Abstract:
An inexpensive, thermally formed, two-piece “Hands Free” sling assembly designed for frusto-conical containers, such as coffee cups. The sling assembly can allow a consumer to suspend the container from a wrist or arm without spilling the contents of the container, thereby freeing up the consumer&#39;s hands for other activities. In one embodiment, the sling assembly includes an annular retaining ring which is sized to receive the container and which includes two orthogonal, integrally formed female connector sockets. The female connector sockets are configured to receive a male connector pin which is provided on each end of a carrying strap. The carrying strap can be self-contained within the annular ring and may be pivoted and stowed forward/backward when using the container.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION DESCRIPTION 
       [0001]    The embodiments of the invention relate generally to a method and apparatus for holding containers of liquids or other materials, and particularly to a method and apparatus for holding a container of material that is hot, such as a coffee cup. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Americans consume an estimated 300 to 400 million cups of coffee a day on a seasonal basis. 
         [0003]    When a consumer purchases a beverage at a fast food outlet, deli, or coffee house, they are usually handed the beverage in a disposable cup. Holding any type of such beverage requires that the cup be maintained upright to avoid spilling the beverage. Thus the consumer must use either or both hands to support the cup and maintain it in an upright position. Unfortunately, this monopolizes the use of the consumer&#39;s hand(s), thereby making it difficult to carry the beverage as well as other objects. For example, many consumers often purchase coffee and pastries on their way to work, school, or when traveling. In these situations the consumer is often burdened with carrying the coffee in addition to other objects. 
         [0004]    If the consumer has something else to carry beyond their current beverage, they often struggle to find a means to keep from spilling the beverage at hand. Furthermore, if the consumer wishes to purchase more than two or three beverages at a time, it is nearly impossible to carry them all at one time without some type of separate carrying device or tray. These trays are currently available in different forms and styles, but require the use of at least one entire hand to keep the tray level. Furthermore, this requires the provider of the beverage to purchase, ship, and store an inventory of trays just for these purposes. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    The embodiments of the invention address these and other problems by providing a sling assembly that suspends the container from the consumer&#39;s wrist and/or arm. The sling assembly can act as an extended insulator by further distancing the container from the consumer&#39;s body. The sling assembly described herein also provides the consumer with more freedom to use one or both hands while still carrying the container. This can allow the consumer to perform additional tasks more easily and/or efficiently, such as opening doors, securing newspapers, carrying bags, or text messaging. The sling assembly can also be used to facilitate carrying more than one container while keeping one or both hands free. 
     
    
     
       A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0006]      FIGS. 1-3  Depicted is an exemplary embodiment of the “Hands Free” sling assembly ( 10 ) in various views and phases according to an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0007]      FIG. 1  Depicted is an exemplary embodiment of the strap ( 11 ), cup retaining ring ( 12 ), coffee cup container ( 13 ) and identification of  FIG. 4  sectional view. 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  Depicted is an exemplary embodiment of the “Hands Free” sling assembly ( 10 ) according to two aspects ( 11 ) and ( 12 ) of the invention. Including coffee cup ( 13 ) and identification of  FIG. 3  showing detailed assembly between the strap ( 11 ) and retaining ring ( 12 ). 
           [0009]      FIGS. 3-3   a  Depicted is an exemplary embodiment of the “Hands Free” sling assembly showing detailed assembly between the strap ( 11 ) and retaining ring ( 12 ), with further supporting assembly details ( 11   a ), ( 12   a ), ( 12   b ) and ( 12   c ) provided. 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  Depicted is an exemplary embodiment of the “Hands Free” sling assembly showing a “die cut” feature option ( 12   d ) to facilitate the accommodation and use potential, of similar cups of smaller capacity and size. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0011]    It is worthy to note that any reference herein to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. The appearance of the phrase “in one embodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referencing to the same embodiment. 
         [0012]      FIG. 1  Depicts an overview of an exemplary embodiment of a sling assembly ( 10 ) according to an embodiment of the invention.  FIG. 1  depicts a coffee cup ( 13 ) or similar frusto-conical container received within an annular retaining ring ( 12 ). The coffee cup ( 13 ) includes a body having a maximum outer diameter that is greater than an inner diameter defined by an interior element of the retaining ring ( 12 ), such as an interior wall or an inner flange ( 12   d ) (see  FIG. 4 ) of the retaining ring ( 12 ). In this manner, when the coffee cup ( 13 ) is inserted into the retaining ring ( 12 ), the cup ( 13 ) becomes restrained in contact with the interior element of the retaining ring ( 12 ), thus securing the cup ( 13 ) at a predetermined location with respect to the retaining ring ( 12 ) and preventing the cup ( 13 ) from sliding all the way through the retaining ring ( 12 ). 
