US2689424A - Dual-indicia container - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 21, 1954 T. E. CLAGETT DUAL-INDICIA CONTAINER Filed March 24, 1952 INVENTOR Zones 7 (24 677 BY way & m

- ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 21, 1954 UNlTED stares PATENT DUAL-INDICIA CONTAINER Thomas E". Clagctt, Saginaw; Mich. AppfieatiomMmrch 24, 1952 SerialiNi1a278,28il

5 Claims. I

This invention relates to new and useful immovements in milked-making mugs. It. provides means in. connection with the saiddrinking mug to. induce children. to. consume the entire contents of. the mug in: order that the may see am interesting; changing. facial expression. on the front transparent wall portion, such: as ton instance, a-pictureota frowning or. laughing clowns ma relatively centered tocreate the most desired efliect At no time has a; drinking mug provided for such pleasant changeable pictures that could stir the interest of children enough to coax complete consumption of the milk contained in the mug. My invention is so? constructed that achild can he relied upon: to drink the milk with little encouragement or coaxing from another person.

An object of the present invention is to provide a container having dual indicia or pictures thereon, wherein one of; the ind-icia is emphasized when the container is full or fluid andthe other ihdicia is emphasized. when-A the container is empty..

Another obj ect of the invention-is to'providea container havingdifierent colored labels or pictures on. the forward. wall thereof, wherein. one face-is-accentuatedtwhen thecontainer iafullland theother face is accentuated when the container is: empty..

Another object-oil the present invention is to provide a colored plastic mug: with a;- handle atflxed thereto which canbe easily usedby archild, and: an interesting changeable facial expression onthe front-wall whichwilllstimulataalchild that ordinarily does not like. mills to consume the entire contentsiot-the mug inorderthat-the clowns face. will smile.- and' not I frown. g

A. further objectofi thepresent invention is to producea mug. oil the character. described in which. themaximum simplicity. of; construction issecured. l l g According,- to the present irwention; a novel container is provided having a substantially translucent colored.- wall. portion. and opposed thereto a-transparentwall portion bearing dual indicia responsive to the level of a substantially opaque fluid in said container.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects" and advantages thereof, reference is madetothe followingrdescription and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claims-in which the various novel features ofv the invention'are more particularlvset forth'a The mventive'idea is capable oilreceivlng a variety of mechanical expressions, one 011 which; for" the purpose oi: illustration, is shown: in the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a-muz showing at frowning,- clownsface.

Figure 2 is a front. elevational view of showing a. laughing: clown's face.

Figure 3 is a front. elevational view of amug showing both a frowning clowns face and: a laughing clownrs facet Figure. 4% is a. full cross section taken on the line IV-I=V of Figure 3- and: showing the. trans lucent back wall of thedrinking mug and: the transparent front Wall having the contrasting colored faces-thereon.

Referring withmore particularity to the drawingaFigure 1' shows'a mug 1- having a frowning clowns face H, or other indicia. such as: alabel, drawing, or: picture painted the same-color as the substantially translucent rear wall portion ll. Figure 2shows the mug having, a smiling elowns face l3, or other inditziapainted white,- the same color of milk I6, for example or any colorthat approximates the color at the fluid to be used inthe container.v It is to be understoodthat various colors can. be used for the frowning clowns face, but red hasbeen selected for illustrative purposes because itrendersthe face more Viv-id. and interesting: tochildren Ifchocolate milk, or some other like-coloredfluid were used in themug the smilingclown s face would be painted to.- contrast with: the color of thatfluid. For example, it orange juice were to be used in the mug, the smiling clownisface: would be painted. with orange color.

Whenwthe-mug contains milh thewhite-smiling clowns iace will-berendered invisible against the white background and mil-k willrenderljnrvisible the substantially red translucent rear wall portion, thereby emphasizing;- the frowning clownis face. As the contents; of' themug are being emptied-,the "red frowning clowns' face will lee-gradually rendered invisible against them];- stantially red translucent rear wa -ll portion: and the white smiling, clowns face will:stand; out and become: increasingly visible; If milkis' left at various level'si' 'in themug, interesting; fascinating and changeable expression-s will appear on the fioritwall-portibn F5 01? the mug; When thecontents of the mug are completely-i emptied, the white smiling clowns face will become the dominant expression. g l I Figure 3' shows a mug having both: a frowning clownsiface' II. and a smilingclow'ns-face l3 on the front wall portion I5 thereof,- The mughas a handle 14 affixed tothe side. thereof,. but. the handle can, be. placed in other positions relative te the mug or omitted entirely if! For example, if the mug were constructed substan a mug parent portion of the container.

