FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to containers and particularly to a an insulated drinking container for hot or cold drinks that includes a rigid outer shell and a flexible inner liner that enables the container to be folded or collapsed when not in use to enable more efficient storage.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Hot beverages, such as coffee or tea, are consumed by people on a daily basis. Many people frequently visit convenience stores or specialty coffee shops in order to obtain their favorite hot beverage. Although these stores provide disposable cups for the hot beverages, many of them sell their hot beverages at a lower price if the customer provides their own container. Thus many regular coffee drinkers carry their own hot beverage containers into the store in order to obtain their drink at a lower price. After being filled, many hot drink containers are carried into the workplace or the home where they are then stored and used in those locations. Over a period of time, a large number of hot drink containers tend to accumulate in the home or the office.
One problem that arises with the accumulation of a large number of hot drink containers is the large amount of space that is required to store the containers. In current times, many of these hot drink containers are quite a large size and require a significant amount of shelf space during storage.
It would therefore be beneficial to reduce the amount of shelf space taken up by hot or cold beverage containers. Although collapsible containers have been proposed in the prior art, many are for dry food storage items such as powders and others do not include the ability to thermally insulate the materials held within.
Thus, what is needed is a drink container that will keep hot beverages hot and cold beverages cold while in use and that also can be reduced in size to conserve shelf space when not in use.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention, there is provided a thermally insulated collapsible cup for hot or cold beverages. The thermally insulated collapsible cup includes a flexible inner liner and a multi-segmented outer shell including a top segment, a base segment, and one or more intermediate segments. Each segment of the outer shell includes an insulation layer adhered thereto. An integral rubber sleeve extends around the periphery of each intermediate segment. The flexible inner liner extends from the top to the bottom of the collapsible cup and is secured and sealed at the bottom of the base segment and at the rim of the top segment. In an expanded configuration, internal screw threads at the bottom of the top and intermediate segments engage external screw threads on the adjacent segment there below and thereby hold the cup in an expanded configuration. The screw threads can be unscrewed in order to place the cup in a collapsed configuration. The flexible liner is a liquid-tight inner liner that holds liquid therein in both the collapsed and expanded configurations. The insulation layers in each segment thermally insulate any liquid within the liner, maintaining the temperature of hot liquids or cold liquids within the inner liner and mitigating heat transfer to the outer shell thereby protecting the hands of a user while operating the cup.
OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES
Several advantages are achieved with the thermally insulated collapsible cup of the present invention, including:
- (1) The collapsible cup of the present invention is thermally insulated, thereby maintaining hot liquids or cold liquids at the desired temperature.
- (2) The collapsible cup of the present invention can be folded into a significantly smaller size for storage thereby greatly reducing the amount of required storage space.
- (3) The collapsible cup of the present invention maintains its shape when expanded to its unfolded state.
- (4) As the liner is molded in one-piece, the collapsible cup of the present invention is capable of supporting liquids in both the collapsed and expanded configurations.
- (5) The collapsible cup includes rubber sleeves for providing proper friction for the hand and for controlling the speed at which the cup converts from the collapsed to the expanded configuration.
- (6) A screw thread locking mechanism prevents unintentional collapsing of the cup.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be better understood by reading the following description along with reference to the drawings.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a side view of a preferred embodiment of a thermally insulated collapsible cup in its expanded configuration according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a side view of the collapsible cup of FIG. 1 after it has been folded or collapsed into a compact size for storage.
FIG. 3 is a top view of the collapsible cup of FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the collapsible cup taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3.
FIG. 5 is a detailed view of the left hand side of the top segment of the collapsible cup of FIG. 4.
FIG. 6 is a detailed view of the left hand side of the bottom segment of the collapsible cup of FIG. 4.
FIG. 7 is a top view of the collapsible cup in the collapsed configuration of FIG. 2.
FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the collapsible cup taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 7.
FIG. 9 is a top view of the collapsible cup including a lid secured to the top of the cup.
FIG. 10 is a sectional view of the collapsible cup taken along line 10-10 of FIG. 9.
FIG. 11 is a side view of two collapsible cups according to the present invention each in the collapsed configuration and stacked upon one another for storage.
FIG. 12 is a sectional view of the bottom portion of a collapsible cup according to the present invention depicting an alternative arrangement for anchoring the inner liner to the base outer shell segment.
