U.S. patent application number 11/077546 was filed with the patent office on 2005-09-29 for cup carrier.
Invention is credited to Libit, Jeanne E..
Application Number | 20050211578 11/077546 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34988485 |
Filed Date | 2005-09-29 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050211578 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Libit, Jeanne E. |
September 29, 2005 |
Cup carrier
Abstract
A carrier for one or a plurality of beverage containing cups
such as those supplied to carry out customers of carry out
restaurants, fast food restaurants and the like. The cup carrier
constructed in accordance the present invention includes a one
piece blank which can be folded to form a base with one or a
plurality of openings for receiving a beverage cup to provide an
easily set up cup carrier that stably suspends the cup or cups in
an upright position when the carrier is supported by a handle
structure positioned above the cups so that the force of gravity
will maintain the cup or cups in an upright suspended position.
Inventors: |
Libit, Jeanne E.;
(Arlington, VA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
JACOBSON HOLMAN PLLC
400 SEVENTH STREET N.W.
SUITE 600
WASHINGTON
DC
20004
US
|
Family ID: |
34988485 |
Appl. No.: |
11/077546 |
Filed: |
March 11, 2005 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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60552194 |
Mar 12, 2004 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
206/200 ;
206/170; 206/193 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 71/48 20130101;
B65D 71/46 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
206/200 ;
206/170; 206/193 |
International
Class: |
B65D 075/00 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A cup carrier constructed from a one piece blank of cardboard
material comprising a base having at least one opening for
receiving a beverage cup therein, upwardly extending support
members extending from opposite side edges of said base, each of
the support members including a handle forming member at the upper
end thereof with the handle forming members being in close
association to orient the support members in upwardly converging
relation in facing relation to a beverage cup lip or closure lid to
facilitate transport of one or more beverage cups.
2. The cup carrier as claimed in claim 1, wherein said handle
forming members are connected together in a face to face relation
and provided with openings to enable insertion of fingers of a hand
of a person carrying the cup carrier.
3. The cup carrier as claimed in claim 2, wherein said handle
forming members include folding tabs to retain said handle forming
members in adjacent relation.
4. The cup carrier as claimed in claim 1, wherein said base is
elongated and rectangular in shape and including a plurality of
openings oriented in aligned relation.
5. The cup carrier as claimed in claim 1, wherein said base
includes a fold line at opposite edges thereof to facilitate upward
folding of said support members.
Description
[0001] This application is entitled to and hereby claims the
priority of co-pending U.S. Provisional application Ser. No.
60/552,194, filed Mar. 12, 2004.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention generally relates to a carrier for one
or a plurality of beverage containing cups such as those supplied
to carry out customers of carry out restaurants, fast food
restaurants and the like. The cup carrier constructed in accordance
the present invention includes a one piece blank which can be
folded to form a base with one or a plurality of openings for
receiving a beverage cup or cups to provide an easily set up cup
carrier that stably suspends the cup or cups in an upright position
when the carrier is supported by a handle structure positioned
above the cups so that the force of gravity will maintain the cup
or cups in an upright suspended position.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] Spillage of beverages from hand carried cups is a well known
problem to customers of carry out or fast food restaurants. Even
when beverage cups are provided with a frictionally attached
closure lid, it is difficult for a customer to carry a beverage cup
or cups without spilling the beverage contents, especially when
also carrying food products in a bag or the like during normal
handling and transportation to a site of consumption of the
beverage.
[0006] Various efforts have been made to facilitate the
transportation of multiple cups from a point of purchase to a point
of use. Such efforts include, placing the cups in an upright
position in a paper bag which frequently results in the beverage
cup tilting over and spilling the beverage internally of the bag.
Another effort includes the provision of a compartmented tray
constructed of cardboard or similar material to receive and
frictionally engage the bottom ends of a plurality of beverage
cups. While the use of such trays is more effective than using a
paper bag and more effective than a customer gripping and carrying
a plurality of cups in their hands, such trays provide a somewhat
unstable carrier since the cups tend to tilt out of the trays
especially if the trays are tilted or come into contact with a
door, door frame or other stationery building structure, vehicle
body or the like.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The cup carrier in accordance with the present invention
includes a one piece carrier preferably constructed of stiff
cardboard, such as corrugated cardboard or the like formed from a a
single blank having a planar base having at least one or a
plurality of circular openings therein for receiving one or
plurality of tapered beverage cups with the periphery of each
circular opening engaging the beverage cup received therein
intermediate the ends thereof in order to stably support the
beverage cup in an upright position and to prevent the beverage cup
from tilting out of the opening in the base since the frictional
engagement between the cup and the periphery of the opening and
force of gravity will retain the beverage cup or cups in the
openings in the base. Opposite edges of the base include upwardly
converging support members which terminate in a handle structure
located above the center of the base and the center of any cup or
cups being supported by the base with the weight of the cups and
beverages and the force of gravity maintaining the base generally
in a horizontal position below the handle structure to effectively
support a beverage cup or cups in an upright suspended position
within the opening or openings in the base of the carrier.
