U.S. patent application number 14/555811 was filed with the patent office on 2016-06-02 for lid for a drinking container.
The applicant listed for this patent is GUSTAV PAULIG LTD. Invention is credited to Daniel JULIER, Umberto ONZA.
Application Number | 20160150899 14/555811 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 56078359 |
Filed Date | 2016-06-02 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160150899 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
ONZA; Umberto ; et
al. |
June 2, 2016 |
LID FOR A DRINKING CONTAINER
Abstract
A lid for a drinking container includes a circular upper portion
having a groove portion extending on the circumference of the
circular upper portion, and a circular lower portion having a
counterpart groove portion extending on the circumference of the
circular lower portion. The circular upper portion includes first
and second openings and the circular lower portion includes
corresponding first and second openings. The groove portion of the
circular upper portion and the counterpart groove portion of the
circular lower portion are configured to be coupled with each other
to guide the circular upper portion and the circular lower portion
to be turned in relation to each other around a common axis in a
manner enabling the first openings being aligned and the second
openings being aligned in an opening position, and enabling the
first openings being un-aligned and the second openings being
un-aligned in a closing position.
Inventors: |
ONZA; Umberto; (Helsinki,
FI) ; JULIER; Daniel; (Helsinki, FI) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
GUSTAV PAULIG LTD |
Helsinki |
|
FI |
|
|
Family ID: |
56078359 |
Appl. No.: |
14/555811 |
Filed: |
November 28, 2014 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
220/253 ;
29/428 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 2543/00092
20130101; B65D 43/0212 20130101; B65D 2543/00231 20130101; B65D
2543/00296 20130101; B65D 2543/00351 20130101; B65D 47/261
20130101; B65D 2543/00046 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A47G 19/22 20060101
A47G019/22; B65D 43/02 20060101 B65D043/02; B65D 41/04 20060101
B65D041/04 |
Claims
1. A lid (200) for a drinking container (100), wherein the lid
comprises: a circular upper portion (201) comprising a groove
portion (203) extending on the circumference of the circular upper
portion, and a circular lower portion (202) comprising a
counterpart groove portion (204) extending on the circumference of
the circular lower portion, wherein: said circular upper portion
(201) comprises a first (205a) and second (205b) openings and said
circular lower portion (202) comprises corresponding first (206a)
and second (206b) openings, wherein: said groove portion (203) of
the circular upper portion (201) and said counterpart groove
portion (204) of the circular lower portion (202) are configured to
be coupled with each other so to guide the circular upper portion
(201) and the circular lower portion (202) to be turned (231) in
relation to each other around a common axis (207) in a manner
enabling said first openings (205a, 205b) being aligned and said
second openings (206a, 206b) being aligned in an opening position,
and enabling said first openings (205a, 205b) being un-aligned and
said second openings (206a, 206b) being un-aligned in a closing
position.
2. The lid of claim 1, wherein the circular upper portion (201)
comprises a circular concave portion (216) and the circular lower
portion comprises a circular counterpart ridge (217) portion,
wherein said concave portion (2016) of the circular upper portion
(201) and said counterpart ridge portion (217) of the circular
lower portion (202) are configured to be coupled with each other so
to additionally guide (223) the circular upper portion (201) and
the circular lower portion (202) to be turned (231) in relation to
each other around said common axis (207) in the manner enabling
said first openings (205a, 205b) being aligned and said second
openings (206a, 206b) being aligned in the opening position, and
enabling said first openings (205a, 205b) being un-aligned and said
second openings (206a, 206b) being un-aligned in the closing
position.
3. The lid of claim 1, wherein the circular concave portion (216)
of the circular upper portion (201) comprises said first opening
(205a) and the circular counterpart ridge portion (217) of the
circular lower portion (202) comprises said corresponding first
opening (205b).
4. The lid of claim 3, wherein an inner rim circular portion (218)
alongside the concave portion (216) of the circular upper portion
(201) comprises said second opening (206a) and an inner rim
circular portion (219) alongside the circular counterpart ridge
portion (217) of the circular lower portion (202) comprises said
corresponding second opening (206b).
5. The lid of claim 4, wherein said inner rim circular portions
(218, 219) are arranged different levels than said concave portion
(216) and ridge portion (217) correspondingly.
6. The lid of claim 1, wherein said first and second openings
(205b, 206b) of the circular lower portion (202) are provided with
sealing members (214, 215), wherein said sealing members are
arranged to be pressed against the circular upper portion (202) in
a non-opening position in a liquid-tightly sealing manner.
