U.S. patent application number 17/461296 was filed with the patent office on 2021-12-16 for sprout lid for container.
The applicant listed for this patent is MASONTOPS, INC.. Invention is credited to Michael Bacher, Philip Baron, Brett Molnar.
Application Number | 20210386028 17/461296 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005811384 |
Filed Date | 2021-12-16 |
United States Patent
Application |
20210386028 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Bacher; Michael ; et
al. |
December 16, 2021 |
SPROUT LID FOR CONTAINER
Abstract
A sprout lid for use with a container to sprout seeds and or
beans is provided which may include a recess feature which may
allow the container to be filled with water without removing the
sprout lid from the container, as well as allowing proper airflow
in the container. The sprout lid may also be used to rinse, strain,
and drain seeds and or beans in the container.
Inventors: |
Bacher; Michael; (Toronto,
CA) ; Baron; Philip; (Toronto, CA) ; Molnar;
Brett; (Toronto, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
MASONTOPS, INC. |
TORONTO |
|
CA |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000005811384 |
Appl. No.: |
17/461296 |
Filed: |
August 30, 2021 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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16027858 |
Jul 5, 2018 |
11102941 |
|
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17461296 |
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62529283 |
Jul 6, 2017 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 43/0231 20130101;
A01G 9/0293 20180201; A01G 31/02 20130101; B65D 51/24 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A01G 31/02 20060101
A01G031/02; B65D 51/24 20060101 B65D051/24; B65D 43/02 20060101
B65D043/02; A01G 9/029 20060101 A01G009/029 |
Claims
1. A lid configured to engage with a container, the lid comprising:
an upper surface including an outer annular collar region
circumscribing an inner drain region, and a lower surface, and a
plurality of legs configured to support the lid and the engaged
container when in an upside-down orientation and the lid is resting
on a surface, wherein the plurality of legs are upwardly-projecting
when the lid and the engaged container are in a right-side-up
orientation and are downwardly-projecting when the lid and the
engaged container are in the upside-down orientation; wherein the
inner drain region includes a plurality of first drain holes and a
plurality of second drain holes; wherein the second drain holes are
larger than the first drain holes, and wherein the plurality of
first drain holes and the plurality of second drain holes extend
from the upper surface through to the lower surface to allow fluid
flow from the upper surface to the lower surface without
disengaging the lid from the container when filling the container
with water, and to allow fluid flow from the lower surface to the
upper surface without disengaging the lid from the container when
draining water out of the container in the upside-down orientation,
and wherein, when the lid is in the upside-down orientation, the
plurality of legs provide clearance between the surface and the
plurality of first drain holes and second drain holes such that
water can drain out of the container when the lid and the engaged
container are resting on the surface.
2. The lid of claim 1, wherein an outer perimeter of the lid
includes a plurality of motion-preventing segments.
3. The lid of claim 1, further comprising a gasket configured to
make a substantially water-tight seal when the lid is engaged with
the container.
4. The lid of claim 3, wherein the gasket is removable from the
lid.
5. The lid of claim 1, further comprising a band on an outer
perimeter of the lid extending downwardly from the lid, the band
comprising threads configured to secure the lid to the
container.
6. The lid of claim 1, wherein the plurality of legs comprises
three legs.
7. A container and lid system comprising: a container; and the lid
of claim 1, wherein the container and the lid are configured to
engage with each other.
8. A lid configured to engage with a container, the lid comprising:
a surface including an outer annular collar region circumscribing
an inner drain region, and a plurality of legs configured to
support the lid and the engaged container when in an upside-down
orientation and the lid is resting on a surface, wherein the
plurality of legs are upwardly-projecting when the lid and the
engaged container are in a right-side-up orientation and are
downwardly-projecting when the lid and the engaged container are in
the upside-down orientation; wherein the inner drain region
includes a plurality of drain holes and a plurality of elongated
slots, wherein at least one of the plurality of elongated slots has
a different size or shape than at least one of the plurality of
drain holes, wherein the lid has a thickness, and wherein the
plurality of drain holes and the plurality of elongated slots
extend through the thickness of the lid to allow fluid flow through
the lid without disengaging the lid from the container when filling
the container with water and when draining water out of the
container in the upside-down orientation, and wherein, when the lid
is in the upside-down orientation, the plurality of legs provide
clearance between the surface and the plurality of drain holes and
elongated slots such that water can drain out of the container when
the lid and the engaged container are resting on the surface.
