NO327186B1 - Cover construction, and method and apparatus for making thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

There is disclosed a method of making a lid for a cup, box or the like, in particular of a plastic material, the lid comprising a profiled edge section adapted to be arranged on the opening edge of the cup, and closing the access thereto, and wherein the lid surface portion within said rim comprises a number of mutually adjacent tabs. formed by forming through slots in the flat portion. The method is characterized in that the tabs are manufactured by a punching tool being guided and pressed down against the surface of the lid from its upper side and cutting out the slots while the surface portion rests on a substrate. Also mentioned is a lid construction, a tool for making the lids, as well as a method of stacking terms with lids.

Description

The present invention relates to a lid structure for a cup, box etc., in particular of a plastic material, for storing waste residues, designed to promote storage by combining two or more used cups, which lid comprises a profiled edge section adapted to be arranged on and close a opening to the cup, and the surface part of the lid within said edge includes a number of mutually adjacent tabs formed by designing continuous slits in the surface part, cf. the introduction in claim 1.

The invention also relates to a method for producing a lid for a cup, box etc., as indicated at the outset, in particular of a plastic material, where the lid includes a profiled edge section adapted to be arranged on the opening edge of the cup, and to close access thereto, and where the flat part of the lid within said edge includes a number of mutually adjacent tabs formed by designing continuous slits in the surface part where the tabs are produced by a punching tool being guided and pressed down against the surface part of the lid from its upper side and punching out the slits while the surface part rests against a substrate, cf. the introduction in requirements

The invention also relates to an apparatus for producing continuous slits in a lid for a cup as stated in those above, comprising a base for arranging the lid for slitting, as well as a holder comprising a number of knives for forming slits when holder and base are moved relative to each other, and where the substrate includes a number of depressions into which the knives go when these are brought down through the thickness of the lid and the slots in the lid are punched out.

With the inventions mentioned above, the aim is to produce solutions for an improved lid construction for cups or containers which are intended to deposit snuff sticks, lumps of chewing gum, paper napkin balls, and similar waste.

With the invention, the particular aim is to produce a new solution that enables the storage, transport and disposal of a number of used cups with attached lids.

The container with the lid according to the invention is a box, container or cup which is intended for people to be able to put down snuff, chewing gum etc. in an appealing and hygienic way.

The invention is particularly intended for use in catering establishments, restaurants, hospitals and or other public/private places and the like where the container can be placed on the tables. Otherwise, the areas of application are virtually unlimited.

There are previously known containers with lids where the central lid surface is slit with a number of continuous flap-like cuts, so that when a person is to put down waste, this is pressed down against the lid flaps, which thereby bend downwards and the waste falls down through the lid and into the container. When the finger(s) are withdrawn, the lid covers the contents of the container and the waste is not visible. In particular, this has been developed with the disposal of used syringes in mind.

Today, it is common for guests to throw their used chewing gum and snuff into regular ashtrays and, for example, into beer gas etc. that are on the table. In addition to the fact that it is very unappealing, there is a big problem when people put this down a beer glass, the glasses cannot be reused even if they are washed, because the snus flavor remains in the glasses even after washing. Some restaurants have placed disposable mugs where guests leave their snuff candles.

It is not very appealing to sit and watch these "enemas", especially if the side mate is going to eat. Therefore, the product according to the present invention has been developed so that snuff cans are placed in closed plastic boxes. People do not have to see and smell the unpleasant contents of the box. The cleaning box can also be used in hospitals, where they can throw away used cotton balls etc., with blood etc. The waste is therefore placed in a closed box, which is more hygienic than having the waste in open boxes and cups.

But this is not satisfactory either. This is because it is not hygienically satisfactory since the fingers will necessarily have to come into contact with the lid flaps and the top of the lid during the filling of e.g. the snuff lumps through the lid. With such an arrangement of stuffing through the lid, it becomes unappetizing and unhygienic for second and third parties who stick their finger into the lid where others have been before with their used snuff, chewing gum etc. that has been in their mouths.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to produce a new lid with a design that makes such finger-operated waste handling unnecessary.

Furthermore, the purpose of the invention is that the disposal of waste in a closed container should be handled in a hygienic manner, and the waste should not be able to fall out again if the container tips over or is turned upside down.

It is also an object of the invention to produce a new manufacture of the lid, which will give the lid such favorable properties. The construction means that you do not need to touch the lid or the cup with your fingers to transfer and deposit the waste.

It is also an object of the invention to produce a hy construction by an apparatus/tool which gives the lid the favorable use and functional properties mentioned above.

Furthermore, it is an aim to produce a new beaker/lid solution as a combination, which involves a major technical advance when it comes to storing and transporting containers with the lid attached, which are to be deposited, for example as waste.

The lid and its container are designed for single use, but can of course be washed and reused.

The lid construction according to the invention is characterized by the fact that each flap is designed with a downward bend in the flap area adjacent to the edge section, while the flaps towards the center of the lid/the flap tips run approximately straight forward or slightly downwards, and the flap-like slits that cut through the lid material extend from the center of the lid and radially outwards almost to the edge section, so that: a first cup with an attached lid, with its bottom can be passed through the lid part of a second cup, under a permanent bending and deformation of the tabs, until the first upper cup is approximately pressed down inside the lower cup .

According to a preferred embodiment, the construction is arranged so that a large number of cups with lids can be stacked, one on top of the other, without first removing the cup lids.

According to yet another preferred embodiment of the lid construction, the slits run from the center and radially outward adjacent to the edge section up to approx. 2 mm from the edge section of the lid.

According to yet another preferred embodiment, the central part of the lid with flaps extends slightly downwards and inwards towards the center of the lid so that the lid with the lid surface forms an approximate creamer housing shape.

According to yet another preferred embodiment, each flap forms an upward-facing dorsal side and a downward-facing ventral side.

According to yet another preferred embodiment, the lid comprises 4 diagonally extending slits with mutually equal or unequal angular distance, so that 8 flaps are formed whose respective pointed ends are abutting each other in a center of the flat portion.

According to yet another preferred embodiment, the plastic material in the flaps of the surface portion has a thickness of an order of magnitude so that smaller waste items such as snuff lumps and chewing gum can fall down through the lid during deflection of the lid flaps under the influence of gravity alone.

According to yet another preferred embodiment, the surface part of the lid has a thickness of up to 0.5 mm, particularly preferably 0.15-0.30 mm and most preferably 0.20 mm.

According to yet another preferred embodiment, the lid is made of a plastic material, such as PE, PVC or APET plastic.

The method according to the invention is characterized by the fact that, during punching, the lower surface of the lid is arranged and pressed against a support section which gives the flaps a downward bend in the area adjacent to the edge section, while the flaps forward towards the center of the lid/the flap tips run slightly downwards and approximately straight.

According to a particularly preferred embodiment, the tool punches slits that extend from the center of the lid and radially outward adjacent to the edge section, preferably to approx. 2 mm from the edge section of the lid.

According to yet another preferred embodiment, the slits in the surface part of the lid are formed immediately after the lid has been produced, the slits being punched out while the lid material (plastic) still has a temperature approximately equal to or somewhat lower than the injection molding temperature, i.e. higher than the ambient temperature.

According to yet another preferred embodiment, the slits are punched out so that the central part of the lid with flaps is bent slightly downwards so that it takes on an approximate creamer case shape.

According to yet another preferred embodiment, the lower surface portion of the lid is arranged and pressed against a support surface during punching, where each tab support surface, between each slitting member in the tool, has an upward-facing dorsal side and a downward-facing belly side to form corresponding shapes in each individual tab.

According to yet another preferred embodiment, 4 diagonally extending slits are punched out by means of a cutting slitting device, so that 8 flaps are formed whose respective pointed ends are in contact with each other in the center of the flat part.

According to yet another preferred embodiment, the lid is made of a plastic material where the flaps in the surface part have a thickness of an order of magnitude which means that smaller waste items can fall down through the lid during deflection of the lid flaps under the influence of gravity alone.

According to yet another preferred embodiment, a slitting tool is used with a holder of an elongated stem with a number of knife edges where each knife edge from the tip end (center) slopes upwards and outwards from the stem, so that when the holder is lowered to cut the slits, the cutting starts from the center and continues out towards the edge section of the lid.

According to yet another preferred embodiment, the flat part of the lid has a thickness of up to 0.5 mm, particularly preferably 0.15-0.30 mm and most preferably 0.2 mm.

According to yet another preferred embodiment, a plastic material, such as PE, PVC or APET plastic, is used in the lid.

According to yet another preferred embodiment, slits are punched in a number of lids arranged in a stack, one on top of the other, the punching being carried out by having extra high pressure and speed to drive the slitting knives through the lids, which then cause the tabs to have a downward bend.

According to yet another preferred embodiment, slits are punched out in one operation in a stack of 15-25 lids one on top of the other, preferably about 20 lids.

The device according to the invention is characterized by the fact that each support section for the flap support surface, between each slitting member, is designed with a downward bend in the flap area adjacent to the edge section, while the flap support surface towards the center of the lid/the flap tips runs approximately straight forward or slightly downwards in relation to a lid's main plane.

According to a preferred embodiment, a curvature is produced by the support surface having an upward-facing ridge-forming side.

According to yet another preferred embodiment, the holder of the slitting tool comprises an elongated stem with a number of knife edges where each knife edge from the tip end (centre) slopes upwards and outwards from the stem, so that when the holder is lowered to cut the slits, the cut starts from the center and continues towards the edge section of the lid .

The lid construction specified in the previous claims is used for a container or a cup for storing waste in the form of snuff, chewing gum, paper napkin balls, and the like whereby the bottom of an upper cup is lowered so that it rests against a waste that lies at the bottom of the lower cup, which waste cannot escape from the beaker.

With the new solution, containers with lids can be organized and joined by a first beaker with a lid, with its bottom being passed through the lid part of a second beaker, under a permanent bending and deformation of the tabs, until the first upper beaker is almost completely pressed down inside in the wondrous cup.

The invention shall be explained in more detail with reference to the attached figures, in which: Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a beaker with a lid construction as according to the invention.

Figure 2 shows a plan view of the lid.

Figure 3 shows a side section through the center of the lid.

Figure 4 A-B shows respective perspectives of a detailed section of a tab in the lid in an unloaded position and in a loaded position. Figure 5 shows an enlarged perspective of a flap in the lid surface and suggests a slight camber laterally which gives the lid advantageous properties. Figures 6A-6E show the process when an object (a lump of snuff) falls through the lid and into a beaker. Figures 7A-7B show examples of a punching tool with knife blades, and how slots in a lid are cut. Figure 8 shows a situation where 3 lids, one on top of the other, are placed inside the mold, and the tabs are punched out in a single operation by the knives in the tool. Figures 9-11 show how two cups are put together without removing the lid.

The construction of lids for beaer.

Reference should initially be made to figures 1-3. Figure 1 shows a perspective of a beaker 11 with a lid 10. An example of beaker can be those used for yoghurt, and are usually made of plastic. The lid comprises an outer profiled rim section 12 which is designed to be clamped in place onto the peripheral upper edge of the cup 11. The edge section 12 is profiled with an inner 13 and outer 15 vertical ring-shaped wall parts which together form a "roof" 17 a downwardly directed cavity 19 which occupies the upper peripheral edge of the cup 11 in a sealing manner, indicated at 11A in Figure 3.

The slightly curved lid surface radially inward of the edge section is also clearly visible in Figures 1 and 3. The plastic lid surface is cut open to form flaps 16. It is cut through by a number of diametrical slits 18 which run a distance from the lid edge, through the center 15 onwards to the diametrically opposite lid edge. According to the preferred embodiment, 4 such diametrical cuts are designed which thereby divide the lid into 8 equal triangular tabs 16. The tips of each of the tabs "meet" at a common center point 15. A lid according to the invention can of course be cut into more or fewer such tabs , and the lid itself and the fitted cup, can also be square or have other shapes.

Each slit extends to a short distance from the vertical edge 13 of the edge section 12 (cf. figure 3). With a lid with a diameter of about 10 cm, each slot 18 extends up to about 2 mm from the edge 13 in the edge section 12. The central flap section has a diameter of about 8 cm, so that the slits diagonally through the center 15 are cut with a length of about 7.6 cm, 2 mm from each substantially vertical edge 13 of the annular rim section. The mentioned distance of 2 mm is marked A in Figure 2. The tab 16 is connected to the rest of the lid parts via an elevated root section 21 indicated by a dashed arc line in Figure 2. The lid is preferably manufactured with the central tab section having a thickness of 0.2 mm and with 4 diagonal slits, which form 8 tabs 16. Then you achieve the desired performance characteristics of the lid, in relation to a safe deposit of snuff lumps, chewing gum, paper balls and the like.

During the production of the flaps 16, for example where the cutting of the slits starts at the center and moves radially outwards in the lid, the material in each flap in the root section 21 receives a permanent deflection in relation to the horizontal plane of the lid. This deflection in the lid surface is particularly clear from figures 1 and 3. It is essential that the slits extend as far as 2 mm from the edge 13/12, out of consideration for the later storage of used cups where a cup is passed down through the lid to other cups as the flap sections are deformed and bent downwards. This results in tension in the plastic which makes the central lid part (in the middle) more stable when grooves are punched in the surface.

Figure 5 shows an alternative solution with a slight lateral bend which reinforces the lid's advantageous properties, i.e. that it bends down more easily but resists being bent upwards. Each tab is given a slight downward deflection laterally to both sides 21 and 23 respectively by a central elevation 21 from the edge 22 and up to the tip 15' so that the tab forms a downward-facing curve.

The fact that the slits are cut out to approx. 2 mm from the edge (the start of the profiled edge section) means that the tabs become more stable and retain their direction, they hang together better and are stiffened better. If the recess/slits are extended further towards the edge, the tabs will easily become too loose. And vice versa, if the slits get a greater distance from the edge, e.g. 3 mm or more, you lose the ability to stack the cups on top of each other while the lids are still fitted. These two features must be weighed against each other.

The lid can be made of a plastic material of the type PE, PVC or APET plastic. It can be vacuum formed from polypropylene. In order to achieve the above-mentioned desired properties with the lid, the thickness of the lid surface is in the range of up to 0.5mm, and particularly preferably 0.2mm. A plastic material thickness of 0.2 mm is adapted to the weight of waste such as chewing gum and snuff lumps that go into the cup. The cup can also be made of plastic with such a thickness. This is the same thickness as disposable drinking cups, for example for water. They are so thin-walled that they cannot withstand much pressure before they are deformed when they are stacked on top of each other. The cup can therefore be made of much thinner plastic than that used for, for example, yoghurt and ice cream cups.

During punching, the tabs acquire the property that they can relatively easily be bent inwards and downwards towards the cup opening, while they form a resistance to being bent upwards/outwards. The flap plastic also has a so-called memory property, the flap "remembers" that it must be bent back upwards to the starting position, so that the lid surface becomes integral. The lid can be produced, as is known per se, by press-forming, vacuum forming or injection molding. The lid can be circular, oval, square or rectangular or have other suitable shapes, and corresponding to the shape of the cup.

Figure 4A shows a vertical section of one of the flaps 16 of the lid which is unloaded, while Figure 4B shows how the flap 16 is deflected downwards when a lump of snuff 20 is dropped against the lid. The slightly deformed area 21 at the root of the tab 16 appears in the figure.

