U.S. patent application number 12/467562 was filed with the patent office on 2010-11-18 for lid for a disposable container.
Invention is credited to Michael Lyle Booth.
Application Number | 20100288768 12/467562 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 43067685 |
Filed Date | 2010-11-18 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100288768 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Booth; Michael Lyle |
November 18, 2010 |
LID FOR A DISPOSABLE CONTAINER
Abstract
A lid for a cup includes an annular wall with a top rim and a
bottom base. The annular wall is insertable substantially in its
entirety into a cup wherein an exterior face of the annular wall
produces a compressive force against an interior face of the cup
sufficient to create a seal along a continuous path circumscribing
the interior face of the annular wall of the cup. A surface extends
from an interior face of the annular wall and the surface covers an
area circumscribed by the annular wall. The surface has a
dispensing orifice therein.
Inventors: |
Booth; Michael Lyle;
(Newmarket, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
GUERIN & RODRIGUEZ, LLP
5 MOUNT ROYAL AVENUE, MOUNT ROYAL OFFICE PARK
MARLBOROUGH
MA
01752
US
|
Family ID: |
43067685 |
Appl. No.: |
12/467562 |
Filed: |
May 18, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
220/213 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 2543/00046
20130101; B65D 2543/00092 20130101; B65D 2543/00296 20130101; B65D
47/32 20130101; B65D 2543/00268 20130101; B65D 2543/00509 20130101;
B65D 2543/00546 20130101; B65D 43/022 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
220/213 |
International
Class: |
B65D 41/00 20060101
B65D041/00 |
Claims
1. A lid for a cup comprising: an annular wall having a top rim and
a bottom base, wherein the annular wall is insertable substantially
in its entirety into a cup wherein an exterior face of the annular
wall produces a compressive force against an interior face of the
cup sufficient to create a seal along a continuous path
circumscribing the interior face of the annular wall of the cup;
and a surface extending from an interior face of the annular wall
and covering an area circumscribed by the annular wall, the surface
having a dispensing orifice therein.
2. The lid of claim 1, wherein the annular wall of the lid is of
constant height.
3. The lid of claim 1, wherein the annular wall of the lid is
tapered and the top rim has a larger diameter than a diameter of
the bottom base.
4. The lid of claim 1, wherein the top rim of the lid forms a
concave lip for resting on a rim of the cup.
5. The lid of claim 1, wherein the surface is intermediate of the
top rim and the bottom base and divides the annular wall of the lid
into a top wall section and a bottom wall section, the top wall
section being thinner than the bottom wall section and the bottom
wall section being substantially the same thickness as a thickness
of the surface.
6. The lid of claim 1, wherein the surface extends from the bottom
base of the annular wall of the lid.
7. The lid of claim 1, wherein the surface has a venting
orifice.
8. The lid of claim 1, wherein the lid is made of paper.
9. The lid of claim 1, wherein the lid is made of
STYROFOAM.TM..
10. A lid for a cup comprising: an annular wall having a top rim
and a bottom base, wherein the annular wall is insertable
substantially in its entirety into a cup, wherein an exterior face
of the annular wall produces a compressive force against an
interior face of the cup sufficient to create a seal along a
continuous path circumscribing the interior face of the annular
wall of the cup, the annular wall of the lid having a constant
height, the annular wall of the lid having a taper with the
diameter of the top rim being larger than the diameter of the
bottom base, wherein the top rim of the lid forms a concave lip for
resting on a rim of the cup; and a surface extending from an
interior face of the annular wall and covering an area
circumscribed by the annular wall, the surface having a dispensing
orifice therein.
11. The lid of claim 10, wherein the lid is made of paper.
12. The lid of claim 10, wherein the surface is intermediate of the
top rim and the bottom base and divides the annular wall of the lid
into a top wall section and a bottom wall section, the top wall
section being thinner than the bottom wall section and the bottom
wall section being substantially the same thickness as a thickness
of the surface.
13. A dispensing container comprising: a cup having a tapered
annular wall; a lid having an annular wall, the annular wall of the
lid having a top rim and a bottom base, wherein the annular wall of
the lid is insertable substantially in its entirety into the cup
wherein an exterior face of the annular wall of the lid produces a
compressive force against an interior face of the annular wall of
the cup sufficient to create a seal along a continuous path
circumscribing the interior face of the annular wall of the cup,
and a surface extending from the interior face of the annular wall
of the lid and the surface covering an area circumscribed by the
annular wall of the lid, the surface having a dispensing orifice
therein.
14. The dispensing container of claim 13, wherein the annular wall
of the lid is of constant height.
