CA1288728C - Drink-through container lid with removable drink- through section - Google Patents

Abstract

Abstract of the Disclosure A drink-through lid for beverage containers is disclosed in which a pre-scored drink-through section is included which is removable by squeezing gripping surfaces on opposite sides of a score line which fractures the score line and permits the section to be pulled from the lid while causing the score to initiate a tearing action through the peripheral bead cavity of the lid to facilitate such removal.

Description

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Field of the Invention This invention relates to lids for disposable beverage containers and the like and more parti~ularly to a plastic thermo-formed lid having a replaceable tear-away section therein removable by initially squeezing the lid and subsequently lifting and pulling at the point of squeeze to permit beverages to be consumed from the con-tainer by drinking through a tear-away section of the lid without removing the lid therefrom.

Backqround of the Invention . . , Hot beverages and the like are constantly being served in environments in which an accidental spill can result in a painful in~ury, property damage and other un-desirable results.
For example, on airlines, trains and the like, it is customary to serve both hot and ~old beverages to passengers. Quite often, these bever ges are served in ~isposable paper or plastic drinking cups or containers which may or may not be provided with lids to retain the heat in the hot drinks or provide a s~raw slot for the cold drinks. A ~imilar environmen~ exists in various other passenger vehicles in which such drinks are consumed while the vehicle is in motion thereby rendering the beverage susceptible to spilling.
In the prior ar~ such as in U.S. Patent 4,056t210 of Patrick T. Boyle, issued November lt 1977, for Splash-Proof Drink-Through Beverage Container Lid, and U.S. Patent ~ -4,106,660 of Patrick T. Boyle, issued August 15, 1978, for Splash-Proo~ Drink-Through Beverage Container Lid, such drink-through cup lids generally similar to the type embodying the present invention have been fabricated from ' ~ 21 3~;213 polystyrene sheet or foam material or khe like, such as polypropylene sheet, using standaxd thermo-forming pro-cedures.
Both of the prior art efforts embodied in the foregoing patents of Patrick T. Boyle are characterized by the use of score lines or partial cuts defining the tear-away segment and placed within the confines of the central web of the lid such that upward and outward tearing at those score lines by the insertion of a fingernail or the like through a given one of the score lines results in further tearing of the bead cavity and outer skirt of the lid such that a full generally pie shaped section i5 torn from the lid and can be replaced by pressing the bead cavity portion thereof back over the top rim or bead of the container from which it has just been removed.
Because of the extent o~ cut-through in the scoxing utilized in these configurationsJ there is a tendency for some seepage to occur if the contalners on which these lids are placed happen to be inadvertent-ly overturned prior to the removal of the tear-away sectionstherefrom. Also it is required that a finger-nail or finger tip be inserted t~rough the scored axeas to grip the tear-away sections for removal.
Accordingly, it is an object of an aspect of the present invention to provide an improved drink-through beverage container lid having a pre-scored configuration without cut-through and a structural configuration providing the rupturing of the score lines by squeezing between the thumb and forefinger of the user to initiate removal of a wedge-shaped drink through section from the lid which is ultimately replace~
able on the container at that portion of the rim of the container from which it has previously been removed.

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2a An aspact of the invention is as follows:
A flexible plastic lid means for open-mouthed containers having a peripheral bead or rim defining the open mouth thereof, comprising:
a rim receiving peripheral bead cavity means formed in the outer periphery of said lid fox engaging the peripheral bead of a said container ; and retaining said lid means thereon;
central web means bounded by said bead cavity means for overlying the open mouth of a said container and having a raised area defined therein;
and finite score line means including a score line formed in said raised area and oriented therein to subtend a giv.-n peripheral portion of said bead cavity means, the configuration of said score line means substantially defining the boundaries of a tear-away drink-through section in said lid means extending in~oard of said bead cavity means;
said score line means including gripping means defined by surfaces disposed on opposite sides of said score line and forming at least a part of said raised area and also being disposed in spaced-apart relationship with said rim and radially inwardly of Raid rim for applying a squeezing force transversely of said score line at a location remote from said rim, said score line means being responsive to said sque.ezing force so applied to fracture said score line and render said tear-away drink-through section removable from said lid means by way of pred.ictable fracture of said score line in response to a pulling force subsequently applied to said gripping surfaces adjoining said drink-through section.
first and second depressed cavity means defined in said raised area and mutually bounded ~ 2~38~2~
, ;, 2b over a portion o~ said finite score line means to define ~aid yripping surfaces; and wherein said gripping means comprises upstanding first and second surface means defined in said first and second depressed cavity means, respectively, on opposite sides o said score line in the provision of a ridged shape to khat portion of said score line means.
These and other objects of the present invention become more fully apparent with reference to the following specification and drawings which relate to the preferred ~' -` ~213~7~8 embodiment of the lid of the present invention~

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF TI~E DRAWINGS

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a preferred embodiment of the beverage container lid of the present invention;
Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the beverage container lid of Figure l;
Figure 3 is a cross-section taken along line 3-3 of Figure l;
Figure 4 is the cross-section of Figure 3 illustrating the removal of the drink-through sec ion of the present invention; and :-:
Figure 5 is a top plan view of the beverage container lid of the present invention on a beverage container with the drink-through section removed.

DBTAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring in detail to the drawings and with particular reference to Figures 1, 2 and 3 r a container lid 10 vf the present invention is shown as including a central web portion 12 comprised of a raised spider configuration 12A ormed from inverted U-shaped channels 12B interspersed with depressed cavity portions 12C.
~ diametric array comprised of a radial channel 12Bl, a ramp based inboard cavity 12D, and a flat based substantially semi-circular outboard cavity 12E is pro-vided with an arcuate ridge AR defined between the said inboard and outboard cavities 12D and 12E, respectively, whereby outboard of that ridge the substantially ~emi- ' -circular outboard cavi~y defines the removable drink-through section DTS o~ the lid 12. This removable drink-through section DTS is further defined by a score r,,~ . ...;,?. ~, j . ....

~.~8~37~8 line SL within the said arcuate ridge AR. On either side of the arcuate ridge AR are gripping sur~aces GS extending downwardly into the respective inboard and outboard cavities 12D and 12E such that the gripping surfaces GS
may be squeezed with the ~ingers towards one another to thereby fracture the score line SL and permit the entire outboard cavity 12E and that portion o~ the arcuate ridge AR outboard of the score line SL to be lifted upwardly and outwardly from the lid causing tearing through of the peripheral bead cavity 14r The bead cavity 14 includes an outer skirt 14A, a top surface 14B, and an interior wall portion l~C, all three of which ~ear through based upon the line-of-tear established by the fractured score line SL in response to an upward and outward pull on the removable drink-through section DTS defined by the cavity 12E and score line S~.
The outboard ends of the various inverted channels 12B are provided with relieved arcuate troughs 12B2 immedi-ately adj acent the inner wall portion 14C of the bead.
cavities 14 to provide sufficient ~lexure of the bead cavities 14 ~o effect a facile snap fit with an underlying container bead 16A such as that of the container 16 shown in ~igue 3.
As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the drink-through section DTS has been completely removed from the bead 16A
of the container 16 upon which it may be replaced, if desired, because of ~he section o~ bead cavity 14 remain- ~
ing thereon. This section of bead cavity 14 may be fitted back over the bead 16A of the container 16 to replace the drink-through section DTS within the lid 10 until such time as additional beverage is to be consumed through the.
port P illustrated in Figure 5 as Pffected by the removal of the drink-through section DTS. Contents indicia 20 such as ~he letters C (cream), S (sugar), S~C (sugar and cream) and B (black) ar~ illustrated in Figures 1 and 5.

72~3 The depth of the score line SL if preferably controlled to close tolerances such that a predictable fracturing and tearing along the score line can be effected in mass produc~ion of the lid 10.
The score line S~ may be formed from the inside surface or from the outside surface of the arcuate ridge AR. Advantageously, the ridge AR is scored from the inside surface. This leaves the outer surface free from lines or marks until the score line SL is broken and the drink-through section DST has been removed.
The score line SL should be shaped to encourage rupture such as by an inverted ~V0 shape for an interior score line. This accentuates the effect of squeezing the inboard and outboard gripping:surfaces GS on opposite sides of the arcuate ridge AR towards one another to cause upset and rupture of the ridge along the score line SL.
A lid 10 in accordance with the present inven-tion may be formed from, for example, polystyrene or poly-propylene, using suitable thermo-forming processes and apparatus. Once the lid 10 is ~ormed, the score line SL
may be cu~ into the arcuate ridge AR.
While the invention has been described with refer-ence to the accompanying drawings, it is not limited to the details and sp~ci~ic features shown therein as obvious modifications may be made by those or ordinary skill in the art. The scope of the present inqention is limited only by the claims appended hereto.

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Claims (4)

1. A flexible plastic lid means for open-mouthed containers having a peripheral bead or rim defining the open mouth thereof, comprising:
a rim receiving peripheral bead cavity means formed in the outer periphery of said lid for engaging the peripheral bead of a said container and retaining said lid means thereon;
central web means bounded by said bead cavity means for overlying the open mouth of a said container and having a raised area defined therein; and finite score line means including a score line formed in said raised area and oriented therein to subtend a given peripheral portion of said bead cavity means, the configuration of said score line means substantially defining the boundaries of a tear-away drink-through section in said lid means extending inboard of said bead cavity means;
said score line means including gripping means defined by surfaces disposed on opposite sides of said score line and forming at least a part of said raised area and also being disposed in spaced-apart relationship with said rim and radially inwardly of said rim for applying a squeezing force transversely of said score line at a location remote from said rim, said score line means being responsive to said squeezing force so applied to fracture said score line and render said tear-away drink-through section removable from said lid means by way of predictable fracture of said score line in response to a pulling force subsequently applied to said gripping surfaces adjoining said drink-through section.
first and second depressed cavity means defined in said raised area and mutually bounded over a portion of said finite score line means to define said gripping surfaces; and wherein said gripping means comprises upstanding first and second surface means defined in said first and second depressed cavity means, respectively, on opposite sides of said score line in the provision of a ridged shape to that portion of said score line means.

2. A flexible plastic lid means as set forth in Claim 1, wherein said first cavity means is inboard of said second cavity means and said portion of said score line means mutually bounding said cavity means is in the configuration of an arcuate ridge having an upper surface between said gripping means and having said score line defined in the said upper surface.

3. A flexible plastic lid means as set forth in Claim 1, wherein said raised area comprises a spider configuration of inverted channels shapes extending from the central area thereof outboard to a position adjacent said bead cavity means;
said channels being provided with transverse trough means defined therein immediately adjacent said bead cavity means to enhance flexibility of the latter.

4. A flexible plastic lid means as set forth in Claim 3, wherein additional depressed cavity means are provided intermediate adjacent channels in said spider configuration;
said additional cavity means including indicia means for indicating the contents of a container associated with said lid means.