Abstract:
An apparatus includes a drinking container and a lid. The lid encircles a portion of the drinking container, and includes a body and a rim. The body is formed of an elastomeric material and defines a hollow pocket with an open end and an aperture or scored region. The rim is formed of the elastomeric material and defines a ring running about the open end. Lids in accordance with aspects of the invention are capable of capturing and suspending straws, and preventing spills.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to containers for storage or transport, and, more particularly to, lids or caps for drinking containers. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Using a straw to drink from a water bottle or other such drinking container is frequently difficult and frustrating. If the straw is too short in relation to the container, the straw has a tendency to drop into the container, where it becomes lost and unusable. At the same time, the contents of the same container may be easily spilled if the container is inadvertently tilted or dropped. Such problems are particularly acute when the person doing the drinking is a child. 
     There is, as a result, the need for a technology that may help alleviate these issues. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Embodiments of the present invention address the above-identified needs by providing designs for elastomeric lids for use with drinking containers. These lids are capable of capturing and suspending straws, and preventing spills. 
     Aspects of the invention are directed to an apparatus comprising a body and a rim. The body is formed of an elastomeric material and defines a hollow pocket with an open end and an aperture or scored region. The rim is formed of the elastomeric material and defines a ring running about the open end. 
     Additional aspects of the invention are directed to an apparatus comprising a drinking container and a lid. The lid encircles a portion of the drinking container, and comprises a body and a rim. The body is formed of an elastomeric material and defines a hollow pocket with an open end and an aperture or scored region. The rim is formed of the elastomeric material and defines a ring running about the open end. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where: 
         FIG. 1  shows an elevational view of an apparatus in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 2  shows an exploded perspective view of elements of the  FIG. 1  apparatus; 
         FIG. 3  shows a perspective view of elements of the  FIG. 1  apparatus just before the lid is applied to the bottle; 
         FIG. 4  shows a perspective view of a second lid applied to a bottle, in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 5  shows a perspective view of a third lid applied to a bottle, in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 6  shows a perspective view of a fourth lid applied to a bottle, in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention; and 
         FIG. 7  shows a perspective view of a fifth lid applied to a can, in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention will be described with reference to illustrative embodiments. For this reason, numerous modifications can be made to these embodiments and the results will still come within the scope of the invention. No limitations with respect to the specific embodiments described herein are intended or should be inferred. 
       FIG. 1  shows an apparatus  100  in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention. The apparatus  100  comprises: a bottle  110 , a lid  120 , and a straw  130 . In the present embodiment, the bottle  110  is of the type that might be obtained when buying a soft drink or bottled water. The bottle  110  defines a bottle neck  112  with a bottle rim  114  that surrounds a bottle opening  116 . Threads  118  allow a cap (not shown) to be removably attached to the bottle  110 . 
       FIG. 2  shows an exploded perspective view of elements of the apparatus  100 , namely, the bottle  110 , the lid  120 , and the straw  130 . The lid  120  comprises a lid body  135 , a lid rim  140 , and a lid aperture  145 . As will be detailed below, the lid  120  comprises an elastomeric material with a high stretch ratio and high resilience. The lid  120  envelopes a top region of the bottle neck  112  and spans across the bottle opening  116  of the bottle  110 . So positioned, the lid aperture  145  is disposed near the center of the bottle opening  116 . The straw  130  may be inserted through the lid aperture  145  to obtain the apparatus  100  shown in  FIG. 1 . The lid aperture  145  preferably has a diameter somewhat smaller than that of the straw  130  so that the lid aperture  145  imposes a compressive force on the straw  130 , thereby inhibiting the straw  130  from moving up and down in the lid aperture  145 . A straw  130  that is too short to reach the bottom of the bottle  110  may thereby be suspended in the bottle  110 , as is shown in  FIG. 1  (the bottom of the straw  130  is suspended above the bottom of the bottle  110  by distance D). 
       FIG. 3  shows a perspective view of the lid  120  and the bottle  110  as they might appear just before the lid  120  is placed on the bottle  110 . The lid body  135  defines a hollow pocket  150  with an open end  155 . The lid rim  140  is a ring that is distinct from the lid body  135  and runs about the open end  155 . The lid aperture  145  sits at the top of the hollow pocket  150  opposite the open end  155 . The lid  130  elastically expands as it is placed on the neck  112  of the bottle  110  (broken lines and arrow in  FIG. 3 ). 
     While the lid  120  in  FIGS. 2 and 3  include the lid aperture  145  to accommodate the straw  130 , alternative designs may be utilized.  FIG. 4  shows a perspective view of a second lid  160  applied to the bottle  110 , in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention. The second lid  160  includes a second lid body  170  and a second lid rim  180  similar to those of the lid  120 . However, rather than having the lid aperture  145 , the second lid  160  includes a scored region  190  (i.e., lines of weakness) that may be broken open to accommodate the straw  130 . In the present embodiment, the scored region  190  describes a cross or x-shape. 
