Dispensing Lid

Abstract

A dispensing lid includes a gasket seat circumscribing a body aperture through a lid body. A body seal formed of a continuous material in common includes a gasket with a concave profile having an upper sloped surface, a lower sloped surface, and a neck joining the upper and lower sloped surfaces such that the upper and lower sloped surfaces decrease in diameter toward the neck. The gasket seat is complementary to the concave profile of the gasket. A drinking insert selectively engageable with and disengageable from the body seal includes a dispensing conduit passing through the drinking insert. The drinking insert seals with the body seal and, in turn, the body seal gasket seals with the gasket seat when the drinking insert is engaged with the body seal and, in turn, the body seal is engaged with the body.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A dispensing lid for use with a container, the dispensing lid comprising:
 a body including a body aperture through the body, the body having a gasket seat circumscribing at least a part of the body aperture;   a body seal selectively engageable with and disengageable from the body, the body seal being formed of a continuous material in common amongst body seal components, which include a gasket with a concave profile having:
 an upper sloped surface; 
 a lower sloped surface; and 
 a neck joining the upper and lower sloped surfaces such that the upper and lower sloped surfaces decrease in diameter toward the neck, the gasket seat being complementary to the concave profile of the gasket; 
   a drinking insert selectively engageable with and disengageable from the body seal, the drinking insert:
 including a dispensing conduit passing through the drinking insert; and 
 allowing dispensing through the lid via the dispensing conduit, which passes within the neck of the concave profile when the drinking insert is engaged with the body seal, thus aligning the dispensing conduit with the body aperture; and 
   the drinking insert sealing with the body seal and, in turn, the body seal gasket sealing with the gasket seat when the drinking insert is engaged with the body seal and, in turn, the body seal is engaged with the body.   
     
     
         2 . The dispensing lid of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the body is formed of a first rigid material;   the continuous material in common is a resilient material; and   the drinking insert is formed of a second rigid material different from the first rigid material.   
     
     
         3 . The dispensing lid of  claim 2 , wherein:
 the resilient material is silicone; and   the second rigid material is ceramic or glass.   
     
     
         4 . The dispensing lid of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the drinking insert has a concave profile, the gasket seat being complementary to, but spaced apart from, the concave profile of the drinking insert, providing a gap between the drinking insert and the gasket seat; and   the gasket resides in the gap.   
     
     
         5 . The dispensing lid of  claim 4 , wherein the gap has a consistent thickness. 
     
     
         6 . The dispensing lid of  claim 4 , wherein the concave profile of the drinking insert comprises:
 an upper sloped surface;   a lower sloped surface; and   a neck joining the upper and lower sloped surfaces such that the upper and lower sloped surfaces decrease in diameter toward the neck.   
     
     
         7 . The dispensing lid of  claim 1 , wherein the neck of the gasket is in tension when the body seal is engaged with the body, thus pulling the upper and lower sloped surfaces into contact with the gasket seat. 
     
     
         8 . The dispensing lid of  claim 1 , wherein the smallest diameter of the upper and lower sloped surfaces occurs at the neck. 
     
     
         9 . The dispensing lid of  claim 1 , wherein the neck comprises a fillet between the upper and lower sloped surfaces. 
     
     
         10 . The dispensing lid of  claim 1 , wherein the upper and lower sloped surfaces continuously decrease in diameter toward the neck across any portions thereof that contact the gasket seat when the body seal is engaged with the body. 
     
     
         11 . The dispensing lid of  claim 10 , wherein the continuous decrease in diameter toward the neck is linear. 
     
     
         12 . The dispensing lid of  claim 1 :
 wherein the drinking insert extends through the body aperture when engaged with the body seal; and   wherein the drinking insert forms an outside surface of the lid and an opposing inside surface of the lid, the inside surface facing inside the container as exposed through the body aperture when the dispensing lid is attached to the container.   
     
     
         13 . The dispensing lid of  claim 1 , wherein the upper sloped surface and the lower sloped surface have the same height. 
     
     
         14 . The dispensing lid of  claim 1 , wherein the upper sloped surface has a greater height than the lower sloped surface. 
     
     
         15 . The dispensing lid of  claim 1 , further comprising a cap closing the dispensing conduit when retained in a closed position contacting the drinking insert and opening the dispensing conduit when released from the closed position. 
     
     
         16 . The dispensing lid of  claim 1 , further comprising a cap closing the drinking insert when retained in a closed position contacting a rim of the drinking insert and opening the drinking insert when released from the closed position, wherein:
 the body further comprises a post; and   the cap comprises a cap extension including a closure loop that fits over the post and an attachment loop that fits over the post below the closure loop, the closure loop engaging with the post to secure the cap in the closed position and the attachment loop engaging with the post to retain the cap to the body when the closure loop is not engaged with the post.   
     
     
         17 . The dispensing lid of  claim 1 , further comprising a cap closing the drinking insert when retained in a closed position contacting a rim of the drinking insert and opening the drinking insert when released from the closed position, wherein:
 the cap comprises two posts, each projecting from a respective one of two opposing, outward facing surfaces of the cap; and   the body further comprises two post channels, each formed in a respective one of two opposing, inward facing surfaces of the body and through which the two posts respectively slide and rotate when retaining the cap in the closed position and releasing the cap from the closed position.   
     
     
         18 . A dispensing lid for use with a container, the dispensing lid comprising:
 a body formed of a first rigid material, the body including a body aperture passing through the first rigid material and the body having a gasket seat circumscribing at least a part of the body aperture;   a body seal selectively engageable with and disengageable from the body, the body seal being formed of a resilient, continuous material in common amongst body seal components, which include a gasket with a concave profile having:
 an upper sloped surface; 
 a lower sloped surface; and 
 a neck joining the upper and lower sloped surfaces such that the upper and lower sloped surfaces decrease in diameter toward the neck, the gasket seat being complementary to the concave profile of the gasket; 
   a drinking insert selectively engageable with and disengageable from the body seal, the drinking insert:
 being formed of a second rigid material different from the first rigid material and selected from ceramic or glass; 
 including a dispensing conduit passing through the second rigid material; and 
 allowing dispensing through the lid via the dispensing conduit, which passes within the neck of the concave profile when the drinking insert is engaged with the body seal, thus aligning the dispensing conduit with the body aperture; and 
   the drinking insert sealing with body seal and, in turn, the body seal gasket sealing with the gasket seat when the drinking insert is engaged with the body seal and, in turn, the body seal is engaged with the body.   
     
     
         19 . The dispensing lid of  claim 18 , wherein:
 the drinking insert has a concave profile, the gasket seat being complementary to, but spaced apart from, the concave profile of the drinking insert, providing a gap between the drinking insert and the gasket seat; and   the gasket resides in the gap.   
     
     
         20 . The dispensing lid of  claim 18 , wherein the neck of the gasket is in tension when the body seal is engaged with the body, thus pulling the upper and lower sloped surfaces into contact with the gasket seat. 
     
     
         21 . The dispensing lid of  claim 18 , further comprising a cap closing the dispensing conduit when retained in a closed position contacting the drinking insert and opening the dispensing conduit when released from the closed position.