Pleated disposable paper cup
There is now provided a pleated disposable paper cup with a zigzag shaped, pleated cylindrical body, an open top and closed bottom. The cup is constructed of a paper card stock evenly folded to create parallel pleats that serve to decrease the energy transfer between hot or cold beverages contained in the cup and a user's hand, enabling the user to hold onto the container for an extended period of time without pain or discomfort. The details in the patents, patent applications and publications may be considered to be incorporable, at applicant's option, into the claims during prosecution as further limitations in the claims to patentably distinguish any amended claims from any applied prior art. The abstract of the disclosure is submitted herewith as required by 37 C.F.R. §1.72(b). As stated in 37 C.F.R. §1.72(b): A brief abstract of the technical disclosure in the specification must commence on a separate sheet, preferably following the claims, under the heading “Abstract of the Disclosure.” The purpose of the abstract is to enable the Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and gist of the technical disclosure. The abstract shall not be used for interpreting the scope of the claims. Therefore, the abstract is not intended to limit the claims in any manner and should not be interpreted as limiting the claims in any manner.
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a pleated disposable cup or like receptacles and method of manufacture thereof.
2. Background Information
Double-cupping is widely used in the industry to solve the problem of cups being too hot to handle safely. Supplementary insulating sleeves such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,205,473 represent another method that has been employed to make paper cups safer to use when filled with hot contents. Multi-layered paper cups have also been designed to provide insulation between hot liquid contents and a user's hand, such as, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,908,523 to Shikaya, 1995; U.S. Pat. No. 5,205,473 to Coffin, Sr., 1993; U.S. Pat. No. 5,547,124 to Mueller, 1996; U.S. Pat. No. 5,769,311 to Norika et al., 1998; U.S. Pat. No. 5,775,577 to Titus 1999 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,378,766 to Sadlier, 2002.
OBJECTIt is a primary object of the present invention to provide a disposable paper cup which is of a more effective and efficient configuration than those mentioned herein above, and to alleviate the problems associated with the need to provide insulation between cups or containers which contain hot or cold contents and a hand of a user.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a disposable paper or card stock material cup which is aesthetically attractive, distinctive, and simple in construction, and in which insulation qualities have been incorporated into the structure and design of the cup to protect the hand of a user from the hot or cold content of the cup, without the need for supplementary insulating sleeves or double-cupping.
SUMMARYThe primary feature of the present invention provides a substantially improved insulation quality by a main, cylindrical body component with a wall structure that has a zigzag pleated shape to allow airflow between the full body of the cup and a hand of a user. Also, contact between a hand of a user and the main body of the cup is minimized to the outer points of the pleats or ridges of the body, thereby substantially reducing the surface area of the cup which may be heated or cooled by the content of the cup while also contacting a hand of a user. Accordingly, safety and ease of use are greatly improved.
The object may also be accomplished by a container for holding hot liquids, cold liquids, food items, and the like, said container comprising: a wall structure comprising a plurality of ridges and valleys being interior ridges and valleys in the finished condition of said container and said interior ridges and valleys being configured to be in direct contact with a content of said container; and said wall structure comprising a plurality of ridges and valleys being exterior ridges and valleys in the finished condition of said container, said exterior valleys being configured to permit flow of air to cool the exterior of said container and said exterior ridges being configured to minimize exposure to heat or to cold to a hand of a user.
The object may further be accomplished by a disposable container for holding hot liquids, cold liquids, food items, and the like, said container comprising: a structure having a length dimension and a width dimension greater than said width dimension in the unassembled condition of said container and being configured to form a cylindrical shaped body with a top and a bottom remote from said top by said width dimension; said structure comprising a plurality of ridges and valleys being interior ridges and valleys in the assembled condition of said container and said interior ridges and valleys being configured to be in direct contact with a content of said container; said structure comprising a plurality of ridges and valleys being exterior ridges and valleys in the assembled condition of said container, said exterior valleys being configured to permit flow of air to cool the exterior of said container and said exterior ridges being configured to minimize exposure to heat or to cold to a hand of a user; a bottom structure being configured and disposed to close said bottom of said container; and an arrangement being configured and disposed to form a mouth portion at said top of said container.
