US2362354A - Splash dampener for beverage containers - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 7, 1944. P. c. CLOVIS 2,362,354

SPLASH DAMPENER FOR BEVERAGE CONTAINERS Filed March 21, 1942 W v m "/3404 C. CZov/Lr Patented Nov; 7., 1944 PafnliCJClovis', K nilwmnin g. v

reclaims (01. 6551s This? invention *relates to a device adapted to preven-tdiquid -fr6m*spi1iine:{out-of a the-surging"either-liquidtliereinz. I

AS -is tvellfkriown, considerable difficulty is ex? and--'thelike since abrupt stopping and; starting of -the trainiandmovement;-thereofgthroughlat;

eral play betwejemthe rai1'scauses '"a surging'of the bverage-within'itsf'containerwithj the ';resu1t that th'e= 1iquidf-spii1s"-oufi iof the container into the saiiicergion' the table *ClotIt-f and at times upon the-clothing of thepatron;

Itis an important object of th' 'presentin'ven'i tion-to'prpvide means'forefie'ctiveiy darnping the surging ofaiiquidwithinza contain'erf. v

It 'i-s another obiect 'of 'theinvention to'' provide damping; meanswhich may bi 'insertedwith'in a. beverage container withif-great fa'cility and 1 which may be manufa'ctiired with. extremely; low 1 cost n sti-i-l another' object of the invention is to pro-1 vide damping means of the above character which in no way interferes withfihjstirring of the-beverage-and whichinndwayinterferes with a.

thenormaipro'cess'oi'drinkin gi; v

-A'notherobj ect of the "invention is to; provide damping" means -of-tthe'? above-"character".which may-be *tzorivnintly ponstructedfandi assembled friim -sheet material -such*'-aspaperfsheet metal,

or'-=a; pla'stic.---' I, 7

A=Sti-1-l-flfi'tlierobjectnf theinventidn istoTpro; vide -Wdamper-of the abo've character which is so, i constructed and arranged"as-'= to". efi'ectively engage the inner-'surface-of" a'container uponthe mere insertionthereof inv the container, this being th'cas'e even:though tli" container is so formed. thatthe walls thereof diverge? outwardly Lands; W3 Y I I Many'btheroiobjectsiandadvantages of the'iinvention" willibeco'me 'apparentfrom the following specificationand .1 acc'o'mpanyiniga drawing, in

fguregl representspa perspective =view. of,an article embodyin my. in e ion; A Figure 1a represents a fragmentaryelevational vie/wnpfgone .ofnthel members shown in :Figurel Fiureznrepre'sents' a cross-isectionaltview showing, the" adaptationof my; invention to @a drinking gl'a'ss I v I c Figure 3. represents-1a .CIOSS-SGiCtiOIlMWiEWz of a 1 damper embodying my invention as: applied tosa 1,- beverage icqntamer having upwardly converging walls;

Figure 4 represents a cross-sectional view show- 55 it will"be' subjectedi IIfthis"regafdfhttenfid meme appii'ca't'ion of mysnvennen-jto a-b'everde container having upwardly diverg-ing'WalIS 1 Figure-5 represents'a' topiola' "viewmf-am assemblysuchas thatshown in-"Fieurej perienced -in serving beverages iniailr'oawdin'ers 5, 1

Figure 6 represents a top-mien vi'ewof -thea a beverag-e container -in'=*a -manner wherebv damper issecurely hidih agiven-pdsition with th'container; and

iron'i'th'e spirit and scope of the=inventin asset forth"in'the apperid'ed-clainisr tan'ce about" 'half way ac'ross th respective'wheew" With suchF-a' 'ctinstru'ction?"it-will be understood? thattwo sucn'sheets may be assembled together to provide a radial dainpinig cons'tructior'i byslid' ing the 'slottd -bortions of the respective sheets together as shdwn'clearly'in'Fiure l. 3

It viri'll be understo od; 'bfcourseythat the height to which "the damping members-{are constructed may be varied depending upon themmre of the beveragecontainer and thevicienee of 'the"s'h1.= ck to which the eontainer wiil b subjected so l'ongft as the height'of'the' damping-members"is*sufli cient to provid the desired dainpinQYTeficV' L, directed to l ignre=2-wherein a'drinkingiglass I 5 having -upward1y divrging waillsfiis =snbwn:-* Iii such a container the depth is such that the pos-' sibilities of surging and spilling of the beverage Figure 7 is" a plan" vieware modified fo iiii' of' t are greatest when the container is more than half full. Thereafter, the possibilities of spilling due to surging are greatly reduced since the walls are of suflicient depth to themselves dampen any movement of the beverage upwardly thereon. Thus it will be seen that the damping construction is disposed at the height in the container below which the possibilities of spilling are reduced to a minimum by the walls thereof.

