LID ASSEMBLY FOR BEVERAGE CONTAINER

Abstract

A beverage container system is described. The beverage container system includes a lid assembly to selectively close a beverage container. The lid assembly includes a lid cover and a lower lid. The lid cover seals against a drinking rim of the lower lid.

Description

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to a lid assembly for a beverage container.

BACKGROUND

Certain beverage containers are known to use lids with closing features or structures to prevent or reduce spillage or leakage of fluids contained in the beverage containers. Such conventional closing features may leak or not provide positive closure. Such conventional closing features may only have a single style of drink opening. Such conventional containers may also fail to cover or protect a drinking surface of the beverage container from contaminants.

SUMMARY

Certain aspects of a lid assembly for a beverage container are shown and described. In one aspect, a lid assembly is described. The lid assembly includes a lower lid and a lid cover. The lower lid is configured to engage or connect to an upper portion or neck region of a beverage container. The lid cover is configured to engage or connect to the lower lid and seal against the lower lid.

The lower lid includes one or more openings or fluid passages. The openings or fluid passages are configured to fluidly connect to an interior volume of the beverage container. When the lid cover is engaged or connected to the lower lid, the lid cover seals against a drinking rim, a top edge, mouth, or other drinking surface of the lower lid to provide a leak resistant lid assembly. When the lid cover is engaged or connected to the lower lid, a stopper portion of the lid cover is positioned over the one or more openings or fluid passages. When the lid cover is removed from the lower lid, the lower lid is configured to dispense a beverage from the beverage container. The user may drink directly from the lower lid.

In other aspects, a lid assembly for a beverage container is described. The lid assembly includes a lower lid. The lower lid configured is to connect or engage around an upper portion or a neck region of a beverage container. The lower lid has a central wall. The central wall has an opening for fluid passage. The lid assembly includes a lid cover. The lid cover is configured to connect or engage with the lower lid. The lid cover is configured to seal against an inner side surface of a drinking rim of the lower lid.

In other aspects, a lid assembly for a beverage container is described. The lid assembly includes a lower lid. The lower lid is configured to connect or engage to a beverage container. The lower lid has a central wall. The central wall has a smaller opening for fluid passage and a larger opening for fluid passage. The lid assembly includes a lid cover. The lid cover is configured to connect or engage with the lower lid. The lid cover is configured to seal against the lower lid.

In other aspects, a lid assembly for a beverage container is described. The lid assembly includes a first lower lid. The first lower lid is configured to connect or engage to a beverage container. The first lower lid has a first central wall. The first central wall has a first opening for fluid passage. The lid assembly includes a lid cover. The lid cover is configured to connect or engage with the first lower lid. The lid cover is configured to seal against the first lower lid. The lid assembly includes a second lower lid. The second lower lid is configured to connect or engage to the beverage container in place of the first lower lid. The second lower lid having a second central wall. The second central wall having a second opening for fluid passage. The lid cover is configured to connect or engage with the second lower lid. The lid cover is configured to seal against the second lower lid. In certain aspects, the first opening is a different size or shape than the second opening.

In other aspects, a beverage container system including any of the lid assemblies of the present disclosure and a beverage container is described.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the beverage container system.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an upper portion of the beverage container system.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the lid assembly and the beverage container.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the lid assembly and the beverage container.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the beverage container system.

FIG. 6 is sectional view of the beverage container system with the lid cover removed.

FIG. 7 is an upper view of the lid assembly.

FIG. 8 is a lower perspective view of the lid assembly.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the lid assembly.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of the lid assembly.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view of the lid cover separated from the lower lid.

FIG. 12 is an upper perspective view of the lid cover.

FIG. 13 is a lower perspective view of the lid cover.

FIG. 14 is a lower perspective view of the lid cover.

FIG. 15 is an upper perspective view of the lower lid.

FIG. 16 is a side view of the lower lid.

