Asymmetric lid for use with an open-top container

Abstract

A lid for use with an open-top container comprises an annular top wall and a side wall extending from the top wall. The top wall comprises an opening for passage of flowable substance. The side wall includes a mounting portion for connecting the lid to the container. The mounting portion includes an annular flange and an upper surface. An extension section is defined between the upper surface and the annular flange. The extension section is located in proximity of the opening in the top wall. The extension section is configured to inhibit passage of the flowable substance at a contact location defined by overlapping of the upper portion of the sideseam joint and the outwardly curled lip overlap with one another.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to plastic container lids. More particularly, this invention relates to a container lid having an extension section integrally attached to a mounting portion of the lid to inhibit passage of a flowable substance from a container at a contact location defined by overlapping of the sideseam joint and the outwardly curled lip of the container with one another.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Containers lids for beverages and other substances intended for consumer products are well known. Such container lids are formed from a fusible plastic sheet material, and are designed to snap-fit over the top of the containers (i.e., cups) to keep the liquid contents of such cups from spilling during transport.

Container lids generally comprise a circular panel circumscribed by a side wall that terminates in an enhanced diameter edge. The enhanced diameter edge is dimensioned so that it is capable of snap-fitting over the annular brim that circumscribes the open end of a drinking cup. To provide the enhanced diameter edge with sufficient resiliency to achieve its purpose, a groove is provided in the side wall that circumscribes the central, circular panel of the lid. A frusto-conically shaped skirt is integrally connected to the enhanced diameter edge. This skirt flares outwardly and downwardly from the edge, and not only increases the hoop strength of the enhanced diameter edge, but also advantageously receives, guides, and wedgingly snaps the enhanced edge of the lid over the annular brim of the drinking cup when it is pressed downwardly over the open end of the cup.

Existing lid designs suffer from a number of problems including spillage through the annular brim due to the lack of a reliable means for sealing a space caused by the brim discontinuity and the sideseam joint. For example, most often users inadvertently position the lid on the open end of the cup such that the drinking hole is aligned with the sideseam joint of the cup. When the user is sipping from the drinking hole, the beverage is dripping from the unwanted space formed by the sideseam joint and the annular brim overlapping with one another. To address this problem, a number of lid designs include a double grooves disposed in the lid. However, most existing double grooves lids lack structural integrity and as a result, do not effectively seal the crack. Also, a number of other similar designs are suggested which are difficult to operate due to their complex design.

What is needed therefore is a container lid adapted to be used with a cup to inhibit passage of flowable substance when the drinking opening is aligned with the sideseam joint of the cup.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to an asymmetric lid for use with an open-top container. The open-top container is preferably a paper cup having a sideseam and an outwardly curled lip formed on the upper portion of the paper cup. The lid is designed to inhibit passage of beverage from the lip when a drinking opening of the lid and the sideseam of the cup are aligned with one another.

Accordingly, the present invention relates to a lid for use with an open-top container comprising an annular top wall and a side wall extending from the top wall. The top wall comprises an opening for passage of flowable substance. The side wall includes a mounting portion for connecting the lid to the container. The mounting portion comprises an annular flange and an upper surface. An extension section is defined between the upper surface and the annular flange. The extension section is located in proximity of the opening in the top wall. The extension section is configured to inhibit passage of the flowable substance at a contact location defined by overlapping of the upper portion of the sideseam joint and the outwardly curled lip overlap with one another.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, an asymmetric lid for use with a container comprises a sideseam joint and an outwardly curled lip. The lid comprises a top wall having an opening for passage of flowable substance into and out of the container. A side wall is extending downwardly from the top wall. A lower portion of the side wall defines a mounting portion configured to sealingly engage with the container. The lower portion of the side wall comprises an extension section integrally attached to a portion of the mounting portion located in proximity of the opening. The extension section inhibits passage of the flowable substance at a contact location defined by overlapping of the sideseam joint and the outwardly curled lip with one another.

