Abstract:
A disposable beverage cup holder capable of carrying a liquid filled beverage cup in an extremely stable manner during transit is provided. The beverage cup holder is die cut from a single sheet of material such as cardboard, and includes top and bottom panels and two opposing side panels and provides open sides for easy insertion of a beverage cup. Included is a tear-away handle on the top panel, which creates downward pressure on the cup lid, thereby keeping the lid in place. Also included are oval shaped pop-outs and a circular shaped pop-out to allow access to the drinking apertures of the beverage cup lid. Additional features include insulating side panels to protect a user&#39;s fingers from burns and also keep the contents of the cup warm.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention relates generally to the field of beverage cup carrying containers and more particularly to an improved personal beverage cup holder to be used by individuals for the safe and convenient transportation of single beverage cups and for the consumption of the beverage contained therein. The invention is particularly well suited for use in carrying a beverage cup containing a hot liquid such as coffee.  
         [0003]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0004]     Consuming a cup of coffee prior to starting the work day has long been a feature of modern society. In times past, such cups of this hot beverage were typically either purchased and consumed at a café prior to starting work or were purchased and consumed at the work site. Under these conditions, the risk of spills, though not negligible, was at least tolerable as workers typically had to travel only short distances from the point of purchase to the point of consumption. For example, office workers would typically purchase their coffee at the company cafeteria and would therefore only have a short walk to their desks. In case of skilled trades, such as construction, workers would typically purchase their coffee from vending trucks in the parking lot and then only have a short walk to the worksite.  
         [0005]     The above describes typical habit and practice up until about the mid-1980s. Work habits and coffee consumption habits have dramatically changed since that time. Now it is common for workers to purchase coffee prior to starting the morning commute, for example from vendors such as Starbucks and the like. Moreover, the morning commute is now often quite lengthy, often exceeding 30 minutes. Therefore, it is now common for workers to consume, or partially consume, their coffee in their cars on the way to work. Even if not consumed in the car, workers are now likely to purchase their coffee from vendors some distance removed from their place of work and must frequently walk hundreds of feet holding hot and generally flimsy paper cups before reaching their desk or worksite. In view of these new habits, i.e. consuming coffee in cars and transporting cups of coffee from off-site vendors to the workplace, the risk of potentially dangerous spills of this hot beverage has dramatically increased in recent times.  
         [0006]     Though coffee is still primarily sold in paper cups, numerous “cup enhancers” have been developed to address the aforementioned handling and spillage problems. Among the most common of these are the now ubiquitous corrugated paper sleeves which fit around a paper cup. U.S. Pat. No. 5,205,473 entitled “RECYLCLABLE CORRUGATED BEVERAGE CONTAINER AND HOLDER,” issued to Coffin, Sr. on Apr. 27, 1993, is one such sleeve. Sleeves of this type are generally tapered hollow cylindrical sleeves that fit around the paper cup. As such, the sleeves add a degree of stability to the cup and tend to insulate an individual&#39;s fingers from the hot sides of the cup, and therefore represent an improvement over a plain cup. However, even with a sleeve, a cup is still rather flimsy and subject to being crushed by workers drinking and driving, running while crossing a street, or otherwise in a hurry. Moreover, the sleeves do nothing to prevent coffee from sloshing out of the open end of the cup.  
         [0007]     To address the sloshing problem, lids, typically made of plastic have been developed to fit over a paper cup. U.S. Pat. No. 4,589,569, entitled “LID FOR DRINKING CUP,” is a representative example of such lids. Plastic lids of this type typically snap over the lip of the open end of a paper cup and thereby reduce the risk of sloshing during brisk walking or driving. Such lids typically have small apertures located on the side or in the center of the lid to allow limited access for drinking. However, these lids are not foolproof. Moderate pressure around the upper portion of the cup will not infrequently cause the lid to “pop-off” the cup with the consequent result being a potentially dangerous spill. Room for improvement remains in the art.  
         [0008]     What is needed therefore is a beverage cup holder designed to work in conjunction with a paper cup fitted with an aforementioned plastic lid and optionally a paper sleeve. Such a device should include a feature which tends to secure the plastic lid when the cup is being carried from the point of sale to the point of consumption in order to reduce the possibility of the lid popping off and causing a spill. The feature for securing the lid should also be easily removable for ease of drinking when the cup has been transported to the workplace of other place of beverage consumption. The cup holder should further include provisions to allow an individual to drink from the cup regardless of whether the plastic lid has a side aperture or center aperture. It would further be desirable for a cup holder to improve the stability of a cup and to provide insulation to the cup.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0009]     The present invention beverage cup holder overcomes the deficiencies of the prior art by providing a disposable cup holder which is capable of carrying a liquid filled beverage cup in an extremely stable manner during transit. The beverage cup holder may be die cut from a single sheet of material, with cardboard being preferred, and includes top and bottom panels and two opposing side panels or walls and provides two opposing open sides for easy insertion or extraction of a cup.  
