Adjustable Drinking Cup Handle Assembly With Stable Detent Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing portable drinking cups with adjustable handles lack the ability to maintain a fixed position after adjustment and often require disassembly to reconfigure, leading to inconvenient handling and spill prevention issues.
Innovation Solution
A drinking cup design featuring a container with a neck having external threads and an annular collar, paired with a handle assembly that includes integrally formed handles and a detent arrangement allowing incremental rotational movement, ensuring the handles remain fixed in the desired orientation and can be easily repositioned without disassembling the cup.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the handle assembly is made adjustable to allow repositioning, then the ease of operation is improved, but the stability of the handle position deteriorates (handles change position when cup is dropped)
Solution Approach 1:
The handle assembly is designed with a dynamic positioning system featuring multiple detent positions that allow the handle to be adjusted to different angular orientations around the container neck. The detent mechanism provides discrete stable positions while maintaining the ability to reposition, resolving the contradiction between adjustability and position stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The circumferential position of the handle is segmented into multiple discrete detent positions around the container neck. This segmentation allows the handle to occupy specific predetermined angular positions rather than continuous positions, providing stability at each detent while enabling repositioning between detents by overcoming the detent engagement force.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the handle assembly is made fixed to maintain position stability, then the stability of the object's composition is improved, but the ease of operation deteriorates (handles cannot be repositioned without disassembly)
Solution Approach 1:
The handle assembly transitions from a completely fixed design to a dynamically adjustable design with multiple detent positions. The detent mechanism provides stable fixed positions during normal use while allowing intentional repositioning when needed, eliminating the need for complete disassembly to adjust handle orientation.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple detent positions are pre-configured around the container neck during manufacturing, allowing the handle to be adjusted to the optimal position relative to the drinking spout before use. This preliminary arrangement of positions enables easy repositioning without disassembly while maintaining stability at each predetermined position.
3Ease of operation
If the handle assembly allows free rotation for easy adjustment, then the ease of operation is improved, but the stability deteriorates (handles cannot remain fixed in desired position)
Solution Approach 1:
The handle assembly employs a detent mechanism that provides dynamic characteristics: free rotation is permitted during adjustment to reach desired positions, but once a detent position is engaged, the handle is firmly fixed. This dynamic behavior resolves the contradiction by providing both ease of adjustment and position fixation as needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The detent mechanism is designed to engage automatically when the handle reaches a predetermined angular position, providing inherent stabilization without requiring additional locking actions from the user. The detent engagement force acts as a cushioning mechanism that prevents unintended position changes while allowing intentional repositioning.
Data Source
AI summary
A drinking cup includes a container with an open top and defining a longitudinal axis. The container includes a neck having a plurality of first detents provided on an outer surface. A handle assembly includes a rim and at least one handle integrally formed with the rim. The rim defines an opening sized to receive the container neck. The handle assembly has a plurality of second detents shaped to mate with the first detents, wherein selective engagement of the first and second detents configured to allow incremental rotational movement of the handle assembly on the neck about the container axis.