Receptacles – Container attachment or adjunct – Drinking device
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-26
2001-07-24
Shoap, Allan N. (Department: 3727)
Receptacles
Container attachment or adjunct
Drinking device
C220S703000, C222S456000, C222S464100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06264058
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention discloses a cup that will dispense a predetermined amount of fluid to a user using a valve having no moving parts.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
When a person suffering from dysphagia attempts to swallow liquid in the normal amounts, the liquid often goes down the bronchus and into the lungs, causing coughing, choking and even aspiration pneumonia. This difficulty is exacerbated when the user tilts his head backward in the normal drinking position. Dysphagia is a condition associated with stroke, head injury, or other neurological disorders, and aging, and frequently occurs as a transient condition following some surgeries.
It is known that swallowing in people suffering from dysphagia may be enhanced if the head is not angulated rearwardly while drinking. In an attempt to take advantage of this, “nose-cups” have been designed which include a container part whose inner wall is circular in shape and a cutout on the rim to accommodate the nose of the user. This permits drinking while the user's head remains substantially vertical. However, such cuts have an unusual appearance, which some users may find undesirable and thus avoid using. Additionally, such conventional “nose-cups” have cylindrical inner walls that do not facilitate controlled fluid flow, tending to lead to fluid spillage. Another attempt to overcome the problem includes a cup with an exaggerated beaker-shaped pocket formed for the nose.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,323,928 to Stevens provides a drinking cup that includes a hollow container portion having a base and an upwardly extending side wall. The side wall defines an elliptical aperture at its apex. The inner surface of the sidewall defines an ellipse from a horizontal cross-sectional perspective at substantially all elevations between the aperture and a point proximate to the base of the container portion. The user's nasal bridge is accommodated within the aperture during drinking to prevent substantial backward angulation. Although the '928 patent provides a better gripping area and funnels the liquid to the center of the user's mouth, it does not control the amount of liquid dispensed to the user.
One solution posed by practicing speech pathologists is a drinking vessel which releases a measured amount of liquid, about 1 teaspoon, which is the amount that will be able to be swallowed by the person with dysphagia by virtue of filling and emptying of the diverticular pouches in larynx. Other solutions include spoon-feeding liquids one teaspoonful at a time or using gelling agents to thicken the liquid so it can be eaten like solid food.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,222,940 Wilk discloses a device for facilitating the administration of medicine comprising a tube having a cup-shaped member at the distal end. The cup-shaped member contains markings to measure the medicine to be administered. Although this device serves for applications of small amounts of medicine, its overall design eliminates its use as a drinking cup as disclosed herein.
Prior art devices are complex and none mimic the action of simply lifting the drinking vessel to the lips. The disclosed drinking cup incorporating the limited flow valve has overcome the problems associated with the prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The disclosed cup utilizes a measuring valve, having no moving parts, situated in a container that regulates the flow of liquid, delivering a predetermined quantity of liquid to the user by rotating the container. Once the valve is filled, the container is rotated to a position where fluid is no longer covering the inlet of the valve. Once the inlet is exposed to the air within the container, the fluid is free to move out of the valve and down the dispensing tube. Further rotation delivers the fluid, through gravity, with the process being repeated to dispense the desired quantity of liquid.
The container consists of a vessel having at least one side, an open end and a base and, in most embodiments, a watertight lid. If a lid is not used, a clip can be placed adjacent the open end to receive the dispensing tube. Within the container is a valve that has at least one side, a height, a dispensing tube inlet and a fluid inlet port. Preferably the valve is adjacent to the base in a position to receive liquid through the fluid inlet port and in some embodiments the valve can be integral with the base. The liquid is dispensed through use of a dispensing tube having a first end in contact with the dispensing tube outlet port and a second end exiting the vessel. To ensure proper dispensing, the exiting point of the dispensing tube must have a distance from the base greater than the height of the valve.
The valve is dimensioned to contain and dispense a predetermined amount of liquid. The liquid is in fluid contact with the inlet port when the base is in a first position and out of fluid contact with the inlet port when the base is in a second position. Thus, the valve fills with liquid when the container is in a substantially horizontal position while angling the container removes the liquid from contact with the valve, stopping further fluid from entering the valve inlet port. The fluid within the valve cannot be delivered until the container is in the second position, brining the inlet port into contact with the container air.
Preferably the container has a sealable, watertight lid at the open end that contains a dispensing tube receiving port dimensioned to receive the dispensing tube. When sealing the container with a lid, at least one vent hole, preferably within the lid, must be used to enable airflow into the container. In some embodiments, a retaining ridge can be placed within the interior of the container and dimensioned to receive a lid. The lid and the ridge should interact to prevent passage of fluid past the lid. The lid can also contain a refill inlet to enable liquid access without removal of the lid. The refill inlet can have a watertight lid to prevent liquid transfer from the vessel or a cover to enable air transfer into the vessel.
The valve can be a polygon with a top plate and can be offset from a center point, the base, adjacent to the container side. In some embodiments, when the valve is not placed adjacent to the base, the valve has an opposing base. In most embodiments, at least a portion of the valve tube inlet is cut within the top plate to enable maximum effectiveness. The fluid inlet port can be in the side of the valve, preferably with a height equal to the height of the valve, or placed in the top plate of the valve. When the fluid inlet port is on the side of the valve it is generally adjacent to the container side. The valve can be removably maintained within the container through the use of flanges that are integral to the base and dimensioned to receive the valve in a friction fit. When a side inlet is used, the flanges must be dimensioned so that they do not impede fluid communication between the inlet port and the vessel.
In another embodiment the valve is a tube having a fluid inlet at a first end and a tube inlet at a second end. The first end of the dispensing tube and the valve tube inlet are in fluid communication and can, optionally, be an integral unit. This embodiment can also contain retaining clips affixed to the base and/or sides to affix the valve and dispensing tube to the container.
The container can have a raised base containing a valve receiving area dimensioned to receive the valve. The height of the raised base adjacent to the sides is greater than the base height adjacent to the valve, sloping downward to the valve height at the valve receiving area.
In embodiments where there is a tube vent incorporated within the dispensing tube, it is preferable to include a drinking shield with at least a portion of the interior dimensioned to receive the dispensing tube and tube vent and an exterior configured to facilitate drinking. The drinking shield can be permanently or removably affixed to the lid or, as an option, manufactured as an integral part of the lid. To
Porter Barbara Y.
Porter Jerry
Merek Joe
Parker Sheldon H.
Shoap Allan N.
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