Drinking cup assembly

Abstract

There is a drinking cup assembly comprising an outer cup and an inner cup, the outer cup having a dispensing closure, the inner cup being removably attached to the outer cup. A space is located between the outer cup and the inner cup, can contain an item being insertable into this space. The dispensing closure has an aperture and is adapted to receive a flexible conduit straw and a rotatable lid to open and close the flexible conduit straw. The flexible conduit straw has a weighted lower end of a soft plastic or a material coated with a soft plastic. The outer cup and inner cup are each structured to receive a sealing lid to separately close the outer cup and/or the inner cup. The attachment of the lids may be by one of an interference fit or a threaded attachment. The closure has a recess adjacent to the aperture, the flexible conduit fitting within this recess upon the rotatable lid flexing the conduit to close the conduit. The outer cup has handles. The inner cup can be metallic such as an aluminum or stainless steel. The inner cup may also be a glass such as a Pyrex, or a plastic such as a polyester, or a polyolefin and can include a silicone. The drinking cup assembly has a combined gasket/valve combination to seal the closure to the outer cup and to equalize the pressure in the cups with the exterior. The flexible conduit straw has a plurality of segments, at least one of the segments having a surface with a cross-cut to prevent leakage.

We claim: 
     
         1 ) A drinking cup assembly comprising an outer cup and an inner cup, the outer cup having a closure, the inner cup removably attached to the outer cup, the dispensing closure having an aperture adapted to receive a flexible conduit straw, the flexible conduit straw having an upper end and a lower end, the lower end being weighted so as to contact a lower surface of the inner cup and of the outer cup when the inner cup is not a part of the drinking cup assembly, the weighted lower end being of a material softer than the inner surfaces of the inner cup and of the outer cup. 
     
     
         2 ) A drinking cup assembly as in  claim 1  wherein the weighted lower end is comprised of harder material coated with the softer material. 
     
     
         3 ) A drinking cup assembly as in  claim 1  wherein the softer material is a polyester, a co-polyester, a polyethylene and a polypropylene. 
     
     
         4 ) A drinking cup assembly as in  claim 1  wherein the flexible conduit straw has a plurality of segments, an upper segment comprising an enlarged upper portion, a lower end surface of the of the enlarged upper portion having a cross-cut. 
     
     
         5 ) A drinking cup assembly as in  claim 1  wherein the closure has a recess adjacent to the aperture, the flexible conduit straw fitting within this recess and upon the rotatable lid flexing the conduit straw to close the flexible conduit straw. 
     
     
         6 ) A drinking cup assembly as in  claim 1  wherein the item in the space is one of an informational sheet, a decorative sheet, a booklet, an insulating sheet and a combination of the foregoing. 
     
     
         7 ) A drinking cup assembly as in  claim 1  wherein there is a gasket between the closure and the outer cup, the gasket having a valve to equalize pressure therein is attached to the gasket, the valve fitted into an aperture in the closure. 
     
     
         8 ) A drinking cup assembly as in  claim 1  wherein the flexible conduit straw has a plurality of segments, an upper segment comprising an enlarged upper portion, a straw conduit mid-section and a weighted lower end, at least one of the enlarged upper portion, flexible straw mid-section and weighted lower end having a cross-cut. 
     
     
         9 ) A drinking cup assembly as in  claim 1  wherein the flexible conduit straw has an enlarged portion at an upper end. 
     
     
         10 ) A drinking cup assembly as in  claim 1  wherein the inner cup is metallic. 
     
     
         11 ) A drinking cup assembly as in  claim 1  wherein the inner cup comprises a plastic. 
     
     
         12 ) A drinking cup assembly comprising an outer cup and an inner cup, the outer cup having a closure, the inner cup removably attached to the outer cup, a space between the outer cup and the inner cup, an item insertable into the space, the dispensing closure having an aperture adapted to receive a flexible conduit straw, a gasket between the outer cup and the closure, the gasket having an attached valve to equalize pressure, the valve fitted into an aperture in the closure. 
     
     
         13 ) A drinking cup assembly as in  claim 12  wherein the flexible conduit straw has an upper end and a lower end, the lower end being weighted so as to contact a lower surface of the inner cup and of the outer cup when the inner cup is not a part of the drinking cup assembly, the weighted lower end being of a material softer than the inner surfaces of the inner cup and of the outer cup. 
     
     
         14 ) A drinking cup assembly as in  claim 12  wherein the inner cup is metallic. 
     
     
         15 ) A drinking cup assembly as in  claim 12  wherein at least one of the outer cup and the inner cup is comprised of a plastic. 
     
     
         16 ) A drinking cup assembly as in  claim 12  wherein the flexible conduit straw has a plurality of segments, an upper segment comprising an enlarged upper portion, a straw conduit mid-section and a weighted lower end, at least one of the enlarged upper portion, flexible straw mid-section and weighted lower end having a cross-cut. 
     
     
         17 ) A drinking cup assembly as in  claim 12  wherein the outer cup contains a liquid product and the inner cup separated from the outer cup contains a solid product. 
     
     
         18 ) A drinking cup assembly as in  claim 12  wherein the outer cup and the inner cup each has a sealing lid to close the outer cup and the inner cup when it is not a part of the drinking cup assembly. 
     
     
         19 ) A drinking cup assembly as in  claim 12  wherein the item in the space is one of an informational sheet, a decorative sheet, a booklet, an insulating sheet and a combination of the foregoing. 
     
     
         20 ) A drinking cup assembly as in  claim 12  wherein the inner cup has a compressible band on an exterior surface adjacent an open end to hold the inner cup within the outer cup when a part of the drinking cup assembly.