AU2013100193A4 - Cover for a Drinking Vessel - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a cover 20 for the opening 13 of a drinking vessel 10 which has one or more side walls 12 defining an interior space for receiving a drink. The 5 cover 20 comprises a flexible sheet which is of a greater size than the opening 13 of the drinking vessel 10, so that the cover 20 can be applied to the drinking vessel 10 to extend fully over the opening 13. The sheet is securable to the drinking vessel 10 by attachment to the surface of the one or more side walls 12 of the drinking vessel 10 so as to remain attached to the drinking vessel 10 when applied to the drinking vessel 10 10 to cover the opening 13. The integrity of the attachment is maintained during normal use of the drinking vessel 10 when drinking therefrom. co (DN CooC (NL

Description

1 AUSTRALIA PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION INNOVATION PATENT "Cover for a Drinking Vessel" The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: 2 COVER FOR A DRINKING VESSEL FIELD OF THE INVENTION 5 The present invention relates to a cover for a drinking vessel. The present invention has been developed principally for use with drinking vessels which are commonly used to serve alcoholic mixed drinks, such as spirits mixed with carbonated liquids, or beers or wines, however, it will be appreciated that the invention can have wider application such as to drinking vessels that incorporate a small diameter neck, or for 10 drinks that are packaged or served in cans. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been developed in response to the activity known generally 15 as "drink spiking". Drink spiking is an illegal activity in which a person who is the drink spiker deposits a substance into the drink of another person without the knowledge or approval of that person. The drink spiker would normally wait for an opportunity to deposit the substance into the drink without being detected, and often this occurs when the person is distracted, or has left the drink unattended. 20 The substance can be an alcoholic substance, such as pure alcohol or a highly alcoholic spirit, or it can be a drug, usually an illicit or prescription drug. Such drugs can be in the classes of benzodiazepines, barbiturates, muscle relaxants and hypnotics. Examples of drugs used by drink spikers include tablets containing 25 methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) or salts thereof such as sodium gamma-hydroxybutyrate and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). Because drink spiking occurs without the knowledge or approval of the party being 30 spiked, the practice of drink spiking is illegal. In addition, the practice can be extremely dangerous, with the effects including vomiting, loss of consciousness, respiratory difficulties and potentially death. Other effects include slurred speech and 3 muscle spasms, or changes in behaviour, such as becoming more or less inhibited. The reason a drink spiker might act can include for the purpose of stealing from the affected person, or for physically or sexually assaulting that person. While it has been 5 known for drink spiking to occur between friends, it is more common that the drink spiker is unknown to the person being spiked. Police agencies have provided some guidelines to reduce or eliminate the possibility of drink spiking. For example, police authorities in Australia recommend that a 10 person never allow someone unknown to them to buy them a drink. In addition, the recommendation is that a person purchasing a drink should watch the drink being made or poured to ensure that the drink is not tampered with in the course of the drink being prepared and served. In addition, the authorities recommend that a drink never be left unattended, but the obvious difficulty with this recommendation is that often 15 such drinks are consumed in dance venues in which the drinker might consume a drink in between dancing. Thus, the drink would often be left unattended for extended periods. This might also occur if the drinker moves away from his or her drink for example to make a telephone call, attend the toilet or restroom or to smoke a cigarette. 20 Several products are available to protect against drink spiking. Products known to applicant include drink guards which fit inside or over the open end of the neck of a drink bottle, and which allow access through the end when required. In one form of drink guard, the guard fits into the open end of the neck of the bottle and includes an 25 opening through which a straw can be inserted. This guard fills the opening of the neck, so that apart from a straw, there is no room for insertion of any other product or substance. In another form of drink guard, a plastic cap is fitted over the open end of the bottle 30 neck and includes a key, which locks the cap to the neck. With this form of guard, if the cap is removed without the applicable key, a red light will appear and will signal to the drinker that the cap has been tampered with.

