Technical field

The present invention relates to a drinking cup, and more particularly to a drinking cup with a sealed off container part containing a liquid, a cup part to drink the liquid from and a pump system for transferring the liquid in the container part to the cup part.

Background art

Drinking cups which are separated in a cup part and a container part, and provided with a pump system for transferring a liquid in the container part to the cup part, are typically used for keeping a liquid for drinking safely stored when walking around. Only when a person who is carrying around the drinking cup, wants to drink from the drinking cup, an amount of liquid needs to be transferred from the container part to the cup part by means of the pump system. This amount of liquid may then be drunk from the cup part by the person using the drinking cup.

With an insulated container part the temperature of the liquid in the container part can be kept at the temperature with which it was provided in the container part, e.g. a high temperature for a hot beverage such as coffee or tea, or a low temperature for a cold beverage such as a soft drink. Here, the separation of the drinking cup in the container part and the cup part allows an amount of hot liquid which was transferred from the container part into the cup part, to cool down in the cup part to the right temperature for drinking without the remaining liquid in the container part also cooling down.

Drinking cups, known from the state of the art, such as for example US 6,276,559 B1 , have the pump system arranged at the top of the drinking cup. It has been found that the drinking cup of the prior art is unstable and for example when located on a surface such as a table, topples easily when it is slightly tilted, for example by an accidental push from the sides. Toppling of the drinking cup might cause a liquid in the cup part to spill out of the drinking cup. This is undesired, certainly in the case of a hot liquid which might cause physical damage to persons on which the liquid is spilled.

Disclosure of the invention

It is an aim of the present invention to provide a drinking cup which is more stable, and which is safer to operate.

This aim is achieved according to the invention with a drinking cup showing the technical characteristics of the characterising part of the first claim.

Therefore the invention provides a drinking cup comprising:

a container part comprising a storage cavity for holding a liquid, the container part having an entrance opening at a top side;

a cup part comprising a drinking cavity for holding a liquid, the cup part further comprising a drinking opening at a top side, wherein a bottom side of the cup part is arranged for sealing off the storage cavity in the container part from the environment, and wherein the bottom side of the cup part is provided with a liquid supply opening for passing a liquid from the storage cavity of the container part to the drinking cavity of the cup part;

a supply tube for guiding a liquid from the storage cavity of the container part towards the drinking cavity of the cup part, wherein the supply tube is suspended in the storage cavity of the container part, wherein one end of the supply tube is arranged near the bottom of the storage cavity, and wherein the other end of the supply tube is connected to the liquid supply opening of the cup part;

a user-operable, releasable closing means arranged at the liquid supply opening and provided for releasably closing off the liquid supply opening;

a user-operable pump system which is provided to build up a pressure in the storage cavity for pushing the liquid from the storage cavity of the container part into the drinking cavity of the cup part via the supply tube and via the liquid supply opening of the cup part. Preferably, the pump system is arranged at the bottom of the container part, such that the centre of gravity of the drinking cup is lowered.

Arranging the pump system at the bottom of the container part, thus at the bottom of the drinking cup, has the advantage that the centre of gravity of the drinking cup is lowered compared to a drinking cup with a pump system arranged on top. The components of the pump system have a certain weight and hence locally increase the weight of the drinking cup, i.e. at the location of the pump system the weight is relatively increased compared to the other parts of the wall of the container part. So by providing the parts of the pump system at the bottom of the container part, there is more weight at the bottom side of the drinking cup. This makes the drinking cup more stable, without having to provide additional weight to the drinking cup by for example providing a thick-walled bottom side. Hereby, the chances of accidentally toppling the drinking cup are reduced, which makes the drinking cup according to the present invention more stable and safer to use. Without the requirement of any additional weight for stabilising the drinking cup, the drinking cup can also be made lighter, which makes it more suitable to be carried around.

The pump system arranged at the bottom of the drinking cup further has the advantage that the pump system can be operated manually at a position closer to the bottom of the drinking cup, instead of pushing on top of the drinking cup. This can reduce the risk of toppling the drinking cup while the pump system is being operated. This can make the drinking cup according to the present invention also safer to use.

