CUP LID

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to lids that can be installed on beverage cups and removed, it also relates to cups lids that prevent—to some extent—the spilling of liquid out of the cup while carrying it, moving with it, or being in a moving vehicle. It also relates to cup lids that do not cause the of hot liquid outlet or its vapor does not cause burns to the mouth, and it also relates to tightly holding the lid to the rim of the cup to prevent leakage in the area between the rim of the cup and the lid.

Beverage cup lids are varied, especially lids for hot beverage cups, especially lids used during movement and mobility. The most famous and widely used of these lids is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,589,569, which describes a lid for a cup that holds the cup nozzle and the drinking area of the lid is raised above the level of the rim of the cup at a height that allows the lips to hold the liquid output area, the liquid outlet is at the top of a raised rim and behind it is a cavity that allows the upper lip to enter, the disadvantage of this type of lid is that the hot vapor of hot beverages rising from the liquid/beverage output opening causes burns to the mouth before the hot beverage reaches the mouth, and because of the movement of the hot liquid behind the beverage when the cup is tilted to beverage, the hot beverage pushes the hot vapor out of this only outlet before the beverage comes out and causes burns in the mouth. Our invention avoided this problem by making the beverage output opening in the cavity bottom at an angle between the cavity bottom and the raised area from which drinking is done. Also, above the liquid outlet in our invention there is a small rim that keeps the vapor outlet from being directly vertical to the mouth or lip, and the exit of the liquid into the cavity reduces the intensity of its temperature before it reaches the mouth, which reduces the harm of burning the mouth due to the vapor or the intense heat of the beverage. Also, the drops falling from the outlet of the beverage in the prior art described in the American patent mentioned during drinking fall on the rim that is holding the rim of the cup and flow from it. falling on the cup or the drinker's clothes. In our invention, this problem was avoided by the presence of a spillage path between the fixing rim of the lid on the cup and the raised drinking area, and in the spillage path in our invention there are small openings to return the collected drops to the cup again. These openings also help hot vapor escape from the cup and replace the lost liquid while drinking with air.

Among the previous techniques is described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,387,961, the nozzle of which is similar to that described in the prior art previously explained in U.S. Pat. No. 4,589,569, except that in the liquid outlet in this technology there are horizontal openings from inside the liquid output opening and directly before the liquid outlet, which work to return volatile droplets from the liquid to the cup again, and these openings may serve to return some volatile droplets, but their presence in this position is useless in the event that drops are spilled while drinking on the outer wall of the raised drinking area, and this matter has been avoided in our invention by having a circular spillage path surrounding the rim of the cup from the inside and immediately following the by the raised drinking area. Thus, any spillage of liquid from the drinker's mouth on the raised drinking top collects in the spillage path, which contains holes that return the drops to the cup again. Also, the volatile droplets from the liquid outlet while moving with the cup will collect in the liquid assembly cavity, and because of the inclined bottom of this cavity, these drops it will return to the cup through the liquid output opening located at the angle of contact of the low area of the bottom of the liquid collecting cavity with the base of the drinking top.

Among the previous techniques is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,953,743, in which there is no raised area to drink through, but rather the rim of the lid fixing that serves to secure the lid to the nozzle of the cup is the one from which drinking is done after cutting part of the lid of the cup to drink through, and this type of cup lid is not desirable for users because the force in the lid slit to open the drinking area expands the fixing rim of the lid, especially the areas on the side of the slit, which allows the beverage to enter it while drinking, and thus the beverage spills on the drinker's clothes. Also, the lack of a position for the upper lip to enter behind the drinking opening and placing the upper lip directly on the surface of the lid, which is at the level of the rim of the cup, makes it easy for the liquid to leak from both sides of the lip to fall on the clothes. Also, the presence of the surface of the lid in this way makes it collide with the tip of the drinker's nose, and thus the drinker is forced to tilt the cup down slightly so that it does not collide with his nose, and this tilt has a greater chance of liquid leaking from the sides of the mouth and drops falling on the clothes. Our invention solved these problems by making the drinking area raised above the level of the rim of the cup to an extent that allows the lower lip to be located between the rim of the cup and the drinking area and behind this raised area there is a cavity that allows the upper lip to enter into it, and the liquid outlet in our invention is in the area where the bottom of the aforementioned cavity connects to the raised rim from the inside making the liquid and the vapor rising from it exit away from the mouth and then flows into the mouth on the inner wall of the raised area, which is in a slightly concave oval shape, with the narrow area of the concave oval shape close to the top, which is the drinking area.

