WO2006040543A1

WO2006040543A1 - Drinking vessel

Info

Publication number: WO2006040543A1
Application number: PCT/GB2005/003911
Authority: WO
Inventors: Stephen Compton; Donna Compton
Original assignee: Stephen Compton; Donna Compton
Priority date: 2004-10-11
Filing date: 2005-10-11
Publication date: 2006-04-20
Also published as: GB2418834A; GB0422532D0

Abstract

The present invention relates to cups, mugs, beakers and the like and in particular to cups designed for use by young children and infants. The cups are also suitable for use by people whose mobility is impaired and/or have difficulty in feeding themselves. The cup (10) is constructed so that one internal wall surface (32) is arranged at an angle with respect nominally to the vertical which is greater than an opposite internal wall surface. To achieve this, the base (34) of the internal surface of the cup is arranged eccentrically with respect to the centre or mid point of the open end of the cup.

Description

Drinking Vessel

The present invention relates to cups, mugs, beakers and the like and in particular to cups designed for use by young children and infants. The cups are also suitable for use by people whose mobility is impaired and/or have difficulty in feeding themselves.

As illustrated in Figure 4, most known cups 110 have an internal profile 112 which follows approximately the external profile 114 of the cup. This is effective in maximising the capacity of the cup for a given cup size. Whereas the shapes of conventional cups when viewed in lateral cross section may vary considerably, depending for example on the prevailing trend or fashion, the internal and external profiles of the cup remain approximately the same as one another.

When a child first starts drinking independently from a cup, a trainer cup is used which has a lid and spout in the lid which the child inserts between his or her lips. The spout contains one or more apertures which allow liquid to flow from the cup but which have the effect of restricting the flow rate to a relatively low level. This is convenient as a young child may be able only to drink at a relatively slow rate (as compared to an adult) and also as it helps to avoid major spillages of the liquid in the cup. While this construction is undoubtedly advantageous with very young children learning to drink independently, it does have disadvantages as the child develops and moves on to "open" cups, glasses and like vessels, that is, those without lids as used by adults. The presence of the lid and flow restricting spout means that the flow rate of liquid received by the child is largely independent of the angle of inclination of the cup after the cup has been tilted past a certain point (which point depends on the particular design of cup and how full it is). Thus, when a child progresses to an open (lidless) cup he or she must learn that the cup needs only tilted a small amount initially while it is quite full, and by progressively greater amounts as the cup becomes emptier. Also, the tilting of the cup must be relatively slow and gentle. Until these requirements are met, young children inevitably spill liquid from open cups when drinking.

The present invention seeks to alleviate this problem by providing a cup which encourages children to tilt the cup only a small amount in order to drink the contents.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a drinking vessel, in particular for a child, comprising an external base and an external wall depending upwardly from the external base to define the external profile of the vessel and also an internal base and an internal wall extending from the internal base to define the internal profile of the cup, said internal profile being adapted to contain liquid for drinking, wherein for at least a part of the circumference of the internal profile, the internal profile of the internal wall at the internal base of the vessel is spaced further inwardly from the external wall than a corresponding part of the internal profile of the internal wall is spaced from the external wall at the rim of the vessel.

According to second aspect of the present invention there is provided a drinking vessel, in particular for a child, comprising an external base and an external wall depending upwardly from the base to define the external profile of the vessel and also an internal base and an internal wall extending from the internal base to define the internal profile of the cup, said internal profile being adapted to contain liquid for drinking, wherein the internal base has a smaller area than the external base and is arranged eccentrically with respect to the external base.

The internal wall of the either the first or second aspect of the invention preferably comprises a first wall portion which extends from said internal base to the rim of the vessel at a first angle with respect to the vertical axis of the vessel and a second wall portion which extends from said internal base to said rim at an angle greater than said first angle. The first wall portion of either the first or second aspect of the invention preferably extends from said internal base to the rim of the vessel approximately parallel to an adjacent portion of the external wall and said second wall portion, in extending from said internal base to the rim, becomes closer to an adjacent portion of the external wall.

