Abstract:
A container lid for placement on the mouth of a container is designed to prevent the unwanted removal of fluids from the container. The container lid includes a beverage dispensing chamber having an open first chamber end, a closed second chamber end and at least one chamber sidewall extending from the first chamber end to the second chamber end. The beverage dispensing chamber includes a spout chamber which includes an open end and a closed end connected by a wall. The wall includes a valve slit which forms a valve flap having a memory closure mechanism to render the valve slit effectively impermeable to fluid absent force upon the valve slit.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    The application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application entitled “Spill Proof Coffee Cup Lid,” Ser. No. 61/754,071, filed Jan. 18, 2013, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention is directed to container lids and specifically to beverage container lids designed to releasably engage to a beverage container and prevent spillage. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    In the take away coffee industry, a lid is usually always placed on a disposable paper or plastic coffee or drink to-go cup. These lids, while having a design to slightly prevent some flow of fluid to reach the drinking hole in the top of the lid, do not prevent the exit of fluid from the cup. Thus when the cup is moved in any motion but the slightest, smoothest motion, a wave of fluid rises up and splashes or spills out of the container through the open drinking hole in the lid. Current lids, which are typically one piece in nature, either require a plug to prevent spills or have a hinged apparatus that requires the user to manually lift the flap between sips to open and close the flap. Some of these flaps are fashioned in a manner to allow one to fasten the flap in an open position. To close the flap, one has to manually move the flap cover to prevent spills or splashes. 
         [0004]    Another type of one-piece container lid is described in U.S. Patent Publication 2010/0133272 to Whitaker et al., which is directed to a lid which attempts to prevent splashing by blocking the straight-line path of the fluid through the opening in the lid. This is accomplished by using a small gap, a series of horizontal ledges, a series slanted ledges, angled walls, and a concave bubble-like configuration, which includes a slit, which the user must press to depress a portion of the bubble creating an opening in the split for drinking the hot fluid. 
         [0005]    U.S. Patent Publication 2010/0264143 to Chrisman describes a splash resistant container lid which employs a valve flap positioned at the floor of a valve chamber. The valve flap is of an ovoid or some rectangular shape with approximately 70-75% of valve chamber floor representing a cutaway valve flap and 25-30% representing a memory hinge. While the design of the valve flap is intended to prevent the unwanted flow of fluid from a container when the lid is attached, it is not believed that the memory hinge could withstand the pressure of the fluid against the valve flap if the container tipped on its side. In addition, the valve flap includes an open drain which will necessarily allow at least some egress of the fluid. 
         [0006]    Other Lids which can prevent spills or splashes are two or three piece designs which require a flip open aperture or flap which then can be used to plug the hole, or a rotating assembly with a manually operated open and closed hole in the lid. These two and three piece lids require manual interaction between sips or drinks. Since they include multiple pieces, they require more materials to construct. These lids also require some form of extra hand assembly labor to be initially assembled, all which impacts costs to the retailer and to the consumer. 
         [0007]    There is therefore a need in the art for a one piece beverage container lid which can effectively prevent spills or splashes. There is further a need for a beverage container lid that reduces or eliminates manual interaction to open and close a cup flap between sips. This need is especially important for users who operate motor vehicles, where cup jostles occurs constantly. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    The present invention is directed to a container lid for placement on the mouth of a container such as a disposable coffee or drink cup. The container lid is designed to prevent the unwanted removal of fluids from the container such as spills and splashes when the container is shaken, jostled, squeezed, tipped or moved in any way that could cause the fluid from splashing out of the drink opening in the lid. 
         [0009]    The present invention is directed to a container lid  12  for placement on a container  10 , comprising a beverage dispensing chamber  50  having an open first chamber end  52 , a closed second chamber end  62  and at least one chamber sidewall  64  extending from the first chamber end  52  to the second chamber end  62 . The beverage dispensing chamber  50  includes a spout chamber  68 , comprising a spout edge portion  56  and an interior edge portion  58  adjacent to the open first chamber end  54  of the beverage dispensing chamber  50 , and a valve slit  66  positioned on the chamber sidewall  64 , the valve slit  66  forming a valve flap  70 , wherein the valve flap  70  comprises a memory closure mechanism to render the valve slit  66  effectively impermeable to fluid absent force upon the valve slit  66 . 
