FR2629052A2 - DEVICE FOR LOCKING THE BOTTOM OF A FOLDABLE CUP HAVING TWO STABILIZING TABS - Google Patents

Abstract

Foldable goblet formed from two thin walls, of which the lower part comprises, once unfolded, a concave base (11) making it possible to keep the lateral walls (12) apart, of which the upper part comprises two tongues (22) which can be folded back and which are pressed on the lateral walls (12), and of which the ends (21) form a support polygon for the goblet. This goblet may be obtained from a tamper-proof closed bag, comprising a preliminary cutout enabling the bag to be opened whilst forming the tongue (22), capable of containing the ingredients and utensils whose implementation requires the use of the goblet.

Description

() FRENCH REPUBLIC Publication no .: 2,629,052 (to be used only

  for NATIONAL INSTITUTE reproduction orders)

PROPERTY = TE- INDUSTRIAL

  OF INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY National registration number 88 04 135 PARIS

  Int C14 'B 65 D 5/40; A 47 G 19/22.

  Q REQUEST FOR CERTIFICATE OF ADDITION A2

TO A PATENT OF INVENTION

  Filing date: March 24, 1988. Q Applicant (s): Gilbert CAPY and Jacques BENAR-

ROUCH. - FR.

( Priority:

  (Inventor (s): Gilbert Capy: Jacques Benarrouch.

  Date of public availability of the

  application: BOPI "Patents" n 39 of September 29, 1989.

  (i References to other national documents appearing

  rented: 1st addition to patent 87 06438 taken on May 4, 1987. Q Holder (s)

Q Agent (s) Gilbert Capy.

  Locking device for the bottom of a foldable cup with two stabilizing tabs. t The stabilization tabs according to the request for revet 87 06438 have two panels 63 which fold

  under the concave bottom 56 and ensures its locking.

  I N O L D eV IL. For sale of the fascicles to NATIONAL PRINTING. 27. rue de la Convention - 75732 PARIS CEDEX 15 The present invention is an improvement on patent application number 87-06438 concerning a "foldable cup with tamper-evident device", known as "patent application"

in the rest of the text.

  Fig. 1 shows the foldable cup in the unfolded position

  according to one of the variants of said patent application.

  The cup, described in said patent application, is formed of two semi-rigid thin walls, the lower part of which, once unfolded, has a concave bottom (11) Fig. 1, making it possible to keep the side walls (12) apart, of which the upper part has two foldable tabs (22) which are pressed against the side walls (12) and the ends (21) of which form a lifting folygon for the cup. This cup can be obtained from a closed tamper-evident sachet, which can contain the ingredients and utensils whose implementation requires the use of a container, comprising a precut enabling the sachet to be opened while forming the tongue.

(22) which will serve to stabilize it.

  In use, we note that the edge (52) used for drinking which is formed by the folded tab (22), is located so that naturally we try to wear the cup to the lips by grasping it at the right of the tabs ( 22). This way of grasping the cup is not reassuring for the user because it tends to bring its walls closer

  (12) which had been discarded thanks to the concave bottom (11).

  Thus, if you tighten the cup too much in your fingers, you risk seeing the bottom (11) unlock, the edges

  bring closer, the volume decrease, and the liquid overflows.

  So we prefer to grab the cup by leaning on the side edges (53) located on either side of the tongues (22>, which has the advantage of causing when we tighten the fingers too much an increase in volume. But then the cup does not present itself, with a natural gesture, correctly to the lips because it presents itself opposite the lateral edges (53) which does not allow drinking. You have to turn your wrist ninety degrees to bring its edge (52) to the correct position, which is not very

comfortable.

  The invention consists in providing a solution to the problem of locking the bottom of the cup so as to be able to grasp the cup naturally, without taking the risk of seeing it.

to reclose.

  Fig.2 shows the open cup with the locking system in place seen from below. Fig.3 shows the cup being opened with the

bottom not positioned.

  Fig.4 shows the sachet-cup before opening the sachet. When the tongues (54) Fig.2 are folded in position, to serve as a stabilizer for the cup, they are pressed against the wall (55) of the cup. The concave bottom (56) being formed, the lower zone (57) of the tongues (54), when it passes below the convex curve (58) which delimits the side wall (55) of that constituting the concave bottom ( 56), is no longer supported on the wall (55) and delimits a free zone, which can be used

  to set up a lock on the bottom of the cup.

  To make the mechanism clear we will leave for

  O20 the description of the cup described in the said request for

  patent. First, a substantially horizontal slot (59) is made in the tongue (54), starting from an edge of the tongue (54) located below the highest point of the convex curve (58) delimiting the concave bottom ( 56). This slit is continued until its end arrives at the level (60) of the said convex curve (58). Then folded, in a fold (61) substantially perpendicular to the edge (62) of the cup, a panel (63) delimited by the lower edge (64) of said slot (59) and the end (65) of the tongue (54), so that this panel (63) passes under the concave bottom (56) and allows it to serve as a support for the latter. One can thus fold two panels (63) by tab (54), or four panels for the two tabs, the substantially horizontal part (64) of which serves as a support for the concave bottom (56), and prevents it from being unlocked. The shape of the slot (59) and its position, depends directly on the shape of the concave bottom (56), especially the angle (66) that the panel (63) makes when folded as indicated above so that it effectively serve as support at the bottom. It is in fact important that the folded panel (63) conforms as well as possible to the shape of the bottom, and forms with it an angle as close as possible to the right angle so as to be able to bend over it when it is subjected a pressure, instead of sliding, which would cancel its action. It is obvious that this angle varies continuously or discontinuously depending on the shape of the concave bottom, as soon as the panel (63) once in place is not parallel to the straight generators at the bottom. It suffices that there is a sufficiently large area meeting this characteristic to perform the desired locking function. For each background shape, it will be necessary to experimentally adapt the shape of the panel cutout (63) to obtain optimum performance. In a preferred version of the invention, the bottom is obtained from a polygonal curve (67) Fig. 3, the highest part of which is a straight line (68) parallel to the edge (69) of the cup, the slot (70) is located at the height of this segment (68) when the tongue (54) is folded down, it is straight and parallel to the latter. It extends to the creasing (71) of the tongue, perpendicular to the edge (69) of the cup passing in the immediate vicinity of the end (72) of the segment (68) located on the same side as that of the slot (70) . When the panel (63) Fig.2 is folded under the concave bottom (56), it is placed at the fold of the bottom (73) passing through the said end (72) Fig.3 of the segment (68), perpendicularly on the surface of the part (74) Fig.2 of the bottom of the cup located between the two said segments (68) parallel to the edge (69) of the cup. When the four panels (63) are in place, they are perpendicular to the central part (57) of the tongues (54). They form, with each of the corresponding tongues (54), a trihedron coming to consolidate the support on the ground of the tongue (54), increasing its resistance to buckling. The area formed by these trihedrons is a very favorable area for gripping, because when the fingers are supported in this area (57), they tend to tilt the tongue (54) inward, and the panels (63) tend to tilt in turn to come and arch on the part (74) of the bottom (56) which is parallel to the edge (62) of the cup thus ensuring its locking. In addition, this zone is distant from the walls (55) of the cup by a sufficient distance to be insensitive - the heat transmitted by a hot and even boiling liquid. We have described a way of obtaining a panel from a slot made in the tongue. It is obvious that there are other means of releasing these panels (63), and in particular by an appropriate cutting of the

tongue (54).

  When the cup is in the initial form of a sachet, this does not pose any particular problem to provide, at the time of the manufacture of the blank, the cutouts (75) Fig. 4 and the grooves (76) which will allow places the locking panels (77) after forming the

concave bottom.

Claims (1)

  1-The foldable cup according to any one of   claims of patent application number E8--06438 is   characterized in that each stabilizing tongue (54) has two substantially horizontal slots (64), the position and profile of which are defined as a function of the profile of the concave bottom (56), making it possible to form panels (63) which fold back under the latter by constituting a lock. - -The foldable cup according to the preceding claim is characterized in that in the case where the convex curve is polygonal with a segment (68) parallel to the edge (69) of the cup, the slot is rectilinear and parallel to the edge (69), and the upper part of the panels (63), when in place, bears perpendicularly on the bottom at the level of the fold (73) passing through the end (72) of the segment. t> I '/ C Iol) I' N1