WO2003101261A1

WO2003101261A1 - A drinking vessel

Info

Publication number: WO2003101261A1
Application number: PCT/GB2003/002357
Authority: WO
Inventors: Willie Wright; Richard Wearmouth
Original assignee: Jackel International Ltd
Current assignee: Jackel International Ltd
Priority date: 2002-05-31
Filing date: 2003-05-30
Publication date: 2003-12-11
Anticipated expiration: 2004-11-30
Also published as: AU2003241027A1; GB0212759D0

Abstract

The present invention relates to a drinking vessel comprising a vessel body (12) and a cover (16), wherein the cover includes a flexible mouthpiece (24) defining a flow passage from the vessel body, the mouthpiece having a top with a duck bill valve and sides, arranged such that on application of a force to the sides of the mouthpiece, the mouthpiece deforms inwardly and the duck bill valve opens.

Description

A Drinking Vessel

The invention relates to a drinking vessel, for example a vessel such as a children's drinking vessel and preferably an infant drinking vessel.

A range of infant cups are known, for example of the type generally termed trainer cups, including a cup-like body often including handles for ease of use by an infant, a cover and a drinking spout provided on the cover. The cup is easier to handle and allows the infant to drink from the cup with less risk of spillage.

Various improvements to infant cups are known which typically use a variety of types of suction actuated non-spill valves, either at the tip of a rigid spout or mounted in the lid itself, which allows liquid to flow when the infant sucks but closes otherwise. As a result the cup is largely spill-proof under normal conditions.

It will be appreciated that biting or prolonged sucking on a spout can lead to tooth damage for the infant during the important teething stage, especially for infants up to 9 months of age. As the known systems allow liquid to flow only under pure suction, "grazing" is encouraged whereby the infant sucks continually, as can be the case with more standard feeding bottles. This can lead to the infant's teeth being bathed for long periods in the liquid in the cup, which will often be a sweet drink, and again can give rise to tooth damage. Also it is recognised that dental health and ear, nose and throat problems could be caused by the extra suction required (over and above the level of suction needed to drink from a straw or a free flow training spout) to open a conventional non-spill valve. Furthermore this extra suction can be tiring and off putting for the child.

According to the invention there is provided a drinking vessel comprising a vessel body and a cover, wherein the cover includes a flexible mouthpiece defining a flow passage from the vessel body, the mouthpiece having a top with a duck bill valve and sides, arranged such that on the application of a force to the sides of the mouthpiece, the mouthpiece deforms inwardly and the duck bill valve opens. The sideways force is applied substantially in the same direction as the duck bill valve. For the purposes of this invention, the mouthpiece can be a spout.

As a result the vessel promotes a healthy drinking action, especially for infants. The duck bill valve is biased towards the closing direction and will not open when suction alone is applied. Instead it is necessary to apply a force to the sides of the mouthpiece which then opens the duck bill valve. As a result the duck bill valve opens under a pursing, biting or stripping action rather than sucking which is believed to be preferable to a sucking action. The flexibility of the mouthpiece also reduces the risk of damage to the infant's teeth.

The mouthpiece is preferably formed of flexible resilient material and hence does not damage the user's teeth.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the drawings, of which:

Fig. la shows the assembled drinking vessel according to the present invention Fig. lb shows a sectional of the cover with a removable/replaceable spout Fig. lc shows a sectional view of the cover with an integrally moulded spout

Fig. Id shows a sectional view of the cover with an integrally moulded spout and duck bill valve

Fig. 2a shows a perspective view of the spout forming part of the present invention

Fig. 2b shows a sectional view of the spout with the duck bill valve in its closed position

Fig. 2c shows a sectional view of the spout with the duck bill valve in its open position Fig. 2d shows a view of the spout from above with the duck bill valve in its closed position

Fig. 2e shows a view of the spout from above with the duck bill valve in its open position

Fig. 3a shows a sectional view of the spout integrally moulded onto a screw ring, for attachment to a bottle or disposable container with a clip on hygenic cover

Fig 3b shows a sectional view of the spout integrally moulded onto a screw ring and internal hygenic cover connected via a live hinge.

