BACKGROUND
The 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.
SUMMARY
According 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.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The detailed description particularly refers to the accompanying figures in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a lid in accordance with the present disclosure and a cup before the lid is mounted on the cup and showing that the lid includes a ring-shaped brim mount adapted to mate with the brim of the cup, a central closure surrounded by the brim mount and formed to include an upstanding drink spout, and an outlet closure mounted for pivotable movement between an outlet-closing position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and an outlet-opening position shown in FIGS. 1A and 3;
FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a portion of the lid of FIG. 1 showing the outlet closure after it has been pivoted in a forward direction about a horizontal pivot axis to an outlet-opening position and to cause a nose-shaped closure-anchor lug included in the outlet closure to extend rearwardly into a lug-receiving cavity formed in a forwardly facing front wall of the upstanding drink spout that is shown in FIG. 1 to mate with a horizontally extending lug-retainer bar located in the lug-receiver cavity so that the outlet closure is retained in the outlet-opening position shown in FIG. 1A;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the lid of FIG. 1 showing the outlet closure in the closed position;
FIG. 2A is an enlarged view of a portion of the central closure of the lid of FIG. 2 showing the at 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 configured to be pushed or pulled by a consumer to open the liquid-discharge outlet, and a hinge coupled to a forwardly facing segment of an outer edge of the annular closure plate and to the drink spout along the horizontal pivot axis and showing that the drink spout is formed to include a forwardly facing lug-receiving cavity below the horizontal pivot axis and a horizontally extending lug-retainer bar coupled to a floor defining a lower border of the lug-receiving cavity;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 2 showing the outlet closure retained in the outlet-opening position;
FIG. 3A is an enlarged view similar to FIG. 2A showing the outlet closure retained in the outlet-opening position;
FIG. 3B is an enlarged partial sectional view taken along line 3B-3B of FIG. 3 suggesting pivotable movement of the outlet closure through an angle of about 245° from the closed position (shown in FIGS. 1 and 2) to the opened position (shown in FIG. 3);
FIG. 4 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 3A of an alternative lid in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure showing that an oblong liquid-discharge outlet has been formed in a top wall of the drink spout by using an oblong punch suggested diagrammatically during a punching operation in which the upstanding nose-shaped closure-anchor lug is removed to form an alternative lid that includes an oblong liquid-discharge outlet that is always opened and that does not include any pivotable outlet closure;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a stack of two lids of the type shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 6 is an enlarged top plan view of the stack of lids shown in FIG. 5; and
FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 6 showing alignment of the upper lid relative to the lower lid owing, at least in part, to downward extension of an alignment tab provided on the right side of the upper lid in FIG. 7 into an underlying tab-receiver pocket formed in the lower lid.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
A liquid container 10 includes a cup 12 and a lid 14 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Lid 14 includes a central closure 16 formed to include a liquid-discharge outlet 164, a pivotable outlet closure 17, and brim mount 18 coupled to central closure 16 and configured to be mounted on a brim 20 of cup 12 to arrange central closure 16 to close a cup mouth 21 opening into an interior region 25 formed in cup 12 as suggested in FIG. 1. Lid 14 is made of, for example, polystyrene, polypropylene, or polyethylene using a thermoforming process or other suitable process in illustrative embodiments.
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 FIGS. 1 and 1A. Outlet closure 17 is mounted on central closure 16 for pivotable movement about pivot axis 17A between a closed position closing liquid-discharge outlet 164 as shown in FIGS. 1-3 and an opened position opening liquid-discharge outlet 164 and mating with the closure retainer 168 provided on side wall 166 of drink spout 160 to retain outlet closure 17 in an opened position as shown in FIGS. 1A, 3, 3A, and 3B. It is within the scope of this disclosure to add one or more rigidifying features to side wall 166 (e.g., 166F) in a region near closure retainer 168 to minimize unwanted deflection of side wall 166 during mating engagement of outlet closure 17 and closure retainer 168.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, cup 12 includes a brim 20, a floor 22, and a side wall 24 extending upwardly from floor 22 to brim 20. Side wall 24 and floor 22 cooperate to form interior region 25 of cup 12. It is within the scope of this disclosure to make cup 12 out of any suitable plastics, paper, or other material(s).
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 FIGS. 1 and 2. Any liquid stored in interior region 25 of cup 12 is in fluid communication with the liquid-discharge outlet 164 formed in the top wall 162 of the upstanding drink spout 160 as suggested in FIG. 1. Each of the upstanding drink spout 160 and ridge 140 is somewhat crescent-shaped in an illustrative embodiment as shown, for example, in FIGS. 2 and 6.
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 FIGS. 1 and 2. The football-shaped basin floor 150 is somewhat bowl-shaped and lies between a forwardly facing front wall 166F of the crescent-shaped drink spout 160 and a rearwardly facing concave rear wall 140R of the crescent-shaped ridge 140. Floor 30F of ring-shaped low-elevation liquid-retention channel 30 surrounds ridge 140, basin floor 150, and drink spout 160 as suggested in FIG. 6.
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 FIGS. 1-3. Annular closure plate 171 is a flange coupled to a lower edge of upstanding nose-shaped closure-anchor lug 172 and arranged to extend outwardly therefrom to lie in substantially coplanar relation to top wall 162 of drink spout 160 when outlet closure 17 occupies the closed position as suggested in FIG. 3. Lid 14 is thermoformed to position outlet closure 17 normally in the closed position in an illustrative embodiment. It is within the scope of this disclosure to provide closure-anchor lug 172 with any suitable shape so long as it is retained by lug-retainer bar 168B in an opened position as disclosed herein.
