Drink cup

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10477998-B2
Application number	US-201715444944-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 28, 2017
Priority date	Mar 1, 2016
Publication date	Nov 19, 2019
Grant date	Nov 19, 2019

Abstract

A drink cup includes a body formed to include an interior region providing a fluid-holding reservoir and a brim. The brim is coupled to the body to form an opening into the interior region. The body includes a floor and a side wall that extends away from the floor. The drink cup further includes a body-strengthening system coupled to the body.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A drink cup comprises
a body including a floor and a side wall coupled to the floor to extend along a central axis away from the floor to define an interior region configured to provide a fluid-holding reservoir,
a brim coupled to the body to locate the side wall between the brim and the floor and configured to define an opening into the interior region, and
a body-strengthening system coupled to the body between the floor and the brim and configured to increase rigidity of a selected portion of the drink cup when compared to a rigidity of the side wall of the drink cup without increasing a weight of the drink cup,
wherein the body-strengthening system includes a first strengthening unit located between a lower portion of the side wall and a middle portion of the side wall and a second strengthening unit located between the first strengthening unit and the brim,
wherein the first strengthening unit includes an upper-strengthening segment and a C-shaped lower-strengthening segment, the upper-strengthening segment is located between the C-shaped lower-strengthening segment and the middle portion of the side wall and the C-shaped lower-strengthening segment is located between the upper-strengthening segment and the lower portion of the side wall,
wherein the upper-strengthening segment is spaced apart from the central axis a first distance and the C-shaped lower-strengthening segment is spaced apart from the central axis a second distance and the second distance is greater than the first distance, and
wherein the second strengthening unit includes a C-shaped annular ring coupled to an upper portion of the side wall and an annular strip extending between and interconnecting the C-shaped annular ring and the middle portion of the side wall.

2. The drink cup of claim 1 , wherein the upper-strengthening segment includes an annular band that has a distance from the central axis that is greater than a distance from the central axis to the lower portion of the side wall and less than a circumference of the middle portion of the side wall.

3. The drink cup of claim 2 , wherein the C-shaped lower-strengthening segment includes an annular band that has a distance from the central axis that is greater than the distance from the central axis to the lower portion of the side wall and the distance from the central axis to the middle portion of the side wall.

4. The drink cup of claim 1 , wherein the body includes a stack shoulder located between the first strengthening unit and the brim.

5. The drink cup of claim 1 , wherein the C-shaped annular ring includes an annular band that has a distance from the central axis greater than a distance from the central axis to the upper portion of the side wall and the middle portion of the side wall.

6. The drink cup of claim 5 , wherein the body further includes a stack shoulder located between the second strengthening unit and the brim.

7. The drink cup of claim 6 , wherein the distance from the central axis to the annular band of the C-shaped annular ring is less than a distance from the central axis to the stack shoulder.

8. The drink cup of claim 1 , wherein the upper-strengthening segment has a first length extending along a portion of the side wall and the C-shaped lower-strengthening segment has a second length extending along a portion of the side wall, and the second length is greater than the first length.

9. The drink cup of claim 8 , wherein a rigidity measured at the middle portion is greater than about 400 grams, wherein a rigidity measured at the first strengthening unit is greater than about 1,000 grams, wherein a mass of the drink cup is less than 17 grams.

10. The drink cup of claim 9 , wherein the drink cup has a mass, a stack-shoulder rigidity measured at the stack shoulder, a middle-portion rigidity measured at the middle portion, and a strengthening-unit rigidity measured at the first strengthening unit and a ratio of the mass to the stack shoulder rigidity is less than 0.019, wherein a ratio of the mass to the strengthening-unit rigidity is less than 0.016, and wherein a ratio of the mass to the middle-portion rigidity is less than about 0.368.

11. A drink cup comprises
a body including a floor and a side wall coupled to the floor to extend along a central axis away from the floor to define an interior region configured to provide a fluid-holding reservoir,
a brim coupled to the body to locate the side wall between the brim and the floor and configured to define an opening into the interior region, and
a body-strengthening system coupled to the body between the floor and the brim and configured to increase rigidity of a selected portion of the drink cup when compared to a rigidity of the side wall of the drink cup without increasing a weight of the drink cup,
wherein the body-strengthening system includes a first strengthening unit located between a lower portion of the side wall and a middle portion of the side wall,
wherein the first strengthening unit includes an upper-strengthening segment and a C-shaped lower-strengthening segment, the upper-strengthening segment is located between the C-shaped lower-strengthening segment and the middle portion of the side wall and the C-shaped lower-strengthening segment is located between the upper-strengthening segment and the lower portion of the side wall,
wherein the upper-strengthening segment is spaced apart from the central axis a first distance and the C-shaped lower-strengthening segment is spaced apart from the central axis a second distance and the second distance is greater than the first distance, and
wherein the body further includes a stack shoulder, the side wall includes an upper portion located between the stack shoulder and a second strengthening unit, a bottom portion located between the floor and the first strengthening unit, and the middle portion extending between and interconnecting the first strengthening unit and the second strengthening unit.

12. A drink cup comprises
a body including a floor and a side wall coupled to the floor to extend along a central axis away from the floor to define an interior region configured to provide a fluid-holding reservoir,
a brim coupled to the body to locate the side wall between the brim and the floor and configured to define an opening into the interior region, and
a body-strengthening system coupled to the body between the floor and the brim and configured to increase rigidity of a selected portion of the drink cup when compared to a rigidity of the side wall of the drink cup without increasing a weight of the drink cup,
wherein the body-strengthening system includes a first strengthening unit located between a lower portion of the side wall and a middle portion of the side wall,
wherein the body further includes a stack shoulder, the side wall includes an upper portion located between the stack shoulder and a second strengthening unit, a bottom portion located between the floor and the first strengthening unit, and the middle portion extending between and interconnecting the first strengthening unit and the second strengthening unit, and
wherein a rigidity measured at the stack shoulder is greater than 800 grams.

13. The drink cup of claim 12 , wherein a rigidity measured at the middle portion is greater than about 400 grams.

14. The drink cup of claim 13 , wherein a rigidity measured at the first strengthening unit is greater than about 1,000 grams.

15. The drink cup of claim 14 , wherein a mass of the drink cup is less than 17 grams.

16. The drink cup of claim 15 , wherein the mass of the drink cup is abou

Assignees

• Berry Plastics Corp

Inventors

• O'Nan David Y
• Ruminer Brad A
• Mann Jeffrey A

Classifications

• B65D1/46

  Local reinforcements, e.g. adjacent closures · CPC title

• B65D1/265 Primary

  Drinking cups (B65D81/3865 takes precedence, holders for plastic cups A47G23/0208) · CPC title

• A47G19/2205

  Drinking glasses or vessels (A47G19/23 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A47G19/23 Primary

  of stackable type · CPC title

• B65D21/0212

  Containers presenting local stacking elements protruding from the upper or lower edge of a side wall, e.g. handles, lugs, ribs, grooves (B65D21/0211, B65D21/0215, B65D21/023 take precedence) · CPC title