LID WITH INTEGRATED CONTAINERThis application is a continuation in part of United States Utility Patent Application SerialNo. 13/360,707, filed 28 January 2012 which is a continuation in part of United States UtilityPatent Application Serial No. 13/226,346, filed 6 September 2011, the specifications ofwhich are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONFIELD OF THE INVENTION One or more embodiments of the invention are related to the field of containers. Moreparticularly, but not by way of limitation, one or more embodiments of the invention enable acup lid or can lid with integrated container that enables for example simultaneous orintermittent access of the contents of the container and attached cup without disengagementof the cup lid from the cup or can. Additionally, an independent drop-in container may residewithin the cup or can lid cavity such that after partially consuming the contents of theindependent drop-in container it may be resealed with an additional lid and removed from thelid cavity and transported to another location such as a car or home.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART Standard cup lids are simple covers that do not include an integrated container.
Rather, known lids cover the contents of a cup which forms a closed container incombination with the cup itself. Known containers that couple with cups include foodcontainers that fit onto the top of yogurt cups for example. Known containers have to beremoved from the yogurt cup and then flipped over and opened before the contents of thecontainer and cup may be accessed. It is generally not possible to access the contents of thecup while also accessing the contents of the container without first disengaging the containerfrom the cup. Additionally, food containers that attach to yogurt cups in an upside-downposition have a limited food-volume capacity. In such cases, as the yogurt example shows,the food-container walls narrow as they proceed upward toward the bottom of the upsidedown container. Other known devices having a container or shelf combined with a lid havelimitations, which makes these devices impractical to use. One category of devices includesa container combined with a cup, but utilizes a hole in the middle of the lid. This makes itimpossible to store relatively circular items, i.e., non-ring or non-annular items having nocentral hole, in the container, such as hamburgers, cookies or muffins for example. Anothercategory of device includes a container combined with a lid, but does not allow forsimultaneous access of the contents of the cup and the container at the same time, and doesnot allow for the container to be resealed or a drop-in container to be removed from thecontainer. Other devices that include drop-in functionality require removal of the containerbefore accessing the contents of the cup. Yet these devices do not contemplate a drop-incontainer that is configured to fit into the armrest of a movie theater seat. Other devices haverelatively small peel containers for pills such as mints and are not suitable for larger fooditems. Another category of devices utilizes dividers in the cup with access on each side ofthe cup. None of the known devices enable a container to be disengaged from the lid of thecup while retaining the lower lid on the cup. No known devices have a non-permanent ormale/female bottom oriented coupling system for coupling a container with the lid.
Furthermore, there are no known rotational covers that enable or disable access to the liquidand/or solid in the cup or can as desired by the user while still allowing the user to access thefirst solid or liquid in the lid container.
Known containers that couple with bottles include gift containers that fit onto the topof bottles for example. It is generally not possible to access the contents of the bottles whilealso accessing the contents of the gift containers without disengaging the gift container fromthe bottle and then disengaging the lid of the bottle.
Thus simultaneous or intermittent access of the contents of known cups, bottles or cansand of the contents of an attached container is not practical for at least the reasons listedabove. This makes for difficult drinking/eating coffee, soda, snacks, popcorn, etc., in malls,fast food restaurants, theaters, amusement parks, sports stadiums or in any other venue. Forexample, this makes it difficult to eat and drink food in a theater or stadium with one cup-holder per seat.
For at least the limitations described above there is a need for a lid with integratedcontainer.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION One or more embodiments described in the specification are related to a lid withintegrated container, for use on cans or cups. Embodiments of the cup lid generally provide acavity, compartment or closed space, wherein the cup lid is configured to couple with the topof a cup. One or more embodiments may include volumes that extend to, into, out of, or bothinto and out of the plane defined by the circular top of the cup. In this manner, the cup andlid form at least two containment volumes, one volume formed by the bottommost portion ofthe cup lid and the inner walls of the cup, and another volume within the upper cup lid itself.
In relation to the volume within the lid, the contents within this volume may be accessed,partially consumed, replaced (such as a cookie), and resealed within the volume throughvarious secondary lid configurations and this may be done at any time as desired by the user.
Embodiments of the invention enable easy containment, inclusion of fresh foods,transportation and simultaneous or intermittent access of solid or liquid in the container withsolid or liquid held in the cup, without requiring disengagement of the cup lid from the cup.
Additionally, a separate and independent drop-in/removable pre-sealed container may residewithin the cup lid cavity such that after removing the pre-sealed cover and partially eatingfrom a movie theater cup for example the user can then reseal the independent container andremove it from the lid cavity and take it to another location such as a car or home. Canembodiments generally do not extend downward into the plane defined by the circular top ofthe can, but may extend straight up or outward at any diameter or slope as desired.
Embodiments of the invention may be utilized on either cans or cups as desired and exampleembodiments illustrated herein may be utilized on either a can or cup as one skilled in the artwill recognize even though a particular embodiment may be described with respect to a canor cup.
Embodiments of the invention may be made to fit any cup or can size, for example apaper coffee cup, and may be quickly attached and removed from the cup or can.
Embodiments may be constructed from vacuum, thermal or injection molding techniques orin any other manner as desired. An injection-molded container generally provides morevolume than a thermoformed container due to the fact that with a thermoformed container thesidewalls of the container generally must draft inward as they proceed upward toward the topedge of the lid/container (a typical requirement for releasing from mold). In contrast, use ofinjection molding enables the sidewalls to draft outward as they proceed upward toward thetop edge therefore providing a larger circular diameter of the top edge of the container, whichtranslates to a larger food or liquid volume capacity within the top container, which attachesto the cup. Any type of material may be utilized in the construction of one or moreembodiments of the invention, for example plastic or polymer. One such plastic may be clearor opaque or any level of translucency. Materials may be chosen for strength and function asrequired. Common thermosetting polymers include epoxy and phenolic materials.
Thermoplastic materials that may be utilized include polypropylene, nylon, polyethylene andpolystyrene for example. Alternatively, additional configurations may utilize paper, hard-molded plastic, ceramic, metal (for example, stainless steel), and silicon. Coffee cup lids aregenerally white or black while most soda or drink-cup lids are clear. Any colors or colorcombinations may be used. One or more embodiments may utilize components of differenttranslucent values, for example a bottom compartment of the container may be white, whilethe seal-on/peel-off cover or press-on friction cover portion of the container may be clear sothat the contents of the container may be viewed without opening the container. The cavitymay contain a thermal liner, for example Styrofoam for cold items such as ice cream orfrozen yogurt or alternatively for hot items such as sliders, hamburgers, chili or soup. Thecavity may contain a paper liner with an optional ruffled edge to act as a barrier between acookie for example and the plastic which forms the inner wall of the lid cavity. The cavitymay include a single or double wall for extra insulative effect or for any other reason.
Thermal sensitive plastics, for example thermochromics may also be utilized to show howhot or cold the item in the container is. These types of plastics change color for examplebased on their temperature. Graphic symbols, for example bar codes, arrows and/or letters orany other informative element that for example read “Caution Contents Hot”, may bedisplayed for example when the thermochromic is hot, for example in Red, wherein theletters would not be shown otherwise, or would be shown in Blue for example if the contentsof the container were not hot. These colors are exemplary and any color includingtransparent may be chosen to represent hot and cold in any embodiment of the invention. Forembodiments that do not utilize thermochromic materials, any graphical symbols or letteringmay be utilized to warn or inform a potential user. Graphical symbols and/or lettering maybe placed on the cover or sides, or inside of the container or in any other area that may beviewed or touched, including but not limited to the cover for example. Graphical symbolsand/or lettering may include logos, advertisements, bar codes, puzzles, promotions, trivia orany other type of information that is viewable and may include tactile information includingBraille.
The vertical dimension of the cavity may vary from a low, for example about a half aninch when the container is configured to hold a cookie, to a medium, for example about oneand a half inches when the container is configured to hold a doughnut, or high, for example,up to or more than four inches when the container is configured to hold frozen yogurt, icecream, a hamburger, French fries, or a sandwich. As one skilled in the art will appreciate,any desired dimension of the container may be utilized as desired for the particularapplication. The horizontal dimension of the container may be of a width less than, equal to,or greater than the diameter of the cup measured across the plane formed by the top of thecup opening. When the horizontal dimension of the container is less than the diameter of thecup opening, then the vertical offset of the dimension may extend downward into the mainvolume of the cup. Other embodiments enable containers having a horizontal dimension lessthan, equal to, or greater than the diameter of the cup opening to reside on top of the planedefined by the cup opening. Other embodiments of the container may include portionshaving a smaller horizontal dimension to extend into the main volume of the cup and aportion of the container that is smaller, equal to, or larger that also extends above the planedefined by the cup opening. Embodiments may be constructed from one or more parts. In thecase of an embodiment having a container that extends above, and in some instances, below,the horizontal plane of the cup top, two elements may be fused or permanently bondedtogether for example, or molded or formed as a single unit may be two separate units that clipor lock together, e.g., through mating parts, or in any other manner. The shape of thecontainer may be of any type, circular, oval, triangular, square or a polygon of any number ofsides, or any other shape.
One or more embodiments of the invention may optionally include indented cut-outsto facilitate lifting of the item or items from within the cavity. For example, an embodimentwith at least one indented cut-out allows for a finger to be inserted into the cavity in order toprovide a lifting force to the item in the cavity. More than one indented cut-out for examplemay be employed so that opposing locations in the cavity may be employed to lift the itemfrom the cavity as desired. Indented cut-outs can also be integrated such that uniform or levelstacking may be achieved for ease of storage. Embodiments having three indented cut-outs,for example, stack evenly regardless of initial positioning; however, this is merely anexemplary embodiment, as other embodiments may be formed to readily stack as desired.
