Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
206000~
The present invention relates to a beverage
cup, and more particularly, to a cup or mug provided
with a lid to avoid spilling.
A beverage mug with a lid having a spill-
proof lid is useful, not only for the feeding of small
children, but also for older children and adults when
used in unstable conditions, such as in a moving
automobile. Toddlers' beverage mugs are known wherein
a lid fits tightly on the mug and wherein the lid is
10 provided with a narrow projecting spout to fit in the
child's mouth. Dispensible beverage cups are also
known with lids having weakened lines to allow the
breaking away of a small opening in the lid to permit a
person to drink directly from the cup with the lid
intact.
These solutions, however, do not render the
beverage cup completely spill-proof. If either a
toddler's mug or dispensible cup is dropped or knocked
over on its side, the contents will leak through the
zo opening in the lid. Furthermore, when this type of cup
or mug is used, which typically has only one small
opening in the lid, which opening is completely covered
by the user's mouth, the pressure in the vessel will
tend to be reduced as the volume of liquid is reduced,
because the vessel is otherwise not vented, thereby
causing discomfort to the user and sometimes
embarrassing noises.
It is an aim of the present invention to
provide an improved cup and lid combination which is
truly spill- or leak-proof.
It is a further aim of the present invention
to provide a lid which can be completely closed and
sealed when the vessel is not being used but which
provides a small opening for drinking, when in use, as
well as a vent opening in order to ensure pressure
equilibrium within and outside of the vessel.
20~000~
A construction in accordance with the
present invention comprises a lid for a beverage vessel
which has a top opening, including a rim, the lid
having a panel with an exterior and interior surface
and a peripheral flange to in-timately engage the rim of
the opening in the vessel in a sealing manner. The
panel includes at least a pair of openings defined in
spaced-apart areas of the panel. At least a first
opening in the panel has a size and outline conforming
anatomically to the human mouth. The openings in the
panel communicate with the interior of the vessel
through the top opening thereof. A valve means is
provided for closing the openings in the panel from the
interior of the vessel, including a valve member on the
interior surface of the panel and an integral valve
stem passing through the panel to the exterior surface,
the valve member having an area sufficient to cover and
seal the openings in the panel. A manual valve
operating member is mounted for reciprocating movement
on the lid at the exterior surface of the panel and is
connected to the valve stem to move the stem and the
valve member from an open position to a closed
position, and spring means are mounted on the lid to
urge the valve in a closed position.
In a more specific embodiment, the valve
member is in the form of a plate, and the valve
operating member is a lever member pivoted to a point
on the peripheral flange of the lid and extending
across the exterior surface of the panel between the
spaced-apart areas to engage the valve stem located
centrally of the panel, and the spring means includes a
leaf spring mounted on the interior surface of the
panel.
In a still more specific embodiment, the lid
is provided with a continuous valve seat on the
interior surface of the panel surrounding the areas
containing the openings in the panel, and the plate-
206000~
shaped valve member is a flexible plate formed as aportion of a cylinder with opposed portions of the
plate curving away from the interior surface of the
panel when in an open position, and the plate is
deformed to a substantially flattened condition with
the plate in complete sealing contact with the valve
seat when the lid is closed, such that by depressing
the lever member against the leaf spring, the plate-
shaped valve member will spring back to its original
shape, thus disengaging itself from the valve seat and
allowing fluid communication between the vessel and the
openings in the panel. On releasing the lever member,
the leaf spring will return the lever to its extended
position, entraining the plate-shaped valve member into
complete contact with the valve seat while deforming
the valve member to thus interrupt liquid communication
between the vessel and the openings in the panel.
Having thus generally described the nature
of the invention, reference will now be made to the
accompanying drawings, showing by way of illustration,
a preferred embodiment thereof, and in which:
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a mug and
lid in accordance with the present invention;
Fig. 2 is an axial vertical cross-section of
the mug and lid shown in Fig. l;
Fig. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged cross-
section, similar to Fig. 2, but in a different opera-
tive position;
Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the lid with a
30 detail thereof removed;
Fig. 5 is a partial fragmentary enlarged
vertical cross-section at right angles to the plane of
the cross-section of Fig. 3;
Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a further
detail of the lid; and
Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the detail
shown in Fig. 6.
2060005
Referring now to the drawings, and in parti-
cular to Figs. 1 and 2, there is shown a mug 10 on
which there is a lid 12. The mug 10 has a handle 14, a
top opening 16, and an interior 18 for containing a
liquid beverage. The mug 10 includes a rim 20 and a
bottom wall 22.
