US20110215108A1

US20110215108A1 - Baby 2 Go Pre-Filled Disposable Sippy Cup

Info

Publication number: US20110215108A1
Application number: US12/717,145
Authority: US
Inventors: Sarah Nadine Estabrooks; Elizabeth Ann Estabrooks
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2010-03-04
Filing date: 2010-03-04
Publication date: 2011-09-08

Abstract

Baby 2 Go Pref-filled Disposable Sippy Cup is a new beverage product container available for small children. It is a pre-filled disposable style sippy cup that comes pre-filled with water and other beverages. Not just for water, this unique design can be used for beverages such as different milks, juices, etc., and beverage powders that can be mixed with liquid to make a drink the child will enjoy (ex. chocolate powder so the parent need only add milk or water). The cup is designed to be a temporary replacement for the permanent sippy cup found in the home, which may have been left or lost, or which has become empty or unsanitary during travel. It is designed to be available to children similarly the same way adult bottled beverages are available to adults. The intent is that it will be available in convenience stores, fast food restaurants, grocery stores, restaurants or any other location where it would be appropriate and/or convenient for a child's beverage to be available for purchase and immediate consumption by the child.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISC APPENDIX

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

As happens with adults and older children, small children want something to drink in restaurants and on the road. While most caregivers know to travel with their child's sippy cup, which can prevent spills and messes, sometimes the cup is forgotten or is thrown from the stroller or seat. During travel the permanent regular sippy cup can also become dirty from use, with cleaning and refilling of the cup not being an option.
When any of these problem situations occur, the parent or caregiver must think of an alternative solution. This usually means trying to share their adult-sized beverage and hoping that the drink is not dropped in their sitting area, the lid does not pop off, and/or that the child does not spill the drink down the front of their clothing, in the car, on the furniture or floor, or anywhere else. If traveling alone with the child, while the child is seated in their carseat in the back seat, it is impossible for the adult to manage helping the child drink, and equally impossible for the child to manage an adult beverage container of any kind on their own.
Additionally, restaurants commonly provide cups with straws for children. However, for smaller children, this is not an acceptable alternative, as smaller children do not understand the concept of straws and not tipping, which is why parents buy standard sippy cups for their children to drink out of. This problem of offering a toddler a cup with a straw has led to many an accident, crying children, and frustrated parents in restaurant settings. The Baby 2 Go Pre-filled Disposable Sippy Cup is a child-friendly alternative solution to the cups and straws restaurants to offer as well and can temporarily replace the standard sippy cup generally used at home.
Baby 2 Go provides a convenient child friendly alternative to existing adult-oriented disposable beverage bottles and cups with straws. Offered in a smaller size designed to be easily held by the hands of a small child, and designed similarly to a sippy cup, this unique product enables caregivers to purchase a child's beverage in a pre-filled sanitary disposable sippy cup while away from home, knowing that the container can be used without spills or assistance.
As with adult-sized beverages, a sanitary seal assures the consumer that the drink was not tampered with. Not just for water, this unique design can be used for beverages such as milks, juices, etc., or beverage powders that can be mixed with liquid to make a drink the child will enjoy (ex. chocolate powder so the parent need only add milk or water). By making these containers available in convenience stores, fast food restaurants, grocery stores, restaurants or any other location where it would be appropriate and/or convenient for a child's beverage to be available for purchase and immediate consumption by the child. where a parent would find them useful as a temporary replacement to the standard cup, Baby 2 Go Pre-filled Disposable Sippy Cup is the solution for the lost, forgotten, or unsanitary sippy cup.
Baby 2 Go is a child-friendly variation of existing adult-oriented disposable beverage bottles. While constructed from a recycled plastic that is a little thicker then the disposable water bottles, this product may be offered in many sizes from 6-12 oz. sizes. Eliminating the conventional mouth opening or sports cap, this item features a top that is similar in construction to a child's permanent spill proof style sippy cup with valves.
The field of endeavor would be child appropriate pre-filled beverage containers for infants and toddlers from the time they transition from bottles to cups up to the age when they transition to lid-less cups. We say child appropriate because these are intended for small hands, and for young children who are not yet skilled in managing adult beverage containers (i.e. open cups, bottles or glasses), who cannot yet understand the concept of cups and straws, and who may still drop or tip their cups. Thus the need for “sippy cups.” This is in the “sippy cup” category, but adds the pre-filled disposable feature.
The problem is that currently there are no pre-filled disposable solutions available to parents of small children. This Baby 2 Go Pre-filled Disposable Sippy Cup provides a solution to the problem in that it functions as a regular sippy cup but serves as a temporary solution to the lost, unsanitary/dirty, or left behind cup, and it comes pre-filled, adding to its convenience and ease of use for parents and small children. It is classified as “disposable” in the same way that adult beverage containers such as soda bottles, juice containers, and water bottles are considered disposable.
It utilizes the same style of sealed container concept found on all disposable drink bottles purchased by adults in that it will be wrapped with a tear-off seal, ensuring it is sterile and free from tampering.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Baby 2 Go provides a convenient child friendly alternative to existing adult-oriented disposable beverage bottles. Offered in a smaller size designed to be easily held by the hands of a small child, and designed similarly to a sippy cup, this unique product enables caregivers to purchase a child's beverage while away from home, knowing that the child-friendly container can be used without spills or assistance. As with adult-sized beverages, a sanitary seal assures the consumer that the drink was not tampered with.
Not just for water, this unique design can be used for beverages such as different milks, juices, etc. or beverage powders that can be mixed with liquid to make a drink the child will enjoy (ex. chocolate powder so the parent need only add milk or water).
With Baby 2 Go as an option at any convenience store, fast food restaurant, grocery store, restaurant, or any other location where it would be appropriate and/or convenient for a child's beverage to be available for purchase and immediate consumption by the child, caregivers are provided with a product that directly responds to their child's needs.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING Detailed Description of Drawings Attached

FIG. 1 Shows a child with the product.

