U.S. patent application number 11/489302 was filed with the patent office on 2008-01-24 for insulator sleeve for a thermos bottle.
Invention is credited to Yeh-Fei Chu.
Application Number | 20080017654 11/489302 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38970480 |
Filed Date | 2008-01-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080017654 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Chu; Yeh-Fei |
January 24, 2008 |
Insulator sleeve for a thermos bottle
Abstract
An insulator sleeve includes: a seamed cylindrical body having
top and bottom open ends, the seamed cylindrical body including an
annular folded insulator wall of an insulator material, and an
annular folded surface layer attached to the folded insulator wall,
the folded insulator wall extending from the top open end to the
bottom open end of the seamed cylindrical body, and having an outer
surface, a folded end, and two free ends that are substantially
flush with each other, the folded surface layer covering the outer
surface of the folded insulator wall, and having a folded end that
cooperates with the folded end of the folded insulator wall to
define the top open end of the seamed cylindrical body; and a base
secured to the bottom open end of the seamed cylindrical body.
Inventors: |
Chu; Yeh-Fei; (Taichung
Hsien, TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
LADAS & PARRY;Suite 2100
5670 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles
CA
90036-5679
US
|
Family ID: |
38970480 |
Appl. No.: |
11/489302 |
Filed: |
July 18, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
220/739 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 81/3886
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
220/739 |
International
Class: |
B65D 25/00 20060101
B65D025/00 |
Claims
1. An insulator sleeve for a thermos bottle, comprising: a seamed
cylindrical body having top and bottom open ends respectively
defining top and bottom openings, said seamed cylindrical body
including an annular folded insulator wall of an insulator material
and an annular folded surface layer attached to said folded
insulator wall, said folded insulator wall extending from said top
open end to said bottom open end of said seamed cylindrical body,
and having an outer surface, a folded end, and two free ends that
are substantially flush with each other, said folded surface layer
covering said outer surface of said folded insulator wall, and
having a folded end that cooperates with said folded end of said
folded insulator wall to define said top open end of said seamed
cylindrical body; and a base secured to said bottom open end of
said seamed cylindrical body for covering said bottom opening of
said seamed cylindrical body.
2. The insulator sleeve of claim 1, wherein said folded insulator
wall includes annular inner and outer wall portions that
respectively define said free ends of said folded insulator wall
and that are stacked and are adhesively bonded together.
3. The insulator sleeve of claim 2, wherein said base and said
seamed cylindrical body are stitched together.
4. The insulator sleeve of claim 2, wherein said base includes a
circular two-layered insulator wall of said insulator material, and
inner and outer surface layers, said two-layered insulator wall of
said base having inner and outer wall surfaces, said inner and
outer surface layers being respectively attached to said inner and
outer wall surfaces of said two-layered insulator wall of said
base.
5. The insulator sleeve of claim 2, wherein said base is formed
with a vent hole.
6. A method for making an insulator sleeve, comprising: attaching a
surface layer to an insulator sheet of an insulator material;
folding the assembly of the surface layer and the insulator sheet
into symmetrical halves such that the folded halves of the
insulator sheet are sandwiched between the folded halves of the
surface layer; scrolling and stitching the folded symmetrical
halves of the assembly of the surface layer and the insulator sheet
into a cylindrical body; and securing a base to a bottom open end
of the cylindrical body.
7. The method of claim 6, further comprising bonding adhesively the
folded halves of the insulator sheet together prior to the
scrolling operation.
8. The method of claim 6, wherein the base is secured to the bottom
open end of the cylindrical body by stitching.
9. The method of claim 6, wherein the base includes inner and outer
surface layers, and a circular two-layered insulator wall of said
insulator material sandwiched between the inner and outer surface
layers.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] This invention relates to an insulator sleeve for a thermos
bottle, more particularly to an insulator sleeve having a folded
insulator wall covered by a surface layer.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a conventional insulator sleeve for
a thermos bottle. The insulator sleeve includes a cylindrical body
101 and a base 102 stitched to a bottom end of the cylindrical body
101. The cylindrical body 101 includes annular inner and outer
surface layers 12, 13 and an annular insulator wall 11 of a foamed
material sandwiched between the inner and outer surface layers 12,
13. The cylindrical body 101 is formed from two symmetrical halves
that are stitched together. The conventional insulator sleeve is
disadvantageous in that a top end of the insulator wall 11 is
exposed from the inner and outer surface layers 12, 13, which
results in an adverse effect on the appearance of the insulator
sleeve.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] The object of the present invention is to provide an
insulator sleeve that can overcome the aforesaid drawback of the
prior art.
[0006] According to one aspect of this invention, there is provided
an insulator sleeve that comprises: a seamed cylindrical body
having top and bottom open ends respectively defining top and
bottom openings, the seamed cylindrical body including an annular
folded insulator wall of an insulator material, and an annular
folded surface layer attached to the folded insulator wall, the
folded insulator wall extending from the top open end to the bottom
open end of the seamed cylindrical body, and having an outer
surface, a folded end, and two free ends that are substantially
flush with each other, the folded surface layer covering the outer
surface of the folded insulator wall, and having a folded end that
cooperates with the folded end of the folded insulator wall to
define the top open end of the seamed cylindrical body; and a base
secured to the bottom open end of the seamed cylindrical body for
covering the bottom opening of the seamed cylindrical body.
