Patent Application
20250153910
Not Applicable.
The present subject matter relates to a lid for a beverage container, and more particularly, to a lid having both chug and sip functionality, as well as quick-fill functionality.
Beverage containers are known in the art. While such products according to the prior art provide a number of advantages, they nevertheless have certain limitations, especially when combined together. The present disclosure seeks to overcome certain of those limitations and other drawbacks of the prior art, and to provide new features not heretofore available. A full discussion of the features and advantages of the present disclosure is deferred to the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.
According to certain aspects of the present disclosure, the disclosed subject technology relates to lids for beverage containers that have quick-fill functionality.
The disclosed technology further relates to a quick-fill lid assembly for a beverage container, comprising: a lid housing adapted to be connected to the beverage container, the lid housing having an opening providing access to a cavity of the beverage container, the lid housing also having a connector adjacent the opening, wherein the connector has a passageway therethrough; a straw connected to the connector and extending into the beverage container; a fill cap pivotally attached to the lid housing, the fill cap moving between a closed position and an open position, wherein the fill cap closes the opening in the lid housing in its closed position; a drink spout connected to the fill cap, the drink spout having a first end and a second end, and a fluid passageway extending from the first end to the second end, the second end of the drink spout contacting the connector when the fill cap is in the closed position such that the fluid passageway of the drink spout is fluidly connected to the passageway through the connector and to a passageway through the straw to allow the user to drink fluid from the beverage container through the drink spout; and, a top closure pivotally attached to the lid housing, the top closure moving between an open position and a closed position, wherein the top closure covers the drink spout when the top closure is in the closed position.
The disclosed technology further relates to a quick-fill lid assembly for a beverage container, comprising: a lid housing adapted to be connected to the beverage container, the lid housing having an opening providing access to a cavity of the beverage container; a fill cap pivotally attached to the lid housing, the fill cap moving between a closed position and an open position, wherein the fill cap closes the opening in the lid housing in its closed position; a drink spout connected to the fill cap; and, a top closure pivotally attached to the lid housing, the top closure moving between an open position and a closed position, wherein the top closure covers the drink spout when the top closure is in the closed position.
The disclosed technology further relates to a quick-fill lid assembly for a beverage container, comprising: a lid housing adapted to be connected to the beverage container, the lid housing having an opening providing access to a cavity of the beverage container, the lid housing also having a connector adjacent the opening, wherein the connector has a passageway therethrough; a straw connected to the connector and extending into the beverage container; a fill cap pivotally attached to the lid housing, the fill cap moving between a closed position and an open position, wherein the fill cap closes the opening in the lid housing in its closed position; and, a drink spout connected to the fill cap, the drink spout having a first end and a second end, and a fluid passageway extending from the first end to the second end, the second end of the drink spout contacting the connector when the fill cap is in the closed position such that the fluid passageway of the drink spout is fluidly connected to the passageway through the connector and to a passageway through the straw to allow the user to drink fluid from the beverage container through the drink spout.
The disclosed technology further relates to a quick-fill lid assembly for a beverage container, wherein the top closure and the fill cap are independently pivotally connected to the housing.
The disclosed technology further relates to a quick-fill lid assembly for a beverage container, wherein the top closure is pivotal about a pivot shaft, and wherein the fill cap is pivotal about the same pivot shaft.
The disclosed technology further relates to a quick-fill lid assembly for a beverage container, wherein the top closure has a cover portion, pivot arms and a release flange.
The disclosed technology further relates to a quick-fill lid assembly for a beverage container, wherein the release flange on the top closure engages a lock receiver on the lid housing.
The disclosed technology further relates to a quick-fill lid assembly for a beverage container, wherein the fill cap has a cover portion, pivot arms, a release member and a release flange.
The disclosed technology further relates to a quick-fill lid assembly for a beverage container, wherein the release flange on the fill cap engages a lock receiver on the lid housing.
