Drinking Vessel

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to drinking vessels, and in particular to drinking vessels which include integral provisions for defining flow paths through which the fluid contained in the cup may be drawn.

2. Description of the Prior Art

In general, drinking vessels including integral provisions for defining flow paths through which fluid may be drawn are known. For example, drinking vessels including integral straws are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,558,033 issued to L. D. Leeds on Jan. 26, 1971, U.S. Pat. No. 3,774,804 issued to S. A. Henning on Nov. 27, U.S. Pat. No. 4,016,998 issued to L. Finch on Apr. 12, 1977 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,291,814 issued to J. L. Conn on Sept. 29, 1981.

Similarly, drinking straws for defining a convoluted flow path, typically spiral, are also well-known. Examples, of such convoluted drinking straws are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,517,884 issued to S. D. Horvath on June 30, 1970 and 3,606,156 issued to J. Homorodean, Jr. et al on Sept. 20, 1971. However, the prior art integral straw drinking vessels and convoluted straws are disadvantageous in that they cannot readily be cleaned. Specifically, the interior of the fluid path is not accessible for thorough cleaning, and accordingly there is a tendency for bacteria to grow and accumulate within the fluid path. Accordingly, such cups and straws are not suitable for commercial uses.

The present invention provides a drinking vessel wherein an integral flow path is defined but is fully accessible for cleaning.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a drinking vessel is formed of separable inner and outer shells. The inner wall provides a liquid container having an aperture near the bottom thereof. The outer (or inner) wall is contoured so that portions of the outer and inner (outer) wall come into contact to provide a specific fluid path running from the aperture near the bottom of inner wall to an exit disposed at the mouth of the vessel. The outer and inner walls thus cooperate to form a fluid flow path of a predetermined configuration. When the inner and outer walls are separated, the interior of the flow path is accessible for cleaning.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, an outer shell is provided for use with a puncturable cup, such as a styrofoam cup, as the inner shell. A mechanism is provided to puncture the styrofoam cup to provide communication with the fluid pathway.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, an inner shell is provided which is adapted to be received in a standard drinking vessel, and forms the pathways between the interior wall of the drinking vessel and the exterior surface of the inner shell.

Preferred exemplary embodiments of the present invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawing wherein like numerals denote like elements and:

FIG. 1 is a side view of the outer shell of a first embodiment of a drinking vessel in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the first embodiment of a drinking vessel in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a sectional elevation view of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a top view of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 5 is a second embodiment of the outer shell of a drinking vessel in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a sectional elevation view of the outer shell of FIG. 5 cooperating with the inner shell of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a top view of the embodiment of FIGS. 5 and 6;

FIG. 8 is a side view of an inner shell in accordance with the present invention adapted for cooperation with conventional drinking vessels;

FIG. 9 is a partial pictorial of an outer shell in accordance with the present invention including means for puncturing the inner shell;

FIG. 10 is a section elevation view of the outer shell of FIG. 9 cooperating with a puncturable inner shell;

FIG. 11 is a top view of the embodiment of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a side view of another embodiment of the outer shell of a drinking vessel in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a side view of the outer shell of FIG. 12 cooperating with the inner shell of FIG. 2;

FIG. 14 is a side view of a further embodiment of the outer shell of drinking vessel in accordance with the present invention adapted for threaded coupling with an inner shell;

FIG. 15 is a side view of an inner shell in accordance with the present invention for cooperation with the outer shell of FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is a sectional elevation view of the embodiment of FIGS. 14 and 15;

FIG. 17 is a top view of the embodiment of FIGS. 14 and 15.

Referring now to FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4, a first embodiment of the present invention comprises an integrally formed outer shell 10 suitably formed of a relatively rigid transparent material, such as plastic. Outer shell 10 is formed of a generally cylindrical side wall 15 terminating at a lip or rim 12 at one extremity, and a base member 14 at the other. Interior surface 16 of sidewall 15 cooperates with base member 14 to define a cavity 18 of predetermined dimensions, which is adapted to receive an inner shell 20. Inner shell 20 includes an exterior sidewall 22, generally conforming in shape to the inner sidewall 16 of outer shell 10. Inner shell 20 is formed by an inner shell sidewall 22 terminating at one end in a rim or lip 24, and at the other of a base member 25. Inner shell side wall 22 and base member 25 cooperate to define an interior cavity (reservoir) 26.

Shell 20 is suitably opaque, and may bear suitable indicia 28 such as a company logo, or picture or the like, on the exterior surface of sidewall 22.

Inner shell 20 is received in cavity 18 of outer shell 14, and is removably secured therein, suitably by a snap fit arrangement (not shown) or a friction fit between the exterior surface of inner shell sidewall 22 and outer shell interior side wall 16. Alternatively, base members 14 and 25 may include mating threads, as will be described in conjunction with FIGS. 14-17.

Outer shell sidewall interior surface 16 and inner shell exterior sidewall 22 cooperate to define one or more fluid paths between inner shell 10 and outer shell 20. More specifically, a channel 30 is formed in outer shell interior wall 16 by respective projecting portions 16a and recessed portions 16b of the interior wall 16. Channel 30 extends from the bottom of cavity 18 near base member 14 to an exit 32 in lip 12 of outer shell 10. Channel 30 may be in any configuration, such as a spiral, disposed around interior side wall 16. Alternatively, channel 30 can be disposed on only a portion of sidewall 16. Channel 30 may be of constant width throughout or may vary in width, depth, or both concurrently, to vary the apparent flow pattern of the liquid, as will be explained.

