AU706704B2 - Liquid dispensing cup for toddlers - Google Patents
Liquid dispensing cup for toddlers Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- AU706704B2 AU706704B2 AU76714/96A AU7671496A AU706704B2 AU 706704 B2 AU706704 B2 AU 706704B2 AU 76714/96 A AU76714/96 A AU 76714/96A AU 7671496 A AU7671496 A AU 7671496A AU 706704 B2 AU706704 B2 AU 706704B2
- Authority
- AU
- Australia
- Prior art keywords
- cup
- closure
- liquid dispensing
- toddler
- dispensing cup
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Ceased
Links
Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47G—HOUSEHOLD OR TABLE EQUIPMENT
- A47G19/00—Table service
- A47G19/22—Drinking vessels or saucers used for table service
- A47G19/2205—Drinking glasses or vessels
- A47G19/2266—Means for facilitating drinking, e.g. for infants or invalids
- A47G19/2272—Means for facilitating drinking, e.g. for infants or invalids from drinking glasses or cups comprising lids or covers
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47G—HOUSEHOLD OR TABLE EQUIPMENT
- A47G19/00—Table service
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
- A61J—CONTAINERS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR MEDICAL OR PHARMACEUTICAL PURPOSES; DEVICES OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR BRINGING PHARMACEUTICAL PRODUCTS INTO PARTICULAR PHYSICAL OR ADMINISTERING FORMS; DEVICES FOR ADMINISTERING FOOD OR MEDICINES ORALLY; BABY COMFORTERS; DEVICES FOR RECEIVING SPITTLE
- A61J9/00—Feeding-bottles in general
Landscapes
- General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Pediatric Medicine (AREA)
- Animal Behavior & Ethology (AREA)
- Public Health (AREA)
- Veterinary Medicine (AREA)
- Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Closures For Containers (AREA)
- Table Devices Or Equipment (AREA)
- Details Of Rigid Or Semi-Rigid Containers (AREA)
- Agricultural Chemicals And Associated Chemicals (AREA)
- Cosmetics (AREA)
- Containers Having Bodies Formed In One Piece (AREA)
Description
WO 97/17005 PCT/US96/17864 -1- LIQUID DISPENSING CUP FOR TODDLERS Field of the Invention The present invention relates to improvements in liquid dispensing cups and, more particularly, to a cup and closure combination for use by a toddler during transition from a baby bottle with a nipple.
Background of the Invention Liquid dispensing cups for use by toddlers are well known in the art. These cups, typically known as "sipper cups" in the baby care industry, are used for dispensing liquids, such as milk, juice or the like, to toddlers after or during transition by the toddler from a baby bottle with a nipple. Typically, known "sipper cups" include a generally cylindrical body of greater diameter than a baby bottle and, sometimes, at least one handle extending outwardly from the body of the cup. The external handle or handles of known "sipper cup" designs enable handling of the cup by the small hands of a toddler. Moreover, known "sipper cups" for use by toddlers generally include a closure secured to -2an upper portion of the cup to prevent spillage of liquid contained within the cup.
While presently available "sipper cup" designs are sized or provide external handles for grasping of the cup by the toddler, it will be appreciated that toddlers have a tendency to ignore the handles as they attempt to grasp the cylindrical body of the cup. Furthermore, the larger diameter of "sipper cups" compared to the smaller diameter of baby bottles makes handling of the cups awkward for the small hands of a toddler. Moreover, when the toddler does use the handles, the -handles of known "sipper cup" designs move the toddler's hand away from the center of gravity of the cup, thus adding to handling difficulty in view of the toddler's reduced muscle development and motor skills.
U.S. Patent 4750630 describes a baby bottle formed with a central opening defined by two tubular sections connecting upper and lower cylindrical portions, the sections being grippable by a baby.
G.B. Application No. 2029379 describes an infant feeder comprising a cylindrical lid having an integral sport and engageable with a feeding bottle.
While improvements have been made in the design of baby bottles to facilitate handling thereof, such as is disclosed in U.S. Patent No.4,750,6 3 0 mentioned above, there exists a need for a "sipper cup" design which eases a toddler's transition from the baby bottle to an ordinary cup or glass.
i A j-AMENDED SHEET CT 0'
I
Summary of the Invention It is the object of the present invention to overcome or substantially ameliorate the above disadvantages.
