Cup holder

Abstract

A handleless holder (1) for a separate, disposable cup (4) which holder (1) comprises a sleeve (2) which is shaped and/or dimensioned to receive and support the cup (4) so that the lip (5) of the cup (4) is spaced above the sleeve (2) to enable a hot liquid to be drunk from the cup (4) wherein the holder (1) is formed from a moulded plastics material and includes a band comprising a core of foamed plastics material providing thermal insulation to enable the user to hold the cup (4) at the band when it contains a hot liquid.

Description

[0001] This invention relates to a cup holder for a cup which holder provides thermal insulation to enable a user to hold the cup containing a hot liquid; for example a hot beverage or other hot liquid comestibles.

[0002] Convenience food and drink chains which dispense hot beverages such as coffee and tea and other hot liquid comestibles such as soup use large quantities of disposable cups typically of paper or plastics material. At peak vending times, many people require fast service, and hot cups of coffee, tea and soup are handled by many customers, and the personnel serving them. As coffee, tea and soup need to be dispensed at comparatively high temperatures to suit popular taste, the cups are usually too hot to handle for any length of time and there is a problem of holding them to drink the contents, and a greater problem in carrying them away for later consumption. Moreover, often people change hands when holding cups of hot liquid so there is also a greater risk of dropping the cups. The problem facing the invention, is to provide a low-cost and effective means of holding hot beverages in disposable cups used in retail outlets where many beverages need to be dispensed rapidly to large numbers of people.

[0003] According to the invention, there is provided a handleless holder for a separate, disposable cup which holder comprises a sleeve which is shaped and/or dimensioned to receive and support the cup so that the lip of the cup is spaced above the sleeve to enable a hot liquid to be drunk from the cup wherein the holder is formed from a moulded plastics material, and includes a band comprising a core of foamed plastics material providing thermal insulation to enable the user to hold the cup at the band when it contains a hot liquid.

[0004] In accordance with a further aspect of this invention there is provided a process for the manufacture of a holder of the invention as herein described, which process comprises:

[0005] injecting a mixture of a molten mass of plastics material and a pneumatogen therefor into a mould generally defining the shape of the holder which holder includes a relatively thick band;

[0006] cooling the moulded mass until the relatively thick band has a molten core beneath a solidified surface; and

[0007] returning the moulded mass to ambient pressure thereby permitting the pneumatogen in the band core to foam the plastics material to the final shape and/or dimensions of the holder.

[0008] This invention further provides a holder wherever prepared by the process of this invention.

[0009] Preferably, the sleeve has an inner, substantially conical dimension or shape to accommodate a conical cup. This enables the cup to be placed in the holder when it is standing on a serving surface, following which the holder can be gripped and raised in order to lift the cup from the surface. The cross-section of the sleeve is smaller than the upper section of the cup adjacent the lip, so that the cup slides into the sleeve and is then retained by the upper section. This facilitates applying the sleeve to the cup and ensuring that the cup is firmly located before it is carried away, or used for drinking. The holder not only provides the thermal insulation to enable the cup to be held for longer periods, but also prevents the cup from sliding too far down into the sleeve, so that a circular region of the cup still projects above the top of the sleeve, thereby enabling this region to be placed against the user's lips when drinking the contents. The holder therefore does not prevent the user from drinking from the cup in the normal way.

[0010] Preferably, the sleeve is profiled so as to provide gaps between the sleeve and the side of the cup in order to improve the thermal insulation. Moreover the outer surface of the holder can be profiled to improve the user's grip thereon. Both of these features can be achieved by using a holder with a waisted cross-section.

[0011] Preferably, the holder has an out-turned lip which improves the rigidity of the holder and this lip is preferably of enlarged section.

[0012] Preferably, the holder has a lower skirt; for example, it is particularly preferred that the lower skirt is formed as a curved return edge which provides increased grip and stability for the cup.

[0013] The moulded plastics material may include any low-cost plastics material, suitably a polymeric material, which maintains its dimensional integrity at the temperature of boiling water. It may be a thermo plastic material such as a homo- or copolymer of a substituted or unsubstituted olefin other than ethylene; for example, polypropylene especially isotatic propylene; polystyrene; or poly(vinyl chloride). It may also be formed in situ by reactive injection moulding (RIM); for example, a polyurethane. Such materials may be thermoplastic or therrmoset materials.

[0014] The pneumatogen admixed, typically in an amount of up to 5 wt. % but usually up to 1 wt. %, with the plastics material can be any material, typically a low molecular weight compound, which by volatilation and/or decomposition, yields a vapour which causes the core of the band to foam. Examples include (for polystyrene) volatile hydrocarbons such as n-pentane; carbonates which decompose at elevated temperature to yield carbon dioxide; and. (in the case of polyurethanes) water which reacts with a portion of the reactant isocyanate to form carbon dioxide. The plastics material charged to the injection moulder may include an amount, typically up to 10%, of virgin or post-industrial regrind.