Among the previous techniques is described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,321,569, which describes a sliding lid for the liquid outlet in the cup lid. What is defective with this lid is that the liquid output opening is on the surface of the lid, which is approximately at the level of the rim of the cup, and the liquid output opening in this technology is slightly away from the rim of the cup, which makes it almost inevitable for liquids to leak from the liquid output opening and thus drops of liquid fall on the drinker's clothes, this is in addition to the hot vapor rising vertically from the liquid exit hole while drinking, which may cause a burn to the drinker's mouth. Also, the presence of a slightly raised area for the liquid outlet, and behind it the path in which the sliding lid slides, makes the droplets spilled from the liquid, whether due to movement while moving with the cup with the lid open or while drinking, collect in this path, and if the drink is sweetened with a sugary substance, then the sugary substance when the liquid dries in the paths will act like an adhesive and impede the flux of the lid along the sliding path. In our invention, the drinking rim protrudes above the rim of the cup to an extent that allows the lower lip to be located on this raised side of the cup lid, with a cavity behind this raised place that allows the upper lip to enter behind this rim, with an oval-shaped concavity with its narrow end towards the drinking rim, and the liquid to exit from an opening in the position where the cavity bottom is connected to the drinking rim makes the liquid and its vapor escape away from the mouth, then the liquid is collected in the cavity, and then the concave oval area with its wide base above the liquid output opening works to collect the liquid towards the narrower end of the concave oval shape, which is close to the drinking area, to reduce the chances of liquid spilling on the drinker.

Among the previous techniques is described in U.S. Pat. No. 10,201,241, which describes the lid of a cup with the liquid output opening located on top. Although the drinking area in which the output opening is located is on the top, behind the drinking area there is a flat area for stabilizing a lid to close the drinking opening, which makes the upper lip of the drinker either above the position where the open lid is installed, or far away to fit into the cavity behind it. In both cases, leakage during drinking is a reality, and this matter does not occur in our invention, as has been explained above in clarifying the difference between our invention and previous technologies. This technology is characterized by the presence of a spillage path in which the drops flowing during drinking are collected.

Nevertheless, the drops collected in the path will remain in it, and when you tilt the cup to drink from it, these drops will flow from the spillage path onto the drinker's clothes. This matter was avoided in our invention by the presence of holes in the bottom of the spillage path that work to return the spilled liquid to the cup again, so it does not remain in the path to spill onto the drinker's clothes when the cup is tilted.

The closest prior art states of our invention are described in U.S. Pat. No. 10,264,902, which describes a raised drinking surface of a lid with the surface sloping backwards away from the beverage output opening toward the opposite end of the beverage output opening, with a cavity at the upper end of the slope of the raised lid surface. This cavity is oval in shape and at the cavity bottom there is the beverage output opening, and the cavity works to limit the output of the beverage and its spillage in the event of a sudden movement of the cup, where the walls surrounding the beverage output opening at the cavity bottom work to prevent drops of the beverage from scattering in the event of a sudden movement of the cup, but this opening at the cavity bottom makes the vapor rise from the cup directly vertically to the drinker's mouth. Also, the depth of the cavity, with the opening in its bottom and far from the side wall of the cup, will cause some of the drink to remain in the cup in a way that cannot be accessed except by opening the lid, which may result in drops of the beverage spilling on the clothes of the drinker. In this, our invention differs in that the beverage output opening is at the corner of the cavity bottom with the bottom of the drinking rim and has an upper rim that makes the liquid and vapor exit horizontally into the said cavity, away from going directly to the drinker's mouth. The cavity also works with the side opening for the liquid to exit and the upper rim of the beverage output opening to reduce the scattering of the beverage drops in our invention, and the cavity bottom, inclined towards the liquid output opening in our invention, works to return the collected drops back to the cup.

