Abstract:
A lid for a glass and method of use is disclosed. The lid comprises a circular body having a rim configured to engage the top edge of a glass, a circular wall extending upward from the rim, and a top surface. The top surface is substantially perpendicular to the circular wall. The top surface comprises one or more circular projections extending away from the top surface, one or more circular cavities, one or more vent holes configured to permit air flow through the top surface, and an outer lip being disposed along the outer perimeter of the top surface and extending above the top surface. The one or more circular cavities are defined by cylindrical cavity walls extending below the top surface. The lid further comprises one or more tiers and may further comprise a message on the surface of the lid and/or on the circular tier wall.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    This invention pertains generally to cup lids and more particularly to a celebratory glass top and a method of use thereof. 
       BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
       [0002]    Individuals often like to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, or other events. Often, to celebrate these events or milestones, individuals may hold a party or go out to eat at a restaurant. As part of this celebration deserts are eaten, such as cakes or cupcakes. If the celebration is for a birthday then the individual may have a cake with candles on top that the individual blows out. The presentation of cakes and cupcakes is limited though in that they are normally presented to an individual only on a plate or platter. What is needed is a unique manner to present a cake on top of a glass. In addition, some users do not eat cake because of health related issues or personal diet. These individuals though may still want to drink liquid, alcoholic or non-alcoholic. What is needed is a manner to present a drink to this individual with a candle, or multiple candles, on top of the drink. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosed innovation. This summary is not an extensive overview, and it is not intended to identify key/critical elements or to delineate the scope thereof. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later. 
         [0004]    The invention is directed toward a lid for a glass. The lid comprises a circular body having a rim configured to engage the top edge of a glass, a circular wall extending upward from the rim, and a top surface, wherein the top surface is substantially perpendicular to the circular wall. The top surface comprises one or more circular projections extending away from the top surface, one or more circular cavities, one or more vent holes configured to permit air flow through the top surface, and an outer lip being disposed along the outer perimeter of the top surface and extending above the top surface. The one or more circular cavities are defined by cylindrical cavity walls extending below the top surface. 
         [0005]    In another embodiment the lid further comprises one or more tiers. Each of the tiers is defined by a circular tier wall extending vertically and a horizontal tier surface connected to the circular tier wall and extending inward toward the center of the circle defined by the circular tier wall. In another embodiment the top surface of the lid may further comprise a message on the top surface of the lid. The message may be preformed into the lid or printed onto the top surface of the lid. In another embodiment lid further comprises a message on the circular tier wall. The message on the circular tier wall may be preformed into the lid or printed onto the circular tier wall of the lid. The message on the top surface and the message on the circular tier wall may be chosen from the group consisting essentially of “happy birthday,” “congratulations,” “well done,” “best wishes,” “blessings,” “cheers,” and “kudos.” 
         [0006]    In another embodiment of the invention the lid has a bottom tier, a middle tier, and a top tier. The bottom tier has a plurality of receptors disposed in the top surface of said bottom tier. The middle tier has a plurality of receptors disposed in the top surface of said middle tier and a plurality of securing projections extending below the bottom rim of the circular tier wall of said middle tier. The top tier has a plurality of securing projections extending below the bottom rim of the circular tier wall of the top tier. The securing projections of the middle tier are configured to be inserted into the receptors of the bottom tier, removably securing the middle tier to the bottom tier. The securing projections of the top tier are configured to be inserted into the receptors of the middle tier, removably securing the top tier to the middle tier. The tiers may be configured in any manner so that the tiers can be removably secured together. 
         [0007]    The invention is also directed toward a method for celebrating an event comprising pouring a beverage into a glass, placing a lid on top of the glass, placing one or more candles respectively in the one or more circular cavities of the lid, lighting the one or more candle, and presenting the glass to an individual. 
         [0008]    In another embodiment the method for celebrating an event comprises pouring a beverage into a glass, placing a lid on top of the glass, placing a cupcake on top of the lid in a disposition such that the bottom surface of the cupcake is adjacent to the top surface of the lid, the outer circumference of the cupcake is disposed adjacent to the outer lip of the lid, and the one or more circular projections are inserted into the body of the cupcake, placing one or more candles in the top surface of the cupcake, lighting the one or more candles, and presenting the glass to an individual. 
