Cup with hole: apparatus and methods

Abstract

A cup with hole apparatus and method comprising the parts and the steps to create a beverage cup that is inexpensive to purchase, ship, and use within a standard restaurant. One of these parts is a container that, when not assembled with other parts, cannot contain liquid due to multiple openings of different sizes. At least one of these openings is relatively smaller than the rest, and is only suitable to be used for drinking purposes. The other relatively larger openings can be used for filling purposes. A single-use beverage cup is created when: 1. A removable part is used to plug the relatively smaller opening; 2. The resulting container is filled via one of the relatively larger openings; 3. Once filled, permanent parts are used to plug all of the unplugged openings; 4. A drinker dislodges the removable part to drink from the smaller opening; and 5. Refilling the cup via the unplugged smaller opening is difficult.

Claims

1. A cup with hole apparatus that can be configured as a single-use beverage cup comprising: a container constructed of an encasing side wall with a plurality of opposing ends; each of the opposing ends incorporating one of a plurality of openings from which a liquid contained in the container can flow, with at least one of these openings being an opening well suited for the drinking of contained liquids; the container is configured as a single-use beverage cup by assembling a removable flow restricting part to the opening well suited for the drinking of the contained liquid, and installing permanent flow restricting parts to all other openings; the removable flow restricting part is removed to allow for drinking; the plurality of openings comprises two openings, the two openings are a drinking hole and a wide opening with lip; the removable flow restricting part is a removable plug for the drinking hole, the permanent flow restricting part is a permanent plug for the wide opening with lip; the removable plug, which can be individual or configured from multiple parts, fits to a top or bottom section to restrict flow through the drinking hole, the permanent plug, which can be individual or configured from multiple parts, assembles with a notch incorporated into the encasing side wall to restrict flow through the wide opening with lip; the removable plug is removed by hand or using a drinking straw to allow for drinking via the drinking hole.

2. A cup with hole apparatus that can be configured as a single-use beverage cup comprising: a container constructed of an encasing side wall with a plurality of opposing ends; each of the opposing ends incorporating one of a plurality of openings from which a liquid contained in the container can flow, with at least one of these openings being an opening well suited for the drinking of contained liquids; the container is configured as a single-use beverage cup by assembling a removable flow restricting part to the opening well suited for the drinking of the contained liquid, and installing permanent flow restricting parts to all other openings; the removable flow restricting part is removed to allow for drinking; the plurality of openings comprises two openings, the two openings are a drinking hole and a wide opening with lip; the removable flow restricting part is a removable plug for the drinking hole, the permanent flow restricting parts are a permanent plug and a lid for the wide opening with lip; the removable plug, which can be individual or configured from multiple parts, fits to a top or bottom section to restrict flow through the drinking hole, the permanent plug, which can be individual or configured from multiple parts, assembles by fitting inside the encasing side wall beneath a lid attached to the wide opening with lip to restrict flow through the wide opening with lip; the removable plug is removed by hand or using a drinking straw to allow for drinking via the drinking hole.

3. The cup with hole apparatus as described in claim 1 where: the encasing side wall is frustoconical; the notch incorporated into the encasing side wall is circumferential.

4. The cup with hole apparatus as described in claim 2 where: the encasing side wall is frustoconical; the notch incorporated into the encasing side wall is circumferential.

5. A cup with hole assembly method for a single-use beverage cup comprising: procure a beverage cup with an opening with lip at the top, a drinking hole incorporated into a top or bottom section at the bottom, and an encasing side connecting the two; fit a removable plug, which can be individual or configured from multiple parts, to the top or bottom section to restrict flow through the drinking hole; fill the beverage cup with liquid via the opening with lip; install a permanent plug, which can be individual or configured from multiple parts, by fitting it inside the encasing side wall beneath a lid attached to the opening with lip to restrict flow through the opening with lip; invert the filled beverage cup; the beverage cup becomes single-use once the removable plug is dislodged by hand or using a drinking straw to allow for drinking via the drinking hole.

Description

DRAWINGS

(1) The following figures show embodiments according to the inventive subject matter.

(2) FIG. 1Perspective view of the inventive subject matter disassembled.

(3) FIG. 2Front view of the inventive subject matter disassembled.

