Plug of a container for holding beverage

Abstract

A plug comprises a plug body serving as the plug of a container for holding beverage and a lid body. A hinge and a lock device are arranged opposing to each other. A lip portion protrudes from the top plate of the plug body. A liquid-passage hole is formed in the lip portion. The upper surface of the lip portion is made into a tapering shape that is highest at the lock device side and lowest at the hinge side. The resilient member that forces the lid body towards an opening direction protrudes from the top plate of the lid body. An air hole is set in the top plate of the plug body and the resilient member is set to vertically block the air hole when the lid body is closed.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims the priority benefit of Japan application serial no. 2002-10119, filed on Jan. 18, 2002.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] This invention relates in general to plugs of various containers for holding beverages such as sports drink containers, portable vacuum bottles, and more specifically relates to a plug of a container that allows a user to open the container through one-touch operation and directly drink the beverage contained inside the container.

[0004] 2. Description of Related Art

[0005] A conventional plug is disclosed as Japan Laid-open Publication no. He2001-149236.

[0006] The conventional plug comprises: a cylindrical plug covering the upper opening of a container, a lid body capable of being opened and closed, and capable of sealing a liquid-passage hole located on the top plate of the plug, pivotally connected to the lid body using a hinge, and a slidable lock member for keeping the lid body closed. A user can put his/her mouth nearby an upper circumferential wall of the plug and directly drink the beverage contained inside the container with the lid open.

[0007] Because the upper circumferential wall of the conventional plug has a downward-hopper shape and the top plate is under the plug, therefore when a user inclines the container to drink the beverage, the beverage flowing through the liquid-passage hole spreads over the upper circumferential wall and flows to the edge of the opening. The flow rate of the beverage can be adjusted only by inclining the container body. When the user is a small kid with a small mouth or when the vehicle in which the user is traveling vibrates, there is possibility that the beverage may spill over and wet the clothes.

[0008] Moreover, a compressed spring coil made of a metal is assembled within the lock member to keep the lid body in a close state. The plug of the container can be detached from the container body and washed before and after use. From the point of hygiene, it is important that the use of metallic plugs should be avoided as the metal parts tends to rust easily due to moisture conditions.

[0009] For solving the above problems, some proposed using a resilient tube or a straw attached to the plug. However this arrangement is not suitable for drawing hot drinks.

[0010] Moreover, the Japan Laid-open Publication no. He11-244158 discloses a cylindrical lip portion protruding from the top plate of the plug and a movable cap capable of ascending and descending into the lip portion. When a user wants to drink the beverage contained inside such container, he/she pulls the cap to position the cap in the ascend position in order to open the lip portion and holds the lip portion and the movable cap inside the mouth and drinks the beverage contained inside the container. Because the upper surface of the lip portion is vertical to the central axis of the lip portion, especially in a situation when the beverage inside the vessel is very little, the user has to incline the container upside-down, for doing so, the user needs to face upward and bend his/her body backward which is a very uncomfortable pose for the user.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0011] This invention is developed based on the above situations. An objective of this invention is to provide a plug of a containers for holding beverages. By using this plug, no matter at what temperature the beverage is, the user can drink it in any pose he desires. Even though the plug is washed, it will not rust. Thus, the plug of this invention is very hygienic.

[0012] According to the foregoing description, a plug of a container for holding beverage is provided. The plug of a container for holding beverage comprises: a plug body covering an upper opening of a container body, a lid body pivotally connected to the plug body in a way capable of being opened and closed by using a hinge wherein the lid body seals a liquid-passage hole located in a top plate of the plug body, and a lock device arranged opposing the hinge to keep the lid body in a close state. A lip portion protrudes from the top plate of the plug body, and the liquid-passage hole is formed in the lip portion, and an upper surface of the lip portion is cut into a tapering shape that is highest at a side of the lock device and lowest at a side of the hinge.

[0013] According to another object of this invention, a plug of a container for holding beverage is provided. The plug of the container for holding beverage comprises: a plug body covering an upper opening of a container body, a lid body pivotally connected to the plug body in a way capable of being opened and closed by using a hinge wherein the lid body seals a liquid-passage hole located in a top plate of the plug body, and a lock device for keeping the lid body in a closed state. A cylindrical lip portion is installed on the top plate of the plug body in a way that the lip portion can be rotated in a circumferential direction, and the liquid-passage hole is formed in the lip portion, and an upper surface of the lip portion is cut into a tapering shape.

