Splash-proof lid assembly

Receptacles – Closures – Secondary closure within parameter of primary closure

Reexamination Certificate

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Details

C220S254400, C220S254700, C220S713000, C220S719000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06811049

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a removable lid for a cup and, more particularly, to a lid assembly which is used to form the lid. The lid of the present invention is especially suited for disposable coffee cups and drinking cups. The lid assembly of the present invention avoids inadvertent splashing which occurs due to movement of the cup.
2. Art Related to the Invention
Splash-proof lids for drinking cups are known. Typically, they comprise a round, removable cover which fits tightly over the top opening of a cup to prevent unwanted spillage of the contents of the cup while allowing the user to drink the contents of the cup even though the lid remains on the cup. To allow the user to drink the contents of the cup while the lid remains on the cup, both a drinking hole and an air hole are provided in the lid. Both holes are configured to prevent unwanted loss or spillage of the contents of the cup which occurs when the cup is unintentionally moved. Typically, such lids are used on disposable cups which the user takes on a train, a plane, in a boat, or in a car.
The drinking hole is usually positioned at the edge of the lid next to the side wall of the cup, while the air hole is positioned either centrally in the lid or along the edge of the lid next to the side wall of the cup, opposite the drinking hole.
One of the problems in the prior art is that various lid assemblies tend not to be completely splash-proof. There is a need to invent a cup which is simple in design but yet splash-proof. Furthermore, there is a need to provide a simple design which can be employed with disposable cups.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A simple lid assembly for making a splash-proof lid for a cup has now been discovered. The lid is intended to be disposable and for use with disposable drinking cups such as the type used for coffee, tea, etc. The lid has an air hole which is centrally located in the lid and a drinking hole which is located along the periphery of the lid. The lid is especially designed to avoid spillage of the contents of the cup through the drinking hole and the air hole.
It has been discovered that the jiggling or unintended movement of the cup causes a wave to form on the surface of the liquid and to travel back and forth across the surface of the liquid crashing against the side walls of the cup. When the wave hits the side walls of the cup, it splashes out of the drinking hole or the air hole, when the air hole is positioned next to the side wall of the cup. Thus, it is the movement of the wave on the surface of the liquid in the cup and its crashing against the side walls of the cup that causes the splashing and the spillage of the liquid.
It has also been found that when the air hole is made small and positioned in the center of the lid that spillage or splashing due to the wave through the air hole does not occur. Furthermore, it has been found that if the air hole is made rather small compared to the drinking hole, that the air hole will still function to allow liquids to flow out of the drinking hole and air in through the air hole. Thus, in the present invention, the air hole is positioned in the center of the lid and made relatively small compared to the drinking hole. In other words, the drinking hole is much larger than the air hole.
To avoid spillage out of the drinking hole, a large expansion chamber is employed which is in fluid communication with the drinking hole and in fluid communication with the interior of the cup. The chamber has one or more inlets which are positioned in the bottom wall and/or the side wall of the chamber. The drinking hole is positioned in the top wall of the chamber. The drinking hole and the inlets of the chamber are not in vertical alignment with each other. Thus, when any portion of the wave comes through the inlets into the chamber, it does not go through the drinking hole, but rather, is redirected back into the cup or contained in the chamber. This prevents spillage of the contents of the cup through the drinking hole.
The chamber has a bottom portion which extends below the lid and down into the area which is formed by the cup. The top portion of the chamber can be either coplanar with the top surface of the lid or extend above the top surface of the lid.
Preferably, the chamber has an arched or crescent shape, when viewed from above. The arched chamber preferably extends both above and below the planar surface of the lid. The drinking hole is positioned in the top wall of the chamber. The bottom chamber portion extends below the planar surface of the lid and preferably contains one or more inlets through which the contents of the cup travel to reach the drinking hole. The arched chamber follows the curvature of the lid, is centered on the drinking hole, and is in fluid communication with the drinking hole. The arched chamber is formed along the edge of the lid and has one or more inlets to allow the liquid contents of the cup to travel into the chamber. The inlets can be in the bottom wall of the chamber, in the end walls of the chamber, or the side walls of the chamber. The drinking hole is positioned in the top wall of the chamber to allow the liquid contents to flow from the cup through the chamber and into the user's mouth. The center line of the chamber (assuming the chamber is essentially cylindrical in cross section) follows a radial line from the center of the lid that is less than the radius of the lid and is concentric with the radius of the lid. The lid itself has an engaging periphery to allow it to engage the rim of the cup and become removably affixed to the rim of the cup. In this way, the lid of the present invention fits a conventional disposable cup and no special cup must be employed with the lid of the present invention.
It is preferred that the lid of the present invention be molded into a one-step molding process. For example, the lid assembly is suitably made by thermoforming. In this process, the lid is made up of two pieces, one piece which is a disc that makes up the majority of the lid and can generally be referred to as the top of the lid while the other piece is a bottom section which forms the bottom portion of the chamber. The bottom section of the lid can be rotatably connected to the disc or, alternatively, can be separate from the disc.
Broadly, the splash-proof lid assembly for making a splash-proof lid for a drinking cup in accordance with the present invention comprises:
a circular disc having a snap fitting periphery for engagement with a cup rim;
an air hole positioned in said disc at the center of said disc;
a drinking hole positioned in said disc adjacent said snap fitting periphery of said disc, said drinking hole being larger than said air hole;
a first engagement means positioned on said disc at the underside of said disc between said snap fitting periphery and said air hole;
a bottom lid section having an arcuate side which mates with a portion of said snap fitting periphery of said disc, and a second engagement means for engaging with said first engagement means when said arcuate side mates with said snap fitting periphery; and
a chamber formed between said disc and said bottom lid section when said bottom lid section is placed against the underside of said disc and said first engagement means engages said second engagement means and said arcuate side mates with said portion of said snap fitting periphery, said chamber having a bottom chamber portion which is formed by said bottom lid section and extends below said disc, said chamber being centered on said drinking hole, said disc forming a top chamber portion, said chamber having one or more inlets formed in the bottom chamber portion and said inlet not being in vertical alignment with said drinking hole.
Preferably, said bottom lid section is rotatably attached to said disc along said snap fitting periphery of said disc and said arcuate side of said bottom lid section. Said bottom lid section can also be separate from said disc until said bottom section is mated with said disc.
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