Combination Disposable Cup Lid And Coaster

Abstract

A cup lid for use with disposable cups or the like, including a circular recess in the cup lid centrally thereof for receiving the bottom of a cup to permit vertical stacking of a plurality of cups having the cup lid thereon. The cup lid further includes an annular recess at the periphery thereof, including indentations spaced angularly thereabout on the exterior thereof and extending for part of the depth of the annular recess for locking the top of a cup within the annular recess. A hat-shaped section is provided between the circular recess and annular recess of the lid for receiving the bottom of a corresponding disposable cup with the lid inverted and used as a coaster. The circular recess may be provided with an offset portion adjacent the bottom thereof to provide a reduced diameter bottom section for snugly receiving the bottom of a corresponding cup with the lid in use as a cup holder. Angularly spaced apart radially extending ridges are provided between the hat-shaped section and the annular recess to provide lid strength and inhibit fluid movement around the lid and angularly spaced apart axially extending ribs are provided on the hat-shaped section to further space a portion of the hat-shaped section from a cup bottom position therein, thereby providing a cool gripping surface for the lid in use as a cup holder.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to cup lids for disposable cups or the like and refers more specifically to a cup lid which is a combination lid, coaster and cup holder. In use as a lid, the cup lid facilitates vertical stacking of a plurality of disposable cups.

2. Description of the Prior Art

In the past cup lids for disposable cups have been particularly unimaginative. Often flat circular lids cooperating with an annular groove in the top of a disposable cup have been used with or without air vent openings and pull tabs thereon.

A combination coaster cup lid is disclosed in prior U.S. Pat. No. 3,246,786. The coaster cup lid disclosed in this patent is not however particularly suited to vertical stacking of a plurality of disposable cups having lids thereon. In addition, the prior patented structure permits ready transfer of heat from the disposable cup bottom to the lid used as a cup holder, so that a hot gripping surface and bottom is provided on the cup holder which is undesirable.

Additionally cup lids of the past have not been as strong as desirable, have permitted fluid thereon to move freely around the cup lid, thereby more readily permitting spilling thereof. In addition, the structure for securing the lids of the past to the disposable cups of the past has often been inefficient in operation or required large reentrant sections or the like, necessitating complicated production machinery.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The combination cup lid of the invention may be used as a cup lid to permit vertical stacking of a plurality of disposable cups in use or alternatively it may be used as a coaster or a cup holder. Thus, the combination lid of the invention includes a circular recess for receiving the bottom of a cup positioned thereon for stacking with the lid in use as a lid and includes a peripheral annular recess having indentations therein for securely receiving the top of a cup with the lid in use as a lid. The lid further includes a hat-shaped section positioned between the circular recess and annular recess for receiving the bottom of a cup with the lid in use as a coaster. Also, the circular recess may have a small diameter bottom section in accordance with the invention for receiving the bottom of a disposable cup positioned therein with the lid used as a cup holder.

Angularly spaced apart ridges and axially extending ribs are also provided in the combination lid to inhibit movement of liquid around the lid and to space a portion of the hat-shaped section further from the cup with the lid in use as a cup holder to provide a cool gripping surface.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a partly broken away elevation view of a disposable cup having a combination disposable cup lid constructed in accordance with the invention positioned thereon with the cup shown in vertical stacked relation to two other disposable cups, the lower of which is shown with a combination disposable cup lid constructed in accordance with the invention thereon.

FIG. 2 is a partly broken away elevation view of the disposable cup and the combination disposable cup lid of FIG. 1, illustrating the combination disposable cup lid in use as a coaster.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the bottom side of the combination disposable cup lid illustrated in FIG. 1 taken substantially on the line 3-3 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a partially broken away elevation view of a modification of the combination disposable cup lid illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 3 showing the modified lid positioned on a disposable cup.

FIG. 5 is a partially broken away elevation view of the modified combination disposable cup lid illustrated in FIG. 4 in use as a cup holder.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As shown in FIGS. 1 through 3, the combination disposable cup lid 10 includes a circular recess 12 in one side 22 thereof for receiving the bottom of a vertically stacked cup 14, and an annular peripheral recess 16 for receiving the upper end 26 of a corresponding disposable cup 18. A hat-shaped lid section 20 is provided in the lid 10 between the circular recess 12 and the annular recess 16 for receiving the bottom 38 of the cup 18 with the lid 10 inverted and used as a coaster, as shown best in FIG. 2.

More specifically, the combination disposable cup lid 10 is circular, as illustrated best in FIG. 3, with the circular recess 12 centrally located and opening toward the side 22 of the lid 10. The circular recess 12, as shown in FIGS. 1 through 3, is dimensioned to snugly receive the bottom portion 24 of the vertically stacked cup 14 to permit carrying of a plurality of filled cups without danger of dropping the cups or spilling the contents thereof. With the lid positioned top up on a desk surface or the like and the bottom of a cup snugly received in the recess 12 the lid serves as a coaster. The recess 12 also adds strength to the lid so that minimum thickness plastic may be used in production of lid 10 for the sake of economy.

