BEVERAGE CONTAINER

Abstract

A disposable beverage container includes a disposable cup having an open top, an upper rim, a sidewall having an outer surface, and a plurality of circumferentially spaced indicia on the outer surface of the sidewall proximate to the upper rim. Each of the spaced indicia designates or represents a different beverage type, mixture, flavor or characteristic. A disposable lid includes at least one top surface, a substantially cylindrical outer lip having an upper edge and a lower edge, and an opening in the outer lip of the lid. The lid and cup are configured such that the lid can be assembled over the open top of the cup such that only a selected one of the plurality of indicia on the cup is visible through the opening in the outer lip of the lid.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to beverage containers, and more particularly relates to a disposable cup and lid that cooperate to selectively indicate the contents of the cup when the lid is sealingly engaged with the cup.

BACKGROUND

Fast food restaurants, coffee shops and the like often serve beverages in disposable cups with disposable lids. As used herein, the word “disposable” is intended to describe a cup or lid that is intended for a single use and is constructed of an inexpensive material. For hot beverages like hot coffee, beverages are commonly served in paper and/or foam cups with opaque snap-on plastic lids. Once the opaque lids are assembled on the cups, the beverages contained within the cups are not visible and subsequent identification of the contents of the covered cups can be difficult. One solution to this problem has been to provide plastic lids with a plurality of small depressible bumps or protrusions formed in their top surfaces. Each of these protrusions is labeled with a different contents identifier, such as “DECAF,” “SUGAR,” “CREAM,” “SWEETENER” and the like. Accordingly, when a person dispenses a particular type of beverage into a cup and covers the cup with such a lid, the person can immediately deform one or more of the protrusions to provide a visible indication of one or more characteristics of the contents of the cup.

In recent years, numerous different types, flavors, blends and mixtures of coffee beverages have become increasingly popular. For example, along with a wide variety of brewed coffees, restaurants and shops commonly sell cappuccino, latte, espresso, flavored and iced coffees, mocha, and the like. Accordingly, a restaurant or shop may sell a large number of different beverages that are all served in the same type of cup. Because of limited space on the tops of cup lids, it is virtually impossible to provide a lid with enough depressible protrusions and associated labels to cover all types of beverages that might be served in a cup that receives the lid.

Accordingly, there is a need for a system and method for quickly and easily identifying a wide variety of possible beverages that may be contained within a covered disposable beverage container. In particular, there is a need for a disposable beverage container that includes a quick and easy means for selectively identifying one of a wide variety of possible beverages that may be contained within the beverage container.

SUMMARY

In one embodiment, a disposable beverage container can include a disposable cup having an open top, an upper rim, a sidewall having an outer surface, and a plurality of circumferentially spaced indicia on the outer surface of the sidewall proximate to the upper rim. Each of the spaced indicia can designate or represent a different beverage type, mixture, flavor or characteristic. A disposable lid can include at least one top surface, a substantially cylindrical outer lip having an upper edge and a lower edge, and an opening in the outer lip of the lid. The lid and cup can be configured such that the lid can be assembled over the open top of the cup such that only a selected one of the plurality of indicia on the cup is visible through the opening in the outer lip of the lid.

In another embodiment, a disposable lid for a beverage cup having an upper rim can include at least one top surface and a substantially cylindrical outer lip. The outer lip can include an upper edge, a lower edge and a downwardly open slot in the lower edge. A sealing portion can be disposed between the slot and the upper edge.

In a further embodiment, a beverage container can include a cup having an open top and including a plurality of indicia. Each of the indicia can designate a different beverage type, mixture or characteristic. A lid can be configured to cover the open top of the cup and to provide a substantially fluid-tight seal between the cup and lid. The lid can include a means for revealing a selected one of the indicia and means for covering all but the selected one of the indicia.

These and other aspects and features of the invention will be understood from a reading of the following detailed description together with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an elevation view of one embodiment of a beverage container according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is an elevation view of one embodiment of a cup for use in the beverage container shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an elevation view of a lid for use in the beverage container shown in FIG. 1 and with the cup shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a top view of the lid shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is an exploded elevation view of beverage container shown in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

One embodiment of a beverage container 100 according to the invention is shown in FIG. 1. The beverage container 100 includes a cup 10 and a lid 20. The cup 10 and lid 20 are configured such that a substantially fluid-tight seal is formed between the cup 10 and the lid 20 when the lid 20 is seated on the cup 10 as shown in FIG. 1. Preferably, both the cup 10 and lid 20 are disposable.