[0014] According to still another object of this invention, a plug of a container for holding beverage is provided. A non-metallic resilient member protrudes from the plug or the lid body, the resilient member will resiliently contacting with the other in the close state, and when the lock device is unlocked, the resilient member forces the lid body towards an opening direction. Moreover, an air hole is set in the top plate of the plug body, and the resilient member is arranged in the lid body. The resilient member is set to block the air hole when the lid body is in the closed state. It is preferred that the resilient member blocks the air hole in a direction vertical to the air hole. Furthermore, a hollow portion is formed in the resilient member to allow the air go in and out of the hollow portion freely.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] While the specification concludes with claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which is regarded as the invention, the objects and features of the invention and further objects, features and advantages thereof will be better understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

[0016] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along I-I line of FIG. 3 according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0017] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the upper portion of the vacuum bottle according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0018] FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the upper portion of the opened vacuum bottle according to the first embodiment of the present invention; and

[0019] FIG. 4 is an enlarged-cross-sectional view showing the main portions of the vacuum bottle according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0020] The present invention suitable for a portable vacuum bottle will be explained in detail with reference to the drawings as follows.

[0021] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, the vacuum bottle 1 comprises: a container body 2 made of a metal and a plug 3 made of a synthetic resin, covering the upper opening of the container body 2. The container body 2 is a heat insulation dual structure wherein an inner cylinder 2a and an outer cylinder 2b are formed in one at the upper edges of the openings and a heat insulation layer 4 is positioned between the inner cylinder 2a and the outer cylinder 2b. An external thread 2c is formed on the upper portion of the outer circumference of the outer cylinder 2b for engaging with the plug 3.

[0022] The plug 3 comprises: a plug body 5 wherein a internal thread 5a is engaged with the external thread 2c of the outer cylinder 2b to fix the plug body 5 onto the upper opening of the container body 2, a lid body 7 which is capable of being opened and closed, pivotally to connect the plug body 5 with the lid body 7 by using a hinge 6, and a lock device 8 arranged opposing the hinge 6 to keep the lid body 7 in a close state.

[0023] The plug body 5 is a reverse cylinder having a bottom wherein a top plate 5c covering the upper opening of the container 2 is arranged on the cylinder 5b surrounding the upper outer circumference of the outer cylinder 2b. A seesaw type lock button 10 and an engaging ring 11 constructing the lock device 8 are arranged at one side of the cylinder 5b. A lid 5d and a guide rib 5e constructing the hinge 6 protrude respectively at one side and the other side of the top plate 5c. An air hole 12 is formed between the lip portion 5d and the guide rib 5e , and the lip portion 5d and the air hole 12 are arranged along a line L1 connecting the guide rib 5e and the lock button 10.

[0024] The lid body 7, which is a reverse cylinder having a bottom, comprises a cylinder 7a extending to an upper side of the cylinder 5b of the plug body 5 and a top plate 7b blocking the upper surface of the cylinder 7a. The lid body 7 is formed into a tapering shape that is highest at the lock device side and lowest at the hinge side. The engaging rib 7c and the engaging plate 7d constructing the lock device 8 protrude at one side of the cylinder 7a, and a pair of arms 7e constructing the hinge 6 and a holding claw 7f keeping the lid body 7 in an open state are formed at the other side of the cylinder 7a. In the inner side of the top plate 7b, the lid gasket 13 and a resilient member 14 are arranged along the line L1 connecting the guide rib 5e of the hinge 6 and the lock button 10 of the lock device 8.

[0025] The hinge 6 is constructed in a way using the pair of arms 7e of the lid body 7 to clamp the guide rib 5e of the plug body 5 and threads a hinge shaft 15 through the pair of arms 7e. The lid body 7 uses the hinge 6 to secure onto the upper portion of the plug body 5 such that the lid body 7 is capable of being opened and closed. The lock device 8 comprises the lock button 10 of the plug body 5, the engaging ring 11, the engaging rib 7c and the engaging plate 7d. The lock button 10 is latched to the engaging plate 7d when the lid body 7 is rotated to a close position. The engaging ring 11 is hung on the engaging rib 7c to keep the lid body 7 in a close state. When a user needs to open the lid body 7 which is in a close state, he detaches the engaging ring 11 hung on the engaging rib 7c and pushes the lower side of the lock button 10 to release the connection of the lock button 10 and the engaging plate 7d. As a result, the resilient member 14 forces the lid body 7 in an open direction.

