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US 6,976,604 B2Granted
Restricting flow in drinking containers
AssigneeThe First Years Inc.
InventorsJames A. Connors, Jr., David E. Medeiros, George S. Dys
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A disposable child's drinking cup has a lid with a drinking spout defining multiple open holes sized to resist leakage in the absence of suction, such as by the development of surface tension at the holes, and to allow flow when suction is applied. The holes are formed during molding of the lid.
Claims79
A drinking container comprising
- a main body defining an interior cavity accessible through an opening at an upper end of the main body;
- and
- a removable lid secured to the main body at its upper end to cover the opening and enclose, together with the main body, the interior cavity to hold a liquid;
- the lid having an extended drinking spout sized to be received within a human mouth and defining multiple unrestricted holes providing open hydraulic communication between exterior surfaces of the container and the interior cavity, for dispensing liquid disposed proximate inner ends of the holes in response to a vacuum applied at outer ends of the holes;
- the holes having a size selected to permit less than 3 drops of leakage of fresh water from the interior cavity through the holes over a 10 second interval under quasi-static conditions with a static head of 2.0 inches (51 millimeters) of fresh water at the inner ends of the holes and no vacuum applied to the spout with the container inverted, and to dispense an aggregate of at least 1.3 gram of fresh water from the spout over a 10 second interval with a static vacuum of 0.27 Bar below atmospheric pressure applied at the outer ends of the holes and a static head of 2.0 inches (51 millimeters) of fresh water at the inner ends of the holes with the container inverted.
2 more elements
A drinking container comprising
- a main body defining an interior cavity accessible through an opening at an upper end of the main body;
- and
- a removable lid secured to the main body at its upper end to cover the opening and enclose, together with the main body, the interior cavity to hold a liquid;
- the lid having an extended drinking spout sized to be received within a human mouth and defining multiple unrestricted holes providing open hydraulic communication between exterior surfaces of the container and the interior cavity, for dispensing liquid disposed proximate inner ends of the holes in response to a vacuum applied at outer ends of the holes;
- the holes each having a major lateral extent, perpendicular to a flow path along the hole, of less than about 0.025 inch (0.64 millimeter), and forming an aggregate flow path through the spout of an area of at least 0.35 square millimeter.
2 more elements
A lid for a drinking container for children, the lid comprising
- a main body portion defining a peripheral groove sized to receive an upper rim of a cup to enclose a cavity for holding a liquid;
- and
- a drinking spout extending from the main body portion toward an outer side thereof and sized to be received within a human mouth, the spout defining multiple unrestricted holes providing open hydraulic communication between opposite sides of the lid, for dispensing liquid disposed proximate inner ends of the holes in response to a vacuum applied at outer ends of the holes;
- the holes each having a major lateral extent, perpendicular to a flow path along the hole, of less than about 0.025 inch (0.64 millimeter), and forming an aggregate flow path through the spout of an area of at least 0.35 square millimeter.
1 more element
A method of preventing spills from drinking containers for children, the method comprising
- filling a cup with a consumable liquid;
- and
- securing a lid across an upper end of the cup, the lid comprising
- a main body portion defining a peripheral groove sized to receive an upper rim of a cup to enclose a cavity for holding a liquid;
- and
- a drinking spout extending from the main body portion toward an outer side thereof and sized to be received within a human mouth, the spout defining multiple unrestricted holes providing open hydraulic communication between opposite sides of the lid, for dispensing liquid disposed proximate inner ends of the holes in response to a vacuum applied at outer ends of the holes, the holes each having a major lateral extent, perpendicular to a flow path along the hole, of less than about 0.025 inch (0.64 millimeter), and forming an aggregate flow path through the spout of an area of at least 0.35 square millimeter.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.