Helen of Troy has been granted a patent for a lid assembly for beverage containers. The lid includes a recessed portion with a drink opening, and a slider that can be moved between a closed position and an open position to open or close the drink opening. The lid and slider have a detent arrangement to maintain the slider in either position, and the slider is designed to compress as it is moved between the positions. GlobalData’s report on Helen of Troy gives a 360-degree view of the company including its patenting strategy. Buy the report here.
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According to GlobalData’s company profile on Helen of Troy, AI-assisted medical imaging was a key innovation area identified from patents. Helen of Troy's grant share as of September 2023 was 70%. Grant share is based on the ratio of number of grants to total number of patents.
A lid assembly with a movable slider for a container
A recently granted patent (Publication Number: US11760544B2) describes a lid assembly for a beverage container. The lid assembly includes a lid with a sidewall and a top wall, which has an elongated recessed portion. The top wall also features a drink opening located in the recessed portion adjacent to the sidewall. The lid assembly further includes a slider that is removably received in the recessed portion and can be moved along the length direction of the recessed portion. The slider has a frame and an elastomeric insert, with the insert secured within the frame's open-ended slot. The lid and the slider have a detent arrangement that maintains the slider in either the closed or open position.
The frame of the slider is U-shaped in a top plan view and extends along the sides and bottom side edge portions of the insert. In the closed position, one end of the insert sealingly engages the sidewall of the lid. The frame sides have first and second end portions, with the second end portions connected to each other. The first end portions of the frame sides include second detents of the detent arrangement. The guide tracks in the inner sidewall sections of the recessed portion have first detents, which separate the tracks into forward and rear sections. In the closed position, the second detents are received in the forward track sections, while in the open position, they are received in the rear track sections.
The insert is overmolded onto the frame, making it permanently and nonremovably attached. The recessed portion also includes a vent opening, which is closed in the closed position of the slider. However, the slider has an undercut region on its bottom surface that allows the vent opening to open in the open position. The frame is designed to compress the insert as the slider is moved between the closed and open positions by engaging the first and second detents, causing the sides of the frame to move inwardly toward each other.
Overall, this lid assembly provides a convenient and secure way to open and close drink and vent openings on a beverage container. The design of the slider and detent arrangement ensures that the lid remains tightly sealed when closed and allows for easy access to the drink and vent openings when open. The overmolded insert adds durability and stability to the lid assembly.
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GlobalData Patent Analytics tracks bibliographic data, legal events data, point in time patent ownerships, and backward and forward citations from global patenting offices. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.
