Patent ID: 7918005

Claim:
A method of manufacturing a reinforced foam cup, said method comprising: (a) providing a foam cup having: (i) a bottom wall at a bottom end of the cup, said bottom wall having an inner surface and an outer surface, (ii) a conical shaped side wall integrally formed at one end with the bottom wall and extending from the bottom wall to a top end of the cup, (iii) said side wall having an inner surface and an outer surface, said inner surface of said bottom wall and said inner surface of the side wall defining a cavity, (iv) said top end defining an opening for the cavity, and (v) said top end having a greater diameter than the bottom end, (b) moving the cup and a reinforcing member toward an attachment position, said reinforcing member including: (i) a body having: (A) an inner surface, (B) an outer surface, (C) a concave edge having a trough, (D) a convex edge having an apex, (E) a central axis defined by the trough and the apex, (F) a leading edge, and (G) a trailing edge; and (ii) an adhesive layer which covers substantially all of inner surface of the body; (c) at the attachment position, attaching the reinforcing member to the outer surface of the side wall of the cup along or substantially along said central axis of the reinforcing member such that the inner surface of the body of the reinforcing member engages the outer surface of the side wall of the cup at an angle which corresponds with an angle of the side wall of the cup; (d) rotating the cup and the attached reinforcing member in a first direction to attach a trailing portion of the reinforcing member to the outer surface of the side wall of the cup, said trailing portion including an area of the reinforcing member from the central axis toward the trailing edge of the reinforcing member; and (e) rotating the cup and the attached reinforcing member in a second opposite direction to attach a leading portion of the reinforcing member to the outer surface of the side wall of the cup, said leading portion including an area of the reinforcing member from the central axis toward the leading edge of the reinforcing member.