Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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CA 02230851 1998-02-27
D_-inKs Containers
'this inventicr, relates to drin3cs co:;tai::ers or vessels,
including drinking vessels suitable for use as a t~~iner cup
or the like.
Traditionally, trainer cups (that is, a ~up or r.;ug
provided with a lid having a r.,outhpiece associated there~:ith,
usually in the form of a spout) have been used by young
children to bridge the gaF between use of a baby's feeding.,
bottle and use of a normal cup or glass. The trainer cup is
often the c'.:i~.d 's f first step in learning to feed itself . T:~e
1G _provision of a lid ~:ith a spOUt is intenced to ma~:e it easier
for the child to raced itself, because it can locate the spout
in its mouth in rlL:cY: the sane manner as it could previcusly
locate a teat o:C a feeding bottle in its mout?:_ Iiowever, young
children of this age are naturally exuberant. Eating becomes
a noisy and messy experience. The trairaer cup is ofton shaken
violently or knocked over. In either event, with a traditional
trainer cup, this results in spillage. For travel purposes,
a separate closure disc needs to _be fitted to the cup
underneath the lid, or the lid is required to have an
adjustable closure arrangement.
My UK patent application tdo. 2 266 045 described a
number of drinking vessels which were suitable for use as a
trainer cup or cup for the elderly or infira. Such drinking
vessels comprised an. open-mouthed, generally cup-shaped
container anti a lid for .covering the ~ open mouth of the
container. The lid had an associated mouthpiece. valuing was
provided to prevent flow of liquid from the interior of the
container through the mouthpiece unless a predetermined level .
of s~zcaion was applied to the mouthpiece, and such that a user
could draw liquid through the mouthpiece by the sole
application of suction to the mouthpieaa_ The arrangements
have proved successful in overcoming the problem of spillage,
but are of relatively complicated and expensive construction.
AMENDED SHEET
iPEAIEP
CA 02230851 2005-08-10
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GB 2,279,130 discloses a valve for dispensing liquids. The valve is opened
when a user
takes the mouthpiece into his mouth and bites in the end region of the valve.
When the
mouthpiece is released, the valve closure elements return to their original
configuration, and
the valve closes.
FR 1,364,891 discloses a valve suitable for delivering pasty, semi-liquid or
liquid gaseous
substances. Although the perforation on the valve is said to be "self
sealing", it is necessary
for pressure to be applied on the container for flow of the contents of the
container through
the valve. Since the contents are under pressure, the plates forming the valve
are relatively
thick.
US 5,186,347 discloses a drinking vessel, comprising a spout-shaped mouthpiece
having
formed therein the only opening to the drinking vessel. The opening is
provided with a
conventional slit valve.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a drinking article
through which
or from which a drinking liquid can be taken by a consumer; the drinking
article having a
spout provided with a valve comprising a membrane of resiliently flexible
material, said
membrane being provided with at least one slit such that the liquid can be
drawn through or
from said article by the sole application of a predetermined level of suction
in the region of
said valve, said membrane having a natural unbiased condition in which it is
dished inwardly
of the article, opposite the direction through which the drinking liquid is
taken in use of the
article, and being adapted to close up by returning to the inwardly dished
condition under its
own resilience when such suction is removed.
CA 02230851 2000-10-18
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In the normal condition of the valve, an orifice provided by the slits) is
closed, i.e. the
material of the membrane closes up under its own resilience. Also, if there is
moderate
internal pressure acting outwardly on the valve, e.g. the weight of the
contents of a
container or vessel bearing down on the valve when the container or vessel is
inverted,
S then this pressure helps to urge the material of the membrane, on opposite
sides of the
slit(s), to close together.
However, the valve opens to allow the free flow of liquid through the valve if
suction is
applied e.g. by the mouth. For example, the valve may be provided in a
projecting
mouthpiece of a container or lid for the container: then if the mouthpiece is
inserted into
the user's mouth and the user applies suction, this causes the flexible
membrane to invert
and the slits) to open and so allow the free flow of liquid. The valve may be
incorporated in the top of a drinks carton: either suction can be applied as
described
above for drinking directly from the carton, or the carton can be squeezed to
increase its
internal pressure and expel the liquid through the valve, to pour the liquid
into a separate
vessel. In all cases however, a drinking straw may instead be pushed through
the orifice
in the valve, and the user may then drink through this straw.
When suction is applied, the dished membrane is caused to invert and allow
liquid to be
drawn through its orifice, then when the suction is released, air passes
through the orifice
into the container, to equalize or nearly equalize the pressures either side
of the valve:
further, the valve assumes its normal condition (i.e. dished inwardly) under
its own
resilience.
Slit valves have been proposed in the past, but in general, such slit valves
h<rve been
dished or domed in the direction of the flow. So far as I am aware, it has
never
CA 02230851 1998-02-27
WO 97/08979 PCT/GB96/02154
3
previously been proposed to provide slit valves dished in the
direction opposite to the flow direction of the liquid which
they control or, more particularly, a slit valve dished in the
a
direction contrary to the flow of liquid which it is designed
to control and which also allows flow of air in the opposite
s
direction to the liquid flow.