9. The lid of claim 8, wherein an outer perimeter of the lid
includes a plurality of motion-preventing segments.
10. The lid of claim 8, further comprising a gasket configured to
make a substantially water-tight seal when the lid is engaged with
the container.
11. The lid of claim 10, wherein the gasket is removable from the
lid.
12. The lid of claim 8, wherein the plurality of legs comprises
three legs.
13. A container and lid system comprising: a container; and the lid
of claim 8, wherein the container and the lid are configured to
engage with each other.
14. A lid configured to engage with a container, the lid
comprising: a surface including an outer annular collar region
circumscribing an inner drain region; and a plurality of legs
configured to support the lid and the engaged container when in an
upside-down orientation and the lid is resting on a surface,
wherein the plurality of legs are upwardly-projecting when the lid
and the engaged container are in a right-side-up orientation and
are downwardly-projecting when the lid and the engaged container
are in the upside-down orientation; wherein the inner drain region
includes a plurality of coplanar holes and a plurality of elongated
slots, wherein at least one of the plurality of elongated slots has
a different size or shape than at least one of the plurality of
coplanar holes, wherein the lid has a thickness, and wherein the
plurality of coplanar holes and the plurality of elongated slots
extend through the thickness of the lid to allow fluid flow through
the lid without disengaging the lid from the container when filling
the container with water and when draining water out of the
container in the upside-down orientation, and wherein, when the lid
is in the upside-down orientation, the plurality of legs provide
clearance between the surface and the plurality of drain holes and
elongated slots such that water can drain out of the container when
the lid and the engaged container are resting on the surface.
15. The lid of claim 14, wherein an outer perimeter of the lid
includes a plurality of motion-preventing segments.
16. The lid of claim 14, further comprising a gasket configured to
make a substantially water-tight seal when the lid is engaged with
the container.
17. The lid of claim 16, wherein the gasket is removable from the
lid.
18. The lid of claim 14, wherein the plurality of legs comprises
three legs.
19. A container and lid system comprising: a container; and the lid
of claim 14, wherein the container and the lid are configured to
engage with each other.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. Provisional
Application Ser. No. 16/027858, entitled "SPROUT LID FOR
CONTAINER," filed Jul. 5, 2018, which claims priority from and the
benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/529283,
entitled "SPROUT LID FOR CONTAINER," filed Jul. 6, 2017, each of
which are hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all
purposes.
BACKGROUND
[0002] This disclosure relates to lids and containers for sprouting
seeds. It may be desirable to sprout seeds inside of a container,
such as a jar or a mason jar. Sprouts can be harvested inside a
container by soaking seeds or beans (hereinafter, "seeds" for
simplicity) for several hours, rinsing daily, and then draining.
The process may be repeated until the seeds have sprouted. The
process may involve or require some sort of screen or strainer to
rinse and drain the sprouts.
SUMMARY
[0003] An apparatus and systems are disclosed for a sprout lid for
a container, substantially as illustrated by and described in
connection with at least one of the figures, as set forth more
completely in the claims.
[0004] Disclosed example lids configured to engage with a container
include an upper surface including a plurality of holes, wherein
the upper surface includes a recess, and wherein the recess
includes a plurality of recess holes. In some example lids, at
least one of the plurality of recess holes has either a different
size or a different shape than at least one the plurality of holes.
In some example lids, the recess comprises a tapered cylindrical
shape. In some example lids, the lid includes a plurality of
upwardly-projecting legs.
[0005] Some example lids further include a gasket configured to
make a substantially water-tight seal when the lid is engaged with
the container. In some example lids, the gasket-holding rib
includes a break. In some example lids, the gasket is removable
from the lid.
[0006] Some example lids further include a band on an outer
perimeter of the lid extending downwardly from the lid, the band
including threads configured to secure the lid to the
container.
[0007] Disclosed example lid and container systems include a
container, and a lid configured to engage with the container, the
lid comprising an upper surface including a plurality of holes,
wherein the upper surface includes a recess, and wherein the recess
includes a plurality of recess holes.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary sprout lid to engage with a
container in accordance with aspects of this disclosure.
[0009] FIG. 2 shows an exemplary sprout lid engaged with a
container in accordance with aspects of this disclosure.
[0010] FIG. 3 shows a container engaged with an exemplary sprout
lid being filled with water in accordance with aspects of this
disclosure.
