Cover for beverage containers

Abstract

A cover suitable for hermetically sealing an opening of a beverage container (Fig 3, 10), the cover comprises a body (Fig 3, 14), an offset opening (Fig 1, 14) and a septum 20 between the drinking ope

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a beverage container, in particular to a cover for the beverage container. BACKGROUND ART Tea drinks are widely loved by people all over the world and are the first of the world's three major beverages. To obtain a good tea beverage, loose tea brewed using traditional tea sets and tea brewing methods is a good choice; however, for today's busy business people, even if they have the idea of brewing tea, they may not have the tools to do so, so it can only be realized when they have free time and the surrounding environment cooperates. The emergence of tea bags seems to have solved the big problem of inconvenient tea brewing, and has indeed attracted many people to use them. However, tea bags themselves also have many disadvantages. For example, the tea leaves are packed in tea bags, and consumers do not know the quality of the tea leaves; low-quality tea leaves are used; when the tea leaves are soaked, the tea leaves are squeezed by the tea bags, and the tea flavor cannot be fully released; the type and amount of tea leaves are unilaterally determined by the tea bag manufacturer, which cannot meet the taste requirements of different customers; the use of bleached paper in tea bags will cause negative reactions from consumers who are sensitive to environmental issues, etc. Some people have even designed a cup with a filter. The filter is placed between the cover and the cup, and the tea leaves are soaked in the cup. When the temperature is right, it can be drunk. Driven by consumption upgrades, people's requirements for tea beverages have increased, especially the quality and taste of tea. Due to the impact of the epidemic and the enhancement of hygiene awareness, more and more people are unwilling to share tea sets with others. They all choose disposable paper cups, especially in public places and when entertaining guests. Even when people go out, they can use disposable paper cups when taking public transportation or walking. However, disposable paper cups have disadvantages, for example, when drinking tea, tea leaves will enter the mouth along with the tea beverage, which brings inconvenience to tea drinking. For this reason, some people have designed paper cups with filters. When drinking, the tea leaves are firstly put into the cup, and the filter is added between the cup cover and the container. Using a filter also has disadvantages, for example, if the mesh size is too small, large pieces of the infused material will easily clog the mesh, while if the mesh size is too large, small pieces of the infused material will leak through the mesh and enter the drinker's mouth. There is even a phenomenon in which large pieces of the infused material will clog the mesh and small pieces of the infused material will leak through the mesh and enter the drinker's mouth at the same time due to the uneven size of the infused material (such as tea leaves) itself. In addition, if the beverage is on the move, such as at home, in the car, walking or taking public transportation, it is easy for the beverage to splash out of the cup and stain the consumer's clothes or items in the surrounding environment. Sometimes, accidentally drinking a large amount of beverage into the mouth may cause choking. If the beverage is hot, it may even scald the tongue and cause physical harm. In addition to tea beverages, other beverages with infused material (such as tea leaves, coffee, Chinese medicine, soup ingredients, ice particles, etc.) or pre-packed brewed beverages also encounter similar problems. In view of the shortcomings of the prior art, there is an urgent need for a new structure for a beverage container, which has a simple structure, can be used in combination with a disposable cup, has a better filtering effect, prevents the beverage from splashing out of the container when drinking, and can also limit the flow rate of the outflowing beverage to avoid choking. Summary The present invention aims to overcome the defects existing in the above-mentioned prior art, and provides a cover for a beverage container, comprising a cover body which can be hermetically connected with the opening of the beverage container in a liquid-tight manner, an offset drinking opening being provided at the top of the cover body, the beverage can flow out from the beverage container through the drinking opening, the cover further comprising a septum, and when the cover body is hermetically connected with the opening of the beverage container, the septum is completely spaced apart from the cover body or the beverage container by a gap located outside of the septum, and the septum is between the drinking opening and the beverage liquid level within the beverage container, so that the beverage can flow from the beverage container to the drinking opening through the gap located outside of the septum. In this way, due to the gap between the septum and the cover body or beverage container, in the present invention, the beverage passing through the gap flows along the container wall, so the flow velocity is very slow (even close to zero), so that no infused material flows with the beverage, thereby forming a very good filtering effect. At the same time, the cross-sectional area through which the beverage flows is very small, so the flow rate of the beverage is very small, resulting in no infused material floating from the bottom of the beverage container when drinking the beverage. Therefore, when drinking a beverage with infused material, the infused material can be conveniently and efficiently prevented from entering the drinker's mouth without clogging or leakage of the infused material, that is, a better filtering effect is achieved regardless of the size of the infused material. More specifically, compared with the technical solution using a filter screen, the cover with a septum of the present invention has neither the risk of being blocked by large pieces of infused material nor the risk of leaking small pieces of infused material into the drinker's mouth. At the same time, the cover with the septum of the present invention can also effectively prevent the beverage from splashing out of the container, prevent the drinker from choking, prevent the drinker from scalding the tongue, etc. (for all beverages whether or not containing an infused material, such as fruit juice). In addition, by using the cover with a septum of the present invention, the original infused material can be brewed in the beverage container without using packaging materials such as tea bags that affect the taste and mouthfeel of the beverage, and the drinker can observe the appearance of the infused material or smell the taste of the infused material before brewing and observe the color of the beverage or smell the taste of the beverage after brewing to know the quality of the infused material, and can conveniently adjust the quantity, type and even combination of different types of infused material. In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the above features, in further embodiments, the septum is formed from a single piece of material. In this way, the septum is easy to fabricate and easy to adapt to covers with different cover body shapes, and is easy to buy in large quantities from the market to save costs. In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the above features, in further embodiments, the septum is fixed to the top of the cover body inside the cover body. In this way, the covers with septum of the present invention are easy to stack and take up very little space when stacked, thereby saving shop