Beverage container lid

Abstract

A lid for sealing a tumbler or other type of beverage container. The lid features a cover and a sidewall, as well as a resilient drink opening plug that is removably tethered to the cover. The cord that tethers the plug is flexible, but is pre-formed into a pair of parabolic arcs that help prevent the cord from wildly dangling or flopping into a user's face while drinking.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to beverage container lids, and it is specifically directed to such a lid that has a removably tethered plug for closing its drink opening.

With the rise in popularity of thermally insulated, non-disposable drink tumblers has been a proliferation in the designs and structural configurations of lids to cover them. Nevertheless, for simplicity of discussion, those lids can be categorized relative to the types of closures they employ for their drink openings: (1) no closure (i.e., no drink opening); (2) pivoting lever closure; (3) sliding lever closure; and (4) spring-loaded closure.

Tumbler lids that have no drink opening whatsoever can certainly be effective in preventing unwanted heat transfer between the inside of a container and the environment, but that is true only when the lid is attached to the beverage container—in essence, when no liquid contents of the container are intended to be removed, like during actual drinking. In fact, since that type of lid must be entirely displaced from the container to retrieve liquid, an inordinate amount of heat transfer occurs when one removes the lid to drink from its container. Furthermore, relative to the aforementioned other types of lids, this lid type greater exposes the container liquid to dust, insects and other impurities when it is time for a user to drink. Consequently, most manufacturers of high-performance tumblers designed for outdoor use have discontinued producing this type of lid and have opted for one of the other three.

Pivoting lever closure type lids feature lever and fulcrum mechanisms that are movable between positions in which the drink hole is opened or sealed closed by pressing and/or pulling force being applied. Sliding lever closure type lids feature mechanisms that are radially or circumferentially slidable between those open and closed positions. And spring-loaded closure type lids can have a wide variety of configurations and closing mechanisms in which spring bias urges a drink hole covering toward an open and/or toward a closed position. Nevertheless, despite the mechanical differences between them all, the present inventor has recognized a couple of drawbacks which seem to be common to all of them.

The first such drawback pertains to their cleanability. More specifically, the configurations of their respective drink hole covering mechanisms tend to render small surface areas that cannot be directly sprayed with stream of cleaning water. Therefore, it may be difficult to truly sanitize them in a dishwasher, and that may be accomplishable only by a manual cleaning in which every crevice of the lid can be, essentially, submerged in water or other cleaning solution. Incidentally, spout and nozzle type drink openings commonly found on sport bottle lids present a similar problem.

The other drawback relates to mechanical wear. With continuous use, each of these closure mechanisms is subject to sustaining enough mechanical wear that they begin failing to stay firmly in their respective open and closed positions. They may become “trick” closures.

Consequently, the present inventor appreciates a need for a lid that seals closed a tumbler and features a mechanism, for opening a closing the drinking aperture formed within it, that is less subject to failure due to mechanical wear and renders the lid completely cleanable by direct water spray (i.e., dishwasher cleaning). The present invention for a beverage container lid substantially fulfills these needs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a beverage container lid apparatus having a drink opening closure mechanism that is so structurally simple as to not be subject to mechanical wear of a nature that may diminish its effectiveness in sealing closed the drink opening formed in the lid. In one aspect of the invention, the apparatus features a resilient plug that can be simply press-fitted into the drink opening. In another aspect of the invention, the plug is at the end of a cord which is tetheredly attached to the lid.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a plug tether cord that flexible enough to allow the plug to be freely moved into and out of the position of closing the drink opening, but that is rigid enough and is both itself configured and tethered to the lid in such ways that it does not completely freely rotate, flop or rotate in ways that the user does not desire. In one aspect of the invention, rotational friction is experienced, by the tether cord, at a hole where the cord protrudes and is anchored to the lid. In another aspect, the double arced pre-form of the cord tends to cause it to slump over the sidewall of the lid (with the plug hanging outside the periphery of the lid)—rendering a point of contact, between the cord and the lid sidewall, that further inhibits any unwanted movement of the plug or its tether when the container is being drank from.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a beverage container lid in accordance with the present invention, the plug shown lodged in the drink opening;

FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of the same;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the same;

FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of the same;

FIG. 5 is a left side elevational view of the same;

FIG. 6 is a right side elevational view of the same;

FIG. 7 is a front side devotional view of the same;

FIG. 8 is a rear side elevational view of the lid, plug and plug tether cord shown completely detached from the lid cover; and

FIG. 9 is a top perspective view of the same.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

This disclosure, as defined by the claims that follow, relates to a lid 1 for placing atop and sealing liquid within a beverage container, such as a tumbler. As will be discussed, it is anticipated that the present lid 1 may be of a type that either press-fits into (or over) the upper portion of a beverage container or that screws into it. Nevertheless, the primary components of the present invention for a beverage container lid apparatus 1, which can be fully appreciated by viewing FIGS. 1 & 9, are: a rigid cover 10, a rigid sidewall 30, a drink opening 12 (formed within the cover 10), a resilient plug 40 and a flexible plug tether cord 50 that is pre-formed into two (or more) parabolic arcs. The lid apparatus 1 is, typically, to be constructed partly of plastic (e.g., the cover and sidewall) and partly of rubber (e.g., the plug and tether cord), but any materials that are suitably rigid, resilient or flexible can be employed.

In a preferred embodiment, the lid cover 10 is a planar, circular and horizontal piece of translucent plastic. At its periphery is a generally vertical sidewall 30 encircling it. The relative vertical positioning of the cover 10 and sidewall 30 can vary, but in embodiments of the lid 1 that press-fit into the cylindrical top portion of the inner wall of a drink container (not shown), the cover 10 is at least somewhat recessed below the upper rim of the sidewall 30 (i.e., the sidewall 30 extends above, if not also below, the cover 10). In other embodiments of the apparatus 1 of this invention, particular those in which the lid is to be screwed onto a container, the cover 10 may be positioned at the very top of the sidewall 30.

Formed in the cover 10 is a drink opening 12 through which liquid stored in a beverage container is to flow. The drink opening 12 can have a wide range of shapes, but it should be positioned at a point closely adjacent the sidewall 30. Also formed in the cover 10 is a hole 14 through which plug tether cord 50 protrudes and within which the cord 50 can rotate—not freely, but with enough frictional resistance that it can rotate, essentially, only by a user applying torque with his fingers (or by some other external influence beyond mere gravitational influence). The plug tether cord 50 remains perpetually mounted to the cover 10, even when the plug 40 is not lodged in the drink hole 12, due to the end of tether cord, opposite its plug end, not being able to freely pass through this mounting hole 14, as will be explained in more detail. This mounting hole 14 should be along the same radial axis as the center of the drink opening 12.

In the preferred embodiment of the present lid 1 that is depicted in the accompanying drawings, the lid 1 attaches to a beverage container (not shown), such as a tumbler, by press-fit (frictional) engagement of the lid sidewall 30 and the container sidewall. More specifically, the lid sidewall's outer surface 34 has a groove (not shown) formed within it that a rubber sealing band 60 is seated within. This cylindrical band 60 can be of different cross-sectional profiles that each have the characteristic of the band's outer surface extending slightly radially beyond the portion of the sidewall outer surface 34 that directly faces the inner surface of a beverage container. This creates a seal, between the lid 1 and the beverage container, that liquid will not seep through when the liquid-filled container is in a non-upright position.