     Alternative lids may also include additional features such as tabs and flaps.  FIG. 5  shows a perspective view of a third lid  200  applied to the bottle  110 , in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention. In addition to a third lid body  210 , a third lid rim  220 , and a third lid aperture  230 , the third lid  200  includes a t-shaped tab  240  that extends from the third lid rim  220 . The t-shaped tab  240  includes a narrow connector portion  250  and a larger elongate flap portion  260 . The flap portion  260  facilitates a user in applying and removing the third lid  200  to and from the bottle  110 . The flap portion  260  is also an ideal place to add branding to the third lid  200 . This branding may, for example, comprise text and/or logos associated with sports teams and the like. 
       FIG. 6  shows a perspective view of a fourth lid  270  applied to the bottle  110 , in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention. In addition to a fourth lid body  280 , a fourth lid rim  290 , and a fourth lid aperture  300 , the fourth lid further comprises an annular fourth lid flap  310  that projects outward from an entirety of the fourth lid rim  290 . Here again, the fourth lid flap  310  eases installation and removal of the fourth lid  270  to and from the bottle  110 , while also creating surface space for branding. While the fourth lid flap  310  extends all the way around the fourth lid rim  290 , in alternative embodiments, it may extend only part way around. 
     Lastly,  FIG. 7  shows a fifth lid  320  with a lid body  330 , a lid rim  340 , and a lid aperture  350  applied to a can  360 , in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention. In the present embodiment, the can  360  has a tab-actuated opening  365 , and may be of the type received when purchasing a soft drink. The fifth lid  320  works in much the same way of the previously described lids  120 ,  160 ,  200 ,  270 , but is applied to the upper portion of the can  360  such that the lid aperture  350  overlies the opening  365  in the can  360 . 
     The lids  120 ,  160 ,  200 ,  270 ,  320  will preferably exhibit a large stretch ratio, high resilience, and be extremely waterproof. By large stretch ratio, a ratio of three or more is contemplated to allow the lids  120 ,  160 ,  200 ,  270 ,  320  to deform sufficiently to differently sized containers. At the same time, the lids  120 ,  160 ,  200 ,  270 ,  320  will preferably be formed of a material that is safe for contact with food. There are many elastomeric materials that fit these requirements. These include natural and synthetic rubbers such as, as just one example, natural latex rubber. Natural latex rubber is presently used in the manufacture of a number of commercial products such as surgeons&#39; gloves, condoms, and balloons. If allergic reactions are of concern, latex from non-Hevea sources, such as Guayule, can be used without allergic reaction by person with allergy to Hevea latex. These and other suitable materials, as well as techniques for manufacturing products therefrom, are set forth in, for example, NIR Board of Consultants and Engineers,  The Complete Book on Rubber Processing and Compounding Technology , Asia Pacific Business Press Inc., 2010, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. 
     The above-described lids  120 ,  160 ,  200 ,  270 ,  320  and, more generally, lids in accordance with aspects of the invention provide several advantages. The lids  120 ,  160 ,  200 ,  270 ,  320 , for example, are highly deformable and are thereby able to adapt to bottles of differing sizes and shapes, making the lids  120 ,  160 ,  200 ,  270 ,  320  universal to many drinking containers, where the term “drinking container” is used herein to mean a cup, glass, bottle, can, flask, canteen, and the like. As a result, a user need not obtain, store, and transport multiple lid sizes to accommodate different containers, but may instead just utilize a single size of lid. The lids  120 ,  160 ,  200 ,  270 ,  320  are also able to stop spills and to “suspend” a straw, as indicated above. Finally, the lids  120 ,  160 ,  200 ,  270 ,  320  are easy and inexpensive to manufacture, are small and light, disposable, and provide branding opportunities. When densely packaged in a bag or box, the lids will occupy a small volume. One hundred fifty lids may, for example, occupy only about 320 cubic centimeters. 
     It should again be emphasized that the above-described embodiments of the invention are intended to be illustrative only. Other embodiments can use different types and arrangements of elements for implementing the described functionality. These numerous alternative embodiments within the scope of the invention will be apparent to one skilled in the art. 
     Moreover, all the features disclosed herein may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent, or similar purposes, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features. 
     Any element in a claim that does not explicitly state “means for” performing a specified function or “step for” performing a specified function is not to be interpreted as a “means for” or “step for” clause as specified in AIA 35 U.S.C. §112(f). In particular, the use of “step of” in the claims herein is not intended to invoke the provisions of AIA 35 U.S.C. §112(f).