[0015] An embodiment of the invention will now be described with the reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0016] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a holder for a cup;

[0017] FIG. 2 shows a cross-section of the cup within the holder and

[0018] FIGS. 3a and 3b show the cup in use.

[0019] Referring to the drawings, a holder 1 for a cup, includes a sleeve 2 which receives the cup. The cup and the sleeve 2 are of a generally complimentary conical shape, i.e. so that the holder 1 can be placed on a surface 3 (FIG. 3a) the cup can be placed inside the sleeve 2, and then the holder 1 can be gripped and raised in order to drink the beverage (FIG. 3b). The cup has a lip 5 and the cross-section of the sleeve 2 is smaller than an upper section 4 of the cup adjacent the lip 5. Accordingly, the cup slides into the sleeve 2 and is retained by this upper section 4, thereby leaving a circular region between the upper lip 2a of the holder 1 and the lip 5 of the cup. This provides a more convenient and comfortable arrangement for drinking a hot beverage from the cup.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 2, the cross-section of holder 1 includes an out turned upper lip 2a of enlarged section, and a waisted portion including inner ribs 8, 9, and a lower skirt portion 10. The inner ribs 8, 9 provide gaps between the sleeve 2 and the side of the cup 1 thereby improving thermal insulation. The outer surface has complimentary ribs 11, 12 which improve the user's grip. The enlarged lip 2a, which is out turned, improves the rigidity of the sleeve.

[0021] As seen in FIGS. 1 and 3a, the holder 1 has a lower skirt 10, which enables the holder to be stood on a wet surface 3 without taking up too much liquid, e.g. spilt tea or coffee.

[0022] The holder 1 can be made of any low-cost thermally insulating material, such as isotatic polypropylene.

[0023] In use, the cup is placed within the sleeve 2 which rests on the worksurface 3. In this position, as shown in FIG. 3a, there is a wide clearance 14 between the inner surface of sleeve 2 and the outer surface of the cup. However, when the holder 1 is gripped and raised by a user 15, free of the surface 3, the sleeve 2 slides up the cup to hold it as shown in FIG. 3b. This insulates the hot contents from the user's hand, whilst supporting the cup for normal drinking.

Claims

1-12 (Canceled)

13. A handleless holder for a separate, disposable cup which holder comprises a sleeve which is shaped and/or dimensioned to receive and support the cup so that the lip of the cup is spaced above the sleeve to enable a hot liquid to be drunk from the cup, the cross-section of the sleeve being smaller than the upper section of the cup adjacent the lip, wherein the holder is formed from a moulded plastics material and includes a band comprising a core of foamed plastics material providing thermal insulation to enable the user to hold the cup at the band when it contains a hot liquid.

14. A holder according to claim 13, wherein the sleeve has an inner conical dimension or shape to accommodate a conical cup; the cross section of the sleeve being smaller than an upper section of the cup adjacent the lip, so that the cup can slide into the sleeve and be retained by said upper portion.

15. A holder according to claim 13, wherein the inner surface of the sleeve is profiled so as to provide gaps between the sleeve and the side of the cup, whereby thermal insulation is improved.

16. A holder according to claim 14, wherein the inner surface of the sleeve is profiled so as to provide gaps between the sleeve and the side of the cup, whereby thermal insulation is improved.

17. A holder according to claim 13, wherein the outer surface of the holder is profiled so as to improve the user's grip thereon.

18. A holder according to claim 14, wherein the outer surface of the holder is profiled so as to improve the user's grip thereon.

19. A holder according to claim 15, wherein the outer surface of the holder is profiled so as to improve the user's grip thereon.

20. A holder according to claim 13, wherein the holder has an out-turned lip.

21. A holder according to claim 20, wherein the lip is of enlarged section to improve the rigidity of the holder.

22. A holder according to claim 13, wherein the holder has a lower skirt.

23. A holder according to claim 22, wherein the skirt has a return edge.

24. A process for the manufacture of a holder according to claim 13, which process comprises:

injecting a mixture of a molten mass of plastics material and a pneumatogen therefor into a mould generally defining the shape of the holder which holder includes a relatively thick band;

cooling the moulded mass until the relatively thick band has a molten core beneath a solidified surface; and

returning the moulded mass to ambient pressure thereby permitting the pneumatogen in the band core to foam the plastics material to the final shape and/or dimensions of the holder.

25. A process for the manufacture of a cup holder, which process comprises:

injecting a mixture of a molten mass of plastics material and a pneumatogen therefor into a mould generally defining the shape of the holder which holder includes a relatively thick band;

cooling the moulded mass until the relatively thick band has a molten core beneath a solidified surface; and