Drinking cup with integrated foldable cover

Abstract

A disposable cup includes a sidewall and a plurality of first, second, and third flaps arranged along a top end of the sidewall. The flaps are bendable along respective creases in the sidewall to a stacking configuration, an open configuration, and a closed configuration. In the stacking configuration, the first, second, and third flaps extend upward from and are aligned with the sidewall, which allows for multiple cups to be nested and stacked. In the open configuration, the first, second, and third flaps are downwardly bendable to respective positions along an exterior surface of the sidewall, which allows for full access to a liquid in the cup and drawing on the surface of the liquid contained within the cup in the form of latte art. In the closed configuration, the first, second and third flaps together define a concave cover to the cup and an elevated spout for drinking the liquid.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION[0001]This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 908,497, filed Sep. 30, 2019 and titled FOLDABLE PAPER CUP, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention[0002]The present invention relates to drinking cups, and more particularly, to drinking cups which are foldable to different configurations for stacking, receiving latte art, and providing a spill-resistant cover to a liquid beverage.2. Description of the Related Art[0003]Paper drinking cups generally have an open top, and thus require a detachable cover once they are filled with a liquid (e.g., coffee) and carried by the consumer to avoid spillage and help retain the temperature of the liquid. The detachable cover is usually plastic, and has a flexible edge portion that can be ripped and bent backward to create a gap in the cover at the edge of the cup for the u...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The invention is about a foldable cup design that can be stacked, opened, and closed easily. The cup has three flaps that can be bent up to 180 degrees to create a tight seal. The flaps are made with creases to make them easier to fold. The design allows for easy manipulation of the cup without any damage. Overall, the cup is designed to be more convenient and versatile than traditional cups.

Problems solved by technology

The purchase and storage of disposable cups, detachable lids, and other accouterments increases cost, takes up extra space, increases plastic consumption, and creates excess waste.

In either scenario, if the user wishes to drink coffee from the cup with the lid on it, then the user often has to create an opening in the lid, which may not work properly and / or which may cause spillage if the coffee is filled too closely to the lid when the user rips a portion of the lid and presses the ripped portion into the top of lid to hold it there.

If the conventional lid already has an opening, then this situation can also create spillage issues during transport.

Manufacturing conventional coffee cup lids and other such accessories requires additional machinery, real estate, time, materials, and labor, all of which contribute to significant energy consumption and CO2 emittance.

Coffee cup lid production thus has a significantly negative impact on the environment.

As a result, the amount of trash and discarded plastic used with coffee beverages has also increased.

While a number of attempts have been made in the art to provide disposable cups with integrated covers, the operation of such cups is often complex and unintuitive.

Additionally, disposable cups known in the art fail to suitably address all of the above considerations in a single integrated cup.

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