         [0010]     The invention includes a tear-away handle on its top panel; which, when used during transit from the point of sale to the point of consumption tends to create downward pressure on the cup lid, thereby keeping the lid in place. Yet, at the point of consumption, the handle simply tears away to allow free access to the apertures formed in the cup&#39;s plastic lid.  
         [0011]     The present invention beverage cup holder also includes oval-shaped die cut pop-outs along its top edges and a circular-shaped die cut pop-out in its top center panel to provide easy access to the side or center drinking aperture of the cup&#39;s plastic lid, whichever it may have.  
         [0012]     The base of the present invention beverage cup holder is substantially flat to provide added stability to a typical beverage cup during transport. The side panels of the cup holder include die cut perforated lines which allow panels to be folded inwardly to contact the side of a cup to insulate a user&#39;s fingers from burns and also keep the contents of the cup warmer than otherwise.  
         [0013]     The present invention cup holder may be made from cardboard, paper board and most any other type of pressed pulp paper product, corrugated paper product, various plastics available in sheet form, laminates of paper and plastic, as well as essentially any other material which can be die cut or similar and is available in sheet form. Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the detailed description. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0014]      FIG. 1  is a top plan view of a cardboard sheet or blank used in the construction of the beverage cup holder of the present invention.  
         [0015]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the present invention cup holder with the top handle attached to the top panel and with die cut perforations for pop-outs and hinged panels shown as dashed lines.  
         [0016]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the present invention cup holder with the top handle and certain pop-outs removed and side panels bent inwardly to illustrate the features of the invention. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0017]     Referring now to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , there is shown a beverage cup holder  10  made in accordance with the present invention.  FIG. 2  depicts the fully assembled cup holder in a state ready for the insertion of a cup  30  having a lid  32 .  FIG. 3 , by contrast shows the beverage cup holder of  FIG. 2  with the cup and lid inserted into the holder. The beverage cup holder is made from a blank  38  ( FIG. 1 ) that is folded and glued to form a substantially rectangular cup holder having a substantially flat bottom panel  14 , a top panel  12  and mutually opposing first and second side panels  16  and  18 . The cup holder also includes a detachable or tear-away handle  20  as well as oval pop-outs  22  formed at each junction of the top panel with the adjacent side panels. The top panel also includes a circular pop-out  24 . Also depicted are scores or perforations  26  in the side panels. The exertion of finger pressure between each pair of perforations along a vertical edge of a side panel will cause the panel to separate at the perforation to form insulating sub-panels  28  (see  FIG. 3 ).  
         [0018]      FIG. 1  is a top plan view of the blank  38  from which the beverage cup holder  10  of the present invention is formed. The blank comprises the top panel  12  which includes scores or perforations  74  which form the circular pop-out  24 . Adjacent to the top panel, on each side of the panel are the first and second side panels  16  and  18 . Demarking the boundary between the top panel and the side panels are first and second fold or crease lines  44  and  46 , respectively. The fold lines are formed into the blank during the manufacturing process and aid in the precise folding of the blank to form the cup holder. Formed into the corners defined by top panel and each adjacent side panel are scores or perforations  72 . The perforations form the oval pop-outs  22 . In one embodiment, the top panel may be either generally square or rectangular and is defined by the first and second fold lines and by the free edges  58  and  60 .  
         [0019]     The first side panel  16  is generally quadrilateral in shape having generally inwardly tapering long free edges  54  and  56  and having upper and lower fold lines  44  and  40 . The upper fold line of the first side panel is coincident with (i.e. the same as) the first fold line of the top panel. Likewise, the second side panel  18  is also generally quadrilateral in shape having generally inwardly tapering long free edges  62  and  64  and having upper and lower fold lines  46  and  42 . The upper fold line of the second side panel is coincident with (i.e. the same as) the second fold line of the top panel. Each side panel also includes four or more (at least two on each free edge) lines of scores or perforations  26 . Upon the exertion of finger pressure, the scores or perforations separate from the side panels to form the insulating sub-panels  28  (see  FIG. 3 ).  
