U.S. patent application number 15/640554 was filed with the patent office on 2019-01-03 for insulative sleeve for beverage cup.
The applicant listed for this patent is Peigen Jiang, Steven Niels Pimentel. Invention is credited to Peigen Jiang, Steven Niels Pimentel.
Application Number | 20190002184 15/640554 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 64735243 |
Filed Date | 2019-01-03 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20190002184 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Pimentel; Steven Niels ; et
al. |
January 3, 2019 |
INSULATIVE SLEEVE FOR BEVERAGE CUP
Abstract
An insulative sleeve for a beverage cup is disclosed which
includes a flexible insulative sheet having a first end and a
second end, when the flexible insulative sheet being rolled into
the insulative sleeve, the first and the second end being next to
each other without overlapping, and a joinery strip having
approximately the same length as the first end, approximately one
half of the joinery strip removably engaging the first end and
approximately another half of the joinery strip removably engaging
the second end.
Inventors: |
Pimentel; Steven Niels;
(Redmond, WA) ; Jiang; Peigen; (Sammamish,
WA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Pimentel; Steven Niels
Jiang; Peigen |
Redmond
Sammamish |
WA
WA |
US
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
64735243 |
Appl. No.: |
15/640554 |
Filed: |
July 2, 2017 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47G 2023/0291 20130101;
B65D 81/3879 20130101; A47G 23/0216 20130101 |
International
Class: |
B65D 81/38 20060101
B65D081/38; A47G 23/02 20060101 A47G023/02 |
Claims
1. An insulative sleeve for a beverage cup comprising: a flexible
insulative sheet having a first end and a second end, when the
flexible insulative sheet being rolled into the insulative sleeve,
the first and the second end being next to each other without
overlapping; and a joinery strip having approximately the same
length as the first end, approximately one half of the joinery
strip removably engaging the first end and approximately another
half of the joinery strip removably engaging the second end.
2. The insulative sleeve of claim 1, wherein the flexible
insulative sheet is shaped like a hand fan when being flattened, so
that the insulative sleeve is a tapered tube.
3. The insulative sleeve of claim 1, wherein the flexible
insulative sheet is made of a foam rubber material.
4. The insulative sleeve of claim 3, wherein the flexible
insulative sheet is laminated with a cloth.
5. The insulative sleeve of claim 1, wherein the joinery strip has
a first and a second protruding member for engaging the first end
and the second end, respectively.
6. The insulative sleeve of claim 5, wherein the first and second
protruding member leans toward each other by a predetermined
angle.
7. The insulative sleeve of claim 5, wherein the first and the
second protruding members are round pegs for being tightly fit into
round holes in the flexible insulative sheet positioned near the
first and the second end, respectively.
8. The insulative sleeve of claim 7, wherein the round pegs have a
bulged middle section.
9. The insulative sleeve of claim 7, wherein the joinery strip is
made of a plastic material.
10. The insulative sleeve of claim 5, wherein the first and the
second protruding members are blades for being inserted in cuts
formed in the flexible insulative sheet near the first and the
second end, respectively.
11. The insulative sleeve of claim 10, wherein the joinery sleeve
is made of a sheet metal with the blades stamped thereout.
12. The insulative sleeve of claim 1, wherein the joinery strip
substantially covers a seam formed by the first and the second
end.
13. The insulative sleeve of claim 5, wherein the first and the
second protruding member each has a concave space on top thereof,
and the joinery strip further comprises a cover strip having a
third and fourth protruding member fitting in the concave spaces in
the first and the second protruding member, respectively, for
removably attaching the cover strip to the first and the second
protruding member.
14. The insulative sleeve of claim 1, wherein the joinery strip
includes two substantially parallel plates joint by a part
substantially perpendicular to the parallel plates, a first gap
formed between the parallel plates to one side of the perpendicular
part being capable of removably retaining the first end, and a gap
formed between the parallel plates to the other side of the
perpendicular part being capable of removably retaining the second
end.
15. The insulative sleeve of claim 14, wherein the parallel plates
have one or more spikes on surfaces facing the first and the second
gap, respectively.
16. The insulative sleeve of claim 15, wherein the spikes incline
toward a middle of the joinery strip.
17. The insulative sleeve of claim 15, wherein the spikes on
opposite surfaces of the parallel plates are not aligned in a
direction perpendicular to the parallel plates.