7. The lid of claim 1, wherein the circular lower portion (202)
comprises snap members (226) in the circular inner rim portion to
be faced against the wall of the drinking container (100) in order
to locking the circular lower portion (202) tightly against the
drinking container when the circular lower portion is coupled with
said drinking container and in use.
8. The lid of claim 1, wherein the circular lower portion (202)
comprises at least one locking member (210) and the circular upper
portion (201) comprises at least one counterpart locking member
(211), whereupon said locking members (210, 211) are configured to
lock a free circular movement of the circular upper and lower
portions at least in said opening and closing positions, when the
circular upper portion and the circular lower portion are turned in
relation to each other around said common axis (207).
9. The lid of claim 1, wherein the circular upper portion (201)
comprises a protruding section (212) in the outer rim area and the
circular lower portion (202) comprises a protruding section (213)
in the outer rim area, where said protruding sections (212, 213)
comprise essentially the same shape with each other, and where said
protruding sections are configured to be aligned in the closing
position thereby preventing to grip on the circular upper portion
and to disconnect said circular upper and lower portions from each
other, and where said protruding sections are configured to be
un-aligned in the opening position thereby allowing disconnecting
said circular upper and lower portions from each other.
10. The lid of claim 1, wherein the circular lower portion
comprises a sealing ring (226) extending around the inner rim
portion of the circular lower portion (220), where said sealing
ring is configured to be faced against the drinking container's
(100) outer wall in a liquid-tightly sealing manner.
11. The lid of claim 1, wherein the circular upper portion (201)
comprises a central opening (220) at the centre portion of the
circular upper portion, and the circular lower portion (202)
comprises an elevated portion (221) at the centre portion of the
circular lower portion, said elevated portion (221) protruding into
the central opening (220) of the circular upper portion, the rim
portion of the elevated portion providing a guiding trail (223) to
the circular upper portion (201), around which said circular upper
portion is configured to be turned (231).
12. The lid of claim 1, wherein the circular lower portion (202)
comprises two structural portions, one (202b) of which comprises
hard material, like plastic and one (202a) of which comprises said
counterpart groove portion and reinforcement structure.
13. The lid of claim 1, wherein said circular upper portion (201)
comprises two structural portions, one (201b) of which comprises
hard material, like plastic, and another, the outer portion (201a)
a cover material, such as rubber, silicone or TPU, and wherein said
cover material comprises an opening (209) being larger than any of
said first and/or second openings (205a, 206a) of said circular
upper portion (201), and wherein the structural portion having said
hard material additionally comprises reinforcement structure (230)
at the portion of the opening of the cover material.
14. The lid of claim 1, wherein the outer rim end area (227) of the
circular lower portion (202) comprises an end wall having a
protruding circular portion projecting inward and thereby
configured to cause a pressure against the outer wall of the
drinking container (100), when said lid is coupled to the drinking
container.
15. The lid of claim 1, wherein an outer portion (201a) of the
circular upper portion (201) comprises a wall declined or projected
inward and thereby preventing any gripping of it.
16. The lid of claim 1, wherein said circular upper portion (201)
and said circular lower portion (202) are configured to be coupled
with each other in a releasable manner.
17. A manufacturing method of a lid (200) for a drinking container
(100), wherein the lid comprises: a circular upper portion (201)
comprising a groove portion (203) extending on the circumference of
the circular upper portion, and a circular lower portion (202)
comprising a counterpart groove portion (204) extending on the
circumference of the circular upper portion, wherein: said circular
upper portion (201) comprises a first (205a) and second (206a)
openings and said circular lower portion (202) comprises
corresponding first (205b) and second (206b) openings, wherein:
said groove portion (203) of the circular upper portion (201) and
said counterpart groove portion (204) of the circular lower portion
(202) are configured to be coupled with each other so to guide the
circular upper portion (201) and the circular lower portion (202)
to be turned (231) in relation to each other around a common axis
(207) in a manner enabling said first openings (205a, 205b) being
aligned and said second openings (206a, 206b) being aligned in an
opening position, and enabling said first openings (205a, 205b)
being un-aligned and said second openings (206a, 206b) being
un-aligned in a closing position.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention relates to a lid for a drinking container,
such as especially a lid for a coffee or tea mug for preventing any
leaking or spilling of liquid contained the mug in use. In addition
the invention relates to a method for manufacturing the lid for the
drinking container.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Numbers of different lid for drinking containers are known,
where one of the simplest one is a plastic flat lid having a small
drinking hole on the top cover area and a bent rim portion, which
is to be settled around the rim portion of a cardboard coffee mug.
