JP2005519000A - Foldable cup - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention comprises a sheet of plastic material (1) having a container part (2) integral with at least one handle part (3), said container part (2) being a flat folded container. A fold line (7, 10) that can be transformed, wherein the handle portion (3) has a fold line that can be formed into a handle extending from the container portion and to the container And a foldable cup that can be held in a relative position. When converted from a flat state to a folded state, the container is folded such that the cup provides a leak-proof seal that can hold both liquid and solid safely.

Description

  The present invention relates to a container made from a piece of flat sheet, for example made from a water-resistant material, so that the container can be used to hold both liquids and solids. In particular, the present invention relates to a container made from a piece of flat sheet having an integral handle.

  Foldable containers are known for use as containers such as cups for drinks and food for personal consumption. Such a foldable container can be simplified in structure if the container is not subjected to hand or finger force and does not hold its folded state, or the container can be folded. To maintain, it has a relatively complex structure with clamps or other means for attaching to the folded container body.

  In addition, such containers are actually provided with handles and contain hot food and drinks to facilitate handling of the containers. Where a handle is provided, the handle is a separate part that requires attachment to the container body.

  Simple foldable with an integral foldable handle that can be kept folded without using separate anchors or other elements that add to the overall complexity and cost of the article Container is necessary.

  According to the invention, the container part comprises a sheet material having a container part integral with at least one handle part, the container part having a fold line that can be converted from a flat state into a folded container, A foldable cup is provided that has a fold line that allows the handle portion to form a handle portion into a handle that extends from the container portion and that can be held in a relative position with respect to the container.

  In the preferred embodiment, the cup has one integral handle portion. In another embodiment, the cup has two integral handle portions.

  Preferably, the handle has a fold line that forms a central gripping portion. More preferably, the handle is formed by bending the handle portion along a fold line, and the formed handle and the container are held in the container by the bending interaction between the handle and the container. Further, the handle is formed by folding the handle portion along the fold line, and the formed handle is held in the formed container by the use of integral fastening means.

  In a preferred embodiment, the folded container is formed by folding the container part along a fold line of the container part. Preferably, the fold line of the container part forms at least two corner parts. Particularly preferably, the at least two corner portions are folded across one another and secured by integral securing means.

  Preferably, the integral fastening means is a matching connecting element, more preferably a press stud fastening. In another embodiment, the integral fastening means is the formed handle.

  In a preferred embodiment, the fold line of the container part forms at least one surface on which the at least two container parts can be folded and secured. Preferably, the fold line of the container part forms a self-supporting base.

  In the preferred embodiment, the container portion consists of a sheet material that is approximately 12-sided. Preferably, the sheet material is a water resistant material. More preferably, the material is plastic, for example polypropylene. Preferably, the material is sufficiently flexible that it can be easily folded along a fold line drawn in the material.

  The invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  Referring to FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings, a foldable cup is shown unfolded. The cup consists of a sheet material 1, which further comprises a container part 2 and a handle part 3. The sheet material 1 is provided with a plurality of folding lines drawn on the sheet body.

  The container part 3 has a 12-sided shape. "" Twelve-sided shape "" means a 12-sided shape having the general shape shown in FIG. 1 other than the regular 12-sided shape. In other embodiments, the shape can be hexagonal or any other suitable shape. The container part 2 is provided with an inner fold line 5 that forms a self-supporting base 6. In this embodiment, the self-supporting base 6 has a rectangular shape having two long fold lines 5 ′ and two short fold lines 5 ″. Alternatively, the self-supporting base 6 can have other suitable shapes. “Self-supporting” means that the base 6 allows the cup to stand upright without the need for external support when the cup is in a folded state.

  The fold line 7 extends from each corner portion of the self-supporting base 6. Each fold line 7 extends to one corner of one of the two sides of the dodecagon that is parallel to one of the two opposing fold lines 5 of the self-supporting base 6. In this embodiment, these two opposing fold lines 5 are two short fold lines 5 ″ of the rectangular self-supporting base 6. The bending line 7 forms two surfaces of the cups 8 and 9.

  The second fold line 10 extends from each corner portion of the rectangular self-supporting base 6. Each second fold line 10 is one of the corner portions joined by fold line 7 (the corner portion joined by fold line 10 is one that is not itself joined by fold line 7). It itself extends to adjacent corners. The fold lines 10 and 7 form a corner portion 11. In the present embodiment, four corner portions are formed, and each has a substantially triangular shape. The fold line 10 forms two side portions 14 and 15.

  A press stud 12 is provided on the surface 8. Two corner portions 11, 11 adjacent to the surface 8 are provided with holes 13 ′, 13 ″, respectively, so that each hole fits into the press stud 12 when bent across the front of the surface 8. Respectively. The side portion 14 is provided with a hole 13 so that when the corner portion 11 (adjacent to both the surface 8 and the side portion 14) is bent toward the surface 8 using the fold lines 7, 10, the hole 13 Can be aligned with the press stud 12 and adapted. The side portion 15 is provided with a press stud matching portion 16. When the corner portion 11 ′ is bent toward the surface 8 using the fold lines 7, 10, the three holes 13, 13 ′, 13 ″ meet and the press stud mating portion 16 meets the press stud 12. The press stud mating part 16 is arranged so that it can be fitted with the press stud mating part 16 so that they can be snapped together.

  The handle portion 3 is integral with a dodecagonal edge that forms the edge of the surface portion 9. The handle portion 3 extends from the two corner portions 23, 24 that form the edge. The handle portion 3 is provided with three fold lines 17, 17 ', 17 "across its width. The folding lines 17, 17 ′, 17 ″ divide the handle 3 into four parts: an upper handle part 18 ′, a central grip part 19, a lower handle part 20, and a tongue piece 21.

  A back portion 26 is disposed on the central grip 19. In the present embodiment, the back portion 26 has a rectangular shape. Alternatively, the back portion 26 can have other suitable shapes. The back portion 26 is formed by two parallel fold lines 27. The two fold lines 27 form two long side lines of the rectangular back portion 26, and each extend in the longitudinal direction from the fold line 17 to the fold line 17 '. The gripping surface 31 is provided on both sides of the back portion 26. The upper handle portion 18 is provided with two fold lines 22 from the corner portions 23 and 24 to the fold line 17. Adjacent to each fold line 22 is an edge portion 32. The fold line 22 is connected to the fold line 17 so as to form a short edge portion 25 on the back portion 26. Two separate fold lines 28 form a short edge portion 29 below the back portion 26. Two fold lines 28 extend from the two corner portions of the lower short edge portion 29 of the back portion 26 across the lower handle portion 20 and extend to both ends of the fold line 17 ″. An edge portion 33 is adjacent to each fold line 28. Along the gripping surface 31, the edge portions 32, 33 form a side panel 34.

  The tongue piece 21 is disposed below the folding line 17 ″. The tongue piece 21 has a bent edge 30 at its end. The width of the tongue piece 21 is not larger than the width of the short edge portion of the self-supporting base 6. In another embodiment, the width of the tongue bulges outward in an arcuate shape toward its center, and the width of the bottom tip edge of the tongue does not exceed the short side of the self-supporting base 6.

  FIG. 2 shows a container part 2 that is folded to form a container. Two corner portions 11, 11 ″ adjacent to the surface 8 are bent towards the outside of the surface 8. The corner portion 11 adjacent to the side portion 14 is first bent towards the surface 8. In the bending of the corner part 11 towards the surface 8, the side part 14 is bent towards the surface 8 so that the holes 13, 13 ′ and the side part 14 of the corner part 11 are brought into contact with each other, so The stud 12 is exposed through the hole. Subsequently, the corner portion 11 ′ is folded across the screen 8 and overlapped on the corner portion 11. Hole 13 "is aligned with holes 13, 13 'and press stud 12 is exposed through the hole. In the bending of the corner part 11 ′ across the face 8, the side part 15 is bent across the face 8 and the matching press stud part provided on the top side of the side part 15 is provided with holes 13, 13 ′, 13 ″. So that the press stud portions 12, 16 meet and snap together so that the front surface 8 and the two side surfaces 14, 15 extend upward from the fold line 5 of the self-supporting base 6.