The disclosed technology further relates to a quick-fill lid assembly for a beverage container, wherein the fill cap has a button, and wherein when the button is depressed the release flange of the top closure is disengaged from the lock receiver of the top closure to open the top closure.
The disclosed technology further relates to a quick-fill lid assembly for a beverage container, wherein the fill cap is opened the top closure remains in the closed position.
The disclosed technology further relates to a quick-fill lid assembly for a beverage container, wherein to access the cavity of the beverage container with the lid assembly on the beverage container, the top closure and the fill cap are moved to the open position.
The disclosed technology further relates to a quick-fill lid assembly for a beverage container, wherein the lid housing has a connector adjacent the opening, the connector having a passageway therethrough, and further comprising a straw connected to the connector and extending into the beverage container.
The disclosed technology further relates to a quick-fill lid assembly for a beverage container, wherein the drink spout has a first end and a second end, and a fluid passageway extending from the first end to the second end, the second end of the drink spout contacting the connector when the fill cap is in the closed position such that the fluid passageway of the drink spout is fluidly connected to the passageway through the connector and to a passageway through the straw to allow the user to drink fluid from the beverage container through the drink spout.
The disclosed technology further relates to a quick-fill lid assembly for a beverage container, wherein the top closure and the fill cap are independently pivotally connected to the housing, wherein the top closure is pivotal about a pivot shaft, and wherein the fill cap is pivotal about the same pivot shaft.
The disclosed technology further relates to a quick-fill lid assembly for a beverage container, wherein the fill cap has a cover portion, pivot arms, a release member and a release flange, and wherein the release flange on the fill cap engages a lock receiver on the lid housing.
The disclosed technology further relates to a quick-fill lid assembly for a beverage container, wherein the top closure has a cover portion, pivot arms and a release flange, and wherein the release flange on the top closure engages a lock receiver on the lid housing.
The disclosed technology further relates to a quick-fill lid assembly for a beverage container, further comprising a top closure pivotally attached to the lid housing, the top closure moving between an open position and a closed position, wherein the top closure covers the drink spout when the top closure is in the closed position.
It is understood that other embodiments and configurations of the subject technology will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, wherein various configurations of the subject technology are shown and described by way of illustration. As will be realized, the subject technology is capable of other and different configurations and its several details are capable of modification in various other respects, all without departing from the scope of the subject technology. Accordingly, the drawings and detailed description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive.
To understand the present disclosure, it will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which embodiments of the disclosures are illustrated and, together with the descriptions below are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, and serve to explain the principles of the disclosure. In the drawings:
In one or more implementations, not all of the depicted components in each figure may be required, and one or more implementations may include additional components not shown in a figure. Variations in the arrangement and type of the components may be made without departing from the scope of the subject disclosure. Additional components, different components, or fewer components may be utilized within the scope of the subject disclosure.
While this disclosure is susceptible of embodiments in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail preferred embodiments with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the disclosure and is not intended to limit the broad aspect of the disclosure to the embodiments illustrated. It should be noted that the features illustrated in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, and features of one embodiment may be employed with other embodiments as one of ordinary skill in the relevant art would recognize, even if not explicitly stated herein. Further, descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques may be omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments of the present disclosure. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the present disclosure may be practiced and to further enable those of ordinary skill in the art to practice the embodiments of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the examples and embodiments herein should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure, which is defined solely by the appended claims and applicable law.
Generally, this disclosure describes several embodiments of a quick-fill lid assembly for a beverage container, where the lid assembly has both chug and sip functionality, as well as quick-fill functionality. In both embodiments the top closure can be opened independently of the fill cap to allow the user to drink from the drink spout. In one embodiment, the fill cap can be opened without the top closure being opened first (required only one step for opening to chug and fill), and in another embodiment the fill cap can only be opened if the top closure is first separately opened (requires two steps for opening to chug and fill).
Referring now to the figures, and initially to
As shown in
In one embodiment, the top closure 16 and the fill cap 18 are independently pivotally connected to the lid housing 14. Further, in one embodiment, the top closure 16 and the fill cap 18 are pivotal about the same axis at the same pivot shaft 46.
