Abstract: A lid and drinking straw assembly for use with a beverage container having a rim is provided. The lid includes a breakaway port formed with a central panel as a conic shell. The breakaway port comprises a plurality of channel structures that extend from the apex of the conic shell toward the central panel. The channel structures are partible to allow insertion of the drinking straw into the beverage container and may have portions of reduced thickness to facilitate their partibility.

Abstract: The present invention generally relates to a device which can form a lid for a cup. This apparatus is for thermoforming a plastic sheet of material into a plurality of production sheets. Each sheet has a partible port section, which has integrity against passage of fluid, yet which is partible under mechanical pressure so as to open and allow the passage of fluids. The lid structure with a breakaway port is formed by an apparatus including an oven for heating the production piece, mold assembly that has a mold formed as a female cavity with a plurality of grooves formed around the cavity surface and a pressure box assembly that has an open position and a closed position. The breakaway port in the lid structure is formed as a female cavity with accordion-like grooves therearound which expand to engage the outside of the straw. This eliminates escape of the fluid through the breakaway port when the straw is inserted.

Abstract: Thermoforming apparatus and methodology is provided to form a breakaway port in a molded piece, such as a container lid. The apparatus includes a forging assembly that has a punch element and a striker assembly, so that a material blank that is heated to a plastic state by an oven may be advanced therebetween. When the thermoforming mold closes, a striker element and the punch element come together with a striking force so that a portion of the blank is forced against a male profile on the punch element to forge the port by forming lines of reduced thickness that are partible under mechanical force but which normally maintain the integrity of the molded piece against the passage of fluids. The striker element can be adjustably spring biased and can be mounted, for example, to the pressure box of the thermoforming mold while the punch element is positioned on the mold assembly that provides the mold configuration for the piece to be formed.

Abstract: An apparatus for thermoforming articles out of a sheet plastic material includes a female mold having one or more cavities and a male mold including one or more plug assists in one to one correspondence with the female mold cavities. Each cavity of the female mold communicates with a first passageway. A vacuum source communicates with each first passageway, and includes a vacuum switch. Each plug assist is provided with one or more inlets extending through the plug assist and one or more second passageways, the second passageways and inlets each communicating with the respective cavities when the mold is in a closed position. A first air source communicates with the inlet and includes a first heating means and a switch to selectively apply heated air through the inlet into the cavity under pressure.

Abstract: The method for thermoforming articles out of a sheet of plastic material including initially applying a negative pressure to the cavity and a first forming gas to the second side of the sheet facing the male mold section, switching to a second pressurizing gas for a period of time to allow a level of crystallization of the conformed sheet, and flowing a cooling stream of gas against the sheet to arrest further crystallation.