GB2410245A

GB2410245A - Cover for a drinking vessel having a separate compartment

Info

Publication number: GB2410245A
Application number: GB0329634A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Richard Roolvink; Koen Regout; Barrington Harvey Pamplin; David Griffiths; Paul William Cheney
Original assignee: United Biscuits Ltd
Current assignee: United Biscuits Ltd
Priority date: 2003-12-22
Filing date: 2003-12-22
Publication date: 2005-07-27
Also published as: GB0329634D0; BE1015980A6; NL1025797C1

Abstract

A cover for a drinking vessel comprising a lid 1 having a rim 4 for attaching the lid to the drinking vessel, the cover being arranged to provide a compartment 6 for holding one or more food items 7 in use. A sealing membrane 5 may be provided, which may be a foil disc and may be attached to a flange 3 of the lid to seal the compartment 6. The lid may comprise inner and outer co-operating portions (fig 6) which are movable relative to each other via a hinge (19, fig 6). The sealing member may include a tab 5a to aid removal. The cover may also be made from a clear or transparent material.

Description

24 1 0245 Cover for a drinking vessel The invention relates to a cover for

a drinking vessel, for example, a cup made of plastics material, paper or card used for holding a drink, which may be of the kind often referred to as being disposable after use. Such a cup, when filled with a drink, is often closed by means of a lid to prevent spillage.

It has previously been proposed to provide such cups with a compartment at or adjacent the base of the cup for holding a biscuit to accompany the drink.

The invention provides a cover for a drinking vessel comprising a lid having a rim for attaching the cover to the drinking vessel, the cover being arranged to provide a compartment for holding one or more food items, in use.

When the cover of the invention, with one or more food items, for example, a biscuit, cracker, cookie or cake, contained within the compartment, is used to close a drinking vessel, the or each of the food items within the compartment is readily available to a consumer of a drink from the drinking vessel.

In one arrangement of the invention, the lid of the cover is provided with a surface extending in a direction around the lid and the cover comprises a sealing membrane secured to the said surface to form the compartment between the sealing membrane and the lid. With that arrangement, in use, with the or each of the food items sealed into the compartment by securing the sealing membrane to the said surface, the consumer can gain access to the or each food item by removing or breaking the sealing membrane.

The said surface of the lid to which the sealing membrane can be secured may be located on the inside of the lid so that, in use on a drinking vessel, the compartment and the or each food item within it lies under the lid, and the lid is removed from the vessel before access to the sealing membrane is gained. Alternatively, the said surface to which the sealing membrane can be secured may be located on the outside of the lid so that, in use on a drinking vessel, the compartment and the food item within it lies on top of the lid, and access to the food item can be gained without removing the lid from the vessel.

The sealing membrane may be made from foil, for example, aluminium foil, or a suitable plastics film, for example, a film of polypropylene, polyester or polyethylene, or combinations thereof, which is preferably clear or white, or a metallised plastics film, and in each case is preferably printable at least on its outermost surface. When the sealing membrane is located on the inside of the lid, then it is advantageously made from foil in order to withstand the heat, steam and moisture present when the drinking vessel is filled with a hot drink. When the sealing membrane is located on the outside of the lid, then it is advantageously made from the plastics film. In either case, however, any of the above materials, or any other suitable material can be used for the sealing membrane.

The sealing membrane may be secured to the said surface of the lid in any appropriate manner, preferably so that it is easily removable from the lid by the consumer. The sealing membrane may, for example, be secured to the said surface using an adhesive composition, but is advantageously secured by heat sealing the membrane to the said surface. When the sealing membrane is made of a foil as mentioned above, then it preferably has a coating, or lamination, of a heat-sealable material, for example, polyethylene or polypropylene, including metallised polypropylene, in order to render the sealing membrane heat-sealable to the lid. To aid removal of the sealing membrane from the lid by the consumer, the sealing membrane is preferably provided with a tab projecting beyond the rim of the lid.

In another arrangement of the invention, the lid comprises inner and outer co operating portions movable relative to each other between a closed position in which they defied the compartment and an open position to provide access to the interior of the compartment. The inner and outer co-operating portions of the lid are advantageously connected to each other by a hinge portion, and are preferably formed, together with the hinge portion, as a single unit.

In any of the above arrangements, the lid is advantageously made of a clear material to allow a food item to be viewed when in position in the compartment. The lid is advantageously made of a plastics material, preferably, a plastics material such as polystyrene, polypropylene, PVC or PET, and is advantageously made by thermoforming, which term is used to include vacuum forming, injection moulding, pressure forming and blow moulding.

The invention also provides a cover for closing a drinking vessel together with one or more food items, the cover comprising a lid having a rim for attaching the cover to the drinking vessel, and the cover being arranged to provide a compartment in which the said one or more food items are located.

The invention further provides a lid for a drinking vessel, which lid has a rim for attaching the lid to the drinking vessel, the lid being provided with a surface extending in a direction around the lid to which surface a sealing membrane can be secured to form a compartment for holding one or more food items between the sealing membrane and the lid.

