US Patent 8464895 Beverage container with one-handed operation

A drinking vessel and lid assembly that is adapted for selectively opening an open end of the drinking vessel. The lid is selectively couplable to the drinking vessel and includes a selectively openable stopper that when closed, creates a fluid-tight seal between the drinking vessel and the environment. The stopper may be selectively opened by a user by the user pressing a button disposed on a side of the drinking vessel at a location where a user normally grasps the drinking vessel. The stopper is subsequently automatically closed when the user releases the button. Thus, a user may open and close the stopper using a single hand operation without the need to remove the lid from the drinking vessel.