Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
SLEEVE FOR A CONTAINER OR THE LIKE AND BLANK FOR CONSTRUCTING
THE SAME
Field
[0001] The subject disclosure is related to a sleeve for a container or the
like and a blank
for constructing the same.
Background
[0002] Sleeves for containers are well known and are often used to provide
insulation
between users' hands and containers holding a hot or cold substance therein.
For example, in
cafes, coffee shops etc., disposable sleeves are commonplace and are used to
surround
sections of disposable coffee cups to insulate customers' hands from heat
radiating from hot
beverages (e.g. coffee, hot chocolate, soup etc.) held in the coffee cups.
[0003] The disposable sleeves are typically formed from corrugated board or
card stock
blanks that are glued, folded or otherwise assembled to form the sleeves. Once
assembled,
the sleeves are typically placed into a collapsed flat condition to facilitate
transportation and
storage. When it is desired to use the sleeves to surround coffee cups, the
sleeves are
expanded allowing the sleeves to receive and surround sections of coffee cups
to provide
users with insulated areas for holding the coffee cups. During use, the
sleeves may be
expanded by the users themselves, for example after receiving filled coffee
cups, or may be
expanded and placed around the coffee cups by servers prior to being handed
over to the
users.
[0004] While the contributions of known sleeves for containers such as
those described
above are laudable, improvements are generally desired. It is therefore an
object to provide a
novel sleeve for a container or the like and to a novel blank for constructing
the same.
Summary
[0005] It should be appreciated that this summary is provided to introduce
a selection of
concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed
description.
This summary is not intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed
subject matter.
[0006] Accordingly, in one aspect there is provided a sleeve for a
container comprising: a
main body portion defining a primary loop, the primary loop configured to
receive and
surround a section of a container inserted therein; and an ancillary portion
adjacent the main
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body portion, the ancillary portion defiing a secondary loop configured to
receive and hold an
ancillary item.
[0007] In one or more embodiments, the primary and secondary loops inwardly
taper in a
direction from top to bottom when the sleeve is upright. In one or more
embodiments, the
primary loop may have a generally circular, horizontal cross-section and the
secondary loop
may have a generally rectangular, horizontal cross-section.
[0008] In one or more embodiments, the sleeve may further comprise fold
lines provided
in the primary loop at spaced locations. The fold lines may be perforated.
[0009] In one or more embodiments, the sleeve may further comprise fold
lines provided
in the secondary loop at spaced locations. The fold lines may be perforated.
[0010] In one or more embodiments, the sleeve is collapsible about the fold
lines, and
wherein the sleeve is generally flat in the collapsed condition.
[0011] In one or more embodiments, the sleeve is of unitary construction
and the
secondary loop is contiguous with the primary loop.
[0012] According to another aspect there is provided a blank for
constructing a sleeve,
the blank comprising: an elongate strip of material having opposite free ends,
the strip
comprising a first length extending from one of the free ends to an
intermediate location
between the opposite free ends and a second length extending from the
intermediate location
to the other of the free ends, the second length being shorter than the first
length; first
transverse fold lines provided in the first length at spaced locations; and
second transverse
fold lines provided in the second length at spaced locations, wherein the
first length is
configured to be folded into a first loop with a distal region adjacent the
one free end
overlying a region of the first length adjacent the intermediate location, and
wherein the
second length is configured to be folded into a second loop with a distal
region adjacent the
other free end overlying a region of the first length adjacent the
intermediate location.
[0013] In one or more embodiments, the elongate strip of material is
arcuate.
[0014] In one or more embodiments, either (i) the first transverse fold
lines are
perforated, (ii) the second transverse fold lines are perforated, or (iii)
both the first and
second transverse fold lines are perforated.
[0015] In one or more embodiments, the first transverse fold lines may
include two (2)
fold lines and the second transverse fold lines may include four (4) fold
lines.
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Brief Description of the Drawings
[0016] Embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the
accompanying drawings, in which:
[0017] FIG. 1 is a top, front, right side perspective view of a sleeve for
a container in an
expanded condition;
[0018] FIG. 2 is atop, front perspective view of the sleeve of FIG. 1;
[0019] FIG. 3 is atop, right side perspective view of the sleeve of FIG. 1;
[0020] FIG. 4 is a bottom, front, right side perspective of the sleeve of
FIG. 1;
[0021] FIG. 5 is a top view of the sleeve of FIG. 1;
[0022] FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the sleeve of FIG 1;
[0023] FIG. 7 is a front view of the sleeve of FIG. 1;
[0024] FIG. 8 is a right side view of the sleeve of FIG. 1;
[0025] FIG. 9 is a left side view of the sleeve of FIG. 1;
[0026] FIG. 10 is a rear view of the sleeve of FIG. 1;
[0027] FIG. 11 is a plan view of a blank for constructing the sleeve of
FIG. 1;
[0028] FIG. 12 is a top view of the sleeve of FIG. 1 in a generally flat,
collapsed
condition;
[0029] FIG. 13 is a front view of the sleeve of FIG. 1 in the generally
flat, collapsed
condition; and
[0030] FIG. 14 is a rear view of the sleeve of FIG. 1 in the generally
flat, collapsed
condition.
