Lid for a cup

Abstract

A lid for a cup, cup assembly and a method are disclosed. The lid comprises a rim 6 and a cover 8 coupled by a coupling body 10. The coupling 10 can be attached to an opening of a cup to secure the lid. The rim 6 defines an opening through which fluid can pass. The seal 8 extends across the rim opening and comprises a vent 70. The rim 6 is movable relative to the coupling body 10 between a closed position in which the cover 8 closes the rim opening and the rim 6 prevents fluid from passing through the openings 70, and an open position in which fluid can pass. At least one of the cover and the rim are removable from the coupling body by deforming at least one of the cover and the coupling body or at least one of the rim and the coupling body, respectively. This provides a lid which facilitates cleaning or recycling.

Description

The present invention relates to a lid for a cup, in particularly to a lid comprising components which can be manually removed, to a cup comprising such a lid and to a method of disassembling a lid for a cup. It is common for a lid to be put on a cup to prevent, or reduce the risk of, accidental spillage. This can be particularly important when the cup contains a hot liquid which could burn a user, or a coloured liquid which could stain fabrics. The lid may have a fixed configuration in which a fixed hole is provided though which a user can drink, but this leaves a fixed opening through which a liquid can be spilled. The lid may include movable components such that the lid can be moved between an open and closed configuration so that a cup containing a liquid can be sealed with the lid in a closed configuration and safely carried. A lid comprising a plurality of components can result in difficulties for certain operations, for example cleaning or recycling. The invention provides a lid for a cup, wherein the lid comprises a rim and a cover coupled together by a coupling body, wherein: the coupling body can be coupled around an opening of a cup to secure the lid thereto; the rim defines a rim opening through which fluid can pass to leave the cup; the cover extends across the rim opening and comprises a vent; the rim is movable relative to the coupling body between a closed position in which the cover closes the rim opening and the rim prevents fluid from passing from the cup through the vent to the rim opening, and an open position in which fluid can pass through the vent to the rim opening; and wherein at least one of the cover and the rim are manually removable from the coupling body by deforming at least one of the cover and the coupling body or at least one of the rim and the coupling body, respectively. This provides a functional lid for a cup which can be moved between an open and closed configuration and a lid in which at least one component can be separated from the lid to facilitate cleaning or recycling. The component, one or both of the cover and the rim, is manually removable meaning that a user can use their hands to cause the deformation allowing removal and does not need a tool to cause that deformation. The deformation may be of a portion of at least one of the cover and the coupling body or at least one of the rim and the coupling body. The ability to separate components from the lid can have several advantages. Separating components can facilitate cleaning of the components of the lid. The deformation may be a resilient, or elastic, deformation. This means that the deformed component may return to its original shape once the force being applied ceases. This allows the components to be coupled together again for example by reversing the removal procedure, for example once cleaning is complete. Separating components can also facilitate recycling at the end of the useful life of the lid. Components of the lid may be manufactured of materials that cannot be easily recycled together and the ability for a user to separate components of different materials means that they can be disposed of in the appropriate recycling stream. Causing the deformation to allow removal of a component may require a user to apply a force above a predetermined threshold. This threshold force may be determined by selecting material properties and component dimensions. The threshold force may be set at a level sufficiently high to hinder, or substantially prevent, accidental separation of the components, but sufficiently low to allow a user to apply the necessary force without undue effort so that separation of the components can be achieved when desired. The invention also provides a cup assembly, the cup assembly comprising a cup and a lid, the cup comprising a peripheral wall extending from a base to an opening defined by a cup rim to define a cup volume for containing a fluid, the lid being as described herein, and the coupling body of the lid being coupled around the cup rim such that when that rim is in the closed position relative to the coupling body the lid seals the cup volume, and when the rim is in the open position relative to the coupling body fluid in the cup volume can pass through the vent of the lid to exit the cup volume. The lid comprises three main components, a cover, a rim and a coupling body. The lid is suitable for coupling to a cup and it is intended that the lid and cup together can define a sealed volume when the lid is in a closed configuration in which a liquid can be stored. As set out