18. The insulative sleeve of claim 14, wherein the joinery strip is
made of a plastic material.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to insulative
apparatus for beverage cups, and, more particularly, to an
insulative sleeve that can be separated from a beverage cup.
[0002] Beverages, such as coke or fruit juices, are preferably
consumed when being chilled. However, in parties, beverages are
often served in thin, one-time-use plastic cups that lack
insulative capability. Beverages poured in such plastic cups can
quickly get warmed up in the environment. As such, it is desirable
to provide an insulative sleeve for the plastic cups that is
inexpensive and easy to use.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
[0003] FIG. 1 illustrates an insulative sleeve according to an
embodiment of the present disclosure that is wrapped around an
exemplary beverage cup.
[0004] FIGS. 2a and 2b illustrate structure of the insulative
sleeve shown in FIG. 1.
[0005] FIGS. 3a and 3b illustrate structure of a joinery strip for
the insulative sleeve shown in FIG. 1.
[0006] FIGS. 4a and 4b illustrate an alternative joinery strip for
an insulative sleeve according to an embodiment of the present
disclosure.
[0007] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a joinery strip for an
insulative sleeve according to an embodiment of the present
disclosure.
[0008] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of joinery strip for an
insulative sleeve according to another embodiment of the present
disclosure.
[0009] The drawings accompanying and forming part of this
specification are included to depict certain aspects of the
disclosure. A clearer conception of the disclosure, and of the
components and operation of systems provided with the disclosure,
will become more readily apparent by referring to the exemplary,
and therefore non-limiting, embodiments illustrated in the
drawings, wherein like reference numbers (if they occur in more
than one view) designate the same elements. The disclosure may be
better understood by reference to one or more of these drawings in
combination with the description presented herein.
DESCRIPTION
[0010] The present disclosure relates to an insulative sleeve for
beverage cups. A preferred embodiment of the present disclosure
will be described hereinafter with reference to the attached
drawings.
[0011] FIG. 1 illustrates an insulative sleeve 100 according to an
embodiment of the present disclosure that is wrapped around an
exemplary beverage cup 120. A typical example of such beverage cup
120 is a plastic cup that has a slightly tapered shape with top
opening being larger than the bottom. The insulative sleeve 100 is
shaped like a tapered tube press fit with the beverage cup 120, so
that the insulative sleeve 100 serves as an insulation layer for
the beverage cup 120. As shown in FIG. 1, a joinery strip 110 holds
ends of the sheet together at a seam 105. In an embodiment, the
insulative sleeve 100 is made of neoprene sponge foam rubber sheet
rolled into a tapered tube. In another embodiment, the sheet
material is laminated with a cloth (not shown) for esthetic
purposes.
[0012] FIGS. 2a and 2b illustrate structure of the insulative
sleeve 100 shown in FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 2a, with the joinery
strip 110 removed, punctured holes 202 and 206 are revealed. The
hole 202 represents a group of holes punctured on the sheet to the
left-hand side of the seam 105, while the hole 206 represents a
group of holes punctured on the sheet to the right-hand side of the
seam 105. The holes 202 and 206 are exemplarily placed close to
each other and symmetrical to the seam 105. Although 5 holes are
shown in FIG. 2a in each group of holes 202 and 206, an ordinary
skilled in art would realize that more or less holes can be used as
long as the joinery strip 110 can be retained by these holes when
forming the insulative sleeve 100. In one embodiment, the holes 202
and 206 are punctured through holes. In another embodiment,
especially when the thickness of the insulative sleeve is
relatively thick, such as 10 millimeters, the holes 202 and 206 are
just concave spaces without being punctured through.
[0013] Referring to FIG. 2b, when the insulative sleeve 100 is
unrolled into a flat sheet 200, it is shaped like a hand fan with
the group of holes 202 placed on one edge and the group of holes
206 on the other. A reason for such hand fan shape is because of
the tapered shape of the insulative sleeve 100. If the insulative
sleeve 100 is not tapered, the unrolled sheet 200 would be in a
rectangular shape.
[0014] FIGS. 3a and 3b illustrate structure of a joinery strip 110
for the insulative sleeve 100 shown in FIG. 1. Referring to FIG.
