GB2625767A

GB2625767A - Protective cover for drinks container

Info

Publication number: GB2625767A
Application number: GB2219595.2A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Tiley Jazmine
Original assignee: Protective Bubbles Ltd
Current assignee: Protective Bubbles Ltd
Priority date: 2022-12-22
Filing date: 2022-12-22
Publication date: 2024-07-03
Also published as: GB202219595D0

Abstract

A protective cover for a drinks container of the type having a substantially circular rim defining an opening to the drinks container comprises a stretchable material so that the protective cover can be stretched over the rim of the drinks container to cover the opening, the protective cover comprises, in its unstretched state, a top portion, a side portion extending downwardly from the top portion, and a corner portion connecting the top portion and the side portion, the protective cover further comprises an aperture for a user to drink through. The aperture is sized and arranged to faciliate a user drinking through the cover either with or without a straw.

Description

PROTECTIVE COVER FOR DRINKS CONTAINER

The present invention relates generally to protective covers for covering drinking glasses (broadly, drinks containers), in particular to prevent foreign bodies passing into the drinking glass

BACKGROUND

The problem of drink "spiking" is of increasing social concern. It is also generally desirable to prevent other foreign bodies such as dirt, insects, etc., from passing into a drinks container, and, conversely, to reduce possible spillage in use. A traditional approach might be for a user to manually cover the opening of the drinks container with their hand.

However, this is clearly not ideal.

It is therefore desired to provide improved means for protecting drinks containers (e.g. drinking glasses) from foreign body ingress, and reducing possible spillage.

SUMMARY

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a protective cover for use with drinks containers of the type having a rim defining an opening to the drinks container, the protective cover comprising a stretchable material so that the protective cover can be stretched over the rim of a drinks container to cover the opening thereof, the protective cover comprising, in its unstretched state, a top portion, a side portion extending downwardly from the top portion, and a corner portion connecting the top portion and the side portion, the protective cover further comprising an aperture for a user to drink through, wherein the aperture is positioned substantially at or towards the corner portion.

The present invention relates to a protective cover for use with drinks containers having a (e.g. substantially circular) rim defining an opening to the drinks container, e.g., and preferably, drinking glasses of the type typically used in bars, nightclubs or festivals. The protective cover is designed to be stretched into place over the rim of the drinks container in order to cover the opening of the drinks container and hence prevent foreign bodies passing into the drinks container (and correspondingly also to reduce possible spillage). For example, the cover preferably has sufficient stretchability that a cover having a certain dimension can be used for a range of different sizes of drinks container. Preferably, the cover comprises an elastic material. For instance, in embodiments, the -2 -cover may be stretchable to at least 150%, and preferably to at least 200% of its original dimensions without reaching its elastic limit, i.e. such that the cover substantially recovers its original form when the stretching form is released. For example, preferably, the cover recovers to at least 5% of its original dimensions upon stretching to at least 200% of its original dimensions. This also faciliaties re-use of the cover, as will be explained further below.

The protective cover further comprises an aperture for a user to drink through. Thus, when the protective cover is installed over a drinks container, the opening of the drinks container is preferably covered except for the aperture provided within the protective cover. That is, when the protective cover is used, the cover effectively seals off the opening to the drinks container, such that a user is preferably only able to drink through the aperture provided within the protective cover.

It is a particular feature and benefit of the present invention that the aperture in the protective cover is arranged and positioned to faciliate a user being able to use the protective cover without necessarily requiring a straw either to initially perforate the cover or to provide sufficient flow for a satisfactory drinking action (although a straw may of course still be used, if that is desired). This then means that the cover can be used even when straws are unavailable, or undesirable for the type of drink. This also means that the cover can easily be re-used, e.g. rather than being provided as a single-use, disposable item. The cover according to embodiments may therefore also have reduced environmental footprint.

Thus, the arrangement of the aperture on the cover (in its 'natural', or unstretched, state) is designed to faciliate a user being able to drink directly through the aperture in use when the cover is installed over a drinks container. That is, the size and position of the aperture are selected such that a user can drink "directly" through the aperture, e.g., without having to perforate the cover, and without necessarily requiring a straw. This then means that the cover is desired such that it can advantageously be used either with or without a straw, as desired.