15. The dispensing container of claim 13, wherein the annular wall
of the lid is tapered with substantially the same taper as the
annular wall of the cup and the top rim has a larger diameter than
the a diameter of the bottom base.
16. The dispensing container of claim 13, wherein the top rim of
the lid forms a concave lip for resting on a rim of the cup.
17. The dispensing container of claim 13, wherein the surface is
intermediate of the top rim and the bottom base and divides the
annular wall of the lid into a top wall section and a bottom wall
section, the top wall section being thinner than the bottom wall
section and the bottom wall section being substantially the same
thickness as a thickness of the surface.
18. The dispensing container of claim 13, wherein the surface
extends from the bottom base of the annular wall of the lid.
19. The dispensing container of claim 13, wherein the surface has a
venting orifice.
20. The dispensing container of claim 13, wherein the cup and lid
are both made of paper.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention relates generally to a lid for a disposable
container.
BACKGROUND
[0002] A dispensing container is typically formed with a cup and a
lid that attaches to the rim of the cup. After putting a liquid
into the cup, the lid is attached to form a sealed container that
resists spillage. The lid typically has an orifice of sufficient
area to dispense a product. The orifice is large enough to dispense
the product based on the viscosity of the product and consumer
preference for product flow rate, yet small enough to reduce
spillage from tilting or bumping the container. Common examples of
a dispensed liquid product are coffee, tea or a cold beverage.
[0003] A lid commonly has a concaved lip that attaches to the cup
with a compressive force on the rim. The lid is typically made of
plastic with sufficient elasticity to maintain the compressive
force on the rim when attached to the cup.
[0004] When the consumer subsequently disposes of the container,
the lid is not always removed. When the cup and lid are made from
materials from different recycling categories, the container may be
rejected for recycling. For example, glass, plastic and paper are a
few of the numerous recycling categories. A container composed of a
paper cup and a plastic lid may require the lid to be separated
prior to recycling.
SUMMARY
[0005] In one aspect, the invention features a lid for a cup. The
lid has an annular wall with a top rim and a bottom base. The
annular wall is insertable substantially in its entirety into a cup
wherein an exterior face of the annular wall produces a compressive
force against an interior face of the cup sufficient to create a
seal along a continuous path circumscribing the interior face of
the annular wall of the cup. A surface extends from an interior
face of the annular wall and the surface covers an area
circumscribed by the annular wall. The surface has a dispensing
orifice therein.
[0006] In another aspect, the invention features a lid for a cup.
The lid has an annular wall with a top rim and a bottom base. The
annular wall is insertable substantially in its entirety into a cup
wherein an exterior face of the annular wall produces a compressive
force against an interior face of the cup sufficient to create a
seal along a continuous path circumscribing the interior face of
the annular wall of the cup. The annular wall of the lid has a
constant height. The annular wall of the lid has a taper with the
diameter of the top rim being larger than the diameter of the
bottom base. The top rim of the lid forms a concave lip for resting
on a rim of the cup. A surface extends from an interior face of the
annular wall and the surface covers an area circumscribed by the
annular wall. The surface has a dispensing orifice therein.
[0007] In another aspect, the invention features a container with a
cup having a tapered annular wall and a lid having an annular wall.
The annular wall of the lid has a top rim and a bottom base. The
annular wall of the lid is insertable substantially in its entirety
into the cup such that an exterior face of the annular wall of the
lid produces a compressive force against an interior face of the
annular wall of the cup sufficient to create a seal along a
continuous path circumscribing the interior face of the annular
wall of the cup. A surface extends from an interior face of the
annular wall of the lid and the surface covers an area
circumscribed by the annular wall of the lid. The surface has a
dispensing orifice therein.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] The above and further advantages of this invention may be
better understood by referring to the following description in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals
indicate like structural elements and features in various figures.
The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being
placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention.
[0009] FIG. 1 is an exploded three-dimensional view of a container
showing an embodiment of a lid and a cup.
[0010] FIG. 2 is a three-dimensional view of a container showing
the lid inserted into the cup.
[0011] FIG. 3A is a schematic three-dimensional view of the lid of
FIG. 1 with a lip.
[0012] FIG. 3B is a schematic cross-sectional view of FIG. 3A taken
along line A-A' showing annular walls with a taper.
[0013] FIG. 3C is a schematic cross-sectional view of the lid
similar to that shown in FIG. 3B, further modified by showing
annular walls without a taper.
[0014] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the container showing an
example of a path representative of a seal that may form between
the lid as shown in FIG. 3A and the cup.
[0015] FIG. 5A is a schematic three-dimensional view of an
embodiment of a lid without a lip.
[0016] FIG. 5B is a schematic cross-sectional view of the lid of
FIG. 5A taken along line A-A' showing annular walls with a
taper.