In a preferred arrangement, the valve membrane is co-
moulded with the container, or lid for a container, internally
thereof. In the case of a lid having a mouthpiece, these are
preferably formed in a single piece with a circumextending
skirt at the lower end of the lid, enabling the lid to be
fitted within the open mouth of a cup-shaped container, a
radial circumextending ridge serving to limit entry of the
skirt into the open mouth.
In a further embodiment, the valve may be incorporated
into the end of a drinking straw. In this case, the straw may
be inserted into a conventional carton, piercing its usual foil
membrane but then forming a relatively effective seal: the
valve in the straw then provides for use of the combination in
the manner described above.
Embodiments of the present invention will now be
described by way of examples only and with reference to the
accompanying drawings, in which:
FIGURE 1 is a section through the lid for a drinking
vessel; and
FIGURE 2 is a schematic view of a drinks carton.
Referring to the drawings, there is shown a lid 1 for
use on an open-top cup-shape container 10 of conventional form.
The lid 1 is of a one-piece construction and is co-moulded
together with a valve generally indicated at 2. The lid 1 is
provided with an integral, peripheral skirt 3 on its lower
side, the upper edge of which skirt is bounded by a peripheral
ridge 4 which extends radially outwardly. When the lid 1 is
fitted to the open-top of its cup-shaped container, the skirt
3 extends downwardly within the cup and the ridge 4 sits on the
upper peripheral edge of the cup. This provides an adequate
seal to prevent spillage. The only opening in the lid 1, other
than that bounded by the skirt 3, is an opening 5 in an
upwardly-projecting mouthpiece 6. The general shape of the
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4
mouthpiece 6 may be similar to that of traditional trainer
cups. The difference lies in the provision of the valve 2.
Valve 2 is formed from a resiliently flexible sheet or disc 7,
which may be of rubber or more preferably of plastics material,
and has one or more slits 8. A single slit may suffice; a
preferred arrangement employs a pair of slits which intersect
to form a Gross-cut. The or each slit is literally a slit or
division rather than an open slot so that in the natural
condition of the valve, in which the sheet 7 forming the valve
is dished slightly inwardly of the mouthpiece, the or each slit
8 is fully closed thereby preventing egress of liquid from the
interior of the vessel or ingress of air from outside the
vessel. An orifice may be provided in the disc 7, instead of
the slit or slits 8, by piercing the disc with a pointed
implement: in all cases, the slit or other orifice is formed
by severing through the disc without removing any material
thereof.
The material of the lid 1, apart from the flexible
valve sheet 7, is suitably made of a relatively hard plastics
material such as polycarbonate or polypropylene. The material
of the valve sheet 7 is selected so that it can readily be co-
moulded with the mouthpiece. If the flexible sheet is formed
of a similar plastics material to the remainder of the lid 1,
such co-moulding is facilitated. This can be achieved by
making the sheet 7 significantly thinner so as to give is
enhanced flexibility as compared with the remainder of the lid,
or by producing it in a similar plastics but with a greater
amount of plasticizer. In the case of the thermohardening
plastics material, the material of the remainder of the lid can
be partially cured before the material for the flexible sheet
is added to the mould and then the cure continued for a further
period so as to harden the lid but only partially harden the
material of the sheet 7. Alternatively, the sheet 7 can be '
formed as a separate piece and of a plastics material which
does not harden with heat and may be inserted into the mould
With material for forming the remainder of the lid, the
remainder of the lid being formed of a thermohardening material
so that curing hardens the remainder of the lid and integrates
the valve sheet into the mouthpiece. In a preferred
CA 02230851 1998-02-27
WO 97/08979 PCT/GB96/02154
arrangement, the remainder of the lid is formed of
polypropylene and is pre-formed in the mould. The material for
the sheet 7 is then added into the mould in the required region
as a liquid and is then cured. The preferred material for the
5 sheet 7 is a block co-polymer sold under the Trade Mark
EVOPRENE which comprises a styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene
copolymer.
Other arrangements will readily occur to those skilled
in the plastics moulding arts.
With the arrangement described and illustrated, there
is no leakage through the orifice 8, in the natural unbiased
condition of the valve; if a predetermined suction is applied
to the mouthpiece, the flexible sheet 7 will be drawn upwardly,
opening the orifice 8 and allowing liquid to the drawn out.
Release of the suction will allow air to pass backwardly
through the same orifice 8 until the valve returns to its
original condition in which position the valve will again be
closed. Under the influence of normal internal pressure, for
example if the container is inverted, this pressure will tend
to urge together material of the sheet 7 either side of its
orifice 8, and so close the orifice.
Although use of the valve has been described
hereinabove with a view to its incorporation in a particular
article of manufacture, namely the lid of a trainer cup or cup
for the elderly and infirm, the valve is of much wider utility.
The valve may in particular be incorporated into the top of a
drinks carton 20, as shown in Figure 2. In such case, the user
may drink from the carton 20 by offering the valued portion of
the carton to the mouth and applying suction, or by inserting
a drinking straw through the orifice in the valve 22. In
either case, liquid can be expelled from the carton by
squeezing the carton to increase its internal pressure. In a
further embodiment (not shown), the valve may be incorporated
into the end of a drinking straw: the straw can then be
inserted into a conventional carton, piercing its usual foil
membrane but then forming a relatively effective seal; the
valve in the straw then provides for use of the combination in
the same manner as described above with reference to the
drawing.