There is also provided a disposable container wherein said stock structure comprises a card stock, a paper stock or a paper-like material as known in the art with at least one moisture repellant side. Such material may, in one embodiment of my invention, be a biodegradable material. In one embodiment, the cup is made of a paperboard having a coating comprising a thin layer of polyethylene. In one embodiment, the paperboard is coated on both sides with polyethylene. I will be appreciated that my invention is applicable to a cup such as known as NO. 2346P37636 DIXIE® GEORGIA-PACIFIC CORPORATION BRAMPTON, ONTARION MADE IN CANADA K cup; or as MANUFACTURED BY CONFERENCE CUP LTD. LONDON, CANADA 350-9517-G cup; or as MADE BY/FABRIQUE PAR SOLO CUP CO., CHICAGO, Ill., U.S.A. C NO. 372ST075 A-2 12 oz (355 ml) SPECIAL DESIGN HOT CUP cup; or as 10HT4 LILY Toronto, Canada lily@sweetheart.com L1459 cup; or as 575HTB LILY Toronto, Canada lily@sweetheart.com L1459 cup; or as ROLL UP THE RIM TO WIN cup that does not have markings; or as 2346 JAMES RIVER INC. BRAMPTON; ONTARIO D.S. 9277 cup; or as © 2003 McDonald's Corporation (13159) 3 cup, including a sleeve according to U.S. Pat. No. 5,205,473; or as © 1997 SOLO CUP CO., CHICAGO, Ill., U.S.A. NO. 378S1 8 oz (237 ml) HOT CUP cup; or as NO. 185, FLOWING FLOWERS © FORT JAMES [RIVER?] CORPORATION, MADE IN U.S.A. E cup; or as DART A00 077 12J12 cup. Such cups are widely used at least in Canada by various food outlets. Such cups and their material of construction are hereby incorporated by reference as if set forth in their entirety herein.
There is also provided a disposable container according wherein said ridges and valleys comprise at least one of isosceles ridges and valleys and rounded ridges and valleys.
There is also provided a disposable container wherein said ridges and valleys have a height dimension of approximately one quarter of an inch.
There is also provided a method of producing a container with a zigzag shaped, pleated body or sidewall component of a paper or card stock material, or paper-like material, which method comprises placing the blank cut to predetermined dimensions across the cavity of a die set, and then lowering the top part of the die set on top of the card stock or blank so that the weight of the top part of the die set pushes the card stock into the shape of said cavity to form a predetermined piece of pleated cardstock. The piece of card stock thereby shaped and produced will herein also be called the cylindrical sidewall component of the container.
BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS
The cut blank 10 has an upper edge 12 and a lower edge 14 which edges 12 and 14 are spaced apart from one another by the width of the blank 10 which width yields the height of the container C. The blank 10 has lateral edges 16 and 18 that can be joined to one another so as to fashion the desired cylindrical or frusto-conical configuration of the cup or container 10. It is one feature of my container that an area such as 20 is available for graphics or indicia.
The top portion of
Thus, the bottom portion of
Thus, reference numeral 91 represents a piston that may be employed to push the bottom component 30 into place within the cylindrical body and maintain pressure until the applied glue dries.
Reference numeral 92 represents the area where the glue may be applied.
Reference numeral 93 indicates hot air pressure being applied to reduce the drying time of the adhesive material, thereby accelerating the manufacturing process.
Reference numeral 114 represents the cylindrical body 10 being inserted into the bottom side of the mouthpiece 40, where the two components are attached with an adhesive agent to one another.
Reference numeral 115 represents the pre-engineered metal holder of the mouthpiece 115 which may be equipped with a hot-air drying system to speed assembly.
Thus, the pleated card stock which constitutes the body of the cup C is wrapped around to form the cylindrical or desired shape, with the two side edges 16 and 18 of the card stock 10 overlapping and being joined together with the adhesive. The zigzag bottom component 30 may be die cut from a one-half inch pressed, recycled paper which gives strength and rigidity to the whole structure and bonds easily to the cylindrical body 10 of the cup C. Strategically placed staples can be used to reinforce the adhesive bond between the body of the cup and the bottom component 30, increasing the safety of the cup by ensuring the bottom 30 cannot fall out.
The cup can be manufactured in different sizes and configurations to suit different applications. The standard disposable beverage cup will have a smaller, zigzag shaped bottom component and a narrower overall diameter, while a larger zigzag shaped bottom component will be employed to produce soup or ice cream containers requiring a wider diameter. The circular mouthpiece component 40 may be made of soft grade plastic or paper fibers and will have an open bottom side designed to receive the upper edge of the cylindrical body of cup C for purposes of attachment and adhesion between the mouthpiece 40 and the body components.
This container will be easier to grip then similar products and will feature a greatly reduced rate of energy transfer (heat or cold) between the contents and the hand of a holder, thus maximizing both comfort and safety for the user.