This is facilitated by positioning the aperture at or towards a corner portion of the protective cover, as will be described further below. In this way, when the cover is to be installed onto a drinks container, the arrangement and positioning of the aperture at or towards the corner portion facilitates the user aligning the aperture in closer correspondence with the rim of the drinks container. An aperture may, for example, be defined as being towards the corner portion if it is spaced from the central axis by at least 25% of the length of the outer diameter of the cover (as defined by the side portion of the cover), i.e. it is wholly closer to the perimeter of the cover than the central axis. For example, for a cover with an outer diameter of 40mm, 25% of the outer diameter is 10mm -3 -so in this example the aperture may be within an outer annular region with an inner diameter of 20 mm and an outer diameter of 40 mm. Throughout this application, the spacing of the aperture from the central axis is defined as the shortest distance between the central axis and a point on the perimeter of the aperture i.e. the distance between the central axis and the closest point of the perimeter of the aperture to the central axis. Thus, the arrangement of the aperture at or towards the corner portion makes it easier to align the aperture closer to the rim of the drinks container in use. This in turn means that a user is preferably able to then sip directly from the rim of the drinks container through the aperture when the protective cover is stretched into position over the rim of the drinks container to otherwise cover the opening. That is, by arranging and positioning the aperture at or towards the corner portion of the cover in its unstretched state, this may help guide the user to align the aperture with the rim of the drinks container, such that the aperture more likely remains closer to the rim of the drinks container when the cover is installed in position, for all different sizes of drinks container that the cover may typically be used in combination with.

For example, in preferred embodiments, the aperture is provided substantially at (or at) the corner portion, e.g., and preferably, such that the open area of the aperture at least partially encompasses the corner portion. Thus, in preferred embodiments, the aperture is positioned substantially at the corner portion, such that the open area of the aperture at least partly lies within the corner portion. Thus, where the corner portion is curved, the aperture is preferably provided at least partially within the curvature of the corner portion. In that case, the open area of the aperture may (and in some preferred embodiments does) lie entirely within the corner portion. However, in such cases, it is also contemplated that the open area of the aperture may extend beyond the corner portion (so long as part of the open area overlies the corner portion).

In general however some benefit may still be achieved with the aperture being provided closer towards but not necessarily at the corner portion. Thus, in general, the aperture should be (and is) spaced from the central axis by at least 25% of the length of the outer diameter (as defined by the side portion of the cover), preferably at least 30%, preferably at least 37.5%, preferably at least 40%, and further preferably at least 42.5%.

For instance, the aperture may be provided in an area that is located within about 10 mm of the perimeter (e.g. outer diameter) of the cover, and more preferably within about 5 mm of the perimeter (outer diameter). Various arrangements would be possible in this regard.

The arrangement of the aperture closer to the rim of the drinks container in use may then facilitate a more natural drinking action as the user is then able to sip directly from the rim of the drinks container, e.g. as normal. For example, a user can drink directly through -4 -the aperture with a more natural drinking action, e.g., and preferably, without having to tilt the drinks container through greater than 90 degrees.

The aperture itself may generally take any suitable and desired form. In preferred embodiments however the aperture is preformed with sufficient size in its unstretched state to allow a user to comfortably drink directly through the aperture when the cover is installed onto a range of typical drinks containers, for example including a range of typically sized glasses which may be used in bars, nightclubs or festivals. It has been found in this respect that an aperture providing an unstretched open area of at least about 5 mm squared (and preferably larger) works well with a wide range of conventional drinks containers. For example, the use of a relatively larger area hole (of at least 5 mm squared) again facilitates a user drinking directly through the aperture, e.g., and preferably, without a requiring straw. For instance, a benefit of using a preformed aperture having a relatively larger area (of at least 5 mm squared) is that the cover does not then need to be perforated with a straw, or stretched to a larger degree, in order for a user to be able to comfortably drink directly through the aperture.