4 Both of the drink guards described above are specifically for use with necked drink bottles, and are specific to a particular size of bottle. Thus, they are not applicable to a range of different drinking vessels. In addition, in relation to the lockable drink guard, 5 the guard is complicated to use, is relatively expensive, and is not expected to have wide ranging acceptance. Other guards are provided for drinking vessels, and for example, US patent no. 4,869,389 discloses a plastic snap-fit cover for a beverage can. This cover is 10 principally intended to prevent the entry of insects and the like into the beverage can, to protect the drinker against the swallowing of insects such as bees and wasps. Thus, covers of this kind while potentially useful for their intended purpose, are not particularly useful in the prevention of drink spiking. 15 The present invention is intended to provide a cover for a drinking vessel which can be used to protect against drink spiking and which has advantages compared to existing arrangements known to applicant for that purpose. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 20 The present invention provides a flexible polymer sheet cover for the opening of a drinking vessel which has one or more side walls defining an interior space for receiving a drink. The cover comprises a flexible sheet which is of a greater size than the opening of the drinking vessel, so that the cover can be applied to the drinking 25 vessel to extend fully over the opening. The sheet is securable to the drinking vessel by attachment to the surface of the one or more side walls of the drinking vessel so as to remain attached to the drinking vessel when applied to the drinking vessel to cover the opening. The integrity of the attachment being maintained during normal use of the drinking vessel when drinking therefrom. 30 Preferably the cover includes an opening for insertion therethrough of a drinking straw for drinking of liquid contained within the drinking vessel through the straw.

5 The opening is of a size so as to accommodate the drinking straw while making a close fit about the drinking straw. Preferably the opening includes a selectively removable cover which is removable to 5 expose the opening to permit the insertion of the drinking straw. Preferably the attachment of the cover to the surface of the one or more side walls of the drinking vessel is achieved by one or more of the following: - by adhesive attachment to the external walls surrounding the opening of the 10 drinking vessel, and/or - via an external ring that is placed around the opening of the drinking vessel and sandwiches the cover between the ring and the one or more side walls of the drinking vessel, and/or - by an elastic rim incorporated into the cover which is stretchable to fit over the 15 opening of the drinking vessel and which elastically engages the one or more side walls of the drinking vessel. The invention also includes a method of protecting a drink from being spiked. The method includes preparing a drink in a drinking vessel which has an open end, 20 applying a flexible polymer sheet cover over the open end and attaching the cover to the side wall of the drinking vessel so that the cover remains attached to the drinking vessel when applied to the drinking vessel to cover the opening. The integrity of the attachment is maintained during normal use of the drinking vessel when drinking therefrom. The cover is attached to the side wall of the drinking vessel by adhesive 25 attachment. The adhesive is capable of a number of repeated uses on subsequent drinks before being discarded. A cover according to the invention can be simple to apply over the opening of a drinking vessel and can provide complete coverage for the opening. By that 30 arrangement, a drink spiker is prevented from easy access to the interior of the drinking vessel and to the drink within the vessel. In order to spike the drink, the drink spiker must either remove the cover or pierce the cover first. While the cover is 6 not intended to prevent removal or piercing, either activity is likely to be more evident to persons in the vicinity of the drink and therefore a drink spiker is likely to be less inclined to attempt to spike a drinking vessel which employs the cover of the invention, for fear of being detected. 5 Testing to date has determined that the flexible cover of the invention is preferably a flexible plastic sheet, such as a flexible polymer sheet or a flexible thermoplastic polymer sheet. Testing has shown that a flexible thermoplastic polyurethane sheet is suitable for use as a cover in respect of plastic and glass drinking vessels, and 10 advantageously, such a sheet is non-toxic and has minimal or no effect on the taste of a drink within the vessel that comes in contact with the sheet. Such a sheet can be of any suitable thickness, such as between 0.012 and 0.022mm, but testing has shown that a sheet of a thickness of 0.015mm is readily attachable to the open end of a drinking vessel. 15 The opening in the cover is sized for insertion there through of a drinking straw. Thus, the cover can be preformed with an opening so that when applied to a drinking vessel, a person can insert a drinking straw and drink from the drinking vessel through the straw. 20 Alternatively, the cover can include an opening so that a person can drink directly from the drinking vessel as that person would normally do if the cover was not applied across the opening of the drinking vessel. An opening for this purpose will be larger than for the opening of a drinking straw, and will be located at or immediately 25 adjacent the rim of the opening of the drinking vessel when the cover is applied to the drinking vessel. If an opening is provided of either of the above kinds in the cover of the invention, the opening can be closed by an additional cover which can be removed to expose the 30 opening when required. Thus, the cover could include an opening for a drinking straw, but that opening could itself be covered prior to insertion of the drinking straw.