The fixing rim in the previous technology is distinguished by the fact that its outer surface has successive curves that help in firmly gripping the fixing rim and rotating it to securely attach the lid to the cup. This design in the fixing rim may generate voids in the environment of the fixing rim due to these successive curvatures, which may cause liquid to leak from the cup into the space between the lid and the nozzle of the cup, In our invention to seal the area where the rim of the cup connects to the lid, the fixing rim from inside the cup extends from it to the bottom of the cup, an annular appendage that protrudes slightly towards the inner walls of the cup, which forms pressure on the inner walls of the cup to prevent leakage, from the outside of the rim of the cup there is another protrusion from within the cavity of the fixing path in the lid to press on the wall of the cup from the outside to further sealing and prevent leakage. In the prior art mentioned (U.S. Pat. No. 10,264,902) there is an opening for the stirring stick to enter. Although the said opening is tilting in the opposite direction of drinking from the cup to avoid spilling the beverage from it while drinking, its presence on the surface of the lid may lead to drops of liquid coming out in the event of a sudden movement of the cup and drops may fall on the drinker's clothes from the cup. This matter was avoided in our invention by not having any openings other than the liquid outlet opening recessed into the liquid assembly cavity, and the straw entry opening in our invention is closed and opens when a drinking straw is inserted into it.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A cup lids that can be installed on the cup and removed. The lid has a ringed fixing rim for fixing on the nozzle of the cup. The fixing rim surrounds the cup nozzle from the inside and outside of the cup and covers the upper rim of the cup nozzle. The fixing rim has an inward protrusion that presses the rim of the cup from the outside of the cup, and another protrusion from the inside that presses on the rim of the cup from inside the cup to tighten the fixation and sealing. The fixing rim has a short extension downward from the inside of the cup, and this extension is the one with a protrusion that presses on the rim of the cup from the inside. The fixing rim on the inside of the lid follows the spillage path, which is a path with holes that work to return the spilled liquid to the inside of the cup and prevent it from falling on the drinker's clothes. The holes in the spillage path also work to replace the consumed liquid with air, for smooth drinking from the cup. The drinking platform follows the spillage path and is higher than the level of the cup's nozzle and has a raised end and a low opposite end. The surface of the drinking platform gradually slopes from the raised end to the low end. The raised end is the drinking rim. The outer vertical surface of the drinking rim is slightly curved toward the inside of the drinking platform, allowing the drinker's lower lip to be in this curve while drinking through the lid. The inclined drinking platform has two cavities on its surface:

• • The first cavity is directly behind the drinking rim which is the liquid assembly cavity. This cavity has a bottom that slopes downward the closer it gets to the bottom of the drinking rim and ends with a liquid output opening from the cup into the liquid assembly cavity. The liquid output opening is located in the area where the base of the drinking rim connects to the inclined bottom of the liquid assembly cavity. the liquid output opening is above a small rim that prevents the liquid from exiting directly from the opening of the drinking top and directs it towards the liquid assembly cavity before it slides onto the inner surface of the drinking rim. This rim over the liquid output opening is topped by a concave appearing with the cavity on the other side of the drinking top. The said concavity has a pointed end upward towards the drinking rim and a wide end over the rim above the liquid output opening. This concavity collects liquid while drinking and directs it to the mouth to limit the spillage of liquid from both sides of the mouth when drinking. It is worth noting that the bottom of this inclined cavity is located directly above the level of the rim of the cup or the level of the rim of the cup.
  • The second cavity is the drinking straw cavity, and it follows the first cavity. It is in the low area of the inclined surface of the drinking platform, and it is shallower than the liquid assembly cavity and has a bottom sloping towards the first cavity (liquid assembly cavity) So that any drops present on the bottom of the inclined drinking straw cavity slide towards the bottom of the first cavity (liquid assembly cavity), which has a inclined bottom towards the beverage or liquid output opening, so that the drops return to the inside of the cup through the liquid output opening. On the inclined bottom of the second cavity there is an inlet for the drinking straw. The straw inlet is completely closed and can only be opened when inserting only straw. In the raised area of the inclined bottom of the straw cavity, there are small ventilation opening to replace the consumed liquid with air and to make the liquid flow while drinking.

