Abstract: Drinking cup lids are especially adapted and configured to afford some measure of protection to the game piece from beverage seepage through a straw opening. Preferably, the cup lid is configured so that a game piece is spaced above the straw opening co-located within a recessed well of the lid thereby allowing beverage seepage to remain physically separated from the game piece. Access to the beverage within the cup is facilitated by providing a cross-cut straw aperture in the game piece which is in substantial alignment to the straw opening formed in the lid. A beveled segment of a raised plateau on which the game piece is affixed allows a tab associated with the game piece to be more easily grasped and removed by a customer to reveal the printed text/indicia of the game piece.

Abstract: Systems and methods for making a paperboard container include a sidewall blank heater assembly having upper and lower sidewall blank heaters for simultaneously heating upper and lower edge strips of the sidewall blank adjacent lateral edges thereof, and a bottom sidewall seam heater for heating a generally curved strip adjacent an arcuate bottom edge of the sidewall blank simultaneously with the upper and lower edge strips. The sidewall blank is thereafter curved about a forming mandrel at a container-forming station so as to overlap the heated upper and lower edge strips of the sidewall blank to form a longitudinal container side seam, while the bottom edge of the sidewall blank is brought into contact with a paperboard bottom wall blank to form an annular container bottom seam. A bottom seam heater assembly is most preferably provided for circumferentially heating the container bottom seam simultaneously while the sidewall blank is curved about the forming mandrel at the container-forming station.

Abstract: A machine and system are disclosed for filling containers with food products, such as liquid and semi-solid dairy products. The machine is driven by solenoid-controlled pneumatics and a servo-motor, all of which can be controlled by computer. The machine and system provide greater flexibility in changing the machine over from one product to another. The system also allows remote monitoring of the operation of the machine.

Abstract: Domed lids for beverage cups include an arcuately convex lower side wall section, and an arcuately convex upper side wall section protruding upwardly from the lower side wall section. Most preferably, each of these upper and lower side wall section is in the form of a respective spherical surface, with the upper side wall section having a lesser radius of curvature as compared to the radius of curvature of the lower side wall section. In particularly preferred forms, cup lids are provided having an arcuately convex lower side wall section establishing a circular base skirt adapted to being attached to an upper lip of a cup; and an arcuately convex upper side wall section. The upper side wall section is joined at a lower edge region thereof to the lower side wall section by means of an annular concavity, and protrudes coaxially upwardly from the lower side wall section to an annular apical edge region.

Abstract: Container filling systems include a container filling station which fills empty containers with a product, most preferably a frozen dessert. The container filling station will necessarily include a fill valve assembly which has a housing defining a inlet and discharge openings, and a cylindrical spool having a spool port defined therethrough. Preferably, the spool is mounted asymmetrically within said housing for rotation between an open and closed conditions. A container lid supply and transfer system is most preferably employed in the system of this invention and includes a lid supply assembly to provide an available stand-by supply of container lid stacks, a lid feeding assembly for sequentially feeding individual container lids onto an awaiting product-filled container, and a lid transfer assembly for transferring a lid stack from the lid supply assembly to the lid feeding assembly.

Abstract: Two-piece cups formed, e.g., from a thermoformable plastics material, include a bottom wall disc which is bonded to an inwardly turned annular bottom flange of the side wall by an upwardly and inwardly sloped transition wall. The transition wall allows the bottom wall disc to be bonded to the sidewall flange in such a manner that the annular bottom edge is substantially unaffected by the heat and pressures during the bonding process. The bottom wall disc may be in the form of multiple concentrically disposed, annular bottom wall segments which are connected to one another by respective ones of a plurality of transition walls.

Abstract: In a cup sealing system including a cup former and at least one burner for sealing a cup bottom seam where a cup side wall blank is mated with a bottom disk, with one portion of the side wall extending beyond the bottom disk, an improvement wherein at least one burner includes a burner head with a plurality of circumferentially arranged flame nozzles and a pilot flame aperture, the pilot flame aperture adapted to be located axially adjacent the one portion of the cup side wall; a flame ignitor/sensor positioned adjacent the flame aperture; and a combustion chamber which extends from a forward edge of the burner at the flame nozzles to a location axially beyond the container side wall to thereby achieve uniform heating of the extended portion of the cup side wall. The burner head also includes a pair of relatively movable sleeves adapted to create an annular pilot flame ring gap on start-up.