One or more embodiments of the invention may employ a hole such as a sip/gulphole or straw hole for example, so that liquid in the cup may be accessed without removingthe container. Any shape of hole or any shape straw, i.e., oblong from a cross-sectional view,for any purpose may be utilized as desired. Embodiments employing a hole may make use ofa hole in the horizontal top surface of the container, or at the base of the container in thehorizontal surface adjacent to the outer perimeter of the cup lid, when the container bottom issufficiently smaller than the diameter of the cup rim, or on a vertical wall of the container forexample, so that oversize containers may be utilized that, for example, have a larger diameterthan the diameter of cup rim. For example, one embodiment of an oversize container allowsfor a hamburger or French fries to be placed on top of a soda or beer cup. In this latterconfiguration, a tri-bend straw is provided to effectively follow the contour of a largercontainer, located directly above, before heading diagonally upward toward the user.
Although the top container may be heat fused or permanently bonded to the cup lid,or made from a single molded or thermal-formed unit, for example, in the case of the largecontainer configuration where the straw exits the vertical side wall, the large container mayclip or couple to the cup lid below via a bottom oriented male/female coupling system or avertical wall male/female ridge coupling system. Such clip, ridge or coupling systems asmentioned here provide for removal and reattachment of the top container to the cup lid, asdesired by the user.
Embodiments of the invention may utilize a lid to cover the container, wherein ineffect, a cup that is coupled with an embodiment of the invention effectively has two lids, onefor the container and one formed by the container with the cup. To avoid confusion, “cover”as utilized herein refers to the lid for the container. Embodiments of covers include seal-on/peel-off, press-on, i.e., external and/or internal wall friction, press-on friction dome,rotational, hinge, clamshell, or swivel types of covers. Seal-on/peel-off covers may beconfigured using a thermal bonding process of similar or compatible materials (foil is anexample of one option, and if a plastic or plastic composite, i.e., more than one layer, isutilized, any opacity or transparent or translucent characteristic may be utilized as desired), ormay utilize an adhesive that allows the cover to be removed permanently or temporarily(cover may be resealed to the cup lid with cavity or the independent drop-in/removablecontainer as desired), depending on the adhesive, to access the cavity. Seal-on/peel-offcovers may be optionally scored such that only a specific portion of the entire lid is removedwhen pulling or lifting the removal tab. Press-on friction covers are generally plastic coversthat may be removed and placed back on the cavity, for example, when placing fresh foodssuch as cookies within the cavity, or if the contents of the container have not all beenremoved. Seal-on/peel-off and press-on friction covers may be utilized in combination, sothat after the press-on friction cover and seal-on/peel-off covers are removed, exposing thecontents of the container, then the press-on friction cover may be placed over the containeragain to enclose the contents of the container for example. Press-on friction dome covers forexample may also include a hole on top that enables a spoon, fork or other utensil such aschopsticks or any other utensil to access food within the container, such as frozen yogurt orfruit. Press-on friction covers may also include an adjustable open/close sip-hole or strawhole. Press-on external and/or internal wall friction covers may engage or couple in anymanner that utilizes friction for the coupling. Press-on friction type covers may beimplemented with a flat portion that is hinged at any peripheral location of the container thatallows the lid to flex open in a clamshell fashion, exposing the contents of the container,while retaining the cover such that it remains attached to the exterior wall of the container.
Lids or covers that act to contain the contents of the lid container/cavity are optional, suchthat the contents may reside within the lid container/cavity without a cover as to enableimmediate access to the contents.
Items suitable for placement within the container include solids or liquids. Forexample, items may include any combination of one or more solid and/or liquid alone or incombination. Example items include one or more cookies, doughnuts, chocolates, chips,crackers, nuts, popcorn, candies, ice cream, frozen ice, ice coffee, frozen yogurt, cream,water, soda or coffee, fruit pieces, burgers, French fries, sandwiches, or any other solid orliquid. Items that may be sealed in and stored for use or purchase may be refrigerated aftersealing if necessary, or items that are selectively prepared or fresh can be placed into thecontainer and may utilize the press-on friction cover embodiment if desired based on theparticular application.
Embodiments of the invention allow for one-handed transportation and simultaneousor intermittent access of the contents of the cup and container without disengaging the cup lidfrom the cup. Although, as specified here within, a clip-on male/female coupling system ofengagement of the container to the lid below may be utilized, which allows the user toremove or reattach the top container as desired. Additionally, the contents of the lid containermay be accessed, and partially consumed, then replaced within the container (a cookie forexample) and resealed through various secondary lid configurations at any time as desired bythe user. A movie theater configuration enables an independent drop-in container to residewithin the cup lid cavity such that after partially consuming the contents of the independentdrop-in container, it may be resealed with an additional lid and removed from the cup lidcavity and transported to another location such as a car or home. Independent drop-in pre-sealed cup style containers are extremely efficient and compatible with variousconfigurations described herein due to the fact that after automated machinery (such asOyster machinery) fills and seals these containers, they can then be easily transported to anylocation and then simply dropped into the lid cavity as specified per configuration as set forthherein. Various embodiments allow for ease of carrying and drinking/eating coffee, soda,cookies, snacks, etc., in malls, fast food restaurants, theaters, amusement parks, and sportstadiums or in any other venue. For example, this allows a parent in an amusement park tocarry food and beverages at the same time with one hand, while providing one hand free tohold the hand of a child for safety. In addition, embodiments of the invention simplify eatingand drinking by combining these processes into one container and cup, which is significantlymore convenient in theaters or stadiums having seats, for example, which provide a singlecup holder per seat.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the invention will be moreapparent from the following more particular description thereof, presented in conjunctionwith the following drawings wherein: Figure 1 illustrates an exploded view of an embodiment of the cup lid with integratedcontainer above a cup, along with a food item and a cover.
Figure 2A illustrates a bottom perspective view of an embodiment of the invention,Figure 2B shows a side view of an embodiment of the invention having a vertical dimensionthat extends to the plane of the cup opening, Figure 2C shows a side view of an embodimentof the invention having a vertical dimension that extends down into the plane of the cupopening.
Figure 3 illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention coupledwith a cup, a seal-on/peel-off cover and configured to allow access to the contents of the cupvia a straw.
Figure 4 illustrates a cross sectional view of Figure 3.
Figure 5 illustrates a top perspective view of the embodiment shown in Figure 3.
Figure 6 illustrates a top view of the embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 3.
Figure 7A illustrates a side cross sectional view of the embodiment of the inventionshown in Figure 3.
Figure 7B illustrates a side cross sectional view of the embodiment of the inventionshown having two or more coupling elements configured to couple with cups of differentsizes.
Figure 7C illustrates different embodiments of coupling elements that may be utilizedto attach the top container to the cup rim.
Figure 8 illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention coupledwith a cup, a press-on friction cover and configured to allow access to the contents of the cupvia a straw.
Figure 9 illustrates a cross sectional view of Figure 8.
Figure 10 illustrates a top perspective view of the embodiment of the inventionshown in Figure 8 along with an embodiment of a press-on friction cover.
Figure 11 illustrates a top view of the embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 8along with the open/close positioning holes for sealing off or providing access to the sip holeor straw hole.
Figure 12A illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention coupledwith a cup, a container with an optional upper press-on friction dome style cover andconfigured to allow access to the contents of the cup through a hole in a vertical sidewall inthe bottom cup lid, via a straw. Figure 12B illustrates a rotationally aligned embodiment ofthe container of Figure 12A employing a clamshell style cover, to form a clamshell hingecontainer, with tabs for easy opening and wherein the clamshell style cover is configured toopen away from the straw and wherein the contents of the cup are accessed via a hole in avertical sidewall of the bottom cup lid via the straw. In one or more embodiments, tabsinclude strengthening ribs that project relatively orthogonal to the plane of the tabs to providefor a stronger tab and/or enable use of thinner plastic or both. As shown, Figure 12Cillustrates an exploded view of a different embodiment of the base portion of the cup lidhaving a channel for the straw to travel up and out of the cup lid and a raised circular frictionmale/female coupling system that allows for the disengagement/reattachment of the topcontainer to the cup lid below. Figure 12D illustrates a rotationally aligned embodiment ofthe container of Figure 12C that utilizes a clamshell style cover with tabs for easy openingand wherein the clamshell style cover is configured to open away from the straw and whereinthe contents of the cup are accessed via a channel in a vertical sidewall of the bottom cup lidvia the straw and wherein the base portion of the cup lid utilizes the channel and couplingsystem of Figure 12C.
Figure 13 illustrates a cross sectional view of Figure 12, along with a tri-bend strawconfiguration.
Figure 14 illustrates a bottom perspective view of the embodiment of the inventionshown in Figure 12A along with an embodiment of the press-on friction dome cover and astraw hole located in the vertical wall of the cup lid.
Figure 15 illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention coupledwith a cup, an optional press-on friction dome cover with a hole for a spoon/fork or any othereating utensil and configured to allow access to the contents of the cup via a straw. Figure15A illustrates an alternate embodiment shown in Figure 15 that is rotationally aligned andwherein the container includes a hinged lid with an internal friction press-on element whereinthe hinged lid opens away from the straw via easy open tabs with strength ribs.
Figure 16 illustrates a cross sectional view of Figure 15.
Figure 17 illustrates a bottom perspective view of the embodiment of the inventionshown in Figure 15 along with an embodiment of a press-on friction dome cover and a strawhole located in the horizontal wall of the cup lid.
Figure 18 illustrates an embodiment of the invention with a swivel cover andindependent drop-in/removable container.
Figure 19 illustrates an embodiment of the invention that employs a hinge lid/cover.
Figure 19A shows embodiments of Figure 19 configured for use with a straw.
Figure 20 illustrates a close-up of the hinge lid/cover coupling element of Figure 19.
