Louisiana Patent of the Month – November 2020

As children outgrow their clothes and toys, they also outgrow their bottles and need to transition to a cup. But cups are easy to spill. Unlike a bottle, they have to be held upright, and young children often don’t have the motor skills to do this. Some children use sippy cups as an inbetween step, however, since ear and sinus infections are common illnesses in children, the sucking action needed to drink from a sippy cup can cause pain. Sippy cups are also harder to clean as the lid and body of the cup are made of different material, and there are smaller parts that don’t get cleaned as well, which end up needing frequent replacement. While the switch to a regular cup is inevitable, it can be hard for some children, so No Spill Technologies, LLC have developed a spill resistant cup for kids.

The spill resistant cup looks much like a regular cup. However, it has a removable lid which can be twisted to lock into place, so it cannot pop off on it’s own. The body of the cup also has a flat part, which encourages the cup to land on if tipped over. The opening on the lid does not line up with the flat portion of the body, so the liquid is away from the opening if the cup falls over. The cup also features an insert in between the body and the lid. The insert provides an extra layer of protection as the liquid must travel through the insert opening and through a trough of sorts to get to the lid opening, which controls the volume of liquid coming out, allowing the drinker to use the cup without too much liquid spilling out if it’s tipped too far. If the cup is tipped in any other direction, the liquid is limited in its movement because of the trough.

Are you adapting existing technology for a new application? Did you know your development work could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can receive up to 14% back on your expenses? Even if your development isn’t successful your work may still qualify for R&D credits (i.e. you don’t need to have a patent to qualify). To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

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