Closure assembly for a drinking vessel

Details Closure assembly for a drinking vessel Closure assembly for a drinking vessel

2000-09-27

2001-10-23

Garbe, Stephen P. (Department: 3727)

Receptacles

Container attachment or adjunct

Drinking device

C220S717000, C215S011400

Reexamination Certificate

active

06305570

ABSTRACT:

This invention relates to a closure assembly for drinking vessels and more particularly to a closure assembly which can be fitted to a trainer cup, feeding bottle or like container.
Trainer cups are well known and comprise a cup or mug provided with a lid having a mouthpiece thereon, usually in the form of a spout. They are generally used by young infants or toddlers after they have given up using a feeding bottle but they are not yet old enough to hold a normal cup or glass and will often tip it too far. As the child is still very young, it is not unusual for the trainer cup to be inadvertently knocked over or for the child to invert it so that the liquid contained therein leaks out. Infants also shake trainer cups up and down which again generally results in the liquid leaking out of the cup.
There is therefore a need for a closure assembly for a drinking vessel such as a trainer cup which is leakproof in that it will prevent liquid contained therein from being removed from the vessel should it be inverted or shaken. However, the liquid must be able to be dispensed from the vessel when the child sucks on the spout so some form of valving arrangement needs to be incorporated into the lid to enable this to be done. Known valve systems tend to be rather complicated and therefore expensive to manufacture and sometimes difficult to use. Due to their complexity, they can also be troublesome to clean.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a leakproof closure assembly for a drinking vessel which only allows liquid to be removed from the vessel when the user sucks on the outlet thereto. It is a further object of the invention to provide a closure assembly for a drinking vessel which includes valve means associated with its outlet which are normally closed to prevent the passage of liquid past the valve means thereby ensuring that liquid in the vessel does not leak out should the vessel be inverted, dropped or shaken up and down, the valve means opening only when a user sucks on the outlet.
According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a closure assembly for fitting to an open ended drinking vessel comprising a lid with a drinking spout extending therefrom through which liquid can flow when a user sucks on said spout, a flexible resilient diaphragm retained by mounting means on the lid to normally prevent liquid flow through the spout, said diaphragm having a primary sealing portion which cooperates with a seat to make a fluidtight seal therewith, the diaphragm also having a secondary sealing portion which normally cooperates with a breather hole to make a fluidtight seal therewith, the arrangement being such that when a user sucks on the spout, the primary sealing surface is deflected away from the seat to permit liquid flow and the secondary sealing portion no longer makes a fluidtight seal with the breather hole so air can pass therethrough to equalise the pressure across the diaphragm.
Preferably, the diaphragm has an aperture in the centre thereof, the primary sealing portion comprising an annular bead which extends around said aperture on one face of the diaphragm.
Preferably, mounting means for the diaphragm are provided adjacent the entrance to the spout. The mounting means can be provided on a separate insert or moulded as part of the lid. Conveniently the mounting means comprises a post protruding from the entrance to the spout and the seat is an annular surface thereon. In one embodiment, the post has an enlarged head with an undercut surface thereon which provides said annular seat.
In an alternative embodiment, the diaphragm has a central pillar extending therefrom with an enlarged head at its free end having the primary sealing portion thereon which engages the seat on the closure assembly, the diaphragm having at least one hole therein for the passage of liquid therethrough. Preferably, the primary sealing portion is an annular bead which extends from the enlarged head towards the diaphragm. This diaphragm is fitted to a closure assembly in which the spout has an entrance which is closed by a wall with an aperture therein, said aperture acting as the mounting means which receives the enlarged head of the diaphragm so that the annular bead thereon contacts said wall to make a fluidtight seal therewith. In this embodiment, the central pillar is longer than the thickness of the wall so that the body of the diaphragm is spaced therefrom but can move axially relative to the hole when a negative pressure is applied thereto to lift the annular bead from the wall and allow fluid flow.
Preferably the diaphragm has an upstanding annular lip or wall around its outer periphery with a flap extending laterally outwardly therefrom.
In one embodiment, the breather hole is provided in the lid and is normally closed by the laterally extending flap on the diaphragm. However, in another embodiment, the breather hole is provided in an insert fitted in the spout which has the mounting means thereon for the diaphragm.
The diaphragm is preferably configured so that when it is fitted to the closure, it adopts a concave configuration and its outer periphery is biased into contact with the closure assembly.
The post can be a push fit in the spout and it can include gripping means to assist in its removal therefrom. Alternatively, the post can be moulded as an integral part of the lid.
The diaphragm can be moulded from any suitable natural or synthetic material but preferably it is moulded from silicone rubber.
In another embodiment, the mounting means and breather hole are provided on a separate insert fitted into the open end of the spout. Conveniently, the insert has at least one hole therein to allow the passage of liquid therethrough. The breather hole can be provided on the lid and/or the insert.
The mounting means preferably comprises a post extending from the insert having an enlarged head with an undercut surface which provides the seat to cooperate with the primary sealing portion of the diaphragm.
The insert can have an upstanding projection thereon with a breather hole therethrough, said projection being adapted to locate in a corresponding hole in the lid It also preferably has means thereon for releasably attaching it to the closure assembly.
To enable the diaphragm to be reversible, it can have a second upstanding lip or wall with an annular flap extending laterally therefrom provided around its periphery, said second wall and flap being a mirror image of said first wall and flap to provide a double sided diaphragm which is H-shaped in cross section.
It will be appreciated from the foregoing that the present invention provides a closure assembly for a drinking vessel which includes a resilient flexible diaphragm, preferably with a centrally located sealing portion normally biased into contact with a seat to prevent the flow of fluid from the vessel between the diaphragm and the seat, the diaphragm being deflectable away from the seat in response to the application of a negative pressure thereto which is sufficient to overcome said bias and allow liquid to flow past the diaphragm and the seat and out of the vessel.


REFERENCES:
patent: Re. 37016 (2001-01-01), Morano
patent: 2107442 (1938-02-01), Hughes
patent: 5706973 (1998-01-01), Robbins, III et al.
patent: 5890620 (1999-04-01), Belcastro
patent: 6102245 (2000-08-01), Haberman
patent: 29706653 (1997-07-01), None
patent: 0575014 (1993-12-01), None
patent: 2266045 (1993-10-01), None
PCT International Search Report, mailed on Jun. 10, 1999, in connection with International Application No. PCT/GB99/00312.
United Kingdom Search Report, dated Apr. 6, 1999, in connection with GB Application No. 9902102.4.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

Rating

Closure assembly for a drinking vessel does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Closure assembly for a drinking vessel, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Closure assembly for a drinking vessel will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2600647