The zigzag shaped, pleated sidewall component or blank 10 may be formed into a cylindrical body by bringing together the two sides of the pleated card stock that forms the sidewall and attaching them by means of adhesive glue.
The cup will have a circular rim attached by means of adhesive glue to the upper portion of the zigzag shaped, pleated cylindrical body. Such circular rim constitutes the mouthpiece. A flat one-quarter of an inch to one-half of an inch pressed paper, zigzag shaped closure attached by means of adhesive glue to the lower end of the zigzag shaped, pleated cylindrical body 10 constitutes the bottom component 30.
The upper rim or mouthpiece 40 being a separate entity constructed of soft plastic or paper fiber may be pressed into place and glued to the top edge of the zigzag shaped, pleated cylindrical body, thereby becoming a constituent part of the whole cup or container C.
The pleats or folds being one-quarter of an inch each from peak to valley create a zigzag shaped cylindrical body of the desired dimension which size can be varied in width by increasing or reducing the number of pleats in the body and/or by adjusting the angle between the pleats.
The size of the bottom component 30 will be determined by the dimensions of the zigzag shaped, pleated cylindrical body to which said bottom component is intended to be attached in manufacture to constitute a container of predetermined overall dimension.
The size of the mouthpiece component 40 relative to the size of the bottom component 30 will determine the shape of the container insofar as differences in diameter between said top and bottom components will create and define a degree of taper in the overall shape of the container.
My claim is that we can use the same concept of card stock folded into a zigzag shaped, pleated container body to produce other containers than disposable paper cups. The number and dimensions of the pleats, the determined length of the body, and the dimension of the top and bottom components of the container will dictate the size and exact overall shape of the final container.
The zigzag shaped bottom component of the container will be precut from a large piece of pressed, recycled paper fibers. The top interior side will have a thin layer of moisture repellant wax and the bottom or exterior side will have a card stock layer that can accept ink for purposes of graphic reproduction.
The bottom component 30 will be secured to the zigzag shaped, pleated cylindrical body component by means of a combination of adhesive glue and supplementary, strategically placed staples.
The upper edges of the zigzag shaped, pleated cylindrical body of the container will be pressed into the bottom side of the circular mouthpiece, which is designed to receive such upper edge of the pleated body 10 so that the two parts can be easily attached and bonded together with adhesive glue. The mouthpiece component of the container will be sized to accommodate the standard cut tops widely available on the market.
My present invention also relates to a method for folding a moisture repellant wax coated card stock or commensurate material into a zigzag shaped, pleated body with ridges and valleys to create a disposable paper cup which can be manufactured simply and effectively.
The resulting cup with its pleated exterior surface is much easier to grip for the user and provides greatly improved insulation between the user's hand and the body of the cup. Such folded pleats also enhance the strength and rigidity of the whole structure of the cup. The cup is therefore functionally superior and much safer to use.
Thus, in one aspect, the present invention relates to a pleated disposable cup or like containers or receptacles and/or attendant structures and methods of manufacture thereof.
The following U.S. patents the references contained therein and the references in which they, in turn, are cited, are hereby incorporated by reference as if set forth in their entirety herein:
- U.S. Pat. No. 697,496 issued to Klotz on Apr. 15, 1902;
- U.S. Pat. No. 1,189,822 issued to House on Jul. 4, 1916;
- U.S. Pat. No. 2,617,549 issued to Egger on Nov. 11, 1952;
- U.S. Pat. No. 3,001,683 issued to Goodwin on Sep. 26, 1961;
- U.S. Pat. No. 3,007,377 issued to Muller on Nov. 7, 1961;
- U.S. Pat. No. Re. 25,618 issued to Goodman on Jul. 14, 1964;
- U.S. Pat. No. 3,194,468 issued to Baron on Jul. 13, 1965;
- U.S. Pat. No. 3,437,253 issued to Davis on Apr. 8, 1969;
- U.S. Pat. No. 3,443,714 issued to Edwards on May 13, 1969;
- U.S. Pat. No. 3,443,715 issued to Edwards on May 13, 1969;
- U.S. Pat. No. 3,503,310 issued to Goetz on Mar. 31, 1970;
- U.S. Pat. No. 3,908,523 issued to Shikaya on Sep. 30, 1975;
- U.S. Pat. No. 3,931,380 issued to Belivakici et al. on Jan. 6, 1976;
- U.S. Pat. No. 4,094,234 issued to Olney et al. on Jun. 13, 1978;
- U.S. Pat. No. 4,268,335 issued to Herbst on May 19, 1981;
- U.S. Pat. No. 4,284,226 issued to Herbst on Aug. 18, 1981;
- U.S. Pat. No. 4,706,873 issued to Schulz on Nov. 17, 1987;
- U.S. Pat. No. 4,548,348 issued to Clements on Oct. 22, 1985;
- U.S. Pat. No. 4,706,873 issued to Schulz on Nov. 17, 1987;
