Cup And Lid Therefor

Abstract

A drinking cup having an enlarged mouth to receive a closure lid. The mouth is formed with a shelf whereon the lid is seated. The lid is slidably shiftable upon this shelf between guideways. A channel at one side of the cup may be opened by shifting this lid. The lid may be removed from the cup and replaced therein by a simple elastic distortion of the rim of the cup spreading the guideways apart. The lid may also be slidable through a slot in the wall of the cup opposite the channel. This lid may be provided with projections to snap under the edge of the slot and position the lid to open the channel.

Description

This invention relates to improvements in cups which are provided with lids, and more particularly to a cup having a lid which can be used to control the flow of liquid from the cup.

Cup lids are used to prevent the liquid, ordinarily a beverage, from being splashed or spilled from a cup. Also, a cup lid assists materially in keeping the temperature of a beverage in the cup either warm or cold, as desired, as where a hot beverage is being served outdoors on a cold day. A common type of lid is adapted to fit snugly over, upon or into the lip rim of its cup and the lid will be removed from the cup when the beverage therein is to be drunk. A more elaborate type of lid may remain upon the cup and only a portion of this lid will be removed, or folded back to open the cup, so the beverage is being poured from the cup or removed by a straw. Both types of lids have advantages and limitations in their use, and the present invention was conceived and developed to provide, among other things, a more versatile lid arrangement for a cup.

A primary object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved cup and lid combination, for serving beverages and the like, which is versatile in its uses, in that the lid may close the cup, be partially opened to control the flow of liquid from the cup or be removed from the cup.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved cup and lid combination wherein the lid is shiftably mounted within the mouth of the cup to function as a control, or gate, to close the mouth of the cup, and to be shifted from the closed position to other positions within the mouth of the cup to provide a narrow opening at an edge of the cup to control the flow of the beverage therefrom.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved cup, having a shiftable lid securely held in the mouth of the cup, which may be quickly and easily removed from the cup and thereafter, easily replaced in the mouth of the cup.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved cup and a shiftable, removable and replaceable lid therefor, of a form which is suited for manufacture by the injection molding of thermoplastic synthetic resins and thereby take advantage of the smooth surface and close tolerances possible through injection molding processes of manufacture.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved cup with a closure lid, which cup is thermally insulated and will hold the temperature of a beverage within the cup for a substantial length of time.

Another object of the invention is to provide, in a novel and improved utility cup with a removable closure lid, a stirrer on the lid, to facilitate mixing the contents of the cup, as by shaking when the lid is closed.

Another object of the invention is to provide an alternative embodiment of the cup, in which the lid is slidable within a slot in the cup.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a novel and improved insulated cup having a shiftable, removable closure lid which is a simple, neat appearing, economical and rugged unit capable of being either manufactured as a single-use, throw-away item especially suited for serving beverages at locations where tables are not available, or of being used as a high quality permanent item for serving beverages.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, our present invention comprises certain constructions, combinations and arrangements of parts and elements, as hereinafter described and illustrated in preferred embodiment by the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an isometric, exploded view of the individual components of a preferred embodiment of the insulated cup and lid therefor.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of a variation of the lid per se, with broken lines indicating radii to better depict the form of the edges of the lid.

FIG. 3 is an edge view of the lid shown in FIG. 2, to better depict the arcuate, bowed form of the lid which facilitates a tight, leakproof fit when the lid is fitted in the cup.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the cup per se.

FIG. 5 is a central vertical section of the cup, taken along line 5--5 of FIG. 4, but with a thermal shell, also shown in section, being affixed to the cup body.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view of the upper portion of the cup, similar to the upper portion of FIG. 5 but on an enlarged scale and with the lid in the cup closing the same.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to FIG. 6, but with the lid shifted to a partially open position, as for drinking from the cup.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary sectional detail, taken along line 8--8 of FIG. 7 but on a greatly enlarged scale, and with broken lines indicating the position of the lid whenever it is released or placed in the mouth of the cup preparatory to securing it in position.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a cup closed by its lid and being held in a manner which will permit the lid to be released from the cup by simply squeezing the rim of the cup, with arrows indicating the direction of the squeezing forces and other arrows the direction in which the rim of the cup flexes when so squeezed.