In a preferred embodiment, the drinking vessel, according to either the first or second aspect of the invention, comprises a removable insert which defines the internal profile of the vessel. The insert is preferably insertable into the vessel in only one predetermined orientation.

The drinking vessel, according to the first or second aspects of the invention, may comprise a removable lid with a drinking spout. The drinking vessel may also advantageously comprise co-operating means on the vessel and the lid whereby the lid is securable on the vessel in only one predetermined orientation. Alternatively, the drinking vessel may advantageously comprise co-operating means on the insert and the lid whereby the lid is securable on the vessel in only one predetermined orientation.

For better understanding of the invention and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made to the following drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of a cup according to the invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view from above of a cup according to the invention; and

Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of a cup according to the invention.

Referring now to the drawings the cup 10 has an external profile defined by base portion 12 and external wall or walls 14. Base 12 includes at least a portion which is flat so that the cup 10 can stand stably on a surface. External wall 14 and base 12 determine the external shape and appearance of the cup. As illustrated, the external shape, specifically the external wall, may be defined by more than one component 16, 18.

Cup 10 is closed by a lid 20 which is removeably secured to the cup 10 by any suitable means, bearing in mind that the lid must be removed quite frequently to allow cleaning of the interior of the cup. Typically the lid 20 can be a screw fit, a friction fit or a snap fit on the cup 10. Lid 20 includes a drinking spout 22 including one or more apertures 24 though which liquid can pass. The spout 22 may include a valve arrangement as known in the art to prevent unintended spillage of the liquid contained in the cup. For older children, the cup 10 can, of course be used for drinking without the lid 20

In the embodiment illustrated, the internal profile of liquid-holding interior of the cup 10 is determined by an insert 26. The insert 26, although desirable, is not essential to the invention in as much as the desired internal profile of the liquid-holding interior of the cup 10 can be provided by suitable moulding of the interior of the cup 10. In other words, the internal profile of the liquid-holding interior of the cup 10 can be moulded to have a shape corresponding to the illustrated insert 26, so that the insert is not necessary.

The insert 26 is shaped so that the angle through which the cup has to be tilted in order for the liquid contents to reach the spout (or rim 28, as the case may be, if the cup is used without lid 20) is minimised. In preferred arrangements, the insert 26 is shaped so that this property is achieved only with the cup 10 in a given orientation, or range of orientations, with respect to rotation about its vertical axis. More especially, the reduction in the angle through which the cup 10 must tilt is applicable only with the spout 22 disposed towards the user's mouth. In other word, in the embodiment illustrated in Figure 1, tilting of the cup in the direction indicated by arrow A will achieve the desired effect. Tilting the cup in the direction indicated by arrow B requires the cup to be tilted to an angle somewhat nearer the conventional angle of a standard drinking vessel. The internal profile of the insert 26 includes first and second wall portions 30, 32. The first wall portion 30, which may preferably amount to at least half of the internal surface of the insert 26, extends at an angle which (on average over the length of the wall portion 30 from the internal base 34 to the rim 28) is close to the vertical, that is, roughly parallel to the vertical axis X-X of the cup 10. Of course, variations from the vertical will occur to a greater or lesser extent with different designs of cup, for aesthetic and other reasons, but generally the average angle of wall portion 30 over its length will not be more than about 10 degrees. In contrast, wall portion 32 subtends, on average over its height from internal base 34 to rim 28, a significantly greater angle with respect to axis X-X, typically 20 to 30 degrees or more.

In order to facilitate the greater angle from the vertical of wall portion 32 it is convenient and effective to locate the internal base 34 of the insert 26eccentrically with respect to vertical axis X-X. The internal base 34 is thus located at the opposite side of axis X-X from the spout 22 (or, in the absence of the lid 20, from the point on rim 28 from which the user drinks). Expressed differently_s the internal base 34 is disposed off-centre with regard to the rim 28 and/or the external base 12.