Also rubber lids are known, where the drinking hole is sealed with
a sealing member. The sealing member has typically a small arm and
is hinged so that it can be turned away from the drinking hole for
drinking the liquid inside the mug, and again it can be turned over
the drinking hole for a sealing purpose. The sealing member is
pressed against the drinking hole in sealing position by spring
force of the arm. Furthermore more complex structures are also
known, such as lids with inner sealing members having e.g. springs
and sealing balls, where the balls are pushed by the springs into
and away from the drinking hole for example when the lid is turned
around.
[0003] There are however some disadvantages relating to the known
prior art, such as the plastic flat lid having a small drinking
hole does not have any sealing function for the drinking hole. In
addition the rubber lid with the sealing member is not tight enough
because the spring force of the arm is often loosen and especially
because the small arm is easily bent or even swing away from the
hole area, for example when the mug is put into a bag. Furthermore
lids with inner sealing members having e.g. springs and sealing
balls are very complex to manufacture and additionally extremely
difficult to keep clean, and often there is also no clear feedback
or indication to the user when the lid is in an open or closed
position.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] An object of the invention is to alleviate and eliminate the
problems relating to the known prior art. Especially the object of
the invention is to provide a lid for a drinking container, which
is easy to use and keep clear and additionally seals the drinking
hole in liquid tightly and reliable way so that any unwanted
opening of the drinking hole is prevented. In addition an object is
to provide a lid, which provides a clear indication to the user
whether the lid is in an open or closed position.
[0005] The object of the invention can be achieved by the features
of independent claims.
[0006] The invention relates to a lid according to claim 1. In
addition the invention relates to a manufacturing method of the lid
according to claim 17.
[0007] According to an embodiment of the invention a lid for a
drinking container comprises upper and lower portions. The upper
portion is a circular upper portion, and it comprises a groove
portion, such as e.g. a recess in an inner surface extending at
least partially and advantageously essentially on the circumference
of the circular upper portion. The lower portion is a circular
lower portion and it comprises a counterpart groove portion for the
groove portion of the upper portion, such as e.g. a projecting
portion in an outer surface extending at least partially and
advantageously essentially on the circumference of the circular
lower portion. The circular upper portion comprises additionally
first and second openings, namely one for drink outlet and one for
compensation air inlet. In addition the circular lower portion
comprises corresponding first and second openings, one for drink
outlet and one for compensation air inlet.
[0008] The groove portion of the circular upper portion and the
counterpart groove portion of the circular lower portion are
advantageously configured so that they can be coupled with each
other in use. The coupling is advantageously implemented so to
guide the circular upper portion and the circular lower portion in
the manner where they can be turned in relation to each other
around a common axis. When turning the portions, they enable the
first openings being aligned and the second openings being aligned
in an opening position and thereby allowing liquid flow through via
the first openings and compensation air inlet via the second
openings. In addition the portions enable the first openings being
un-aligned and said second openings being un-aligned in a sealing
manner in a closing position, so when the portions are turned in
the manner where the openings are not aligned. In the closing
position the openings of the drinking container are sealed in a
liquid tightly manner and thereby any leaking or spilling of liquid
contained the mug can be prevented.
[0009] According to an embodiment the first and second openings of
the circular lower portion are provided with sealing members, such
as rubber or silicone members, which are arranged to be pressed
against the circular upper portion in a non-opening position in a
liquid-tightly sealing manner. The sealing members are
advantageously arranged around the opening areas so to prevent any
leakage into the space between circular upper and lower portions.
In addition the circular lower portion comprises a sealing ring
extending around the inner rim portion of the circular lower
portion. The sealing ring is configured to be faced against an
outer wall of the drinking container in a liquid-tightly sealing
manner so to prevent any leakage of the liquid between the lid and
the mug. The sealing ring is advantageously soft rubber or silicon,
which easily take a shape of the outer wall rim of the mug and
thereby provide effective sealing.
[0010] In addition, according to an embodiment the circular lower
portion comprises at least one locking member and the circular
upper portion comprises at least one counterpart locking member.
