LID FOR CONTAINER

Abstract

A lid cooperates with a container to define a receiving space, and includes a cover portion, a connecting portion, and a mouth portion. The cover portion includes a supporting wall, a connecting wall, and an intermediate wall interconnecting inner edges of the supporting and connecting walls. The connecting portion is connected to a periphery of the cover portion for detachable connection with a mouth portion of the container. The mouth portion includes a mouth inner wall cooperating with the connecting wall and the intermediate wall to define a buffer space. The buffer space has opposite wide and narrow space areas. The mouth inner wall has a middle arcuate portion facing the wide space area, and two side arcuate portions each connected between one end of the middle arcuate portion and a portion of the inner edge of the supporting wall.

Claims

1. A lid for a container, said lid being configured to cooperate with the container to define a receiving space, said lid comprising: a cover portion including a supporting wall, a connecting wall having a position difference with said supporting wall along a first axis, and an intermediate wall interconnecting inner edges of said supporting wall and said connecting wall said connecting wall having an outlet for communicating said receiving space with the outside; a connecting portion connected to a periphery of said cover portion and configured to detachably connect with a mouth portion of the container; and a mouth portion including a mouth inner wall connected to and extending upwardly from an outer edge of said connecting wall along the first axis, wherein said mouth inner wall, said connecting wall and said intermediate wall cooperatively define a buffer space having an opening configured to be opposite to the container, said buffer space having a wide space area and a narrow space area opposite to said wide space area, said wide space area having a maximum width along a second axis substantially perpendicular to the first axis that is greater than a maximum width of said narrow space area along the second axis and a maximum width of said outlet along the second axis, said mouth inner wall having a middle arcuate portion facing said wide space area, and two side arcuate portions each of which is connected between one end of said middle arcuate portion and a portion of said inner edge of said supporting wall, said two side arcuate portions being spaced apart from each other along the second axis, said middle arcuate portion having a curvature smaller than a curvature of each of said side arcuate portion.

2. The lid as claimed in claim 1, wherein said connecting wall has a length along a third axis substantially perpendicular to the first axis and the second axis that is more than 90% of a length of said supporting wall along the third axis, said middle arcuate portion forming an angle with the first axis that ranges from 5 degrees to 15 degrees.

3. The lid as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a sealing portion connected to said connecting wall and movable relative to said connecting wall between a closing position, in which said sealing portion closes said outlet and an open position, in which said sealing portion is distal to said outlet (221) to expose said outlet.

4. The lid as claimed in claim 3, wherein said cover portion, said connecting portion, said sealing portion, and said mouth portion of said lid are integrally formed as one piece from pulp.

5. The lid as claimed in claim 3, wherein said connecting wall of said cover portion further has a recess that is indented from an outer surface thereof, that is adjacent to said supporting wall and that is distal to said mouth portion of said lid along the third axis, said sealing portion being engaged with said recess when in said open position.

6. The lid as claimed in claim 1, wherein said middle arcuate portion has a maximum width along the second axis that is greater than said width of said outlet but smaller than said maximum width of said wide space area.

7. The lid as claimed in claim 1, wherein said mouth portion of said lid further includes a mouth outer wall spaced apart from said mouth inner wall, and an arcuate end wall connected between said mouth inner wall and said mouth outer wall and having a position difference with said supporting wall along the first axis.

8. The lid as claimed in claim 7, wherein said mouth outer wall forms an angle with the first axis that ranges from 5 degrees to 15 degrees.

9. The lid as claimed in claim 6, wherein said cover portion further includes a surrounding wall that extends downwardly from an outer edge of said supporting wall, that is connected to said connecting portion, and that is further connected to said mouth outer wall.

10. The lid as claimed in claim 9, wherein said connecting portion includes an inner sidewall connected to a lower periphery of said surrounding wall, an outer sidewall surrounding and radially spaced apart from said inner sidewall, and an abutment end wall connected between said inner sidewall and said outer sidewall and having a position difference with said supporting wall along the first axis.

