Abstract:
A container and method of manufacture are provided. The container includes a cup with a permanently attached sleeve overlying an exterior portion of the cup sidewall. The sleeve includes a plurality of inwardly directed protuberances providing a gap between a substantial portion of the cup sidewall and the sleeve.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This Application is a Divisional of and claims priority to U.S. application Ser. No. 11/548,858 filed Oct. 12, 2006 to Ronald D. Robertson and George E. MacEwen entitled “Multi Walled Container and Method,” now issued as now U.S. Pat. No. 7,458,504, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to containers used for holding ingestibles for consumption, including drinks and foods and in particular those foods that are served hot, although, it is usable with cold ingestibles as well. An ingestible can be a food product or a drink particularly those products with a high amount of free liquid, e.g., soups, coffee, tea and the like. Such containers are well known in the industry. 
     An example of such a container in the form of a cup may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,425,497. This patent discloses a formed cup having a frustoconical sidewall, a rolled upper lip and a bottom wall secured to the sidewall. A cup holder can be used to encircle a portion of the cup sidewall and includes a member that is assembled at the place of use by having opposite end portions of the cup holder provided with opposing slits to help accomplish assembly of the cup holder. The cup holder is designed to be separable from the cup and capable of being carried in a pocket, purse or brief case until need for use. The cup sidewall is then inserted into a formed cup holder. This required both close dimensioning of the sidewall and of the wrap to ensure that the wrap is properly positioned on the cup. The texture of the cup holder has nubbins and depressions creating air gaps between the user&#39;s hand and the cup. The wrap, necessarily has projecting free end portions. Other structures are known in the art, examples of which may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 2,979,301 which also discloses the use of a cup holder in combination with a cup; U.S. Pat. No. 2,028,566 which shows a corrugated cup holder; U.S. Pat. No. 3,157,355 which showed a plastic cup having a plurality of formed conical protrusions  33  projecting outwardly from the sidewall of the cup which is complicated and difficult to form on a paper cup; U.S. Pat. No. 3,123,276 which shows inner and outer cup portions held in place apparently by interengaging ledges when the cups are stacked or nested together; a simple structure is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,049,277 having an outer wrap overlying a portion of the cup sidewall; and a complicated structure is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,591,578. 
     The containers of the prior art tend to be either complex in construction, or expensive, or require manual labor at locations where manual labor is at a premium or may result in faulty containers which could lead to liability in the event assembly has not been properly achieved. Another problem is to obtain sufficient insulation particularly when a hot liquid is to be served in the container, in an inexpensive manner while still providing sufficient resistance to bending and grip capability for the user to properly handle the filled container. 
     Thus, there is a need for an improved container for ingestibles. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A multi walled container is provided for the storing of ingestibles such as hot coffee and the like. The container includes a cup sidewall having opposite end portions. One end portion defines an open mouth and the other end portion is closed with a bottom wall member to form the cup and define a storage compartment. A sleeve member is positioned outwardly of and overlying a portion of the sidewall and is secured thereto. The sleeve member includes a plurality of spaced apart protuberances which extend inwardly from an inside surface of the sleeve member forming a gap between portions of the exterior of the cup sidewall and the interior surface of the sleeve. At least some of the protuberances have a through opening adjacent an apex of the respective protuberance. 
     The present invention also involves a method of making a multi walled container. The method includes forming a cup with a sidewall having an exterior surface and a bottom wall connected to the sidewall. The cup has an open mouth defined by a portion of the sidewall. A sleeve member is formed having an interior surface conforming generally in shape to a substantial portion of the exterior surface of the cup sidewall. The sleeve member has a plurality of spaced apart protuberances projecting inwardly from the interior surface of the sleeve member. The method further includes securing the sleeve member to the sidewall to prevent longitudinal movement between the sidewall and sleeve member after securement is effected. The above structure likewise has a physical appearance that conveys or suggests to the user that the cup is insulated. Additionally, the outside sleeve member, while dimpled may attractively contain printing, logos or other indicia thereon. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded view of a container having a cup portion and sleeve member portion with the sleeve member portion being shown unattached and in a flat configuration and further illustrating a sectional view of a pointed member used to pierce the sleeve member portion. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective elevation view of the container of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a cross sectional view taken along the line  3 - 3  of the container of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 4  is an enlarged view of the portion of the container in the balloon  4  of  FIG. 3 . 
     
    
    
     Like numbers throughout the various Figures designate like or similar parts and/or structure. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The reference numeral  1  designates generally a container shown in the form of a sleeved cup having an upwardly opening mouth  2  providing communication to a chamber  3  adapted for storing ingestibles which can include drinks and/or food and in particular ingestibles with a high water content. The container  1  includes a sleeve  5  secured to in surrounding relationship to a portion of the sidewall  7  of the cup. The sleeve  5  is secured to the sidewall  7  to prevent relative movement in a longitudinal direction therebetween. 
