Patent ID: 7536767

Claim:
A method of manufacturing a reinforced plastic foam cup, said method comprising: (a) providing a plastic 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 along a first line, (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, (v) said top end having a greater diameter than the bottom end, (vi) an outwardly extending lip integrally formed with the top end of the side wall, and (vii) a downwardly extending lip integrally formed with the side wall and extending below the bottom wall; (b) positioning the cup in an upside down position such that the top end of the cup resides below the bottom end of the cup; (c) positioning a reinforcing member along the first line, said reinforcing member having: (i) a body including: (A) a concavely shaped top edge, (B) a convexly shaped bottom edge, (C) a center point along a central vertical axis, said center point defined by a trough of the concavely shaped top edge and an apex of the convexly shaped bottom edge, (D) an inner surface, and (E) an outer surface, and (ii) a pressure sensitive adhesive layer which covers substantially the entire inner surface of the body; (d) moving the cup and the reinforcing member toward an attachment position; (e) at the attachment position, attaching the reinforcing member to the side wall of the cup along or substantially along said central vertical axis of the reinforcing member, wherein a top edge of the body of the reinforcing member is substantially aligned with the bottom end of the cup, a bottom edge of the body of the reinforcing member is substantially aligned with the top end of the cup and the inner surface of the body of the reinforcing member engages the side wall of the cup at an angle which corresponds with an angle of the side wall of the cup; (f) rotating the cup and the attached reinforcing member in a first direction to attach a trailing portion of the reinforcing member to the side wall of the cup, wherein said trailing portion includes an area of the reinforcing member from the central vertical axis to a trailing edge of the reinforcing member; and (g) rotating the cup and the attached reinforcing member in a second opposite direction to attach a leading portion of the reinforcing member to the side wall of the cup, wherein said leading portion includes an area of the reinforcing member from the central vertical axis to a leading edge of the reinforcing member.