FIG. 17 is a top view of the lower lid.

FIG. 18 is a first alternative lower lid.

FIG. 19 is a second alternative lower lid with a vent.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

For purposes of this application, any terms that describe relative position (e.g., “upper”, “middle” “lower”, “outer”, “inner”, “above”, “below”, “bottom”, “top”, etc.) refer to an aspect of the invention as illustrated, but those terms do not limit the orientation in which the embodiments can be used.

A beverage container system 10 will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1-19. The beverage container system 10 includes a container 20 to hold a beverage and a lid assembly 50 to selectively close the beverage container 20. The lid assembly 50 may engage with the beverage container 20 to form the beverage container system 10. The lid assembly 50 controls a flow of a drinking fluid from the beverage container 20.

The lid assembly 50 includes a lower lid 100 and a lid cover 200. The lower lid 100 includes one or more openings 110 to provide for fluid passage from the container 20. The lid cover 200 connects or engages to the lower lid 100 to seal against a drinking rim 132 or surface of the lower lid 100 to mostly prevent or reduce leakage of fluid from the beverage container system 10. The connection or engagement of the lid cover 200 to the lower lid 100 on the beverage container 20 generally seals the liquid in the beverage container 20. When the lid cover 200 is fully connected or engaged to the lower lid 100, the beverage container system 10 is generally leak resistant.

The lower lid 100 may include a number of different versions, configurations or varieties, depending on drinking style or preference of the user, which may all operate with the same lid cover 200 and the same beverage container 20. The lower lid 100 may include one or more openings 110 with different sized, shapes, etc. The lower lid 100 may optionally include a vent, a spout, a slow flow opening, a gulp size opening, and/or an opening to receive straw.

In this aspect, the openings 110 include a larger opening 110A and smaller opening 110B. The larger opening 110A is suitable for high volume drinking or gulping, while the smaller opening 110B is suitable for slower drinking, such as sipping. The larger opening 110A may be used with a cold beverage, and the smaller opening 110B may be used with a hot beverage. In this aspect, the larger opening 110A is approximately 180 degrees from the smaller opening 110B, i.e., on approximately opposite sides of the lower lid 100. The user orientates or rotates the beverage container system 10 such that they can choose which drink opening 110 they prefer to drink from. Of course, in other aspects, the one or more openings 110 may have a uniform size. In other aspects, the one or more openings 110 may have a semi-circular, ovular, elliptical, teardrop, geometric, organic, or other shape. In other aspects, the one or more openings 110 may have combinations of different shapes. In other aspects, a greatest axis of one of the openings 110 may be generally perpendicular to a greatest axis of the other opening 110. Also, in other aspects, the one or more openings 110 may be sized to accommodate a straw. Also, only a single opening 110 may be present in the lower lid 100.

As described below, the lower lid 100 and the lid cover 200 removably connect or engage with each other. In this aspect, the lower lid 100 removably connects or engages to the beverage container 20 to hold the lid assembly 50 to the beverage container 20. In order to fill the container 20 with a beverage, the lower lid 100 may be unscrewed from the beverage container 20, as shown in FIG. 3, which may also remove the lid cover 200 from the beverage container 20. The user may also remove the lid cover 200 from the lower lid 100 and the beverage container 20 before unscrewing the lower lid 100 from the beverage container 20. In other aspects, the beverage container 20 may be filled by directing water through an opening in the lower lid 100.

The lid cover 200 will now be described. This lid cover 200 is shown in isolation in FIGS. 12-14. With reference to FIG. 5, in this aspect, the lid cover 200 includes an inner sidewall 230 and an outer sidewall 235 joined by an upper wall 240. A space 245 is formed between the inner sidewall 230 and the outer sidewall 235. When the lid cover 200 is engaged to the lower lid 100, the drinking rim 132 of the lower lid 100 fits into the space 245 and is covered by the space 245 and the lower side of the upper wall 240, which helps reduce dirt, contamination, germs etc. from contacting the drinking rim 132. The space 245 may act as a removable cover over the drinking rim 132.

