LID FOR A DRINKING CONTAINER
A lid for a drinking container includes a circular upper portion having a groove portion extending on the circumference of the circular upper portion, and a circular lower portion having a counterpart groove portion extending on the circumference of the circular lower portion. The circular upper portion includes first and second openings and the circular lower portion includes corresponding first and second openings. The groove portion of the circular upper portion and the counterpart groove portion of the circular lower portion are configured to be coupled with each other to guide the circular upper portion and the circular lower portion to be turned in relation to each other around a common axis in a manner enabling the first openings being aligned and the second openings being aligned in an opening position, and enabling the first openings being un-aligned and the second openings being un-aligned in a closing position.
The invention relates to a lid for a drinking container, such as especially a lid for a coffee or tea mug for preventing any leaking or spilling of liquid contained the mug in use. In addition the invention relates to a method for manufacturing the lid for the drinking container.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONNumbers of different lid for drinking containers are known, where one of the simplest one is a plastic flat lid having a small drinking hole on the top cover area and a bent rim portion, which is to be settled around the rim portion of a cardboard coffee mug. Also rubber lids are known, where the drinking hole is sealed with a sealing member. The sealing member has typically a small arm and is hinged so that it can be turned away from the drinking hole for drinking the liquid inside the mug, and again it can be turned over the drinking hole for a sealing purpose. The sealing member is pressed against the drinking hole in sealing position by spring force of the arm. Furthermore more complex structures are also known, such as lids with inner sealing members having e.g. springs and sealing balls, where the balls are pushed by the springs into and away from the drinking hole for example when the lid is turned around.
There are however some disadvantages relating to the known prior art, such as the plastic flat lid having a small drinking hole does not have any sealing function for the drinking hole. In addition the rubber lid with the sealing member is not tight enough because the spring force of the arm is often loosen and especially because the small arm is easily bent or even swing away from the hole area, for example when the mug is put into a bag. Furthermore lids with inner sealing members having e.g. springs and sealing balls are very complex to manufacture and additionally extremely difficult to keep clean, and often there is also no clear feedback or indication to the user when the lid is in an open or closed position.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAn object of the invention is to alleviate and eliminate the problems relating to the known prior art. Especially the object of the invention is to provide a lid for a drinking container, which is easy to use and keep clear and additionally seals the drinking hole in liquid tightly and reliable way so that any unwanted opening of the drinking hole is prevented. In addition an object is to provide a lid, which provides a clear indication to the user whether the lid is in an open or closed position.
The object of the invention can be achieved by the features of independent claims.
The invention relates to a lid according to claim 1. In addition the invention relates to a manufacturing method of the lid according to claim 17.
According to an embodiment of the invention a lid for a drinking container comprises upper and lower portions. The upper portion is a circular upper portion, and it comprises a groove portion, such as e.g. a recess in an inner surface extending at least partially and advantageously essentially on the circumference of the circular upper portion. The lower portion is a circular lower portion and it comprises a counterpart groove portion for the groove portion of the upper portion, such as e.g. a projecting portion in an outer surface extending at least partially and advantageously essentially on the circumference of the circular lower portion. The circular upper portion comprises additionally first and second openings, namely one for drink outlet and one for compensation air inlet. In addition the circular lower portion comprises corresponding first and second openings, one for drink outlet and one for compensation air inlet.
The groove portion of the circular upper portion and the counterpart groove portion of the circular lower portion are advantageously configured so that they can be coupled with each other in use. The coupling is advantageously implemented so to guide the circular upper portion and the circular lower portion in the manner where they can be turned in relation to each other around a common axis. When turning the portions, they enable the first openings being aligned and the second openings being aligned in an opening position and thereby allowing liquid flow through via the first openings and compensation air inlet via the second openings. In addition the portions enable the first openings being un-aligned and said second openings being un-aligned in a sealing manner in a closing position, so when the portions are turned in the manner where the openings are not aligned. In the closing position the openings of the drinking container are sealed in a liquid tightly manner and thereby any leaking or spilling of liquid contained the mug can be prevented.
