Double-walled mug with handle

Details Double-walled mug with handle Double-walled mug with handle

2000-04-04

2001-05-29

Moy, Joseph M. (Department: 3727)

Receptacles

Receptacle having means to facilitate maintaining contents...

For a beverage

C220S759000, C220S769000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06237801

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a drinking container used for holding, dispensing and consuming beverages. In particular the invention relates to a double-walled mug with a secure handle.
Double-walled mugs are well known for holding and the consumption of hot and cold beverages. The doubled-walled construction provides thermal insulation. Such mugs have been constructed to include a handle that is attached to the body of the container. Mugs with such handles are usually constructed in one of two methods: casting the handle and body as an integral item or producing the handle and body as two separate items and then joining them by welding, by adhesives, or by threaded fasteners. Both these methods, however, have drawbacks.
Integral handle/body mugs produced by casting result in a strong connection between the body and the handle. However, such mugs are expensive to produce, require expensive tooling which often has a short tooling life, and require relatively long production cycles. Moreover, these mugs are aesthetically limited in the sense that, since the body and handle must be made of the same material, they must also be of the same color. In addition, integral casting causes an unattractive mold separation line running along both the handle and the body.
Producing the handle and the mug body separately and then securing the components together using welds, adhesives or fasteners avoids some of the aesthetic disadvantages of the integral casting method. However, such mugs are also expensive to produce since construction involves many additional steps. Moreover, the connection between the handle and the body is inherently insecure as handles which are attached with screws or adhesives will loosen over time due to the torque they are subjected to from daily use.
Accordingly, what is needed is a double-walled beverage mug that can be constructed from separate components and wherein the handle is not molded or cast as part of the body, or glued, fastened or welded to the body.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a mug comprising a hollow outer shell having a rim with portions providing a notch, a handle which comprises a hand grip portion and a notch-engaging portion adapted to engage the rim at the notch, and an inner cup with a flange that is adapted to engage the rim of the outer shell and restrain the notch-engaging portion of the handle in the notch when the inner cup is inserted into the hollow outer shell.
The handle and body of the mug of the present invention can be manufactured separately and joined together without the use of welds or adhesives, or multiple fasteners. The outer shell and handle are assembled so that the handle engages the outer shell and the insertion of the inner cup restrains and unifies the entire assembly. This assembly has distinct advantages over the prior art mugs discussed above: simple and inexpensive tooling is required to manufacture the component parts and multiple cavity tooling can be used, thereby reducing production run times. Furthermore, the present invention avoids the aesthetic drawbacks encountered in prior art mugs. Because the handle and body are produced separately, simple molds can be used, thereby eliminating the mold parting lines running along both the handle and the body. Moreover, the handle and body may be made of different materials, be of different colors, or have different finishes.


REFERENCES:
patent: 901400 (1908-10-01), Vincent
patent: 2905500 (1959-09-01), Thombs
patent: 4206852 (1980-06-01), Iten et al.
patent: 4220254 (1980-09-01), Morton
patent: 5025939 (1991-06-01), Bunn et al.
patent: 5560506 (1996-10-01), Yanagisawa et al.
patent: 5752618 (1998-05-01), Tebitz et al.

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