Cup Sleeve-Coaster Assembly for Condensation Capture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cup sleeves fail to effectively capture condensation on cold beverage containers, leading to leakage and poor portability, and existing coasters either require special coupling features or are cumbersome and non-compatible with standard cup holders.
Innovation Solution
A coaster with a disk-shaped base and elongate tethers that fits within a conventional cup sleeve, providing a frictional mount to stabilize and absorb condensation without gaps, allowing for robust coupling and portability with standard cup holders.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a conventional cup sleeve is used with a cold beverage container, then the cup sleeve provides insulation and gripability, but the base of the container remains exposed allowing condensation to form and contact the table
Solution Approach 1:
The coaster is integrated with the cup sleeve by inserting the coaster into the sleeve's base, merging two separate functions (condensation capture and cup insulation) into a single unified structure. This allows the entire base area to be covered while maintaining both functions without requiring separate components.
Solution Approach 2:
The cup sleeve is designed to serve multiple functions: providing thermal insulation, improving gripability, and capturing condensation. By making the sleeve universal enough to accommodate different cup sizes and the integrated coaster, it eliminates the need for separate coasters and napkins.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a napkin is wrapped around a cold beverage container to absorb condensation, then condensation absorption is improved, but the napkin becomes saturated, torn, and unreliable
Solution Approach 1:
The coaster is made from porous absorbent material that can take in and hold large amounts of condensation. The porous structure allows the material to absorb moisture throughout its volume rather than just on the surface, preventing saturation and maintaining structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The coaster uses composite material construction combining absorbent layers with structural support elements. This composite structure provides both high condensation absorption capacity and the mechanical strength needed to maintain reliability during use.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a second cup is placed inside another cup to capture condensation, then condensation capture is improved, but material waste increases and recyclability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using two separate cups, the invention merges the condensation capture function into the cup sleeve itself through the integrated coaster. This eliminates the need for the second cup while achieving the same condensation capture effect, significantly reducing material waste.
Solution Approach 2:
The single-use coaster and sleeve are designed to be discarded together as one unit after use, rather than requiring disposal of multiple components. This streamlined approach reduces overall material waste and improves recyclability compared to using nested cups.
4Ease of operation
If a coaster is designed to couple with a cold beverage container, then portability is improved, but the coaster requires special coupling features or becomes cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The coaster leverages the universal cup sleeve structure that already fits standard cold beverage containers. By making the coaster compatible with this universal sleeve interface, it achieves portability without requiring special coupling features on the cup itself, maintaining simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The cup sleeve acts as an intermediary between the coaster and the cup. Instead of the coaster directly coupling with the cup (which would require special features), the sleeve mediates the connection, providing a simple friction-fit interface that maintains both portability and compatibility with standard cups.
5Object-affected harmful factors
If conventional coasters are used separately from cup holders, then condensation capture is provided, but portability and compatibility with cup holders deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The integrated coaster-sleeve assembly is designed with universal dimensions and shape that are compatible with standard cup holders. The coaster's outer perimeter is shaped to fit within typical cup holder openings, providing both condensation capture and cup holder compatibility without requiring separate components.
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 coaster effectively captures condensation and maintains robust coupling with the cup, ensuring portability and compatibility with standard cup holders, while being biodegradable and recyclable.
Implementation Method 1
a water absorbing structure suitable for capturing condensation formed on an exterior surface of the cup placed therein
Implementation Method 2
The coaster includes a generally disk shaped base having an outer perimeter... suitable for capturing condensation
Implementation Method 3
the tethers stabilizing the coaster and thereby preventing it from flipping as it is pushed through, as well as frictionally anchoring the coaster in place coupled with the cup
Data Source
AI summary
A coaster is structured to be coupled to a conventional cup, such as an iced beverage cup, using a conventional cup sleeve. The coaster includes a generally disk shaped base having an outer perimeter. Two or more elongate tethers extend outwardly from the outer perimeter of the base. The coaster assumes a combination-ready configuration with the two or more elongate tethers extending generally upright and outwardly to a same side of the base, in such a way that the coaster fits snugly within a conventional cup sleeve. In a final combination configuration with a cup sleeve, the coaster combines with the cup sleeve to create an insulating and water absorptive coaster and sleeve, frictionally and snugly coupled to the cup in a robust manner to make the coaster highly portable together with the cup and cup sleeve, and configured to collect condensation formed on the exterior surface of the cup.