DRINKING CONTAINER WITH SANITARY STRAW

[0001] This disclosure generally relates to vessels used as drinking containers and, more specifically, to a drinking container with a sanitary straw.

[0002] Drinking vessels, such as cups, insulated beverage containers, canteens, and the like are used to contain fluids for drinking. Fluids tend to spill if left in an open container, so many drinking vessels include a lid. Some lids include openings for allowing controlled passage of the fluid to a user of the vessel. In some cases, the opening is a hole or slot for receiving a drinking straw that extends through the lid and into the vessel. In other cases, some lids include a built-in or attached straw, a portion of which extends above the vessel and another portion of which extends into the vessel. While a drinking straw enables a user to withdraw liquid from the container, it can leave the container/lid combination susceptible to spills. Liquid can leak out from around the straw-lid interface as well as through the straw itself if the container/lid combination is knocked over or shaken to an extent that liquid is able escape to the dismay of the user. Preventing (or at least reducing) such spills from a container having a lid with a straw opening is one object of the present invention.

[0003] Likewise, container straws can be sources of contamination, especially straws that are built-in or attached to the container. As such, it is important that users keep the straws as clean as possible. While disposable straws obviously can be discarded in favor of a new/clean straw, vessels that use a built-in or similarly attached straw cannot take similar advantage. Accordingly, it is another object of the invention to provide a straw (or at least a portion thereof) that is easily detached from the vessel so that the straw and its receptacle area can be easily cleaned and the straw then reattached, all while still providing a substantially spill-proof vessel in certain embodiments.

[0004] The following presents a simplified summary of the invention in order to provide a basic understanding of aspects of the invention. This summary is not an exhaustive overview of the invention. It is not intended to identify key or critical elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is discussed later.

[0005] Described herein are embodiments of an apparatus that include and/or consist of a substantially spill-proof lid for a drinking container in certain embodiments. In an embodiment, the apparatus includes a lid, where the lid is configured to include a straw (or at least a portion thereof) that is easily detached from the vessel so that the straw and its receptacle area can be easily cleaned and the straw then reattached, all while still providing a substantially spill-proof vessel in certain embodiments.

[0041] While the subject matter disclosed herein is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the description herein of specific embodiments is not intended to limit the invention to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

[0042] Various features and advantageous details are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description. Descriptions of well-known starting materials, processing techniques, components, and equipment are omitted so as not to unnecessarily obscure the invention. It should be understood, however, that the detailed description and the specific examples, while indicating embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, and not by way of limitation. Various substitutions, modifications, additions, and/or rearrangements within the spirit and/or scope of the underlying inventive concept will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.

[0043] The words and phrases used herein should be understood and interpreted to have a meaning consistent with the understanding of those words and phrases by those skilled in the relevant art. No special definition of a term or phrase, i.e., a definition that is different from the ordinary and customary meaning as understood by those skilled in the art, is implied by consistent usage of the term or phrase herein. To the extent that a term or phrase is intended to have a special meeting, i.e., a meaning other than that understood by skilled artisans, such a special definition will be expressly set forth in the specification in a definitional manner that directly and unequivocally provides the special definition for the term or phrase.

[0044] The present embodiments describe a drinking vessel including a lid, where the lid may be configured to include a straw (or at least a portion thereof) that is easily detached from the vessel so that the straw and its receptacle area can be easily cleaned and the straw then reattached, all while still providing a substantially spill-proof vessel in certain embodiments. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention in the closed position and with the handle up. The vessel combination 10 includes container 11, lid 12, and handle 13. Lid 12 preferably is attached to container 11 via a threaded connection (see FIG. 19), but it also can be attached in other ways known to those skilled in the art, such as snap-on or other substantially leak-proof manners. Container 11 can be made from any suitable material, including vacuum-sealed layers (see FIG. 33) to better preserve the temperature of the container's contents. Handle 13 in this embodiment is rotatably attached to container 11 so that it can rotate or otherwise move between a position folded against container 11 (see FIG. 7) and an upright position (see FIG. 1).

