WO2002074140A1

WO2002074140A1 - Disposable cup

Info

Publication number: WO2002074140A1
Application number: PCT/IT2002/000171
Authority: WO
Inventors: Massimo Crescenzi
Original assignee: Massimo Crescenzi
Priority date: 2001-03-19
Filing date: 2002-03-19
Publication date: 2002-09-26
Also published as: ITRM20010056V0; ITRM20010056U1

Abstract

Disposable glass (1) for drinks, comprising a first outer shell (3) and a second inner shell (2) joined to said outer shell (3), wherein said first and second shell define an air space (5) containing a substance (6) having an elevated heat capacity and being apt to exchange heat with the drink contained in the glass (1).

Description

DISPOSABLE CUP

DESCRIPTION The present invention refers to a disposable glass, in particular of the kind made of plastics and/or paper material and commonly used as throwaway glass to consume hot and/or cold drinks .

However, the known disposable glasses entail several evident drawbacks, all substantially related to the structure and composition thereof. One of the more readily perceived problems, related to the use of the known disposable glasses made of paper or plastics, is that of the alteration of the taste of the drinks contained therein, mainly in the case of hot drinks, like e.g. those from automatic dispensers of coffee, tea, etc.

In these cases, the organoleptic properties of the drink are altered by the temperature of the water used.

This temperature is usually very high in order to optimally brew the former, proving however excessive at consumption.

To date, the commercially available disposable glasses exhibit the same problem also in the case of cold drinks.

In fact, a common drawback is that of having to wait for an overly cold drink to warm up to a temperature ideal to its consumption.

This drawbacks stem from a heat capacity of the glass which is extremely low with respect to that exhibited by a common vitreous glass or a ceramics cup. This entails that the known disposable glasses are unsuitable to dissipate the heat released by the drink, holding the temperature thereof too high for a long time.

Moreover, thus a less-than-tasty drink is brewed, its organoleptic features being altered by the excess heat.

Furthermore, another disadvantage related to the abovedescribed drawback ensues from the fact that the glass, upon being filled with a hot drink, is also externally too hot to be safely handheld. A further problem of most known disposable glasses ensues from the scanty weight thereof. In fact, often the inadequately held glass tumbles over under the weight of the poured liquid. Moreover, since the disposable glasses are typically manufactured with a very thin plastics material sheet, they also tend to bend or to get crushed upon being pressed by fingers, thereby entailing, upon being filled, a difficult handling thereof.

Object of the present invention is to solve the abovementioned problems of the known art, providing a disposable glass for drinks, characterized in that it comprises a first outer shell and a second inner shell joined to said outer shell, said first and second shell being apt to define a air space containing a substance having elevated heat capacity, which be apt to exchange heat with the drink contained therein.

The present invention further provides a manufacturing process of a disposable glass for drinks, characterized in that it comprises the following steps: - providing a first shell; providing a second shell apt to be contained in said first outer shell; coupling said first outer shell to said second inner shell so as to define a air space between the walls of said first and second shell; and inletting in said air space a fluid substance having elevated heat capacity.

A first advantage of the disposable glass according to the present invention lies in that it has elevated heat exchange capacity, attained by means of a specific air space structure which effectively and realistically simulates the use of ceramics cups and/or of glasses, preventing an altering of the tastes of the drinks contained therein. A second advantage lies in that a glass according to the present invention holds, at levels optimum for consumption and for a sufficiently protracted time period, the temperature of the drink contained therein, thereby allowing a pleasant tasting thereof.

A third advantage of the glass according to the present invention lies in that its composition provides a weight and a firmness thereto such as to let it be safely handled when it is empty as well as when it is filled, with no risk of crushing or of chance tumbling thereof.

Further advantages, features and modes of employ of the present invention will be made apparent in the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, given as a non-limiting example, making reference to the figures of the attached drawings, wherein: figure 1 is a partially exploded perspective view of a glass according to the present invention; figure 2 is a sectional side view of a glass according to the present invention; and figure 3 is a perspective view depicting the manufacturing of a glass according to the present invention. With initial reference to figures 1 and 2, a disposable glass 1 according to the present invention, according to a perspective view and to a sectional side view, respectively, is illustrated.

The glass 1 comprises a first inner shell 2 and a second outer shell 3.

The inner shell 2 and the outer shell 2 are joined therebetween at the rim 4 of the glass 1.

Advantageously, the rim 4 is round-shaped in order to provide a greater ease of use during the drink tasting. The inner shell 2 and the outer shell 3 are located so as to define a air space 5 which extends over at least one portion of the side wall 9 of the glass.

According to a preferred embodiment, the air space 5 extends over the entire side wall 9. The inner shell 2 and the outer shell 3 can also be joined therebetween at the bottom 10 of the glass 1.

