The present invention is directed generally to lids for liquid storage vessels such as for beverage or food containers and more particularly to lids with movable components and that include a plurality of locking mechanisms.
Prior art lids are typically of one of three types. The first type is a solid unitary lid that does not include openings or apertures through which the contents of a liquid storage vessel may exit the vessel. To drink from the vessel, a user must remove the lid. The second type, which may also be of a unitary construction, includes one or more unobstructed apertures in the lid through which the liquid may exit the vessel. In the second type, the apertures are always open. If the vessel is inadvertently tipped or dropped, the contents of the vessel may spill. The third type of lid includes one or more apertures in the lid through which the liquid may exit the vessel and a means for selectively opening and closing the apertures. When using the third type of lid, the user may selectively open the apertures to remove the contents from the vessel and selectively close the apertures to maintain the contents inside the vessel. Further, by closing the apertures, the lid may help insulate the contents from the environment outside the vessel.
Various embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings, in which:
In the following description, various embodiments will be described. For purposes of explanation, specific configurations and details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. However, it will also be apparent to one skilled in the art that the embodiments may be practiced without the specific details. Furthermore, well-known features may be omitted or simplified in order not to obscure the embodiment being described.
Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a lid or a closure for a beverage container that is adapted for closing an open end of the beverage container and isolating the contents of the beverage container from an outside environment. The lid is selectively couplable to the beverage container and is operable to permit the passage of fluid or another substance from the beverage container to an external environment (for example, to be drunk by a person).
A beverage container closure or lid, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, is generally indicated by reference numeral 10 in
As best seen in
Coupled to the upper portion 14 of the main body 12 of the lid 10 is a lid cover 16. The lid cover 16 is operable to transition between a closed position (as shown in
The lid cover 16 is coupled to the main body 12 using a hinge mechanism 13 that permits the rotation of the lid cover 16 about a transverse rotary axis of the hinge.
To enable the hinge mechanism 13, the main body 12 is configured with a pair of spaced apart arms 78A, 78B, whereby each arm has a respective aperture 80A, 80B extending therethrough, as shown in
As shown in
As shown in
The lid 10 has a dual-locking mechanism comprising an actuated disk lock and a press-button lock. Passage of fluid or another substance through the drinking opening 64 may only be permitted if both locking mechanisms of the lid 10 are actuated to be in an unlocking position. If at least one of the locking mechanisms of the lid 10 is in the locking position, the lid 10 is configured such that the drinking opening plug 112 seals the drinking opening 64 and a fluid or another substance is prevented from passing through the drinking opening 64. Similarly, the vent hole plug 114 prevents fluid or another substance from passing through the vent hole 66. The dual-locking mechanism is advantageous in that if one locking mechanism is accidentally actuated, the second locking mechanism may serve as a safety and prevent the lid 10 from being placed in an open position.
A first locking mechanism includes, disposed on an exterior surface of the lid cover 16, a manually rotatable actuation disk 162 having a top grip surface 164. As shown in
As shown in
The top grip surface 164 of the actuation disk 162 has disposed thereon lock indicia 166, unlock indicia 168 and nubs 170. The nubs 170 are provided to facilitate manual gripping of the grip surface 164 and hence rotation of the actuation disk 162.
The lock indicia 166 and unlock indicia 168 are provided to indicate to a user whether the first locking mechanism using the tab 186 enabled by the actuation disk 162 is in the locking position or in the unlocking position. An alignment mark 192 disposed on the lid 10 serves as a position reference to the lock indicia 166 and the unlock indicia 168.
A tab 172 shown in
The aperture 156 is further configured to provide for two resilient arms 204A, 204B formed in the lid cover 16. Each resilient arm 204A, 204B is operative to snap-lock the tab 172 in a respective recess 208A, 208B of the resilient arm. The application of increased rotational force on the actuation disk 162 is required to move the tab 172 into and out of each recess 208A, 208B. After freeing the tab 172 from a resilient arm 204A, 204B, the tab 172 may be moved more easily between the resilient arms 204A, 204B. The resilient arms 204A, 204B have the effect of retaining the actuation disk 162 in the locking or unlocking positions until the rotational force applied to the actuation disk 162 is strong enough to exceed a threshold. Accordingly, the resilient arms 204A, 204B may reduce the likelihood of accidental or unintentional rotation of the first locking mechanism and opening of the lid cover 16.
