Drink cup lid

Abstract

A drink cup lid includes a liquid-discharge outlet through which a consumer can drink a liquid stored in a cup while the lid is mounted on the cup. The drink cup lid also includes a closure for the liquid-discharge outlet.

1 . A drink cup lid comprising
 a ring-shaped brim mount adapted to mate with a brim of a drink cup,   a central closure surrounded by the brim mount and formed to include an upstanding drink spout having a top wall formed to include a liquid-discharge outlet and a side wall arranged to extend downwardly from the top wall toward an interior region surrounded by the ring-shaped brim mount,   an outlet closure coupled to the upstanding drink spout for movement about a horizontally extending pivot axis between a closed position closing the liquid-discharge outlet formed in the top wall of the upstanding drink spout and an opened position away from the liquid-discharge outlet, and   closure retainer means formed in the side wall of the upstanding drink spout in close proximity to the top wall for retaining the outlet closure in a stationary position relative to the side wall upon movement of the outlet closure from the closed position to the opened position.   
     
     
         2 . The drink cup lid of  claim 1 , wherein the outlet closure includes an annular closure plate, an upstanding nose-shaped closure-anchor lug coupled to an inner edge of the annular closure plate, and a hinge coupled to the annular closure plate and to the drink spout and configured to establish the horizontal pivot axis. 
     
     
         3 . The drink cup lid of  claim 2 , wherein the hinge is coupled to a portion of the upstanding drink spout along a junction provided between the top wall and the side wall of the upstanding drink spout. 
     
     
         4 . The drink cup lid of  claim 1 , wherein the outlet closure includes a nose-shaped closure anchor lug configured to mate with the closure retainer means and remain in a stationary position relative to the central closure upon movement of the outlet closure to the opened position. 
     
     
         5 . The drink cup lid of  claim 4 , wherein the closure retainer means provided in the side wall is formed to include a forwardly facing lug-receiving cavity and a lug-retainer bar configured to provide detent means for retaining a tip of the nose-shaped closure-anchor lug in the lug-receiving cavity upon movement of the outlet closure to the opened position. 
     
     
         6 . The drink cup lid of  claim 5 , wherein the closure retainer means includes a nearly vertical cavity rear wall, a pair of laterally spaced-apart cavity side walls arranged to extend from the cavity rear wall in a direction away from the liquid-discharge outlet to form the forwardly facing lug-receiving cavity therebetween, and a floor arranged to mate with the cavity rear wall and interconnect lower edges of the cavity side walls, and the lug-retainer bar is appended to the floor and arranged to lie in the lug-receiving cavity in spaced-apart relation to the cavity rear wall. 
     
     
         7 . The drink cup lid of  claim 6 , wherein the lug-retainer bar is appended to the floor arranged to lie midway between a rear edge of the floor located along the cavity rear wall and an opposite front edge of the floor. 
     
     
         8 . The drink cup lid of  claim 6 , wherein the lug-retainer bar is appended to the floor and arranged to extend laterally between the cavity side walls. 
     
     
         9 . The drink cup lid of  claim 6 , wherein the lug-retainer bar has a rounded outer surface to facilitate pivoting movement of the nose-shaped closure-anchor lug up and over the lug-retainer bar as the outlet closure is pivoted about the horizontal pivot axis from the closed position to the opened position. 
     
     
         10 . The drink cup lid of  claim 1 , wherein the closure retainer is formed to include a forwardly facing lug-receiving cavity bounded by a cavity rear wall, a pair of laterally spaced-apart cavity side walls arranged to extend from the cavity rear wall away from the liquid-discharge outlet, and a floor arranged to mate with cavity rear wall and interconnect lower edges of the cavity side walls, and the outlet closure includes a nose-shaped closure-anchor lug arranged to extend into the forwardly facing lug-receiving cavity upon movement of the outlet closure to the opened position. 
     
     
         11 . The drink cup lid of  claim 10 , wherein the closure retainer means includes a lug-retainer bar appended to the floor and configured to provide detent means for retaining a tip of the nose-shaped closure-anchor lug in the lug-receiving cavity upon movement of the outlet closure to the opened position. 
     