The annular recess 16 provided at the periphery of the lid 10 is dimensioned to snugly receive the upper edge 26 of a disposable cup 18, which, as shown, may be rolled to maintain the lid 10 in position on the cup 18. The angularly spaced apart indentations 28 are provided in the outer wall 30 of the annular recess 16 to facilitate locking of the lid 10 to the top of the cup 18, as shown best in FIG. 1.

The hat-shaped section 20 also opens toward the side 32 of the lid 10 and is dimensioned to loosely receive the bottom of the cup 18 with the lid removed from the cup 18 and inverted, as illustrated best in FIG. 2. With the lid in use as a coaster, as illustrated in FIG. 2, any liquid which may tend to drip from the edge 26 of the cup 18 will be received in the annular recess 16 due to the arcuate lip 34 provided around the recess 16. With the cup lid 10 used as a coaster, as shown in FIG. 2, the bottom of the lid 10 is spaced from the surface 36 and the bottom 38 of the cup 18 is also spaced from the surface 36 to prevent hot spots occuring on the surface 36.

Angularly spaced apart radially extending ridges 40 are provided between the annular recess 26 and the hat-shaped lid section 20 to increase the strength of the lid 10 and to inhibit movement of the liquid which may be on the lid 10 around the lid 10. Thus, spilling of liquid from the lid 10 may be decreased.

As shown best in FIGS. 4 and 5, and offset 42 may be provided in the circular recess 12 adjacent the bottom thereof to provide a smaller diameter bottom section 44. Thus, with disposable cups having rolled bottom edges, the bottom of a stacked cup 46 is snugly received in the modified cup lid 48 for stacking purposes, as illustrated in FIG. 4, while the bottom section 44 of the circular recess 12 is snugly received by the bottom of the cup 50 with the modified lid 48 used as a cup holder, as particularly shown in FIG. 5.

The modified cup lid 48 is further provided with angularly spaced apart axially extending ribs 52 on the hat-shaped section 54 which serve to further remove the portion of the hat-shaped section normally gripped when using the lid 48 as a cup holder from the bottom of the cup 50 to prevent burns.

Thus, in overall use, a cup lid 10 or 48 may be positioned on a filled disposable cup having coffee or the like therein. A plurality of the filled cups having lids 10 or 48 thereon may be stacked for carrying to a place where the contents of the cups are to be emptied and the cups unstacked and the lids removed therefrom.

The lids 10 are at this time particularly useful as coasters to prevent spilling fluid from the cups onto a surface on which the cups are set and to prevent hot spots beneath the lids used as coasters and the cups positioned therein.

With the modified structure of FIGS. 4 and 5, the lids may at the time of emptying of the contents of the cups be used as cup holders if desired without fear of burning the hands of the user of the cup holder or spilling of the contents of the cup.

Claims

I claim:

1. A combination disposable coaster and cup lid comprising a circular member including an annular recess around the radially outer periphery thereof which in cross section is arcuate and has a portion which is substantially a semicircle for receiving the lip of a corresponding cup with the coaster and cup lid in use as a cup lid, said coaster and cup lid further including a hat-shaped section concentric with and spaced radially inwardly of the annular recess and opening in the same direction as the annular recess and a depressed circular recess in the top of the lid opening radially inwardly of and concentric with both the annular recess and hat-shaped section and opening in the opposite direction therefrom for receiving the bottom of an associated cup to facilitate stacking of a plurality of associated cups with the coaster and cup lid in use as a cup lid and forming a U-shaped cross section portion with the hat-shaped section providing an annular ring for supporting the coaster and cup lid and providing a raised platform on which the corresponding cup may be positioned with the coaster and cup lid in use as a coaster and also providing a second annular recess between the outer wall of the hat-shaped section and the outer wall of the depressed circular portion whereby liquid spilled in the combination coaster cup lid with the coaster and cup lid in use as a coaster is retained in the coaster away from the bottom of the cup.

2. Structure as set forth in claim 1 and further including an offset in the outer wall of the depressed circular recess providing a portion of smaller diameter at the bottom of the depressed circular recess and an annular ledge centrally of the depressed circular recess in the top of the coaster and cup lid for receiving the outer periphery of the bottom of an associated cup for stacking, and a corresponding annular ledge on the other side of the coaster and cup lid for receiving the periphery of the bottom of the associated cup with the coaster and cup lid in use as a coaster.

3. Structure as set forth in claim 2 and further including angularly spaced apart axially extending ribs on the coaster and cup lid between the annular recess around the outer periphery of the coaster and cup lid and the hat-shaped section for strengthening the lid and providing a cool gripping surface when the lid is used as a cup holder.

4. Structure as set forth in claim 2 and further including a plurality of radially extending indentations angularly spaced about the outer edge of the annular recess around the outer periphery of the coaster and cup lid and extending thereinto for at least part of the depth of the annular recess to facilitate securing of the coaster cup lid to the corresponding cup lip in use as a lid.

5. Structure as set forth in claim 2 and further including angularly spaced apart ridges extending radially inwardly of the lid from the annular recess around the outer periphery of the coaster and cup lid to the hat-shaped section for strengthening the lid and inhibiting movement of liquid around the circumference of the lid with the coaster cup lid in use as a lid.