US Patent 7484638 Plastic drink-through cup lid with fold-back tab

A method of providing access to the contents of a disposable drink cup having a plastic drink-through lid of the type having a deck, a peripheral skirt, and a partially separable, preformed tab in the deck to form a drink-through hold which does not extend through the peripheral skirt. The tab has an upstanding thumb catch preformed thereon. The fold back hinge is formed in the deck immediately adjacent the tab and spaced less than about one-half of the lid radius from the periphery. This creates a very short throw which allows a user to open the tab and lock it back with one finger of the same hand that is holding the cup.