In accordance with one further aspect of the invention, a container comprises a cup having an open-top, an outwardly curled lip and a sideseam joint. A lid is detachably enclosing the open-top of the container. The lid comprises of an annular top wall having an opening for passage of flowable substance into and out of the cup. A side wall is depending from the top wall. A lower portion of the side wall defines a mounting portion configured to sealingly engage with the outwardly curled lip of the cup. The lower portion of the side wall comprises an extension section integrally attached to a portion of the mounting portion located in proximity of the opening. The extension section inhibits passage of the flowable substance at a contact location defined by overlapping of the sideseam joint and the outwardly curled lip with one another.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A full understanding of the invention can be gained from the following description of the preferred embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a lid adapted to be used with an open-top container in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is similar to FIG. 1 illustrating the lid enclosing the open-top container;

FIG. 3 is a sectional elevation view of FIG. 2 taken along section line 3-3;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the lid having an extension section located in proximity of an opening in a top wall of the lid;

FIG. 5 is a top view of the FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a side cross sectional view of a mounting portion of the lid in FIG. 4 illustrating a vertical length (DE) of extension section as depicted in FIG. 4; and

FIG. 7 is a side cross sectional view of a portion of the lid in FIG. 4 illustrating how changes in the vertical length (DE) effects locus points of the radii R2 and R3.

DETAIL DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail preferred embodiments of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the broad aspect of the invention to the embodiments illustrated.

FIG. 1 illustrates a lid 10 adapted to enclose an open-top container 12. For illustrative purposes, the open-top container 12 is generally a paper cup having a portion of a sideseam joint 14 and an outwardly curled lip 16 formed with one another. The paper cup could be a beverage cup which the open-top is defined by the rim of the cup. The lid 10 has an opening 18 for passage of flowable substance such as coffee, tea and/or other cold beverages. An aperture or a vent hole 20 is located opposite the drinking opening 18. The vent hole 20 is adapted to ensure the continuous flow of the cup contents through the drinking opening 19 while venting the cup 12.

FIG. 2 shows the lid 10 enclosed the open-top container 12. Often when a user is enclosing the open-top container 12 with the lid 10, the drinking opening 18 and the sideseam joint 14 are inadvertently aligned. The alignment of the sideseam joint 14 and the drinking opening 18 causes a deformation of the lid 10 at the sideseam joint area 22. This deformation exacerbates the dribble issue because the lid 10 is generally pulled up the outwardly curled lip 16 causing a decrease in interference in the sideseam joint area 22. The sideseam joint area 22 is defined by a contact location 23 (as shown in FIG. 1) that is a contact contour that can be shaped differently to change the contact contour between the lid 10 and the cup 12. The contact contour can be a point, linear, radial, vertical or at some desired angle. For example, some manufactures of lid use an internal plug inside the cup rim to help support clamping action of the flared skirt 25.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, and more particularly to FIG. 4, which the lid 10 is including an extension section 24 located in proximity of the drinking opening 18. The extension section 24 is integrally attached to the lid 10 to overcome the dribbling issue as described in the previous paragraph. For illustrative purposes, the extension section is defined by a vertical length DE′. Up to ⅓ of the lid perimeter and preferably ¼ of the lid perimeter can be used for attaching the extension section 24 to the lid 10 without affecting the tight fitting of the lid 10 to the cup or open-top container 12 when a user is drinking from the opening 19. Loose fitting of the lid 10 to the cup 14 have a tendency to misalign during assembly and thus easily popped off. The extension section 24 produces the largest resisting pressure against the deformation of the open-top container 12 and the lid 10 since the overlapping of the sideseam joint 14 and the outwardly curled lip 16 causes a significant discontinuity as best depicted in FIG. 3.

Still referring to FIG. 4, the lid 10 includes an annular top wall 26 and a side wall 28 extending from peripheral edge 30 of the top wall 26. Although the annular top wall 26 is shown as having a generally flat surface, the surface can be curved or angled. Similarly, the side wall 28 can be curved or generally flat. The overall shape of the lid 10 is generally frustaconical, however, the lid 10 can have a number of other configurations. It should be noted that the top wall 26 and the side wall 28 are integrally formed with one another. Similarly, the extension section 24 is integrally attached to a portion of the mounting portion 34. The mounting portion 34 is defined by a lower portion 32 of the side wall 28. The mounting portion 34 is configured to sealingly engage with the outwardly curled lip 16 of the open-top container 12. The mounting portion 34 includes an annular flange 36 and an upper surface 38. The extension section 24 is integrally attached between the upper surface 38 and the annular flange 36. The extension section 34 is extended downwardly and radially with respect to at least 5% of surface area of the mounting portion 34. The dimensions and configurations of the extended section 24 can vary depending upon the configuration of the lid 10 and the degree to which the extended section portion extends downwardly and radially inward.

