US Patent 7416093 Container with controlled-opening lid

A container having a controlled-opening lid includes a container body with an open end providing access to an interior space configured and dimensioned for receiving user-supplied contents, and a lid member configured and dimensioned to cover the open end of the container body when in a first position and permit access to the interior space when in a second position. A hinge is configured to move the lid member from the first position to the second position, the hinge including at least one damping mechanism for damping a biasing force provided by the hinge when the lid member moves from the first position to the second position. The container may be a beverage container or a physician's desk container for storing medical implements.