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US 7,740,147 B1Granted
Ball and socket closing lid
AssigneePacific Market International, LLC
InventorTyler Sean Gilbert
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A cover assembly for a beverage container includes a ball and socket assembly having a ball member and a corresponding socket member. The socket member includes extendable arms that engage the ball member. The ball and socket assembly permits the cover to be polyaxially rotated with respect to the beverage container. The cover is rotatable from a closed position, where the cover is seated against the beverage container, to a variety of open positions, where the cover can be rotated out of view from a user drinking from the beverage container. The ball and socket assembly, in addition, may be configured to maintain the cover in a variety of open positions relative to the beverage container without auxiliary support or assistance.
Claims20
A cover for a beverage container comprising:
- a cover body having a lower surface disposed from an upper surface and a rim defining a perimeter of at least a portion of the cover body with a contoured forward portion extending transversely to the lower surface at a forward portion of the cover body and having a contour, the cover body having a plug member, the cover body being movable between a closed position and an open position;
- a cap member having a first portion coupled to and located below a second portion, the first portion engageable with a receptacle of a beverage container, the second portion having a sidewall extending about a recessed drinking basin with a drinking opening extending through the cap member and sized and positioned to be sealed by the plug member when the cover body is in the closed position, the sidewall having a forward drinking portion adjacent to the drinking basin and extending upwardly above the drinking opening at which a user can drink fluid entering the drinking basin through the drink opening when the cover body is in the open position and upon tilting the beverage container forward, the sidewall having an upper lip surface portion extending at least partially about the sidewall with a contoured forward lip portion positioned below at least a portion of the forward drinking portion and with a contour corresponding to the contour of the contoured forward portion of the rim of the cover body, the contoured forward portion of the rim and the contoured forward lip portion being in juxtaposition with the contoured forward portion of the rim overlapping the forward drinking portion of the sidewall when the cover body is in the closed position, the cover body extending over the drinking basin and the plug member sealing the drinking opening when the cover body is in the closed position, the sidewall having a rearward sidewall portion defining a rearwardly and upwardly opening rear recess at a rearward portion of the cap member;
- and
- a rotational coupling mechanism interconnecting the cover body and the cap member for polyaxial rotation of the cap member relative to the cover body when the cover body is at least slightly spaced apart from the upper lip surface of the sidewall of the cap member, the rotational coupling mechanism including an upwardly extending ball member positioned in the rear recess of the cap member rearward of the sidewall of the cap member, and a socket member having a pair of arms with spaced apart end portions having opposing, arcuate surfaces rotationally receiving therebetween the ball member, the arms extending transversely to the lower surface of the cover body into the rear recess of the cap member.
1 more element
A cover for a beverage container comprising:
- a cover body having a lower surface disposed from an upper surface and a rim defining a perimeter of at least a portion of the cover body with a forward portion extending transversely to the lower surface at a forward portion of the cover body, the cover body being movable between a closed position and an open position;
- a cap member having a first portion coupled to and located below a second portion, the first portion engageable with a receptacle of a beverage container, the second portion having a sidewall extending about a recessed drinking basin with a drinking opening extending through the cap member, the sidewall having a forward drinking portion adjacent to the drinking basin and extending upwardly above the drinking opening at which a user can drink fluid entering the drinking basin through the drink opening when the cover body is in the open position and upon tilting the beverage container forward, the sidewall having an upper lip surface portion extending at least partially about the sidewall with a forward lip portion positioned below at least a portion of the forward drinking portion, the forward portion of the rim and the forward lip portion being in juxtaposition with the forward portion of the rim overlapping the forward drinking portion of the sidewall when the cover body is in the closed position, the cover body extending over the drinking basin when the cover body is in the closed position, the sidewall having a rearward sidewall portion defining a rearwardly and upwardly opening rear recess at a rearward portion of the cap member;
- and
- a rotational coupling mechanism interconnecting the cover body and the cap member for polyaxial rotation of the cap member relative to the cover body when the cover body is at least slightly spaced apart from the upper lip surface of the sidewall of the cap member, the rotational coupling mechanism including an upwardly extending ball member positioned in the rear recess of the cap member rearward of the sidewall of the cap member, and a socket member having a pair of arms with spaced apart end portions having opposing, arcuate surfaces rotationally receiving therebetween the ball member, the arms extending transversely to the lower surface of the cover body into the rear recess of the cap member.
1 more element
A cover for a beverage container comprising:
- a cover body having a lower surface disposed from an upper surface and a rim defining a perimeter of at least a portion of the cover body, the cover body being movable between a closed position and an open position;
- a cap member having a first portion coupled to and located below a second portion, the first portion engageable with a receptacle of a beverage container, the second portion having a sidewall extending about a recessed drinking basin with a drinking opening extending through the cap member, the sidewall having a forward drinking portion adjacent to the drinking basin and extending upwardly above the drinking opening at which a user can drink fluid entering the drinking basin through the drink opening when the cover body is in the open position and upon tilting the beverage container forward, the sidewall having an upper lip surface portion extending at least partially about the sidewall with a forward lip portion, the forward portion of the rim and the forward lip portion being in juxtaposition when the cover body is in the closed position, the cover body extending over the drinking basin when the cover body is in the closed position, the sidewall having a rearward sidewall portion defining a rearwardly and upwardly opening rear recess at a rearward portion of the cap member;
- and
- a rotational coupling mechanism interconnecting the cover body and the cap member for polyaxial rotation of the cap member relative to the cover body when the cover body is at least slightly spaced apart from the upper lip surface of the sidewall of the cap member, the rotational coupling mechanism including an upwardly extending ball member positioned in the rear recess of the cap member rearward of the sidewall of the cap member, and a socket member having a pair of arms with spaced apart end portions having opposing, arcuate surfaces rotationally receiving therebetween the ball member, the arms extending transversely to the lower surface of the cover body into the rear recess of the cap member.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.