One embodiment of a disposable cup 10 for use in the beverage container 100 is shown in FIG. 2. The cup 10 includes an open top 16 and an upper rim 14. The cup 10 also includes a sidewall 12 having an outer surface 11. A plurality of circumferentially spaced indicia 18 are provided on the outer surface 11 of the sidewall 12, and preferably are located proximate to the upper rim 14. As shown in FIG. 2, each of the indicia 18 indicates, names or describes a different type, mixture, flavor, characteristic, etc., of a beverage that may be received within the cup 10. For example, the indicia 18 may include “Latte,” “Cappuccino,” “Mocha,” “Other” or the like. Alternatively, a single one of the indicia 18 can encompass multiple fluid characteristics, such as “Latte—Decaf,” “Latte—Regular,” “Latte—Sugar,” and the like. The disposable cup 10 may be constructed of paper, foam, or a combination of foam and paper, for example. Alternatively, the cup can be constructed of a polymeric material or substantially any other suitable material. In a preferred embodiment, at least the outer surface 11 of the cup 10 is paper. The indicia 18 can be printed on the outer surface 11 of the sidewall 12 of the cup 10 using conventional printing methods known in the art. Alternatively, the indicia 18 can be printed on a label 13 that is affixed to an outer surface 11 of the cup 10. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the upper rim 14 has a rolled or rounded shape that provides a substantially smooth edge along the open top 16 of the cup 10.

One embodiment of a lid 20 for use in the beverage container 100 is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. In this embodiment, the lid 20 includes an upper surface 22 and a substantially cylindrical outer lip 23. The outer lip 23 includes an upper edge 28, a lower edge 24, and an opening 25. The outer lip 23 can have a slightly larger diameter at its lower edge 24 than at its upper edge 28. In the embodiment shown, the opening 25 is a downwardly open slot along the lower edge 24. As shown in FIG. 3, the slot 25 preferably does not extend to the upper edge 28 of the outer lip 23, and a sealing portion 21 of the outer lip 23 is disposed between the slot 25 and the upper edge 28. As discussed below, the sealing portion 21 of the outer lip 23 between the slot 25 and the upper edge 28 helps to ensure that the lid 20 provides a substantially fluid-tight seal around the entire upper rim 14 of the cup 10 when the lid 20 is seated on the cup 10. As shown in FIG. 3, the slot 25 can include slanted or tapered side edges 27 such that the slot 25 is wider at its bottom than at its top. As shown in FIG. 4, the upper surface 22 of the lid 20 can include a plurality of raised protrusions 27 and a second plurality of indicia 29. Each one of the indicia 29 can be unique, and can be located proximate to one of the protrusions. The indicia 29 can include descriptors of additives or other characteristics or qualities of a beverage to be received within the beverage container 100, for example. In one embodiment, the indicia 29 can include alphanumeric descriptions such as “CREAM,” “SUGAR,” “SWEETENER,” “DECAF,” or the like. Alternatively, the indicia 29 can include alphanumeric descriptions of various types or flavors of beverages, for example. The protrusions 27 can be configured such that one or more of the protrusions 27 can be selectively depressed or deformed by a person's fingertip in order to provide a visual indication of one or more additives, characteristics or qualities for a particular beverage that is associated with the lid 20. The lid 20 can be formed of a thin molded polymeric material. For example, the lid 20 can be formed of a thin thermoplastic material such as polystyrene, or the like. The top surface 22 of the lid 20 can have substantially any shape, and can include a spout or other means for permitting a person to drink a beverage from a cup 10 covered by the lid 20. In particular, the lid 20 can include at least one opening 23 for dispensing a liquid through the lid 20.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the lid 20 can be assembled onto the open top 16 of the cup 10 by pressing the lid 20 over the upper rim 14 of the cup 10 until an outer portion 26 (shown in FIG. 4) of the top surface 22 of the lid 20 is seated upon the upper lip 14 of the cup 10. The lid 20 can be configured such that when the lid 20 is fully seated on the upper rim 14 of the cup 10, contact between the outer lip 23 and the upper rim 14 forms a substantially fluid-tight seal between the cup 10 and lid 20. In one embodiment, the inside diameter of the outer lip 23 proximate to its upper edge 28 is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the upper rim 14 of the cup 10 such that a slight radial interference exists between the upper rim 14 and the outer lip 23 when the lid 20 is fully seated on the cup 10. Such radial contact or interference between the outer lip 23 of the lid 20 and the upper rim 14 of the cup 10 includes radial contact between the upper rim 14 and the sealing portion 21 of the outer lip 23 that is disposed between the top of slot 25 and the outer lip's upper edge 28. Without the sealing portion 21, the substantially fluid-tight seal between the lid 20 and the cup 10 would be incomplete. For example, if the slot 25 extended to or beyond the upper edge 28 of the outer lip 23, a fluid could leak or spill from the cup at the location of the slot 25. Accordingly, once the lid 20 is seated on the cup 10, a beverage contained within the cup 10 is substantially prevented from leaking or spilling from the cup 10 between the lid 20 and the upper rim 14 of the cup 10. The tapered side edges 27 of the slot 25 in the lid 20 can facilitate viewing of the selected one of the indicia 18 on the cup 10, especially when viewed indirectly, such as at an angle. In addition, unlike a window or aperture in the outer lip 23 of the lid 20 that is not open at its bottom, the open-bottomed slot 25 permits the selected one of the indicia 18 to be viewed through the slot 25 even though the indicia 18 may be positioned on the cup 10 at an elevation that is not perfectly vertically aligned with the slot 25 when the lid 20 is seated on the cup 10.

