WO2000045684A1

WO2000045684A1 - Improved lid for a container

Info

Publication number: WO2000045684A1
Application number: PCT/GB2000/000299
Authority: WO
Inventors: Gayle Samuel-Boyd; Iain James Mcvicar Sanderson
Original assignee: Samuel Boyd Gayle; Iain James Mcvicar Sanderson
Priority date: 1999-02-03
Filing date: 2000-02-03
Publication date: 2000-08-10
Also published as: CA2360947A1; GB0118851D0; AU2555600A; GB9902273D0; GB2361860A

Abstract

A lid (14) and a container (12) are disclosed which are ideally suited for drinks and particularly hot drinks such as tea or coffee. The top of the lid (14) / container (12) has an aperture with a closure (20). When the container (12) is not in use, the closure (20) remains closed. However, a user can, by means of a sliding trigger (22), open the closure (20) whenever they wish to take a drink. This has the advantage of avoiding spillage, while being easier to operate than existing automatic opening arrangements for drinks containers.

Description

IMPROVED LID FOR A CONTAINER

This invention relates to an improved lid for a container. Particularly but not exclusively it relates to an improved lid for a drinking vessel.

Commonly, drinking vessels for hot drinks are provided either without lids or with flexible plastic lids. This has the associated problem that if the vessel is dropped or knocked over, the hot drink spills or leaks which is messy and may cause injury. Furthermore, actually drink from the vessel .

Attempts have been made to overcome the problems associated with known lids by introducing a drinking hole into a hard, reusable lid. Such known lids include a sprung button mechanism. To drink from a vessel having this type of lid fitted, the button must be depressed into the body of the lid to slide open a cover provided over the drinking hole. Such push and slide mechanisms have associated disadvantages, however. For example, during use the mechanism is prone to sticking so the cover does not open effectively. Furthermore, the radial movement involved in pressing the button against the force of the spring is unnatural, awkward and stressful on the finger of the user. This makes the known lid particularly unsuitable for the elderly or infirm who find it difficult to depress the button with sufficient force. According to the present invention there is provided a lid for a container, the lid having an aperture, a closure for occluding the aperture and a trigger for controlling the configuration of the closure, the closure being actuable between a first configuration where the aperture is open and a second configuration where the aperture is closed, characterised in that the configuration of the closure can be changed by sliding of the trigger on an outer surface of the lid.

Preferably, the sliding of the trigger is in a direction towards the top of the lid.

Preferably the lid is for a drinks container. It may be for a coffee mug. Alternatively, the container may be for other products. For example, it may be for toothpaste, sugar or cream. The lid is preferably adapted to be releasably fitted to the container.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a drinks container comprising a main body and a lid in accordance with the present invention, the lid being adapted to fit onto the main body of the container.

Preferably the drinks container is reusable.

Preferably the trigger is connected to the closure by means of a bar and pivot arrangement. When the trigger is operated, this may transfer the motion to the closure via the bar and pivot arrangement. Typically the closure is adapted to be biassed into the closed position. This may be by means of a spring. The spring may be provided between the bar and pivot arrangement and a portion of the lid. Preferably in use the trigger is adapted to slide upwards in relation to the exterior surface of the lid, to move the closure into the open position. This may enable the user to conveniently drink from a container having the lid fitted thereto. The trigger may be in the form of a button. The button may be decorated; it may be in the form of a novelty shape, it may be heart - shaped, or in the shape of a cartoon character.

Preferably the lid is of plastics material. It may be made by injection moulding. Preferably the lid and/or the container are insulated.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a substantially sealed container having an aperture provided therein, a closure for the aperture, the closure being controlled by a trigger, the closure being actuable between a closed configuration and an open configuration by operation of the trigger.