above, the cup may comprise a peripheral wall extending from a base to an opening defined by a cup rim to define a cup volume for containing a fluid. The cup may be any suitable shape, and the opening may be substantially circular. A substantially circular opening may facilitate a connection between the lid and cup using the coupling body. The lid may be any suitable shape and may substantially match a shape of the opening of the cup. The opening of the cup may be substantially circular in shape, and the lid may be substantially circular. The coupling body can be coupled around an opening of a cup to secure the lid to the cup. The coupling body may clip, or otherwise couple, to the peripheral wall of the cup around the opening of the cup, either inside the wall or outside the wall so that the coupling body extends around the opening, either inside or outside. The coupling body may be annular in shape and extend along a first axis. The coupling body may comprise a cup portion to couple to a cup and rim portion to couple to the rim. The cup portion and rim portion may be separated along the first axis. The coupling body may comprise external screw threads in the cup portion to couple to internal screw threads on the peripheral wall of the cup so that the coupling body can be coupled around the opening of the cup. The rim of the lid defines a rim opening through which fluid can pass to leave the cup. The rim opening functionally replaces the opening of the cup when the lid is attached. The rim opening may be the same shape as the opening of the cup and have a diameter within 1 cm of the diameter of the opening of the cup to which the lid is to be attached. The rim may comprise a substantially annular rim body. The rim body may have a substantially ‘V’ shaped cross section with a closed end of the V defining a distal end of the rim opening spaced from an open end of the ‘V’ along the first axis. The coupling body may extend along the first axis into the open end of the ‘V’. A proximal end of the rim opening may be defined by an internal portion of the ‘V’ which has a smaller diameter than an external portion of the V. The cover extends across the rim opening. The cover may extend across the proximal end of the rim opening so that the cover and the distal end of the rim opening are separated along the first axis as this facilitates drinking from the cup. The cover comprises a vent through which fluid from within a cup to which the lid is attached may be able to pass to reach the rim opening. The cover may be transparent to allow a user to view the contents of a cup to which the lid is attached. The rim is movable relative to the coupling body between a closed position in which the cover closes the rim opening and the rim prevents fluid from passing from the cup through the vent to the rim opening and an open position in which fluid can pass through the vent to the rim opening. In the closed position the rim, for example a proximal end of the rim opening, may be in contact with the cover. In the open position the rim may be spaced from the cover along the first axis. The cover may be manually removable from the coupling body by deforming at least one of the cover and the coupling body. At least a portion of the cover may be manually deformable to allow the cover to the separated from the coupling body. The cover may comprise a gripping element for manually removing the cover from the coupling body. A user may be able to manually engage the gripping element and apply a force thereto to cause deformation of at least a portion of the cover. The gripping element may provide a mechanical advantage, for example a leverage or a change in orientation, to facilitate the application of the force to deform the cover to permit separation of the cover and the coupling body. The gripping element may comprise one or more tabs. The cover may comprise a protrusion, and the coupling body may comprise an indentation. There may be a plurality of protrusions. There may be a plurality of indentations. The indentation may be provided by a circumferential groove extending around the coupling body. A plurality of protrusions may be received within the circumferential groove. The protrusion may be received within the indentation to couple the cover to the coupling body. This may be a snap fit type connection. Applying a manual force to the gripping element may deform the protrusion so that it is moved out of the indentation to allow removal of the cover from the coupling body. The protrusion may extend from a protrusion base to a tip which may be received within the indentation to couple the cover to the coupling body. The length of the protrusion may be any suitable length, for example from 1mm to 10mm, or from 2mm to 6mm. The gripping element may extend away from the cover from a position between the protrusion base and the tip. The gripping element may extend from the protrusion along the first axis, for example away from the rim opening. The cover may comprise a disc having a circumference and a plurality of protrusions extending from, and spaced around, the circumference. The vent may be provided by spaces between the protrusions. A gripping element may be provided on a plurality of, or all of, the protrusions. The gripping element may extend from a surface of the cover, for example along the first axis, forming a tab. Tips of the plurality of protrusions may be received within