Preferably, the aperture has an open area of at least about 7 mm squared, and preferably the aperture has an open area of at least about 10 mm squared. This further facilitiates a user directly drinking through the aperture. The aperture may generally have any suitable and desired shape. For example, in some preferred embodiments, the aperture is substantially circular, and preferably has a diameter of at least 2.5 mm, preferably at least 3 mm, and preferably at least 3.5 mm. The diameter of the aperture is preferably lower than 10 mm, preferably lower than 7.5 mm, and in embodiments may be lower than 5 mm. Thus, in embodiments, the aperture may have an open area in the range from 5 mm squared, preferably from 7 mm squared, preferably from 10 mm squared, to about 80 mm squared, preferably about 40 mm squared, preferably about 20 mm squared.

For example, an aperture area within the range of about 10 to 20 mm squared has been found to be particularly effective but the area may generally vary within a contemplated wider range whilst still working well. This may help ensure the aperture is not too large, avoiding too much of a gap being formed. However, in general, various suitable aperture sizes may be used as desired. Further, the aperture need not be circular and it may also shaped differently (e.g. it may have an oval shape or may be polygonal or in the form of an extended slit). Various arrangements are contemplated in this regard.

The effect of all this is therefore to provide an improved, e.g. easier to use, and reuse, protective cover, that can be used (and re-used) in a wide variety of situations with or without a drinking straw.

It is believed that the use of a stretchable cover having a relatively larger aperture is also novel and advantageous in its own right, regardless of the specific location of the -5 -aperture. Thus, from a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a protective cover for use with drinks containers of the type having a rim defining an opening to the drinks container, the protective cover comprising a stretchable material so that the protective cover can be stretched over the rim of a drinks container to cover the opening thereof, the protective cover further comprising an aperture for a user to drink through, wherein when the protective cover is in its unstretched form, the aperture is off-centre and has an open area of at least 5 mm squared. The cover according to this further aspect may, and preferably does, comprise any of the features described above in relation to the first aspect. Thus, preferably, the aperture has an open area of at least 7 mm squared, and preferably of at least 10 mm squared.

The present invention also extends to a method of using such protective covers. Thus, from another aspect, there is provided a method of using the protective cover substantially as described herein to cover a drinks container, the method comprising: stretching the cover over the rim of the drinks container and aligning the aperture with the rim of the drinks container such that the user can drink directly from the rim of the drinks container through the aperture both with and without using a straw. Thus, in embodiments, a user may drink without using a straw. Preferably the cover is re-usable. Thus, the method may further comprise removing the cover from the drinks container and subsequently using the same cover either on the same or a different drinks container.

The present invention may therefore provide various benefits compared to other possible arrangements.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various embodiments will now be described, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a diagonal perspective view of an embodiment of a cover according to the invention Figure 2 shows a side view of the cover shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 shows a top view of the cover shown in Figure 1; Figure 4 shows a cross section of the cover shown in Figure 1 when installed on a drinks container; and Figure 5 shows a cross section of the cover shown in Figure 1 when installed on another drinks container.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION -6 -

Figures 1 to 5 illustrate a preferred embodiment of a cover 10 according to the invention. The cover 10 is a protective cover for covering an opening of a drinks container. For example, the cover 10 can be installed over the top of a drinks container in order to cover the opening of the drinks container. This helps to protect the user from unwanted foreign bodies from entering the drinks container. It also helps to reduce the chance of liquid from spilling out of the drinks container. As will be explained further below, the cover 10 comprises a stretchable material. The cover 10 is thus designed so that it can be manually stretched over the rim of a drinks container to cover the opening of the drinks container. Preferably the cover 10 comprises a substantially elastic material such that the cover 10 will retract to its original (unstretched) shape after it has been removed from the drinks container. Thus, when stretched over a drinks container, when the stretching force is released, the cover 10 will then suitably contract to form a tight fit around the drinks container. This elastic stretchability also helps to faciliate re-use of the cover 10 (e.g. compared to covers that are designed as single-use, disposable items, and which may therefore not need to be substantially elastic).