There is disclosed herein a liquid dispensing cup for use by a toddler, comprising: an integrally moulded plastic cup having generally cylindrical upper and lower portions, said upper and lower portions being joined in fluid communication by a pair of integrally connected and longitudinally extending tubular sections, said upper and lower portions and said pair of tubular sections defining a central opening through said cup, said tubular sections being sized to be easily grasped by a toddler during use of said cup; and a plastic closure having an integrally moulded spout removably engageable with said cup upper portion for fluid communication with the interior of said cup for sipping fluid contained therein, said plastic up and closure spout enabling the toddler's transition from the baby bottle with a nipple to an ordinary cup.
The central opening through the cup, in connection with the tubular portions, provide readily grippable handles on the cup for the toddler to grasp with one or both hands, thus providing a substantially balanced feel to the cup when it is either partially or fully filled as the toddler's hands are positioned near the center of gravity of the cup.
20 Thus, the liquid dispensing cup of the present invention substantially overcomes many disadvantages currently associated with available "sipper cup" designs.
0 S
S
5*
S
[N:\LIBLL]02029:PVH The closure is preferably a screw-type cap which cooperates with a screw formation integrally moulded in the upper portion of the cup to provide a fluid seal between the cup and the closure. In its preferred form, the closure is a "spill proof" type closure to prevent spillage of liquids contained within the liquid dispensing cup.
Brief Description of the Drawings A preferred form of the present invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: @0@
S.
[N:\LIBLLO02029:PVH Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a liquid dispensing cup in accordance with the principles of the present invention with a portion thereof shown in cross-section for purposes of illustration; and, Fig. 2 is a side view of Fig. 1 with a portion thereof shown in cross-section.
Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment With reference to the drawings, and particularly Figs. 1 and 2, a liquid dispensing cup for use by a toddler is shown in accordance with the present invention. An integrally molded cup 1 0 preferably made of plastid, such as polyethylene or polycarbonate, and having generally cylindrical upper and lower portions 12 and 14, respectively, is provided to hold liquid for dispensing to the toddler as described in more detail below. As shown in the figures, the upper and lower portions 12 and 14 of the cup 10 are joined in fluid communication by a pair of integrally connected and longitudinally extending tubular sections or handles 16 and 18 disposed on either side of the longitudinal axis of the cup. In this way, liquid introduced into an opening defined by a peripheral lip 20 about upper portion 12 is free
*O
to travel through tubular portions 16 and 18 and fill the upper and 20 lower porions 1 2 and 14 of the cup. In its preferred form, the cup is designed to hold between 177.4 and 236.6 ml (six and eight ounces) of liquid while other forms of the cup may hold more or less liquid as desired.
7- f. 1 ^ro^' 1 WO 97/17005 PCT/US96/17864 As shown most clearly in Fig. 1, the upper and lower -portions 12 and 14, and the tubular portions 16 and 18, define a central opening 22 through the integrally molded cup 10. The central opening 22 is generally elongated, although this is not required, and is preferably located near the center of gravity of the cup to provide a balanced container when it is either partially or fully filled.
In accordance with the invention, the tubular portions 16 and 18 are sized to be easily grasped by a toddler during use of the liquid dispensing cup. Preferably, the tubular portions 16 and 18 have a smaller circumferential diameter near the midpoint of the central opening 22, shown generally as portions 24 and 26 in the figures, than the circumferential diameter of the tubular portions at their connections with the upper and lower portions 12 and 14. The tubular portions 16 and 18 of the liquid dispensing cup, in combination with the central opening 22, thus provide readily grippable handles near the center of gravity of the cup for the toddler to hold with one or both hands.
The liquid dispensing cup of the present invention further includes a closure 28 removably engageable with the upper portion 12.
The closure 28 preferably includes an integrally molded spout 30 in fluid communication with the interior of the cup. In its preferred form, the cup includes a screw formation, shown generally at 32, integrally molded about the upper portion 12 of the cup at or below the peripheral lip 20. In this configuration, the closure 28 has a cooperating screw wm -6formation (not shown) integrally molded therein to provide a fluid seal between the cup 10 and the closure 28 when the closure is fully tightened about the upper portion 12. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that other structures are available for joining the cup 10 and closure 28.