When inner shell 20 is received in cavity 18, inner shell exterior sidewall 22 comes into substantially sealing relationship with projecting portions 16a of outer shell sidewall 16, while recessed portion 16b are removed from the side wall. Thus, a closed channel 30 is formed between recessed portions 16b and inner shell 20 to provide a defined flow path from the bottom of cavity 18 to exit 32 at the lip of the cup.

An aperture 38 is provided at the bottom of inner shell 20, disposed for registry with channel 30 when inner shell 20 is received in cavity 18. Thus, fluid communication between reservoir 26 and exit 32 is provided through aperture 38 and channel 30. Accordingly, when suction is applied at exit 32, liquid is drawn from reservoir 26 through channel 30 to exit 32 for consumption.

After use, inner shell 20 is removed. The interior of channel 30 is thus rendered accessible for complete and adequate cleaning to ensure that no bacteria is permitted to grow.

As previously noted, the flow of liquid through the various portions of channel 30 can be controlled by varying the width or depth of channel 30. For example, by widening the channel such as shown at point 34 while maintaining constant depth (i.e., increasing volume) in a given portion of the channel, fluid flow through that channel appears to slow down. Similarly, by decreasing the depth of the channel in a given area without changing the width (decreasing the volume of the channel), such as shown at point 36, causes an apparent increase in the speed of the liquid through that portion of the channel. Alternatively, the channel can be widened without changing the apparent speed of the liquid by decreasing the channel depth to maintain constant volume.

It should also be appreciated that channel 30 can be formed by contouring of outer shell 10. Such an embodiment is shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. Portions 50 of outer shell 10a project outwardly to form channel 30. As in the embodiment of FIGS. 1-4, inner shell 20 is received within outer shell 10a to close channel 30 and form a fluid flow path from the interior reservoir 26 of inner shell 20 to an exit 32a formed as an outwardly projecting portion of lip 12a.

It should be appreciated that the means for forming the fluid path can be disposed on the exterior surface 22 of inner shell 20, and that an inner shell 20 can be provided for cooperation with standard drinking glasses of an appropriate size. More specifically, referring to FIG. 8, an inner shell 20a is contoured to include projecting sidewall portions 22a and recessed sidewall portions 22b. Projecting portions 22a and recessed portions 22b define channel 30 therebetween. Aperture 38 again communicates between the interior of inner shell 20a and channel 30. When disposed within a drinking vessel of appropriate size (outer shell) projecting portions 22a come into substantially sealing relation with the interior surface of the vessel, to complete the channel. Exit 32a would be provided as a recessed portion in the lip of inner shell 20a. Thus, inner shell 20a can be utilized with any conventional drinking glass of appropriate size (and preferably transparent) to provide what is, in effect, an integral drinking straw. Again, when inner shell 20a is removed from the drinking vessel, the entirety of channel 30 is accessible for cleaning.

Similarly, an outer shell can be provided for receiving a disposable cup made of puncturable material such as paper or styrofoam as an inner shell. Referring to FIGS. 9, 10 and 11, such an outer shell 10b would be identical to outer shell 10 or 10a, but includes a puncturing member 90 disposed on the inner surface of base member 14 proximate to the end of channel 30.

Puncturing member 90 suitably comprises a parallelepiped or triangular member slanted to present a point 92 and a relatively sharp edge 94 to the base and sidewall of the inner shell as it is received in outer shell 10b. Grooved sides 96 are provided to permit fluid passage. When a puncturable inner shell such as a styrofoam cup is received in outer shell 10b, point 92 and edge 94 of member 90 puncture the bottom and lower sidewall of inner shell 20. When inner shell 20 is fully received by outer shell 10b, puncturing member 90 is substantially received within inner cavity 26, and grooved sides 96 provide for fluid communication from the reservoir 26 to channel 30.

As previously noted, the flow path can be in any configuration, and can widen or narrow arbitrarily. The flow path can extend around the circumference of the outer shell, or can be confined to a single area or portion of the shell, e.g., one face. Similarly, a plurality of flow paths or a flow path having a plurality of branches can communicate with a single exit.

In addition, the flow path can be configured to cooperate with the indicia 28 disposed on inner shell 20. An example of such a path configuration is shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. Referring to FIGS. 12 and 13, an outer shell 10c includes a flow path 30a. Flow path 30a is configured such that when inner shell 20 (such as illustrated in FIG. 2) is disposed within the cup, indicia 28 is disposed in predetermined relation to path 30a. Specifically, in the illustrated example, path 30a appears to provide a beard, mustache and cap for the face 28a. When liquid is drawn from the interior of inner shell 20 through path 28a, the mustache, beard and cap are emphasized by the liquid flow. If desired, channel 30a can include a portion 120 extending completely around the periphery of interior sidewall 16 just above bottom member 14, and a plurality of different indicia provided on inner shell 20. Thus, by rotating inner shell 20, channel 30a can be made to visually interact with the various different indicia on inner shell 20.

As previously noted, inner shell 20 is suitably retained in outer shell 10 by a snap or friction fit between the respective shells. In some cases, however, it may be desirable to provide a more secure coupling between the shells. Referring to FIGS. 14, 15, 16 and 17, the base members 14d and 25d of an outer shell 10d an inner shell 20d are provided with female and male threads 140 and 150, respectively. Inner shell 20d is received in outer shell 10d, and secured by the mating of the threads 140 and 150.

It will be understood that the above description is of preferred exemplary embodiments of the present invention and that the invention is not limited to the specific form shown. Modifications may be made in the design and arrangement of the elements without departing from the spirit of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.