A second locking mechanism is used for releasably securing the cover 16 to the body 12 of the lid 10. As shown in
As described herein, the lid cover 16 can only be rotated to the open position upon actuation of the second locking mechanism if the actuation disk 162 of the first locking mechanism is rotated to the unlocking position. In other words, both the first and second locking mechanisms must be moved to its unlocking position for the lid 10 to be moved from the closed position to the open position. Although the button plate 212 of the second locking mechanism is described herein as being pivoted on the cover 16, it may be contemplated that the plate 212 is pivoted on the body 16 of the lid 10 for releasably securing the cover 16 of the lid 10 to the body 12 of the lid 10.
The foregoing described embodiments depict different components contained within, or connected with, different other components. It is to be understood that such depicted architectures are merely exemplary, and that in fact many other architectures can be implemented which achieve the same functionality. In a conceptual sense, any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality is effectively “associated” such that the desired functionality is achieved. Likewise, any two components so associated can also be viewed as being “operably connected,” or “operably coupled,” to each other to achieve the desired functionality.
While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that, based upon the teachings herein, changes and modifications may be made without departing from this invention and its broader aspects and, therefore, the appended claims are to encompass within their scope all such changes and modifications as are within the true spirit and scope of this invention. Furthermore, it is to be understood that the invention is solely defined by the appended claims. It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.).
It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to inventions containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations).
Accordingly, the invention is not limited except as by the appended claims.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
118860 | Kent | Sep 1871 | A |
404192 | Haas | May 1889 | A |
421282 | Jackson | Feb 1890 | A |
599389 | Jackson | Feb 1898 | A |
656000 | Wall | Aug 1900 | A |
657636 | Bingham | Sep 1900 | A |
768355 | Bolen | Aug 1904 | A |
830142 | Ebbing | Sep 1906 | A |
1072588 | Duncan | Sep 1913 | A |
1284728 | Wahl et al. | Nov 1918 | A |
1311373 | Barr | Jul 1919 | A |
1316949 | Gilbert et al. | Sep 1919 | A |
1322669 | Shepard et al. | Nov 1919 | A |
2138387 | Officer | Nov 1938 | A |
2193232 | Hacmac | Mar 1940 | A |
2210206 | Fisher | Aug 1940 | A |
2274849 | Peterson | Mar 1942 | A |
2447870 | Polcyn | Aug 1948 | A |
2622420 | Rice | Dec 1952 | A |
2799437 | Jepson | Jul 1957 | A |
2884157 | Lampkin | Apr 1959 | A |
3050219 | Sagarin | Aug 1962 | A |
3059816 | Goldstein | Oct 1962 | A |
3096897 | Hansen | Jul 1963 | A |
3185350 | Abplanalp | May 1965 | A |
3308835 | Silverberg | Mar 1967 | A |
3325054 | Braun | Jun 1967 | A |
3422996 | Lipman | Jan 1969 | A |
3591128 | Ramis | Jul 1971 | A |
3635380 | Fitzgerald | Jan 1972 | A |
3722748 | Wakeman et al. | Mar 1973 | A |
3739938 | Paz | Jun 1973 | A |