         [0009]    Still other embodiments of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in this art from the following description wherein there is shown and described the embodiments of this invention, simply by way of illustration of the best modes suited to carry out the invention. As it will be realized, the invention is capable of other different embodiments and its several details are capable of modifications in various obvious aspects all without departing from the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the drawing and descriptions will be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]    Various exemplary embodiments of this invention will be described in detail, wherein like reference numerals refer to identical or similar components, with reference to the following figures, wherein: 
           [0011]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the lid; 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is a top view of the lid; 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is a cross sectional view of the lid; 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  is a view of a candle placed on the lid; 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  is a view of a cupcake placed on the lid; and 
           [0016]      FIG. 6 . is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of lid. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0017]    The claimed subject matter is now described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the claimed subject matter. It may be evident, however, that the claimed subject matter may be practiced with or without any combination of these specific details, without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention and the claims. 
         [0018]    Referring to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , one embodiment of the lid  100  is displayed. The lid  100  is configured to fit on top of pint size glasses but alternatively may fit on top of any size glass. The lid  100  may have multiple tiers  110 ,  120 ,  130  formed by concentrically smaller circles stacked together. In the preferred embodiment the lid  100  has a first tier  110 , a second tier  120 , and a third tier  130 . In other embodiments the lid  100  may have only one tier. In other embodiments the lid  100  may have any number of tiers. The lid  100  has a bottom rim  140  which engages the top rim of the glass. The rim  140  may simply engage the top rim of the glass. In other embodiments the rim  140  forms a tight fit on the rim of the glass so that the lid  100  is removably secured to the glass. The lid  100  also has a plurality of vent holes  150 . The vent holes  150  may be on each tier or only one tier. The vent holes permit air to pass through from the inner cavity formed by the lid  100  to outside of the lid  100 . The vent holes  150  permit carbonation from the beverage in the glass to vent through the vent holes  150 . If the beverage in the glass is beer then the vent holes  150  encourage the formation of a head on the top of the beer. In some embodiments only a number of the circular portions are vent holes  150  and other circular portions may resemble vent holes but be either depressions or indentations of the material of the lid  100 . In the center of the third tier  130  is a circular projection  160 . In the middle of the circular projection  160  is a circular cavity  162 . The circular projection  160  may be any shape and size. The circular projection  160  may be rounded or may be a thin straight circular projection. The circular cavity  162  is a cavity extending into the central inner cavity of the lid  100 . The circular cavity  162  is configured to receive and hold a candle. The lid  100  may have one or more circular projections  160  and one or more circular cavities  162 . Each circular projection  160  may have a circular cavity  162  or may not have a circular cavity  162 . Each circular cavity  162  may have a circular projection  160  or may not have a circular projection  160 . 
         [0019]    On the outer circumference of third tier  130  is an outer lip  180 . The outer lip  180  in conjunction with the circular projection  160  can be used to hold a cupcake onto the top of the lid  100 . The lid  100  may have a top printed message  170 . The top printed message  170  may be any message such as “Happy Birthday!!” or “Congratulations!” The top printed message  170  may be a message printed onto the lid  100  with ink or may be preformed into the third tier  130 . In addition, the lid  100  may have a side printed message  190 . The side printed message  190  may be any message such as “Happy Birthday!!” or “Congratulations!” In other embodiments the side printed message is a word advertisement, logo, slogan, or other advertising message. In other embodiments the side printed message may be any word, image, picture, or design printed on, embedded into, or preformed into the side of the tier. The side printed message  190  may be a message printed onto the outer circumference of any tier or preformed into the side of any tier. 
         [0020]    As shown in  FIG. 2 , in the preferred embodiment of the invention the lid  100  has a circular body that is coextensive with the circular rim of a glass. In addition, in the preferred embodiment, the first tier  110 , second tier  120 , and third tier  130  are circular. However, in other embodiments the body and the tiers may be shaped differently. For instance the first tier  110 , second tier  120 , and third tier  130  may all be square in shape to fit a glass with a square shaped rim. In addition, the first tier  110 , second tier  120 , and third tier  130  may all present a triangular, rectangular, oval, hexagonal, heptagonal, or octogonal profile shape when viewed from the top. The profile shape of the lid  100  and the tiers may be any shape when viewed from the top, formed by any number of curved lines, straight lines, or combination thereof. In another embodiment the first tier  110  may have a different profile shape than the second tier  120 , which in turn may have a different profile shape than the third tier  130 . 
         [0021]    Referring to  FIG. 3 , a cross sectional view of the lid  100  is displayed. The circular cavity  162  extends into the internal cavity defined by the body of the lid  100 . The circular cavity  162  is defined by a cavity wall  164 . The cavity wall  164  may be any size, shape, and dimension. The cavity wall  164  prevents a candle placed in the circular cavity  162  from falling through into the internal cavity defined by the body of the lid  100 . 