Fig 3 c shows a sectional view of the spout integrally moulded onto a cover with a hygenic cover clipped to the cover and an integral duck bill valve mould into the cover.

Referring to Fig. la to lc, the basic components of an infant cup according to one embodiment of the present invention are shown. It will be noted that the invention is not limited to the specific construction shown. The infant cup is designated generally a cup body 12 of generally circular cross section. The cup may alternatively have 10 one or two handles allowing the infant to grip the cup firmly.

The cup -further includes a cover 16 having a skirt 18 wherein the cover 16 is a press fit over the cup. The cup body 12 and cover 16 are preferably made of polypropylene although any other suitable materials can be used. The threaded locking ring may have an integrally moulded or clip on hinged hygienic cover (90) which will cover the spout when not in use and rotate away from the spout for usage.

The cover 16 further provides a mouthpiece (24), which is integrally moulded into place via a second shot process allowing the cover 16 and spout 24 to be one complete unit

The cover 16 includes a general circular threaded orifice 22 arranged to receive a threaded locking ring 26 from above which the spout is integrally moulded onto via a second shot process.

The outer shape of the mouthpiece 24 is generally oval in cross-section in a horizontal plane and can follow the conventional shape of infant cup spouts. However, as discussed in more detail below, the mouthpiece is formed of a flexible, resilient flexible elastomer material such as PU rubber.

The cover 16 includes a tab (25) to provide purchase for the user to remove the cover 16 more easily. The positioning of any such formations must of course be selected so as not to impede the use of the cup by the infant in any way. As can be seen in Figures 2a to 2e, the mouthpiece includes an upper mouthpiece portion 40 having a duck bill valve 44. Referring to figure 2D, the upper mouthpiece portion can be viewed as being substantially oval in cross- section having two "long sidewalls" 50 visible in front cross-section and two "short sidewalls" 52 visible in side cross-section terminating in a concave top. The duck bill valve 44 is located perpendicular to the long sidewalls 50.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention as illustrated in Figures 2a- c, the mouthpiece comprises a concave dome area (80) above the duck bill valve (44). This dome area (80) protects the duck bill valve from damage caused by biting on the mouthpiece. The duck bill valve is thus domed downwards at the base of the dome area (80) as illustrated in Figure 2b.

When suction is applied to the mouthpiece (40), the duck bill valve (44) is pulled more tightly closed thereby preventing the flow of liquid from the drinking vessel. The duck bill valve opens only under a biting or stripping action.

To aid orientation of the mouthpiece in the mouth, the mouthpiece (40) may comprise a lipped rim (82) and one or more dimples (84). The mouth of the user is guided between the rim (82) and the dimples (84) so that the biting or stripping action occurs such that a sideways force is applied in the same direction on the duck bill valve to ensure opening of the duck bill valve and resulting flow of liquid.

In use, the action of pursing, biting or stripping the mouthpiece in the direction of the duck bill valve causes the opening of the duck bill valve and allows fluid flow. As a sideways force is applied to the long sidewalls 50, the duck bill valve is forced open allowing the flow of fluid. It is further possible to vent the drinking vessel by manually applying a sideways force to the long sidewalls 50 of the mouthpiece (for example by squeezing the sidewalls 50 between the thumb and forefinger). Alternatively, the vessel may comprise a second duck bill valve, preferably on the cover 16 which will automatically release or equalise pressure within the drinking vessel when the vessel is in use.

The second duck bill valve allows airflow into the vessel when the spout is actively in use thus preventing a vacuum from building up, said vacuum preventing the free flow of liquid. It will be appreciated that in the illustrated embodiment the duck bill valve is aligned to open when the mouthpiece is fitted into the mouth in its most comfortable position.

A particular advantage of the configuration according to the present invention is that it allows a natural drinking action especially in younger infants. In order to open the duck bill valve, lateral pressure on the mouthpiece by the infant's teeth, lips or gums is required. While this pressure can result from normal biting or squeezing, the 'stripping' action used by an infant when breastfeeding will also open the duck bill valve. It is well established that this stripping action is beneficial to the infant's dental development and that the transition to a pure sucking action too early can be detrimental. In addition, this stripping action which is peristaltic in nature provides a discontinuous flow of liquid which can reduce caries. In addition, because the mouthpiece is of flexible material and, in the preferred embodiment, the duck bill valve is also made in no more than semi-rigid material, physical damage to the infant's teeth is reduced or avoided. The sensitivity of the mouthpiece coupled with activation by direct pressure or by a stripping action gives rise to a range of advantages over known suction activated values.