(4) FIG. 3Perspective view of the inventive subject matter assembled and inverted using a permanent plug to restrict flow through a wide opening with lip and a removable plug to restrict flow through a drinking hole.

(5) FIG. 4Front view of the inventive subject matter assembled and inverted using a permanent plug to restrict flow through a wide opening with lip and a drinking straw inserted into a drinking hole to dislodge a removable plug.

(6) FIG. 5Perspective view of the inventive subject matter assembled and inverted using a permanent plug to restrict flow through a wide opening with lip and a drinking straw inserted into a drinking hole.

(7) FIG. 6Perspective view of the inventive subject matter assembled and inverted using a permanent plug and a lid to restrict flow through a wide opening with lip and a removable plug to restrict flow through a drinking hole.

(8) FIG. 7Front view of the inventive subject matter assembled and inverted using a permanent plug and a lid to restrict flow through a wide opening with lip and a drinking straw inserted into a drinking hole.

REFERENCE NUMERALS IN THE DRAWINGS

(9) 10 wide opening with lip 12 notch 14 encasing side wall 16 top or bottom section 18 drinking hole 20 permanent plug 22 removable plug 24 lid 26 drinking straw

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(10) Representative embodiments according to the inventive subject matter are shown in FIGS. 1 to 7. The specific embodiments are meant to be illustrative and not limiting of the scope of the inventive subject matter and the various ways it may be embodied.

(11) In accordance with the present inventive subject matter, the cup with hole has: 1. On one side, a wide opening with lip; 2. On the other side, a top or bottom section with a drinking hole therein; 3. In between, an encasing side wall that may incorporate a notch; and 4. Separate plugspermanent and removablethat can be assembled thereto.

(12) FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 illustrate different views of the inventive subject matter. In this embodiment, the cup with hole has a wide opening with lip 10, a notch 12 incorporated into an encasing side wall 14, a top or bottom section 16 with a drinking hole 18 therein. The permanent plug 20 and removable plug 22 are disassembled. All the illustrated parts are inexpensive to manufacture, purchase and ship.

(13) Now referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 that show the same embodiment as FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 but assembled and inverted. A permanent plug 20 is inserted into a wide opening with lip 10 and it compresses as it passes over a notch 12 incorporated into an encasing side wall 14. After passing entirely over the notch 12, the plug 20 is less compressed and stays in place. After assembly, the permanent plug 20 is difficult to remove. A removable plug 22 is affixed externally or internally to a top or bottom section 16 to restrict flow through a drinking hole 18. Once affixed, the removable plug 22 is easy to remove. All the illustrated parts are simple to assemble by a layperson using no machinery.

(14) The steps to assemble the beverage cup embodied in FIGS. 1-4 are: 1. Plug the drinking hole 18 externally or internally using the removable plug 22; 2. Fill with liquid via the wide opening with lip 10; 3. Plug the wide opening with lip 10 using the permanent plug 20; 4. Invert; and 5. Serve. The beverage cup becomes single-use when drinkers dislodge the removable plug 22 in order to drink from the drinking hole 18. Due to its relatively small size, the unrestricted drinking hole 18 is suitable to drink from, but cumbersome to refill through. The removable plug 22 in FIG. 3 is external and can be peeled off by hand. The removable plug 22 in FIG. 4 is internal and has been dislodged by a drinking straw 26.

(15) FIG. 5 is the same embodiment as FIGS. 1-4 but a removable plug 22 is not illustrated because it is not part of the final assembly that is served. The removable plug 22 can be a flat surface, such as a food preparation table. Downward pressure applied by hand to a wide opening with lip 10 restricts flow through a drinking hole 18 by keeping a top or bottom section 16 flat against the table. After liquid is filled and a permanent plug 20 is assembled, the resulting single-use beverage cup is quickly inverted and served.

(16) The embodiment of the inventive subject matter in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 is very similar to that of FIGS. 1-5. The only difference is a permanent plug 20 uses a lid 24 to stay in place, whereas in FIGS. 1-5, the permanent plug 20 uses the notch 12. All other aspects are the same including the end result, a simple and inexpensive single-use disposable cup.

(17) The cup with hole can be made from any material that is suitable for containing consumable liquids. A few examples of many acceptable materials are polypropylene, plastic, or waxed paper.

(18) All patent and non-patent literature cited herein is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes.