Spill resistant cup with predictable landing positions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Children and individuals with dexterity issues face challenges transitioning from baby bottles to regular cups due to spillage, and existing sippy cups can cause inner ear pain, have difficult-to-clean valves, and hinder proper drinking techniques.
Innovation Solution
A spill-resistant cup design featuring a hollow body with a removable lid and insert that aligns openings to prevent spills, with a truncated hyperbolic paraboloid shape and a trough to simulate regular cup drinking, encouraging proper holding and minimizing spillage without a valve.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a sippy cup with valve is used, then spill resistance is improved, but drinking mechanism becomes similar to baby bottle and causes inner ear pain
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the valve component entirely from the cup design. Instead of using a valve mechanism to prevent spills, the invention relies on the cup's geometric shape (truncated hyperbolic paraboloid) and the positioning of the opening relative to flat panels that create predictable landing positions, thereby eliminating the harmful sucking action while maintaining spill resistance.
2Reliability
If a sippy cup with valve is used, then spill resistance is improved, but cleaning difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
By completely removing the valve component from the design, the patent eliminates the cleaning difficulty associated with valves. The open-top design with simple geometric features (flat panels, truncated hyperbolic paraboloid shape) allows for easy access and cleaning of all surfaces without disassembling complex valve mechanisms.
3Reliability
If a sippy cup is used, then spill resistance is improved, but proper drinking technique learning is hindered
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs asymmetric geometric features including flat panels positioned at specific angles and a truncated hyperbolic paraboloid shape that creates predictable landing positions. These asymmetric elements guide the child to hold the cup at the correct angle for drinking while providing spill resistance when tipped, thereby teaching proper drinking technique rather than allowing any holding position.
4Reliability
If a cup with flat panels is used, then predictable landing positions are achieved, but opening alignment complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses asymmetric positioning of the opening relative to the flat panels on the cup body. The opening is specifically positioned so that when the cup lands on its flat panels, the opening does not align with the bottom, preventing spills. This asymmetric design achieves predictable landing behavior with a simple geometric arrangement rather than complex mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
A spill resistant cup comprising: a substantially hollow body; a lid, where the lid is removably attached to the body such that the lid spans the top of the body and where the top of the lid has an opening; and an insert located between and spaced from the top of the lid and the bottom of the body, where the insert has an opening and where the opening in the insert aligns with the opening in the lid. The insert, along with the alignment of the openings, allows a user to drink from the cup unimpeded while preventing liquid from within the cup from spilling out in significant quantities when the cup is tipped over.