SLEEVE FOR CONTAINER
A sleeve for a cup includes a shape that reduces the overall surface area of the sleeve. The sleeve contains an enlarged surface area for the thumb and another enlarged surface area for one or more fingers of the hand for thermally insulating the hand from the cup. The sleeve includes a narrow portion of material connecting these areas. The overall size of the sleeve is such that it reduces the amount of material used in the sleeve, while providing the same thermal insulative effect of a larger sleeve.
Applicants hereby claim the priority benefits under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. §119, basing said claim of priority on commonly assigned, related U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/031,948 filed Aug. 1, 2014.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates to containers, and more particularly to a sleeve for a cup, such as those commonly employed in vending machines and in stores and restaurants for dispensing liquids. Liquids, such as coffee, tea, hot chocolate, soup, etc., can be dispensed and served in a container. The liquids are typically heated or cooled before or during dispensing. Many of these containers are either a paper or plastic cup. Because paper and plastic cups typically do not provide sufficient thermal insulating properties when filled with a hot or cold liquid, the handling of such containers may be uncomfortable to the consumer. Protective sleeves have been used to allow a person to hold the cup without burning one's fingers yet retaining heat in the cup for preventing the liquid from cooling too quickly. Similarly, a sleeve can be used to thermally insulate a person's hand from a cup containing a cold beverage or a frozen food or beverage.
The cups used by coffee shops, stores, and vending machines are typically disposable cups made from inexpensive and typically biodegradable materials. Similarly, the sleeves are also disposable and made of recyclable materials. The ideal cup and sleeve would protect a person's hand from excessive heat or cold while keeping the beverage hot or cold for an extended period of time. The sleeves may be made of multiple layers to increase the level of thermal insulation. In addition, the sleeve may be corrugated, such as corrugated paperboard or cardboard, to create air spaces around the cup to provide a certain degree of insulation. While the sleeves can provide insulation, they add to the cost of the beverage and increase the material that is disposed of when the consumer is done with the cup.
Thus, a sleeve that reduces the material that is used in the sleeve while maintaining the thermal insulation properties of the sleeve would be advantageous and is desired. A product that solves these problems and a method of making such a product are described herein.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONOne object of the present invention is a cup sleeve that utilizes less material than the prior art sleeves while maintaining the thermal insulating effects of the sleeve. The sleeve is configured to provide the surface area necessary to grasp the sleeve and to maintain thermal insulation between the hand and the cup, while minimizing the amount of material that is not within the area of the grasp.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a cup sleeve, wherein the number of sleeves that can be obtained from a single piece of material is increased due to the shape of the sleeve and the ability to cut more sleeves from the same amount of material.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a sleeve for use with a cup with a combination of one or more of the following features:
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- wherein the amount of adhesive that is used is reduced
- wherein the surface area of the sleeve is reduced
- wherein the sleeves have a shape that allows more sleeves to be cut from the same amount of material
- where the reduced size and weight of the sleeve allows the sleeve to be shipped and/or stored at a lower cost
These and other aspects, objects, and features of the present disclosure will be understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art upon studying the following specification, claims, and appended drawings.
For purposes of description herein, the terms “upper,” “lower,” “right,” “left,” “rear,” “front,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” and derivatives thereof shall relate to the invention as oriented in the attached drawings. However, it is to be understood that the invention may assume various alternative orientations and step sequences, except where expressly specified to the contrary. It is also to be understood that the specific devices and processes illustrated in the attached drawings, and described in the following specification, are simply exemplary embodiments of the inventive concepts defined in the appended claims. Hence, specific dimensions and other physical characteristics relating to the embodiments disclosed herein are not to be considered as limiting, unless the claims expressly state otherwise.
One illustrated embodiment of the invention is shown in
The sleeve 2 is shaped so that there are two enlarged areas 6 with narrow connecting portions 8 in between. The narrow connecting portions 8 can be approximately one-third of the width of the enlarged areas 6. In the illustrated embodiment of
The narrow connecting portions 8 of material between these enlarged areas 6 permit the reduction of material used in the sleeve 2 while maintaining the thermal insulation properties of the sleeve 2. The width 5 of the narrow connecting portions 8 is approximately one-third the width 3 of the enlarged area 6. As illustrated in
As illustrated in
Another embodiment of the sleeve 22 is shown in
In the illustrated embodiment of
While the embodiments show the connection at the ends of the narrow connecting portions 8, 28 of sleeves 2, 22, the sleeves 2, 22 may be cut in a manner where the connection takes place anywhere on the sleeves 2, 22. The sleeves 2, 22 are configured to closely embrace a cup 4 while protecting the user's fingers from the temperature of the cup 4. The sleeves 2, 22 may also be used on any container. While the illustrated embodiments show the sleeves 2, 22 being used on a tapered cup 4, the container may be of any shape.