Application of containers with lids, disposal of waste.

Figures 6A to 6E show the course of the deflection of the flaps in the lid when an object (a lump of snuff) held between the fingers is dropped and the flaps are deflected and the lump falls through. During use, the lid functions as follows. The object falls down between the tabs and into the container solely under the influence of gravity without any additional manual pressure. The tabs are then bent upwards and back into place as it was originally from the beginning, automatically closing the opening as shown in figure 6E.

If you turn the cup upside down, the tabs resist being bent outwards, and the contents of the cup will not be able to immediately fall through the tabs and out through the lid.

Production of lids for beaer.

As mentioned earlier, the tabs in the lid are produced by punching out slits. The slots in the lid are always punched from top to bottom. You then achieve that the flaps get a slight bend/turn downwards, and will then open easily, even with a small weight, and there will be more resistance for the waste to fall out of the cup again. Figure 6 shows the knife section of a punching tool that is used to punch out slots and possibly form the slightly curved tabs.

The lid 10 is placed on a not shown holding surface in the tool. The holding surface is designed to match the tabs as desired, i.e. with an arc-shaped elevation or ridge to form the aforementioned bend 1 in the lid root 21 towards the edge edge 13. Between each tab holding surface, the tool includes grooves into which the knife blades go during punching.

The flap-like surfaces can also have a slight lateral deflection corresponding to the shape you wish to give the flaps laterally.

Figure 7 shows the cutting section of a punching tool arranged to move back and forth, with the punching out of the slots in the lid 10 starting with the point end 42 set towards the center 15 of the lid.

The cutting section comprises an elongated stem 40 with mounted slanted knife blades 41 with cutting edges 44. The knife blades are anchored high up to the stem 40 and the knife edges 44 are inclined so that the cutting in the lid starts at the center 15 and moves outwards towards the lid's edge section 13/12.

The figure shows 8 such knife blades 41 which protrude from the stem to form the 4 diametrical slits in the lid.

At the same time as the slits are cut out, each tab 16 is slightly deformed and acquires the bends and concave shapes discussed above.

Figure 7 shows an alternative method for cutting out the slits is shown in figure 7. A number of lids 10 (here 3 lids) are placed on top of each other and placed in a form which can have the same curves and bends as shown in figure 6, but the holding surface can also be flat. The cutting section is guided downwards and the knife blades 44 cut up the slits through all the lids 10. When there are many lids 10 on top of each other, this promotes the formation of buckling which causes the lid flaps to easily swing downwards in use, but resists swinging upwards. Preferably, up to 20 such lids can be placed on top of each other and then cut open with the punching tool. This gives a very good tab shape with the properties that are preferred. The punch must be given an extra high pressure/speed to punch through the lids, which then causes the tabs to have the desired downward bend.

Stablina of used beare with waste.

According to the invention, after they have been used and are to be deposited and thrown away, the cups can be stacked together without it being necessary to remove the lids first.

Each beaker with a lid is guided with its bottom straight through the lid part of a lower beaker so that the flaps in the lid are permanently bent down and deformed. The first upper cup can be pressed all the way down into the lower cup. Such stacking without removing the lids is possible because the tabs extend almost all the way to the periphery, just 2 mm from the edge.

This stacking is shown in figures 9-11. Figure 9 shows a first beaker 11' with a lid 10 which is in the process of being lowered into a second underlying beaker 11" in which the lumps of waste 20 lie on the bottom. In figure 10, the first beaker is led all the way down into the second beaker. The lid 10 is completely deformed, as the tabs 16 are pressed down to an almost vertical position, and are squeezed between the inside of the cup 11' and the outside of the cup 11". The waste lumps 20 (such as from snuff) and these are held in place and cannot come out of the cup.

Figure 11 shows a perspective of the two joined cups, with the tabs clearly visible.

Advantages of the present invention.

