Not Applicable.
The present disclosure relates generally to lids for beverage containers, and more specifically to a unlatching mechanism for a lid 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 an unlatching lid mechanism for a beverage container.
The disclosed subject technology further relates to a lid assembly for a beverage container, comprising: a lid cover having a first latch member; a lid base pivotally securing the lid cover, the lid base having a first mating member and a drink spout; a twist ring rotationally connected around a portion of the lid base, the twist ring having a second latch member that mates with the first latch member, the twist ring further having a second mating member that mates with the first mating member, wherein the twist ring is adapted to rotate with respect to the lid base and the lid cover; a damping member between a portion of the lid base and the twist ring, the damping member adapted to stop rotation of the twist ring and to bias the twist ring in an opposite direction; and, a lock operably connected to the lid base, the lock moving between a locked position and an unlocked position, the lock preventing rotation of the twist ring when the lock is in the locked position.
The disclosed subject technology further relates to a lid assembly for a beverage container, comprising: a lid cover having a first latch member; a lid base having a first mating member; a twist ring rotationally secured to the lid base, the twist ring having a second latch member that mates with the first latch member, the twist ring further having a second mating member that mates with the first mating member to allow the twist ring to rotate with respect to the lid base; and, a damping member between a portion of the lid base and the twist ring, the damping member adapted to stop rotation of the twist ring and to bias the twist ring toward a normal position where the first latch member is capable of mating with the second latch member.
The disclosed subject technology further relates to a lid assembly for a beverage container, comprising: a lid cover having a first latch member; a lid base having a first mating member; and, a twist ring rotationally secured to the lid base, the twist ring having a second latch member that mates with the first latch member, the twist ring further having a second mating member that mates with the first mating member to allow the twist ring to rotate with respect to the lid base.
The disclosed subject technology further relates to a lid assembly, wherein the second latch member and second mating member of the twist ring are provided on an interior surface of the twist ring, and wherein the twist ring has an external knob to allow a user to rotate the twist ring.
The disclosed subject technology further relates to a lid assembly, wherein the twist ring has a normal position and an unlatch position. In one embodiment, in the normal position the second latch member engages the first latch member, and in the unlatch position the first latch member is disengaged from the second latch member.
The disclosed subject technology further relates to a lid assembly, wherein the twist ring has a stop on an interior surface that engages the damping member.
The disclosed subject technology further relates to a lid assembly, wherein the first mating member comprises one of a track and a follower, and wherein the second mating member comprises the other of the track and the follower.
The disclosed subject technology further relates to a lid assembly, wherein when the twist ring is in the normal position and the lid cover is pivoted toward to the lid base to close the lid cover, the first latch member engages the second latch member and rotationally displaces the twist ring.
The disclosed subject technology further relates to a lid assembly, further comprising a damping member between a portion of the lid base and the twist ring, the damping member adapted to stop rotation of the twist ring and to bias the twist ring toward a normal position. In another embodiment, the damping member is adapted to stop rotation of the twist ring and to bias the twist ring toward a normal position where the first latch member is capable of mating with the second latch member.
The disclosed subject technology further relates to a lid assembly, further comprising a lock operably connected to the lid base, the lock moving between a locked position and an unlocked position, the lock preventing rotation of the twist ring when the lock is in the locked position.
The disclosed subject technology further relates to a lid assembly, wherein the lid cover is pivotally connected to the lid base, wherein the lid cover pivots in a first plane, wherein the twist ring rotates in a second plane, and wherein the second plane is transverse to the first plane. In another embodiment the first plane is substantially perpendicular to the second plane.
The disclosed subject technology further relates to a lid assembly, further comprising a spout extending from the lid base, the spout having an opening providing access to a cavity of the beverage container, and the lid having a seal to close the opening of the spout when the first latch member is secured to the second latch member.
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 base 16 has threads 26, as shown in
As shown in
Referring to
In one embodiment, the side wall 34 of the lid base 16 has a first mating member 46 that is used to mate with a second mating member 48 of the twist ring 18. In one embodiment the first mating member 46 of the lid base 16 is a track 46 comprised of spaced apart rails 46, and the second mating member 48 of the twist ring 18 is a follower 48, such as a protrusion 48. Alternate mating structure may be provided for the first mating member and second member, such as, but not limited to, a slot and peg, a cam and cam follower, etc.
As shown in
In one embodiment, the lid base 16 also has a receiver 52 for the lock 20. Referring to
Referring to the rear of the lid base 16, in one embodiment a stop 64 extends from the side wall 34 of the lid base 16. The stop 64 assists to receive a damping member 68 for the lid assembly 10. The damping member 68 is provided between a portion of the lid base 16 and the twist ring 18 and is adapted to stop rotation of the twist ring 18 during opening of the lid cover 14 and to bias the twist ring 18 in an opposite direction of the rotation used for opening the lid cover 14. Further, the damping member 68 is used to bias the twist ring 18 to its normal position, that being the position of the twist ring 18 when the lid cover 14 is in its closed position as shown in
The twist ring 18 is rotationally connected around a portion of the lid base 16. In one embodiment, the twist ring 18 is used to latch and unlatch the lid cover 14 for exposing the spout 22 and drink opening 23 so that the user can drink the contents within the beverage container 12 and so that the user can cover and seal the spout 22 with the lid cover 14 during periods when the user does not need to drink the contents within the beverage container 12. As shown in
In one embodiment, as best shown in
Referring to
As shown in
In use, when the lid cover 14 is in the open position the drink opening 23 is accessible for the user to drink the contents of the beverage container 12 as shown in
Next, if the user wants to open the lid cover 14 from the closed position, the user begins by applying a force to the external knob 92 of the twist ring 18 to rotate the twist ring 18 toward the back of the beverage container 12 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.