Abstract:
A lid assembly including a cover member for attachment to a container, the cover member including a top surface and a side surface extending from the top surface, the top surface including an aperture providing access to contents of the container; an actuating mechanism attached to the cover member and mechanically coupled to a sealing element for sealing the aperture, the actuating mechanism including a first actuator positionable between closed and open positions to move the sealing element to close and partially open the aperture; and a second actuator positionable between closed and open positions to move the sealing element to close and fully open the aperture; and an indicator mechanism provided on the cover member, the indicator mechanism providing a visual indication of which of the first and/or second actuators have been actuated.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present disclosure is generally directed towards beverage containers and beverage container lids and, more particularly, toward beverage container lids having push button controlled functionality for opening and closing the drinking opening, as well as maintaining the drinking opening in a partially open or fully open position. The present disclosure has particular utility in the consumption of hot and cold beverages. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Beverage containers and lids therefore are commonly sold and are used for the containment and consumption of beverages, such as juice, soft drinks, water, coffee tea, etc. Typically, beverage containers will include a lid which covers a top opening through which the container is filled. The lids may be screwed onto the container, snap fit, friction fit, or otherwise removably attached. The lid is designed to prevent the beverage from spilling while still allowing the beverage to be consumed. Such containers are often used for holding juice, water, coffee, tea, etc. and are used by persons traveling to and from work or other situations where the container is subject to motion. 
         [0003]    For instance, the lid may have a slot or opening therein that allows the beverage to be sipped or otherwise consumed from the container. The drinking opening may be closed and opened via a variety of mechanisms, including rotating a top portion of the lid to align holes in the top and bottom portions of the lid, depressing push buttons, levers or other actuating mechanisms, etc. Such lids are often used for hot beverages, such as, for example, coffee, tea, etc., as it is often preferred to sip a hot beverage so that the temperature of the beverage may be determined before a large amount is consumed. If an actuating mechanism is used, a user will typically depress the actuating mechanism to open the drinking opening and consume the beverage. Releasing the actuating mechanism typically results in the drinking opening being automatically closed. 
         [0004]    Often the drinking opening is only positionable between open and closed positions. When consuming a hot beverage, however, a person may only wish to consume a very small amount at first to test the temperature of the beverage before consuming larger amounts. An opening that allows too much of the beverage to flow from the container may be disadvantageous in that a person&#39;s mouth may be burned when first consuming a particularly hot beverage. 
         [0005]    Various problems are associated with prior art drinking containers and lids of the aforementioned type. For instance, in order to keep the drinking opening open, a user must maintain pressure on the actuating mechanism. If the actuating mechanism (push button, lever, etc.) is inadvertently depressed or otherwise activated, the drinking opening will open which may result in spillage. If the opening is too large, a person&#39;s mouth may be burned in trying to consume a small amount of a particularly hot beverage to test the temperature thereof. Additionally, the provision of metal parts which can corrode may result in a malfunctioning of the lid. 
         [0006]    The present disclosure is directed toward overcoming one or more of the above-identified problems. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    A lid assembly for containers is disclosed herein. The lid assembly includes a cover member for attachment to the container, the cover member including a top surface and a side surface extending from the top surface, wherein the top surface includes an aperture providing access to contents of the container; an actuating mechanism attached to the cover member and mechanically coupled to a sealing element for sealing the aperture, the actuating mechanism including a first actuator positionable between closed and open positions to move the sealing element to close and partially open the aperture; and a second actuator positionable between closed and open positions to move the sealing element to close and fully open the aperture; and an indicator mechanism provided on the cover member, the indicator mechanism providing a visual indication of which of the first and/or second actuators have been actuated. The partially open position defining a small flow position. The open position defining a large flow position. The first and second actuators may operate independently of one another. 
         [0008]    In one form, the first and second actuators include first and second push buttons provided on the side surface of the cover member. With the first and/or second push buttons in the closed position the first and/or second push buttons are generally flush with the side surface, and with the first and/or second push buttons in the open position the first and/or second push buttons are indented from the side surface. 
         [0009]    In another form, the indicator mechanism includes a visual indicator provided about respective peripheries of the first and second actuators. 