     The container  1  includes a cup body designated generally  11  that includes the sidewall  7 , and a bottom wall  12 . The sidewall  7  has opposite end positions  9 ,  10  with the end position  9  defining the open mouth  2  adjacent a lip  14  which can be formed by rolling a portion of the sidewall  7 . In a preferred embodiment, the sidewall  7  is made of paperboard and preferably coated paperboard to resist the migration of liquids contained in the storage chamber  3  into the sidewall  7 . Lips  14  are well known in the art and is best seen in  FIG. 3 . The lip  14  provides ease of use as well as resistance to bending of the upper portion of the sidewall  7  during use and may further form an area to engage or lock a lid (not shown) thereto. Opposite the end portion  9 , is the lower end portion  10  of the sidewall  7  that is closed with the bottom member  12 . The bottom member  12  as shown, includes a bottom panel  16  having a depending skirt  15  which is secured to the sidewall  7  by a reverse bend  18  portion of the sidewall  7 . Securement can be achieved by adhesive, sonic welding, sealants, or the like. A bead of sealant may also be provided at the junction between the panel  16  and sidewall  7  as at  19 . Construction of the cup portion  11  of the container  1  as just described is well known in the art. Generally, the sidewall  7  is frustoconical and has a generally circular transverse cross sectional shape of varying diameter depending upon where the cross section is taken between the open mouth  2  and the bottom end  10  of the sidewall  7 . The taper of the sidewall  7  permits nesting for storage and shipping. The sidewall  7  is preferably formed from a blank, e.g., by wrapping about a mandrel and is provided with an overlapping seam  21  extending generally longitudinally at least between the mouth  2  and end  10 . The seam  21  can be formed by overlapping edge margin portions of the blank from which a sidewall  7  is made and adhering the overlapping margin portions together as by adhesive, sonic welding or the like. The exposed edges of the sidewall  7  at the seam  21  can be sealed to prevent the migration of liquids into the material comprising the sidewall  7 . The thickness of the material of the sidewall  7  can be on the order of 0.01 to about 0.03 inches. The container of the present invention can have a chamber  3  volume on the order of, for example, about 4 fluid ounces to about 16 fluid ounces although, larger or smaller containers can be made. 
     A sleeve  5  surrounds and overlies a substantial portion of the sidewall  7  and has an interior surface portion  25  ( FIG. 3 ) spaced from the exterior surface  24  of the sidewall  7 . The surface  24  is preferably smooth and uninterrupted except at the seam  21  at least adjacent the surface  25 . As shown, the sleeve  5  has an interior surface  25  that is sized and shaped substantially, but slightly larger circumferentially, to the size and shape of the exterior surface  24  with an air gap  27  being provided between the interior sleeve surface  25  and the exterior sidewall surface  24 . The standoff between the interior surface  25  and exterior surface  24  can be accomplished by the use of inwardly projecting protuberances  29  that can be easily formed into the sleeve  5  when in blank form by, e.g., rolling with an embossing roller or pressing with a generally planar embossing die plate having a plurality of projecting forming pins on a forming surface. The protuberances  29  have a height H from the surface  24  on the order of 0.01 to about 0.06 inches. The protuberances  29  may be formed at any suitable time during the manufacturing process and can be formed prior to die cutting or otherwise forming of the sleeve blank or after formation of the blank for the sleeve. The blank for forming the sleeve  5  may also be processed to form the protuberances  29  during the cup forming process for example, during a machine dwell period while the blank is waiting to be formed about the sidewall  7 . The protuberances  29  have a hollow dimple or cavity  32  impressed into the outside surface  33  of the sleeve  5 . As shown, the dimples  32  are generally round as best seen in  FIG. 1  and would have a transverse dimension, for example, a diameter on the order of about 0.06 to about 0.18 inches at the outside surface. 
     The protuberances  29  are preferably in the shape of a portion of a sphere. The depth D of a dimple  32  is approximately equal to the height H as described above. The protuberances  29  and hence the dimples  32  may be positioned in any desired pattern and spacing. Preferably, the center to center spacing of the protuberances, based on the immediately adjacent protuberances is at least about ¼ of an inch to approximately ¾ inches. The protuberances  29  may be arranged in random patterns or regular patterns. Additionally, the sleeve  5  may be provided with dimples  32  and hence protuberances  29  in patterns for example, geometric patterns, letters, symbols or other devices for advertising and/or informational purposes. The exterior surface  33  of the sleeve  5  may also be provided with printed indicia  34  for informational and/or advertising purposes and may also be provided with color or colors as desired. The surface  33  is generally smooth and continuous without substantial projections to provide for easy and sure gripping of the container  1  at any position therearound. The printed indicia  34  is preferably applied prior to forming the protuberances  29 . It should be noted that the dimple size(s) and whatever pattern that has been selected for the dimples, convey a message to the user that the cup is insulated without interfering or obscuring the printed message or logos thereon. 
