NO SPILL OPEN CUP
A no spill open cup comprises a container, a sealing ring and a disk. The container is suitable for holding liquids and has a sidewall, a neck adjacent the sidewall, an opening defined by the neck, and an inside diameter. The sealing ring has a ringwall and an internal flange. The ringwall has an inner wall, an outer wall, an inner wall diameter and an outer wall diameter. The outer wall diameter is equal to or greater than the opening inside diameter and is adapted to form a seal between the outer wall and the sidewall. The internal flange is located on the inner wall and has a plurality of flange openings. The disk has a handle, a disk rim, an upper surface and a lower surface, and fittings adapted to hold the disk within the sealing ring. The disk has a plurality of disk openings, and the disk rim has a disk rim diameter equal to or greater than the inner wall diameter.
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The present disclosure relates generally to no spill cups and, more particularly, to a no spill open cup.
BACKGROUNDSince the invention of the cup, humans have been plagued with the problem of spills. Thus, the need for a no-spill or spill proof cup is well known in the art. One approach has been to provide a cup lid with a spout and a valve controlling the flow of liquid through the spout. An example of a successful prior art approach to a spill proof cup is United State U.S. Pat. No. 6,321,931. Other examples of cups with spouts are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,102,245 and 6,116,457. A disadvantage of these approaches is that they are not open cup designs as the user can only drink from the spout. In an open cup, the user can drink from any position along the rim of the cup. A problem with prior art spill proof cups arises when the user cannot see the cup while attempting to drink, for instance while driving an automobile. In those instances, the user often times has to divert his or her attention from the task at hand to properly orient the cup so that the spout aligns properly with the user's mouth. This has created a need for spill proof cups that can be used like an open cup. Various prior art solutions have been provided with openings along the periphery or rim of the cup that together with a valve provide a spill proof cup that permits the user to drink from any location along the rim or edge of the cup lid. Examples of such cups are shown in French Patent Publication No. 3,025,411 and more particularly in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,890,619; 6,202,877; 7,549,556; 8,025,178; 8,418,876; 8,453,870; 9,149,138 and 9,241,588. Another approach is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,444,004 that discloses a three part baffle system. Another solution is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 10,631,676 where a two-piece spill proof open cup is disclosed. These prior patents suffer from a number of deficiencies or disadvantages. For example, a number of the cups disclosed in these prior patents have complex valve structures that are hard to keep clean and maintain in a sanitary condition. Another problem with prior art cups is they do not provide tight seals and can leak. Another problem with various prior art cups is that they are not ergonomic and can be uncomfortable to use. Another problem with cups disclosed in the prior art is that they are uncomfortable if used as a regular open cup with the lid removed. Another problem with some of the cups disclosed in these prior patents arises when the cup is near empty. In order to work properly when the cup is near empty, the cup has to be pointed nearly straight down creating an awkward drinking angle. Another deficiency of the cups disclosed in these prior patents is that they have numerous parts and can be difficult to assemble. This is a problem both in the original assembly by the manufacturer and by the user after the cup has been cleaned. Another deficiency of the prior art cups is that the no spill caps are custom fit to a specific container design. Thus, heretofore unaddressed needs exist in the industry to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.
SUMMARYThe present disclosure provides a no spill open cup comprising a container, a sealing ring, and a disk. The container is suitable for holding liquids and has a sidewall, a neck adjacent the sidewall, an opening, defined by the neck, and having an inside diameter. The sealing ring has a ringwall and an internal flange, the ringwall has an inner wall, an outer wall, an inner wall diameter and an outer wall diameter. The outer wall diameter is equal to or greater than the opening inside diameter and is adapted to form a seal between the ringwall outer wall and the container sidewall.
The internal flange is located on the inner wall and has a plurality of flange openings. The disk has a handle, a rim, an upper surface and a lower surface, and fittings adapted to hold the disk within the sealing ring. The disk has a plurality of disk openings, and the rim has a rim diameter equal to or greater than the inner wall diameter. In another embodiment, the disk fittings are comprised of a hard material. In another embodiment, the no spill open cup further comprises a sealable opening for receiving a straw. In another embodiment, the sealing ring is comprised of a rigid material and an elastomeric material. In another embodiment, the disk is comprised of a thermoplastic material. In another embodiment, the sealing ring is comprised of an elastomeric material. In another embodiment, the sealing ring is constructed of silicone.