         [0010]    In a further form, with the first actuator in the closed position the respective visual indicator is hidden and with the first actuator in the open position the respective visual indicator is exposed, and wherein with the second actuator in the closed position the respective visual indicator is hidden and with the second actuator in the open position the respective visual indicator is exposed. 
         [0011]    In one form, the visual indicator includes color, the color of the visual indicator being different than the color of the cover member. 
         [0012]    In a further form, the first and second actuators include raised indicators on the surfaces thereof for distinguishing between them by touch. 
         [0013]    A lid assembly for containers is disclosed herein. The lid assembly includes a cover member for attachment to a container, the cover member including a top surface and a side surface extending from the top surface, wherein the top surface includes an aperture providing access to contents of the container; an actuating mechanism attached to the cover member and mechanically coupled to a sealing element for sealing the aperture, the actuating mechanism including a first push button positionable between closed and open positions to move the sealing element to close and partially open the aperture (the partially open position defining a small flow position); and a second push button positionable between closed and open positions to move the sealing element to close and fully open the aperture (the fully open position defining a large flow position); and an indicator mechanism provided on the cover member, the indicator mechanism providing a visual indication of which of the first and/or second actuators have been actuated, wherein the indicator mechanism comprises a visual indicator provided about respective peripheries of the first and second actuators. The first and second push buttons may operate independently of one another. 
         [0014]    In one form, the first and second push buttons are provided on the side surface of the cover member. The visual indicator may include color, with the color of the visual indicator being different than the color of the side surface/cover member. 
         [0015]    In another form, with the first and second push buttons in the closed position the first and second push buttons are generally flush with the side surface covering the visual indicator, and with the first and second push buttons in the open position the first and second push buttons are indented from the side surface exposing the visual indicator. 
         [0016]    In a further form, the first and second push buttons include raised indicators on the surfaces thereof for distinguishing between them by touch. 
         [0017]    It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a push button controlled lid assembly that permits the drinking opening to be adjusted to different flow positions. 
         [0018]    It is a further object of the present disclosure to provide a push button controlled lid assembly that allows an opening in the lid to be opened between small and large flow openings. 
         [0019]    It is yet a further object of the present disclosure to provide a push button controlled lid assembly having push buttons that operate in a manner similar to retractable ballpoint pens to adjust the drinking opening to different flow positions (e.g., small and large flow positions). 
         [0020]    It is still a further object of the present disclosure to provide a push button controlled lid assembly having a visual indicator associated with the push buttons so that a user may visually see which, if any, of the push buttons have been activated and, thus, be able to discern the flow position of the drinking opening. 
         [0021]    It is another object of the present disclosure to provide a push button controlled lid assembly having raised indicators on the surfaces of the push buttons enabling a user to distinguish between the push buttons by touch. This enables a user who is visually impaired to distinguish between the push buttons and know which flow position they are opening the drinking opening to via activation of the respective push button. 
         [0022]    Various other objects, aspects and advantages of the present disclosure can be obtained from a study of the specification, the drawings, and the appended claims. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0023]    Further possible embodiment(s) are shown in the drawings. The present disclosure is explained in the following in greater detail with reference to exemplary embodiment(s) depicted in drawings. In the drawings: 
           [0024]      FIGS. 1A-B  are cross-section and perspective ross-section views of the inventive lid assembly in a closed position showing the internal working elements; 
           [0025]      FIGS. 2A-B  are cross-section and perspective ross-section views of the inventive lid assembly in a partially open position showing the internal working elements; 
           [0026]      FIGS. 3A-B  are cross-section and perspective ross-section views of the inventive lid assembly in an open position showing the internal working elements; and 
           [0027]      FIGS. 4A-B  are perspective views of the inventive lid assembly illustrating the operation of the visual indicator. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0028]      FIGS. 1-4  illustrate the inventive lid assembly, shown generally at  10 , attached to a container  12 . The container  12  is designed to hold beverages, such as juice, soft drinks, water, coffee, tea, and the like. The lid assembly  10  may be attached to the container  12  by any means, such as, for example, screw fit, snap fit, friction fit, etc. In a preferred form, the lid assembly  10  is removably attached to the container  12 . 