Preferably, the sealing band 60 has a downwardly tapered profile, meaning that while its inner diameter may be constant along its thickness, its outer diameter narrows downward. In fact, in the preferred embodiment that is best viewed in FIGS. 7 & 8, the sealing band 60 features a perfectly cylindrical main body that a vertically-spaced pair of and outwardly extending, downwardly tapered flanges are formed along that body. This configuration causes the lid 1 to experience greater friction with a container wall when being urged upward than it does when being urged. Thus, the lid 1 is easier to attach than it is to remove from the container. Nevertheless, the band 60 could conceivably have a circular, half-circular, rectangular or other cross-sectional profile so long as it functions as an effective seal when attached to a container.

It should be noted that, in one alternative embodiment, the lid 1 can be configured to press-fit over the top of a beverage container such that the inner surface 32 of the lid sidewall 30 engages the outer surface of the container. Still alternatively, the lid 1 (and a cooperating beverage container) can be configured such that screw threads, along either the sidewall's inner surface 32 or its outer surface 34, engage corresponding threads formed along the container's outer or inner surface to couple them in that manner.

Formed along the top of the sidewall 30 is a horizontal flange 20 that covers the top rim of a beverage container when the lid 1 is attached to it. In a preferred embodiment, a small peripheral portion of the flange 20 that is radially opposite the drink opening 12, juts further out to form a lift tab 22 that a user can grip and pull up on to remove the press-fit type lid 1 from the container.

In a preferred embodiment, the cover features a third, smaller (than the drink opening 12 or the mounting hole 14) hole 16 that is to remain unobstructed so that pressure within the drink container stays equivalent to ambient pressure and, thereby, allows liquid to freely flow through the drink opening 12 and out of the container when the container is merely tilted out of its upright position. Of course, so the liquid does not also flow through this pressure equalization hole 16, the hole 16 should be positioned at a point along the surface area of cover 10 that is radially [nearly] furthest from the drink opening 12.

Finally, in a preferred embodiment and as is viewable in FIGS. 1 & 9, to help channel the flow of liquid expelled through the drink opening 12 precisely into a drinker's mouth, a recess 36 is formed within a peripheral segment of the sidewall's inner surface 32 that is adjacent the drink opening 12 in the cover 10.

The plug 40 can have an infinite number of different shapes, but it is configured to firmly lodge within the drink opening 12 with enough sealing force to prevent it from being dislodged or otherwise permit liquid permeation at the opening 12 even when the liquid-filled container is turned upside down. Attached to the plug 40 is a cord 50 that allows the plug to remain always tethered to the lid cover 10. More specifically, at or near the end of the tether cord 50 that is opposite its plug end, the cord 50 features an anchoring element 42 which cannot pass through the cover's mounting hole 14 without significant pulling force being applied to the cord 50.

Ideally, this cord anchor 42 is simply a diametrically larger (than the cord) mass of tether cord material. Whether cylindrical, bulbous or otherwise in cross-section, the anchor 42 should be, on one hand, of sufficiently greater diameter than the mounting hole 14 that it prevents the tether cord from completely detaching from the cover 10 during normal lid use and, on the other hand, radially compressible enough that a user may intentionally pull it through that hole 14 without risk of snapping or elastically deforming the tether cord 50 while attempting to do so.

Finally, the tether cord 50 of the present invention is a fabricated of flexible material (typically, a rubber). And in a preferred embodiment, it is pre-formed such that it is neither linear nor simply arcuate when in its free state (although, it may be linear in an alternative embodiment). Rather, it is pre-formed to be doubly arcuate along its length. To wit, its length is formed by a series of two parabolic arcs. Preferably, and as depicted in FIGS. 1, 3, 7, 8 & 9, those arcs of two different sizes—a large arc 52 having the plug 40 at its outer end and a small arc 54 having the cord anchor 42 at its outer end. Positioned between the arcs is a “notch” 56 that, in fact, may be crimp or indentation in the cord. Furthermore, the notch 56 may, in fact, be a short segment of cord that is either linear or is arced in the opposite direction of the larger arcs 52, 54.