As shown in
In one embodiment, a sliding lock member 60 of the locking mechanism 32 on the lid housing 14 can be moved between an unlocked position and a locked position. In the locked position the sliding lock member 60 engages the lock tab 56 of the top closure 16 to prevent the top closure 16 from being moved from the closed position. In one embodiment, the top closure 16 also has a vent closure member 62 to close a vent opening 64 in the fill cap 18 when the top closure 16 is in the closed position.
Moving to the fill cap 18, in one embodiment the fill cap 18 has a cover portion 68, pivot arms 70, a release member 72, and a release flange 74. The pivot arms 70 are pivotally secured to the pivot shaft 46 of the lid housing 14. The fill cap 18 can pivot from a closed position, as shown in
In one embodiment, the fill cap 18 has a first opening 80 through the cover portion 68. The first opening 80 may be a drink opening, and may have a drink member 20 therein, such as a silicone drink spout 20, to be used by the user in drinking the liquid from the container cavity 40. Further, in one embodiment the fill cap 18 may have a second opening 64 to be used as a vent opening 64. The vent opening 64 may be sealed by the vent closure member 62 of the top closure 16 when the top closure 16 and fill cap 18 are in the closed position. Further, a seal 86 may be provided in the vent opening 64 to allow for better sealing of the vent opening 64 by the vent closure member 62. The drink spout 20 may be sealed closed by the top closure 16 when the top closure 16 is closed as shown in
The lid housing 14 has housing body 90, a central opening 92 through the housing body 90, and a connection mechanism 30 to secure the lid housing 14 to the beverage container 12. The central opening 92 provides access to the internal cavity 40 of the beverage container 12 when the lid assembly 10 is secured to the beverage container 12. Thus, the first seal 26, which is preferably connected adjacent a bottom 88 of the fill cap 18, seals the central opening 92 of the lid housing 14 closed when the fill cap 18 is in the closed position. Additionally, the second seal 28 is provided around the connection mechanism 30 of the lid housing 14 to seal the lid housing 14 to the beverage container 12 when the lid housing 14 is secured to the beverage container 12. This sealingly closes the opening 42 at the top of the beverage container 12 to close access to the internal cavity 40 of the beverage container 12. The lid housing 14 also has a pivot arm 94 extending from the housing body 90 to secure the pivot shaft 46 thereto for engaging with the pivot arms 50 of the top closure 16 and the pivot arms 70 of the fill cap 18.
As best shown in
Unlike many beverage containers, the user can fill the internal cavity 40 of the beverage container 12 of this embodiment without removing the lid assembly 10. The user merely pivots open the top cap 16, and then pivots open the fill cap 18. When the fill cap 18 is opened the large central opening 92 through the housing body 90 of the lid housing 14 is accessible. The user can fill the internal cavity 40 of the beverage container with liquid directly through the large central opening 92 of the housing body 90. Further, the user can drink, such as a chug, directly from the large central opening 92 as well instead of through the drink spout 20, if so desired.
Referring now to
One difference between the lid assembly 100 of this embodiment and the lid assembly 10 of the prior embodiment is that the user can open the fill cap 118 without first having to open the top closure 116. Thus, the user can access the large central opening 192 to fill the container 12, or to drink/chug from the large central opening 192, without first having to open the top closure 116. The top closure 116 can remain secured to the fill cap 118 when the fill cap 118 is in the open position, as shown in
The beverage container 12 can be identical to the beverage container 12 previously discussed herein. Thus, the beverage container 12 has a connection system 44 for securing the lid housing 114 to the beverage container 12 at the opening 42 thereof. In one embodiment, the connection system 44 comprises a female thread component at the opening 42 of the container 12, and the connection mechanism 130 of the lid housing 114 comprises a mating male thread component, however the reverse is acceptable, as well as a variety of other systems for securing the lid housing 114 to the beverage container 12. The second seal 128 may be provided adjacent the connection mechanism 130 of the lid housing 114 to seal the lid housing 114 to the beverage container 12 when the lid housing 114 is secured to the beverage container 12.
