CUP

Abstract

A cup (2) for the storage and dispensing of a liquid is disclosed. The cup (2) comprises an inner cup (4), the open end of which is closed by an hermetic seal (8), and a sleeve (6) around the inner cup (4). The sleeve (6) engages with the inner cup (4) and extends beyond the open end of the inner cup (4).

Description

The present invention relates to a cup for the storage and dispensing of a liquid, for example a drink.

Paper cups are used widely in cafés and kiosks to serve hot drinks, such as coffee and hot chocolate, for consumers to drink where they are bought, or to take-away. Consumers are accustomed to drinking hot drinks from cups of this type and have come to associate them with high quality cafés and kiosks. In cafés and kiosks, drinks of this type are made to order using products, such as milk, which will quickly deteriorate in quality if stored at ambient temperatures for more than a few hours, or, at most, a few days. The cups may be provided with a lid to prevent spillage of the drink; however, the lids do not provide an air-tight seal and will not prolong the period of time for which the drink can be stored.

There is a demand for prepared drinks to be available in retail outlets, such as supermarkets, in a form that has a long shelf life so that they can be stored, and heated and consumed when desired.

According to the present invention there is provided a cup for storage and dispensing of a liquid comprising an inner cup, the open end of which is closed by an hermetic seal; and a sleeve around the inner cup engaging therewith, which extends beyond the open end of the cup.

Preferably, there is a liquid tight seal between the inner cup and the sleeve around the open end of the inner cup. Also according to the present invention there is provided a cup for storage and dispensing of a liquid comprising an inner cup, the open end of which is closed by an hermetic seal; and a sleeve around the inner cup engaging therewith such that a liquid tight seal exists between the rim of the cup and the inner surface of the sleeve.

Preferably, the filled inner cup has microbiological integrity, thus any micro-organisms on the outside of the inner cup will be unable to permeate through to the contents.

Preferably, the sleeve includes a wall closing the lower end thereof to form an outer cup.

Preferably, the sleeve and the inner cup engage together to prevent significant relative movement. In one embodiment, the inner surface of the sleeve has an annular channel with which the rim of the inner cup engages. More preferably, the rim of the inner cup has an annular flange which engages with the annular channel. This holds the inner cup in place within the sleeve to substantially prevent relative movement of the inner cup and the sleeve and can form a liquid tight seal to prevent leakage of liquid between the inner cup and the sleeve after opening.

Preferably, the inner cup is of a plastics material suitable for aseptic use. Once aseptically filled and hermetically sealed, the inner cup is substantially free from microbiological organisms so that the drink can be hygienically stored inside the inner cup at ambient temperatures for up to six months or more before consumption.

Preferably, the sleeve is paper, for example a conventional paper cup. In an aspect of the invention, and in preferred embodiments of the other aspect, the outer sleeve extends beyond the open end of the inner cup so that the consumer will not detect the inner cup with their lips. It will therefore feel to the consumer as if they are drinking from a conventional paper cup.

The hermetic seal can be provided by a lid of a metallic foil, such as aluminium foil, or a lid of a foil of a plastics material, or a lid of a laminate of a plastics material and/or metallic foils. Preferably, the lid includes a tab for removal of the lid from the inner cup when the consumer wishes to heat and drink the liquid in the cup. The tab may be at the edge of the lid or in the centre.

The cup may be used for liquids, in particular sterilised liquids, and the liquid may include solid edible pieces, for example a soup. The cup is particularly suitable for drinks and may be used for cold drinks, or for drinks which can be heated before consumption. If the drink is intended to be heated, the lid can include at least one vent hole which is sealed by the tab in order to retain the hermetic seal of the inner cup, but is openable by partial removal of the tab. The vent hole or holes can be opened by the consumer prior to heating and provide vents to avoid the build up of excessive pressure in the inner cup when the drink is heated.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a cup according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a cross section through the cup of FIG. 1.