Figure 21 illustrates a rotational cover with a closeable embodiment of the inventionwith a large opening to enable access of the contents of the container with fingers.
Figure 22 illustrates a rotational cover with a closeable embodiment of the inventionwith an optional seal-on/peel-off cover, and medium size opening to enable access of thecontents of the container by lifting and pouring the contents into the mouth.
Figure 23 illustrates a rotational cover with a closeable embodiment of the inventionwith a medium size opening to enable access of the contents of the container by lifting andpouring the contents into the mouth of a user wherein the container may be in the form of anindependent drop-in/removable seal-on/peel-off unit, which may be optionally scored andmay be foil or any singular or plural combination of materials.
Figure 24 illustrates a rotational/hinge lid/cover configured for example to hold acookie or other item and configured with posts, for example grab posts, and optional snapopen and close elements.
Figure 25 illustrates the embodiment of Figure 24 with the cover off and showing afood item and optional cut-outs for lifting the food item for example.
Figure 26 illustrates an embodiment for example as shown in Figures 24 and 25 witha straw hole.
Figure 27 illustrates the embodiment of Figure 26 in further detail.
Figure 28 illustrates an embodiment with an optional seal-on/peel-off cover and non-rotational hinge lid/cover that may be configured to click open or closed for example.
Figure 29 illustrates an embodiment of Figure 28 with a straw hole.
Figure 30 illustrates an embodiment related to Figure 28 configured for anindependent drop-in/removable container.
Figure 31 illustrates an embodiment of Figure 30 in further detail.
Figure 32 illustrates an embodiment of Figure 30 with a straw hole.
Figure 33 illustrates an embodiment having a round off center volume to hold anoptional cup/arm rest independent drop-in/removable container and a straw hole and optionalcontainer cover configured to fit under the bottom of the large cup and also on top of thecup/arm rest independent drop-in removable container as well.
Figure 34 illustrates the embodiment of Figure 33 in greater detail.
Figure 35 illustrates the cup/arm rest independent drop-in/removable container in anarmrest hole and shown in the bottom portion of the figure above the arm rest.
Figure 36 illustrates a lower perspective view of the cup/arm rest independent drop-in/removable container with container press-on friction cover also configured to fit thebottom of the cup/arm rest independent drop-in/removable container on the bottom and top ofthe container.
Figure 37 illustrates an embodiment of the snap on hinge cover attached to thelid/container and cup in closed and open configurations.
Figure 38 illustrates an exploded view of the embodiment of Figure 37.
Figure 39 illustrates a top and bottom perspective view of the lid/containerembodiment of Figure 37.
Figure 40 illustrates four embodiments of the hinge cover and lid/container alongwith the optional seal-on/peel off layer.
Figure 41 illustrates a bottom perspective view of the four embodiments of hingecovers along with the optional seal-on/peal-off layer of Figure 40.
Figure 42 illustrates a close-up perspective view of the three hinge coverembodiments of Figure 40.
Figure 43 illustrates two embodiments of the hinge for two-piece snap onembodiments of the hinge cover and lid/container of Figure 40.
Figure 44 illustrates cutaway views of the hinge cover and lid/container of Figure 37.
Figure 45 illustrates a rotational cover with a closeable embodiment of the inventionhaving a rotational trough and stop post, with an optional seal-on/peel-off cover, opening toenable access of the contents of the container by lifting and pouring the contents into themouth.
Figure 46 illustrates top and bottom perspective views of the embodiment of Figure Figure 47 illustrates a top perspective view of the embodiment of Figure 45 alongwith a hinge lid cover embodiment.
Figure 48 illustrates a top perspective view of the closeable embodiment of Figure 45at three rotational values.
Figure 49 illustrates embodiments of the invention for wide mouth cans or cups andstandard cans.
Figure 50 illustrates a top perspective view of the hinge lid embodiment of Figure 47showing a seal-on/peel-off cover.
Figure 51 illustrates cutaway views of the closeable rotational embodiment of FigureDETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION A lid with integrated container will now be described. In the following exemplarydescription numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thoroughunderstanding of embodiments of the invention. It will be apparent, however, to an artisan ofordinary skill that the present invention may be practiced without incorporating all aspects ofthe specific details described herein. In other instances, specific features, quantities, ormeasurements well known to those of ordinary skill in the art have not been described indetail so as not to obscure the invention. Readers should note that although examples of theinvention are set forth herein, the claims, and the full scope of any equivalents, are whatdefine the metes and bounds of the invention.
Figure 1 illustrates an exploded view of an embodiment of cup lid 100a withintegrated container or cavity 101a shown above cup 130, along with any solid/liquid 120 orfood item such as a cookie for example that fits in cavity 101a, and cover 110a, that coversthe food item while the food item is in container 101a. Cup lid 100a includes couplingelement 107 that allows the cup lid to couple with the cup.
Cup lid 100a includes at least one wall 102, for example that leads to containerbottom 103, which for example may also be considered part of wall 102. As used herein, theterm “wall” is not limited to a surface of any shape, but rather refers to the separationbetween container 101a and the contents of cup 130. Specifically, embodiments of theinvention include at least one wall that defines container 101a that is configured to store afirst solid or a liquid separate from a second solid or liquid stored in cup 130 wherein cup 130generally includes an annular opening that lies in a plane on top of the cup. The cup asshown also includes a rolled rim 131 that coupling element 107 is configured to couple withto hold cup lid 100a onto cup 130. Specifically, coupling element 107 is configured tocouple at least one wall to the annular opening on top of said cup, for example by stretchingover the smaller diameter portion of the coupling element to allow the rolled edge of the cupto fit into the slightly larger diameter portion of the cup lid. Coupling element 107 is anexemplary form of attachment and any form of attachment may be utilized to couple cup lid100a to cup 130, as one skilled in the art will appreciate, including for example a couplingelement that includes a more difficult type of coupling to remove or even a permanentcoupling. Container cover 110a is optionally configured to couple via coupling element 122to coupling element 121 of cup lid 100a. An alternative is to extend the vertical sidewall of110a such that coupling element 122 is configured to couple to coupling element 107 of cuplid 100a for example.
Horizontal area 104 includes hole 105a for example for a straw or sip hole andoptional indented cut-outs 106. Optional elements include rotation indexer 108 and air hole109. Rotation indexer 108 is described below with respect to its relation to cover 110a.
Other optional elements may include optional indicators not shown for brevity, for exampleconfigured to press in to show whether the contents of cup 130 are for example diet/regularsoda or caffeinated/decaffeinated or to show any other information in a tactile or visiblemanner.
At least one wall is configured to enable access of the first solid or liquid and thesecond solid or liquid without disengagement of the coupling element. For example, thecontents of both integrated container 101a and cup 130 are accessible without removing thecup lid. This greatly simplifies eating and drinking in cars, theaters and sport stadiums forexample that are equipped with one cup-holder per seat.
Cover 110a as shown is configured as an external wall friction press-on cover, butmay also be configured as a seal-on/peel-off, press-on friction dome, press-on friction domewith hole, internal and external wall friction press-on, internal wall friction press-on, hinge orrotational cover, so long as the cover is configured to at least partially enclose the containerand retain the contents of the container when the cover is coupled with corresponding versionof the cup lid. As shown, cover 110a includes hole 115 to allow access of hole 105a whencover 110a is coupled with cup lid 100a and cover 110a may also include holes 118a and118b that provide discrete rotation values for cover 110a when one or the other hole is rotatedover the top of rotation indexer 108 on cup lid 100a. In one angular rotation, hole 105a isopen for access and in the other angular rotation, hole 105a is thus closed by cover 110a.
When open, i.e., when hole 105a is exposed through cover hole 115, air hole 109 is exposedvia hole 118b and when closed, air hole 109 is also closed by cover 110a.
Figure 2A illustrates a bottom view of an embodiment of the invention. At least onewall 102 includes a vertical dimension that extends to, into, out of, or both into and out of theplane defined by the annular opening of the cup. Even though Figures 1 and 2A-B show alimited depth container 101a, it is noted that this depth may be large enough to hold a typicalamount of popcorn in the container while the cup holds a typical amount of soda in the cup asis shown in Figure 2C. Figure 2B shows a side view of an embodiment of the inventionhaving a vertical dimension that extends down to the plane of the cup opening. Thisembodiment for example may be utilized to hold a cookie while cup 130 holds a cappuccino.
Figure 2C shows a side view of an embodiment of the lid container with a cup shown indashed lines, having a vertical dimension that extends into the plane of the cup opening, thisvertical dimension may be of any size and can be increased such that the embodiment, forexample, may be utilized to hold popcorn while cup 130 holds soda for example.
Furthermore, at least one wall 102 includes a horizontal dimension, for example across thediameter of the container, having a width less than, equal to, or greater than a width measuredacross the annular opening of the cup. See also Figure 12-D for embodiments wider than theopening of the cup for example. The embodiment shown in Figure 2C may itself holdpopcorn and fit into a standard popcorn cup that is then utilized for soda, and/or may fit into acup that has a narrower, or stepped configuration on the bottom half of the cup so as to fitinto a standard stadium or movie theater seat cup holder for example. Any type of cup thatallows for an embodiment of the invention to be utilized in conjunction with a cup holder foran automobile, or stadium seat, movie theater seat or any other type of cup holder is inkeeping with the spirit of the invention.
Figure 3 illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention 100bcoupled with cup 130, seal-on/peel-off cover 110b and configured to allow access to thecontents of the cup via straw 301a. The straw configuration is shown as one embodiment,although another embodiment may provide a sip hole or gulp hole for example. Area 302may include graphic symbols or lettering or both graphic symbols and lettering of visual ortactile form, or logos, advertisements, bar codes, puzzles, promotions, trivia or information orany combination of any information, including thermochromic materials that show differentinformation based on temperature.
