BLOW-THROUGH COOLING VENTED BEVERAGE LID

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to removable lids used for containing the fluids of beverage containers, and more particularly, vented lids which allow the user to effectively cool their beverage without the risk of splash-back or spills.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is the utmost of human nature to blow on hot beverages to cool them to a suitable temperature for safe drinking. Often to accomplish this, a person will take the lid off and then blow over the hot beverage. This is not only inconvenient, but defeats the purpose of a lid risking spilling of the hot beverage and results in the hot beverage losing considerably more heat that is needed or desired resulting in a beverage becoming too cool for the most enjoyable drinking experience.

It is well known that beverage lids, both disposable and reusable, provide a means by which a user may mitigate the risk of spills when traveling with a beverage. For further convenience of the user, it should be possible for the user to consume the beverage without removing the lid. A secondary benefit of a lid is maintaining the temperature of the beverage, by reducing the amount of heat transfer between the environment and the liquid inside. The lid can act as both an insulator and a means by which to prevent convective cooling across the surface of the drink. Particularly, in the case of lids for hot beverages, it is essential the lid prevents accidental spilling of the hot liquid onto the user to avoid accidental burns and liability to the provider.

Regulating the temperature of a beverage to a suitable and safe drinking temperature is a common issue among those who enjoy hot beverages such as coffee, tea, hot chocolate, cider, and the like. Commonly, a user who desires to drink their too-hot beverage quickly will remove the lid and blow across the surface of the drink to cool the liquid. To safely remove the lid from a hot beverage it is often necessary to use both hands or have a stable surface nearby for supporting the cup. Removing the lid to cool the beverage is not only inconvenient but exposes the user to the risk of spilling the hot liquid onto themselves, especially those who are already traveling. Often when the lid is removed more heat escapes than desired, thereby cooling the beverage to a temperature that, while safe, yields a less pleasurable experience.

There are numerous designs for coffee lids available on the market, of which improvements are typically focused on ergonomics and spill prevention. In view of the foregoing, what is needed is a beverage lid which allows a user to conveniently cool their hot beverage to a suitable drinking temperature without removing the lid and thereby exposing the user to risk of spills and burns and allowing an excessive amount of heat to escape the beverage container.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A practical and natural means by which a user may cool their hot beverage is to blow across the surface of the liquid. In review of the prior art, it was found that the venting of disposable lids was insufficient to allow a user to blow across the surface of their drink without first removing the lid. Most vent holes are relatively small compared to the drinking opening, and, consequently, blowing into the drinking opening causes a buildup of pressure which can cause the lid to catastrophically fail. It is therefore an object of the present invention to facilitate cooling of a hot beverage to a suitable drinking temperature without removing the lid from the cup. Further, it is desirable that only the top layer of fluid is cooled immediately prior to the next sip of the beverage.

In accordance with the present invention, a lid is provided which is configured to facilitate cooling of a hot beverage when desired by the user without the risk of spills or splattering of the beverage. A drink opening is located on the top wall of the lid, which is raised above the base of the lid by an annular wall. A vent opening is located opposite the drink opening and is sufficiently large so that when a user blows into the drink opening the resultant increase in pressure does not result in failure of the lid. A hood situated over the vent, facing outward, away from the drinking opening, ensures that heated air is directed away from the user to prevent burns. Two baffles are located inside the lid, beneath both the drinking opening and the vent opening. The baffles deflect the air flow induced by the user around the insides of the cup and across the surface of the liquid, and also serves to inhibit sloshing or splashing of the hot liquid out of the vent opening. The design allows the top layer of a hot beverage to be cooled to a suitable temperature for drinking without needing to remove the lid and risking spills or excessively evacuating heat from the vessel. Sustained blowing by the user further reduces the bulk temperature of the beverage.

A removable vented lid comprising or consisting of a top, a base, and a convex annular side wall. An annular mounting portion with an inner lip and an overlapping outer lip engage a rim of a cup. An outer lip flares outward from the cup extending from than the inner lip for assisting the user in aligning the lid with the cup. A removable vented lid including an annular side wall extends upwardly from amounting portion of the lid. A top wall extends across a top of the vented lid having a generally circular periphery. An opening is formed in the lid adjacent to a periphery of the top wall. A first baffle extends downward from an underside of the top wall centered with the opening and inset from the annular side wall having a base disposed radially inward of a far side of the opening. A first baffle and opposing second baffle are arced concentrically with the annular side wall and flares radially outward at an angle overlapping a selected effective area of the opening and extends a distance no greater than the length of the annular side wall.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a removable lid for placing on a cup containing a hot beverage allowing the user to blow thorough the lid and over the hot beverage contained in the cup to cool only the upper layer of the liquid to cool the next sip without the hot beverage or escaping heat to blow back into the user's face.