     
         12 . The drink cup lid of  claim 1 , wherein the side wall of the upstanding drink spout includes an upstanding front wall appended to a front edge of the top wall and formed to include the closure retainer means and an upstanding rear wall appended to a rear edge of the top wall to locate the top wall between the rear and front walls, and the rear and top walls cooperate to define sipper means for extending into the mouth of a consumer desiring to drink a liquid stored in a cup mated with the ring-shaped brim mount through the liquid-discharge outlet once the outlet closure has been moved to the opened position. 
     
     
         13 . The drink cup lid of  claim 12 , wherein the closure retainer means includes a nearly vertical cavity rear wall, a pair of laterally spaced-apart cavity side walls arranged to extend from the cavity rear wall in a direction away from the liquid-discharge outlet and the upstanding rear wall to form the forwardly facing lug-receiving cavity therebetween, a floor arranged to mate with the cavity rear wall and interconnect lower edges of the cavity side walls, and the lug-retainer bar is appended to the floor and arranged to lie in the lug-receiving cavity in spaced-apart relation to the cavity rear wall. 
     
     
         14 . The drink cup lid of  claim 12 , wherein the rear wall has a convex shape and the front wall has a concave shape. 
     
     
         15 . A drink cup lid comprises
 a central closure formed to include a liquid-discharge outlet and   a ring-shaped brim mount arranged to surround the central closure and adapted to mate with a brim of a cup to hold the central closure in a stationary position closing a cup mouth opening into an interior region of the cup and placing the liquid-discharge outlet in fluid communication with any liquid stored in the interior region of the cup, and   an outlet closure mounted for pivotable movement through an angle of about 245° about a pivot axis between a closed position closing the liquid-discharge outlet and an opened position opening the liquid-discharge outlet and mating with a closure retainer formed in the central closure.   
     
     
         16 . The drink cup lid of  claim 15 , wherein the central closure includes a top wall formed to include the liquid-discharge outlet and a front wall appended to the top wall to define an obtuse included angle therebetween and formed to include the closure retainer. 
     
     
         17 . The drink cup lid of  claim 16 , wherein the closure retainer means is formed to include a forwardly facing lug-receiving cavity and a lug-retainer bar configured to provide detent means for retaining a tip of the nose-shaped closure-anchor lug in the lug-receiving cavity upon movement of the outlet closure to the opened position. 
     
     
         18 . The drink cup lid of  claim 17 , wherein the closure retainer means includes a cavity rear wall, a pair of laterally spaced-apart cavity side walls arranged to extend from the cavity rear wall in a direction away from the liquid-discharge outlet to form the forwardly facing lug-receiving cavity therebetween, and a floor arranged to mate with the cavity rear wall and interconnect lower edges of the cavity side walls, and the lug-retainer bar is appended to the floor and arranged to lie in the lug-receiving cavity in spaced-apart relation to the cavity rear wall. 
     
     
         19 . The drink cup lid of  claim 15 , wherein the central closure includes a top wall formed to include the liquid-discharge outlet and an upstanding front wall appended to a front edge of the top wall and formed to include the closure retainer means and an upstanding rear wall appended to a rear edge of the top wall to locate the top wall between the rear and front walls, and the rear and top walls cooperate to define sipper means for extending into the mouth of a consumer desiring to drink a liquid stored in a cup mated with the ring-shaped brim mount through the liquid-discharge outlet once the outlet closure has been moved to the opened position. 
     
     
         20 . The drink cup lid of  claim 19 , wherein the upstanding rear wall has a convex shape and the front wall has a concave shape. 
     
     
         21 . A drink cup lid comprising
 a ring-shaped brim mount adapted to mate with a brim of a drink cup and   a central closure surrounded by the brim mount and formed to include an upstanding drink spout having a top wall formed to include an oblong liquid-discharge outlet and a side wall arranged to extend downwardly from the top wall toward an interior region surrounded by the ring-shaped brim mount.   
     
     
         22 . The drink cup lid of  claim 22 , wherein the central closure further includes an upstanding front wall coupled to a front edge of the top wall and an upstanding rear wall appended to a rear edge of the top wall to locate the top wall between the rear and front walls and the rear and top walls cooperate to define sipper means for extending into the mouth of a consumer desiring to drink a liquid stored in a cup mated with the ring-shaped brim mount through the oblong liquid-discharge outlet.