Patent Application
20200391910
Not Applicable.
The present disclosure relates generally to lids for beverage containers, and more specifically to a cleanable lid having a sealable closure.
Beverage containers and lids for beverage containers are well known in the art. While such beverage containers and lids according to the prior art provide a number of advantages, they nevertheless have certain limitations. 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 generally relates to a lid for a beverage container.
The disclosed subject technology further relates to a lid assembly for a beverage container, comprising: a lid housing having a drink opening; a slider member slidingly connected to a first side of the lid housing, the slider member moving from a first position wherein the drink opening is accessible, to a second position wherein the drink opening is covered, and wherein the slider member does not closingly seal the drink opening in the second position; a cam pivotally connected to the slider member; and, a seal assembly pivotally connected to the lid housing, the seal assembly movable between an operable position and a cleaning position, the seal assembly having a seal arm that operates to assist in closing the drink opening in the operable position, wherein the seal arm is positioned away from the drink opening and unable to assist in closing the drink opening in the cleaning position, the seal arm being connected to the lid housing in the operable position and the cleaning position, wherein the slider member and cam operate to move the seal arm from an open position to a sealed position when the seal assembly is in the operable position to open and close the drink opening.
The disclosed subject technology further relates to a lid for a beverage container, comprising: a lid housing having a drink opening; a slider member slidingly connected to a first side of the lid housing, the slider member moving linearly from a first position to a second position in a plane substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the beverage container; a cam pivotally connected to the slider member; and, a seal assembly having a seal arm having a first end and a second end, the first end of the seal arm being pivotally connected adjacent a second side of the lid housing, a seal connected to the second end of the seal arm, and a spring, wherein the slider member and cam operate to move the seal arm from an open position to a sealed position, wherein the drink opening is open when the seal arm is in the open position, wherein the drink opening is closed by the seal when the seal arm is in the sealed position, and wherein the spring exerts a force on the seal arm towards the sealed position.
The disclosed subject technology further relates to a lid for a beverage container, comprising: a lid housing having a first outer side and a second inner side, a drink opening extending through the lid housing from the first outer side to the second inner side, and a plurality of tabs extending from the second inner side of the lid housing; a slider member slidingly connected to a first side of the lid housing, the slider member moving linearly from a first position to a second position; a cam pivotally connected to the slider member, the cam extending through a cam opening in the lid housing; and, a seal assembly having a seal arm, a seal and a spring, the seal arm having a first end and a second end, the first end of the seal arm being pivotally connected to the plurality of tabs of the lid housing, and the seal connected to the second end of the seal arm, wherein the slider member and cam operate to move the seal arm from an open position to a sealed position, wherein the drink opening is open when the seal arm is in the open position, wherein the drink opening is closed by the seal when the seal arm is in the sealed position, and wherein the spring exerts a force on the seal arm towards the sealed position.
The disclosed subject technology further relates to a lid for a beverage container, wherein the seal arm has a first end and a second end, the first end of the seal arm being pivotally connected adjacent a second side of the lid housing opposing the first side, the seal being connected to the second end of the seal arm.
The disclosed subject technology further relates to a lid for a beverage container, wherein a cam engages the seal arm adjacent the second end thereof.
The disclosed subject technology further relates to a lid for a beverage container, having a pair of tabs extending from the lid housing, the seal arm being pivotally connected to the tabs. In one embodiment, one of the tabs has a protrusion to retain the seal arm in the cleaning position.
The disclosed subject technology further relates to a lid for a beverage container, having a spring exerting a force on the seal arm to force the seal arm to the operable position.
The disclosed subject technology further relates to a lid for a beverage container, wherein the slider member moves linearly from a first position to a second position in a plane substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the beverage container.
The disclosed subject technology further relates to a lid for a beverage container, wherein the slider member moves from the first position wherein the drink opening is accessible, to the second position wherein the drink opening is covered, and wherein the slider member does not closingly seal the drink opening in the second position.
The disclosed subject technology further relates to a lid for a beverage container, wherein the slider member has legs that slidingly engage a slot in the housing.
The disclosed subject technology further relates to a lid for a beverage container, wherein linear movement of the slider member causes pivotal movement of the seal assembly.
The disclosed subject technology further relates to a lid for a beverage container, wherein the seal assembly is movable between an operable position and a cleaning position.
The disclosed subject technology further relates to a lid for a beverage container, wherein the seal arm has a cam surface adjacent the second end of the seal arm, wherein the cam surface is engaged by the cam.
The disclosed subject technology further relates to a lid for a beverage container, wherein the cam extends through a cam opening in the lid housing.
The disclosed subject technology further relates to a lid for a beverage container, wherein the seal engages the lid around the drink opening and the cam.
The disclosed subject technology further relates to a lid for a beverage container, wherein the seal also closes the cam opening when the seal arm is in the sealed position.
It is understood that other configurations and embodiments 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 the beverage container lid discussed herein 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 description is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the wagon and foldable trailer and are not intended to limit the broad aspects of the disclosure to the embodiments illustrated. Thus, the detailed description set forth below is not intended to represent the only implementations in which the subject technology may be practiced. As those skilled in the art would realize, the described implementations may be modified in various different ways, all without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not restrictive.
Referring now to the figures, and initially to
In one embodiment the lid housing 14 has threads 22, as shown in
The first side 30 of the lid housing 14 preferably has a recess 34 for receiving the slider member 16. To allow the slider member 16 to slide linearly within the recess 34, the lid housing 14 preferably has slots 36 in the sidewalls of the recess 34. The slots 36 receive legs 38 extending from the sidewalls of the slider member 16 as shown in
As shown in
In one embodiment, the slider member 16 has a receiver 40 for pivotally receiving a cam 42. The receiver 40 is preferably on the bottom side 44 of the slider member 16. The cam 42 is used to help move the seal assembly 18 between an operable position (shown in
As shown in
As explained above, the lid assembly 10 has a seal assembly 18. In one embodiment, the seal assembly 18 generally comprises a seal arm 52, a seal 54, and a spring 56. The seal assembly 18 is preferably pivotally connected to the lid housing 14, and pivotally moveable between an operable position and a cleaning position. Preferably, the seal arm 52 is connected to the lid housing 14 in both the operable position and the cleaning position. In one embodiment, a plurality of tabs 58 extend from the lid housing 14, and preferably the second inner side 32 of the lid housing 14. The seal assembly 18 may be pivotally attached to the tabs 58 of the lid housing 14. The seal arm 52 operates to assist in closing the drink opening 20 when the seal assembly 18 is in the operable position as shown in
The seal arm 52 has a first end 60 and a second end 62. Referring to
In one embodiment, as shown in
Referring to
In operation, when the seal assembly 18 is in the operable position, the slider member 16 and cam 42 operate to move the seal arm 52 from the open position (
As explained herein, when the slider member 16 is in the first position, as shown in
To move the seal arm 52 from the open position to the closed or sealed position to close the drink opening 20, the user must slide the slider member 16 linearly from the first position to the second position, as shown in
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 element 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 invention 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 invention is 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 invention 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.