FIG. 10 is an isometric view of a lid similar to the lid shown in FIG. 2, but with a stirring device attached thereto.

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary sectional detail, taken along line 11--11 of FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is an isometric view of an alternative embodiment of the cup.

FIG. 13 is an isometric view of the lid therefor.

FIG. 14 is a top plan view of the cup of FIG. 12.

FIG. 15 is a vertical section of the cup, taken along line 15--15 of FIG. 14.

FIG. 16 is a fragmentary side elevation of the upper portion of the cup, but on an enlarged scale and with the lid in the cup and closing the same.

FIG. 17 is a fragmentary section of the upper portion of the cup, similar to the upper portion of FIG. 15 but corresponding to FIG. 16.

FIG. 18 is a fragmentary section similar to FIG. 17, but with the lid shifted to a position for drinking from the cup.

FIG. 19 is a fragmentary vertical section similar to the upper portion of FIG. 15, but on an enlarged scale and showing a modification of the cup of FIG. 12 in which special provision is made for attachment of a thermal shell.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the improved cup combines three components: the cup C, a lid L and a thermal shell S which are shown separated in FIG. 1. The lid is normally fitted into the mouth of the cup, but it is easily removed therefrom, as hereinafter described. The thermal shell S is normally fitted about the body of the cup to provide a dead air space but is removable. However, this thermal shell may be omitted from the assembly, if desired. Each of these components, hereinafter described in detail, are preferably made of a thermoplastic synthetic resin, such as high-impact polystyrene, by injection molding processes to produce accurate, low cost and neat appearing units. As is apparent, other materials may be found to be suitable for the manufacture of the cup and its components.

The cup C, as in FIGS. 1, 4 and 5, is formed with a body 20 and an enlarged mouth 21 at the top of the body. The body has the general form of an ordinary tumbler, i.e. a wall which is, geometrically, an inverted frusto-cone closed by a bottom 22. The mouth 21 of the cup is formed, above an annular shelf or ledge 23 outstanding from and extending about the top of the body wall, by a short, annular flange extending upwardly from the outward edge of the shelf 23. The mouth flange slopes outwardly at a small angle to form a short, inverted, frusto-conical wall member. The top lip of this annular flange is finished with a beaded edge 24.

Distinctive to the present invention, the body of this cup includes a tapered channel 25 which extends outwardly from and upwardly along one side of the wall of the cup body. This channel commences at the bottom 22 and increases in depth with respect to the wall as it approaches the mouth of the cup, merging into the shelf 23 at a channel opening 26, with only a narrow shelf portion 27 extending between the upper edges of the channel 25 and the mouth 21. This channel 25, extending through an arc of approximately 45.degree. of the cup circumference, is proportioned to permit a user of the cup to drink from the cup with his lips on bead 24 above the channel opening, the channel then being at the underside of the cup. When the cup is so held, the liquid flowing from the cup will not splash over the ledge 23.

The lid L is adapted to engage the shelf 23 and to be shifted back and forth to close the opening 26 of the channel, as will be described. To guide this lid movement, two diametrically opposed abutments 28 are provided upon the shelf 24, the abutments having opposing slidewalls 29 upstanding from the ledge 23 and in mutual spaced parallelism. The abutments 28 and slidewalls 29 are spaced evenly from each side of the channel 25, to render the cup C mirror symmetrical from each side of a center plane extending through the axis of the cup and center of the channel. An overhanging ledge 30 is provided at the center of each slidewall to retain the lid in place, each ledge 30 being spaced from shelf 23 a distance preferably equal to the thickness of the lid L, with a slight clearance. The top edge 31 of each ledge 30 is inclined downwardly towards the center of the cup, to permit the lid to be snapped into place, as will be described.

A shallow socket 32 is provided on the inner portion of the shelf 23 at each side of the channel 25, and the sockets 32 function to admit air into the cup whenever the lid L is in use, as hereinafter described. To complete the cup structure, an annular seat or depending rim 33 is formed below the outer surface of the mouth 21, on the underside of shelf 23, to hold the thermal shell S in place, as will be described.