[0011] FIG. 4 shows a container resting upside down on an exemplary
sprout lid in accordance with aspects of this disclosure.
[0012] FIG. 5 shows a container engaged an exemplary sprout lid,
wherein the container is resting on its side in accordance with
aspects of this disclosure.
[0013] The figures are not necessarily to scale. Where appropriate,
similar or identical reference numbers are used to refer to similar
or identical components.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0014] There may be several disadvantages with known sprouting
processes using a container, where the container is, for example, a
mason jar. If the sprouts do not receive proper air flow during the
sprouting process, excess moisture and restricted air flow can lead
to mold growth. Further, straining the seeds can be difficult,
especially when harvesting various seed sizes. Often the user may
desire various screen sizes to filter different mediums. Further,
the container can be difficult to fill with water during the
rinsing process based on the screen that is used. Not all water may
go directly in to the container, or the device may need to be
removed entirely before filling the container, causing user
inconvenience. Another disadvantage may be that during the draining
process, the user may be required to awkwardly position the
container at an angle. Another problem may be that the material
used to cover the container is often not reusable, and not easy to
clean.
[0015] One known sprout lid is a reusable plastic lid with a screen
molded into the top. Such plastic lids often have several models in
which the hole diameter varies to accommodate small, medium, and
large size seeds or beans.
[0016] Another known solution is to use cheese cloth or mesh and an
elastic band to strain sprouts in a jar. Another known solution is
to implement a flat plastic screen along with a pre-existing mason
jar metal band. Such lid strainer solutions may not allow for
proper airflow due to restricted screen patterns and improper
draining abilities. These known solutions may require a secondary
item to prop the container on an angle and fully drain. Further,
some of the plastic lids may require multiple components to
properly strain different seed sizes. In addition, these lids may
be difficult to fill with water as the water may splash off the lid
rather than going into the container.
[0017] The present disclosure overcomes these problems and provides
a sprout lid that may include a recess feature. The recess may
extend down into the container. The recess may have a tapered
cylindrical shape with a rounded bottom and long slots on the
sides. The recess may promote aeration as the recess extends into
the container and may have elongated slots in the sides which, when
combined with the hole pattern on the top surface, may promote
multidirectional air flow. Multidirectional air flow via the recess
may prevent mold, whereas other known solutions may not have proper
air flow leading to excess moisture in the container. The recess
may also prevent splashing when filling the container with water.
Existing solutions may not be easy to fill with water and may
deflect the water from going in the container, or the user must
remove the strainer/lid to drain. The recess may allow the user to
fill the container with water without removing the lid, and without
splashing water outside of the container.
[0018] The sprout lid may include an integrated gasket system, in
which a circular rib secures the gasket in place while leaving a
small break in the rib so the gasket can be removed. The integrated
gasket in the inventive design may create a sufficient seal around
the lip of the container to ensure water is only draining out from
the top, and not down the sides of the container. Some existing
solutions do not seal around the lip of the container.
[0019] In addition, the sprout lid may include raised "feet" or
"legs" that extend upwardly from the top surface of the lid. The
container may rest on these feet when turned upside down to promote
drainage. This may be advantageous because some existing solutions
may require the user to tilt the container on its side using a
secondary object in order to get proper drainage. The diameter of
the holes in the lid may create a proper straining environment that
works for multiple seed sizes.
[0020] The container lid may also incorporate a faceted grip that
may include, for example 12 segments, each of which may prevent
rolling when the container/lid is placed on its side. A container
may be placed on its side to achieve improved air flow. Existing
solutions may require the container to be tilted on its side,
upside down on an angle, and may not promote adequate air flow into
the container. The segments of the present disclosure may also make
removing/attaching the lid to the container easier. More or less
segments are possible. The segments may be substantially flat,
according to one technique.
[0021] FIG. 1 illustrates an inverted perspective view of an
exemplary sprout lid 100 configured to engage with a container in
accordance with aspects of this disclosure. FIG. 2 illustrates the
exemplary sprout lid 100 engaged with a container 200 (e.g., a
mason jar, such as a standard mason jar). The container 200 may
have a circular opening, and the sprout lid 100 may be sized to
engage with a container having an opening of a certain size. For
example, exemplary containers may have openings 2.75 inches in
diameter or 3.38 inches in diameter. Returning to FIG. 1, the
sprout lid 100 may have an upper surface with a plurality of holes
102. In some examples, the holes 102 may be round. The diameter of
the holes 102 in the sprout lid 100 may create a proper straining
environment that works for multiple seed and beans sizes. For
example, each of the holes of the plurality of holes 102 may be
approximately 1.75 millimeters in diameter.
