Insulating cup
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Solution Overview
Problem
Disposable beverage containers, such as paper cups, face challenges in maintaining the temperature of beverages due to inadequate insulation, leading to accidents with hot beverages and quick warming of cold beverages when handled.
Innovation Solution
An insulating cup design featuring an inner body surrounded by an outer body with a distal fold and embossment, creating an insulating air space to enhance temperature retention and user safety, while being easy to manufacture and aesthetically appealing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a double paper layer with insulating sleeve or double-walled cup is used, then insulation performance is improved, but cup thickness and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements nesting by placing the inner paper cup inside an outer paper cup, with the inner cup's bottom portion inserted through the outer cup's bottom opening. This nested configuration creates an insulating air space between the two cups while maintaining a compact overall structure, resolving the contradiction between insulation performance and structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the bottom dimension by providing a bottom portion of the inner cup that extends through the bottom opening of the outer cup. This dimensional approach creates effective thermal insulation at the bottom region where heat transfer is significant, improving temperature maintenance without requiring complex multi-layer sidewall structures.
2Temperature
If double layers are spaced apart to create air insulation, then insulation performance is improved, but manufacturing difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the cup system into two separate functional segments: an inner cup that contains the beverage and an outer cup that provides insulation. This segmentation allows each cup to be manufactured independently using standard paper cup processes, then assembled by inserting the inner cup through the outer cup's bottom opening, significantly simplifying manufacturing compared to integrated multi-layer structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The outer cup is pre-formed with a bottom opening that facilitates the preliminary insertion of the inner cup's bottom portion. This preliminary structural preparation enables easy assembly without requiring complex joining operations, adhesives, or specialized equipment, thereby improving ease of manufacture while maintaining the insulating air space.
3Temperature
If inner cup bottom portion is inserted through outer cup bottom opening, then insulation is improved, but stacking and removal becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by providing a flared portion at the bottom of the inner cup that creates a localized mechanical interlock with the outer cup's bottom opening. This localized structural feature provides sufficient connection for stacking stability while maintaining ease of removal by applying upward force, resolving the contradiction between insulation effectiveness and operational ease.
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 design effectively maintains beverage temperature, reduces handling risks, and facilitates easy stacking and removal from stacks, providing improved insulation and user comfort.
Implementation Method 1
The distal fold and embossment effectively separates the inner sidewall and the outer sidewall creating an insulating air space between substantially the entire inner surface of the outer sidewall and the outer surface of the inner sidewall
Data Source
AI summary
An insulating cup includes an outer body surrounding at least a portion of an inner body. The outer body folds inwardly and upwardly at the bottom end to form a distal fold that spaces the inner surface of the outer body at the bottom end away from the outer surface of the inner body. The outer body further includes an embossment across the majority of the length and width of the sidewall such that the inner surface of the outer body projects outwardly away from the inner body to space apart the inner surface of the outer body from the outer surface of the inner body in the location of the embossment. The distal fold and embossment separate the inner body and the outer body creating an insulating air space between substantially the entire inner surface of the outer body and the outer surface of the inner body.