US 4,261,501 AGranted

Laminated insulated hot drink cup

AssigneeHallmark Cards, Incorporated

InventorsJohn B. Watkins, Glen N. Black

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Abstract

An insulated, decorative hot drink cup for hot coffee or the like is provided which can be grasped and drunk from without fear that the user's fingers will be burned. The cup includes an inner, integral, synthetic resin cup member having a series of spaced, exterior, longitudinally extending, triangular in cross section ribs on the sidewall thereof, and an outer decorative paper overwrap permanently applied over and in contact with the ribs. This structure defines a series of discrete, juxtaposed, dead air chambers or cells in the cup assembly sidewall for maximum heat insulation, and the thermally minimal, essentially line contact between the rib apices and overwrap enhances this effect. An uppermost circumferential bead formed on the cup member provides a further seal and prevents passage of liquid between the overwrap and member sidewall.

Claims9

Dependent claims

A hot drink cup, comprising:

a cup member formed of synthetic resin material and having a bottom wall and an upwardly extending, continuous sidewall connected to the bottom wall for cooperatively presenting a liquid-holding cavity;
said sidewall including structure which defines, on the exterior face thereof,
(1) a pair of annular, continuous bands respectively extending about said sidewall, being located adjacent the upper and lower extremities of said sidewall, and spaced outwardly from the major surface presented by said sidewall;
and
(2) a series of elongated, spaced, side-by-side spacer ribs disposed in an upright relation, extending between said bands and outwardly from said major surface, and presenting, on the outermost extremities thereof, respective, relatively sharp, pointed contact lines;
and
an overlap disposed about said sidewall, and in engagement with said bands and contact lines,
said ribs, member sidewall and overwrap cooperatively defining a series of elongated, discrete dead air cells for creating a heat insulation barrier between hot liquid in said cavity and a person's hand in engagement with the exterior surface of said overlay.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.