DRINK CUP LID
A drink cup lid includes a liquid-discharge outlet through which a consumer can drink a liquid stored in a cup while the lid is mounted on the cup. The drink cup lid also includes a closure for the liquid-discharge outlet.
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/787,945, filed Mar. 15, 2013, which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
BACKGROUNDThe present disclosure relates to drink cups, and particularly to lids for drink cups. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a lid formed to include a liquid-discharge outlet through which a consumer can sip a beverage contained in a drink cup carrying the lid.
SUMMARYAccording to the present disclosure, a liquid container comprises a lid adapted to mate with the brim of a cup. The lid is formed to include a liquid-discharge outlet communicating with an interior region formed in the cup when the lid is mounted on the brim of the cup so that consumers can drink liquid stored in the cup and expelled through the liquid-discharge outlet formed in the lid while the lid is mounted on the brim of the cup.
In illustrative embodiments, the lid includes a central closure formed to include the liquid-discharge outlet and a ring-shaped brim mount arranged to surround the central closure. The brim mount of the lid is configured to mate with the brim of the cup to hold the central closure in a stationary position closing a cup mouth opening into the interior region of the cup and placing the liquid-discharge outlet in fluid communication with any liquid stored in the interior region of the cup.
In illustrative embodiments, the lid further includes an outlet closure mounted for pivotable movement about a pivot axis between a closed position closing the liquid-discharge outlet and an opened position opening the liquid-discharge outlet. The outlet closure is arranged to pivot through an angle of about 245° as it moves from the closed position to the opened position.
In illustrative embodiments, the central closure and the surrounding brim mount cooperate to form a ring-shaped low-elevation liquid-retention channel therebetween. The central closure includes an upstanding drink spout including a top wall formed to include the liquid-discharge outlet and a forwardly facing front wall. The outlet closure includes a closure-anchor lug that is sized and arranged to extend into a lug-receiving cavity formed in the forwardly facing front wall of the upstanding drink spout to retain the outlet closure in the closed position at the option of a consumer.
Additional features of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of illustrative embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the disclosure as presently perceived.
The detailed description particularly refers to the accompanying figures in which:
A liquid container 10 includes a cup 12 and a lid 14 as shown in
Central closure 16 includes a drink spout 160 including a top wall 162 formed to include a liquid-discharge outlet 164 and a side wall 166 formed to include a closure retainer 168 as suggested in
As shown in
In an illustrative embodiment, a consumer can drink liquid stored in cup 12 while lid 14 remains mounted on the brim 20 of cup 12 through the opened liquid-discharge outlet 164 formed in lid 14 after the consumer has pivoted outlet closure 17 to an opened position. In an illustrative embodiment, central closure 16 of lid 14 includes an upstanding drink spout 160 formed to include liquid-discharge outlet 164. Drink spout 160 is adapted to be received in the mouth of a consumer desiring to drink a liquid stored in cup 12 once outlet closure 17 has been moved to an opened position.
Central closure 16 rises upwardly above brim mount 20 and includes an upstanding ridge 140 that is located inside a front semicircular portion 20F of brim mount 20 and a drink spout 160 that is formed to include a high-elevation liquid-discharge outlet 164 and is located inside a rear semicircular portion 20R of brim mount 20 in spaced-apart confronting relation to ridge 140 as suggested in
In illustrative embodiments, upstanding drink spout 160, ridge 140, and a concave football-shaped basin floor 150 located between drink spout 160 and ridge 140 cooperate to form an elevated basin 16B included in central closure 16 as suggested in
Outlet closure 17 includes an annular closure plate 171, an upstanding nose-shaped closure-anchor lug 172 coupled to an inner edge of annular closure plate 171, and a hinge 173 coupled to a forwardly facing segment of an outer edge of annular closure plate 171 and to drink spout 160 along horizontally extending pivot axis 17 as shown, for example, in
Closure retainer 168 is formed in forwardly facing front wall 166F of drink spout 160 to face toward ridge 140 as suggested in
As suggested in
A drink cup lid 14 includes a ring-shaped brim mount 18 adapted to mate with a brim 20 of a drink cup 12 and a central closure 16 surrounded by brim mount 20 and formed to include an upstanding drink spout 160 as shown, for example, in
Drink cup lid 14 further includes an outlet closure 17 and a closure retainer 168 as suggested in
Outlet closure 17 includes an annular closure plate 171, an upstanding nose-shaped closure-anchor lug 172 coupled to an inner edge of annular closure plate 171, and a hinge 173 coupled to annular closure plate 171 and to drink spout 160 and configured to establish horizontal pivot axis 17A. Hinge 173 is coupled to a portion of upstanding drink spout 160 along a junction (J) provided between top wall 162 and side wall 166 of the upstanding drink spout 160 as suggested in
Outlet closure 17 includes a nose-shaped closure anchor lug 172 configured to mate with closure retainer 168 and remain in a stationary position relative to central closure 16 upon movement of outlet closure 17 to the opened position as suggested in
Closure retainer 168 includes a nearly vertical cavity rear wall 168R, a pair of laterally spaced-apart cavity side walls 168S1, 168S2 arranged to extend from cavity rear wall 168R in a direction away from liquid-discharge outlet 164 to form the forwardly facing lug-receiving cavity 168C therebetween, and a floor 168F arranged to mate with cavity rear wall 168R and interconnect lower edges of cavity side walls 168S1, 168S2. Lug-retainer bar 168B is appended to floor 168F and arranged to lie in the lug-receiving cavity 168C in spaced-apart relation to cavity rear wall 168R. Lug-retainer bar 168B is appended to floor 168F and arranged to lie midway between a rear edge of floor 168F located along the cavity rear wall 168R and an opposite front edge of floor 168F. Lug-retainer bar 168B is arranged to extend laterally between cavity side walls 168S1, 168S2. Lug-retainer bar 168B has a rounded outer surface to facilitate pivoting movement of the nose-shaped closure-anchor lug 172 up and over lug-retainer bar 168B as outlet closure 17 is pivoted about horizontal pivot axis 17A from the closed position to the opened position.
