Venting device, lid, and container comprising lid

Abstract

A venting device comprises an air channel and a rotary venting rod, wherein: the air channel comprises a first end facing an outer surface of the rotary venting rod and a second end away from the rotary venting rod; the outer surface of the rotary venting rod is provided with a recessed venting slot in fluid communication with ambient air, about which the rotary venting rod may be rotated about a rotation axis extending longitudinally thereof to provide a vented state and a sealed state. In the vented state, at least a portion of the venting slot of the rotary venting rod is in fluid communication with the air channel and thereby brings the air channel into fluid communication with ambient air via the venting slot. In the sealed state, the venting slot of the rotary venting rod is not in fluid communication with the air channel and the first end of the air channel is sealed by the outer surface of the rotating vent rod. The venting device of the present invention is easy to manufacture and assemble. The present invention also relates to a lid comprising the above-mentioned venting device and a container comprising the lid.

Claims

1. A venting device, characterized in that the venting device comprises an air channel and a rotary venting rod, wherein: the air channel comprises a first end facing an outer surface of the rotary venting rod and a second end facing away from the rotary venting rod; the outer surface of the rotary venting rod is provided with a recessed venting slot which is in fluid communication with ambient air and the venting slot extends along the rotary venting rod in the longitudinal direction of the rotary venting rod to a distal face of the rotary venting rod, and the rotary venting rod may be swiveled about a rotation axis extending along its longitudinal direction to provide vented and sealed states, wherein: in the vented state, the venting slot of the rotary venting rod is in fluid communication with the air channel and the air channel is in fluid communication with the ambient air via the venting slot; and in the sealed state, the venting slot of the rotary venting rod is not in fluid communication with the air channel and the first end of the air channel is sealed by the outer surface of the rotary venting rod.

2. The venting device according to claim 1, further characterized in that the first end of the air channel and the outer surface of the rotary venting rod are separable from each other.

3. The venting device according to claim 1, further characterized in that the outer surface of the rotary venting rod is cylindrical, and the rotation axis of the rotary venting rod is its central axis.

4. A venting device, characterized in that the venting device comprises an air channel and a rotary venting rod, wherein: the air channel comprises a first end facing an outer surface of the rotary venting rod and a second end facing away from the rotary venting rod; the outer surface of the rotary venting rod is provided with a recessed venting slot which is in fluid communication with ambient air and the venting slot extends along a portion of the outer surface of the rotary venting rod in the longitudinal direction of the rotary vending venting rod, and the rotary venting rod may be swiveled about a rotation axis extending along its longitudinal direction to provide vented and sealed states, wherein: in the vented state, the venting slot of the rotary venting rod is in fluid communication with the air channel and the air channel is in fluid communication with the ambient air via the venting slot; and in the sealed state, the venting slot of the rotary venting rod is not in fluid communication with the air channel and the first end of the air channel is sealed by the outer surface of the rotary venting rod.

5. The venting device according to claim 4, further characterized in that the rotary venting rod comprises an internal cavity extending toward the distal face of the rotary venting rod and the venting slot is recessed into the internal cavity from the outer surface.

6. The venting device according to claim 1, further characterized in that the rotation axis of the rotary venting rod is arranged at the first end of the air channel and is substantially perpendicular to the channel axis of the air channel.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) With reference to the above-described objects, the technical features of the present invention are hereinafter described, and the advantages thereof will be apparent from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention by way of example and do not limit the invention.

(2) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a container comprising a preferred embodiment of a venting device according to the present invention.

(3) FIG. 2 is a front view of the container shown in FIG. 1.

(4) FIG. 3 is a side view of the container shown in FIG. 1.

(5) FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the container shown in FIG. 1 taken along line A-A in FIG. 3.

(6) FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the container shown in FIG. 1 taken along the line B-B in FIG. 4.

(7) FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a portion of a lid comprising a first preferred embodiment of the venting device according to the present invention.

(8) FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a portion of a lid comprising a second preferred embodiment of the venting device according to the present invention.

(9) FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the lid of the second preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 7 with the rotary venting rod removed.

(10) FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the rotary venting rod removed from the lid of the second preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 7.

(11) FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the lid of the second preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 7 and of a portion of the main body of the container to which the lid is affixed, which shows the specific matching relationship between the rotary venting rod and the air channel.

(12) FIG. 11A is a side view of a lid comprising a venting device according to the present invention, wherein the swivel cover of the lid is in a closed position.