7 This would allow the actual person drinking from the vessel to remove the cover from the opening and insert his or her own drinking straw into the drinking vessel. Likewise, when a larger opening for drinking directly from the drinking vessel is 5 provided, a similar removable cover can close the opening. Such a removable cover can be an adhesive sheet that can be peeled from the cover. Other arrangements could be provided. Alternatively, if an opening is provided in the cover, it could be provided in a form 10 which is closed, and which can be selectively opened when drinking from the drinking vessel is appropriate. For example, the opening could be closed by perforations, which are easily broken to open the opening for passage of liquid there past. Alternatively, but in a similar manner, the opening could be closed through a line of weakness which is easily pierced to open the opening. Other suitable 15 arrangements could be provided. The opening could be a slit, with facing edges of the slit meeting when the slit is not being used to accept a straw or is not being drunk through. By this arrangement, the slit can remain closed and resist leakage of liquid therethrough. 20 The opening could be positively identified as to its location, by suitable indicia which is applied to or printed on the cover. For example, one or more arrows could point to the opening, so that the position of the opening is clearly identified. This could be useful where the cover is used in low-light areas, such as clubs and bars, and 25 otherwise will simply make location of the opening straightforward. Various forms of indicia could be employed such as one or more arrows as discussed above, or a line surrounding the opening could be provided. In a more interesting form, applicant has developed a lip indicia, which readily identifies the opening and its purpose. In the form developed by the applicant, a pair of partly open lips is provided and the opening 30 is centred between the lips. This provides a ready indication of the location of the opening, as well as an indication as to its purpose.

