Patent Application
20110233224
The present application relates to a sleeve for a container that insulates a user's hand from heat produced in the container.
Container sleeves are utilized to provide protection from heat produced by a hot liquid in a container, such as a cup. A typical container sleeve comprises a sheet of material in which opposing ends are attached together. The opposing ends may be glued or otherwise fastened to each other. To provide for compactness, the sheet may be pressed into a generally flat configuration. To utilize the container sleeve, a user pinches the opposing ends of the flattened sleeve towards each other. This causes the flattened sheets to separate from one another and form an opening for receiving the container. Once separated, the user inserts the container into the opening.
A container sleeve includes a sheet of material that defines a first edge member and a second edge member. The container sleeve defines an upper cross member with a first end connected to the first edge and a second end connected to the second edge, and a lower cross member with a first end connected to the first edge and a second end connected to the second edge. The container sleeve further defines a center cross member positioned between the upper cross member and the lower cross member. The center cross member includes a first end connected to the first edge and a second end connected to the second edge.
In an unassembled configuration, the upper cross member, lower cross member, and center cross member define a substantially planar surface that enables stacking a group of sleeves.
In an operational configuration, a center region of the cross member is configured to be positioned away from a center region of the upper cross member and a center region of the lower cross member to enable the insertion of a container into an opening defined between the upper cross member, the lower cross member, and the center cross member.
Other systems, methods, features and advantages of the invention will be, or will become, apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following figures and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the claims, and be protected by the following claims.
The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the claims, are incorporated in, and constitute a part of this specification. The detailed description and illustrated embodiments described of the invention serve to explain the principles defined by the claims.
The exemplary embodiments below describe various embodiments of container sleeves that comprise a single sheet of material that is cut and creased in various locations to enable a container to be inserted into the sleeves. The sleeves are in the form of a planar sheet of material in an unassembled configuration. Various members of the sleeve are configured to be separated or moved apart to provide an opening for inserting a container. For the sake of convenience, the sleeve is described with a cup.
The upper cross member 115 substantially defines an upper edge 115c of the sleeve 100. The upper cross member 115 includes a first end 115a and a second end 115b. The first end 115a is connected to the first edge member 105. The second end 115b is connected to the second edge member 110.
The lower cross member 120 defines a lower edge member 120c of the sleeve 100. The lower cross member 120 includes a first end 120a and a second end 120b. The first end 115a is connected to the first edge member 105. The second end 120b is connected to the second edge member 110.
The center cross member 125 is positioned between the upper cross member 115 and the lower cross member 120. The center cross member 125 includes a first end 125a and a second end 125b. The first end 125a is connected to the first edge member 105 and the second end 125b is connected to the second edge member 110. A first cut edge 130 separates the center cross member 125 from the upper cross member 115. A second cut edge 135 separates the center cross member 125 from the lower cross member 120.
In the unassembled configuration, the first edge member 105, the second edge member 110, the upper cross member 115, the lower cross member 120, and the center cross member 125 define a substantially planar surface. The first cut edge 130 and the second cut edge 135 enable the center cross member 125 to be positioned away from both the upper cross member 115 and the lower cross member 120 along a centerline 140 of the sleeve 100. This in turn forms an opening in the sleeve 100 that enables the insertion of a container 150, such as a tapered cup.
In some embodiments, the upper edge 115c and the lower edge 120c of the sleeve are shaped in the form of an arc, as shown. The first edge member 105 and the second edge member 110 may taper towards each other. The radius of the respective edges 115c and 120c and the amount by which the edges are tapered may be sized so that the upper cross member 115, the lower cross member 120, and the center cross member 125 follow the contour of a tapered container, such as a tapered cup, when the container is inserted into the sleeve 100.
In some embodiments, a first creased edge 142a is provided between the first end 125a of the center cross member 125 and the first edge member 105, and a second creased edge 142b is provided between the second end 125b of the center cross member 125 and the second edge member 110. The first creased edge 142a and the second crease edge 142b enable the first end 125a and the second end 125b of the center cross member 125 to be folded over the first edge 105 and the second edge 110, respectively. In other embodiments, creases 144a, 144b, 146a, and 146b may be provided between the first ends 115a and 120a and the second ends 115b and 120b of the upper cross member 115 and/or the lower cross member 120 and the first edge member 105 and the second edge member 110, respectively. The respective creases 144a, 144b, 146a, and 146b enable folding the first ends 115a and 120a and second ends 115b and 120b of the upper cross member 115 and/or the lower cross member 120 over the first edge member 105 and the second edge member 110, respectively.
As shown, the upper cross member 115, lower cross member 120, and center cross member 125 may be sized to insulate a user's fingers from heat produced within the container. For example, the center cross member 125 may be sized to insulate the user's thumb. The upper cross member 115 and the lower cross member 120 may be sized to insulate the user's other fingers. To improve the insulation characteristics, the sleeve 100 may comprises a corrugated paper material, which may act as an insulating material.
While various embodiments have been described, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many more embodiments and implementations are possible that are within the scope of the claims. For example, as shown in
The sleeve may be modified in yet other manners. For example, as shown in
