Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
Invention Title
SURPRISE CUP WITH DETACHABLE PARTITION WALL FOR A HIDDEN INCENTIVE.
Background Of The Invention
Field of the Invention
[0001] The present invention is related to a cup with two sections created by
a
detachable inner partition wall that keeps one section covered to hide a
surprise (toy
or a piece of incentive) inside. This innovative element of the cup builds a
reason for
the child to take his or her serving responsibly.
[0002] The present invention seeks to provide a cup that has an inner closed
partitioned section created using a detachable partition wall with a tab
handle that
makes space for adding a surprise incentive that can only be smoothly
retrieved
from an empty cup upon consuming the whole serving or drink. The detachable
partition wall used to construct these sections has been designed to keep the
second
section closed, concealed and covered.
[0003] There is a tab handle that has been placed at the bottom of the
detachable
partition wall, such that it can only be seen when the cup gets empty and the
child
has no way to slide out the detachable partition wall and retrieve the hidden
incentive unless he consumes the served drink. To retrieve and receive the
surprise
incentive hidden in the cup, the child first needs to consume his entire
serving, to
access the tab handle and be able to open the detachable partitioned wall
using the
tab handle. The child therefore, consumes the whole serving without wasting or
leaving it half way through, it is understood that the surprise incentive is
accessible
only upon consuming the serving. This uniquely designed element keeps the
child
engaged and encourages him or her to consume the served portion. This cup
therefore, solves the problem by combining the feature of incentivizing and
serving
simultaneously.
[0004] This invention relates to improvement in the conventional cups used to
serve
drinks to children. One of the benefits of using this invention would be to
make
healthy routine an interesting and fun part of the day for children to form a
good
habit, so that they willingly incorporate healthy drinks in their diet.
[0005] The cup is divided into two sections that are created using a
detachable
partition wall that slides and secures into the built-in wall holder slot
created inside
the cup. One of the sections is to serve the drink (milk, fruit juice etc.)
and the other
enclosed section is to keep the surprise incentive hidden and concealed. The
cup has
a wall holder slot that holds the detachable partition wall, which acts as a
sliding wall
to separate the two sections within the cup. This detachable partition Wall
also acts
as a floodgate to separate the two sections in the cup, thereby preventing the
served
liquid to move to the other side of the cup, which would be used to keep the
surprise incentive or toy.
[0006] Preferably, the detachable partition Wall has a 'tab handle' towards
the
bottom that can be used as a grip to slide out the detachable wall when the
Cup is
empty. The intent of this tab handle is to make it extremely intuitive for a
user to
detach this detachable partition wall. The purpose of placing the tab handle
towards
the bottom of the wall is that it can only be accessed when the cup is empty.
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Description Of Prior Art
[0007] It is known in the prior art to provide containers particularly in the
US Patent
Number US6889455B2 issued to Jean Pierre Giraud on 2005-05-10, the invention
is
directed to a dual wall cup assembly suited for use in a promotional campaign
for
paper inserts, provided with an outer cup having a sidewall joined to a bottom
wall
and provided with an open top, the inner cup is configured to be receivable
within
the outer cup.
[0008] The US patent number US20080314914A1 issued to James Scott Hacsi on
2008-12-25 relates to a cup with a combined built-in drinking straw and blow
toy,
and where the cup or lid can be used as a toy, a drinking apparatus, a
promotional
item, or an item of memorabilia. It is known in the prior art to provide a
container
with an incentive, but it is apparent that the prior art has not been
specifically
designed as a cup for children, to motivate healthy habits in them and is
mainly
used for promotional campaigns. Also it fails to provide a hidden element in
retaining the incentive.
[0009] The US patent number US4600111A issued to Mary F. Brown on 1986-07-15,
relates to a toddler drinking cup with an additional compartment to store
extra lids.
[0010] The US patent number US6406348B1 issued to Walter Pearce on 2002-06-18,
relates to a musical drinks vessel used by children as a trainer cup. The
prior art
discloses a cup specifically designed for children but fails to provide an
element of
incentive.
[0011] As, specifically mentioned regular serving cups even those designed
specifically for children do not have any particular definite advantage or a
unique
additional feature to incentivize the child, to ensure that the child finishes
his or her
served portion of liquid nourishment. There are in the prior art, many other
types of
such containers that are known, with the important purpose of influencing the
eating behavior of children in particular, in a positive manner.
