US3246786A - Coaster-cup lid - Google Patents

Description

April 19, 1966 D. HOLLEY COASTER-CUP LID Filed Feb. 5, 1964 FIG.I.

INVENTOR.

DAN FORTH HOLLEY ATTO R EYS United States Patent to Holley Plastics Company, Warren, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Filed Feb. 3, 1964, Ser. No. 342,124 4 Claims. (Cl. 215-4005) The invention relates to containers and refers more specifically to a combination coaster-cup lid for use with a disposable cup or the like.

In the past a lid for a disposable cup has generally been used to retain the contents of the cup within the cup until it is desired to use the contents at which time the lid is removed and disposed of. A filled disposable cup may be hot or cold and uncomfortable to handle. Further prior disposable cups are subject to dripping from the lip thereof and are of course more prone to leaking than permanent .DP P

Disposable cup lids are some times placed on a support such as a desk up-side-down to provide a crude coaster for the associated cup. Use of the cup lids in such a manner is however somewhat undesirable since if the lids are placed on the support in the same position they are in on the cup they tend to produce spots wherever they are placed and even if inverted they tend to drain onto supports on which they are placed.

It is therefore one of the purposes of the present invention to provide an improved cup lid.

Another object is to provide in combination a disposable cup and a combination coaster-cup lid.

Another object is to provide a lid for a disposable cup which may be used as a coaster in an inverted position when removed from the cup.

Another object is to provide a disposable combination coaster-cup lid for use with a disposable cup including a cylindrical hat section for receiving the bottom portion of a cup with which the coaster-cup lid is associated, a radially outwardly extending annular flange projecting from the open end of the hat section having a rte-entrant annular recess extending therearound opening in the same direction as the hat section.

Another object is to provide a combination coaster-cup lid as set forth above wherein the annular recess is of the same diameter as the lip of the associated cup and is reentrant so as to snap over the associated cup lip.

Another object is to provide a combination coaster-cup lid as set forth above and further including an arcuate annular lip extending radially outwardly from the outer periphery of the flange and away from the hat section.

Another object is to provide a combination coaster-cup lid as set forth above wherein the hat shaped section is of substantial depth and is tapered and dimensioned to fit snugly about the bottom portion of the associated cup when positioned thereon in an inverted position.

Another object is to provide a combination coaster-cup lid which is simple in construction, economical to manufacture and eflicient in use.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds, especially when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is an elevation view of a diposable cup having a combination coaster-cup lid constructed in accordance with the invention positioned thereon.

FIGURE 2 is a longitudinal section view of the disposable cup and coaster-cup lid illustrated in FIGURE 1 taken substantially on theline 2--2 in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a longitudinal section view of the disposable cup and combination coaster-cup lid as illustrated 3,246,786 I Patented Apr. 19, 1966 in FIGURES 1 and 2 with the coaster-cup lid inverted and positioned on the bottom of the cup in use as a coaster.

FIG. 4 is a view of the combination coaster-cup lid only taken substantially on the line 44 in FIGURE 1.

With particular reference to the figures of the drawing, one embodiment of the present invention will now be considered in detail.

As shown in FIGURE 1 adisposable cup 10 is provided with a combination coaster-cup lid 12 constructed in accordance with the invention. In use the coaster-cup lid 12 may be used as a lid for thecup 10, as shown in FIG-URES 1 and 2. Alternatively the coaster-cup lid 12 may be used in an inverted position as a coaster as illustrated in FIGURE 3.

More specifically thedisposable cup 10 while it is illustrated as being constructed of paperboard may be constructed of plastic or may be a plastic coated paperboard.

Other materials, such as metal, metal foil and glass may,

of course be used to form thecup 10 and it is not necessary that the cup be disposable.

Cup 10 includes thebody member 14 in the general form of a truncated cone. The largeropen end 16 of thebody member 14 is rolled to provide alip 18 for strength, sealing and aesthetic purposes. Thelower end 20 of thebody member 14 is open-returned about the annularperipheral flange 22 of thebottom member 24 of thecup 10.

The coaster-cup lid 12 includes ahat portion 26 of substantial depth having an inner surface corresponding to but slightly smaller in diameter than the outer surface of the bottom portion of thecup 10, as shown best in FIG- URE 3. Thus, when the coaster-cup lid 12 is used as a coaster, thecup 10 is firmly secured to the coaster-cup lid 12. The coaster-cup lid 12 may therefore be grasped rather than the cup whereby the user is insulated from the direct heat of thecup 10. Further, with the cup and coaster-cup lid so dimensioned the cup and coaster-cup lid are movable as a unit regardless of whether the cup or the coaster is grasped.