According to an embodiment the first and second openings of the circular lower portion are provided with sealing members, such as rubber or silicone members, which are arranged to be pressed against the circular upper portion in a non-opening position in a liquid-tightly sealing manner. The sealing members are advantageously arranged around the opening areas so to prevent any leakage into the space between circular upper and lower portions. In addition the circular lower portion comprises a sealing ring extending around the inner rim portion of the circular lower portion. The sealing ring is configured to be faced against an outer wall of the drinking container in a liquid-tightly sealing manner so to prevent any leakage of the liquid between the lid and the mug. The sealing ring is advantageously soft rubber or silicon, which easily take a shape of the outer wall rim of the mug and thereby provide effective sealing.
In addition, according to an embodiment the circular lower portion comprises at least one locking member and the circular upper portion comprises at least one counterpart locking member. The locking members are configured to lock a free circular movement at least in the opening and closing positions, when the circular upper portion and the circular lower portion are turned in relation to each other around said common axis. The locking member may be implemented e.g. by snap elements or a tongue element and the counterpart locking member by a cut (or vice versa). The cut is configured to be coupled with said tongue and thereby lock the circular upper and lower portions in relation to each other in the opening and closing positions. It is to be noted that the locking members can be positioned freely into the circular upper and lower portions thereby enabling number or different positions to be locked the circular upper and lower portions.
The locking members, such as the snap elements or tongue elements and the counterpart locking members, may be implemented so that they provide haptic and/or audible feedback for the user when closing or opening the lid, such as snap sound and resistance change felt before snapping into closed or opened position. Additionally or alternatively the lid may comprise also visual alignment or indication for the closed or opened positions.
According to an embodiment the circular upper portion comprises a protruding section in the outer rim area. In addition the circular lower portion comprises also a protruding section in the outer rim area. These protruding sections comprise essentially the same shape with each other, and according to an advantageous embodiment they are configured to be aligned in the closing position and thereby preventing to grip on the circular upper portion and to disconnect said circular upper and lower portions from each other. In the opening position they are configured to be un-aligned thereby easily allowing disconnecting said circular upper and lower portions from each other.
Furthermore, according to an advantageous embodiment the circular lower portion comprises two structural portions, one of which comprises hard material, like plastic, and one of which comprises said counterpart groove portion and reinforcement structure. Also the circular upper portion may comprise two structural portions, one of which comprises hard material, like plastic, and another, the outer portion a cover material, which is advantageously such that it is easy to hold, such as rubber, silicone or TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) or other thermoplastic elastomers, like TPV which can be used also for the soft part of the inner lid. The cover material extends over the outer portion of the lid and comprises advantageously an opening in the connection with the drinking outlet (the first opening) so that the liquid can flow out from the mug via the drinking outlet. The opening is advantageously larger than any of said first and/or second openings of the circular upper portions. The cover material with the opening is arranged into the upper portion so to prevent or minimize finger touches to the drinking hole. The structural portion comprises additionally a reinforcement structure at the portion of the opening of the cover material thereby preventing any mechanical deformation and damage to the cover material.
The present invention offers advantages over the known prior art, such as an easy and liquid-tight manner to close the drinking hole of the lid and an easy and hygienic way to open it for drinking. The drinking hole can be closed in a reliable way so that any unwanted opening of the drinking hole is effectively prevented. In addition the invention provides the lid, which is easy to couple with the drinking container in a liquid-tight manner. The lid according to the invention can be implemented without any springs or sealing balls, which makes the structure and manufacturing process quite simple. In addition the lid of the invention is easy to use and keep clear. Moreover the lid provides a clear indication to the user whether the lid is in an open or closed position.