3744682 | Blank | Jul 1973 | A |
3770167 | Ewald | Nov 1973 | A |
3964631 | Albert | Jun 1976 | A |
3967748 | Albert | Jul 1976 | A |
3972443 | Albert | Aug 1976 | A |
4057167 | Lee | Nov 1977 | A |
4065036 | Kirk, Jr. | Dec 1977 | A |
4094433 | Numbers | Jun 1978 | A |
4099642 | Nergard | Jul 1978 | A |
4127221 | Vere | Nov 1978 | A |
4133446 | Albert | Jan 1979 | A |
4136799 | Albert | Jan 1979 | A |
4171060 | Howard et al. | Oct 1979 | A |
4203527 | LaChance, Sr. | May 1980 | A |
4212408 | Valenzona | Jul 1980 | A |
4276992 | Susich | Jul 1981 | A |
4303173 | Nergard | Dec 1981 | A |
4676411 | Simasaki | Jun 1987 | A |
4686725 | Mitchell | Aug 1987 | A |
4706313 | Murphy | Nov 1987 | A |
4711372 | Gach | Dec 1987 | A |
4712704 | Ramsey et al. | Dec 1987 | A |
4779766 | Kinsley | Oct 1988 | A |
4801053 | Kaster | Jan 1989 | A |
4834270 | Messner | May 1989 | A |
4852770 | Sledge et al. | Aug 1989 | A |
4865228 | Landecker | Sep 1989 | A |
4881668 | Kitterman et al. | Nov 1989 | A |
4901387 | Luke | Feb 1990 | A |
5025519 | Spann et al. | Jun 1991 | A |
5039158 | Maier | Aug 1991 | A |
5070560 | Wilkinson | Dec 1991 | A |
5082134 | Ramsey | Jan 1992 | A |
5118014 | Hestehave et al. | Jun 1992 | A |
5153977 | Toida et al. | Oct 1992 | A |
5163196 | Graebe et al. | Nov 1992 | A |
5167016 | Bagley et al. | Nov 1992 | A |
5169016 | Hinz, Jr. | Dec 1992 | A |
5179742 | Oberle | Jan 1993 | A |
5186353 | Ramsey | Feb 1993 | A |
5199597 | Gladish | Apr 1993 | A |
5222623 | Eger et al. | Jun 1993 | A |
5244113 | Stymiest | Sep 1993 | A |
5249703 | Karp | Oct 1993 | A |
5252278 | Spann et al. | Oct 1993 | A |
5307950 | Li | May 1994 | A |
5412821 | Wilkinson | May 1995 | A |
5427271 | Wang | Jun 1995 | A |
5461741 | Graebe | Oct 1995 | A |
5462185 | Walker, III | Oct 1995 | A |
5465866 | Belcastro | Nov 1995 | A |
5477980 | Chaffin | Dec 1995 | A |
5485938 | Boersma | Jan 1996 | A |
5495966 | Won | Mar 1996 | A |
5570797 | Yeh | Nov 1996 | A |
5573139 | Yeh | Nov 1996 | A |
5580504 | Spann et al. | Dec 1996 | A |
5586346 | Stacy et al. | Dec 1996 | A |
5596781 | Graebe | Jan 1997 | A |
5606754 | Hand et al. | Mar 1997 | A |
5615808 | Huang | Apr 1997 | A |
5630238 | Weismiller et al. | May 1997 | A |
5649331 | Wilkinson et al. | Jul 1997 | A |
5652985 | Wilkinson et al. | Aug 1997 | A |
5666681 | Meyer et al. | Sep 1997 | A |
5680951 | Feltman, III et al. | Oct 1997 | A |
5689845 | Sobieralski | Nov 1997 | A |
5711452 | Chaffin | Jan 1998 | A |
5738236 | Brun, Jr. | Apr 1998 | A |
5753289 | Ness | May 1998 | A |
5845352 | Matsler et al. | Dec 1998 | A |
5873476 | Takahashi et al. | Feb 1999 | A |
5918854 | Barrash et al. | Jul 1999 | A |
5944235 | Won | Aug 1999 | A |
5987668 | Ackley | Nov 1999 | A |
6003711 | Bilewitz | Dec 1999 | A |
6010029 | Wang | Jan 2000 | A |
6036271 | Wilkinson et al. | Mar 2000 | A |
6053474 | Stucke, Jr. et al. | Apr 2000 | A |
6098834 | Hatsumoto et al. | Aug 2000 | A |
6102244 | Kuwano et al. | Aug 2000 | A |
6116476 | Huang | Sep 2000 | A |
6119291 | Osborne et al. | Sep 2000 | A |
6126035 | Schaper et al. | Oct 2000 | A |
6158608 | Schlattl | Dec 2000 | A |
RE37016 | Morano | Jan 2001 | E |
6223369 | Maier et al. | May 2001 | B1 |
6276560 | Belcastro | Aug 2001 | B1 |
6324709 | Ikeda et al. | Dec 2001 | B1 |
6351863 | Meyer et al. | Mar 2002 | B1 |