Figures 1 to 3 show the cover 10 in its unstretched form i.e. before it has been stretched over a drinks container, and substantially in the shape in which it is manufactured. Figure 1 is a diagonal perspective view of the cover 10, Figure 2 is a side view of the cover 10, and Figure 3 is a top view of the cover 10 looking along the central axis 20. As will be explained further below, the size and position of the aperture 18 in the cover 10 is selected to facilitate use with a range of different sized drinks containers. Figure 4 then shows the cover 10 installed onto a drinks container 24 with a stem, for example a champagne flute. Figure 5 correspondingly shows the cover 10 installed onto a drinks container 24' with a flat base. It will be appreciated that Figures 4 and 5 are schematic and that the dimensions shown in these figures are exaggerated for the purposes of illustration. For example, the thickness of the beaded edge will typically be much larger than the thickness of the side and top portions of the cover, as will be described further below.

Figures 4 and 5 accordingly serve to illustrate that the cover 10 can preferably be used on a wide range of drinks container shapes and sizes. That is, the cover 10 is preferably provided with sufficient (elastic) stretchability such that the same cover 10 can preferably be used (and re-used) with a range of drinks container shapes and sizes. It is also contemplated however that multiple different sized covers may be provided that are designed for optimal use with different drinks container shapes or sizes. In that case, a lower amount of stretchability may be acceptable.

The illustrated cover 10 will now be described in relation to its unstretched form, as illustrated in Figures 1 to 3. -7 -

The cover 10 has a top portion 12, a side portion 14 and a corner portion 16. The top portion 12 is generally circular in shape and the side portion 14 is generally cylindrical in shape. The side portion 14 extends down generally perpendicularly relative to the top portion 12. The corner portion 16 connects the top portion 12 to the side portion 14. In this embodiment, the corner portion 16 is curved, e.g. radiused, to provide a gradual transition between the top portion 12 and the side portion 14. In other embodiments, however, the corner portion 16 may be in the form of a chamfer or may form a sharp corner. A curved corner portion 16 can help prevent creases appearing in the cover 10 when installed onto a drinks container (e.g. compared to a relatively sharp corner). A curved corner portion 16 may also facilitate ease of manufacture, e.g. this may faciliate easier removal of the formed cover 10 from a mould or tool used during the manufacturing process (depending on how the manufacturing is performed).

In one preferred embodiment, the cover 10 has a diameter as defined by its side portion 14 of about 50 mm. This size of cover 10 has been found to work well for a range of conventional drinks container shapes or sizes. For example, such a cover 10 is suitable for both a champage flute which may typically have an opening diameter of about 60 mm, and for larger cocktail glasses having opening diameters in the range from about 80 mm to about 120 mm. In general, the diameter as defined by the side portion 14 may however vary as desired. For example, the diameter of the side portion 14 may vary within the range of from about 35 mm to about 70 mm, preferably within the range 35 mm to 60 mm, preferably in the range 40 mm to 60 mm, preferably in the range 40 mm to 55 mm, etc., whilst still being usable for a wide range of conventional drinks container shapes or sizes.

In preferred embodiments, the cover 10 comprises a beaded edge 22 located at the bottom of the side portion 14. The beaded edge 22 is a thickened portion, e.g. having greater tension. For example, the beaded edge 22 preferably acts like an elastic band to exert a radially inward force on the outside of the drinks container. The radially inward force results in increased coefficient of friction between the beaded edge 22 and the drinks container such that the cover 10 is more robustly secured to the drinks container when installed. The beaded edge 22 may thus help to grip the outside of a drinks container to provide a more secure installation of the cover 10 onto the drinks container.