The locking members are configured to lock a free circular movement
at least in the opening and closing positions, when the circular
upper portion and the circular lower portion are turned in relation
to each other around said common axis. The locking member may be
implemented e.g. by snap elements or a tongue element and the
counterpart locking member by a cut (or vice versa). The cut is
configured to be coupled with said tongue and thereby lock the
circular upper and lower portions in relation to each other in the
opening and closing positions. It is to be noted that the locking
members can be positioned freely into the circular upper and lower
portions thereby enabling number or different positions to be
locked the circular upper and lower portions.
[0011] The locking members, such as the snap elements or tongue
elements and the counterpart locking members, may be implemented so
that they provide haptic and/or audible feedback for the user when
closing or opening the lid, such as snap sound and resistance
change felt before snapping into closed or opened position.
Additionally or alternatively the lid may comprise also visual
alignment or indication for the closed or opened positions.
[0012] According to an embodiment the circular upper portion
comprises a protruding section in the outer rim area. In addition
the circular lower portion comprises also a protruding section in
the outer rim area. These protruding sections comprise essentially
the same shape with each other, and according to an advantageous
embodiment they are configured to be aligned in the closing
position and thereby preventing to grip on the circular upper
portion and to disconnect said circular upper and lower portions
from each other. In the opening position they are configured to be
un-aligned thereby easily allowing disconnecting said circular
upper and lower portions from each other.
[0013] Furthermore, according to an advantageous embodiment the
circular lower portion comprises two structural portions, one of
which comprises hard material, like plastic, and one of which
comprises said counterpart groove portion and reinforcement
structure. Also the circular upper portion may comprise two
structural portions, one of which comprises hard material, like
plastic, and another, the outer portion a cover material, which is
advantageously such that it is easy to hold, such as rubber,
silicone or TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) or other thermoplastic
elastomers, like TPV which can be used also for the soft part of
the inner lid. The cover material extends over the outer portion of
the lid and comprises advantageously an opening in the connection
with the drinking outlet (the first opening) so that the liquid can
flow out from the mug via the drinking outlet. The opening is
advantageously larger than any of said first and/or second openings
of the circular upper portions. The cover material with the opening
is arranged into the upper portion so to prevent or minimize finger
touches to the drinking hole. The structural portion comprises
additionally a reinforcement structure at the portion of the
opening of the cover material thereby preventing any mechanical
deformation and damage to the cover material.
[0014] The present invention offers advantages over the known prior
art, such as an easy and liquid-tight manner to close the drinking
hole of the lid and an easy and hygienic way to open it for
drinking. The drinking hole can be closed in a reliable way so that
any unwanted opening of the drinking hole is effectively prevented.
In addition the invention provides the lid, which is easy to couple
with the drinking container in a liquid-tight manner. The lid
according to the invention can be implemented without any springs
or sealing balls, which makes the structure and manufacturing
process quite simple. In addition the lid of the invention is easy
to use and keep clear. Moreover the lid provides a clear indication
to the user whether the lid is in an open or closed position.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] Next the invention will be described in greater detail with
reference to exemplary embodiments in accordance with the
accompanying drawings, in which:
[0016] FIG. 1 illustrates a principle of an exemplary drinking
container with a lid according to an advantageous embodiment of the
invention,
[0017] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary lid according to an
advantageous embodiment of the invention,
[0018] FIG. 3 illustrates exemplary circular upper and lower
portions of the lid according to an advantageous embodiment of the
invention,
[0019] FIG. 4 illustrates exemplary structural parts of the
circular upper and lower portions of the lid according to an
advantageous embodiment of the invention,
[0020] FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a cross section of the
circular upper portion of an exemplary lid structure according to
an advantageous embodiment of the invention,
[0021] FIG. 6 illustrates exemplary operation of the lid according
to an advantageous embodiment of the invention,
[0022] FIG. 7 illustrates examples of locking members of the
circular upper and 202 portions of the lid according to an
advantageous embodiment of the invention,
[0023] FIGS. 8A-8B illustrate exemplary circular upper and lower
portions with protruding section according to an advantageous
embodiment of the invention,
[0024] FIG. 9 illustrates examples of sealing members around the
first and second openings of the lid according to an advantageous
embodiment of the invention,
[0025] FIG. 10 illustrates alignments of the circular upper and
lower portions of the lid according to an advantageous embodiment
of the invention,
[0026] FIG. 11 illustrates side view of the lid according to an
advantageous embodiment of the invention,
[0027] FIG. 12 illustrates an example of the lid coupled with the
drinking container according to an advantageous embodiment of the
invention, and
[0028] FIG. 13 illustrates additional details of the circular upper
portion according to an advantageous embodiment of the
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0029] FIG. 1 illustrates a principle of an exemplary drinking
container 100 with a lid 200 according to an advantageous
embodiment of the invention. The typical drinking container 100 is
e.g. a coffee or tea mug, but can of course be any drinking
container capable of carrying liquid inside and with which the lid
200 can be used for preventing any leakage or spilling of the
liquid.
