Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02857761 2014-07-24
=
1
Docket No 06322-00014
DOMED CUP LID FOR HOLDING AN INVERTED CAN OR BOTTLE
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED INFORMATION
[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part application of
U.S. Patent
Application No. 13/365,988, filed February 3, 2012, now U.S. Patent No. __
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present disclosure is directed to lids for holding a
can or a bottle
inverted in a disposable cup.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] While beer and margaritas have always been popular drinks,
a recent
phenomenon has occurred where frozen margaritas have been combined with beer.
The "beer
rite is typically made by inverting a bottle of beer into a glass or pitcher
of frozen margaritas.
This allows the beer to slowly combine with the margarita as it is being
consumed. The
popularity of the beer rita has been increasing as it has been shown on
various reality televisions
shows. While simply inverting a beer bottle into a drink glass is effective,
it is not always stable
and the beer bottle can fall or be easily knocked out of the glass. Further,
the technique has only
been used with traditional, wide rimmed, glass margarita glasses. It would be
helpful to have an
inexpensive disposable cup and lid that would hold a beer bottle securely in
the disposable cup.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] An embodiment of a lid for a cup is described where the lid
acts to hold a
can upside down inside the cup. The lid including a rim attachment mechanism
allowing the lid
to be attached to the cup and a dome connected to the rim attachment mechanism
and having an
aperture therein. The lid also includes a can receptacle extending from the
top into the interior of
the dome through the aperture in the dome, wherein the can receptacle is
formed to accept a can
and to hold the can in a fixed position relative to the lid, and a bottle
receptacle extending from a
CA 02857761 2014-07-24
2
Docket No 06322-00014
bottom of the can receptacle, wherein the bottle receptacle is formed to
accept a neck of the
bottle and to hold the bottle in a fixed position relative to the lid.
[0005] The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and
technical
advantages of the present invention in order that the detailed description of
the invention that
follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the
invention will be
described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention.
It should be
appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and specific
embodiment disclosed
may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures
for carrying out the
same purposes of the present invention. It should also be realized by those
skilled in the art that
such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the
invention as set forth
in the appended claims. The novel features which are believed to be
characteristic of the
invention, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with
further objects and
advantages will be better understood from the following description when
considered in
connection with the accompanying figures. It is to be expressly understood,
however, that each
of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration and description
only and is not intended
as a definition of the limits of the present invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] For a more complete understanding of the present invention,
reference is
now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings,
in which:
[0007] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a cup lid
according to
the concepts described herein for holding a bottle inverted in a drinking
glass;
[0008] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a cup lid
according to
the concepts described herein holding an inverted bottle in a cup;
[0009] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the top of an embodiment of
a cup lid
according to the concepts described herein;
[00010] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the bottom of an embodiment
of a cup lid
according to the concepts described herein;
CA 02857761 2014-07-24
3
Docket No 06322-00014
[00011] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the cup
lid shown in
FIG. 4 showing its intended placement on a cup;
[00012] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the cup
lid shown
before insertion of the inverted bottle;
[00013] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the cup
lid shown in
Figure 6 after insertion of the inverted bottle;
[00014] FIG. 8 is a sectional view of an embodiment of a cup lid
capable of
holding an inverted can as well as an inverted bottle according to the
concepts described herein;
and
[00015] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the cup lid shown in FIG.
8.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[00016] Referring now to Figure 1, an embodiment of a lid according
to the
concepts described herein is shown. As described above, it has become popular
to invert a bottle
of beer into a frozen mixed drink to form a new type of cocktail. Most
commonly a bottle of
beer is inserted upside down into a frozen margarita to create a "beer rita."
While this is the
most popular example of such a drink, any types of beverages could be used,
alcoholic or non-
alcoholic. Typically, the bottle is set into the glass or pitcher and rests
against the edge of the
glass or pitcher. Unfortunately, a bottle in that position can be prone to
falling or being knocked
out of the glass or pitcher. Additionally, that type of arrangement uses wide
rimmed margarita
glasses and does not work well for disposable cups. The present invention
describes a lid for a
disposable cup that can be used to hold a bottle inverted in the cup in a
stable manner.
[00017] Lid 10 is an embodiment of a device to hold an inverted
bottle in a cup 11
according to the concepts described herein. Lid 10 is positioned on cup 11 by
snapping it onto
the rim of the cup 11 as is common with lids for disposable cups, such that it
is held securely to
the cup 11. A bottle 13 can then be inserted upside down into an aperture 12
sized to receive the
neck 15 of the bottle in lid 10 such that the bottle 13 is held inverted in
the cup. In addition to
the aperture 12, lid 10 preferably includes a straw hold 14 for receiving a
typical drinking straw
16.
CA 02857761 2014-07-24
4
Docket No 06322-00014
[00018] Figure 2 shows lid 10 on cup 11 with the bottle 13 inserted
completely
into aperture 12. In this fully inserted position, the shoulder of bottle 13
rests on an upper edge
17 of aperture 12. Upper edge 17 prevents bottle 13 from dropping further into
cup 11 and
provides a stable position for bottle 13 in lid 10.