In preferred embodiments, the side portion 14 also has a depth (including the beaded portion), extending downwardly from the top portion 12, of about 40 to 50 mm. For example, in an embodiment, the depth of the side portion 14 is about 45 mm. Again, this has been found to be suitable for use with a wide range of conventional drinks container shapes or sizes. This also provides a significant surface area onto which branding or other information can suitably be applied. For example, in preferred embodiments, a brand logo may be printed onto the side portion 14 of the cover 10. It will be appreciated that -8 -information may also be applied elsewhere on the cover 10, as desired, e.g. on the top portion 12. Various arrangements would be possible in this regard.

As mentioned above, in preferred embodiments the corner portion 16 is curved such that there is a smoother transition between the side portion 14 and the top portion 12.

For example, the corner portion 16 may define a constant radius of curvature in the range of from about 4 mm to about 5 mm. Various other arrangement would however be possible and in general the corner portion 16 may have a radius of curvature which is larger or smaller than this. It is also contemplated that the corner portion 16 need not have a constant radius of curvature but may generally have any suitable shape.

The various dimensions described above have been found to result in a cover 10 which is suitable for use on a range of different conventional drinks container sizes. These diameter values help to produce a cover 10 which needs to be stretched to be installed onto most if not all conventional containers, whilst not needing to be stretched excessively. This ensures that the cover 10 remains in place (because of the stretching step) whilst also providing a cover 10 which is both easy to install and easy to be removed for re-use. It will be appreciated however that a cover 10 with dimensions which vary to those in the preferred embodiment may also be provided within the scope of the present invention, e.g., and in particular, if the cover 10 is intended to be optimised for a specific container size.

As shown in the Figures, the cover 10 also comprises an aperture 18. The aperture 18 is designed to allow the user to drink from a drinks container when the cover 10 is installed onto the drinks container. Thus, the cover 10 is designed to cover the opening of the drinks container except for the provision of such aperture 18.

In the present embodiments, the aperture 18 is designed to be large enough such that the user can comfortably drink directly out of the aperture 18, without the need for another component, for example a straw (although a straw may be used, if desired). For example, in a preferred embodiment, the aperture 18 has a circular cross-sectional shape and has a diameter of about 4 mm in its unstretched form. This provides an open area of about 12 mm squared when the cover 10 is in its unstretched form. This sized aperture 18 has been found to provide a more optimal user experience in that when the cover 10 is stretched onto a drinks container, the aperture 18 is large enough for a user to comfortably drink directly through the aperture 18 (e.g., and preferably, without using a straw), without resulting in too large an open area that foreign bodies may pass into the drinks container or, when using a typically sized straw, permit a gap around it and the drink cover.

Other suitable aperture 18 sizes may of course be used, as desired. In particular, it has been determined that an aperture size of at least 5 mm squared, preferably at least 6 mm squared, preferably at least 7 mm squared, and in embodiments at least 10 mm squared, is typically sufficient for a user to comfortably drink directly from the aperture -9 -without the aperture providing excessive flow resistance. Other (non-circular) aperture shapes to that shown could also allow the user to drink directly from the aperture 18, for example an oval shaped aperture or a triangular shaped aperture.

It will be appreciated that the above dimensions are defined in relation to an unstretched aperture 18, and that the aperture 18 will become larger when the cover 10 is installed onto a drinks container. The above aperture 18 dimensions have however been found to provide a suitable final aperture hole size when the cover 10 is installed on a range of conventional drinks container sizes, whilst avoiding excessive stretching of the material.

As shown in the Figures, the aperture 18 is spaced from or offset relative to a cental axis 20 of the cover 10. This facilitates a user installing the cover 10 onto a drinks container with the aperture 18 positioned towards or closer to a rim of the drinks container. This then allows a user to drink or sip directly from the drinks container in a conventional manner without a straw, i.e. by placing their lower lip on the rim of the drinks container and sipping directly out of the aperture 18. This is because installing the cover 10 such that the aperture 18 is closer to the rim of the drinks container means that the user is able to place their mouth over the aperture 18 when sipping from the rim of the drinks container, e.g. to provide a more natural drinking action. In the embodiment shown, the aperture 18 is placed entirely within the curvature of the corner portion 16. This makes it easier for the user to install the cover 10 onto a wide range of drinks containers in such a manner that the aperture 18 in use is positioned not too far from the rim, e.g. as shown in Figures 4 or 5. However, in general, and subject to the particular requirements of the present invention, the distance of the aperture 18 from the central axis 20 may be selected as desired and may differ somewhat from the above.

