Patent Publication Number: US-6039207-A

Title: Lidded insulator for a beverage container

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to thermal containers, and in particular to a lidded cold cup. 
     2. Background of the Invention 
     Canned drinks have become the standard for individual serving sized drinks. Today&#39;s consumer can purchase a wide variety of drinks, ranging from soft drinks and fruit juices to alcoholic beverages, in standard sized, 12 oz. cans. These canned drinks may be procured individually from vending machines, or from merchants, generally in 6-pack, 12-pack or 24 unit case packages. 
     The cans in which these beverages are sold are generally made of thin aluminum or other appropriate metal. This type of thin metal generally conducts heat well, and so it becomes a problem to maintain the beverage at an appropriate temperature (generally chilled). This problem becomes especially acute where the beverage is being consumed in a hot climate. Absent some kind of insulation, it is difficult to finish the drink before it warms to a distastefully high temperature. 
     3. Existing Designs 
     A number of designs have been proposed which involve wrapping a layer of insulation around a can in order to insulate its contents from the outside temperature. A number of patents have been granted for this type of design, including U.S. Pat. No. 5,467,891 to Perry, U.S. Pat. No. 5,147,067 to Effertz, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,268,567 to Harmony. These designs all provided insulation to the sides of a cylindrical can, but not to its top. 
     There are a number of problems associated with not providing a top to a can insulation device. One problem is lack of insulation. A can loses a substantial amount of its interior temperature through its top. Applicant has determined that an insulated can top can keep the contents of a beverage can cold approximately 40% longer than a can whose top is uninsulated. 
     Another problem associated with not providing a can top is spillage. Where a tightly fitting can top is provided, spillage can be reduced and even eliminated completely if the can tips over. Still another problem associated with not providing a can top is bug or other foreign matter invasion. Occasionally a bug will crawl or fly into a beverage can, and then inadvertently end up in the consumer&#39;s mouth. This situation creates a sanitary hazard, and in the case of a poisonous bug, a safety hazard. 
     A number of patents have been granted for can insulators which incorporate caps. U.S. Pat. No. 5,058,757 was granted Proa for a can cooler with a retractable umbrella. While this design provided shade for the can for certain sun angles, the umbrella prevented neither spills nor bug incursion. 
     U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,561,563, 4,872,577 and 5,564,583 were granted Woods, Smith and Kelley et al. respectively. While these designs provided a removable can cooler top, they suffered from complexity of design, and thus were expensive. In addition, most of these designs (except for &#39;563) made no provision for one-handed operation. Thus these designs (except for &#39;563) were cumbersome to open and close. The &#39;563 design was complex, and involved a pair of opposing doors spring-loaded into the closed position. This design suffered from the drawbacks of complexity and expense, and appeared difficult to clean. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,048,734 was granted Long for a cooler incorporating an insulated cover flap hingedly connected to a cylindrical body which could be retained in a closed position by means of a Velcro strip. While this design provided an insulated cover which could fit tightly over a can top, it was cumbersome to operate because to open the top, the consumer had to first peel the Velcro free of the cylindrical body, and then open the top, and hold it open while the beverage was being consumed, then close the top and press the Velcro strip down to hold the top closed. Thus, two-handed operation was required throughout the top opening, drinking, and the top closing steps, resulting in inconvenience and cumbersomeness. 
     Stuber et al. received U.S. Pat. No. 4,927,047 for a beverage insulator which incorporated a side handle, and a top held closed by means of a rubber band. The Stuber design was apparently made of rigid material, and thus did not seal tightly around the top of a can contained in it. The top incorporated a thumb-lever. Thus, the &#39;047 design provided a top which could be opened single-handedly by an individual whose fingers were holding the container by its handle, and whose thumb was in contact with the thumb lever. 
     This design suffered from a number of problems. If the rubber band broke, not only would the top not stay closed, but it would fall off the insulator completely. In areas of high sunlight, where one would typically use a can insulator, ultraviolet radiation severely limits the life of a rubber band due to solar embrittlement. Thus the reliability of this design is severely compromised by its rubber band weak link. And where the rubber band failed at an inopportune time, the top could be irretrievable lost. 
     Another problem associated with the &#39;047 design is the lack of a tight seal between a beverage container contained in it and the insulator top. If the insulator were to tip over, liquid contained in the beverage container would not be contained, and would spill out through the crack between the top and the insulator. 