The lid L is formed as a disc-like member which is arched slightly when unrestrained, as shown in FIG. 3, to fit snugly upon the shelf 23 and be resiliently biased against this shelf when held downwardly at the center by the ledges 30. The lid has diametrically opposed parallel side edges 34 which are spaced apart to fit against the opposing slidewalls 29 and underneath the restraining ledges 30, the normal arch of the lid being parallel to the edges 34. Each opposing end 35 of the lid L, between the side edges 34, is rounded to a curvature, as on a radius 36 shown in FIG. 2, which corresponds to the radius of the lower inside edge of the mouth 21. However, the width of the lid between the opposing ends 35 is less than the diameter of the shelf; accordingly, the lid may be shifted back and forth a short distance to open and close the channel at the cup mouth, as best shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. A central, upstanding finger tab 37 may be provided upon the surface of the lid, to facilitate gripping and moving the lid, while the lid may be reinforced by diagonal ridges 38. Or, a tab 37' may be provided adjacent one end 35 of lid L' of FIGS. 2 and 3.

The thermal shell S is also formed like a tumbler, having a wall 40 which is, geometrically, an inverted frusto-cone closed by a bottom 41. The upper end of shell S has a diameter which fits around the seat 33 and is thereby secured in position to form an annular air space between the body of the cup and the shell, as in FIG. 5, with the upper edge of shell S fitting beneath narrow ledge 27 around channel 25. Shell S may be removed from the cup, as for non-use, when desired, or for cleaning purposes. However, the shell may be secured in place by any suitable cement or a solvent for the plastic being used, a common solvent being methylethyl ketone.

In using the cup, lid L or L' will normally fit upon the shelf 23 with the edges 34 at the opposing slidewalls 29 and held in flat position, against the pressure produced by the normal arch or bow of the lid, by the ledges 30, as heretofore described. When the lid is to close the mouth of the cup, it is shifted to a position which covers the narrow shelf 27 at the top of the channel and also covers the vents 32. The length of the lid is such as to also lap a portion of the shelf 23 at the opposite side from the channel, to effect a complete closure, as in FIG. 6 The lid may be shifted to open the channel opening 26 any desired amount to control the flow therethrough with the maximum opening being with the opposite end 35 of the lid abutted against the inside of mouth 21 opposite the channel, as illustrated in FIG. 7. It is to be noted that when the lid is shifted to open the channel, a flow of beverage from the cup through the channel opening 26, as by tilting the cup, will require air replacement into the cup; such air will be supplied through the vents 32, which are formed in the shelf adjacent to the channel, so they will be closed when the channel is closed by the lid but open when the lid is shifted to open the channel.

Occasions will arise when it becomes desirable to remove the lid L from the cup C and the present invention provides a simple, easy mode of removal. By grasping the outer edges of the mouth 21 of the cup at diametrically opposed points between the slidewalls 29, as by a thumb and forefinger in the manner illustrated in FIG. 9, the lid may be released by a moderate pressure, squeezing in the direction of the arrows 42. The flexure at the rim, outward in the direction of arrows 43 at a position 90.degree. from the arrows 42, will spread the slidewalls apart to the point that the overhanging ledges 30 will pull away from the edges 34 of the lid. Thus, the released lid will arch upwardly, due to its normal arch or bow, to spring away from the shelf 23, with the center of the lid above ledges 30. It may then be removed from the cup by merely lifting it out of the mouth of the cup, as by gripping the finger tab 37. The lid may likewise be replaced on the cup by simply placing it in the position indicated in broken lines in FIG. 8 and pushing downwardly above each ledge 30. The arched portion of the lid will contact the ledges 30, but the slope 31 of the upper surface of these ledges 30 will cause the rim of the cup to spread apart, responsive to a slight pressure, and the lid will snap under the ledges.