an indentation, for example in a snap fit manner. In response to applying a force to, for example by squeezing, one or more 5 of the plurality of tabs, the plurality of protrusions may be deformed to remove the tips from the indentation to allow the cover to be separated from the coupling body. The length of the tab may be any suitable length, for example from 1mm to 30mm, from 5mm to 20mm, or from 7mm to 15mm. The cover may comprise at least three protrusions, at least four protrusions, or at least six protrusions. At least three tabs, at least four tabs, or at least six tabs may be provided. The rim may be manually removable from the coupling body by manually deforming at least a portion of the rim or the coupling body. One of the coupling body and the rim may comprise a track, and the other of the coupling body and the rim may comprise a key which is received within the track to couple the coupling body and the rim together. The interaction of the track and key may also limit movement of the rim relative to the coupling body to a predetermined path. The track may comprise a fluid-control portion which extends around the lid between a first track end and a second track end. The first track end may be offset from the second track end along a first axis such that rotating the rim relative to the coupling body in a first direction causes the key to move along the track towards the first track end and move the rim away from the cover to open the vent, and rotating the rim relative to the coupling body in a second direction opposite the first direction causes the key to move along the track towards the second track end and move the rim towards the cover to close the vent. The fluid-control portion of the track may have a substantially constant slope relative to the first axis between the first track end and the second track end. The slope of the fluid-control portion of the track may vary between first track end and the second track end. The track may further comprise a removal portion and removal constriction. The removal portion may extend from the first track end of the fluid-control portion to an open end. The removal constriction may be arranged between the fluid-control portion and the removal portion to restrict the key passing from the fluid-control portion to the removal portion. The lid may be configured such that, with the key at the first track end of the fluid-control portion, manually moving the rim relative to the coupling body in a third direction, which is not the second direction, can deform at least one of the key and the removal constriction to enable the key to pass the removal constriction, move along the removal portion and out of the open end to separate the rim from the coupling body. The third direction may be substantially 6 axial pulling apart of the rim and coupling component. The third direction may not involve any relative rotation between the rim and coupling component. The removal constriction may be provided by a protrusion which extends from a wall of the track. The removal constriction may be the component which is deformable to allow the key to pass from the fluid-control portion to the removal portion of the track. The fluid-control portion may comprise an open haptic element to provide haptic feedback to inform a user that the key has moved to the first track end. This means that the lid is in the fully open configuration. Having such haptic feedback may help to simplify the user interaction during operation of the lid. The open haptic element may be provided by a protrusion extending from a wall of the track. The open haptic element may be resiliently deformable and moving the key past the open haptic element may require a temporary increase in the force applied by a user. The rim may comprise a seal for sealing the rim to the cover, for example when the lid is in the closed configuration. The seal may comprise an axial seal which contacts the cover when the rim is in the closed position to prevent fluid passing from the vent to the rim opening. The seal may also comprise a radial seal which contacts the coupling body as the rim is moved between the closed position and the open position. The radial seal may comprise two ridges. Each of the two ridges may extend circumferentially around the seal. The invention also provides a method of disassembling a lid for a cup, wherein the lid comprises a rim and a cover coupled together by a coupling body, wherein: the coupling body can be coupled around an opening of a cup to secure the lid thereto; the rim defines a rim opening through which fluid can pass to leave the cup; the cover extends across the rim opening and comprises a vent; and the rim is movable relative to the coupling body between a closed position in which the cover closes the rim opening and the rim prevents fluid from passing from the cup through the vent to the rim opening, and an open position in which fluid can pass through the vent to the rim opening; wherein the method comprises manually deforming at least one of the cover and the coupling body or at least one of the rim and the coupling body to remove at least one of the cover and the rim, respectively. The method may comprise manually deforming the cover to remove the cover from the coupling body and / or manually deforming the rim to remove the rim from the coupling body. As set out above, the cover may comprise a protrusion and the coupling body may