It should be clear to the person skilled in the art that there are different means to build up the pressure in the storage cavity. The pressure can for example be built up in the storage cavity of the container part by decreasing the volume of the storage cavity. In this case the pump system has to be provided for changing the volume of the storage cavity. Another possibility to build up the pressure in the storage cavity is by increasing the amount of air in the storage cavity. In this case the pump system has to be provided for supplying additional air into the storage cavity.

In an embodiment of the drinking cup according to the present invention, the pump system is provided for building up the pressure in the storage cavity by supplying air into the storage cavity through an air supply opening in the container part, wherein the air supply opening is provided with a check valve which is provided to allow air to go from the pump system into the storage cavity, and which is provided to prevent a liquid from flowing from the storage cavity into the pump system.

The combination of the pump system provided for supplying air into the storage cavity and the releasable closing means for closing off the liquid supply opening, has the advantage that a large pressure can easily be built up and maintained in the storage cavity before the closing means is released to open the liquid supply opening. This makes it possible to build up a pressure in the storage cavity, which pressure is sufficient for supplying liquid from the storage cavity into the drinking cavity several times before the pressure has to be built up again in the storage cavity. In this way the pressure may be built up in advance after which the user only has to release the closing means to provide a liquid into the drinking cavity of the cup part. Hence, the user does not have to operate the pump system every time he wants to provide some liquid into the drinking cavity.

In an embodiment of the drinking cup according to the present invention, the pump system comprises a bellows, the bellows being connected to the air supply opening of the cup part.

The inventor has found the bellows to be an advantageous means for supplying the air into the storage cavity for building up the pressure in the storage cavity. The bellows is easy to operate by moving the container part up and down on the bellows, thereby respectively expanding and compressing the bellows to inject air into the storage cavity of the container part through the air supply opening.

In an embodiment of the drinking cup according to the present invention, the pump system further comprises a bottom part and a top part, wherein the bellows is arranged between the bottom part and the top part, and wherein the top part is movably engaged in the bottom part.

The bellows being arranged between the bottom part and the top part which are movably engaged with each other, has the advantage that the bellows is surrounded and thereby protected from external damage, while the bellows can still be compressed and depressed between the bottom part and the top part. In an embodiment of the drinking cup according to the present invention, the closing means comprises a closing member arranged at the liquid supply opening, which closing member is moveable between a closed state wherein the liquid supply opening is closed off by the closing member and an open state wherein the liquid supply opening is opened, and wherein the closing means further comprises a user accessible closing mechanism, which comprises a resilient member, acting on the closing member for keeping it in the closed state in absence of user operation for releasing the closing means.

In an embodiment of the drinking cup according to the present invention, the closing means comprises a compressible tube which is arranged in the liquid supply opening of the cup part, the closing member compressing the tube in the closed state such that the liquid supply opening is closed off.

The compressible tube which is arranged in the liquid supply opening has the advantage that the liquid being transferred from the container part to the cup part can pass through the compressible tube, such that the liquid going through the liquid supply opening is separated from other parts of the drinking cup which might be arranged at the liquid supply opening, such as for example the closing member. Separating the liquid from the other parts arranged at the liquid supply opening is beneficial for the hygiene of the drinking cup, since no residue of the liquid can be left behind on these other parts, which residue might for example stimulate fungus growth. With the use of the compressible tube, cleaning of the supply opening can also be limited to cleaning the inside of the compressible tube. This is for example easily done by means of moving a small rod shaped brush several times through the compressible tube.

The compressible tube being compressible has the advantage that the compressible tube can easily be closed off. Hereby, the closing member preferably pushes against the compressible tube from the outside, thereby pushing opposing side walls of the compressible tube against each other, which effectively seals off the compressible tube and thus the liquid supply opening.

In an embodiment of the drinking cup according to the present invention, at least one end of the compressible tube is provided with an outwardly extending flange around its circumference.

The outwardly extending flange is very advantageous for use as a seal between the bottom side of the cup part and other components of the drinking cup which are connected to the liquid supply opening through the bottom side of the cup part. These other components could for example be the supply tube but could also be a dispensing means, as discussed below, arranged in the drinking cavity above the liquid supply opening. The seal formed by the outwardly extending flange has the advantage that no liquid can seep between the walls of the liquid supply opening and the compressible tube, which is beneficial for the hygiene of the drinking cup.