6352166 | Copeland | Mar 2002 | B1 |
6401990 | Walters et al. | Jun 2002 | B1 |
6443325 | Schaper et al. | Sep 2002 | B1 |
6471085 | Gallo | Oct 2002 | B1 |
6557717 | Keck | May 2003 | B1 |
6601735 | Milian et al. | Aug 2003 | B2 |
6623080 | Clapper | Sep 2003 | B2 |
6626314 | McHenry et al. | Sep 2003 | B1 |
6644490 | Clarke | Nov 2003 | B2 |
6679397 | Smith et al. | Jan 2004 | B2 |
6695171 | Walters et al. | Feb 2004 | B2 |
6701556 | Romano et al. | Mar 2004 | B2 |
6702137 | Kowa et al. | Mar 2004 | B1 |
6732875 | Smith et al. | May 2004 | B2 |
6732876 | Belcastro | May 2004 | B2 |
6732964 | Couchey | May 2004 | B2 |
6763964 | Hurlbut et al. | Jul 2004 | B1 |
6782574 | Totton et al. | Aug 2004 | B2 |
6824003 | Wong | Nov 2004 | B1 |
6834769 | Takahashi et al. | Dec 2004 | B2 |
6854615 | von Ronn et al. | Feb 2005 | B2 |
6874185 | Phillips et al. | Apr 2005 | B1 |
6901617 | Sprouse, II et al. | Jun 2005 | B2 |
6922863 | Giori et al. | Aug 2005 | B2 |
6928681 | Stacy | Aug 2005 | B1 |
6935536 | Tardif | Aug 2005 | B2 |
6952852 | Reeder et al. | Oct 2005 | B2 |
6976281 | Schunk et al. | Dec 2005 | B2 |
6978910 | Sanders et al. | Dec 2005 | B2 |
7011227 | Ward et al. | Mar 2006 | B2 |
7073678 | Dibdin et al. | Jul 2006 | B1 |
7086107 | Ellis et al. | Aug 2006 | B2 |
7195137 | Belcastro | Mar 2007 | B2 |
7201288 | von Ronn et al. | Apr 2007 | B2 |
7229134 | Ito | Jun 2007 | B2 |
7275653 | Tedford, Jr. | Oct 2007 | B2 |
7413096 | Morgan et al. | Aug 2008 | B2 |
7513380 | Canedo | Apr 2009 | B2 |
7546933 | Pinelli | Jun 2009 | B2 |
7611024 | Yamanaka | Nov 2009 | B2 |
7611029 | Wong | Nov 2009 | B2 |
7997442 | Pinelli | Aug 2011 | B2 |
8056745 | Yu | Nov 2011 | B2 |
8141731 | Mazurkiewicz et al. | Mar 2012 | B2 |
8297462 | Joyce | Oct 2012 | B1 |
8360258 | Gilbert et al. | Jan 2013 | B2 |
8360267 | Chiou et al. | Jan 2013 | B1 |
8376162 | Yang | Feb 2013 | B2 |
8403173 | Wahl et al. | Mar 2013 | B2 |
8418992 | Meyer et al. | Apr 2013 | B2 |
8459510 | Richards et al. | Jun 2013 | B2 |
8464895 | Gilbert et al. | Jun 2013 | B2 |
8540121 | Walters | Sep 2013 | B2 |
8573431 | Shepard et al. | Nov 2013 | B2 |
8596493 | Vollers | Dec 2013 | B2 |
8622229 | Lane | Jan 2014 | B2 |
8727176 | El-Saden et al. | May 2014 | B2 |
8746496 | Gilbert et al. | Jun 2014 | B2 |
8844762 | Chiou et al. | Sep 2014 | B2 |
8863979 | El-Saden et al. | Oct 2014 | B2 |
8978923 | George | Mar 2015 | B2 |
8985370 | Lane | Mar 2015 | B2 |
9113698 | Blain et al. | Aug 2015 | B2 |
9211040 | Lane | Dec 2015 | B2 |
9282838 | Sims | Mar 2016 | B2 |
9375107 | Gilbert et al. | Jun 2016 | B2 |
9462904 | Coon et al. | Oct 2016 | B2 |
9808101 | Chiou et al. | Nov 2017 | B2 |
9878832 | Sims | Jan 2018 | B2 |
9908687 | Chiou et al. | Mar 2018 | B2 |
10023366 | Gilbert et al. | Jul 2018 | B2 |
10034564 | Sims | Jul 2018 | B2 |
10035629 | Gilbert et al. | Jul 2018 | B2 |
10071838 | Gilbert et al. | Sep 2018 | B2 |
10077144 | Gilbert et al. | Sep 2018 | B2 |
10104993 | El-Saden et al. | Oct 2018 | B2 |
20020033400 | Rohrer et al. | Mar 2002 | A1 |
20020170874 | Hou | Nov 2002 | A1 |
20030071041 | Vogel | Apr 2003 | A1 |
20030102338 | Martin | Jun 2003 | A1 |
20040040962 | Bielecki et al. | Mar 2004 | A1 |
20040217139 | Roth et al. | Nov 2004 | A1 |
20050023285 | Keung | Feb 2005 | A1 |
