LID FOR A DISPOSABLE CONTAINER

Abstract

A lid for a cup includes an annular wall with a top rim and a bottom base. The annular wall is insertable substantially in its entirety into a cup wherein an exterior face of the annular wall produces a compressive force against an interior face of the cup sufficient to create a seal along a continuous path circumscribing the interior face of the annular wall of the cup. A surface extends from an interior face of the annular wall and the surface covers an area circumscribed by the annular wall. The surface has a dispensing orifice therein.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates generally to a lid for a disposable container.

BACKGROUND

A dispensing container is typically formed with a cup and a lid that attaches to the rim of the cup. After putting a liquid into the cup, the lid is attached to form a sealed container that resists spillage. The lid typically has an orifice of sufficient area to dispense a product. The orifice is large enough to dispense the product based on the viscosity of the product and consumer preference for product flow rate, yet small enough to reduce spillage from tilting or bumping the container. Common examples of a dispensed liquid product are coffee, tea or a cold beverage.

A lid commonly has a concaved lip that attaches to the cup with a compressive force on the rim. The lid is typically made of plastic with sufficient elasticity to maintain the compressive force on the rim when attached to the cup.

When the consumer subsequently disposes of the container, the lid is not always removed. When the cup and lid are made from materials from different recycling categories, the container may be rejected for recycling. For example, glass, plastic and paper are a few of the numerous recycling categories. A container composed of a paper cup and a plastic lid may require the lid to be separated prior to recycling.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, the invention features a lid for a cup. The lid has an annular wall with a top rim and a bottom base. The annular wall is insertable substantially in its entirety into a cup wherein an exterior face of the annular wall produces a compressive force against an interior face of the cup sufficient to create a seal along a continuous path circumscribing the interior face of the annular wall of the cup. A surface extends from an interior face of the annular wall and the surface covers an area circumscribed by the annular wall. The surface has a dispensing orifice therein.

In another aspect, the invention features a lid for a cup. The lid has an annular wall with a top rim and a bottom base. The annular wall is insertable substantially in its entirety into a cup wherein an exterior face of the annular wall produces a compressive force against an interior face of the cup sufficient to create a seal along a continuous path circumscribing the interior face of the annular wall of the cup. The annular wall of the lid has a constant height. The annular wall of the lid has a taper with the diameter of the top rim being larger than the diameter of the bottom base. The top rim of the lid forms a concave lip for resting on a rim of the cup. A surface extends from an interior face of the annular wall and the surface covers an area circumscribed by the annular wall. The surface has a dispensing orifice therein.

In another aspect, the invention features a container with a cup having a tapered annular wall and a lid having an annular wall. The annular wall of the lid has a top rim and a bottom base. The annular wall of the lid is insertable substantially in its entirety into the cup such that an exterior face of the annular wall of the lid produces a compressive force against an interior face of the annular wall of the cup sufficient to create a seal along a continuous path circumscribing the interior face of the annular wall of the cup. A surface extends from an interior face of the annular wall of the lid and the surface covers an area circumscribed by the annular wall of the lid. The surface has a dispensing orifice therein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and further advantages of this invention may be better understood by referring to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals indicate like structural elements and features in various figures. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention.

FIG. 1 is an exploded three-dimensional view of a container showing an embodiment of a lid and a cup.

FIG. 2 is a three-dimensional view of a container showing the lid inserted into the cup.

FIG. 3A is a schematic three-dimensional view of the lid of FIG. 1 with a lip.

FIG. 3B is a schematic cross-sectional view of FIG. 3A taken along line A-A′ showing annular walls with a taper.

FIG. 3C is a schematic cross-sectional view of the lid similar to that shown in FIG. 3B, further modified by showing annular walls without a taper.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the container showing an example of a path representative of a seal that may form between the lid as shown in FIG. 3A and the cup.

FIG. 5A is a schematic three-dimensional view of an embodiment of a lid without a lip.

FIG. 5B is a schematic cross-sectional view of the lid of FIG. 5A taken along line A-A′ showing annular walls with a taper.

