U.S. patent application number 10/834318 was filed with the patent office on 2005-11-03 for safety cup lip.
Invention is credited to Jaghab, John J..
Application Number | 20050242096 10/834318 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 35186041 |
Filed Date | 2005-11-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050242096 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Jaghab, John J. |
November 3, 2005 |
Safety cup lip
Abstract
A closure lid for a beverage drink container in which a panel
door is slidable between a pair of bosses on a top wall in opening
and closing a drink opening through which the beverage in the
container would be dispensed upon tilting the container at an
angle.
Inventors: |
Jaghab, John J.; (Manalapan,
NJ) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Charles I. Brodsky
2 Bucks Lane
Marlboro
NJ
07746
US
|
Family ID: |
35186041 |
Appl. No.: |
10/834318 |
Filed: |
April 29, 2004 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
220/254.8 ;
220/345.1; 220/715 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 47/265 20130101;
B65D 2543/00046 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
220/254.8 ;
220/345.1; 220/715 |
International
Class: |
A47G 019/22; B65D
043/12 |
Claims
I claim:
1. A closure lid for a beverage drink container, said closure lid
comprising: a top wall having a generally circular periphery, an
annular side wall downwardly depending from said top wall about its
periphery, an annular mounting portion at the bottom of said side
wall for sealingly engaging the lip of the container, a drink
opening in said top wall adjacent said periphery to enable drinking
from the container without removal of the closure lid, a recessed
portion in said top wall for receiving the upper lip of a person
drinking from the container, a pair of oppositely positioned
annular tracks extending upwardly above said top wall from inside
and outside edges of said side wall, and a panel door slidable
about the periphery of top wall in covering all, or any portion, of
said drink opening.
2. The closure lid of claim 1 wherein said panel door includes a
pair of wing sections positioned beneath said annular tracks and of
dimension to be captured in position thereby when slid about the
periphery of said top wall.
3. The closure lid of claim 2, also including a pair of bosses on
said top wall on either side of said drink opening for limiting
movement of said panel door along said top wall in uncovering said
drink opening.
4. The closure lid of claim 3, additionally including a pair of
vent holes in said top wall for enabling air flow into said
container as said container is tilted.
5. The closure lid of claim 4 wherein one of said vent holes is
located at said recessed portion of said top wall.
6. The closure lid of claim 1, constructed of substantially
different material composition than the beverage drink
container.
7. The closure lid of claim 6, constructed of a plastic
composition.
8. The closure lid of claim 1, constructed of substantially the
same material composition as the beverage drink container.
Description
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0001] Research and development of this invention and Application
have not been federally sponsored, and no rights are given under
any Federal program.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0002] None.
REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX
[0003] NOT APPLICABLE
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] 1. Field of the Invention
[0005] This invention relates to take-out beverage drink
containers, in general, and to the purchase of containers of hot
coffee or tea "to-go", in particular.
[0006] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0007] As is well known and understood, when purchasing a hot
beverage, one is provided with a cup which holds its contents, and
with a plastic lid to cover the opening of the cup. Although some
lids prevent access to the hot beverage within unless the lid is
first removed from the cup, most of the lids used today allow the
sipping or drinking of the beverage through a slotted opening in
the cover while still on the cup. While different constructions are
available, for the most part all of them utilize lids with cut-outs
intended for the user to break a tab on the lid, and to then fold
it back in allowing the beverage to be consumed.
[0008] As will be readily appreciated, however, sipping or drinking
from the cup is very difficult to do while walking; also, while
driving, as the vehicle bumps along the road surface, or traverses
hills or valleys. Where the coffee or tea is still very hot, the
spillage which results is well able to cause burns on one's body,
along with the associated pain involved. Whether the beverage is
hot or cold, furthermore, the spillage soils the clothing, or the
interior of the vehicle where the drinking is being done. But, even
if the drinker is being exceedingly careful so as not to spill the
contents on his/her body or on the interior of a vehicle, such
folding back of the tab allows its contents to cool over time.
Although some lids are constructed to have a mechanism which allows
the tab to be bent back and locked into a space provided on the top
of the cup lid, experience has shown that to be a cumbersome and
complicated task for having to repeatedly bend back the tab to take
a sip, and then return it to position to be locked on the cup
lid.
[0009] Investigation has shown that one of the most popular cup
lids is that described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,589,569. Available on
drinking cups from such establishment as Starbucks, experience has
shown that any movement while drinking from its opening causes
spillage to occur while such motion continues; closing its opening,
or adjusting its size is not possible so that the greater the
motion producing activity, the greater spillage that results. At
the same time, its drink opening allows the coffee or other hot
liquid contents to cool just due to exposure to the ambient
air.
[0010] As will be become clear from the following description, the
safety cup lid of this invention both allows the drinker to avoid
spilling the contents while walking or driving, while keeping the
coffee or tea hotter for a longer period of time. As will also
become clear, the safety cup lid of the invention represents a
modification of the drinking cup lid of the U.S. Pat. No.
4,589,569.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] As will seen from the description below, the safety cup lid
of the present invention continues to include an annular mounting
portion for engaging the lip of the cup, an annular side wall
extending upwardly from the mounting portion, and a top wall having
a drink opening formed in it. The top wall of the lid--like the lid
of U.S. Pat. No. 4,589,569--has a recess formed in it adjacent to
the drink opening so as to accommodate the upper lip of the user.
