Patent Application
20200290777
This invention relates to the field of beverage containers and, more particularly, to plugs for sealing the lids of beverage containers.
Many hot and cold beverages are sold from bulk or as single serving preparations, and dispensed into beverage containers, which are usually in the form of plastic or paper cups. Numerous different types of lids have been used for such containers, and, in addition to providing a thermal barrier to maintain the serving temperature, the lids are intended to retain the beverage in the container when the container is transported or is accidentally disturbed. Commonly, such lids will also provide an orifice in the upper surface, allowing the beverage to be consumed without removing the lid. Different lids may have different sized orifices. For example, some lids for beverages (e.g., a cold beverage such as ice coffee) include an orifice of a first size. In some examples, such an orifice of a first size can be generally triangular-shaped with curved corners. Some lids for beverages (e.g., a hot beverage such as coffee) include an orifice of a second size, the second size being smaller than the first size. In some examples, such an orifice of a second size can be oval-shaped. Such containers and such lids are commonly single-use disposable items and, accordingly, must be capable of being produced at a low cost.
A typical lid for such a beverage container is formed from thin plastic sheet material, for example by vacuum forming, and comprises a top panel, either flat or domed, with a downwardly depending peripheral rim. The plastic material of the lid is typically somewhat flexible and resilient so that the lid can be fitted over the open end of a suitably sized beverage container. The rim of the lid grips the rim of the open end of the container, and the beverage is then retained within the container. The orifice is commonly provided in the outer portion of the top panel, or in the dome of domed lids. Unfortunately, this orifice reduces the effectiveness of the thermal barrier, and provides an opening through which the beverage can spill should the container be accidentally disturbed. In particular, for large orifice (for example of a first size) that is configured in a lid provided on a container containing a cold beverage, the large orifice facilitates spilling the beverage out through the orifice is a container is being carried, e.g., by and or in a vehicle. Thus, it is considered desirable to provide a low cost device that enables the orifice to be temporarily plugged, and thus increase the efficiency of the thermal barrier, while also increasing the security of the beverage during transportation of the container to prevent spillage. If desired, a number of additional functions can be incorporated into such a device as well.
The devices, systems, and methods of the present disclosure have several features, no single one of which is solely responsible for its desirable attributes. Without limiting the scope of this invention as expressed by the claims which follow, certain innovations will now be discussed briefly. After considering this discussion, and other section provided herein, one will understand how the features of this disclosure provide several advantages over lid plugs. The present invention provides a device and system for temporarily sealing an orifice in a beverage container lid.
One innovation includes a plug to seal an orifice in a lid, the plug having an upper surface, a body portion and a lower surface. The body portion includes a sealing component adapted to be inserted and releasably retained in an orifice of a lid to provide a temporary seal thereof. The sealing component has first length and width dimensions that define an operable area for sealing the first orifice. The sealing component is positioned on or near the upper surface of the plug. The device can also include an external member located on the upper surface of the plug configured to allow a user to grip the plug for ease of removal from the orifice.
Another innovation includes a plug for temporarily sealing a drinking orifice in a beverage container lid, the plug comprising a body portion including a cap having an upper surface, a sealing component extending from a distal side of the cap, wherein a cross-sectional area of the sealing component is less than a cross-sectional area of the cap, and a sealing surface along the distal side of the cap surrounding the sealing component. The plug also includes an elongate member extending from the sealing component, and an external member extending from the upper surface of the cap, the external member configured to allow a user to grip the plug for insertion and removal of the plug from the orifice. In some embodiments, the plug further includes one or more members positioned along a perimeter of the sealing component and extending from the sealing component. In some embodiments, the body portion is curved and sized to conform to an orifice in a lid having a curved surface. an external member configured to allow a user to grip the plug for insertion and removal of the plug from the orifice.
Other and further aspects of the invention will be readily apparent from the following drawings and detailed description.
The features and advantages of the devices and methods described herein will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. These drawings depict only several embodiments in accordance with the disclosure and are not to be considered limiting of its scope. In the drawings, similar reference numbers or symbols typically identify similar components, unless context dictates otherwise. In some instances, the drawings may not be drawn to scale.