Placing the aperture 18 on or near the corner portion 16 results in a particularly reliable and easy-to-use cover 10. This is because when the user installs the cover 10 onto a drinks container, they can easily locate the bottom of the corner portion 16, i.e. where the corner portion 16 meets the side portion 14, directly onto the rim of the drinks container. The directions bottom and top are defined relative to the cover 10 when installed on a drinks container. Once the bottom of the corner portion 16 is on the rim, the aperture 18 will automatically be located very close to the rim of the drinks container for ease of drinking, regardless of the size of the drinks container.

In the illustrated preferred embodiment, the top portion 12, the corner portion 16, the side portion 14 and the beaded edge 22 are made from the same material. In other embodiments, different portions of the cover 10, for example the beaded portion 22, may be formed from a different material. In this embodiment, the top portion 12, the corner portion 16 and the side portion 14 are formed from an elastic material with a common -10 -thickness. This results in a cover 10 which is easy to produce, for example using the method described below. In the preferred embodiment the elastic material has a thickness of about 0.2 mm. This thickness provides a cover 10 which is easy to stretch and install onto a drinks container, whilst still being sturdy enough such that it does not easily rip or break and may be re-used. In other embodiments, an alternative cover thickness may be used, for example a larger thickness may be desirable if reusability and stability of the cover 10 is considered particulary important, and a lower degree of stretch is acceptable.

The beaded edge 22 may be (and preferably is) formed from the same material as that forming the top portion 12, corner 16 and side portions 14. As explained below, the beaded edge 22 may be formed during the manufacturing process by allowing for excess material extending downwardly from the material forming the top portion 12, which excess material can then be (and is) rolled up during the final manufacturing steps to define the beaded edge 22 and the side portion 14 in the final product. Optionally, adhesive may be applied to the material forming the beaded edge 22 but this may not be necessary, e.g., and in particular, when the material is self-adhering. In other embodiments, the beaded portion 22 may be a separate component which is adhered to the rest of the cover 10. The cover 10 may be made from any suitable material, as desired. Typically, the material that is used should be non-toxic (food-grade) and preferably should also be biodegrable. Preferably the cover 10 is formed from materials that are microwave and dishwasher safe, to faciliate increased re-usability of the cover 10. The cover 10 is also preferably formed from materials which can be safely refrigerated. For example, natural rubber latex may be particularly suitable, but other suitable materials may include silicone materials, synthetic rubbers (such as nitrile rubbers), among others. Preferably the entire cover 10 is made of the same material, but this is not essential and other arrangements are contemplated.

Although Figures 1 to 5 show a preferred embodiment of the cover 10, alternative cover shapes may also be used. For example, whilst a circular cover works well for typical drinks containers, which typically have circular rims, the top and side portions 12, 14 may generally have a square or hexagonal (or any suitable shape) cross section. Likewise, the size of the side porton 14 relative to the overall dimensions of the cover 10 may be varied as desired.

The cover 10 may be manufactured according to any suitable and desired manufacturing process. As alluded to above, the cover 10 may be manufactured using a suitable forming tool or mould. For example, in one preferred embodiment, the cover 10 may be manufactured by a dipping (e.g. dip coating) process, where a suitably shaped tool corrseponding to the desired form of the cover 10 is dipped in to a bath of molten material, for example a suitable natural latex rubber composition. The tool can then be removed from the molten material and the material cools into a solid state. At this point, any excess material provided along the side of the tool can be suitable rolled up to define the beaded portion 22, as described above. As is generally known in the art, the latex content of the composition can be adjusted as desired to provide the required stretchability.

An example of a suitable natural latex rubber composition and dipping (dip coating) process that may be applied to for forming the cover 10 of the present invention is described in GB-2,238,303. The difference compared to GB-2,238,303 however is the size and positioning of the aperture in the present embodiments is selected to faciliate use of the cover either with or without a straw, as discussed above.

