Beverage cover alarm

1. A beverage cover alarm comprising:

a lid, one or more grooves, one or more pressure sensors, a fingerprint scanner, one or more LED lights, a processor, and a battery;

wherein the lid is placed on the top of a beverage container which is going to be left unattended;

wherein the beverage cover alarm is adapted to provide a warning if the lid is removed by an unauthorized person;

wherein the lid is a disk-shaped covering for the beverage container;

wherein the fingerprint scanner is located on a top surface of the lid;

wherein the one or more grooves are located on a bottom surface of the lid;

wherein the one or more grooves are circular;

wherein the one or more grooves are concentric if there are at least two of the one or more grooves;

wherein an individual groove selected from the one or more grooves comprises a pair of O-rings located on an inside wall and on an outside wall of the individual groove;

wherein the pair of O-rings compress against a rim of the beverage container that is inserted into the individual groove;

wherein the compression of the pair of O-rings against the rim of the beverage container prevents any liquid, powder, gas, or other material from entering or exiting from the beverage container;

wherein the compression of the pair of O-rings against the rim of the beverage container assists in retaining the lid on the rim of the beverage container.

2. The beverage cover alarm according to claim 1

wherein the individual groove comprises the one or more pressure sensors;

wherein an individual pressure sensor selected from the one or more pressure sensors is a pressure sensitive switch that makes or break an electrical circuit based upon whether the rim of the beverage container is inserted into the individual groove where the individual pressure sensor is located;

wherein the individual pressure sensor is located on the inside wall of the individual groove, on the outside wall of the individual groove, or both.

3. The beverage cover alarm according to claim 2

wherein the fingerprint scanner is a biometric fingerprint scanner or reader;

wherein the fingerprint scanner is adapted to determine a fingerprint associated with a designated finger that is placed onto the fingerprint scanner;

wherein the fingerprint scanner compares the fingerprint with a stored fingerprint located within the fingerprint scanner and report a match/no match status to the processor;

wherein the stored fingerprint is acquired by the fingerprint scanner during a training procedure.

4. The beverage cover alarm according to claim 2

wherein the one or more LED lights are located on the top surface of the lid, on the bottom surface of the lid, or both;

wherein the illumination state and color of the one or more LED lights indicates an operational state of the beverage cover alarm.

5. The beverage cover alarm according to claim 4

wherein the lid that is not installed on the top of the beverage container and is not protecting a beverage is in the operational state of QUIESCENT;

wherein the one or more LED lights are extinguished to indicate that the operational state of the beverage cover alarm is QUIESCENT.

6. The beverage cover alarm according to claim 5

wherein the beverage cover alarm enters the operational state of PROTECTING when the one or more pressure sensors signals the processor that the lid has been placed onto the rim of the beverage container and therefore the beverage cover alarm is protecting the beverage located within the beverage container;

wherein the one or more LED lights illuminate and present a first color to indicate that the operational state is PROTECTING.

7. The beverage cover alarm according to claim 6

wherein the operational state of the beverage cover alarm is adapted to transition from PROTECTING to QUIESCENT when a user places the designated finger onto the fingerprint scanner to indicate that they have returned to their seat and that they are in control of the integrity of the beverage located within the beverage container.

8. The beverage cover alarm according to claim 7

wherein the beverage cover alarm enters the operational state of WARNING when the one or more pressure sensors indicate that the lid has been removed from the beverage container without first using the fingerprint scanner to transition to the operational state of QUIESCENT;

wherein the one or more LED lights illuminate and present a second color to indicate that the operational state is WARNING.

9. The beverage cover alarm according to claim 8

wherein when the beverage cover alarm is in the operational state of WARNING, it is adapted to remain in that state until the designated finger is placed onto the fingerprint scanner to assure that the lid will not be placed back onto the beverage container after being removed.

10. The beverage cover alarm according to claim 9

wherein the first color is blue, green, or a combination thereof;

wherein the second color is red.

11. The beverage cover alarm according to claim 9

wherein some or all of the one or more LED lights blink when in the operational state of PROTECTING or when in the operational state of WARNING.

12. The beverage cover alarm according to claim 9

wherein the processor is adapted to establish the stored fingerprint for the designated finger to use in later comparisons by completing the training procedure.

13. The beverage cover alarm according to claim 12

wherein the training procedure is adapted to require pressing the designated finger against the fingerprint scanner for a predetermined amount of time when the lid has no previously learned fingerprint recorded.

14. The beverage cover alarm according to claim 12

wherein the stored fingerprint is erased by following an erase procedure.

15. The beverage cover alarm according to claim 14

wherein the erase procedure requires execution of a specific sequence of placing and removing the lid on the beverage container for predetermined periods of time where the specific sequence and timing is unique to each of the lids.

16. The beverage cover alarm according to claim 12

wherein the beverage cover alarm comprises the processor and a memory wherein the memory contains instructions for causing the processor to control the sequence and timing of changes in the operational state of the beverage cover alarm.

17. The beverage cover alarm according to claim 16

wherein the battery comprises one or more energy-storage devices;

wherein the battery is a source of electrical energy to operate the processor, the one or more LED lights, and the one or more pressure sensors;

wherein the battery is replaceable or rechargeable.