- U.S. Pat. No. 5,085,366 issued to Durgin et al. on Feb. 4, 1992;
- U.S. Pat. No. 5,205,473 issued to Coffin, Sr. on Apr. 27, 1993;
- U.S. Pat. No. 5,213,858 issued to Tanner et al. on May 25, 1993;
- U.S. Pat. No. 5,415,339 issued to Howard on May 16, 1995;
- U.S. Pat. No. 5,547,124 issued to Mueller on Aug. 20, 1996;
- U.S. Pat. No. 5,705,238 issued to Andersen et al. on Jan. 6, 1998;
- U.S. Pat. No. 5,765,716 issued to Cai et al. on Jun. 16, 1998;
- U.S. Pat. No. 5,769,311 issued to Morita et al. on Jun. 23, 1998;
- U.S. Pat. No. 5,849,381 issued to Clements on Dec. 15, 1998;
- U.S. Pat. No. 6,053,352 issued to Cai on Apr. 25, 2000;
- U.S. Pat. No. 6,152,363 issued to Rule, Jr. on Nov. 28, 2000;
- U.S. Pat. No. 6,190,741 issued to Miranda on Feb. 20, 2001;
- U.S. Pat. No. 6,228,201 issued to Cooper et al. on May 8, 2001;
- U.S. Pat. No. 6,378,766 issued to Sadlier on Apr. 30, 2002;
- U.S. Pat. No. 6,521,147 issued to Arentsen et al. on Feb. 18, 2003;
- U.S. Pat. No. 6,531,196 issued to Aho et al. on Mar. 11, 2003;
- U.S. Pat. No. 6,554,154 issued to Chauhan et al. on Apr. 29, 2003;
- U.S. Pat. No. 6,598,786 issued to Guo on Jul. 29, 2003; and
- U.S. Pat. No. 6,601,728 issued to Newkirk et al. on Aug. 5, 2003.
The components disclosed in the various publications, disclosed or incorporated by reference herein, may be used in the embodiments of the present invention, as well as equivalents thereof. The appended drawings in their entirety, including all dimensions, proportions and/or shapes in at least one embodiment of the invention, are schematically accurate and are hereby included by reference into this specification. All, or substantially all, of the components and methods of the various embodiments may be used with at least one embodiment or all of the embodiments, if more than one embodiment is described herein. All of the patents, patent applications and publications recited herein, and recited in the Declaration attached hereto, and the references recited in such incorporated references are hereby incorporated by reference as if set forth in their entirety herein. All of the references and documents, cited in any of the documents cited herein, and the references they are in turn cited in, are hereby incorporated by reference as if set forth in their entirety herein. All of the documents cited herein, referred to in the immediately preceding sentence, include all of the patents, patent applications and publications cited anywhere in the present application. All of the references included herein as aforesaid include the corresponding equivalents published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office and elsewhere. The details in the patents, patent applications and publications may be considered to be incorporable, at Applicant's option, into the claims during prosecution as further limitations in the claims to patentably distinguish any amended claims from any applied prior art. The details in the patents, patent applications and publications may be considered to be incorporable, at Applicant's option, into the claims during prosecution as further limitations in the claims to patentably distinguish any amended claims from any applied prior art.
Although only a few exemplary embodiments of this invention have been described in detail above, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined in the following claims. In the claims, means-plus-function clauses, if any, are intended to cover the structures described herein as performing the recited function and not only structural equivalents but also equivalent structures.
The invention as described hereinabove in the context of the preferred embodiments is not to be taken as limited to all of the provided details thereof, since modifications and variations thereof may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
Claims
1. A disposable container for holding hot liquids, cold liquids, food items, and the like, said container comprising:
- a moisture repellant card stock, or the like material, structure having a length dimension and a width dimension greater than said width dimension in the unassembled condition of said container and being configured to form a cylindrical shaped body with a top and a bottom remote from said top by said width dimension;
- said card stock structure comprising a plurality of ridges and valleys being interior ridges and valleys in the assembled condition of said container and said interior ridges and valleys being configured to be in direct contact with a content of said container;
- said card stock structure comprising a plurality of ridges and valleys being exterior ridges and valleys in the assembled condition of said container, said exterior valleys being configured to permit flow of air to cool the exterior of said container and said exterior ridges being configured to minimize exposure to heat or to cold to a hand of a user;
- a bottom structure being configured to be disposed to close said bottom of said container; and
- an arrangement being configured to be disposed to form a mouth portion at said top of said container.