     Another drawback associated with the &#39;047 design is its top thumb lever design. In order to open the top, the consumer must introduce at least one or two fingers through the handle, and then use his thumb on the top thumb lever to open the top. If the &#39;047 design lacked a handle, the top opening scheme wouldn&#39;t work. Thus in order to function, this design required an insulator handle, thus contributing to its complexity and expense. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a lidded insulator for a beverage container which provides increased insulation. Design features allowing this object to be accomplished include an insulator lid hingedly attached to an insulator body. Advantages associated with the accomplishment of this object include the ability to keep a beverage cold approximately 40% longer than if a lid-less insulator were to be used. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide a lidded insulator for a beverage container which prevents bugs and other foreign material from entering the beverage container. Design features allowing this object to be accomplished include an insulator lid hingedly attached to an insulator body. Benefits associated with the accomplishment of this object include increased sanitation and hygiene, especially in the case of poisonous bugs, and a more relaxed state of mind on the part of the consumer. 
     It is still another object of this invention to provide a lidded insulator for a beverage container which is capable of sealing a beverage container if the beverage container falls over. Design features enabling the accomplishment of this object include an insulator lid having an insulator lid top which is spring-loaded into contact with the top of a beverage container, and held there over the beverage container opening by means of friction between a lid wall and the beverage container wall. Advantages associated with the realization of this object include avoidance of messy spills and prevention of beverage waste. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide a lidded insulator for a beverage container which may be opened and closed using only one hand. Design features allowing this object to be accomplished include an insulator lid hingedly attached to an insulator body, and an insulator top ring having an insulator top ring bore attached to the insulator top. Benefits associated with the accomplishment of this object include convenience and safety of operation, especially where the beverage is being consumed while the consumer is engaged in some other task requiring use of the other hand. 
     It is still another object of this invention to provide a lidded insulator for a beverage container whose top is spring-loaded closed. Design features enabling the accomplishment of this object include an insulator lid attached to an insulator body by means of a resilient hinge. Advantages associated with the realization of this object include automatic closure when the lidded insulator for a beverage container is released, and more secure closure when the lid is manually placed in the closed position. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide a lidded insulator for a beverage container capable of holding a beverage container which is taller and thinner than average, yet providing a lidded insulator for a beverage container which is aesthetically pleasing in appearance. Design features allowing this object to be accomplished include a bullet lid hingedly attached to a cartridge. Benefits associated with the accomplishment of this object include being able to maintain a tall and thin beverage container cold, and a tasteful and novel aesthetic appearance. 
     It is still another object of this invention to provide a lidded insulator for a beverage container capable of holding a beverage container which is taller and thinner than average, yet do so with security so as to prevent the lidded insulator for a beverage container from tipping over. Design features enabling the accomplishment of this object include a bullet lid hingedly attached to a cartridge body having a body rim. Advantages associated with the realization of this object include greater tip resistance in the lidded insulator for a beverage container, and a tasteful and novel aesthetic appearance. 
     It is yet another object of this invention to provide a lidded insulator for a beverage container which is easy and inexpensive to make. Design features allowing this object to be achieved include the use of components made of readily available, inexpensive materials. Benefits associated with reaching this objective include reduced cost, and hence increased availability. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention, together with the other objects, features, aspects and advantages thereof, will be more clearly understood from the following in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
     Three sheets of drawings are provided. Sheet one contains FIGS. 1 and 2. Sheet two contains FIGS. 3 and 4. Sheet three contains FIG. 5. 
     FIG. 1 is a quarter side isometric view of a lidded insulator for a beverage container. 
     FIG. 2 is a side isometric view of a lidded insulator for a beverage container in the open position. 
     FIG. 3 is a side isometric view of a lidded insulator for a beverage container in the closed position. 
     FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view of a lidded insulator for a beverage container in the closed position. 
     FIG. 5 is a quarter side isometric view of an alternate embodiment lidded insulator for a beverage container comprising a bullet lid and a cartridge body having a body rim. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring now to FIG. 1 we observe a quarter side isometric view of lidded insulator for a beverage container 2. Lidded insulator for a beverage container 2 comprises insulator lid 6 hingedly attached to insulator body 4 by means of resilient hinge 10. Insulator lid 6 further comprises insulator top ring 8 attached to insulator lid 6. Insulator lid top ring 8 comprises insulator top ring bore 14 sized to admit a finger or thumb of a consumer, thus enabling the consumer to grip insulator body 4 with one hand, and using a single digit of that same hand, open and close insulator lid 6. 
