Air-Gap Cup Holder Assembly for Delayed Heat Transfer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cups with protrusions to prevent heat transfer are difficult to manufacture and do not effectively manage temperature, leading to user discomfort when holding hot or cold beverages for extended periods, and existing solutions increase manufacturing costs and waste.
Innovation Solution
A cup design that integrates a cup holder with a simple mold, featuring an inclined containing part, air holes for heat dissipation, and anti-sticking protrusions, allowing for efficient heat transfer delay and easy assembly, reducing material loss and manufacturing costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If protrusions are formed on the cup to prevent heat transfer, then user comfort is improved, but manufacturing difficulty increases and production cost rises
Solution Approach 1:
The cup structure is segmented into distinct functional zones: an upper holding portion with protrusions for thermal insulation, a middle transition zone, and a lower base portion. This segmentation allows the protrusions to be formed through mold design rather than post-processing, reducing manufacturing complexity while maintaining the heat transfer prevention function.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention employs a disposable cup design where the entire cup including the thermal insulation protrusions is made as a single low-cost molded product. This eliminates the need for complex assembly or post-manufacturing processes, making the heat transfer prevention feature economically viable through simple injection molding techniques.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If protrusions are formed on the cup to prevent heat transfer, then user comfort is improved, but the cup becomes difficult to produce at scale
Solution Approach 1:
The mold is designed with segmented cavities that form the protrusions directly during injection molding. This allows high-volume production of cups with thermal insulation features without requiring secondary operations, maintaining high productivity while achieving heat transfer prevention.
Solution Approach 2:
The mold design inherently creates the thermal insulation protrusions as part of the basic cup forming process. The protrusions self-form during injection molding without requiring additional manufacturing steps, enabling scalable production while maintaining the heat transfer prevention function.
3Reliability
If the cup holder upper portion is fitted tightly on the cup body, then assembly firmness is improved, but the holder spreads and becomes unstable
Solution Approach 1:
The cup holder features an asymmetric geometry where the upper fitting portion has a slightly larger diameter than the lower base portion. This asymmetric design allows the upper part to fit tightly on the cup body for firm assembly while the tapered shape prevents the holder from spreading, maintaining stability. The asymmetric form converts the fitting force into a stabilizing effect rather than a spreading force.
Solution Approach 2:
The cup holder employs curved, tapered surfaces that transition smoothly from the upper fitting portion to the lower base. This curvature design allows the holder to conform to the cup body while distributing forces evenly, preventing spreading and maintaining both firmness and stability during use.
4Ease of manufacture
If the containing part is inclined with decreasing diameter downward, then manufacturing is simplified, but the holder top seat cannot be firmly fixed
Solution Approach 1:
The cup structure is divided into an inclined containing part for manufacturing simplicity and a separate vertical holder top seat region for secure fixation. This segmentation allows the mold to maintain a simple inclined geometry while creating a distinct vertical zone that provides the necessary support and fixation for the cup holder, resolving the conflict between manufacturing ease and fixation reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The cup features local quality variation where the containing part has an inclined shape for easy manufacturing, but the upper portion near the opening has a vertical section with specific dimensional characteristics. This local vertical section provides the necessary support surface for the holder top seat, ensuring firm fixation while maintaining the overall manufacturing simplicity of the inclined design.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The cup effectively prevents heat or cold transfer to the user's hand, allowing comfortable handling of hot or cold beverages for longer periods while being cost-effective and easy to manufacture, with the cup holder securely attached without direct contact, reducing material waste and manufacturing complexity.
Implementation Method 1
air holes are formed at a bottom seating protrusion of a cup holder so that external air flows between the outer side of a containing part of a cup body and a grip of the cup holder
Implementation Method 2
coldness or heat transferring to the outer side of the containing part is discharged downward from the cup body and the cup holder through the air holes, so transfer of coldness and heat to the cup holder is delayed
Data Source
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AI summary
A cup is disclosed. The cup includes: a cup body made of synthetic resin and having a containing part with an opening having a relatively large diameter to be able to receive a beverage or food; and a cup holder fitted on the cup body from the opposite end to the opening to be fixed on the outer side under the opening of the cup body. The upper end of the cup holder is fitted on a holder top seat on the outer side of the opening of the cup body and the lower end of the cup holder is in contact with the outer side of the lower portion of the cup body at a position such that the portion except for the upper and lower ends of the cup holder is spaced a distance from the outer side of the containing part of the cup body.