The arrangement shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 provides for the attachment of a stirrer 45 to the underside of the lid. A stirrer of this type is commonly formed as a stem 46 depending from the underside of the lid L and the stem carries, at its lower end, a circular paddle 47 having perforations 48. When the lid is on the cup, the stem holds the paddle an appropriate distance from the lid inside the cup. Shaking the cup will then effectively stir the contents therein. The stem and paddle may be formed integrally with the lid, as by injection molding, However, an arrangement more suitable for molding, as illustrated in FIG. 11, includes a nub 48 on the underside of the lid L which is adapted to tightly fit into a socket formed by the upper end of passage 50 of the hollow stem 46. The stem may be pulled off the lid when use of the stirrer is not desired, but the stem may be secured upon and bonded to the nub by the use of a suitable solvent or adhesive.

In the cup of the alternative embodiment of FIG. 12, certain features of the cup previously described are applied to a cup similar in the use of a slot in the cup and a lid slidable in the slot, such as described and claimed in the Matthew J. Kramer U. S. Pat. No. 2,815,161. Thus, the cup C' is provided with a slot 55 near its upper end into which lid L" may be inserted, either to leave sufficient space in the top of the cup for filling the same or completely across the top, so as to close the same, as in FIG. 17, or slightly withdrawn from the closed position, as in FIG. 18, to permit drinking from the cup. As before, the cup comprises a body 20', which is essentially an inverted frusto-conical wall, closed at its lower end by a bottom 22'. The mouth 21' of the cup C' extends upwardly and slightly outwardly from the body, preferably being circular and provided with an upper beaded edge 24'. A tapered channel 25' extends outwardly from the body and upwardly along one side of the cup body, opposite the slot 55. As before, the upper end of the channel 25' provides an opening 26', through which fluid may flow, when the lid is shifted to the position of FIG. 18. A shelf 23' is disposed between the body and the mouth of the cup, extending inwardly from the lower edge of the mouth, at opposite sides of the channel 25' and along the inside of the cup to a position beyond the adjacent edge of the slot 55. The slot 55 extends for slightly less than 180.degree. around the cup, while the cup body is provided with an inward offset 56 beneath each shelf 23'. To strengthen the portion of mouth 21' above the slot 55, the mouth may be thickened at each end of the slot, as over the area 57 of FIGS. 12, 14 and 15.

The lid L" is provided with an arcuate front edge 58 which has the same diameter and therefore fits snugly against the inside of the base of the mouth 21', when the lid is in the fully closed position of FIG. 17. The rear edge 59 of the lid has a diameter slightly in excess of the outside diameter of the base of the mouth 21', so as to extend beyond the mouth, when the lid is in closed position, as in FIGS. 16 and 17. In this closed position, the front of the lid will rest on and engage each shelf 23', the thickness of slot 55 preferably being such, as compared with the thickness of the lid L", that a slight frictional fit is secured and the slot will thus tend to retain the lid against each shelf 23', in both the closed position of FIG. 17 and the channel opening position of FIG. 18. The lid is also provided with a pair of outwardly extending handles or flanges 60, one edge of each of which fits against the corresponding inside edge of slot 55, when the lid is in closed position. Each flange is also provided with a boss 61 which permits the lid to be more readily grasped at a flange 60 by the thumb and finger of one hand of the user. However, for movement between the closed position of FIG. 17 and the drinking position of FIG. 18, or to a more fully opened position, as for pouring liquid into the cup, the cup may be held in one hand and pressure exerted against the front edge of one of the flanges 60 by the thumb of the hand in which the cup is held.

In order to retain the lid in the drinking position of FIG. 18, a pair of bumps or upwardly extending projections 62 are provided on the lid, preferably on the top, the projections 62 being spaced apart a distance greater than the thickness of the wall of mouth 21', so as to be spaced on each side of the mouth wall, when the lid is in the drinking position. The projections 62 conveniently have a height such that they will snap readily under the upper edge of slot 55, when the lid is pushed through the slot or between the various positions described above. In addition, a narrow groove 63 may be formed in the underside of the lid and essentially extending between the positions of the projections 62 on the top side of the lid, so that, in the drinking position of FIG. 18, groove 63 will bridge the lower edge of slot 55 to permit air to flow into the cup above the liquid during drinking. It will be noted that the slight pressure of the mouth above slot 55 exerted downwardly on the lid will retain the lid against each shelf 23' in the drinking position, while the opening 26' at the top of channel 25' will tend to be full of liquid, particularly when the cup is half full or less and is thus tipped further upwardly for drinking purposes.