8 Attachment of the cover to the outside surface of the one or more side walls of the drinking vessel can be by any suitable arrangement, such as by an adhesive which is applied to one side of the cover, typically around the periphery of the cover. The adhesive would allow the cover to adhere to the side wall or walls of the drinking 5 vessel. Alternatively, the material of the cover could have natural adhesive characteristics, or the material can be formed to have other adhesive characteristics which enable it to attach to the surface of the drinking vessel. These could be electrostatic characteristics which occur either naturally or which are applied to the material. In particular, where the cover is to be principally used with glass drinking 10 vessels, certain types of plastic sheet will attach to the surface better than others. Thermoplastic urethane sheeting has been found to naturally attach to the side walls of a glass drinking vessel, and that attachment is enhanced if the surface of the walls is moist, which often occurs with drinks which are cold, such as those which have been refrigerated or which have had ice added to them. Other plastic sheeting can also 15 have an attraction to glass or plastic surfaces and such sheeting can also be employed as a material for a cover of the present invention. An adhesive applied to the cover might be suitable for use with plastic drinking vessels or vessels made of paper or cardboard. Vessels made of plastic, paper or 20 cardboard are often used in venues for large gatherings of younger people in order to reduce the possibility of injury by broken glass. Alternatively, an elastic ring, such as a rubber band or an O-ring or the like, can be applied to sandwich the cover between the ring and the surface of the side walls. In 25 this arrangement, the elastic ring can conveniently be slipped over the top of the drinking vessel once the cover is applied across the opening to secure the cover in place. Still alternatively, the cover can be formed with an elastic rim or periphery which can 30 be expanded to stretch over the opening of the drinking vessel and to thereafter contract to bear against the outside surface of the one or more side walls of the drinking vessel in a manner which resists removal of the cover from the drinking 9 vessel. The cover can have any suitable shape, but a circular cover is expected to be most popular. This flows from drinking vessels generally having circular openings 5 themselves. Alternatively however, the covers might have a different shape and might include one or more extensions that extend from an edge of the body of the cover for firmly attaching the cover to the drinking vessel. For example, a circular cover might have four extensions, equidistantly spaced about the edge of the cover which provide further contact with the outside surface of a drinking vessel to attach the cover to the 10 vessel. Covers according to the invention could be provided individually, or in multiple packs, or advantageously in a roll form. In one form, the covers can be formed on a backing paper to which the covers are adhesively but releasably fixed, and the covers 15 can be peeled from the backing paper for use as required. This form of packing is considered particularly appropriate for bulk supply of covers, as may be employed in venues where drinks of the kind relevant to the present invention are purchased. Accordingly, a bar person could prepare a drink and could apply a cover by removing a cover from the bulk roll. Alternatively, a purchaser of a drink could have his or her 20 own supply of covers and could apply the cover as the drink is being purchased. The covers could be made available for purchase from the venue, such as from the bar tender, or through suitable vending machines so that the covers are available for purchase at the venue at which drinking is taking place. 25 Advantageously, covers according to the invention can include advertising or instructions, or warnings as to the dangers of drink spiking. It is considered that certain drink manufacturers or venue operators could employ the covers as a responsible tool for the prevention of drink spiking as part of the purchase of one of their drinks. In addition, the provision of warnings and contact information on the 30 covers can raise awareness of drink spiking in an effort to combat its spread. It will be appreciated that the invention provides a simple but effective tool for 10 combating drink spiking. While it has been indicated above that the use of the invention is likely to act as a deterrent to drink spikers, it is likely also that if a drink spiker attempts to spike a drinking vessel which employs the cover of the invention, that there will be evidence of tampering with the cover that will alert the drinker to 5 the potential that their drink has been spiked. Thus, there is a secondary benefit that the invention provides in combating drink spiking. Moreover, where a particular venue gains a reputation for the extensive use of the invention, it is likely to deter drink spikers from even attempting to use the venue for 10 drink spiking activities. Thus, there is a potential benefit for venue owners that their venues will be seen to have an increased level of security against the potential for drink spiking. For a better understanding of the invention and to show how it may be performed, 15 embodiments thereof will now be described, by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 20 Figure 1 illustrates a drinking vessel to which a cover according to the invention has been applied. Figure 2 is a plan view of a cover in accordance with the present invention. 25 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING Figure 1 illustrates a drinking vessel 10 which is in the form of a glass, having a base 11 and a curved side wall 12. The vessel 10 has an opening 13 defined by a rim 14. The rim 14 is circular. 30 The vessel 10 is of a shape and configuration which can be found in venues around the world most often for the serving of wine, but also for the serving of beers, 11 mixtures of spirits and soft drinks etc. The opening 13 is relatively large and therefore there is ready access for a drink spiker to quickly and without detection deposit a substance into the drink of an unsuspecting person. In fact, the ease with which a drink spiker can deposit a substance into a vessel of the kind illustrated in Figure 1 is 5 evident from the amount of drink spiking that takes place and the fact that in certain countries, Australia in particular, the incidence of drink spiking is increasing. The invention provides a cover 20 for the purpose of covering the opening 13 of the vessel 10. It will be evident from Figure 1, that with the cover 20 in place, the 10 opening 13 is fully covered so that the deposit of a substance to within the vessel 10 is prevented, at least by the simple act of dropping a substance into the vessel 10. The cover 20 comprises a flexible sheet, which is preferably a flexible polymer sheet such as a thermoplastic polyurethane sheet. The cover 20 is of a greater size than the 15 opening 13 of the vessel 10, so that the cover 20 can extend fully across the opening 13 and then downwardly toward the base 11 for attachment to the facing surface of the side wall 12 of the vessel 10. Figure 1 illustrates that the skirt 21 of the cover 20 is in contact with the facing 20 outside surface of the side wall 12. By careful selection of the material of the cover 20, the skirt 21 will adhesively attach to the outside surface of the side wall 12 so that the cover 20 is fixed in place by that adhesive attachment. The adhesive attachment can occur as a result of the characteristics of the material of the cover 20 discussed earlier herein, or the cover 20 can be provided with an adhesive film which is applied 25 to the surface of the cover 20 which faces the side wall 12 of the vessel 10. Various low-stick adhesives could be employed, so that the requisite attachment occurs between the skirt 21 and the side wall 12, without the attachment being so secure that removal of the cover 20 from attachment to the side wall 20 is difficult. Removal of the cover 20 from the drinking vessel 10 is important for venue operators to ensure 30 that the cover can be disposed of prior to the drinking vessel being cleaned. If the covers 20 remain attached to the drinking vessel 10 for cleaning of the vessel 10, the potential is that the cleaning equipment could become clogged with covers 20.

