Receptacles – Container attachment or adjunct – Drinking device
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-30
2001-01-23
Gerrity, Stephen F. (Department: 3729)
Receptacles
Container attachment or adjunct
Drinking device
C220S711000, C229S906100, C222S454000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06176390
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a disposable beverage container lid made of a plastic material designed to cover a container containing a hot beverage therein, such as tea or coffee. More particularly, the invention relates to a disposable container lid having an integral cooling reservoir with a small opening in the side wall portion thereof, allowing the hot beverage to partially fill and quickly cool in the reservoir thereby preventing burn of the user's mouth from the first sips of the beverage.
2. Reported Developments
The prior art has provided lids/closures/covers for disposable and non-disposable containers, such as take-out cups used in the fast food services. The objects of the prior art included convenient and safe handling of hot or cold beverages without spill from containers, especially in containers carried in moving vehicles. As a result, anti-spill lids were suggested and/or provided for beverage containers such as disclosed for examples in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,146,157 and 5,415,312.
Other references disclose detachable covers for a drinking cup having a mouth or orifice enabling the user to drink the liquid without removing the cap form the container, such as disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,503,992.
Another reference, U.S. Pat. No. 5,090,584 discloses a multi-function cap lid for disposable beverage containers where the lid has a means for retaining a flap in an open and non-interfering position when the liquid in the beverage container is being consumed by a consumer.
Still other references, such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,529,179, 5,722,558 and 5,894,952 disclose condiment reservoirs integral with the lid of beverage containers for convenience of the user to consume the condiments therefrom or to place the condiments from the reservoir into the liquid contained in the beverage container from which the condiment is consumed along with the beverage.
While providing anti-spill lids for take-out beverage containers, the prior art apparently has not satisfactorily addressed the need to prevent burn of the mouth and lips of the consumer when initially sipping hot coffee or tea. Plastic and paper cups are good insulators and maintain the temperature of a hot beverage for extended periods of time. However, the itinerant consumer in a motor vehicle would wish to sip the hot beverage without waiting for the hot beverage to cool down to a temperature at which it is safe to drink without the risk of burning his or her mouth or lips.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to the provision of a hot beverage cup lid which allows safe sipping of the hot beverage from an associated cup.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a cup lid with a means to contain a small volume of a hot beverage which allows cooling and safe sipping of the beverage from an associated disposable cup. The cup lid comprises:
a planar top surface;
an outer rim extending around the planar top surface;
a recess in the planar top surface adjacent to the outer rim; and
a closure tab in the planar top surface positioned away from the recess in said planar top surface; wherein the recess in the planar top surface forms a cooling reservoir which comprises:
a conical side wall having an open proximal end terminating in a rim,
a distal end connected to a closed bottom, wherein said conical side wall has an opening therein designed to allow a beverage to pass therethrough and into said cooling reservoir.
In another aspect, the present invention provides a cup lid with a means to cool a small volume of a hot beverage in combination with a disposable cup containing the hot beverage.
The combination comprises the cup lid as described above and a disposable cup which includes:
a disposable cup having a generally conical configuration having a distal end and a proximal end. The distal end terminates in a flat, horizontal bottom portion closing the cylindrical side wall and forming a cup therewith. The proximal end of the cup is open to receive a hot beverage and terminates in a circular rim which extends slightly away from the side wall and is adapted to engage the outer rim of the cup lid having a skirt thereon.
REFERENCES:
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patent: 4589569 (1986-05-01), Clements
patent: 4619372 (1986-10-01), McFarland
patent: 4738373 (1988-04-01), DeParales
patent: 4795052 (1989-01-01), Hayes, Jr.
patent: 5090584 (1992-02-01), Roberts et al.
patent: 5415312 (1995-05-01), Mueller
patent: 5490609 (1996-02-01), Lane et al.
patent: 5529179 (1996-06-01), Hanson
patent: 5624053 (1997-04-01), Freek et al.
patent: 5699927 (1997-12-01), Lane et al.
patent: 5722558 (1998-03-01), Thompson
patent: 5839601 (1998-11-01), Van Melle
patent: 5894952 (1999-04-01), Mendenhall et al.
Balogh Imre
Gerrity Stephen F.
Sands Rhonda E.
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