Abstract:
An integrated beverage infuser and lid are adapted for use with a drinking vessel for brewing a consumable product, such as tea, in the drinking vessel, such as a travel mug or insulated tumbler. The lid includes a main body adapted for removable attachment to the drinking vessel. A fluid-permeable brewing basket defines an enclosable receptacle for removable receipt of the brewing product. The basket is movable between a stowed position, close to a lower surface of the main body and above the level of liquid in the drinking vessel, and a deployed position, spaced farther apart from the lower surface of the main body for submersion in the liquid contained in the drinking vessel. A flexible attachment member attaches the brewing basket to the lid main body. A sidewall recess in the main body retains the flexible attachment member when the brewing basket is in the stowed position.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The invention relates to removable lids for beverage containers. Specifically, the invention relates to lids having a means for brewing tea, coffee or other consumable products in a drinking vessel. 
     BACKGROUND 
     The following description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 8,205,542 discloses an integrated beverage infuser lid having a fluid-permeable brewing basket for brewing a consumable product in a beverage container. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a top perspective view of an integrated beverage infuser and lid. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates an exploded view of the beverage infuser and lid of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3A  illustrates a plan view of an attachment member used with the beverage infuser and lid of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3B  illustrates a side view of the attachment member of  FIG. 3A . 
         FIG. 4A  illustrates a top perspective view of the beverage infuser and lid of  FIG. 1  showing a lid main body with a closed cover. 
         FIG. 4B  illustrates a top perspective view of the beverage infuser and lid of  FIG. 1  showing the lid main body with an open cover. 
         FIG. 4C  illustrates a left side view of the beverage infuser and lid of  FIG. 1  showing the lid main body with an open cover. 
         FIG. 4D  illustrates a cross-sectional left side view of the beverage infuser and lid of  FIG. 1  showing the lid main body with an open cover. 
         FIG. 5A  illustrates a cross-sectional side view of a brewing basket used with the beverage infuser and lid of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5B  illustrates a top perspective view of the brewing basket of  FIG. 5A . 
         FIG. 5C  illustrates a bottom perspective view of the brewing basket of  FIG. 5A . 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a cross-sectional rear view of the beverage infuser and lid of  FIG. 1  showing the brewing basket in a stowed position with the cover closed. 
         FIG. 7  illustrates a cross-sectional right side view of the beverage infuser and lid of  FIG. 1  showing the brewing basket in the stowed position with the cover closed. 
         FIG. 8  illustrates top plan view of the beverage infuser and lid of  FIG. 1  showing the brewing basket in the stowed position with the cover open. 
         FIG. 9  illustrates a top perspective view of the beverage infuser and lid of  FIG. 8 . 
         FIG. 10  illustrates a cross-sectional front view of the beverage infuser and lid of  FIG. 1  showing the brewing basket in a deployed position with the cover open. 
         FIG. 11  illustrates a cross-sectional left side view of the beverage infuser and lid of  FIG. 1  showing the brewing basket in the deployed position with the cover closed. 
         FIG. 12  illustrates a cross-sectional left side view of the integrated beverage infuser and lid of  FIG. 1  showing the brewing basket in the stowed position and the lid attached to a drinking vessel with the cover fully open. 
         FIG. 13  illustrates a cross-sectional left side view of the integrated beverage infuser and lid of  FIG. 1  showing the brewing basket in the deployed position and the lid attached to the drinking vessel with the cover fully open. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     An integrated beverage infuser lid  10  for a drinking vessel is shown in  FIG. 1 . The lid has a substantially cylindrical main body  12  with an upper portion  14  and a lower portion  16 . A cover  18  is pivotally attached to the upper portion  14  of the lid  10  and can be closed to fit into a first elongated recess  20  of the upper portion  14 . A flexible attachment member  22  is attached to a brewing basket  24  suspended within lower portion  16  of the lid  10 . The flexible attachment member  22  facilitates transitioning the brewing basket  24  between a stowed position (shown in  FIGS. 1, 6, 7 and 12 ) and a deployed position (shown in  FIGS. 10, 11 and 13 ), as described in greater detail below. The upper surfaces of the upper portion  14  and cover  18  define a depression with a central portion  26  lower than a peripheral portion  28 . The cover  18  is pivotally attached to the upper portion  14  to rotate about a horizontal axis of rotation located at a rearward portion of the peripheral portion  28  of the upper portion  14 . Although not illustrated, the cover  18  may be instead attached at an axis of rotation inward from the peripheral portion  28 . In  FIG. 1 , an exterior surface  30  of the lower portion  16  of the lid  10  has threads  32  such that the lid can threadably attach to a drinking vessel  34 , as shown in  FIGS. 12 and 13 . Other attachment means may be used to removably join the lid to the drinking vessel in a fluid-tight configuration, such as a bayonet mount, and may include an O-ring  36  or gasket sized to seal the lid  10  to the drinking vessel  34 . 
