Summary of Patents and Applications on Hot Beverage Container Sleeves

This will be a summary of 6 patents and 3 applications. Here we go:

1) Insulating sleeve - US 6343735 B1
Background: There is a need for a insulating sleeve because hot liquid can lead to a faster heat transfer and thus create an uncomfortable temperate in the surface of the cup where users hold. The sleeve aims to have two ridges that allow for better gripping and insulation from the contents in the cup.

Priority date: May 4, 2000

Technology: A cup sleeve that has ridges for better gripping. The sleeve can be folded and has small triangular holes that act as an insulator for the cup. Idea is that users will then use the sleeve and grip the cup on the sleeve.

Specifications: Made from a paperboard material. The folds create the insulator triangle holes in the sleeve.

Diagrams:

Claims: Claim 4 goes into detail about how the sleeve can also be used in a larger diameter cup. Claim 5 talks about the sleeve with open and close setups where one is for using and the other for packaging.

2) Thermal coffee cup - US 2661889 A
Background: An insulated coffee cup that has insulation so that the user's hand is not affected by the heat of the hot beverage inside the cup.

Priority date: July 20, 1948

Technology: It is a conical shaped insulator for a cup. The cup has an inner, middle, and outer layer. The middle layer is sealed at the top and bottom so that air cannot escape.

Specifications: Outer layer conical sleeve can also hold the cap of the coffee cup. Paired with inner layer technology.

Diagrams:

Claims: The inner layer is corrugated to allow for air insulator. The bottom is sealed and at the top, the coffee cup cap is placed. 

3) Thermal sleeve - US 8,251,277 B1
Background: Cup sleeves allows for an insulation when there are hot beverages in the cup and user's are trying to grip onto the cup. This invention has a less of environmental impact as opposed to using multiple cups to create that layer that insulates the heat.

Priority date: April 15, 2005

Technology: The cup sleeve on the outside is made from rigid paper and the inside is from smooth paper. The patent constitutes of using this thermal sleeve when used with a cup. The cup can also be disposable as it is made from paperboard, foam, etc.

Specifications: outer layer is made of crepe paper and the inside layer is made of smooth paper. The two layers are put together using adhesive.

Diagrams: 

Claims: The cup sleeve has an inner and outer layer which each has their own specific details on being made. The cup sleeve also is part of a system which constitutes of the sleeve and the cup itself. 

4) Insulator sleeve for beverage container - US 7,922,031 B1 
Background: These sleeves are transparent and made from heat insulating material. These sleeves are typically used to insulate the user's hand from hot beverage contents. 

Priority date: March 1, 2006

Technology: The sleeve has inner and outer portion. The outer portion is an erasable writing area and the inner is a heat insulating layer. The idea is that traditional sleeves can only be used a finite number of times, but this one tries to change that.

Specifications: The erasable area can be used to be written on by a pen or a material used by the person. And the heat insulating layer is made of a silicon rubber material. 

Diagrams:

Claims: The claims go through the invention and the specifications of both inner and outer layers. The claims focus on the design that is incorporated in the sleeve.

5) Temperatur-indicating sleeve - US 8118189 B1
Background: Users don't know how hot the liquid inside is, so this invention aims to indicate the temperature on the outer surface of the container. 

Priority date: December 15, 2006

Technology: The invention uses a temperature sensitive indicator on the sleeve wall. The indicator will display the temperature of the contents inside the cup.

Specifications: The temperature indicator is calibrated with known insulating properties to accurately display the temperature or a range of temperatures of the contents.

Diagrams:

Claims: The invention is described as a container body with a known insulating factor, a detachable sleeve, and a temperature indicator. The claims go into the types of temperature indicators, placement, materials, and designs.

6) Sleeve construction for improved paperboard cup insulation - US 6152363
Background: This invention aims to incorporate a sleeve cup that can have air gap while using a smooth outside surface for printing. Typical sleeves use paperboard and use hot-melt glue dots to increase insulation.

Priority date: May 3, 1999

Technology: Thermal sleeve made by a paperboard sleeve. One side is smooth and another is used for creating the air-gap using hot -glue dots or syntactic foam.

Specifications: There are predetermined length and heights of the sleeve cutouts. Air gap between the cup and sleeve is created using syntactic foam or hot-glue dots.

Diagrams: 

Claims: The invention focuses on one side being smooth and the other can be a number of different things as long as it creates the air gap between the cup and the sleeve. Such means can be hot-glue dots or syntactic foam.

7) Beverage cup sleeving system - US 20080078824 A1
Background: The invention is a system for sleeving a cup with a layer of elastomer where the insulating sleeve is reusable and washable. Typical sleeves are ineffective when wet or when the beverage is too hot.

Priority date: August 23, 2006

Technology: The layer is made of elastomer. This creates a homogenous seamless conical sleeve.

Specifications: the sleeve can also have versions where it is made from an elastomeric or fabric composites.

Diagrams:

Claims: The invention can be a basic elastomer cup sleeve. There can also be temperature sensing indicators in the sleeve. But this sleeve can also be made from different materials as seen from the specifications.

8) Protective sleeve - US 20100019023 A1
Background: The invention is a sleeve with an unique arch shape to allow for comfortable gripping on the cup when it is filled with hot or cold beverages. 

Priority date: July 25, 2008

Technology: A insulating sleeve that can be made from a flat piece of sheet material with a shape resembling that of an arch.

Specifications: The arch is used in order to reduce sheet material during manufacturing. Otherwise, the sleeve is made to have insulating properties.

Diagrams:

Claims: The claims go into the design of the invention, specifically the arch that is designed to conserve sheet material. The claims also go into how this sleeve can be made from other select materials.

9) Hot and Cold Cup sleeve - US 20140151385 A1
Background: Coffee shops need a thin and inexpensive sleeve that insulates the heat/cold of the cup from the user.

Priority date: February 6, 2014

Technology: inner part is water-absorbent and the outer layer is water repellent. The adhesive is a polyethylene laminate film.

Specifications: The adhesive put together the inner and outer layers. The inner layer is very absorbent, while the outer is a repellant. 

Diagrams: 

Claims: The claims detail the components of the sleeve, and how each component is manufactured and with the specified materials. Each component have its design laid out.