Because the degree to which the duck bill valve is opened is dependent on the force applied to the mouthpiece, the user can control the flow rates by varying the force exerted on the mouthpiece. In addition the responsiveness can be varied by altering the materials, their softness/hardness flexibility or their thickness. The mouthpiece can be provided with a portion of the mouthpiece for example the top portion being flexible. Alternatively, the whole of the mouthpiece may be flexible. As a result a fully responsive system is provided which can be adapted to change with the infant's changing needs.

As illustrated in Figure 3, the mouthpiece and locking ring (26) of the drinking vessel may comprise a cover (90) clipped onto or integrally moulded to the mouthpiece/locking ring unit. The cover (90) protects the mouthpiece when the drinking vessel is in transit or not in use. Preferably, the cover is recessed into the cover (16) of the drinking vessel when the drinking vessel is in use.

As illustrated in Figure 3 c, the cover (16) may further comprise a second duck bill valve (92). This valve (92) equalises or releases the pressure within the container when in use.

It will be appreciated that the specific configuration described with reference to Figs. 1, 2 and 3 comprises only one embodiment of the invention; various other ways of forming the invention are encompassed by the present invention. For example, the cover 16 may have a threaded skirt 18 (not shown) allowing the cover to be screwed into a co-operating screw thread (not shown) on the thread. It will be appreciated that the mouthpiece may contain more than one duck bill valve, for example a two or multi-valve mouthpiece.

The various components are easily separated for cleaning, provide no dirt traps and are indeed easily cleaned. The components are of a size and shape that remove any choking hazard and again makes cleaning more easy - for example the mouthpiece comprises a single integral piece. It will be appreciated that of the various materials discussed above, different components can be changed or altered as long as the relevant functional requirements are met but preferably the selected materials ensure that operation of the mouthpiece is not affected by the range of temperatures to which the cup may be subjected or to sudden changes in temperature experienced in cleaning, use and/or storage of the cup.

Although the system is discussed specifically in relation to infant drinking vessels, it may be used equally in other appropriate drinking vessels where a non-spill action is required, for example adult or sports drinking bottles. The vessels may be of the multi-use kind or single use, disposable vessels. The vessel body may be a beaker, bottle or disposable container such as a carton or bag which may have no handles.

Claims

1. A drinking vessel comprising a vessel body and a cover, wherein the cover includes a flexible mouthpiece defining a flow passage from the vessel body, the mouthpiece having a top including a duck bill valve and sides arranged such that on the application of a sideways force to the sides of the mouthpiece, the mouthpiece deforms inwardly and the duck bill valve opens.

2. A drinking vessel as claimed in claim 1 wherein the sideways force is applied to the mouthpiece in substantially the same direction as the duck bill valve.

3. A drinking vessel as claimed in claims 1 or 2 wherein the sideways force is provided by a pursing, biting or striping action.

4. A drinking vessel as claimed in anyone of claims 1 to 3 wherein the mouthpiece is substantially oval in cross-section with two long sidewalls and two short sidewalls, and where the duck bill valve is perpendicular to the long sidewalls.

5. A drinking vessel as claimed in anyone of claims 1 to 4 wherein the mouthpiece is composed of flexible, resilient material.

6. A drinking vessel as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein a portion of the mouthpiece is flexible.

7. A drinking vessel as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein all of the mouthpiece is flexible.

8. A drinking vessel as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7 further comprising a second pressure equalising valve.

9. A drinking vessel as claimed in claim 8 wherein the second pressure equalising valve is a duck bill valve.

10. A drinking vessel as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9 further comprising an integral hygienic cover

11. A mouthpiece having a top including a duck bill valve and sides, arranged such that on application of a sideways force to the sides of the mouthpiece, the duck bill valve opens.

12. A drinking vessel substantially as described herein with reference to one or more of the drawings.

13. A mouthpiece substantially as described herein with reference to one or more of the drawings.