[0030] FIGS. 2-6 illustrate different views of an exemplary lid 200
according to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, where in
FIG. 2 the lid is assembled for use mode, and where in FIG. 3 the
lid is divided into the circular upper portion 201 and circular
lower portion 202 from which the lid is formed. In addition FIG. 4
illustrates an exemplary lid structure, where at least the circular
lower portion 202 comprises two parts 202a, 202b, and additionally
and optionally also the circular upper portion comprises two parts
201a, 202b. FIG. 5 illustrates a cross section figure of the
circular upper portion 201 of an exemplary lid structure 200.
[0031] The upper portion 201 comprises a groove portion 203, such
as e.g. a recess in an inner surface extending essentially on the
circumference of the circular upper portion. The lower circular
portion 202 comprises a counterpart groove portion 204 for the
groove portion 203 of the upper portion 201, such as e.g. a
projecting portion in an outer surface extending on the
circumference of the circular lower portion 202. The circular upper
portion 201 comprises additionally first opening 205a and second
opening 206a, namely one for a drink outlet 205a and one 206a for a
compensation air inlet. In addition the circular lower portion 202
comprises corresponding first opening 205b and second opening 206b,
one 205b for the drink outlet and one 206b for the compensation air
inlet. When the lid is assembled, as is the case in FIG. 2, the lid
comprises in the drinking mode the first opening as said drink
outlet 205 and the second opening 206 as for a compensation air
inlet.
[0032] The groove portion 203 of the circular upper portion 201 and
the counterpart groove portion 204 of the circular lower portion
202 are configured so that they can be coupled with each other in
use, as can be seen in FIG. 5. The coupling guides the circular
upper portion 201 and the circular lower portion 202 so that they
can be turned in relation to each other around a common axis 207,
as can be seen especially in FIG. 6. When turning the portions 201,
202, they enable the first openings 205a, 205b being aligned and
the second openings 206a, 206b being aligned in an opening position
(e.g. FIG. 2 and FIG. 6) and thereby allowing liquid flow through
via the first openings 205 and compensation air inlet via the
second openings 206.
[0033] In addition the portions 201, 202 enable the first openings
205a, 206b being un-aligned and said second openings 205b, 206b
being un-aligned in a sealing manner in a closing position, so when
the portions are turned in the manner where the openings are not
aligned. In the closing position the openings of the drinking
container are sealed in a liquid tightly manner and thereby any
leaking or spilling of liquid contained the mug can be
prevented.
[0034] As can be seen in FIG. 4 the circular lower portion 202
comprises two structural portions 202a, 202b, one 202b of which
comprises hard material, like plastic, and one 202a of which
comprises said counterpart groove portion 204 and reinforcement
structure 208. The reinforcement structure 208 prevents the lid 200
to bend especially inwards when the circular upper and lower
portions 201, 202 are disconnected. Also the circular upper portion
may comprise two structural portions 201a, 201b, one 201b of which
comprises hard material, like plastic, and another, the outer
portion 201a a cover material, which is advantageously such that it
is easy to hold, such as rubber, silicone or TPU (thermoplastic
polyurethane). The cover material 201a extends advantageously over
the outer portion of the lid and comprises advantageously an
opening 209 in the connection with the drinking outlet 205 (the
first opening 205a of the upper portion 201) so that the liquid can
flow out from the mug via the drinking outlet. The opening 209 is
advantageously much bigger than the drinking hole 205 and the soft
cover portion 201a has advantageously the form as depicted in
Figures. This allows the user to get a good grip of the upper
portion 201 and at the same time, however, preventing any finger
touches in the drinking hole 205 area.