space. In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the above features, in further embodiments, the septum is fixed to the top of the cover body inside the cover body by a welded connection. In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the above features, in further embodiments, the septum is fixed to the top of the cover body inside the cover body by a connecting rod connection. In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the above features, in another embodiment, the septum and the top of the cover body are spaced a distance apart by a gasket. In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the above features, in further embodiments, the septum is stuck in a groove of the cover body. In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the above features, in further embodiments, the septum is circular. In addition to one or more of the above features, or as an alternative, in further embodiments, the diameter of the septum is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the cover body or the beverage container at a corresponding position, thereby forming the gap. In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the above features, in further embodiments, the septum is semicircular or has an irregular shape and forms the gap with the cover body or the beverage container in a form-fitting manner near the drinking opening. In this way, it is ensured that the beverage can flow out from the beverage container through the drinking opening via the gap between the septum and the cover body or the beverage container, rather than directly through the drinking opening. In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the above features, in further embodiments, the septum is a solid septum or a septum comprising a mesh. In the case where the septum is a septum including a mesh, the flow rate of the beverage can be increased while maintaining a filtering effect on the beverage flowing through the gap between the septum and the cover body or the beverage container. In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the above features, the beverage container is a cup or a bowl. The cover for the beverage container above has a simple structure, can be used in combination with a disposable cup, has a better filtering effect, prevents the beverage from splashing out of the container when drinking, and can also limit the flow rate of the outflowing beverage to avoid choking. The details of one or more embodiments of the present invention will be set forth in the following description of the drawings and embodiments. Other features, objects, and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the description, drawings, and claims. DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will be more easily understood by those skilled in the art after reading the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings. For the sake of clarity, the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale and some parts may be exaggerated to show details. The same reference numerals refer to the same or similar parts throughout the drawings, wherein: FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a separate beverage container and cover of the prior art; FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of a beverage container and a cover hermetically connected according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view of a cover with a septum according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view of a cover with a semicircular septum according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional view of a cover having a septum and a cover body by a welding connection according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 6 is a side cross-sectional view of a cover having a septum and a cover body by a connecting rod connection according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 7 is a side cross-sectional view of a cover having a septum and a cover body spaced a distance apart by a connecting rod connection according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 8 is a side cross-sectional view of a cover having a septum and a cover body by a connecting rod connection according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, wherein the septum is inclined relative to the horizontal direction; FIG. 9 is a side cross-sectional view of a cover having a cover body and a septum stuck in a groove of the cover body according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 10 is a side cross-sectional view of stacked cover with a septum according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION The present invention will be described in more detail below in conjunction with specific embodiments. Those skilled in the art should understand that these descriptions merely list some specific embodiments of the present invention and do not impose any limitation on the present invention and its protection scope. Indeed, the embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. Furthermore, the embodiments may also be combined with each other. Additionally, when introducing elements of various embodiments of the present application, the articles "a", "an", "the" and "said" are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms "comprising", "including" and "having" are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements. Moreover, the terms "horizontal direction", "horizontal plane" and the like in the present invention are described by taking the state where the beverage container is placed horizontally (for example, placed on a horizontal table) as an example. Fig. 1 is a top perspective view of a separate beverage container and cover of the prior art, wherein the present invention is mainly directed to the improvement of the cover; and FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of a beverage container and a cover hermetically connected according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, the beverage container 10 can be a container for holding beverages such as a cup or a bowl, and can be a disposable container (for example, a disposable cup, such as a disposable paper cup or a plastic cup), or a common container. More specifically, the beverage contained in the beverage container 10 of the present invention is especially a beverage with an infused material 12, and the infused material 12 is, for example, tea leaves, coffee, Chinese medicine, soup ingredients, ice particles, and the like. Fig. 3 is a side cross-sectional view of a cover with a septum according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, a cover 14 for a beverage container 10 includes a cover body 16 that can be hermetically connected with an opening of the beverage container 10 in a liquid-tight manner, an offset drinking opening 18 being provided at the top of the cover body 16. The beverage can flow out from the beverage container 10 through the drinking opening 18. The cover 14 further comprises a septum 20. When the cover body 16 is hermetically connected with the opening of the beverage container 10, the septum 20 is completely spaced apart from the cover body 16 by a gap 22 located outside of the septum 20, and the septum 20 is between the drinking opening 18 and the beverage liquid level within the beverage container 10, so that the beverage can flow from the beverage container 10 to the drinking opening 18 through the gap 22 located outside of the septum 20. Specifically, when the beverage container is tilted, the beverage will flow from the beverage container to the drinking opening of the cover for the drinker to drink, and the amount of the infused material in the beverage flow depends on the flow rate and flow velocity of the beverage. The flow rate of the beverage is described by the formula Q=F* V, where Q is the flow rate of the beverage, F is