Drinking Cup Ice Retainer to Prevent Ice Impact During Consumption
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Solution Overview
Problem
When drinking from a cup containing ice or an ice-substitute, the ice often gets carried to the opening, potentially impacting the face during consumption.
Innovation Solution
A drinking cup assembly with a retainer that retains ice within the cup while allowing liquid to flow out, featuring an interference fit or adhesive connection between the retainer and cup, and openings that permit liquid flow while preventing ice passage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If ice is added to the drinking cup to cool the liquid, then the liquid cooling effect is improved, but the ice may be carried to the opening and impact the face during drinking
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the cup into functional zones by introducing a retainer structure that segments the interior space. The retainer creates a lower chamber for ice and an upper chamber for liquid, physically separating the ice from the drinking path while maintaining the cooling effect through thermal conduction and convection.
Solution Approach 2:
The retainer acts as an intermediary structure between the ice and the liquid/drinking area. It allows thermal energy transfer from the liquid to the ice (providing cooling) while preventing the physical transfer of ice to the opening, thus mediating between the cooling function and the face-protection requirement.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a retainer is added to prevent ice from being carried to the opening, then the face protection is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The retainer is constructed as a flexible, thin-walled structure that can be easily molded and assembled. The thin-film design provides the necessary structural function (ice retention) while minimizing material usage and structural complexity, allowing the retainer to conform to the cup interior without adding significant bulk or complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The retainer incorporates a dynamic opening/closing mechanism at the upper portion that can transition between open and closed states. This dynamic feature allows the retainer to adapt during different phases of use: remaining open during filling/ice addition, and closing during drinking to prevent ice ejection, thus providing an intelligent response without complex control systems.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the retainer is designed to retain ice, then ice retention is improved, but liquid flow may be restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The retainer features non-uniform structural properties with different regions optimized for different functions: the lower portion has a solid structure for ice retention, while the upper portion incorporates openings and a flexible closure mechanism for liquid flow. This local differentiation allows simultaneous achievement of ice retention and liquid flow.
Solution Approach 2:
The upper portion of the retainer is designed as a dynamic structure that can open and close. During normal drinking, it remains open to allow liquid flow, but can close to prevent ice ejection, thus dynamically adjusting the balance between ice retention and liquid flow based on usage conditions.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Prevents ice from being carried to the mouth during drinking by retaining it within the cup, ensuring a smooth drinking experience.
Implementation Method 1
permitting the liquid to flow from the interior of the drinking cup
Data Source
AI summary
A drinking cup assembly including a drinking cup configured to retain a liquid within an interior of the drinking cup; and a retainer configured to retain ice within the interior of the drinking cup while permitting the liquid to flow from the interior of the drinking cup, where the drinking cup includes a grip portion, where the grip portion has a retainer attachment section, where the retainer includes a cup attachment section, where the retainer attachment section is disposed within the cup attachment section.