In this aspect, as shown in FIG. 4, the lid cover 200 removably engages to the lower lid 100. In this aspect, the lid cover 200 forms a stopper portion 210 that fits into a central region 115 of the lower lid 100 and covers the one or more openings 110 in the lower lid 100. The central region 115 may include a cup-like or generally open shape to receive the stopper portion 210. The stopper portion 210 nests into the central region 115 of the lower lid 100. The stopper portion 210 may be configured to help insulate the contents of the container 20, for example by including a compartment filled with air, foam, vacuum space, an insulation block, or other insulating configuration.

In this aspect, the lid cover 200 includes a handle 220 extending from the upper wall 240 of the lid cover 200. In other aspects, the handle 220 may be omitted. An exterior surface of the outer sidewall 235 may include a textured surface to provide a frictional gripping structure for the user to rotate the lid cover 200.

In this aspect, the inner sidewall 230 of the lid cover 200 includes exterior threads 232. When the lid cover 200 is engaged to the lower lid 100, the exterior threads 232 threadably engage with interior threads 133 of the lower lid 100.

In this aspect, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the lid cover 200 includes an inner rim 205 between the inner sidewall 230 and the outer sidewall 235. With respect to FIG. 11, the inner rim 205 positions a gasket 208 against a generally circular inner diameter 131 of the drinking rim 132 to provide a seal to prevent or reduce leakage. As the lid cover 200 is fully tightened or fully engaged to lower to the lower lid 100, the gasket 208 is compressed against an upper portion of the generally circular inner diameter 131 of the drinking rim 132. In other aspects, the lid cover 200 may seal against an upper or an outer portion of the drinking rim 132 or the lower lid 100. In other aspects, the lid cover 200 connects or engages to the lower lid 100 to seal against a top edge, mouth, or other drinking surface of the lower lid 100. The gasket 208 may include a seal, compressible member, or other elastomeric member that mostly prevents or reduces leakage. The gasket 208 may be shaped to include a gasket main body and a gasket flange, in which the gasket flange is flexible and seals against the lower lid 100 or some portion thereof In other aspects, the gasket 208 may include one or more fins that normally extend outward, i.e., generally perpendicular to a central vertical axis of the beverage container 20. When the lid cover 200 is tightened to the lower lid 100, such fins may bend and/or flex to making a sealing contact against the generally circular inner diameter 131.

One benefit of certain aspects of this invention is that the sealing connection between the lid cover 200 and the lower lid 100 does not occur right at the drink openings, which allows for flexibility in size and shape of the drink openings. Accordingly, the same lid cover 200 could also be used on lower lids 100 having various shapes and drink opening configurations.

Another benefit of certain aspects of this invention is that the sealing connection of the lid cover 200 does not occur at the top of the drinking rim 132, which does not limit or restrict the size and shape of the drinking rim 132.

The lower lid 100 will now be described. The lower lid 100 is shown in insolation in FIGS. 15-17. The lower lid 100 includes the one or more openings 110 to provide for fluid passage. The lid cover 200 removably engages or connects to the lower lid 100 over the one or more openings 110. The lower lid 100 may include any number of openings 110 or other fluid passages.

In this aspect, the lower lid 100 includes an inner sidewall 130 and an outer sidewall 140. In this aspect, the inner sidewall 130 forms the generally circular inner diameter 131 having interior threads 133 that threadably engage with the exterior threads 232 of the lid cover 200. The interior threads 133 and the exterior threads 232 may include a linear interlocking arrangement as shown, a helical arrangement, or other insert and rotate locking or twist to lock arrangements.

