Patent Application
20120228318
The invention relates to beverage-container accessories. More specifically, the invention relates to reusable insulators and handles for beverage containers such as cups, bottles and cans.
Many beverages are served in disposable containers such as bottles, cans and paper or foam cups. These containers are usually regular in form, cylindrical or truncated conical, and provided without protrusions or other adornments. Such containers are efficient in their use of material, and (if shipped empty) can be stacked or nested to reduce their overall volume and improve shipping efficiency. Unfortunately, the same features that improve efficiency, detract from usefulness when the containers are filled and served. For example, thin paper cups may be too hot to hold when filled with coffee, and condensation on cold aluminum cans may make them slippery and hard to grasp.
Paper insulating sleeves are often provided to address the first problem, and foam or neoprene “cozies” help with the second, but insulating sleeves are wasteful, and neoprene cozies take up space when not in use. A reusable, insulating beverage holder may be of value in this field.
Embodiments of the invention use a flexible bi-stable spring member, a sturdy handle and a pliable, resilient covering to make a reusable beverage holder with interesting tactile and haptic characteristics.
Embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which like references indicate similar elements. It should be noted that references to “an” or “one” embodiment in this disclosure are not necessarily to the same embodiment, and such references mean “at least one.”
Embodiments of the invention provide a reusable insulating beverage container handle with interesting tactile and haptic properties, in addition to the principal functional characteristics of temperature- and slip-resistance.
Springs of this general form and behavior are frequently made of thin leaves of spring steel, and have been used as bracelets and children's toys. The relatively complex, bi-stable behavior of the spring member is at odds with its apparently simple construction, and many people enjoy playing with or “clicking” them as a distraction or (paradoxically) as a mental focusing aid.
Top view 3B shows little beyond the modest thickness of most of the oblong spring body and another view of handle 330 extending therefrom.
View 3C is the front or inner surface of the embodiment. When the embodiment is in its curled state and attached to a roughly-cylindrical object, portions of this inner surface are in contact with the object. As shown in this view, the inner surface may include horizontal protrusions or ribs 350, and additional grip-enhancing features 360 which interact with the features identified as 340 in plan view 3A. (All of
Side view 3F shows the slight concavity of the spring body and the profiles of ribs 350 and handle 330. Note in this view that an embodiment may contain a smaller, narrower active bi-stable spring member 370 molded into, embedded or inserted into a covering; the entire oblong spring body need not be formed of the resilient spring material.
The grip-enhancing features may be, for example, bumps and depressions that fit together and resist shear stresses pulling the ends of the arms apart. Other embodiments may use sawtooth or ramp features, magnets, or self-adhesive materials as grip-enhancing features to help prevent the arms of the elongated spring body from slipping apart and releasing the attached container.
In other embodiments, the outer covering may be molded without the core spring member. Instead, in such an embodiment, the molded covering is either formed with a slit, or a slit is cut after molding, and the spring member is inserted into it later, as into a sleeve.
In some embodiments, the handle is molded at the same time, and from the same material, as the rest of the oblong spring body. In other embodiments, the handle may be made from a different material (such as a higher-durometer polymer) and combined with the spring body in a subsequent manufacturing operation.
Many embodiments are molded from a silicone material. The resilient, slightly sticky feel of this material provides additional tactile interest to an embodiment and complements the haptic click as the arms are straightened and curled. In addition, silicone provides excellent insulation properties to protect a user's hands from hot or cold contents of the beverage container, and anti-slip properties to increase the shear resistance of the arm-end overlap and reduce the risk of inadvertent disconnection of the embodiment from the container.
An embodiment need not comprise a full silicone (or other material) sheath over the bi-stable spring core. A “skeletonized” version may comprise a mostly-bare spring core (perhaps formed from a spring material such as titanium, which can be processed to obtain an attractive and durable multi-colored finish). The core may be fitted with a few silicone loops or bands to provide tactile interest and anti-slip properties when curled against a container, and a minimal handle of metal or plastic.
In one preferred embodiment, the bistable spring member is approximately 300 mm in length, and approximately 60 mm in width over most of its length. The transverse elongation where the handle attaches is approximately 40 mm wide and 100 mm tall. The handle is roughly tubular, around 10 mm in diameter, and extends approximately 45 mm from the outside surface of the spring member. When curled, this embodiment can accommodate cylindrical and truncated-conical containers with diameters between approximately 70 mm and 90 mm. (In particular, the grip-enhancing features cover at least the last 40 mm of both inside and outside of the ends of the spring member, so that they overlap by between 10 mm and 40 mm when the embodiment is attached to containers of the sizes noted.) This embodiment can be used with larger or smaller containers, but its holding strength may be slightly compromised.
The characteristics of the present invention have been described largely by reference to specific examples and in terms of particular materials and manufacturing techniques. However, those of skill in the art will recognize that reusable, insulating handles for beverage containers can also be constructed in other forms and from other materials without departing from the underlying principles of the invention. Such alternate forms and materials are understood to be captured according to the following claims.