Abstract: Apparatus for lubricating and curling a rim of a paperboard container includes a housing block defining a central recess sized and configured to accept therein a rim of a paperboard container to be curled. An annular curling channel is disposed in the recess for curling the rim of the paperboard container in response to relative advancing movement between the paperboard container and the housing block. The housing block also defines an annular liquid channel concentrically disposed in surrounding relationship to the annular curling channel for distributing lubricating liquid. A porous liquid transfer ring is attached to the housing block in covering relationship to the annular liquid channel so that lubricating liquid supplied to the liquid channel comes into contact with the liquid transfer ring. The liquid transfer ring includes a circular edge surface which defines a central opening such that the liquid transfer ring extends at least partially over the curling channel.

Abstract: Spirally-wound circular side walls may be re-formed into non-circular geometries which are then mechanically joined to conformably shaped non-circular closure disks and thereby produce non-circular two-piece paperboard container lids.

Abstract: A container forming apparatus having multiple working stations for producing a two piece, open top, closed bottom container including means for feeding flat blanks to a first rotating turret; the first rotary turret fixed for rotation about a horizontal axis, and having a plurality of radially projecting mandrels thereon. Container bottoms are fed to the first rotating turret upstream of the flat blanks relative to a direction of rotation of the turret, and each of the flat blanks is folded in succession about respective mandrels. The bottoms are secured to each of the blanks by a vacuum at a first station to thereby form individual container assemblies. The drive indexes the turret so that each mandrel is rotated to successive workstations arranged circumferentially about the first turret. The successive workstations include at least one container bottom heating station, a bottom curl station and at least one bottom expander station.

Abstract: Syrup spray systems for producing frozen dessert cones include a manifold block defining a bore therethrough. At least one nozzle assembly is provided in fluid communication with the bore of the manifold block and having an actuator stem reciprocally movable between an inoperative condition (in which liquid syrup in the bore is prevented from being sprayed into an awaiting cone), and an operative condition (in which liquid syrup in the bore is sprayed into an awaiting cone). A control cylinder moves the actuator stem between the operative and inoperative conditions and is coupled removably to the actuator stem. In such a manner, the manifold block and the at least one nozzle assembly thereof may easily be removed from the control cylinder to permit repair and/or replacement thereof.

Abstract: A container lid includes a flap region that is selectively displaceable between a static raised position and a static depressed position. A flap is cut out of the flap region and is substantially integral with the flap region when the flap region is in the static raised position. When the flap region is displaced to the static depressed position, the flap separates from the flap region enabling liquid to flow therethrough. When the flap region is returned to the static raised position, the flap is again substantially integral with the flap region to thereby close the lid and prevent liquid from escaping. A knob is provided preferably integral with the flap region to facilitate displacement of the flap region.

Abstract: A "honeycombed" insulative sleeve is positionable around a portion of a beverage cup side wall. The sleeve is made from a preform which includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced-apart rows of generally longitudinally oriented and off-set slits. The slits thereby allow the sleeve to expand circumferentially when portioned on a portion of the beverage cup side wall and, by virtue of such circumferential expansion, thereby form the insulative honeycomb structure therearound.

Abstract: A tamper evident container assembly includes a container body having a bottom wall and peripheral side wall, the side wall terminating in an outwardly curled rim. A reusable lid includes a top wall portion and a depending skirt portion, the depending skirt portion constructed of spiral wound stock and having a free end, a major peripheral portion of the free end tucked under the upper rim and upwardly into engagement with the side wall, with a minor peripheral portion of the free end left untucked to thereby provide a gripping area to facilitate tearing and removal of the tear strip. The depending skirt portion is further provided in a lower portion thereof with a line of weakening extending annularly about the skirt portion to thereby define an annular removable tear strip inclusive of the free end, with the line of weakening lying on the rim, between upper and lower edges of the rim.