12 Alternative to attachment of the skirt 21 to the side wall 12 of the vessel 10 by an adhesive mechanism, an elastic ring 22 (shown in broken outline), can be employed. In that arrangement, the cover 20 can be applied to the vessel 10, whereafter the 5 elastic ring 22 can be applied to overlie the skirt 21 and to sandwich the skirt 21 between the ring 22 and the side wall 12. Still alternatively, the skirt 21 can be formed integrally with an elasticised rim 23, which is stretched to fit the skirt 21 over the open end 13 of the vessel 10 and which 10 contracts under its own elasticity to positively engage against the side wall 12. In this arrangement, or in the arrangement employing the elastic ring 22, the elastic force applied is not required to be great, but is required only to maintain the cover 20 in position under normal conditions in which a drinking vessel 10 is used. 15 It will be readily apparent that the cover 20 is simple to apply to the drinking vessel 10 and this is important given that the cover 20 will often be employed in clubs and bars in which the lighting is often deliberately poor and the venue itself crowded. The fact that the cover 20 can be applied without difficulty instantly once a drink has been purchased, significantly limits the opportunity for a drink spiker to spike a drink 20 without being noticed. The drink spiker typically would have to spike the drink at the bar at which the drink was being purchased, given that the drinking vessel can be protected by the cover 20 instantly the purchaser has access to the drink. The cover 20 illustrated in Figure 1 includes a line of weakness 25 and an opening 26. 25 The opening 26 is provided for insertion of a drinking straw, while the line of weakness 25 provides a point that can be pressed to create an opening to drink from the vessel 10 in the normal manner. For simplicity, both of the line of weakness 25 and opening 26 can be provided in the cover 20, or they can be separately provided on different styles of covers, ie one style for use with a drinking straw and another style 30 for direct drinking from the drinking vessel. Alternatively, the invention can provide for the cover 20 to be pierced, such as by a 13 bar tender, either for insertion of a drinking straw, or to allow drinking from the vessel 10 in a normal manner, at the direction of the person purchasing the drink. It will be clearly evident that the cover 20 could be printed for the purposes of 5 advertising, or for providing instructions to use the cover, or for providing warnings relating to drink spiking or other issues, such as anti-smoking warnings, or simply for aesthetic purposes. While the cover 20 is shown in its attached state in Figure 1, it will be readily 10 appreciated that the cover 20 in a flat form is disc shaped, having a circular outer periphery. It is envisaged that a plurality of covers could be supplied on a backing paper, so that the cover 20 could be peeled from the backing paper for use. Such backing paper could be provided in a roll, for commercial use, while for private use, it is envisaged that individual sheets of backing paper, each including a single cover 15 could be provided in packs of 5 or 10. It is to be noted that while the cover 20 might be reusable, for hygiene purposes it is likely that it would be a single use product only, which would be disposed of at the finish of each drink. The recyclability of the material use for the cover 20 is thus important and applicant has discovered that thermoplastic polyurethane has excellent recycling characteristics. 20 Figure 2 illustrates a cover according to the invention, which is not applied to a drinking vessel, but which is laid out flat, as it might be provided for sale to consumers. The cover 30 is circular and comprises a film 31. The film 31 is applied to a backing sheet, which is not visible in Figure 2, but which is applied to the opposite 25 side of the cover 30 to that shown in Figure 2. The film 31 can be a thermoplastic polyurethane sheet applied to a backing sheet which can be a glossy paper sheet. A suitable backing sheet preferably will facilitate adhesion between the film 31 and the sheet without requiring an additional adhesive to be applied. 30 The cover 30 includes an opening 32 which is located towards the periphery 33, in contrast to the central position of the opening 26 in the cover 10 of Figure 1. The positioning of the opening 32 in Figure 2 illustrates how the position of an opening in 14 a cover according to the invention can be varied to suit as required. In order to identify the position of the opening 32 to a user of the cover 30, suitable indicia in the form of a pair of lips 34 has been applied to the upper surface of the 5 film 31. Alternatively, the lips 34 could be applied to the opposite surface of the film 31 and be visible through the film 31. It will be appreciated that the lips 34 provide an instant indication to a user of the cover 30 as to the position and reason for the opening 32. 10 The cover 30 operates in substantially the same manner as the cover 20 of Figure 1. Thus, the cover 30 is applied to the open end of a drinking vessel and a skirt portion 35 is pressed in contact with side wall surfaces of the drinking vessel to fix the cover 30 to the vessel. With correct selection of the dimensions of the cover 30, the lips 34 and the opening 32 will be positioned towards the rim of the drinking vessel, like the 15 line of weakness 25 illustrated in Figure 1 relative to the rim 14 of the drinking vessel 10. The cover 30 includes a tab 36 projecting from the periphery 33. The tab 36 is not connected to the backing sheet on which the film 31 is supported or attached, and the 20 tab 36 can be used to lift or peel the film 31 from the backing sheet. The tab 36 advantageously facilitates ease of removal of the film 31 from the backing sheet for subsequent application to the open end of a drinking vessel. Alternative to the tab 36, a portion of the backing sheet can be removed from an edge 25 portion of the film 31, to present a free portion of the film 31 for peeling the film from the backing sheet. In Figure 2, the broken lines marked 37 and 38 represent boundaries of small portions of the backing sheet that can be removed to facilitate removal of the film 31 from the backing sheet. The portions marked by the broken lines 37 and 38 can be removed during the production of the combination of the film 30 31 and the backing sheet, or they can be left for removal when the film is about to be used. In the latter example, the small portions marked by the broken lines 37 and 38 can be removed to expose a small section of the film for peeling from the major 15 portion of the backing sheet. The cover 30 is envisaged to provide advantages in relation to the manner in which the cover is used by consumers. The provision of the lips 34 help to identify the 5 position of the opening 32, while the provision of the tab 36, or the cut-away backing portions identified by reference numerals 37 and 38, also facilitate removal of the film 31 from the backing sheet for application to a drinking vessel. Throughout the description of this specification the word "comprise" and variations 10 of that word, such as "comprises" and "comprising", are not intended to exclude other additives or components or integers. The invention described herein is susceptible to variations, modifications and/or additions other than those specifically described and it is to be understood that the 15 invention includes all such variations, modifications and/or additions which fall within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