comprise an indentation. The protrusion may be received within the indentation to couple the cover to the coupling body. The cover may comprise a gripping element, for example a tab as described above, to assist with manually removing the cover from the coupling body. The method may comprises applying a force to the gripping element to deform the protrusion and remove the protrusion from the indentation. The method may comprise rotating the rim relative to the coupling body to fully open the lid and then pulling the rim and the coupling body apart, for example along the first axis to deform at least one of the rim and the coupling body to decouple the rim and the coupling body. The rim and the coupling body may be pulled apart only after a user has received haptic feedback, for example to confirm that the key has reached the first track end. The method may also comprise removing the lid from a cup by uncoupling the coupling body from around the opening of the cup. This may be by unscrewing the coupling body from the cup. The invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the following figures in which: Figure 1 shows a cup with a lid; Figure 2 shows the lid of Figure 1; Figure 3 shows the cup of Figure 1; Figure 4 shows a cross-section through the cup and lid of Figure 1; Figure 5 shows a detail of a portion of Figure 4; Figure 6 shows a cross-section through the lid of Figure 2, with the lid in a closed position; Figure 7 shows a cross-section through the lid of Figure 2, with the lid in an open position; Figures 8, 9 and 10 show the interaction of a key within a track in the lid; and Figure 11 shows an exploded view of the lid of Figure 2. Figure 1 shows a cup assembly 1 comprising a cup 2 and a lid 4. The lid 4 is secured to the cup 2 and can be configured in a closed configuration and an open configuration. In the closed configuration the lid 4 provides a seal for the cup 2 to define a sealed internal volume for containing a liquid such as a drink. In the open configuration the lid 4 provides an open path along which a liquid can pass to exit the cup and be consumed by a user, for example using a drinking action involving a user putting the cup assembly 1 to their lips and tipping the cup assembly 1. Figure 2 shows the lid 4 of Figure 1. The lid 4 comprises a rim 6 and a cover 8 coupled together by a coupling body 10. The coupling body 10 can be coupled around an opening of a cup 2 to secure the lid 4 thereto. The rim 6 defines a rim opening 12 through which fluid can pass to leave a cup 2 to which the lid 4 is secured. The cover 8 extends across the rim opening 12 and can prevent liquid 9 passing from an attached cup 2 to the rim opening 12. The cover 8 may be transparent to enable a user to see the liquid contained within the cup 2. Operation of the lid 4 will be explained in more detail with reference to later figures. Figure 3 shows the cup 2 of Figure 1. The cup 2 comprises a peripheral wall 14 which extends from a base 16 to an opening 18 defined by a cup rim 20 to define a cup volume 22 for containing a liquid. In this example the cup rim 20 comprises an external screw thread 24 which can engage with a corresponding internal screw thread on the coupling body 10 of the lid 4 so that the lid 4 and cup 2 can be releasably secured together. Other couplings between the lid 4 and cup 2 are also possible. Figure 4 shows a cross section though the cup assembly 1 of Figure 1. The base 16 is substantially circular and the peripheral wall 14 extends away from the base 16 along a first axis 26 to the cup rim 20 which defines the cup opening 18. The lid 4 is secured to the cup rim 20 by the engagement of an internal screw thread 24 on the cup 2 and an external screw thread 28 on the coupling body 10 of the lid. The coupling body 10 comprises a rim seal 30 which forms a seal between the cup rim 20 and the coupling body 10 when the coupling body 10 is screwed onto the cup 2. The rim 6 has a substantially ‘V’ shaped profile with the closed end of the ‘V’ defining a distal end 32 of the rim opening 12 which is spaced from an open end 34 of the ‘V’ along the first axis 26. The coupling body 10 extends along the first axis 26 into the open end 34 of the ‘V’. A proximal end 36 of the rim opening is defined by internal portion 38 of the ‘V’ which has a smaller diameter than an external portion 40 of the ‘V’. The rim 6 in this example comprises an internal component 42 for coupling to the coupling body 10 and an external component 44 connected to the inner component 42. This arrangement can facilitate moulding of the components 42,44 and give a greater freedom for a surface finish for the external component 44 which will, in use, be visible and will make contact with the lips of a user. The rim 6 further comprises a seal 46 which provides a seal between the rim 6 and the coupling body 10 and which can also provide a seal between the rim 6 and the cover 8. The seal 46 will be described in more detail with reference to Figure 5. Figure 5 shows a detail of a portion of Figure 4. In particular, Figure 4 shows the seal 46. The seal 46 comprises an anchor portion 48 which engages in a groove 50 of the inner 10 component 42 to couple the seal 46 to the rim 6. The seal 46 includes a radial seal 52 comprising two circumferential ridges 54 which are spaced apart along the first axis 26. The circumferential ridges 54 form seal between the rim 6 and a cylindrical