[0026] The lip portion 5d of the plug body 5 has a suitable diameter for a user to hold in the mouth and form a substantially cylinder that is covered by the lid body 7 and a liquid-passage hole 16 is formed inside the lip portion 5d. Compared with the line L3 vertical to the central axis L2 of the lip portion 5d, the upper surface 5f of the lip portion 5d inclines downwardly with an angle &thgr;1 at the hinge 6 side and the upper surface 5f of the lip portion 5d inclines substantially at the same angle as the top plate 7b of the lid body 7 such that the upper surface 5f is formed into a tapering shape which is highest at the lock device side and lowest at the hinge side. The air hole 12 is a small hole that communicates the inside of the container body 2 and the outside of the plug body 5 to supply or exhaust the air inside the container body 2 according to the increment or decrement of the beverage content to make the beverage flow through the lip portion 5d smoothly.

[0027] The highest point at the lock device side and the lowest point at the hinge side of the upper surface 5f of the lip portion 5d are located along the vertical line L3. The vertical line L3 is set to be identical to the line L1. As a result, when the lid body 7 covers the lip portion 5d, the lid gasket 13 of the lid body 7 can seal the upper surface 5f without a gap and the beverage will not leak out.

[0028] Furthermore, the angle &thgr;1 is preferably at a range of 5˜30 degrees. If the angle &thgr;1 is less than 5 degrees, the user feels uncomfortable with the pose to drink. If the angle &thgr;1 is above 30 degrees, the upper surface 5f forms a fairly protrudent shape and it is not good to the appearance.

[0029] The lid gasket 13 of the lid body 7 is formed in a ball shape with a diameter larger than the upper surface 5f of the lip portion 5d. When the lid body 7 is closed, the lid gasket 13 of the lid body 7 is resiliently connected with the upper surface 5f of the lid portion 5d to liquid-seal the upper surface 5f. The resilient member 14 made of a soft synthetic resin, such as a silicon or a non-metal material, such as rubber, is a cylinder with a bottom, which can replace the conventional metal made spring forcing the lid body 7 in an open direction. The cylindrical boss portion 7g with an upper opening, which protrudes from the inner surface of the top plate 7b to install on the lid body 7, can be attached with the resilient member 14.

[0030] The length of the resilient member 14 is set in such a way that the lower end of the resilient member 14 touches the top plate 5c of the plug body 5 before the lid body 7 rotates to a close position, and when the lid body 7 is closed, the resilient member 14 contracts in an axial direction to make its lower end liquid-seal the air hole 12 in a vertical direction, and when the close state of the lid body 7 is released by unlocking the lock device 8, the resilient member 14 stretches in an axial direction to spring open the lid body 7 and make the lower end of the resilient member 14 separate from the air hole 12 to release it. The hollow portion 17 inside the resilient member 14 communicates outside through the slit 18 formed at one side of the boss portion 7g to make the resilient member 14 contract or stretches well according to the close or open state of the lid body 7.

[0031] The engaging ribs 5g are formed at the outer surface of the guide rib 5e of the plug body 5 at the opposite side of the lock device 8. When the lock device 8 is released, the claw 7f of the top plate 7b of the lid body 7 which would spring open by the resilient member 14, is fixed between the engaging ribs 5g to keep the lid body 7 in a open position with an angle over 180 degrees.

[0032] With the structure described in this embodiment, when using the lock device 8 to close the lid body 7, the lid gasket 13 liquid-seals the upper surface 5f of the lip portion 5d and the resilient member 14 liquid-seals the air hole 12 (FIG. 2). Moreover, when the lock device 8 is released, the resilient member 14 springs open the lid body 7 and forces the lid body 7 pivotally around the hinge shaft 15 towards an open direction. And then the lid body 7 rotating towards the side of the plug body 5 is kept opened to release the upper portion of the plug body 5 by the engagement between the claw 7f and the engaging rib 5g (FIG. 3).

