0001 The present application is a divisional of application Ser. No. 09/987,239 filed Nov. 14, 2001, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 0002 The present invention relates to a double cup which is capable of containing snacks and drinks in a separate manner so as to allow consumers to enjoy snacks and drinks at the same time. More particularly, the present invention relates to a double cup in which a disk or cup type auxiliary member with a variety types of drinking straw insertion portions formed thereat is inserted into the main cup so as to divide the interior of the main cup into an upper section and lower section. Thus, consumers drink beverages through straws from the main cup and eat snacks from the auxiliary member.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 0003 In general, people enjoy convenience foods such as fried chicken or french fried potatoes in places like theater, park or passenger compartment of motor vehicle, together with drinks such as water, coke, soda pop and juice. In such cases, two containers are required for drinks and foods, respectively, and consumers have to use both hands to hold each container. Thus, consumers may suffer from inconveniences of using both hands, increasing the risk of spilling drinks or snacks.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 0004 The present invention provides a new and improved double cup which overcomes the drawbacks enumerated above caused due to the configuration where containers for drinks and snacks are arranged in an individual manner. 0005 It is an object of the prevent invention to provide a double cup capable of containing snacks and drinks at the same time into a single cup configuration so as to thereby reduce material consumption, and increase user conveniences by allowing users to drink or eat food in a convenient manner while holding the cup with one hand. 0006 It is another object of the present invention to provide a double cup having a main cup which is separable into an upper section and a lower section through an auxiliary member, while preventing drink from entering the auxiliary member which contains snacks. 0007 It is still another object of the present invention to provide a double cup equipped with means for allowing the drink contained in the main cup and food contained in the auxiliary member to be readily refilled or replaced. 0008 To accomplish the above objects of the present invention, there is provided a double cup having a main cup separable into an upper section and a lower section through an auxiliary member having a drinking straw insertion portion formed thereat. Preferably, the auxiliary member is a disk having a tapered outer periphery or an auxiliary cup having a shape similar to the shape of the main cup. More preferably, the disk or auxiliary cup has a drinking straw guide rod which is hollow and has a predetermined height. 0009 The auxiliary member is an auxiliary cup having a recess formed at a side surface of the cup, in which the cup has at an upper outer periphery thereof a stopper so as to allow the outer periphery of the auxiliary cup excluding the recess of the auxiliary cup to be inserted into the main cup, while contacting the inner periphery of the main cup. Thus, the stopper is fitted to the upper outer periphery of the main cup so as to be disposed onto the main cup. The space between the main cup and auxiliary cup forms a drinking straw insertion portion.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 0010

FIG. 1

a is an exploded perspective view illustrating a double cup according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 0011

FIG. 1

b is a perspective view illustrating a disk serving as an auxiliary member in the first embodiment of the present invention; 0012 FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a double cup according to a second embodiment of the present invention; 0013

FIGS. 3

a and 3b are sectional views illustrating the coupled state of the double cup shown in FIG. 2; 0014

FIGS. 4, 5

a and 5b illustrate alternative embodiments of the double cup of the second embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 4 and FIG. 5a are exploded perspective views of the double cup shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 5b is a section view illustrating the coupled state of the double cup shown in FIG. 2; 0015

FIG. 6

a is an exploded perspective view illustrating a double cup according to a third embodiment of the present invention; 0016

FIG. 6

b is an exploded perspective view illustrating an alternative embodiment of the double cup of the third embodiment of the present invention; and 0017 FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 0018 A double cup of the present invention will be explained in more detail with reference to the attached drawings. Throughout the specification and drawings, identical elements bear identical reference numerals with identical functions. 0019 Referring to FIG. 1a, an auxiliary member shaped as a disk 31 having a tapered outer periphery contacting the inner periphery of a main cup 10, is inserted into the main cup 10. The disk 31 has at a center thereof a hole 51 formed for insertion of a drinking straw 20, wherein the hole 51 can be formed at any desired position. 0020