In another embodiment, a no spill open cup comprises a container, a sealing ring, and a disk. The container is suitable for holding liquids and has an upper open end and a lower closed end. The container also has an inner sidewall and an outer sidewall, a neck at the open end of the container, an opening at the upper open end defined by the neck, and the neck has an inside diameter and outside diameter. The sealing sleeve has an inner sleeve wall and outer sleeve wall, and the sealing sleeve is adapted to fit over the neck creating a first seal between the inner sleeve wall and the inner sidewall and a second seal between the outer sleeve wall and the outer sidewall. The sealing sleeve also has an internal flange adjacent the inner sleeve wall where the internal flange is located on the inner sleeve wall and has a plurality of flange openings. The disk has a handle, a rim, an upper surface and a lower surface, and a plurality of disk openings. In another embodiment, the sealing sleeve is constructed of an elastomeric material. In another embodiment, the sealing sleeve is constructed of a flexible material. In another embodiment, the disk has a sealable opening for receiving a straw. In another embodiment, the disk is comprised of a thermoplastic material. In another embodiment, the disk is press fit inside the inner sleeve wall.
In another embodiment, a no spill open cup comprises a container, a sealing ring, and a disk. The container is suitable for holding liquids and has a sidewall, a neck adjacent the sidewall, an opening defined by the neck and an inside diameter. The sealing ring has a ringwall and an internal flange. The ringwall has an inner wall, an outer wall, an inner wall diameter, and an outer wall diameter. The outer wall diameter is equal to or greater than the opening inside diameter and is adapted to form a seal between the outer wall and the sidewall. The internal flange is located on the inner wall and has a plurality of flange openings and a stop. The disk has a handle, a rim, an upper surface, a lower surface, and fittings adapted to hold the disk within the sealing ring. The disk has a plurality of disk openings, and the rim has a lip with a void having an open end and a closed so that the open end aligns the disk openings with the flange openings so that liquid will flow out of the container, and the closed end unaligns the disk openings and the flange openings so that liquid will not flow out of the container. In another embodiment, the fittings are constructed of a flexible hard material. In another embodiment, the disk has indicia indicating the alignment between the disk openings with the flange openings. In another embodiment, the sealing ring is comprised of a rigid material and an elastomeric material. In another embodiment, the disk is comprised of a thermoplastic material. In another embodiment, the sealing ring is constructed of an elastomeric material. In another embodiment, the sealing ring is constructed of silicone.
Other systems, devices, methods, features, and advantages will be or become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following drawings and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features, and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the present disclosure, and be protected by the accompanying claims.
Many aspects of the disclosure can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.
Reference is now made in detail to the description of the embodiments as illustrated in the drawings. While several embodiments are described in connection with these drawings, there is no intent to limit the disclosure to the embodiment or embodiments disclosed herein. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents.
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Along lip 78, over the length of void 80, are indicators 94 for showing the positions of disk openings 46 relative to flange openings 32. One of indicators 94 will represent an open condition when disk openings 46 and flange openings 32 are completely aligned allowing the maximum fluid flow out of container 12 and another of indicators 94 will represent a closed condition when disk openings 46 and flange openings 32 are completely unaligned preventing fluid flow out of container 12. The intermediate indicators will represent partially aligned openings permitting some flow of liquid out of container 12.
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Although exemplary embodiments have been shown and described, it will be clear to those of ordinary skill in the art that a number of changes, modifications, or alterations to the disclosure as described may be made. All such changes, modifications, and alterations should therefore be seen as within the scope of the disclosure.
Claims
1: A no spill open cup 10 comprising:
- a container 12 suitable for holding liquids, the container having a sidewall 14, a neck 16 adjacent the sidewall, an opening 18 defined by the neck 16 and having an inside diameter 20;
- a sealing ring 22 having a ringwall 24 and an internal flange 30, the ringwall 24 has an inner wall 26 with an inner wall diameter, an outer wall 28, with an outer wall diameter, the outer wall diameter is equal to or greater than the opening inside diameter 20 and is adapted to form a seal 29 between the outer wall 28 and inner sidewall 56, the internal flange 30 is located on the inner wall 26 and has a plurality of flange openings 32; and
- a disk 34 having a handle 36, a disk rim 38, an upper surface 40 and a lower surface 42, fittings 44 adapted to hold the disk 34 within the sealing ring 22, the disk 34 having a plurality of disk openings 46, and the disk rim 38 having a rim diameter equal to or less than an inside diameter of sealing ring 22.