     An exploded view of the lid  10  is shown in  FIG. 2 . An attachment aperture  38  is provided in the first elongated recess  20 . The attachment member  22  extends through the attachment aperture  38 , as shown in  FIGS. 6-11 , to attach the brewing basket  24  to the lid  10 . The brewing basket  24  has a substantially cylindrical shape and a space therein in which tea, coffee, or other brewing product may be placed. The brewing basket  24  has a basket upper portion  24 A and a basket lower portion  24 B. 
     The flexible attachment member  22  shown in  FIG. 3A  has an upper end portion  22 A, a middle portion  22 B, and a lower end portion  22 C. The middle portion  22 B is sized to fit into and slide back and forth through the attachment aperture  38 . Although the middle portion  22 B is cylindrical in this embodiment, the middle portion  22 B may instead have a different shape, such as a rectangular cross-section, by way of non-limiting example. The upper end portion  22 A has a gripping tab  40  sized to allow the user to grip the gripping tab  40  and move the middle portion  22 B back and forth through the attachment aperture  38 . The gripping tab  40  is thin in a thickness direction, as seen in  FIG. 3B . 
     An insertion section  44  is located on the lower end portion  22 C of the attachment member  22 . The insertion section  44  has several retention tabs  46  which insert into the brewing basket  24  and retain the attachment member  22  to the brewing basket  24 . The retention tabs  46  are tapered toward the free end of the lower end portion  22 C to allow insertion of the lower end portion  22 C into the brewing basket  24 , and prevent removal therefrom once inserted, as shown in  FIGS. 6, 7, 10 and 11 . 
     A first base portion  42  is located between the gripping tab  40  and the middle portion  22 B. The first base portion  42  is wider than the middle portion  22 B and the attachment aperture  38 , as shown in  FIGS. 10 and 11 . A second base portion  48  is disposed between the middle portion  22 B and the insertion section  44 . The second base portion  48  is wider than the middle portion  22 B and the attachment aperture  38 , as shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7 . Once the attachment member  22  is inserted into the brewing basket  24 , the brewing basket  24  is secured between the retention tabs  46  and the second base portion, as seen in  FIGS. 6, 7, 10 and 11 . 
     The cover  18  is selectively rotatable about the axis of rotation between a closed position where a drinking aperture is sealed, as shown in  FIG. 4A , and an open position where a user may consume liquid from the drinking aperture, as shown in  FIG. 4B  with smooth liquid flow facilitated by a venting aperture  58 . The cover  18  is shaped to cover and fit within the first elongated recess  20 . As shown, a rearward end portion of the cover  18  is positioned within and pivotally attached to opposing sidewalls of the first elongated recess  20  at the peripheral portion  28 . Alternatively, the cover  18  may instead be attached to the upper portion  14  at a location outside of the first elongated recess  20 . 
     The drinking aperture  50 , venting aperture  58  and attachment aperture  38  are disposed in the first elongated recess  20 , as shown in  FIG. 4B . If the first elongated recess  20  extended over a smaller area of the upper portion  14 , the attachment aperture  38  could be located outside of the first elongated recess  20  near the central portion  26 , by way of non-limiting example. 