The following detailed description is directed to certain specific embodiments of the invention. However, the invention can be embodied in a multitude of different ways. It should be apparent that the aspects herein may be embodied in a wide variety of forms and that any specific structure, function, or both being disclosed herein is merely representative of one or more embodiments of the invention. An aspect disclosed herein may be implemented independently of any other aspects and that two or more of these aspects may be combined in various ways. For example, a device may be implemented, or a method may be practiced, using any number of the aspects set forth herein. In addition, such an apparatus may be implemented or such a method may be practiced using other structure, functionality, or structure and functionality in addition to, or other than one or more of the aspects set forth herein. Embodiments of the present invention provides a device and system for temporarily sealing a large orifice in a beverage container lid, for example, for a cold drink.
In one aspect, the device comprises a plug having an upper surface, a body portion and a lower surface. The body portion is adapted to be inserted and releasably retained in the orifice of the lid to provide a temporary seal thereof. The device also includes an external member located on the upper surface of the plug configured to allow a user to grip the plug for ease of removal from the orifice.
Various embodiments of plugs that are designed in size to plug larger holes or orifices in lids are disclosed herein. The larger orifices may, for example, include an orifice with a dimension of about ½ inch, or larger. In one aspect, the device comprises a plug having an body portion that is at least partially inserted into an orifice of a lid to seal the orifice. The body portion can include an upper surface, a lower surface, and a cap feature position between the upper surface on the lower surface. The upper surface is a surface of the cap feature. The cap feature is generally slightly larger than the orifice on all sides of the orifice. In some examples, the cap feature can be between about 0.1 mm and about 10 mm larger than the orifice, on all sides of the orifice. In a preferred example, the cap feature is between about 1 mm and about 4 mm larger than the orifice on all sides of the orifice.
When the body portion is configured such that when it is at least partially inserted into the orifice, the upper surface is distal to the lid and generally faces away from the lid, and the lower surface is proximal to the lid and faces the lid and the orifice. The body portion further includes a sidewall that is between the upper surface and the lower surface. The body portion also includes a sealing component positioned between the lower surface in the upper surface, the sealing component is sized correspondingly relative to the orifice such that the sealing component extends at least partially into the orifice in the plug is used to seal an orifice. The cap feature includes a stop surface around at least a portion of the edge of the cap feature and on the side of the cap feature opposite the top surface. The width of the stop surface can be the equal to difference in size between the cap feature in the ceiling component the sealing component being smaller than the cap feature. The body portion is adapted to be inserted and releasably retained in the orifice of the lid to provide a temporary seal thereof. The device also can include an external member located on the upper surface of the plug configured to allow a user to grip the plug for ease of removal from the orifice.
Lids will typically be formed from thin plastic sheet material, for example by vacuum forming, and including a top panel, either flat or domed, with a downwardly depending peripheral rim. The plastic material of the lid is typically somewhat flexible and resilient, as is the rim of the open end of the container, so that the lid can be fitted over the open end of a suitably sized beverage container. The rim of the lid then grips the rim of the open end of the container, whereby the beverage is retained within the container. The orifice of the lid is commonly provided in the outer portion of the top panel, near the depending peripheral rim, or in the dome or domed lids. Less commonly, lids for beverage containers are also available with a flap that is pressed down (or lifted up) to open the orifice in the lid. As lid orifices can be of different sizes, the body portion of the plug can also be of any corresponding size to a lid orifice. Also, the shape of a lid may be flat or may be curved. The body portion of the plug can also be of any corresponding curve such that the stop surface conforms with a portion of the lid around the orifice when the plug is inserted into the orifice.
Thus, in another aspect, the system of the present invention comprises a container for containing a liquid beverage having an open end, a lid having at least one orifice and configured to attach to the open end of the container, and a plug for temporarily sealing the orifice in the beverage container lid. The plug comprises an upper surface, a body portion and a lower surface. The body portion is adapted to be inserted and releasably retained in the orifice of the lid to provide a temporary seal thereof. The device also includes an external member located on the upper surface of the plug configured to allow a user to grip the plug for ease of removal from the orifice.
