Hygienic twist lid for insulated beverage container
View Patent ↗A three position, selectively openable twist lid for a drinking vessel has separate drinking and venting apertures. The lid has two parts—a base member and a cap member. The base and cap members can be relatively rotated from a first, closed position to a second, open position and to a third, disengaged position in which the cap and base members may be separated for cleaning.
1. A selectively openable lid for a drinking vessel, comprising:
a circular base member having mounting means thereon for removably connecting the base member to a drinking vessel, the base member further having a downwardly depending base member side wall defining a depressed floor region having upper and lower surfaces and drinking and venting apertures, wherein an inwardly directed surface of the side wall has a plurality of opposed bayonet ears thereon;
a circular cap member for rotational engagement with the base member, the cap member having a downwardly depending cap member side wall defining a depressed drinking basin having upper and lower surfaces and drinking and venting apertures positioned and sized so as to correspond to the drinking and venting apertures in the base member, wherein an outwardly directed surface of the cap member side wall has a plurality of opposed bayonet ears thereon positioned and sized for corresponding engagement with the bayonet ears on the base member;
first seal means between the cap and base members for forming a fluid conduit between the corresponding drinking and venting apertures when said apertures are in respective rotational registration with one another, so that interstitial areas between the cap and base members are fluidly isolated from the apertures and remain substantially uncontaminated by drinking fluid from the drinking vessel when the cap member is in a first, open position; and,
second seal means between the cap and base members for forming a fluid barrier between the corresponding drinking and venting apertures when the cap member is in a second, open position and said apertures are out of respective rotational registration with one another, so that the interstitial areas between the cap and base members are fluidly isolated from the base member apertures and remain substantially uncontaminated by drinking fluid from the drinking vessel when the cap member is in the second, open position.
2. The selectively openable lid of claim 1 , including timing means for limiting relative rotation of the cap and base members from the first, closed position through the second, open position and to a third disengaged position wherein the corresponding bayonet ears on the cap and base members are disengaged so that the members can be separated and cleaned.
3. The selectively openable lid of claim 2 , wherein the timing means includes angularly spaced apart, upwardly directed, delimiting stop projections on the base member and a arcuately shaped, downwardly directed timing cam projection on the cap member positioned for angular movement between the stop projections.
4. The selectively openable lid of claim 3 , wherein the timing cam subtends an angle of approximately 22.5 degrees and wherein the delimiting stops are angularly separated by an angle of approximately 145 degrees.
5. The selectively openable lid of claim 2 , wherein the timing means includes a detent structure between the stop projections to discourage inadvertent relative rotation of the cap and base members from the second, open position to the third, disengaged position.
6. The selectively openable lid of claim 5 , wherein the detent structure is a ramp member having reduced resistance to relative clockwise rotation of the cap and base members from the third, disengaged position to the second, open position as compared to relative counter clockwise rotation of the cap and base members from the second, open position to the third, disengaged position.
7. The selectively openable lid of claim 1 , wherein the bayonet ears on the cap member are diametrically opposed and subtend an angle of approximately 60 degrees, wherein the bayonet ears on the base member also are diametrically opposed, and wherein a first one of the base member bayonet ears subtends an angle of approximately 60 degrees and a second one of the base member bayonet ears subtends an angle of approximately 30 degrees.
8. The selectively openable lid of claim 7 , wherein leading edges of the base member bayonet ears are diametrically aligned.
9. The selectively openable lid of claim 1 , wherein the cap member has a centrally disposed, cylindrical spindle depending downwardly from the lower surface of the drinking basin, and wherein the base member has a centrally located arbor for receipt of the cylindrical spindle for guiding relative rotation of the cap and base members.
10. The selectively openable lid of claim 1 , wherein the first and second seal means include arcuately shaped ovoid gaskets in the upper surface of the base member floor and wherein the lower surface of the drinking receptacle is substantially smooth and adapted for sliding sealing engagement with the gaskets, except that the lower surface of the drinking receptacle has a rebate adjacent to the venting aperture for gradual release of pressure in the drinking vessel.
11. A selectively openable lid for a drinking vessel, comprising:
a base member having a substantially closed floor region defining upper and lower surfaces and drinking and venting apertures, and having a plurality of opposed base member bayonet ears thereon;
a circular cap member for rotational engagement with the base member, the cap member defining a depressed drinking basin having upper and lower surfaces and drinking and venting apertures positioned and sized so as to correspond to the drinking and venting apertures on the base member, and a plurality of opposed cap member bayonet ears positioned thereon and sized for corresponding engagement with the base member bayonet ears;
seal means between the cap and base members for forming a fluid conduit between the corresponding drinking and venting apertures when said apertures are in respective rotational registration with one another and for forming a fluid barrier between the corresponding drinking and venting apertures when said apertures are out of respective rotational registration with one another, so that interstitial areas between the cap and base members are fluidly isolated from the base member apertures and remain substantially uncontaminated by drinking fluid from the drinking vessel when the cap member is in a first, closed and second, open position.
12. The selectively openable lid of claim 11 , including timing means for limiting relative rotation of the cap and base members from the first, closed position through the second, open position and to a third, disengaged position wherein the corresponding bayonet ears on the cap and base members are disengaged so that the members can be separated and cleaned.
13. The selectively openable lid of claim 12 , wherein the timing means includes angularly spaced apart, upwardly directed, delimiting stop projections on the base member and an arcuately shaped downwardly directed timing cam projection on the cap member positioned for angular movement between the stop projections.
14. The selectively openable lid of claim 13 , wherein the timing cam subtends an angle of approximately 22.5 degrees and wherein the delimiting stops are angularly separated by an angle of approximately 145 degrees.
15. The selectively openable lid of claim 12 , wherein the timing means includes a detent structure between the stop projections to discourage inadvertent relative rotation of the cap and base members from the second closed position to the third disengaged position.
16. The selectively openable lid of claim 15 , wherein the detent structure is a ramp member having reduced resistance to relative clockwise rotation of the cap and base members from the third, disengaged position to the second, open position as compared to relative counter clockwise rotation of the cap and base members from the second, open position to the third, disengaged position.
17. The selectively openable lid of claim 11 , wherein the bayonet ears on the cap member are diametrically opposed and subtend an angle of approximately 60 degrees, wherein the bayonet ears on the base member also are diametrically opposed, and wherein a first one of the base member bayonet ears subtends an angle of approximately 60 degrees and a second one of the base member bayonet ears subtends an angle of approximately 30 degrees.
18. The selectively openable lid of claim 17 , wherein leading edges of the base member bayonet ears are diametrically aligned.
19. The selectively openable lid of claim 11 , wherein the cap member has a centrally disposed, cylindrical spindle depending downwardly from the lower surface of the drinking basin, and wherein the base member has a centrally located arbor for receipt of the cylindrical spindle for guiding relative rotation of the cap and base members.
20. The selectively openable lid of claim 11 , wherein the base member is circular and has means thereon for releasably mounting the base member to a drinking vessel.
21. The selectively openable lid of claim 20 , wherein the mounting means has a downwardly depending side wall having an external thread for engagement with external threads on the drinking vessel and wherein the base member further has an “O” ring seal adjacent the threads and positioned for sealing engagement with the drinking vessel.