11. The lid as claimed in claim 10, further comprising a stopping portion formed around an inner surface of said outer sidewall for contacting the container.

12. The lid as claimed in claim 11, wherein said outer sidewall has an end edge, said stopping portion including a plurality of protruding ribs, each of said protruding ribs forming an angle with said end edge that ranges from 15 degrees to 45 degrees, and defining a gap with an adjacent one of said protruding ribs, each of said protruding ribs having a highest point and a lowest point along the first axis that cooperatively define therebetween a contact area for frictional contact with the container.

13. The lid as claimed in claim 11, wherein said stopping portion includes a plurality of protruding ribs arranged in an array around said inner surface of said outer sidewall, each of said protruding ribs defining a gap with an adjacent one of said protruding ribs, said gaps between said adjacent ones of said protruding ribs defining a grid-like structure, said stopping portion having a highest point and a lowest point that cooperatively define therebetween a contact area for frictional contact with the container.

14. The lid as claimed in claim 11, wherein said stopping portion includes a groove recessed from an outer surface of said outer sidewall and a protruding rib protruding from an inner surface of said outer sidewall and corresponding in position to said groove, said groove and said protruding rib being simultaneously formed by extrusion after said outer sidewall is formed, said protruding rib being configured to block the mouth portion of the container.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Other features and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent in the following detailed description of the embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is noted that various features may not be drawn to scale.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an environmentally friendly cup lid disclosed in Taiwanese Patent No. TWM607136U.

[0012] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a lid according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0013] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the first embodiment taken from another angle.

[0014] FIG. 4 is a top view of the first embodiment.

[0015] FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line V-V of FIG. 4.

[0016] FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view of the first embodiment connected to a container to form a container assembly.

[0017] FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of a portion of FIG. 6.

[0018] FIG. 8 is a perspective schematic view illustrating two container assemblies stacked on top of each other.

[0019] FIG. 9 is a sectional view, illustrating a plurality of the lids of the first embodiment stacked on top of each other.

[0020] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a lid according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021] FIG. 11 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the second embodiment connected to a container.

[0022] FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a lid according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] FIG. 13 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the third embodiment connected to a container.

[0024] FIG. 14 is a view similar to FIG. 13, but with a stopping portion in a different form.

[0025] FIG. 15 is a view similar to FIG. 14, but with the stopping portion connected to a different container.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] Before the disclosure is described in greater detail, it should be noted that where considered appropriate, reference numerals or terminal portions of reference numerals have been repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements, which may optionally have similar characteristics.

[0027] Referring to FIGS. 2 to 4, a lid according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure includes a cover portion 2, a sealing portion 3, a connecting portion 4, a stopping portion 5, and a mouth portion 6 that are integrally formed as one piece from pulp. The lid of this disclosure has a first axis (X), a second axis (Y) and a third axis (Z) substantially perpendicular to one another.

[0028] The cover portion 2 includes a supporting wall 21, a connecting wall 22 having a position difference with the supporting wall 21 along the first axis (X), an intermediate wall 24 interconnecting inner edges of the supporting wall 21 and the connecting wall 22, and a surrounding wall 23 extending downwardly from and connected to an outer edge of the supporting wall 21 and radially spaced apart from the intermediate wall 24. A length (L1) of the connecting wall 22 along the third axis (Z) is more than 90% of a length (L2) of the supporting wall 21 along the third axis (Z). The connecting wall 22 has an outlet 221 extending from an outer surface to an inner surface thereof along the first axis (X), and a recess 222 that is indented from the outer surface thereof, that is spaced apart from the outlet 221 along the third axis (Z), and that is adjacent to the supporting wall 21 along the third axis (Z).