(13) FIG. 11B is a close-up side view of the venting device when the lid is in the closed position as shown in FIG. 11A.

(14) FIG. 11C is a perspective cross-sectional view of a portion of the lid of the second preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 7 when the lid is in the closed position as shown in FIG. 11A.

(15) FIG. 12A is a side view of the lid shown in FIG. 11A, wherein the swivel cover of the lid is in an intermediate position.

(16) FIG. 12B is a close-up side view of the venting device when the lid is in the intermediate position as shown in FIG. 12A.

(17) FIG. 12C is a perspective cross-sectional view of a portion of the lid of the second preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 7 when the lid is in the intermediate position as shown in FIG. 12A.

(18) FIG. 13A is a side view of the lid shown in FIG. 11A, wherein the swivel cover of the lid is in an open position.

(19) FIG. 13B is a close-up view of the venting device when the lid is in the open position as shown in FIG. 13A.

(20) FIG. 13C is a perspective cross-sectional view of a portion of the lid of the second preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 7 when the lid is in the open state as shown in FIG. 13A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(21) The following is a list of reference numerals used in the figures and description:

(22) TABLE-US-00001 100 venting device 110 air channel 111 first end 112 second end 113 channel axis 120 rotary venting rod 121 venting slot 122 distal face 123 outer surface 124 rotation axis 125 internal cavity 200 container 210 inner chamber 220 lid 221 lid base 222 swivel cover 222A rotating shaft 222B guiding member 223 protrusion 230 main body 231 opening 240 drinking opening 241 drinking straw

(23) Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described hereinafter. While the invention will be described in conjunction with exemplary embodiments, it will be appreciated that this description is not intended to limit the invention to those exemplified embodiments. On the contrary, the invention is directed not only the exemplary embodiments, but also various alternatives, modifications, equivalents, and other embodiments, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention. For ease of explanation and precise definition of the technical solutions of the present invention, the terms upper, lower, inner, and outer are used to refer to the positions of features of the exemplary embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings to refer to these features describe.

(24) Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(25) A venting device 100 for a container 200 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1-5.

(26) In this context, the term venting device is to be understood as a device that enables the gas in one space to be in fluid communication with the gas in another space so that the gas pressure in the two spaces is equalized. Generally, the power source for the venting device to circulate the gas may be provided by the pressure difference of the gas in different spaces, but the active pumping or auxiliary pumping of the gas between the different spaces may also be performed by using an external power source such as an air pump.

(27) Furthermore, although a particular form of container 200 is shown in the drawings as a drinking cup for children (duckbill cup), the venting device of the present invention may also be used in various other types of containers 200, such as drinking cups, insulated bottles, lunch boxes, etc.

(28) As shown more clearly in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the container 200 comprises an inner chamber 210 for holding contents such as fluids and gases. The inner chamber 210 may be symmetrical about a center axis or may be of other irregular shapes. Preferably, the inner chamber 210 may have shape that tapers toward the top.

(29) With reference to FIGS. 1-5, the container 200 may include a lid 220 and a main body 230. The lid 220 is engaged with the main body 230 to cover the opening 231 of the main body 230. Preferably, the lid 220 and the main body 230 are engaged with each other by a screw-on connection, as shown in FIGS. 4,5 and 10. Additionally or alternatively, the lid 220 and the main body 230 may also be connected to each other in other detachable ways. One or more parts of the lid 220 (such as the lid base 221 described below) may also be non-detachably connected to the body 230.

(30) In the embodiment shown in the drawings, the lid 220 comprises a lid base 221 and a swivel cover 222 pivotally mounted on the lid base 221, wherein the swivel cover 222 rotates (pivots) with respect to the lid base 221 about an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the inner chamber 210 (extending in the up-down direction in FIGS. 1 to 5), but the swivel cover 222 may also be made to rotate in other directions relative to the lid base 221, for example, around the longitudinal axis of the inner chamber 210. The swivel cover 222 can have different shapes. Preferably, the swivel cover 222 may be a curved shell-like structure, e.g., part of a spherical surface, as shown in the drawings. Generally, the swivel cover 222 is configured to enclose an interior space in which, for example, a portion of the lid base 221 and/or one or more components making up the venting device 100 may be accommodated. The swivel cover 222, for example, on the inner wall of the swivel cover 222, may be provided with structures coordinating with the lid base 221, such as a rotating shaft 222A and a guiding member 222B (see, for example, FIGS. 6 to 8), in order to facilitate the rotation of the swivel cover 222 relative to the lid base 221. The guiding member 222B may comprise a plurality of concentrically arranged arc-shaped protrusions as shown in the figures to provide a pivot structure in cooperation with complementary arc-shaped grooves (not shown) on the lid base 221. The arc-shaped protrusions may protect the inner space defined by them to a certain extent. In a preferred embodiment, the lid base 221 and the swivel cover 222 are configured such that they are separable from each other. In this disclosure, the lid base 221 and the swivel cover 222 being separable means that they are not integrated, but rather that one of the lid base 221 and the swivel cover 222 may be disassembled independently from the other.

