WO2023135415A1

WO2023135415A1 - A reusable cup

Info

Publication number: WO2023135415A1
Application number: PCT/GB2023/050044
Authority: WO
Inventors: Simon Langham
Original assignee: Langham Product Invention Ltd
Priority date: 2022-01-13
Filing date: 2023-01-11
Publication date: 2023-07-20
Also published as: GB2614878A

Abstract

A reusable cup (10) arranged to withstand machine washing is provided comprising plastics, having a flared shape body such that the cross-sectional area of the cup increases from the base (20) to the top, the body having integral, external, radially extending, linear ribs (30), each having an upper extent and a lower extent, the ribs extending from towards the base (20) of the cup to towards the top of the cup, the ribs being arranged around the perimeter of the cup body, the ribs extending away from the body in the range 0.7 to 2 mm, the ribs spaced at most by 5 mm at their upper extent, and at least by 2 mm at their lower extent, the ribs having a width in the range 0.3 to 2 mm, the ribs arranged to provide a gripping surface which is cooler than the temperature of a liquid within the cup, in use.

Description

A reusable cup

The present invention relates generally to a reusable cup and finds particular, although not exclusive, utility in cups sold holding hot drinks, in coffee shops, and the like.

Millions of coffee cups are sold every day in the U.K. and elsewhere, however, such cups are typically considered to be “single use” in that they cannot withstand being washed by machine for re-use. Moreover, they are not easily recyclable due to the inclusion of different materials such as paper and plastics. For instance, existing cups are known which utilise a second part (sleeve) to achieve thermal gradient reduction. However, these can become detached from the body of the cup, or, if secured to the cup, can present a recycling problem due to mixed materials. They also tend to increase the overall diameter, therefore reducing the number of cups which may be stacked, thus increasing packaging, storage and transportation costs.

Although, re-usable cups are known, these are relatively expensive and therefore tend to be bought and kept by the consumer for re-use.

Accordingly, there is a need for a relatively low-cost cup which can be washed by machine and re-used.

In a first aspect, the present invention provides a reusable cup comprising plastics, having a flared shape body such that the cross-sectional area of the cup increases from the base to the top, the body having integral, external, radially extending, linear ribs, each having an upper extent and a lower extent, the ribs extending from towards the base of the cup to towards the top of the cup, the ribs being arranged around the perimeter of the cup body, the ribs extending away from the body in the range 0.7 to 2 mm, the ribs spaced apart at most by 5 mm at their upper extent, and at least by 2 mm at their lower extent, the ribs having a width in the range 0.3 to 2 mm, the ribs arranged to provide a gripping surface which is cooler than the temperature of a liquid within the cup, in use.

The use of plastics allows for the cup to be washed by machine without it being damaged. The plastics may be polypropylene. The plastics may be un-foamed. The use of the ribs allows for the cup to be held by a user without the heat from the liquid burning their hands. The ribs may have specific characteristics such as their dimensions which reduce the temperature of the radially outer ends of the ribs, compared to their basal (cup side-wall proximate) ends, to be cool enough to hold. The ribs thickness and spacing allow for a user’s skin not to fit in between the ribs and come into contact with the hotter body of the cup. They also allow for stacking (nesting) of cups, to reduce storage and transportation costs. Too small a spacing may lead to dirt gathering at the base of the ribs, such dirt being difficult to remove by washing.

The ribs may extend away from the body with a dimension in the range 1.2 to 1.8 mm. The ribs may extend away from the body with a dimension of 1.5 mm.

The ribs may be spaced apart in the range 3 to 5 mm at their upper extent. The ribs may be spaced apart in the range 4 to 4.5 mm at their upper extent. The ribs may be spaced apart 4.5 mm at their upper extent. The ribs may be spaced 3.5 mm at their upper extent. The ribs may be spaced apart in the range 2 to 3 mm at their lower extent. The ribs may be spaced 2.5 mm at their lower extent.