The disposable beverage container 100 described above can be used to serve a variety of beverages, for example. One method of using the beverage container 100 includes dispensing a particular beverage into the cup 10 through the open top 16 of the cup 10. Once the beverage is received within the cup 10, the lid 20 can be placed over the open top 16 of the cup 10 as shown in FIG. 5. As the lid 20 is being assembled onto the cup 10, the slot 25 in the outer lip of the lid 20 can be aligned with a selected one of the indicia 18 on the cup that corresponds to the particular beverage that is contained within the cup 10 by selectively rotating the lid 20 and/or the cup 10 as indicated by directional arrows 41, 43. Alternatively, the lid 20 can be fully or partially seated on the cup 10, and then rotated on the cup 10 until a selected one of the indicia 18 is visible through the slot 25 in the lid 20. Accordingly, once the lid 20 is seated on the cup 10, the selected one of the indicia 18 is visible through the slot 25 in the outer lip 23 of the lid 20 as shown in FIG. 1 (in this case, the selected one of the indicia 18 is “Latte”), and all others of the indicia 18 are covered by the unslotted portions of the outer lip 23 of the lid 20. In this way, the lid 20 and cup 10 combine to provide a readily visible and obvious indication of the contents of the cup 10 even though the beverage contained within the container 100 is not visible or otherwise identifiable. Accordingly, in the example shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the beverage container 100 provides a readily visible and obvious indication that the cup 10 contains a “Latte.”

In addition, when the lid 20 includes second set of indicia 20 and protrusions 27 as shown in FIG. 4, one of the protrusions 27 that corresponds to a selected one of the second indicia 29 can be depressed or otherwise deformed to provide a readily visible indication of an additional characteristic or quality of a beverage contained within the cup 10. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 1, a protrusion 27 on the lid 20 corresponding to the indicium “SUGAR” shown in FIG. 4 can be depressed or deformed to easily and readily indicate that the latte contained within the cup 10 contains sugar. In this way, the first indicia 18 on the cup 10 and the second indicia 27 on the lid 20 can be used in a variety of different combinations to provide accurate and complete visible indications of the contents of the beverage container 100. Accordingly, the possible combinations of the first indicia 18 on the cup 10 and the second indicia 27 on the lid can represent a very large number of different beverages.

The indicia provided on the cup 10 and the lid 20 can be words, letters, numbers, symbols or substantially any other type or style of indicia that is capable of communicating information about beverages or other contents within the cup 10. For example, the indicia 18 on the cup 10 can be circumferentially spaced numerals or individual letters, each of which corresponds to and represents a particular type of beverage. For example, the numerals 1-10 may be printed on the cup, wherein the numeral “1” corresponds to black coffee, the numeral “2” corresponds to latte, the numeral “3” corresponds to cappuccino, etc. When used by a restaurant or shop, a list of the numerals and their corresponding beverages can be posted at a beverage dispensing station for ready viewing by a person who is dispensing or serving beverages, for example. Accordingly, after placing a beverage into the cup 10, the person can assemble a lid 20 onto the cup 10 such that a particular numeral that corresponds to the specific beverage contained within the cup 10 is visible through the lid's slot 25. In this way, the cup 10 can be used to serve a particular variety of beverages offered by a particular restaurant or shop without having to print a unique group of indicia 18 on the cup 10 for each particular restaurant or shop.