     An upwardly open second elongated recess  52  extends from the attachment aperture  38  toward the peripheral portion  28 . The second elongated recess  52  terminates with an upwardly and outwardly open sidewall recess  54 . The middle portion  22 B of the flexible attachment member  22  may be positioned in the second elongated recess  52  when the brewing basket  24  is in the stowed position (see  FIGS. 8 and 9 ). The second elongated recess  52  has a width such that when a lengthwise portion of the middle portion  22 B is within the second elongated recess the sidewalls thereof grip the middle portion and retain it against movement under the weight of the brewing basket  24  suspended from the lower end portion  22 C of the flexible attachment member when the brewing basket is in the stowed position. The user may press fit the middle portion  22 B into the second elongated recess  52  by positioning it above the second elongated recess and pressing it downward using a finger to apply a downward force of the middle portion. The second elongated recess  52  may have an extended portion  56  that extends past the attachment aperture  38  in a direction opposite to the sidewall recess  54 . 
     The venting aperture  58  disposed in the first elongated recess  20  equalizes the pressure within the drinking vessel  34  with ambient pressure outside of the drinking vessel  34  when liquid passes through the drinking aperture  50 . The venting aperture  58  may alternatively be disposed on an upper surface of the upper portion  14  outside of the first elongated recess  20 , or eliminated completely. 
     The sidewall recess  54  has an upwardly open opening  54 A, as shown in  FIG. 4C . The opening  54 A is wider than the portion of the middle portion  22 B to be fit within the sidewall recess  50  when the brewing basket  24  is in the stowed position. The opening  54 A tapers downwardly to a narrow portion  54 B that is narrower than the portion of the middle portion  22 B to be fit within the sidewall recess  50 . The sidewall recess  54  terminates at a retaining portion  54 C below the narrow portion  54 B that is approximately the same width as the middle portion  22 B but preferably grips the middle portion  22 B with sufficient force to retain it against movement under the weight of the brewing basket  24 . 
     The lower portion  16  of the main body  12  of the lid  10  includes a circumferentially extending sidewalls  60  extending downward from the upper portion  14 , and forming a downwardly opening cavity  62  having a lower open end  62 A, as shown in  FIG. 4D . An annular abutment wall  64  extends downward from the lower surface of the upper portion  14  and extends about the attachment aperture  38 . When the brewing basket  24  is moved upward fully into the stowed position, and upper end wall  76  of the brewing basket engages the annular abutment wall  64  which assists in orienting and holding the brewing basket  24  in a vertical direction when the brewing basket is in the fully stowed position. 
     The cover  18  has a drinking stopper  66  and a vent stopper  68  which seal the drinking aperture  50  and the venting aperture  58 , respectively, when the cover is in the closed position. A compressible portion  70  of the cover  18  covers the drinking stopper  66  and the vent stopper  68 . The compressible portion  70  assists in forming a fluid-tight seal of the drinking aperture  50  and the venting aperture  58  when the cover  18  is in the closed position. When the cover  18  is in the closed position, an enclosed space  72  is defined between a lower surface of the cover  18  and an upper surface of the first elongated recess  20 . 
     The attachment aperture  38  has an upper cavity  38 A, a middle opening  38 B, and a lower cavity  38 C, as shown in  FIG. 4D . The upper cavity  38 A and/or lower cavity  38 C may be tapered toward the middle opening  38 B. The middle opening  38 B is approximately the same width as the middle portion  22 B of the flexible attachment member or slightly larger, as shown in  FIGS. 6, 7, 10 and 11 , to allow easy movement of the flexible attachment member therethrough when moving the brewing basket  24  between the stowed and deployed positions. Although the attachment aperture  38  is substantially cylindrical in this embodiment, the attachment aperture may instead have a different shape to match the cross-sectional shape of the attachment member  22 . By way of non-limiting example, the attachment aperture  38  may instead be a thin rectangular-shaped slot into which an attachment member  22  having a rectangular cross-section may fit. 