In an embodiment of the drinking cup according to the present invention, the closing mechanism comprises a lever by means of which a user can operate the closing mechanism, wherein a first arm of the lever is connected to the closing member, and wherein the resilient member acts on a second arm of the lever for moving the closing member to the closed state.

The inventor has found the lever to be an advantageous means for providing the closing mechanism. The lever is easily operated by both the user and the resilient member by pushing and/or pulling, but preferably by pushing, on the arms of the lever.

The lever also has the advantage that the resilient member may be arranged to engage on the second arm at a distance from the fulcrum, which distance is larger than the distance between the fulcrum and the position where the closing member connects to the first arm. In this way, the force required by the resilient member for moving the closing member to the closed state can be reduced, which is certainly beneficial when there is provided a compressible tube which has to be compressed by the closing member in the closed state. This also has the advantage that less force is required from the user to counteract the force of the resilient member to move the closing member to the open state.

In an embodiment of the drinking cup according to the present invention, the drinking cup . further comprises a hollow sieve element which is provided for being removably fixed to a complementary part of the drinking cup in the storage cavity of the container part, wherein the sieve element is provided for holding particles of an infusion material, and wherein the sieve element comprises a plurality of sieve openings sized for allowing free passage of a liquid through the sieve element while keeping particles of the infusion material contained in the sieve element. The sieve element has the advantage that an infusion liquid, such as for example tea or coffee, can be prepared for drinking inside the storage cavity of the container part. In this way the infusion liquid does not have to be prepared before it is provided into the storage cavity of the container part, which saves time for the user of the drinking cup.

The infusion material can for example be coffee beans, tea leaves or yerba mate leaves and twigs, but are not limited thereto.

In an embodiment of the drinking cup according to the present invention, the supply tube is a rigid tube, forming the complementary part, and the sieve element is provided for being removably arranged around the supply tube, for which the sieve element comprises a first opening and a second opening, through which openings the supply tube can be fittingly arranged.

Arranging the sieve element around the supply tube has the advantage that the sieve element can easily be taken out of the storage cavity when the infusion liquid is ready, or after all infusion liquid has been drunk from the drinking cup. This is done by lifting up the cup part, and thus also the supply tube attached thereto, from the container part. This provides an advantageous means for removing the sieve element from the storage cavity, without the user of the drinking cup coming into contact with the liquid, which is undesired, certainly in case of a hot liquid which might cause burn wounds to the person using the drinking cup.

The inventor has found that the sieve element can easily be fitted around the supply tube by means of the first opening and the second opening in the sieve element. In this arrangement the sieve element can also be removed easily from the supply tube for being cleaned and for being refilled with new particles of an infusion material.

In an embodiment of the drinking cup according to the present invention, the sieve element is provided with a flexible part around the circumference of at least one of the first opening and the second opening, for facilitating the movement of the supply tube through the at least one of the first opening and the second opening.

The flexible part around the circumference of the opening has the advantage that the opening can be provided to tightly fit the sieve element around the supply tube at the opening, without thereby hindering the insertion of the supply tube through the opening. The flexible part makes it even easier to insert the supply tube through the opening.

In an embodiment of the drinking cup according to the present invention, the supply tube is a straight and rigid tube.

The straight and rigid supply tube has the advantage that the supply tube can easily be cleaned, for example by moving a small rod shaped brush several times through the supply tube. In this case the brush is not hindered by any bends in the supply tube while being moved through the supply tube.

The supply tube being straight and rigid also makes it easier to insert the supply tube through the first opening and the second opening in sieve element.

In an embodiment of the drinking cup according to the present invention, the supply tube is releasably connected to the liquid supply opening of the cup part.

The supply tube being releasably connected to the bottom side of the cup part has the advantage that the supply tube can easily be detached from the bottom side of the cup part and taken out of the drinking cup for being cleaned. This allows the drinking cup to be more easily cleaned, which benefits the hygienic use of the drinking cup.

Being able to take the supply tube separately out of the drinking cup also makes it easier to arrange a sieve element onto the supply tube without being hindered by other components of the drinking cup.

In an embodiment of the drinking cup according to the present invention, the drinking cup further comprises a dispensing means for guiding a liquid coming out of the liquid supply opening in a direction towards the side or the bottom of the drinking cavity of the cup part.