It is a big step forward with the new solution that the cups with lids are collected in large stacks at height in a space-saving and environmentally friendly way. In particular, the invention will be useful for catering establishments. Such waste, which was previously visible in ashtrays and dishes on the tables, can now be deposited so that it is not visible to the guests. Furthermore, the guest does not have to touch either the box or the lid, because the waste is dropped directly through the flaps of the lid. It is also an advantage that the construction is such that the waste cannot fall out of the cup if it falls on the floor or is turned upside down. When the cups from a given number of tables at the service point are collected, they can easily be put together in stacks, one on top of the other, without removing the lids. It is also a big advantage that the cup has a design with an appealing appearance, in contrast to open ashtrays and spit trays for snuff, which do not look very nice on a restaurant table.

The above-mentioned cup stacking without the lids being removed is both less time-consuming and space-consuming than the known solutions. In this sense, the present invention also provides a major environmental benefit.

Claims (24)

1. Lid construction (10) for beaker (11), box etc., in particular of a plastic material, for the storage of waste residues (20), arranged to promote storage by combining two or more used beakers, which lid comprises a profiled edge section (12 ) adapted to be arranged on and close an opening to the cup, and the surface part of the lid within said rim comprises a number of mutually adjacent tabs (16) formed by designing continuous slits (18) in the surface part, characterized in that each tab is designed with a downward bend in the tab area (21) adjacent to the edge section (12) while the tabs (16) forward towards the center of the lid/tab tips (15) run approximately straight forward or slightly downward, and the flap-like slits (18) which cut through the lid material extend from the center of the lid (15) and radially outwards almost to the edge section (12), so that: a first beaker (11') with an attached lid (10), with its bottom can be guided through the lid portion of a second cup (11"), during a permanent bending and deformation of the tabs (16), until the first upper cup (11') is approximately pressed down inside the lower cup (11"). 2. Lid construction in accordance with one of claims 1, characterized in that the construction is designed so that a large number of cups (11'; 11") with lids (10) can be stacked, one on top of the other, without first removing the cup lids. 3. Locomotive construction in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the slots (18) run from the center (15) and radially outward adjacent to the edge section (12) up to approx. 2 mm from the edge section of the lid. 4. Lid construction in accordance with one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the central part of the lid (10) with tabs (16) extends slightly downwards and inwards towards the center of the lid (15) so that the lid with the lid surface forms an approximate creamer housing shape. 5. Lid construction in accordance with one of the preceding claims, characterized in that each flap (16) forms an upward-facing dorsal side (21) and a downward-facing belly side. 6. Locomotive construction in accordance with one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises 4 diagonally extending slits (18) with mutually equal or unequal angular distance, so that 8 tabs (16) are formed whose respective pointed ends are abutting each other in a center (15) of the surface part. 7. Lid construction in accordance with one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the plastic material in the flaps of the surface portion has a thickness of an order of magnitude such that smaller waste objects (20) such as snuff lumps and chewing gum can fall down through the lid (10) during deflection of the lid- the tabs (16) under the influence of gravity alone. 8. Lid construction in accordance with one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the surface part of the lid (10) has a thickness of up to 0.5 mm, particularly preferably 0.15-0.30 mm and most preferably 0.20 mm. 9. Lid construction in accordance with one of the preceding claims 13-19, characterized in that the lid (10) is made of a plastic material, such as PE, PVC or APET plastic. 10. Procedure for manufacturing a lid (10) for a cup, box etc. (11), as stated in the previous claims 1-9, in particular of a plastic material, where the lid 810) comprises a profiled edge section (12) adapted to be arranged on the opening edge of the cup, and close access thereto, and where the surface part of the lid within said edge comprises a number of mutually adjacent tabs (16) formed by designing continuous slits (18) in the surface part where the tabs are produced by guiding a punching tool (40,41,44) and pressing down against the surface part of the lid from its upper side and punching out the slits while the surface part rests against a substrate, characterized in that during punching the lower surface part of the lid (10) is arranged and pressed against a support section which gives the flaps (16) a downward bend in the area adjacent to the edge section, while the flaps forward towards the center of the lid/the flap tips (15) extend slightly downwards and approximately straight. 