The lid 12 is snugly fitted to the rim 20 of
the mug 10. The lid includes a continuous cylindrical
wall 26 projecting above a panel 24. A portion of the
o wall 26 extends below the panel 24 forming a flange 28
with a lip 30 adapted to engage the rim 20 of the mug
10 .
As shown in more detail in Figs. 2 to 5, the
lid 12 defines a valve seat 32 formed adjacent the
cylindrical flange 28. The valve seat 32 includes an
elastomeric gasket 34 to ensure the seal of the lid 12
to the mug 10 since the gasket 34 is in continuous
contact with the rim 20. In addition, the gasket 34
serves as the valve seat for a valve member 56 which
will be described further.
The panel 24 of the lid 12 includes
diametrically opposed spaced-apart openings 36 and 38.
Each of the openings 36 and 38 is narrow and relatively
small and has been designed to conform anatomically to
the mouth of a typical user. As will be described,
when one of the openings is utilized to allow the
beverage to pour into a user's mouth, the other of the
openings 36 and 38 acts as a vent.
The panel 24 also includes upstanding,
parallel, spaced-apart walls 24a and 24b which define a
trough 41 to accommodate a lever 40. The lever 40 is
pivoted at 42 to the cylindrical wall 26. As shown in
Figs. 2 and 3, the pivot includes a hook member 44 at
the end of the lever 40 adapted to engage an anchor
slot 46 formed in the cylindrical wall 26. The other
end of the lever 40 includes a downwardly extending
flange 48 defining an opening 50 adapted to receive a
206000~
-- 5 --
lip 51 extending from the cylindrical wall 26 and
acting as a limit device for the movement of the lever
40. Centrally of the panel 24 is an opening through
which a valve stem 52 is allowed to reciprocate in
sliding movement. The valve stem is engaged by the
lever 40 by means of lever projection 54.
A valve member 56 in the form of a plate is
shown in detail in Figs. 6 and 7 As can be seen, the
plate-shaped valve member 56 is in the form of a
10 portion of a cylinder. The plate-shaped valve member
56 is flexible and preferably is made from thermo-
plastic material having memory. An opening 56a is
provided centrally of the valve member 56 to
accommodate a fastener 58 including a cap and an upward
attachment stem 58a. The fastener 58 locks the valve
member 56 to the valve stem 52 which in turn is in
contact with the projection 54 on lever 40.
A leaf spring 60 extends diametrically below
the panel 24 and is anchored in leaf spring retaining
slots 62 and 64 defined in diametrically opposed
portions of the cylindrical wall 26. The spring 60 and
the retaining slots 62 and 64 are illustrated in Figs.
2 and 3. The leaf spring urges the valve stem 52
upwardly in Figs. 2 and 3 against the lever 40, thereby
extending the lever 40 in its upward position, as shown
in Fig. 2. In its normal position with the leaf spring
acting against the valve stem 52 and maintaining the
lever 40 in its extended position, the valve member 56
is deformed and is in contact with the valve seat 32,
and more particularly, with the gasket 34, as shown in
Fig. 2.
Upon depressing the lever 40 against the
leaf spring 60, the valve stem 52 moves the valve
member 56 downwardly out of contact with the valve seat
32, allowing the valve member 56 to return to its
original, partly cylindrical shape, as shown in Figs. 5
and 6. Thus, liquid communication is established
206~00~
-- 6 --
between the interior 18 of the mug 10 and the openings
36 and 38 in the panel 24. When the lever 40 is
released, the leaf spring returns the lever 40 to its
extended position, forcing the valve member 56 to
become deformed and to return to be in contact with the
valve seat 32, thus sealing the interior 18 of the mug
10 from the openings 36 and ~8 in the panel 24.
In use, if the interior 18 of the mug 10 is
filled with a liquid beverage, the liquid will be
10 sealed within the interior 18 in view of the seal of
the lid 12 on the rim 20, including the gasket 34, and
as well, the valve member 56 being in sealing contact
with the gasket 34, thus preventing the liquid from
pouring through the openings 36 and 38.
~ hen it is required to drink from the mug
10, the lever 40 must be depressed, as shown in Fig. 3.
Usually, the user will grab the mug by the handle 14
and use his thumb to depress the lever 40 in the
vicinity of the arrow as shown in Fig. 3. As mentioned
above, depressing the lever 40 will open the valve,
thus allowing communication of the interior 18 through
one of the openings 36 or 38 on the panel 24. In the
event that the user drinks from the opening 36, the
opening 38, which is then the uppermost opening, will
act as a vent for the interior 18 of the mug 10.