The ribs may have a profile which tapers from the cup body to their outer radial ends.

The ribs may have a width in the range of 0.5 to 2 mm at the cup body surface. The ribs may have a width in the range of 0.5 to 1 mm at the cup body surface. The ribs may have a width of 0.7 mm at the cup body surface. The ribs may have a width in the range of 0.3 to 1.8 mm at their radial ends away from the cup body surface. The ribs may have a width in the range of 0.3 to 0.8 mm at their radial ends away from the cup body surface. The ribs may have a width of 0.55 mm at their radial ends away from the cup body surface. In this regard, the ribs may have a cross-sectional shape (in the plane parallel to the base of the cup) being one of a triangle, a trapezium, or other such shape which tapers from base to top. The width of the rib at the cup body surface may be in the range of 60 to 70% of the thickness of the body thickness (i.e. the wall thickness of the cup sidewalls). This body wall thickness may be in the range 1 to 2 mm. Logos or other provider identity information can be applied to the outer wall of the cup above or below the ribs.

The lower extent of the ribs may be substantially at the base of the cup and the upper extent of the ribs may be in the range 60 to 100% of the height of the cup body above the base of the cup. In one example, they may extend two-thirds up from the base. The ribs may start part way up the cup and extend to the top. The ribs may be in a central band around the middle of the cup.

The ribs may have rounded ends at their radial ends. The radius of the rounded ends may be 0.3mm.

The base to top dimension of the cup body may be in the range 60 to 160 mm. In one example, a 12 oz (390.86ml) cup, may have a base to top dimension approximately 107mm.

It is expected that different cup sizes may be provided, such as 6 oz (170.48 ml), 8 oz (227.30 ml), 12 oz (390.86 ml), 16 oz (454.61 ml), and 20 oz (568.26 ml).

The reusable cup may be arranged to be stackable with other identical cups. Accordingly, the reusable cup may be arranged to be stackable with other identical cups, such that a first and second, such stacked, cups have an offset distance between the top of the first cup and the top of the second lying in the range 15 to 50 mm. For a 12 oz (340.96ml) cup, the offset distance may be 25mm.

The cross-sectional shape of the cup may be circular, although other regular and irregular shapes are contemplated such as oval, square, hexagonal and the like.

The reusable cup may further include a form of indicia with which a characteristic of the cup is identifiable. This may take the form of a QR code or bar code, for instance. This may aid the identification of which entity to return the cup after it has been washed.

The reusable cup may further include an RFID device with which a characteristic of the cup is identifiable. Again, this may aid the identification of which entity to return the cup after it has been washed. The indicia and/or RFID may be arranged anywhere on or in the cup, for example, the under the base. In this regard, the thickness of the base of the cup may be in the range 1 to 3mm.

In use, it is expected that consumers will buy hot drinks from different suppliers. Once they have finished with their cup, they may place it in general used cup collection points. The cups may then be washed by machine. The cups may then be returned to the suppliers to be provided again to consumers with new hot drinks. As there will potentially be cups from various providers mixed together in the collection points, the cups may be separated such that each supplier receives their own cups back and not another supplier’s. This separation may be effected by such means as visual identification methods of the branding applied to the cups, or their colour, or by means of the RFID tags and/or QR/Bar codes.

At least one rib may include a nib projecting radially outward from the cup, the nib arranged to spatially separate two reusable cups stacked together.

The reusable cup may comprise three nibs arranged equiangularly around the circumference of the cup, such that they are the arranged with 120 degrees between each one.

The nibs may extend radially from the surface of the ribs in the range 0.1 to 0.5 mm. The nibs may have a width of approximately the same width as the ribs.

The term width used herein may mean as measured circumferentially.

The cup may have a base diameter in the range 50 to 65 mm excluding the ribs.

The cup may have a diameter measure at the top (including the lip) in the range 65 to 90 mm.