Closure retainer 168 is formed in forwardly facing front wall 166F of drink spout 160 to face toward ridge 140 as suggested in FIGS. 1 and 2. Closure retainer 168 is formed to include a forwardly facing lug-receiving cavity 168C bounded by a nearly vertical cavity rear wall 168R, a pair of laterally spaced-apart parallel cavity side walls 168S1, 168S2 arranged to extend from cavity rear wall 168R in a forward direction toward ridge 140, and a floor 168F arranged to mate with cavity rear wall 168R and interconnect lower edges of side walls 168S1, 168S2 as shown, for example, in FIG. 2A. An upwardly protruding horizontally extending lug-retainer bar 168B is appended to floor 168F and arranged to lie generally midway between front and rear edges of floor 168F and extend from first cavity side wall 168S1 to second cavity side wall 168S2 as shown, for example, in FIG. 2A. It is within the scope of this disclosure to vary the location of lug-retainer bar 168B on floor 168F to form its lug-retaining function disclosed herein.
As suggested in FIGS. 3, 3A, and 3B, lug-retainer bar 168B of closure retainer 168 is configured to provide detent means for retaining a tip 172T of nose-shaped closure-anchor lug 172 in lug-receiving cavity 168C in a space provided between cavity rear wall 168R and lug-retainer bar 168B. The outer surface of lug-retainer bar 168B is rounded as shown in FIG. 2A to facilitate pivoting movement of nose-shaped closure-anchor lug 172 up and over the relatively stationary lug-retainer bar 168B as outlet closure 17 is pivoted about pivot axis from the closed position shown in FIG. 2 to the opened position shown in FIG. 3. Nose-shaped closure-anchor lug 172 is retained in lug-receiving cavity 168 by means of an interference fit or friction fit established with lug-retainer bar 168B and/or floor 168F in illustrative embodiments without necessary frictional engagement with one or more of cavity side walls 168S1, 168S2. A raised bump or back-drafted cavity rear wall is contemplated. It is within the scope of the present disclosure to vary the shape of lug-receiving cavity 168 and bordering portions of front wall 166F (e.g., arch or protruding round shape) to rigidify or reinforce lug-receiving cavity 168 to minimize deformation of lug-receiving cavity 168 and a surrounding border region during insertion of nose-shaped closure-anchor lug 172 into lug-receiving cavity 168.
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 FIGS. 1 and 2. The upstanding drink spout 160 has a top wall 162 formed to include a liquid-discharge outlet 164 and a side wall 166 arranged to extend downwardly from top wall 162 toward an interior region 201 surrounded by the ring-shaped brim mount 20 as suggested in FIGS. 2 and 3B.
Drink cup lid 14 further includes an outlet closure 17 and a closure retainer 168 as suggested in FIGS. 1 and 2. Outlet closure 17 is coupled to the upstanding drink spout 160 for movement about a horizontally extending pivot axis 17A between a closed position closing the liquid-discharge outlet 164 formed in top wall 162 of the upstanding drink spout 160 as shown in FIG. 1 and an opened position away from the liquid-discharge outlet 164 as shown in FIG. 1A. Closure retainer 17 is formed in side wall 166 of upstanding drink spout 160 in close proximity to top wall 162 to provide means for retaining outlet closure 17 in a stationary position relative to side wall 166 upon movement of outlet closure 17 from the closed position to the opened position as suggested in FIGS. 1A, 3A, and 3B.
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 FIG. 2A.
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 FIGS. 1A, 3A, and 3B. Closure retainer 168 is provided in side wall 166 and is formed to include a forwardly facing lug-receiving cavity 168C and a lug-retainer bar 168B. Lug-retainer bar 168B is configured to provide detent means for retaining a tip 172T of nose-shaped closure-anchor lug 172 in lug-receiving cavity 168C upon movement of outlet closure 17 to the opened position.
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 FIG. 3B, to define sipper means 166S for extending into the mouth of a consumer desiring to drink a liquid stored in a cup 12 mated with the ring-shaped brim mount 18 through the liquid-discharge outlet 164 once outlet closure 17 has been moved to the opened position. Rear wall 166R has a convex shape and the front wall 166F has a concave shape as suggested in FIG. 2.
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 FIG. 3B. Central closure 16 includes a top wall 162 formed to include liquid-discharge outlet 164 and a front wall 166F appended to top wall 162 to define an obtuse included angle θ therebetween and formed to include closure retainer 168 as suggested in FIG. 3B.
An alternative lid 14′ in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, for example, in FIG. 4. An oblong liquid-discharge outlet 164′ has been formed in a top wall 162 of the drink spout 160 by using an oblong punch suggested diagrammatically during a punching operation in which the upstanding nose-shaped closure-anchor lug 172 is removed to form an alternative lid 14′. Oblong liquid-discharge outlet 164′ is always opened and lid 14′ does not include any pivotable outlet closure such as closure 17.
A perspective view of a stack of two lids of the type shown in FIG. 1 is provided in FIG. 5. In this lid stack, alignment of the upper lid 14U relative to the lower lid 14L owing, at least in part, to downward extension of an alignment tab 180 provided in ridge 140 on the right side of the upper lid 14U in FIG. 7 into an underlying tab-receiver pocket 190 formed in ridge 140 in the lower lid 14L.
Patent Application
20140284344