The lid 10 can be formed by a variety of manufacturing processes, such as injection molding or a thermoforming operation, preferably vacuum forming and/or pressure forming. The lid 10 is preferably formed from plastic; however, other lightweight materials can be used as well. After manufacturing process has been completed, the drinking opening 18 may be formed in the top wall 26 with a punch and die. The vent hole 20 could also be formed with a punch and die. As noted above, the vent hole 20 is adapted to ensure the continuous flow of the cup contents through the drinking opening 18 while venting the cup 12. For example, when a user enclosing the cup with the lid 10, if the drinking opening 18 and the sideseam joint 14 are inadvertently aligned, then the lid 10 having the extension section 24 completely seal the cup 12 and therefore, prevent the dribbling of beverage from the sideseam joint area 22.

FIG. 5 is the top view of FIG. 4 and FIGS. 6 and 7 are side cross sectional views of the mounting portion 34 of the lid in FIG. 5. Particularly referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, the annular flange 36 includes a curvature R2 having a locus and a magnitude. It should be noted that the addition of the extension section 24 to the mounting portion 34 causes a change in the locus of the curvature defined by R3, but the magnitude of the curvature R2 remains the same. The shift in distance of the locus of the curvature R2 is equivalent to the magnitude vertical lengths (DE) and (DE′). The vertical lengths (DE) and (DE′) are resulted from the shape of the extension section 24. The vertical lengths (DE) and (DE′) are defined as distances required for manufacturing purposes to integrally attach the extension section 24 to the mounting portion 34 as depicted in FIG. 4. The extension section 24 is implemented to inhibit dribbling of beverage from the contact location 23 when a user inadvertently positioned the lid 10 on the container 12 such that the opening 18 is aligned with the sideseam joint 14.

While the invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from its scope. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A lid for use with an open-top container comprising:

an annular top wall having an opening for passage of flowable substance; and

a side wall extending from the top wall, the side wall including a mounting portion for connecting the lid to the container, the mounting portion having an annular flange and an upper surface, an extension section being defined between the upper surface and the annular flange wherein the extension section is located in proximity to the opening in the top wall.

2. The lid of claim 1 wherein the open-top container is a paper cup having a sideseam joint and an outwardly curled lip wherein the outwardly curved lip is configured to fit snugly onto the mounting portion.

3. The lid of claim 2 wherein the extension section is configured to inhibit passage of the flowable substance at a contact location defined by overlapping an upper portion of the sideseam joint and the outwardly curled lip overlap with one another.

4. The lid of claim 1 wherein the extension section is extended downwardly and radially with respect to at least 5% of surface area of the mounting portion.

5. The lid of claim 1 wherein the top wall and the side wall are integrally formed with one another.

6. A lid for use with a container having a sideseam joint and an outwardly curled lip, the lid comprising:

a top wall having an opening for passage of flowable substance into and out of the container; and

a side wall extending downwardly from the top wall, a lower portion of the side wall defining a mounting portion configured to sealingly engage with the container wherein the lower portion of the side wall comprises an extension section integrally attached to a portion of the mounting portion located in proximity of the opening to inhibit passage of the flowable substance at a contact location defined by overlapping of the sideseam joint and the outwardly curled lip with one another.

7. The lid of claim 6 wherein the top wall and the side wall are integrally formed with one another.

8. The lid of claim 6 wherein the mounting portion comprises an upper surface, an annular flange, and an outwardly flared skirt wherein the extension section is integrally attached between the upper surface and the annular flange.

9. The lid of claim 6 wherein the wherein the extension section is extended downwardly and radially with respect to about 5% to about 70% of surface area of the mounting portion.

10. A container comprising:

a cup having an open-top, an outwardly curled lip and a sideseam joint; and

a lid configured to detachably enclose the open-top, the lid comprises of an annular top wall having an opening for passage of flowable substance into and out of the cup, a side wall depending from the top wall, a lower portion of the side wall defining a mounting portion configured to sealingly engage with the outwardly curled lip of the cup wherein the lower portion of the side wall comprises an extension section integrally attached to a portion of the mounting portion located in proximity of the opening to inhibit passage of the flowable substance at a contact location defined by overlapping of the sideseam joint and the outwardly curled lip with one another.

11. The lid of claim 10 wherein the mounting portion includes an upper surface, an annular flange, and an outwardly flared skirt wherein the extension section is integrally attached between the upper surface and the annular flange.

12. The lid of claim 10 wherein the extension section is extended downwardly and radially with respect to 10 to 50% of surface area of the mounting portion.