Next the invention will be described in greater detail with reference to exemplary embodiments in accordance with the accompanying drawings, in which:
The upper portion 201 comprises a groove portion 203, such as e.g. a recess in an inner surface extending essentially on the circumference of the circular upper portion. The lower circular portion 202 comprises a counterpart groove portion 204 for the groove portion 203 of the upper portion 201, such as e.g. a projecting portion in an outer surface extending on the circumference of the circular lower portion 202. The circular upper portion 201 comprises additionally first opening 205a and second opening 206a, namely one for a drink outlet 205a and one 206a for a compensation air inlet. In addition the circular lower portion 202 comprises corresponding first opening 205b and second opening 206b, one 205b for the drink outlet and one 206b for the compensation air inlet. When the lid is assembled, as is the case in
The groove portion 203 of the circular upper portion 201 and the counterpart groove portion 204 of the circular lower portion 202 are configured so that they can be coupled with each other in use, as can be seen in
In addition the portions 201, 202 enable the first openings 205a, 206b being un-aligned and said second openings 205b, 206b being un-aligned in a sealing manner in a closing position, so when the portions are turned in the manner where the openings are not aligned. In the closing position the openings of the drinking container are sealed in a liquid tightly manner and thereby any leaking or spilling of liquid contained the mug can be prevented.
As can be seen in
In addition, as can be seen especially in
Furthermore, as can be seen especially in
According to an embodiment the circular upper portion 201 comprises also a central opening 220 at the centre portion of the circular upper portion, and the circular upper portion comprises an elevated portion 221 at the centre portion of the circular lower portion, as can be seen e.g. in
It is to be noted that the locking members 210, 211 illustrated in
The circular lower portion comprises advantageously also a sealing ring 226 extending around the inner rim portion of the circular lower portion, which can be seen also in
Additionally, as can be seen e.g. in
The invention has been explained above with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, and several advantages of the invention have been demonstrated. It is clear that the invention is not only restricted to these embodiments, but comprises all possible embodiments within the spirit and scope of the inventive thought and the following patent claims. In addition it is to be noted that the features recited in dependent claims are mutually freely combinable unless otherwise explicitly stated.
Claims
1. A lid (200) for a drinking container (100),
- wherein the lid comprises: a circular upper portion (201) comprising a groove portion (203) extending on the circumference of the circular upper portion, and a circular lower portion (202) comprising a counterpart groove portion (204) extending on the circumference of the circular lower portion,
- wherein: said circular upper portion (201) comprises a first (205a) and second (205b) openings and said circular lower portion (202) comprises corresponding first (206a) and second (206b) openings,
- wherein: said groove portion (203) of the circular upper portion (201) and said counterpart groove portion (204) of the circular lower portion (202) are configured to be coupled with each other so to guide the circular upper portion (201) and the circular lower portion (202) to be turned (231) in relation to each other around a common axis (207) in a manner enabling said first openings (205a, 205b) being aligned and said second openings (206a, 206b) being aligned in an opening position, and enabling said first openings (205a, 205b) being un-aligned and said second openings (206a, 206b) being un-aligned in a closing position.
2. The lid of claim 1, wherein the circular upper portion (201) comprises a circular concave portion (216) and the circular lower portion comprises a circular counterpart ridge (217) portion, wherein said concave portion (2016) of the circular upper portion (201) and said counterpart ridge portion (217) of the circular lower portion (202) are configured to be coupled with each other so to additionally guide (223) the circular upper portion (201) and the circular lower portion (202) to be turned (231) in relation to each other around said common axis (207) in the manner enabling said first openings (205a, 205b) being aligned and said second openings (206a, 206b) being aligned in the opening position, and enabling said first openings (205a, 205b) being un-aligned and said second openings (206a, 206b) being un-aligned in the closing position.
3. The lid of claim 1, wherein the circular concave portion (216) of the circular upper portion (201) comprises said first opening (205a) and the circular counterpart ridge portion (217) of the circular lower portion (202) comprises said corresponding first opening (205b).
4. The lid of claim 3, wherein an inner rim circular portion (218) alongside the concave portion (216) of the circular upper portion (201) comprises said second opening (206a) and an inner rim circular portion (219) alongside the circular counterpart ridge portion (217) of the circular lower portion (202) comprises said corresponding second opening (206b).
5. The lid of claim 4, wherein said inner rim circular portions (218, 219) are arranged different levels than said concave portion (216) and ridge portion (217) correspondingly.
6. The lid of claim 1, wherein said first and second openings (205b, 206b) of the circular lower portion (202) are provided with sealing members (214, 215), wherein said sealing members are arranged to be pressed against the circular upper portion (202) in a non-opening position in a liquid-tightly sealing manner.
