110 and the handle 130.

Extending between the first and second flanges 140, 150 is a vertical handle portion 170 that at its ends is integral formed with the first and second flanges 140, 150. As shown, the vertical handle portion 170 is located in the pointed corner portion of each of the respective first and second flanges 140, 150. Thus, the two outer surfaces 171, 172 of the vertical handle portion 170 are defined by planar (flat) angled surfaces that converge to the point 164. In addition to surfaces 171, 172, the vertical handle portion 170 is defined by a third inner surface 173 which as shown best in FIG. 6 has an arcuate shape (i.e., it is a convex surface). As described in more detail below, the smooth curved surface of the inner surface 173 allows a user to easily grasp and hold the mug 100 comfortably. The convexity of the inner surface 173 thus opposes convexity of the body 110.

The handle components are integral to one another and can be formed as part of a common manufacturing process. In addition, the handle can be integrally formed with the body 110.

FIGS. 7-11 show alternative uses for the mug 100 and in particular, these figures illustrate that the mug 100 can be combined with one or more other mugs 100 such that all of the mugs 100 can be grasped in one hand and carried without the use of a tray.

When combining one mug 100 with one or more other mugs 100, the mugs 100 are combined such that the handles 130 of adjacent mugs 100 abut one another. More particularly, one of the angled sides 160, 162 of the handle 130 of one mug 100 seats flush against one of the angled sides 160, 162, 171, 173 of the handle 130 of the other adjacent mug 100. Since the sides 160, 162, 171, 173 are planar and in particular, since the handles 130 have triangular shapes, the handles 130 seat flush against one another. Similar to pieces of a pie, the points 164 of the handles 130 meet and define a common center point about which the mugs 100 are oriented.

Since the vertical handle portion 170 has an accurate shape (convex shape) and in fact is generally triangular in shape, the combined vertical handle portions 170 of two or more mugs 100 creates a circumferential shape. As more mugs 100 are combined, the combined vertical handle portions 170 define more of a complete circle and in the illustrated embodiment, three mugs 100 define a semicircular shaped combined handle. Depending upon the dimensions of the mugs 100 and the handles 130, more or less combined handles can define a semicircular shaped combined handle.

In the illustrated embodiment, the vertical handle portion defines an angle of about 60 degrees, whereby six mugs placed circumferentially relative to one another would define a complete circle of mugs.

However, it will be understood that the user must have access to grasp the combined vertical handle portions 170 of the combined mugs 100 and therefore, there must be an access point. In other words, one slice of the pie represented by one mug 100 must be left out of the combined mug structure. In the illustrated embodiment, a maximum of five mugs 100 can be combined so as to allow a user access point where a sixth mug would be present. The spaces 155 of the handles 130 combine to form a continuous arcuate shape that receives the hand of the user and the combined vertical handle portions 170 in the center of the combined structure define a grasp handle structure that is grasped by the user's hand.

It will be readily appreciated that the construction of mug 100 provides a number of advantages including that it can be easily combined in the foregoing manner to form a combined structure that can easily be grasped by the user. This allows a user, such as a waitress or bar person, to carry two or more mugs 100 without the need of a tray and also in a secure manner.

It is to be understood that like numerals in the drawings represent like elements through the several figures, and that not all components and/or steps described and illustrated with reference to the figures are required for all embodiments or arrangements. Also, the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having,” “containing,” “involving,” and variations thereof herein, is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items.

The subject matter described above is provided by way of illustration only and should not be construed as limiting. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising”, when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

Various modifications and changes can be made to the subject matter described herein without following the example embodiments and applications illustrated and described, and without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present invention, as set forth in each and any of the following claims.

Claims

1. A mug comprising:

a hollow body having a closed first end and an opposing open second end; and

a handle that extends radially outward from an outer surface of the hollow body, the handle including a first flange portion extending radially outward from the outer surface, a spaced second flange portion extending radially outward from the outer surface, and a vertical handle portion extending between the first and second flange portions so as to define a space between the vertical handle portion and the outer surface, wherein an inner surface of the vertical handle portion has an arcuate shape, wherein each of the first and second flanges has a triangular shape.

2. The mug of claim 1, wherein each of the first and second flanges has a first planar side edge and a second planar side edge that converge to a point.

3. The mug of claim 2, wherein the vertical handle portion includes a first planar side edge and a second planar side edge, the first planar side edge of the vertical handle portion and a first planar side edge of the first flange portion defining a first continuous seamless planar surface, the first planar side edge of the vertical handle portion and a first planar side edge of the second flange portion defining a second continuous seamless planar surface; the second planar side edge of the vertical handle portion and a second planar side edge of the first flange portion defining a third continuous seamless planar surface; and the second planar side edge of the vertical handle portion and a second planar side edge of the second flange portion defining a fourth continuous seamless planar surface.

4. The mug of claim 1, wherein the vertical handle portion is three sided with first and second flat edges that taper inward and converge in a direction away from the hollow body and a third edge having the arcuate shape.

5. A mug comprising:

a hollow body having a closed first end and an opposing open second end; and

a handle that extends radially outward from an outer surface of the hollow body, the handle including a vertical handle portion that is defined by only three sides with first and second sides being tapered inward so that the first and second sides converge in a direction away from the hollow body and a third side having an arcuate shape and defining an innermost portion of the vertical handle portion.

6. The mug of claim 5, wherein the vertical handle portion is spaced away from the hollow body a sufficient distance so as to allow a hand of a user to be received within the space between the vertical handle portion and the hollow body.

7. The mug of claim 5, wherein an angle defined between the first and second sides is about 60 degrees.

8. The mug of claim 5, wherein the handle includes a first flange portion extending radially outward from the outer surface and a spaced second flange portion extending radially outward from the outer surface, the vertical handle portion extending between the first and second flange portions.

9. The mug of claim 8, wherein each of the first and second flange portions has a triangular shape.

10. The mug of claim 9, wherein each of the first and second flange portions is defined by first and second flat sides that are integral to the hollow body.