BEVERAGE CONTAINER LID

Description

RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the priority benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/530,801, filed Aug. 4, 2023, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to a lid for a beverage drinking vessel that prevents ice from escaping or blocking a drinking opening in the lid.

BACKGROUND

Portable insulated beverage containers for hot or cold beverages have become ubiquitous. Cold beverages often include ice cubes or chips which, when sipped through a lid opening (rather than a straw) can either block the opening and/or slip through the opening, escaping or coming into undesirable direct contact with the user's lips.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a beverage container lid that has baffles at the drink opening that block ice cubes or chips from escaping and hold them away from the user's lips. The beverage container lid is configured to fit an open mouth container and includes a top panel with a drink opening adjacent a periphery of the top panel and a plurality of spaced apart baffle members on an inside surface of the top panel spanning the drink opening.

Other aspects, features, benefits, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to a person of skill in the art from the detailed description of various embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawing figures, all of which comprise part of the disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Like reference numerals are used to indicate like parts throughout the various drawing figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top isometric view of a lid according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a bottom isometric view thereof;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view thereof;

FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view thereof;

FIG. 5 is a side elevation view thereof, all sides having the same appearance;

FIG. 6 is a side cross-sectional view thereof showing a portion of an insulated beverage container on which it is installed;

FIG. 7 is an isometric cross-sectional view thereof; and

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing the lid with ice and liquid in a tipped beverage container.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

With reference to the drawing figures, this section describes particular embodiments and their detailed construction and operation. Throughout the specification, reference to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” or “some embodiments” means that a particular described feature, structure, or characteristic may be included in at least one embodiment. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment,” “in an embodiment,” or “in some embodiments” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the described features, structures, and characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. In view of the disclosure herein, those skilled in the art will recognize that the various embodiments can be practiced without one or more of the specific details or with other methods, components, materials, or the like. In some instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or not described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of the embodiments. “Top” or “up” will generally indicate the open end of the beverage container or the outer side of the lid.

Insulated beverage containers of various size or capacity, whether made of polymer/plastic or metal, are well-known and have become quite popular. These vacuum insulated containers are very good at keeping beverages hot or cold, and most use ice cubes or chips/flakes to chill the cold beverage. A variety of lids are available for these containers—most having an opening adjacent the edge through which the liquid beverage held inside can be sipped.

Referring first to FIGS. 1-7, therein is shown a lid 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The lid 10 can be sized to fit common metal or polymer vacuum insulated containers 12. The lid 10 includes a top panel 14 with an inside surface 16, an outside surface 18, and an annular bottom extension 20 sized fit into the open mouth 22 of a beverage container 12. The lid 10 includes an annular lip or flange 24 that limits how far the lid 10 can be inserted into the container mouth 22. The top panel 14 can include a peripheral rim 26 with a raised edge; The annular bottom extension 20 can include an outer annular channel or groove 28. An elastomeric seal or gasket (not shown) can optionally be situated in the groove 28 to seal the lid 10 to the container 12. The top panel 14 can includes a drink opening 30 adjacent the periphery though which liquid is sipped optionally and can include a vent opening 32.

According to one aspect of the invention, a plurality of baffles 34 are situated at and across the drink opening 30 on the inside surface 16 of the top panel 14. The baffles 34 can be substantially parallel to each other. They can be (but do not have to be) perpendicular to the top panel 14. They are spaced apart to allow liquid to flow freely, but to limit passage of ice pieces of significant or selected size. The baffles 34 span the drink opening 30 and can extend beyond the opening 30 toward a center part of the panel 14, if desired. The baffles 34 extend away from the inner surface 16 of the top panel 14 a distance enough to allow liquid to pass and to hold ice away from drink opening 30.

The lid 10 can be molded from a polymer material, which can be transparent, translucent, or opaque. The top panel 14 can be insulated, if desired.

Referring now also to FIG. 8, ice cubes 36 or chips generally float to the top of the liquid level 38 inside the container 12, so they tend to flow toward the drink opening 30 as the beverage is sipped. The baffles 34 hold the ice 36 away from the opening 30, preventing their escape or from contacting the user's lips, while allowing liquid to pass unimpeded.

While one or more embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, it should be apparent that modifications and variations thereto are possible, all of which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the foregoing is intended only to be illustrative of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not intended to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described. Accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be included and considered to fall within the scope of the invention, defined by the following claim or claims.