The cup C', as shown in FIGS. 12-18, is not provided with a thermal shell. However, the cup may be slightly modified, as in FIG. 19, to permit the attachment of a thermal shell S, shown in dotted lines. For this purpose, the front lower edge of mouth 21' may overhang the front of channel 25' for a distance corresponding to a narrow shelf 27', the underside of which provides an abutment for the top edge of the thermal shell. Around the inward offsets 56, the underside of each shelf 23' provides an abutment for the upper edge of the thermal shell. However, around the remainder of the cup body 20', i.e. beneath slot 55, the upper end of the body is outwardly offset to provide a ledge 64 which provides a seat for the upper end of the thermal shell. In the modification of FIG. 19, the diameter of the base of the mouth 21' may be increased slightly over the diameter of the base of the mouth 21' of the cup C' of FIG. 12 an amount sufficient to accommodate the front narrow shelf 27', the slightly increased outer diameter of each self 23' and the ledge 64.

We have now described our invention in considerable detail. However, it is obvious that others skilled in the art can build and devise alternate and equivalent constructions which are nevertheless within the spirit and scope of our invention.

Claims

What we claim is:

1. In a drinking cup having a body and a mouth:

a longitudinally extending channel in said body, providing an outwardly disposed recess;

a flat shelf extending around at least a portion of the upper end of said body and to said recess on each side thereof, said mouth extending upwardly from the outer edge of said shelf and said recess;

a lid movable across said shelf to at least a first position substantially closing the upper end of said channel and a second position providing an opening at the upper end of said channel; and

means for retaining said lid on said shelf.

2. In a drinking cup as defined in claim 1, wherein:

said retaining means urges said lid towards said shelf.

3. In a drinking cup as defined in claim 1, wherein:

said lid has a longitudinal diameter less than the inner diameter of the mouth to permit it to be shifted on said shelf and having diametrically opposing side edges; and

diametrically opposing guideway means on the shelf at each side of said body and spaced from said channel for engaging the side edges of the lid to hold the lid upon the shelf and to permit the lid to be shifted to close and open the channel opening.

4. In a drinking cup as defined in claim 3, wherein each said guideway means comprise:

abutments having opposing walls in spaced parallelism which hold the side edges of the lid; and

a ledge overhanging each wall adapted to engage the top of the lid and hold it upon the shelf.

5. In a drinking cup as defined in claim 4, wherein:

said lid is formed to be normally upwardly bowed in the same direction as the side edges thereof; and

said cup is formed of sufficiently elastic material that the mouth of the cup may be compressed at opposed points between the guideway means to flex the cup and spread the guideway means apart, thereby permitting said lid to be released from said ledges and resume its normal upwardly bowed condition.

6. In a drinking cup as defined in claim 3, wherein:

said shelf extends from one side of said channel around the inner perimeter of said mouth to the opposite side of said channel.

7. In a drinking cup as defined in claim 6, wherein:

a narrow shelf extends along the outer edge of the upper end of said channel.

8. In a drinking cup as defined in claim 7, wherein:

the underside of said narrow ledge and said first named ledge form a seat for the upper end of an exterior thermal shell for said cup.

9. In a drinking cup as defined in claim 3, wherein:

said lid provided with an upstanding tab disposed transversely to said side edges for use in shifting said lid between said first and second positions.

10. In a drinking cup as defined in claim 1, wherein:

said lid is provided on the underside with a depending stirring device.

11. In a drinking cup as defined in claim 10, wherein:

said stirring device includes a depending hollow stem and a paddle extending transversely there to at its lower end; and

said lid is provided on its underside with a depending nub adapted to frictionally engage the upper end of said hollow stem.

12. In a drinking cup as defined in claim 11, wherein:

said ledge extends from each side of said channel to a position beyond the adjacent edge of said slot.

13. In a drinking cup as defined in claim 12, wherein:

said lid is provided with projections for snapping under the edge of said slot to retain said lid in said first and second positions.

14. In a drinking cup as defined in claim 1, wherein:

said cup is provided with a transverse slot in alignment with said shelf; and

said lid is movable in said slot and across said shelf.