Patent ID: 8191728

Claim:
A removable locking container cover for covering a microwaveable container having a neck with an outer bead, the cover comprising: a lid having a top, a bottom, and a circumferential edge, the lid including a sloping transition section between a lower annular surface and a central upper surface; a skirt extending downward from the lid at or near the circumferential edge, the skirt having a bottom edge and an inner surface shaped to extend around the outside of the container neck; a plug seal connected to and extending from the bottom of the lid and concentric with the skirt, the plug seal having a smaller diameter than the skirt, the plug seal having an outer surface shaped to substantially be in contact with the inside of the neck of the container; a plurality of slots formed in the skirt and extending substantially vertically from the bottom edge of the skirt, the slots being spaced apart from one another around the skirt, each pair of adjacent slots defining a panel thus forming a plurality of panels on the skirt; at least one lock formed on an inside surface of each of a plurality of the panels and projecting inwardly therefrom so as to form lock panels, the lock being adapted to engage a bottom edge of the outer bead of the container when the cover is locked onto the container so as to removably hold the cover in place on the container; at least one upper vent hole extending through the one or both of the sloping transition section and the central upper surface so as to allow air to pass through the at least one upper vent hole; an upward-opening channel in the lower annular surface circumscribing the sloping transition section, the channel having a bottom and forming an inner wall extending upward from the bottom adjacent to the sloping transition section; and at least one channel vent hole formed in the inner wall of the channel so as to allow air to pass through the at least one channel vent hole.