The following is a list of certain components that are described and enumerated in this disclosure in reference to the above-listed figures. However, any aspect of the devices illustrated in the figures, whether or not named out separately herein, can form a portion of various embodiments of the invention and may provide basis for claim limitation relating to such aspects, with or without additional description. The enumerated components include:
10 plug
12 body portion
13 elongate projection
14 upper surface of body portion
16 lower surface of body portion
18 cap feature
20 external member
22 sidewalls
23 sealing component
24 stop surface
29 member
40 proximal end of plug
50 distal end of plug
The present device will be configured to meet the requirements of a lid for such a beverage container, for example, for a lid having a large orifice (e.g., having a dimension greater than about ½). Such lid will typically be formed from plastic sheet material, for example by vacuum forming, and including a top panel, either flat or domed, with a downwardly depending peripheral rim. The plastic material of the lid is typically somewhat flexible and resilient, as is the rim of the open end of the container, so that the lid can be fitted over the open end of a suitably sized beverage container. The rim of the lid then grips the rim of the open end of the container, whereby the beverage is retained within the container. The orifice of the lid is commonly provided in the outer portion of the top panel, near the depending peripheral rim, or in the dome or domed lids.
Thus, in an aspect, the system of the present invention comprises a container for containing a liquid beverage having an open end, a lid having at least one orifice and configured to attach to the open end of the container, and a plug for temporarily sealing the orifice in the beverage container lid. The plug comprises an upper surface, a body portion and a lower surface. The body portion is adapted to be inserted and releasably retained in the orifice of the lid to provide a temporary seal thereof. In an embodiment, the body portion includes two or more sealing components. The sealing components can be of different sizes and configured such that when the body portion is inserted into an orifice of a lid, the body portion will extend through the orifice until the suitably sized sealing component contacts the lid thus sealing the orifice. The device also includes an external member located on the upper surface of the plug configured to allow a user to grip the plug for ease of removal from the orifice.
Turning now to the several figures of the drawing, like elements are identified by like numerals and corresponding or equivalent elements are identified by corresponding numerals throughout the figures.
The body portion 12 of the plug 10 includes the cap feature 18, the upper surface 14 along the “top” of the cap feature 18 (“top” relative to the orientation of the body portion 12 in the figure), a stop surface 24 along a perimeter of the bottom of the cap feature 18, and a sealing member 23 that extends from the bottom of the cap feature 18. An upper portion of the sealing member 23, where the sealing member contacts the cap feature 18, is surrounded by the stop surface 24. The body portion also includes a lower surface 16 along the “bottom” of the body portion 12. In various examples, body portion 12 of plug 10 will be shaped so that the body portion 12 approximates the shapes of an orifice in a beverage container lid so as to provide a sealed fit in the orifice.
The plug 10 illustrated in
In lids for beverage containers having large opening, the opening is more often shaped as an oblong, or a three- or four-sided opening. Accordingly, the plug 10 can be configured with the sealing component 23 of a corresponding size and shape. In some embodiments where there are two or more sealing components (not shown), each sealing component can be shaped differently to seal differently shaped and/or sized orifices. Clearly, numerous alternative shapes exist for the orifice, and the present plug need only have a body portion that approximates such shape, or an appropriately designed cap feature, in order to incorporate the desired sealing function.
As will be seen from the example plug 10 in
As illustrated in
The plug 10 can be formed from any acceptable material, or a combination of materials, for example, fiber, paper, an organic material (e.g., potato starch and the like), plastic, resin or metal, and the like, and the body portion of the plug can be solid or hollow, so as to reduce weight or to provide additional functionalities. In some embodiments, the plug 10 is formed from a material that decomposes in a shorter period of time than resin, plastic or metal. In some embodiments, the body portion is at least partially hollow, the lower surface can also be open to the interior of the beverage container, while preserving the sealing function.
The external member 20 located on upper surface 14 of plug 10 can have any desired shape. In certain preferred embodiments, external member 20 can be shaped in the form of a flat polygon or disk or the like, which would provide a convenient grip for the user of the plug, and allow the placement of displays or messages and/or images, such as logos, advertising messages, promotions and the like, on either or both of the flat surfaces of the external member 20, either by molding, embossing, printing, applying labels, and the like. Alternatively, external member 20 can assume a free-form shape, take the shape of an advertising logo or other insignia deemed attractive to the beverage seller or the beverage consumer. The precise size and shape of external member 20 is not deemed critical to its ability to perform the intended function(s). However, for ease of use for displays, such as advertising and the like, the flat sides of a preferred external member 20 as described above will generally range in size from approximately 0.5 to approximately 15 square centimeters, more commonly from approximately 1 to approximately 10 square centimeters, in order to provide sufficient space for the display and to facilitate the legibility thereof. Of course, it is also within the scope of the present invention to formulate such displays in a more technologically sophisticated manner, such as lighted or scrolling displays employing, for example, light emitting diodes and/or liquid crystal displays, and the like. Naturally, such more sophisticated displays would likely increase the per unit cost of the present invention.
