Patent Application
20200010250
This relates to drinking containers, and more particularly drinking containers with pivoting closures.
In the modern age, transporting food and drink for consumption is typical.
A variety of food and beverage containers are therefore known. Many beverage/drinking containers, however, do not adequately keep liquid from spilling. Others are hard to open. Yet others are mechanically complex, and expensive to manufacture.
Accordingly, there remains a need for new drinking containers.
According to an aspect, a drinking container comprises a vessel; a cap, atop the vessel; a lid; a hinge located proximate a rear of the lid and interconnecting the cap to the lid, to allow the lid to pivot on the cap between a closed and open position; and a locking tab at the front of the lid, that engages with an inner surface of the cap, to retain the lid in the closed position. A first abutment surface is on the cap and a second abutment surface is on the lid. The first and second abutment surfaces are arranged to contact with each other as the lid is pivoted from the open position to the closed position. Contact of the first and second abutment surfaces urges the lid and the tab forward as the lid is pivoted to the closed position.
According to another aspect, a drinking container lid assembly includes, a cap; a lid; a hinge located proximate a rear of the lid and interconnecting the cap to the lid, to allow the lid to pivot on the cap between a closed and open position; and a locking tab at the front of the lid, that engages with an inner surface of the cap, to retain the lid in the closed position. The hinge comprises at least one hinge pin mounted in an oblong opening to allow pivoting of the lid, and sliding of the lid on the cap to allow the locking tab to be disengaged from the inner surface of the cap.
Other features will become apparent from the drawings in conjunction with the following description.
In the figures which illustrate example embodiments,
To that end, and as illustrated, container 10 includes vessel 14 defining an interior cavity for storing the liquid. A sub-assembly formed of a container cap 12, straw assembly 18 (visible in
Cap 12 engages and closes the top opening of a vessel 14. Cap 12 is shaped to conform to the upper opening of vessel 14.
In
Vessel 14 is best viewed in
Vessel 14 may be made of a hard or semi-hard plastic, and may be transparent, translucent or opaque. Vessel 14 may be formed using traditional moulding techniques, including plastic blow or injection moulding.
Drinking straw assembly 18 extends from container cap 12. Drinking straw assembly 18 includes a base 20 for interconnection with cap 12, and a flexible straw 22 in fluid communication with a straw 30, and thereby the interior of vessel 14, as best viewed in
With cap 12 in place on vessel 14, straw 30 extends from flexible straw 22 and from cap 12 into vessel 14 and through its top opening. Straw 30 preferably extends to the bottom of vessel 14 to allow vessel 14 to be emptied there through. Straw 30 may be removable from vessel 14, and may be formed of plastic or silicone.
Flexible straw 22 surrounds the tip of straw 30. These may be coaxial. Flexible straw 22 thereby allows liquid to be withdrawn from vessel 14 via straw 30 and flexible straw 22. Base 20 may be formed of rubber, and may be friction fit into a complementary opening in cap 12. Flexible straw 22 extends generally upwardly, but may be bent forward or backward. Its natural tendency will be to resile into an upward orientation. Conveniently, flexible straw 22 may extend at a suitable angle from base 20, so that straw 30, when inserted therein rests against the front edge of the base of vessel 14. Of course, the length of straw 30 may be dimensioned adequately to intersect with the front edge of the base of vessel 14.
A seal 28 (also visible in
Seal 28 includes several (e.g. two) or more ribs 29b, that extend around the entire circumference of cap 12, and a further gasket 31 that rests beneath the top lip of cap 12. As illustrated in
Cap 12 is depicted as removed from vessel 14 in
Cap 12 includes a base portion 62 of a hinge 100 that extends upwardly from the top surface 50 of cap 12, and provides opposed hinge pins 66a, 66b mounted on upwardly extending walls 68a, 68b. These pins 66a, 66b extend toward the left and right sides of cap 12, and define a hinge axis 64.
Cap 12 also includes an upwardly extending abutment surface 70 that abuts a complementary surface on lid 16 (described below), and urges lid 16 forward as described below.
Each of walls 68a and 68b include an upwardly extending front surface 72, that extends generally vertical, and a downwardly extending top surface 74 that extend from front surface 72, horizontally and at a downward angle of between about 2-25°, terminating in a cusp 76. Cusp 76 is generally pointed, but may be slightly rounded or bevelled. As will become apparent, cusp 76 serves as threshold, that once pushed past, may serve to lock lid 16 on cap 12 in its open position.
