Infuser for Cup Having Sip Hole Cap

The present invention is a continuation of U.S. provisional application 63/647,102 filed on May 14, 2024 and entitled Versatile Infuser.

The present invention has a particular application to an infuser for adding a substance to, for example, a paper coffee cup having a sip hole enabling the user to sip a hot beverage.

The prior art includes various liquid container and cap assemblies. Typically, they have a cylindrical or truncated cone body that is typically fabricated from cardboard or plastic. A liquid permeable cap assembly include a cap having an edge receiving groove and a primary liquid discharge hole sometimes called a sip hole.

The sip hole is designed to allow the user to take sips of a hot beverage from the cup. The sizing of the hole is necessarily a compromise between being relatively small that minimizes the risk of major hot beverage spill and relatively large hole that permitting the user to more quickly consume the hot beverage with an increased risk of a major spill.

Consumers are often fond of adding various substances to a beverage that the consumer typically purchases from a coffee store or fast-food store. Such substances may include, for example, flavors, medications, and food products tailored to the user's selected in accordance with the user's desires. The sip hole typically impedes the addition of any substance to the beverage if a cap with a sip hole is secured to the cap. Removal of the entire cap is possible, however, for example if the user is sitting in a car seat, removal of the entire cap increases the risk of spilling a hot beverage. Furthermore, removal of the cap breaks the liquid tight secure attachment of the cap to the cup. In addition, reconnection, may be problematic.

It will be understood that the apparatus described herein has particular application for a user selecting specific additive(s) and preloading the substances into an infuser apparatus with the substances(s) and inserting the substance(s) through the sip hole of the of the cap.

However, the present invention also has application to producers of additives for beverages to package a variety of additives preloaded by the producer to enable a consumer to utilize individual preloaded infusers purchased from producer to facilitate a user adding one or more substances to the consumer's beverage.

The shortcomings of the prior art are overcome and additional advantages are provided an infuser apparatus for cooperation with an associated hot beverage cup having a sip hole defined in a plastic cap and bounded by planar edges which includes a container having an interior and an exterior as well as a top and a bottom. The bottom has a generally planar surface. The apparatus includes an elongated port extending from the bottom. The port is sleeve-shaped and has an interior in fluid communication with the interior of the container.

In some embodiments the elongated port has an axial extent including a flange extending around at least a part of the elongated port. The flange having a generally planar surface, the generally planar surface of the elongated port and the generally planner surface of the container being disposed in parallel relationship and spaced apart to provide a snug engagement with a planar edge bounding the associated sip hole when the bounded edge of an associated beverage cup cap is inserted there-between.

Some embodiments further including a side clip for engaging the edge of a cup that does not have a cap installed on that cup.

Some embodiments further including an elongated port that has one or more bumps to better secure engagement with a sip port.

The present invention includes the method of distributing an additive which includes providing a container having an interior and an exterior as well as a top and a bottom, the bottom having a generally planar surface and providing an elongated port extending from the bottom of the container, the port is sleeve-shaped and has an interior in fluid communication with the interior of the container. The elongated port has an axial extent including a flange extending around at least a part of the elongated port. The flange has a surface from the generally planar surface of the elongated port, whereby a snug engagement with a planar edge bounding the associated sip hole when the bounded edge of an associated beverage cup cap is inserted therebetween; and distributing the assembly in the marketplace.

Additional features and advantages are realized through the techniques of the present invention. Other embodiments and aspects of the invention are described in detail herein and are considered a part of the claimed invention.

An embodiment of the infuserin accordance with one form of the present invention is illustrated in. The illustrated embodiment as provided with a cylindrical bodyto hold whatever substance is to be infused into a hot beverage such as coffee. A removable topsnaps onto the body.

Extending from the lower (as viewed) extremity of the bodyis an elongated tubular exit port. A circular flangeextends completely around the tubular port. The upper surface of the flangeis planar and (1) parallel to the bottomof the bodyand (2) spaced apart from the bottomby a distancechosen to snuggly engage opposing sides of the coffee cap as will be described hereinafter.

illustrate respective caps,, andhaving respective sip holes,and. For simplicity, and to more clearly shown the sip hole structure the drawings do not shown any tab that may selectively cover the sip hole in some products.

The apparatus in accordance with the present invention is able to engage a very wide range of coffee caps that are commercially available. The tipis dimensioned and configured for engagement with the sip holeillustrated in.

For all other sip holes, the flangeis dimensioned to allow passage of the flangethrough the sip hole thereof. After the user axially inserts the flangeinto, for example, sip holesor, the user secures the infuserto such covers by moving the entire assemblylaterally. Upon such movement the engagement with the cap stabilizes the spatial relationship between the container and the cap to facilitate the substance transfer from the container to the cap as well as the cup.

The present apparatus also has application to infusing a substance into a typical cold beverage cup through the. cap. More specifically, a typical cold beverage cup usually a cap that accommodates the insertion of a straw. The accommodation consists two or more intersecting slits. That same accommodation will also cooperate with the elongated tubular exit portas well as the flange. Accordingly, a stable connection is also established with such cold beverage cap and cup assemblies.

is an exploded view of another embodimenthaving a side clip for engaging the side of a cup having no cap covering the top of the cup.

is an assembled view of the apparatus illustrated in.is another view of the apparatus shown inillustrating a side clip configured for engaging the side of a cup having no cap covering. This view also shows bumpsfor securing the infuser to a sip hole, for example, the sip hole.

is a view of the infuser shown ina with a cap.

All publications and patent applications mentioned in this specification are indicative of the level of skill of those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains. All publications and patent applications are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference.

It will be understood that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims, are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.). It will be further understood that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of introductory phrases such as “at least one” or “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to inventions containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “an imager” should typically be interpreted to mean “at least one imager”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, it will be recognized that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two images,” or “a plurality of images,” without other modifiers, typically means at least two images). Furthermore, in those instances where a phrase such as “at least one of A, B, and C,” “at least one of A, B, or C,” or “an [item] selected from the group consisting of A, B, and C,” is used, in general such a construction is intended to be disjunctive (e.g., any of these phrases would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, or A, B, and C together, and may further include more than one of A, B, or C, such as A, A, and C together, A, B, B, C, and Ctogether, or Band Btogether). It will be further understood that virtually any disjunctive word or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. For example, the phrase “A or B” will be understood to include the possibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B.”

Although the description above contains many specifics, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention, but as merely providing illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodiments of this invention. Thus, the scope of this invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents. Therefore, it will be appreciated that the scope of the present invention fully encompasses other embodiments which may become obvious to those skilled in the art, and that the scope of the present invention is accordingly to be limited by the appended claims, in which reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless explicitly so stated, but rather “one or more.” All structural, chemical, and functional equivalents to the elements of the above-described preferred embodiment that are known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the present claims. Moreover, it is not necessary for a device or method to address each and every problem sought to be solved by the present invention, for it to be encompassed by the present claims. Furthermore, no element, component, or method step in the present disclosure is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether the element, component, or method step is explicitly recited in the claims. No claim element herein is to be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for.”