[0022] The upper surface of the sprout lid 100 also may have a
recess 104 which extends downward into the container 200 when the
sprout lid 100 is engaged with the container 200. The recess 104
may also contain holes. The recess 104 may have a tapered
cylindrical shape with a rounded bottom. The rounded bottom may
also have holes. The holes 106 on the elongated region of the
recess 104 may have an elongated shape, which may be different from
the holes 102 on the rest of the upper surface of the sprout lid
100. The elongated holes 106 may simplify the manufacturing molding
process (injection and removal) by eliminating cavities along the Y
axis (i.e., the axis perpendicular to the upper surface of the lid)
of the device. Exemplary holes 106 in the elongated region of the
recess 104 may be approximately 29 millimeters in length and 1.25
millimeters in width. In some examples however, the holes 106 in
the elongated region of the recess 104 have the same size and/or
shape as the holes 102 on the rest of the upper surface of the
sprout lid 100. The recess may promote aeration deeper into the
container than in existing sprout lids. In an exemplary sprout lid,
the recess 104 may extend approximately 34 millimeters from the
upper surface of the sprout lid.
[0023] As shown in FIG. 3, the container 200 may be filled with
water 302 from a faucet 304 (spigot, hose, tap etc.) without
removing the sprout lid 100 from the container 200. The recess 104
may prevent splashing when filling the container 200 with water 302
and may ensure the water 302 is flowing directly into the container
200, which allows a user to fill the container 200 with water 302
without removing the sprout lid 100 from the container 200.
[0024] Returning to FIG. 1, the sprout lid 100 may also include a
gasket system, in which a circular rib 108 secures the gasket 110
in place while leaving a small break 118 in the rib so the gasket
110 can be removed. The integrated gasket system may create a
sufficiently air and/or water penetration resistant seal around the
lip of the container 200, when the sprout lid 100 is engaged with
the container 200, to ensure water only drains out from the top,
and not down the sides of the container. In some embodiments, the
gasket 110 may be integrated with the sprout lid 100.
[0025] The sprout lid 100 may also include legs 112, which may
provide a suitable clearance 402 such that water can drain out of
the container 200 and not sit in an obstructing pool when the
container 100 and lid 200 is placed upside down, as shown in FIG.
4. The legs may be approximately 10 mm high, as measured from the
upper surface of the sprout lid. As shown, the legs 112 provide
clearance 402 between a resting surface and the holes 102 on the
upper surface of the sprout lid 100 to permit hands-free
draining.
[0026] Returning to FIG. 1, the sprout lid 100 also may include
movement-preventing segments 114 (e.g., flat facets) along the
outer perimeter of the sprout lid 100. For example, there may be 12
segments 114, although more or less segments 114 are possible. When
the sprout lid 100 is placed on its side when engaged with the
container 200, for example, in order to improve air flow, as shown
in FIG. 5, these segments 114 may prevent the container from
rolling. The segments 114 may also act as a faceted grip, making
removing and/or attaching the sprout lid 100 to the container 200
easier. The segments may be substantially flat, according to one
technique.
[0027] Returning to FIG. 1, the sprout lid 100 may include threads
116 to securely engage with a container 200, as shown in FIG. 2.
The threads 116 may be included on the inner portion of a band
extending downwards from the outer perimeter of the upper surface
of the sprout lid 100. When attaching the sprout lid 100 to the
container 200, the threads 116 may engage with corresponding
threads on the container (not shown) in order to secure the sprout
lid 100 to the container 200. The threads 116 may also disengage
with corresponding threads on the container 200 to
non-destructively disengage the sprout lid 100 from the container
200.
[0028] While the present apparatus and/or system has been described
with reference to certain implementations, it will be understood by
those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and
equivalents may be substituted without departing from the scope of
the present method and/or system. For example, block and/or
components of disclosed examples may be combined, divided,
re-arranged, and/or otherwise modified. In addition, many
modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or
material to the teachings of the present disclosure without
departing from its scope. Therefore, the present apparatus and/or
system are not limited to the particular implementations disclosed.
Instead, the present method and/or system will include all
implementations falling within the scope of the appended claims,
both literally and under the doctrine of equivalents.
* * * * *