The inner sidewall 130 further transitions into the drinking rim 132. The inner sidewall 130 of the lower lid 100 defines the central region 115. The central region 115 is configured to removably receive the stopper portion 210 of the lid cover 200. The lower lid 100 forms a central wall 120 that extends from the inner sidewall 130. The central wall 120 includes the one or more openings 110. The central wall 120 may extend from one side of the inner sidewall 130 to the other side of the inner sidewall 130.

In this aspect, the lower lid 100 includes the inner sidewall 130 and the outer sidewall 140. A space 145 is formed between the inner sidewall 130 and the outer sidewall 140. The space 145 receives an upper portion or neck region 24 of the beverage container 20 when the lower lid 100 is engaged or connected to the beverage container 20.

The stopper portion 210 of the lid cover 200 includes a lower surface 250, which covers the one or more openings 110 when the lid cover 200 is engaged to the lower lid 100. The lower surface 250 may include a generally flat surface that covers a generally flat upper surface 122 of the central wall 120 of the lower lid 100. In alternative aspects, the lower surface 250 and central wall 120 may have other configurations, such as diagonal to each other or such configuration where the surfaces may not be parallel. One benefit of this aspect is that since the lower surface 250 and central wall 120 do not have to touch, the orientation of the surfaces are not required to be parallel. The beverage container system 10 generally includes an open configuration for drinking and a storage configuration. In the open configuration, the lid cover 200 is usually disengaged from the lower lid 100. In the storage configuration, the lid cover 200 is engaged to the lower lid 100 and the gasket 208 is compressed against the generally circular inner diameter 131 of the drinking rim 132.

The inner sidewall 130 of the lower lid include exterior threads 135 that are positioned on a generally circular outer diameter 137 of the lower lid 100. The exterior threads 135 threadably engage with interior threads 30 of the beverage container 20.

In this aspect, the lower lid 100 threadably engages to the beverage container 20. With reference to FIG. 2, the walls 22 of the upper portion or neck region 24 of the beverage container 20 include an inner surface 25 having the interior threads 30. The interior threads 30 of the beverage container 20 receive the exterior threads 135 of the lower lid 100 to engage the lower lid 100 to the beverage container 20. The beverage container 20 includes walls 22 defining an interior volume 35 to hold a beverage. The walls 22 of an upper portion or neck region 24 of the beverage container 20 include the inner surface 25 having the interior threads 30.

A gasket 180 is engaged to a bottom outer diameter 185 of the lower lid 100. In this aspect, an outer groove 190 proximate to the bottom outer diameter 185 holds the gasket 180. The gasket 180 seals against the beverage container 20 when the lower lid 100 is threaded to the beverage container 20.

In other aspects, the lower lid 100 may engage to the beverage container 20 in other manners than a threaded engagement, including a snap-fit engagement, frictional engagement, bayonet engagement, or other engagements configured to selectively attach the lower lid 100 to the beverage container 20.

In other aspects, the lid cover 200 may engage to the lower lid 100 in other manners than a threaded engagement, including a snap-fit engagement, frictional engagement, bayonet engagement, or other engagements configured to selectively attach the lid cover 200 to the lower lid 100.

In other aspects, the relative positions of the interior threads 133 and the exterior threads 135 of the lower lid 100 and the exterior threads 232 of the lid cover 200 may be reversed such that the lid cover 200 utilizes interior threads to threadably engage with exterior threads of the lower lid 100.

In this aspect, the container 20 has a thermally insulated, double wall construction. In other aspects, the container 20 includes a non-insulated single-layer or multilayer construction or other insulated constructions. The container 20 may be formed from moldable food-grade plastics, thermoplastics, stainless steel, other metals and metal alloys, other plastics, or any combination thereof

With respect to FIG. 18, a second lower lid 101 is shown, which includes four drink openings 111 equally spaced around a diameter of the central wall 120, such that the user may drink from any side of the beverage container 20.

With respect to FIG. 19, a third lower lid 102 is shown for use with a hot beverage, which includes a drink opening 112 and a vent 113 to promote flow and reduce a vacuum from forming within the beverage container 20.

