Lid For A Container

Abstract

A lid assembly for a beverage container includes a lid body, a flip straw pivotally coupled to the lid body, a latch, a button, and a flexible straw coupling portion. The flip straw is rotatable between an open position and a closed position. The flexible straw coupling portion connects to the flip straw and is configured to undergo elastic deformation when the flip straw is rotated to the closed position, thereby generating a restoring force. The button includes a camming surface configured to drive the latch from a locking position to a releasing position. Upon actuation of the button, the latch releases the flip straw, and the restoring force of the flexible straw coupling portion automatically drives the flip straw to pivot to the open position, facilitating one-handed operation.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/745,802, filed on Jan. 16, 2025, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to the field of container lid, specifically to an improved lid design for insulated cups or travel mugs. Many conventional container lids are designed to be leak-proof; however, these lids often compromise ease of use, particularly when it comes to opening the drinking spout. Furthermore, most existing designs are not optimized for users who frequently use their cups in vehicles or while holding the cup with one hand.

In particular, for containers with handles that are commonly used in cars, users face the challenge of being able to easily open and access the spout for drinking without spilling or compromising the leak-proof functionality. Current lid designs either provide a secure, leak-proof seal at the cost of user convenience or sacrifice leak protection for ease of access to the drinking spout.

The present invention addresses this issue by introducing a novel structural design that places both the button to open the spout and the spout itself on the surface of the lid. This design offers a user-friendly solution, enabling convenient one-handed operation while maintaining a leak-proof seal, particularly for users who use their container in vehicles or other situations where ease of access is crucial.

SUMMARY

The disclosed invention relates to a beverage container system featuring a removable lid assembly and a convenient flip straw mechanism. The lid assembly includes a flip straw that can be opened and closed with a button, allowing a user to drink from the container easily. The lid body is securely connected to the container by a snap structure, and the flip straw is designed to pivot between open and closed positions. A vent and straw coupling portion are incorporated to facilitate fluid flow. The system uses a latch and a button mechanism, which, when pressed, disengages the latch and allows the flip straw to open for drinking. The button also ensures that the flip straw is secured when closed. The design offers an ergonomic and efficient drinking experience while maintaining a secure seal when not in use, ensuring ease of use, low complexity, and convenience in manufacturing. Various materials and configurations are possible within the described principles, allowing flexibility for different applications.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The appended drawings are incorporated in and constitute a part of this description, and contain figures of certain embodiments to further disclose the above and other aspects, principles, advantages, and features of the subject technology. It will be appreciated that these drawings depict only certain embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Additionally, it will be appreciated that while the drawings may illustrate certain sizes, scales, relationships, and configurations of the subject technology, the drawings are not intended to limit the scope of the claimed invention.

FIG. 1 is a front, upper perspective view of an exemplary container and lid, illustrating the lid in a closed position.

FIG. 2 is a front, upper perspective view of an exemplary lid, illustrating the lid in a closed position;

FIG. 3 is a front, upper perspective view of an exemplary lid, illustrating the lid in a open position;

FIG. 4 is an exploded upper perspective view of the lid shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a lower perspective view of a portion of the lid shown in FIG. 4, illustrating an exemplary upper surface;

FIG. 6 is a lower perspective view of a portion of the lid shown in FIG. 4, illustrating an exemplary flip straw;

FIG. 7 is an upper perspective view of a portion of the lid shown in FIG. 4, illustrating an exemplary connector;

FIG. 8 is a lower perspective view of a portion of the lid shown in FIG. 4, illustrating an exemplary button;

FIG. 9 is a lower perspective view of a portion of the lid shown in FIG. 4, illustrating an exemplary latch;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional side view of a portion of the lid shown along lines 10-10 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional side view of a portion of the lid shown along lines 11-11 in FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This disclosure may be embodied in various forms. While preferred embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail herein, these descriptions are intended merely as examples to demonstrate the principles of the disclosure and should not be construed as limiting its scope. The features depicted in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, and the features of one embodiment may be combined with those of other embodiments, as would be understood by a person of ordinary skill in the relevant field. Well-known components and techniques may be omitted from the descriptions to avoid unnecessary complexity. The examples provided are intended solely to aid in understanding how the disclosure can be practiced and to enable those skilled in the art to implement the disclosed embodiments. Accordingly, the scope of the disclosure is defined solely by the appended claims and applicable law.

