Beverage Lid Pivoting Flap for Nose Clearance and Spill Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional beverage lids restrict comfortable drinking by requiring frequent head tilting, which can be inconvenient and unsafe, especially when consuming beverages on-the-go or in situations like driving, due to their design that necessitates tilting the head backward to avoid spilling.
Innovation Solution
A beverage lid with a pivotable flap and counterweights that allows for reduced head tilting by maintaining the drinking opening below the beverage level, enabling the cup to be tilted without needing to tilt the head as far, and includes a latching mechanism for secure closure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional lid with a flat or raised drinking opening is used, then the lid provides spill protection during transportation, but the drinker must tilt their head backward repeatedly to avoid contact between the lid and nose
Solution Approach 1:
The lid is segmented into a main body and a separate movable flap that can pivot between closed and open positions. This segmentation allows the drinking opening to be dynamically adjusted - closed for spill protection during transportation and open for comfortable drinking without head tilting, as the flap can be positioned to accommodate the user's nose.
Solution Approach 2:
The drinking opening transitions from a static structure to a dynamic one through the pivotable flap mechanism. The flap can rotate to different angles, allowing the opening to adapt between a closed position for spill prevention and an open position that provides nasal clearance for comfortable drinking, eliminating the need for repeated head tilting.
2Ease of operation
If the drinking opening is raised relative to the beverage level to provide nose clearance, then head tilting is reduced, but more initial tilting of the mug is required and the lid appears disproportionately large
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of statically raising the drinking opening, the invention uses a dynamic flap that pivots to provide nose clearance only when needed. The flap can remain closed against the beverage level for normal operations, maintaining proper lid proportions, and opens upward to create nasal clearance during drinking, reducing head tilting requirements without permanently altering the lid's compact shape.
3Ease of operation
If a pivotable flap mechanism is added to enable nose clearance, then drinking comfort is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The lid is divided into a main body and a separate pivotable flap component. This segmentation allows the complex function of dynamic nose clearance to be isolated to a simple, independent flap element that rotates on a hinge, rather than redesigning the entire lid structure. The flap can be manufactured as a separate piece and attached to the lid body.
Solution Approach 2:
The pivotable flap acts as an intermediary element between the closed lid structure and the open drinking state. It provides a simple mechanical solution - a hinge and flap - that mediates between the conflicting requirements of spill protection and nose clearance, adding minimal complexity while achieving the desired drinking comfort improvement.
Data Source
AI summary
Lids with nose accommodations configured to reduce the need for a consumer to tilt his or her head during consumption of a beverage. In one aspect, a lid assembly includes a pivotable flap that pivots relative to a lid (and beverage container) as the container is tilted toward the beverage consumer. The configuration of the lid is such that it creates a clearance for a consumer's nose, thus enabling the container to be tilted back further without impacting the consumer's nose. In another configuration, the pivotable flap is biased toward a closed position, but is easily displaced by the consumer's nose. In another lid configuration, a cavity is formed toward a rear portion and the lid is sized and shaped to accommodate a consumer's nose. Disposable lids are also provided, including a lid with an aperture toward the rear of the lid with a cover that may be peeled back or removed and a lid with a perforated floor that is configured to enable the consumer to create a flap and/or aperture toward the rear of the lid.