(31) Continuing with reference to FIG. 4, the venting device 100 of the present invention includes an air channel 110 and a rotary venting rod 120.

(32) The air channel 110 includes a first end 111 facing the outer surface 123 of the rotary venting rod 120 and a second end 112 facing away from the rotary venting rod 120. The two ends 112 are in fluid communication with the inner chamber 210 of the container 200 for holding the contents. It should be pointed out that the air channel 110 is a pipe-like structure arranged in a solid structure, and the first end 111 and the second end 112 of the air channel 110 described herein actually refer to the openings at the ends of the air channel 110. The air channel 110 may be straight or curved according to need. The diameter of the air channel 110 may be uniform, or may be varied along the longitudinal direction of the air channel 110 according to need, such as increasing, decreasing, increasing first and then decreasing, first decreasing and then increasing, and so on.

(33) The air channel 110 may be provided on the lid base 221. In the preferred embodiment shown in the drawings (see FIGS. 4, 5, and 6), the lid base 221 includes a side facing inner chamber 210 of the container 200 when it is mounted on the main body 230 of the container 200. As seen in FIG. 6, the lid base 221 may include a protrusion 223 protruding away from the inner chamber 210 of the container 200, and the air channel 110 may be provided at the inner side of the protrusion 223.

(34) As described above, the rotary venting rod 120 has an outer surface 123. This outer surface 123 defines a longitudinal direction and thus a longitudinal rotation axis 124 of the rotary venting rod 120, see for example FIGS. 4 and 9. Preferably and as shown in the drawings, the outer surface 123 of the rotary venting rod 120 is cylindrical and the rotation axis 124 of the rotary venting rod 120 is its central axis. However, particularly in the case where the rotary venting rod 120 is made of an elastic material, the rotary venting rod 120 may have an outer surface 123 having other shapes, such as oval, elliptical, polygonal, star-shaped, etc. The first end 111 of the air channel 110 may preferably engage directly with the outer surface 123 of the rotary venting rod 120, and more preferably have a shape complementary to the shape of the outer surface 123 of the rotary venting rod.

(35) In the preferred embodiment shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the rotary venting rod 120 is detachably provided on the container 200, for example, on the swivel cover 222 of the lid 220. The detachable arrangement includes, for example, screw-on or snap-fitting.

(36) Preferably, as shown in the drawings, the rotation axis 124 of the rotary venting rod 120 is arranged to be substantially perpendicular to the channel axis 113 of the air channel 110 at the first end 111. Substantially perpendicular means that the angle where the two intersect is approximately equal to 90 degrees, such as 905.

(37) Referring to the rotary venting rod of the first preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 6 and the rotary venting rod of the second preferred embodiment shown in FIGS. 7-9, in these two embodiments, the outer surface 123 of the rotary venting rod 120 is provided with a venting slot 121 that is recessed and in fluid communication with ambient air outside the inner chamber 210 (see FIG. 4).

(38) In the two embodiments shown, see, e.g., FIGS. 6 and 7, the venting slot 121 may extend within the rotary venting rod 120 along the longitudinal direction of the rotary venting rod 120 to the distal face 122 of the rotary venting rod 120.

(39) Further preferably, as in the second embodiment shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the venting slot 121 extends along a part of the longitudinal direction of the rotary venting rod 120 on the outer surface 123 of the rotary venting rod 120. In other words, the venting slot 121 may not extend along the entire longitudinal length of the outer surface 123 of the rotary venting rod 120, but is only recessed on a section of the outer surface 123.

