US1213961A - Drinking-cup. - Google Patents

Description

F. P. SHEPARD.

DRINKING CUP,

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 7. 1912.

Patented Jan. 30,1917.

FRANK 1P. SHEPARD, OF OKLAHOMA. OKLAHOMA.

DRINKING-CUP.

Application filed October 7, 1912.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FR NK P. SHErARo, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Oklahoma city, in the county of ()klahoma and State of Oklahoma, have invented a new and useful Drinking-Cup, of.

use, the strongest and most suitable portion of its upper edge from which to drink is at a corner or angle formed by two walls, and even at this point the weakness of the valls often renders it diflicult'to force or ecure a proper fit of the lips against the cup. Again, in tilting the cup for drinking, it must be carefully grasped and held by the hand, else the shifting of the weight of the contents and the rapid softening action of the material from which cups of this class are usually made will allow it to collapse in an unexpected direction and spill.

An object, therefore, of the invention is To provide a cup which may be more easily grasped by the lips in drinking.

Another object is to provide a cup from which one may drink the full contents with not the necessity of tilting the cup or his head out of normal position.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the ensuing de- .gcription.

A cup embodying the principles of the invention is shown by the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevationof the cup in its folded or collapsed condition. Fig. is a similar view showing the cup spread upon for use, the lower portion of a side wall being broken away to expose inner parts to view. Fig. 3 is a greatly enlarged plan view of the cup in the folded or col- 'apsed condition shown in Fig. 1. Fig. l s a plan view, on the same scale as Fig. 3, showing the cup in the spread or open condition shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a frogmental plan view of the upper or delivery Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 3ft, tuft.

Serial No. 724,332.

end of an outlet tube shown in the righthand portion of Fig. 4, although on still larger scale than said Fig. 4, and showing said tube pressed into a little diiferent shape. Fig. 6 is a View similar to Fig. 5, but showing an optional construction of the tube. Fig. 7, is a fragmental view in the same direction and on the same scale as Figs. 1 and 2, showing a person drinking from the cup.

Referring to. the several figures, in all of which like characters of reference designate like parts, the cup shown in this instance comprises two walls 10 and 11 of flexible sheet material, such, for example, as thick paper, papier-mach, celluloid, or other material stiff enough to retain its form whilebeing held by the hand as a container for water. lhese walls 10 and 11 have each a short base edge 12, and side edges 13 and 14.- extending upward from the ends of said base edge asradii from a common center below the cup, the said edges of the one wall being joined integrally or in any other suitable manner to the corresponding edges of the other wall, so that said walls may be spread or opened apart at their upper edges 15 into the complete receptacle shown in Fig. 4:. The cup thus described is not materially plifierent from those commonly used at this time.

In carrying out the objects of the invention, an outlet tube 16 leads from the lower part of the interior of the cup upward to a point where it may be grasped by the-lips for drawing the water out by suction, this tube being collapsible into flat form and being adapted to open and collapse at thu'same time that the walls 10 and 11 do.

ln cross-section, the tube 16 may be of any form best adapted to be attached to and supported by the walls of the cup and have its opening and collapsing .movements produced and controlled by said walls, and in this instance the tube has four sides-17, l8, l9, and 20, this being the least number of straight sides which may be joined together into a polygon and be made to collapse.

In arranging the tube 16, the edge portions of the two cup walls 10 and 11 may form its outermost twosides l7 and 18, respectively, as best illustrated in Figs. 4 and 55, the innermost sides l9 and20 of the tube being joined tosaid walls lll and' ll, respectively, in any suitablemanner," or, if deemed preferable for any purpose, such as for convenience of manufacture, the sides 18, 19, 20, and 17 of said tube may be integral extensions, in the order named, of cthe edgeof the wall 10, as shown in Fig. 6, the last-named side 17 being cemented flatly against the inner surface of said wall 10, while the surface at the edge of the other wall 11 is cemented flatly against the first-named side 18 of said tube. In thus forming or placing the tube 16 in the interior angle formed by the walls 10 and 11, its opening and collapsing movements will be in concert with, and controlled by, said walls, and said tube will have the effect of trussing or strengthening the cup at the corner or angle in which it is placed.

As shown, the innermost two sides 19 and 20 of the tube 16 may be shorter than the two sides 17 and 18, so that, although they may be pressed down to or even past a straightline AA as shown in Fig. 5, as an agreeable surface or seating for the upper lip in drinking, they do not thereby close the tube.

The lower end of the tube 16 clears the bottom of the cup just enough to allow a full flow of water into and up said tube, thereby permitting all the water to be drawn from the cup by suction.

To allow an easy grasp of the tube 16 by the lips, especially the upper lip, the upper edges 15 of the walls 10 and 11 are cut away on lines 21 of reverse curves at points adjacent said tube.

Having thus described the invention, I claim 1. collapsible drinking cup having a collapsible suction tube permanently attached thereto and associated with the walls thereof so as to be automatically opened and closed as the drinking cup is opened and closed. y

2. A collapsible drinking cup including walls arranged to have a relative movement, and a collapsible suction tube jassociated with and permanently attached to said walls so as to be collapsed and opened up by the movements thereof.

3. A collapsible drinking cup including walls arranged to have a relative movement, and a suction tube associated with and permanently attached to said walls so that the relative movement of the walls alters the cross section of the suction tube.

4:. A collapsible drinking cup including relatively movable walls joining each other on a folding line, and a collapsible suction tube extending along the folding line of the walls and permanently connected to the walls so as to be collapsed and opened up by the relative movement thereof.

5. A collapsible drinking cup including relatively movable walls joining each other on a folding line, and a collapsible suction tube of polygonal cross section extending along the folding line and permanently connected with the said walls so as to be collapsed and opened up by the relative movements thereof. I

6. A collapsible drinking cup including walls joining each other on a folding line and movable toward and away from each other, and a folding diaphragm spanning the interior angle of the said walls and permanently connected thereto so as to cooperate therewith to provide a suction tube which is collapsible with the cup.

7. A collapsible drinking cup including relatively movable walls joining each other on a folding line, one of the walls being provided with an' integral extension which is folded to provide a. suction tube extending along the said folding line, said suction tube being automatically collapsed and opened up by the collapsing and opening up of the cup.

8. A collapsible drinking cup including relatively movable walls joining each other on a folding line, one of thesaid walls being formed with an integral extension which is folded to provide an interior polygonal suction tube extending along the folding line and integral with the cup, the said suction tube having the cross section thereof varied as the walls move toward or away i from each other, and being collapsible with the cup.

Witness my hand this thirtieth (-30) day of September, 1912.

FRANK P. SHEPARD.

Witnesses:

G. R. DAY, Jim. R. CAssELL.

Images