3a, an inner surface of joinery strip 110 has two groups of
protruding members 312 and 316, which are designed to be inserted
in the holes 202 and 206, respectively, for joining the edges 215
and 225 of the sheet 200. As shown in FIGS. 2a and 2b, the holes
202 and 206 have a rounded opening, the protruding members 312 and
316, as shown in FIG. 3a, are also shaped like rounded pegs. In an
embodiment, a uniform height of the protruding members 312 and 316
approximately equals to a uniform depth of the holes 202 and
206
[0015] Referring back to FIG. 1, an outer surface of the joinery
strip 110 is smooth. However, ornamental features, such as textures
or texts, may be embossed or printed on the outer surface
instead.
[0016] FIG. 3b is a cross-sectional view of the joinery strip 110
at a location A-A'. As shown in FIG. 3b, both the inner and the
outer surface of the joinery strip 110 have curved contours, that
is because the surface of the beverage cup 120 shown in FIG. 1 is
curved. As shown in FIG. 3b, in one embodiment, a top portion of
the protruding member 312 or 316 is larger than a tip or bottom
portion thereof to increase fiction with the holes 202 and 206 when
the joinery strip 110 is engaged with the insulative sleeve 100. In
another embodiment, the protruding members 312 and 316 lean
slightly toward each other to pinch the holes 202 and 206 close
together when the joinery strip 110 is engaged with the insulative
sleeve 100.
[0017] FIGS. 4a and 4b illustrate an alternative joinery strip 410
for an insulative sleeve 400 according to an embodiment of the
present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 4a, the joinery strip 410 is
exemplarily made of a thin stainless-steel sheet with two groups of
blade-like protruding members 412 and 416 stamped thereout. The
protruding members 412 and 416 are substantially perpendicular to
an inner surface of the joinery strip 410. Alternatively, the
protruding members 412 and 416 can also slightly lean toward each
other.
[0018] Referring to FIG. 4b, there are two groups of cuts 402 and
406 disposes on the insulative sleeve 400 along a seam 405 thereof.
These cuts 402 and 406 are positioned so that the protruding
members 412 and 416 of the joinery strip 410 fit in respective cuts
402 and 406 when being pressed into the insulative sleeve 400.
Engagement of the protruding members 412 and 416 with the cuts 402
and 406 keeps ends of the insulative sheet material together to
form the insulative sleeve 400.
[0019] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a joinery strip for an
insulative sleeve according to an embodiment of the present
disclosure. The joinery strip has two separate elongated parts 510
and 530. The bottom part 510 has two groups of protruding members
512 and 516. There is a concave space 522 disposed on top of each
protruding member 512. Similarly, there a concave space 526
disposed on top of each protruding member 516. The top part 530
also have two groups of protruding members 532 and 536, which are
sized and positioned to fit into the corresponding concave spaces
522 and 526, respectively. Fictions between the protruding members
532 and 536 and walls of the concave spaces 522 and 526 keeps the
top part 530 attached to the bottom part 510, so that the
insulative sleeve formed thereby is better secured between the top
part 530 and the bottom part 510 comparing to the insulative sleeve
100 shown in FIG. 2a.
[0020] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of joinery strip for an
insulative sleeve according to another embodiment of the present
disclosure. The joinery strip shown in FIG. 6 also has two
horizontal parts 610 and 630 joint permanently by a vertical part
620 in the middle. To form a insulative sleeve, the edge 215 of an
insulative sheet 200 shown in FIG. 2b can be squeezed in a space
between the horizontal parts 610 and 630 to a left-hand side of the
vertical part 620; while the edge 225 can be squeezed in a space
between the horizontal parts 610 and 630 to a right-hand side of
the vertical part 620. Although fictions between the sheet 200 and
the horizontal parts 610 and 630 may be enough to keep the edges
215 and 225 in place, spikes 632 and 636 are exemplarily provided
on an inner surface of the top horizontal part 630, and spikes 612
and 616 are exemplarily provided on an inner surface of the bottom
horizontal part 610. As shown in FIG. 6, the spikes 612 and 632 are
pointed inward so that the edge 215 is easier to be squeezed in
than to be pull out. In an embodiment, tips of the spikes 612 and
632 are vertically misaligned, so that the edge 215 has a wider
passage to be squeezed in. The spikes 616 and 636 are symmetrical
to the spikes 612 and 632, respectively. Because the spikes 612,
616, 632 and 636, as well as the aforementioned protruding members
should hold the edges of an insulative sheet in places, they must
be made of a rigid material, such as plastic or metal.
[0021] While this disclosure has been particularly shown and
described with references to exemplary embodiments thereof, it
shall be understood by those skilled in the art that various
changes in form and details may be made therein without departing
from the spirit of the claimed embodiments.
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