With the dispensing means the liquid is prevented from being ejected in a vertical direction out of the liquid supply opening into the cup part, which might for example occur if a high pressure has been built up with the pump system in the storage cavity before the release of the liquid through the liquid supply opening into the cup part. So the dispensing means is beneficial for a safe usage of the drinking cup, certainly in case of a hot liquid which might cause harm to the person using the drinking cup.

In an embodiment of the drinking cup according to the present invention, the dispensing means comprises a cap which is connected to the bottom side of the cup part above the liquid supply opening, wherein the bottom side of the cap comprises at least one guiding channel for guiding a liquid.

In an embodiment of the drinking cup according to the present invention, the cap is releasably fixed to the bottom side of the cup part.

Releasably connecting the cap to the bottom side of the cup part has both the advantage that the cap can be removed and cleaned separately and that the liquid supply opening can easily be made accessible for cleaning. This allows the drinking cup according to an embodiment of the present invention to be more easily cleaned, which benefits the hygienic use of the drinking cup.

It must be clear to the person skilled in the art that this also applies for other types of dispensing means which are connected to the bottom side of the cup part above the liquid supply opening.

In an embodiment of the drinking cup according to the present invention, the container part comprises an insulating wall surrounding the storage cavity.

The insulating wall surrounding the storage cavity has the advantage that the liquid in the storage cavity can be kept at the temperature with which the liquid was provided in the container part, e.g. a high temperature for a hot beverage such as coffee or tea, or a low temperature for a cold beverage such as a soft drink.

In an embodiment of the drinking cup according to the present invention, the drinking cup further comprises a covering element to cover the drinking opening of the cup part.

The covering element has the advantage that the drinking opening can be closed off, such that the drinking cup can be carried around with a liquid present in the drinking cavity, without thereby risking to spill the liquid from the drinking cavity. In this way not all the liquid in the drinking cavity has to be drunk immediately before the person using the drinking cup may move on.

In an embodiment of the drinking cup according to the present invention, the covering element comprises a sealable drinking opening.

The sealable drinking opening in the covering element has the advantage that the entire covering element does not need to be removed from the drinking opening of cup part if a person wants to drink a liquid from the drinking cup. Only the sealable drinking opening has to be opened to allow the person to drink a liquid from the drinking cup. Brief description of the drawings

The invention will be further elucidated by means of the following description and the appended figures.

Figure 1 shows a front view of the drinking cup according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 shows a perspective view from above of the drinking cup of Figure 1 with the covering element removed.

Figure 3 shows a perspective view of the cap of the dispensing means of the drinking cup.

Figure 4 shows a cross section through the drinking cup of Figure 1 along line A-A.

Modes for carrying out the invention

The present invention will be described with respect to particular embodiments and with reference to certain drawings but the invention is not limited thereto but only by the claims. The drawings described are only schematic and are non-limiting. In the drawings, the size of some of the elements may be exaggerated and not drawn on scale for illustrative purposes. The dimensions and the relative dimensions do not necessarily correspond to actual reductions to practice of the invention.

Furthermore, the terms first, second, third and the like in the description and in the claims, are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a sequential or chronological order. The terms are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and the embodiments of the invention can operate in other sequences than described or illustrated herein.

Moreover, the terms top, bottom, over, under and the like in the description and the claims are used for descriptive purposes and not necessarily for describing relative positions. The terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and the embodiments of the invention described herein can operate in other orientations than described or illustrated herein.

The term "comprising", used in the claims, should not be interpreted as being restricted to the means listed thereafter; it does not exclude other elements or steps. It needs to be interpreted as specifying the presence of the stated features, integers, steps or components as referred to, but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps or components, or groups thereof. Thus, the scope of the expression "a device comprising means A and B" should not be limited to devices consisting only of components A and B. It means that with respect to the present invention, the only relevant components of the device are A and B.