FIG. 1 is an upper perspective view of an example beverage container 10, arranged in accordance with at least one embodiment described herein. The beverage container 10 includes a lid assembly 100 and a container body 200 and the container body may include a handle 210, as shown in FIGS. 2-4, such as a container lid assembly 100. Preferably, the lid assembly 100 may be removably connected to the container body 200.

The container lid 100 may cooperate with the container body 200 to secure contents such as liquids within the container body 200. The container lid 100 may be removed entirely from the container body 200 to expose a top opening (not showing in FIG. 1) of the container body 200 through which an interior of the container body 200 may be accessed.

The container lid 100 may define a lid straw that may be relatively small, e.g. smaller than the top opening of the container body 200 and through which the interior of the container body 200 may be accessed, For example, a user may consume the contents of the container 10 through the lid straw of the container lid 100.

FIG. 2 is an upper perspective view of the container lid 100 when the straw 120 is in the closed position, arranged in accordance with at least one embodiment described herein. FIG. 3 is an upper perspective view of the container lid 100 when the straw 120 is in the open position. FIG. 4 is an exploded upper perspective view of the container lid 100, arranged in accordance with at least one embodiment described herein. As illustrated in FIGS. 2-4, the container lid 100 may include an upper surface 110, a lid body 170, a decorative skirt 190, a flip straw 120 and a button 130(see, e.g., FIG. 4).

The lid body 170 may be connected to the upper surface 110 by a snap structure formed by snap slots 171,172 on the lid body 170 and protrusions 116,119 on the upper surface 110. The lid body 170 may also be connected to the decorative skirt 190 by a snap structure formed by snap slots 178 on the lid body 170 and protrusions 191 on the decorative skirt 190.

As shown in FIG. 2, a conduit 180, such as a straw, may be used in connection with the flip straw 120 by a straw coupling portion 160 and a connector 150. For example, the straw 180 may be used in connection with flip straw 120 and the straw may aid in drinking from the container body 200. Thus, a user may sip or drink by sucking on the flip straw 120 and liquid may travel through the straw 180, the straw coupling portion 160 and the flip straw 120 to the user.

The lid body 170 may further include two apertures. The first aperture 173 may be smaller than the second aperture 177. The first aperture 173 may receive a vent 111, allowing the user to more easily suck liquid from the container body 200 through the flip straw 120. The second aperture 177 may allow the straw coupling portion 160 to pass through the lid body and connect with the straw 180.

The flip straw 120 may include an opening 115. The opening 115 allows a user to consume the fluid from the container body 200. The flip straw 120 may also include a pair of engaging portions 121, which are engaged with receiving portions 171 in the lid body 170. The flip straw 120 may be pivotal, movable or rotatable between a closed position and an open position. The flip straw may further include a slot 122, which may secure the flip straw 120 in the closed position through a latch 140. The slot 122 may have a suitable depth such that the slot 122 does not communicate with the opening 115. The flip straw 120 may also include a protrusion 123, such that when the flip straw 120 is in the closed position, the protrusion 123 may be inserted into the vent 111, thereby sealing the vent 111.

The straw coupling portion 160 may include an opening 161, which may be tightly connected with the opening 124 on the flip straw 120, allowing liquid to flow through. The straw coupling portion 160 may also include two protruding portions 162 and 163 for connection. The protrusions may have any geometric shape, such as circular, directional, elliptical, or rectangular. The first protruding portion 162 may be used to connect to the connector 150, and the second protruding portion 163 may be used to connect to the lid body 170.