7. The lid of claim 1, wherein the circular lower portion (202) comprises snap members (226) in the circular inner rim portion to be faced against the wall of the drinking container (100) in order to locking the circular lower portion (202) tightly against the drinking container when the circular lower portion is coupled with said drinking container and in use.
8. The lid of claim 1, wherein the circular lower portion (202) comprises at least one locking member (210) and the circular upper portion (201) comprises at least one counterpart locking member (211), whereupon said locking members (210, 211) are configured to lock a free circular movement of the circular upper and lower portions at least in said opening and closing positions, when the circular upper portion and the circular lower portion are turned in relation to each other around said common axis (207).
9. The lid of claim 1, wherein the circular upper portion (201) comprises a protruding section (212) in the outer rim area and the circular lower portion (202) comprises a protruding section (213) in the outer rim area, where said protruding sections (212, 213) comprise essentially the same shape with each other, and where said protruding sections are configured to be aligned in the closing position thereby preventing to grip on the circular upper portion and to disconnect said circular upper and lower portions from each other, and where said protruding sections are configured to be un-aligned in the opening position thereby allowing disconnecting said circular upper and lower portions from each other.
10. The lid of claim 1, wherein the circular lower portion comprises a sealing ring (226) extending around the inner rim portion of the circular lower portion (220), where said sealing ring is configured to be faced against the drinking container's (100) outer wall in a liquid-tightly sealing manner.
11. The lid of claim 1, wherein the circular upper portion (201) comprises a central opening (220) at the centre portion of the circular upper portion, and the circular lower portion (202) comprises an elevated portion (221) at the centre portion of the circular lower portion, said elevated portion (221) protruding into the central opening (220) of the circular upper portion, the rim portion of the elevated portion providing a guiding trail (223) to the circular upper portion (201), around which said circular upper portion is configured to be turned (231).
12. The lid of claim 1, wherein the circular lower portion (202) comprises two structural portions, one (202b) of which comprises hard material, like plastic and one (202a) of which comprises said counterpart groove portion and reinforcement structure.
13. The lid of claim 1, wherein said circular upper portion (201) comprises two structural portions, one (201b) of which comprises hard material, like plastic, and another, the outer portion (201a) a cover material, such as rubber, silicone or TPU, and wherein said cover material comprises an opening (209) being larger than any of said first and/or second openings (205a, 206a) of said circular upper portion (201), and wherein the structural portion having said hard material additionally comprises reinforcement structure (230) at the portion of the opening of the cover material.
14. The lid of claim 1, wherein the outer rim end area (227) of the circular lower portion (202) comprises an end wall having a protruding circular portion projecting inward and thereby configured to cause a pressure against the outer wall of the drinking container (100), when said lid is coupled to the drinking container.
15. The lid of claim 1, wherein an outer portion (201a) of the circular upper portion (201) comprises a wall declined or projected inward and thereby preventing any gripping of it.
16. The lid of claim 1, wherein said circular upper portion (201) and said circular lower portion (202) are configured to be coupled with each other in a releasable manner.
17. A manufacturing method of a lid (200) for a drinking container (100),
- wherein the lid comprises: a circular upper portion (201) comprising a groove portion (203) extending on the circumference of the circular upper portion, and a circular lower portion (202) comprising a counterpart groove portion (204) extending on the circumference of the circular upper portion,
- wherein: said circular upper portion (201) comprises a first (205a) and second (206a) openings and said circular lower portion (202) comprises corresponding first (205b) and second (206b) openings,
- wherein: said groove portion (203) of the circular upper portion (201) and said counterpart groove portion (204) of the circular lower portion (202) are configured to be coupled with each other so to guide the circular upper portion (201) and the circular lower portion (202) to be turned (231) in relation to each other around a common axis (207) in a manner enabling said first openings (205a, 205b) being aligned and said second openings (206a, 206b) being aligned in an opening position, and enabling said first openings (205a, 205b) being un-aligned and said second openings (206a, 206b) being un-aligned in a closing position.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 28, 2014
Publication Date: Jun 2, 2016
Inventors: Umberto ONZA (Helsinki), Daniel JULIER (Helsinki)
Application Number: 14/555,811