  FIG. 3 shows a handle portion that is folded to provide a waterproof container with a handle that can support the container when the container is filled with food or drink. The corner portions 11 ″, 11 ″ ″ are bent outwardly of the surface 9, one on the other. This makes a waterproof container. The corner portions 11 ″ and 11 ″ ″ are held in a bent state by the bending action of the handle portion 3 and the container portion 2. In this embodiment, the bending action is as follows. Starting with the unfolded handle, the handle portion 3 is folded over the corner portions 11 ″, 11 ′ ″, so that the tongue piece 21 of the handle portion 3 is folded over the corner portion 11 ″. , 11 ′ ″ and the surface 9 can be inserted. At this stage, the unfolded handle portion 3 is looped behind it, so that the tongue piece 21 completes a loop that begins and ends at the top edge of the surface 9. The tongue piece 21 is formed at the top of the surface 9 by the upper handle portion 18, the central gripping portion 19, and the lower handle portion 20 intersecting the outer surface of the corner portions 11 ″, 11 ′ ″ at the position of the folded intersection surface 9. It is held between the edge and the fold line 5 ″.

  The application of the inward pinching action by the user to the gripping surface 31 can form a three-dimensional handle shape by bending the handle along a fold line in the handle. The inward picking action converts the edge portions 32, 33, so that the gripping surface 31 and the back portion 26 facing each other form a three-dimensional vertical support for the handle. When the handle is in an unfolded state, the peripheral length of the side panel 34 is longer than the vertical length between the top edge of the face 9 and the edge 5 ''. The picking action deforms the side panel 34 to reduce the peripheral length of the side panel 34. This reduction in length further compresses the tongue 21 between the face 9 and the corner portions 11 "", 11 "". Since the side panel 34 is brought into contact with the corner portions 11 ″, 11 ″ ″, the side panel 34 directly exerts pressure on the corner portions 11 ″, 11 ″ ″. Next, the corner portions 11 ″ and 11 ″ ″ apply a special force to the tongue piece 21 to fix the tongue piece 21 in the bent position with respect to the surface 9. The reduction of the length of the side panel 34 maintains the three-dimensional structure of the handle 3 even when the user's picking force is removed. Holding the handle in the required position is assisted by an external force applied to the handle portion by the bent corner portions 11 ", 11" '(which will push outward). Opposing inward forces of the handles on the corner portions 11 ″, 11 ″ ″ help to hold the tongue 21 against the surface 9.

  In another embodiment, the face 9 and the tongue 21 are provided with a matching connecting member, for example a press stud fastening member that fastens to hold the tongue 21 against the face 9 in a folded position. .

  In its folded state, the handle 3 is fixed in the plane of the surface 9 in both the vertical and horizontal directions, thus improving its strength. The handle 3 extends along the height between the edge of the surface 9 and the fold line 5 ″. The force exerted by the corner portions 11 ″, 11 ′ ″ on the tongue 21 anchors the tongue 21 and thus anchors the handle 3 in both the vertical and horizontal directions in the plane of the surface 9. The handle 3 is therefore firmly fixed to the container.

  The handle of the present invention provides easy handling and retention of the container. The handle 3 folded three-dimensionally can be easily grasped by a user who applies finger force to the gripping surface 31. When the handle 3 is secured in both the vertical and horizontal directions in the plane of the surface 9, the handle 3 can be firmly gripped without worrying about spilling the contents of the container. A firm handle is necessary to prevent spillage of the contents, especially when the container is used to carry hot items such as tea or coffee. In such a container, if there is no firm handle, many safety implications are triggered, especially when carrying a container that uses a handle that is not secure.

  The handle 3 is integral with the container 2 in the folded state, but the handle 3 is not continuous with the interior of the container as shown in FIG. This provides an advantage when the handle does not come into contact with the contents of the container during use. This is particularly important when the container carries hot contents. In addition, the corner portions 11 ", 11 '" provide insulation between the container and the handle when in a folded position across the surface 9, thereby reducing heat conduction to the handle. .