In one embodiment, the top closure 116 and the fill cap 118 are independently pivotally connected to the lid housing 114 as shown in
As shown in
Moving to the fill cap 118, in one embodiment the fill cap 118 has a cover portion 168, pivot arms 170, a release member 172, and a release flange 174. The pivot arms 170 are pivotally secured to the pivot shaft 146 of the lid housing 114. The fill cap 118 can pivot from a closed position, as shown in
In one embodiment, the fill cap 118 has a first opening 180 through the cover portion 168. The first opening 180 may be a drink opening, and may have a drink member 120 therein, such as a silicone drink spout 120, to be used by the user in drinking the liquid from the container cavity 40. Further, in one embodiment the fill cap 118 may have a second opening 164 to be used as a vent opening 164. The vent opening 164 may be sealed by the vent closure member 162 of the top closure 116 when the top closure 116 is secured to the fill cap 118. Further, a seal 186 may be provided in the vent opening 164 to allow for better sealing of the vent opening 164 by the vent closure member 162. The drink spout 120 may be sealed closed by the top closure 116 when the top closure 116 is secured to the fill cap 118 as shown in
In one embodiment, a sliding lock member 160 of the locking mechanism 132 on the lid housing 114 can be moved between an unlocked position and a locked position. As discussed herein, and shown in
The lid housing 114 has a housing body 190, a central opening 192 through the housing body 190, and a connection mechanism 130 to secure the lid housing 114 to the beverage container 12. The central opening 192 provides access to the internal cavity 40 of the beverage container 12 when the lid assembly 100 is secured to the beverage container 12. Thus, the first seal 126, which is preferably connected adjacent a bottom 188 of the fill cap 118, seals the central opening 192 of the lid housing 114 closed when the fill cap 118 is in the closed position. Additionally, the second seal 128 is provided around the connection mechanism 130 of the lid housing 114 to seal the lid housing 114 to the beverage container 12 when the lid housing 114 is secured to the beverage container 12. This sealingly closes the opening 42 at the top of the beverage container 12 to close access to the internal cavity 40 of the beverage container 12. The lid housing 114 also has a pivot arm 194 extending from the housing body 190 to secure the pivot shaft 146 thereto for engaging with the pivot arms 150 of the top closure 116 and the pivot arms 170 of the fill cap 118.
As best shown in
Unlike many beverage containers, the user can fill the internal cavity 40 of the beverage container 12 of this embodiment without removing the lid assembly 100. The user merely pivots open the fill cap 118. When the fill cap 118 is opened the large central opening 192 through the housing body 190 of the lid housing 114 is accessible. The user can fill the internal cavity 40 of the beverage container with liquid directly through the large central opening 192 of the housing body 190. Further, the user can drink, such as a chug, directly from the large central opening 192 as well instead of through the drink spout 120, if so desired.
As shown in
The embodiments detailed hereinabove may be combined in full or in part, with any alternative embodiments described.
A reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless specifically stated, but rather “one or more.” The term “some” refers to one or more. Underlined and/or italicized headings and subheadings are used for convenience only, do not limit the subject technology, and are not referred to in connection with the interpretation of the description of the subject technology. Relational terms such as first and second and the like may be used to distinguish one entity or action from another without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the various configurations described throughout this disclosure that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and intended to be encompassed by the subject technology. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the above description.
Numerous modifications to the present disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the foregoing description. Preferred embodiments of this disclosure are described herein, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the disclosure. It should be understood that the illustrated embodiments are exemplary only, and should not be taken as limiting the scope of the disclosure.