The straw coupling portion 160 is preferably formed of a resilient, flexible material (e.g., silicone or TPE) possessing shape memory properties. When the flip straw 120 is in the open position (as shown in FIG. 3), the straw coupling portion 160 is in a relaxed or substantially uncompressed state.

When the flip straw 120 is rotated from the open position to the closed position, the movement of the flip straw 120 exerts a compressive or bending force on the straw coupling portion 160. This action causes the straw coupling portion 160 to undergo elastic deformation, thereby storing potential energy.

Consequently, the deformed straw coupling portion 160 continuously exerts a biasing force (or restoring force) against the flip straw 120. This biasing force is configured to be sufficient to automatically drive the flip straw 120 to pivot from the closed position to the open position immediately upon release of the latch 140.

The connector 150 may include a pair of grooves 152 and a protrusion 151. The grooves 152 may engage with a pair of tongue portions 126 on the flip straw 120 by a tongue-and-groove joint. The protrusion 151 may snap into a recess 125 on the flip straw, thereby enhancing the stability of the connection between the connector and the flip straw. The connector 150 may further include an omega-shaped slot 151, which may be configured to receive the straw coupling portion, allowing it to be securely fixed to the connector 150.

As best seen in FIG. 11, when the flip straw 120 is in the open position, the flip straw 120 is in full contact with the straw coupling portion 160, with openings 115 and 161 in communication, allowing the user to suck liquid from the container body 200 through the flip straw 120. The sidewall of the second aperture 177 may include a protrusion 177, which may engage with a recess 164 on the straw coupling portion 160, thereby securing the straw coupling portion 160 to the lid body 170.

The button 130 may include a top surface 137, which may be parallel to the upper surface of the lid when the button is in its natural state. The shape of the top surface 137 of the button may correspond to the shape of a groove 114 on the upper surface 110 of the lid, allowing the top surface 137 of the button to move downward when pressed by the user. The button 130 may further include one or more wedge-shaped protrusions 135. A hole 136 may be formed in the wedge-shaped protrusions 135 to receive one or more vertical springs 132. The button 130 may also include one or more rectangular protrusions 138, which may be connected to an abutment 176 on the lid body 170, ensuring that the button 130 maintains a horizontal orientation in its natural position without tilting.

As shown in FIG. 9, a latch 140 may be used to secure the flip straw 120 in the closed position. The latch 140 may include a protrusion 142, which may have a suitable shape to be inserted into a slot 122 on the flip straw 120. The latch 140 may also include one or more holes 141 (showing in FIG. 4), which may receive one or more horizontal springs 142. The latch 140 may further include one or more wedge-shaped protrusions 144, with the sloped angle of the wedge-shaped protrusions 144 corresponding to the wedge-shaped protrusions 135 on the button 130, enabling wedge coupling. The latch 140 may also include one or more raised ribs 143 to reduce friction between the latch 140 and the lid body 170, ensuring smooth sliding movement.

As best seen in FIG. 10, when the user presses the button 130, the wedge-shaped structure 135 on the button 130 may move downward and push the wedge-shaped structure 144 on the latch 140, causing the latch 140 to move horizontally from a first position to a second position. In this process, the horizontal spring 142 may be compressed, and the protrusion 142 may disengage from the slot 122, thereby releasing the flip straw 120, allowing it to rotate from the closed position to the opening position. When the user releases the button 130, the wedge-shaped structure 135 on the button 130 may return to its natural position. The compressed horizontal spring 142 may push the latch 140 to move horizontally from the second position to the first position. When the latch 140 is in the first position and the flip straw 120 is in the open position, during the user rotating the flip straw 120 to the closed position, downward pressure may cause the latch 140 to move horizontally from the first position to the second position, further compressing the horizontal spring 142. As the user continues to rotate the flip straw 120 until the protrusion 142 on the latch 140 is aligned with the slot 122, the horizontal spring 142 may push the latch 140 to move horizontally from the second position back to the first position, causing the protrusion 142 to engage with the slot 122 and securing the flip straw 120 in the closed position.