FIG. 1

b is a perspective view illustrating an alternative embodiment of the disk serving as an auxiliary member in the double cup of the first embodiment. Referring to FIG. 1b, a disk 31a has at a center thereof a drinking straw guide rod 51a which is hollow and allow a drinking straw to be inserted into the drinking straw guide rod 51a. Preferably, the drinking straw guide rod 51a has a height reaching the entrance of the main cup when the disk 31a is mounted to the main cup 10. The drinking straw guide rod 51a prevents snacks from being wet by the liquid(drink) when snacks are contained in the space defined by the disk 31a in the upper portion of the main cup 10. Further, the drinking straw guide rod 51a prevents snacks from entering the main cup containing liquid. 0021 FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a double cup according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 2, an auxiliary cup 33 having a shape similar to that of the main cup 10 is inserted into the main cup so as to divide the main cup 10 into an upper section and a lower section. The auxiliary cup 33 has a tapered slope same as or larger than the tapered slope of the main cup 10, such that the auxiliary cup 33 gets caught at a predetermined position of the main cup 10 when inserted into the main cup, thus allowing the lower space of the main cup 10 defined by the auxiliary cup to function as a container for drink. The auxiliary cup 33 has a hole 53 so as to allow the drinking straw to be inserted into the hole. 0022 Referring to FIG. 3a, the auxiliary cup 35 has a recess 35a formed at the outer periphery of the bottom surface of the auxiliary cup 35 so as to allow the auxiliary cup 35 to be coupled to the upper outer periphery of a main cup 11 through the recess 35a. The recess 35a formed at the auxiliary cup 35 contacting a rolled upper end 11a of the main cup 11. Referring to FIG. 3b, the auxiliary cup 35 has a recess 35b shaped to be fit to a round protrusion 11b protruded inwardly from the top of the main cup 11. The recess 35b formed at the auxiliary cup 35 increases rigidity of the coupled state between the main cup 11 and the auxiliary cup 35, as compared with the recess 35a shown in FIG. 3a. The auxiliary cup 35 has a hole 55 for insertion of the drinking straw 20, wherein the hole 55 has an outer periphery 55a protruded to a predetermined height. The outer periphery 55a prevents snacks(S) from being wetted by a beverage(B), and functions similarly to the drinking straw guide rod 51a shown in FIG. 1b. 0023 Referring to FIG. 4, an auxiliary cup 37 has along an upper outer periphery thereof a stopper 37a, such that the outer periphery of the auxiliary cup 37 contacts the inner periphery of the main cup 10 when the auxiliary cup is inserted into the main cup. Thus, the stopper 37a gets caught at the top of the main cup 10. Preferably, the auxiliary cup 37 has a tapered slope same as that of the main cup 10, and a height same as or lower than the height of the main cup 10. 0024 Referring to FIG. 5a and FIG. 5b, the double cup has a configuration same as the double cup shown in FIG. 4, except that a drinking straw guide rod 59 which is hollow forms a drinking straw insertion portion. The drinking straw guide rod 59 prevents snacks contained in the auxiliary cup 39 from being wetted by the beverage. Reference numeral 39a denotes a stopper for allowing the auxiliary cup 39 to be mounted at the outer periphery of the top of the main cup 10. 0025

FIG. 6

a is an exploded perspective view illustrating a double cup according to the third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6b is an exploded perspective view illustrating a double cup as an alternative embodiment of the third embodiment. 0026 Referring to FIG. 6a. an auxiliary cup 41 having a recess 41b formed at the side surface of the auxiliary cup 41 is employed as an auxiliary member for dividing the main cup 10 into an upper section and a lower section. The auxiliary cup 41 has a stopper 41a formed at the top of the outer periphery of the auxiliary cup 41, such that the auxiliary cup gets caught at the top of the main cup 10 through the stopper 41a. The recess 41b formed at the side surface of the auxiliary cup 41 forms a space for insertion of the drinking straw between the main cup 10 and the recess 41b of the auxiliary cup 41, when the auxiliary cup 41 is inserted into the main cup in such a manner that the outer periphery of the auxiliary cup 41 but the recess 41b contacts the inner periphery of the main cup 10. The double cup shown in FIG. 6b differs from the double cup shown in FIG. 6a, in that the one shown in FIG. 6b has a surface 43b formed by cutting out a portion of the side wall of an auxiliary cup 43. Reference numeral 43a denotes a stopper. The space defined between the surface 43b of the auxiliary cup 43 and the inner periphery of the main cup 10 allows the main cup of the auxiliary cup to be readily refilled with beverage or snacks. The double cup of the present invention eliminates the necessity of forming a drinking straw hole at the auxiliary cup, to thereby prevent snacks contained in the auxiliary cup from being wetted by the beverage contained in the main cup. 0027 FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a double cup according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 7, the auxiliary member is an auxiliary cup 45 having a stopper 45a formed at the top of the auxiliary cup and surfaces 45b and 45c formed at the side surfaces of the cup. The outer periphery of the auxiliary cup 45 excluding surfaces 45b and 45c contacts the inner periphery of the main cup 10 when the auxiliary cup 45 is inserted into the main cup 10. Thus, the stopper 45a contacts the top of the main cup. Holes 61a and 61b are formed at the stopper 45a of the auxiliary cup so as to allow drinking straws 20a and 20b to be inserted into holes 61a and 61b. The double cup according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention allows two consumers to eat snacks contained in the auxiliary cup 45 or drink beverage contained in the main cup 10 at the same time. 0028 As described above, a double cup of the present invention is advantageous in that the cup is divided into upper and lower sections through a variety types of auxiliary members so as to contain snacks and beverages at the same time, thus reducing materials for manufacturing cups and allowing consumers to eat or drink in a convenient manner. 0029 Further, the present invention has a hollow drinking straw guide rod formed at the auxiliary member so as to prevent beverages from entering the auxiliary member containing snacks. 0030 The double cup of the present invention has a recess or plane surface formed at the side surface of the auxiliary cup, such that the main cup and auxiliary cup can be easily refilled with snacks or drink through the space formed between the inner periphery of the main cup and the recess or plane surface formed at the auxiliary cup. 0031 While preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the specifics of these embodiments, but rather is defined by the appended claims.