[0008] Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to
provide a one piece cup carrier constructed from a cardboard blank
having a central circular opening or a plurality of circular
openings formed in a rectangular central portion of the blank when
the blank is folded in a manner to form a cup carrier.
[0009] Another object of the invention is to provide a cup carrier
in which a fold line is provided outwardly from the openings in the
base of the cup carrier to enable upwardly extending portions of
the blank to converge upwardly to form a handle structure with the
upwardly converging handle structure being spaced from any upper
lip on the beverage cups or container and also spaced from any
closure lid placed thereon to enable suspension of the beverage
cups in a vertical position in the base.
[0010] A further object of the invention to provide fold lines in
the upper portions of the handle structure to enable a short
terminal end of each blank to be oriented in contacting relation
with an opening formed therein to receive the fingers of a person
carrying the cup carrier with the handle structure also being
provided with a tab structure to retain the portions of the handles
to be engaged by the fingers of a person carrying the carrier in
contacting relation to maintain the carrier in a set up position to
stably support the beverage cups when the cup carrier is being
transported with a beverage cup or cups suspended through the
openings in the base of the carrier.
[0011] These together with other objects and advantages which will
become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction
and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed,
reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part
hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one form of cup carrier in a
set up position with a beverage cup supported therein.
[0013] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the cardboard blank from which the
cup carrier of FIG. 1 is formed.
[0014] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of another form of cup carrier
in set up position.
[0015] FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the blank from which the cup
carrier of FIG. 3 is formed.
[0016] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an additional form of the
cup carrier of the present invention illustrating a handle
structure that maintains the cup carrier in set up position.
[0017] FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the blank from which the cup
carrier of FIG. 5 is formed.
[0018] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a further embodiment of the
cup carrier of the present invention in which the base includes
three circular openings to receive three beverage cups.
[0019] FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the cardboard blank from which
the cup carrier of FIG. 7 is formed.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0020] Although only four preferred embodiments of the invention
are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention
is not limited in its scope to the details of construction and
arrangement of components set forth in the following description or
illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other
embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways.
Also, in describing the preferred embodiments, specific terminology
will be resorted to for the sake of clarity. It is to be understood
that each specific term includes all technical equivalents which
operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose.
[0021] The cup carrier illustrated in FIG. 1 is designated by
reference numeral 10 and includes a flat base 12 having two
circular openings 14 formed therein with upwardly extending support
members 16 connected along fold line 17 to each of the side edges
of the base 12. The upper end of each support member 16 includes an
upwardly extending handle member 20 connected to the support member
16 along fold line 21. Each of the upwardly extending handle
members 20 includes an elongated slot like opening 22 therethrough
for receiving the fingers of a person carrying the cup carrier 10.
The handle structure generally designated by reference numeral 18
includes tabs 24 along at least one side edge of the upwardly
extending handle members 20 that can be folded laterally to secure
the handle members 20 in adjacent relation when the blank
illustrated in FIG. 2 is folded in a manner to form the set up cup
carrier 10 illustrated in FIG. 1. The tabs 24 are formed by a pair
of inwardly converging cut lines 26 so that the tabs 24 are aligned
with each other when the blank is set up to enable the tabs 24 to
be folded into overlying relation to a surface of one of the handle
members 20 or folded to a position generally perpendicular to the
members 20 as illustrated in FIG. 1 to retain the handle members 20
in adjacent relation to facilitate insertion of the fingers through
the slot like openings 22. A cup of cups 28 can be easily dropped
into the openings 14 when the blank is flat or the support members
16 folded upwardly after which the handle members 20 are brought
together in aligned relation with the support members 16 upwardly
converging position. The tabs 24 then can be bent to the position
illustrated in FIG. 1 so that the cup carrier with the cups therein
can be easily handed to a customer and the customer can easily
carry the cup carrier and cups to a desired destination without the
cups tilting over or spilling beverages from the cups 28.