Figure 1 shows a front view of the drinking cup 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The drinking cup 1 comprises a container part 2, which is provided for storing a liquid before the liquid will be drunk by a person using the drinking cup 1. In the container part 2 the liquid is kept safe such that the drinking cup 1 can be carried around without thereby spilling any liquid from the drinking cup 1. If the container part 2 is provided with an insulating wall, then the container part 2 also maintains the temperature of the liquid which is stored in the container part 2. The container part 2 is arranged on top of a pump system, of which a bottom part 32 is visible. The pump system is provided to enable the transfer of a liquid in the container part 2 to a cup part 10 arranged on top of the container part 2. The cup part 10 is provided for holding a liquid, and making the liquid available for being drunk by a person using the drinking cup 1.

On the cup part 10 there is provided a lever 24 which partially extends over the container part 2. The lever 24 forms a part of a closing means for releasably closing a liquid supply opening 14 in the cup part 10. The liquid supply opening 14 is provided for passing a liquid which is transferred from the container part 2 to the cup part 10. A more detailed description of the closing means will be given below.

On top of the drinking cup 1 there is provided a covering element 38 which covers a drinking opening 12 at the top side of the cup part 10. The drinking opening 12 is provided for passing the liquid held in the cup part 10 to the person drinking from the drinking cup 1. To allow the person to drink from the drinking cup 1 the covering element 38 can be removed, or the covering element 38 can itself be provided with a sealable drinking opening 12 (not shown), which may be opened during drinking. The drinking opening 12 of the cup part 10 can be seen in Figure 2, where the drinking cup 1 of Figure 1 is shown in a perspective view from above with the covering element 38 removed from the cup part 0. Through the drinking opening 12, the drinking cavity 1 1 inside the cup part 0 can be seen, in which drinking cavity 1 1 the liquid is held when the liquid is moved from the container part 2 of the drinking cup 1 to the cup part 10.

At the bottom of the cup part 10 there is arranged a cap 34 of a dispensing means above the liquid supply opening 14 in the bottom side 13 of the cup part 10. The dispensing means is used for guiding a liquid coming out of the liquid supply opening 14 in a direction substantially parallel to the bottom of the drinking cavity 1 1 , and thus towards the sides of the dinking cavity 1 1 in the cup part 10. Therefore, the bottom side of the cap 34 is provided with guiding channels 37, as can be seen in Figure 3. The guiding channels 37 guide the liquid coming out of the liquid supply opening 14 along the bottom side of the cap 34, which bottom side of the cap 34 runs substantially parallel to the bottom of the drinking cavity 11 in the cup part 10. In this way, the dispensing means prevents the liquid from being ejected through the drinking opening 12 out of the cup part 10, and thus out of the drinking cup 1. It should however be clear to the person skilled in the art that there are other means to provide the dispensing means. For example, an L-shape tube connecting to the liquid supply opening could also be used as a dispensing means.

At the circumference, the cap 34 is provided with a flange 35, which is interrupted at two positions by a recess 36. This flange 35 is provided for connecting the cap 34 to the bottom side 13 of the cup part 10, by sliding the flange 35 underneath L-shaped protrusions 15 which are provided for this purpose on the bottom side 13 of the cup part 10 around the liquid supply opening 14. To slide the flange 35 underneath the L-shaped protrusions 15, the L-shaped protrusions 15 are first inserted through the recesses 36 in the flange 35 after which the cap 34 is rotated around a central axis such that the flange 35 is positioned below the L-shaped protrusions 15. This way of connecting allows the cap 34 to be removed quickly and easily, such that it can be cleaned, and such that the liquid supply opening 14 becomes accessible for cleaning. It should be clear to the person skilled in the art that there are other means for connecting the cap 34 to the cup part 0. Figure 4 shows a cross-section through the drinking cup 1 of Figure 1 along the line A-A. The figure exposes the internals of the drinking cup 1 , which will now be discussed in detail.

The pump system can be seen at the bottom of the drinking cup 1. The pump system comprises a bellows 29, which is arranged between a bottom part 32 and a top part 33 of the pump system. The top side of the bellows 29 is connected to the top part 33, and thereby an outlet nozzle 30 of the bellows 29 is connected to an air supply opening 8 in the bottom of the container part 2. The air supply opening 8 is provided with a check valve 9 which prevents a liquid to flow from the container part 2 into the bellows 29, but allows air to be passed from the bellows 29 to the container part 2. The bottom side of the bellows 29 is connected to the bottom part 32. The top part 33 is movably engaged in the bottom part 32 in such a way that the bottom part 32 and the top part 33 can not be detached from each other during normal operation of the pump system. At the top, the top part 33 is connected to the bottom of the container part 2. This arrangement allows the bellows 29 to be compressed and expanded by moving the container part 2, and thus the top part 33 attached thereto, with respect to the bottom part 32. Moving the container part 2 closer to the bottom part 32 compresses the bellows 29, and moving the container part 2 away from the bottom part 32 expands the bellows 29. The bellows 29 is provided with a resilient side wall 31 which aids in expanding the bellows 29 after the bellows 29 has been compressed.