  FIG. 5 shows another embodiment, in which the fold lines 7 ′, 7 ″ are dodecagons each parallel to one of the two long opposing fold lines 5 of the rectangular self-supporting surface 6. Each extends to one corner of the two sides. This forms the front part 41. The front portion 41 is provided with a press stud 42. The fold lines 10 ′, 10 ″, 7 ′, 7 ″ act to form the corner portion 44.

  Each side part 14, 15 is provided with a press stud 40. Each corner portion 44 is provided with a hole 43 such that, when folded over the front of the adjacent side portion 14 or 15, in some cases, each hole 43 fits into the press stud 42. When folded using fold lines 7, 10 toward one of the side portions 14 or 15, the hole 43 aligns the press stud mating portion 40 and the press stud 42, and the press stud mating portion 40 and the press stud 42 are aligned. Each press stud mating portion 40 is arranged such that the press stud 42 and the mating portion 40 meet and are snapped together.

  FIG. 6 shows another embodiment, in which the container part 2 is provided with a second handle part 3 ′ integrated with a dodecagonal edge forming the edge of the surface part 8. . The corner portions 11 and 11 ′ are bent toward the surface 8 and are held in the bent positions by the interaction between the bent handle 3 ′ and the surface 8 and the corner portions 11 and 11 ′. This provides two handles-equipped containers that eliminate the need for a fastening member, except that it adds to the manufacturing cost. In this example, the cup can be made only from a single sheet material.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a cup having a container portion and a handle portion in a flat state that cannot be folded. It is a figure which shows the container part of FIG. 1 assembled by the user. It is a figure which shows the handle | steering-wheel part of FIG. 1 assembled by the user. It is a figure which shows the cup of FIG. 1 in the bent state. It is a top view in the flat state which is not bend | folded of the cup according to 2nd Example of this invention. FIG. 5 is a plan view of a cup according to a second embodiment of the invention having a container part and two handle parts in a non-folded flat state.

Claims (20)

  A sheet material having a container part integral with at least one handle part, said container part having a fold line that can be adapted to convert from a flat state into a folded container, said handle part comprising: A foldable cup having a fold line that can be formed into a handle that extends from the container portion and can be held in a relative position with respect to the container.   The foldable cup of claim 1, wherein the cup has one integral handle portion.   The foldable cup of claim 1, wherein the cup has two integral handle portions.   The foldable cup according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the fold line of the handle portion forms a central gripping portion.   5. The handle according to claim 1, wherein the handle is formed by bending a handle portion along a fold line, and the formed handle is held in the container by a bending interaction between the formed handle and the container. A foldable cup according to any one of the preceding claims.   5. The handle of claim 1, wherein the handle is formed by folding the handle portion along a fold line, and the formed handle is held in the formed container by use of an integral fastening means. A foldable cup according to any one of the preceding claims.   The foldable cup according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the folded container is formed by folding the container part along a fold line of the container part.   8. The foldable cup according to claim 7, wherein the fold line of the container portion forms at least two corner portions.   9. The foldable cup according to claim 8, wherein the at least two corner portions are folded crossing each other and fixed by an integral fixing means.   10. A foldable cup according to claim 9, characterized in that the integral fastening means is a matching connecting element.   11. A foldable cup according to claim 10, wherein the matching connecting element is a press stud fastening.   10. A foldable cup according to claim 9, wherein the integral fastening means is the formed handle.   10. A foldable cup according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the fold line of the container part forms at least one surface to which the at least two container parts can be folded and secured.   14. A foldable cup according to any one of claims 7 to 13, wherein the fold line of the container part forms a self-supporting base.   A foldable cup according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the container part consists of a sheet material having a substantially 12-sided shape.   The foldable cup according to claim 15, wherein the sheet material is a water resistant material.   The foldable cup according to claim 16, wherein the water resistant material is plastic.   The foldable cup according to claim 17, wherein the plastic material is polypropylene.   A foldable cup according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the material is sufficiently flexible that it can be easily folded along a fold line drawn in the material.   A foldable cup according to any one of the preceding claims, described herein for any suitable combination of the accompanying drawings.

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