Patent Publication Number: US-2015060474-A1

Title: Disposable cup holder

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of Invention 
     The present invention relates to a disposable cup holder to be used in conjunction with a sleeve for carrying and securing a coffee cup. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Coffee is a beverage enjoyed by many individuals at various cafés and restaurants. Many individuals purchase prepared coffee and transport the coffee for consumption. A typical coffee cafés provides consumers with paper cups that have plastic lids to transport the coffee. One popular attachment that is used for the paper cup is a sleeve to protect the consumer from the heat of the coffee. The use of the sleeve allows the consumer to hold the paper cup to prevent burning and generally diminishes the heat transfer from the paper cup while the individual holds a cup of coffee. Many times, consumers transport the purchased coffee in their vehicle and may have a cup holder available to hold the coffee while in transit. Although cup holders are a common accessory in many vehicles, there still remains a need for a portable cup holder for situations where a cup holder is not available or for individuals who have vehicles without a cup holder. Further it would be advantageous to have a cup holder that could be used in conjunction with a cardboard sleeve that is normally used with a portable paper cup. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to A disposable cup holder comprising: a curved top, where the curved top includes an underside; a body portion extending downward from the curved top; and a lip extending inward from the body portion. In one particular embodiment, the body potion may include a curved surface. The curved top may also include a series of reinforced ridges along a top surface of the curved top. A sleeve may extend around the body portion and a coffee cup during use. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  depicts a perspective view of a disposable cup holder in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  depicts a front and side view of the cup holder in accordance with the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present invention relates to a disposable cup holder that may be used in conjunction with a cardboard sleeve for a conventional coffee cup. The cup holder in accordance with the present invention may be manufactured of recyclable material and used in conjunction with a sleeve to shield the user from the heat of the paper cup. The cup holder includes a curved surface that extends along the length of the cup and a lip that extends outwardly to allow the cup holder to be used in conjunction with a sleeve. 
     In reference to  FIG. 1 , a disposable cup holder  20  is depicted. The cup holder  20  includes a curved top  22  that has a series of reinforced ridges along the surface thereof. These ridges provide reinforced strength for the cup holder  20  to be placed onto an object and secure a cup of coffee. The reinforced ridges extend over the curved top surface  22 . A body portion  25  of the cup holder  20  is shown in  FIG. 2 . The body portion  25  extends downwardly to work in conjunction with a sleeve that is wrapped around the cup. An underside  23  of the curved top is also shown in  FIG. 2 . The curved surface of the body  25  extends downwardly where at the bottom of the curved surface  25  is a lip  27 . The lip  27  acts in conjunction with a sleeve to support the cup holder and cup in a stationary position. The cup holder  20  enables an individual to both carry the cup in their hand and then hang the cup from an object while transporting the cup from one location to another or hanging the cup at their destination. The curved top  22  is also shown in a side view in  FIG. 2 . Lip  27  extends out toward the inner surface of the underside  23  of the cup holder  20 . During use this configuration allows the sleeve to be locked in a secure position while the cup is placed within the sleeve along with the cup holder  20 . 
     On one particular embodiment the cup holder may measure 4 to 5 inches in height and may be equipped with a hot sleeve that measures 1½ to 2 inches in width. Therefore the cup holder and sleeve work in conjunction to allow a user to both transport and to place the coffee cup in a stationary position on an object during transportation. The instant invention has been shown and described in what it considers to be the most practical and preferred embodiments. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made there from within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.