FR2707467A1 - Method of folding a cup so that its concave base can be easily formed and properly locked in position - Google Patents

Abstract

The method consists in preforming the concave base of the cup in such a way that simple pressure on the lateral edges (19) and (20) reliably results in the progressive opening out of the base of the cup into the open position in which the base assumes the form of a dihedral having great resistance to the pressure of the fingers holding the cup.

Description

The invention is a method of folding a cup making it possible to form

  easily and properly lock the concave bottom. This invention is particularly

  improvement of French Patent No. 2,614,873.

  Indeed, the most obvious way to make a foldable cup is to start from a rectangular semi-rigid sheet, to fold it in two so that the two halves are superimposed, to fix between them the lateral edges, and finally to give the bottom of the cup thus formed a concave shape to keep the cup open. The zone where the fingers are naturally pressed, to hold the cup when it is held on the lips, corresponds to the zone of widest spacing of the walls of the cup; this concave zone is crossed by the fold line of the starting sheet as well as by random fold lines that can occur at the time of formation of the bottom, especially if the operation is performed manually by an uninformed person; all these fold lines constitute weak zones, concave bottom locking, when the cup is held naturally with the fingers; and the goblet then

  tendency to return to its original form and to collapse.

  Collapsing can be avoided by holding the cup by the side edges where the half-leaves are attached together, but this is not a natural position of the hand. The French addition certificate 2. 629.052 proposes a locking mode, using the stabilizing flaps described in French Patent No. 2,614,873, which is an effective solution but which is complex to implement by the user. not aware. The object of the invention is to provide the user with a removable cup provided with a bottom having no parasitic fold lines which are the cause of the collapse of the cups described in the cited patents; the deployment of the cup is made easier because the concave bottom is formed in the factory and then folded so that a simple pressure on the side edges of the bent cup allows the opening thereof. In what

  following, we will do the description of the forming of the bottom of the

  goblet in the case of the cup without first taking into consideration the possible existence of lateral stabilizing flaps; indeed these flaps are part, at the time of folding of the bottom, the side edges of the cup and their presence does not change the forming procedure

from the bottom described below.

  FIG. 1 represents a cut and grooved blank intended to make

a cup according to the invention.

  Fig.2 and Fig.3 represent two intermediate phases

  the shaping of the cup and especially the bottom.

  Fig.4 shows the formed cup placed upside down for

show the bottom.

  FIG. 5 represents the cup formed and folded according to the invention in order to reduce its size and to obtain a

easy unfolding.

  Fig.6 shows the same unfolded cup.

  Fig.7 shows the folded cup provided with stabilizing flaps. Fig.8 shows the cup of Fig.7 with only

the bottom deployed.

  Fig.9 shows the cup of Fig.8 with the stabilizing flaps in place to ensure the balance of all. The cup according to the invention consists of an elongated rectangular sheet Fig.1 made of a semi-rigid material; in the central part of the sheet Fig.1 is made a groove forming a rhombus (1) whose angles of the opposite peaks (2) located in the vicinity of the lateral sides (3) are acute and preferably placed on the center line (4) the elongate rectangular sheet; this rhombus (1) defines the surface of the concave bottom (5) of the future cup Fig.4 when it is deployed. This first rhombus (1) is superimposed on a second square-shaped crease (6) having two opposite peaks (7) coinciding with the vertices (2) of the rhombus (1) located on the center line (4>; 6) is the bottom of the future beaker Fig.5 when folded in. Two lines (8) Fig.1 of lateral scoring parallel to the longer sides (3) of the sheet, and passing through the common tops (2) and (7) squared (6) and rhombus (1) delimit the area of attachment of the lateral edges (9) Fig.4 of the cup between them.A central creasing line (10) Fig.1 parallel to the large cues (3). ) of the sheet passes through the other vertices (11) and (12) of the square (6) and the rhombus (1);

folding line of the bottom (5).

  To form the cup Fig.4 is gradually folded the sheet Fig.1 along the central creasing line (10) Fig.2 so that the outer portion (13) of the future cup forms a hollow; the bottom (5) of the future cup which was initially a rhombus (1) Fig.1 is transformed into a dihedron formed of two isosceles triangles (14) and (15) having their base (16) common and begins to constitute the concavity of the background (5); at the same time the zones (17) and (18) located on either side of the bottom (5) are pressed until their curvature is reversed, by inverting the folding direction at the level of the central creasing line (10), and take a convex shape formed of two dihedrons (21) and (22), with a central ridge (19) and (20), which will constitute the side faces of the cup Fig.4; continuing the movement the concave bottom (5) is hollowed out while the edges (23) and (24) of the convex dihedrals (21) and (22) located on either side of the concave bottom (5), which constitute the zones (9) Fig. 4 of attachments of the lateral walls to one another, approach each other and are superimposed at the end of the movement by folding at the level of the lateral creases (8); it is possible then to fix between them the side walls to form a

  cup whose upper orifice has the shape of a rhombus.

  The zone of the edge (25) Fig.6 which serves to drink, is in the area where the edge (25) intersects the central fold line (10); the capture of the cup Fig.6 is naturally in the vicinity of the ends (12) of the common base (16) Fig.3 of the two triangles (14) and (15) forming the concave bottom which is constituted by a dihedron very resistant to finger pressure since it does not have any folds that could

constitute buckling primers.

  Then we press the edges (8> of the zones (9) Fig.4 connecting the side faces (21) and (22), the concave bottom (5) continues to widen, the area (26) located between what was initially the diamond (1) Fig.1 representing the bottom (5) and the square (6) is gradually deformed, the central line of folding (10) Fig.4 flames in this area (26) and this surface becomes progressively, as the opposite lateral faces (21) and (22) come together, consisting of two isosceles right triangles (27) and (28), coming from the folding of the square (6) Fig.1 on itself, connected by their diagonal, which is common with the common base (16) Fig.2 of the two triangles (14) and (15) constituting the concave bottom (5), and which are superimposed Fig. 5. The cup Fig.5 is then folded with the zones (9) for fixing the opposite side walls (21) and (22) located in the central zone of the folded cup while the ridges (19) and (20) constitute now the side edges of the bent cup, to facilitate this operation, it is possible to make creases (29) Fig.1 formed of parallel lines between them and

  perpendicular to the central fold line (10).

  To open the cup Fig.6, just press the side edges (19) and (20) of the bent cup Fig.5 and the reverse movement occurs until the concave bottom (5) Fig.6 resumes the original form previously described Fig.4, formed of two triangles (14) and (15) Fig.3 having a common side (16) which is the small diagonal of the initial diamond (1) Fig.1; when one arrives in this position the dihedron formed by the concave bottom (5) Fig.6 becomes

  resistant and the cup is in the unfolded position.

  The initial rectangular sheet may be extended flaps (30) Fig.7 described in the cited patent with a creasing line (31) at their base to allow folding to ensure the stability of the cup Fig.9; at the end of folding the cup each flap (30) is folded on itself along its axis of symmetry which is also the extension of the side edges (19) and (20); the cup FIG. 8 is unfolded as previously described, the flaps (30) then forming two dihedrons whose edges (32) are the extensions of the lateral sides (19) and (20); the edges (32) are pressed at the creases (31) at the base of the flaps (30) so that the dihedrons formed by the flaps (30) become flat by simple deformation; it is then possible to turn the flaps (30) whose folding direction reverses to form another dihedron matching the shape of the side walls (21) and (22) Fig.9 of the cup thus constituting bearing points ( 33) which with the end supports (34) of the zones (9) for fixing the lateral faces (21) and (22) between them which are in the vicinity of the vertices

  (2) triangles constituting the concave bottom (5) of the cup.

  Such a cup can easily be obtained, without this example having a limiting character, from a sheet of compact cardboard coated internally with a plastic film used for sealing the cardboard and at the same time.

  fastening the edges (9) to each other by welding.

Claims (7)

claims   1-Process for producing a foldable cup made from a semi-rigid sheet and provided with a concave bottom, characterized in that when the cup is folded, the bottom (5) is already preformed in the form of a dihedral, the outer faces are in contact with each other and superimposed, so that the cup is properly shaped by simply pressing the edges   side (19) and (20) of the folded cup.   2-A method of producing a foldable cup, according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the manufacturing process comprises forming the bottom (5) in the extended position of the cup before performing its definitive folding.   3-Process for producing a foldable cup, following   any of the preceding claims, characterized   in that the dihedron forming the bottom (5) comprises a single   folding line (16) which ensures the resistance.   4-Process for producing a foldable cup following   any one of the preceding claims, characterized   in that when the cup is folded the two parts of the bottom (5) which are superimposed are part of surfaces which are delimited by two isosceles right triangles (27) and   (28) which have their common base and which overlap.   -Process of making a foldable cup following   any one of the preceding claims, characterized   in that the bottom (5) is a dihedron formed by the surfaces delimited by the isosceles triangles (14) and (15) having their common base (16), and whose vertices (2) form an acute angle and coincide with the summits (7) triangles (27) and (28).   6-Process for producing a foldable cup, following   any one of the preceding claims, characterized   in that the side walls are fixed together by their borders (9) the cup is formed as well as its bottom   (5) before final folding.   7-A method of producing a foldable cup, according to the preceding claim, characterized in that creases (29) parallel to the edges of the cup located in the zone (26) facilitate the passage from the folded position to the unfolded position.   8-Process for producing a foldable cup, following   any one of the preceding claims, characterized   in that the side walls (21) and (22) are extended by stabilizing flaps (30) which, when folded down, have bearing points (33) which form with the support points (34) a stable base for the cup. 9-Process for producing a foldable cup, following   any one of the preceding claims, characterized   in that it is made from a sheet of compact cardboard coated on the inner face of the cup of a thin layer of plastic material.   -Foldable products obtained from this method of folding.