In accordance with the teachings of the present invention, a pair
of oppositely positioned annular tracks extend upwardly from inside
and outside segments of the sidewall in capturing a panel door
slidable about the circumference of the lid from left to right in
covering all, or any portion of the drink opening. A pair of
"stops" limit the extent of motion, in keeping the door between the
two oppositely positioned tracks.
[0012] While the closure lid of the invention is suitable for use
with both hot and cold beverage drink containers, it will be
appreciated to be especially useful in consuming hot coffee or tea.
To ensure optimum operation and minimize even further any
possibility of spillage, the panel door is configured to fit
beneath portions of the upwardly extending tracks in allowing the
door to be slid forward and back by finger pressure. The "stops"
thereby limit the movement of the panel door, which, because of the
capturing tracks, can expose all, or any portion, of the drink
opening.
[0013] In use, then, one's finger slides the panel door to expose
the opening that desired amount to allow the hot coffee or tea
beverage to be sipped or drunk. The finger then slides the door to
close the opening, in preventing possible accidental spillage,
while serving to close-off the container from the elements. This
retains the warmth of the beverage for an increased time than
characterizes the prior art constructions available today, and
particularly that of U.S. Pat. No. 4,589,569.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] These and other features of the present invention will be
more clearly understood from a consideration of the following
description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in
which:
[0015] FIGS. 1-3 are views helpful in an understanding of the
construction of the closure lid of the invention and the advantages
it affords;
[0016] FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of the closure lid;
and
[0017] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the panel door helpful in an
understanding of the advantages which follow from the
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0018] As with the lid of U.S. Pat. No. 4,589,569, the safety
closure lid of the present invention may be used with cups of
various kinds, being particularly suitable for use with disposable
carry-out container cups made of Styrofoam or paper. Such cups
typically include a generally circular upper lip or rim with a bead
formed around it.
[0019] The lid of this invention 10 provides a cover for such cup
to inhibit spillage and reduce heat transfer between the beverage
and the surrounding atmosphere. In particular, the lid 10 is
secured in place on the cup by an annular mounting portion 12 which
engages the rim or lip of the cup. A preformed opening 14 is
provided to enable drinking from the cup without removal of the lid
10, in known manner.
[0020] As with the lid of U.S. Pat. No. 4,589,569, the drink
opening 14 is positioned so that one may drink from the opening 14
without contacting the bottom edge 16 of the lid 10 with one's
lower lip. To effectuate this, the lid 10 includes an annular side
wall 18 extending upwardly from the bottom edge 16 and a top wall
20 extending across the top of the lid. Such top wall 20 is of a
generally circular periphery, and adjoins inside and outside edges
21, 23 of the side wall 18, with the drink opening 14 being formed
through the top wall 20 between the two edges. A recess 24 is also
shown in the top wall 20 adjacent the drink opening 14 to
accommodate the upper lip of the user. As will be appreciated, this
enables one drinking from the cup to seal the mouth against the lid
10 by the drink opening 14. In this respect, a pair of vent holes
26 in the top wall 20 enables air to flow into the cup as the user
drinks, in facilitating the flow of liquid out through the opening
14. One such vent hole is shown at the recess 24 of the top wall
20.
[0021] However, as the opening 14 is always "open", spillage can
occur when drinking while walking or traveling in a motor vehicle.
At the same time, because of the always "open" nature of the
opening 14, a degree of cooling to the beverage results just from
exposure to the ambient air. But, in accordance with the present
invention, a pair of oppositely positioned annular tracks 28, 29
extend upwardly from the inside and outside edges 21, 23 of the
side wall 18 respectively, and a panel door 32 is fitted over the
drink opening 14. As shown in the top views of the lid 10 in FIGS.
2 and 3--and in the sectional view of FIG. 4--, the panel door 32
is configured to slide about the periphery of the top wall 20
between the two oppositely positioned tracks 28, 29. A finger
pressure applied at the top surface 34 of the panel door 32 is all
that it takes to slide the door over the drink opening 14, to close
the opening "off" as in FIG. 2, or "open" as in FIG. 3. A pair of
bosses 36 in the top wall 20 serve as "stops" to limit the extent
of movement of the panel door 32. The panel door 32 includes skirts
or wing sections 38 on either side of the top surface 34 which fit
beneath the tracks 28, 29 which hold the panel door on the top wall
20.
[0022] In such manner, the drink opening 14 can be closed to
prevent spillage when moving about, and to retain the contents of
the cup as hot as possible, for as long as possible. When it is
desired to drink from the opening, the panel door 32 is slid either
left or right of the drink opening 14 to expose all of the opening
(as in FIG. 3), or any percentage of it as may be desired. Control
over the amount of beverage that can be sipped at any one time is
thus made available. By fitting the wing sections 38 beneath the
overlying tracks 28, 29, the panel door 32 not only slides along
the top wall 20, but is protected from falling off at the same
time. In this embodiment, the closure lid 10 may be constructed of
a plastic composition, of material substantially different from the
beverage drink container it covers. Alternatively, the lid may be
composed of the same material as the container, be it plastic or
otherwise.
[0023] While there has been described what is considered to be
preferred embodiment of the present invention, it will be readily
appreciated by those skilled in the art that modifications can be
made without departing from the scope of the teachings herein. For
at least such reason, therefore, resort should be had to the claims
appended hereto for a true understanding of the invention.
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