Alternatively, the air space 5 could extend also onto the bottom 10 of the latter, as it is shown in figure 2.

The air space 5 could also have shapes other than that shown in the figures, concerning the parallelism of the two shells as well as its extension which, optionally, could even only partially cover the side wall 9.

The air space 5 is apt to contain a substance 6 characterized in that it has elevated heat capacity, i.e., it is apt to easily exchange heat with the drink poured into the glass. Advantageously, this substance could be selected of a fluid or jelly-like type, and the presence thereof into the air space will provide to the glass as a whole a heat capacity comparable to that of a traditional -type ceramics cup. Preferably, for the fluid 6 a non-toxic and inexpensive substance, e.g., water, will be selected. Alternatively, vaseline oil, or a silicon oil, or the like which anyhow be non-toxic, hence non-hazardous even when accidentally ingested, may be used. Of course, the dimensions of the air space 5 and the quantity of the substance 6 contained therein will advantageously be calculated as a function of the dimensions of the glass and of the use to which the latter is destined. Next, figure 3 is a partially exploded perspective view, depicting a viable embodiment of a glass according to the present invention.

According to the preferred embodiment, the two shells 2, 3 forming the glass 1 are such as to be substantially stacked the one with respect to the other and fixedly joined along respective top edges 7, 8 in order to generally form the rim 4 of the glass, as shown in the detail A of figure 3.

During the coupling step, prior of fixing the two shells therebetween, a predetermined quantity of the substance 6 could be inletted into the outer shell 3. Thus, the air space 5 formed between the walls of the two shells will be filled up, partially or totally, with the substance 6.

Preferably, the edges 7, 8 of the shells 2, 3, respectively, are shaped so as to be fixed the one to the other. Advantageously, the former could then be tight- sealed together, e.g. by sealing, in order to avoid accidental spills of the substance 6 from the air space 5 containing it.

Several comparison tests carried out on known disposable glasses and on glasses according to the present invention highlighted the advantageous effectiveness of the latter ones.

A first test concerns two coffees, concomitantly brewed and poured the one into a known glass and the other one into a glass according to the present invention.

In the coffee poured into the known glass the cream vanishes very quickly, whereas in the glass according to the present invention the cream settles for several minutes, as it is the case in a ceramics cup. In a second test the temperature of the poured coffee was measured. The coffee poured in a traditional-type disposable glass reaches a temperature of about 85° C and holds it for quite some time, whereas in a glass according to the present invention, likewise to a ceramics cup, the coffee reaches a maximum temperature of about 73° C, then rapidly dropping to the ideal temperature of consumption.

The present invention has hereto been described according to preferred embodiments thereof, given by way of example and without limitative purpose.

It is understood that there may be other embodiments, all to be construed as falling within the protective scope thereof, as defined by the annexed claims.

Claims

1. A disposable glass (1) for drinks, characterized in that it comprises a first outer shell (3) and a second inner shell (2) joined to said outer shell (3), said first and second shell being apt to define a air space (5) containing a substance (6) having elevated heat capacity and being apt to exchange heat with the drink contained in the glass (1) .

2. The disposable glass (1) according to claim 1, wherein said outer shell (3) comprises a top edge (8) shaped so as to fixedly cooperate with a respective top edge (7) of said inner shell (2) .

3. The disposable glass (1) according to claim 2, wherein said top edges (7, 8) of said shells (2, 3) are tight -sealed therebetween.

4. The disposable glass (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said substance (6) is a fluid.

5. The disposable glass (1) according to claim 4, wherein said fluid (6) is water.

6. The disposable glass (1) according to claim 4, wherein said fluid (6) is a vaseline oil.

7. The disposable glass (1) according to claim 4, wherein said fluid (6) is a silicon oil.

8. The disposable glass (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said air space (5) extends over at least one portion of a side wall (9) of the glass (1) .

9. The disposable glass (1) according to claim 8, wherein said air space (5) extends onto the bottom (10) of said glass (1) .

10. A process for manufacturing a disposable glass (1) having elevated heat capacity, characterized in that it comprises the following steps: providing a first shell (3) ; providing a second shell (2) apt to be contained in said first outer shell (3) ; coupling said first outer shell (3) to said second inner shell (2) so as to define an air space (5) between the walls of said first and second shell (7, 8) ; and inletting in said air space (5) a fluid substance (6) having elevated heat capacity.

11. The process according to claim 10, wherein said step of coupling said shells (2, 3) comprises a step of fixing therebetween a top edge (8) of said first outer shell (3) to a respective top edge (7) of said second inner shell (2) .

12. The process according to claim 11, comprising the step of sealing said fixed top edges (7, 8).