The above and other characteristics, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention. This description is given for the sake of example only, without limiting the scope of the invention. The reference figures quoted below refer to the attached drawings.

is a perspective view of a cup;

is a cross-sectional view of a first part of the wall of the cup of ; and

is a cross-sectional view of a second part of the wall of the cup of .

The present invention will be described with respect to certain drawings but the invention is not limited thereto but only by the claims. The drawings described are only schematic and are non-limiting. Each drawing may not include all of the features of the invention and therefore should not necessarily be considered to be an embodiment of the invention. In the drawings, the size of some of the elements may be exaggerated and not drawn to scale for illustrative purposes. The dimensions and the relative dimensions do not correspond to actual reductions to practice of the invention.

Furthermore, the terms first, second, third and the like in the description and in the claims, are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a sequence, either temporally, spatially, in ranking or in any other manner. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and that operation is capable in other sequences than described or illustrated herein. Likewise, method steps described or claimed in a particular sequence may be understood to operate in a different sequence.

Moreover, the terms top, bottom, over, under and the like in the description and the claims are used for descriptive purposes and not necessarily for describing relative positions. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and that operation is capable in other orientations than described or illustrated herein.

It is to be noticed that the term “comprising”, used in the claims, should not be interpreted as being restricted to the means listed thereafter; it does not exclude other elements or steps. It is thus to be interpreted as specifying the presence of the stated features, integers, steps or components as referred to, but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps or components, or groups thereof. Thus, the scope of the expression “a device comprising means A and B” should not be limited to devices consisting only of components A and B. It means that with respect to the present invention, the only relevant components of the device are A and B.

Reference throughout this specification to “an embodiment” or “an aspect” means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or aspect is included in at least one embodiment or aspect of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment”, “in an embodiment”, or “in an aspect” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment or aspect, but may refer to different embodiments or aspects. Furthermore, the particular features, structures or characteristics of any one embodiment or aspect of the invention may be combined in any suitable manner with any other particular feature, structure or characteristic of another embodiment or aspect of the invention, as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art from this disclosure, in one or more embodiments or aspects.

Similarly, it should be appreciated that in the description various features of the invention are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of one or more of the various inventive aspects. This method of disclosure, however, is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed invention requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Moreover, the description of any individual drawing or aspect should not necessarily be considered to be an embodiment of the invention. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in fewer than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus, the claims following the detailed description are hereby expressly incorporated into this detailed description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment of this invention.

Furthermore, while some embodiments described herein include some features included in other embodiments, combinations of features of different embodiments are meant to be within the scope of the invention, and form yet further embodiments, as will be understood by those skilled in the art. For example, in the following claims, any of the claimed embodiments can be used in any combination.

In the description provided herein, numerous specific details are set forth. However, it is understood that embodiments of the invention may be practised without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, structures and techniques have not been shown in detail in order not to obscure an understanding of this description.

In the discussion of the invention, unless stated to the contrary, the disclosure of alternative values for the upper or lower limit of the permitted range of a parameter, coupled with an indication that one of said values is more highly preferred than the other, is to be construed as an implied statement that each intermediate value of said parameter, lying between the more preferred and the less preferred of said alternatives, is itself preferred to said less preferred value and also to each value lying between said less preferred value and said intermediate value.

The use of the term “at least one” may mean only one in certain circumstances. The use of the term “any” may mean “all” and/or “each” in certain circumstances.

