Polymeric replacement for a glass drinking container

Abstract

A polymeric replacement vessel, or container, for glassware and glass containers and a method of making the same. polymeric drinking container simulates a glass drinking container having a glass drinking container volume. The polymeric drinking container comprises a base and an enclosed wall composed of the polymer. The wall is formed with the base and extends from the base while defining an opening opposite the base. The enclosed wall includes an inside surface and an outside surface. The base and enclosed wall form a polymeric drinking container volume made of the polymeric material. This polymeric drinking container volume is equal to the glass component drinking container volume plus an amount equal to the glass component drinking container volume multiplied times the ratio of the specific gravity of the glass to the specific gravity of the polymer.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims benefit of the following Provisional Patent Application which is hereby incorporated by reference:[0002]Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 627,659 Filed Oct. 17, 2011 for:[0003]“UTILITY FUNCTIONAL POLYMERIC REPLACEMENT FOR SODA LIME GLASS AND / OR CONTAINERS AND / OR DRINKING GLASSES”[0004]A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the reproduction of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0005]The present disclosure relates generally to the use of a polymeric material to create a drinking container that is similar in functionality to a glass drinking container without the drawbacks of the glass material. More particularly, the current disclosu...

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Benefits of technology

[0016]Disclosed herein is a polymeric replacement vessel, or container, for glassware and glass containers. Also included is a method of making such a polymeric replacement container. The polymeric replacement container incorporates the beneficial features of glass while substantially eliminating many of the non-beneficial features of glass when used in similar containers. Th

Problems solved by technology

Unfortunately, the soda lime glass has several unacceptable characteristics and features when used in beverage containers.

For example, one huge issue is the fact that the soda lime glass is very brittle and is thus prone to breaking.

This breakage creates two issues: reduces the useful life span of the glass beverage containers and creates a safety issue upon breakage.

Due to the brittle nature of the glass, the glass beverage containers have a tendency to break, sometimes in just normal handling and cleaning.

This breakage reduces the useful life and increases the cost for those glass beverage containers.

Glass beverage containers also have potential health hazards due to shards, splinters, knife-like edge pieces, etc., that can pierce and cut the skin.

This hazard is so detrimental to workers and patrons in the United Kingdom that the British Government has instituted a directive to improve the safety of glassware in restaurants, bars, pubs and clubs.

The article explained that glass containers can be dangerous and cause many issue when accidentally broken, but they can be a huge issue if purposely broken and used as weapons.

Further, the actual brittleness of the glass requires the glass beverage container to have a rounded thick lip at the open end, or mouth, in order to protect a user from actually cutting themselves during proper use of that glass beverage container.

This requires high energy to manufa

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