Heat-insulating container and apparatus for producing the same

A heat-insulating container used for an instant dried food such as Chinese noodles comprising:

• a cup body having a side wall and a bottom disposed on one end of the side wall;
• and
• a sleeve disposed outside the side wall of the cup body and having an inward curled portion contacting an outer periphery of the lower end portion of the cup body so as to maintain a space, for heat-insulation, increasing gradually from an upper portion of the container toward the bottom in a state wherein an upper end of the sleeve is bonded to an area at an upper position of the side wall of the cup body and adjacent to the outward curled portion;
• wherein a rib indicating a proper level of boiled water poured into the cup body is provided on the side wall so as to project inward from a flat portion of the side wall.

A producing apparatus for combining a sleeve on an outer periphery of a cup body to produce a heat-insulating container comprising:

• a sleeve forming section for forming the sleeve by curling a blank sheet cylindrically and joining both ends thereof;
• and
• an assembling section for combining the sleeve on the outer periphery of the cup body;
• wherein the sleeve forming section comprises:
• a blank-supplying device for feeding the blank sheet to a sleeve holder, and
• an end curling device for forming a curled portion at an end of the sleeve;
• and
• a rib-processing device for processing a rib extending in its circumferential direction on a side wall of the container;
• an adhesive-applying device for applying an adhesive agent on the side wall of the cup body formed with the rib;
• and
• a sleeve-delivering device for putting the sleeve formed by the sleeve forming section on the outer periphery of the cup body on which the adhesive agent is applied.

A producing apparatus for combining a sleeve on an outer periphery of a cup body to produce a heat-insulating container comprising:

• a sleeve holder capable of holding the sleeve;
• a cup holder capable of holding the cup body;
• and
• a driving device for circulating the sleeve holder and the cup holder along respective certain circulation paths,
• wherein the apparatus is provided along the circulation path of the sleeve holder with a curling device for curling up a blank on the sleeve holder and for joining both ends of the curled blank to each other and a sleeve-ejecting device for removing the sleeve from the sleeve holder;
• the apparatus is also provided along the circulation path of the cup holder with a cup-body-supplying device for supplying the cup body to the cup holder, a rib-processing device for forming a rib extending in its circumferential direction on a side wall of the cup body set on the cup holder, an adhesive-applying device for applying an adhesive agent to the side wall of the cup body formed with the rib, and a sleeve-delivering device for receiving the sleeve ejected by the sleeve-ejecting device and for putting the received sleeve on the outer periphery of the cup body on which the adhesive agent is applied;
• and
• the driving device drives the sleeve holder and the cup holder in such a manner that the cup body on which the adhesive agent is applied is carried in the sleeve-delivering device when the sleeve on the sleeve holder is carried in the sleeve-ejecting device.

An assembling apparatus for combining a sleeve on an outer periphery of a cup body to produce a heat-insulating container, comprising:

• a conveyor capable of circulating along the circulation path of the cup body;
• a cup holder mounted on the conveyor and having a rotary portion capable of rotating about an axis thereof with holding the cup body thereon;
• a driving device for moving the conveyor to feed the cup body step by step with respect to stations defined along the circulation path;
• a holder driving device provided in a driving station which is selected from the stations and capable of being connected with the rotary portion of the cup holder in the driving station to rotate the cup holder;
• an adhesive-applying device provided in an applying station which is selected from the stations and is located forward from the driving station in a circulation direction of the conveyor and capable of applying an adhesive agent on an outer periphery of the cup body during rotation of the cup body mounted on the rotating cup holder;
• and
• a sleeve-delivering device provided in a delivering station which is selected from the stations and is located forward from the applying station in the circulation direction and capable of putting the sleeve on the cup body.

An assembling apparatus for combining a sleeve on an outer periphery of a cup body to produce a heat-insulating container, comprising:

• a cup holder capable of holding a cup in an inverted posture in a vertical direction;
• a sleeve-delivering device capable of putting the sleeve on the outer periphery of the cup body held on the cup holder from the upper side thereof;
• and
• a sleeve-fitting device having a jig capable of contacting an end portion of the sleeve put on the cup body in an axial direction thereof, the sleeve-fitting device being capable of pressing the jig toward the cup body to arrange the sleeve and the cup body with each other in an axial direction thereof;
• wherein the jig is provided with an aligning equipment capable of engaging with the sleeve before the sleeve is pressed down by the jig to move the sleeve in a radial direction thereof so as to be aligned with the cup body.