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.

Description

RELATED APPLICATION[0001]This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12 / 467,562 filed May 18, 2009 and the applicant claims the benefit of 35 U.S.C. 120.SCOPE OF THE INVENTION[0002]The invention relates generally to a lid for a disposable container.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]A dispensing container is typically formed with a cup and a lid that attaches to the rim of the cup. After putting a liquid into the cup, the lid is attached to form a sealed container that resists spillage. The lid typically has an orifice of sufficient area to dispense a product. The orifice is large enough to dispense the product based on the viscosity of the product and consumer preference for product flow rate, yet small enough to reduce spillage from tilting or bumping the container. Common examples of a dispensed liquid product are coffee, tea or a cold beverage.[0004]A lid commonly has a concaved lip that attaches to the cup with a compressive force on the rim. Th...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0012]The present invention has many aspects. In one aspect, the present invention provides a lid for a cup with the lid having an annular wall which, at least in part, comes into engagement with an annular wall of the cup to create a seal preventing fluid flow outwardly therepast. The cup preferably has a frustoconical side wall and the lid has a complementary frustoconical side wall for engagement with the frustoconical side wall of the cup. The cup and lid may be formed from any materials, however, in one particularly preferred embodiment, the cup and lid are both formed from paper, as defined herein, and may preferably be recycled together. Overlapping of the annular frustoconical side wall of the c

Problems solved by technology

When the cup and lid are made from materials from different recycling categories, the disadvantage arises that the container may be rejected for recycling.

Cups which are to receive hot materials such as, for example, hot coffee, suffer from the disadvantage that the cup particularly when made from inexpensive materials such as light plastic or paper, permits the heat from the hot material to be transmitted through the cup making the cup too hot to hold in a user's hand.

A similar disadvantage can occur with cups to hold other materials such as soups, pasta, rice or any other materials which might be hot.

As well, a similar disadvantage arises in respect of cold materials such as, for example, a cold beverage or a cup containing crushed ice where, in that case, the

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