2: The no spill open cup of claim 1, wherein the disk fittings 44 are comprised of a hard material.
3: The no spill open cup of claim 1, further comprising a sealable opening 50 for receiving a straw.
4: The no spill open cup of claim 1, wherein the sealing ring 22 is comprised of a rigid material and an elastomeric material.
5: The no spill open cup of claim 1, wherein the disk 34 is comprised of a thermoplastic material.
6: The no spill open cup of claim 1, wherein the sealing ring 22 is comprised of an elastomeric material.
7: The no spill open cup of claim 1, wherein the sealing ring 22 is constructed of silicone.
8: A no spill open cup 10 comprising:
- a container 12 suitable for holding liquids having an upper open end 52 and a lower closed end 54, the container 12 having an inner sidewall 56 and an outer sidewall 58, a neck 16 at the upper open end 52 of the container 12, an opening 18 at the upper open end 52 defined by the neck 16, and the neck 16 having an inside diameter 20;
- a sealing sleeve 60 having an outside diameter 58, an inner sleeve wall 62 and outer sleeve wall 64, sealing sleeve 60 adapted to fit over the neck 16 creating a first seal between the inner sleeve wall 62 and the inner sidewall 56 and a second seal between the outer sleeve wall 64 and the outer sidewall 58, an internal flange 30 adjacent the inner sleeve wall 62, the internal flange 30 is located on the inner sleeve wall 62 and has a plurality of flange openings 32; and
- a disk 34 having a handle 36, a rim 38, an upper surface 40 and a lower surface 42, and the disk having a plurality of disk openings 46.
9: The no spill open cup of claim 8, wherein the sealing sleeve 60 is constructed of an elastomeric material.
10: The no spill open cup cap of claim 8, wherein the sealing sleeve 60 is constructed of a flexible material.
11: The no spill open cup of claim 10, wherein the disk 34 has a sealable opening 70 for receiving a straw.
12: The no spill open cup of claim 10, wherein the disk 34 is comprised of a thermoplastic material.
13: The no spill open cup of claim 10, wherein the disk 34 is press fit inside the inner sleeve wall 62.
14: A no spill open cup 10 comprising:
- a container 10 suitable for holding liquids, the container 10 having a sidewall 14, a neck 16 adjacent the sidewall 14, an opening 18 defined by the neck 16 and having an inside diameter 20;
- a sealing ring 22 having a ringwall 24 and an internal flange 30, the sealing ring 22 has an inner wall 26, an outer wall 28, an inner wall diameter, and an outer wall diameter, the outer wall diameter is equal to or greater than the inside diameter 20 and is adapted to form a seal between the outer wall 28 and the sidewall 14, the internal flange 30 is located on the inner wall 26 and has a plurality of flange openings 32 and a stop 76; and
- a disk 34 having a handle 36, a disk rim 38, an upper surface 40 and a lower surface 42, fittings 44 adapted to hold the disk 34 within the sealing ring 22, the disk 34 having a plurality of disk openings 46, and the disk rim 38 having a lip 78 with a void 80 having an open end 82 and a closed end 84 so that the open end 82 aligns the disk openings 46 with the flange openings so that liquid will flow out of the container 12 and the closed end 84 unaligns the disk openings 46 and the flange openings 32 so that liquid will not flow out of the container 12.
15: The no spill open cup of claim 14, wherein the fittings 44 are constructed of a flexible hard material.
16: The no spill open cup of claim 14, wherein the disk 34 has indicia indicating the alignment between the disk openings 46 with the flange openings 32.
17: The no spill open cup of claim 14, wherein the sealing ring 22 is comprised of a rigid material and an elastomeric material.
18: The no spill open cup of claim 14, wherein the disk 34 is comprised of a thermoplastic material.
19: The no spill open cup of claim 14, wherein the scaling ring 22 is constructed of an elastomeric material.
20: The no spill open cup of claim 14, the sealing ring 22 is constructed of silicone.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 19, 2023
Publication Date: Jan 23, 2025
Applicant: Admar International, Inc. (Monroe, LA)
Inventors: Nouri Edward Hakim (Monroe, LA), Jacob Max Sclare (Calhoun, LA)
Application Number: 18/223,922