The cup 10 is preferably provided with a handle. A particular advantage of the larger angle subtended by wall portion 32 and the eccentric location of the internal base 34 is that space is created within the overall external profile of the cup 10 for a handle 36. Thus, the cup 10 includes a through aperture 38 disposed between wall portion 32 and portion 14A of external wall 14. Aperture 38 is sized so that a user's fingers may be passed through the aperture in order to grip handle 36.

Where the cup of the invention includes an insert 26 it is preferable to ensure that the insert can only be inserted into the cup in a given, predetermined orientation. This may be achieved by the inherent shapes of the external surface of the insert and the internal surface of the cup. This, of course requires close tolerances in the manufacture of the insert 26 and internal surface of the cup 10, and may possibly restrict the freedom of a designer to shape the insert 26 and internal surface as desired. In alternative preferred arrangements the insert and the cup may be provided with co-operating features which determine the correct orientation of the insert. For example, the insert may be provided with a small projecting formation which, in the correct orientation of the insert 26, is accepted into a corresponding groove in the cup.

Similarly, it is important to ensure that the Hd 20 is fitted to the cup 10 in the correct orientation, so that the spout 22 lies adjacent wall portion 32. Co-operating features such as a projection and groove may again be provided. Alternatively, the cup or insert and the lid may be provided with markings, such as arrows, which are aligned when the lid is in the correct orientation.

In preferred embodiments of the invention, the area of the internal base 34 is minimised. In most preferred arrangements, the internal base has no planar area, being formed only by the intersection of first and second wall portions 30, 32. In this way, where the cup 10 contains only a residual amount of liquid, as is the case when most of the contents have been drunk, the depth of the residual amount of liquid is maximised.

Claims

1. A drinking vessel, in particular for a child, comprising an external base and an external wall depending upwardly from the external base to define the external profile of the vessel and an internal base and an internal wall extending from the internal base to define the internal profile of the cup, said internal profile being adapted to contain liquid for drinking, wherein for at least a part of the circumference of the internal profile, the internal profile of the internal wall at the internal base of the vessel is spaced further inwardly from the external wall than a corresponding part of the internal profile of the internal wall is spaced from the external wall at the rim of the vessel.

2. A drinking vessel, in particular for a child, comprising an external base and an external wall depending upwardly from the base to define the external profile of the vessel and an internal base and an internal wall extending from the internal base to define the internal profile of the cup, said internal profile being adapted to contain liquid for drinking, wherein the internal base has a smaller area than the external base and is arranged eccentrically with respect to the external base.

3. A drinking vessel as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the internal wall comprises a first wall portion which extends from said internal base to the rim of the vessel at a first angle with respect to the vertical axis of the vessel and a second wall portion which extends from said internal base to said rim at an angle greater than said first angle.

4. A drinking vessel as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the internal wall comprises a first wall portion which extends from said internal base to the rim of the vessel approximately parallel to an adjacent portion of the external wall and a second 03911

wall portion which in extending from said internal base to the rim becomes closer to an adjacent portion of the external wall.

5. A drinking vessel as claimed in claim 3 wherein said first wall portion extends from said internal base to the rim of the vessel approximately parallel to an adjacent portion of the external wall and said second wall portion, in extending from said internal base to the rim, becomes closer to an adjacent portion of the external wall.

6. A drinking vessel as claimed in any preceding claim further comprising a removeable insert which defines the internal profile of the vessel.

7. A drinking vessel as claimed in claim 6 wherein the insert is insertable into the vessel in only one predetermined orientation.

8. A drinking vessel as claimed in any preceding claim further comprising a removeable lid with a drinking spout.

9. A drinking vessel as claimed in claim 8 when dependent on any of claims 1 to 5 further comprising co-operating means on the vessel and the lid whereby the lid is securable on the vessel in only one predetermined orientation.

10. A drinking vessel as claimed in claim 8 when dependent on claim 6 or 7 further comprising co-operating means on the insert and the lid whereby the lid is securable on the vessel in only one predetermined orientation.

11. A drinking vessel substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to or as shown in Figures 1 to 4 of the accompanying drawings.