By compressing the bellows 29 an amount of air is ejected from the bellows 29 into a storage cavity 3 inside the container part 2, which storage cavity 3 is provided for holding a liquid in the container part 2. Thereby, the ejected air passes through the outlet nozzle 30 of the bellows 29 and through the air supply opening 8 of the container part 2. The air supplied into the storage cavity 3 increases the air pressure inside the storage cavity 3. If the liquid supply opening 14 in the bottom side 13 of the cup part 10 is opened, then the increased pressure pushes the liquid from the storage cavity 3 into the drinking cavity 1 1 of the cup part 10. Thereby the liquid passes through a supply tube 18, of which one end is connected to the liquid supply opening 14, and of which the other end is arranged near the bottom of the storage cavity 3. If the liquid supply opening 14 is closed, then the pressure is increased in the storage cavity 3 without pushing a liquid from the storage cavity 3 towards the drinking cavity 1 1. In this case, the pressure can be further increased by repeatedly compressing and expanding the bellows 29.

To open and close the liquid supply opening 14 the drinking cup 1 is provided with a closing means. The closing means is provided for releasably closing the liquid supply opening 14 and comprises a compressible tube 16, a closing member 23, a lever 24, and a resilient member 28.

The compressible tube 16 is arranged in the liquid supply opening 14 in the bottom side 13 of the cup part 10, and forms a channel for transported a liquid through the supply opening 14. The compressible tube 16 isolates the liquid going through the liquid supply opening 14 from the other components of the drinking cup 1 arranged around the liquid supply opening 14. At both ends the compressible tube 16 is provided at the circumference with an outwardly extending flange 17. At the top the outwardly extending flange 17 forms a seal between the cap 34 of the dispensing means and the bottom side 3 of the cup part 10, and at the top the outwardly extending flange 17 forms a seal between the bottom side 3 of the cup part 0 and the supply tube 18. The seals formed by the outwardly extending flanges 17 prevent a liquid from seeping between the compressible tube 16 and the side walls of the liquid supply opening 14.

The closing member 23 is used to open and close the liquid supply opening 14. In this embodiment, the closing member 23 is a rod shaped element, which is arranged through an opening in the bottom side 13 of the cup part 10. This opening forms a connection between the liquid supply opening 14 and the exterior of the drinking cup 1 .

To close off the liquid supply opening 14, one end of the closing member

23 is pushed inside the liquid supply opening 14 against a side of the compressible tube 16, thereby pressing opposing side walls of the compressible tube 16 against each other, such that no liquid can pass through the compressible tube 16. To open up the liquid supply opening 14, the closing member 23 is moved out of the liquid supply opening 14 to enable the compressible tube 16 to resume its original shape, such that a liquid can pass through the compressible tube 6.

The opposite end of the closing member 23, which is facing to the exterior of the drinking cup 1 , is connected to a first arm 26 of the lever 24. The lever 24 is arranged on the outside of the drinking cup 1 against a side wall of the cup part 10. Thereby, the lever 24 is tiltably connected to the side wall of the cup part 10 at a fulcrum 25. A second arm 27 of the lever 24 is connected to the resilient member 28, which is a spring in this embodiment, which resilient member 28 is arranged between the lever 24 and the side wall of the cup part 10. In this configuration the resilient member 28 pushes the second arm 27 of the lever 24 away from the cup part 10, such that the first arm 26 of the lever 24 pushes the closing member 23 into the liquid supply opening 14 to close off the compressible tube 16. If a person using the drinking cup 1 , pushes on the outward facing side of the second arm 27 of the lever 24, then the first arm 26 pulls the closing member 23 out of the liquid supply opening 14 to open the compressible tube 16. If the person releases the lever 24 again, then the closing member 23 is pushed back against the compressible tube 16 because of the resilient member 28 pushing on the lever 24.

