Drinking cup

Abstract

 A drinking cup has a double lid (14,21) which slides around the rim of the cup body (11). Slots (13) in the rim and (16) in the inner lid can co-operate as a valve to let liquid into a space (28) between the lids. The outer lid (21) has a mouthpiece (26).

Description

[0001] This invention relates to drinking cups, and one object is to provide a design of a drinking cup which can be easily sealed if only part of the contents have been drunk, but which yet is simple to manufacture and use.

[0002] According to a broad aspect of the invention, a drinking cup has a lid movable between a sealed position in which liquid cannot escape from the cup and a drinking position in which liquid can be drunk from the cup.

[0003] The cup may have any one or more of the following features in any combination.

[0004] The lid may define a mouthpiece for drinking through and may also define a space for liquid from the cup to be drunk through the mouthpiece.

[0005] There may be a valve between the interior of the cup and the mouthpiece which is respectively closed and open in the sealed and drinking positions of the lid.

[0006] The lid may comprise an inner lid member and an outer lid member which may be keyed together. There may be cooperating openings in the cup and in the inner lid member which register with each other, at least partially, in the drinking position, but not at all in the sealed position.

[0007] The lid may be a snug slide fit on the cup and an inner lid member may be within the cup rim while an outer lid member is outside the cup rim.

[0008] The cup may consist of three components only, which are assembled by being snugly fitted together without the necessity of additional fastening means. The components may be of moulded plastics or other material.

[0009] According to another aspect of the invention, a sealable drinking cup comprises a cup body, an inner lid which is a slidable fit at the top of the cup body, and an outer lid which defines a mouthpiece for use in drinking liquid from the cup body and which can be turned in relation to the cup body and is keyed to the inner lid; the cup body and the inner lid each having an opening and the inner lid being capable of rotation in relation to the cup body between a valve open position in which the two openings at least partly overlap and a valve closed position in which the openings do not overlap; the outer lid also defining a space for liquid received from the cup body in the valve open position and leading to the mouthpiece.

[0010] The cup can be easily manufactured by moulding and fitting together using unskilled labour, but then an efficient seal can be achieved while yet opening and sealing of the container is very easy merely by slidably rotating the lid on the cup.

[0011] The invention may be carried into practice in various ways, and one embodiment will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-

Figure 1 is a plan view of a drinking cup;

Figure 2 is an elevation of the drinking cup of Figure 1 with the outer lid shown in section;

Figure 3 is a section on the line III-III in Figure 1 with the lid in the sealed position; and

Figure 4 is a view corresponding to a part of Figure 3 with the lid in the drinking position.

[0012] The cup comprises three components, each moulded from plastics material, and fitted together by snug fitting without any additional fastening means.

[0013] The cup body 11 has a pair of diametrically-opposed, outwardly extending handles 12 formed on a slightly outwardly divergent side wall ending in a smooth, continuous rim at the top except at one position where there is a short circumferentially extending slot 13.

[0014] An inner sealing lid 14 is in the form of a generally horizontal disc having a depending skirt 15 slightly radially inset from the edge of the disc to be a snug fit in the top of the cup body to prevent the escape of liquid, but to allow the inner lid to be rotated in the top of the cup body.

[0015] The skirt 15 is formed with a slot 16 in its lower edge of the same circumferential extent as the slot 13 in the upper rim of the cup body 11. In one relative position of rotation of the inner lid in the cup body - the open position - the two slots come together as indicated at 17 in Figure 2 so that liquid can escape from the cup body to the outside of the inner sealing lid 14. In the other position shown at 18 in Figure 2, the two slots are not in register and liquid cannot escape.

[0016] The outer feeder lid 21 is generally in the form of a longitudinal disc having a depending skirt 22 at its outer periphery which is a snug fit around the outside of the top of the cup body 11 which can thus slide between the two skirts 15 and 22.

[0017] There are two diametrically opposed slots 23 in the lower edge of the skirt 22 of the outer lid 21 as indicated in Figures 1, 3 and 4, and these slots limit the degree of rotation of the lids 14 and 21 in relation to the cup body 11 as the edge of one of them comes into contact with one of the handles 12.

[0018] The inner lid 14 is formed with an upward protuberance 24 which fits snugly in a hole 25 in the outer lid 21 in a position radially displaced from the central axis of the cup so that the inner and outer lids turn together about the rim of the cup.

[0019] The outer lid 21 is also formed with an upwardly extending hollow mouthpiece 26 having three holes 27 through which liquid can be drunk. In the closed position of the cup liquid cannot escape from the cup body 11, but if the two lids are turned into the open position shown in Figure 4 and at 17 in Figure 2, liquid can pass through the aligned slots 16 and 13 into the space 28 within the mouthpiece 26 and can be drunk through the holes 27.

[0020] After the user has had enough to drink, the combined lids are merely turned back to the closed position in which the contents are resealed from the atmosphere.

[0021] The cup is simple to manufacture from moulded parts which are easily assembled together and yet is very simple to use and enables the cup to be resealed if only part of its content has been drunk.

Claims

1. A drinking cup, having a lid (14,21) movable between a sealed position in which liquid cannot escape from the cup, and a drinking position in which liquid can be drunk from the cup.

2. A cup as claimed in Claim 1, in which the lid defines a mouthpiece (26).

3. A cup as claimed in Claim 2, in which the lid defines a space (28) for liquid from the cup to be drunk through the mouthpiece.

4. A cup as claimed in any of the preceding Claims, including a valve (13,16) between the interior of the cup and the outside, which valve is respectively closed and open in the sealed and drinking positions of the lid.

5. A cup as claimed in any of the preceding Claims, in which the lid comprises an inner lid member (14) and an outer lid member (21) which are located together.

6. A cup as claimed in Claim 5, in which the inner lid member has a skirt (15) within the cup rim, the outer lid member has a skirt (22) outside the cup rim, and the lid, comprising the two members, is a snug slide fit on the cup rim.

7. A cup as claimed in any of the preceding Claims, consisting of three components only, the cup body and two lid members, which are assembled by being snugly fitted together without additional fastening means.

8. A sealable drinking cup comprising a cup body (11), an inner lid (14) which is a slideable fit at the top of the cup body, and an outer lid (21) which defines a mouthpiece (26) for use in drinking liquid from the cup body, and which can be turned in relation to the cup body and is located in relation to the inner lid.

9. A cup as claimed in Claim 8, in which the cup body and the inner lid each have an opening (13 or 16), and the inner lid is capable of rotation in relation to the cup body between a valve-open position in which the two openings at least partly overlap, and a valve-closed position, in which the openings do not overlap.

10. A cup as claimed in Claim 8 or Claim 9 in which the outer lid also defines a space (28) for liquid received from the cup body in the valve-open position, and leading to the mouthpiece (26).

Drawing