GB2474040A - Cup Stabiliser - Google Patents

Abstract

A cup holder, e.g. for disposable cups, comprises a body portion 10 having a base 12 of larger diameter than a top 13 and a bevel 15 having a hollow frusto-conical shape and extending from the top 13. The bevel serves to securely hold a cup preventing burns or the cup tipping over. A cup may have a shaped portion corresponding to an engaging means located on the bevel portion of the holder such as a ridge (figure 3), dimples (figure 4), adhesive tape, stepped configurations or a screw thread. The stabiliser may have good insulating properties and may extend 40-80% of the way up the height of the cup. The cup and holder may be made of polyethylene, polystyrene, polypropylene, cardboard or compressed paper. The bottom of the cup may be level with the bottom 13 of the holder, or the holder may hold the cup off any surface on which it is placed. The wall of the holder at edge 13 may be thicker to provide additional stability.

Description

A CUP HOLDER

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a holder for cups. In particular, the holder is intended to stabilise disposable cups used in many coffee shops and offices.

Background to the Invention

The provision of hot drinks in shops has in recent years become a far larger business than it once was. The present invention relates to cups of a type used in many outlets, particularly in many recognisable High Street chains of coffee shop or fast-food shop, where a drink it to be taken away from the premises. Such cups are usually of a frusto-conical shape with the narrower end used as the base portion on which the cup sits when in use. In order to ensure that heat is retained in the drink, but that the user does not burn themselves when holding the cup, materials which have insulating properties yet retain structural integrity are often used. For example, foam materials made of polystyrene; for example StyrofoamTM are particularly favoured.

However, particularly in many offices where a vending machine is employed, plastic cups made from moulded polyethylene or polypropylene are used. These cups tend to have walls which are far thinner and conduct heat more rapidly than foam materials.

Often a holder is provided to assist the user to lift the cup without burning themselves. This can take the form of a specially designed article to fit around the base portion of the cup and can often include a handle for lifting the cup. Such holders are often used within an office environment. However, the holder is frequently simply a ring of corrugated cardboard which fits around the cup, the ring having a diameter approximate to that of the lid portion of the cup.

The cups described above are manufactured in the frusto-conical shape in order to ease transport and storage problems. The shape lends itself to cups being stacked together in a way which minimises the volume the cups collectively require. This shape is nevertheless one which is not stable with respect to the cup being knocked over as the centre of gravity is higher than the midpoint of the cup. A small impulse is therefore often sufficient for the cup, together with its contents, to be spilt. This is obviously dangerous to the user and can result in serious burns being caused by the hot liquid. Moreover, a number of lawsuits has been successfully brought against outlets where a customer has been burned. It is therefore of advantage to provide a means of stabilising the cups to avoid their being knocked over.

One means of addressing the problem is to prevent liquid from escaping from the cup by the provision of a lid. It is however clearly unsuitable once the lid has been removed, and such lids have in any event been a contributing factor in injuries due to difficulties often encountered in putting on and removing the lid from what is, in itself a flexible cup.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an improved means of stabilising a cup and its contents. It is a further object to provide such a stabiliser which can optionally be used to lift the cup.

Summary of the Invention

According to the first aspect of the invention there is provided a cup holder for use, primarily, with disposable cups, the cup holder comprising: a body portion whose wall has a hollow frusto-conical configuration, the edge of the base of the body portion being of greater diameter than the opposite edge; a bevel extending downwardly into the body portion, said bevel having a generally hollow frusto-conical shape and being joined along its base edge to the opposite edge of the main body portion.

The holder thereby produced stabilises a cup towards it being knocked over, and also provides an increased surface area engaging the cup to minimise movement of the cup whilst it is within the holder.

Optionally, the angle subtended by the wall of the body portion subtends an angle of 10 to 300 with the main axis of the body portion to provide improved stability towards the cup being tipped over, The thickness of the wall of the body portion is preferably from 0.1 -2.0mm to give good insulating properties and structural integrity.

Conveniently the vertical height of the holder is preferably from 40-80% of the height of the cup to retain sufficient of the cup to reduce the chance of the cup tipping over.

