The present disclosure relates generally to beverage containers and vessels, in particular a system of eco-friendly removable and reusable inserts operable to be placed inside a reusable or disposable holder.
Various techniques and devices which provide enhanced insulation of a container or vessel in order to keep its contents at desired temperatures and to reduce hot/cold transfer, particularly to a user's hand, are known. While such enhancements provide advantages, they have several limitations and drawbacks. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,205,473 to Coffin and U.S. Pat. No. 7,699,216 to Smith et al. disclose disposable double-walled containers providing enhanced insulation. However, these containers were not widely adopted because of the complexity and the cost of manufacturing. U.S. Pat. No. 5,826,786 to Dickert and U.S. Pat. No. 7,922,031 to Prince disclose using a combination of single-walled disposable containers with a sleeve.
Another pressing issue is that a great number of disposable containers are not recycled, but wasted, which negatively impacts the environment. Although the problem persists for many years, a need remains for a more effective solution.
Thus, a need exists for a device and system to overcome certain of these limitations and other drawbacks of the prior art.
The present disclosure describes a drinking vessel system having an insert engagement with a holder. In an example, a system is provided that includes a removable and reusable insert and matching compact and lightweight holder compatible with the insert.
The present disclosure provides for a drinking vessel system including a holder having a body formed between opposed connectable ends. The connectable ends form a rigid structure when the connectable ends are engaged. The rigid structure includes a sidewall, a rim, and defines an opening. An insert is provided that includes a flexible body sized and shaped to fit within the opening of the holder and engage the rigid structure of the holder. The flexible body includes a bottom and a sidewall forming a drinking cavity extending from the bottom to the opening. The holder and the reusable insert are disengagable. The holder is compactable when the connectable ends are disengaged.
In a further example, the holder can be made from reusable or disposable material, e.g., compostable or water-soluble. The insert is operable to be used inside an enclosed, open-ended, and/or hollow holder with regular or irregular shape, e.g., mug, cup, bottle, sleeve, frame, case, shell, jacket, etc. Thus, a holder serves as a host while the insert becomes an inner layer providing superior thermomechanical, e.g., insulation, and chemical protection. The use of the insert can help reduce or prevent contamination of the holder with the contents or by the user. After each use, the insert can be easily cleaned, e.g., rinsed if the insert is made from hydrophobic material. Although the insert is compatible with many existing holders such as disposable cups or sleeves from corrugated cardboard, a suitable holder design is disclosed, which provides improved performance.
In an example, a holder according to the present disclosure defines a shape of a hollow structure, which can be made compact by rolling, folding using a single or multiple folds, e.g., accordion fold, etc. Additionally, this structure can have fasteners including but not limited to: belts, buttons, stud joints, lap joints, etc. to facilitate proper fit of the holder on the insert or any other container or vessel.
In another example, an insert of the present disclosure can be comprised of a single or multiple layers made from sole material, mixture of different materials, or composite material. The insert may have internal structural reinforcements made from other materials including but not limited to: thin washers, discs, rings, stiffeners, struts, conical cylinders, plates, etc. The insert may have internal or external devices including but not limited to: zip lock, channel and matching insert, stud joint, buttons, adhesive, etc. to facilitate the ease of sealing the insert. The insert material can have inclusions and reinforcements with various sizes, e.g., from few nm to tens of cm, randomly or strategically distributed inside. Inclusions can define arbitrary or predetermined shapes, e.g., air, pigments, nanoparticles such as nanoclay, microparticles such as silica microbubbles, polymers, low vacuum voids, ions, chopped and continuous fibers, etc.
The present disclosure provides for an insert provided in various forms and designs, with differences including but not limited to: transparency, color, scent, ornaments and decorations, etc. In an example, the insert can be used as an auxiliary device along with reusable and disposable holders. The removable and reusable insert has additional benefits, such as enhanced insulation, improved chemical resistance, better hygiene, opportunity to reuse or substitute disposable holders such as paper cups, plastic cups, etc.
Example benefits of the removable and reusable insert of the present disclosure include but are not limited to:
The other aspects of the present disclosure will become better understood by reference to the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:
The present disclosure provides for a drinking vessel or container system to facilitate improved and alternatives to disposable cups/glasses. The present disclosure provides for a drinking vessel system including a removable and reusable or disposable insert which is used in combination with an enclosed, open-ended, or hollow, reusable or disposable holder. In an example, the holder defines a shape, e.g., mug, cup, bottle, sleeve, frame, case, shell, jacket, etc.
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Insert 12 may assume various forms and have numerous designs, with differences including but not limited to: transparency, color, scent, ornaments and decorations, etc. The gap between the insert 12 and the internal wall 11 of a holder 14 can vary from close contact to several mm. In one form, the insert 12 can be engaged or fixed inside a holder 14 using various devices including but are not limited to: suction cups, friction, adhesives, clamps, fasteners, etc. The insert can be fit inside a holder using various additional configurations, which include but are not limited to any or combination of the following examples:
In an example, the holder 14 is provided that is lightweight and compactable. The compact and lightweight holder 14 can be fabricated from a recyclable material and thus disposable. Moreover, the holder 14 can be made to be compatible with aforementioned removable and reusable insert 12; and the holder 14 can be also used as a sleeve with a reusable or disposable cup, mug, tumbler, etc.