The closure 28 of the present invention is preferably a "spill-proof" type closure having the design details fully described in U. S. Patents 4,795,052 and 4,915,250, both of which patents are herewith fully incorporated herein by reference. It will be recognized that "spill-proof" closures of the type disclosed herein are particularly advantageous for use in combination with the cup 10 of the present invention as liquid contained within the cup is generally dispensed only upon a sucking action by the toddler user. When the liquid dispensing cup is in a horizontal position, such as if it were accidently knocked on its side, or if the cup is violently shaken by the toddler, the spill-proof closure 28 will prevent liquid from exiting the cup through the spout In its preferred form, the closure 28 is non-vented, the closure includes one or more apertures through the spout 30 through which liquid is dispensed without having a second "venting" aperture through the closure. As shown in Figures 1-2, the spout 30 extends upwardly from closure 28 adjacent its periphery and the spout 30 is FAi du T -7contoured to facilitate sipping by a toddler. In this way the elimination of a second "venting" aperture greatly improves the "spill-proof" capability of the closure. It will be appreciated that other types of closures, with or without spill-proof capability, are readily adaptable for use with the liquid dispensing cup of the present invention.
In view of the above description, it will be apparent that the present invention provides a novel liquid dispensing cup with integral handles for use by toddlers during the transition from a baby bottle with a nipple.
-o P~§T1 AMAr:~
Claims (9)
1. A liquid dispensing cup for use by a toddler, comprising: an integrally moulded plastic cup having generally cylindrical upper and lower portions, said upper and lower portions being joined in fluid communication by a pair of integrally connected and longitudinally extending tubular sections, said upper and lower portions and said pair of tubular sections defining a central opening through said cup, said tubular sections being sized to be easily grasped by a toddler during use of said cup; and a plastic closure having an integrally moulded spout removably engageable with said cup upper portion for fluid communication with the interior of said cup for sipping fluid contained therein, said plastic up and closure spout enabling the toddler's transition from the baby bottle with a nipple to an ordinary cup.
2. A liquid dispensing cup as claimed in claim 1 wherein each of the tubular sc.tions has a circumferential dimension of lesser extend proximate a midpoint of the central opening than at the connection of each of the tubular portions with the upper and lower portions. o.,0
3. A liquid dispensing cup as claimed in either claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the closure is a screw-type cap and the cup upper portion includes a screw formation integrally moulded therein for cooperation with the closure whereby a fluid seal is formed between the cup and the closure.
4. A liquid dispensing cup as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the oo.. closure is a spill-proof type closure.
A liquid dispensing cup as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the closure is non-vented.
6. A liquid dispensing cup as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the °S ;integrally moulded spout extends upwardly adjacent the periphery of the closure.
7. A liquid dispensing cup as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the spout is contoured to facilitate sipping of fluid by a toddler.
8. A liquid dispensing cup as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the So 30 plastic cup and closure are made of polyethylene or polycarbonate.
9. A liquid dispensing cup substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Dated 12 October, 1998 Ansa Company, Inc. Patent Attorneys for the Applicant/Nominated Person SPRUSON FERGUSON n/T O [N:\LIBLL]O2029:PVH
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US55613795A | 1995-11-09 | 1995-11-09 | |
US08/556137 | 1995-11-09 | ||
PCT/US1996/017864 WO1997017005A1 (en) | 1995-11-09 | 1996-11-07 | Liquid dispensing cup for toddlers |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
AU7671496A AU7671496A (en) | 1997-05-29 |
AU706704B2 true AU706704B2 (en) | 1999-06-24 |
Family
ID=24220039
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