     The sleeve  5  may be assembled prior to securing to the sidewall  7  or may be wrapped about a formed sidewall  7  and formed in place about the sidewall  7 . As best seen in  FIG. 2 , the sleeve  5  can be provided with a longitudinally extending seam  40  formed by overlapping side edge margin portions of the blank from which the sleeve  5  is formed. Such overlapping seams are well known in the art. As shown, the seams  40 ,  21  are circumferentially spaced apart and preferably are positioned on opposite sides of the container  1  and hence sidewall  7 . The abutting surface portions of the overlapping edge margin portions can be secured together as for example by adhesive, heat sealing, ultra sonic welding or the like depending upon the type of material from which the sleeve  5  is made. Preferably, the sleeve  5  is made from a paperboard material and may be coated for either esthetic purposes and/or providing resistance to migration of liquids thereinto. The sleeve  5  may also be absorbent to absorb spills or dribbles. As seen in  FIG. 1 , if the sidewall  7  of the container  1  is frustoconical, the top and bottom edges  41 ,  42  respectively would preferably be curved and the side edges  43 ,  44  would preferably be tapered inwardly from the edge  41  to the edge  42 . 
     As best seen in  FIGS. 1 and 3 , the protuberances  29  are formed each with a through hole  35  positioned adjacent the apex of the respective protuberance. The holes  35  are formed during the formation of the protuberances  29  through the use of a forming die having a plurality of pointed members  20  projecting from the forming surface to pierce the material of the sleeve  5 . The blank for the sleeve  5  is then punched through so the small needle like spikes  20  used in the forming die puncture through the sleeve material displacing the paper to the backside of the sleeve where it forms a crater like feature with projecting frayed or rough fibrous rim or collar  35 C projecting for engagement with the exterior surface  24  of sidewall  7 . The rim  35 C is best seen in the enlarged view seen in  FIG. 4 . A rim  35 C may partially or completely surround a respective hole  35 . The collar  35 C provides more height H and is formed from paper fibers when the sleeve  5  is made from fibrous paper material. Not all the holes  35  may have a rim  35 C. Material is not removed from the sleeve blank, but rather is the material deformed or upset outwardly of the surface  25 . The protuberances  29  and holes  35  can be created when the blank for the sleeve  5  is die cut or within the overwrapping machine. Some of the holes  35  may close after removal of the forming tool. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the sleeve  5  is adhesively secured to the sidewall  7 . As best seen in  FIG. 2 , adhesive spots  47 ,  48  may be applied to the surface  24  prior to mounting the sleeve  5  to the sidewall  7 . The adhesive may also be applied to the sleeve  5  or to both the sleeve  5  and sidewall  7  prior to joinder. In a further preferred embodiment, the adhesive spots  47 ,  48  are each applied at the seams  40 ,  21  respectively. Other adhesive locations may be provided if desired. The upper edges of the adhesive spots  47 ,  48  are preferably positioned adjacent the upper edge  41  of the sleeve  5  for example, within about ¼ inches to ¾ of an inch from the edge  41 . Preferably the width of the adhesive spots  47 ,  48  is sufficient to bridge the width of the seams  40 ,  21  respectively. It is also contemplated that the seams  21  and  40  could likewise be secured by heat welding a polymeric coating, e.g., polyethylene, on the paperboard and the seam  40  could be a butt seam heat welded to the exterior surface  7 . 
     A lid, not shown, may be provided at the place of filling of the container  1 . Such lids are well known in the art and may be provided with pre-formed access openings. Such a lid may also be provided with a skirt with an internally projecting rib to lock over the lip  14 . As shipped from the manufacturing facility, the container  1 , except for the lid, is a complete container with the sleeve  5  secured to the sidewall  7  eliminating the need for subsequent container forming steps at the location of use. The tapered configuration of the sidewall  7  and the sleeve  5  permits nesting of the containers one within another, for efficiency of use of storage space. Preferably, the sleeve  5  has a height H 1  that is at least half the height H 2  from the bottom of the sidewall  7  to the bottom of the lip  14  as best seen in  FIG. 3 . Preferably the height H 1  is at least about 70% and preferably at least about 80% of the height H 2 . In use, the dimples  32  enhance the gripability, insulation and esthetics of the container  1 . 
     Thus, there has been shown and described several embodiments of a novel invention. As is evident from the foregoing description, certain aspects of the present invention are not limited by the particular details of the examples illustrated herein, and it is therefore contemplated that other modifications and applications, or equivalents thereof, will occur to those skilled in the art. The terms “having” and “including” and similar terms as used in the foregoing specification are used in the sense of “optional” or “may include” and not as “required”. Many changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applications of the present construction will, however, become apparent to those skilled in the art after considering the specification and the accompanying drawings. All such changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention are deemed to be covered by the invention which is limited only by the claims which follow.