The cup shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 comprises an inner cup 4 inside an outer cup 6. The inner cup 4 is a cup of a plastics material, of the type commonly used to store products which are subject to microbiological deterioration, for example dairy products such as cream and yoghurts. The main body 20 of the inner cup 4 is circular in cross section and tapers outwards from the bottom to the top. At the bottom of the inner cup 4, below the main body 20, is a lower portion 22 of a narrower diameter than the main body 20, which is connected to the main body by a shoulder 36. The lower portion 22 has a straight side wall and a bottom wall 24 with a circular recess 26, approximately 1 mm-2 mm deep. At the top of the inner cup is an upper portion 28, which flares outwards from the top of the main body 20. A flange protrudes horizontally from the edge of the upper portion to form a flat annular flange 30 around the rim of the inner cup 4.

The inner cup 4 is filled with a drink, such as a chocolate drink (not shown), which the consumer can heat up in the cup if desired. The inner cup 4 is manufactured by a conventional moulding method such as injection moulding or thermoforming and is filled with the drink in aseptic conditions, which ensures that the drink is sterile so that it has a relatively long shelf life. The drink itself may be subject to UHT (ultra heat treatment), or other treatment to sterilise it before packaging. The open end of the inner cup 4 is closed and hermetically sealed by a lid 8 made from a film of plastics material, which is adhered to the flange 30 of the upper portion 28.

The lid 8 has a tab 10 at the centre which when pulled upwards will, remove the lid 8 in one piece from the inner cup 4. At the centre of the lid 8, there is a vent hole (not shown) over which the tab 10 is sealed. The vent hole is openable by peeling the tab away from the lid and is intended to be opened before removing the lid 8, so that the drink can be heated in the cup, for example in a microwave oven.

The outer cup 6 is a largely conventional paper cup of the type used to serve hot beverages in cafés and kiosks, with an inner surface with an impermeable coating of a plastics material and a printed outer surface. The outer cup 6 is circular in cross section and tapers outwards from the bottom to the top. As shown in FIG. 3, the side wall of the outer cup 6 is rolled over outwardly by 360° or more at the open end of the cup to form a rounded annular lip 34. The cut edge of the outer cup is folded into the inside of the annular lip 34 so that it does not come into contact with the consumer's lips or with the drink. This avoids the upper edge of the outer cup becoming soggy during use and the rounded lip provides a smooth surface for the consumers to place their lips around whilst drinking, so that drinking from the outer cup is more comfortable. The lip also strengthens the top edge of the outer cup.

The outer cup 6 is closed at the lower end by a circular bottom wall 32, which is inset from the bottom edge of the side wall of the outer cup by about 5 mm. The edge portion of the bottom wall 32 is folded over and glued to the inside surface of the side wall. The outer cup 6 may be provided with a clip on lid of a plastics material (not shown), of the type used in cafes and kiosks, for hygiene purposes and in order to protect the lip from damage.

About 10 mm below the open end of the outer cup 6, the side wall is embossed to create an annular channel 12 about 1 mm in diameter, opening on the inner surface of the side wall. As can be seen in FIG. 2, the flange 30 of the inner cup 4 is an interference fit in the annular channel 12 so that the inner cup 4 can be inserted into the outer cup after both have been formed. Once assembled, the flange 30 is a friction fit in the annular channel 12 so that a liquid tight seal is formed between the inner 4 and outer 6 cups. The engagement of the flange 30 of the inner cup 4 with the annular channel 12 is sufficient to support the inner cup 4 and prevent it from slipping into or out of the outer cup for example, towards the open end of the outer cup 6 when the cup is tipped for drinking. The bottom wall 24 of the inner cup 4 sits about 1 mm from the bottom wall 32 of the outer cup 6. Glue can be used in the gap between the inner and outer cups to secure the inner cup further. Below the seal, the side walls of the inner and outer cups do not touch and the space between them provides insulation so that if the inner cup contains a hot drink, the outer cup does not get as hot as the inner cup. This makes it more comfortable for the consumer to hold the cup and means that a hot drink will stay hot for longer and a cold drink will stay cold for longer.