[0033] Therefore, when a user wishes to drink the beverage contained inside the container body 2, the user makes the lip portion 5d face to himself and make the lid body 7 in an open state opposing to himself, and then gets close to the lip portion 5d to incline the container body 2 towards himself to make the beverage contained inside the container body 2 flow through the lip portion 5d (FIG. 1).

[0034] As mentioned in this embodiment, because the lip portion 5d is a cylinder that protrudes from the top plate 5c of the plug body 5, even if the user is a small kid with a small mouth or even under the condition that the vehicle in which the user is traveling vibrates, there is no need to be concerned about spilling of the beverage that would otherwise wet the clothes. Moreover, because the lip portion 5d is not a straw type or a tube type, therefore cold and hot drinks are both suitable.

[0035] Furthermore, when the upper surface 5f of the lip portion 5d is located on the vertical line L3 vertical to the central axis L2 of the lip portion 5d, if the user attempts to drink the beverage contained inside the container body 2 by inclining towards a level direction as shown in FIG. 1, he need not bend his body backward to face upward. Regarding the lip portion 5d in this embodiment, because its upper surface 5f inclines downwardly with an angle &thgr;1 at the hinge side compared to the vertical line L3, the user can easily drink the beverage without an uncomfortable pose by just lifting the bottom of the container body 2 through an angle &thgr;1. Therefore, this invention specially works for the condition that the beverage contained inside the container body 2 is little.

[0036] Moreover, the conventional metal spring is being replaced by a non-metal resilient member 14 made of soft synthetic resin or rubber to force the lid body 7 towards an opening direction. Therefore, even when the plug 3 gets wet due to washing, it does not rust and is very hygienic. Additionally, because the resilient member 14 is arranged at the side of the lid body 7, therefore there is no unnecessary protrusion on the plug body 5 and the user will not knock his nose while he/she drinks. By using this resilient member 14 to block the air hole 12, the number of assembly parts can be reduced to decrease the manufacture cost. Furthermore, because the resilient member 14 is arranged in a direction vertical to the air hole 12, the air hole 12 can be firmly blocked.

[0037] Additionally, the resilient member 14, which is made into a cylindrical shape with a bottom, has a hollow portion 17 disposed inside the resilient member 14 to allow the air inside the hollow portion 17 to go in and out through the slit 18 of the boss portion 7g. Thus, the resilient member 14 can stretch and contract well following the opening and closing of the lid body 7 so that the resilient member 14 can force the lid body 7 towards an opening direction and block the air hole 12 for a long time in the close state.

[0038] Regarding the upper surface of the lip portion 5d, because its highest point at the lock device side and its lowest point at the hinge side are located along the line L1 connecting with the lock device 8, therefore when a user closes the lid body 7, a force vertical to the upper surface 5f is created through the lid gasket 13 and the upper surface 5f can be liquid-sealed without a gap. Therefore, spilling of the beverage contained inside the container body 2 can be effectively prevented, thus the user need not worry about spilling the beverage.

[0039] FIG. 4 shows the second embodiment of the present invention. In the second embodiment, the lip portion 20 has the same shape as in the first embodiment but the plug body 5 are separately formed. The lip portion 20 is attached with the installation ring 5h protruding from the top plate 5c of the plug body 5 in a way capable of rotating in its circumferential direction.

[0040] The upper surface 20a of the lip portion 20 is cut along an angle &thgr;2 from the line L5 vertical to the axial line L4 of the installation ring 5h and the lip portion 20. A user can make the upper surface 5f face along any circumferential direction he/she likes to freely drink the beverage contained inside the container body 2.

[0041] Moreover, in this invention, the resilient member forcing the lid body towards an opening direction can also be arranged at the side of the plug body. In the previous embodiments, the resilient member blocks the air hole of the plug body. However, alternatively the containers for beverages can also have no air holes. Even if the container has an air hole, it is not limited to use the resilient member to block the air hole. Moreover, though it is preferred that the resilient member is made to be a hollow type, a solid type of a resilient member can also be used to practice the present invention. Additionally, the resilient member can be freely located rather than along the line connecting the hinge and the lock device.