     Referring to  FIG. 5A , the lower portion  24 B of the brewing basket  24  has a lower end wall  74 . The lower end wall  74  forms a door at a lower end opening  24 C of the brewing basket which opens to expose the space inside the brewing basket  24  and allows for insertion and removal of the brewing product, as shown in  FIG. 5C . The upper portion  24 A of the brewing basket has the upper end wall  76  to which the flexible attachment member  22  is attached and a basket sidewall  78 . The basket sidewall  78  connects the lower end wall  74  and the upper end wall  76 . Holes on the lower end wall  74 , the upper end wall  76  and/or the basket sidewall  78  allow liquid to permeate the brewing basket  24  to contact the brewing product therein. 
     A basket attachment aperture  80  is located on the upper end wall  76 , as shown in  FIG. 5B . The insertion portion  44  of the flexible attachment member  22  may be inserted in the basket attachment aperture  80  thereby attaching the brewing basket  24  to the flexible attachment member. The holes on the upper end wall  76  are concentrically arranged around the basket attachment aperture  80 . Although the brewing basket  24  is cylindrical as illustrated, the brewing basket  24  may be any volumetric shape that facilitates enclosing a brewing product therein to expose the brewing product to liquid in the drinking vessel to which the lid  10  is attached. Such volumetric shapes include a spherical shape, a box shape, or a prism shape, by way of non-limiting example. 
       FIG. 6  illustrates the brewing basket  24  in the stowed position. In the stowed position, the upper end wall  76  is proximate to a lower surface  14 A of the upper portion  14  and in engagement with a lower edge of the annular abutment wall  64 . In this position, the second base portion  48  of the flexible attachment member  22  is positioned adjacent to the lower surface  14 A of the upper portion  14 . To transition the brewing basket  24  from the deployed position to the stowed position, the user pulls the gripping tab  40  generally upward away from the attachment aperture  38  until the brewing basket reaches the stowed position. The middle portion  22 B of the attachment member  22  is shorter than the second elongated recess  52 . As a result, the user must somewhat stretch and bend the flexible attachment member  22  to insert the middle portion  22 B into the second elongated recess  52  and within the retaining portion  54 C of the sidewall recess  54  with the first base portion  42  of the flexible attachment member laterally outward of the sidewall recess  54 . This stretching action causes the second base portion  48  to move more fully into a lower cavity  38 C in the lower surface  14 A of the upper portion  14 , whereat it covers any gap between the wall of the attachment aperture  38  and the middle portion  22 B of the flexible attachment member  22  at a location below the middle opening  38 B of the attachment aperture  38 , and helps prevent heat and liquid from escaping through the attachment aperture  38  when the brewing basket  24  is in the stowed position. 
     The upper portion  14  includes an upwardly open and downwardly inward tapering tapered portions  82  which facilitates easy sliding of the middle portion  22 B of the flexible attachment member  22  into the second elongated recess  52 , as shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9 . The middle portion  22 B may be retained by the sidewall recess  54  when the brewing basket  24  is in the stowed position and the attachment member  22  is in the stretched state. Secure retention is assisted by the first base portion  42  of the flexible attachment member  22  having a larger size than the retaining portion  54 C of the sidewall recess  54  so it does not pull through the second elongated recess  52 . Accordingly, the first base portion  42  may be retained on an exterior surface  84  of the upper portion  14  when the middle portion  22 B is in the sidewall recess  54 . 
     When the brewing basket  24  is in the stowed position, at least the upper end wall  76  of the brewing basket is disposed within the downwardly opening cavity  62  of the lower portion  16  of the main body  12  of the lid  10 . The upper end wall  76  may contact lower end of the abutment wall  64  when the brewing basket  24  is in the stowed position, vertically orienting the brewing basket  24 . In some embodiments the upper portion  14  of the lid  10  may not provide a downwardly opening cavity  62 . As a non-limiting example of such a configuration, there may be no lower portion  16  below the upper portion  14 , thus no downward extending sidewalls  60  extending downward from the upper portion, and attachment means for attachment of the lid to a drinking vessel (such as threads  32 ) may be disposed on a periphery of the upper portion  14 . The brewing basket  24  could therefore still be in a stowed position even though it is not within a downwardly opening cavity  62 . That is, the stowed position generally defines a position where the brewing basket  24  is close to the lower surface  14 A of the upper portion  14  so that it is completely or at least mostly out of the liquid in the drinking vessel to which the lid  10  is attached. In the stowed position, the second base portion  48  of the flexible attachment member  22  may be in the lower cavity  38 C of the attachment aperture  38  and seal the middle opening  38 B. 