TABLE OF NOMENCLATURE
The following is a listing of part numbers used in the drawings along with a brief description:
|
Part Number
Description
|
|
|
20
collapsible cup
|
22
base outer shell segment
|
24
top outer shell segment
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26
intermediate outer shell segment
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28
tubular sleeve
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30
interior volume
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32
rim of top segment
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34
inner side of outer shell segment
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36
outer side of outer shell segment
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38
top of rigid outer shell segment
|
40
bottom of rigid outer shell segment
|
42
tubular insulating layer
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44
flexible inner liner
|
46
base portion of inner liner
|
48
screw threads at bottom of outer shell segment
|
50
screw threads at top of outer shell segment
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52
inturned wall portion
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54
outer periphery
|
56
peripheral flange of top outer shell segment
|
58
top portion of liner
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60
peripheral groove
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61
throat of liner
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62
screw threads in throat
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63
inner periphery of base segment
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64
peripheral flange on base segment
|
66
peripheral groove in base portion of liner
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68
inner periphery of sleeve
|
70
screw threads on sleeve
|
72
inward extending lower leg of sleeve
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74
lid
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76
hinge
|
78
flip up cover
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80
outer periphery of tubular sleeve
|
82
indent in sleeve
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84
closed bottom of base segment
|
86
pin
|
|
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
With reference to a first and preferred embodiment in FIG. 1, the present invention is a thermally insulated collapsible cup 20. The collapsible cup 20, depicted in its expanded configuration in FIG. 1, includes a plurality of rigid interlocking tubular outer shell segments including a base segment 22, a top segment 24, and one or more intermediate segments 26. The collapsible cup 20 includes a tubular sleeve 28 secured around the lower outer periphery of each intermediate segment 26.
As shown in FIG. 2, the collapsible cup 20 can be folded or collapsed into a collapsed configuration wherein the top segment 24 is collapsed around the outer peripheries of the intermediate segments 26 and base segment 22 in which collapsed configuration the tubular sleeves 28 are in contact with one another. The collapsible cup 20 is liquid-tight in both the expanded and collapsed configurations and is thermally insulated thus maintaining the temperature of liquids within the cup. Thus, with reference to FIG. 3, the interior volume 30 of the insulated collapsible cup 20 will keep hot liquids hot or cold liquids cold for a substantial amount of time.
Referring to the sectional view of the collapsible cup 20 in the expanded configuration in FIG. 4, the top outer shell segment 24 includes a rim 32 and each interlocking outer shell segment 22, 24, and 26 includes an inner side 34, an outer side 36, a top 38 and a bottom 40. A tubular insulating layer 42 is provided on the inner side 34 of each of the outer shell segments 22, 24, and 26. The collapsible cup 20 further includes a flexible inner liner 44 that extends from the rim 32 to the bottom 40 of the base segment 22. The entire flexible inner liner 44 including a thick base portion 46 is molded in one piece of food grade silicone rubber, which is approved by the FDA for direct food contact. Thus the inner liner 44 forms a continuous liquid-tight liner around the entire inner periphery of the collapsible cup 20.
With reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, the top segment 24 and intermediate segments 26 each include screw threads 48 on the outer sides 36 at the bottom 40 of the outer shell segment and the base segment 22 and intermediate segments 26 each include complementary screw threads 50 on the outer sides 36 at the top 38 of the adjacent outer shell segment. Thus screw threads 48 at the bottom 40 of a rigid outer shell segment 24 and 26 can be threaded onto complementary screw threads 50 of the adjacent segment 22 and 26 there below in order to lock the respective rigid segments with respect to one another and thereby lock the collapsible cup 20 into the expanded configuration.
With reference to FIG. 5, the top outer shell segment 24 includes an inturned wall portion 52 adjacent the rim 32. The inturned wall portion 52 includes an outer periphery 54 and a peripheral flange 56 extending outward from the outer periphery 54 of the inturned wall portion 52. The one-piece molded flexible inner liner 44 includes a top portion 58 with a peripheral groove 60 therein extending around its outer periphery. The peripheral flange 56 of the top outer shell segment 24 extends into the peripheral groove 60 of the top portion 58 of the inner liner 44 thereby securing the top portion 58 of the inner liner 44 to the top outer shell segment 24. The inner liner 44, being constructed of soft silicone rubber, seals around the rim 32 of the top outer shell segment 24. Preferably, the inner liner 44, constructed of food grade silicone rubber, has a Shore A hardness rating of 0. As shown in FIG. 5, the top portion 58 of the inner liner 44 wraps around the entire top of the top outer shell segment 24 including the rim 32. The top portion 58 of the liner 44 includes a throat 61 and may include screw threads 62 in the throat 61.