The inner cup is manufactured and filled as described above. Once filled and sealed, the inner cups can be stored as they are at ambient temperatures for six months or more and can be transported to a different location at a convenient time, to be mated with the outer cups. The outer cup is manufactured in a similar way to a conventional paper cup. The channel 12 can be made in the side wall by a punching process.

While in the embodiment described, the flange of the inner cup engages with a channel in the side wall of the outer cup in order to create a liquid tight seal, it will be appreciated that a liquid tight seal may be created in other ways, for example by gluing or by the insertion of a separate sealing ring between the lip and the outer cup. Similarly, while in the embodiment described the inner cup is held in place inside the outer cup by means of the lip and channel arrangement, it will be appreciated that the inner cup can be secured inside the outer cup in other ways, for example by gluing alone.

While in the embodiment described, the outer cup has a base wall, it will be appreciated an outer cup with an open lower end can be used.

While in the embodiment described, a lid made of a film of plastics material is used, it will be appreciated that lids made from other materials, such as metal, for example aluminium foil, can be used. Alternatively, a laminate material of foils of a plastics material and/or metallic foils may be used. It will also be appreciated that the tab for removing the lid can be in a different location on the lid, such as at the edge. A second tab can be provided to seal the vent hole in the lid, if necessary.

While in the embodiment described, the inner cup is filled in aseptic conditions with a UHT treated liquid, it will be appreciated that microbiological integrity of the filled inner cup can also be achieved if the inner cup is hot filled, or if the filled and hermetically sealed inner cup is retorted, UHP (ultra high pressure) treated, irradiated or otherwise sterilised.

While in the embodiment described, the side wall of the outer cup is rolled over outwardly to provide a smooth lip for the consumer to drink from, it will be appreciated that a smooth lip may be provided in other ways, for example by the provision of a separate lip portion at the rim of the outer cup.

Claims

1. A cup for storage and dispensing of a liquid comprising:

an inner cup, the open end of which is closed by a hermetic seal; and

a sleeve around the inner cup engaging therewith, which extends beyond the open end of the inner cup.

2. A cup for storage and dispensing of a liquid comprising:

an inner cup, the open end of which is closed by a hermetic seal; and

a sleeve around the inner cup engaging therewith such that a liquid tight seal exists between the rim of the inner cup and the inner surface of the sleeve.

3. A cup according to claim 1 wherein a liquid tight seal exists between the ring of the inner cup and the inner surface of the sleeve.

4. A cup according to claim 1 wherein the inner cup is filled with a liquid and has microbiological integrity.

5. A cup according to claim 1 wherein the sleeve comprises a smooth lip at the open end.

6. A cup according to claim 1 wherein the sleeve includes a wall closing the lower end thereof to form an outer cup.

7. A cup according to any preceding claim 1 wherein the inner surface of the sleeve has an annular channel with which the rim of the inner cup engages.

8. A cup according to claim 7 wherein the rim of the inner cup has an annular flange which engages with the annular channel.

9. A cup according to claim 1 wherein the sleeve and inner cup are different materials.

10. A cup according to claim 1 wherein the sleeve is paper.

11. A cup according to claim 1 wherein the inner cup is a plastics material suitable for aseptic use.

12. A cup according to claim 1 wherein the hermetic seal comprises an aluminium foil lid.

13. A cup according to claim 1 wherein the hermetic seal comprises a non-metallic lid.

14. A cup according to claim 1 wherein the lid is a laminate material.

15. A cup according to claim 1 wherein the lid includes a tab for removal of the lid from the inner cup.

16. A cup according to claim 15 wherein the tab is at the edge of the lid.

17. A cup according to claim 15 wherein the tab is in the center of the lid.

18. A cup according to claim 15 wherein the lid includes at least one vent hole sealed by the tab, the at least one vent hole openable by partial removal of the tab.

19. A cup according to claim 1 which is microwaveable.

20. (canceled)