Drinks Container with Interchangeable Adapter for Dual Outlet Modes
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Solution Overview
Problem
The need for separate exercise bottles and reusable coffee cups complicates user convenience and sustainability, as individuals often carry multiple containers for drinking and carrying liquids during exercise and coffee consumption.
Innovation Solution
A dual-purpose drinks container with an adapter that can be configured for drinking from a central outlet or a rim, featuring a tether to secure the closure and interchangeable adapter positions for primary and secondary outlets, allowing a single container to serve both functions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a user carries separate exercise bottles and reusable coffee cups, then each container can be optimized for its specific function, but the user must carry multiple containers which reduces convenience
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by designing a single container body that can function as both an exercise bottle with a central outlet and a coffee cup with a rim outlet. The adapter assembly enables the same container to switch between two different drinking configurations, eliminating the need for users to carry separate containers for different purposes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies segmentation by separating the outlet functionality into distinct components: the container body remains constant while the adapter assembly provides interchangeable outlet configurations. The adapter can be positioned to create either a central outlet (exercise bottle mode) or a rim outlet (coffee cup mode), allowing functional division without requiring multiple complete containers.
2Ease of operation
If a single container serves dual purposes, then user convenience improves by carrying only one container, but the device complexity increases due to the interchangeable adapter mechanism
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the adapter assembly movable and reconfigurable rather than fixed. The adapter can be rotated and positioned in different orientations on the container body, allowing it to dynamically switch between creating a central outlet and a rim outlet. This dynamic positioning capability enables dual functionality without requiring two separate static containers.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies nesting by placing the adapter assembly within or on the container body in a space-efficient manner. The adapter components are integrated into the container structure, with the adapter body fitting within the container opening and the outlet mechanism nested within the overall container form factor, minimizing additional complexity while enabling dual functionality.
Data Source
AI summary
A drinks container comprises a container body having a side wall terminating in a rim forming an open top, and an adapter mounted on the container body. The adapter is interchangeable between a first upright configuration where it forms a central primary outlet, and a second inverted configuration in which the adapter forms a secondary outlet adjacent the rim of the container for enabling a user to sip a drink from the rim of the container. The drinks container may further include a strap mounted on the container body that is releasably mountable to the closure for tethering the closure to the container body so that it is not physically separated from the container during use and is therefore not prone to getting lost.