Referring to FIG. 6, the bottom 40 of the base outer shell segment 22 includes an inner periphery 63 and a peripheral flange 64 extending inward from the inner periphery 63. The base portion 46 of the flexible inner liner 44 further includes a peripheral groove 66 therein. The peripheral flange 64 of the base outer shell segment 22 extends into the peripheral groove 66 of the inner liner base portion 46 thereby securing the liner base portion 46 to the base outer shell segment 22. As the base portion 46 of the liner 44 is an integral portion of the one-piece molded liner 44, the collapsible cup 20 will be liquid-tight at the bottom of the cup.
As further shown in FIG. 6, each tubular sleeve 28 includes an inner periphery 68 and screw threads 70 on its inner periphery 68. The screw threads 70 of the tubular sleeve 28 engage the screw threads 50 at the top 38 of each intermediate outer shell segment 26 thereby locking the tubular sleeves 28 to the intermediate outer shell segments 26. The tubular sleeves 28 further include an inward extending lower leg 72 that is in contact with the outer side 36 of the outer shell segments 22 and 26. The lower legs 72 of each sleeve 28 provides friction against the respective outer shell segment 22 and 26 that it is in contact with and thus controls the rate of expansion of the collapsible cup when expanded from the collapsed configuration, as shown in FIG. 8, to the expanded configuration as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4. Preferably, the integral tubular sleeves 28 are constructed of silicone rubber.
Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, the collapsible cup 20 may further include a lid 74 threaded into the screw threads 62 in the throat 61 of the flexible inner liner 44. The lid 74 in FIGS. 9-10 includes a hinge 76 and a flip up cover 78 pivotally attached and rotatable within the hinge 76 to provide access to the chink stored within the collapsible cup 20. Although one specific embodiment of a lid 74 is shown herein, other conventional lids are within the scope of the invention for use with the collapsible cup 20 including lids with sliding covers, pop up nozzles, holes with tubes extending there through, and snap on lids rather than lids with screw threads.
As shown in FIG. 1, the tubular outer shell segments 22, 24, and 26 of a collapsible cup 20 according to the present invention are of steadily decreasing diameter from the top outer shell segment 24 to the base outer shell segment 22. Thus, as shown in FIG. 4, in the expanded configuration when each outer shell segment is turned counterclockwise with respect to the next lower segment, screw thread 48 on the bottom of the segment will disengage from screw thread 50 on the top of the next lower segment and the collapsible cup 20 will fold to the collapsed configuration as shown in FIG. 8.
With reference to FIG. 8, the inward extending lower legs 72 of the tubular sleeves 28 will exert friction on the base segment 22 and the sleeve 28 it is in contact with and function to hold the cup in the collapsed configuration. The cup in the collapsed configuration includes the base outer shell segment 22 nested within the intermediate outer shell segments 26 and the intermediate segments 26 within the top outer shell segment 24. Flexible inner liner 44, being molded in one-piece of rubber and secured tightly at the top rim 32 and to the peripheral flange 64 on the base outer shell segment 22, is liquid-tight in both the expanded and collapsed configuration. The entire inner volume 30 of the collapsible cup 20 is bound by the inner liner 44.
As shown in FIG. 8, the integral sleeves 28 of the collapsible cup 20 include an outer periphery 80 and an indent 82 in the outer periphery 80. The indent 82 functions to hold the collapsible cup is in the collapsed configuration. As the top 24 and intermediate 26 segments are collapsed toward the base segment 22, the inward extending lower legs 72 of the upper sleeves 28 engage the indents 82 of the lower adjacent sleeve and stop the collapse of the outer shell segments.
With reference to FIG. 4, each of the tubular insulating layers 42 are preferably secured to the outer shell segments 22, 24, and 26 with adhesive. The tubular outer shell segments 22, 24, and 26 are preferably constructed of metal or plastic. The tubular insulating layers 42 are preferably constructed of polyurethane.
As shown in FIG. 11, a significant advantage realized with the collapsible cup 20 of the present invention is that two or more cups can be stacked in order to save shelf space. In FIG. 11, two collapsible cups 20 according to the present invention are depicted in the collapsed configuration and stacked one upon another for storage.
With reference to FIG. 12 there is shown an alternative arrangement for anchoring the flexible inner liner 44 to the base outer shell segment 22. In the alternative embodiment of the collapsible cup the base segment 22 includes a closed bottom 84 and an integral pin 86 extending from the bottom. The flexible inner liner 44 is molded in one piece with an opening in the base portion 46 of the inner liner 44 to accommodate the pin 86. The flexible inner liner 44 is secured to the base segment 22 by placing base portion 46 over pin 86. With pin 86 secured within the base portion 46 of the liner 44, the flexible inner liner 44 of the collapsible cup can rotate about pin 86 and also remain liquid-tight.
As the invention has been described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the same may be varied in many ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Any and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.
Patent Application
20110248037