One important characteristic of the configuration of the tether cord 50 is that a user can rotate the cord 50 (after removing the plug 40 from the drink opening 12) such that the notch 56 rests in the vicinity of the sidewall inner surface 32 while the big arc 52 touches and hangs over the top of the sidewall 30. In addition to the rotational resistance imposed on the cord 50 at the mounting hole 14, this cord-sidewall contact creates a friction point that inhibits the flexible cord 50 from rotating or otherwise dangling downward and onto a user's face upon the user tilting the beverage container up to drink from it.

Aspects of various embodiments of the present invention that are not recited above or claimed below may be noted from observing the illustrations included herein.

Claims

1. A lid for use with a beverage container, the lid comprising:

a cover, wherein the cover has a drink aperture formed therewithin;

a sidewall around the periphery of the cover, wherein the sidewall is configured to sealingly engage a beverage container;

a resilient plug configured to lodge into the drink aperture so that fluid is prevented from flowing therethrough; and

a flexible tether cord, wherein the tether cord is attached to the plug and is configured to otherwise mount to the cover, and wherein the tether cord has separately arcuate segments when it is in a free state.

2. A lid for use with a beverage container, the lid comprising:

a cover, wherein the cover has a drink aperture formed therewithin;

a sidewall around the periphery of the cover, wherein the sidewall is configured to sealingly engage a beverage container;

a resilient plug configured to lodge into the drink aperture so that fluid is prevented from flowing therethrough; and

a flexible tether cord, wherein the tether cord is attached to the plug and is configured to otherwise mount to the cover, and wherein the tether cord has a notch, formed along its length, and has arcuate profile segments on both sides of the notch when the tether cord is in a free state.

3. The lid of claim 2, wherein said sidewall is configured to friction-fit against the inner surface of a beverage container.

4. The lid of claim 2, wherein said sidewall is configured to friction-fit against the outer surface of a beverage container.

5. The lid of claim 2, wherein said sidewall is configured to threadingly engage a beverage container.

6. The lid of claim 2, wherein an anchoring element is disposed along said tether cord, wherein the anchoring element is configured to keep said tether cord mounted to said cover even when said plug is not lodged within said drink aperture.

7. The lid of claim 6, further comprising a mounting aperture formed within said cover, wherein said tether cord protrudes the mounting aperture, and wherein said anchoring element is defined by a radially compressible object that, when in a radially uncompressed state, is diametrically larger than the mounting aperture.

8. The lid of claim 6, wherein said tether cord is frictionally rotatable relative to said cover, but cannot be so rotated without application of torque by an external influence.

9. The lid of claim 2, wherein said sidewall extends upward from said cover.

10. The lid of claim 2, wherein said sidewall extends downward from said cover.

11. The lid of claim 2, wherein said plug and said tether cord are fabricated of a rubber.

12. The lid of claim 2, wherein said tether cord is semi-rigid.

13. The lid of claim 2, wherein a third aperture is formed within said cover, wherein this third aperture is for equalizing pressure within a beverage container with ambient pressure.

14. The lid of claim 2, further comprising a sealing band, disposed along said sidewall, that is configured to provide a liquid impermeable seal between said lid and a beverage container.

15. The lid of claim 2, wherein a drink recess is formed within said sidewall radially adjacent said drink aperture, the drink recess being configured to channel the flow of liquid out of the drink opening and into a user's mouth.

16. The lid of claim 2, wherein said notch is a non-arcuate segment of tether cord.

17. The lid of claim 2, wherein said notch is a segment of tether cord that is inversely arcuate.

18. A lid for use with a beverage container, the lid comprising:

a cover, wherein the cover has a drink aperture formed therewithin;

a sidewall around the periphery of the cover, wherein the sidewall is configured to sealingly engage a beverage container;

a resilient plug configured to lodge into the drink aperture so that fluid is prevented from flowing therethrough; and

a flexible tether cord, wherein the tether cord is attached to the plug and is configured to otherwise mount to the cover.