Specific embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig 1 is a perspective view of a drinks container having a lid in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig 2 is a plan view of the lid of the drinks container of Fig 1;

Fig 3 is a cross sectional view through the line B-B in Fig 2;

Fig 4 is a side elevation of the lid of Fig 2; Fig 5 is a cross sectional view through the line A-A in Fig 4;

Fig 6 is a side elevation of a bar used in the embodiment of Fig 1, having a closure attached to one end;

Figs 7a and b are side elevations of the bar of Fig 6 showing spring attachments:

Fig 8 is a side elevation of a pivot for use in the embodiment of Fig 1 ;

Fig 9 is a front elevation of the pivot of Fig 8;

Fig 10 is an end elevation of the bar of Fig 6;

Fig 11 is a partial view in perspective of the interior of the lid of Fig 1, showing threads for attaching the lid to the body of the drinks container;

Fig 12 is a plan view of a lid in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;

and

Fig 13 is a side view in cross section of the lid of Fig 12.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, a drinks container, generally denoted 10, is shown in Fig 1. The drinks container 10 generally consists of a main body 12 and a lid 14. The container is generally cylindrical. The main body 12 is cup shaped and is suitable for holding coffee, tea or any other drink. The body 12 has a double-walled plastic construction and as a result has good insulating properties.

The lid 14 is fitted to the main body 12 of the container by means of a partial thread which will be described in more detail below.

The lid 14 may be removed from the main body 12 for filling the container and then replaced once the container is filled. When the lid 14 is in place, it seals the container and the exterior surface of the lid 14 is flush with the exterior surface of the main body 12.

It can be seen in Fig 1 that the lid 14 has a raised rim 16 around its top edge, and the reasons for this will be explained below.

The lid 14 is provided with an oblong drinking hole 18 which is shown sealed in Fig 1 by a closure 20. The lid 14 is also provided with a trigger 22 for opening and closing the closure 20. The mechanics of this operation will become clear on reading the following description. It should be noted at this stage, however, that the trigger 22 protrudes from the outer surface of the lid 14.

Referring to Figs 2 to 11, assembly and operation of the lid 14 will now be described.

Fig 2 is a view from above of the lid 14 of Fig 1, but without the trigger 22 in place. The drinking hole 18 and closure 20 can be clearly seen in Fig 2, as can the rim 16 around the edge of the lid 14.

Now taking a cross section through B-B in Fig 1, the hole 18, closure 20, and rim 16 can be seen in Fig 3. Also visible in Fig 3 is a double-wall construction 24 in the top part of the lid 14, and threads 26 for attachment of the lid 14 to the main body of the container in use .

Also, in the view of Fig 3 it can be seen that the lid 14 has a generally cylindrical shape which is open at its lower end and closed at its upper end by a top surface 36. Depending from the top surface 36, to the right of centre of the lid 14 as viewed in Fig 3, is a pivot 28. The pivot 28, in this example, consists of two parallel metal arms 30, each having a slot 32 provided therein. The slots 32 are straight slots arranged to be parallel to the top surface 36 of the lid, and each extending into a bulb- shaped section 34 at one end (the left as viewed in Fig 3) . The pivot 28 can be seen in more detail in Figs 8 and 9 of the drawings.

Fig 4 is another side view of the lid 14 of the drinks container, after a quarter (90^*) turn from the position shown in Fig 3.

The view in Fig 4 is from the end of the lid 14 furthest from the drinking hole 18. In the view of Fig 5, a bar 38 is shown in position resting on the pivot 28. The bar 38 is roughly semi-circular in cross section in this example and is made from a length of plastics material. Other suitable materials may be used. One end 40 of the bar 38 is narrowed, the bar having a step 42 toward that end 40. This allows the end 40 of the bar 38 to protrude through a slot 44 in the exterior surface of the lid 14. The position of the slot 44 can be seen in Fig 4. At its mid-point, the bar 38 is provided with a pair of metal or plastic cross arms 46. These arms 46 project out of the bar 38 and, on assembly of the lid 14, the arms 46 are introduced into the slots 32 in the pivot 28 and rest in the bulb-shaped cut-outs 34, supporting the bar 38 in place. The arms 46 and narrow end 40 also can be seen in Fig 10 of the drawings. It should be noted that the narrow end 40 of the bar 38 is smaller than the slot 44, and the end 40 is free to move within the slot 44 about an axis through the cross arms 46.

