GB2484149A - Stackable beverage cups which resist separation - Google Patents

Stackable beverage cups which resist separation Download PDF

Info

Publication number
GB2484149A
GB2484149A GB201017383A GB201017383A GB2484149A GB 2484149 A GB2484149 A GB 2484149A GB 201017383 A GB201017383 A GB 201017383A GB 201017383 A GB201017383 A GB 201017383A GB 2484149 A GB2484149 A GB 2484149A
Authority
GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
cup
base
formation
bead
cups
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
GB201017383A
Other versions
GB201017383D0 (en
Inventor
Alan Menzies Stewart Watson
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
CUP Co FRANCHISE Ltd
Original Assignee
CUP Co FRANCHISE Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by CUP Co FRANCHISE Ltd filed Critical CUP Co FRANCHISE Ltd
Publication of GB201017383D0 publication Critical patent/GB201017383D0/en
Publication of GB2484149A publication Critical patent/GB2484149A/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D3/00—Rigid or semi-rigid containers having bodies or peripheral walls of curved or partially-curved cross-section made by winding or bending paper without folding along defined lines
    • B65D3/10—Rigid or semi-rigid containers having bodies or peripheral walls of curved or partially-curved cross-section made by winding or bending paper without folding along defined lines characterised by form of integral or permanently secured end closure
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D1/00—Containers having bodies formed in one piece, e.g. by casting metallic material, by moulding plastics, by blowing vitreous material, by throwing ceramic material, by moulding pulped fibrous material, by deep-drawing operations performed on sheet material
    • B65D1/22—Boxes or like containers with side walls of substantial depth for enclosing contents
    • B65D1/26—Thin-walled containers, e.g. formed by deep-drawing operations
    • B65D1/265—Drinking cups
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D21/00—Nestable, stackable or joinable containers; Containers of variable capacity
    • B65D21/02—Containers specially shaped, or provided with fittings or attachments, to facilitate nesting, stacking, or joining together
    • B65D21/0233—Nestable containers
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D3/00—Rigid or semi-rigid containers having bodies or peripheral walls of curved or partially-curved cross-section made by winding or bending paper without folding along defined lines
    • B65D3/02—Rigid or semi-rigid containers having bodies or peripheral walls of curved or partially-curved cross-section made by winding or bending paper without folding along defined lines characterised by shape
    • B65D3/06—Rigid or semi-rigid containers having bodies or peripheral walls of curved or partially-curved cross-section made by winding or bending paper without folding along defined lines characterised by shape essentially conical or frusto-conical
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D85/00—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials
    • B65D85/70—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials for materials not otherwise provided for
    • B65D85/804—Disposable containers or packages with contents which are mixed, infused or dissolved in situ, i.e. without having been previously removed from the package
    • B65D85/816—Disposable containers or packages with contents which are mixed, infused or dissolved in situ, i.e. without having been previously removed from the package into which liquid is added and the resulting preparation is retained, e.g. cups preloaded with powder or dehydrated food

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Ceramic Engineering (AREA)
  • Packages (AREA)

Abstract

A stackable beverage cup 10 is formed of a conical paper base body 12 bonded to a conical plastics base 14. In the invention, formation 16, 18 are formed on the inner and outer surface of the base 14, such that, when an inner cup 10 is stacked within an outer cup, the formation 18 on the outer surface of the inner cup 10 engages with the formation 16 on the inner surface of the outer cup 10 to resist separation of the cups 10. If the formations 16, 18 are circumferentially continuous, they can also assist in forming a sealed compartment within the base of the outer cup 10. The sealed compartment may be filled with product 22 for making a drink. Product branding may be printed on the outside of the cup 10.

Description

--
Improvements In Beverage Cups
Field of the invention
S The relates to beverage cups.
Background of the invention
It is already known to provide beverage cups which are pre-fiiled with a powdered or granular product to enable a beverage to be made by the addition of a liquid. In some known designs, each cup is individually sealed by a foil in order to maintain its contents fresh. Such cups are intended to be filled manually as the foil seal has to be removed and discarded before liquid can be poured into the cup.
It is also known to provide cups which are designed to be stacked into one another so that the contents of each cup are sealed by the next cup in the stack. Such cups are better suited for use in automated vending machines and it is with this type of cup that the present invention is concerned.
Cups of this design are already known but the known cups are formed entirely of a plastics material. Plastics cups are however perceived to be of inferior quality and detract from the value of the beverage that they are used to dispense.
Summary of the invention
in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a beverage cup formed of a conical paper-based body bonded to a conical plastics base, characterised in that formations are formed on the inner and outer surfaces of the base, such that, when an inner cup is stacked within an outer cup, the formation on the outer surface of the inner cup engages with the formation on the inner surface of the outer cup to resist separation of the cups.
The formations on the inner and outer surfaces of the cup are preferably circumferentially continuous so as to assist in forming a sealed compartment within the base of the outer cup.
Conveniently, the formation on the inner surface of the base comprises a groove and the formation on the outer surface of the base is a bead. The groove and the bead are continuous around the base but they may also be intermittent. The bead is dimensioned to be received snugly within the groove so as to offer closure between opposing bases.
The groove and the bead may suitably have a semi-circular or triangular cross section so as to offer only limited resistance to separation of the cups.
Advantageously1 the conical paper-based body is formed by folding and joining the radial edges of a sector-shaped plastics-coated paper board blank.
The conical body may be bonded to the base by ultrasonic welding to ensure that the plastic inner coating of the paper board bonds to the plastic base. The bonding may alternatively be carried out by application or heat cr glue.
As the sides of the cup of the invention are mostly formed of paper board, they can offer better thermal insulation and are generally firmer and more comfortable to hold than a cup made wholly of plastics material. Because the conical body is paper based, it is also possible for product branding to be printed onto the flat blank from which the conical body is formed.
Brief description of the drawings
The invention will now be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a section through a stack of cups of the invention during the addition of the last cup to the stack, Figure 2 shows a paper board blank for forming a cup, and Figure 3 shows a detailed of two cups of a second embodiment of the invention, stacked one within the other.
Detailed description of the preferred embodiment
Each of the four cups 10 shown in Figure 1 comprises a conical body 12 secured at its lower end to a plastics base 14.
The conical body 12 of each cup is formed from a sector shaped flat blank 12a, shown in Figure 2, of which the opposite radially extending sides 12b and 12c are overlapped and bonded to one another after the blank has been rolled into the shape of a truncated cone. A rolled over lip 20 is formed at the end of the conical body 12 having the larger diameter, to add rigidity to the cup and to make it easier to drink from the cup.
The blank 12a is made of a paper board coated with a film of suitable plastics material. As well as sealing the paperboard, the material of the plastics coating is selected to enable the ends of the blank to be welded to one another and to permit the conical body 12 to be bonded to the plastics base 14. Polyethylene has been found to be
suitable.
Because the blank l2a is flat and made of a paper based material, it is possible to print product branding on the blank before it is formed into a cup. individual blanks 12a can be cut by stamping out of a continuous roll after the desired branding has been printed onto the roll.
The base 14 of each cup 10 is formed of a plastics material that can be bonded, preferably by ultrasonic welding, to the conical body 12. The base 14 is formed by injection moulding and has a conical sidewall of which the upper end is bonded to the conical body 12. Near the upper end of the base 14, a groove 16 of semi-circular cross-section is formed on the interior surface of the base.
Nearer to the lower end of the base 14, a bead 18 of semi-circular cross-section is formed on the outer surface of the base.
The upper rim of each base 14 is chamfered to assist in stacking of the cups. When cups are stacked into one another, as shown for the lowermost two cups in Figure 1, the bead 18 of the upper or inner cup is received within the groove 16 of the lower or outer cup. This interlocking between the bases of the cups achieves two results.
First, a sealed compartment is defined within the base of each cup to receive a powdered or granular product 22 from which a beverage is to be made. The sealed compartment maintains the product 22 fresh until such time as two cups are separated from one another.
The second purpose of the interlocking is to lock the cups to one another when they are stacked. Some resistance is encountered by the bases clicking into one another and thus preventing their accidental separation.
it is preferred for the overlap between the conical body 12 and the base 14 to be such that as the bead 18 of an upper cup locates in the groove 16 of a lower cup in a stack, the lower edge 21 of the conical body 12 comes into abutment with the upper edge 23 of the base 14 of the lower cup. This helps to ensure that the cups click together with more accuracy and speed because the abutment prevents the two cups from moving beyond the point of engagement of the bead 13 in the groove 16.
To assist in ultrasonic welding, it is preferable to form on the outer surface of the base 14, within the overlap region between the conical body 12 and the base 14, an annular rib that need not protrude as much as the bead 18.
Such a rib is commonly used in ultrasonic welding and serves to concentrate the acoustic energy in the vicinity of the rib to achieve an improved weld.
In use, a stack of cups pre-filled with the product 22 is inserted into a vending machine. During a vending cycle, the machine pulls the lowermost cup of f the stack and it drops down a chute to a vending station were a liquid such as water and/or milk is added to the product to form the desired beverage. In this way, the product 22 remains within a close compartment until shortly before the beverage is made and therefore remains fresh.
It will be clear to the person skilled in the art that various modifications may be made to the described embodiments of the invention. For example, it would be possible for the formation on the inner surface of the base to be a bead and for the formation on its outer surface to be a groove. Furthermore, the cross-seotional shape of the beads and the grooves may be modified to adjust the degree of force required to separate the cups when they are stacked.
Though the conical body of each oup has been described as having a single wall, it is possible to use a double walled cup or a cup where the wall includes an thermally insulating layer.
The sealing of a compartment within each cup is not just the result of the engagement of the interlocking formations but also results from the interference fit between the conical inner and outer surfaces of the interlocked bases. It is not therefore essential for the beads 18 to be continuous and they may be used only to prevent accidental separation of the oups in a stack.
Figure 3 shows an alternative embodiment of the invention in which the base 114 is designed differently. The base 114 once again has a bead 118 projecting from its outer surface but, in this embodiment, instead of engaging in a groove on the inner surface of the base of the cup into which it is stacked, the bead 118 engages beneath an inwardly projecting bead 116 to lock the cups to one another. A rounded ledge 117 projecting from the inner surface of the base 114 acts as a rest to limit the extent to which the cup can be collapsed into one another.
Figure 3 also shows ribs 120 which as described above assist in the ultrasonic welding of the conical body of the cup to the base 114. An important advantage offered by the embodiment of Figure 3 over that shown in Figure 1, is that, while stacking the cups, one cannot overshoot the position where the cups are interlocked. Furthermore, two air tight seals are achieved, one between the beads 11 and 118 and the other between the underside of the base 114 and the ledge 117 on which it rests.

Claims (11)

  1. CLAIMS1. A stackable beverage cup formed of a conical paper-based body bonded to a conical plastics base, characterised in that formations are formed on the inner and outer surfaces of the base, such that, when an inner cup is stacked within an outer cup, the formation on the outer surface of the inner cup engages with the formation on the inner surface of the outer cup to resist separation of the cups.
  2. 2. A beverage cup as claimed in claim 1, wherein the formations on the inner and outer surfaces of the cup are circumferentially continuous so as to assist in forming a sealed compartment within the base of the outer cup.
  3. 3. A beverage cup as claimed in claim 2, wherein the formation on the inner surface of the base comprises a groove and the formation on the outer surface of the base is a bead dimensioned to be received snugly within the groove.
  4. . A beverage cup as claimed in claim 3, wherein the groove and the bead have a semi circular cross-section so that they offer only limited resistance to separation of the cups.
  5. 5. A beverage cup as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the formation on the inner surface of the base comprises a first bead and the formation on the outer surface of the base is a so second bead that engages beneath the first bead of the base of a cup into which the cup is stacked.
  6. 6. A beverage cup as claimed in claim 5, wherein a ledge projects from the inner surface of the base at a position below the first bead to serve as a rest for the underside of another similar cup that is stacked into the base.
  7. 7. A beverage cup as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the conical paper-based body is formed by folding and joining the radial edges of a sector-shaped plastics-coated paper board blank.
  8. 8. A beverage cup as claimed in claim 7, wherein the conical body is bonded to the base by ultrasonic welding of the plastics coating of the paper board to the plastics base.
  9. 9. A beverage cup as claimed in claim 8, wherein the overlap between the conical body and the base is such that when the formations of two cups in a stack engage one another1 the lower edge of the conical body of one cup abuts the upper edge of the base of the other cup.
  10. 10. A beverage cup as claimed in claim 7, 8 or 9, wherein product branding is printed onto the flat blank from which the conical body is formed.
  11. 11. A beverage cup oonstructed substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
GB201017383A 2010-10-01 2010-10-14 Stackable beverage cups which resist separation Withdrawn GB2484149A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GBGB1016561.1A GB201016561D0 (en) 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 Improvements in beverage cups

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
GB201017383D0 GB201017383D0 (en) 2010-11-24
GB2484149A true GB2484149A (en) 2012-04-04

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GBGB1016561.1A Ceased GB201016561D0 (en) 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 Improvements in beverage cups
GB201017383A Withdrawn GB2484149A (en) 2010-10-01 2010-10-14 Stackable beverage cups which resist separation

Family Applications Before (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
GBGB1016561.1A Ceased GB201016561D0 (en) 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 Improvements in beverage cups

Country Status (1)

Country Link
GB (2) GB201016561D0 (en)

Cited By (10)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR3051775A1 (en) * 2016-05-31 2017-12-01 Tirouvady Moutty CARDBOARD AND STACK CUP COMPRISING SUCH CUP
USD903424S1 (en) 2017-02-07 2020-12-01 Ball Corporation Tapered cup
USD906056S1 (en) 2018-12-05 2020-12-29 Ball Corporation Tapered cup
WO2021026296A1 (en) * 2019-08-06 2021-02-11 Lavazza Professional North America Llc Cup, stack of cups, and beverage vending machine containing the same
USD950318S1 (en) 2018-05-24 2022-05-03 Ball Corporation Tapered cup
USD953811S1 (en) 2020-02-14 2022-06-07 Ball Corporation Tapered cup
US11370579B2 (en) 2017-02-07 2022-06-28 Ball Corporation Tapered metal cup and method of forming the same
USD968893S1 (en) 2019-06-24 2022-11-08 Ball Corporation Tapered cup
USD974845S1 (en) 2020-07-15 2023-01-10 Ball Corporation Tapered cup
USD1012617S1 (en) 2021-02-22 2024-01-30 Ball Corporation Tapered cup

Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB1554241A (en) * 1977-03-17 1979-10-17 Mono Containers Ltd Drinking cup
GB1599396A (en) * 1977-05-03 1981-09-30 Lin Pac Plastic Containers Ltd Drinking cups capable of nesting
US4368818A (en) * 1981-04-13 1983-01-18 Mono Containers (U.K.) Limited Cups for holding ingredients for drinks
EP0090639A2 (en) * 1982-03-29 1983-10-05 Lin Pac Plastic Containers Limited Nestable containers
GB2437700A (en) * 2006-05-04 2007-11-07 Stewart Watson Cup including compartment for beverage concentrate
GB2452719A (en) * 2007-09-11 2009-03-18 Mars Inc Nestable cups for beverage dispensing

Patent Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB1554241A (en) * 1977-03-17 1979-10-17 Mono Containers Ltd Drinking cup
GB1599396A (en) * 1977-05-03 1981-09-30 Lin Pac Plastic Containers Ltd Drinking cups capable of nesting
US4368818A (en) * 1981-04-13 1983-01-18 Mono Containers (U.K.) Limited Cups for holding ingredients for drinks
EP0090639A2 (en) * 1982-03-29 1983-10-05 Lin Pac Plastic Containers Limited Nestable containers
GB2437700A (en) * 2006-05-04 2007-11-07 Stewart Watson Cup including compartment for beverage concentrate
GB2452719A (en) * 2007-09-11 2009-03-18 Mars Inc Nestable cups for beverage dispensing

Cited By (14)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2017207921A1 (en) * 2016-05-31 2017-12-07 Tirouvady Moutty Paper cup and stack comprising such a cup
FR3051775A1 (en) * 2016-05-31 2017-12-01 Tirouvady Moutty CARDBOARD AND STACK CUP COMPRISING SUCH CUP
USD903424S1 (en) 2017-02-07 2020-12-01 Ball Corporation Tapered cup
US10875076B2 (en) 2017-02-07 2020-12-29 Ball Corporation Tapered metal cup and method of forming the same
US11370579B2 (en) 2017-02-07 2022-06-28 Ball Corporation Tapered metal cup and method of forming the same
USD950318S1 (en) 2018-05-24 2022-05-03 Ball Corporation Tapered cup
USD906056S1 (en) 2018-12-05 2020-12-29 Ball Corporation Tapered cup
USD962710S1 (en) 2018-12-05 2022-09-06 Ball Corporation Tapered cup
USD968893S1 (en) 2019-06-24 2022-11-08 Ball Corporation Tapered cup
WO2021026296A1 (en) * 2019-08-06 2021-02-11 Lavazza Professional North America Llc Cup, stack of cups, and beverage vending machine containing the same
USD953811S1 (en) 2020-02-14 2022-06-07 Ball Corporation Tapered cup
USD974845S1 (en) 2020-07-15 2023-01-10 Ball Corporation Tapered cup
USD978618S1 (en) 2020-07-15 2023-02-21 Ball Corporation Tapered cup
USD1012617S1 (en) 2021-02-22 2024-01-30 Ball Corporation Tapered cup

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB201017383D0 (en) 2010-11-24
GB201016561D0 (en) 2010-11-17

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