Various other steps may be be performed in order to treat the cover 10 for its intended use. For example, a leeching process may be used to remove water-soluble proteins, etc., from the cover 10. This may be particularly important in the context of the cover 10 according to the present invention which is designed for potential use without a straw, as this leeching step can greatly reduce the risk of allergic reactions when using the cover 10.

The above described manufacturing method may be a particularly convenient and effective method for producing the cover 10 of the present invention, however it will be appreciated that alternative methods can equally be used to produce the desired cover 10. For example, in other embodiments, the cover 10 may suitably be formed by a moulding method (e.g. injection moulding). The cover 10 could also be formed by additive manufacturing, for example. Various arrangement would be possible in this regard. Although the present invention has been described with reference to various embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the accompanying claims.

Claims

-12 -Claims 1. A protective cover for use with drinks containers of the type having a rim defining an opening to the drinks container, the protective cover comprising a stretchable material so that the protective cover can be stretched over the rim of a drinks container to cover the opening thereof, the protective cover comprising, in its unstretched state, a top portion, a side portion extending downwardly from the top portion, and a corner portion connecting the top portion and the side portion, the protective cover further comprising an aperture for a user to drink through, wherein the aperture is positioned substantially at or towards the corner portion, and wherein the aperture has an open area of at least 5 mm squared.
2. The cover of claim 1, wherein the aperture has an open area of at least 7 mm squared, and preferably an open area of at least 10 mm squared.
3. The cover of claim 1 or 2, wherein the aperture is substantially circular and has a diameter of at least 2.5mm, preferably at least 3mm, preferably at least 3.5mm, and preferably at least 4mm.
4. The cover of claim 3, wherein the diameter of the aperture is less than 10 mm, preferably less than 5 mm.
5. The cover of any preceding claim, wherein the aperture is positioned substantially at the corner portion, such that the open area of the aperture at least partly lies within the corner portion.
6. The cover of any preceding claim, wherein the corner portion is curved, and wherein the aperture is positioned such that the open area of the aperture at least partly lies within the curvature of the corner portion.
7. The cover of any preceding claim, wherein the side portion defines an outer dimension of the cover, the cover has a central axis, and the aperture is spaced from the central axis by at least 40% of the length of the outer dimension.
8. The cover of any preceding claim, wherein the side portion comprises a beaded edge comprising a thicker regon of material for facilitating holding the cover in place.
9. The cover of any preceding claim, wherein branding or other information is applied, e.g. printed, onto the side portion of the cover.
10. The cover of any preceding claim, wherein the side portion is generally cylindrical, and wherein the top portion is generally flat.
11. A protective cover for use with drinks containers of the type having a rim defining an opening to the drinks container, the protective cover comprising a stretchable material so that the protective cover can be stretched over the rim of a drinks container to cover the opening thereof, the protective cover further comprising an aperture for a user to drink through, wherein when the protective cover is in its unstretched form, the aperture is off-centre and has an open area of at least 5 mm squared.
12. A protective cover for use with drinks containers of the type having a rim defining an opening to the drinks container, the protective cover comprising a stretchable material so that the protective cover can be stretched over the rim of a drinks container to cover the opening thereof, the protective cover comprising, in its unstretched state, a top portion, a side portion extending downwardly from the top portion, and a corner portion connecting the top portion and the side portion, the protective cover further comprising an aperture for a user to drink through, wherein the aperture is positioned substantially at the corner portion.
13. A protective cover as claimed in any preceding claim, formed from a substantially elastic material such as a natural latex rubber.
14. A method of using the protective cover of any preceding claim to cover a drinks container, the method comprising stretching the cover over the rim of the drinks container and aligning the aperture with the rim of the drinks container such that the user can drink directly from the rim of the drinks container through the aperture without using a straw.
15. The method of claim 14, comprising removing the cover from the drinks container and subsequently using the same cover to cover either the same or a different drinks container. *ctCCO co