Leak proof drinking lid with pressure relief

1. A leak resistant, drinking lid for use with a beverage container, the lid comprising:

a housing to mount the lid to the container;

a manually actuated valve stem mounted to the housing to translate relative to the housing in response to manual actuation by a user;

a drinking port extending through the housing to allow a beverage in the container to pass through the lid for drinking by a user;

a drinking valve head carried on the stem for movement relative to the housing between a closed position closing the drinking port and an open position wherein the beverage can flow through the drinking port;

a pressure relief port extending through the drinking valve head to allow Equalization of pressure across the drinking valve head with the drinking valve head in the closed position; and

a pressure relief valve head releasably mounted to the stem by a connector for movement relative to the drinking valve head between a closed position closing the pressure relief port and an open position wherein air can pass through the pressure relief port, the drinking valve head captured on the stem by the pressure relief valve head.

2. The lid of claim 1 further comprising a resilient member sandwiched between the stem and the drinking valve head to transmit an actuating force from the stem to the drinking valve head and to allow the stem and the pressure relief valve head to translate relative to the drinking valve head.

3. The lid of claim 2 wherein the resilient member is a resilient sleeve through which a portion of the stem extends.

4. The lid of claim 3 wherein the resilient sleeve has an annular rib received within an annular groove of the stem to fix the sleeve to the stem.

5. The lid of claim 3 wherein the drinking valve head has a surface engaged with the resilient sleeve, the surface interrupted by a plurality of grooves to allow a flow of air past the sleeve with the pressure relief valve head in the open position.

6. The lid of claim 1 further comprising an annular seal sandwiched between the pressure relief valve head and the stem.

7. The lid of claim 6 wherein the seal is also sandwiched between the pressure relief valve head and the drinking valve head with the pressure relief valve head in the closed position.

8. The lid of claim 7 wherein the pressure relief valVe head includes an annular flange received in an annular groove of the seal to retain the seal on the valve head.

9. The lid of claim 1 wherein the connector is a bayonet type connector.

10. The lid of claim 9 wherein the bayonet type connector comprises a pair of lugs on the pressure relief valve head and a pair of corresponding lug receiving grooves in the valve stem.

11. The lid, of claim 1 further comprising a push button actuator engaged with the valve stem to allow a user to translate the valve stem relative to the housing.

12. The lid of claim 11 wherein the push button actuator comprises a pair of mating ramped surfaces, the surfaces movable relative to each other between first and second positions in response to an actuating force applied by a user, the first position allowing the drinking valve head to move to the dosed position, the second position maintaining the drinking valve head in the open position.

13. The lid of claim 1 further comprising a spring sandwiched between the valve stem and the housing to urge the valve heads toward the closed positions.

14. The lid of claim 13 wherein the spring is a helical spring.

15. The lid of claim 14 wherein the valve stem includes an annular flange engaged against the spring, the valve stem being a one-piece construction.

16. A leak resistant, drinking lid for use with a beverage container, the lid comprising:

a housing to mount the lid to the container;

a manually actuated valve stem mounted to the housing to translate relative to the housing in response to manual actuation by a user;

a drinking port extending through the housing to allow a beverage in the container to pass through the lid for drinking by a user;

a drinking valve head carried on the stem for movement relative to the housing between a closed position closing the drinking port and an open position wherein the beverage can flow through the drinking port;

a pressure relief port extending through the drinking valve head to allow equalization of pressure across the drinking valve head with the drinking valve head in the closed position;

a pressure relief valve head carried on the stem for movement relative to the drinking valve head between a closed position closing the pressure relief port and an open position wherein air can pass through the pressure relief port, the drinking valve head captured on the stem by the pressure relief valve head; and

a resilient member sandwiched between the stem and the drinking valve head to transmit an actuating force from the stem to the drinking valve head and allow the stem and the pressure relief valve head to translate relative to the drinking valve head.

17. The lid of claim 16 wherein the resilient member is a resilient sleeve through which a portion of the stem extends.

18. The lid of claim 17 wherein the resilient sleeve has an annular rib received within an annular groove of the stem to fix the sleeve to the stem.

19. The lid of claim 17 wherein the drinking valve head has a surface engaged with the resilient sleeve, the surface interrupted by a plurality of grooves to allow a flow of air past the sleeve with the pressure relief valve head in the open position.

20. The lid of claim 16 wherein the pressure relief valve head is connected to the stem with a bayonet type connection.