A DRINKING CONTAINER LID

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] This invention relates to a drinking container lid for use with a drinking container from which dissolved formulations such as for example supplements are drunk.

[0002] During training athletes often drink supplements which are dissolved in water. The supplements are mixed with water in a lidded container which allows the supplements and liquid to be shaken and mixed in the container. During training the supplement liquid is drunk directly from the container by way of a spout which extends from the container lid.

[0003] The liquid supplements are normally prepared away from the training ground, premixed and stored in the container. Even though the supplement liquid might be thoroughly mixed a portion of the supplement inevitably settles out from the liquid and remains in the container when the last liquid is drunk.

[0004] The accurate measurement of the amount of supplements ingested by an athlete can be critical and failure to ingest the full allocation of supplements can have a negative impact on the athlete's performance and the effectiveness of the training.

[0005] Additionally supplements are expensive and wastage should be reduced to a minimum.

[0006] It is therefore practice for athletes, once the last liquid is drunk from the container, to find a water source in order to add more water to the empty container in order to dissolve the remaining supplements, to wash the remaining supplements from the container and to enable the athlete to drink same.

[0007] It is often impractical for athletes to find an alternative water source during training and an alternative water source is often not available.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

[0008] The invention aims to provide an alternative drinking container lid and a drinking container which might alleviate some of the aforementioned problems.

[0009] The invention provides a drinking container lid which includes a body, an engagement formation on the body with which a drinking container is removably engageable, a flow passage through the body, a reservoir which is formed in the body and an outlet from the reservoir which is movable from a closed position wherein the reservoir is sealed to an open position wherein the reservoir is open.

[0010] The body may include a mouth into the reservoir and a removable base member which is sealable over the mouth. The outlet may be formed in the base member. The base member may include one or more agitator formations.

[0011] The engagement formation may be in the form of an annular flange. The flange may be resiliently deformable or may be threaded. The engagement formation may include a lifting tab which extends from the body.

[0012] The lid may include a cap which is removably engageable with the flow passage. The lid may include a tie member which extends between the body and the cap. The tie member may include a hole.

[0013] The lid may include an inspection window in the body through which an interior of the reservoir can be inspected.

[0014] The lid preferably includes a valve member which is removably engageable with the outlet. The valve member may include a plug formation which is engageable with the outlet. The plug formation may include a first seal member. The valve member may include a valve stem which extends from the plug formation and which may extend through the body. The valve member may include a head which is attached to the valve stem and which extends from the body. The valve member may include a biasing member which acts between the plug formation and the body.

[0015] The lid may include an inlet into the reservoir. The inlet may include a stopper with which the inlet can be moved from an open to a closed position.

[0016] The invention also extends to a drinking container which includes a holder which has an entrance and a drinking container lid of the aforementioned kind which is removably engaged with the entrance.

[0017] The holder may be tubular and may be U-shaped in cross-section.

[0018] The entrance may include a shoulder formation with which the engagement formation is engageable with a snap action. Alternatively the shoulder formation

may be threaded and the engagement formation and the shoulder formation may be interengageable by way of a threading action.

[0019] The container may include a separation screen which is at least partially trapped between the holder and the lid. The screen may be downwardly depending into the holder and may include a plurality of apertures therein.

[0020] The invention also provides a drinking container which includes a tubular holder which has an entrance and a lid which is removably engageable with the entrance, which lid has a body, an engagement formation on the body which is removably engageable with the entrance, a flow passage through the body, a reservoir which is formed in the body, an outlet from the reservoir which is movable from a closed position to an open position, a valve member which is removably engageable with the outlet and which extends from the body and an inlet into the reservoir which is movable from an open position to a closed position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] The invention is further described by way of an example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is perspective view of a drinking container fitted with a lid according to the invention;

Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the container and lid of Figure 1 ; and Figure 3 is a sectioned side view of the container and lid of Figure 1.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0022] Figures 1 to 3 show a drinking container 10 which has a holder 12 with which a drinking lid 14 is removably engaged.

[0023] The container 10 is made from appropriate plastics materials and the holder 12 and lid 14 are manufactured in any appropriate manner such as for example by way of injection moulding or rotation moulding.

[0024] The holder 12 has an elongate tubular shape and has an open mouth or entrance16. In cross-section the holder 12 is U-shaped.

[0025] The entrance 16 has an annular shoulder formation 18 with which the lid 14 is engageable.

[0026] The lid 14 has a body 20, an annular engagement formation 22 on the body and which extends from the body 20, a spout 24 which extends from the body 20, a flow passage 26 which extends through the body 20 and the spout 24 and a reservoir 28 formed in the body 20. The body 20 has an enlarged mouth 29 into the reservoir 28 and a removable base 31 which is sealable over the mouth 29. Ring seals 33 are positioned between the base 31 and the mouth 29 to seal the reservoir 28.

[0027] The engagement formation 22 is in the form of a flange which is resiliently deformable. The flange 22 fits over the shoulder 18 with a snap action. A lifting tab 30 extends from the flange 22 and body 20 and is used to disengage the flange 22 and lid 14 from the holder 12. Alternatively, as is shown in Figure 2, the flange 22 is threaded and the shoulder 18 carries complimentary threads so that the flange 22

and the shoulder 18 can be interengaged by way of a threading action so that the lid 14 screws onto the shoulder 18.