[0012] It is challenging for parents or guardians to make sure that their
children take
their regular intake of liquid nourishment without any wastage or leaving it
half way
through. Moreover, much of the their time is consumed in encouraging the child
to
finish the drink and there is no reward to incentivize the child to be self
motivated to
finish the drink on his or her own. Presently there is no cup that solves this
problem
by combining the feature of incentivizing and serving simultaneously.
[0013] The present invention seeks to prove an improvised system to serve
liquid
nourishment to children by incentivizing them at the same time. The technique
used
in the present invention for the process is easy and safe keeping the user in
mind.
[0014] The present invention does not require any modification of conventional
procedures and methods for of use a serving cup, additionally it provide a
section
within the cup that can be conveniently reached.
Summary Of The Invention
[0015] The invention pertains to a serving cup with an integral wall holder to
securely hold a sliding detachable partition wall that can be smoothly
retrieved using
the tab holder on it. This detachable partition wall builds two separate
sections
within the cup to be used for separate purposes.
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[0016] The objective of the present invention is to simultaneously combine the
feature of incentivizing and serving healthy drinks to children, so that they
are
encouraged and self motivated to finish the drink, by providing a serving cup
with a
detachable partition wall that creates a section for hiding a surprise toy or
incentive.
[0017] The present invention is a cup, specifically incorporating an integral
built-in
wall holder on the inside surface or its said interior walls, that securely
grips a sliding
detachable partition wall, to create two separate sections, namely section1
and
section2 respectively.
[0018] According to one aspect of the invention, the section1 in the cup
provides a
receptacle (store) for a surprise incentive such that the item may be
conveniently
accessible in the cup.
[0019] Another aspect of the invention, the detachable partition wall also
includes a
closed top that covers the section1 to create an enclosed space or receptacle
to
receive and retain a surprise incentive to be concealed in the cup.
[0020] The open sect1on2 distinctly functions to be used as a conventional cup
to
serve the drink.
[0021] The concluding aspect of the present invention, the detachable
partition wall
includes a tab handle that positions towards the base of the main wall to be
used as
a grip to slide out the detachable partition wall, from the wall holder, to
retrieve the
surprise incentive from the enclosed section1 in the cup.
The cup is intended to provide a compartment inside it, to retain a surprise
incentive
that is concealed and can be smoothly retrieved upon consuming the served
drink,
thereby improvising the conventional use of a serving cup and keeping the user
engaged.
Brief Description Of The Drawings
[0022] It should be understood that the invention is not limited to the
embodiments
shown therein. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being
practiced and carried out in various ways. Also it is to be understood that
the
description employed herein is for purposes of explanation and should not be
regarded as limiting.
[0023] FIG.1 shows the actual design of the invention with preferred
embodiments
and the various components of the cup.
[0024] FIG.2 is the side elevation of the cup showing the outside appearance
of the
cup.
[0025] FIG.3 is a sectional view of the cup. It clarifies the construction of
the various
parts of the cup to give a clear description of the invention.
[0026] FIG.4 shows the actual design of the essential element of the
invention, the
detachable Wall that is used to create the two separate sections within the
cup.
[0027] FIG.5 is the top view of the main detachable partition wall.
[0028] FIG.6 is the side view of the main detachable partition wall.
[0029] FIG.7 shows the design of the simple press on lid that would be used as
a
cover for the cup.
[0030] FIG.8 has been used to show the various components of the cup
separately at
the beginning of the process.
[0031] FIG.9 explains how the surprise incentive or toy is to be retained in
the side
allotted for a separate section in the cup.
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[0032] FIG.10 the detachable partition wall has been placed in the wall holder
slots
in the cup thereby creating two separate sections.
[0033] FIG.11 has a new component labeled as (40) served drink.
Description Of The Preferred Embodiment
[0034] The following detailed description is of the best presently
contemplated
modes of carrying out the invention. This description is not to be taken in a
limiting
sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating general principles
of
embodiments of the invention.
