Spill resistant disposable travel cup lid

Abstract

A disposable drink-through dome lid for disposable drinking cups used in the sale of hot or cold beverages, the top of the lid elevated above the top of the beverage cup when in place. The lid's outer wall is elevated to form a drink ridge adapted to the user's lips for drinking through a generally oval-shaped drink-through orifice. Ideally, the drink-through orifice includes: a drink-through chamber having a drink flap capable of closing off a drink-through opening, thereby shielding against accidental spillage due to sloshing of the beverage while traveling; and a recessed orifice ridge on the interior side of the drink-through orifice, directs froth exiting the drink opening into a spill reservoir. A vent opening positioned near the lid's center and within a vent slot, collects and directs beverage exiting the vent into the spill reservoir.

1 . A method, comprising:
 using a support plate which is configured to serve as a mold to thermoform an unformed sheet of thermoplastic material;   forming a lid-shape using the thermoplastic material, the lid-shape defined by:
 opposing exterior and interior surfaces; 
 a mounting portion capable of anchoring on a cup for containing a beverage; 
 an outer side wall extending upwardly from the mounting portion and terminating at a top; 
 a drink-through orifice in the top; 
 a drink chamber defined by a drink chamber side wall having a contour extending downwardly and sloping inwardly from the drink-through orifice and terminating at a drink chamber bottom wall; and 
 a dome portion occupying a volume above the mounting portion, the dome-portion defined by the outer side wall, the drink chamber and the top; and 
   cutting the lid-shape using:
 the support plate which is further configured to provide multiple receiving surfaces for die cutting; and 
 a mounting plate that includes a chamber block die, the chamber block die having a contoured portion mirroring the contour of the drink chamber side wall and a cutting portion for cutting into the drink chamber; 
   wherein the contoured portion of the chamber block die mates with the contour of the drink chamber side wall so that the chamber block die aligns with the drink chamber prior to the cutting portion of the chamber block die cutting into the drink chamber; and   wherein the cutting of the lid-shape produces a lid that mounts on the cup, the drink-through orifice of the lid positioned to enable lower and upper lips of a user to encompass the drink-through orifice with the lower lip of the user engaging with a portion of the outer side wall and the upper lip of the user engaging with a portion of the top while the beverage contained in the cup passes through the drink-through orifice to enable drinking the beverage without removal of the lid.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the chamber block die cutting into the drink chamber cuts into the drink chamber bottom wall to provide a drink-through opening. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the chamber block die cutting into the drink chamber cuts into the drink chamber bottom wall to provide a drink flap. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein:
 the mounting plate that includes a chamber block die chamber having a laterally and radially positioned mounting slot; and 
 the chamber block die being a floating chamber block die defined by a laterally and radially positioned flange member; 
 wherein the flange member is positioned within the mounting slot such that the flange member permits the floating chamber block die to move laterally in a first direction with respect to the mounting plate and prevents the floating chamber block die from moving in a second direction that is transverse with respect to the first direction; and 
 wherein the floating block die is guided into alignment with the drink chamber and positioned for cutting into the drink chamber by the contoured portion of the floating chamber block die mating with the contour of the drink chamber side wall as the mounting plate moves towards the support plate for die cutting the lid-shape, thereby causing the floating chamber block die to move in the first direction by the lateral force imposed by the drink chamber side wall acting upon the floating chamber block die. 
 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4  wherein the floating chamber block die cutting into the drink chamber cuts into the chamber bottom wall to provide a drink-through opening. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 4  wherein the floating chamber block die cutting into the drink chamber cuts into the chamber bottom wall to provide a drink flap. 
     
     
         7 . A method, comprising:
 using a support plate which is configured to serve as a mold to thermoform an unformed sheet of thermoplastic material;   forming a lid-shape using the thermoplastic material, the lid-shape defined by:
 opposing exterior and interior surfaces; 
 a mounting portion capable of anchoring on a cup for containing a beverage; 
 an outer side wall having a contour extending upwardly and sloping inwardly from the mounting portion and terminating at a top; 
 a drink-through orifice in the top; 
 a drink chamber defined by a drink chamber side wall extending downwardly from the drink-through orifice and terminating at a chamber bottom wall; and 
 a dome portion occupying a volume above the mounting portion, the dome-portion defined by the outer side wall, the drink chamber and the top; and 
   cutting the lid-shape using:
 the support plate which is further configured to provide multiple receiving surfaces for die cutting; 
 a mounting plate base that includes a mounting plate chamber, the mounting plate chamber having a laterally and radially positioned mounting slot; and 
 a floating mounting plate that includes:
 a chamber block die having a cutting portion for cutting into the drink chamber; 
 a ring die having a contoured portion mirroring the contour of the outer side wall and a cutting portion for cutting the lid-shape from the surrounding thermoplastic material, and a laterally and radially positioned flange member; 
 
   wherein the flange member is positioned within the mounting slot such that the flange member permits the floating mounting plate to move laterally in a first direction with respect to the mounting plate base and prevents the floating mounting plate from moving in a second direction that is transverse with respect to the first direction;   wherein the floating mounting plate is guided into alignment with the lid-shape for die cutting by the contoured portion of the ring die mating with the contour of the outer side wall as the mounting plate base moves towards the support plate for die cutting the lid-shape, thereby causing the floating mounting plate to move in the first direction by the lateral force imposed by the outer side wall acting upon the floating mounting plate;   wherein the contoured portion of the ring die aligns with the contour of the outer side wall prior to the cutting portions cutting into the lid-shape; and   wherein the cutting of the lid-shape produces a lid that mounts on the cup, the drink-through orifice of the lid positioned to enable lower and upper lips of a user to encompass the drink-through orifice with the lower lip of the user engaging with a portion of the outer side wall and the upper lip of the user engaging with a portion of the top while the beverage contained in the cup passes through the drink-through orifice to enable drinking the beverage without removal of the lid.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the floating mounting plate is restricted from rotational movement within the mounting plate base by one or more flange tabs included within the flange member. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 7  wherein the chamber block die cutting into the drink chamber cuts into the chamber bottom wall to provide a drink-through opening. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 7  wherein the chamber block die for cutting into the drink chamber cuts into the chamber bottom wall to provide a drink flap. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 7  wherein:
 the drink chamber side wall is further defined by a contour sloping inwardly while extending downwardly; 
 the chamber block die is further defined by a contoured portion mirroring the contour of the drink chamber side wall; and 
 alignment of the floating mounting plate to the lid-shape assisted by the contour of the chamber block die mating with the contour of the drink chamber side wall. 
 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 7  wherein:
 the lid-shape further includes a vent slot in the top, the vent slot defining a contour; 
 the floating mounting plate including a vent block die having a cutting portion for cutting into the top to provide a vent opening in the vent slot and a contoured portion mirroring the contour of the vent slot; and 
 alignment of the floating mounting plate to the lid-shape assisted by the contour of the vent block die mating with the contour of vent slot.