[0035] In addition, as can be seen especially in FIGS. 3, 4, 5, 7,
9, 11 and 13, the circular upper portion 201 comprises also a
circular concave portion 216, which comprises said first opening
205a for the drink outlet 205. In addition the circular lower
portion 202 comprises a circular counterpart ridge (convex) portion
217, which comprises the corresponding first opening 205b for the
drink outlet 205. The concave portion 216 of the circular upper
portion 201 and the counterpart ridge portion 217 of the circular
lower portion 202 are configured to be coupled with each other (in
use) so to additionally guide the circular upper portion 201 and
the circular lower portion 202 to be turned in relation to each
other around said common axis 207 in the manner enabling said first
openings being aligned and said second openings being aligned in
the opening position (and thereby allowing drink outlet via the
first openings and compensation air inlet via the second openings)
and enabling said first openings being un-aligned and said second
openings being un-aligned in the closing position.
[0036] Furthermore, as can be seen especially in FIGS. 3, 4, 5, 7,
9, 11 and 13, the circular upper portion 201 comprises an inner rim
circular portion 218 alongside the concave portion 216, which
comprises the second opening 205b for the compensation air inlet.
In addition the circular lower portion 202 comprises
correspondingly an inner rim circular portion 219 alongside the
circular counterpart ridge portion 217, which comprises the
corresponding second opening 206b for the compensation air inlet.
Advantageously said inner rim circular portions 218, 219 are
arranged different levels than said concave portion 216 and ridge
portion 217 so that the inner rim circular portions 218, 219 are
located in a recessed area in comparison to said concave and ridge
portions, the recession protruding towards the drinking container
in use. According to an example the rim works also as a one of the
tracks of these two parts, where the upper lid portion 201 and it's
inner rim circular portion 218 rotates around inner lid portion 219
and will keep the parts aligned and rotating seamlessly.
[0037] According to an embodiment the circular upper portion 201
comprises also a central opening 220 at the centre portion of the
circular upper portion, and the circular upper portion comprises an
elevated portion 221 at the centre portion of the circular lower
portion, as can be seen e.g. in FIGS. 2 and 4. The elevated portion
221 protrudes into the central opening 220 of the circular upper
portion when the lid is assembled, as is the case e.g. in FIG. 5.
The rim portion 222 of the elevated portion 221 is configured to
provide a guiding trail 223 to the circular upper portion 201,
around which 223 the circular upper portion 201 is configured to be
turned.
[0038] FIG. 6 illustrates the operation of the lid 200 according to
an advantageous embodiment of the invention, where the lid 200 has
two different positions, open and closed positions. When the
circular upper portion 201 is turned 231 around 180.degree. either
left or right in relation to the circular lower portion 202, the
lid becomes into open or closed position depending on the initial
situation, and vice versa.
[0039] FIG. 7 illustrates locking members 210, 211 of the circular
upper 201 and lower 202 portions of the lid 200 according to an
advantageous embodiment of the invention, where the circular lower
portion 202 comprises at least one locking member 210 and the
circular upper portion 201 comprises at least one counterpart 211
locking member. The locking members are configured to lock a free
circular movement at least in the opening and closing positions. In
the example of FIG. 7 the locking member 211 of the upper portion
201 comprises a tongue element and the lower portion 202 a
counterpart locking member implemented by a cut 210. The cut is
configured to be coupled with said tongue and thereby lock the
circular upper and lower portions in relation to each other in the
opening and closing positions. The locking is implemented in a
releasable manner. In addition the locking members 210, 211 are
configured to provide tactile feedback, as a snap, to a user so
that the user knows when the circular upper and lower portions are
locked.
[0040] FIGS. 8A-8B illustrate exemplary circular upper 201 and
lower 202 portions with protruding section 212, 213 in the outer
rim area according to an advantageous embodiment of the invention.
The protruding sections 212, 213 comprise essentially the same
shape with each other, whereupon they are configured to be aligned
in the closing position (FIG. 8B). When the protruding sections
212, 213 both of the upper and lower portions are aligned in the
same position, they effectively prevent any gripping of the
circular upper portion. Thus the forming and alignment of the
protruding sections 212, 213 ensures and enables the upper and
lower portions 201, 202 remaining attached to each other in use and
especially in the closing position. For the opening position the
upper and lower portions are turned around, whereupon the
protruding sections 212, 213 become un-aligned (FIG. 8A). In the
un-aligned position the un-aligned protruding sections 212, 213
easily allow also disconnecting the circular upper 201 and lower
portions 202 from each other, which is configured to be happened
especially in the opening position.