[0017] FIG. 5C is a schematic cross-sectional view of the lid
similar to that shown in FIG. 5B, further modified by showing
annular walls without a taper.
[0018] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the container showing an
example of a path representative of a seal that may form between
the lid as show in FIG. 5A and the cup.
[0019] FIG. 7A is a schematic cross-sectional view of an embodiment
of a lid with a lip, annular walls without a taper and a surface
wherein the top wall section is the entire annular wall.
[0020] FIG. 7B is a schematic cross-sectional view of FIG. 7A taken
along line A-A'.
[0021] FIG. 7C is a schematic cross-sectional view of the lid
similar to that shown in FIG. 7B, further modified with the lip
removed.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0022] Embodiments of lids described herein include variations that
form a seal between the lid and the interior wall of a cup rather
than gripping the top rim of the cup. The embodiments describe lids
that are inserted into a cup with a bottom base of the lid narrower
than the opening of the cup. The lid is inserted until a sufficient
portion of the wall of the lid makes contact with the inside of the
cup to form a continuous seal within the interior of the cup. The
lid is then further inserted into the cup to create compressive
force between the lid and the interior of the cup. The compressive
force forms a seal to contain product within the cup and retains
the lid with frictional force relative to the inside of the cup
such that the lid is prevented from being accidentally dislodged.
The inserted lid forms a container that holds a product, which may
be a liquid, a granular form solid or other suitably dispensable
product. In contrast to lids known in the art, the various
embodiments of a lid as described do not exert significant, if any,
force on the outer wall of the cup when forming the seal. Some
embodiments of lids have a concave lip on the top rim of the lid to
prevent the lid from being inserted too far into the cup. Insertion
is limited to the point where the lip of the lid rests on the top
rim of the cup. Further variations include a non-tapered wall of
the lid and different positions of a surface that retains the
product in the container against accidental spillage.
Advantageously, the lid can be made of the same material as the
cup. In addition, the lid can be manufactured using a variety of
existing manufacturing processes. The result is a lid that may
remain affixed to the cup after use, thereby facilitating the
recycling process. Common examples of readily recyclable materials
include paper, plastic and STYROFOAM.TM.. These examples illustrate
a few of the numerous recyclable materials that exist, or may be
envisioned in the future. The embodiments described will provide
the benefits of simplified recycling for any lid material that is
sufficiently similar to the cup material such that the lid and cup
materials are considered from the same recycling category.
[0023] FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a dispensing container 10 with
a tapered cup 20 positioned to receive one embodiment of a lid 30.
FIG. 2 shows the dispensing container 10 with the lid 30 inserted
into the cup 20, thereby forming a seal between the cup 20 and the
lid 30. The seal operates to limit accidental spillage of a product
previously introduced into the cup 20. The lid 30 has a concave lip
31 that limits the extent to which the lid can enter the cup 20 by
making contact with, and resting upon, a cup rim 22.
[0024] FIG. 3A shows one embodiment of the lid 30. FIG. 3B further
illustrates the embodiment of the lid 30 including an annular wall
32 with a top rim 34 (having the concave lip 31) and a bottom base
36. The annular wall 32 is tapered at an angle substantially
similar to the wall of the cup 20. Tapered, as used herein, means
that the diameter of the top rim 34 is greater than the diameter of
the bottom base 36. The annular wall 32 is divided into a top wall
section 38 and a bottom wall section 40 by a surface 42. The bottom
wall section 40 is thicker than the top wall section 38 and the
bottom wall section 40 is similar to the thickness of the surface
42. The surface 42 has a dispensing orifice 44 and a venting
orifice 46. In general, the dispensing orifice is larger than the
venting orifice. The dispensing orifice must have sufficient area
to dispense a product at a flow rate acceptable to customers
without being unduly large such that the risk of accidental
spillage through the orifice is significantly increased. The
venting orifice allows air to flow into the container to replace
the dispensed product. This reduces the vacuum pressure caused by a
reduction in product volume. The reduction in vacuum pressure
permits faster product flow rate out of the dispensing orifice.
[0025] Exemplary dimensions of the lid 30 are shown in FIG. 3B with
working dimensions referenced in inches. Although these dimensions
are illustrative of one embodiment, it should be appreciated that
numerous variations to these dimensions and tolerances are
realizable within the scope of the invention. Further embodiments,
as described below also include working dimensions referenced in
inches for illustrative purposes. These further embodiments are
similarly not to be construed as limiting to possible variations in
dimensions or tolerances.
[0026] The seal resulting from insertion of the lid 30 into the cup
20 is formed by the compressive force between a portion of the
annular wall 32 that makes contact with the inside of the cup 20.
