Patent ID: 6929143

Claim:
A plastic drink-through lid for a disposable drink cup adapted to be held in the hand and having a circular rim wherein said lid comprises: a central inner deck having a geometric center; an outer deck in surrounding relationship to the inner deck and having at least a substantial portion which is raised relative thereto; a skirt in integral surrounding relationship with the outer deck and below the outer deck to grippingly engage the cup rim; a preformed, at least partially separated, fold-back tab formed in the outer deck adjacent but not extending through the skirt to create a drink-through opening when folded back; a preformed hinge extending along the inner edge of the tab and sufficiently close to the skirt such that, when the tab is folded about the hinge and toward the center, the tab lies entirely on one side of the center; a raised catch having inner and outer exterior surfaces formed integrally with the tab and extending upwardly therefrom above the inner and outer decks to constitute the highest structural feature of the lid, the outer deck being free of upwardly projecting structural features between the outer surface of the catch and the skirt; and a ridge formed on the outer surface of the catch; whereby one may grasp the cup in a hand and, with the thumb of the same hand, engage the ridge on the catch, break the tab free of the outer deck and fold the tab toward the center to provide a drink-through opening.