Spill resistant transition cup

Abstract

A spill resistant cup comprising: a substantially hollow lower body with at top and a bottom, where the bottom of the lower body is closed and the top of the lower body is open; a substantially hollow upper body with a top and a bottom, where the top of the upper body is closed and the bottom of the upper body is open, the open bottom of the upper body corresponds to the open top of the lower body such that the upper body and the lower body together form a single vessel, and the top of the upper body has an opening, where the opening has a smaller diameter than the upper body; and an opening between the lower body and the upper body, where the opening has a smaller diameter than the lower body and the upper body. Fluid in the lower body may travel through the opening between the lower body and the upper body and into the upper body and then may travel through the opening in the top of the upper body when the cup is tipped sufficiently, but the fluid will not exit the cup significantly if the cup merely falls over.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A spill resistant cup comprising:
 a substantially hollow lower body with a top and a bottom, where the bottom of the lower body is closed and the top of the lower body is open;   a substantially hollow upper body with a top and a bottom, where:
 the top of the upper body is closed and the bottom of the upper body is open; 
 the open bottom of the upper body corresponds to the open top of the lower body, such that the upper body and the lower body together form a single vessel; and 
 the top of the upper body has an opening, where the opening has a smaller diameter than the upper body; and 
   an opening between the lower body and the upper body, where the opening has a smaller diameter than the lower body and the upper body;   
       such that fluid in the lower body may travel through the opening between the lower body and the upper body and into the upper body and then may travel through the opening in the top of the upper body when the cup is tipped sufficiently, but the fluid will not exit the cup significantly if the cup merely falls over. 
     
     
         2 . The spill resistant cup of  claim 1  where the bottom of the lower body has one or more straight edges such that when the cup tips over it tends to rest on one of the one or more straight edges. 
     
     
         3 . The spill resistant cup of  claim 2  where the opening in the top of the upper body does not align with any of the one or more straight edges of the bottom of the lower body. 
     
     
         4 . The spill resistant cup of  claim 1  where the upper body has a diameter and the lower body has a diameter and where the diameter of the upper body is greater than the diameter of the lower body. 
     
     
         5 . The spill resistant cup of  claim 1  where the upper body and the lower body are substantially hollow. 
     
     
         6 . The spill resistant cup of  claim 1  further comprising an arcuate lip projecting upward from the upper body such that the lip simulates a section of a rim of a drinking glass. 
     
     
         7 . The spill resistant cup of  claim 6  where the opening in the top of the upper body is adjacent the lip. 
     
     
         8 . The spill resistant cup of  claim 6  further comprising a second opening in the top of the upper body. 
     
     
         9 . The spill resistant cup of  claim 1  where the top of the upper body is bowl-shaped. 
     
     
         10 . The spill resistant cup of  claim 9  further comprising a lid that fits atop the bowl-shaped top of the upper body. 
     
     
         11 . The spill resistant cup of  claim 1  further comprising an insert located adjacent the top of the lower body, where the opening between the lower body and the upper body is located in the insert. 
     
     
         12 . The spill resistant cup of  claim 11  where the insert has a recess and the lower body has a projection that fits within the recess such that the insert may be placed within the lower body only if the recess aligns with the projection. 
     
     
         13 . The spill resistant cup of  claim 11  where the insert has a downwardly projecting trough attached thereto. 
     
     
         14 . The spill resistant cup of  claim 13  where the trough angles backward away from the insert such that fluid in the lower body may travel up the trough only if the cup is tilted past 90°. 
     
     
         15 . The spill resistant cup of  claim 11  where the upper body has a downwardly projecting trough attached thereto, where the trough extends from the top of the upper body to the insert. 
     
     
         16 . The spill resistant cup of  claim 1  where the upper body has a downwardly projecting trough attached thereto, where the trough extends from the opening in top of the upper body to the opening between the upper body and the lower body such that fluid may flow from the lower body, through the opening between the upper body and the lower body, along the trough, and out of the cup at the opening in the top of the upper body when the cup is tipped sufficiently. 
     
     
         17 . The spill resistant cup of  claim 1  where:
 the lower body is generally pyramid shaped such that the lower body has a flat bottom, a plurality of triangular sides joined by a plurality of corners, and an apex, where the open top of the lower body is located at the apex. 
 
     
     
         18 . The spill resistant cup of  claim 17  where the upper body has a downwardly projecting trough attached thereto, where the trough extends from the opening in the top of the upper body to the opening between the upper body and the lower body, and where the trough aligns with one of the corners of the lower body. 
     
     
         19 . The spill resistant cup of  claim 18  further comprising a funnel-like structure extending from the opening in the top of the upper body to the trough, such that the funnel-like structure extends from the opening in the top of the upper body to the trough and the trough extends from the funnel-like structure to the opening in the bottom of the upper body, where the funnel-like structure has a wide end and a narrow end and where the narrow end is adjacent the trough. 
     
     
         20 . The spill resistant cup of  claim 1  where the upper body comprises an upper portion and a lower portion, where the lower portion is attached to the base. 
     
     
         21 . The spill resistant cup of  claim 20  where the upper portion of the upper body has a threaded lower edge and where the lower portion of the upper body has a threaded upper edge such that the upper portion attached to the lower portion by screwing the threaded lower edge to the threaded upper edge. 
     
     
         22 . The spill resistant cup of  claim 1  where the top of the upper body has a protrusion located opposite the opening such that the protrusion prevents the cup from resting upside down on the top of the upper body. 
     
     
         23 . A spill resistant cup comprising:
 a substantially closed vessel with an exterior shape and an interior shape defining an interior space, where the vessel has a top and an opposing bottom, where the vessel has a widest point located nearer the top than the bottom, and where the vessel is shaped such that it has one or more predictable landing positions, where a landing position is a position in which the cup comes to rest when placed on a surface other than on its bottom;   a drinking lip protruding from the top of the vessel, where the drinking lip is positioned such that it is not down when the cup is in any of the predictable landing positions;   an opening in the top of vessel with a width narrower than the top of the vessel; and   a point of constriction between the top and the bottom of the vessel such that the interior shape of the vessel, the exterior shape of the vessel, an insert within the vessel, or a combination thereof make the interior space narrowest at the point of constriction.