seal surface 56 of the coupling body 10. The seal 46 also includes an axial seal ridge 58 which can provide a seal between the cover 10 and the rim 6. Figures 6 and 7 show the lid in a closed configuration and an open configuration respectively. The coupling body 10 comprises a track 60, in this case the coupling body 10 comprises three tracks 60 spaced around the first axis 26. The rim 6 comprises keys 62 which engage into the tracks 60 to couple the rim 6 to the coupling body 10. The cover 8 comprises a central disc portion 64 having a circumference 66 and a plurality of protrusions 68 extending from, and spaced around, the circumference 66. Vents 70 are provided by spaces between the protrusions 68. In Figure 6, it can be seen that the axial seal 58 of the seal 46 engages the cover at the circumference 66. The coupling body 10 includes a circumferential groove 72 into which tips 74 of the protrusions 68 can be inserted to couple the cover 8 to the coupling body 10. Each protrusion 68 includes a tab 76 extending therefrom along the first axis 26. A user can apply a manual force to one or more of the tabs 76 to deform the protrusions 68 and cause the tips 74 of the protrusions 68 to move out of the circumferential groove 72 so that the cover 8 and coupling body 10 can be separated. This is shown in more detail in the exploded view of Figure 11. In Figure 6 the lid 4 is in the closed configuration, with the axial seal 58 providing a seal between the cover 8 and the rim 6. The axial seal 58, when engaged with the cover 8 prevents liquid passing through the vents 70 to reach the rim opening 12. Rotating the rim 6 relative to the coupling body 10 causes the keys 62 to slide along the track 60. The track 60 is angled relative to the first axis 26 so that movement of the key 62 along the track 60 causes the rim 6 to move axially away from the cover 8. As shown in Figure 7, when the rim 6 moves axially away from the cover 8, the seal 46 is moved away from axially and the axial seal 58 no longer provides a seal between the cover 8 and the rim 6 and liquid can pass through the vents 70 to the rim opening 12 from a cup 2 to which the lid 4 is attached so that a user can drink from the cup assembly 1. As there are vents 70 distributed around the cover 8, liquid and aroma can leave the cup assembly 1 all around the rim opening meaning a user can drink from any side of the cup, providing for 360° drinking. Figures 8, 9 and 10 show the interaction of a key 62 which extends from the rim 6 within a track 60 in the coupling body 10 of the lid 2. The track 60 comprises a fluid-control portion 78 which extends around the coupling body 10 of the lid 2 between a first track end 80 and a second track end 82. In Figure 8 the key is at the second track end 82 and the lid 4 is in the closed configuration. The first track end 80 is offset from the second track end 82 along a first axis 26 such that rotating the rim 6 relative to the coupling body 10 in a first direction such that the key 62 moves along the track 60 towards the first track end 80 moves the rim 6 away from the cover 8 to open the vent 70 by moving the lid 4 to the open configuration, as shown in Figure 9. In order for the key 62 to reach the first track end 80 it must pass an open haptic element 84 which, in this case, is a protrusion into the track 60 which creates a constriction in the track 60. The open haptic element 84 and / or the key 62 and / or the fluid control portion 78 is resiliently deformable and moving the key past the open haptic element requires a temporary increase in the force applied by a user such that a user can feel when the key moves past the open haptic element 84 and reaches the first track end 80. Rotating the rim 6 relative to the coupling body 10 in a second direction opposite the first direction such that the key 62 moves along the track 60 towards the second track end 82 moves the rim 6 towards the cover 8 to close the vent 70 by moving the lid 4 to the closed configuration, as shown in Figure 8. The fluid-control portion 78 of the track 60 has a substantially constant slope relative to the first axis 26 between the first track end 80 and the second track end 82. The track 60 further comprises a removal portion 86 and removal constriction 88. The removal portion 86 extends from the first track end 80 of the fluid-control portion 78 to an open end 90. The removal constriction 88 is arranged between the fluid-control portion 78 and the removal portion 86 to restrict the key 62 passing from the fluid-control portion 78 to the removal portion 86. The lid 4 is configured such that, with the key 62 at the first track end 80 of the fluid-control portion 78, manually moving the rim 6 relative to the coupling body 10 along the first axis 26 by pulling the rim 6 and coupling body 10 apart, can deform at least one of the key 60, the removal portion 86 and the removal constriction 88 to enable the key 62 to pass the removal constriction 88, move along the removal portion 86 and out of the open end 90 to separate the rim 6 from the coupling body 10 as shown in Figure 10. The removal constriction 88 is provided by a protrusion which extends from a wall of the track 60. The removal constriction 88 may be the component which is deformable to allow the key 62 to pass from the fluid-control portion 78 to the removal portion 86 of the track 60. Figure 11 shows an exploded view of the lid of Figure 2.