FIG. 5C is a schematic cross-sectional view of the lid similar to that shown in FIG. 5B, further modified by showing annular walls without a taper.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the container showing an example of a path representative of a seal that may form between the lid as show in FIG. 5A and the cup.

FIG. 7A is a schematic cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a lid with a lip, annular walls without a taper and a surface wherein the top wall section is the entire annular wall.

FIG. 7B is a schematic cross-sectional view of FIG. 7A taken along line A-A′.

FIG. 7C is a schematic cross-sectional view of the lid similar to that shown in FIG. 7B, further modified with the lip removed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of lids described herein include variations that form a seal between the lid and the interior wall of a cup rather than gripping the top rim of the cup. The embodiments describe lids that are inserted into a cup with a bottom base of the lid narrower than the opening of the cup. The lid is inserted until a sufficient portion of the wall of the lid makes contact with the inside of the cup to form a continuous seal within the interior of the cup. The lid is then further inserted into the cup to create compressive force between the lid and the interior of the cup. The compressive force forms a seal to contain product within the cup and retains the lid with frictional force relative to the inside of the cup such that the lid is prevented from being accidentally dislodged. The inserted lid forms a container that holds a product, which may be a liquid, a granular form solid or other suitably dispensable product. In contrast to lids known in the art, the various embodiments of a lid as described do not exert significant, if any, force on the outer wall of the cup when forming the seal. Some embodiments of lids have a concave lip on the top rim of the lid to prevent the lid from being inserted too far into the cup. Insertion is limited to the point where the lip of the lid rests on the top rim of the cup. Further variations include a non-tapered wall of the lid and different positions of a surface that retains the product in the container against accidental spillage. Advantageously, the lid can be made of the same material as the cup. In addition, the lid can be manufactured using a variety of existing manufacturing processes. The result is a lid that may remain affixed to the cup after use, thereby facilitating the recycling process. Common examples of readily recyclable materials include paper, plastic and STYROFOAM™. These examples illustrate a few of the numerous recyclable materials that exist, or may be envisioned in the future. The embodiments described will provide the benefits of simplified recycling for any lid material that is sufficiently similar to the cup material such that the lid and cup materials are considered from the same recycling category.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a dispensing container 10 with a tapered cup 20 positioned to receive one embodiment of a lid 30. FIG. 2 shows the dispensing container 10 with the lid 30 inserted into the cup 20, thereby forming a seal between the cup 20 and the lid 30. The seal operates to limit accidental spillage of a product previously introduced into the cup 20. The lid 30 has a concave lip 31 that limits the extent to which the lid can enter the cup 20 by making contact with, and resting upon, a cup rim 22.

FIG. 3A shows one embodiment of the lid 30. FIG. 3B further illustrates the embodiment of the lid 30 including an annular wall 32 with a top rim 34 (having the concave lip 31) and a bottom base 36. The annular wall 32 is tapered at an angle substantially similar to the wall of the cup 20. Tapered, as used herein, means that the diameter of the top rim 34 is greater than the diameter of the bottom base 36. The annular wall 32 is divided into a top wall section 38 and a bottom wall section 40 by a surface 42. The bottom wall section 40 is thicker than the top wall section 38 and the bottom wall section 40 is similar to the thickness of the surface 42. The surface 42 has a dispensing orifice 44 and a venting orifice 46. In general, the dispensing orifice is larger than the venting orifice. The dispensing orifice must have sufficient area to dispense a product at a flow rate acceptable to customers without being unduly large such that the risk of accidental spillage through the orifice is significantly increased. The venting orifice allows air to flow into the container to replace the dispensed product. This reduces the vacuum pressure caused by a reduction in product volume. The reduction in vacuum pressure permits faster product flow rate out of the dispensing orifice.

Exemplary dimensions of the lid 30 are shown in FIG. 3B with working dimensions referenced in inches. Although these dimensions are illustrative of one embodiment, it should be appreciated that numerous variations to these dimensions and tolerances are realizable within the scope of the invention. Further embodiments, as described below also include working dimensions referenced in inches for illustrative purposes. These further embodiments are similarly not to be construed as limiting to possible variations in dimensions or tolerances.

