Drinking and sealing lids for vessels and associated devices and methods

Abstract

A sip lid for a children's drinking vessel includes a spout component having a first end region and a second end region opposite to the first end region. The spout component is shaped and sized to be received within a child's mouth. The first end region comprises one or more openings configured to allow liquid to be extracted through the spout component when the child is applying suction to the spout component. The sip lid also includes a base component extending from the second end region of the spout component and surrounding the spout component. The base component is made from an elastic material configured to allow the base component to stretch over differently sized mouths of drinking vessels to form a liquid-tight seal between the base component and the drinking vessels.

I/We claim: 
     
         1 . A lid for a drinking vessel, comprising:
 a spout component comprising one or more openings configured to allow liquid to be extracted through the spout component; and   a base component made of silicone and having (i) a top portion surrounding the spout component, and (ii) a side portion extending away from the top portion and configured to stretch around a neck of the drinking vessel, wherein the side portion comprises—
 a first inner surface, 
 one or more ridges extending radially inward from the first inner surface and configured to concur within threads along the neck, and 
 a peripheral edge region having a second inner surface with a larger diameter than that of the first inner surface around a circumference of the peripheral edge region, the second inner surface being substantially parallel to the first inner surface. 
   
     
     
         2 . The lid of  claim 1 , wherein the base component is configured to stretch over differently sized mouths of drinking vessels to form a liquid-tight seal between the base component and the drinking vessels. 
     
     
         3 . The lid of  claim 1 , wherein the base component is configured to couple with and form a liquid-tight seal with mouths of drinking vessels having diameters ranging from about 30 mm to about 55 mm. 
     
     
         4 . The lid of  claim 1 , wherein the spout component and the base component are made of the same silicone material. 
     
     
         5 . The lid of  claim 1 , wherein the lid is configured to form a liquid-tight seal between the lid and the drinking vessel by friction fit. 
     
     
         6 . The lid of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more ridges are configured to concur within one or more roots of the threads of the neck to form the liquid-tight seal. 
     
     
         7 . The lid of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the spout component has an elliptical outer peripheral shape, and   the base component has a circular outer peripheral shape.   
     
     
         8 . The lid of  claim 1 , wherein the side portion comprises an outer surface having a plurality of grip regions separated by a plurality of flat regions, the grip regions forming protrusions or indentations along the outer surface. 
     
     
         9 . The lid of  claim 1 , wherein the side portion extends perpendicularly from the top portion. 
     
     
         10 . The lid of  claim 1 , wherein the spout portion extends from the top portion of the base component. 
     
     
         11 . A lid for a drinking vessel, comprising:
 a spout component comprising one or more openings; and   a base component having (i) a top portion surrounding the spout component, and (ii) a side portion extending away from the top portion and configured to stretch around a neck of the drinking vessel, wherein the side portion comprises—a first inner surface,
 one or more ridges extending radially inward from the first inner, and 
 a peripheral edge region having a second inner surface with a larger diameter than that of the first inner surface around a circumference of the peripheral edge region, the second inner surface being substantially parallel to the first inner surface. 
   
     
     
         12 . The lid of  claim 11 , wherein the base component is configured to stretch over differently sized mouths of drinking vessels to form a liquid-tight seal between the one or more ridges of the base component and the drinking vessels. 
     
     
         13 . The lid of  claim 11 , wherein the base component is configured to couple with and form a liquid-tight seal with mouths of drinking vessels having diameters ranging from about 30 mm to about 55 mm. 
     
     
         14 . The lid of  claim 11 , wherein the spout component and the base component are made of an elastic material. 
     
     
         15 . The lid of  claim 11 , wherein the side portion comprises an outer surface having a plurality of grip regions separated by a plurality of flat regions, the grip regions forming protrusions or indentations along the outer surface. 
     
     
         16 . The lid of  claim 11 , wherein the one or more ridges are configured to concur within one or more roots of the threads of the neck to form the liquid-tight seal. 
     
     
         17 . A method of using a lid, comprising:
 stretching a base component of the lid around threads of a neck of a drinking vessel to form a liquid-tight seal between the base component and the neck, wherein—
 the base component is made of silicone and includes (i) a top portion, and (ii) a side portion extending away from the top portion and configured to stretch around a neck of the drinking vessel, wherein the side portion comprises—
 a first inner surface, 
 one or more ridges extending radially inward from the first inner surface and configured to concur within threads along the neck, and 
 a peripheral edge region having a second inner surface with a larger diameter than that of the first inner surface around a circumference of the peripheral edge region, the second inner surface being substantially parallel to the first inner surface, and 
 
 the lid comprises a spout component comprising one or more openings configured to allow liquid to be extracted through the spout component. 
   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising uncoupling the lid from the drinking vessel by pulling at least one of the lid and the drinking vessel relative to each other in an opposite direction until the lid is no longer in contact with the drinking vessel. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein pulling at least one of the lid and the drinking vessel relative to each other does not include rotating. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the drinking vessel is a first drinking vessel, the neck is a first neck, and the method further comprises:
 uncoupling the lid from the first drinking vessel; and   attaching the lid to a second neck of a second drinking vessel, the second neck being shaped and/or sized differently than the first neck.