[0035] FIG.1 shows the actual design of the invention and the various
components of
the cup. These components have been labeled as follows:
[0036] (10) is the exterior wall of the cup (30), showing the actual shape of
the
preferred embodiments as being curved at the Base. Aside from the above-
described
features for the curved base, the structure and shape of the cup (30) could be
a
cylindrical wall with a concave base and the shape and size of the body (10)
may be
varied without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
[0037] Additionally, the preferred embodiment for the exterior wall (10) of
the cup
would be, to make the cup drop proof and also have grippy matte texture of BPA-
free and phthalate-free silicon sleeve material to build a better hold for the
user.
Where as other embodiments can be used for the exterior of the cup (10) and
that
the cup (30) may or may not have a silicon sleeve at all, as being drop proof
is an
additional feature to the usage and is not the primary purpose or a
prerequisite of
the present invention, as the cup (30) may or may not be essentially drop
proof.
[0038] (12) is interior wall of the cup (30). A preferred embodiment of the
present
invention in reference to the material used for the interior of the cup (12)
would be
to use food-grade insulated stainless steel to maintain the temperature of the
served
drink for a prolonged period. However, it will be understood that other
alterations
and variations in the form of ceramic, porcelain, PVC, silicon, plastic may be
used
without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as
maintaining
the temperature of the served drink is an additional feature to the usage of
the
invention and not an essential requirement or primary purpose of the present
invention.
[0039] (44) is measuring units of the cup (30). Another preferred embodiment
of the
present invention would be to have measuring units (44) imprinted on the
interior
wall (12) to better understand the volume of the drink served and that a
variation
could be used for the purpose by either having these measuring units (44)
imprinted
elsewhere in the cup (30) or on the detachable partition wall (32) or not to
have
them at all.
[0040] (14) is rim of the cup (30) which is the outer edge of the cup having
smooth
surface that goes all the way round the top and is designed to firmly hold the
lid (42).
[0041] (16) is wall holder are the unique slots that are built on the interior
wall (12)
of the cup (30). These are the slots that strongly secure and hold the
detachable
partition wall (32) and help to create the two separate sections within the
cup (30).
This wall holder is made of the same material as the cup's (30) interior (12)
and is
formed integral therewith.
[0042] (18) is the handle of the cup (30) that helps to carry and handhold the
cup. As
the cup has been primarily designed for children, therefore the preferred
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embodiment requires a "C" shaped handle for better hold and grip and that
other
embodiments such as a "0" shape handle or square or open or flared or novelty
handle can be formed or used on the cup for the same purpose without departing
from the spirit of the invention.
[0043] FIG.2 is the side elevation of the cup (30) showing the outside
appearance of
the cup. It shows the exterior of the cup (10) and the outer edge Rim (14) and
the
handle (18) from a side elevation. In a preferred embodiment of the present
invention, the cup has been provided with only one handle (18). However, it
will be
understood that other modifications may be made to the exterior structure of
the
cup (10) without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
For
example, instead of providing the cup (10) with a single handle (18), the
exterior
could be structured with two handles (18) or the cup may also be without a
handle
(18) at all. The outside appearance of the cup is conventional and the
invention
consists of providing a cup with sections which has been clearly shown in
Fig.1.
[0044] FIG.3 is a sectional view of the cup (30). It clarifies the
construction of the
various parts of the cup to give a clear description of the invention. By
taking an
imaginary cut through the cup (30) and removing a portion, the inside feature
may
be seen more clearly. This diagram shows the exterior wall of the cup (10),
interior
wall of the cup (12), rim (14) or the edge of the cup, wall holder (16) or the
main
slots that are used to hold the detachable partition wall (32). This wall
holder (16)
extends across the interior (12) of the cup (30) on the opposite side, making
it sturdy
to hold the detachable partition wall (32). The other reason for having this
wall
holder (16) extended across the interior (12)of the Cup (30) is to ensure that
the
drink served in Section2 (38) does not move to the other side i.e. Section1
(36) of the
cup, which would be used to retain the surprise incentive or toy (34), thereby
making the interior (12) structure leak proof and ensuring the contents of
each
section are in no contact with the other. The preferred embodiment of the
invention
is to have the wall holder (16) extended across the base to have sufficient
space to
retain the surprise incentive (34) and that a variation could be made by
raising this
wall holder (16) on the interior wall (12) and not have it extended on the
base, so as
to retain a surprise incentive (34) which may be much smaller in size, without
departing from the scope of the present invention, thereby only increasing the
volume of the drink (40) that can be served.