As such, it should be understood that the disclosure is not limited to the particular aspects described herein, but that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this novel concept as defined by the following claims. Further, many other advantages of applicant's disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the above descriptions and the claims below.

Claims

1. A lid assembly, comprising: a lower lid, the lower lid is configured to connect or engage around an upper portion or a neck region of a beverage container; the lower lid having a central wall, the central wall having an opening for fluid passage; anda lid cover, the lid cover is configured to connect or engage with the lower lid, and the lid cover configured to seal against an inner side surface of a drinking rim of the lower lid.

2. The lid assembly according to claim 1, wherein the lower lid includes an inner sidewall, and the central wall extends from the inner sidewall.

3. The lid assembly according to claim 2, wherein the central wall includes an additional opening for fluid passage, and the opening and the additional opening are different shapes or sizes.

4. The lid assembly according to claim 2, wherein the lid cover forms a stopper portion; wherein the lid cover is configured to connect or engage with the lower lid such that the stopper portion covers the opening in the central wall.

5. The lid assembly according to claim 4, wherein the inner sidewall and the central wall define a central region configured to receive the stopper portion of the lid cover.

6. The lid assembly according to claim 1, further comprising a vent in the central wall.

7. The lid assembly according to claim 1, further comprising an additional opening in the central wall.

8. The lid assembly according to claim 1, wherein the lid cover includes an inner sidewall and an outer sidewall.

9. The lid assembly according to claim 8, wherein a space is formed between the inner sidewall and the outer sidewall, and the space is configured to receive the drinking rim of the lower lid when the lid cover is engaged to the lower lid.

10. The lid assembly according to claim 8, wherein a gasket is positioned between the inner sidewall and the outer sidewall, and the gasket seals against the drinking rim of the lower lid.

11. The lid assembly according to claim 10, wherein the gasket is positioned on an exterior surface of the inner sidewall, and the gasket seals against an inner surface of the drinking rim of the lower lid.

12. The lid assembly according to claim 8, wherein an inner rim is between the inner sidewall and the outer sidewall, and the inner rim positions a gasket configured to seal against a generally circular inner diameter of the drinking rim.

13. The lid assembly according to claim 1, wherein an inner sidewall of the lid cover includes exterior threads configured to threadably engage with interior threads of the lower lid.

14. The lid assembly according to claim 1, wherein inner sidewall of the lower lid includes exterior threads configured to threadably engage with interior threads of a beverage container.

15. A beverage container system, comprising the lid assembly according to claim 1, and further comprising a beverage container, and the opening is configured to fluidly connect to an interior volume of the beverage container.

16. A lid assembly, comprising: a lower lid, the lower lid is configured to connect or engage to a beverage container; the lower lid having a central wall, the central wall having a smaller opening for fluid passage and a larger opening for fluid passage; anda lid cover, the lid cover is configured to connect or engage with the lower lid, and the lid cover is configured to seal against the lower lid.

17. The lid assembly according to claim 16, wherein a user may selectively drink from the smaller opening or the larger opening by orientating the lid assembly.

18. The lid assembly according to claim 16, wherein the lid cover is configured to seal against a drinking rim of the lower lid.

19. A lid assembly, comprising: a first lower lid, the first lower lid is configured to connect or engage to a beverage container; a first lower lid having a first central wall, the first central wall having a first opening for fluid passage;a lid cover, the lid cover is configured to connect or engage with the first lower lid, and the lid cover is configured to seal against the first lower lid;a second lower lid, the second lower lid is configured to connect or engage to the beverage container in place of the first lower lid; the second lower lid having a second central wall, the second central wall having a second opening for fluid passage; andthe lid cover is configured to connect or engage with the second lower lid, and the lid cover is configured to seal against the second lower lid.

20. The lid assembly according to claim 19, wherein the first opening is a different size or shape than the second opening.