The angle subtended by the bevel with the vertical axis of the holder is preferably from 5-15° to properly engage the cup. Further preferably, the bevel includes one or more cut-outs to reduce the mass of materials used in the holder.

Advantageously the bevel andlor the wall of the body portion includes an indentation engaging a ridge on a cup to assist in retention of the holder against the cup.

Optionally, the wall of the body portion in the region of the upper edge is thicker than in the region of the lower edge to provide additional strength and support.

The bottom edge of the holder is sufficiently rigid to provide additional strength and support (the same as, or similar to the top opening of the cup) The wall of the body portion conveniently includes a ridged region to better engage a cup.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a cup and holder, the cup and holder being as defined above.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings which show by way of example only, three embodiments of a cup holder and their use. In the drawings: Figures la-ic are respectively a sectional view through the axis of the holder, a plan view and a transparent perspective view of a first embodiment of cup holder; Figure 2 illustrates use of the cup holder of Figure 1; Figures 3a and 3b illustrate a second embodiment of a cup holder; and Figure 4 illustrates a third embodiment of a cup holder.

Detailed Description of the Invention

Many outlets supply drinks to the customer in cups shaped like that of the central article shown in Figure 2. The reason for this derives primarily from reasons of transport as said shapes allow efficient space utilisation. However, the centre of gravity of such cups is higher than for a conventional cylindrical cup. Moreover, if the cup is knocked, the tipping point where the centre of gravity is over the point of contact of the holder with the surface on which the cup stands is reached far more quickly, with the result that such cups are more easily knocked over.

In addition to this, the walls of the cup are quite thin and so heat loss therethrough can be rapid. If the drink is particularly hot then heat transfer through the cup can be so fast that the user can bum themselves when they pick up the cup. Solutions to these problems have been proposed such as using foamed materials which have a low co-efficient of heat transfer, or simply using thicker walls, but there remains a need for an easily manufacturable solution which can minimise the risk of spillage and of a user being burnt either due to the spillage or on picking up a cup.

In its broadest aspect, the invention as herein described provides a holder which renders the cup more stable and which can also be employed by a user to pick the cup up: giving a layer of insulation between the outer wall of the cup and the user's fingers. The holder can be made from the same material from which the cup is made, which can streamline manufacturing processes. Different materials can however be used where so desired or required. Suitable but non-limiting examples of materials are plastics such as polystyrene -primarily as a foam -polyethylene, polypropylene or mixtures thereof, cardboard or compressed paper.

Referring to figures la-Ic, these illustrate the basic figures of the shape of the invention. A holder, generally referenced 10, has a hollow frusto-conical body portion 11. In order to give good stability but to minimise material usage, the wall of the body portion 11 is set at an angle typically, but not limited to, a range of 5-15° to the vertical axis of the holder 10. The thickness of the body portion wall depends upon the material being used but typically can be from 0.1 -20mm.

The edges 12 and 13 are circular with the in-use lower edge 12 being of greater diameter than of the edge 13.

The vertical height of the holder is typically, but not limited to, 40-80% of the cup height. However, the precise value will usually depend upon the size of the cup which the holder 10 is to retain.

The height can be chosen to maintain the cup 14 off the surface on which the holder 10 sits. This might be desirable to prevent marking of the surface due to the temperature of the drink. Alternatively, the height is set such that the edge 13 engages the cup 14 at a level such that the bottom of the cup 14 then rests on the surface. The decision made on this feature influences the thickness of the wall of the body portion 11 as the wall can be made thicker where it is intended or possible that the holder is to perform a load-bearing role.

In order to better stabilise the cup 14 the holder 10 includes a bevel 15. The bevel 15 can be formed of the same material as the holder 10 and, like the holder 10, has a hollow frusto-conical shape. The bevel 15 and the body portion 10 are joined together along the edge 13. The angle subtended with the vertical axis of the holder by the wall 16 of the bevel 15 is set to correspond closely to that of the cup 14 which it is intended to be held, but can be set as required. Typically the bevel 15 is set at an angle typically, but not limited to, a range of 5-15°.

The use of the holder 10 is illustrated in Figure 2. The holder 10 is taken and optionally placed on a flat surface. The cup 14 is placed through the upper aperture defined by the edge 13 and lowered until the edge 13 engages the side of the cup 14. At this point the bevel 15 also engages the side of the cup 14 to provide additional stability, in that movement of the cup 14 relative to the holder is reduced. The user can then employ the holder 10 to grip and lift the cup 14 to consume the beverage. The material from which the holder is manufactured can be chosen so that when this action is performed, the holder 10 deforms under pressure from the user's fingers against the cup 14 providing an easier grip. The material can also be chosen to have a degree of shape memory so that it returns to its original shape when the user puts the cup down again onto a surface.

Referring now to the embodiment shown in Figures 3a and 3b, the main features of the holder and cup are as shown in Figures la -lc and the numbering of like elements in Figure 3 is the same. Additionally in the second embodiment, the bevel 15 includes a profiled indentation 31. The indentation 31 corresponds to a ridge 32 on the cup 14. When the cup 14 is placed into the holder 10 therefore, the ridge 32 engages the indentation 31 so securing the position of the holder 10 relative to the cup 14. This process is facilitated by the resilient nature of the material from which the bevel 15 is made or from the joint between the bevel 15 and the body portion 11 allowing limited movement.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 4, the bevel 15 of the holder 40 includes a plurality of dimples 41 which engage the wall of the cup 14. If so desired the cup 14 can also include a corresponding series of dimples to improve the engagement.

Furthermore, the dimples on either the cup 14 or the bevel 15 can be made male to engage with female dimples on the other article. It is not essential in this situation that the male and female dimples be lined up precisely where a sufficient number can be included to ensure at least a proportion mate together.

Further features which are not illustrated, which may be included, are as folEows.

Firstly, the wall of the body portion 11 can be made thicker in the region of the edge 13 compared with the rest of the holder, in order to provide additional strength to support a cup.

Some cups, particularly those having thinner walls, have a stepped outer profile which enables the user to grip the cup better and also strengthens the wall. The bevel 15 therefore can be provided with a stepped profile corresponding in shape, but complimentary to the steps to engage the steps and assist in giving a better engagement when lifting the drink.

In order to reduce material usage in manufacturing the holder, the bevel or wall of the body portion can include one or more cut-outs. Said cut-outs should not compromise the structural integrity of the holder.

It will of course be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific details described herein, which are given by way of example only, and that various modifications and alterations are possible within the scope of the invention.

Claims (3)

1. What is claimed is: 1. A method for stabilising disposable frusto-conical liquid containers comprising the steps of: (a) selecting first disposable liquid container having a closed circular base, a conical wall that extends upward and tapers outwardly from the outer perimeter of said base, and an open circular mouth formed by the upper perimeter of said wall; (b) preparing the wall of the frustro-conical liquid container, described in claim 1 a with a suitable adaptation to enable locking of the lower section described in claim 2.(c) the engagement of the lower section described in claim 2 and its locking onto the frustro-conical liquid container by way creating a single locked liquid container or drinking vessel with stabilised base-.
2. 2. A method for stabilizing frustro conical disposable liquid containers with an inverted and locking frustro-conical base configuration comprising (a) a disposable frustro-conical stabiliser having a conical wall that extends upward and tapers inwardly from the outer perimeter of said open base, and an open circular mouth formed by the upper perimeter of said wall; (b) That the frustro-conical stabiliser be inverted to slide onto and lock onto the adapted frustro-conical liquid container as described in claim 1 (c) That the open mouth be adapted to accommodate the locking method as described in claim 3.
3. 3. A process for the manufacture of a locking mechanism to the open mouth of inverted frustro conical disposable liquid container stabiliser as set out on claim 2, comprising the steps of: (a) taking the mouth of the stabilising frustro-conical inverted stabiliser and by way of folding back or a series of raised dimples or a threaded devise or using an adhesive create a mechanism to lock both the modified frustro conical liquid container and the inverted frustro conical stabilising base into a single unit;S * * * * S.S **IS *SS..S