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The holder 14 of the present disclosure further includes a fastener feature 33 that is formed on ends 31 and 32. This can include, but is not limited to: fasteners, adhesives, buttons, belts, Velcro, cuts and inserts, clamps, and combinations thereof. In yet a further example of
The compact and lightweight holder 14 allows for assembly and can form a sleeve if desired for the insert 12. Stiffness of the folded material of the holder 14 can contribute to the rigid structure for engaging with insert 12. In an example, the stiffness of the holder material is selected to sustain a handgrip and act as a lightweight buffer between the insert 12 and a user's hand. Benefits include but are not limited to:
The removable and reusable insert 12 of the present disclosure can be utilized to enhanced insulation and better hygiene to provide better experience to food and beverage consumers. For example, the insert 12 can be used with reusable or disposable containers from restaurants, cafes, coffee shops, vending machines, etc. If the insert 12 is made of flexible and lightweight material, e.g., silicone rubber, it may be compact and highly portable. Moreover, since silicone rubber is hydrophobic, such insert can be cleaned easily, e.g., thorough rinse. These described benefits make the present removable and reusable insert 12 very suitable for multiple uses throughout short time period, e.g., one day.
Another feature of the present disclosure, is to provide eco-friendly solution to reduction of the waste caused by disposable containers, e.g., paper or plastic cups. The renewable resources and clean energy are getting increased attention because of new discoveries in applied science and rapidly growing importance of environment protection. As an example, the amount of solid waste created and valuable resources consumed throughout the process of manufacturing and drinking coffee is an escalating problem. Fifty-eight billion paper cups are thrown away (not recycled) every year; 20 million trees are cut down in the process of manufacturing paper cups; and amount of water used in the process is approximately 12 billion gallons. According to the Environmental Defense Organization, 53000 homes could be powered with the energy consumed through paper cup consumption. Another alarming fact that was discovered is the amount of water used in the process of creating one single cup of latte, which according to the World Wildlife Fund is more than 200 liters (52 gallons). However, paper cups are just part of the problem. The amount of waste resulting from consumer packaging every year is massive. The average person in North America is contributing to the 250 million tons of garbage thrown away every year.
Generally, disposable containers have good thermomechanical properties and are designed with the lifetime far beyond single time usage. However, container contamination compromises its further service with the only options for disposable container to be wasted after first use. To make them waterproof they are usually lined with a membrane of polyethylene (plastic), but it means they are not recyclable alongside paper or cardboard, or biodegradable. Moreover, it was shown that polyethylene (PET, LDPE, HDPE) releases estrogenic chemicals, which can cause health-related problems, such as early puberty in females, reduced sperm counts, altered functions of reproductive organs, obesity, altered sex-specific behaviors, and increased rates of some breast, ovarian, testicular, and prostate cancers.
In order to provide the sustainability many solutions were proposed, such as KARMA CUPS concept and reusable and recyclable cup from STARBUCKS® made from polypropylene. Unfortunately, none of the proposed methods dramatically reduce the waste caused by the paper cups. According to KARMA CUP, the solution is sustainable, but not convenient; only 1.84% customers were using personal tumblers in 2013, which has increased to about 5% in 2015. Polypropylene has below average thermal resistance, e.g., it becomes brittle under 0° C., and it is liable to chain degradation from exposure to heat and UV radiation; also it can be recycled only through some curbside programs. Lastly, polypropylene, as many other plastics, was shown to release estrogenic chemicals, which are hazardous to human health. It has to be mentioned that the removable and reusable insert is intended to be made plastic-free, e.g., from silicone rubber.
When the present removable and reusable insert is placed inside the disposable holder, e.g., container, it prevents the disposable holder from contamination. Hence, the holder, e.g., container, which is used along with the removable and reusable insert does not have to be waterproof, i.e., having plastic coating, and be made from virgin paper. This allows the container to be made from recycled paper and to be recycled or reused after use. The removable and reusable insert is intended to be made from recyclable material, which should reduce the negative impact on the environment.
While this disclosure contains many specifics, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of any invention or of what may be claimed, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments of particular inventions. Certain features that are described in this patent document in the context of separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination. Moreover, although features may be described above as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, one or more features from a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from the combination, and the claimed combination may be directed to a subcombination or variation of a subcombination.
The separation of various device components in the embodiments described in this patent document should not be understood as requiring such separation in all embodiments.
Only a few implementations and examples are described and other implementations, enhancements and variations can be made based on what is described and illustrated in this disclosure.
The foregoing disclosure has been illustrated and described in accordance with the relevant legal standards, it is not intended that these examples illustrate and describe all possible forms of the present disclosure, thus the description is exemplary rather than limiting in nature. Variations and modifications to the disclosed examples may become apparent to those skilled in the art and fall within the scope of the present disclosure. Additionally, the features and various implementing examples may be combined to form further examples of the present disclosure.
Priority is claimed to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/540,566 filed Aug. 3, 2017 which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20190039812 A1 | Feb 2019 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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62540566 | Aug 2017 | US |