The rims surrounding the two inclined bottoms of the two said cavities have a concave path in each of them that directs the drops spilled on the bottom of both the straw cavity and the liquid assembly cavity towards the liquid output opening to return the spilled liquid in the two cavities into the cup.

In preference to the invention, the cup lid may be provided with a small plug that can be opened and closed to cover the liquid outlet. The plug is attached to the bottom of the liquid assembly cavity immediately before the liquid output opening, and the plug has an appendage such that it is used to secure the plug when opened with a designated opening for the appendage to enter and to secure the open plug to the bottom of the liquid assembly cavity. In another preference for the invention, the lid is provided with a complete plug that covers the entirety of the two said cavities. The complete plug has an upper appendage for holding it and pulling the plug and removing it completely from its position, and a lower appendage that inserts into a small slit in the bottom of the liquid assembly cavity to hold the plug-in place if the plug is placed on the lid.

In a third preference for the invention, the cup lid contains the two said plugs so that the entire plug lidding the two cavities can be removed while the small plug remaining attached to the bottom of the liquid cavity can be used to open and close the liquid outlet.

BRIEF EXPLANATION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an inclined top-front view of the cup lid from the drinking side.

FIG. 2 is an upper view of the cup lid.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the cup lid.

FIG. 4 is an overhead view of the straw inlet.

FIG. 5 is an upper view showing the structures of the liquid output opening.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal section showing the different structures of the cup lid.

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal section of the liquid output opening and the liquid assembly area.

FIG. 8 is a longitudinal section showing the fixing rim of a lid on the cups and its components.

FIG. 9 is a back view of the cup lid.

FIG. 10 is an overhead view of the straw entry area.

FIG. 11 is a lower inclined side view showing the lower structures of the complete plug.

FIG. 12 is an inclined upper view showing the upper structures of the complete plug.

FIG. 13 is a longitudinal section showing how to place the complete plug on the cup lid.

FIG. 14 is an upper view showing the liquid outlet plug structure.

FIG. 15 is a longitudinal section showing the installation of the liquid outlet plug.

FIG. 16 is a top view showing the complete plug and the liquid outlet plug together on the cup lid.

FIG. 17 is a longitudinal section showing how the complete plug and the liquid outlet plug are installed together on the cup lid.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1 and 2 show a top view of the cup lid (100) showing the distinct structures of the lid (100), the fixing rim (2) being the outer frame of the lid (100) which holds the nozzle of the cup tightly to cover it and prevent liquid from spilling out of the cup while drinking, followed from the inside by the spillage path (3), in which the drops of the beverage that flow during drinking are collected and collected in the spillage path (3) so that they do not spill on the clothes of the person who drinks from the cup through the lid (100), and the spillage path (3) contains small openings (4), which are the openings of the spillage path (4), which perform two functions: the first is to return the spilled drops of liquid that are collected in the spillage path (3) to the inside of the cup, and the second is that they are ventilation openings that allow hot vapor for hot beverages to escape from the cup, it is based on replacing the liquid or beverage consumed with air, thus ensuring smooth exit of the liquid from the liquid output opening (14).

The drinking platform (10) is connected to the spillage path (3) from the inside and is raised above the level of both the spillage path (3) and the fixing rim (2). The drinking platform (10) has a surface (23) inclined so that the raised front end is the drinking rim (1) which is located above the liquid output opening (14), and the drinking surface (23) tilts low back in the opposite direction to the drinking rim (1). This tilt helps by keeping the surface (23) of the drinking platform (10) away from the drinker's nose, and the shape of the drinking surface's inclination becomes clear in FIG. 9, the distance between the drinking rim (1) and the spillage path (3) is the highest distance in the drinking platform (10), and in this position—as shown in FIG. 7—between the drinking rim (1) and the spillage path (3) There is a concavity (21), which is the position of the lower lip of the drinker.