[0029] Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, in combination with FIG. 2, the sealing portion 3 is connected to and movable relative to the connecting wall 22 between a closing position (see FIG. 5) and an open position (see FIG. 6). In the closing position, the sealing portion 3 closes the outlet 221; and in the open position, the sealing portion 3 is distal to the outlet 221 to expose the same and engages the recess 222. It should be noted that the outer edge of the supporting wall 21 is distal to the sealing portion 3 along the third axis (Z).

[0030] Referring to FIG. 7, in combination with FIGS. 3 and 5, the connecting portion 4 includes an inner sidewall 41 connected to a lower periphery of the surrounding wall 23, an outer sidewall 42 surrounding and radially spaced apart from the inner sidewall 41, and an abutment end wall 43 connected between the inner and outer sidewalls 41, 42 and having a position difference with the supporting wall 21 along the first axis (X). The inner and outer sidewalls 41, 42 and the abutment end wall 43 cooperatively define an accommodating space 40 having an opening opposite to the abutment end wall 43. The outer sidewall 42 has an end edge 421.

[0031] The stopping portion 5 surrounds the first axis (X), is formed around an inner surface of the outer sidewall 42, and includes a plurality of protruding ribs 51. Each protruding rib 51 cooperates with an adjacent one of the protruding ribs 51 to define a gap 501 therebetween. Each protruding rib 51 has a highest point and a lowest point along the first axis (X) that cooperatively define a contact area (51a) therebetween. Each protruding rib 51 forms an angle (1) with the end edge 421 that ranges from 15 degrees to 45 degrees, preferably, 25 degrees.

[0032] Referring again to FIGS. 2, 4 and 5, the mouth portion 6 is substantially semicircular, is connected to the connecting wall 22 and the supporting wall 21, and has two ends opposite to each other along the second axis (Y). Specifically, the mouth portion 6 includes a mouth inner wall 61 connected to and extending upwardly from an outer edge of the connecting wall 22 along the first axis (X), a mouth outer wall 62 radially spaced apart from the mouth inner wall 61 and integrally connected to the surrounding wall 23, and an arcuate end wall 63 connected between the mouth inner and outer walls 61, 62 and having a position difference with the supporting wall 21 along the first axis (X). The mouth inner wall 61, the intermediate wall 24 and the connecting wall 22 cooperatively define a buffer space 60 having an opening opposite to the opening of the accommodating space 40. It should be noted that the outer edge of the connecting wall 22 is opposite to the outer edge of the supporting wall 21 along the third axis (Z), and the mouth portion 6 is distal to the recess 222 of the connecting wall 22.

[0033] In this embodiment, the buffer space 60 is generally fan-shaped, and has a wide space area 601 including the outlet 221, and a narrow space area 602 opposite to the wide space area 601 and including the recess 222. The wide space area 601 has a maximum width (W1) along the second axis (Y) that is greater than a maximum width (W2) of the narrow space area 602 along the second axis (Y), and the maximum width (W2) of the narrow space area 602 is greater than a maximum width (W3) of the outlet 221 along the second axis (Y).

[0034] The mouth inner wall 61 has a middle arcuate portion 611 connected to and extending upwardly from the outer edge the connecting wall 22 along the first axis (X) and facing the wide space area 601, and two side arcuate portions 612 spaced apart from each other along the second axis (Y). Each side arcuate portion 612 is connected between one end of the middle arcuate portion 611 and a portion of the inner edge of the supporting wall 21. The middle arcuate portion 611 forms an angle (2) with the first axis (X) that ranges from 5 degrees to 15 degrees, preferably, 10 degrees. The middle arcuate portion 611 has a curvature smaller than a curvature of each side arcuate portion 612. Moreover, a maximum width (W4) of the middle arcuate portion 611 along the second axis (Y) is greater than the maximum width (W3) of the outlet 221 but smaller than the maximum width (W1) of the wide space area 601. Specifically, the maximum width (W1) of the wide space area 601 is slightly larger than the maximum width (W4) of the middle arcuate portion 611.