[0022] As illustrated in FIG. 1, the cup lip normally provided at
the upper end of the cup 28 which receives and frictionally secures
a cover lid on the cup have a periphery that is spaced from the
inner surfaces of the upwardly extending support members 16 thereby
assuring that the cup lid will not become dislodged from the upper
end of the cup 28 during normal handling of the cup carrier by a
customer when carrying the cup carrier and cups to a desired
destination.
[0023] The embodiment of the cup carrier illustrated in FIGS. 3 and
4 is generally designated by reference numeral 30 which includes a
base 32 that includes two or more circular openings 34 for
receiving beverage cups in a manner similar to that in FIG. 1. A
portion of the base 32 outwardly of the outer circumference of each
of the circular openings 34 is provided with a cut out area 35 with
the outer periphery of an outer portion of the area of the base
having the opening 34 formed therein being separated from the side
edges and end edges of the opening 35 as illustrated in the blank
shown in FIG. 4 from which the cup carrier 30 is formed. Extending
upwardly from portions of the base 32 outwardly from the cut out
area 35 is a pair of support members 36 connected to the base 32
along fold lines 37 to enable the support members 36 to be folded
upwardly into converging relation as illustrated in FIG. 3. The
outer end portions of support members 36 include handle members 38
connected to the upwardly converging support members 36 along fold
lines 39. The handle members 38 include a lower edge 33 which
facilitate insertion of the fingers below the lower edges 33 of the
handle members 38 and grip the handle members 38 for effectively
carrying cups suspended in the openings 34. The outwardly extending
relation of fold lines 37 from the interior of the circular
openings 34 provides space for the upper lip of the cup supported
by the cup carrier 30 and also provides space for the closure lid
provided on the cup so that the closure lid will not be contacted
and possibly dislodged during normal transport of the cup carrier
30 and cups therein to a desired destination.
[0024] The cup carrier illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6 of the drawings
is generally designated by reference numeral 40 and includes a base
44 having two or more circular opening 42 therein with the side
edges of the base 44 being connected to a pair of upwardly
converging support members 46 connected to the side edges of base
44 along fold lines 47. The upper edge area of one support members
46 includes an elongated slot like rectangular opening 48 adjacent
the upper edge thereof with the slot like opening 48 being
generally rectangular in configuration and of sufficient dimensions
to receive the fingers of a person carrying the cup carrier 40. The
other support member 46 includes a cut out tab 50 having a bottom
edge 52, side edges 54 and a top edge connected to the support
member 46 along a fold line 56 so that the tab 50 is larger in size
than the slot like opening 48 and can be folded through the opening
48 and bent upwardly along the outer surface of a support member 46
as illustrated in FIG. 5. This structure forms an effective handle
for carrying the cup carrier 40. The tab 50 retains the upper ends
of the support members 46 in adjacent relation to maintain the set
up condition of the carrier 40.
[0025] The embodiment of the cup carrier illustrated in FIGS. 7 and
8 of the drawings is generally designed by reference numeral 60 and
includes a base 62 of rectangular configuration and elongated
sufficiently to form three circular openings 64 therein. As
illustrated three openings 64 are provided. However, it is pointed
out that any number of cup openings can be provided but most take
out orders do not exceed three or four beverage cups. If more cups
are to be carried, a second cup carrier can be used to avoid a cup
carrier being too large to handle. The carrier 60 includes a pair
of upwardly converging support members 66 connected to the side
edges of the base 62 by fold lines 67. Each support member 66
terminates in a handle structure generally designated by reference
numeral 68 and including a pair of handle members 70 oriented in
contacting relation to each other. The side edges of the handle
members 70 are provided with cut out bendable tabs 74 similar to
the tabs 24 illustrated in FIG. 1 and which functions in the same
manner. Also, each of the support members 70 includes a slot like
cut out members 72. One of the slot like members 72 retains the cut
out area as a tab 76 connected to the upper edge of the slot like
opening along a fold line 78 so that the tab 76 can be pushed
through the other slot like opening 72 to retain the handle members
70 in contacting relation when the handle member 70 is the opening
72 are aligned and tab 76 on one pushed through and folded upwardly
along the outer surface of the other handle member 70 as
illustrated in FIG. 7. If desired, the tab 76 can be slightly
larger and provided with rounded ends so that it becomes locked in
position to retain the handle members 70 in assembled relation to
lock the handle structure in view of the large number of beverage
cups being carried by the cup carrier 60.
[0026] The foregoing should be considered as illustrative only of
the principles of the invention. Since numerous modifications and
changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not
desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and
operation shown and described. Accordingly, all suitable
modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within
the scope of the invention.
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