The coaster-cup lid 12 further includes the annular, radially outwardly extendingflange 28 at the open end of thehat section 26 thereof.Flange 28 includes the annular re-entrant recess 30 therearound and an upturnedarcuate lip 32 at the radially outer edge of the annular re-entrant recess 30.

There-entrant recess 30 is dimensioned to snap over the rollededge 18 of thecup 10 with the coaster-cup lid in position as a lid, as illustrated in FIGURES l and 2. The re-entrant recess 30 further serves to collect any liquid that may drop from the rollededge 18 with thecup 10 in use since the diameter of therecess 30 positions it directly below the rollededge 18 with the coaster-cup lid in an inverted position in use as a coaster as shown in FIG. 3. Theannular recess 30 is maintained in a position directly below the rollededge 18 due to the centering of thecup 10 on the coaster-cup lid 12 with thecup 10 positioned within thehat section 26 of coaster-cup lid 12.

Thearcuate lip 32 serves to insure that any drops or leakage from thecup 10 are directed into therecess 30.

Thus in use thecup 10 is filled, for example with a beverage, such as coffee, and the coaster-cup lid 12 is snapped on the top thereof, as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, with thelip 18 held firmly in the re-entrantannular recess 30. When it is desired to drink the beverage in thecup 10, the coaster-cup lid 12 is removed therefrom and positioned on the bottom of thecup 10 in an inverted position, as shown best in FIGURE 3.

Thecup 10 may then be held by means of thecoastercup lid 12 whereby the user is insulated from the temperature of the cup contents. Further the cup may be positioned on a surface without danger of spotting or marring the surface since any drops or slight leakage of the beverage from thecup 10 will be collected in theannular recess 30.

While one embodiment of the present invention has been considered in detail, other embodiments and modifications of the invention are contemplated. It is the object to include all embodiments and modifications of the invention as are defined by the appended claims within the scope of the invention.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A combination coaster-cup lid, comprising a hat section of substantial depth tapered to snugly receive a bottom portion of a corresponding cup, said hat section having an open end, an annular flange extending radially outwardly from the open end of the hat section having a reentrant annular recess therearound opening in the same direction as the hat, section dimensioned to snap over a rolled edge of the corresponding cup and an annular arcuate lip secured to and extending radially outwardly from the outer periphery of the flange and away from the hat section.

2. Structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein the combination coaster-cup lid is constructed of a plastic material.

3. A combination coaster-cup lid, comprising a hat section of substantial depth tapered to snugly receive a bottom portion of a corresponding cup, said hat section having an open end and an annular flange extending radially outwardly from the open end of the hat section and having a re-entrant annular recess therearound opening in the same direction as the hat section dimensioned to snap over a rolled edge of the corresponding cup.

4. A combination coaster-cup lid, comprising a hat section of substantial depth tapered to snugly receive a bottom portion of a corresponding cup, said hat section having an open end and an annular flange extending radially outwardly from the open end of the hat section and having an annular recess therearound and opening in the same direction as the hat section dimensioned to fit over a rolled edge of the corresponding cup.

References Cited by the Erraminer UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,031,800 2/1936 Thiele 2151 3,079,037 2/1963 Schechter 215100.5 3,095,132 6/1963 Halley 2291.5

JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner.

FRANKLIN T. GARRETT, Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. A COMBINATION COASTER-CUP LID, COMPRISING A HAT SECTION OF SUBSTANTIAL DEPTH TAPERED TO SNUGLY RECEIVE A BOTTOM PORTION OF A CORRESPONDING CUP, SAID HAT SECTION HAVING AN OPEN END, AN ANNULAR FLANGE EXTENDING RADIALLY OUTWARDLY FROM THE OPEN END OF THE HAT SECTION HAVING A REENTRANT ANNULAR RECESS THEREAROUND OPENING IN THE SAME DIRECTION AS THE HAT SECTION DIMENSIONED TO SNAP OVER A ROLLED EDGE OF THE CORRESPONDING CUP AND AN ANNULAR ARCUATE LIP SECURED TO AND EXTENDING RADIALLY OUTWARDLY FROM

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