         [0010]    More particularly and with reference to the numbers on the figures, the present invention is directed to a container lid  12  for placement on a container  10 , comprising a first snap-fit channel  32  to removably attach and sealingly engage the container lid  12  to the container  10 , a second upper end or top wall  22  including a spout edge  56 , an exterior side wall  24  extending from the first snap-fit internal channel  32  to the top wall  22 , and a beverage dispensing chamber  50 . The beverage dispensing chamber  50  includes an open first end  54  forming an opening  52 , a closed second end  62  and an interior sidewall  64  forming a well  60 . The area between the interior side wall  25  and the interior sidewall  64  forms a spout chamber  68  within the internal chamber  26 , wherein the interior sidewall  64  includes a valve slit  66  adjacent the spout chamber  68 , wherein the valve slit  66  comprises a memory closure to effectively prevent fluid from permeating the interior side wall  25  absent vacuum force upon it, such as a sucking action from the user&#39;s mouth. Thus, the lid  12  of the present invention is an integration of a valve flap  70  or valve slit  66  in the beverage dispensing chamber  50 , which prevents the fluid permeating into the well  60  unless the valve slit  66  has a slight suction applied to it 
         [0011]    The container lid  12  of the present invention allows the user to carry a drink container  10  or place fluid in a drink container  10  without worrying about splashes or spills if an abrupt motion or movement occurs that would normally cause a drink to splash or spill. 
         [0012]    Advantageously, the container lid  12  is a one-piece solution to a spill problem where the only solutions thus far to date have been expensive multi-piece lids which require varying degrees of user interaction to open and close apertures in the lid. 
         [0013]    The objects and advantages of the invention will appear more fully from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention made in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0014]      FIG. 1  is a perspective exploded view of a container  10  illustrating the container lid  12  of the present invention. 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  is a cut away side view of the container lid  12  of the present invention. 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  is a top plan view of the container lid  12  of the present invention. 
           [0017]      FIG. 4  is a partial cutaway view of the container lid  12  of the present invention. 
           [0018]      FIGS. 5A-J  are end-plan views of the container lid  12  of the present invention illustrating different forms of the flap valve  70  of the present invention. 
           [0019]      FIG. 6  is a cut away side view of the container lid  12  of the present invention illustrating fluid flow lines. 
           [0020]      FIG. 7  is a top plan view of the container  10  of the present invention illustrating fluid flow lines. 
           [0021]      FIGS. 8A-D  are partial cutaway side views of the container lid  12  of the present invention illustrating varying angles of the beverage dispensing chamber  50  of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0022]    The illustrations presented in the figures are not intended to define a specific configuration of a particular lid or container except where noted. Rather, they are generally directed to standard representations of lids and containers in order to describe the various embodiments of the present invention. 
         [0023]    Referring now to the drawings and specifically to  FIG. 1 , there is disclosed a container  10  upon which is seated a container lid  12 . The container  10  is a typical container cup made of plastic, paper, cardboard, Styrofoam or other material known to the art. Such containers are well known to the art and can be illustrated and described in various conventions, such as a reusable or disposable container of a variety of shapes and sizes. Without wishing to be limited to any specific design or example, the container  10  can be a conventional nondisposable or disposable coffee cup or a soft drink cup. It can be insulated or non-insulated. Typical of such containers are those used in coffee shops and fast food or take out restaurants. The container  10  includes a base  14  at one end, typically a cylindrical wall  16  and an opening or mouth  18 , surrounded by an outward ledge or lip  20 . 
         [0024]    The container lid  12  is designed to be removably attached to the container  10  typically by snap fitting the lid  12  to the lip  20  of the mouth  18  of the container  10  over the lip  20  to form a seal around the mouth  18  of the container  10 , thereby containing any fluid in the container  10 . The lid  12  may be formed from conventional materials known to the art. By way of example and not limitation, the lid  12  may comprise a plastic material, i.e., a polymer, formed by conventional techniques, such as one or more of thermoforming, vacuum forming, injection molding and other forming processes. An advantage of the present invention is that the lid  12  is a single structure with no moving or separate parts, which makes it easier to construct. The lid  12  includes a first lower end  21 , a second upper end  22  and a sidewall  24 , which defines an internal chamber  26 , illustrated in  FIG. 2 . The first lower end  21  includes a peripheral skirt  30  and an internal channel  32 , illustrated in  FIGS. 2 and 4 , designed to form a snap-fit removable closure over the outward lip  20  of the container  10 . 
         [0025]    The sidewall  24  rises at preferably an inward slope at an angle of about between 1° and 15° from vertical, such that the diameter of the first lower end  21  is greater than the diameter of the second upper end  22 . 
         [0026]    The second upper end  22  is defined by a perimeter ring  34  extending from the sidewall  24  to an inner sidewall  36 . As best illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the second upper end  22  of the container lid  12  is defined by a slanted interior surface  38  which can include a ventilation opening  40 , illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 3 , to aid in the removal of fluid from the container  10 . 