         [0020]     At each end of the blank  38  and adjacent to the first and second side panels  16  and  18 , respectively, are first and second bottom sub-panels  14 ( a ) and  14 ( b ). In one embodiment, these sub-panels may be either generally square or generally rectangular. The first bottom sub-panel has free edges  48 ,  50  and  52 , and a fold line  40  which is coincident with the lower fold line of the first side panel  16 . Likewise, the second bottom sup-panel has free edges  66 ,  68  and  70 , and a fold line  42  which is coincident with the lower fold line of the second side panel  18 . During assembly, the bottom sub-panels  14 ( a ) and  14 ( b ) overlap each other and are glued in place to form the bottom panel  14 .  
         [0021]     The handle  20  of the present invention cup holder  10  is formed of two panels  21  folded into a v-shape, which is inverted for attachment to the top panel  12 . The panels of the handle are generally flat and may include cutouts  23  to facilitate ease of handling.  
         [0022]     With reference to  FIGS. 1-3 , the present invention beverage cup holder  10  may be assembled in the following manner. A sheet of suitable material is manufactured and may then be printed and/or embossed with any desired graphics on either or both sides of the sheet. Suitable materials include cardboard, paper board, and most any other type of pressed pulp paper product. Corrugated variations of the above materials are also suitable as are most any plastic material available in sheet form. Likewise, laminates of paper and plastic are also suitable. Foldable metal foils having a stiffness similar to that of cardboard are also suitable.  
         [0023]     Once a suitable material has been chosen and, if desired, printed or embossed with graphics, the blank  38  is die cut from the sheet. The blank may then be folded upwardly along the crease lines  44  and  46  to bring the opposing sides  16  and  18  into a generally parallel facing relationship, wherein both side panels are perpendicular to the top panel.  
         [0024]     The bottom sub-panels  14 ( a ) and  14 ( b ) may then be folded inwardly such that the panels fully overlap each other and are parallel to the top panel  12  and are perpendicular to the side panels are axially displaced from the top panel by the length of the side panels which is approximately equivalent to the height of a drinking cup and lid. The bottom sub-panels may then be glued together with any suitable adhesive to form the bottom panel  14 . The handle  22 , which in the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3  is a separate component, may then be glued to the top panel  12 . However, those skilled in the art of blank design for foldable containers will understand that the handle may also be easily formed as a portion of the one-piece blank, in which case it would be folded into place on the top panel and glued to the top panel along one free edge.  
         [0025]     The present invention cup holder  10  may be used quite simply as follows. A user need merely slide a beverage cup  30  into the cup holder as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 . When a beverage is being transported, upward force on the handle  22 , produced by the weight of the beverage being supported by the handle tends to generate inwardly directed compressive force in the top panel  12 , the compressive force being introduced to the top panel at the points of attachment of the handle to the top panel. The compressive force causes the top panel to buckle and deflect downwardly against the lid  32  of the cup and thereby functions to keep the lid in place during transport of the beverage. A user may consume a beverage while it is in the cup holder by removing one of the oval pop-outs  22  in the case of cups with lids having side mounted drinking apertures or may remove the center pop-out  24  where a lid provides an aperture for a straw  36 . The provision of oval and center pop-outs substantially enhances the usability of the cup holder. Moreover, if desired, the handle may be removed (i.e. torn away) from the cup holder to facilitate drinking of the beverage.  
         [0026]     A user may also elect to form the insulating sub-panels  28  along the perimeter of cup holder by merely pressing between the scored lines  26 . The insulating sub-panels function to protect a user&#39;s fingers from burns and to keep the contents of the beverage cup warm. The insulating sub-panels also provide a convenient gripping surface, where the cup holder is being used to transport a cold beverage, as may sometimes be the case.  
         [0027]     It should also be noted that the present invention cup holder  10  with its double layer, flat base panel  14  provides more support than would be provided by a cup alone when the beverage is placed upon a table top or other flat surface. This occurs because paper cups typically possess a recessed bottom surface and therefore rest only upon a circular edge.  
         [0028]     As stated previously, any desired graphics may be printed on either or both sides of the blank  38  from which the cup holder is formed. Thus, the present invention cup holder provides substantial surface area for advertising.  
         [0029]     The foregoing detailed description and appended drawings are intended as a description of the presently preferred embodiment of the invention and are not intended to represent the only forms in which the present invention may be constructed and/or utilized. Those skilled in the art will understand that modifications and alternative embodiments of the present invention beverage cup holder, which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the foregoing specification and drawings, and of the claims appended below, are possible and practical. It is intended that the claims cover all such modifications and alternative embodiments.