Side wall 166 of the upstanding drink spout 160 includes an upstanding front wall 166F appended to a front edge of top wall 162 and formed to include the closure retainer 168 and an upstanding rear wall 166R appended to a rear edge of top wall 162 to locate top wall 162 between the rear and front walls 166R, 166F. The rear and top walls 166R, 162 cooperate as shown, for example, in
Outlet closure 17 is mounted for pivotable movement through an angle 245 of about 245° about pivot axis 17A between a closed position closing the liquid-discharge outlet 164 and an opened position opening the liquid-discharge outlet 164 and mating with a closure retainer 168 formed in central closure 16 as shown, for example, in
An alternative lid 14′ in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, for example, in
A perspective view of a stack of two lids of the type shown in
Claims
1. A drink cup lid comprising
- a ring-shaped brim mount adapted to mate with a brim of a drink cup,
- a central closure surrounded by the brim mount and formed to include an upstanding drink spout having a top wall formed to include a liquid-discharge outlet and a side wall arranged to extend downwardly from the top wall toward an interior region surrounded by the ring-shaped brim mount,
- an outlet closure coupled to the upstanding drink spout for movement about a horizontally extending pivot axis between a closed position closing the liquid-discharge outlet formed in the top wall of the upstanding drink spout and an opened position away from the liquid-discharge outlet, and
- closure retainer means formed in the side wall of the upstanding drink spout in close proximity to the top wall for retaining the outlet closure in a stationary position relative to the side wall upon movement of the outlet closure from the closed position to the opened position.
2. The drink cup lid of claim 1, wherein the outlet closure includes an annular closure plate, an upstanding nose-shaped closure-anchor lug coupled to an inner edge of the annular closure plate, and a hinge coupled to the annular closure plate and to the drink spout and configured to establish the horizontal pivot axis.
3. The drink cup lid of claim 2, wherein the hinge is coupled to a portion of the upstanding drink spout along a junction provided between the top wall and the side wall of the upstanding drink spout.
4. The drink cup lid of claim 1, wherein the outlet closure includes a nose-shaped closure anchor lug configured to mate with the closure retainer means and remain in a stationary position relative to the central closure upon movement of the outlet closure to the opened position.
5. The drink cup lid of claim 4, wherein the closure retainer means provided in the side wall is formed to include a forwardly facing lug-receiving cavity and a lug-retainer bar configured to provide detent means for retaining a tip of the nose-shaped closure-anchor lug in the lug-receiving cavity upon movement of the outlet closure to the opened position.
6. The drink cup lid of claim 5, wherein the closure retainer means includes a nearly vertical cavity rear wall, a pair of laterally spaced-apart cavity side walls arranged to extend from the cavity rear wall in a direction away from the liquid-discharge outlet to form the forwardly facing lug-receiving cavity therebetween, and a floor arranged to mate with the cavity rear wall and interconnect lower edges of the cavity side walls, and the lug-retainer bar is appended to the floor and arranged to lie in the lug-receiving cavity in spaced-apart relation to the cavity rear wall.
7. The drink cup lid of claim 6, wherein the lug-retainer bar is appended to the floor arranged to lie midway between a rear edge of the floor located along the cavity rear wall and an opposite front edge of the floor.
8. The drink cup lid of claim 6, wherein the lug-retainer bar is appended to the floor and arranged to extend laterally between the cavity side walls.
9. The drink cup lid of claim 6, wherein the lug-retainer bar has a rounded outer surface to facilitate pivoting movement of the nose-shaped closure-anchor lug up and over the lug-retainer bar as the outlet closure is pivoted about the horizontal pivot axis from the closed position to the opened position.