         [0027]    Located at one end of the container lid  12  is a beverage dispensing chamber  50 , generally located at the end opposing the ventilation opening  40 . The beverage dispensing chamber  50  is positioned at a point close to or overlapping the perimeter ring  34 . The beverage dispensing chamber  50  is defined by an opening  52  at the first end  54  of the beverage dispensing chamber  50 . As illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 3 , this opening  52  can have an oval or round appearance. However, it is within the scope of the present invention to provide openings of different shapes, such as square, rectangular, hexagonal, etc. The positioning of the opening  52  with respect to the perimeter ring  34  of the container lid  12  defines a spout edge  56  close to the exterior sidewall  24 . The beverage dispensing chamber  50  further includes a well  60 , illustrated in  FIG. 2 , passing from the first end  54  to a closed second end  62 . The well  60  is defined by an interior sidewall  64  which typically tapers from the first end  54  to the second end  62  to form a sloped shape. 
         [0028]    The interior sidewall  64  is further defined by a valve slit  66  positioned on the interior sidewall  64  at a location between the first open end  54  and the second closed end  62 . The valve slit  66  is preferably located at the spout edge  56 . The valve slit  66  is preferably a machined die cut passageway in the interior sidewall  64  of the well  60  of the dispensing chamber  50  to the internal chamber  26  at the location of the spout chamber  68  to form the valve slit  66 . The shape of the valve slit  66  is preferably curved in a variety of shapes to form a valve flap  70 , as best illustrated in  FIG. 4 . As illustrated in  FIGS. 5A-5J , the shape of the valve flap can be changed as desired to create different flow patterns of fluid passing from the container  10  when the flap  70  is altered with respect to the shape of the interior sidewall  64 . Different die cut shapes of the valve  70  have different flow properties. The different shapes allow different quantities of fluid to flow when suction forces are applied. The die cut shapes of the flaps  70  can be a single cut, as illustrated by flaps  601 ,  603 ,  604 ,  605 ,  606  and  610  in  FIGS. 5A ,  5 C,  5 D,  5 E,  5 F, or  5 J, or a multiple die cut, as illustrated by flaps  602 ,  607 ,  608 , or  609  in  FIGS. 5B ,  5 G,  5 H and  51 . The die cut can be a simple squared shape die cut, as illustrated by flaps  604  or  605  in  FIGS. 5D  or  5 E, or a rounded arc shaped die cut as illustrated by flaps  601 ,  603  or  606  in  FIGS. 5A ,  5 C and  5 F, to a butterfly shaped die cut, as illustrated by flaps  602 ,  607 ,  608  or  609  in  FIGS. 5B ,  5 G,  5 H or  51 , to a triangular shaped die cut, as illustrated by flap  610  in  FIG. 5J . Other shapes as desired can also be used to create the desired flow volume and splash resistance. The die cut can also incorporate a series of small openings or a circular die cut as desired. 
         [0029]    As illustrated in  FIGS. 8A-8D , the angle of the interior sidewall  64  of the beverage dispensing chamber  50  which contains the valve flap  70  can be varied. The surface angle can range from an almost vertical angle, as illustrated by interior sidewalls  801  and  802  in  FIGS. 8A and 8B , with just enough angle to allow multiple container lids  12  to be stacked for packaging to an angle that can up to and including a horizontal angle, as illustrated by interior sidewalls  803  and  804  in  FIGS. 8C and 8D . The varying angles of the valve flap  70  surface varies the direction required for a splashing force of fluid to flow against the valve flap  70  in order to overcome the strength of the valve flap  70 . The variance of the surface angle also allows the thickness of the surface to be varied as the lid  12  is thermoformed in a vacuum forming device. A vertical surface closer to the side  24  of the container lid  12  will be a thinner surface due to the stretching of the material as it is vacuum formed into the mold. As the surface angle changes to a more horizontal angle, the thickness of the material will become thicker from the vacuum forming process as the material does not need to stretch over larger surface areas. This varying of the angle and varying of the material thickness further allows for strengthening or reducing in strength of the valve flap  70 . 
         [0030]    The well  60  can also have a variety of shapes. However, the preferred shape is oval or round. The shape allows the valve flap  70  to open and close from the vacuum force created by the sucking action of the user drinking the fluid contained in the container  10 . The rounded wall surface adds strength to the valve flap  70  that the flat surface may not have on its own. The degree of curvature of the oval surface can be changed by changing the shape of the well  60 . A narrow oval flap  70  having a slight curvature may in fact be weaker than a wide, more curved oval flap  70 . The various degrees of curvature allow the container lid  12  to have different levels of strength to overcome the force of the fluid against the valve flap  70 . This curvature also regulates the flow of fluid when vacuum or sucking force is applied. The higher the degree of curvature creates a stronger valve flap  70  which then requires a higher level of suction to overcome the strength of the valve flap  70  in order to drink the fluid. 
         [0031]    Referring again to the container  10 , the area immediately surrounding the upper end  52  of the beverage dispensing chamber  50  is known as the mouthpiece  80 . The mouthpiece  80  includes the spout edge  56  and an interior edge portion  58 . 