Figure 4 illustrates a cross sectional view of Figure 3. As shown, the cup may be asoda, lemonade, coffee, or beer cup, for example, and is not limited to cups with a rolled rim,which are shown herein in an exemplary manner. One or more areas or walls may include athermochromic plastic configured to change color based on a temperature of the first solid orliquid in the container. First solid or liquid 120 may include any combination of one or morecookies, chocolates, chips, crackers, nuts, popcorn, candies, ice cream, frozen yogurt, fruitpieces, burgers, French fries, sandwiches, milk, cream or any other item. Second liquid orsolid in cup 130 may include any combination of ice cream, milk shake, frozen ice, icecoffee, milk, lemonade, water, soda, coffee, beer, mixed alcoholic beverage, frozen ice, icecoffee, or any other item.
Figure 5 illustrates a top perspective view of the embodiment of the invention shownin Figure 3. The horizontal area on top of the embodiment shown includes hole 105a toallow access of the second liquid or solid, i.e., the contents of the cup. Without removing thecup lid, a person may also access the contents of the container on top of the cup. An optionalvertical raised area surrounding the sip hole 105a is provided to elevate the sip hole area suchthat the user’s lip does not come into contact with the potentially sharp edge of the containercover. The cover may optionally include any type of hole or cut out area such as a half ovalfor example that allows for hole 105a in the cup lid to be accessed. This is shown as acrescent indentation of cover 110b towards the centerline of the cup lid near hole 105a.
Cover 110b is shown as vertically indented slightly downward to match the three fingerindented cut-outs in the cup lid. Vertically indenting the cover acts to locate the cover in adesired position, however this is not required, and cover 110b may be implemented in anyshape including a flat or planar embodiments as desired.
Figure 6 illustrates a top view of the embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 3.
The peel-off tab is shown at the bottom of the figure and allows for the seal-on/peel-off typecover 110b to be removed from the cup lid with cavity.
Figure 7A illustrates a side cross sectional view of the embodiment of the inventionshown in Figure 3. Indented cut-outs 106 are configured to facilitate removal of items fromwithin the container. The indented cut-outs are not required as some types of items to bestored in the container may not need cut-outs for finger access, e.g., ice cream. As shown thewalls include two lines which may indicate a particular thickness of one wall or mayindicated two or more walls to enable for more insulative embodiments.
Figure 7B illustrates a side cross sectional view of the embodiment of the inventionshown having two or more coupling elements configured to couple with cups of differentsizes. In this figure, more than one coupling element, here 107 having different diameters areemployed so that embodiments of the invention may fit different sized cups. For example,the embodiment shown in Figure 7B may be sized to couple with large or small coffee cupsor large or small soda cups. In addition, three or more coupling elements 107 may also beemployed having three or more differing diameters, so that embodiments of the inventionmay couple with small, medium and large cups as one skilled in the art will appreciate. Inthis manner, only one size of cup lid, albeit with as many diameter coupling elements asdesired, may be utilized to accommodate the different sized cups utilized. Although theembodiment shown has vertically offset coupling elements, other embodiments may utilizecoupling elements that are horizontally offset without a vertical offset, as one skilled in theart will appreciate.
Figure 7C illustrates different embodiments of coupling elements that may be utilizedwith embodiments of the cup lid. Cross section of coupling element 107a is similar tocoupling element 107, and may be easier to decouple from the cup lid based on the largeangle at bend 177a. Cross section of coupling element 107b is a harder-to-remove version ofcoupling element 107 based on the smaller angle at bend 177b, which requires more force toremove from the rolled edge of a cup for example. Cross section of coupling element 107cshows a semi-permanent or permanent coupling element based on the hook-like sharp angleat bend 177c. Depending on the stiffness of the material utilized in construction of the cuplid, the sharp angle at bend 177c may allow for the entire cup, even if full of liquid, to belifted by the cup lid. This prevents spills by keeping the cup lid and cup attached even withlarge forces involved. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, multiple diameter couplingelements (as shown in Figure 7B) on one cup lid may utilize any combination of the couplingelements 107a, 107b or 107c in any embodiment of the invention. For example, in oneembodiment, the smallest diameter coupling element on the top portion of Figure 7B mayutilize coupling element 107a or 107b while the lower coupling element on the bottomportion of Figure 7B may utilize coupling element 107b or 107c for example to allow formore strength for large cups that may weigh more. Any number of different diameters maybe utilized with any embodiment of the coupling element and any other coupling elementknown in the art may be utilized if desired and based on the application, as one skilled in theart will appreciate.
Figure 8 illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention 100acoupled with cup 130, press-on friction cover 110a and configured to allow access to thecontents of the cup via straw 301a.
Figure 9 illustrates a cross sectional view of Figure 8. Press-on friction cover 110aextends down the sides of the cup lid to couple with the cup lid as is described in more detailbelow with respect to Figure 10.
Figure 10 illustrates a top perspective view of the embodiment of the inventionshown in Figure 8 along with an embodiment of a press-on friction cover. As shown, covercoupling element 121 on embodiment 100a is optionally configured to couple with covercoupling element 122 on cover 110a. This allows for cover 110a to press onto cup lid 100ain a non-permanent manner that allows for cover 110a to be removed by pulling cover 110avertically as shown with enough force to move cover coupling element 122 away from covercoupling element 121. An alternative is to extend the vertical sidewall of 110a such thatcoupling element 122 is able to couple to coupling element 107 on cup lid 100a.
Figure 11 illustrates a top view of the embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 8showing sip hole open/close rotation index 108 of which there are two in the embodimentshown of which one is called out with reference number 108, the other of which is not calledout for brevity, vacuum release pin hole 109 and hole 105a. Optional indicators may also beutilized on the top of cover 110a (not shown for brevity), which may be tactile or visualindicators of any information, including information as to whether the contents of thecontainer or cup are of a certain type, e.g., chocolate/vanilla, caffeinated/decaffeinated,diet/regular, or any other information.
Figure 12A illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention 100cwith a container with an optional upper press-on friction dome style cover 110c coupled withcup 130, and configured to allow access to the contents of the cup via straw 301b. Analternative to using a press-on friction dome cover is to use an optional clamshell hingecover, which may be selected depending upon the shape and height (hamburger, for example)of the food item that is chosen to reside within the container, is shown in Figure 12B. Inaddition, Figure 12B illustrates a rotationally aligned embodiment of the container of Figure12A with tabs 1905 for easy opening of the cover and wherein the clamshell style cover isalign in one orientation so as to open away from the straw and wherein the contents of thecup are accessed via a hole in a vertical sidewall of the bottom cup lid via the straw. In one ormore embodiments, tabs include strengthening ribs that project relatively orthogonal to theplane of the tabs to provide for a stronger tab and/or enable use of thinner plastic or both. Thestrengthening ribs are also shown in Figure 19 as downward indentations that providestrength for the tabs. Clamshell hinge containers that may be utilized may have covers thatmay be upwardly contoured (in any shape), domed, or flat. Clamshell hinge containers maybe molded and die cut from one piece of material where the upper and bottom parts areconnected by a bridge of material that has a perpendicular hinge trough, (single or doubletrough) located at the halfway point of the bridge that connects the two halves. The clamshellhinge cover may optionally include a hole through the top for a fork or a spoon. To keep theclamshell hinge container closed while transporting food from one location to another, thetop and bottom of the container may be held together by any type of friction element(s). Anexample of a friction system that may be utilized is where the top lid inserts slightlydownward into the bottom container at the edge where the two meet, i.e., internal wallfriction press-on lid or cover. Another friction system that may be employed is male andfemale indentations of any shape or size that mate together and are located in the horizontalsurface of the lip edge that surrounds the top lid and bottom container at the point where thetwo meet. Any of the embodiments of the cup lid may include a separate or integratedthermal or paper liner configured to reside within the container and configured to hold hot orcold items as one skilled in the art will appreciate. Alternatively, or in combination, at leastone wall may be a double wall having for example an air gap that provides additionalinsulation between the temperatures in the container versus the cup as one skilled in the artwill appreciate. Figure 12C shows channel 105c with a hole in the inner portion of the baseof the cup lid for straw 301b to exit from the cup. The upper portion of cup lid 100c mayattach in any manner such as via a circular male/female coupling element 1201 to the lowerportion of the cup lid that couples with the cup at 1202, as shown in the figure surroundingthe straw channel. In one or more embodiments of the invention, the bottom portion of cuplid 100c, i.e., the lower portion of the container, may include a non-permanent, semi-permanent or permanent coupling element to attach with the lower portion of the cup lidshown attached to the top of the cup. In this manner, the container portion of cup lid 100cmay be disengaged from the lower portion of the cup lid that then remains on the cup. Thecoupling element between the upper portion of cup lid 100c and lower portion of thecontainer may be of any type in relation coupling elements. See for example the vertical wallcoupling element that couples with the cup itself, shown in Figure 7A, coupling element 107for example. A screw type of coupling, or adhesive, or one-way coupling element may alsobe utilized as desired to provide for non-permanent, semi-permanent or permanent couplingtypes. In addition to a male/female coupling system, there may be male/female alignmentelements (female element 2101 shown while male counterparts not visible on the bottom ofthe container) as shown in Figure 12B that align the top clamshell container and lid below,such that, for example, as the top clamshell container opens, it faces the straw location anduser. This has the advantage of a frontward oriented configuration in relation to the user, foropening the clamshell container. Frontward oriented opening is ergonomic, logical, and userfriendly. This is also shown in Figure 12D, albeit with the female indentation shown on theopposing side of the straw with respect to the embodiment of Figure 12B. There is norequirement for the male/female alignment elements to be in any shape or quantity so long asthe top and bottom portion of the container may be rotationally aligned at a desiredorientation to keep the clamshell opening away from the straw for example. Alternatively, inthe absence of male/female coupling systems, the bottom horizontal surface of the lowerportion of the container may be permanently bonded to the upper horizontal surface of thecup lid that attaches to the cup rim via heat or thermo-bonding, sonic bonding or welding,spot welding or fusing, epoxy bond, hot melt glue bond, transfer adhesive bond, or double-sided tape bond.