It is an object of the present invention to size and shape the vent portal to allow complete flow through without a build up of pressure that would cause the lid to pop up.

It is an object of the present invention to form a splash baffle as either an integral one piece lid or as a two piece lid wherein the baffle is welded or attached to the top of the bottom surface of the lid.

It is an object of the invention for the splash baffle to function as a venturi tube to increase the fluid air flow cooling capacity of a person's breath.

It is an object of the invention for the splash baffle to function as a baffle to prevent blow back of the heat radiating from the hot beverage and/or blow back of the hot beverage onto the user's lips and face.

It is an object of the invention for the splash baffle to function as a baffle to create angled turns or a curved contours flow path to prevent hot beverage from flowing out of the vent release portal and/or deflector.

It is an object for the venturi air intake to provide an increase cooling effect creating a turbulent air flow over the surface of the hot liquid utilizing the increase air flow rate over the hot beverage.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a vent releases and portal deflector to direct heated air out of the enclosed cup and direct it away from the face and body of the user.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a lid having a contoured bottom lid surface profile with convex side walls for directing the cooler air flow from the user's breath contacts the hot beverage surface at the farthest point from the vent release portal so that the cooler air will spread across the entire surface area of the liquid.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a lid with means for cooling the surface of the hot beverage in a close cup an effective amount to allow the user to sip the beverage allowing the bulk of the beverage to remain hot.

Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be apparent with the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are incorporated into and form a part of the specification to illustrate examples of the aspects, embodiments, or configurations disclosed herein. The drawings together with the description, are meant to explain the principle aspects, embodiments, or configurations of the invention. The drawings illustrate preferred and alternative examples of the aspects, but are not intended to limit the aspects, embodiments, or configurations to only the illustrated and described examples. Further features and advantages will become apparent from the following, more detailed, description of the various aspects, embodiments, or configurations, as illustrated by the drawings referenced below. Reference numbers are the same for those elements that are the same across different Figures.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vented lid according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional side view of the vented lid of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side view of an alternative embodiment of a vented lid having a threaded inner wall;

FIG. 4 is a detailed perspective view of the vented lid of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a user drinking from the vented lid of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the vented lid of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional side view of the vented lid of FIG. 1, illustrating the airflow induced by a user when blowing into the drinking hole of the vented lid.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Various embodiments of the present invention are described herein and depicted in the drawings. To acquaint persons skilled in the pertinent arts most closely related to the present invention, a preferred embodiment that illustrates the best mode now contemplated for putting the invention into practice is described herein by, and with reference to, the annexed drawings that form a part of the specification. This exemplary embodiment is described in detail without attempting to describe all the various forms and modifications in which the invention might be embodied. As such, the embodiments described herein are illustrative and, as will become apparent to those skilled in the arts, may be modified in numerous ways within the scope and spirit of the invention.

References in the specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “an example embodiment,” etc., indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to affect such feature structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments, whether or not explicitly described.

Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing quantities, dimensions, conditions, and so forth used in the specification and claims are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “about.”

The term “a” or “an” entity, as used herein, refers to one or more of that entity. As such, the terms “a” or “an”, “one or more” and “at least one” can be used interchangeably herein.

The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having,” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Accordingly, the terms “including,” “comprising,” or “having,” and variations thereof can be used interchangeably herein.

It shall be understood that the terms “means” as used herein shall be given its broadest possible interpretation in accordance with 35 U.S.C., Section 112, Paragraph 6. Accordingly, a claim incorporating the term “means” shall cover all structures, materials, or acts set forth herein, and all of the equivalents thereof. Further, the structures, materials, or acts and the equivalents thereof shall include all those described in the summary of the invention, brief description of the drawings, detailed description, abstract, and claims themselves.