The drinking surface (10) contains a number of distinctive structures for the cup lid (100), starting with a inlet dedicated to the drinking straw (6), which is located in the straw cavity (22). The straw cavity (22) has a bottom (7) slanted so that the position of the straw when inserted into the straw inlet (6) is slanted and the drinker does not need to tilt the cup to drink from it. Also, the straw inlet (6) can be used to insert the stirrer to stir the liquid in the cup without opening the lid. The structure of the straw cavity area (22) is clear from FIG. 10. The bottom (7) of the straw cavity (22) tilts slightly towards the front of the lid (100), specifically towards the liquid outlet (14), so that it flows into another cavity, which is the drinking liquid assembly cavity (8), which will be described later. The straw cavity (22) contains the straw inlet (6). The straw inlet (6) is supported by a geometric protrusion (17) to support the straw entry area when pressure is applied to the straw inlet (6) to insert the straw. There are also ventilation holes (5) on the bottom of the straw cavity (7) that allow air to enter to replace the beverage coming out of the cup while drinking. The ventilation openings (5) are located in a raised place on the straw cavity bottom (7). The straw cavity bottom (7) is surrounded by a path (16) that is slightly concave downwards, which helps to quickly flow liquids spilled on the straw cavity bottom (7) towards the drinking liquid assembly cavity (8).

The details of the straw cavity (22) are better illustrated in FIG. 4, where the bottom (7) slopes towards the front of the lid (100), specifically towards the liquid outlet (14) to flow into the liquid assembly cavity (8). This structure is better illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, and the bottom level (9) in the liquid assembly cavity (8) is lower than the bottom level (7) in the straw cavity (22), so that any spilled liquids on the inclined straw cavity bottom (7) will flow into the liquid assembly cavity (8). The liquid assembly cavity (8) has an inclined bottom (9) towards the liquid output opening (14) so that this inclined bottom (9) in the liquid assembly cavity (8) works to return liquids spilled through the liquid output opening (14) to inside the cup again. The details of the liquid assembly cavity (8) are better illustrated in FIGS. 5, 6, and 7, and the bottom of the liquid assembly cavity (9) is surrounded by a concave cavity (18) that works to accelerate the collection of spilled liquids and direct them towards the liquid output opening (14), where the two ends of this cavity (18) end with the two ends of the liquid output opening (14). In the bottom of the liquid assembly cavity (9) there is the lid fixing cavity (19) which is used to install the complete plug (200) (FIG. 13), which will be discussed later.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 7, when drinking from a cup through the lid (100), especially hot beverages, the hot liquid exits from the liquid output opening (14) to the inclined base (9) of the liquid assembly cavity (8), and thus the exit is The hot liquid is far from touching the drinker's lip from the cup, so it does not cause the drink to burn the lip due to the intense heat of the beverage, and because the upper rim (13) is located above the liquid output opening (14). The hot vapor of the beverage will not reach the drinker's lip directly before drinking, but rather will exit at an angle towards liquid assembly cavity (8) away from the drinker's mouth. The liquid will also exit from the liquid outlet (14) to the inclined base (9) in the liquid assembly cavity (8) away from the drinker's mouth. By tilting the cup to drink, the liquid will flow through the drinking nozzle (15), which is concave and has a narrow tip close to the drinking rim (1) and a wider end above the upper rim (13) of the liquid outlet (14). Through the drinking nozzle (15), the liquid reaches the drinker's mouth in a collected manner while reducing the chances of spilling, and during the period of collecting the liquid emerging from the liquid output opening (14) in the liquid assembly cavity (8) until it reaches the drinking rim (1) and then to the drinker's mouth, there is a period of time that allows the hot vapor to escalate away from the drinker's mouth and reduce the temperature of the beverage—if it is hot—before it reaches the drinker's mouth, and if we look at the compositions between the drinking rim (1) and the spillage path (3), we will find a concavity (21) that matches the position of the lower lip of the drinker.

