Abstract:
An improved thermal protective sleeve is disclosed. The inventive sleeve is for use with drink cups including disposable drink cups for holding hot liquids. The inventive sleeve may be used in the conventional manner of thermal sleeves or it may be manipulated into a handle. The handle allows a user to hold a cup containing hot liquid in a manner that protects the user&#39;s hand in a situation where the liquid is so hot that holding the cup normally would be uncomfortable or dangerous.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The invention relates to beverage cup holders. More specifically, the invention relates to thermal protective sleeves for beverage cups. 
         [0003]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0004]    Disposable drink cups are often made of thin paper. Being thin, they readily pass heat from a hot drink, such as coffee, tea or hot chocolate, through to the hand of the person carrying the cup. Previously, a second cup was used on the outside of the cup containing the hot drink. However, this was quite wasteful. Eventually a smaller thermal protective sleeve became widely used instead of a second cup 
         [0005]    Current thermal protective sleeves  102  slide onto the outside of a disposable drink cup  101  containing a hot drink, as shown in  FIG. 1 . They work by attempting to insulate the holder&#39;s hand from the heat emanating through the cup  101  from the hot liquid contained inside. Due to the constant demand to reduce costs, current disposable beverage cups as well as current thermal protective sleeves are being made with less and less material. This reduces the insulation properties of both and leads to cups of hot liquid being uncomfortably hot to hold despite the thermal sleeve. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, an elongated sheet of material has each end fastened together in the shape of a ring. The ring is made so that a first portion is partially separable from a second portion in such a manner that the first portion can be folded back and used as a handle while the second portion is used to hold a cup. 
         [0007]    These and other features of the present invention will be described in more details below in the detailed description of the invention and in conjunction with the following figures. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]    The present invention will be readily understood by the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate like structural elements, and in which: 
           [0009]      FIG. 1  depicts a prior art sleeve slid onto a cup. 
           [0010]      FIGS. 2A-2C  depict three embodiments of the invention. 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  depicts a sleeve in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  depicts a sleeve in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0013]      FIG. 5  is a top down view in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0014]    The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to a few preferred embodiments thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that the present invention may be practiced without some or all of these specific details. In other instances, well known elements have not been described in detail in order to not unnecessarily obscure the present invention. 
         [0015]    When a coffee or other hot drink is initially served is it usually very hot, often too hot to drink at first and possibly too hot to comfortably hold in a bare hand. The use of a traditional thermal sleeve is not always sufficient to protect the hand of the person holding the drink. What is needed is a thermal sleeve that can protect the user&#39;s hand in the traditional manner, but also protect the user when the drink is too hot to handle comfortably and/or safely. The inventive sleeve may be used as a conventional sleeve, but it may also be manipulated into a handle such that the holder&#39;s hand is protected from the heat of the liquid contained in the cup. 
         [0016]    The inventive sleeve may be made from a number of different materials. Appropriate materials simply need to be able to be manipulated into a ring and fastened in that position as well as partially separated to form a handle as explained below and shown in the attached figures. Some examples of appropriate material are corrugated cardboard, paper or plastic. 
         [0017]      FIGS. 2A-2C  show a few different shapes of the material before it is connected together in a ring.  FIG. 2A  shows where the material is in a trapezoid shape, which further helps to create a sleeve that is wider at the top and narrower at the bottom to better fit the shape of the cup.  FIG. 2B  shows where the material is more of an elongated oval shape.  FIG. 2C  shows where the material is asymmetrical. It is important to note that these are just examples of some possible shapes. Other shapes are possible, including irregular or asymmetrical shapes as well as other symmetrical shapes such as a rectangle. The material is curled onto itself into a ring. There are many ways that the ends may be connected. For example, they may be simply glued.  FIGS. 2A-2C  show a perforation  201  running along most of the length of the sheet of material. 
         [0018]      FIG. 3  shows one embodiment of the inventive thermal sleeve  300  after the material has been connected together in the ring shape. Unlike a traditional sleeve, the inventive sleeve has a perforation  301  running along the majority of the length of the sleeve  300 . The perforation  301  divides the sleeve  300  into a bottom portion  302  and a top portion  303 . The perforation  301  does not run the entire length of the ring, but rather leaves the top  303  and bottom  302  portions connected at one end after the perforation  301  has been separated. Where the top  303  and bottom  302  portions remain connected may be reinforced with a reinforced connector  304 . The reinforced connector  304  may simply be an extra layer of the same material making up the sleeve  300  or it may be a different type of material all together. For example, the sleeve  300  may be made of corrugated cardboard and the reinforced connector  304  may be made of corrugated cardboard or plastic. 
         [0019]      FIG. 4  shows an embodiment of the inventive sleeve after the top  303  and bottom  302  portions have been separated at the perforation  301  and the top portion  303  has been folded away from the bottom portion  302 . Again, the top  303  and bottom  302  portions remain connected and may be reinforced at a reinforced connector  304 . The bottom portion  302  is then slid onto the cup  401  and the top portion  303  can be held in the user&#39;s hand as a handle, thus keeping the user from being harmed when the liquid in the cup is too hot. The top portion  303  may be squeezed together to more easily be used as a handle, as shown in  FIG. 5 . While this example uses the top portion as the handle and the bottom portion around the cup, it is possible for these roles to be reversed and the bottom portion used as a handle and the top portion used to hold the cup. 
         [0020]    While the invention has been described in relation to a sleeve for use with a disposable cup, it is important to note that the cup itself may be different than described above. For example, the cup need not be disposable and need not be made of paper/cardboard. The inventive sleeve may be used with glass or plastic cups, for example, and the cups may be reusable. Additionally, while the invention is described above in the context of a hot liquid, the invention may be used for cups containing other types of liquids. 
         [0021]    The various aspects, features, embodiments or implementations of the invention described above can be used alone or in various combinations. The many features and advantages of the present invention are apparent from the written description and, thus, it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such features and advantages of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, the invention should not be limited to the exact construction and operation as illustrated and described. Hence, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to as falling within the scope of the invention.