Lid for cup

Abstract

A lid for a cup includes an annular wall with a top rim and a bottom base. The annular wall is insertable into a cup wherein an exterior face of the annular wall produces a compressive force against an interior face of the cup sufficient to create a seal along a continuous path circumscribing the interior face of the annular wall of the cup.

1 . A container comprising in combination a cup and a separate lid,
 the cup comprising a hollow, frustroconical cup body having a cup first end and a cup second end,   the cup body including a annular cup side wall extending from the cup first end to the cup second end;   the cup side wall having an inwardly directed inner cup wall surface and an outwardly directed outer cup wall surface,   the cup open at the cup first end,   the cup closed proximate the cup second end via a cup bottom disc fixedly sealably coupled at its periphery to the cup side wall,   the cup bottom disc having an first surface directed towards the cup first end,   the inner cup wall surface at the cup first end having a cup first end inner diameter greater than a cup bottom inner diameter of the inner cup wall surface at the first surface of the cup bottom disc,   the lid comprising a hollow, frustroconical lid body having a lid first end and a lid second end,   the lid body including an annular lid side wall extending from the lid first end to the lid second end;   the lid side wall having an inwardly directed inner lid wall surface and an outwardly directed outer lid wall surface,   the lid open at the lid first end,   the lid open at the lid first end   the lid closed intermediate the lid first end and the lid second end via a lid disc fixedly sealably coupled at its periphery to the lid side wall,   the lid disc having an second surface directed towards the lid second end,   a fluid port forming orifice through the lid disc for permitting fluid flow,   the outer lid wall surface at the lid first end having a lid first end outer diameter greater than a lid second end outer diameter of the outer lid wall surface at the second lid end,   the outer lid wall surface at the lid second end having a lid second end outer diameter greater than the cup bottom inner diameter,   the lid insertable into the cup to assume a sealingly nested condition within the cup with:   (a) the lid second end within the cup,   (b) the second surface of the lid disc directed towards the first surface of the cup bottom disc, and   (c) the outwardly directed outer lip wall surface frictionally engaging with the inwardly directed inner cup wall surface to form a fluid impermeable seal therebetween entirely annularly about the inwardly directed inner cup wall surface so as to preventing fluid flow between the lid side wall and the cup side wall.   
     
     
         2 . A container as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the lid second end outer diameter being greater than the cup second end inner diameter. 
     
     
         3 . A container as claimed in  claim 1  wherein when the lid is in the sealingly nested condition within the cup the lid second end is located between the cup first end and the cup second end. 
     
     
         4 . A container as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the lid first end outer diameter being greater than the cup first end outer diameter. 
     
     
         5 . A container as claimed in  claim 2  wherein the lid first end outer diameter being greater than the lid first end outer diameter. 
     
     
         6 . A container as claimed in  claim 1  wherein when the lid is in the sealingly nested condition within the cup the lid side wall extends away from the cup bottom disc outwardly past the cup first end. 
     
     
         7 . A container as claimed in  claim 3  wherein when the lid is in the sealingly nested condition within the cup the lid side wall extends away from the cup bottom disc outwardly past the cup first end. 
     
     
         8 . A container as claimed in  claim 1  wherein when the lid is in the sealingly nested condition the lid disc is proximate the cup first end. 
     
     
         9 . A container as claimed in  claim 8  wherein when the lid is not coupled to the cup, the cup is adapted to receive a volume of fluid which would fill the cup to a liquid level to a preferred height above the cup bottom disc, and wherein when the lid is in the sealingly nested condition the lid disc is above the preferred height. 
     
     
         10 . A container as claimed in  claim 8  wherein when the lid is not coupled to the lid, the cup is adapted to receive a preset volume of fluid and wherein when the lid is in the sealingly nested condition with an axis of the frustoconical cup portion vertical and the cup is holding the preset volume of fluid, the lid disc is above an upper level of the preset volume of fluid received in the cup. 
     
     
         11 . A container as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the lid side wall having an insulating value,
 wherein when the lid is in the sealingly nested condition the lid side wall overlaps with the cup side wall over an insulating overlapping area which has an increased insulating value compared to the cap side wall alone,   the outwardly directed outer cup wall surface overlying the insulating overlapping area of the cup side wall being adapted for engagement by a hand of a user so as to assist in reducing thermal transfer therethrough between material in the cup and the user's hand.   
     
     
         12 . A container as claimed in  claim 11  wherein the cup or lid include visual indicia identifying to a user portions of the outwardly directed outer lid wall surface overlying the insulating overlapping area of the cup side wall. 
     
     
         13 . A container as claimed in  claim 11  wherein portions of the outwardly directed outer lid wall surface overlying the insulating overlapping area of the cup side wall comprises an annular band extending; (a) circumferentially entirely about the cup side wall, and (b) axially from the cup first end towards the cup second end a distance selected from the group consisting of: at least the width of a user's finger, at least the width of a user's thumb, at least ½ inch, at least ¾ inch, at least 1 inch, at least 1.5 inches, and at least 2 inches. 
     
     
         14 . A container as claimed in  claim 11  wherein the lid side wall includes a plurality of insulating bodies integral with the lid side wall. 
     
     
         15 . A container as claimed in  claim 14  wherein said lid side wall comprises a double-wall structure. 
     
     
         16 . A container as claimed in  claim 8  wherein the cup or lid include visual indicia indicating to that the container with the lid in the sealed nested condition should not be held merely by a user engaging the lid. 
     
     
         17 . A container as claimed in  claim 8  wherein the lid carries at the lid first end structure which renders it difficult for a user to grasp the lid when the lid in the sealed nested condition. 
     
     
         18 . A container as claimed in  claim 17  wherein the structure comprises an extension of the lid first end which extends away from the lid second end and tapers inwardly to an open dispensing mouth of reduced diameter compared to the lid first end outer diameter. 
     
     
         19 . A container as claimed in  claim 1  wherein in the sealed nested condition the outwardly directed outer lid wall surface and the inwardly directed inner cup wall surface produce compressive forces therebetween sufficient to form the fluid impermeable seal therebetween. 
     
     
         20 . A container as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the lid comprises a paper material and the lid has an outwardly rolled lip annularly about the lid first end, and
 the cup comprises a paper material and the cup has an outwardly rolled lip annularly about the open cup first end.