AU76714/96A Ceased AU706704B2 (en) | 1995-11-09 | 1996-11-07 | Liquid dispensing cup for toddlers |
Country Status (19)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP0871386B1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP2000504238A (en) |
KR (1) | KR100352739B1 (en) |
CN (1) | CN1153538C (en) |
AR (1) | AR004313A1 (en) |
AT (1) | ATE183624T1 (en) |
AU (1) | AU706704B2 (en) |
BR (1) | BR9611552A (en) |
CA (1) | CA2235682C (en) |
DE (1) | DE69603981T2 (en) |
ES (1) | ES2136439T3 (en) |
GR (1) | GR3031664T3 (en) |
HK (1) | HK1016043A1 (en) |
IL (1) | IL124156A (en) |
MY (1) | MY132598A (en) |
NO (1) | NO310595B1 (en) |
TW (1) | TW306877B (en) |
WO (1) | WO1997017005A1 (en) |
ZA (1) | ZA969420B (en) |
Families Citing this family (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US6976604B2 (en) | 2001-10-05 | 2005-12-20 | The First Years Inc. | Restricting flow in drinking containers |
GB2485347A (en) * | 2010-11-08 | 2012-05-16 | Fiaz Malik | A container having a recess defining a compartment |
KR101321856B1 (en) | 2011-09-05 | 2013-10-28 | 지승일 | Liquid Receptacle and Manufacturing Method thereof |
CN103230198A (en) * | 2013-04-10 | 2013-08-07 | 张汉兵 | Detachable cup facilitating water drinking |
CN103230199A (en) * | 2013-04-25 | 2013-08-07 | 无锡市崇安区科技创业服务中心 | Vacuum cup |
Family Cites Families (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB2029379A (en) * | 1978-08-31 | 1980-03-19 | Ashe Lab Ltd | Baby's Feeding Bottle |
US4388996A (en) * | 1979-12-26 | 1983-06-21 | Kiddie Products, Inc. | Self-righting training cup |
US4750630A (en) * | 1984-04-06 | 1988-06-14 | Campbell William O | Baby bottle with integral handle |
GB2255913A (en) * | 1991-05-20 | 1992-11-25 | Hsu Shen Kwang | Nursing bottle |
US5320231A (en) * | 1991-09-09 | 1994-06-14 | Ansa Company, Inc. | Adult personal care bottle with integral handles |
DE9200120U1 (en) * | 1992-01-08 | 1992-02-27 | Hsu, Shen-Kwang, Taipeh/T'ai-pei | Baby bottle combination |
-
1996
- 1996-11-07 JP JP9518322A patent/JP2000504238A/en active Pending
- 1996-11-07 ES ES96939577T patent/ES2136439T3/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1996-11-07 CN CNB961981113A patent/CN1153538C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 1996-11-07 EP EP96939577A patent/EP0871386B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1996-11-07 AU AU76714/96A patent/AU706704B2/en not_active Ceased
- 1996-11-07 KR KR1019980703332A patent/KR100352739B1/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1996-11-07 TW TW085113612A patent/TW306877B/zh not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1996-11-07 CA CA002235682A patent/CA2235682C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 1996-11-07 DE DE69603981T patent/DE69603981T2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 1996-11-07 WO PCT/US1996/017864 patent/WO1997017005A1/en active IP Right Grant
- 1996-11-07 AT AT96939577T patent/ATE183624T1/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1996-11-07 BR BR9611552A patent/BR9611552A/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1996-11-07 IL IL12415696A patent/IL124156A/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1996-11-08 AR ARP960105119A patent/AR004313A1/en unknown
- 1996-11-08 MY MYPI96004662A patent/MY132598A/en unknown
- 1996-11-08 ZA ZA969420A patent/ZA969420B/en unknown
-
1998
- 1998-05-04 NO NO19982005A patent/NO310595B1/en unknown
-
1999
- 1999-04-07 HK HK99101372A patent/HK1016043A1/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1999-10-27 GR GR990402753T patent/GR3031664T3/en unknown
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
NO982005D0 (en) | 1998-05-04 |
WO1997017005A1 (en) | 1997-05-15 |
EP0871386A1 (en) | 1998-10-21 |
CA2235682A1 (en) | 1997-05-15 |
BR9611552A (en) | 1999-03-02 |
GR3031664T3 (en) | 2000-02-29 |
IL124156A (en) | 2000-12-06 |
CN1153538C (en) | 2004-06-16 |
AR004313A1 (en) | 1998-11-04 |
EP0871386B1 (en) | 1999-08-25 |
ES2136439T3 (en) | 1999-11-16 |
MY132598A (en) | 2007-10-31 |
KR100352739B1 (en) | 2002-12-06 |
HK1016043A1 (en) | 1999-10-29 |
NO982005L (en) | 1998-05-04 |
DE69603981T2 (en) | 1999-12-23 |
CA2235682C (en) | 2003-01-07 |
AU7671496A (en) | 1997-05-29 |
KR19990067330A (en) | 1999-08-16 |
JP2000504238A (en) | 2000-04-11 |
ATE183624T1 (en) | 1999-09-15 |
TW306877B (en) | 1997-06-01 |
DE69603981D1 (en) | 1999-09-30 |
ZA969420B (en) | 1997-06-02 |
CN1201377A (en) | 1998-12-09 |
NO310595B1 (en) | 2001-07-30 |
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