Figure 13 illustrates a cross sectional view of Figure 12A showing straw 301b exitingfrom a vertical wall 1301 of embodiment 100c. A straw with more than one bend forexample may be utilized with this embodiment. Having the straw hole and straw exit throughthe vertical side wall is advantageous, in that the straw resides outside of the adjacent foodcontainer, which means that the straw never interferes with the food that is in the container.
Figure 14 illustrates a bottom perspective view of the embodiment of the inventionshown in Figure 12A showing hole 105b along with embodiment that includes the optionalpress-on friction dome cover 110c. The top horizontal area of the lower cup lid that coupleswith the cup via coupling element 107 may be bonded to the upper container in any manneror may be formed as part of the upper container as desired. Cover 110c may couple withcontainer 100c in any manner desired, as one skilled in the art will appreciate. Cover 110cmay be optionally attached to 100c via a clamshell style hinge. When 110c and 100c areattached they are made from a single piece construction in one or more embodiments.
Figure 15 illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention 100dcoupled with a cup, an optional press-on friction dome cover 110d with hole 1501 forexample for access of the contents of the top container via spoon 1502 and configured toallow access to the contents of the cup via a straw via a hole in a horizontal portion of cup lid100d. This embodiment has a horizontal dimension of the bottom of the container that is lessthan the diameter of the opening of the cup as opposed to the embodiment shown in Figures12A-D for example. The smaller diameter of the bottom of the top food container isadvantageous in that it allows room for a straw hole and straw to reside within the horizontalsurface of the cup lid, such that the liquid in the bottom cup may be accessed. Locating thestraw hole and straw adjacent to the top food container means that the straw is located nextto, or to the side of, the food container, which is advantageous, as the straw does not interferewith the container, or the food that resides within the container. An alternative to using apress-on friction dome cover is to use an optional clamshell hinge cover, which may beselected depending upon the shape and height (muffin 1550, see Figure 15A, for example) ofthe food item that is chosen to reside within the container. This is shown in Figure 15A as anembodiment with easy opening tabs 1905. The advantage of easy opening tabs is that as theyoverhang past the top lip edge of the bottom container, they are unobstructed by any plasticfrom the bottom container lip edge. Access to the unobstructed overhang tabs is from theunderside where it is easy to lift them with a thumb and/or fingers. Clamshell hingecontainers that may be utilized may have covers that may be upwardly contoured (in anyshape), domed, or flat. Clamshell hinge containers may be molded and die cut from one pieceof material where the upper and bottom parts are connected by a bridge of material that has aperpendicular hinge trough located at the halfway point of the bridge that connects the twohalves. The clamshell hinge cover may optionally include a hole through the top for a fork ora spoon. To keep the clamshell hinge container closed while transporting food from onelocation to another, the top and bottom of the container may be held together by any type offriction element(s). An example of a friction system that may be utilized is where the top lidinserts slightly downward into the bottom container at the edge where the two meet, i.e.,internal wall friction press-on lid or cover. Another friction system that may be employed ismale and female indentations of any shape or size that mate together and are located in thehorizontal surface of the lip edge that surrounds the top lid and bottom container at the pointwhere the two meet. Other lids or covers that may be optionally utilized are seal-on/peel-offcovers, which may be used with fruit containers, for example, to seal in the fruit and keep itfresh, while additionally, the container may couple via male and female elements to the cuplid attached to the cup. A male/female coupling system may be utilized to couple the bottomhorizontal surface of the container to the top horizontal surface of the lid that attaches to therim of the cup, or alternatively, these surfaces may be permanently attached or bonded toeach other via heat or thermo-bonding, sonic bonding or welding, spot welding or fusing,epoxy bond, hot melt glue bond, transfer adhesive bond, or double-sided tape bond. Inaddition to a male/female coupling system, there may be male/female alignment elements(female element 2101 shown while male counterparts not visible on the bottom of thecontainer) that align the top clamshell container and lid below, such that, for example, as thetop clamshell container opens, it faces the straw location and user, which is advantageous as afrontward oriented configuration in relation to the user, for opening the clamshell container isergonomic, logical, and user friendly.
Figure 16 illustrates a cross sectional view of Figure 15. Although the verticaldimension of the container has a depth that is at the plane of the opening of the cup, this isnot required and may be of any depth into or out of the plane defined by the opening of thecup as desired based for example on the type of solid or liquid to be placed in the containerand also in the cup.
Figure 17 illustrates a bottom perspective view of the embodiment of the inventionshown in Figure 15 along with an embodiment of the optional press-on friction dome coverwith a hole. As shown hole 105a is located in a horizontal plane of the cup lid as opposed tothe embodiment shown in Figure 13 where the straw hole is located in the vertical portion orwall of the cup lid based on the diameter of the container in that embodiment which has anoverall horizontal dimension, including the bottom of the container that is greater than thediameter of the opening of the cup for example.
Figure 18 illustrates an embodiment of the invention with swivel cover 110s andindependent drop-in removable container 1801. As shown cup lid 100s includes a siphole/straw or gulp-size hole/straw 105d shown on the left side of the figure, althoughoptionally a straw of any shape or size may be utilized in conjunction with this hole. Thesidewalls of sip hole/straw 105d may optionally be of any height with respect to the top ofcup lid 100s, and if tall enough may be utilized in place of a straw. In addition, thisembodiment includes swivel cover 110s that may be opaque or transparent or any level oftranslucency as desired. In one or more embodiments, although not shown in Figure 18 forbrevity, the axis of rotation of the swivel cover may be around the sip hole, straw hole or gulphole or located anywhere else on the cup lid. The swivel cover 110s is swiveled shut to closeoff or contain the contents of the independent drop-in/removable container after the seal-on/peel-off cover is removed and discarded. In one or more embodiments, the swivel cover isclosed to contain loose contents such as nuts prior to lifting and tilting the cup in order togulp or sip liquids such as beer. Spilling loose contents from the top container is not aninherent issue when using straw configurations. Independent drop-in/removable container1801 may utilize a clamshell type lid that is attached to the upper top edge of the container atany location. In this clamshell embodiment, the independent container 1801 and the press-onfriction lid for example may be made as a one-piece construction. Although not shownwithin Figure 18 for brevity, the independent drop-in/removable container may clip or fastenvia various coupling elements and/or systems within the lid cavity in any manner. As oneskilled in the art will appreciate, more than one independent drop-in/removable cups orcontainers may be placed in the lid cavity or cavities, for example cream and sugar. Onesuch clip-on or coupling system that may be utilized is previously shown in Figure 12B,where 100c is configured to clip on or couple, via a horizontal wall bottom-oriented system,to the cup lid that is positioned directly below. Vertical wall ridge based coupling systemsmay also be utilized to attach the independent drop-in/removable container to the lid cavity.
An example of an independent drop-in/removable container that may use a bottom-orientedcoupling system within the lid cavity, is a low-profile, single-cookie container with a seal-on/peel-off cover that clips within the lid cavity of a coffee cup. An additional example is anindependent drop-in/removable container with a seal-on/peel-off cover that holds beer nutsthat couples within the lid cavity of a plastic beer cup. Additionally, a coupling system mayhave been used in this latter embodiment, where a circular ridge based coupling system islocated in the vertical wall area of the independent drop-in/removable container and cup lidcavity. This additional vertical wall location, where a circular ridge based coupling systemmay occur, applies to fixing a low-profile cookie container to a coffee-cup lid cavity, orfixing a medium-deep, i.e., proceeds vertically downward into the cup volume, salty-sweetnut container to a beer-cup lid cavity, or a high-profile hamburger or French-fry container toa beer, soda, or milk shake lid cavity.
Figure 19 illustrates an embodiment of the invention, namely hinge lid/cover 110ethat couples with cup lid 100e. As shown, cup lid 100e is oriented above cup 130a and thencoupled to cup 130a either before or after hinge lid/cover 110e is coupled with cup lid 100e.
Cup 130a in this embodiment may include a widened portion, shown just beneath the rim ofcup 130a, which may be utilized as a fill line for example. The fill line shows how muchliquid may be placed into cup 130a so that when cup lid 100e is coupled with the cup, theliquid does not spill out of the cup. In other words, container 101a may extend down into cup130a (depending on the height of the vertical side walls of cup lid 100e), and the fill lineshows the safe level of liquid that may be displaced by container 101a without liquid forexample exiting hole/straw 105e. The side walls of sip hole, gulp hole, or straw 105e may beof any height with respect to the top of cup lid 100e, e.g., embodiment 105e1 shown in theleft portion of the lower two side views in the bottom left of the figure, and as shown havinga horizontal portion at the top edge of the hole/straw in the perspective view. If tall enough,the hole may be utilized in place of a straw, e.g., embodiment 105e2 shown in the rightportion of the lower two side views in the bottom left of the figure. In either embodiment thetop portion of the sip hole or gulp hole 105e may optionally include a horizontal area havinga hole or alternatively include no horizontal surface, such as a rounded surface for example.
Straight cups such as cup 130 shown in Figure 1 may also be utilized with this embodimentof the cup lid and may or may not include a fill line that is indented or drawn on the inside oroutside of the cup to show how much liquid may be placed in the cup for a given depth ofcontainer 101a and/or vertical wall height of cup lid 100e. Alternatively, multiple fill lines,either physically shaped as shown in cup 130a or with slight indentations or markings orcolors may be utilized. Any other type of fill line may optionally be utilized in keeping withthe spirit of the invention. Cup 130a may be made from paper, plastic, hard-molded plastic(with or without double wall construction), ceramic or metal, such as stainless steel, forexample.