Protrusions 56a and 56b are found at the front and aft ends of cap 12 (as seen in
The overall height of cap 12 is about 25 mm. Cap 12 may also be formed using known molding techniques—and may be formed as a single formed piece.
As illustrated in cross-section in
Lid 16 is depicted in isolation with a portion of straw assembly 18 in
As further illustrated in
A further tab 98 extends downwardly from the bottom of flat surface 80, at a slight rearward angle (e.g. between 2° and 5°). Tab 98 provides an abutment surface 98a, that contacts an abutment surface of cap 12, as described below. Tab 98 may be formed as a thin (e.g. 1-2 mm) piece of material—for example having dimensions of 20 mm×20 mm. As will be appreciated, such dimensions allow tab 98 to flex resiliently.
Lid 16 is pivotally mounted to the top of cap 12 and seals flexible straw 22 to container 10, by way of hinge 100.
Lid 16 includes female hinge portion 120 of hinge 100. Female hinge portion 120 includes two opposed sockets 122a and 122b, each including an oblong opening 124a, 124b respectively. Sockets 122a, 122b respectively engage pins 66a and 66b.
Sockets 122a and 122b are spaced from each other to accommodate walls 68a and 68b of cap 12 therebetween. Tolerances are sufficient so that sockets 122a and 122b are pushed outwards by walls 68a, 68b, so that the resiliency of the material used to form lid 16 causes sockets 122a, 122b to be naturally biased toward walls 68a, 68b to engage pins 66a, 66b, as for example viewed in
Openings 124a, 124b may be formed oblong—for example, formed generally as ovals—for example as elipses, or as generally rectangular openings with rounded ends. Other shapes will be apparent to those of ordinary skill. The width of openings 124a, 124b is about that of pins 66a, 66b. Pins 66a, 66b may thus slide backward and forward within openings 124a, 124b, allowing slight forward and backward movement or play, of lid 16 on cap 12.
Lid 16 may also be formed of a polymer or other suitable material, using known molding techniques—and may be formed as a single formed piece.
Operation of drinking container 10 may best be appreciated with reference to
The sub-assembly of cap 12, lid 16, straw assembly 18 and seal 28 may then be placed within the top opening of vessel 14, until protrusion 56a mates with hole 58a, and protrusion 56b mates with hole 58b. Seal 28 seals cap 12, and protrusions 56a and 56b lock cap 12 in place on vessel 14. Lid 16 may be closed as viewed in
The assembled drinking vessel 10 is viewed in cross-section in
Pressing tab 55 urges protrusion 56b, forward, away from hole 58b, as illustrated in
As noted, lid 16 may be moved and pivoted from a closed position to an open position, illustrated in
Lid 16 in its closed position, causes flexible straw 22 to be flexed into the passageway 88 between the bottom surface of lid 16 defined by rails 86a, 86b of cap 16. Flexible straw 22 is further bent forward to cover air inlet 54. Moreover, in this closed position, flexible straw 22 may be pinched by being bent forward, and shielded from dirt by lid 16. Rails 86a, 86b along with the bottom surface of lid 16 and wall 80 thus form a cavity between the bottom of lid 16 and top surface 50 of cap 12 that receives and shields straw 22. Straw 22, in the meantime, is naturally biased to urge lid 16 upward.
Pressing against the front of lid 16, as illustrated in
Lid 16 may be further pivoted open manually. As tab 98 passes over the top of wall 68a/68b, it may be moved past cusp 76. Cusp 76 acts as a threshold over which tab 98 is urged to move lid 16 to its fully open position (e.g. pivoted beyond about 155° from its closed position), through application of additional force. Without application of additional force in the opposite direction, tab 98 will remain on the traversed side of cusp 76, and cusp 76 effectively retains lid 16 in its open position. Put another way, an applied manual force is required to move tab 98 over cusp 76.
Once lid 16 is open, and out of the way of flexible straw 22, the natural flex/bias of flexible straw 22 causes it to extend upwardly for drinking. As well, air inlet 54 is now unobstructed.
Lid 16 may be closed by pivoting it forward, over cusp 76. Abutment surface 98a in contact with abutment surface 70, as the lid is pivoted from its open position to its closed position urges lid 16 forward on pins 66a/66b, and thus tab 98 forward as lid 16 is pivoted to its closed position
Conveniently lid 16 can become dislodged from cap 12 and removed by urging sockets 122a, 122b outward toward the left and right edges of cap 12.
Of course, the above described embodiments are intended to be illustrative only and in no way limiting. The described embodiments are susceptible to many modifications of form, arrangement of parts, details and order of operation. The invention is intended to encompass all such modification within its scope, as defined by the claims.
