US1952435A - Drinking cup - Google Patents

Description

March 27, 1934. G: HQGAN 1,952,435

' DRINKING cur Fil ed Jan. 27, 19:52

INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 27, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE V 6 Claims.

This invention relates to drinking cups and is concerned particularly with improvements in the v. paper drinking cups now in current use.

Paper drinking cups as usually made are tapered from top to bottom, some being made conical in shape, others being made flat with tapering sides and stillother forms having a frusto-conical shape. These paper drinking cups are usually dispensed from a holder in which the cups are secured in telescoped or stacked relation and are so held in the holder that one cup may be withdrawn at a time, usually the lower one. The paper cups are also usually coated with parafline and have a smooth surface. Difiiculty is frequently experienced in abstracting one of the cups from its holder, primarily because the sloping sides thereof prevent the user from obtaining a good grip thereon. Also, the smooth parafiinecoated surface thereof provides little purchase for the grasp of the user. It is the principal object of this invention to provide a drinking cup of the usual type and form with means whereby it may be more readily grasped and especially more easily withdrawn from the usual type of holder .or dispenser in which it is supplied to the user.

This object is obtained in a preferred embodiment of the invention which comprises a paper drinking cup of any desired form or shape, whether flat, conical or frusto-conical, and having on its surface at the point where it is grasped by the user, one or more projections, preferably consisting of embossments pressed through the paper of the cup when it is formed in the dies or other forming devices. These embossments preferably take the form of crescents, circles, ridges, or the like, and are preferably located in the surface of the cup adjacent its lower portion or wherever the user grasps it to remove it from the holder or dispenser or in utilizing it in the usual way for filling and drinking p For a better understanding of this invention reference is made to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 illustrates a drinking cup embodying this invention mounted in a standard form of dis- 'penser.

Figs. 5 and 6 illustrates modified forms of the invention; and Fig. 7 is an enlarged section through one of the embossments as seen along the line 77 of Fig. 5.

In Figs. 1 and 2 of this drawing is illustrated a conical paper drinking cup 10, having formed on the surface thereof adjacent its lower end a plurality of projections 11 arranged in rows. These projections 11 are formed on the cup at the point where the paper is of double thickness, so that the hole in the outer layer produced by the embossing operation does not cause the cup to leak. These embossments are formed in the paper at the proper points before or during the cup-forming operation. These embossments are preferably crescent-shaped in plan, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and are spur-like in shape when viewed in cross-section, as shown in Fig. 3 which also illustrates how the inner layer of paper seals the hole formed in the outer layer by the embossment 11 These projections roughen the otherwise smooth surface of the cup at the point where it is grasped by the user either in withdrawing it from the holder or while holding it for filling and drinking purposes. It will be seen that when the cup 10 is mounted in the usual dispenser 12, as

illustrated in Fig. 1, it may be more readily grasped and withdrawn because of the projections 11 on its surface in spiteof the taper and smoothness of the cup, which ordinarily makes" tion and are withdrawn by the frictional engagement of the users fingers'with one flat surface thereof, usually the lower surface. Because of the smooth surface of the cup and the weight of the stack of cups resting on this lowermost cup, it is frequently difficult to withdraw it from the dispenser without considerable effort. In accordance with this invention, the flat tab 14 of the cup 13, shown in Fig. 4 is provided with the projections 11' embossed in the paper. The tab 14 is embossed so that the double thickness of paper will prevent leakage in the manner described and illustrated in Fig. 3. These embossments ii on the lowersm'face of the cups as they are mounted in the dispenser aid the user to withdraw a. cup therefrom by providing a frictional gripping surface on the cup. These embossments 11' also permit a firmer grip on the cup for filling and drinking purposes after it has been opened for use.

In another form of flat cup 15 illustrated in Fig. 5 the cup has little area of double thickness and the embossments 16 are formed in the paper without perforating the same, as shown in the section of Fig. 6, which is taken through one of these embossments 16. This method of roughening the surface of paper cups may also be applied to the cup shown in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, since it is not necessary, but only more convenient, to place the embossments in the outer layer of the two-ply area illustrated by Fig. 3.

The more rigid frusto-conical paper cup illustrated in Fig. 6 may also be provided with the embossed projections 11" for the same purpose.

It will be seen that the use of the ordinary paper drinking cups of various forms and shapes is made easier by the present invention and many of the objections to these cups as formerly provided are obviated. These embossed projections on the cups may be arranged anywhere on the surface thereof, depending upon requirements, and may be of any shape or form other than the crescent shape illustrated and described herein. These embossments can be formed when the cup is being pressed into shape or afterward, and in no way interfere with the strength or efiicacy of the cups and are so shaped as topermit ready separation of the nested cups and prevent them from sticking together.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been described herein it is to be understood that it is not limited thereby but is susceptible of changes in form and detail within its scope.

I claim:

1. As a. new article of manufacture, a drinking cup of flexible material having projections 1,es2,4ss

formed on the outer surface thereof by distortion of the paper, said, distortions being sufiicient in number and sufllciently close together to provide a gripping portion from which ones fingers will not readily slip.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a paper drinking cup having projections embossed on the surface thereof adjacent its lower end, the embossments of said surface being sufiicient in number and sufliciently close together to provide a gripping portion from which ones fingers will not readily slip.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a paper drinking cup having sets of projections on diametrically opposite surfaces thereof formed by distortion of the paper, said distortions being sufficient in number and sufliciently close together to provide gripping portions from which ones fingers will not readily slip.

.4. As a new article of manufacture, a fiat paper drinking cup adapted to be opened by the user and having at least one surface thereof roughened by distortion of the paper, said distortions being sufficient in number and sufficiently close togetherv to provide a gripping portion from which ones fingers will not readily slip.

5. As a new article of manufacture, a fiat paper drinking cup adapted to be opened by the user and having projections embossed on at least one fiat surface thereof, said projections being sufiicient in number and sufficiently close together to provide a gripping portion from which ones fingers will not readily slip.

6. As a new article of manufacture, a paper cup having at least a portion comprising a plurality of layers of the paper, and projections embossed in the outer layer of paper, said projections being sealed against leakage by the inner layer of the paper and being sufiicient in number and sufiiciently close together to provide a gripping portion from which ones fingers will not readily slip.

GEORGE FRANCIS HOGAN.

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