[0045] In an embodiment, lid 12 also may include spill-proof straw 14, which can be used by a user to withdraw liquid housed by container 11. Spill-proof straw 14 may be rotatably or otherwise attached to lid 12 (compare FIGS. 1 and 13) so that it moves between a first/closed position (see FIG. 1) and a second/open position (see FIG. 13). Lid 12 may further include bore 15 (better shown in FIG. 18). When the bore of spill-proof straw 14 is moved to its open position such that it is aligned with bore 15, a pathway exists through which a user may withdraw liquid in container 11 via spill-proof straw 14. In an embodiment, spill-proof straw 14 can be quickly and accurately opened to its open position by rotating spill-proof straw 14 using handle/stop 27 until straw handle/stop 27 contacts the upper surface of lid 12, i.e., handle/stop 27 is not only a handle for manipulating the position of spill-proof straw 14, it can be specifically oriented on spill-proof straw 14 so that the bore of spill-proof straw 14 is aligned with bore 15 when handle/stop 27 contacts (is stopped by) the upper surface of lid 12.

[0046] Vessel combination 10 is substantially spill-proof in its closed position because in this embodiment the underside of a portion of spill-proof straw 14 substantially blocks/seals bore 15 (see FIG. 6), thereby preventing the liquid contents in container 11 from exiting the container through bore 15, which in this embodiment is the only avenue through which liquid can escape the container while lid 12 is in place. In an embodiment, straw extension 16 (see FIG. 18) can be positioned and attached to the underside of lid 12 such that its bore substantially aligns with bore 15 (and the bore of spill-proof straw 14 when it is in its open position), thereby allowing a user to more easily withdraw liquid from container 11 at whatever depth in container 11 straw extension 16 extends. In a further embodiment, the portion of spill-proof straw 14 that substantially blocks/seals bore 15 is rounded so that it substantially blocks/seals bore 15 throughout a substantial portion of its movement between its open and closed position.

[0047] FIGS. 1-19 are views of the same exemplary embodiment, albeit in several different configurations, where FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment in the closed position and with the handle up. FIG. 2 is a front view of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a side view of FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a top view of FIG. 1 with cross-section line 6-6. FIG. 5 is a bottom view of FIG. 1. FIG. 6 is a cross-section of FIG. 1 along cross-section line 6-6 of FIG. 4. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an embodiment in the closed position and with the handle down. FIG. 8 is a front view of FIG. 7. FIG. 9 is a side view of FIG. 7. FIG. 10 is a top view of FIG. 7 with cross-section line 12-12. FIG. 11 is a bottom view of FIG. 7. FIG. 12 is a cross-section of FIG. 7 along cross-section line 12-12 of FIG. 10. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention in the open position and with the handle down. FIG. 14 is a front view of FIG. 13. FIG. 15 is a side view of FIG. 13. FIG. 16 is a top view of FIG. 13 with cross-section line 18-18. FIG. 17 is a bottom view of FIG. 13. FIG. 18 is a cross-section of FIG. 13 along cross-section line 18-18 of FIG. 16. FIG. 19 is an exploded, perspective view of FIG. 13.

[0048] In an embodiment the present invention may also include a removable straw retainer 17, as shown at least in FIGS. 6, 12, 18, 19, 20-22, 25, 26-28, 30-32. In an embodiment, removable straw retainer 17 can be a unitary piece that readily can be attached and detached from the underside of lid 12. Likewise, straw extension 16 readily can be attached and detached from the underside of removable straw retainer 17. As best shown in FIG. 32, in an embodiment removable straw retainer 17 may include base 22 from which upper connector 18, upper base support 19, lower connector 20, lower straw support 21, and lower base support 23 extend. Each of these portions of removable straw retainer 17 may be separately affixed to base 22, they can all be formed as a unitary component, or combinations thereof.

[0049] In an embodiment, upper connector 18 may be sized and shaped to extend through lid opening 24 in a sufficiently snug manner that removable straw retainer 17 will remain attached to the underside of lid 12 unless manually removed by a user. In an embodiment such as that shown in FIG. 32, upper connector 18 may be formed from a slightly deformable material and may include an upper shoulder 25 of slightly greater diameter than lid opening 24 such that upper shoulder 25 deforms as removable straw retainer 17 is inserted into lid opening 24. Once upper shoulder 25 passes lid opening 24, upper shoulder 25 then expands back to its original shape, whereby upper shoulder 25 snugly rests in upper shoulder receptacle 26. The bore of upper connector 18 can form at least a portion of bore 15 or they can be the same bore.

[0050] In an embodiment, upper base support 19 can be located adjacent to upper connector 18 to provide additional vertical and/or lateral support to the attachment between removable straw retainer 17 and lid 12. In an embodiment, the distance between upper connector 18 and upper base support 19 can be substantially equal to the difference between the inside diameter and the outside diameter of an opening on the underside of lid 12 for receiving upper connector 18, thereby further providing a snug fitting between removable straw retainer 17 and lid 12.

