Receptacles – Container attachment or adjunct – Drinking device
Patent
1997-07-07
2000-09-12
Pollard, Steven
Receptacles
Container attachment or adjunct
Drinking device
220714, A47G 1900
Patent
active
061164577
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to drinks containers or vessels, including drinking vessels suitable for use as a trainer cup or the like.
Traditionally, trainer cups (that is, a cup or mug provided with a lid having a mouthpiece associated therewith, usually in the form of a spout) have been used by young children to bridge the gap between use of a baby's feeding bottle and use of a normal cup or glass. The trainer cup is often the child's first step in learning to feed itself. The provision of a lid with a spout is intended to make it easier for the child to feed itself, because it can locate the spout in its mouth in much the same manner as it could previously locate a teat of a feeding bottle in its mouth. However, young children of this age are naturally exuberant. Eating becomes a noisy and messy experience. The trainer cup is often shaken violently or knocked over. In either event, with a traditional trainer cup, this results in spillage. For travel purposes, a separate closure disc needs to be fitted to the cup underneath the lid, or the lid is required to have an adjustable closure arrangement.
My UK patent application No. 2 266 045 described a number of drinking vessels which were suitable for use as a trainer cup or cup for the elderly or infirm. Such drinking vessels comprised an open-mouthed, generally cup-shaped container and a lid for covering the open mouth of the container. The lid had an associated mouthpiece. Valving was provided to prevent flow of liquid from the interior of the container through the mouthpiece unless a predetermined level of suction was applied to the mouthpiece, and such that a user could draw liquid through the mouthpiece by the sole application of suction to the mouthpiece. The arrangements have proved successful in overcoming the problem of spillage, but are of relatively complicated and expensive construction.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided an article through which or from which a drinking liquid is taken by a consumer, the article being provided with a valve which comprises a membrane of resiliently flexible material which is dished inwardly of the article, opposite the direction through which the drinking liquid is taken in use of the article, said membrane being formed generally at its centre with at least one slit or piercing.
In the normal condition of the valve, the orifice provided by the slit(s) or piercing is closed, i.e. the material of the membrane closes up under its own resilience. Also, if there is moderate internal pressure acting outwardly on the valve, e.g. the weight of the contents of a container or vessel bearing down on the valve when the container or vessel is inverted, then this pressure helps to urge the material of the membrane, on opposite sides of the slit(s) or piercing, to close together.
However, the valve opens to allow the free flow of liquid through the valve if suction is applied e.g. by the mouth. For example, the valve may be provided in a projecting mouthpiece of a container or lid for the container: then if the mouthpiece is inserted into the user's mouth and the user applies suction, this causes the flexible membrane to invert and the slit(s) or piercing to open and so allow the free flow of liquid. The valve may be incorporated in the top of a drinks carton: either suction can be applied as described above for drinking directly from the carton, or the carton can be squeezed to increase its internal pressure and expel the liquid through the valve, to pour the liquid into a separate vessel. In all cases however, a drinking straw may instead be pushed through the orifice in the valve, and the user may then drink through this straw.
When suction is applied, the dished membrane is caused to invert and allow liquid to be drawn through its orifice, then when the suction is released, air passes through the orifice into the container, to equalise or nearly equalise the pressures either side of the valve: further, the valve assumes its normal condition (i.e. dished inwardly) under its own resilience.
Slit valves ha
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