Beverage container system with latch to manage lid position

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-8967414-B2
Application number	US-201314105479-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 13, 2013
Priority date	Dec 13, 2012
Publication date	Mar 3, 2015
Grant date	Mar 3, 2015

Abstract

A drinking mug includes a lid affixed at the mouth of the mug. The lid includes fluid openings between a bottom portion of the lid and sidewalls of the lid about the circumference of the lid to permit drinking from any position along the circumference. The lid has a gasket that seals the mug closed when the lid is threaded to a closed position. When the lid is partially unscrewed, the gasket opens, permitting liquid to be consumed from the beverage container through the fluid openings in the lid. The lid includes a ramp-shaped cam and the mug includes a pivotable latch that engages the cam that prevents the lid from being unscrewed from the mug. The latch has a push button that releases the latch from the cam to permit removal of the lid.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A beverage container system, comprising:
a container body having an open container mouth, a container sidewall, and a closed container bottom;
a lid release button operatively connected to said container body and having a first end and a second end, the lid release button having a push button disposed near said first end and a locking tab disposed near said second end, the lid release button being selectively positionable in a locking position or an unlocking position; and
a lid assembly selectively removable from said mouth of said container body, said lid assembly having a lid body with one or more locking cams protruding from an outer surface of said lid body,
wherein when said lid assembly is mated to said mouth of said container body and said lid release button is placed in a locking position, said locking tab engages said locking cam and places said lid assembly in a locked condition to prevent said lid assembly from being entirely removed from said mouth of said container body, thereby permitting a user to easily manage position of said lid assembly relative to said container body.

2. A beverage container system, comprising:
a container body having a container bottom, at least one container sidewall, and a container mouth, the container mouth including a lid engaging portion and the at least one container sidewall including a cylindrical interior wall;
a lid body defining at least one fluid flow opening and the lid body affixable to the container body at the container mouth, the lid body being selectively positionable in at least three positions relative to the container body, wherein a first of the three positions is a closed position, a second of the three positions is an open position, and a third of the three positions is a removed position in which the lid body is not in contact with the container body;
a first set of sealing surfaces between the container body and the lid body, wherein, in a first position, the first set of sealing surfaces being disposed for sealing engagement to provide a generally liquid tight seal so as to minimize egress of liquid from the beverage container system and wherein, in a second position, the first set of sealing surfaces being disposed to move from the sealing engagement to permit liquid egress from the beverage container system from between the sealing surfaces of the first set of sealing surfaces, thereby dispensing liquid through the fluid flow opening;
a second set of sealing surfaces between the container body and the lid body, the second set of sealing surfaces being disposed for sealing engagement when the lid is in the first position and the second position, the second set of sealing surfaces including the cylindrical interior wall of the container mouth as a complementary sealing surface of the second set of sealing surfaces;
a lid release button including a locking tab extending between the lid and the container body, the lid release button being selectively movable between a locking position and an unlocked position by a user; and
a cam engaged by the locking tab when the lid is in the second position to prevent removal of the lid from the container body unless the lid release button has been moved to the release position by the user.

3. A beverage container as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the lid release button is mounted on the container body and the cam is on the lid.

4. A beverage container as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the lid release button includes a pivotably mounted latch structure having a push button and a locking tab.

5. A beverage container as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the cam includes a ramp-shaped portion having a cliff edge for engagement with the lid release button.

6. A beverage container as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the lid body includes a cylindrical surface, the ramp-shaped portion extending radially from the cylindrical surface.

7. A beverage container as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the lid release button includes a locking tab that engages the ramp-shaped portion during attachment of the lid body to the container body, wherein the locking tab is disengaged from the ramp-shaped portion when the lid body is in the sealed position.

8. A beverage container as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the container body includes a container portion and a handle portion, the lid release button being mounted in the handle portion.

9. A beverage container as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the handle portion includes a collar mounted on the container portion, the collar defining a mouth portion of the container body wherein the lid is mounted in the mouth portion of the container body, the handle portion including a grip extending from the collar, the user operable latch including a user button mounted in the grip.

10. A beverage container as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the user operable latch includes a first end with the user button and a second end with the locking tab, and further comprising: a spring mounted between the user operable latch and the handle portion.

11. A beverage container as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the container body is a drinking mug and
wherein the lid body is affixed to the drinking mug, the lid body including
a lid sidewall affixed to the drinking mug,
a bottom portion separated from the lid sidewall by a fluid flow opening; and
radial ribs connecting the bottom portion to the lid sidewall,

the fluid flow opening permitting fluid within the drinking mug to be dispensed from the drinking mug through the fluid flow opening when the lid body is in the liquid dispensing position.

12. A beverage container as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the fluid flow opening extends about the entire circumference of the bottom portion so that a user may drink from the drinking mug from any position around the circumference of the lid body.

Assignees

• Thermos Llc

Inventors

• Lane Marvin

Classifications

• A47G19/2272 Primary

  from drinking glasses or cups comprising lids or covers · CPC title

• B65D2251/1033

  Protuberances and cavities provided on a horizontal flange respectively of the container or base and the closure, and penetrating one into the other, e.g. of the press-button type · CPC title

• B65D39/10

  with bayonet cams · CPC title

• B65D39/082

  Bung-rings and bungs for bung-holes · CPC title

• B65D45/16

  Clips, hooks, or clamps {which are removable, or which remain connected either with the closure or with the container when the container is open}, e.g. C-shaped (U-shaped or bifurcated members B65D45/04) · CPC title