Patent ID: 9504342
Filing Date: 2016-11-29
CPC Classification: A47G

Claim Text:
1. A closure assembly for a drinking cup, comprising: an annular body mountable to an open upper end of a cup and having a rim to enable a user to drink liquid from said cup through the annular body; a closure member within said annular body positionable so as to extend across the open upper end of the cup to which the annular body is mounted and having a plurality of apertures and a central opening, therein; a sealing element positioned on an inner side of the closure member and comprising a socket extending in a first direction from the sealing element and toward the closure member; an actuator positioned on an opposite side of the closure member opposite the inner side and comprising a plug extending in a second direction opposite the first direction from the actuator and toward the closure member which is accessible to the user when said closure assembly is mounted to the cup, wherein the sealing element and the actuator are coupled to each other, wherein a portion of the plug is positioned through the closure member and within the socket, with the sealing element biased into a rest position in which it is urged against said inner side of the closure member, and contacts said inner side with an upper side of the sealing element, which in the rest position runs parallel to the closure member, to block said apertures and prevent the flow of liquid therethrough, wherein the actuator comprises a lip contacting portion that extends over the closure member towards said rim on the annular body, the arrangement being such that the sealing element is moved out of said rest position to allow liquid to flow through said apertures and out of the cup when pressure sufficient to overcome said bias is applied to the lip contacting portion by the user; and a biasing member to bias the sealing element into the rest position, wherein the closure member comprises a deformable diaphragm, wherein the biasing member is integrally formed with said deformable diaphragm, and wherein the deformable diaphragm has a raised region surrounding the central opening that spaces the lip contacting portion from the apertures, said biasing member being formed from said raised region surrounding the central opening, wherein the central opening is formed through the raised region.