[0045] FIG.4 shows the actual design of the essential element of the
invention, the
detachable partition wall (32) that is used to create the two separate
sections within
the cup (30). Following are the components of this element:
[0046] (20) is the main wall and it is that part of the detachable partition
wall (32)
which primary acts as the separation or floodgate in the cup (30). The sides
of this
main wall (20) smoothly slides into the wall holder slots (16) in the cup (30)
specifically designed to secure it. Primarily the preferred embodiment of the
invention to have the main wall (20) slightly curved at the base, as is the
shape of the
cup (10) and that it can vary based on the actual structural shape of the main
cup
(10). Also that the main wall (20) has been primarily structured to fit into
the wall
holder (16) and that its shape and structure depends on the corresponding
shape
and structure of the wall holder (16). And that the preferred embodiment of
this
detachable partition wall (32) in reference to the invention has been
presented in
Fig.4 and that it is not restricted or limited and it can vary accordingly.
Other
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embodiment for the detachable partition wall (32) would be that it can also be
independently designed and constructed such that it can be used universally in
any
conventional serving cup and does not primarily require an integral wall
holder to
secure it within the said cup.
[0047] (22) is the closed top part of the detachable partition wall (32) which
is
angled to create a concealed, enclosed section namely, section1 (36) and that
it (22)
builds a cover for the section1 (36) that retains the surprise incentive (34).
[0048] FIG.5 is the top view of the detachable partition wall (32) showing the
closed
top (22) that acts as a cover for section1 (36). In this diagram we introduce
another
essential element of this detachable partition wall (32):
[0049] (24) is the tab handle which has been designed as a curve for stability
and
strength and would be used as a grip to slide out the detachable partition
wall (32)
from the wall holder (16) and out of the cup (30). Another preferred
embodiment of
the invention would be to have the tab handle (24) designed to be as a curve,
it is
understood that instead the tab handle (24) could also be designed in any
variation,
configuration, shape or size as long as it continues to provide the same
strength and
stability in terms of usage and accessibility.
[0050] FIG.6 is the side view of the detachable partition wall (32) showing
main wall
(20), closed top (22) part of the detachable partition wall and the tab handle
(24).
This diagram shows that the tab handle (24) is placed towards the bottom end
or
base of the main wall (20) of the detachable partition wall (32) so that it is
accessible
only when the cup (30) is empty. Further usage of this tab handle (24) has
been
explained in detail in the process flowchart provided in Fig.10 and Fig.11.
[0051] FIG.7 shows the design of the simple press on lid (42) that would be
used as a
cover for the cup (30). This lid (42) has been designed to prevent spillage in
the most
unstable circumstances and once closed, the cup (30) can be carried around at
virtually any angle. The lid (42) is an additional element of the invention -
cup (30)
and is not an essential requirement and does not effect the functionality or
usage of
the product. The lid only functions as an add-on feature in the usage and
makes it
easy for the user to take it on the go. This diagram has the following
elements for
further explanation:
[0052] (26) is the sealing ring that fits tightly and seals into the rim (14)
of the cup
(30), which traps in heat and also prevents spills thus making it leak proof
and easy
to carry on the go.
[0053] (28) is the grip handle of the lid that is easy to hold and is used as
a support
grip to remove the lid from the cup (30).
[0054] F1G.8 has been used to show the functionality of the various components
of
the cup (30) separately at the beginning of the process. These components have
been marked as the following:
[0055] (30) is the Cup, the main container or cup is shown empty at the
beginning, in
the first step in the figure.
[0056] (16) is the wall holder. The wall holder on the interior wall of the
cup (30)
functions as the support that holds and secures the detachable partition wall
(32).
[0057] (32) is the detachable partition wall. The detachable wall used as a
flood gate
and partition to separate and create the two sections (36) and (38)
respectively in
the cup (30).
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[0058] (24) is the tab handle which is an easy to grip tab towards the bottom
or base
of the main wall (20) of the detachable partition wall (32), which would be
used to
detach or remove the detachable partition wall (32) from the cup (30).