2. The disposable container according to claim 1, wherein:
- said stock structure comprises a card stock with at least one moisture repellant wax-coated side.
3. The disposable container according to claim 2, wherein:
- said ridges and valleys comprise at least one of isosceles ridges and valleys and rounded ridges and valleys.
4. The disposable container according to claim 3, wherein:
- said ridges and valleys have a height dimension of approximately one quarter of an inch.
5. The disposable container according to claim 4, wherein:
- said card stock is configured to withstand a temperature of approximately 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
6. A method of making a container comprising a moisture repellant card stock, or the like material, structure having a length dimension and a width dimension greater than said width dimension in the unassembled condition of said container and being configured to form a cylindrical shaped body with a top and a bottom remote from said top by said width dimension; said card stock structure comprising a plurality of ridges and valleys being interior ridges and valleys in the assembled condition of said container and said interior ridges and valleys being configured to be in direct contact with a content of said container; said card stock structure comprising a plurality of ridges and valleys being exterior ridges and valleys in the assembled condition of said container, said exterior valleys being configured to permit flow of air to cool the exterior of said container and said exterior ridges being configured to minimize exposure to heat or to cold to a hand of a user; a bottom structure being configured to be disposed to close said bottom of said container; and an arrangement being configured to be disposed to form a mouth portion at said top of said container, said method comprising the steps of:
- cutting a blank to predetermined dimensions;
- placing said cut blank across the cavity of a die set
- lowering the top part of the die set on top of the blank so that the weight of the top part of the die set pushes the card stock into the shape of the cavity to form a predetermined piece of pleated cardstock configured to provide the sidewall component of said container, said pleated card stock thus having ridges and valleys being interior ridges and valleys in the finished condition of said container and said interior ridges and valleys being configured to be in direct contact with a content of said container; and
- a plurality of ridges and valleys being exterior ridges and valleys in the finished condition of said container, said exterior valleys being configured to permit flow of air to cool the exterior of said container and said exterior ridges being configured to minimize exposure to heat or cold to a hand of a user.
7. The method according to claim 6, wherein:
- aid stock structure comprises a card stock with at least one moisture repellant wax-coated side.
8. The method according to claim 7, wherein:
- said ridges and valleys comprise at least one of isosceles ridges and valleys and rounded ridges and valleys.
9. The method according to claim 8, wherein:
- said ridges and valleys have a height dimension of approximately one quarter of an inch.
10. The method according to claim 9, wherein:
- said card stock is configured to withstand a temperature of approximately 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
11. A blank configured to provide a container side wall for a disposable container for holding hot liquids, cold liquids, food items, and the like, said blank comprising:
- a structure having a length dimension and a width dimension greater than said width dimension in the unassembled condition of said container and being configured to form a body with a top and a bottom remote from said top by said width dimension;
- said structure comprising a plurality of ridges and valleys being interior ridges and valleys in the assembled condition of said container and said interior ridges and valleys being configured to be in direct contact with a content of said container; and
- said structure comprising a plurality of ridges and valleys being exterior ridges and valleys in the assembled condition of said container, said exterior valleys being configured to permit flow of air to cool the exterior of said container and said exterior ridges being configured to minimize exposure to heat or to cold to a hand of a user.
12. The blank according to claim 11, wherein:
- said structure comprises a paperboard stock material.
13. The blank according to claim 12, wherein said stock material is coated on at least one side with at least one of: a moisture repellant wax-coating and polyethylene.
14. The blank according to claim 13, wherein:
- said ridges and valleys comprise at least one of isosceles ridges and valleys and rounded ridges and valleys.
15. The blank according to claim 14, wherein:
- said ridges and valleys have a height dimension of approximately one quarter of an inch.
16. The blank according to claim 15, wherein:
- said card stock is configured to withstand a temperature of approximately 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
Type: Application
Filed: May 20, 2004
Publication Date: Nov 24, 2005
Inventor: Conrad Martin (Toronto)
Application Number: 10/849,262