(40) As also shown in FIGS. 7 and 9 and best shown in FIG. 10, the rotary venting rod 120 may preferably be hollow and including an internal cavity 125. The above-mentioned internal cavity 125 penetrates to the distal face 122 of the rotary venting rod 120, and the venting slot 121 is recessed into the internal cavity 125 from the outer surface 123.

(41) The swivel vent rod 120 can swivel about a rotation axis 124 extending longitudinally thereof to toggle the inner chamber 210 of the container 200 between a vented state and a sealed state, which are as follows:

(42) In the vented state, at least a portion of the venting slot 121 of the rotary venting rod 120 is in fluid communication with the air channel 110 and enables the inner chamber 210 of the container 200 to also pass through the air channel 110 and the vent slot 121 to be in fluid communication with the outside ambient air.

(43) In the sealed state, the venting slot 121 of the rotary venting rod 120 is not in fluid communication with the air channel 110 and causes the first end 111 of the air channel 110 to be sealed by the outer surface 123 of the rotary venting rod 120. In other words, in the sealed state, the opening of the air channel 110 at the first end 111 is closed by the outer surface 123 of the rotary venting rod 120, blocking communication with the outside ambient air.

(44) In the above-described exemplary preferred embodiment, the rotary venting rod 120 is provided on the swivel cover 222, and the air channel 110 is provided on the lid base 221. Therefore, the rotary venting rod 120 can rotate relative to the air channel 110 with the rotation of the swivel cover 222 relative to the lid base 221. Further preferably, the rotary venting rod 120 may be arranged on the inner side of the swivel cover 222 to rotate together with the swivel cover 222 around the rotation axis 124. At this time, the venting slot 121 may also lead to the interior space covered by the swivel cover 222.

(45) In this preferred embodiment, the swivel cover 222 of the lid 220 and the lid base main body 221 may be configured such that:

(46) 1) When the swivel cover 222 is fully closed (i.e., the closed position), the venting device 100 is in a sealed state (refer to FIGS. 11A-11C). The venting slot 121 of the rotary venting rod 120 and the lid base 221 of the base 220, specifically, the air channel 110 in the protrusion 223, are offset from each other (for example, refer to FIG. 11B), and the outer surface 123 of the venting rod 120 is rotated to cover one end of the air channel 110 to seal the air channel 110;

(47) 2) When the swivel cover 222 is rotated through a certain angle and partially but not fully opened (i.e., the intermediate position), the venting device 100 is in the venting state (refer to FIGS. 12A-12C), at this time, the venting slot 121 of the rotary venting rod 120 is aligned with the air channel 110 provided in the lid base 221 of the lid 220, specifically in the protrusion 223 (for example, refer to FIG. 12B);

(48) And optionally 3) when the swivel cover 222 continues to rotate through a certain angle and is fully opened (i.e., the open position), the venting device 100 is again in a sealed state (refer to FIGS. 13A-13C), thus, the venting slot 121 of the rotary venting rod 120 provided on the swivel cover 222 of the lid 220 is again offset from air channel 110, specifically the protrusion 223 (e.g., see FIG. 13B), and the outer surface 123 of the rotary venting rod 120 once again covers one end of the air channel 110 to seal the air channel 110.

(49) The rotary venting rod 120 shown in FIGS. 11C, 12C, and 13C again depict the second embodiment shown in FIGS. 7-9 and discussed above, wherein the venting slot 121 extends over a portion of the length of the rotary venting rod 120. Of course, the venting slot 121 may also extend through the entire length of the rotary venting rod 120. In FIGS. 11C, 12C, and 13C, the venting slot 121 has a substantially circular cross-section within the rotary venting rod 120. It will be appreciated that the vent slot may also be configured to have a generally rectangular cross-section. Although the specific embodiments of the rotary venting rod of the present invention may be different, the matching relationship between the venting slot 121 and the air channel 110 remains similar to each other. For example, the above-mentioned correspondence between the venting slot 121 and the air channel 110 may be seen in the operation process shown in FIGS. 11B, 12B, and 13B.

(50) Referring to FIG. 13A, it shows the drinking opening 240 provided on the lid base 221 of the lid 220 of the container 200, which is exposed because it is not covered by the swivel cover 222 being in the opened state. As shown in FIGS. 11A, 12A, and 13A (in FIGS. 11A and 12A the drinking opening 240 is not exposed because it is blocked by the swivel cover 222), the drinking opening 240 may be configured as follows.

