Resilient Seal Assembly for Spoutless Cups With 360-Degree Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Drinking cups with lid assemblies lacking a spout do not allow users to drink from any location around the circumference, which is a limitation, especially for children transitioning from bottles to regular cups, as they must orient the cup in a specific manner.
Innovation Solution
A drinking cup design featuring a lid assembly with a resilient seal assembly that includes fluid passages and a sealing lip, allowing the cup to be used from any location by deforming to allow fluid flow when pressed and sealing when not in use, mimicking conventional drinking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a lid assembly with a spout or specific opening is used, then leakage can be prevented when the cup is dropped or tipped over, but the user can only drink from a specific location about the circumference of the lid assembly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a flexible membrane that can deform elastically under pressure. When the user presses on any location of the lid assembly, the membrane flexes to create an opening, allowing fluid flow. This flexible membrane approach enables drinking from any location while maintaining leak prevention when not in use, as the membrane returns to its sealed configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The lid assembly incorporates a dynamic sealing mechanism where the membrane transitions between sealed and open states based on user interaction. The membrane is resilient and can dynamically adapt its configuration - remaining sealed during normal conditions and opening when pressed, regardless of location. This dynamic behavior resolves the contradiction between fixed spout leakage prevention and flexible drinking locations.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a spoutless lid assembly is used to allow drinking from any location, then drinking flexibility is improved, but the ability to seal and prevent leakage must be maintained
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible membrane serves as both the sealing element and the interface for user interaction. It provides adaptability by allowing opening at any location when pressed, while simultaneously maintaining sealing capability through its elastic return to the closed position. This single flexible component resolves the contradiction between versatility and sealing reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The membrane is self-actuating and self-sealing. It automatically opens when pressed by the user's lips or finger from any location and automatically seals when the pressure is released. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for separate control systems while maintaining both drinking flexibility and sealing reliability.
3Ease of operation
If a resilient seal assembly with fluid passages is used, then the cup simulates conventional drinking experience, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple functions into a single integrated membrane structure. The membrane combines the sealing function, the opening mechanism, and the fluid flow control in one component. By integrating these functions rather than using separate components, the design achieves conventional drinking simulation while minimizing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The membrane's physical parameters (flexibility, thickness, elasticity) are optimized to achieve the desired functionality. By carefully selecting material properties and geometric parameters, the system achieves complex behavior (sealing, opening, fluid flow control) with a relatively simple single-component structure, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining ease of operation.
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
Enables users to drink from any location around the cup, preventing leakage and simulating a conventional drinking experience while maintaining a secure seal when not in use.
Implementation Method 1
the seal assembly is resiliently deformable between a sealed configuration and an unsealed configuration
Data Source
AI summary
A drinking cup having a receptacle with an open end and a lid assembly configured for releasable engagement with the receptacle over the open end. A lid assembly wall has an inner surface and an inner ring extending radially inward therefrom. The inner ring defines a plurality of fluid passages. A seal assembly is configured to be retained by the inner ring, with the seal assembly being resiliently deformable between a sealed configuration and an unsealed configuration. In the sealed configuration, the upper lip sealingly engages the inner surface and fluid is prevented from flowing through a lid assembly volume defined between the lid assembly and the seal assembly. In the open configuration fluid is permitted to flow from the receptacle, through the plurality of fluid passages, and between a gap defined by a portion of the seal lip and a corresponding portion of the sealing surface.