Receptacles – End wall structure – With weight or counterweight
Reexamination Certificate
2003-02-20
2003-11-04
Moy, Joseph M. (Department: 3727)
Receptacles
End wall structure
With weight or counterweight
C220S710500, C220S713000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06640992
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tumbler for use in connection with teaching a child to drink properly from a cup. Furthermore the present invention relates to a tumbler designed to be self-righting and minimize spilling of liquid
2. Description of the Prior Art
Toddler's Tumbler is desirable to teach a child how to drink properly from a cup.
The use of cups designed to prevent spilling are known in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,303,170 to Panicii discloses a self-righting training cup. However, the Panicci '170 patent does not contain an o-ring placed between the cover and the cup to aid in the sealing of these two parts so that liquid will not leak from where the two surfaces of the cover and the cup meet, and has further drawbacks of having a spout for drinking, which encourages children to develop improper drinking techniques.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,096,966 to Korshak discloses a self-righting cup with a weighted bottom. However, the Korshak '966 patent also does not have an o-ring for sealing the cover to the cup and accordingly suffers from the same setback as discussed for the Panicci '170 patent. Additionally the patent does not have a threaded cover and the receiving threads on the tumbler to aid in the sealing of the cover to the tumbler. Furthermore the bottom of the Korshak '966 patent is flat and is thus different from the rounded rubber bottom found on the current toddler's tumbler.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. Des. 2,601,767 to Wall discloses a self righting cup that has a round bottom. However, the Wall '196 patent does not have an o-ring to aid in sealing the cover to the cup, and also does not contain a cover with threads which can be threaded onto the matched threaded cup to further aid in sealing the top to the cup for prevention of liquid leakage.
Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. Des. 322,196 to Ohnuki discloses an infant's drinking cup. However, the Ohnuki '196 patent does not have a weighted bottom, and has the additional deficiency of not having an o-ring to aid in the sealing of the cover to the cup or a threaded cover and cup to provide additional aid in the sealing of the liquid in the inside of the cup.
While the above-described devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe a toddler's tumbler that allows for training a child to drink without sucking from a spout like opening which could result in developing improper drinking techniques. The above patents make no provision for a toddler's tumbler possessing the previously mentioned attributes.
Therefore, a need exists for a new and improved toddler's tumbler that can be used for teaching toddler's how to drink properly and to minimize liquid from spilling by the use of an o-ring sealed placed between a threaded lid and matching threaded cup combined with a weighted self righting bottom. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need. In this respect, the toddler's tumbler according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of teaching toddlers how to drink from a cup in a proper manner and with the added features of an o-ring, threaded sealing cover and threaded sealing lid along with a weighted self righting bottom.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of toddler's or child's drinking cup now present in the prior art, the present invention provides an improved toddler's tumbler, and overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages and drawbacks of the prior art. As such, the general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new and improved toddler's tumbler which has all the advantages of the prior art mentioned heretofore and many novel features. This results in a toddler's tumbler that is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by the prior art, either alone or in any combination thereof. To attain this, the present invention essentially comprises a three piece self-righting toddler's drinking cup comprising a cover with a concave surface having a ledge encircling the outside of the cover comprising a slit adapted for drinking and an air venting hole; a cylinder, two diametrically opposed oval handles extending from the cylinder, and a base section connected to said cylinder comprising a round bottom interior, a round bottom exterior and a weight located between said bottom exterior and said bottom interior; an o-ring seal adapted for sealing the cover and cylinder together in a leak free configuration.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated.
The invention may also include a design or picture that is pleasing to the consumer such as but not limited to the design as shown in FIG.
2
. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims attached.
Numerous objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description of presently preferred, but nonetheless illustrative, embodiments of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In this respect, before explaining the current embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. In addition, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of descriptions and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved toddler's tumbler that has all of the advantages of the prior art as mentioned above and none of the disadvantages.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved toddler's tumbler that may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved toddler's tumbler that has a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such toddler's tumbler economically available to the buying public.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new toddler's tumbler that provides in the apparatuses and methods of the prior art some of the advantages thereof, while simultaneously overcoming some of the disadvantages normally associated therewith.
Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a toddler's tumbler for the purpose of teaching toddlers how to drink from a cup in a proper manner and with the added features of an o-ring, threaded sealing cover and threaded sealing lid along with a weighted self righting bottom all design to prevent the spilling of li
Berger David
Berger Jennifer N.
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