10. The drink cup lid of claim 1, wherein the closure retainer is formed to include a forwardly facing lug-receiving cavity bounded by a cavity rear wall, a pair of laterally spaced-apart cavity side walls arranged to extend from the cavity rear wall away from the liquid-discharge outlet, and a floor arranged to mate with cavity rear wall and interconnect lower edges of the cavity side walls, and the outlet closure includes a nose-shaped closure-anchor lug arranged to extend into the forwardly facing lug-receiving cavity upon movement of the outlet closure to the opened position.
11. The drink cup lid of claim 10, wherein the closure retainer means includes a lug-retainer bar appended to the floor and configured to provide detent means for retaining a tip of the nose-shaped closure-anchor lug in the lug-receiving cavity upon movement of the outlet closure to the opened position.
12. The drink cup lid of claim 1, wherein the side wall of the upstanding drink spout includes an upstanding front wall appended to a front edge of the top wall and formed to include the closure retainer means and an upstanding rear wall appended to a rear edge of the top wall to locate the top wall between the rear and front walls, and the rear and top walls cooperate to define sipper means for extending into the mouth of a consumer desiring to drink a liquid stored in a cup mated with the ring-shaped brim mount through the liquid-discharge outlet once the outlet closure has been moved to the opened position.
13. The drink cup lid of claim 12, wherein the closure retainer means includes a nearly vertical cavity rear wall, a pair of laterally spaced-apart cavity side walls arranged to extend from the cavity rear wall in a direction away from the liquid-discharge outlet and the upstanding rear wall to form the forwardly facing lug-receiving cavity therebetween, a floor arranged to mate with the cavity rear wall and interconnect lower edges of the cavity side walls, and the lug-retainer bar is appended to the floor and arranged to lie in the lug-receiving cavity in spaced-apart relation to the cavity rear wall.
14. The drink cup lid of claim 12, wherein the rear wall has a convex shape and the front wall has a concave shape.
15. A drink cup lid comprises
- a central closure formed to include a liquid-discharge outlet and
- a ring-shaped brim mount arranged to surround the central closure and adapted to mate with a brim of a cup to hold the central closure in a stationary position closing a cup mouth opening into an interior region of the cup and placing the liquid-discharge outlet in fluid communication with any liquid stored in the interior region of the cup, and
- an outlet closure mounted for pivotable movement through an angle of about 245° about a pivot axis between a closed position closing the liquid-discharge outlet and an opened position opening the liquid-discharge outlet and mating with a closure retainer formed in the central closure.
16. The drink cup lid of claim 15, wherein the central closure includes a top wall formed to include the liquid-discharge outlet and a front wall appended to the top wall to define an obtuse included angle therebetween and formed to include the closure retainer.
17. The drink cup lid of claim 16, wherein the closure retainer means is formed to include a forwardly facing lug-receiving cavity and a lug-retainer bar configured to provide detent means for retaining a tip of the nose-shaped closure-anchor lug in the lug-receiving cavity upon movement of the outlet closure to the opened position.
18. The drink cup lid of claim 17, wherein the closure retainer means includes a cavity rear wall, a pair of laterally spaced-apart cavity side walls arranged to extend from the cavity rear wall in a direction away from the liquid-discharge outlet to form the forwardly facing lug-receiving cavity therebetween, and a floor arranged to mate with the cavity rear wall and interconnect lower edges of the cavity side walls, and the lug-retainer bar is appended to the floor and arranged to lie in the lug-receiving cavity in spaced-apart relation to the cavity rear wall.
19. The drink cup lid of claim 15, wherein the central closure includes a top wall formed to include the liquid-discharge outlet and an upstanding front wall appended to a front edge of the top wall and formed to include the closure retainer means and an upstanding rear wall appended to a rear edge of the top wall to locate the top wall between the rear and front walls, and the rear and top walls cooperate to define sipper means for extending into the mouth of a consumer desiring to drink a liquid stored in a cup mated with the ring-shaped brim mount through the liquid-discharge outlet once the outlet closure has been moved to the opened position.
20. The drink cup lid of claim 19, wherein the upstanding rear wall has a convex shape and the front wall has a concave shape.
21. A drink cup lid comprising
- a ring-shaped brim mount adapted to mate with a brim of a drink cup and
- a central closure surrounded by the brim mount and formed to include an upstanding drink spout having a top wall formed to include an oblong liquid-discharge outlet and a side wall arranged to extend downwardly from the top wall toward an interior region surrounded by the ring-shaped brim mount.
22. The drink cup lid of claim 22, wherein the central closure further includes an upstanding front wall coupled to a front edge of the top wall and an upstanding rear wall appended to a rear edge of the top wall to locate the top wall between the rear and front walls and the rear and top walls cooperate to define sipper means for extending into the mouth of a consumer desiring to drink a liquid stored in a cup mated with the ring-shaped brim mount through the oblong liquid-discharge outlet.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 14, 2014
Publication Date: Sep 25, 2014
Inventors: Jordan French (Evansville, IN), Jonathan Eickhoff (Evansville, IN), Scott L. Fisher (Evansville, IN)
Application Number: 14/214,236