[00019] Referring now to Figures 3 and 4, a preferred embodiment of
lid 10 is
described in more detail. Lid 10 is formed by dome 24, bottle receptacle 22,
and rim attachment
25. Aperture 12, extends through the inner volume of bottle receptacle 22.
Bottle receptacle 22
is preferably conical in shape such that it narrows as it extends into the
interior of dome 24, and
is sized to receive neck of a typical beer or soda bottle. Upper edge 17 of
bottle receptacle 22 is
smaller than the main diameter of the bottle such that the neck of the bottle
will extend through
aperture 12 but the remainder of the bottle will be held in place by the top
surface 17 where
bottle receptacle 22 extends from dome 24 as the shoulders of the bottle,
where the bottle
transitions from the neck to the main portion, rest against the top surface
17. Rim attachment 25
is formed by ledge 27 which contacts the rim of the cup and band 28 which
snaps over the rim of
the cup and holds lid 10 onto the cup as is well known. Straw hole 14 is
provided in dome 24 to
allow a straw to be inserted into the cup for drinking the liquid therein.
[00020] In Figure 4, the bottle receptacle can be seen in more
detail. As stated, the
bottle receptacle is preferably conically shaped and includes a bottom ledge
26 adjacent to the
aperture 12 in which the bottle is inserted. If the shoulder of the bottle
inserted into lid 10 is too
small to rest on upper edge 17, the bottle will be caught and held in place
either by the conical
shape of bottle receptacle 22 as it narrows or by ledge 26 which will act to
catch the shoulder of
the bottle.
[00021] Referring now to Figure 5, the embodiment of lid 10 shown in
Figure 3
and 4 is shown relative to a cup. Cup 11 is sized to receive lid 10 by having
the same diameter
rim 29 as rim attachment 25. As lid 10 is inserted onto cup 11, band 28 fits
over rim 29 and
snaps in place to hold lid 10 to cup 11 as is well known with disposable lids
and cups. Dome 24
extends above cup 11 and includes bottle receptacle 22 with aperture 12 for
receiving an inverted
bottle. Straw hole 14 allows for the insertion of a straw through lid 10 into
cup 11.
[00022] Referring now to Figures 6 and 7, an embodiment of lid 10 is
shown with
a bottle before and after insertion, respectively. Bottle receptacle 22 of lid
10 is sized to receive
neck 15 of bottle 13 as it is inserted into lid 10. Bottle 13 can come to rest
on upper edge 17 of
CA 02857761 2014-07-24
=
Docket No 06322-00014
lid 10 or anywhere along the inner surface of bottle receptacle 22 or on ledge
26, such that bottle
13 is ultimately held in a fixed position with respect to lid 10. In the
inserted position, the
contents of bottle 13 are permitted to flow into the cup (not shown) and mix
with the existing
contents of the cup, such as a margarita.
[00023] As an additional feature in certain embodiments of lid 10,
there is space on
dome 24 for promotional or advertising material to be added to lid 10. Lid 10
can be formed
from any suitable material, but is preferably a plastic having enough strength
to support a full
bottle inserted into aperture 12 while lid 10 is sitting on the rim of a cup.
[00024] Referring now to Figures 8 and 9, a preferred embodiment of
lid 100
capable of holding a can as well as a bottle is described in more detail. Lid
100 is formed by
dome 124, can receptacle 132, bottle receptacle 122, and rim attachment 128.
Aperture 112,
extends through the inner volume of can receptacle 132 and bottle receptacle
122. Both can
receptacle 132 and bottle receptacle 22 are preferably conical or tapering in
shape such that it
narrows as it extends into the interior of dome 24. Can receptacle 132 is
sized to allow a can of
similar diameter to a typical 12 ounce to be inserted therein and is deep
enough to hold the can in
place. Bottle receptacle is sized to receive neck of a typical beer or soda
bottle. The upper edge
of bottle receptacle 22, which is also the transition between can receptacle
132 and bottle
receptacle 122, is smaller than the main diameter of the bottle such that the
neck of the bottle
will extend through aperture 112 but the remainder of the bottle will be held
in place by the
upper surface of bottle receptacle 122, as the shoulders of the bottle, where
the bottle transitions
from the neck to the main portion, rest against the transition between the can
receptacle 132 and
bottle receptacle 122. Rim attachment 128 is formed by a ledge which contacts
the rim of the
cup and band which snaps over the rim of the cup and holds lid 100 onto the
cup as is described
above. A straw hole can also be provided in dome 124 to allow a straw to be
inserted into the
cup for drinking the liquid therein.
[00025] Although the present invention and its advantages have been
described in
detail, it should be understood that 'Various changes, substitutions and
alterations can be made
herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined
by the appended
claims. Moreover, the scope of the present application is not intended to be
limited to the
particular embodiments of the process, machine, manufacture, composition of
matter, means,
methods and steps described in the specification. As one of ordinary skill in
the art will readily
CA 02857761 2014-07-24
6
Docket No 06322-00014
appreciate from the disclosure of the present invention, processes, machines,
manufacture,
compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps, presently existing or later
to be developed that
perform substantially the same function or achieve substantially the same
result as the
corresponding embodiments described herein may be utilized according to the
present invention.
Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to include within their scope
such processes,
machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps.
=