The seal resulting from insertion of the lid 30 into the cup 20 is formed by the compressive force between a portion of the annular wall 32 that makes contact with the inside of the cup 20. The portion of the annular wall 32 that makes contact with the inside of the cup 20 may be at any point between the bottom base 36 and the top rim 34 provided the contact area forms a continuous path circumscribing the inside of the cup 20, thereby forming a seal to prevent accidental spillage of a product in the container 10.

The height of the annular wall 32 is chosen to provide sufficient frictional force against the inside of the cup 20 after the lid 30 is inserted into the cup 20. In one embodiment, the height of the annular wall 32 is constant. The frictional force occurs across the contact area of the annular wall 32 against the inside of the cup 20. This frictional force prevents the lid 30 from becoming accidentally dislodged from the inside of the cup 20 thereby resulting in a loss of the compressive force between the annular wall 32 and the inside of the cup 20, which further results in the loss of the seal 21. The contact area has been found to be sufficient to prevent the lid from dislodging where a constant annular wall height of approximately one inch is used with a paper lid inserted into a paper cup.

FIG. 3C shows another embodiment of a lid 30′ distinguished from the lid 30 in FIG. 3B in that the annular wall 32 is not tapered and the concave lip 31 is made correspondingly wider so that the concave lip 31 can extend to and rest on the cup rim 22 (FIG. 2). Not tapered, as used herein, means that the diameter of the top rim 34 is substantially equal to the diameter of the bottom base 36.

FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the cup 20 with lid 30 inserted to form a continuous seal 21 wherein the annular wall 32 of the lid 30 makes contact with the interior wall of the cup 20. FIG. 4 also shows the depth of insertion to be limited to the point where the concave lip 31 rests upon the cup rim 22. The continuous seal 21 need not follow a straight line around the circumference of the interior wall of the cup 20. FIG. 4 shows one example of the contact area forming a seal 21 for illustrative purposes. The boundaries of the seal area will vary depending upon the planarity of the annular wall 32 and the planarity of the inside of the cup. The contact area may vary further depending upon the alignment of the lid 30 relative to the cup 20 upon insertion of the lid 30. The line of the seal 21 is tolerant of misalignment between the inserted lid 30 and the cup 20 as well as perturbations on the interior wall of the cup 20 and the annular wall of the lid 30.

FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B show another embodiment of a lid 50 distinguished from the lid 30 in FIG. 3B in that the lid 50 lacks the concave lip 31. The lid 50 may be inserted further into the cup 20 as compared to lid 30 to the point where the annular wall 32 compresses against the inside of the cup 20 beyond what is necessary to sufficiently seal the contents of cup 20. FIG. 5C shows another embodiment of a lid 50′ distinguished from the lid 50 in FIG. 5B in that the annular wall 32 is not tapered.

FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of the cup 20 with lid 50 inserted to form a continuous seal 21 wherein the annular wall 32 of the lid 50 makes contact with the interior wall of the cup 20. The depth of insertion is not limited by a concave lip 31 (FIG. 4). This embodiment simplifies the manufacture of the lid 50 by removing the manufacturing step of forming the concave lip 31. The lid 50 is intentionally shown in an exaggerated manner to be misaligned to the cup 20 to illustrate a potential path of the seal 21 that is tolerant of such misalignment.

FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B show another embodiment of a lid 60 distinguished from the lid 30′ in FIG. 3C in that the surface 42 does not divide the annular wall 32 into a top wall section 38 and a bottom wall section 40. In this embodiment, the surface 42 extends from the bottom base 36 of the annular wall 32. The annular wall 32 has a similar thickness to the thickness of the surface 42.

FIG. 7C shows another embodiment of a lid 60′ distinguished from the lid 60 in FIG. 7B in that the lid 60′ lacks the concave lip 31.

The embodiments of lids described in FIG. 3A, FIG. 3B, FIG. 3C, FIG. 5A, FIG. 5B and FIG. 5C may be readily manufactured using a conventional stamping process or by a forming and gluing process. The embodiments of lids described in FIG. 7A, FIG. 7B and FIG. 7C are preferably made with a stamping process.