Hinge lid/cover 110e may be permanently or non-permanently coupled with cup lid100e. Hinge lid/cover 110e and cup lid 100e may be made from two separate pieces or maybe formed as one piece, such as a typical clamshell construction. Hinge lid/cover 110e mayattach to cup lid 100e through various methods of attachment other than male and femaleparts that mate or interlock. In the absence of male and female parts for example, two flatsurfaces may be attached to each other via thermo-bonding, sonic bonding or welding, spotwelding or attached with adhesive or any other permanent or non-permanent bondingmechanism. Hinge 1904 may be formed with any type of mechanism that allows hingelid/cover 110e to make the contents of container 101a available, including an axle, tooth andhook, pivot, trough, score line, double score lines or any other mechanism. As shown femaleindent 1901 couples cup lid 100e with male extension 1902 on hinge lid/cover 110e to enablehinge lid/cover 110e to open by pivoting or folding at trough 1904. Optional second maleextension 1903 may snap into second female indentation 1902 to hold hinge lid/cover 110eopen. All female and/or male indentations or extensions respectively may include narrowingareas or bumps that enable the male and female parts to snap together to hold the partstogether. Alternatively, hinge lid/cover 110e may be welded or permanently attached in anyother manner to cup lid 100e. Trough 1904 may be implemented as shown or alternativelymay utilize a double score line, i.e., two closely spaced indentations that enable hingelid/cover 110e to bend at those two locations to enable a full 180 degree rotation or pivot ofhinge lid/cover 110e about an axis parallel to the two score lines.
Tabs or grasp tabs 1905 and tab indents or grasp tab indents 1906 enable opening ofhinge lid/cover 110e while hole/straw 105e enables access of the contents of cup 130adirectly or via a straw. The grasp tabs may optionally include strength ribs 1907 as shown.
The contents of container 101a may be accessed, and then hinge lid/cover 110e may beclosed against cup lid 100e and then re-opened again when desired. Thus, intermittent accessto the contents of cavity 101a and re-closure of cavity 101a is provided through hingelid/cover 110e. The access of liquid may occur while the hinge lid/cover 110e is in either theopen or closed position. Embodiments of the cup lid cavity 101a (also see fig. 1) mayoptionally include a paper liner or ruffled paper liner or any other type of liner that separatesthe cup lid from the food item placed inside the cup lid. Embodiments of the cup lid mayoptionally include one or more vacuum release air holes 1908. As one skilled in the art willrecognize, hole/straw 105e may be made to fit a straw or may be of any other size.
Embodiments of the invention may also utilize indented cut-outs 106 placed in the tophorizontal wall adjacent to (as shown in Figure 1) the container area to enable easier access tocookies or other food items for example.
Figure 19A shows embodiments of Figure 19 configured for use with straw 301a.
One or more embodiments include a straw hole instead of the raised gulp-sized hole as shownin Figure 19 for example. Embodiments as shown in Figure 19A may be utilized for stadiumcold drink embodiments for example or for any other scenario where a straw and hingedlid/cover and container are desired.
Figure 20 illustrates a close up of the hinge lid/cover coupling element of Figure 19.
As shown, bump 2001 in a female indentation may snap against bump 2002 in acorresponding male extension to hold hinge lid/cover to the cup lid and/or hold the hingelid/cover in the open position. By constructing the two female indentations of slightlydifferent size and by constructing the two male extensions of corresponding slightly smallersize, all four elements may fit within one another. Alternatively, multiple indentations in thecup lid may be utilized to hold the hinge lid/cover to the cup lid in a non-rotational mannerand hold the hinge lid/cover to the cup lid in a specified area.
Figure 21 illustrates a rotational lid with a closeable embodiment of the inventionwith large opening 2110 to enable access of the contents of the container with fingers forexample. As shown, cup lid 100f includes sip/gulp hole 105f and interlocking femaleindentations 2101. Cover 110f includes a corresponding sip/gulp hole 105f and maleextensions 2102 that couple with female indentations 2101. This interlocking arrangementkeeps large opening 2110 in cup lid 100f from rotating with respect to cup lid 100f.
Alternatively, more than one coupling ridge may be used to couple covers 110g, 110f to cuplid 100f. Rotational lid 110g couples with cover 110f via ridge 2107 and 2106 that coupleswith ridge 2105 on cup lid 100f. Rotational lid 110g may be rotated for example using grasptab or post 2103 to close container 101a as shown in closed arrangement 2150 or rotatedfurther to open container 101a for access as shown in open arrangement 2151. Any numberof vacuum release air holes may be employed on any embodiment described herein if desired.
Figure 22 illustrates a rotational cover with a closeable embodiment of the inventionwith medium size opening 2210, to enable access of the contents of the container 101a(figure 1) by lifting and pouring the contents into the mouth. Opening 2210 may be sizedlarge enough for example to enable nuts or other small food items to pass through opening2210. First open arrangement 2250 shows sip/gulp hole 105f aligned over the correspondingsip/gulp holes in the cover 110f and cover 100f shown respectively beneath the rotationalcover 110g in the figure. Second open arrangement 2251 shows medium size opening 2210(for nuts for example) aligned over the corresponding hole in the cover 110f when therotational cover 110g is rotated to align cover holes 2210. Although not shown for brevity,there may be rotational stop elements as part of the configuration that stop the rotationalcover at specific locations (to align holes) configured to allow access to either the sip/gulphole or snack/nut hole. Closed arrangement 2253 is shown with neither sip/gulp hole 105f norhole 2210 aligned over holes in the additional cover and/or lid. This prevents access to thecontents of the cup or cup lid. This embodiment is arranged similarly to the embodimentshown in Figure 21, albeit with a smaller opening 2210. Additionally, less rotation isrequired to open and close the hole openings shown in Figure 22 versus Figure 21. Inaddition, optional seal-on/peel-off cover 110b may be provided to cover or otherwise enclosethe contents of the cup lid cavity. If provided, seal-on/peel-off cover 110b may include a pulltab 2212 with optional score line so that only a portion of the seal-on/peel-off cover 110b isopened via the tab. If seal-on/peel-off cover 110b is utilized on the cup lid 100f, then themiddle cover 110f is optional. Alternatively, if no score line for the tab is provided, the tabmay open the entire container of the cup lid as desired. The embodiment shown may beutilized for a beer/nut combination for example or any other combination of items that maybe accessed through sip/gulp hole 105f and hole 2210.
Figure 23 illustrates a rotational cover with a closeable embodiment of the inventionwith a medium size opening to enable access of the contents of the container by lifting andpouring the contents into the mouth wherein both contents and container may be in the formof a sealed drop-in/removable unit, optionally with a scored seal-on/peel-off cover made fromfoil or any other material or combination of materials. One or more embodiments of theinvention may include one or more alignment tabs 2321 that fit within alignment slots 2322to keep the independent drop-in/removable container 1801 from rotating.
Embodiments of the invention may utilize seal-on/peel-off cover 2301 and press-onfriction covers (not shown but which are known to close a container that has been opened bypressing the cover onto an open container) alone or in combination as desired for the intendedapplication. As shown, seal-on/peel-off cover 2301 may include a score line 2310 and tab2311, wherein once tab 2311 is removed along the score line, the contents of container 1801may be accessed. A portion of the closed cover is shown with reference characters 2310 and2311, while the full cover albeit with the open portion is shown to the left of the partial view.
In one or more embodiments of the invention the entire cover of container 1801 may beremoved via a tab or in any other manner.
Figure 24 illustrates a rotational/hinge lid/cover configured for example to hold acookie or other item and configured with grasp tabs or posts and optional snap open element2402 and snap close element 2401. These may be configured as optional bumps that enablethe hinge lid to snap open and shut respectively. Without bumps the hinge lid may staysecure in the closed position via press-on friction systems of engagement for example. Grasptabs 2403 enable the hinge lid/cover to be opened and optional cut-outs 2404 for exampleenable easy extraction of a food item from within the cup lid cavity. As shown, a cookie forexample is held within the cup lid. The top of the cup lid rotates to open position 2410 andclosed position 2411. Embodiments may hold one or more cookies, doughnut(s) or muffin(s)for example. The hinge may be formed in any manner including double score lines orthrough use of any other element.
Figure 25 illustrates the embodiment of Figure 24 with the cover off and showing afood item, for example the cookie shown between the cover and the cup lid and optionalindented cut-outs 2404 for lifting the food item for example. The hinge lid/cover may have alonger vertical sidewall and clip to the lower ridge 107 that attaches to the cup rim, as well asridge 121. Optional vacuum release air holes may be located anywhere in embodiments ofthe invention, as shown on the right side of the cup lid, 100t for example. 2405 shows anoptional raised male post that includes an optional small raised bump on the inside wall thatfaces the cup lid cavity. This male post and bump ridge allow the hinge lid/cover to clickinto place while in the open position.
Figure 26 illustrates an embodiment for example as shown in Figures 24 and 25with a straw hole and top cover that is non-rotational in one or more embodiments. Bump(s)may be located at 2401 to enable the hinge lid to click shut for example.
Figure 27 illustrates the embodiment of Figure 26 in further detail.
Figure 28 illustrates an embodiment with an optional seal-on/peel-off cover 110band non-rotational cover that may be configured to click open for example. Sip/gulp sizeopening 2803 is shown along with non-rotational element(s) 2801a and 2801b and optionalseal-on/peel-off cover 110b.