         [0013]      FIG. 1  Further depicts an overview of the strap ( 11 ) according to another aspect of this invention, wherein the strap ( 11 ) can be an injection molded or thermally formed semi-rigid strap. The strap ( 11 ) can be connected with the retaining ring ( 12 ) through a male-female type connection. The connection between the strap ( 11 ) and the retaining ring ( 12 ) can be rotatable such that the strap ( 11 ) can be rotated out of the way when consuming the beverage. 
         [0014]    The retaining ring ( 12 ) and/or the strap ( 11 ) can be made from any suitable material, such as a thermoplastic material, for example. The retaining ring ( 12 ) and the strap ( 11 ) can be made from the same or different materials. Preferably, one or both of the retaining ring ( 12 ) and the strap ( 11 ) are made using an injection molding or thermoforming process. 
         [0015]      FIG. 1  Also indicates through  FIG. 4  section notation that further aspects of retaining ring ( 12 ) are attendant within this embodiment. 
         [0016]      FIG. 2  Is a descriptive extension of  FIG. 1  wherein  FIG. 3  section notation indicates that further aspects of the strap ( 11 ) and the retaining ring ( 12 ) are attendant within this embodiment. 
         [0017]      FIG. 3-3   a  Is a detailed depiction of the pre- and post-assembly descriptive embodiments of ( 11 ), ( 11   a ) and ( 12 ), ( 12   a ), ( 12   b ) and ( 12   c ) extension depictions and show the assembly sequence required to form the sling assembly ( 10 ). 
         [0018]    As illustrated in  FIGS. 3-3   a , the strap ( 11 ) and the retaining ring ( 12 ) can be connected through a male-female type connection. The strap ( 11 ) can be provided with a pair of male retaining elements or connector pins ( 11   a ) on each end of the strap ( 11 ). The retaining ring ( 12 ) can be provided with a corresponding pair of female retaining elements or connector sockets ( 12   b ) which are configured to receive and retain the male retaining elements ( 11   a ) therein. The male and female retaining elements ( 11   a ) and ( 12   b ) can be of sufficient tolerance sizing so as to retain the male retaining element ( 11   a ) within the female retaining element ( 12   b ) through an interference fit. The male and female retaining elements ( 11   a ) and ( 12   b ) can optionally be of sufficient tolerance sizing to allow for some amount of rotation of the male retaining elements ( 11   a ) within the female retaining elements ( 12   b ), which can allow the strap ( 11 ) to be pivoted out of the way during consumption of the beverage. This can also facilitate satisfying flat product packaging requirements. 
         [0019]    The male and female retaining elements ( 11   a ) and ( 12   b ) can have the same or different cross-sectional shapes. In one example, both the male and female retaining elements ( 11   a ) and ( 12   b ) can be in the form of cylinders having a generally circular cross-sectional shape. In another example, one of the male or female retaining elements ( 11   a ) or ( 12   b ) can have a generally circular cross-sectional shape while the other has a generally square or rectangular cross-sectional shape. The male and female retaining elements ( 11   a ) and ( 12   b ) can have any desired regular or irregular cross-sectional shape, non-limited examples of which include circular, oval, rectangular, square, triangular, hexagonal, etc. 
         [0020]    In general, for the purposes of carrying a beverage cup, no additional elements are typically needed to retain the male retaining elements ( 11   a ) within the female retaining elements ( 12   b ). An insertion length of the male retaining elements ( 11   a ) and the orthogonal loading applied when the cup ( 13 ) is suspended by the strap ( 11 ) is generally sufficient to maintain the male-female connection. Optional anti-withdrawal elements can also be used to further facilitate maintaining the male-female connection between the retaining elements ( 11   a ) and ( 12   b ). For example, the male retaining element ( 11   a ) can be provided with a projection or nub that engages a corresponding recess in the female retaining element ( 12   b ) through a snap-fit connection in addition to or as an alternative to an interference fit between the male and female retaining elements ( 11   a ) and ( 12   b ). In another example, the male retaining element ( 11   a ) can be provided with the recess that engages a corresponding projection on the female retaining element ( 12   b ). In still another example, the male retaining element ( 11   a ) can be provided with a projection on an end thereof which passes through the female retaining element ( 12   b ) and engages a backside thereof to prevent the male retaining element ( 11   a ) from being withdrawn from the female retaining element ( 12   b ). 