20050028289 | Hakamiun | Feb 2005 | A1 |
20050029265 | Morgan et al. | Feb 2005 | A1 |
20060043091 | Pinelli et al. | Mar 2006 | A1 |
20060081633 | Schmidtner et al. | Apr 2006 | A1 |
20060096983 | Patterson | May 2006 | A1 |
20060113327 | Walters et al. | Jun 2006 | A1 |
20060175331 | Lin et al. | Aug 2006 | A1 |
20060226160 | Elsaden et al. | Oct 2006 | A1 |
20070170184 | Canedo | Jul 2007 | A1 |
20070210093 | Pinelli | Sep 2007 | A1 |
20070241134 | Gurrisi et al. | Oct 2007 | A1 |
20080156817 | Roseblade et al. | Jul 2008 | A1 |
20080237233 | Choi et al. | Oct 2008 | A1 |
20080272134 | Rohe | Nov 2008 | A1 |
20090255958 | Santoni et al. | Oct 2009 | A1 |
20100206835 | Yu | Aug 2010 | A1 |
20110132908 | Meehan | Jun 2011 | A1 |
20110309095 | Pinelli | Dec 2011 | A1 |
20120145713 | Jung | Jun 2012 | A1 |
20120261416 | Lin | Oct 2012 | A1 |
20120285961 | Roth | Nov 2012 | A1 |
20120312832 | Lane | Dec 2012 | A1 |
20130119060 | Chiou | May 2013 | A1 |
20130140309 | George | Jun 2013 | A1 |
20130319966 | Lane | Dec 2013 | A1 |
20140197170 | Carlile et al. | Jul 2014 | A1 |
20160198878 | Gilbert et al. | Jul 2016 | A1 |
20160255973 | Joseph et al. | Sep 2016 | A1 |
20160264308 | Gilbert et al. | Sep 2016 | A1 |
20160264309 | Gilbert et al. | Sep 2016 | A1 |
20160264310 | Gilbert et al. | Sep 2016 | A1 |
20160264311 | Gilbert et al. | Sep 2016 | A1 |
20170029182 | Coon et al. | Feb 2017 | A1 |
20170101231 | George | Apr 2017 | A1 |
20170225846 | Gilbert et al. | Aug 2017 | A1 |
20180222641 | Gilbert et al. | Aug 2018 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
2198839 | May 1995 | CN |
2210160 | Oct 1995 | CN |
1245766 | Mar 2000 | CN |
1299317 | Jun 2001 | CN |
1345682 | Apr 2002 | CN |
1432512 | Jul 2003 | CN |
1636835 | Jul 2005 | CN |
2866364 | Feb 2007 | CN |
3402894 | Aug 1985 | DE |
20003371 | Apr 2000 | DE |
202011002273 | Apr 2011 | DE |
1182147 | Feb 2002 | EP |
S55027429 | Feb 1980 | JP |
S58043329 | Mar 1983 | JP |
S62131622 | Aug 1987 | JP |
H9150852 | Jun 1997 | JP |
H11001258 | Jan 1999 | JP |
2005193944 | Jul 2005 | JP |
2005278855 | Oct 2005 | JP |
2009279332 | Dec 2009 | JP |
3171259 | Oct 2011 | JP |
2019980061202 | Nov 1998 | KR |
0034143 | Jun 2000 | WO |
2000045684 | Aug 2000 | WO |
2005115204 | Dec 2005 | WO |
2010085367 | Jul 2010 | WO |
Entry |
---|
Extended European Search Report dated Jan. 22, 2013, European Patent Application No. 12183461.8, filed Sep. 7, 2012, eight pages. |
Extended European Search Report dated Mar. 18, 2013, European Patent Application No. 12195654.4, filed Dec. 5, 2012, seven pages. |
Extended European Search Report dated Oct. 18, 2012, European Patent Application No. 12173632.6, four pages. |
International Preliminary Report on Patentability for related International Application No. PCT/US2012/064801, dated May 20, 2014. |
International Search Report and Written Opinion dated May 21, 2012, International Patent Application No. PCT/US2011/060042, 13 pages. |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20200352371 A1 | Nov 2020 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Parent | 15930176 | May 2020 | US |
Child | 16883856 | US | |
Parent | 16047930 | Jul 2018 | US |
Child | 15930176 | US | |
Parent | 14959246 | Dec 2015 | US |
Child | 16047930 | US | |
Parent | 14321675 | Jul 2014 | US |
Child | 14959246 | US |