         [0029]    The lid assembly  10  includes a cover member  14  attachable to the container  12 . The cover member  14  includes a top surface  16  and a side surface  18  extending from the top surface  16 . The side surface  18  is removably attachable to the container  12 . The top surface  16  includes an aperture  20  formed therein which provides access to the contents (e.g., beverage) of the container  12 . 
         [0030]    An actuating mechanism  22  is attached to the cover member  12  at the side surface  18  thereof. The actuating mechanism  22  is mechanically coupled to a sealing element  24  for sealing the aperture  20 . The actuating mechanism  22  is activated by a user to move the sealing element  24  between closed (see  FIGS. 1A-B ), partially open (see  FIGS. 2A-B ), and open (see  FIGS. 3A-B ) positions. As used herein, partially open means that the sealing element  24  is positioned to let a small amount of fluid flow through the aperture  20 , and open means that the sealing element  24  is positions to let a large amount of fluid flow (greater than the small amount of fluid flow) through the aperture  20 . As should be appreciated, closed means that the sealing element  24  seals off the aperture  20  so that no fluid flows there through (with possibly minimal leakage). 
         [0031]    The actuating mechanism includes first  26  and second  28  actuators mechanically coupled to the sealing element  24 . In the embodiment shown herein, the actuators  26 ,  28  are push buttons and will be referred to as such throughout. In the embodiment shown herein, the first  26  and second  28  push buttons are shown oriented vertically and adjacent to one another. However, they may be positioned at various places on the cover member  14 , on either the top  16  or side  18  surfaces without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
         [0032]      FIGS. 1A-B  show the inventive lid assembly  10  in the closed position with neither of the push buttons  26 ,  28  activated. In this position, the sealing element  24  is biased against the aperture by a spring  30 . 
         [0033]      FIGS. 2A-B  illustrate the inventive lid assembly  10  in the partially open position with the first push button  26  pushed in or otherwise activated. Pushing in the first push button  26  activates gears  32  and  34  and moves the pushing axle  36  against the force of the spring  38 . The axle  36  contacts and moves the pushing plate  40  causing it to rotate. Rotation of the plate  40  in turns causes various shaft members, shown generally at  42 , to move laterally and angularly, to pull the sealing element  24  down and out of sealing contact with the aperture  20  against the force of the spring  30 . The first push button  26  is maintained in the partially open position shown in  FIGS. 2A-B  by gears  32  and  34  in a manner similar to that of a retractable ballpoint pen. Thus, a detailed discussion is not warranted. With the sealing element  24  in the partially open position, a small amount of fluid is allowed to flow from the container  12 . This has particular utility with respect to a hot beverage, as the user can consume only a small amount of the beverage to test its temperature. 
         [0034]    Pushing the first button  26  in again causes the gears  32  and  34  to turn in an opposite direction and allow the spring  38  to move the axle  36  back to the closed position moving the first push button  26  back to the closed position (see  FIGS. 1A-B ). As the axle  36  moves back, the plate  40  will rotate back and the spring  30  will bias the sealing element  24  to the closed position (see  FIGS. 1A-B ). 
         [0035]      FIGS. 3A-B  illustrate the inventive lid assembly  10  in the open position with the second push button  28  pushed in or otherwise activated. Pushing in the second push button  28  opens the aperture  20  in a manner similar to that previously described with respect to activating the first push button  26 . Specifically, pushing in the second push button  28  activates gears  44  and  46  and moves the pushing axle  48  against the force of the spring  50 . The axle  48  contacts and moves the pushing plate  40  causing it to rotate. Rotation of the plate  40  in turns causes various shaft members, shown generally at  42 , to move laterally and angularly, to pull the sealing element  24  down and out of sealing contact with the aperture  20  against the force of the spring  30 . The axle  48  causes the plate  40  to rotate further than when the plate is contacted by the axle  36 , to move the sealing element  24  further away from the aperture  20  to allow move fluid to flow from the container. The second push button  28  is maintained in the open position shown in  FIGS. 3A-B  by gears  44  and  46  in a manner similar to that of a retractable ballpoint pen. Thus, a detailed discussion is not warranted. With the sealing element  24  in the open position, a large amount of fluid is allowed to flow from the container  12 . This has particular utility with respect to a hot beverage. After a user tests the temperature of the beverage by pushing in the first push button  26 , the user can activate the second push button  28  to fully open the aperture  20  and consume the beverage. 