Referring now to FIG. 1, the present invention is generally embodied in a vented lid 20 for a drinking cup 90. For convenience of description, terms such as “upward”, “downward”, “horizontal”, etc., are used herein with respect to the orientation of the vented lid when seated on the drinking cup, as illustrated in FIG. 1. The term “vessel” will be used to mean the combination of a cup with a lid which can hold fluids. The “outside” of the lid refers to the side which faces the user when mounted to the cup, while the “inside” of the lid refers to the side of the lid that contains the beverage. It is understood that during use the vented lid 20 normally assumes various orientations as the user tilts their cup to consume the fluid held within the vessel. The lid 20 may be used with cups of various sizes and material sets. Commonly, hot beverages such as coffee are offered by shops in disposable cups made from materials such as paper or Styrofoam. The lid itself may be made of paper, corn-starch or edible cellulose, or a rigid plastic, flexible plastic, or rubber/elastomeric material allowing for disposal in a landfill, compost, or recycling plant, or it may be manufactured to be reusable, from material sets such as food-safe polymers or metals. It may be formed of a thin blown plastic film or molded from a thermoplastic.

Akin to conventional lids, the vented lid 20 provides a cover for the top opening of the cup 90 which aids in retaining heat and reduces the risk of spilling the beverage. In a preferred embodiment, the base of the vented lid 20 has an annular mounting portion 22 with an inner lip 24 and an outer lip 26, which overlaps and engages with the rim 92 of the cup 90 forming a friction fit or compression fit, as illustrated in FIG. 2. The outer lip 26 flares outward from the cup 90 and extends further than the inner lip 24 to assist the user in aligning the lid 20 with the cup 90. In an alternative embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 3, the base of the vented lid 70 has a mounting portion 72 with a threaded inner wall 74 which may engage with congruent threads 84 on the outer wall 82 of a cup 80. Additionally, or alternatively, the lid may be designed so that the outer wall of the mounting portion is threaded so that the lid may engage with congruent threading in a cup with a diameter larger than the lid and having threaded inner walls.

The vented lid 20 includes an annular side wall 28 extending upwardly from the mounting portion 22 of the lid. With reference to the prior art, it was determined a side wall extending an effective distance, generally at least 0.5 inches from the mounting portion sufficient to allow the user to drink from the cup 90 without the user's lower lip contacting the outer lip 26 of the lid 20. Further, this distance is sufficient to inhibit most accidental splashing and enables portions of the lid contacted by the user's mouth to stay relatively cool. A top wall 30 extends across the top of the vented lid 20 having a generally circular periphery. Adjacent to the periphery of the top wall 30, a drinking opening 32 is formed to allow the user to drink from the cup without removing the lid. The drinking opening 32 is relatively small and oblong in shape with rounded ends. The size and shape of the opening is not critical and may vary according to the consumer's preference and could even be a spout. The drinking opening has near side 41 and a far side 42, denoted with relation to how the lid is oriented relative to a user while consuming a beverage.

In consideration of ergonomics, a circular region 38 of the top face 30, concentric with the annular side wall 28 in preferred embodiment and is recessed inwardly, so that the region is concave with respect to the outside of the lid 20. Further, the annular side wall 28 is slightly concave with respect to the outside of the lid however, these features are not critical for the function of the invention. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the combination of the slightly concave annular side wall 28 and the recessed circular region 38 of the top wall 30 of a preferred embodiment allows a user 100 to comfortably purse their lips 102 around the drinking opening 32 while also reducing the interference which occurs between the nose 104 of the user 100 and the top wall 30 of the lid 20.

Opposite the drinking opening 32 and adjacent to the periphery of the top wall 30, a hood 34 is formed over a vent opening 36. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the hood 34 protrudes upwardly from the top wall 30 of the lid 20 and is oriented so that the open face of the hood 34 is directed away from the user's face during use. The vent opening 36 equilibrates the pressure within cup the 90 during consumption of the fluid so to facilitate the flow of liquid out of the cup. Furthermore, the vent opening 36 is sufficiently large to permit an effective volume of air to flow therethrough to allow a user to blow into the drink opening 32 to cool the next sip of a hot beverage without a buildup of pressure inside the vessel. The shape is not critical; however, in an exemplary embodiment, the vent opening 36 is a radially arced slot, concentric with the annular side wall 28, and has a high aspect ratio of length to width. The hood 34 must have at least one upright wall proximal to the user and may additionally have upright side walls.

