Beverage container lid with raised sanitary platform

Abstract

A lid for beverage containers includes vertical or upward protrusions above the area of the lid on which consumers place their mouths (the drinking area), creating a raised plane that forms a platform that allows the lid to be placed upside down on a table or other surface and protects the drinking area from becoming contaminated. This is particularly applicable for lids accompanying containers for coffee or other hot beverages. The protrusions creating the platform also provide surfaces or guides for users to press down onto and apply the lid to a container without directly touching the area proximate to the drinking hole. The beverage container lid with raised sanitary platform ultimately protects the area of the lid on which consumers place their mouths from coming into contact with other surfaces that may be unsanitary (e.g., a table or a server's hands or fingers). The present invention may also be incorporated into the design and manufacture of beverage lids already existing in the marketplace or created in the future.

1 . A lid adapted for removable attachment to a container having a rim, said lid comprising:
 a generally circular top surface defining a plane,   an annular side wall contiguous to the periphery of said top surface and extending substantially downward from said top surface,   an aperture formed through said top surface, through which a flowable substance held by said container may be dispensed when the lid is attached to said container,   at least one protrusion extending upward from said top surface and along a periphery thereof, said at least one protrusion being sufficient to define a plane that is at least in part higher than said plane formed by said top surface,   such that, when said lid is removed from said container and placed upside down on a planar surface, said aperture is spaced away from said planar surface.   
   
   
       2 . The lid of  claim 1 , wherein said at least one protrusion comprises one protrusion extending more than halfway around the periphery of said top surface. 
   
   
       3 . The lid of  claim 1 , wherein said at least one protrusion comprises at least two protrusions, each extending along a portion of an arc around the periphery of said top surface. 
   
   
       4 . The lid of  claim 1 , wherein said at least one protrusion comprises at least three protrusions positioned around the periphery of said top surface, said at least three protrusions defining said plane. 
   
   
       5 . The lid of  claim 1 , wherein said at least one protrusion comprises a flat upper surface. 
   
   
       6 . The lid of  claim 1 , wherein said at least one protrusion comprises a dome-like shape. 
   
   
       7 . The lid of  claim 1 , wherein said at least one protrusion defines a plane that is parallel to said plane formed by said top surface. 
   
   
       8 . The lid of  claim 1 , wherein said at least one protrusion defines a plane that is angled with respect to said plane formed by said top surface. 
   
   
       9 . The lid of  claim 8 , wherein said plane defined by said protrusion is angled such that, when said lid is removed from said container and placed upside down on a planar surface, the region of said lid adjacent to said aperture is spaced farther away from said planar surface than the region of said lid remote from said aperture. 
   
   
       10 . The lid of  claim 1 , wherein said at least one protrusion is positioned on said top surface not within a drinking region defined by the area of said top surface that a user's lips are likely to touch when drinking from said lid. 
   
   
       11 . A lid adapted for removable attachment to a container having a rim, said lid comprising:
 a generally circular top surface, said top surface defining a plane,   an annular side wall extending substantially downward from said top surface and contiguous with the periphery of said top surface,   a drinking region on top surface, said drinking region being defined by the area of said top surface that a user's lips are likely to touch when drinking from said lid,   at least one protrusion extending upward from said top surface and along a periphery thereof, said at least one protrusion not being within said drinking region, said at least one protrusion being sufficient to define a resting plane that is at least in part higher than said top surface plane,   such that, when said lid is removed from said container and placed upside down on a planar surface, said drinking region is spaced away from said planar surface.   
   
   
       12 . The lid of  claim 11 , wherein said at least one protrusion comprises one protrusion extending more than halfway around the periphery of said top surface. 
   
   
       13 . The lid of  claim 11 , wherein said at least one protrusion comprises at least two protrusions, each extending along a portion of an arc around the periphery of said top surface. 
   
   
       14 . The lid of  claim 11 , wherein said at least one protrusion comprises at least three protrusions positioned around the periphery of said top surface, said at least three protrusions defining said resting plane. 
   
   
       15 . The lid of  claim 11 , wherein said at least one protrusion comprises a flat upper surface. 
   
   
       16 . The lid of  claim 11 , wherein said at least one protrusion comprises a dome-like shape. 
   
   
       17 . The lid of  claim 11 , wherein said at least one protrusion defines a plane that is parallel to said plane formed by said top surface. 
   
   
       18 . The lid of  claim 11 , wherein said at least one protrusion defines a plane that is angled with respect to said plane formed by said top surface. 
   
   
       19 . The lid of  claim 18 , wherein said plane defined by said protrusion is angled such that, when said lid is removed from said container and placed upside down on a planar surface, the drinking region is spaced farther away from said planar surface than the region of said lid remote from said aperture. 
   
   
       20 . The lid of  claim 11 , wherein said drinking region comprises an aperture through which a flowable substance held by said container may be dispensed when the lid is attached to said container.