[0051] In an embodiment, lower connector 20 extends below base 22 and is generally vertically aligned with upper connector 18 such that the bore of lower connector 20 is aligned with the bore of upper connector 18. The bore of lower connector 20 is sized to receive the upper end of straw extension 16 in a sufficiently snug manner that straw extension 16 will remain attached to lower connector 20 unless manually removed by a user. Lower connector 20 may also include lower straw support 21, which in this embodiment extends below the lower portion of lower connector 20 to provide additional lateral support to straw extension 16.

[0052] In an embodiment, lower base support 23 extends from the lower portion of lower straw support 21 to the underside of base 22 to provide additional lateral support to removable straw retainer 17.

[0053] As indicated above, removable straw retainer 17 can be readily removed from lid 12, and straw extension 16 can be readily removed from removable straw retainer 17. As such, components of the vessel combination 10 most likely to become dirty, contaminated, or most in need of cleaning can be quickly and easily removed, cleaned, and reassembled, all while providing a sturdy, spill-proof drinking container.

[0054] Other embodiments of the present invention include, but are not limited to, an embodiment including a vent in lid 12 to better promote the flow of contents out of container 11 (by equalizing the ambient pressure with the pressure in the vessel) and to separately or simultaneously (depending on the embodiment and location of the vent) assist in maintaining spill-proof straw 14 in its fully closed position. More specifically, an embodiment may include vent 28 in lid 12 and retainer 29 attached to (or formed as part of) spill-proof straw 14. As best shown in FIGS. 6, 12, 15, 16, 18, 25, 28, 29, and 31, lid 12 may include vent 28, and spill-proof straw 14 may include retainer 29. Vent 28 may be located in lid 12, and retainer 29 may be located on spill-proof straw 14 such that retainer 29 enters vent 28 when spill-proof straw 14 is moved to its fully closed position. Likewise, vent 28 may include a bore sized relative to the size of retainer 29 (i.e., vent 28 may include a bore having a diameter slightly smaller than the diameter of retainer 29) such that the two combine in a sufficiently snug manner that spill-proof straw 14 will remain fully closed unless manually moved (preferably via straw handle/stop 27) by a user.

[0055] In yet another exemplary embodiment, best shown in FIGS. 1, 6, 7, 10, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 23, 25, 26, 31, and 32, lid 12 may include a recessed portion for housing spill-proof straw 14 such that at least the top surface of spill-proof straw 14 (excluding straw handle/stop 27) is substantially flush with an upper surface of lid 12.

[0056] In yet another exemplary embodiment, best shown in FIGS. 6, 12, 18, 25, 31, and 32, upper connector 18 may include a radiused upper surface that interfaces with a substantially equally radiused lower surface of the spill-proof straw 14, where the interface of the radiused surfaces maintains the spill-proof straw in the closed position until the bore of spill-proof straw 14 and the bore of upper connector 18 are substantially aligned, at which point spill-proof straw 14 is in its open position because liquid can travel there-through.

[0057] Although the invention(s) is/are described herein with reference to specific embodiments, various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention(s), as set forth in the claims below. Accordingly, the specification and figures are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention(s). Any benefits, advantages, or solutions to problems that are described herein with regard to specific embodiments are not intended to be construed as a critical, required, or essential feature or element of any or all the claims.

[0058] Unless stated otherwise, terms such as “first” and “second” are used to arbitrarily distinguish between the elements such terms describe. Thus, these terms are not necessarily intended to indicate temporal or other prioritization of such elements. The terms “coupled” or “operably coupled” are defined as connected, although not necessarily directly, and not necessarily mechanically. The terms “a” and “an” are defined as one or more unless stated otherwise. The terms “comprise” (and any form of comprise, such as “comprises” and “comprising”), “have” (and any form of have, such as “has” and “having”), “include” (and any form of include, such as “includes” and “including”) and “contain” (and any form of contain, such as “contains” and “containing”) are open-ended linking verbs. As a result, a system, device, or apparatus that “comprises,” “has,” “includes” or “contains” one or more elements possesses those one or more elements but is not limited to possessing only those one or more elements. Similarly, a method or process that “comprises,” “has,” “includes” or “contains” one or more operations possesses those one or more operations but is not limited to possessing only those one or more operations.

[0059] Accordingly, the protection sought herein is as set forth in the claims below.