[0035] The mouth outer wall 62 forms an angle (3) with the first axis (X) that ranges from 5 degrees to 15 degrees, preferably, 10 degrees. As such, a distance between the mouth outer wall 62 and the middle arcuate portion 611 along the third axis (Z) gradually tapers from one ends thereof that are proximate to the connecting portion 4 to the other ends thereof that are away from the connecting portion 4 along the first axis (X).

[0036] Referring again to FIGS. 6 and 7, the lid of this disclosure is adapted to cover a container 7 to form a container assembly, and cooperates with the container 7 to define a receiving space 70. The container 7 has a mouth portion 71 surrounding the first axis (X). The connecting portion 4 of the lid of this disclosure is configured to detachably connect with the mouth portion 71 of the container 7.

[0037] The receiving space 70 is adapted for receiving liquid, and communicates with the outside through the outlet 221. When the lid of the first embodiment is moved toward the container 7 along the first axis (X) and is sleeved on the mouth portion 71 thereof, the mouth portion 71 is inserted into the accommodating space 40 until it presses against the abutment end wall 43 of the connecting portion 4. At this time, the accommodating space 40 of the connecting portion 4 receives the mouth portion 71 of the container 7, and the inner and outer sidewalls 41, 42 of the connecting portion 4 respectively press against and clamp therebetween inner and outer sides of the mouth portion 71 of the container 7, and the abutment end wall 43 of the connecting portion 4 presses against a top side of the mouth portion 71 of the container 7.

[0038] Hence, with the inner and outer sidewalls 41, 42 and the abutment end wall 43 frictionally contacting the inner, outer and top sides of the mouth portion 71 of the container 7, respectively, they can form three tight rings from inside to outside after the lid of this embodiment is engaged to the container 7. More importantly, the protruding ribs 51, through upper portions of the contact areas (51a) thereof, can press against a peripheral surface of the mouth portion 71 of the container 7. At this time, since a portion of the mouth portion 71 of the container 7 falls into the gaps 501 formed between adjacent ones of the protruding ribs 51 and is in frictional contact with the outer sidewall 42 and the protruding ribs 51, the protruding ribs 51 can engage the mouth portion 71 of the container 7 to prevent the container 7 and the lid of this disclosure from rotating relative to each other.

[0039] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 4 to 6, when a user desires to drink the liquid in the receiving space 70, it is only necessary to push the sealing portion 3 to the open position, after which the container 7 is tilted to allow the liquid in the receiving space 70 to flow out of the outlet 221 into the wide space area 601 of the buffer space 60 and toward the side arcuate portions 612. Through this, with the maximum width (W1) of the wide space area 601 being significantly greater than the maximum width (W3) of the outlet 221 and being slightly greater than the maximum width (W4) of the middle arcuate portion 611, the liquid is buffered in the wide space area 601, and spreads outwardly through the center of the outlet 221. but will be blocked by the intermediate wall 24 of the cover portion 2 and the mouth inner wall 61 and be limited in the buffer space 60. Thereafter, the liquid will flow along the curvature of the mouth inner wall 61, be collected in the middle arcuate portion 611, and finally, enters the mouth of the user.

[0040] It is worth to note that, since the distance between the mouth outer wall 62 and the middle arcuate portion 611 is tapered with a wide bottom and a narrow top, the upper and lower lips of the user can be as close as possible when they come into contact with the mouth portion 6, so that the liquid can accurately and completely enter the mouth of the user. Moreover, since the shape, height and angle of the mouth portion 6 exactly match the sipping angle of the mouth of the user, comfort during drinking can be enhanced.

[0041] When the user stops drinking the liquid and places the container 7 upright, the liquid remaining in the middle arcuate portion 611 can flow along the curvature and slope of the middle arcuate portion 611 toward the wide space area 601 and be limited in the buffer space 60, or can flow back into the receiving space 70 through the outlet 221.