Without a means of redirecting the air flow, a user blowing directly into the drink opening of a lid causes the liquid inside the vessel to slosh or splatter against the lid or, worse, out of the vent opening and into the user's face. To inhibit the likelihood of splattering, a first baffle 40 extends downward from the underside of the top wall 30 of the vented lid 20, centered with the drinking opening 32. The first baffle 40 is inset from the annular side wall 28 so that its base is situated radially inward of the far side 42 of the drinking opening 32. The first baffle 40 is arced concentrically with the annular side wall 28 and flares radially outward at an angle sufficient to overlap a selected effective area, preferably at least 25 percent of the projected area of the drinking opening 32 when extending a distance no greater than the length of the annular side wall 28, most preferably no greater than 50 percent of the length of the annular side wall 28, and preferably no greater than 80 percent of the length of the annular side wall 28. The arc length of the first baffle 40 is preferably at least as long as the width w of the drink opening 32, more preferably twice as long as the width w of the drink opening 32, and most preferably three times as long as the width w of the drink opening 32. The projected area of the first baffle 40 is illustrated using hidden lines in the top plan view of FIG. 6.

Opposite the first baffle 40, a second baffle 44 extends downward from the underside of the top wall 30 of the vented lid 20, centered with the vent opening 36. The second baffle 44 is inset from the annular side wall 28 so that its base is situated radially inward of vent opening 36. The second baffle 44 is arced concentrically with the annular wall 28 and flares radially outward at an angle sufficient to overlap a selected effective area, at least 25 percent of the projected area of the vent opening 36 when extending a distance no greater than the length of the annular wall 28, most preferably more than 50 percent of the length of the annular wall 28, and preferably no greater than 80 percent of the length of the annular wall 28. The arc length of the second baffle 44 is preferably at least as long as the length l of the vent opening 36, more preferably twice as long as the length l of the vent opening 36, and most preferably three times as long as the length l of the vent opening 36. In an exemplary embodiment, the second baffle 44 is symmetric to the first baffle 40. The projected area of the second baffle 44 is illustrated using hidden lines in the top plan view of FIG. 6.

With respect to the inside of the lid 20, the annular side wall 28 is convex. As illustrated in FIG. 7, when a user blows into the drinking opening 32 of the lid 20 to cool their beverage, air 98 is redirected by the first baffle 40 towards the annular side wall 28. Due to the Coanda Effect, the cool flowing air 98 follows the convex shape of the annular side wall and continues to follow down the inner walls 94 of the cup 90 and across the surface of the fluid 96. The air 98 blown across the surface of the fluid 96 and around the vessel exits through the vent opening 36. The second baffle 44 ensures no fluid splatters from the vent opening 36, and the hood 34 directs the now-heated air 98 away from the face of the user, thereby preventing burns. The convective heat transfer over the surface of the fluid 96 is increased for as long as the user continues to blow, quickly cooling the top layers of the fluid 96 so that the next sip of the beverage is a suitable temperature. Sustained blowing into the lid 20 will decrease the bulk temperature of the fluid 96 as the cooled fluid at the surface sinks to the bottom of the cup 90 due to convective currents.

The lid 20 may be molded or additively manufactured as a unitary body. However, due to the undercuts of the baffles, it is more cost effective to manufacture the lid as two separate pieces and subsequently assembled. FIGS. 8-9 illustrate an alternative embodiment of the vented lid 60 with a separate baffle plate 62 which may be assembled after being formed by a manufacturing method such as thermoforming. Alignment pins 64 may extend from the bottom face of the top wall 66 of the lid 60 and interface with receiving holes 68 in the baffle plate 62 to ensure proper alignment of the baffle plate with respect to the drinking opening 61 and vent opening 63. While at least two circular pins and receiving holes are necessary for alignment, additional pins and holes may be added to increase the holding force of the baffle plate 62 to the vented lid 60. Alignment is possible using only one irregularly shaped protrusion from the bottom side of the top wall, with a similar receiving feature on the baffle plate, not shown. The baffle plate 62 may be adhered to the vented lid 60 using a food safe adhesive or may be press-fit onto the alignment pins.

The disclosure has been described with reference to various specific embodiments and techniques. However, it should be understood that many variations and modifications may be made while remaining within the spirit and scope of the invention. It is appreciated that certain features of the invention, which are, for clarity, described in the context of separate embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features of the invention that are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any sub-combination.

BLOW-THROUGH COOLING VENTED BEVERAGE LID

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REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Provisional Applications (1)