Foldback cup lid having comfortable drinking characteristics

A disposable cup lid for covering the open end of a beverage cup, where said cup lid is vacuum formed from an extruded thermoplastic sheet material having an orientation grain caused by extrusion, comprising:

• a cover portion and a lip portion;
• said lip portion defining a downwardly facing cavity around said cover portion and adapted to receive a corresponding rim of a beverage cup;
• said cover portion being generally planar and having a foldback portion therein located near the periphery of said cover portion and extending into said lip portion, said foldback portion spanning a minor segment of said cover portion and said lip portion;
• a "U"-shaped hinge portion formed in said cover portion and subtending said foldback portion;
• a grasp tab formed adjacent said lip portion and extending outwardly from the periphery thereof in a plane which is generally parallel to the plane of said cover portion;
• said foldback portion having a first side, a second side, a first end, and a second end;
• said first end being coincident with said grasp tab, said second end being coincident with said "U"-shaped hinge, and said first and second sides being parallel one to the other and coincident with said orientation grain;
• wherein a pair of generally radially extending and upstanding grasping ridges are formed in said cover portion adjacent said lip portion and radially inwardly from said grasp tab, and extending upwardly above the plane of said cover portion;
• a securing protrusion is formed radially in line with said pair of grasping ridges and spaced away from said "U"-shaped hinge at the side thereof remote from said grasping ridges, and extends downwardly from the plane of said cover portion;
• and
• a recess is formed below the general plane of said lid;
• wherein the spacing between said grasping ridges and the width of said securing protrusion are such that said grasping ridges and securing protrusion are co-operative with each other to lock said foldback portion in a folded back configuration;
• and
• wherein said securing protrusion is located in said recess so that the upper surface of said protrusion is generally in the plane of the lid, and so that the portion of said rim between said grasp tab and said grasping ridges will extend downwardly into said recess when said foldback portion is folded back around said "U"-shaped hinge and said foldback portion is locked in its folded back configuration.