Paper cup sip adaptor

Abstract

An adaptor enables a child to drink from a cup having a bead extending around an open end of the cup. The adaptor has an annular collar that supports the cup by engaging a lower portion of a bead of the cup around a substantial portion of a periphery of the bead. A lid is removably engageable with the collar using mating threaded surfaces on the lid and collar. The lid has two annular flanges depending from a lower surface toward the collar to enclose the bead and collar between the flanges and to abut the inner flange with the interior side of the wall of the cup when the lid engages the collar to form a fluid seal with the cup. The lid has a child drinking spout on an exterior surface of the lid adjacent a peripheral edge of the lid. The spout is in fluid communication with the cup during use of the adaptor.

I claim:  
     
         1 . An adaptor for a cup having a longitudinal axis, the cup having side walls tapered along a length of that axis and having a smaller bottom and forming a larger circular opening with a bead around the opening, the adaptor comprising: 
 an annular collar defining a collar opening that is sized to receive the cup during use and having a top rim with a recess configured to receive the bead during use, the collar having a gripping surface on an exterior surface of the collar configured to be grabbed manually during use of the cup;    a lid configured to be removably fastened to the collar during use, the lid having inner and outer concentric flanges depending from the lid toward the collar, the flanges being sized and configured to receive the collar between them, the outer flange engaging an outer surface of the collar to removably fasten the lid to the collar, the inner flange being configured to engage the cup adjacent the opening of the cup, the lid having a spout on an exterior surface of the lid with the spout having at least one fluid outflow opening in the spout placed in fluid communication with an inside of the lid, the spout being sized to allow a child to drink from the spout during use of the adaptor.    
     
     
         2 . The adaptor of  claim 1 , wherein the exterior of the collar has external threads mating with internal threads on an inside of the outer flange on the lid to releasably engage the lid and collar.  
     
     
         3 . The adaptor of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the collar and inner flange is tapered at an angle corresponding to the taper of the cup side walls.  
     
     
         4 . The adaptor of  claim 3 , wherein the inner flange is oriented relative to the longitudinal axis so the flange abuts the side walls of the cup during use around a circumference of the side walls.  
     
     
         5 . The adaptor of  claim 1 , wherein the cup with which the adaptor is intended to be used has a bead with a circular-cross-sectional shape and the recess has a curved cross-sectional shape conforming to the circular cross-section of the bead on the cup and the recess is located to abut the bead along a lower quadrant of the bead during use.  
     
     
         6 . The adaptor of  claim 1 , further comprising a handle extending from one of the lid or collar, the handle extending along a length of the longitudinal axis corresponding to about ½ to ¾ of a length of the cup with which the adaptor is intended to be used.  
     
     
         7 . The adaptor of  claim 6 , wherein the handle extends from the collar and is integrally molded with the collar.  
     
     
         8 . The adaptor of  claim 1 , further comprising the cup, with the bead engaging the recess and a bottom of an annular space defined between the inner and outer flanges.  
     
     
         9 . The adaptor of  claim 9 , further comprising a stop on one of the collar and lid engaging a portion of the other of the collar and lid in order to limit relative motion between the collar and lid and control deformation of the bead.  
     
     
         10 . An adaptor to enable a child to drink from a cup having a wall tapered at an angle and having a bead extending around an open end of the cup and located on an exterior surface of the cup, the adaptor comprising: 
 annular collar for supporting the cup by engaging a lower portion of the bead of the cup around a substantial portion of a periphery of the bead, the collar having a rotationally activated, releasable locking mechanism on an exterior surface of the collar; and    a lid removably engageable with the collar, the lid having inner and outer concentric, annular flanges depending from a lower surface and extending toward the collar during use of the adaptor, the inner flange being located to abut an interior side of the wall of the cup when the lid engages the collar, the outer flange being located and configured to engage the releasable locking mechanism to releasably fasten the lid to the collar, the lid having an annular groove formed between the flanges and enclosing a portion of the bead of the cup when the lid engages the collar during use of the adaptor, the lid having a child drinking spout on an exterior surface of the lid adjacent a peripheral edge of the lid, the spout having at least one hole therein that is in fluid communication with a lower surface of the lid to place the spout in fluid communication with the cup during use of the adaptor.    
     
     
         11 . The adaptor of  claim 10 , wherein the lid and collar are integrally molded of plastic.  
     
     
         12 . The adaptor of  claim 10 , further comprising a gripping surface on the exterior of the collar.  
     
     
         13 . The adaptor of  claim 10 , further comprising the cup with the bead of the cup substantially enclosed by the annular recess and collar and sealingly engaged with at least one of the flanges and recess in the lid to form a fluid seal.  
     
     
         14 . The adaptor of  claim 13 , wherein the collar comprises an inner periphery inclined at an angle complementary to the angle of the wall of the cup and wherein the collar has a recess with an arcuate cross-section configured and located to engage a lower portion of the bead of the cup.  
     
     
         15 . The adaptor of  claim 14 , further comprising a gripping surface on the exterior of the collar.  
     
     
         16 . The adaptor assembly of  claim 14 , further comprising a handle on at least one of the lid or collar, the handle extending along a length of the cup greater than ½ the length of the cup.  
     
     
         17 . An adaptor assembly for enabling a child to drink from a cup having a wall with a bead extending around an open end of the cup and located on an exterior surface of the cup, the adaptor comprising: 
 an annular collar having an inner periphery defining a circular opening through which a body of the cup extends, the collar being configured to engage a lower portion of the bead of the cup around a substantial portion of a periphery of the bead to support the cup when the cup is placed in the collar during use of the adaptor, the collar having external threads thereon;    a lid depending inner and outer flanges with internal threads on the outer flange, the lid being placed over the collar and engaged with the collar so the collar is located between the flanges and the external and internal threads threadingly engage and so the inner flange wedges the wall of the cup between the inner flange and collar adjacent the bead to grip the cup when the lid engages the collar during use of the adaptor, the lid having a child drinking spout extending from an exterior surface of the lid with at least one opening in the spout in fluid communication with an inside of the lid to allow fluid communication with the cup during use of the adaptor.    
     
     
         18 . The adaptor of  claim 17 , further comprising a manual gripping surface on a periphery of at least one of the collar and lid.  
     
     
         19 . The adaptor of  claim 18 , wherein the collar has a concave surface configured to receive the lower portion of the bead of the cup during use of the adaptor.  
     
     
         20 . A method for enabling a child to drink from a cup having a wall with a bead extending around an open end of the cup and located on an exterior surface of the cup, the method comprising: 
 supporting a lower portion of the bead on an annular collar having an inner periphery defining an opening through which a body of the cup extends;    enclosing an upper portion of the bead with a lid having an annular recess defined between inner and outer by concentric flanges depending from the lid so that the recess encloses the bead;    fastening the lid to the collar using a rotating connection on the outer flange in cooperating with a mating rotational connection on the collar;    providing a fluid seal between the lid and the cup; and    providing a child drinking spout on the lid, the spout having an opening in fluid communication with the cup.    
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the step of providing a fluid seal includes placing the inner flange in frictional engagement with an inner surface of the wall of the cup.  
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the step of providing a fluid seal includes wedging the wall of the cup between the collar and the inner flange.  
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the step of providing a fluid seal includes pressing a bottom of the annular recess against the bead.  
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 20 , further comprising providing a manual gripping surface on an outer periphery of at least one of the lid and collar.  
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 20 , further comprising providing at least one handle connected to the collar or lid to allow manual manipulation of the cup and adaptor during use.  
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein the handle is fastened to the lid and extends along a length of the cup for a distance of about ½ to ¾ of that length.