The above descriptions of various embodiments of the invention are intended to describe and illustrate various aspects and features of the invention, and not to limit the scope of the invention to the particular embodiments described herein. Persons of ordinary skill in the art will understand that certain changes and modifications can be made to the specifically described embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, though the container systems described above have been described for use with beverages, a container system like that described above can also be used for various types of food items, such as soups, ice cream, and the like. All such changes and modifications are intended to be within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A disposable beverage container comprising:

a. a disposable cup having an open top, an upper rim, a sidewall having an outer surface, and a plurality of circumferentially spaced indicia on the outer surface of the sidewall proximate to the upper rim, wherein each of the spaced indicia designates a different beverage type, mixture, flavor or characteristic;

b. a disposable lid having at least one top surface, a substantially cylindrical outer lip having an upper edge and a lower edge, and an opening in the outer lip of the lid;

c. wherein the lid and cup are configured such that the lid can be assembled over the open top of the cup such that only a selected one of the plurality of indicia on the cup is visible through the opening in the outer lip of the lid.

2. The beverage container of claim 1 wherein the indicia are printed on a label affixed to the cup.

3. The beverage container of claim 1 wherein the cup and lid are configured such that when the lid is assembled over the open top of the cup and the lid is oriented such that only the selected one of the plurality of indicia on the cup is visible through the opening, all other of the indicia on the cup are covered by the outer lip.

4. The beverage container of claim 1 wherein the opening in the outer lip of the lid is a slot in the lower edge of the outer lip, and wherein the outer lip comprises a sealing portion disposed between the slot and the upper edge of the outer lip.

5. The beverage container of claim 1 wherein the slot in the lower edge of the outer lip includes tapered side edges.

6. The beverage container of claim 1 wherein the lid further comprises a plurality of deformable protrusions and a second plurality of indicia on the top surface of the lid, wherein each of the second plurality of indicia is proximate to a different one of the protrusions, and wherein each of the second plurality of indicia indicates a beverage additive or a quality or characteristic of a beverage.

7. The beverage container of claim 1 wherein the cup is adapted and configured to contain hot or warm beverages.

8. The beverage container of claim 1 wherein the lid further comprises an opening in the top surface for dispensing a beverage from the cup when the lid is assembled on the cup.

9. The beverage container of claim 1 wherein the outer surface of the sidewall of the cup comprises paper and the indicia are printed on the paper.

10. The beverage container of claim 1 wherein the lid is constructed of a molded polymeric material.

11. The beverage container of claim 10 wherein the lid is constructed of polystyrene.

12. A disposable lid for a beverage cup having an upper rim, the lid comprising:

a. at least one top surface; and

b. a substantially cylindrical outer lip having an upper edge, a lower edge having a downwardly open slot in the lower edge of the outer lip, and a sealing portion disposed between the slot and the upper edge.

13. The lid of claim 10 further comprising a plurality of selectively deformable protrusions and a plurality of indicia on the top surface of the lid, wherein each of the plurality of indicia is proximate to a different one of the protrusions.

14. The lid of claim 10 further comprising at least one dispensing opening in the top surface.

15. The lid of claim 10 wherein the lid is constructed of a molded polymeric material.

16. The beverage container of claim 15 wherein the lid is constructed of polystyrene.

17. A beverage container comprising:

a. a cup having an open top and comprising a plurality of indicia wherein each one of the indicia designates a different beverage type, mixture or characteristic;

b. a lid configured to cover the open top of the cup and to provide a substantially fluid-tight seal between the cup and lid, and comprising means for revealing a selected one of the indicia and means for covering all but the selected one of the indicia.

18. The beverage container of claim 17 wherein the lid includes an outer lip and wherein the means for revealing a selected one of the indicia comprises an opening in a first portion of the outer lip, and wherein the means for covering all but the selected one of the indicia comprises a second portion of the outer lip.

19. The beverage container of claim 18 wherein the opening comprises a slot in a lower edge of the outer lip.

20. The beverage container of claim 17 wherein the indicia are printed on a label affixed to the cup.