         [0032]    As illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the container lid  12  of the present invention is designed to snap fit in a removable fashion upon the container  10 . In another embodiment of the invention, the container lid  12  can be sealed onto the container  10  by shrink wrap or other means. This type of sealing connection is more expeditious when the container  10  might be in the shape of a bottle, such as a large mouth juice bottle. 
         [0033]    The elements that are embodied in the present invention which allow the restriction of fluid or spill prevention and regulation of fluid flow are as follows: 
         [0034]    1) The thickness of the materials used to make the container lid  12 , such as polystyrene plastic or polypropylene plastic. Thinner materials may cause a weaker valve flap  70 , therefore requiring a valve flap shape more conducive to the thinner materials, while thick materials result in a stronger valve flap  70 ; 
         [0035]    2) The shape of the valve flap  70  or the aperture created during the suction process, as depicted in  FIGS. 5A-5J ; 
         [0036]    3) The size of the well  60  which blocks the splashing fluid; 
         [0037]    4) The curvature or flatness of the inner sidewall  64  in which the valve slit  66  is cut; and 
         [0038]    5) The angle of the sidewall  64 , as illustrated in  FIGS. 8A-8D . The steeper angle creates less fluid flow against the valve flap  70 . 
         [0039]    With reference to  FIGS. 6 and 7 , the beverage dispensing chamber  50  of the lid  12  is configured to prevent the flow of fluid, illustrated by lines  701 - 708 , from the container  10  and the internal chamber  26  of the lid  12  unless the lid  12  is positioned such that the user&#39;s mouth covers the mouthpiece  80 , which encompasses the opening  52  of the beverage dispensing chamber  50 . The user then applies suction to the opening  52  to create vacuum pressure within the well  60  of the beverage dispensing chamber  50 . The vacuum pressure created by the suction of the user&#39;s mouth on the interior side wall  64  of the well  60  at the location of the valve slit  66  causes the fluid to flow from the internal chamber  26 , via the fluid line patterns illustrated by reference numbers  701  and  702  in  FIG. 6  and reference numbers  705  and  706  in  FIG. 7  into the spout chamber  68  portion of the internal chamber  26 . The continued suction action of the user causes the valve flap  70  to penetrate into the well  60  against the memory action created by curvature of the interior side wall  64  of the dispensing chamber  50  thereby creating an opening at the valve slit  66  to allow fluid to penetrate into the well  60  via fluid line patterns illustrated by reference numbers  703 ,  704  and  708  in  FIG. 6  and reference number  707  in  FIG. 7 . Tilting the beverage dispensing chamber  50  toward the user&#39;s mouth results in the measured flow of fluid to the user. 
         [0040]    Once the vacuum, created by the user&#39;s mouth, is released, the memory action of the interior side wall  64  causes the valve flap  70  to return to its aligned position on the interior sidewall  64  of the beverage dispensing chamber  50  thereby effectively sealing the valve slit  66  shut. When the valve slit  66  is shut, the remaining fluid in the container  10  is contained and not susceptible to splashing out of the container  10  and the lid  12 . 
         [0041]    Any version of any component or method step of the invention may be used with any other component or method step of the invention. The elements described herein can be used in any combination whether explicitly described or not. 
         [0042]    All combinations of method steps as used herein can be performed in any order, unless otherwise specified or clearly implied to the contrary by the context in which the referenced combination is made. 
         [0043]    As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. 
         [0044]    Numerical ranges as used herein are intended to include every number and subset of numbers contained within that range, whether specifically disclosed or not. Further, these numerical ranges should be construed as providing support for a claim directed to any number or subset of numbers in that range. For example, a disclosure of from 1 to 10 should be construed as supporting a range of from 2 to 8, from 3 to 7, from 5 to 6, from 1 to 9, from 3.6 to 4.6, from 3.5 to 9.9, and so forth. 
         [0045]    All patents, patent publications, and peer-reviewed publications (i.e., “references”) cited herein are expressly incorporated by reference in their entirety to the same extent as if each individual reference were specifically and individually indicated as being incorporated by reference. In case of conflict between the present disclosure and the incorporated references, the present disclosure controls. 
         [0046]    The devices, methods, compounds and compositions of the present invention can comprise, consist of, or consist essentially of the essential elements and limitations described herein, as well as any additional or optional steps, ingredients, components, or limitations described herein or otherwise useful in the art. 
         [0047]    While this invention may be embodied in many forms, what is described in detail herein is a specific preferred embodiment of the invention. The present disclosure is an exemplification of the principles of the invention is not intended to limit the invention to the particular embodiments illustrated. It is to be understood that this invention is not limited to the particular examples, process steps, and materials disclosed herein as such process steps and materials may vary somewhat. It is also understood that the terminology used herein is used for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting since the scope of the present invention will be limited to only the appended claims and equivalents thereof.