The principles of the invention will now be described by a detailed description of at least one drawing relating to exemplary features. It is clear that other arrangements can be configured according to the knowledge of persons skilled in the art without departing from the underlying concept or technical teaching, the invention being limited only by the terms of the appended claims.

depicts a cup 10 having a base 20 and an open upper end 25. Ribs 30 are arranged around the outside of the wall 40 of the cup such that they extend radially outward. The cup has a circular cross-section. The ribs 30 extend from the base parallel to the longitudinal axis of the bore of the cup to approximately two-thirds of the height of the cup. It is possible that the ribs extend higher up the side wall of the cup, such as all the way to the top. The cup has a lip 55.

shows a cross-section of part of the wall 40 of the cup at the upper end of the ribs 30. The ribs 30 can be seen to extend away from the wall of the cup 40 in a radial direction relative to the circular cross-section of the cup 10.

shows a cross-section of part of the wall 40 of the cup at the base of the ribs 30. The ribs 30 can be seen to extend away from the wall of the cup 40 in a radial direction relative to the circular cross-section of the cup 10. However, the spacing between the ribs is less than those of the ribs at their upper end discussed with reference to .

The ribs 30 are seen to have a tapering profile, from base end to outer radial end), with a rounded outer radial end. The rounding may be regarded as being “bull-nosed”.

The following table provides characteristics of various possible different size cups. The 20 oz (568.26 ml) size cup may have 70 or 80 ribs arranged around its circumference.

Table 1 – Cup characteristics

Claims

A reusable cup comprising plastics, having a flared shape body such that the cross-sectional area of the cup increases from the base to the top, the body having integral, external, radially extending, linear ribs, each having an upper extent and a lower extent, the ribs extending from towards the base of the cup to towards the top of the cup, the ribs being arranged around the perimeter of the cup body, the ribs extending away from the body in the range 0.7 to 2 mm, the ribs spaced apart at most by 5 mm at their upper extent, and at least by 2 mm at their lower extent, the ribs having a width in the range 0.3 to 2 mm, the ribs arranged to provide a gripping surface which is cooler than the temperature of a liquid within the cup, in use.
The reusable cup of claim 1, wherein the ribs extend away from the body with a dimension of 1.5 mm.
The reusable cup of either one of claims 1 and 2, wherein the ribs are spaced apart in the range 3 to 5 mm at their upper extent.
The reusable cup of any preceding claim, wherein the ribs are spaced apart in the range 4 to 4.5 mm at their upper extent.
The reusable cup of any preceding claim, wherein the ribs are spaced apart in the range 2 to 3 mm at their lower extent.
The reusable cup of any preceding claim, wherein the ribs have a profile which tapers from the cup body to their outer radial ends.
The reusable cup of any preceding claim, wherein the ribs have a width in the range 0.5 to 1 mm at the cup body surface.
The reusable cup of any preceding claim, wherein the ribs have a width in the range of 0.3 to 1.8 mm at their radial ends away from the cup body surface.
The reusable cup of any preceding claim, wherein the width of the rib at the cup body surface is in the range of 60 to 70% of the thickness of the body.
The reusable cup of any preceding claim, wherein the lower extent of the ribs is substantially at the base of the cup and the upper extent of the ribs in the range 60 to 100% of the height of the cup body above the base of the cup.
The reusable cup of any preceding claim, wherein the ribs have rounded ends at their radial ends.
The reusable cup of any preceding claim, wherein the base to top dimension of the cup body is in the range 60 to 160 mm.
The reusable cup of any preceding claim, wherein the base to top dimension of the cup body is approximately 107 mm.
The reusable cup of any preceding claim, being arranged to be stackable with other identical cups, such that a first and second, such stacked, cups have an offset distance between the top of the first cup and the top of the second lies in the range 15 to 50mm.
The reusable cup of claim 14, wherein the offset distance is 25mm for 12 oz (340.96ml) cups.
The reusable cup of any preceding claim, wherein the cross-sectional shape of the cup is circular.
The reusable cup of any preceding claim, further including a form of indicia with which a characteristic of the cup is identifiable.
The reusable cup of any preceding claim, further including an RFID device with which a characteristic of the cup is identifiable.
The reusable cup of any preceding claim, wherein at least one rib includes a nib projecting radially outward from the cup, the nib arranged to spatially separate two reusable cups stacked together.
The reusable cup of claim 19, comprising three nibs arranged equiangularly around the circumference of the cup.