11. Method in accordance with claim 10, characterized in that the tool (40,41,44) punches out slits (18) which extend from the center of the lid (15) and radially outward adjacent to the edge section (12), preferably to approx. 2 mm from the edge section of the lid. 12. Method in accordance with claims 10-11, characterized in that the slits are formed in the surface part of the lid immediately after the lid has been produced, the slits being punched out while the lid material (plastic) still has a temperature approximately equal to or somewhat lower than the injection molding temperature, i.e. higher than the ambient temperature. 13. Method according to one of the preceding claims 10-12, characterized in that the slits (18) are punched out so that the central part of the lid with flaps is bent slightly downwards so that it takes on an approximate creamer housing shape. 14. Method in accordance with one of the preceding claims 10-13, characterized in that during the punching out the lower surface part of the lid is arranged and pressed against a support surface where each flap support surface, between each slitting means in the tool, has an upward-facing back side and a downward-facing belly side for to form corresponding shapes in each individual tab. 15. Method in accordance with one of the preceding claims 10-14, characterized in that 4 diagonally extending slits (18) are punched out using a cutting slitting device, so that 8 flaps are formed whose respective pointed ends are in contact with each other in the center of the flat part . 16. Method in accordance with one of the preceding claims 10-15, characterized in that the lid is made of a plastic material where the flaps in the surface part have a thickness of an order of magnitude which means that smaller waste items can fall down through the lid during deflection of the lid flaps below influence of gravity alone. 17. Method in accordance with one of the preceding claims 10-16, characterized in that a slitting tool is used with a holder of an elongated stem (40) with a number of knife edges (44) where each knife edge from the tip end (centre) slopes upwards and outwards from the stem (40), so that when the holder is lowered to cut the slits, the cut starts from the center and continues out towards the edge section of the lid. 18. Method according to one of the preceding claims 10-17, characterized in that the surface part of the lid has a thickness of up to 0.5 mm, particularly preferably 0.15-0.30 mm and most preferably 0.2 mm. 19. Method in accordance with one of the preceding claims 10-18, characterized in that a plastic material is used in the lid, such as PE, PVC or APET plastic. 20. Method in accordance with one of the preceding claims 10-19, characterized in that slits (18) are punched in a number of lids (10) arranged in a stack one on top of the other, the punching being carried out by having extra high pressure and speed to drive the slotting knives (41,44) through the lids, which then causes the tabs to bend downwards. 21. Method in accordance with one of the preceding claims 10-20, characterized in that slits (18) are punched out in one operation in a stack of 15-25 lids one on top of the other, preferably about 20 lids. 22. Apparatus for producing continuous slits (18) in a lid for a beaker as specified in the preceding claims 1-9, comprising a base for arranging the lid for slitting, as well as a holder comprising a number of knives for forming slits when holder and base are moved relative to each other, and where the substrate comprises a number of depressions into which the knives go when these are guided down through the thickness of the lid and the slits in the lid are punched out, characterized in that each substrate section for the flap support surface, between each slitting member, is designed with a downward bend in the flap area (21) adjacent to the edge section, while the flap support surface towards the center of the lid/the flap tips runs approximately straight forward or slightly downwards in relation to a lid's main plane. 23. Apparatus in accordance with claim 22, characterized by a curvature in that the support surface has an upward-facing ridge-forming side. 24. Apparatus in accordance with claims 22-23, characterized in that the holder of the slotting tool (40,41,44) comprises an elongated stem with a number of knife edges where each knife edge from the tip end (centre) slopes upwards and outwards from the stem, so that when the holder is lowered to cut out the slits (18), the cutting starts from the center and continues towards the edge section of the lid.