Reusable Cup Lid Venting for Spill-Resistant Hot Beverage Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Disposable paper cups create non-biodegradable waste and are prone to spillage due to uneven beverage distribution and lack of steam release, making them inconvenient and unsafe for all users, especially children and the elderly.
Innovation Solution
A reusable beverage cup design featuring a rotatable lid with a triangular opening and central indented area, an air hole for steam release, and a modular structure with customizable markings, allowing for safe and efficient drinking by distributing the beverage flow laterally and providing easy access to the sipping hole through dual movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If disposable paper cups with polyurethane lining are used to hold hot coffee, then the beverage can be kept piping hot for hours, but non-biodegradable toxic waste is created and forests are destroyed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from disposable polyurethane-lined paper to reusable silicone, maintaining thermal insulation properties while eliminating non-biodegradable waste. The silicone material provides comparable heat retention without the environmental harm of disposable cups.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a disposable cup system to a reusable cup system that can be washed and reused multiple times. The silicone cup and lid are designed for durability and repeated use, eliminating the need to continuously discard and replace cups.
2Duration of action of stationary object
If reusable cups with concave surface along sipping hole are used, then the cup is reusable, but the flow of beverage is unevenly distributed causing spillage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the conventional concave sipping hole surface with a flat surface and modifies the opening shape to triangular. This asymmetric geometric change alters the fluid dynamics, creating more uniform beverage flow distribution and reducing spillage during sipping.
3Duration of action of stationary object
If reusable cups with cover over sipping hole are used, then the cup is reusable, but steam or hot air is locked within causing accidental openings and spillage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the steam venting function from the lid structure by incorporating an air hole that allows steam and hot air to escape. This prevents pressure buildup that would cause accidental lid openings, while the lid remains securely attached for reusable operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The air hole acts as an intermediary element between the sealed lid and the internal beverage environment. It provides a controlled pathway for steam release, mediating between the need for a secure closed lid and the need to vent hot air to prevent accidental openings.
4Ease of operation
If disposable paper cups are used, then the cup is easy to use, but spillage occurs due to uneven flow distribution and lack of steam release
Solution Approach 1:
The air hole serves as an intermediary venting mechanism that releases steam and hot air, preventing pressure buildup that causes spillage. This maintains ease of use while eliminating the harmful spillage effect.
Solution Approach 2:
The flat sipping hole surface with triangular opening shape creates asymmetric geometry that distributes beverage flow more evenly, preventing the uneven flow distribution that leads to spillage in conventional cups.
Data Source
AI summary
A reusable beverage cup comprising a container, a lid having an opening and adapted to fit on the container, and a rotatable member on the lid having a plug that is adapted to locate in the opening when the rotatable member is in a first position on the lid, wherein the plug and opening are similar in shape and sealingly close the opening.