To the end that the friction surface by which the ends of the damping members In, H, 12, and I3 engage the inner surface of a wall which converges outwardly and upwardly, there may be provided feet IS, IT, IS, and I9 which constitute angularly disposed flanges at the outer ends of the respective damping members. With such a construction, it will be seen that the necessity for relying upon the frictional engagement of the relatively thin ends of the damping members is avoided, and there is presented a greatly increased surface for holding the damping members within the container.

In those beverage container constructions, such as that shown inFigure 3, wherein the inner surface of the container converges inwardly and upward y, Orin those uses where straws are provided for drinking purposes, the aforementioned friction abutment between the inner surface of the container and the outer ends of the damping elements is not necessary; thus, the damping assembly may be constructed to aiford a sliding fit with the adjacent portion of the inner surface of the container whereby it may be rotated therein to provide for stirring and the like.

In Figure 3 there is shown a beverage container 20 having walls which converge upwardly. With sucha construction, the damping assembly, as stated above, need have no frictional engagement with the inner surface of the container and may be inserted through the relatively small opening therein by a slight flexing or bowing of the damping sections to reduce their length whereuponthey may be released to afford a secure,- interlocking engagement with the container as shown in Figure 3., In this construction the damping elements, three of which are shown at Illa, l2a, andl3 a, may be in length slightly less than the diameter of the container at the point aligned with the respective point on the end edge of the damping member and, furthermore, the flanges described abovemay be, dispensed with, thereby providing for stirring. Furthermore, it will-be seen that, inconstructions such as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the spoon may be inserted, through one of the compartments provided, into the space beneath the damping device whereupon the liquid may be stirred.

In a construction such as that shown in Figures 4 and 5, that is, wherein the walls of the container 2| diverge upwardly,; it is preferable that the damping assemblynof the character shown in Figure 1 be utilized, it being understood, however, that the contour of the edge of each of the damping elements is preferably shaped to conform to the configuration of the inner surface of the particular container being used.

It will be understood that the forming 'of the damping elements to conform. to the configuration of the inner surface of the container being used may be avoided by dis bsing the damping assembly a distance above the curvature at the.

bottom of a cup, and to this end the construction shown in Figure 6 may be utilized for maintaining the damping device in assembled relationship with the cup throughout a drinking operation.

As stated previously, it is contemplated that the damping device disclosed herein be constructed from sheet material such as paper, thin metal, or a plastic, under which circumstances it will be flexible so that it may be inserted in a container having a relatively small opening, such as that shown in Figure 3, andso that, if the damping elements have a length greater than the respective diameter of the container in which they are to be used, as shown at lllb, Hb, l2b, and I 3b in Figure 6, these elements may be flexed into a bowed formation, such as that shown in Figure 6, whereby the end edges thereof are forced against the inner surface of the cup to retain the desired assembled relationship.

It has been found that the damping element need not extend downwardly into abutting relationship with the bottom of the cup to eirectively dampen the surging of the liquid within the container and, furthermore, it has been found that varying numbers of the damping elements may be provided to attain the end desired so long as these elements are so disposed that they occupy planes lying in non-parallel relationship so that surging of the beverage within the container in all directions is eifectively dampened.

A highly eflicient construction is that shown in Figure '7 wherein the damping elements I00, H0,

120, and B6 are provided with end flanges Hic,

merely by having rotary movement imparted thereto. v o

I claim as my invention: 1. As an article of manufacture, a surge damper for a beverage container including plate-like wall members having a length on the order of the diameter of a container in which they are adapted to be disposed in a substantially vertical position, means for affording friction engagement between the ends of the members and the inner surface of a container including flanges disposed along the edges of said members and at an angle thereto, said flanges being adapted for face-toface engagement with the inner surface of thecontainer.

2. The combination with a beverage container of means for damping the'surging of liquid therein, said means including plate-like members dis-- posable vertically therein and formed fromflexible material, said members being in length greater than the respective diameter of the container and being constructed and arranged to be','clistorted into bowed configuration whereby] the edges thereof abut theinside surface of the co'ntainer with pressure engagement when .said

means is inserted in the'container a position substantially vertical relative thereto and friction surfaces at the edges of said members :including flanges disposed-along said edges and at an angle thereto, said flanges being adapted for face-to-face engagement with the inner surface of the container.

PAUL C. CLOVIS.

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