Drink-through container lid with removable drink-through section

Claim 1

A flexible plastic lid means for open-mouthed containers having a peripheral bead or rim defining the open mouth thereof, comprising: a rim receiving peripheral bead cavity means formed in the outer periphery of said lid for engaging the peripheral bead of a said container and retaining said lid means thereon; central web means bounded by said bead cavity means for overlying the open mouth of a said container and having a raised area defined therein; and finite score line means including a score line formed in said raised area and oriented therein to subtend a given peripheral portion of said bead cavity means, the configuration of said score line means substantially defining the boundaries of a tear-away drink-through section in said lid means extending inboard of said bead cavity means; said score line means including gripping means defined by surfaces disposed on opposite sides of said score line and forming at least a part of said raised area and also being disposed in spaced-apart relationship with said rim and radially inwardly of said rim for applying a squeezing force transversely of said score line at a location remote from said rim, said score line means being responsive to said squeezing force so applied to fracture said score line and render said tear-away drink-through section removable from said lid means by way of predictable fracture of said score line in response to a pulling force subsequently applied to said gripping surfaces adjoining said drink-through section; first and second depressed cavity means defined in said raised area and mutually bounded over a portion of said finite score line means to define said gripping surfaces; and wherein said gripping means comprises upstanding first and second surface means defined in said first and second depressed cavity means, respectively, on opposite sides of said score line in the provision of a ridged shape to that portion of said score line means.