Claims

1. A lid for a cup, wherein the lid comprises a rim and a cover coupled together by a coupling body, wherein:the coupling body can be coupled around an opening of a cup to secure the lid thereto;the rim defines a rim opening through which fluid can pass to leave a cup to which the lid is secured;the cover extends across the rim opening and comprises a vent;the rim is movable relative to the coupling body between a closed position in which the cover closes the rim opening and the rim prevents fluid from passing from the cup through the vent to the rim opening, and an open position in which fluid can pass through the vent to the rim opening; andwherein at least one of the cover and the rim are manually removable from the coupling body by deforming at least one of the cover and the coupling body or at least one of the rim and the coupling body, respectively.

2. A lid as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cover is manually removable from the coupling body by deforming at least one of the cover and the coupling body.

3. A lid as claimed in claim 2, wherein the cover comprises a gripping element for manually removing the cover from the coupling body.

4. A lid as claimed in claim 3, wherein the cover comprises a protrusion and the coupling body comprises an indentation, wherein the protrusion is received within the indentation to couple the cover to the coupling body, and wherein applying a manual force to the gripping element deforms the protrusion to move the protrusion out of the indentation.

5. A lid as claimed in claim 4, wherein the protrusion extends from a protrusion base to a tip which is received within the indentation to couple the cover to the coupling body, the gripping element extends away from the cover from a position between the protrusion base and the tip.

6. A lid as claimed in claim 5, wherein:the cover comprises a disc having a circumference and a plurality of protrusions extending from and spaced around the circumference, the vent being provided by spaces between the protrusions;a plurality of gripping element may be provided, each associated with a protrusion, each gripping element comprising a tab which extend from a surface of the cover;wherein tips of the plurality of protrusions are received within the indentation and, in response to squeezing the plurality of tabs, the plurality of protrusions are deformed to remove the tips from the indentation.

7. A lid as claimed in claim 6, wherein the cover comprises at least three protrusions, the vent comprises at least three notches, and the gripping element comprises at least three tabs.

8. A lid as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the rim is manually removable from the coupling body by manually deforming at least a portion of the rim or the coupling body.