[0042] Referring to FIG. 8, it is worth to mention herein that, when a plurality of the container assemblies are stacked one above the other along the first axis (X), since there is a position difference between the supporting wall 21 and the connecting wall 22 of the cover portion 2 of each lid of this embodiment along the first axis (X), a plurality of turning portions are formed to thereby enhance the structural strength of the cover portion 2. Furthermore, with the mouth portion 6 having a semicircular shape, and with a side of the cover portion 2 opposite to the mouth portion 6 being planar, the supporting wall 21 of a lower one of the container assemblies can smoothly and stably support a container 7 of an upper one of the container assemblies without being easily damaged, and the container 7 of the upper container assembly will not be blocked by the mouth portion 6 of the lower container assembly and can be easily placed on the supporting wall 21 of the lower container assembly.

[0043] Referring to FIG. 9, additionally, when a plurality of the lids of this embodiment are stacked on top of each other along the first axis (X), the abutment end wall 43 of a lower one of the lids can abut against the stopping portion 5 of an upper one of the lids, and the cover portion 2, the abutment end wall 43, and the inner sidewall 41 of each lid are respectively spaced apart from the cover portion 2, the abutment end wall 43, and the inner sidewall 41 of an adjacent one of the lids. In this way, not only the space occupied by the lids of this embodiment can be reduced to enhance space efficiency, but also the contact area of adjacent lids can be reduced to prevent the adjacent lids from squeezing against each other, thereby facilitating easy access to an outermost lid.

[0044] Referring to FIGS. 10 and 11, the second embodiment of this disclosure is substantially identical to the first embodiment. Particularly, the lid of the second embodiment comprises the cover portion 2, the sealing portion 3, the connecting portion 4, the stopping portion 5, and the mouth portion 6. The lid of the second embodiment differs from the lid of the first embodiment in that the stopping portion 5 thereof includes a plurality of protruding ribs 52 arranged in an array around the inner surface of the outer sidewall 42. Each protruding rib 52 defines a gap 502 with an adjacent one of the protruding ribs 52. The gaps 502 between the adjacent ones of the protruding ribs 52 define a grid-like structure. The stopping portion 5 has a highest point and a lowest point that cooperatively define therebetween a contact area (52a) for frictional contact with the mouth portion 71 of the container 7.

[0045] Through the aforesaid configuration, the inner and outer sidewalls 41, 42 and the abutment end wall 43 of the connecting portion 4 can be similarly in frictionally contact with the mouth portion 71 of the container 7 to form three tight rings from the inside to the outside. More importantly, the protruding ribs 52 can similarly press against the mouth portion 71 of the container 7 through the contact area (52a). At this time, since a portion of the mouth portion 71 of the container 7 falls into the gaps 502 formed between adjacent ones of the protruding ribs 52 and is in frictional contact with the outer sidewall 42 and the protruding ribs 52, the protruding ribs 52 can engage the mouth portion 71 of the container 7 to prevent the container 7 and the lid of this embodiment from rotating relative to each other.

[0046] Referring to FIGS. 12 and 13, the third embodiment of this disclosure is substantially identical to the first embodiment. Particularly, the lid of the third embodiment comprises the cover portion 2, the sealing portion 3, the connecting portion 4, the stopping portion 5, and the mouth portion 6. The lid of the third embodiment differs from the lid of the first embodiment in that the stopping portion 5 includes an annular groove 53 recessed from an outer surface of the outer sidewall 42, and an annular protruding rib 54 protruding from the inner surface of the outer sidewall 42 and corresponding in position to the annular groove 53. The outer sidewall 42 is processed for a second time by extrusion to simultaneously form the groove 53 and the protruding rib 54 after being formed from the pulp. For example: The lid of this embodiment is sleeved on a base (not shown), after which a movable slide block (not shown) is used to squeeze the outer surface of the outer sidewall 42. Through this, the outer surface of the outer sidewall 42 is recessed to form the groove 53, and simultaneously, the protruding rib 54 is formed on and protrudes from the inner surface of the outer sidewall 42.