Figure 29 illustrates an embodiment of Figure 28 with a straw hole at enlarged area2901. In one or more embodiments of the invention, the container volume is as deep at 2902as desired for the particular food item(s) that are to be held. The crescent shaped inwardindentation 2903 in the vertical sidewall of the cup lid container provides ample room for astraw to move freely within the lower main cup cavity without being constricted by thevertical side walls of the lower main cup and cup lid cavity.
Figure 30 illustrates an embodiment configured for independent drop-in/removablecontainer 1801b. As shown on the right side of the figure, exploded view 3001 shows thehinge lid/cover, seal-on/peel-off cover, container, cup lid and cup vertically oriented from topto bottom along with integrated view 3003.
Figure 31 illustrates an embodiment of Figure 30 in further detail. As shown, theindependent drop-in/removable container 1801b is held in place by being sandwichedbetween the bottom cup lid 3103 and the top hinge lid/cover 3101. Top hinge lid/cover 3101overlaps the rim edges of the independent drop-in/removable container 1801b such that thecontainer cannot exit the cavity, for example. Also shown in great detail is bump 3104 thatenables the hinge lid to snap open, for example.
Figure 32 illustrates an embodiment of Figure 30 with a straw hole. The crescentshaped inward indentation 2903a in the vertical sidewalls of the independent drop-incontainer and the cup lid container provide ample room for a straw to move freely within thelower main cup cavity without being constricted by the vertical side walls of the main cupand the vertical sidewalls of the inwardly located adjacent containers.
Figure 33 illustrates an embodiment having a round off center volume to hold anoptional cup/arm rest independent drop-in/removable container 1801c and a straw hole andoptional container cover 3302 configured to fit under the bottom of the large cup and also ontop of the cup/arm rest independent drop-in/removable container as well. A seal-on/peel-offcover may optionally be applied directly to the cup lid with cavity in place of using a cup/armrest independent drop-in removable container. Recesses 3303 may be of any depth, and maybe optionally employed to enable container 1801 to be removed from the cup lid. These areshown at the bottom left configuration as two diagonally opposed slots. The upper rightportion of the figure shows the optional drop-in container with seal-on/peel-off coverconfigured within the cup lid cavity in cutaway view. Although not shown for brevity, theoptional drop-in container may have a medium-sized (for nuts and candy) score line (laser orany other method) in the seal-on/peel-off cover. The score line aligns with the removal tablocated at the outside edge of the cover. When the drop-in container is removed from the lidcavity and the tab with medium-sized cover portion is removed, then the container may belifted to the mouth, and a small amount of the contents may be shaken into the mouth, whilethe majority of the contents are retained within the container by the remaining cover material.
Figure 34 illustrates the embodiment of Figure 33 in greater detail. As shown in theclosed orientation, lid 3402 is situated on top of the cup/arm rest independent drop-in/removable container to enable the container to be closed and taken home for example. Thediameter of the cup/arm rest independent drop-in/removable container is configured to have adiameter as shown at 3401 that enables the arm rest independent drop-in/removable containerto fit within the hole of an arm rest that is part of a seat in a theater or stadium for example.
Cover 3402 may be held to the bottom of the large cup and top of the independent drop-incontainer via friction or in any other manner for example. Cover 3402 may also be held tothe bottom of the independent drop-in/removable container via male-female counterparts asshown for example or in any other manner.
Figure 35 illustrates the cup/arm rest independent drop-in/removable container in anarmrest hole and shown in the bottom portion of the figure above the armrest. Cup/arm restindependent drop-in/removable container with seal-on/peel-off cover 110b is shown inarmrest 3501. Container 1801c is shown without the seal-on/peel-off cover while in the holeof the armrest in the middle configuration. Container 1801c may be closed with cover 3402and removed from the armrest and taken home for example.
Figure 36 illustrates a lower perspective view of the cup/arm rest independent drop-in/removable container 1801c with container cover 3402 also configured to fit the bottom ofthe cup/arm rest independent drop-in/removable container on the bottom and top of thecontainer. Cover 3402 may also be held to the bottom of the cup/arm rest independentcontainer via male/female counterparts as shown for example or by friction or any othermechanism or method.
Any embodiment of cup described herein may be made or include any materialincluding but not limited to paper, plastic, hard molded plastic, ceramic, metal, stainless steel,and may utilize any type of optional seal such as silicon for example between the cup and thecup lid. Additionally, if the cup and cup lid are made of hard non-flexible plastic forexample, the secondary lid, which covers the integrated cavity, may be made entirely frommolded silicon of various hardness values. Embodiments employing hard plastic may utilizean insulative double wall construction in the vertical sidewalls and/or bottom of the lowermain cup as desired per application. Reusable or disposable embodiments may beconstructed in one or more embodiments through selection of materials targeted at theparticular use, as one skilled in the art will appreciate.
Embodiments of the invention may be utilized with the BOTTOMS-UP™ draft beerdispensing system that fills beers from the bottom of the cup, or with any other dispensingsystem. Embodiments of the invention may be utilized with INSULAIR™ insulated cups orany other insulated cup.
Figure 37 illustrates an embodiment of the snap on hinge cover, lid/container andcup in closed and open configurations in the upper left and lower right respectively. Asshown, cover 110h may include grasp/lift tabs 1905 as is also the case in the embodimentshown in Figure 19, 19A for example. In the embodiment shown, the score-line hinge 1904is located on the outer portion of the cover 110h, shown to the right outside portion of cover110h in the upper left configuration. Being located on the outer portion means the score-linepart of the hinge is located outside of the circular diameter that forms the rim of cover 110hand in one or more embodiments at or outside of the opening of the cup, i.e., away from thecenterline of the conical section forming the cup. The hinge score-line may also be locatedproximal to the outer diameter of cover 110h. The lower lip bumper/cushion which is anintegrated feature of the top cover and is shown as a relatively short one-piece sectionalattachment to the left of grasp/lift tab 1905 in the upper figure, may also be made as acontinuous, elongated, circular configuration which proceeds all the way around the bottomedge of the cover’s vertical lip to where there is a cut-out in the clip-on vertical lip edge nearthe diagonally opposed hinge. This design provides a continuous elongated circular lower lipbumper, which may provide for easier stacking and conveying of covers duringmanufacturing, processing, assembly and shipping. In the lower right configuration,lid/container cavity 101a is exposed when hinge cover 110h is opened and rotated to 180degrees in some embodiments, or to at least 270 degrees as shown, with respect to the closedconfiguration shown in the upper left. As shown, hole 105a enables second liquid or solid tobe accessed without disengaging lid/container 100h. In one or more embodiments, horizontalarea 104 may house hole 105a, or the hole may be raised as is shown in Figure 19 (seeelements 105e, 105e1 and 105e2). If raised, then cover 110h may utilize a correspondingraise area or a cut-out that allows cover 110h to remain relatively flat for example. Otherelements shown are as described with respect to the other embodiments previously described,including wall 102, container bottom 103, coupling element 107, cover hole 115 and thesingle score-line, double score-line or trough element of hinge 1904 for example. Theembodiment as shown at the lower right includes an optional seal-on/peel-off layer thatcovers cavity 101a which includes a removable laser or die scored tab shown adjacent to siphole 105a, but which may be oriented at any location along the outer rim of the lid/container.
Coupling element 107 may use single wall exterior friction to attach to cup 130 in previousembodiments, or coupling element 107j may use double wall, i.e., interior and exterior wallfriction, (facilitated via injection molding), as shown in Figure 44 as element 107j thatattaches to cup 130.
Figure 38 illustrates an exploded view of the embodiment of Figure 37. As shown,seal-on/peel-off layer 110b may be utilized to enclose the contents of cavity 101a. The seal-on/peel-off layer may be thin enough for the tab to fold and sandwich between the top coverand lid/container when the top cover is in the closed position. The seal-on/peel-off layer isoptional and if the lid/container comes with the seal-on/peel-off layer attached with a food orliquid in the container, the seal-on/peel-off layer may be removed by a third party, such as asalesperson, or any other person, and the separate clip on top cover may then be attached. Ineffect the end-consumer may not know that a seal-on/peel-off layer was attached justmoments prior to being presented with the apparatus. The outer peripheral edge clip-onassembly 3801 provides a female indentation 3810 in which to snap corresponding maleprotrusion(s) on cover 110h. Other embodiments may utilize one-piece construction to attachthe top cover to the lid/container with no snap on element.
Figure 39 illustrates a top and bottom perspective view of the embodiment of Figure37. As shown in the upper left, crescent shaped inward indentation or fluid transfer tunnel3903 enables liquid to be accessed via hole 105a and/or cover hole 115.
Figure 40 illustrates four embodiments of the hinge cover along with the optionalseal-on/peel-off layer. Covers may be recessed, so as to remain out of the way of the user’snose when drinking, flat, or recessed with a cut-out at the mouth or upper lip area location asshown to the upper left and right in a perspective as cover 110h2. The cutout at the mouth orupper lip area eliminates one layer of plastic, which may prevent liquid from getting trappedbetween two layers of plastic and leaking down into the lid/container or down the side of thedrink cup. When there is a cut-out at the mouth or upper lip area in the top cover,additionally there is no lower lip bumper/cushion in one or more embodiments of theinvention. The recessed cover with the mouthpiece cut-out utilizes a downward press-onfriction fit against the interior wall of the lid/container in one or more embodiments, thus, thiscover has no lip or external wall surface clip system extending down from the outside circularedge of the cover rim. Covers may be attached to the lid/container through clip-on methods,or may come attached to the lid/container as the result of a bridge and one piece construction.
The three types of hinges illustrated in the various embodiments may be interchanged andutilized on other embodiments of the cover as desired. In the upper left area, grasp/lift tabs1905b may be utilized that may not extend over corresponding flat portions of cup lid 100h.