FIG. 2 Shows the perforated seal found on Baby 2 Go H20.

FIG. 3 Shows a closer view of the mouthpiece and air vent located on the unit.

FIG. 4 Shows an overall view of the product.

FIG. 5 Shows the seal being removed from the unit filled with juice.

The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The exemplary embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the present invention and its practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the present invention and various embodiments with various modifications, as are suited to the particular use contemplated.
The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The exemplary embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the present invention and its practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the present invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Baby 2 Go Pre-filled Disposable Sippy Cup is designed to be used by toddlers/small children who have outgrown the bottle or are transitioning from the bottle and have begun drinking out of a cup. (FIG. 1) It is designed to be small enough that it is easily held by a small child.
It is designed with a spill-proof feature that prevents the liquid inside from spilling if the cup is dropped. Alternatively, it can also be offered in the non-spillproof model for those parents who want this option and whose children are large enough to manage a spill-proof cup {while still needing the lid}. The sippy cup lid will have two (2) rubber pieces that will act as built-in valves. The bottom of the 2 rubber pieces will be slightly larger than the outer opening to prevent the piece from coming out, and to ensure proper seal with the cup. (FIG. 2) The middle of the two (2) valves will have a tilde (˜) shaped slit that will act as the valve to release fluid and let in air. The back rubber valve will act as a vent to put air into the bottle, keeping it from collapsing, while the mouthpiece valve will release fluid into the mouth. Because of the design of these two (2) rubber pieces, the only way fluid can be released is through suction, assuring the consumer that this is a spill-proof beverage container. (FIG. 3)
The Baby 2 Go Pre-filled Disposable Sippy cup will be constructed of recycled/recyclable materials that can, if a person chooses, be reused and can certainly be recycled. (FIG. 4) So, while it is called disposable, once the beverage is gone it can be rewashed and reused over a short period of time if a person should so choose (ex. while traveling). The bottle will be constructed of PET material. As found on the http://www.myownwatercom/?qclid=CObt7cLTh6ACFQwTawod5GWvmA website,

- “Recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate (RPET) bottles represent a huge step forward in reducing environmental waste by utilizing post.consumer recycled material. In the United States, about 33% of all plastic beverage containers are recycled. Most of these bottles are made from PET, a clear plastic polymer used primarily in packaging and container manufacturing. PET is strong, durable and can be recycled numerous times.

There are many markets and applications for used PET bottles but only now has the process been refined to arrive at a product consistent and pure enough to be approved by the FDA for direct food contact. Bottles enter the recycling stream where they are ground, washed and separated from cap and label material. The real innovation comes from the subsequent treatment of the washed PET flake where the plastic is exposed to special machines that use continuous heat and vacuum extractors to remove contaminants. The result is a consistent, clean, safe and more environmental friendly packaging alternative.”
As with adult disposable beverage containers, the top of the Baby 2 Go Pre-filled Sippy Cup will also have a protective plastic cover that will be removed before drinking by simply tearing the perforated tab. This protective cover will guarantee sanitation and the child's safety by ensuring that the bottle has not been tampered with and has not been exposed to germs. Upon purchase, the consumer will simply break the plastic covering and the child can drink without difficulty. (FIG. 5)
Not just for water, this unique container can be used for beverages such as different milks, juices, etc., and beverage powders that can be mixed with liquid to make a drink the child will enjoy (ex. chocolate powder so the parent need only add milk or water). The exact dimensions, materials used for construction and method of operation of Baby 2 Go Pre-filled Disposable Sippy Cup may vary upon manufacturing. Size options may range from 4-8 ounces. Optionally, manufacturers can choose to develop this product as a “spill-proof” cup containing the special perforated seal or a more economical version that is not spill-proof but which still contains all of the other features of the spill-proof Baby 2 Go Pre-filled Disposable Sippy Cup (ex. pre-filled with healthy beverages, sanitation seal, available in all locations, etc.).

Claims

1. This claim specifically encompasses the Baby 2 Go Pre-filled Disposable Sippy Cup or any disposable or reusable pre-filled cup of similar type, style, nature or concept but going by a different name.

This sippy cup is an offshoot of the standard sippy cup found in every home. However, its distinction comes in that it is a sippy cup pre-filled with water and other beverages such as different milks, juices, etc., as well as beverage powders that can be mixed with liquid to make a drink the child will enjoy (ex. chocolate powder so the parent need only add milk or water). This disposable cup is sealed with the sanitary seal similar to that found on adult beverage containers (juice, water, milks, coffees, etc.) and will be available for purchase in The intent is that it will be available in convenience stores, fast food restaurants, grocery stores, restaurants or any other location where it would be appropriate and/or convenient for a child's beverage to be available for purchase and immediate consumption by the child. It can serve as a replacement for the cup with a straw often used in restaurants as an option for small children—an option that too often fails in its application because it is not suitable for toddlers.

The Baby 2 Go Pre-filled Disposable Sippy cup can be manufactured as a spill-proof pre-filled sippy cup, or it can be manufactured without the spill-proof disk, making it a more economical version of the spill-proof option. This version will be suitable for those kids who are old enough to need a sippy cup but not at the age where they are prone to spilling or dropping.