the cross-sectional area through which the beverage flows, and V is the flow velocity of the beverage. In this way, due to the gap between the septum and the cover body or beverage container, in the present invention, the beverage passing through the gap flows along the container wall, so the flow velocity is very slow (even close to zero), so that no infused material flows with the beverage, thereby forming a very good filtering effect. At the same time, the cross-sectional area through which the beverage flows is very small, so the flow rate of the beverage is very small, resulting in no infused material floating from the bottom of the beverage container when drinking the beverage. Therefore, when drinking a beverage with infused material, the infused material can be conveniently and efficiently prevented from entering the drinker's mouth without clogging or leakage of the infused material, that is, a better filtering effect is achieved regardless of the size of the infused material. More specifically, compared with the technical solution using a filter screen, the cover with a septum of the present invention has neither the risk of being blocked by large pieces of infused material nor the risk of leaking small pieces of infused material into the drinker's mouth. At the same time, the cover with the septum of the present invention can also effectively prevent the beverage from splashing out of the container, prevent the drinker from choking, prevent the drinker from scalding the tongue, etc. (for all beverages whether or not containing an infused material, such as fruit juice). In addition, by using the cover with a septum of the present invention, the original infused material can be brewed in the beverage container without using packaging materials such as tea bags that affect the taste and mouthfeel of the beverage. The drinker can observe the appearance of the infused material or smell the taste of the infused material before brewing, and observe the color of the beverage or smell the taste of the beverage after brewing to know the quality of the infused material, and can conveniently adjust the quantity, type and even combination of different types of infused material. In the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 3, the septum is formed from a single piece of material. As shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 7, FIG. 8, and FIG. 9 below, the septum of the present invention can also be used for covers of various other shapes. In this way, the septum is easy to fabricate and easy to adapt to covers with different cover body shapes, and is easy to buy in large quantities from the market to save costs. In the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 3, the septum 20 can be circular. In this case, the diameter of the septum 20 is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the cover body 1 or the beverage container 10 (for example, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 8) at the corresponding position, thereby forming a gap 22. FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view of a cover with a semicircular septum according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, the septum 20 may also be semicircular or have an irregular shape, and form a gap 22 with the cover body 16 in a form-fitting manner near the drinking opening 18. In other words, the semicircular septum 20 is on the same side of the cover 14 as the drinking opening 18. In this way, it is ensured that the beverage can flow out from the beverage container through the drinking opening via the gap between the septum and the cover body or the beverage container, rather than directly through the drinking opening. In the embodiment according to the present invention, the septum 20 is fixed to the top of the cover body 16 inside the cover body 16. Specifically, FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional view of a cover having a septum and a cover body by a welding connection according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, the septum 20 is fixed to the top of the cover body 16 inside the cover body 16 by a weld connection 24. FIG. 6 is a side cross-sectional view of a cover having a septum and a cover body by a connecting rod connection according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, the septum 20 is fixed to the top of the cover body 16 inside the cover body 16 by a connecting rod connection 26. FIG. 7 is a side cross-sectional view of a cover having a septum and a cover body spaced a distance apart by a connecting rod connection according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. More specifically, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the septum 20 and the top of the cover body 16 are spaced a distance apart by a gasket 30. FIG. 8 is a side cross-sectional view of a cover having a septum and a cover body by a connecting rod connection according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, wherein the septum is inclined relative to the horizontal direction. More specifically, when the cover body 16 is hermetically connected with the opening of the beverage container 10, the septum 20 is completely spaced apart from the beverage container 10 by the gap 22 located outside of the septum, and the septum 20 is between the drinking opening 18 and the beverage liquid level in the beverage container 10, so that the beverage can flow from the beverage container 10 to the drinking opening 18 through the gap 22 located outside of the septum 20. FIG. 9 is a side cross-sectional view of a cover having a cover body and a septum stuck in a groove of the cover body according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, the cover body 16 has a groove 28, and the septum 20 is stuck in the groove 28 of the cover body 16. Alternatively, the septum 20 may be fixed to the top of the cover body 16 inside the cover body 16 by any other means that enables the cover 14 to function in accordance with the present invention. FIG. 10 is a side cross-sectional view of stacked cover with a septum according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, especially for the embodiment in which the septum 20 is fixed to the top of the cover body 16 inside the cover body 16, the cover with a septum of the present invention is easy to stack and occupies little space when stacked, thereby saving shop space. It is noted that the embodiments of the present invention can also be applied to bagged tea, coffee, Chinese medicine, soup or pre-packed brewed beverages, etc. In addition, the septum 20 is a solid septum or a septum including a mesh. In the case where the septum is a septum including a mesh, the flow rate of the beverage can be increased while maintaining a filtering effect on the beverage flowing through the gap between the septum and the cover body or the beverage container. The cover for beverage container above according to the present invention has a simple structure, can be used in combination with a disposable cup, has a better filtering effect, prevents beverage from splashing out of the container when drinking, and can also limit the flow rate of the outflowing beverage to avoid choking. The above description only mentions the preferred embodiments of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described herein. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that various obvious modifications, adjustments and substitutions may be made to these embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present invention to adapt them to specific situations. Indeed, the scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal languages of the claims. Numerals List: 10 Beverage container 12 Infused material 14 Cover 16 Cover body 18 Drinking opening 20 Septum 22 Gap 24 Welding connection 26 Connecting rod connection 28 Groove 30 Gasket.

