Spill-Proof Cup Collar and Seal for 360-Degree Drinking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional spill-proof containers are complex and restrict the area from which a user can drink, making them unsuitable for young children transitioning from bottles to open cups, as they often result in spillage when knocked over.
Innovation Solution
A spill-proof drinking container assembly with a collar and seal that allows drinking from any location around the rim, featuring a frustoconical design with handles for easy handling and a resilient seal to prevent leakage, enabling fluid to be drawn from any position along the rim.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional spill-proof container covers are used, then leakage is prevented, but the device complexity increases due to complex parts and valve structures
Solution Approach 1:
The collar is divided into multiple functional segments: an outer collar wall forming the structural boundary, an inner collar wall creating the sealed chamber, and a seal member with distinct sealing and drinking surfaces. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently while maintaining overall simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The complex valve structures traditionally required for spill-proof containers are completely removed. Instead, the invention uses a simple seal member that creates a sealed chamber, with fluid access controlled purely by the presence or absence of a cap, eliminating the need for mechanical valves while maintaining spill-proof functionality.
2Reliability
If traditional spill-proof container covers are used, then leakage is prevented, but the area from which a user can drink is restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The seal member serves multiple functions: it creates the sealed chamber to prevent leakage, provides a drinking surface on its outer surface, and allows fluid access through its inner surface when the cap is removed. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate spouts or restricted drinking openings, allowing users to drink from any location around the rim.
3Reliability
If a sealed chamber is created between collar and seal, then spill prevention is achieved, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The seal member is made from elastomeric material that provides flexible sealing capability. This flexibility allows the seal to conform to slight variations in manufacturing tolerances of the collar and cap, creating an effective sealed chamber without requiring extremely precise manufacturing. The elastomeric material compensates for minor dimensional variations through its elastic properties.
Data Source
AI summary
A non-spill container having a collar and seal assembly from which drinking can occur at any location around a rim of the collar and seal assembly. The collar has an open upper end, a closed lower end, and a sidewall. The open upper end is proximate to and includes the upper end of a side wall, an upper perimeter and a rim. The closed lower end has a projection extending upward therefrom and at least one passage disposed through the closed lower end to channel a fluid. The sidewall has a tapered shape that extends from the open upper end inward toward the closed lower end and has a support surface provided along an inner surface adjacent to the open upper end. The support surface has at least one radial protrusion is disposed radially adjacent to the support surface to define at least one channel. A fastener assembly is provided on an external wall of the collar. The seal has a surface that is substantially similar to a shape of the open upper end and an aperture for receiving and securing the projection therein.