Lid Adapter

Abstract

A lid for a beverage container including a quick release valve including a lid connector, a drinking tube connector, and a quick-release apparatus, the quick-release apparatus including a push button and a release mechanism.

Description

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a non-provisional application claiming the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) from commonly owned and co-pending U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/732,921 filed on Dec. 3, 2012 and entitled “Lid for Beverage Container,” the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference into this disclosure as if set forth fully herein.

FIELD

This application relates to a beverage container and in particular a lid for a beverage container suitable for use during prolonged physical activity.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The lid disclosed herein includes a quick-release valve that is beneficial in that it allows for easy substitution of a full water bottle for an empty one, for example during a prolonged ride on a bicycle. Furthermore, only one drinking tube would be needed for each bottle. By way of example only, the lid has a generally circular shape and may be configured to interact with any suitable beverage container. For example, the lid is suitable to be used with standard bicycle drinking bottles that would be commonly used during endurance races. Such bottles include a drinking tube extending between the beverage container and the users mouth. In some instances, the drinking tube may include a user-controlled flow mechanism such as a bite valve.

The lid includes a central aperture, an air intake aperture, and a friction feature positioned around the perimeter of the lid. The central aperture is configured to receive the quick-release valve therein and also provide for a fluid conduit from the inside of the beverage container to the drinking tube. By way of example, the central aperture includes a circumferential recess configured to receive the lid connector of the quick-release valve. The air intake aperture allows air to get into the bottle as the liquid is removed during use. The friction feature in provided to allow the user to grip and remove the lid when necessary to refill and/or clean the bottle. The friction feature may be any friction feature suitable for providing a grip, including but not limited to ridges, recesses, roughened surface, or other materials. The underside of the lid includes a connector for connecting a fluid tube to enable the liquid to flow out of the container. The connector includes beveled surfaces to frictionally secure the fluid tube to the connector. The inside of the lid also includes a threaded rim for threadedly connecting to a beverage container.

The quick-release valve includes a lid connector, a drinking tube connector, and a quick-release apparatus, which includes a push button and a release mechanism. The lid connector is configured to nest within the central aperture of the lid. The drinking tube connector may be angularly adjustable and is configured to frictionally receive a drinking tube. The lid connector and tube connector each include an inner lumen to allow for the fluid to flow from the beverage container to the drinking tube. The release mechanism is mechanically connected to the push button such that when the user depresses the push button, the release mechanism disengages from the circumferential recess allowing the user to disengage the quick-release valve from the lid. By way of example only, the release mechanism may be a spring-loaded latch that is biased to the locked position. Other release mechanisms are possible.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Many advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art with a reading of this specification in conjunction with the attached drawings, wherein like reference numerals are applied to like elements and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a bottom perspective view of a beverage container lid, including a quick-connect valve and suction tube according to one example embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of the lid of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top perspective view of the lid of FIG. 1 without the quick-release valve and suction tubing; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the lid of FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Illustrative embodiments of the invention are described below. In the interest of clarity, not all features of an actual implementation are described in this specification. It will of course be appreciated that in the development of any such actual embodiment, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers' specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which will vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it will be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time-consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking for those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure. The beverage container lid disclosed herein boasts a variety of inventive features and components that warrant patent protection, both individually and in combination.

FIGS. 1-4 of the present application illustrate one example of a lid for a beverage container having a quick-release valve for connecting a drinking tube. The quick-release valve 12 is beneficial in that it allows for easy substitution of a full water bottle for an empty one, for example during a prolonged ride on a bicycle. Furthermore, only one drinking tube would be needed for each bottle. By way of example only, the lid 10 has a generally circular shape and may be configured to interact with any suitable beverage container. For example, the lid 10 is suitable to be used with standard bicycle drinking bottles that would be commonly used during endurance races. Such bottles include a drinking tube (not shown) extending between the beverage container and the users mouth. In some instances, the drinking tube may include a user-controlled flow mechanism such as a bite valve.

The lid 10 includes a central aperture 14, an air intake aperture 16, and a friction feature 18 positioned around the perimeter of the lid 10. The central aperture 14 is configured to receive the quick-release valve 12 therein and also provide for a fluid conduit from the inside of the beverage container to the drinking tube. By way of example, the central aperture 14 includes a circumferential recess 20 configured to receive the lid connector 28 of the quick-release valve 12. The air intake aperture 16 allows air to get into the bottle as the liquid is removed during use. The friction feature 18 in provided to allow the user to grip and remove the lid when necessary to refill and/or clean the bottle. The friction feature may be any friction feature suitable for providing a grip, including but not limited to ridges, recesses, roughened surface, or other materials. The underside of the lid includes a connector 22 for connecting a fluid tube 24 to enable the liquid to flow out of the container. The connector 22 includes beveled surfaces 26 to frictionally secure the fluid tube to the connector 22. The inside of the lid also includes a threaded rim 27 for threadedly connecting to a beverage container.

The quick-release valve 12 includes a lid connector 28, a drinking tube connector 30, and a quick-release apparatus, which includes a push button 32 and a release mechanism (not shown). The lid connector 28 is configured to nest within the central aperture 14 of the lid 10. The drinking tube connector 30 may be angularly adjustable and is configured to frictionally receive a drinking tube (not shown). The lid connector 28 and tube connector 30 each include an inner lumen to allow for the fluid to flow from the beverage container to the drinking tube. The release mechanism is mechanically connected to the push button 32 such that when the user depresses the push button 32, the release mechanism disengages from the circumferential recess 20 allowing the user to disengage the quick-release valve 12 from the lid 10. By way of example only, the release mechanism may be a spring-loaded latch that is biased to the locked position. Other release mechanisms are possible without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

While the inventive features described herein have been described in terms of a preferred embodiment for achieving the objectives, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that variations may be accomplished in view of these teachings without deviating from the spirit or scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A lid for a beverage container, comprising:

a central aperture, an air intake aperture, and a friction feature positioned around the perimeter of the lid, the central aperture being configured to receive a quick-release valve therein and to provide for a fluid conduit from the inside of the beverage container to a drinking tube; and

a quick release valve including a lid connector, a drinking tube connector, and a quick-release apparatus, the quick-release apparatus including a push button and a release mechanism, the lid connector being configured to nest within the central aperture.

2. The lid of claim 1, wherein the central aperture includes a circumferential recess configured to receive the lid connector of the quick-release valve.

3. The lid of claim 1, wherein the friction feature comprises at least one of ridges, recesses, and a roughened surface.

4. The lid of claim 1, wherein the lid further includes an underside comprising a connector for connecting a fluid tube to enable the liquid to flow out of the container.

5. The lid of claim 1, further comprising a threaded rim for threadedly connecting to a beverage container.

6. The lid of claim 1, wherein the drinking tube connector is angularly adjustable.

7. The lid of claim 6, wherein the drinking tube connector is configured to frictionally receive a drinking tube.

8. The lid of claim 1, wherein the release mechanism is mechanically connected to the push button such that when the user depresses the push button, the release mechanism disengages from the circumferential recess allowing the user to disengage the quick-release valve from the lid.

9. The lid of claim 1, wherein the release mechanism is a spring-loaded latch that is biased to the locked position.