A bias member 131 may be located between the button 130 and the latch 140. The bias member 131 may have a suitable height and may be of any shape, such as spherical, rectangular, square, or cylindrical. The bias member 131 may have appropriate elasticity, allowing for a better tactile feedback when the button 130 is pressed and released.

The container lid assembly 100 may be connected to the container body 200 via threads 179. By adjusting the threads 179, the button 130 and handle 210 may be positioned in a suitable alignment. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the button 130 and handle 210 may be positioned on the same vertical plane, allowing the user to naturally press the button 130 while holding the handle 210 to open the flip straw 120 and consume the liquid from the container body 200. Advantageously, the system 10 may be easily and conveniently used, straightforward to operate, and may have few parts, which may facilitate manufacturing and assembly of the system.

Although this invention has been described in terms of certain preferred embodiments, other embodiments apparent to those of ordinary skill the art are also within the scope of this invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is intended to be defined only by the claims which follow.

Claims

1. A lid assembly for a beverage container, comprising:

a container body; and

a lid body,

wherein the lid body configured to be removably coupled to the container body; a flip straw pivotally coupled to the lid body, the flip straw being rotatable between an open position and a closed position; a latch movable between a locking position and a releasing position, wherein the latch is configured to secure the flip straw in the closed position when in the locking position; a button operably coupled to the latch to actuate movement of the latch; and a flexible straw coupling portion connected to the flip straw and extending into the lid body to define a fluid conduit; wherein rotation of the flip straw from the open position to the closed position exerts a compressive or bending force on the flexible straw coupling portion to cause elastic deformation of the flexible straw coupling portion; and wherein the elastically deformed flexible straw coupling portion stores potential energy that exerts a continuous biasing force against the flip straw, such that upon movement of the latch to the releasing position, the biasing force automatically drives the flip straw to pivot from the closed position to the open position.

2. The lid assembly of claim 1, further comprising a rigid connector interposed between the flip straw and the flexible straw coupling portion, wherein the rigid connector is mechanically engaged with the flip straw to transfer rotation of the flip straw to the flexible straw coupling portion.

3. The lid assembly of claim 2, wherein the rigid connector includes a central opening having an omega-shaped geometry configured to retain a neck region of the flexible straw coupling portion.

4. The lid assembly of claim 1, wherein the button acts vertically and the latch moves horizontally, and wherein: the button comprises a first camming surface;

the latch comprises a second camming surface; and downward movement of the button causes the first camming surface to slide against the second camming surface, thereby converting vertical movement of the button into horizontal movement of the latch to release the flip straw.

5. The lid assembly of claim 4, wherein the first camming surface and the second camming surface comprise complementary wedge-shaped protrusions.

6. The lid assembly of claim 1, wherein the flexible straw coupling portion is formed of a silicone material or a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) possessing shape memory properties sufficient to generate said biasing force without an auxiliary metal spring acting on the flip straw.

7. The lid assembly of claim 1, further comprising a vent formed in the lid body, wherein the flip straw includes a sealing protrusion configured to plug the vent when the flip straw is in the closed position.

8. The lid assembly of claim 1, wherein the latch is spring-loaded towards the locking position, and wherein the flip straw comprises a catching slot configured to receive a portion of the latch when the flip straw is in the closed position.

9. The lid assembly of claim 1, wherein the lid body includes a thread structure for connecting to the container body, said thread structure being timed such that, when fully tightened, the button is vertically aligned with a handle of the container body to facilitate one-handed operation.

10. A beverage container system, comprising: a container body; and a lid assembly removably coupled to the container body, the lid assembly comprising: a flip straw movable between a stowed position and a deployed position; a locking mechanism permitting the flip straw to be locked in the stowed position and released to the deployed position; and an elastomeric conduit having a first end coupled to the flip straw and a second end configured to couple with a down-tube; wherein the elastomeric conduit is configured to undergo mechanical deformation when the flip straw is in the stowed position, thereby generating a restoring force that biases the flip straw towards the deployed position.