     The cover  18  may be closed over the flexible attachment member  22  when the brewing basket  24  is in the stowed position, as shown in  FIG. 7 . The cover  18  may therefore enclose the middle portion  22 B of the flexible attachment member in the enclosed space  72  when the brewing basket  24  is in the stowed position. 
       FIG. 10  illustrates the brewing basket  24  in the deployed position. In the deployed position, the upper end wall  76  of the brewing basket is spaced apart from the lower surface  14 A of the upper portion  14  sufficiently to be at least partially submersed in the liquid in the drinking vessel to which the lid  10  is attached, or at least further submersed than when in the stowed position. The first base portion  42  of the flexible attachment member  22  may fit into the upper cavity  38 A of the attachment aperture  38  and cover the middle opening  38 B of the attachment opening at a location above the middle opening to help retain heat within the drinking vessel while the beverage is brewing. When the gripping tab  40  is rotated to be in a plane aligned with the second elongated recess  52 , a lower part of the gripping tab may be positioned within the second elongated recess  52  and also within the extended portion  56  which extends beyond the attachment aperture  38 . The gripping tab  40  may be bent over and conveniently stored in the enclosed space  72  when the cover  18  is closed and the brewing basket  22  is in the deployed position, as shown in  FIG. 11 . 
     In  FIG. 10 , the upper end wall  76  of the brewing basket  24  is disposed below and outside of the downwardly opening cavity  62  of the lower portion  16  of the lid  10 ; however, this relationship does not necessarily define the deployed position. If the sidewall  60  does not extend downward from the upper portion  14 , for example, the brewing basket  24  could be in a deployed position even though there is no downwardly opening cavity  62  in which the brewing basket  24  is moved when in the stowed position. Conversely, the sidewall  60  could be sized relative to the drinking vessel such that the brewing basket  24  could contact liquid when in the deployed position and still be fully or partially within the downwardly opening cavity  62 . In other words, the brewing basket  24  may be considered to be in the deployed position when the upper end wall  76  is spaced apart from the lower surface  14 A sufficiently to be at least partially submersed in the liquid in the drinking vessel to which the lid  10  is attached which is more than when in the stowed position. 
     In  FIG. 12  the integrated beverage infuser lid  10  is shown attached to a drinking vessel  34  with the brewing basket  24  in the stowed position. The brewing basket  24  is positioned above the liquid in the drinking vessel  34  to prevent exposure of the brewing product to the liquid, either before the user wishes to commence the brewing process or after the brewing process is sufficiently complete for the user&#39;s taste so that brewing does not continue. The cover  18  is opened and may be rotated fully rearward to rest against the side of the drinking vessel  34 . The shape of the cover  18  allows the cover  18  to reach rearward over and around the peripheral portion  28  and rest against the curved side of the drinking vessel  34 . 
     The brewing basket  24  may be moved to the deployed position and positioned within the drinking vessel  34  to expose brewing product in the brewing basket  24  to liquid in the drinking vessel  34 , as shown in  FIG. 13 . When the liquid is sufficiently exposed to the brewing product to a make a brewed product desired by the user, the user may grasp the gripping tab  40  and pull upward on the attachment member  22  up to move the brewing basket  24  into the stowed position shown in  FIG. 12 , preventing the brewed product from becoming oversaturated and bitter. The user may easily perform such an operation with one hand while performing other tasks. 
     While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that, based upon the teachings herein, changes and modifications may be made without departing from this invention and its broader aspects and, therefore, the appended claims are to encompass within their scope all such changes and modifications as are within the true spirit and scope of this invention. Furthermore, it is to be understood that the invention is solely defined by the appended claims. It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.). 
     It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to inventions containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare statement of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations).