GB2409964A

GB2409964A - A cover for a circular rimmed vessel

Info

Publication number: GB2409964A
Application number: GB0500880A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Douglas Hancock; Ronald James Ball
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2004-01-16
Filing date: 2005-01-17
Publication date: 2005-07-20
Anticipated expiration: 2025-01-17
Also published as: GB0500880D0; GB2409964B

Abstract

The invention provides a cover for a circular rimmed vessel, the cover being formed from a flexible material such as paper or card and having an upper surface portion 2 and, connected thereto along a plurality of fold lines (8), a plurality of integrally formed downwardly depending overlapping tabs 6, the tabs being biased radially inwardly to provide a means of gripping the outer wall of the vessel. The fold lines (8) around the periphery of the upper surface portion 2 may define a polygon, e.g. of sixteen sides. The cover may have a perforated hole 4 for a drinking straw S. It is intended to protect a drink or other contents from insects.

Description

1 244.09964

A COVER FOR A CIRCULAR RIMMED VESSEL

This invention relates to a disposable cover for placing on circular rimmed vessels, particularly cups and glasses, to protect the contents of the vessel, (e.g. drinks or soup) from pests such as flies, wasps and mosquitoes.

Background of the Invention

Disposable covers for glasses, cups and similar vessels have been known for many years and examples in common use consist of a paper disc, the edge of which is pleated and folded down so as to surround the rim of the vessel. Further examples of such covers are disclosed in the patent documents listed below.

Thus, GB 167,161 (Delaunay) describes a cover comprising a disc of pasteboard or similar stiff material to which is pasted a circular sheet of paper of a larger diameter than the disc. The margins of the circular sheet of paper are folded to create a downwardly depending pleated skirt portion that holds the cover in place on a glass or cup.

GB 174,564 (Delaunay) describes an improvement on the cover of GB 167,161 in which perforations are provided on the upper surface of the cover so as to permit a straw to be inserted through the cover.

US 1,243,033 (Beatty) describes a paper cover for a drinking glass, the cover having a downwardly depending waisted pleated skirt portion for gripping the outer surface of the glass to hold the cover in the place. The Beatty cover has a hole in its upper surface through which a straw can be inserted.

US 1,890,460 (Gebhard) describes a cover for a cup comprising a paper disc, to the outer edge of which are attached a plurality of resilient spring clips for holding the cover in place on the cup.

US 1,974,710 (Gebhard) describes a cup and bowl cover formed from paper or a similar material. The cover has a downwardly depending skirt portion, the lower portion of which is folded inwardly and upwardly and is crimped and/or split to provide a means of gripping the surface of the bowl or cup.

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ea a Although disposable covers for cups and glasses are known, many of the known designs suffer from one or more disadvantages, in that either they are of unnecessarily complex construction, or they are easily dislodged from the top of the cup or glass, or they may only be used with cups or vessels of a particular diameter or narrow range of diameters. Therefore, at present, there remains a need for a disposable cover which is simple to manufacture and store, is retained securely in place on top of a cup, glass or other vessel, and is capable of being used with a wide range of different sizes of vessel.

Summary of the Invention

The present invention provides an improved disposable cover that can be placed on circular rimmed vessels, the cover having a plurality of downwardly depending overlapping tabs or lugs that are folded inwardly to provide a means of gripping the vessel.

Accordingly, in a first aspect, the invention provides a cover for a circular rimmed vessel, the cover being formed from a flexible material such as paper or card and having an upper surface portion and, connected thereto along a plurality of fold lines, a plurality of integrally formed downwardly depending overlapping tabs, the tabs being biased radially inwardly to provide a means of gripping the outer wall of the vessel.

The covers of the invention have a plurality of downwardly depending tabs, in contra-distinction to the cover described in the Gebhard patent US 1, 974,711, where the gripping mechanism comprises upwardly oriented tabs. Furthermore, in contrast to the covers disclosed in GB 167,161, GB 174, 564 and US 1,243,033, the covers of the present invention do not have pleated skirt portions and, in contrast to the covers disclosed in US 1, 890,460, the upper portion of the cover and the downwardly depending portion that holds the cover in place are integrally formed.

An advantage of the cover of the present invention compared to the Gebhard (US 1,974,711) cover is the ease of manufacture, and the ability of the present cover to fold flat readily, thereby making it easier to stack and store. So far as can be seen .. . 1 . .

from the Gebhard patent, the cover described therein would not be capable of being stacked in a flattened formation without destroying the structure of the cover.

Thus, as described above, the cover of the present invention is nonpleated, a feature which also allows the cover to be more readily stored in a flat condition.

The tabs are integrally formed with the upper surface portion to which they are attached along fold lines. The fold lines are typically straight lines and may each form a chord along the outer circumference of the upper surface portion. Viewed from above, therefore, the upper surface portion of the cover may be shaped as a polygon. The polygon may have, for example, from 8 to 32 sides. Preferably the number of sides of the polygon is a multiple of 4. In one preferred embodiment, the polygon has 16 sides.

The downwardly depending tabs may be inclined in a circumferential direction.

More particularly, the tabs may be curved. Thus, for example, they may each be curved in a clockwise direction or they may each be curved in an anti-clockwise direction. The tabs typically each have a concave curved edge and a convex curved edge. The tabs may be overlapped so that only one lateral edge of each tab is exposed when the cover is fully folded. Thus, for example, when the tabs have a concave edge and a convex edge, they may be overlapped such that only the convex edge of each tab is visible when the cover is fully folded.

The tabs typically taper in a downwards direction and may, for example, taper to a point. The tapered end of a tab may be formed such that when the cover is in a fully folded configuration, wherein the tabs are folded under the upper surface portion, the tapered end is in contact with or lies closely adjacent the fold line of the next-but-one tab.

The covers of the invention are typically formed from paper or card, and in particular a light card material. The paper or card is selected so as to provide at least some resilient properties. Thus, when the cover is in the fully folded configuration with the tabs folded under the upper cover portion, the resilience of the material is such that the tabs will offer a resistance to unfolding; i.e. the tabs are me, .e, ë: : , , , . I. . . biased radially inwardly. The radial inwards bias of the tabs provides a means of gripping against the outer wall of the vessel.

The cover is preferably provided with means defining a hole in the upper surface so as to permit a straw to be inserted through the cover into the underlying vessel. The means defining a hole can be a hole per se, or can take the form of a line of weakness, e.g. perforations, permitting a disc of material to be punched out to create a hole for the straw.

It will be appreciated from the above that the invention also provides a cover for a circular rimmed vessel, the cover being formed from a flexible material such as paper or card and having an upper surface portion and, connected thereto along a plurality of fold lines, a plurality of integrally formed downwardly depending tabs, wherein the tabs are biased radially inwardly and overlap thereby to form a variable aperture or iris for fitting over the rim of the vessel and gripping the outer wall thereof.

The invention further provides the combination of a vessel and a cover as hereinbefore defined.

Brief Description of the Drawines

The invention will now be illustrated, but not limited, by reference to the particular embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a cover according to one embodiment of the invention in place over the top of a drinking glass.

Figure 2 is a view from above of the cover of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a view from below of a cover with the tabs folded flat.

Figure 4 is a view showing a blank with the tabs marked out prior to cutting and folding.

Figure 5 shows the blank of Figure 4 when cut and partially folded. .

. . . I. ': .e :. : : * s Figures 6 and 7 are diagrams illustrating the manner in which the dimensions of the cover are determined.

Detailed Descrintion of the Invention A cover according to one embodiment of the invention is illustrated in Figures I to 7.

As shown in Figure I, a cover according to the invention is formed from stiff paper or light card and comprises an upper surface portion 2 in which a hole 4 has been created to permit a straw S to be inserted through the cover. Instead of a hole, a "push-out" disc bounded by a circle of fine perforations may be provided so that a straw can be forced through the cover. Depending downwardly from the upper surface portion 2 is a plurality of tabs 6. The tabs 6 are integrally formed with the upper surface portion 2 and are connected to the upper surface portion along fold lines 8 (see Figures 2 to 5). The fold lines 8 are straight and therefore the upper surface portion 2 has the shape of a polygon. In the embodiment illustrated, the polygon has 16 sides but it will be appreciated that there could be fewer or more sides.

The tabs 6 are curved in shape and have a concave edge 10 and a convex edge 12.

The tabs 6 taper in an outwards direction and each terminates in a pointed end 14 which, when the cover is in the fully folded position as shown in Figure 3, is in contact with or lies closely adjacent the fold line 8 of the next-but-one tab. This is most clearly shown in Figure 5. If desired, the pointed ends may be removed.

When the tabs 6 are in the folded position, the resilience of the card or stiff paper from which they are formed means that there is a resistance to unfolding. In other words, the tabs 6 are effectively biased radially inwardly towards the folded position. The array of overlapping tabs 6 therefore forms an iris that can be opened to the extent necessary to fit over the rim of a vessel such as the drinking glass shown in Figure I, the resilient biasing of the tabs 6 serving to enable the array of tabs 6 to grip the walls of the glass and hold the cover in place.

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A: .. : . It will be appreciated that the cover may be used with glasses having a wide range of diameters. As shown in Figure 3, as a consequence of the variable aperture or iris created by the overlapping tabs 6, the cover can accommodate glasses having a diameter in the range from x to y.

The manner in which the dimensions of the cover shown in the Figures can be determined is illustrated in Figures 6 and 7. Initially a circle 20 is drawn corresponding in diameter to just over the upper end of the range of diameters of the glasses or other vessels for which the cover is intended to be used. The circle is then divided into a number of equal sectors (in this case 16) by means of radial lines 22. The point 24 at which each radial line 22 intersects the diameter of the circle 20 then serves as the central point for a series of overlapping smaller circles 25 (see Figure 7), the radii of which in this embodiment are one half of the radius of the circle 20. Arcuate portions of each circle serve as the cutting lines for the individual tabs 6 (see Figures 4 and 7). In Figure 7, one of the tabs has been shaded to demonstrate how the shape of the tab is defined by the sections of the overlapping circles. In order to assist folding, the fold lines 8 form straight lines that are chords of the circle 20. In Figure 4, the cutting lines between adjacent tabs are shown as dotted lines 28.

Once the dimensions of the cover have been calculated as described above, a blank (see Figure 4) 26 can be formed by cutting from a sheet of card using a suitable cutting tool. The cutting tool can be used to cut around both the outer boundary 30 of the blank 26 and the lines 28. Alternatively, the cut lines 28 can be formed as a line of skip cuts or perforations that allow the tabs to be separated in a later operation. The cutting tool may also include an embossing member to form creases defining fold lines 8. Once the blank has been cut as shown, the tabs can then be separated and folded as shown in Figure 5. Thus, once the dimensions of the cover have been determined and a suitable cutting tool created, the covers of the invention can be formed simply and easily on a large scale.

The covers of the invention may be used in a variety of situations where it is desirable to restrict access to the interior of a food or drinkcontaining vessel such ë.e .. .e ..

as a glass, cup or bowl. For example, a cover of the invention can be used to cover a glass in outdoor environments such as beer gardens, barbecues and picnics to prevent insects such as flies, wasps, mosquitoes and other pests from landing in the contents of the glass. The covers of the invention are designed to be disposable and consequently are formed from inexpensive and easily obtainable materials such as paper and card. Alternatively, they may be formed from a plastics or other synthetic material. The construction of the covers, and the manner in an inward pulling grip is created by the overlapping tabs, facilitates compatibility with a diverse range of sizes of vessels. Since the points of contact and grip against the vessel are at or near the ends of the tabs, the outer circumference "y of the cover does not need to match the diameter of the vessel it protects; it merely needs to be bigger. The inner circumference "x" of the cover is thus a variable aperture formed by the extension of the tab ends, and is modified by the girth of the vessel that it grips. The pressure from the inwardly biased overlapping tabs holds the cover in 1 5 place.

The covers of the invention may be provided with or without markings. For example, the covers may have advertising materials such as brand names, logos and slogans or other graphic elements on any of the surfaces and particularly on the upper surface portion. The covers of the invention may therefore function as an advertising medium and, in this respect, may prove advantageous with respect to beer mats in that they are not concealed by the glass. The covers, and in particular the upper surface portions thereof, may also be formed as scratch cards, or may contain games or puzzles.

Another benefit of the covers is that they may be used as a means of preventing, inhibiting or deterring the unwanted introduction of foreign substances such as drugs or strong spirits into a glass.

In a further variation, the covers may be used to cover hot foods such as bowls of soup. The material from which they are made may provide a degree of thermal insulation to prevent the food or other liquid within a bowl from cooling. The covers may therefore be formed from a material having good thermal insulating : e: . . ..

:. :.: .. :e properties. For example, the underside of the cover may be provided with a reflective or metallised surface to reduce heat loss.

Equivalents It will readily be apparent that numerous modifications and alterations may be made to the specific embodiments of the invention described above without departing from the principles underlying the invention. All such modifications and alterations are intended to be embraced by this application.

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Claims

1. A cover for a circular rimmed vessel, the cover being formed from a flexible material such as paper or card and having an upper surface portion and, connected thereto along a plurality of fold lines, a plurality of integrally formed downwardly depending overlapping tabs, the tabs being biased radially inwardly to provide a means of gripping the outer wall of the vessel.

2. A cover according to claim 1 wherein the upper surface portion of the cover has the shape of a polygon.

3. A cover according to claim 2 wherein the polygon has from 8 to 32 sides.

4. A cover according to claim 3 wherein the polygon has 16 sides.

5. A cover according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the downwardly depending tabs are curved.

6. A cover according to claim 5 wherein each tab has a concave curved edge and a convex curved edge.

7. A cover according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the tabs taper in a downwards direction.

8. A cover according to claim 7 wherein the tabs taper to a point.

9. A cover according to claim 7 or claim 8 wherein the tapered ends of the formed such that when the cover is in a fully folded configuration, in which the tabs are folded under the upper surface portion, each tapered end is in contact with or lies closely adjacent the fold line of the next-but-one tab.

10. A cover according to any one of the preceding claims which is formed from paper or card.

11. A cover according to any one of the preceding claims which is provided with means defining a hole in the upper surface so as to permit a straw to be inserted through the cover into the underlying vessel.

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12. A cover for a circular rimmed vessel, the cover being formed from a flexible material such as paper or card and having an upper surface portion and, connected thereto along a plurality of fold lines, a plurality of integrally formed downwardly depending tabs, wherein the tabs are biased radially inwardly and overlap thereby to form a variable aperture or iris for fitting over the rim of the vessel and gripping the outer wall thereof.

13. A cover substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.

14. A combination of a circular rimmed vessel and a cover as defined in any one of the preceding claims.

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