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US 10,477,998 B2Granted
Drink cup
AssigneeBerry Plastics Corporation
InventorsDavid Y. O'Nan, Brad A. Ruminer, Jeffrey A. Mann
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
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.
Claims19
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.
4 more elements
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.
4 more elements
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.
3 more elements
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 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.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.