Several alternative embodiments and examples have been described and illustrated herein. A person of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate the features of the individual embodiments, and the possible combinations and variations of the components. A person of ordinary skill in the art would further appreciate that any of the embodiments could be provided in any combination with the other embodiments disclosed herein. Additionally, the terms “first,” “second,” “third,” and “fourth” as used herein are intended for illustrative purposes only and do not limit the embodiments in any way. Further, the term “plurality” as used herein indicates any number greater than one, either disjunctively or conjunctively, as necessary, up to an infinite number. Additionally, the term “having” as used herein in both the disclosure and claims, is utilized in an open-ended manner.
As used herein, the phrase “at least one of” preceding a series of items, with the terms “and” or “or” to separate any of the items, modifies the list as a whole, rather than each member of the list (i.e., each item). The phrase “at least one of” does not require selection of at least one item; rather, the phrase allows a meaning that includes at least one of any one of the items, and/or at least one of any combination of the items, and/or at least one of each of the items. By way of example, the phrases “at least one of A, B, and C” or “at least one of A, B, or C” each refer to only A, only B, or only C; any combination of A, B, and C; and/or at least one of each of A, B, and C.
To the extent that the term “include,” “have,” or the like is used in the description or the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprise” as “comprise” is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim. Phrases such as an aspect, the aspect, another aspect, some aspects, one or more aspects, an implementation, the implementation, another implementation, some implementations, one or more implementations, an embodiment, the embodiment, another embodiment, some embodiments, one or more embodiments, a configuration, the configuration, another configuration, some configurations, one or more configurations, the subject technology, the disclosure, the present disclosure, other variations thereof and alike are for convenience and do not imply that a disclosure relating to such phrase(s) is essential to the subject technology or that such disclosure applies to all configurations of the subject technology. A disclosure relating to such phrase(s) may apply to all configurations, or one or more configurations. A disclosure relating to such phrase(s) may provide one or more examples. A phrase such as an aspect or some aspects may refer to one or more aspects and vice versa, and this applies similarly to other foregoing phrases.
A reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless specifically stated, but rather “one or more.” The term “some” refers to one or more. Underlined and/or italicized headings and subheadings are used for convenience only, do not limit the subject technology, and are not referred to in connection with the interpretation of the description of the subject technology. Relational terms such as first and second and the like may be used to distinguish one entity or action from another without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the various configurations described throughout this disclosure that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and intended to be encompassed by the subject technology. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the above description. No claim clement is to be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112, sixth paragraph, unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for” or, in the case of a method claim, the element is recited using the phrase “step for.”
While this specification contains many specifics, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of what may be claimed, but rather as descriptions of particular implementations of the subject matter. Certain features that are described in this specification in the context of separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination. Moreover, although features may be described above as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, one or more features from a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from the combination, and the claimed combination may be directed to a subcombination or variation of a subcombination.
The title, background, brief description of the drawings, abstract, and drawings are hereby incorporated into the disclosure and are provided as illustrative examples of the disclosure, not as restrictive descriptions. It is submitted with the understanding that they will not be used to limit the scope or meaning of the claims. In addition, in the detailed description, it can be seen that the description provides illustrative examples and the various features are grouped together in various implementations for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. The method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed subject matter requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the claims reflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed configuration or operation. The claims are hereby incorporated into the detailed description, with each claim standing on its own as a separately claimed subject matter.
It will be understood that the present disclosure may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or central characteristics thereof. The present examples and embodiments, therefore, are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and the Claims are not to be limited to the details given herein. Accordingly, while the specific embodiments have been illustrated and described, numerous modifications come to mind without significantly departing from the spirit of the disclosure and the scope of protection is only limited by the scope of the accompanying Claims.
Further, the claims are not intended to be limited to the aspects described herein, but are to be accorded the full scope consistent with the language claims and to encompass all legal equivalents. Notwithstanding, none of the claims are intended to embrace subject matter that fails to satisfy the requirements of the applicable patent law, nor should they be interpreted in such a way.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/598,992 filed Nov. 15, 2023, which is expressly incorporated herein by reference and made a part hereof.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63598992 | Nov 2023 | US |
