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» Obscure
Patent of the Week |
Insulating sleeve for grasping container and manufacturing method [ HTML ]
US Patent No. 6,814,253 - Issued November 9, 2004
Obscure Patent of the Week - November 15, 2004
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The object of this invention is to provide a holder for a container
to permit an individual to easily grasp the exterior of a hot or cold
container safely, and securely. Wait, haven't better coffee shops
everywhere been using such insulating sleeves for years? How is it
possible that this one is patentable? It would seem that the prior
art holders, which are generally constructed out of cardboard, foam,
and plastic material, present numerous drawbacks. Thick corrugated
holders have been previously constructed but these are too bulky,
making it difficult to place them over cups and sometimes a waste of
material. Additionally, many conventional holders are difficult to
grasp because they are thin and, therefore, susceptible to tearing.
Furthermore, prior art cup holders are created to be only for
"single-use" with a particular container. Thank goodness we
now have the present invention! This invention makes holding the
container easy to use by providing flexibility, resilience and
lightness. Additionally, this invention provides high cushioning and
compression strength which allows the holder to be used for repeated
use applications. So for those of you who don't like getting a fresh
new insulating cup holder every morning, and for those of you who
would like to keep and reuse the holder from yesterday, this
invention is for you. So what makes this invention
"obscure"? The broadest claim seems to basically define a
ubiquitous cup holder for the most part. There are two layers though,
an inner layer and an outer layer (how original), which are of
different polyethylene materials, and which are laminated together.
It would seem that someone who is skilled in the art would find this
invention rather obvious once having looked at one of the
aforementioned prior art devices and then using well known attributes
of polyethylene. Just reading the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
and Encyclopedia Britannica Online suggests that there is really
nothing non-obvious here.
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» Patent
Abstract |
An embodiment of the present invention is a sleeve, which facilitates
the gripping of, and insulates the hand from, a hot or cold
container. The sleeve comprises of sheet foam of a thick, opaque,
plastic material that is suitable for snuggly fitting over the
exterior surface of a container while permitting any pre-printed
indicia on the sheet foam to be visible there through. The sleeve is
opaque enough to cover any printing on the container itself. The foam
is also available in a variety of forms such as anti-static,
laminated, expanded and high or low density which provide different
degrees of protection. Different density plastic foam and film
material is used to achieve the opaque, thick, gripping and
insulating effect for use with a variety of containers.
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» Guts
of the Invention |
The broadest claim says:
What is claimed is:
1. A container sleeve for insulating and gripping a hot or cold
container, comprising:
a. an upper end;
b. a lower end;
wherein said upper end fits around an upper part of said container
and said lower end fits around a lower part of said container;
c. a first outer layer constructed of a polymer material permitting
an indicia to be printed on said first outer layer, wherein said
polymer material comprises high density polyethylene film; and
d. a second inner layer constructed of a low density polymer material
comprising a low density polyethylene material, whereby said second
inner layer wraps around and contacts said container;
wherein said second inner layer is laminated to said first outer
layer resulting in an opaque container sleeve.
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An Obscure Patent |
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Patent Suggestion and fill out the form.
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