The narrow end 40 of the bar 38 is now ready to have the trigger 22 attached. The trigger 22 shown in Fig 1 is generally cube- shaped, and made of plastic. However, any shape or design of trigger may be provided and any materials may be used in its manufacture.

At the uppermost end of the bar 38, as viewed in Fig 5, the bar 38 is joined to the underside of the hole closure 20. This may be by gluing, for example. The closure 20 can be seen attached to the bar 38 in Fig 6.

It will be noted at this stage, that the closure 20 is thinned around its outermost edge 48. This is to provide for an improved seal when the closure is in the closed position over the hole. The position shown in Fig 6 is the position of the bar 38 when the hole is closed. It is desirable to bias the bar 38, and thus the closure 20, into this position. This may be achieved by providing a spring 50 on the bar 38.

Possible spring attachments may be seen in Figs 7a and b. The springs 50 are of resilient plastic, in this example, and are connected between the top of the bar 38 and the top of the lid (Fig 7a) or the end of the bar and the side of the lid (Fig 7b) . However, other spring attachments are envisaged. For example the spring 50 may be provided in tension between the top of the bar and the top of the lid but to the left of the pivot in the view of Fig 7a. The spring 50 biasses the closure 20 into the sealed position. This is the position seen in Fig 1, with the lid 14 fully assembled and fitted to the body 12 of the container, the container having coffee or other drink therein.

The lid 14 is locked to the body of the container by interaction of threads 26, seen in Fig 11, with corresponding grooves (not shown) in the body. This forms an airtight seal. Four equally spaced threads 26 are provided in this example, each having a length of 1/8 of the circumference of the lower edge of the lid. The profile of a typical thread 26 can be seen in Fig 11. With this thread arrangement, a simple quarter turn will open or close the lid with respect to the main body. Other thread arrangements could be used.

To drink from the container 10, a user simply lifts it to their mouth, tilting the base upwards as they would with a normal cup, but ensuring their mouth covers the hole 18. The user then slides the trigger 22 upwards, ie toward themselves, using their finger. This movement of the trigger 22 is transferred to the narrow end 40 of the bar 38, which moves upwards within the slot 44 in the lid, against the force of the spring 50. The bar 38 pivots on the pivot 28 and the movement is then transferred to a downward movement of the other end of the bar 38. Thus the closure 20 moves away from the top surface 26 of the lid 14. This opens the seal and the user can take a drink.

When the user is satisfied, release of finger pressure on the trigger 22 allows the spring 50 to return the bar 38 and closure 20 to the start position, resealing the lid.

The rim 16 around the top of the lid 14 catches any small amount of beverage which remains outside the container after the user stops drinking, to prevent spillage.

In the sealed position, the container 10 can be safely carried or stored with minimal risk of spillage. After use, the container, including the lid 14, may be washed, dried and re-used. Conveniently the size of the container can be modified depending on the desired end use. For example, the capacity of the cup may be varied, and the cup may be tapered to fit a cup holder in a car. The container may be used in the take-away industry, or by drivers, campers, office workers, pedestrians or sports supporters, for example.

A further embodiment of the present invention can be seen in Figs 12 and 13. The embodiment is similar to that already described.

The lid 114 has a drinking hole 118, closure 120 and trigger 122. However, it can be seen from Fig 13 that the trigger is "L" -shaped in cross section for ease of operation. Lifting the trigger 122 causes the bar 138 to pivot on the pivot 128, opening the closure 120 for drinking. In this example the spring 150 extends between the side of the lid 114 and the underside of the closure 120.

The embodiments described have many advantages over known arrangements. The containers enable users to drink hot or cold liquids without risk of spillage while moving. They are particularly of benefit to the young, aged or infirm as grasping a handle is not required and there is reduced risk of scalding through spillage. The container can be used by a right or left handed user. In addition, the trigger is light to the touch, so less stressful on finger muscles. The upward movement of the trigger is very natural and easier for a user than operation of known lids. The container is also environmentally friendly as it can be reused. In particular the need for disposable cups in the take- away food industry is reduced.

Modification and improvements may be made to the foregoing without departing from the scope of the invention.