Claims (20)

1. A cover for the opening of a drinking vessel which has one or more side walls defining an interior space for receiving a drink, the cover comprising a flexible sheet 5 which is of a greater size than the opening of the drinking vessel, so that the cover can be applied to the drinking vessel to extend fully over the opening, the sheet being securable to the drinking vessel by attachment to the surface of the one or more side walls of the drinking vessel so as to remain attached to the drinking vessel when applied to the drinking vessel to cover the opening, the integrity of the attachment 10 being maintained during normal use of the drinking vessel when drinking therefrom.

2. A cover according to claim 1, the cover being a flexible plastic sheet.

3. A cover according to claim 2, the cover being flexible polymer sheet. 15

4. A cover according to claim 3, the cover being a flexible thermoplastic polymer sheet.

5. A cover according to claim 4, the cover being a flexible thermoplastic 20 polyurethane sheet,

6. A cover according to any one of claims 1 to 5, the cover including an opening for insertion therethrough of a drinking straw for drinking of liquid contained within the drinking vessel through the straw. 25

7. A cover according to claim 6, the opening being of a size for close fit about the drinking straw.

8. A cover according to any one of claims 1 to 5, the cover including an opening 30 suitable for drinking of liquid contained within the drinking vessel directly through the cover. 17

9. A cover according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the opening includes a cover which is removable to expose the opening.

10. A cover according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the opening is closed 5 and is selectively openable when drinking of a liquid within the drinking vessel is required.

11. A cover according to any one of the claims 6 to 10, the cover including indicia applied to the cover to indicate the location and/or the purpose of the opening. 10

12. A cover according to claim 11, the indicia being printed on the cover.

13. A cover according to claim 11 or 12, the indicia being a pair of lips between which the opening is located. 15

14. A cover according to any one of claims 1 to 13, whereby attachment of the cover to the surface of the one or more side walls of the drinking vessel is by adhesive attachment. 20

15. A cover according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein attachment of the cover to the surface of the one or more side walls of the drinking vessel is by a ring which sandwiches the cover between the ring and the one or more side walls of the drinking vessel. 25

16. A cover according to any one of claims 1 to 13, the cover having an elastic rim which is stretchable to fit over the opening of the drinking vessel and which elastically engages the one or more side walls of the drinking vessel.

17. A combination of a cover according to any one of claims 1 to 15 and a 30 backing sheet, the cover being applied to the backing sheet and being removable from the backing sheet for application to the opening of a drinking vessel by peeling from the backing sheet. 18

18. The combination of claim 17, the cover including a portion which is not attached to the backing sheet, for grasping for removing the cover from the backing sheet. 5

19. A method of protecting a drink from being spiked, the method including preparing a drink in a drinking vessel which has an open end, applying a flexible cover over the open end and attaching the cover to the side wall of the drinking vessel so that the cover remains attached to the drinking vessel when applied to the drinking 10 vessel to cover the opening, the integrity of the attachment being maintained during normal use of the drinking vessel when drinking therefrom.

20. A method according to claim 19, the cover being attached to the side wall of the drinking vessel by adhesive attachment. 15 Dated this 22nd day of February 2013 Kingdom Inventions Pty Ltd 20 by their patent attorneys Morcom Pernat