Although the cover of the invention will usually be used to close an open drinking vessel, it is also possible to use the cover with a drinking vessel which is already closed by means of a closure member, for example, a conventional lid, to which the cover of the invention can then be secured.

Three forms of a cover constructed in accordance with the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. I is a diagrammatic section through a first form of the cover with a food item in place; Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic plan view of the inside of the cover of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the cover of Figs. 1 and 2 in position on a drinking vessel; Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic section through a second form of the cover with a food item in place, and Figs. 5 and 6 are diagrammatic sections through a third form of the cover providing a compartment which is shown closed in Fig. 5 and open in Fig. 6.

Referring to the drawings, and initially to Figs. I to 3, a first form of cover comprises a lid, indicated generally by the reference numeral 1, which is made by thermoforming clear polystyrene or polypropylene. The lid 1 is generally circular in plan view as shown in Fig. 2 and has a main portion 2, an annular flange 3 surrounding and integral with the portion 2, and a rim 4 around the flange 3.

The main portion 2 of the lid 1, which will be described as viewed in Fig. 1, is of shallow dish shape, which is circular in plan, with a flat central portion 2a and a downwardly-extending wall 2b, an annular channel 2c being formed between the central portion 2a and the wall 2b to increase rigidity. The main portion 2 need not, however, be of the shape shown in Fig. 1, but may be of any desired shape depending on the shape of the food item to be contained within it, for example, the main portion 2 may be generally rectangular, including substantially square, in plan.

From the lowermost edge of the wall 2b, the flange 3 extends outwardly in a substantially horizontal direction. The flange 3 has an inner surface 3a which forms a surface on the inside of the lid I, inside the rim 4, for the attachment of a sealing membrane 5. The sealing membrane 5, which is a disc of foil with a heat-sealable coating or lamination of polyethylene or polypropylene on one surface (the thickness of S the foil being exaggerated in Fig. 1 for the purpose of explanation), is secured to the surface 3a by heat-sealing with the coating in contact with the flange 3 to form a sealed compartment 6 between the portion 2 of the lid and the sealing membrane for containing a food item 7 beneath the central portion 2a. The sealing membrane 5 has a tab 5a which projects beyond the rim 4 to aid removal of the sealing membrane from the surface 3a of the lid 1 by a consumer.

From the outermost edge of the flange 3, the rim 4 extends generally downwards, and is formed with a series of dimples 4a around the rim and a bead 4b at the free edge of the rim. Directly above the dimples 4a and below the surface 3a of the flange 3 is an annular region 4c for accommodating the uppermost edge of a drinking vessel 8 (shown in Fig. 3), which has a bead (not shown) at its uppermost edge of larger outer diameter than the inner diameter of the dimpled portion of the rim 4.

The lid 1 with the food item 7 and sealing membrane 5 in place fits over, and covers, the drinking vessel 8 as shown in Fig. 3. When the lid I is placed over the drinking vessel X, the bead of the vessel encounters the dimples 4a of the rim 4. Pushing the lid I downwards onto the vessel 8 causes the dimples 4a to be pushed outwards over the bead of the vessel which then occupies the annular region 4c between the dimpled portion of the rim 4 and the Bange 3. The dimples 4a project inwardly under the bead of the vessel 8 and provide resistance to the lid 1 being accidentally removed from the vessel.

In use, the consumer can pull the lid I from the drinking vessel 8 and, using the tab 5a, remove the sealing membrane 5 from the inside of the lid to gain access to the food item 7 in the compartment 6.

Turning now to Fig. 4, a second form of cover comprises a lid, indicated generally by the reference numeral 9, which is also made by thermoforming from clear polystyrene or polypropylene. Like the lid 1, the lid 9 is generally circular in plan view and has a main portion 10, an annular flange 11, and a rim 12 around the flange 1 1.

While the annular flange 11 and the rim 12 are formed similarly to the flange 3 and rim 4 of the lid 1, the rim 12 being formed with dimples 1 2a similar to the dimples 4a of the rim 4, the main portion 10 of the lid 9 is formed differently to the main portion 2 of the lid 1. In this case, the main portion 10 has a flat central region lea surrounded by a double upstanding wall lob created from a fold in the material from which the lid is made. The wall 1 Ob provides at the bend in the fold a surface 1 Oc on the outside of the lid 9 for the attachment of a sealing membrane 13 to form a sealed compartment 14 on top of the lid for a food item 15. The sealing membrane 13 is a disc of a plastics material, for example, from a film of polypropylene, polyester or polyethylene, or combinations thereof, which may be clear or white, and may have printing on its outermost surface, and is attached to the surface lOc by heat-sealing. The sealing membrane 13 has a tab 13a which projects beyond the wall 1 Ob to aid removal by the consumer.

The lid 9 with its sealing membrane 13 and food item 15 in place fits over a drinking vessel similar to the drinking vessel 8 in a similar manner to the lid 1, but with the food item 15 on top of the lid 9 rather than immediately below it as in the case of the lid 1. Access to the food item 15 can be gained by the consumer by removing the sealing membrane 15 while the lid 9 is still covering the drinking vessel if desired.

Referring now to Figs. 5 and 6, a third form of cover comprises a lid, indicated generally by the reference numeral 16, made up of an outer lid portion 17 and an inner lid portion 18 connected together by a hinge portion 19.