FIG. 8 shows the distinctive structure of the fixing rim (2), which greatly prevents liquid leakage from the fixing rim area (2) and its contact with the cup. The fixing rim cavity (11) is the one into which the cup nozzle ring enters, the fixing edge (2) tightly presses the cup nozzle into the cavity (11) with the presence of a circumferential protrusion (12) that presses from the outside of the fixing rim (2) towards the cup nozzle on the cavity (11). This protrusion (12) corresponds to a longitudinal appendage (20) that extends from the lid (100) to the bottom inside the cup, so that the nozzle of the cup is between the protrusion (12) from the outside of the cup and the longitudinal appendage (20). The longitudinal appendage (20) has a protrusion (25) that presses towards the rim of the cup, so that the protrusion (25) and the protrusion (12) on the opposite side work to put pressure on the rim of the cup to tightly grip the nozzle of the cup and prevent leakage. The length of the appendage (20) inside the cup and its protrusion (25) also exerts more pressure on the inner wall of the cup to sealing.

The cup lid (100) can be manufactured, marketed, and used without a lid for the liquid output opining, such as a lid on the straw inlet (6) and the liquid outlet (14) together, or a lid on the liquid outlet (14) alone. In a second preference for the invention, it is possible for the straw inlet (6) and the liquid outlet (14) to have a complete plug (200) together, as in FIGS. 11, 12, and 13. Where the plug body (200) contains a straw cavity lid (50) connected to a liquid assembly cavity lid (51), and both lids take the dimensions of the cavity that it completely lids, attached to the liquid assembly cavity lid (51) is a lid over the liquid output opening (52) covering the upper rim above the liquid outlet (13), and the lower surface of the complete plug (200) from the bottom of the straw cavity lid (50). There is a cavity above the straw inlet (53) to cover the straw inlet (6) and protruding structures to support the straw entry area (17), on the upper surface of the complete plug (200) and above the liquid assembly cavity lid (51) a retracting arm (55) projects the complete plug (200) perpendicular to the liquid assembly cavity lid (51). The upper end of the arm (51) may end with an advertising appendage (56) on which is placed the logo of a café, restaurant, etc., and welcoming or motivational phrases may also be placed on it, or it may be merely an aesthetic form, from the bottom of the complete plug (200) and under the lid of the liquid assembly cavity lid. (51) there is a mounting fixing in the lid (54) which, when the complete plug (200) is placed in position over the lid (100), enters the slot lid fixing cavity (19) located on the inclined bottom (9) of the liquid assembly cavity (8).

In a third preference for the invention, as in FIGS. 14 and 15, the cup lid (100) can be provided with a liquid outlet plug (60) connected to the inclined bottom (9) of the liquid assembly cavity (8), such that its point of contact is with the inclined bottom (9). At the liquid outlet (14), the liquid outlet plug (60) has an upper appendage (61) by which the plug (60) can be opened and closed by moving with the finger. The plug (60) has a sealing appendage (64), which seals the liquid outlet (14) when the plug (60) is closed to prevent liquid leakage from the cup. On the opposite side of the sealing appendage (64), there is a fixing appendage (62), that secures the plug (60) is in the inclined bottom (9) of the liquid assembly cavity (8) through a fixing opening (63) in the inclined bottom (9) by inserting the fixing appendage (62) into the fixing opening (63).

The presence of the liquid outlet plug (60) in the cup lid design (100) does not prevent the use of the complete plug (200) with it. As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, the plug (200) can be installed on the cup lid (100) above the two straw inlet cavity (22) and the liquid assembly cavity (8), and in this case the complete plug (200) from which the lid over the liquid output opening (52) is removed due to the presence of the plug (60) to block the liquid output opening (14).

It is worth mentioning that the cup lid (100), the attached plug (60), and the complete plug (200) may be made of materials suitable for single use, or they may be made of materials suitable for repeated use. They may also be made of different sizes, shapes, and colors suitable for use on different cup sizes whether for disposable cups or permanent cups.

The material of which the cup lid (100), the attached plug (60) and the complete plug (200) are made can be made of synthetic materials approved for use with food grade.