Disposable paper cups, method of making, and handling of such cups

Abstract

There are now provided disposable paper cups, method of making, and handling of such cups. The cup may comprise a pleated disposable paper cup with a zigzag shaped, pleated cylindrical body, an open top and closed bottom. The cup may be constructed of a paper card stock evenly folded to create parallel pleats that serve to decrease the energy transfer between hot or cold beverages contained in the cup and a user's hand, enabling the user to hold onto the container for an extended period of time without pain or discomfort. The application further relates to an arrangement configured to prepare a personalized brew of coffee or the like, with a lid that can be punctured to flow hot liquid over a material configured to make a drink and into a disposable cup. The abstract of the disclosure is submitted herewith as required by 37 C.F.R. §1.72(b). As stated in 37 C.F.R. §1.72(b): A brief abstract of the technical disclosure in the specification must commence on a separate sheet, preferably following the claims, under the heading “Abstract of the Disclosure.” The purpose of the abstract is to enable the Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and gist of the technical disclosure. The abstract shall not be used for interpreting the scope of the claims. Therefore, the abstract is not intended to limit the claims in any manner and should not be interpreted as limiting the claims in any manner.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO A RELATED PATENT APPLICATION [0001] This application is a continuation-in-part application of my co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 10 / 849,262 filed on May 20, 2004 and entitled Pleated Disposable Paper CupBACKGROUND [0002] 1. Technical Field [0003] The present application relates to disposable cups or like containers or receptacles, methods of manufacture thereof, and the use of such cups. [0004] 2. Background Information [0005] Disposable cups and like containers are in use at most of the common fast food outlets and are accordingly in wide-spread use. The main concern with such cups is the safe handling of the cup when it contains a hot liquid such as coffee. [0006] Thus, one manner to protect a user of a cup containing a hot liquid comprises double-cupping which is widely used in the industry to solve the problem of cups being too hot to handle safely. Further, supplementary insulating sleeves such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,205,473 represent another method...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0011] The primary feature of the present application provides a substantially improved insulation quality by a main, cylindrical body component with a wall structure that has a zigzag pleated shape to allow airflow between the full body of the cup and a hand of a user. Also, contact between a hand of a user and the main body of the cup is minimized to the outer points of the pleats or ridges of the body, thereby substantially reducing the surface area of the cup which may be heated or cooled by the content of the cup while also contacting a hand of a user. Accordingly, safety and ease of use are greatly improved.

Problems solved by technology

Thus there arises the problem that the coffee may be held in a state of a heated condition that possibly may render the dispensed portion of coffee in a somewhat stale condition when dispensed for a buyer.

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