One-piece soft spout valve assembly for a no-spill drinking cup

Abstract

A one-piece soft spout valve assembly (10) for attachment to a drinking cup (12) includes a diaphragm (11) having a body (17), a spout portion (20) and a valve portion (22) integrally formed in the body (17). The body (17) has an outward surface (30), an inward surface (32), and a peripheral edge (16). The peripheral edge (16) delineates the outward surface (30) from the inward surface (32). Furthermore, a groove (18) is circumferentially formed in the peripheral edge (16) for fixedly attaching to a drinking cup (12). The spout portion (22) and the valve portion (22) form a cavity (23) within the inward surface (32) of the body (17) and a drinking opening (21) within the spout portion (20) on the outward surface (30) of the body (17), whereby fluid may pass from the cavity (23) to the drinking opening (21) through the valve portion (22) when the valve portion (22) is forcibly actuated by the spout portion (20) in response to an externally applied force by an user.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE To RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60 / 547,326, filed Feb. 24, 2004, entitled “One-piece Soft Spout Valve Assembly For A No-spill Drinking Cup.”BACKGROUND OF INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates generally to drink containers, and more particularly, to valve assemblies for no-spill drink containers. [0003] Current no-spill valves suffer from a variety of disadvantages. Some current no-spill valves are constructed of multiple pieces that are relatively difficult to clean. Moreover, some of these no-spill valves have both an inlet valve and an outlet valve and thus require even more parts, which increases both the material and manufacturing costs associated with the valves. In an effort to reduce costs, one-piece valves constructed of a silicon material have been developed. However, some of these one-piece valves include a perforation formed in the valve that allows fluid to flow into and out o...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0006] It is therefore an advantage of the present invention to provide a one-piece spout and valve assembly for a drinking cup.

[0007] It is a further advantage of the present invention to provide an integral valve and valve seat that allows fluid to flow directly through the valve and spout from the drinking cup.

[0008] It is another advantage of the present invention to provide a no-spill valve that virtually eliminates any leakage through the valve and the lid.

[0009] It is still a further advantage of the present invention to provide a no-spill valve that allows fluid to pass at one location and allows pressure to be released at another location.

[0010] It is yet another advantage of the present invention to provide a no-spill valve and spout assembly that utilizes minimal parts and thus makes cleaning relatively simple.

[0011] In accordance with the above and the other advantages of a first embodiment of the present invention, a one-piece spill proof valve and spout assembly for a drinking cup lid is provided. The valve and spout assembly is preferably constructed of a flexible material, such as silicone. The valve and spout assembly has a raised spout that allows fluid to flow therethrough. The spout has a valve integrally formed therewith and beneath the spout opening. The valve is moveable between an open position allowing fluid to pass through the raised spout and a closed position blocking the flow of fluid therethrough. The valve and spout assembly includes a circumferential rim that is intended to engage a lid portion to effectuate securing the valve and spout assembly to a drinking cup. The valve is moveable between the open and closed position upon application of a slight force by the user.

Problems solved by technology

Some current no-spill valves are constructed of multiple pieces that are relatively difficult to clean.

Moreover, some of these no-spill valves have both an inlet valve and an outlet valve and thus require even more parts, which increases both the material and manufacturing costs associated with the valves.

These perforations, however, are prone to leakage, particularly if the drinking cup into which the valve is incorporated is tipped over.

This is because there is no structure for sealing off the perforation as the valve operates by the opening and closing of the perforation itself.

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