(51) When the swivel cover 222 of the lid 220 is completely closed (closed position, FIG. 11A), the drinking opening 240 (covered by the swivel cover 222 in FIG. 11A) is in a sealed state and completely covered by the swivel cover 222 of the lid 220. At this time, the user cannot access the contents of the container 200 through the drinking opening 240.

(52) When the swivel cover 222 is partially opened but not fully opened (intermediate position, FIG. 12A), the drinking opening 240 (covered by the swivel cover 222 in FIG. 12A) is still completely covered by the swivel cover 222 of the lid 220. At this time, the user still cannot access the contents of the container 200 through the drinking opening 240, as the drinking opening 240 is still in a sealed state.

(53) When the swivel cover 222 is fully opened (open position, FIG. 13A), the swivel cover 222 is fully rotated to one side of the lid 220, so that the drinking opening 240 located on the opposite side of the lid 220 is exposed. At this time, the user can access the contents of the container 200 through the drinking opening 240 (the connection structure between the contents of the container and the drinking opening 240 is not the focus of the present invention, so such details are omitted from this disclosure) as the drinking opening 240 is in an open state.

(54) In addition, in a preferred embodiment, the container 200 may further include other structures to facilitate drinking at the drinking opening 240. For example, referring back to FIGS. 1-5, the container 200 may also preferably include a drinking straw 241 extending into the inner chamber 210 from outside the inner chamber 210. The drinking straw 241 may be in the form of a drinking straw extending through and beyond the lid 220, or may be other common suction aids. The drinking straw 241 may be flexible, for example, to be sealed by being bent and deformed by an external force, and to be opened by virtue of the recovery properties of the drinking straw material itself when the external force is removed. Alternatively, the drinking straw 241 may also be elastically retractable, so as to be retracted into the container 200 under the action of an external force to be sealed, and elastically extend when the external force is removed. The drinking straw 241 may be opened or closed using methods common in the art, such as by the movement of the swivel cover 222 relative to the lid base 221 to open and close the drinking straw 241.

(55) Preferably, the drinking straw 241 may be configured as follows.

(56) When the swivel cover 222 of the lid 220 is completely closed (closed position), the drinking straw 241 is bent or pressed in by the force of the swivel cover 222. The venting slot 121 of the rotary venting rod 120 is not in fluid communication with the air channel 110, and the first end 111 of the air channel 110 is sealed by the outer surface 123 of the rotary venting rod 120, so the inner chamber 210 of the container 200 cannot communicate with the external ambient air through the air channel 110. At this time, the drinking opening 240 is completely blocked by the swivel cover 222 and is in a sealed state; at this time, the drinking straw 241 cannot be used.

(57) When the swivel cover 222 rotates to the intermediate position, the swivel cover 222 is partially but not fully opened, and at least a part of the drinking straw 241 is also bent or pressed in by the force of the swivel cover 222. Rotation of the rotary venting rod 120 with the rotation of the swivel cover 222 causes at least a portion of the venting slot 121 to be in fluid communication with the air channel 110, thereby placing the inner chamber 210 of the container 200 in fluid communication with the with the ambient air through the air channel 110 and venting slot 121, so as to equalize the external air pressure and the internal pressure of the inner chamber 210. At this time, the drinking opening 240 is still sealed by the swivel cover (222) and is in a sealed state, so at this time, the drinking straw 241 cannot be used.

(58) When the swivel cover 222 is rotated to the open position, since the swivel cover 222 is completely rotated to one side of the lid 220 and is out of contact with the drinking straw 241, the drinking straw 241 returns to an accessible configuration. The rotary venting rod 120 is rotated until the venting slot 121 is again out of fluid communication with the air channel 110, and the first end 111 of the air channel 110 is sealed by the outer surface 123 of the rotary venting rod 120. The inner chamber 210 of the container 200 cannot communicate with the external ambient air through the air channel 110, but the swivel cover 222 releases the drinking straw 240 so that the drinking straw 240 is in an open state, allowing access to the liquid beverage contained in the inner chamber 210 of the container 200.

(59) The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, but it is to be understood that aspects of the embodiments may be modified, if desired, to employ aspects, features and concepts of various patents, applications and publications to provide additional embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

(60) These and other changes may be made to the embodiments in light of the above detailed description. In general, in the claims, the terms used should not be construed as limiting to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims, but should be construed to include all possible embodiments, along with all equivalents to which these claims are entitled scope.