[0007] According to another aspect of this invention, there is
provided a method for making an insulator sleeve. The method
comprises: attaching a surface layer to an insulator sheet of an
insulator material; folding the assembly of the surface layer and
the insulator sheet into symmetrical halves such that the folded
halves of the insulator sheet are sandwiched between the folded
halves of the surface layer; scrolling and stitching the folded
symmetrical halves of the assembly of the surface layer and the
insulator sheet into a cylindrical body; and securing a base to a
bottom open end of the cylindrical body.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] Other features and advantages of the present invention will
become apparent in the following detailed description of the
preferred embodiment of this invention, with reference to the
accompanying drawings, in which:
[0009] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional insulator
sleeve;
[0010] FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the conventional insulator
sleeve;
[0011] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of
an insulator sleeve according to this invention;
[0012] FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the preferred embodiment;
[0013] FIGS. 5A to 5E are perspective views to illustrate
consecutive steps of the first preferred embodiment of a method for
forming an insulator sleeve according to this invention;
[0014] FIGS. 6A to 6E are perspective views to illustrate
consecutive steps of the second preferred embodiment of the method
according to this invention; and
[0015] FIGS. 7A to 7E are perspective views to illustrate
consecutive steps of the third preferred embodiment of the method
according to this invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0016] FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate the preferred embodiment of an
insulator sleeve for a thermos bottle according to this invention.
The insulator sleeve includes: a seamed cylindrical body 5 having
top and bottom open ends respectively defining top and bottom
openings 510, 520, the seamed cylindrical body 5 including an
annular folded insulator wall 4 of an insulator material, and an
annular folded surface layer 3 attached to the folded insulator
wall 4, the folded insulator wall 4 extending from the top open end
51 to the bottom open end 52 of the seamed cylindrical body 5, and
having an outer surface, a folded end 41, and two free ends 42 that
are substantially flush with each other, the folded surface layer 3
covering the outer surface of the folded insulator wall 4, and
having a folded end 31 that cooperates with the folded end 41 of
the folded insulator wall 4 to define the top open end 51 of the
seamed cylindrical body 5; and a base 6 secured to the bottom open
end 52 of the seamed cylindrical body 5 for covering the bottom
opening 520 of the seamed cylindrical body 5.
[0017] In this embodiment, the folded insulator wall 4 includes
annular inner and outer wall portions 43, 44 that respectively
define the free ends 42 of the folded insulator wall 4 and that are
stacked and are adhesively bonded together.
[0018] The base 6 and the seamed cylindrical body 5 are stitched
together. The base 6 includes a circular two-layered insulator wall
61 of the insulator material, and inner and outer surface layers
62, 63. The two-layered insulator wall 61 of the base 6 has inner
and outer wall surfaces 611, 612. The inner and outer surface
layers 62, 63 are respectively attached to the inner and outer wall
surfaces 611, 612 of the two-layered insulator wall 61 of the base
6. A vent hole 65 is formed in the base 6 for facilitating
insertion of the thermos bottle into the insulator sleeve.
[0019] FIG. 5A to 5E illustrate consecutive steps of the first
preferred embodiment of a method for making the insulator sleeve of
this invention. The method includes the steps of: attaching a
surface layer 3' to an insulator sheet 4' of an insulator material
(see FIGS. 5A and 5B); folding the assembly of the surface layer 3'
and the insulator sheet 4' along a folding line 70 into symmetrical
halves such that the folded halves of the insulator sheet 4' are
sandwiched between the folded halves of the surface layer 3' (see
FIG. 5C); scrolling and stitching the folded symmetrical halves of
the assembly of the surface layer 3' and the insulator sheet 4'
into a cylindrical body 5' (see FIG. 5D and FIG. 5E); and securing
a base 6' to a bottom open end of the cylindrical body 5' by
stitching techniques (see FIG. 4). Note that the folded symmetrical
halves of the surface layer 3' and the insulator sheet 4' may have
a large size so as to be cut into different sizes for preparation
of the cylindrical body 5 and the base 6.
[0020] In this embodiment, the folded halves of the insulator sheet
4' are adhesively bonded together prior to the scrolling
operation.
[0021] FIGS. 6A to 6E illustrate consecutive steps of the second
preferred embodiment of a method for making the insulator sleeve of
this invention. The method of this embodiment differs from the
previous embodiment in that the assembly of the surface layer 3'
and the insulator sheet 4' is folded along two opposite folding
lines 71, 72 into two symmetric halves, and that the folded
assembly is cut along two opposite cutting lines 73 so as to form a
base-forming portion 75 and two opposite cylinder-forming portions
76 extending oppositely from the base-forming portion. The
base-forming portion 75 and the cylinder-forming portions 76 are
then stitched together to form the cylindrical body 5 and the base
6.
[0022] FIGS. 7A to 7E illustrate consecutive steps of the third
preferred embodiment of a method for making the insulator sleeve of
this invention. The method of this embodiment differs from the
first embodiment in that the folded assembly of the surface layer
3' and the insulator sheet 4' is cut along a cutting line 73 so as
to form a cylinder-forming portion 76 and two opposite base-forming
portions 75 extending from the same side of the cylinder-forming
portion 76. The base-forming portions 75 and the cylinder-forming
portion 76 are then stitched together to form the cylindrical body
5 and the base 6.
[0023] Since the top end, i.e., the folded end 41, of the folded
insulator wall 4 is covered by the folded surface layer 3 in the
insulator sleeve of this invention, the aforesaid drawback
associated with the prior art can be eliminated.
[0024] While the present invention has been described in connection
with what is considered the most practical and preferred
embodiment, it is understood that this invention is not limited to
the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various
arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest
interpretation and equivalent arrangements.
* * * * *