BACKGROUND

Many coffee, tea, and liquid containers operate based on simplicity. For example, the liquid container may be connected to a lid, in which the lid can be removably attached to the container to pour liquids therein. The lid may have a separate opening or hole exposed by movement or manipulation of the lid to enable the user to access and consume the liquid inside the container. Relying on the lid to access the container's reservoir increases the opportunities to spread germs and bacteria, whether onto the lid's opening, inside the container, or around these components, which may end up being ingested by the user.

SUMMARY

A sealed cup with an electro-mechanical lid (hereinafter referred to as “cup,” for short) is implemented, which is configured to reduce the amount of exposure the lid and liquid reservoir have to the user's hands, and thereby germs. The cup includes a lower container inside which liquid (e.g., coffee, tea, soda, alcohol, etc.) can be poured for future access by the user. The cup includes an upper container that secures to the lower container, such as through corresponding threads that engage responsive to user turning.

The upper container includes an internal container and an internal compartment. The internal container provides the flow path from the lower container to the upper container so that the user can drink the contents of the cup. The internal compartment is positioned laterally adjacent to the internal container. The internal container includes a base surface that blocks any liquids in the lower container from contacting the internal compartment. As the internal compartment houses and protects various electrical and mechanical components, the internal container's base surface helps prevent those components from being damaged by liquid. A seal wraps around the internal container and internal compartment to create a tight seal between the two components.

The cup includes a printed circuit board (PCB), battery, a hardware-based memory device, and a processor to control the lid's opening and closing responsive to user input. The upper container includes one or more buttons around its perimeter that the user can press, which triggers the lid's opening or closing about the upper container. Opening and closing the lid causes exposure to a spout from which the user can drink the liquid inside the container.

The buttons function as switches that cause an input at the processor, which triggers controlling of the lid. A motor is connected to the PCB and operates responsive to user input. The motor is connected to a worm and worm gear. The motor's movement transfers to the worm's bi-rotational movement and thereby the worm gear, depending on the motor's directional rotation. When the worm gear rotates, a pivot mechanism causes the lid to pivot to either expose or enclose the spout rotationally.

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any or all disadvantages noted in any part of this disclosure. It will be appreciated that the above-described subject matter may be implemented as a computer-controlled apparatus, a computer process, a computing system, or as an article of manufacture such as one or more computer-readable storage media. These and various other features will be apparent from a reading of the following Detailed Description and a review of the associated drawings.