It should be clear that there are other ways to provide the closing means.

A spring may for example be arranged around the closing member 23 for pushing one end of the closing member 23 into the liquid supply opening 14, and the opposite end of the closing member 23 may be provided for being pulled on by the user such that the closing member 23 is pulled out of the liquid supply opening 14. In another example the closing means may comprise a ball which is pushed by a spring into the liquid supply opening 14, and wherein the closing means is further provided with an user-operable means for pulling the ball out of the liquid supply opening 14.

In this embodiment, the container part 2 comprises an insulating wall surrounding the storage cavity 3. The insulating wall is provided for keeping the liquid in the storage cavity 3 at the same temperature. The insulating wall comprises an outer wall 5 and an inner wall 7 between which intermediate layer 6 of an insulating material is arranged. This insulating material may for example polyurethane (PU) foam, or a vacuum.

In the drinking cup 1 of Figure 4, there is also arranged a hollow sieve element 19 around the supply tube 18. The sieve element 19 is provided for holding particles of an infusion material, such as for example coffee beans or tea leaves. The walls of the sieve element 19 are provided with a plurality of openings (not visible) with a size small enough to keep the particles of an infusion material inside the sieve element 19, but large enough to allow a liquid in the storage cavity 3 to pass through the sieve element 19. In this way an infusion drink, such as for example tea, can be prepared inside the storage cavity 3 of the drinking cup 1 by putting tea leaves in the sieve element 19 and hot water in the storage cavity 3. Hereby, the particles of the infusion material are not dispersed in the liquid in the storage cavity 3, but remain in the sieve element 19.

The sieve element 19 is arranged on the supply tube 18, by inserting the supply tube 18 through a first opening 20 on top of the sieve element 19 and through a second opening 21 at the bottom of the sieve element 19, which first opening 20 and second opening 21 are dimensioned such that they fit around the supply tube 18. The sieve element 19 can be removed from the supply tube 18 by pulling the supply tube 18 out of the first opening 20 and out of the second opening 21. When the sieve element 19 is removed from the supply tube 18, the particles of an infusion material can be removed from the sieve element 19, and the sieve element 19 can also be filled with other particles of an infusion material. To facilitate the movement of the supply tube 18 through the first opening 20, the sieve element 19 is provided with a flexible part 22 around the first opening 20. It should be clear to the person skilled in the art that a flexible part 22 can also be provided around the second opening 21 of the sieve element 19.

The cup part 10 of the drinking cup 1 is arranged with its bottom side 13 in the entrance opening 4 at the top of the container part 2, in such a way that the cup part 10 can be detached from the container part 2. By detaching the cup part 10 from the container part 2, the entrance opening 4 of the container part 2 is opened, such that a liquid can be supplied in the storage cavity 3 or removed from the storage cavity 3. In this way, the inside of the container part 2 is also accessible for cleaning. Detaching the cup part 10 from the container part 2 also takes the supply tube 18 and the sieve element 19 out of the storage cavity 3, such that they can be cleaned. Preferably, the supply tube 18 is provided such that it can be detached from the cup part 10, such that it can be cleaned separately.

Figure 4 also shows the covering element 38 to cover the drinking opening 12 at the top side of the cup part 10 and the cap 34 of the dispensing means arranged at the bottom side 13 of the cup part 10 above the liquid supply opening 14. List of references:

1 drinking cup

2 container part

3 storage cavity

4 entrance opening

5 outer wall

6 intermediate layer

7 inner wall

8 air supply opening

9 check valve

10 cup part

11 drinking cavity

12 drinking opening

13 bottom side of cup part

14 liquid supply opening

15 L-shaped protrusion

16 compressible tube

17 compressible tube flange

18 supply tube

19 sieve element

20 first opening sieve element

21 second opening sieve element

22 flexible part sieve element

23 closing member

24 lever

25 fulcrum

26 first arm

27 second arm

28 resilient member

29 bellows

30 outlet nozzle

31 resilient walls 32 bottom part

33 top part

34 cap

35 cap flange

36 cap flange recess

37 guiding channel

38 covering element