The methods for cutting the sleeves 2, 22 from the stock material 12 can include any traditional method of cutting shapes from stock material 12, including, but not limited to, die cutting. A blank in the shape of the sleeves 2, 22 may be applied to the stock material 12 in order to maximize the number of sleeves 2, 22 from the stock material 12. This includes arranging the blanks in a rotational manner, as shown in
It will be understood by one having ordinary skill in the art that construction of the described invention and other components is not limited to any specific material. Other exemplary embodiments of the invention disclosed herein may be formed from a wide variety of materials, unless described otherwise herein.
It is also important to note that the construction and arrangement of the elements of the invention as shown in the exemplary embodiments is illustrative only. Although only a few embodiments of the present innovations have been described in detail in this disclosure, those skilled in the art who review this disclosure will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible (e.g., variations in sizes, dimensions, structures, shapes and proportions of the various elements, values of parameters, mounting arrangements, use of materials, orientations, etc.) without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the subject matter recited. For example, the operation of the interfaces may be reversed or otherwise varied, and the length or width of the structures and/or members or connector or other elements of the system may be varied. It should be noted that the elements and/or assemblies of the system may be constructed from any of a wide variety of materials that provide sufficient strength or durability, in any of a wide variety of textures and combinations. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present innovations. Other substitutions, modifications, changes, and omissions may be made in the design, operating conditions, and arrangement of the desired and other exemplary embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present innovations.
It will be understood that any described processes or steps within described processes may be combined with other disclosed processes or steps to form structures within the scope of the present invention. The exemplary structures and processes disclosed herein are for illustrative purposes and are not to be construed as limiting.
In the foregoing description, it will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that modifications may be made to the invention without departing from the concepts disclosed herein. Such modifications are to be considered as included in the following claims, unless these claims by their language expressly state otherwise.
Claims
1. A sleeve for use with a container, comprising:
- a first enlarged area;
- a second enlarged area;
- a first narrow portion connecting the first and second enlarged areas, having a width that is approximately 33 percent of the width of the first enlarged area;
- a second narrow portion extending from the first enlarged area, having a width that is approximately 33 percent of the width of the first enlarged area;
- a third narrow portion extending from the second enlarged area, having a width that is approximately 33 percent of the width of the first enlarged area; and
- a fastening member for connecting the second and third narrow portions.
2. The sleeve of claim 1, wherein the fastening member is adhesive.
3. The sleeve of claim 2, wherein the adhesive is an adhesive strip.
4. The sleeve of claim 1, wherein the fastening member is a mechanical connection between the second and third narrow portions.
5. The sleeve of claim 4, wherein the mechanical connection is a pair of interconnecting slots.
6. The sleeve of claim 1, wherein the first and second enlarged areas have the same width.
7. A method for forming a sleeve, comprising:
- forming a blank, comprising: a first enlarged area; a second enlarged area; a first narrow portion connecting the first and second enlarged areas, having a width that is approximately 33 percent of the width of the first enlarged area; a second narrow portion extending from the first enlarged area, having a width that is approximately 33 percent of the width of the first enlarged area; a third narrow portion extending from the second enlarged area, having a width that is approximately 33 percent of the width of the first enlarged area; and a fastening member for connecting the second and third narrow portions;
- applying said blank to a sheet of material to form the sleeve; and
- connecting said second and third narrow portions of the sleeve.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein the connecting step comprises using adhesive.
9. The method of claim 9, wherein the connecting step comprises using a mechanical connection.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein the mechanical connection is two corresponding slots in the second and third narrow portions.
11. The method of claim 7, wherein the sheet of material comprises a cellulose material.
12. The method of claim 7 further comprising:
- positioning a repeating pattern of the blank on the sheet of material such that the enlarged areas are directly above one of the narrow portions.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the positioning step includes positioning the blanks to maximize the number of sleeves that can be cut from the material.
14. The method of claim 12, wherein the positioning step involves a tessellated pattern on the material.
15. A sheet material having one or more blanks of a sleeve for use with a container, comprising:
- a blank comprising: a first enlarged area; a second enlarged area; a first narrow portion connecting the first and second enlarged areas, having a width that is approximately 33 percent of the width of the first enlarged area; and a second narrow portion extending from the first enlarged area, having a width that is approximately 33 percent of the width of the first enlarged area.
16. The sheet material of claim 15, wherein the second narrow portion includes an extension for connecting to the second enlarged area.
17. The sheet material of claim 16, wherein the blank has a convex side and a concave side, and the blanks are arranged such that the concave side of one blank is above the convex side of another blank.
18. The sheet material of claim 15, wherein the material is a cellulose material.
19. The sheet material of claim 15, wherein the enlarged areas taper to the narrow portions.
20. The sheet material of claim 15, wherein the material includes at least one textured surface.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 27, 2015
Publication Date: Feb 4, 2016
Inventor: Tyler James Essenberg (Grand Rapids, MI)
Application Number: 14/809,534