         [0022]    Referring to  FIG. 4 , the use of the lid  100  is illustrated. First a user fills a glass  200  with a desired beverage. The user then places the lid  100  on the top of the glass  200 . A user places a candle  300  in the circular cavity  162  of the lid  100 . The user then lights the candle  300  and presents it to an individual. The individual then can blow out the candle  300 , remove the lid  100 , and drink the beverage. 
         [0023]    Referring to  FIG. 5 , another method of utilizing the lid  100  is illustrated. In this method, a user fills a glass  200  with a desired beverage. The user then places the lid  100  on top of the glass  200 . The user then places a cupcake  400  on top of the lid  100 . The cupcake  400  is removably secured to the lid  100  by inserting the circular protrusion  100  into the body of the cupcake  400 . The bottom of the cupcake  400  is placed against the top surface of the lid  100 . In addition, the outer lip  180  extends upward around the outer circumference of the cupcake  400  to prevent the cupcake  400  from sliding off of the lid  100 . The user can then place a candle  300  into the top surface of the cupcake  400 . The user then lights the candle  300 . The user then presents the glass  200  with the lid  100  to an individual. The individual then can blow out the candle  300 , remove the candle  300  from the cupcake  400 , remove the cupcake  400  from the lid  100 , eat the cupcake  400 , remove the lid  100  from the glass  200 , and drink the beverage. 
         [0024]    Referring to  FIG. 6 , an alternative embodiment of the lid  100  is displayed. In this embodiment, each tier is a separate piece that snaps together with the neighboring tier. This permits each tier to be a different color and a user may mix and match the colors of the tiers as chosen. In this embodiment the first tier  110  is separate from the second tier  120 , which in turn is separate from the third tier  130 . The first tier  110  has a first tier central opening  112  in the top surface of the first tier  110 . Surrounding the periphery of the first tier central opening  112  are a plurality of first tier receptors  114 . The second tier  120  has a second tier central opening  122 . Surrounding the second tier central opening  122  are a plurality of second tier receptors  124 . Along the bottom edge of the second tier  120  are a plurality of second tier securing projections  126 . The second tier securing projections  126  are disposed to enter into the first tier receptors  114 . The first tier receptors  114  receive and secure the second tier securing projections  126 , removably securing the second tier  120  to the first tier  110 . The third tier  130  has a plurality of third tier securing projections  134  along the lower edge of the third tier  130 . The third tier securing projections  134  are disposed to enter into the second tier receptors  124 . The second tier receptors  124  receive and secure the third tier securing projections  134 , removably securing the third tier  130  to the second tier  120 . In some embodiments the first tier  110  and second tier  120  do not have a first tier central opening  112  and a second tier central opening  122  but instead have continuous flat surfaces. In the preferred embodiment, the securing projections and receptors are configured to snap together. In other embodiments, the first tier  110 , the second tier  120 , and the third tier  130  each can be removably secured to the other tiers. In the preferred embodiment the means for securing the tiers together are the securing projections and receptors. In other embodiments, any means can be used to removably secure the tiers together. In one embodiment the tiers may be held together using hook and loop tape, adhesive, tape, or any other structural components on the tiers which may be secured together with complementary structural components on the neighboring tiers. 
         [0025]    The lid  100  may be made from any type of commercially available material. In the preferred embodiment the lid  100  is made of a formed thermoplastic such as polystyrene or polypropylene. Alternatively, the lid  100  may be made from sugar so that the lid  100  is edible. In other embodiments the lid  100  is constructed from paper. 
         [0026]    What has been described above includes examples of the claimed subject matter. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes of describing the claimed subject matter, but one of ordinary skill in the art can recognize that many further combinations and permutations of such matter are possible. Accordingly, the claimed subject matter is intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, to the extent that the term “includes” is used in either the detailed description or the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as “comprising” is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim. 
         [0027]    The foregoing method descriptions and the process flow diagrams are provided merely as illustrative examples and are not intended to require or imply that the steps of the various embodiments must be performed in the order presented. As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art the order of steps in the foregoing embodiments may be performed in any order. Words such as “thereafter,” “then,” “next,” etc. are not intended to limit the order of the steps; these words are simply used to guide the reader through the description of the methods. Further, any reference to claim elements in the singular, for example, using the articles “a,” “an” or “the” is not to be construed as limiting the element to the singular. 
         [0028]    The preceding description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the following claims and the principles and novel features disclosed herein.