         [0036]    Pushing the second button  28  in again causes the gears  44  and  46  to turn in an opposite direction and allow the spring  50  to move the axle  48  back to the closed position moving the second push button  28  back to the closed position (see  FIGS. 1A-B ). As the axle  48  moves back, the plate  40  will rotate back and the spring  30  will bias the sealing element  24  to the closed position (see  FIGS. 1A-B ). To effectuate a good seal, the sealing element  24  may include a gasket element (not shown) made of rubber or other material to sufficiently seal the aperture  20 . 
         [0037]    The first  26  and second  28  push buttons are operable independently of one another. That is, with the first push button  26  pushed in, the second push button  28  may be pushed in to move the sealing element  24  from the partially open position (see  FIGS. 2A-B ) to the open position (see  FIGS. 3A-B ). In this manner, both push buttons  26  and  28  would be pushed in.  FIGS. 4A-B  illustrate this. With both push buttons  26  and  28  pushed in, pushing in the second push button  28  again will cause it to move to a closed position as previously described and will return the lid assembly  10  to the partially open position shown in  FIGS. 2A-B , since the first push button  26  is pushed in. With both push buttons  26  and  28  pushed in, pushing in the first push button  26  again will cause it to move to a closed position as previously described, but the lid assembly  10  will remain in the open position shown in  FIGS. 3A-B , since the second push button  28  is pushed in. 
         [0038]    As shown more clearly in  FIGS. 4A-B , an indicator mechanism  52  is provided on the cover member  14  providing a visual indication of which of the push buttons  26  and  28  are pushed in. In the embodiment shown, the indicator mechanism  50  includes a visual indicator  54  provided about the respective peripheries of the first  26  and second  28  push buttons. As shown in  FIG. 4A , when the buttons  26  and  28  are not pushed in, the buttons  26 ,  28  are generally flush with the surface of the side surface  18 . In this position, the visual indicator  54  is generally not visible. As shown in  FIG. 4B , when the buttons  26  and  28  are pushed in, the buttons  26 ,  28  are indented from the surface of the side surface  18 . When the buttons  26 ,  28  are indented, the visual indicator  54  is generally visible. In this manner, a user can easily visually see which, if any or both, of the push buttons  26  and  28  are pushed in and determine open/closed status of the aperture  20 . To provide ease of visual indication, the visual indicator  54  is a different color than that of the cover member  14  and, preferably, a color that stands out (e.g., a neon color). 
         [0039]    As shown on the various figures, raised indicators may be provided on each of the push buttons  26  and  28  to assist visually impaired people in distinguishing between the buttons  26 ,  28  by touch. In the embodiment shown, the first push button  26  has one raised indicator  56  provided thereon, while the second push button  28  has two raised indicators  56  provided thereon. However, one skilled in the art will appreciate that various configurations of indicators distinguishable by feel, such as raised, indented, surface texture, etc., may be implemented without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
         [0040]    It is contemplated herein that the various elements of the lid assembly  10  be made of a hard plastic or other polymer material (a possible exception is the springs  30 ,  38  and  50 , which may be made of a metallic material). Such materials are durable and resilient and are well suited for the beverage container industry. However, other materials may be utilized for all or any the components described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. 
         [0041]    Additionally, in one form, the various internal elements of the lid assembly  10  may be closed off in the lid assembly  10  such that they do not come into contact with the contents of the container  12 . 
         [0042]    It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous modifications and variations of the described examples and embodiments are possible in light of the above teachings of the disclosure. The disclosed examples and embodiments are presented for purposes of illustration only. Other alternate embodiments may include some or all of the features disclosed herein. Therefore, it is the intent to cover all such modifications and alternate embodiments as may come within the true scope of this invention, which is to be given the full breadth thereof. Additionally, the disclosure of a range of values is a disclosure of every numerical value within that range.