Foldable Cardboard Cup Carrier With Stabilizing Flaps
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current cup holders are inadequate for carrying multiple beverage cups as they provide minimal horizontal support, easily tip over, and lack accommodation for straws, making them unsuitable for carrying multiple drinks securely.
Innovation Solution
A foldable carrier made from a single sheet of high-strength cardboard, designed with multiple horizontal levels and scored tabs for stability, accommodating different cup sizes and including openings for straws, which can be assembled into a sturdy, reusable, and scalable holder for 2 to 12 cups.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If molded pulp cup holders with raised rings are used, then the carrier is light-weight and disposable, but the cups receive little to no horizontal support and easily tip over
Solution Approach 1:
The carrier is divided into multiple independent cup holders, each with its own base, raised ring, and stabilization flaps. This segmentation allows each cup to be individually stabilized while maintaining overall carrier lightness. The flaps are scored to fold into position, providing horizontal support without adding significant weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention adds horizontal stabilization elements (flaps extending from the base) that create a three-dimensional structure from the flat molded pulp sheet. These flaps extend outward and upward to contact the cup sides, providing lateral support in the horizontal dimension that was previously absent.
2Device complexity
If raised rings are formed on a flat base, then the carrier structure is simple, but the cups receive restricted one-size-fits-all support with no horizontal accommodation
Solution Approach 1:
Each cup holder is designed with local adaptations including adjustable flaps that can be folded to different positions. The flaps can be positioned to accommodate different cup diameters and heights, providing customized support for each cup while maintaining a standardized carrier structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The flaps are designed to be flexible and adjustable rather than fixed. They can be folded into different positions to adapt to various cup sizes and shapes, transforming the static structure into a dynamic, adaptable system that responds to different cup configurations.
3Ease of manufacture
If minimal support structure is used, then the carrier is disposable and easy to manufacture, but the cups can easily tip over when subjected to lateral load
Solution Approach 1:
The flaps are pre-formed in the molded pulp sheet and scored to indicate folding lines. During assembly, the flaps are simply folded into position and secured with tabs, providing horizontal stabilization before the cups are even placed in the carrier. This preliminary preparation ensures stability is built-in during manufacturing without complex assembly steps.
4Device complexity
If no accommodation is made for straws, then the carrier structure remains simple, but straws cannot be held securely with the cups
Solution Approach 1:
The carrier is designed to serve multiple functions: holding cups, providing horizontal stabilization, and accommodating straws. The same flap structure that stabilizes cups also creates designated spaces for straws, allowing a single structure to perform multiple functions without significant additional complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A foldable drink cup holder that holds up to a dozen or more beverage cups as well as straws, and provides multiple layers of horizontal stabilization for the cups in addition to providing large footprints for text and graphics, including angled and square-cut corners structured to abut against each other when the holder is in a folded configuration to provide a flat side that is rigid and stable when holding multiple filled drink cups and straws.