[0041] It is to be noted that the locking members 210, 211
illustrated in FIG. 7 guide the turning of the circular upper 201
and lower 202 in relation to each other so that the first locking
position is advantageously in the opening position, where the
protruding sections 212, 213 are un-aligned, and the second locking
position is advantageously in the closing position, where the
protruding sections 212, 213 are aligned. In the opening position
also the drinking holes 205a, 206a are aligned with each other as
well also the compensation air inlets 205b, 206b, and vice versa in
the closing position also the drinking holes 205a, 206a are
un-aligned with each other as well also the compensation air inlets
205b, 206b.
[0042] FIG. 9 illustrates sealing members 214, 215 around the first
and second openings 205, 206 of the lid according to an
advantageous embodiment of the invention. In the example the first
opening 205b and the second opening 206b of the circular lower
portion 202 are provided with the sealing members 214 and 215,
respectively. The sealing members are arranged to be pressed
against the rim portion of the first opening 205a and the second
opening 206a of the circular upper portion 201 in the opening
(drinking) position in a liquid-tightly sealing manner so to
prevent any leakage into the space between circular upper and lower
portions. In addition the sealing members may be arranged to be
pressed against the circular upper portion structure 201 in the
closing position in a liquid-tightly sealing manner and also
thereby prevent any leakage from the openings 205b, 206b of the
lower portion 202 into the space between circular upper and lower
portions.
[0043] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of alignment members 224 of
the lid 200 and corresponding alignment members 225 of the
container 100 according to an advantageous embodiment of the
invention for alignment the lid and the container with each other.
The alignment members 224, 225 ensure that the lid 200 is coupled
with the container 100 in right way, for example so that the
drinking hole 205 is faced at the same or opposite side as a
certain figure or portion of the mug.
[0044] The circular lower portion comprises advantageously also a
sealing ring 226 extending around the inner rim portion of the
circular lower portion, which can be seen also in FIG. 11. The
sealing ring 226 is configured to be faced against an outer wall of
the drinking container 100 (FIG. 12) in a liquid-tightly sealing
manner so to prevent any leakage of the liquid between the lid 200
and the mug 100. The connection point 228 between the lid 200 and
the mug 100 can also be seen in FIG. 12 in more details.
[0045] FIG. 11 illustrates side view of the lid 200 according to an
advantageous embodiment of the invention, where the circular lower
portion 202 comprises snap members 226 in the circular inner rim
portion to be faced against the wall of the drinking container 100.
In addition the outer rim end area 227 of the circular lower
portion 201 comprises optionally also an end wall having a (small)
protruding circular portion 227 projecting inward thereby causing a
pressure against the outer wall of the drinking container 100, when
the lid is coupled to the drinking container. These are for locking
the circular lower portion 202 or the whole lid 200 tightly against
the drinking container 100 when the circular lower portion (lid) is
coupled with said drinking container in use.
[0046] Additionally, as can be seen e.g. in FIG. 11 an outer
portion 229 of the circular upper portion 201 comprises a wall
declined or projected inward. This is for preventing any gripping
of it and again preventing circular upper portion 201 to be
dismantled from the circular lower portion 202, and additionally
preventing the lid 200 to be dismantled from the mug 100 by
accident.
[0047] FIG. 13 illustrates additional details of the circular upper
portion 201 of the lid 200 according to an advantageous embodiment
of the invention, where the circular upper portion 201 comprises a
special structure 230 for reinforcing the circular upper portion
201. This structure prevents enormous bending of the circular upper
portion 201 and thereby also prevents disconnecting of the circular
upper portions 201a, 201b from each other when the circular upper
portion 201 is disconnected from the circular lower portion 202.
Thus the circular upper portion 201 is more resistant to a stress
when the circular upper portion 201. In addition the structure of
the circular outer portion 201 has advantage in a manufacturing
process, namely when the hard inner portion 201b is manufactured
e.g. by an injection moulding process of a first material, and
additionally the soft outer portion 201a is injection moulded of a
second material using the same mould, the outer soft portion 201a
will adhere very hard to the inner portion 201b.
[0048] The invention has been explained above with reference to the
aforementioned embodiments, and several advantages of the invention
have been demonstrated. It is clear that the invention is not only
restricted to these embodiments, but comprises all possible
embodiments within the spirit and scope of the inventive thought
and the following patent claims. In addition it is to be noted that
the features recited in dependent claims are mutually freely
combinable unless otherwise explicitly stated.
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