Sport drinking cup with valved straw cap

A resealable drinking cup cap comprising:

• a cap base;
• a drinking spout and a diaphragm moved by said drinking spout mounted on said cap base;
• said drinking spout being pivotally mounted to said cap base for swiveling movement between an open position and a closed position and said diaphragm being connected between said cap base and said spout, wherein said diaphragm at least in part swivels responsive to said drinking spout moving between said open position and said closed position;
• said drinking spout including an upper spout portion located on an upperside of said cap base and a lower spout portion located principally on an underside surface of said cap base;
• an interference surface protruding downwardly from said underside surface of said cap base, said interference surface facing and being angularly inclined toward said lower spout portion;
• a vent passage through said cap base for normally venting the underside of said cap base when said drinking spout is in said open position, said vent passage being located in said cap base between and radially aligned with said upper spout portion and said interference surface;
• and
• latch means for releasibly latching said drinking spout in the closed position;
• and, further comprising:
• an elastic tube, said elastic tube having elastically collapsible tubular walls, said elastic tube having an upper end portion attached to and ensleeving said lower spout portion and a suspended portion suspended from said lower spout portion;
• said lower spout portion for swinging said upper end portion of said elastic tube along said underside of said cap surface to cover said vent passage, responsive to said spout being moved into said closed position, and, simultaneously, swinging said suspended portion of said elastic tube into contact with said interference surface to bend and squeeze closed said suspended portion of said elastic tube between a bottom end of said lower spout portion and said seal surface, to thereby close said drinking cup cap.

A resealable drinking cup cap comprising:

• a cap base;
• a drinking spout and a diaphragm moved by said spout mounted on said cap base;
• said spout being pivotally mounted to said cap base for swiveling movement between an open position and a closed position and said diaphragm being connected between said cap base and said spout, wherein said diaphragm at least in part swivels responsive to said drinking spout moving between said open position and said closed position;
• a living hinge connected between said cap base and said drinking spout for pivotally mounting said drinking spout to said cap base, said hinge being integrally formed in said cap base and defining a pivot axis;
• said drinking spout including an upper spout portion located on an upperside of said cap base and a lower spout portion located principally on an underside surface of said cap base;
• said diaphragm further comprising:
• a flexible diaphragm and an invertible diaphragm serially connected between a lower end of said upper spout portion and said cap base;
• said invertible diaphragm providing an over dead center arrangement that pre-loads said drinking spout in the direction of said open position, responsive to said drinking spout being in the dispensing position, and pre-loads said drinking spout in the direction of said closed position, responsive to said drinking spout being moved from said open position toward said closed position;
• said flexible diaphragm and said invertible diaphragm being angularly inclined relative to one another to define a crease therebetween responsive to said drinking spout being in said open position;
• said flexible diaphragm including a top end connected to said lower end of said upper spout portion and defining a bend line therewith at said top end, said flexible diaphragm being bendable relative to said drinking spout at said connection with said lower end;
• said lower end of said drinking spout being movable in an arcuate path to push said flexible diaphragm during the initial course of travel of said drinking spout from said open position to said closed position and, through said flexible diaphragm, to invert said invertible diaphragm and, during additional movement to said closed position, to place said flexible diaphragm in a position underlying said upper spout portion;
• said flexible diaphragm being adapted to swivel about and be pushed and then be pulled by said arcuately moving lower end of said upper spout portion, whereby said flexible diaphragm is temporarily wrapped over and forms a bend therein at said lower end of said upper spout portion and is placed in a position underlying said upper spout portion responsive to said drinking spout attaining the closed latched position;
• wherein a distal edge of said diaphragm, most remote from said drinking spout, and said pivot axis define a bi-sector plane, said plane being oriented at an angle of forty degrees relative to a reference plane, said reference plane being oriented normal to the axis of said drinking spout when said drinking spout is in the open position;
• an interference surface protruding downwardly from said underside surface of said cap base, said interference surface facing and being angularly inclined toward said lower spout portion;
• a vent passage through said cap base for normally venting the underside of said cap base when said spout is in said open position, said vent passage being located in said cap base between and radially aligned with said upper spout portion and said interference surface;
• a seal for said vent passage on said underside of said cap base, said seal bordering said vent passage and protruding from said underside;
• said lower spout portion being of a predetermined length, said predetermined length being greater than the distance between said vent passage and said upper spout portion and less than the distance between said upper spout portion and said interference surface when said spout is in the open position;
• and
• latch means for releasibly latching said spout in the closed position, said latch means including a pair of splines, said splines axially extending and radially outwardly protruding from diametrically opposite sides of said upper spout portion, and a pair of latch barbs located in said cap base for engagement with said splines;
• said cap base, said diaphragm, said drinking spout, said interference surface and said latch means comprising an integral assembly formed in one-piece of polypropylene plastic material and, further comprising:
• an elastic tube, said elastic tube having elastically collapsible tubular walls, said elastic tube having an upper end portion attached to and ensleeving said lower spout portion and a suspended portion suspended from said lower spout portion;
• said lower spout portion for swinging said upper end portion of said elastic tube into contact said vent seal along said underside of said cap surface to cover said vent passage, responsive to said drinking spout being moved into said closed position, and, simultaneously, swinging said suspended portion of said elastic tube into contact with said interference surface to bend and squeeze closed said suspended portion of said elastic tube between a bottom end of said lower spout portion and said seal surface, to thereby close said drinking cup cap.