Although plastic lids may be manufactured with a stamping process, paper lids may be made with the following forming and gluing process. First, a flat stock of paper is stamped into flat trapezoidal sections. Second, the sections are rolled around a die form and two edges are glued together to create a tapered tube. Third, a lid bottom is stamped to form a circular shape with a straight lip orthogonal to the bottom. Then, the lid bottom is inserted into the lid and glued to the inner wall of the lid.

While the invention has been shown and described with reference to specific preferred embodiments, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

Claims

1. A lid for a cup comprising:

an annular wall having a top rim and a bottom base, wherein the annular wall is insertable substantially in its entirety into a cup wherein an exterior face of the annular wall produces a compressive force against an interior face of the cup sufficient to create a seal along a continuous path circumscribing the interior face of the annular wall of the cup; and

a surface extending from an interior face of the annular wall and covering an area circumscribed by the annular wall, the surface having a dispensing orifice therein.

2. The lid of claim 1, wherein the annular wall of the lid is of constant height.

3. The lid of claim 1, wherein the annular wall of the lid is tapered and the top rim has a larger diameter than a diameter of the bottom base.

4. The lid of claim 1, wherein the top rim of the lid forms a concave lip for resting on a rim of the cup.

5. The lid of claim 1, wherein the surface is intermediate of the top rim and the bottom base and divides the annular wall of the lid into a top wall section and a bottom wall section, the top wall section being thinner than the bottom wall section and the bottom wall section being substantially the same thickness as a thickness of the surface.

6. The lid of claim 1, wherein the surface extends from the bottom base of the annular wall of the lid.

7. The lid of claim 1, wherein the surface has a venting orifice.

8. The lid of claim 1, wherein the lid is made of paper.

9. The lid of claim 1, wherein the lid is made of STYROFOAM™.

10. A lid for a cup comprising:

an annular wall having a top rim and a bottom base, wherein the annular wall is insertable substantially in its entirety into a cup, wherein an exterior face of the annular wall produces a compressive force against an interior face of the cup sufficient to create a seal along a continuous path circumscribing the interior face of the annular wall of the cup, the annular wall of the lid having a constant height, the annular wall of the lid having a taper with the diameter of the top rim being larger than the diameter of the bottom base, wherein the top rim of the lid forms a concave lip for resting on a rim of the cup; and

a surface extending from an interior face of the annular wall and covering an area circumscribed by the annular wall, the surface having a dispensing orifice therein.

11. The lid of claim 10, wherein the lid is made of paper.

12. The lid of claim 10, wherein the surface is intermediate of the top rim and the bottom base and divides the annular wall of the lid into a top wall section and a bottom wall section, the top wall section being thinner than the bottom wall section and the bottom wall section being substantially the same thickness as a thickness of the surface.

13. A dispensing container comprising:

a cup having a tapered annular wall;

a lid having an annular wall, the annular wall of the lid having a top rim and a bottom base, wherein the annular wall of the lid is insertable substantially in its entirety into the cup wherein an exterior face of the annular wall of the lid produces a compressive force against an interior face of the annular wall of the cup sufficient to create a seal along a continuous path circumscribing the interior face of the annular wall of the cup, and a surface extending from the interior face of the annular wall of the lid and the surface covering an area circumscribed by the annular wall of the lid, the surface having a dispensing orifice therein.

14. The dispensing container of claim 13, wherein the annular wall of the lid is of constant height.

15. The dispensing container of claim 13, wherein the annular wall of the lid is tapered with substantially the same taper as the annular wall of the cup and the top rim has a larger diameter than the a diameter of the bottom base.

16. The dispensing container of claim 13, wherein the top rim of the lid forms a concave lip for resting on a rim of the cup.

17. The dispensing container of claim 13, wherein the surface is intermediate of the top rim and the bottom base and divides the annular wall of the lid into a top wall section and a bottom wall section, the top wall section being thinner than the bottom wall section and the bottom wall section being substantially the same thickness as a thickness of the surface.

18. The dispensing container of claim 13, wherein the surface extends from the bottom base of the annular wall of the lid.

19. The dispensing container of claim 13, wherein the surface has a venting orifice.

20. The dispensing container of claim 13, wherein the cup and lid are both made of paper.