Claims

1. A cover for a beverage container, comprising a cover body that can be hermetically connected with an opening of the beverage container in a liquid-tight manner, an offset drinking opening being provided at the top of the cover body, beverage can flow out from the beverage container through the drinking opening, characterized in that the cover further comprises a septum, and when the cover body is hermetically connected with the opening of the beverage container, the septum is completely spaced apart from the cover body or the beverage container by a gap located outside of the septum, and the septum is between the drinking opening and the beverage liquid level within the beverage container, so that the beverage can flow from the beverage container to the drinking opening through the gap located outside of the septum.

2. The cover of claim 1, characterized in that said septum is formed from a single piece of material.

3. The cover according to claim 1, characterized in that the septum is fixed to the top of the cover body inside the cover body.

4. The cover according to claim 3, characterized in that the septum is fixed to the top of the cover body inside the cover body by a welding connection.

5. The cover according to claim 3, characterized in that the septum is fixed to the top of the cover body inside the cover body by a connecting rod connection.

6. The cover according to claim 5, characterized in that the septum and the top of the cover body are spaced a distance apart by a gasket.

7. The cover according to claim 1, characterized in that the septum is stuck in a groove of the cover body.

8. The cover according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the septum is circular.

9. The cover according to claim 8, characterized in that the diameter of the septum is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the cover body or the beverage container at a corresponding position, thereby forming the gap.

10. The cover according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the septum is semicircular or has an irregular shape and forms the gap with the cover body or the beverage container in a form-fitting manner near the drinking opening.

11. The cover according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the septumis a solid septum or a septum including a mesh.

12. The cover according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the beverage container is a cup or a bowl.

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