[0042] As described above, regarding the plug of a container for beverages, even if the user is a small kid with a small mouth or even under the condition that when the vehicle inside which the user is travelling vibrates, there is no need to worry about the spillage of the beverage which would otherwise wet the clothes as the user drinks. Moreover, because the lip portion is not a straw or a tube type, cold and hot drinks are both suitable. Furthermore, because the upper surface of the lip portion is made into a tapering shape that is highest at the lock device side and lowest at the hinge side, therefore the user can easily drink the beverage contained inside the vessel.

[0043] Moreover, because the resilient member is made of a non-metal such as soft synthetic resin or rubber replacing the conventional metal spring to force the lid body towards an opening direction, therefore even when the plug is wetted during washing, it will not rust and is very hygienic. In the case when the resilient member is arranged at the side of the lid body, there will be no unnecessary protrusion on the plug body, and therefore the user will not knock his/her nose as the user drinks the beverage contained inside the container body 2.

[0044] Furthermore, by using the resilient member to block the air hole, the number of assembly parts can be reduced to decrease the manufacture cost. The resilient member is arranged in a direction vertical to the air hole such that the air hole can be firmly blocked. Moreover, because the hollow portion is formed in the resilient member to allow the air inside the resilient member to go in and out freely, the resilient member can contract and stretch well following the closing and opening of the lid body and therefore it can provide the functions of spring opening of the lid body and also blocking the air hole. Furthermore, in case when the lip portion and the plug body are separately formed, the lip portion is installed on the top plate of the plug body in a way capable of rotating in the circumferential direction. Therefore, the user can turn the upper surface cut into a taper shape to the direction he likes and drink freely.

[0045] While the present invention has been described with preferred embodiments, this description is not intended to limit our invention. Various modifications of the embodiment will be apparent to those skilled in the art. It is therefore contemplated that the appended claims will cover any such modifications or embodiments as fall within the true scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A plug of a container for holding beverage, comprising:

a plug body, covering an upper opening of a container body;

a lid body, pivotally connected to the plug body using a hinge in a way capable of being opened and closed, and the lid body liquid-seals a liquid-passage hole in a top plate of the plug body; and

a lock device, arranged opposing to the hinge to keep the lid body in a close state,

wherein a lip portion protrudes from the top plate of the plug body, and the liquid-passage hole is formed in the lip portion, and an upper surface of the lip portion is cut into a tapering shape which is highest at a side of the lock device and lowest at a side of the hinge.

2. A plug of a container for holding beverage, comprising:

a plug body, covering an upper opening of a container body;

a lid body, pivotally connected to the plug body using a hinge in a way capable of being opened and closed, and the lid body liquid-seals a liquid-passage hole in a top plate of the plug body; and

a lock device for keeping the lid body in a close state,

wherein a cylindrical lip portion is installed on the top plate of the plug body in a way that the lip portion can be rotated in a circumferential direction, and the liquid-passage hole is formed in the lip portion, and an upper surface of the lip portion is cut into a tapering shape.

3. The plug of claim 1, wherein a non-metal resilient member protrudes from the plug body or the lid body, resiliently contacting the other when the lid body is in the close state, and when the lock device is unlocked, the resilient member forces the lid body towards an opening direction.

4. The plug of claim 3, wherein an air hole is set in the top plate of the plug body, and the resilient member is arranged in the lid body, and the resilient member is set to block the air hole when the lid body is in the close state.

5. The plug of claim 4, wherein the resilient member blocks the air hole in a direction vertical to the air hole.

6. The plug of claim 3, wherein a hollow portion is formed in the resilient member to allow the air go in and out of the hollow portion freely.

7. The plug of claim 4, wherein a hollow portion is formed in the resilient member to allow the air go in and out of the hollow portion freely.

8. The plug of claim 5, wherein a hollow portion is formed in the resilient member to allow the air go in and out of the hollow portion freely.

9. The plug of claim 2, wherein a non-metal resilient member protrudes from the plug body or the lid body, resiliently contacting the other when the lid body is in the close state and when the lock device is unlocked, the resilient member forces the lid body towards an opening direction.

10. The plug of claim 9, wherein an air hole is set in the top plate of the plug body, and the resilient member is arranged in the lid body, and the resilient member is set to block the air hole when the lid body is in the close state.

11. The plug of claim 10, wherein the resilient member blocks up the air hole in a direction vertical to the air hole.

12. The plug of claim 11, wherein a hollow portion is formed in the resilient member to allow the air go in and out of the hollow portion freely.