At the lower right of the upper left corner image is a magnified view of a portion of the coverand the outer peripheral edge clip-on assembly 3801 having female indentation 3810 andmale protrusion(s) 3811 and bottom portion 3802 that provides a flat area enable manualcoupling of male protrusion(s) 3811 into female indentation 3810 by providing a flat area topress against while inserting the male protrusion(s). Also shown in the middle left area iscover 110h1, with the second type of hinge, namely a top horizontal surface mid-way score-line clip-on hinge 1904a coupled with a flat embodiment of the cover. To the right is showngrasp/lift tabs 1905 that may extend outward from the main body of cover 110h for example.
There are sip holes 115 through the top horizontal surface of the recessed and flat covers thatboth clip-on and attach as a one piece construction, however the recessed cover that has a cut-out opening at the mouth location as shown in the upper left, has no sip hole cut-out due tothe fact that there is no plastic to put a hole through at this location. In addition, optionalseal-on/peel-off layer 110b is shown in the bottom embodiment with one-piece constructionwherein one-piece hinge bridge and score-line 1904b is part of cup lid/container 100h andcover 110h. The lower left area shows a close up of the seal-on/peel-off layer 110b, forexample having a bent tab 4001 as occurs for example when cover 110h3 is closed againstthe lid/container 100h. The top horizontal surface mid-way score-line clip-on hinge 1904agenerally only opens to a horizontal position. The outer peripheral edge score-line clip-onhinge 1904 and one piece score-line hinge 1904b both may open to a vertical orientation,which additionally places the lid in an outwardly located position, which means cover 110hdoes not interfere with the user’s fingers or hand as the user holds the cup. The three hingetypes described above are shown from a bottom perspective in the following figure.
Figure 41 illustrates a bottom perspective view of the three embodiments of hingecovers of Figure 40. As shown in the upper left area, score-line hinge 1904 folds near theoutermost location of the hinge. This enables 270 or more degrees of rotation about the hingeas is shown in the bottom right area of Figure 37. Score-line hinge 1904b also enables atleast 270 degrees of rotation in the one-piece construction embodiment. The area in thebottom right shows an embodiment of hinge 1904a that folds near the inner portion of maleprotrusion(s) 3811 with respect to the center of the cover. This enables up to 180 degrees ofrotation. The corner edges 4101 and 4102 show the top horizontal surface mid-way score-line clip on hinge cover utilizes a larger cut-out opening in the cover’s downward clip-on lipedge at the hinge location such that the cover overhanging lip edge does not interfere with thelip of the lower lid/container opening while closing. The three covers on the lower portion ofthe page show clip ridge/bump 4110 which secures covers 110h1, 110h1a, 110h3 to the lowerlid/container rim by projecting inward after passing the lid/container rim during the processof being pressed closed.
Figure 42 illustrates a close-up perspective view of the three embodiments of hingecovers of Figure 40. The embodiment shown in the top area includes the outer score-linehinge 1904 showing male protrusion(s) 3811 expanded over female indentation 3810 in theupper right before interconnecting or otherwise snapping the two elements together to formthe embodiment shown in the upper middle area and upper left area. The flat embodiment ofcover 110h1 is shown with score-line hinge embodiment 1904a in the middle area while theone-piece construction embodiment is shown in lower perspective view in the bottom area ofthe figure.
Figure 43 illustrates two embodiments of the hinge for two-piece embodiments ofthe hinge covers of Figure 40. As shown in the upper area, seal-on/peel-off layer 110b maybe included if desired and for example based on the contents to be held in the cavity. Theclose-ups on the right side show the 180 degree embodiment of score-line hinge 1904a andthe at least 270 degree embodiment score-line hinge 1904 and score-line hinge 1904b. Thelower left image shows the top cover in the 270 position, which leaves ample room for theuser’s fingers and hand while holding the cup.
Figure 44 illustrates cutaway views of the hinge covers and lid/container of Figure37. The top image shows the fluid transfer tunnel 3903 as a two wall construction which maybe achieved through the process of injection molding.
Figure 45 illustrates rotational cover 110j that implements a closeable embodimentof the invention along with cover 110j having a rotational click-stop post 4501 (see Figure 46for rotational trough 4601 and vertical wall click-stop bumps 4610 and 4611). The right sideof the embodiment shows an optional laser or die scored seal-on/peel-off tab 4603, alsoshown on the left side of the embodiment (see also Figure 46), and opening 115 to enableaccess of the contents of the can/cup by lifting and pouring the contents into the mouth whencover 110j is in one counterclockwise click-stop rotational setting, while enabling access tothe contents of the lid/container 100j via a crescent shaped cut-out through the outer circularrim of cover 110j at a second clockwise click-stop rotational setting. Access to the contentsof the can 130a or a cup (not shown), is restricted or otherwise disabled by turning cover 110jto the clockwise click-stop rotational setting while access to the top lid/container is restrictedor otherwise disabled by turning cover 110j to the counterclockwise click-stop rotationalsetting. The lid/container may optionally be divided or segmented into additionalcompartments thus adding additional click-stop rotational settings. There may be more thantwo click-stop rotational settings in other embodiments of the invention. Rotation or turningof cover 110j is aided by vertical bumps or ridges 4502 that may be inward or outwardoriented and information indicators 4503 and 4504 for example. Indicators 4503 and 4504may be recessed for added non-detectable comfort in relation to the user’s lips or mouth.
There may be a small raised tactile type ridge 4640 that surrounds the outer edge or a portionthereof of sip/gulp hole 115. The tactile ridge may operate as a sensory hole locating systemfor the lips.
Figure 46 illustrates top and bottom perspective views of the embodiment of Figure45. As shown in the upper left, cavity 101a is bounded by wall 102 and bottom 103 alongwith the wall that forms the fluid transfer tunnel 3903 for opening or hole 105j. The upperright area shows cover 110j with stop post 4501, sip/gulp hole 115 and cutout 4630 (cutthrough the outer circular rim of cover 110j) above the embodiment of the inventionconfigured to hold the first solid or liquid. The lower right area shows seal-on/peel-off layer4605 rotational click-stop trough 4601, vertical wall trough click-stop bumps 4610 and 4611,alignment trough 4602, alignment trough 4604, (for example range limited to less than 360degrees of rotation in one embodiment), tab 4603, and sip gulp hole 105j through the seal-on/peel-off layer 4605. The rotational trough 4601 for rotational click-stop post 4501 alsoacts as an alignment trough (along with alignment trough 4603 and 4604) for the seal-on/peel-off layer 4605. Aligning the seal-on/peel-off layer over the lid/container 100jfacilitates easier and more accurate heat sealing of the of the layer to the lid/container duringmanufacturing or if the seal-on/peel-off layer is not sealed on and is reusable and made fromhard plastic the alignment troughs facilitate replacement of the layer after filing thelid/container with items of the user’s choice. The bottom side of the lid/container is shown inthe lower left as bottom 4620 while element 3903 shows both vertical side walls and the tophorizontal surface wall adjacent to the sip/gulp hole 115 that together form the fluid transfertunnel. Layer 4605 may be constructed from hard plastic and press fit onto cup/lid 110jrather than being heat sealed or using adhesive, therefore layer 4605 may be removed andreplaced for reuse if desired. Furthermore, in the above scenario, the seal-on/peel-off layer4605 would come without laser or die score tab 4603. In effect, the end user could fill thelid/container 100j with nuts or items of their choice and reseal the lid/container with the pressfit layer 4605.
Figure 47 illustrates a top perspective view of the embodiment of Figure 45 alongwith a one-piece hinge cover embodiment 110k below, showing lip bumper/cushion 4701which may be continuous for stacking and manufacturing. Cover 110k may open as shownin the right via a one-piece connecting bridge and score-line hinge 1904 to expose seal-on/peel-off layer 110b.
Figure 48 illustrates a top perspective view of the closeable embodiment of Figure45 at three rotational values. Namely as rotational stop post 4501 travels in rotational limitedtrough 4601 it is allowed to travel through a limited clockwise and counterclockwiserotational range and then clicks into place when in the desired position via the click-stopbumps 4610 and 4611 located in the vertical wall of the trough. After removing tab 4603,contents of the lid/container are available as shown in the middle area. The lower left areashows a second rotational setting that enables contents of the can/cup below to be accessed.
Figure 49 illustrates embodiments of the invention for full aperture wide mouth cansor cups on the left and standard cans on the right. By removing the full aperture can lid 4901,embodiments of the invention may be fastened to the top of the can in any manner withoutany regard given to the orientation of the top lid/container in relation to access of the contentsof the can. This embodiment may thus be utilized with cups for example. The embodimenton the right may include a standard size aperture or opening and an indicator 4903 thatindicates the optimal orientation of the top container in relation to the can opening. Theindicator 4903 is used to align the fluid transfer tunnel 3903 and hole 105j with the openingin the can 4902 below.
Figure 50 illustrates a top perspective view of the one-piece hinge lid embodimentof Figure 47 showing a seal-on/peel-off cover 110b, one piece connecting bridge and score-line hinge 1904. Any type of hinge described herein may be utilized in place of the hingeshown in keeping with the spirit of the invention.
Figure 51 illustrates cutaway views of the closeable rotational embodiment ofFigure 45. As shown bottom 103 separates the contents of the lid/container from the contentsof the can that may touch the bottom of the embodiment at bottom 4620, which defines oneside of the embodiment that enables liquid for example from the can or cup below to travelup to hole 105j, through a fluid transfer gap 5101.
While the invention herein disclosed has been described by means of specificembodiments and applications thereof, numerous modifications and variations could be madethereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention set forthin the claims. Various configurations of the invention have been shown--each containingindividual embodiments. For the sake of brevity and repetition not all embodiments havebeen mentioned in every configuration. The embodiments described herein may implementor combine any features from any other embodiment and as such any newconfiguration/embodiment combination, which arises from embodiments herein, is in keepingwith the spirit of the invention.