9. A lid as claimed in claim 8, wherein one of the coupling body and the rim comprises a track, and the other of the coupling body and the rim comprises a key which is received within the track to couple the coupling body and the rim together, wherein the track comprises a fluid-control portion which extends around the lid between a first track end and a second track end, the first track end being offset from the second track end along a first axis such that rotating the rim relative to the coupling body in a first direction such that the key moves along the track towards the first track end moves the rim away from the cover to open the vent, and rotating the rim relative to the coupling body in a second direction opposite the first direction such that the key moves along the track towards the second track end moves the rim towards the cover to close the vent.

10. A lid as claimed in claim 9, wherein the track further comprises a removal portion and removal constriction, the removal portion extends from the first track end of the fluid-control portion to an open end, and the removal constriction being arranged between the fluidcontrol portion and the removal portion to restrict the key passing from the fluid-control portion to the removal portion, the lid configured such that, with the key at the first track end of the fluid-control portion, manually moving the rim relative to the coupling body in a third direction, which is not the second direction, can deform at least one of the key and the removal portion to enable the key to pass the removal constriction, move along the removal portion and out of the open end to separate the rim from the coupling body.

11. A lid as claimed in claim 10, wherein the removal constriction is provided by a protrusion which extends from a wall of the track.

12. A lid as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the fluid-control portion comprises an open haptic element to provide haptic feedback to inform a user that the key has moved to the first track end.

13. A lid as claimed in claim 12, wherein the open haptic element is provided by a protrusion extending from a wall of the track.

14. A lid as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the rim comprises a seal for sealing the rim to the cover.

15. A lid as claimed in claim 14, wherein the seal comprises an axial seal which contacts the cover when the rim is in the closed position to prevent fluid passing from the vent to the rim opening.

16. A lid as claimed in claim 14 or 15, wherein the seal comprises a radial seal which contacts the coupling body when the rim is moved between the closed position and the open position.

17. A lid as claimed in claim 16, wherein the radial seal comprises two ridges.

18. A cup assembly, the cup assembly comprising a cup and a lid, the cup comprising a peripheral wall extending from a base to an opening defined by a cup rim to define a cup volume for containing a fluid, the lid being as claimed in any preceding claim, and the coupling body of the lid being coupled around the cup rim such that when that rim is in the closed position relative to the coupling body the lid seals the cup volume, and when the rim is in the open position relative to the coupling body fluid in the cup volume can pass through the vent of the lid to exit the cup volume.

19. A method of disassembling a lid for a cup, wherein the lid comprises a rim and a cover coupled together by a coupling body, wherein:the body can be coupled around an opening of a cup to secure the lid thereto;the rim defines a rim opening through which fluid can pass to leave the cup;the cover extends across the rim opening and comprises a vent; andthe rim is movable relative to the coupling body between a closed position in which the cover closes the rim opening and the rim prevents fluid from passing from the cupthrough the vent to the rim opening, and an open position in which fluid can pass through the vent to the rim opening; whereinthe method comprises manually deforming at least one of the cover and the coupling body or at least one of the rim and the coupling body to remove at least one of the cover and the rim, respectively.

20. A method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the method comprises manually deforming the cover to remove the cover from the coupling body.

21. A method as claimed in claim 20, wherein the cover comprises a protrusion and the coupling body comprises an indentation, wherein the protrusion is received within the indentation to couple the cover to the coupling body, and the cover comprises a gripping element for manually removing the cover from the coupling body, wherein the method comprises applying a force to the gripping element to deform the protrusion and remove the cover from the coupling body.

22. A method as claimed in any one of claims 19 to 21, wherein the method comprises manually deforming the rim to remove the rim from the coupling body.

23. A method as claimed in claim 22, wherein the method comprisesrotating the rim relative to the coupling body to fully open the lid; and pulling the rim and the coupling body apart to deform at least one of the rim and the coupling body to decouple the rim and the coupling body.

24. A method as claimed in claim 23, the rim and the coupling body are pulled apart after receiving haptic feedback.

25. A method as claimed in any of claims 19 to 24, in which the method comprises removing the lid from a cup by uncoupling the coupling body from around the opening of the cup.17

Images