     FIG. 2 is a side isometric view of lidded insulator for a beverage container 2 with insulator lid 6 in the open position. As may be observed in FIG. 4, insulator body 4 comprises cylindrical insulator body wall 26 attached to insulator body floor 28. Insulator body wall 26 is sized to frictionally admit beverage container 12. In this fashion, a beverage container 12 inserted into lidded insulator for a beverage container 2 will be held securely in place by virtue of the frictional fit between insulator body wall 26 and beverage container wall 36. 
     As may be observed in FIG. 2, while gripping insulator body 4 with one hand, a consumer can insert one digit of that same hand through insulator top ring bore 14, and single-handedly open insulator lid 6 of lidded insulator for a beverage container 2 as indicated by arrow 16, or in the alternative, close insulator lid 6 of lidded insulator for a beverage container 2 as indicated by arrow 18. 
     FIG. 3 is a side isometric view of lidded insulator for a beverage container 2 in the closed position. Insulator lid 6 has been closed over beverage container 12 as indicated by arrow 20. Referring now also to FIG. 4, insulator lid 6 comprises cylindrical lid wall 24 attached to lid top 22. Lid wall 24 is sized to frictionally admit beverage container wall 36. In this fashion, when insulator lid 6 is closed over a beverage container 12 contained within lidded insulator for a beverage container 2, insulator lid 6 will be held securely in place by virtue of the frictional fit between lid wall 24 and beverage container wall 36. 
     In addition, lidded container internal height 42 is sized so that when insulator lid 6 is in the closed position, as is depicted in FIG. 4, lid top 22 is held tightly against beverage container top 38, thus sealing lid top 22 over beverage container opening 40. Thus, in the eventuality lidded insulator for a beverage container 2 containing a beverage container 12 tips over, the tight fit between lid top 22 and beverage container opening 40 will minimize any beverage spillage. 
     Hinge 10 is made of resilient material, possessing material memory which urges hinge 10 to return to a straight position as is depicted in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5. Thus, the memory inherent in the material from which hinge 10 is made urges insulator lid 6 into the closed position. Therefore, not only does the frictional fit between lid wall 24 and beverage container wall 36 help hold lid top 22 against beverage container opening 40, but the resilient nature of the hinge 10 material also helps lid top 22 seal beverage container opening 40. 
     FIG. 5 is a quarter side isometric view of alternate embodiment lidded insulator for a beverage container 2 comprising bullet lid 30 hingedly attached to cartridge body 32 by means of hinge 10. 
     The shape of bullet lid 30 when viewed from a side is the top half of an oval. Bullet lid 30 comprises insulator top ring 8, which serves to permit the single-handed opening and closing of bullet lid 30, as described above in connection with the preferred embodiment. 
     Cartridge body 32 comprises body rim 34 disposed at an extreme of cartridge body 32 opposite bullet lid 30. Body rim 34 is annular in shape, and serves two purposes. The first purpose for body rim 34 is to increase the footprint of the alternate embodiment lidded insulator for a beverage container 2 depicted in FIG. 5, thus increasing its stability and resistance to tipping. The second purpose for body rim 34 is aesthetic--it helps make the alternate embodiment lidded insulator for a beverage container 2 shown in FIG. 5 resemble a bullet. 
     In the preferred embodiment, lidded insulator for a beverage container 2 was manufactured of foam rubber or other appropriate resilient insulating material. 
     While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated herein, it is to be understood that changes and variations may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the appending claims. 
     DRAWING ITEM INDEX 
     
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2           lidded insulator for a beverage container                     
4           insulator body                                                
6           insulator lid                                                 
8           insulator top ring                                            
10          hinge                                                         
12          beverage container                                            
14          insulator top ring bore                                       
16          arrow                                                         
18          arrow                                                         
20          arrow                                                         
22          lid top                                                       
24          lid wall                                                      
26          insulator body wall                                           
28          insulator body floor                                          
30          bullet lid                                                    
32          cartridge body                                                
34          body rim                                                      
36          beverage container wall                                       
38          beverage container top                                        
40          beverage container opening                                    
42          lidded container internal height                              
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