Collapsible Cup Outer Shell and Loop Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Collapsible beverage cups fail to remain in their folded state during transport, leading to instability and potential spillage, and often require complex mechanisms for closure to prevent debris and moisture leakage.
Innovation Solution
A collapsible beverage cup design featuring a rigid outer shell that transitions from a flat, two-dimensional state to a three-dimensional cup shape using a loop to maintain stability, combined with a zip lock connector for secure closure and easy conversion between states.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If collapsible cups are designed to fold flat for portability, then ease of transport is improved, but they become incapable of remaining stable in their collapsed state
Solution Approach 1:
The cup is divided into an outer shell and an inner liner that can be separated. The outer shell provides structural stability when collapsed, while the inner liner can be removed and stored separately, allowing the cup to remain stable in its folded state without requiring complex closure mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The closure mechanism is extracted from the cup body and replaced by a simple elastic band that wraps around the outer shell. This elastic band is a separate, simple component that provides sufficient holding force to maintain the collapsed state without adding complexity to the cup's folding structure.
2Device complexity
If collapsible cups use simple closure mechanisms, then device complexity is reduced, but they fail to prevent debris intrusion and moisture leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The cup is segmented into an outer shell and an inner liner that can be separated. This segmentation allows the simple elastic band closure on the outer shell to suffice for maintaining the collapsed state, while the removable inner liner provides the sealing function to prevent debris and moisture issues when the cup is in use.
Data Source
AI summary
A collapsible beverage cup and method for its use. The beverage cup is provided with a body portion capable of lying flat in a first state and capable of assuming the shape of a beverage cup in a second state. In its first state, the collapsible beverage cup is substantially two dimensional and planar having a relatively rigid outer shell having a first edge, second edge and boundary edges joining said first and second edges, the collapsible beverage cup further comprising an inner liner for retaining a beverage therein when said collapsible beverage cup is in its second state and a loop, preferably in the shape of a round ring, sized to slide onto the outer shell and releasably maintain the collapsible beverage cup in its second state.