Plastic drink-through cup lid with fold-back tab

#The present invention is in the field of molded plastic cup lids with a drink-through feature opened by a fold back tab.

#Plastic molded disposable cup lids with a drink-through feature are widely used in combination with disposable cups in retail sales of coffee, tea, cocoa and other drinks. Many such lids have an integral fold-back tab which allows a user to leave the lid closed until ready to consume the product contents. The user then breaks the fold-back tab free and folds it back to a locked position wherein a raised feature on the tab fits into a recess on the opposite side of the lid. Examples of such lids are found in the patents to Lombardi U.S. Pat. No. 3,977,559; DeParales U.S. Pat. No. 4,738,373 and Roberts et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,090,584.

#Most of such lids have fold-back tabs in which the distance from the periphery of the lid to the hinge is more than half of the lid radius and, in some cases, nearly a full radius. This requires the lock-back recess to be placed on the opposite side of the lid center such that the tab must extend, when folded, nearly all the way across the lid. It takes two hands to release, fold-back, and lock such a tab. This is particularly true of the Roberts et. al. and DeParales lids in which the tab extends through the rim of the lid.

#FIG. 1 is a plan view of a first lid embodying the present invention;

#FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the lid of FIG. 1 taken along a diameter running through the fold-back tab;

#FIG. 3 is a plan view of a second lid embodying the invention;

#Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 5, a thermoformed lid 10 is shown to have a partially die-cut tab 12 with an upstanding thumb catch 14 formed thereon. The tab is formed in a flat deck 26 set in from the periphery approximately ⅛ inch as shown in FIG. 1. The tab 12 operates in conjunction with a molded-in hinge 28 and a lock-back recess 22 which are immediately adjacent one another; i.e., there is essentially little or no radial spacing between hinge 28 and each of the tab 12 and recess 22 as opposed to prior art devices in which the radial spacing between hinge and lock-back feature can be from ¼ inch to nearly one-half the lid radius. The lid 10 is designed to provide a plug fit on a conventional Styrofoam drink cup 20 approximately three inches in diameter. The lid may be used with beaded or rolled rim paper cups as well. The plug fit is created by a molded-in C-shaped depression 16 in deck 26 the outer wall of which is set in from the periphery of the lid by about its thickness of the cup wall. The depression projects below the rim of the cup 18 to provide an inverted U-shaped peripheral channel which receives the cup rim 18 therein. The lid has a flared peripheral skirt 19 which engages the outside wall of the cup 20 when installed thereon. Depression 16 defines an included angle of approximately 300°. Other structural and/or aesthetic features 24 may be molded into the deck 26 of the lid 10 as desired in areas that are not otherwise required for the fold-back tab 12. The catch 14 is higher than any part of the deck 26 including the portion which overlies the cup rim 18.

#The tab 12, hinge 28 and locking recess 22 are situated in the deck 26. The tab 12 is formed by die cut lines 29 and 30 which are discontinuous so as to hold the tab 12 closed but easily fractured to allow the tab to be broken free under slight pressure. The hinge 28 lies about one-quarter of a radius from the periphery of the lid 10 and is immediately between the tab 12 and locking recess 22. The fold-over radius, or “throw” length, of the tab 12 is extremely short, i.e., on a lid of approximately 3 ½ inches in diameter, the hinge is about ⅝ inch from the near peripheral edge. These dimensions are intended to reflect proportions rather than size limitations.

#The hinge 28 is preformed in the lid deck 26 in a shallow “U”-shape. The upstanding catch 14 is of generally rectangular shape and is created in the thermoforming operation along with the other details. The catch 14 is tall enough, i.e., about ¼ inch, to allow an ordinary user to readily engage its radially outermost surface with the thumb of the same hand that is holding the cup 34. The catch 14 has a horizontal ridge 36 formed along the top edge of the outer surface to allow the user to “flick” the catch 14 upwardly to break the tab 12 free from the lid deck 26 and fold it back in one easy motion. The recess 22 is shaped such that it will completely receive the catch 14 and hold it below the lid deck 26, with only a small amount of the tab material resting above the lid deck.