[0059] (22) is the closed top which is the top angled side of the detachable
partition
wall (32) which acts as a cover to keep the section 1 (36) enclosed.
[0060] (36) is the section 1 which is the section created in the cup (30)
using the
detachable partition wall (32) for reception and retention of the surprise
incentive
(34).
[0061] (38) is the section 2 which is the section in the cup (30) that is used
to serve
the drink.
[0062] (34) is the surprise incentive in the form of a piece of toy or habit
brick that is
provided in the set to be used as a daily incentive.
[0063] FIG.9 explains how the surprise incentive (34) or toy is to be placed
and
retained in the side allotted for, in a separate enclosed section (36) in the
cup (30).
This section has been specifically designed and proportioned to fit the
surprise
incentive (34).
[0064] FIG.10 the detachable partition wall (32) has been placed in the wall
holder
slots (16) in the cup (30) thereby creating two separate sections ¨ section 1
(36) and
section 2 (38) respectively. As seen in the illustration the surprise
incentive (34)
remains concealed in an enclosed section (36), while the cup (30) is still
empty.
Fig.10 also shows that the surprise incentive (34) remains concealed in the
section 1
(36) because of the closed top (22) provided in the detachable partition wall
(32).
This closed top (22) maintains the element of surprise as it acts as a cover
to this
section (36).
[0065] FIG.11 has a new component labeled as (40) - served drink. This figure
shows
that the cup (30) having the detachable partition wall (32) attached is now
ready to
be used as a conventional cup to serve the drink (40). This figure explains
how the
detachable partition wall (32) acts as a leak proof - flood gate to separate
the served
liquid from any contact with the surprise incentive concealed (34) in the
other side,
section 1 (36) of the cup. This figure also explains that once the drink (40)
has been
poured into the section2 (38) of the cup (30), the tab handle (24) is immersed
at the
bottom and therefore makes it inaccessible until the cup (30) gets empty after
the
drink has been consumed. Once the drink (40) has been consumed and the cup
(30)
gets empty, the user can retrieve the surprise incentive (34) from the section
1 (36)
using the tab handle (24) on the main wall (20) of the detachable partition
wall (32).
[0066] The cup can be but not limited to, made commercially available as a cup
set
and include some more elements. The following are the elements included in the
cup set:
[0067] Variation1: The cup (30) would include incentive collectable toys (34)
in the
form of figurines that represent various professions in the world. It is an
initiative to
introduce to the children, various future self ideas and understanding of the
professional world. Hundreds of professions and job titles would be introduced
including but not limited to food, transport, hotel, technology, commerce,
medicine,
community, arts, entertainment etc. These figurines have been individually
designed
and created to specifically fit into the section1 (36) created in the cup
(30), using the
detachable partition wall (32) for the purpose of reception, retention and
concealment of the surprise incentive (34). These figurines can additionally
be
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designed to stand alone and could be used for imaginative play apart from
being
collectables.
[0068] Variation2: Here are the details of another variation of the additional
elements included in the cup (30) set in the form of collectables. To
encourage the
child to continue his routine, the variation2 of the cup set includes
collectible pieces
of puzzles that would serve as a collectable daily incentive. These pieces
could be
attached on a magnetic board (included) that combines to build a puzzle
eventually
in a period of 3 - 6 weeks. This enables the child to convert his routine into
a healthy
habit and also build the patience to lay one brick at a time. The toy and
puzzle pieces
are measured and designed to fit into the hidden section (36) of the cup (30),
created using the included detachable partition wall (32). The magnetic board
included in the cup set is a board that has been divided into sections for a
'three to
six week program' where each of the puzzle pieces can be orderly placed to
eventually form into a complete picture. This board has been designed in a way
that
it can be placed on the wall (anywhere in the house) and the child follows his
or her
progress each day and gets more involved in the habit responsibly. This magnet
board can also be personalized with the child's name using the alphabets
included in
each cup set. The magnetic board includes a section that can be used as a
vision
board for the child for placing his or her thoughts and ideas.
[0069] The three to six week program would be an ideal way to build habit in
children. As they receive one magnet piece each day as an incentive for
consuming a
whole cup of a healthy drink, they place it on the magnetic board puzzle on
the wall
and at the end of every week they receive a related magnetic collectable
specifically
designed based on their selection of board design.
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