[0047] Hence, with the protruding rib 54 blocking the bottom of the mouth portion 71 of the container 7, the lid of this embodiment and the container 7 can be prevented from moving away from each other along the first axis (X), thereby preventing the lid of this embodiment from accidentally disengaging from the container 7.

[0048] It should be noted that the protruding rib 54 is not limited to being formed on the inner surface of the outer sidewall 42 by processing the outer sidewall 42 the second time. In other variations of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14, the protruding rib 54 may be integrally formed as one piece with the cover portion 2, the sealing portion 3, the connecting portion 4, and the mouth portion 6 from pulp.

[0049] Moreover, it should be noted that, when the lid of this embodiment is connected to the container 7, the protruding rib 54 is not limited to block the bottom of the mouth portion 71 having an inverted U-shaped cross section, but may also be used to block the mouth portion 71 having a circular cross section, as shown in FIG. 15.

[0050] Through the above description, the advantages of this disclosure can be summarized as follows: [0051] 1. Through the special space design of the buffer space 60 to buffer the liquid flowing out of the outlet 221, and through the different arcuate designs of the middle and side arcuate portions 611, 612 to guide the liquid into the middle arcuate portion 611, the liquid can be effectively prevented from spraying or overflowing to two sides of the lid. [0052] 2. The distance between the mouth outer wall 62 and the middle arcuate portion 611 is tapered to form a wide bottom and a narrow top, so that the upper and lower lips of the user can be as close as possible when they come into contact with the mouth portion 6. As such, the liquid can accurately and completely enter the mouth of the user. Moreover, the shape, height and angle of the mouth portion 6 exactly match the sipping angle of the mouth of the user, so that comfort during drinking can be enhanced. [0053] 3. Through the design of the buffer space 60, the structural strength of the cover portion 2 can be enhanced. Furthermore, with the mouth portion 6 having a semicircular shape, the supporting wall 21 of the cover portion 2 can smoothly and stably support another container 7 and is not easy to break. [0054] 4. With the inner and outer sidewalls 41, 42 and the abutment end wall 43 of the connecting portion 4 respectively abutting against the inner, outer and top sides of the mouth portion 71 of the container 7 to form three tight rings with different blocking directions from the inside to the outside, and can greatly increase the frictional contact area between the lid of this disclosure and the mouth portion 71 of the container 7, the liquid in the receiving space 70 can be effectively prevented from leaking outwardly, thereby improving the overall sealing effect of this disclosure. [0055] 5. By using the stopping portion 5 to surround and frictionally contact the mouth portion 71 of the container 7, the binding force and stability of the lid of this disclosure with the container 7 can be further enhanced. [0056] 6. When a plurality of the lids of this disclosure are stacked, a contact area of two adjacent lids can be reduced to prevent the adjacent lids from squeezing against each other, thereby facilitating easy access to the outermost lid.

[0057] In the description above, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details have been set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that one or more other embodiments may be practiced without some of these specific details. It should also be appreciated that reference throughout this specification to one embodiment, an embodiment, an embodiment with an indication of an ordinal number and so forth means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic may be included in the practice of the disclosure. It should be further appreciated that in the description, various features are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of various inventive aspects; such does not mean that every one of these features needs to be practiced with the presence of all the other features. In other words, in any described embodiment, when implementation of one or more features or specific details does not affect implementation of another one or more features or specific details, said one or more features may be singled out and practiced alone without said another one or more features or specific details. It should be further noted that one or more features or specific details from one embodiment may be practiced together with one or more features or specific details from another embodiment, where appropriate, in the practice of the disclosure.

[0058] While the disclosure has been described in connection with what are considered the exemplary embodiments, it is understood that this disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiments but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.