'sented in Fig. 1.

tially in the shape of a pail, the handle could be aflixed to the top of the mug.

Summarizing, it will be seen that tumbler, mug, or glass is prepared in such a manner that if a plane were .passed through the longitudinal axis of the container one side of the container so-divided is colored and opaque or translucent. The other side or wall is made transparent. Upon the transparent half of the container wall non-coinciding patterns or indicia in two contrasting colors are arranged as shown in Figure 3. It will be noted that Fig. '3 combines the indicia shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and that the arrangement is such that no portion of the indicia overlaps or is superimposed upon the other indicia. The indicia may be printed on the transparent wall or may be transferred thereto by means such as decalcomania. As shown in Fig. 3 all of the indicia are arranged upon the trans- One color is represented by the indicia appearing in Fig. 2 and the other color, corresponding to the colored opaque or translucent side of the glass is repre- When the glass is filled with milk, for example, that portion of the mug having the painted indicia shown in Fig. 2 cannot readily be discerned because the color selected for that indicia is white and blends with the color 'of the milk so that milk and indicia of Fig. 2 become a solid white background. A contrasting indicia (say red for illustrative purposes) as represented in Fig. 1, predominates because it contrasts strikingly with the white background of the milk. As the milk is consumed the opaque or translucent red colored side of the glass becomes visible through the transparent side of the container and the formerly discernible red indicia or pattern blends with the red background of the glass so that the prominence of the red pattern is lost by blending with the now red background. Now, with the container empty, the contrasting white indicia is accentuated against 1 a generally red background.

principle of the invention may be carried out in diverse ways, but for the purpose of the instant disclosure and accompanying drawings a glass or plastic mug has been selected as the subject upon which the faces are produced. In other aspects the invention comprehends the employment not only of the various means descibed, but of equivalent means for performing the recited function. As might be presumed, the representation of the faces on the front wall portion is applied by coating, painting, impressing, etching, or otherwise. Moreover, the article upon which the faces are portrayed is not limited to a mug. It may be any other type of container, bottle or vessel. It

may be a hollow cube with an opening for milk or some other fluid; or it may be made of some material similar to glass or plastic. The article may be triangular, rectangular or any other'shape so as to comply with the basic features of the invention.

The substantiallytranslucent colored wall portion of the container is preferably translucent so that when the mug is empty, light entering through the rear wall will help blend and perfect the like-colored face on the front wall. A somewhat more opaque rear wall portion is also operative in the present invention, but would not be as satisfactory as the substantially translucent rear wall portion. By dual indicia, I mean that any kind of markings can be positioned on the transparent forward wall, for example, labels,

drawings, pictures and the like. The substantially opaque fluid inside the container can be of various types. Fluids in a liquid state are preferred, but other fluids, such as dense gases and the like, will achieve similar effects.

Various modifications may be made in the device of the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope thereof and it is to be understood that I limit myself only as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A container having a substantially translucent colored wall portion, and opposed thereto a transparent wall portion bearing non-coinciding dual indicia, responsive to the level of a substantially opaque fluid in said container one of said dual indicia substantially the same color as said translucent wall portion, and the other of said indicia substantially the color of said opaque fluid.

2. A dual indicia drinking mug for substantially opaque fluids comprising: a substantially cylindrical container, the rear wall of said container being of colored translucent material and the front Wall being of transparent material; two substantially opaque patterns upon said transparent wall of contrasting import, one of said patterns being substantially the color of said rear wall, the other of said patterns being substantially a color contrasting to the color of said rear wall and corresponding to the color of said opaque fluid.

3. Adrinking mug for substantially opaque fluids, the rear wall of which is composed of a substantially translucent colored material and the forward wall being of transparent material, a frowning clowns face of the same color as the rear wall arranged and fixed upon said forward wall, and a laughing clowns face fixed on said transparent wall of the color corresponding to the color of the said opaque fluid to be used in said mug and of a contrasting color from said colored rear wall.

4. A handle attached drinking mug for substantially opaque fluids, the rear wall of which is composed of a substantially opaque colored material and the forward wall being of transparent material; a frowning clowns face of the same color as the rear wallarranged and fixed upon said forward wall, and a laughing clowns face arranged on said transparent wall in a color contrasting with that of the color comprising said frowning clowns face and corresponding in color to the said opaque fluid. I

5. In a drinking mug for milk the combination including; a transparent wall on one side of said mug; a red colored wall opposite said transparent wall on the other side of said mug and visible through said transparent panel; two pat;- terns upon said transparent wall, one of said patterns being red and the other of said patterns being white, the said red pattern being visible when said mug is filled with milk and the said white pattern being visible when said mug is empty.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Moore Dec. 22, 1942

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