[0028] The spout 24 has a removable cap 32 with which the flow passage 26 can be sealed. A tie member or band 34 is attached to the cap 32 and the body 20, extends between the cap 32 and the body 20 and secures the cap 32 to the body 20. The band 34 has a hole 35 therein between the cap 32 and the body 20.

[0029] The flow passage 26 allows a liquid 36 in the holder 12 to flow from the holder 12 through the body 20.

[0030] The reservoir 28 has an iniet 38 thereto and an outlet 40 therefrom. The inlet 38 is at an upper side 42 of the body 20 and the outlet 40 is formed in the base 31 which is positioned at a lower side 44 of the body 20. The lower side 44 faces towards an interior 46 of the holder 12.

[0031] The inlet 38 has a removable stopper 48 with which the inlet 38 can be sealed. The stopper 48 is accessible through the opening 35. By removing the stopper 48 from the inlet 38 and engaging the stopper 48 with the inlet 38 the inlet 38 is moved from a closed position to an open position and vice versa.

[0032] The outlet 40 has a valve seat 50 with which a valve 52 is removably engageable. The valve 52 has a plug 54 which is engageable and disengageable with the valve seat 50, a valve stem 57 which is attached to and extends from the plug 54 and a head 56 which is attached to an opposite end of the valve stem 57. The valve stem 57 extends through the outlet 40 and from the body 20. The valve

52 thus extends through the body 20 and the head 56 extends from a collar on the body 20.

[0033] By engaging and disengaging the plug 54 with the seat 50 the outlet 44 is moved from a closed position to an open position and vice versa. The plug 54 has an O-ring seal 59 positioned thereon and the ring seal 59 is, in use, positioned between the plug 54 and the seat 50 in order to seal the outlet 40. A biasing member or spring 61 surrounds the stem 57 and acts between the plug 54 and the body 20. The spring 61 forces the plug 54 into contact with the seat 50.

[0034] When the inlet 38 and outlet 40 are closed the reservoir 28 is sealed and the reservoir 28 is opened by removing the stopper 48 from the inlet 38 or disengaging the plug 54 from the seat 50.

[0035] The base 31 has one or more agitator fins 63 which extend downwardly from the body 20. The base 31 can be gripped by way of the fins 63 in order to disengage the base 31 from the body 20 and to open the mouth 29 in order to gain access to the reservoir 28. The valve 52 is removed from the body 20 with the base 31. In this position the reservoir 28 can be cleaned whereafter the base 31 is resealed to the body 20. Alternatively to the removable base 31 , the base 31 can be fixed to the body 20 over the mouth 29.

[0036] An inspection window 58 is formed in the body 20 which allows visual inspection of an inside 60 of the reservoir 28. The window 58 is made from any appropriate, transparent plastics material.

[0037] A separation screen 62 is at least partially trapped between the holder 12 and the lid 14. The screen 62 is made from plastics, has a dome shape and depends downwardly into the interior 46 of the holder 12. Alternatively the screen 62 can have a truncated, conical shape. The screen 62 sits on the shoulder 18 and has a plurality of apertures 64 of varying size therein.

[0038] In use the holder 12 is filled with an appropriate amount of water whereafter the screen 62 is placed over the entrance 16. Any appropriate dissolvable substance 66 is deposited into the holder 12 or onto the screen 62.

[0039] The stopper 48 is removed from the inlet 38 and the reservoir 28 is filled with water 68 through the inlet 38. As the plug 54 is forced into engagement with the outlet 40 and seat 50 as a result of the biasing action of the spring 61 the outlet 40 remains sealed. The reservoir 28 is sealed by engaging the stopper 48 with the outlet 38, the lid 14 is engaged with the holder 12 and the flow passage 26 and spout 24 are closed by way of the cap 32.

[0040] By manually agitating or shaking the container 10 the substance 66 is mixed with the water in the holder 12. The majority of the substance 66 dissolves in the water to form the liquid 36 in the holder 12 and the liquid 36 is consumed by a user (not shown) by removing the cap 32 from the spout 24 and drinking the liquid 36 through the flow passage 26.

[0041] When the liquid 36 is drained from the holder 12 a portion of the undissolved substance 66 normally remains in the holder 12. In order to dissolve this remaining substance 66 or to wash the substance 66 from the holder 12 the user pushes the valve 52 by the head 56 to disengage the plug 54 from the seat 50 and to open the

reservoir 28. The water 68 in the reservoir 28 drains into the holder 12 through the outlet 40. Once the reservoir 28 is drained the head 56 is released and the plug 54 is forced onto the seat 50 in order to seal the reservoir 28.

[0042] The fresh water 68 is now used to dissolve the remaining substance 66 and to wash the remaining substance 66 from the holder 12.

[0043] The inspection window 38 allows the user to inspect the volume of water 68 remaining in the reservoir 28. The fins 63 and the screen 62 assist in the agitation and mixing of the substance 66 and water in the holder 12.

[0044] The lid 14 allows a user to store fresh water in a convenient manner until the holder 12 is drained and additional fresh water 68 is required to dissolve any of the remaining substance 66 in the holder 12.

[0045] The container 10 can be used for any appropriate substance 66 such as for example supplements used by athletes or cool drink in powder form. Any appropriate liquid can be stored in the holder 12 and reservoir 28 and the application of the container 10 is not limited to the storage and use of water.