The portion of the annular wall 32 that makes contact with the
inside of the cup 20 may be at any point between the bottom base 36
and the top rim 34 provided the contact area forms a continuous
path circumscribing the inside of the cup 20, thereby forming a
seal to prevent accidental spillage of a product in the container
10.
[0027] The height of the annular wall 32 is chosen to provide
sufficient frictional force against the inside of the cup 20 after
the lid 30 is inserted into the cup 20. In one embodiment, the
height of the annular wall 32 is constant. The frictional force
occurs across the contact area of the annular wall 32 against the
inside of the cup 20. This frictional force prevents the lid 30
from becoming accidentally dislodged from the inside of the cup 20
thereby resulting in a loss of the compressive force between the
annular wall 32 and the inside of the cup 20, which further results
in the loss of the seal 21. The contact area has been found to be
sufficient to prevent the lid from dislodging where a constant
annular wall height of approximately one inch is used with a paper
lid inserted into a paper cup.
[0028] FIG. 3C shows another embodiment of a lid 30' distinguished
from the lid 30 in FIG. 3B in that the annular wall 32 is not
tapered and the concave lip 31 is made correspondingly wider so
that the concave lip 31 can extend to and rest on the cup rim 22
(FIG. 2). Not tapered, as used herein, means that the diameter of
the top rim 34 is substantially equal to the diameter of the bottom
base 36.
[0029] FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the cup 20 with lid
30 inserted to form a continuous seal 21 wherein the annular wall
32 of the lid 30 makes contact with the interior wall of the cup
20. FIG. 4 also shows the depth of insertion to be limited to the
point where the concave lip 31 rests upon the cup rim 22. The
continuous seal 21 need not follow a straight line around the
circumference of the interior wall of the cup 20. FIG. 4 shows one
example of the contact area forming a seal 21 for illustrative
purposes. The boundaries of the seal area will vary depending upon
the planarity of the annular wall 32 and the planarity of the
inside of the cup. The contact area may vary further depending upon
the alignment of the lid 30 relative to the cup 20 upon insertion
of the lid 30. The line of the seal 21 is tolerant of misalignment
between the inserted lid 30 and the cup 20 as well as perturbations
on the interior wall of the cup 20 and the annular wall of the lid
30.
[0030] FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B show another embodiment of a lid 50
distinguished from the lid 30 in FIG. 3B in that the lid 50 lacks
the concave lip 31. The lid 50 may be inserted further into the cup
20 as compared to lid 30 to the point where the annular wall 32
compresses against the inside of the cup 20 beyond what is
necessary to sufficiently seal the contents of cup 20. FIG. 5C
shows another embodiment of a lid 50' distinguished from the lid 50
in FIG. 5B in that the annular wall 32 is not tapered.
[0031] FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of the cup 20 with lid
50 inserted to form a continuous seal 21 wherein the annular wall
32 of the lid 50 makes contact with the interior wall of the cup
20. The depth of insertion is not limited by a concave lip 31 (FIG.
4). This embodiment simplifies the manufacture of the lid 50 by
removing the manufacturing step of forming the concave lip 31. The
lid 50 is intentionally shown in an exaggerated manner to be
misaligned to the cup 20 to illustrate a potential path of the seal
21 that is tolerant of such misalignment.
[0032] FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B show another embodiment of a lid 60
distinguished from the lid 30' in FIG. 3C in that the surface 42
does not divide the annular wall 32 into a top wall section 38 and
a bottom wall section 40. In this embodiment, the surface 42
extends from the bottom base 36 of the annular wall 32. The annular
wall 32 has a similar thickness to the thickness of the surface
42.
[0033] FIG. 7C shows another embodiment of a lid 60' distinguished
from the lid 60 in FIG. 7B in that the lid 60' lacks the concave
lip 31.
[0034] The embodiments of lids described in FIG. 3A, FIG. 3B, FIG.
3C, FIG. 5A, FIG. 5B and FIG. 5C may be readily manufactured using
a conventional stamping process or by a forming and gluing process.
The embodiments of lids described in FIG. 7A, FIG. 7B and FIG. 7C
are preferably made with a stamping process.
[0035] Although plastic lids may be manufactured with a stamping
process, paper lids may be made with the following forming and
gluing process. First, a flat stock of paper is stamped into flat
trapezoidal sections. Second, the sections are rolled around a die
form and two edges are glued together to create a tapered tube.
Third, a lid bottom is stamped to form a circular shape with a
straight lip orthogonal to the bottom. Then, the lid bottom is
inserted into the lid and glued to the inner wall of the lid.
[0036] While the invention has been shown and described with
reference to specific preferred embodiments, it should be
understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form
and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit
and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.
* * * * *