         [0021]    The female retaining elements ( 12   b ) can be connected with an exterior wall of the retaining ring ( 12 ) through a hinged connection, such as a living hinge ( 12   c ). The living hinge ( 12   c ) facilitates forming the retaining ring ( 12 ) using thermoforming or molding procedures. The retaining ring ( 12 ) can be provided with a recess ( 12   a ) configured to receive the female retaining element ( 12   b ) when the female retaining element ( 12   b ) is rotated about the living hinge ( 12   c ) during assembly and use of the sling assembly ( 10 ). 
         [0022]    The hinged connection of the female retaining elements ( 12   b ) to the retaining ring ( 12 ) allows these elements to have parallel longitudinal axes during the molding or thermoforming process used to form these elements. The female retaining elements ( 12   b ) can then be pivoted about the living hinge ( 12   c ) such that the longitudinal axis of the female retaining elements ( 12   b ) is generally orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the retaining ring ( 12 ) to facilitate connecting and using the strap ( 11 ). The pivotable female retaining elements ( 12   b ) provide the sling assembly ( 10 ) with a slimmer profile during storage and use. 
         [0023]    While the retaining ring ( 12 ) and the strap ( 11 ) have been discussed in the context of the strap ( 11 ) having the male retaining element and the retaining ring ( 12 ) having the female retaining element, it will be understood that the locations of the male and female retaining elements can be reversed. 
         [0024]      FIG. 4  Depicts an example of the retaining ring ( 12 ) and frusto-conical cup ( 13 ) having different annular retaining intersections. The inner diameter of the retaining ring ( 12 ) can be configured to generally engage the body of the cup ( 13 ) at a location approximately one inch below the lip of the cup ( 13 ). The inner diameter of the retaining ring ( 12 ) can be defined by an interior element, such as an interior wall of the retaining ring ( 12 ) or an optional inner flange ( 12   d ) that projects inwardly from the interior wall toward a center of the retaining ring ( 12 ). The retaining ring ( 12 ) can be customized to fit a specific brand and/or size of cup or to fit a range of brands and/or size of cups. In one example, to accommodate a diversity of existing cups, the optional inner portion ( 12   d ) defining the inner diameter of the retaining ring ( 12 ) may be easily “die-cut” trimmed at final production, to suit a specific brand and/or cup size when ordered. 
       Operation of Invention 
       [0025]    The operation of the invention can begin when the carrying strap ( 11 ) and annular retaining ring ( 12 ) are unpacked, stacked and hung vertically assembled on any appropriate horizontally displaced supporting pin type device. The sequence of use can include removal of the flattened sling assembly ( 10 ) from its vertically hanging location onto a flat counter wherein the beverage cup can be placed within the annular retaining ring ( 12 ) opening. The previously attached carrying strap ( 11 ) can be raised and safely lifted to a transport position by which the consumer can carry the cup by the strap ( 11 ). 
         [0026]    The carrying strap ( 11 ) and retaining ring ( 12 ) can be assembled prior to shipping to a retailer or shipped to the retailer as separate components and assembled by the retailer or the consumer at the point of use. 
       DESCRIPTION OF ALTERNATIVE EMBODIMENTS 
       [0027]    While the above description contains many specifics, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but rather as an exemplification of one preferred embodiment thereof. Many other variations are possible. For example, the material used may be of any reasonable material, such as metal, plastic, paper or fiber. 
       CONCLUSION 
       [0028]    The sling assembly described herein is a novel invention designed to improve the comfort and conveniences of consumer&#39;s transporting and consuming materials from a cup or similar container. While the embodiments of the invention are described in the context of a beverage cup, such as a coffee cup, it will be understood that the embodiments can be used in a similar manner with other types of containers, such as a snack container. 
         [0029]    The sling assembly ( 10 ) as described herein can be used by the consumer to suspend the cup from consumer&#39;s wrist and/or arm, which frees up the consumer&#39;s hands for carrying other items or performing tasks. 
         [0030]    With Americans consuming 300 to 400 million cups of hot coffee per day seasonally, this invention clearly has a significant commercial application.