In other embodiments, the plug 10 does not include an elongate member 13. In other embodiments, the plug 10 does not include the illustrated external member 20. In some embodiments of a plug, coupled to the plug upper surface can be a planar external member, being aligned in an angle (e.g., a right angle or nearly a right angle) to a longitudinal axis of the plug. In some embodiments, such a planar external member is coin-shaped. In some examples, the diameter can be 1.3-1.5″. To prevent choking, in some embodiments the diameter is preferred to not be less than 1.25″. In an embodiment, the thickness of the planar external member is enough to pull the plug from the orifice without bending.
Plug 10 in
Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments, the elements of which are to be understood as being among other acceptable examples. For example, the plug 10 can include an opening throughout it length such that it can be used as a straw. Various sizes of the elongated projection 13 can be used on various plugs. Some plugs may not include an elongated projection. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure. The foregoing description details certain embodiments. It will be appreciated, however, that no matter how detailed the foregoing appears in text, the systems and methods can be practiced in many ways. As is also stated above, it should be noted that the use of particular terminology when describing certain features or aspects of the systems and methods should not be taken to imply that the terminology is being re-defined herein to be restricted to including any specific characteristics of the features or aspects of the systems and methods with which that terminology is associated.
Conditional language, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might,” or “may,” unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certain features, elements, and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements and/or steps are in any way required for one or more embodiments or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without user input or prompting, whether these features, elements and/or steps are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.
Headings are included herein for reference and to aid in locating various sections. These headings are not intended to limit the scope of the concepts described with respect thereto. Such concepts may have applicability throughout the entire specification.
The term “substantially” is a broad term that when used in connection with a numerical value indicates a parameter (e.g., distance) within 10% of the numerical value, unless otherwise indicated. For example, about 10 mm indicates a value of 10 mm plus or minus 1 mm, or 9 mm to 11 mm.
Conjunctive language such as the phrase “at least one of X, Y, and Z,” or “at least one of X, Y, or Z,” unless specifically stated otherwise, is to be understood with the context as used in general to convey that an item, term, etc. may be either X, Y, or Z, or a combination thereof. For example, the term “or” is used in its inclusive sense (and not in its exclusive sense) so that when used, for example, to connect a list of elements, the term “or” means one, some, or all of the elements in the list. Thus, such conjunctive language is not generally intended to imply that certain embodiments require at least one of X, at least one of Y, and at least one of Z to each be present.
The term “a” as used herein should be given an inclusive rather than exclusive interpretation. For example, unless specifically noted, the term “a” should not be understood to mean “exactly one” or “one and only one”; instead, the term “a” means “one or more” or “at least one,” whether used in the claims or elsewhere in the specification and regardless of uses of quantifiers such as “at least one,” “one or more,” or “a plurality” elsewhere in the claims or specification. The phrase “based on” does not mean “based only on,” unless expressly specified otherwise. In other words, the phrase “based on” describes both “based only on” and “based at least on.”
The term “comprising” as used herein should be given an inclusive rather than exclusive interpretation. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the described technology. Such modifications and changes are intended to fall within the scope of the embodiments. It will also be appreciated by those of skill in the art that parts included in one embodiment are interchangeable with other embodiments; one or more parts from a depicted embodiment can be included with other depicted embodiments in any combination. For example, any of the various components described herein and/or depicted in the figures may be combined, interchanged or excluded from other embodiments.
The above description discloses several methods and materials of the present invention. This invention is susceptible to modifications in the methods and materials, as well as alterations in the fabrication methods and equipment. Such modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art from a consideration of this disclosure or practice of the invention disclosed herein. Consequently, it is not intended that this invention be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein, but that it cover all modifications and alternatives coming within the true scope and spirit of the invention as embodied in the attached claims. Applicant reserves the right to submit claims directed to combinations and sub-combinations of the disclosed inventions that are believed to be novel and non-obvious. Inventions embodied in other combinations and sub-combinations of features, functions, elements and/or properties may be claimed through amendment of those claims or presentation of new claims in the present application or in a related application. Such amended or new claims, whether they are directed to the same invention or a different invention and whether they are different, broader, narrower or equal in scope to the original claims, are to be considered within the subject matter of the inventions described herein.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/818,940, filed Mar. 15, 2019, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62818940 | Mar 2019 | US |