The outer lid portion 17 is formed in a similar manner to the lid I of the first form of cover shown in Figs. I to 3. It has a main central portion 20 of dish shape, an annular flange 21 surrounding and integral with the dish and a rim 22 around the flange, the rim being formed with dimples 22a similar to the dimples 4a of the lid 1. The inner lid portion 18 is formed with a similar rim 23 having dimples 23a, but instead of having a dish portion and flange like the outer lid portion 18, it has a flat central portion 24 extending inside the rim 23.

The lid 16 is made by thermoforming from a suitable plastics material for example, polystyrene, polypropylene, PVC or PET, as a single unit with the outer lid portion 17 and the inner lid portion 18 being joined integrally by the hinge portion 19.

The hinge portion 19 allows the inner lid portion 18 to be folded under the outer lid portion 18 as shown in Fig. 6 until the rim 23 of the inner end portion fits within the rim 22 of the outer lid portion to form a closed compartment 26.

In use, a wrapped food product 25, which may, for example, be one or more biscuits, is placed in the dish portion 20 of the outer lid portion 17 and the inner portion 18 is folded relative to the outer portion 17 about the hinge portion 19 as shown in Fig. 6 until the rim 23 of the inner lid portion fits within the rim 22 of the outer lid portion. The inner lid portion 18 is then in the position shown in Fig. 5 in which it closes the dish portion 20 of the outer lid portion 17 forming the closed compartment 26 containing the food product 25. When the lid 16 is covering and closing a drinking vessel (not shown), access to the food product 25 can be gained either by lifting the outer portion 17 of the i lid 16 from the vessel leaving the inner portion 18 on the vessel, or by removing the entire lid 16 from the vessel and separating the inner lid portion from the outer lid portion.

Instead of being provided with the dimples 4a, 12a, 22a and 23a, the rims 4,12, 22 and 23 may be configured in any other manner suitable for cooperating with the rim of a drinking vessel to attach the lid to the vessel and close it. Also, the overall shape of the lids 1, 9 and 16 need not be circular in plan, but of any shape suitable for closure of a drinking vessel.

Although the lid 1 is shown as providing a cover for the drinking vessel 8, the drinking vessel may be provided with a further closure member, for example, a conventional lid and the lids 1, 9 and 16 may be arranged to be fitted to the conventional lid instead of directly to the drinking vessel.

Claims

Claims 1. A cover for a drinking vessel comprising a lid having a rim for

attaching the cover to the drinking vessel, the cover being arranged to provide a compartment for holding one or more food items, in use.
2. A cover for a drinking vessel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lid is provided with a surface extending in a direction around the lid, and the cover comprises a sealing membrane secured to the said surface to form the compartment between the sealing membrane and the lid.
3. A cover for a drinking vessel as claimed in claim 2, wherein the surface extending in a direction around the lid to which the sealing membrane is secured is on the inside of the lid.
4. A cover for a drinking vessel as claimed in claim 2, wherein the surface extending in a direction around the lid to which the sealing membrane is secured is on the outside of the lid.
5. A cover for a drinking vessel as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the sealing member is made from foil.
6. A cover for a drinking vessel as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the sealing member is made from a plastics film.
7. A cover for a drinking vessel as claimed in claim 6, wherein the sealing membrane is secured to the lid by heat-sealing.
8. A cover for a drinking vessel as claimed in claim 5, wherein the sealing member is made from foil with a heat-sealable coating, and the sealing member is secured to the lid by heat-sealing. r
9. A cover for a drinking vessel as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 8, wherein the sealing membrane is provided with a projecting tab.
10. A lid for a drinking vessel adapted to form the lid of the cover as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9.
11. A cover for a drinking vessel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lid comprises inner and outer co-operating portions movable relative to each other between a closed position in which they define the compartment and an open position to provide access to the interior of the compartment.
12. A cover for a drinking vessel as claimed in claim 11, wherein the inner and outer co-operating portions of the lid are connected to each other by a hinge portion.
13. A cover for a drinking vessel as claimed in claim 11 wherein the inner and outer lid portions and the hinge portion are formed as a single unit.
14. A cover for a drinking vessel as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 13, in which the lid is made of a clear material.
15. A cover for a drinking vessel as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 14, in which the lid is made of plastics material, for example, polystyrene or polypropylene.
16. A cover for closing a drinking vessel as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 15, in which the lid is made by thermoforming.
17. A cover for a drinking vessel as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 16, together with one or more food items in the compartment.
18. A cover for a drinking vessel as claimed in claim 17, wherein the said one or more food items are biscuits, crackers, cookies or cakes.
19. A cover for a drinking vessel as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 18, including a drinking vessel to which the cover can be secured.
20. A cover for a drinking vessel substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in, Figs. 1 to 3, Fig 4, or Figs. 5 and 6 of the accompanying drawings.
21. A method of making a cover for a drinking vessel as claimed in any one of claims 1 to90r 11 to20.
22. A method of making a lid for a drinking vessel as claimed in claim 10.
23. A method of making a cover for a drinking vessel substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.