Detailed Description of Embodiments
[0031] The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description
of certain
examples, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the
accompanying
drawings. As used herein, an element or feature recited in the singular and
preceded by the
word "a" or "an" should be understood as not necessarily excluding a plural of
the elements
or features. Further, references to "one example" or "one embodiment" are not
intended to be
interpreted as excluding the existence of additional examples or embodiments
that also
incorporate the recited elements or features of that one example or one
embodiment.
Moreover, unless explicitly stated to the contrary, examples or embodiments
"comprising,"
"having" or "including" an element or feature or a plurality of elements or
features having a
particular property may further include additional elements or features not
having that
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particular property. Also, it will be appreciated that the terms "comprises,"
"has" and
"includes" mean "including but not limited to" and the terms "comprising,"
"having" and
"including" have equivalent meanings.
[0032] As used herein, the term "and/or" can include any and all
combinations of one or
more of the associated listed elements or features.
[0033] It will be understood that when an element or feature is referred to
as being, for
example, "on," "attached," "connected," "coupled," or "contacting," another
element or
feature, that element or feature can be directly on, attached, connected,
coupled or contacting
the other element or feature or intervening elements may also be present. In
contrast, when
an element or feature is referred to as being, for example, "directly on,"
"directly attached,"
"directly connected," "directly coupled" or "directly contacting" another
element of feature,
there are no intervening elements or features present.
[0034] Reference herein to "configured" denotes an actual state of
configuration that
fundamentally ties the element or feature to the physical characteristics of
the element or
feature preceding the phrase "configured to."
[0035] Unless otherwise indicated, the terms "first," "second," etc. are
used herein
merely as labels, and are not intended to impose ordinal, positional, or
hierarchical
requirements on the items to which these terms refer. Moreover, reference to a
"second" item
does not require or preclude the existence of a lower-numbered item (e.g., a
"first" item)
and/or a higher-numbered item (e.g., a "third" item).
[0036] It will be understood that spatially relative terms, such as
"under", "below",
"lower", "over", "above", "upper", "front", "back" and the like, may be used
herein for ease
of description to describe the relationship of one element or feature to
another element or
feature as illustrated in the figures. The spatially relative terms can
however, encompass
different orientations in use or operation in addition to the orientations
depicted in the figures.
[00371 In the following, embodiments of a sleeve for a container or the
like and a blank
for constructing a container sleeve are described. The sleeve, in one form,
comprises a main
body portion defining a primary loop configured to receive and surround a
section of a
container. An ancillary portion defines a secondary loop adjacent the primary
loop. The
secondary loop is configured to receive and hold an ancillary item. The blank
for
constructing the container sleeve, in one form, comprises an elongate strip of
material having
opposite free ends. The strip comprises a first length extending from one of
the free ends to
an intermediate location between the opposite free ends and a second length
extending from
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the intermediate location to the other of the free ends, with the second
length being shorter
than the first length. First transverse fold lines are provided in the first
length at spaced
locations and second transverse fold lines are provided in the second length
at spaced
locations. The first length is configured to be folded into a first loop with
a distal region
adjacent the one free end overlying (i.e. in juxtaposition with) a region of
the first length
adjacent the intermediate location, and the second length is configured to be
folded into a
second loop with a distal region adjacent the other free end overlying (i.e.
in juxtaposition
with) a region of the first length adjacent the intermediate location.
[0038] Turning now to FIGS. 1 to 10, a sleeve for a container is shown and
is generally
identified by reference character 100. As shown, the sleeve 100 is in an
expanded and
upright condition ready for use. In this embodiment, the sleeve 100 is formed
of card stock
and is configured to surround a section of a beverage container (not shown),
such as a coffee
cup or the like, to insulate a user's hand from heat radiating from a hot
beverage held therein.
The sleeve 100 is also configured to receive and hold an ancillary item, such
as a pastry or
other relatively small foodstuff item (not shown), adjacent to the beverage
container.
[0039] As can be seen, the sleeve 100 comprises a main body portion 120 and
an
ancillary portion 122 that extends from the main body portion 120. The main
body portion
120 defines a primary loop, ring or band 124 (hereinafter referred to as
"loop") having an
upper opening 126 and a lower opening 128. The primary loop 124 defined by the
main body
portion 120 has a generally circular, horizontal cross-section and tapers
inwardly from the
upper opening 126 to the lower opening 128 giving the primary loop 124 a
generally
frustoconical shape. The primary loop 124 is sized and configured to slidingly
receive a
beverage container that is inserted into the primary loop via the upper
opening 126 until the
interior or inwardly facing surface 130 of the primary loop 124 frictionally
engages a section
of the beverage container. A pair of fold lines 132 is provided in the main
body portion 120.
The fold lines 132 are diametrically opposed to facilitate collapsing of the
main body portion
120 into a generally flat, collapsed condition as will be described. To
further facilitate
collapsing of the main body portion 120, the fold lines 132 in this embodiment
are perforated.
Those of skill in the art will however appreciate that, in other embodiments,
especially in
situations where the sleeve 100 is formed of less rigid material, the fold
lines 132 need not be
perforated and may simply be creased.
[0040] The ancillary portion 122 is contiguous with the main body portion
120 and
defines, in conjunction with the main body portion 120, a secondary loop, ring
or band 140
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(hereinafter referred to as "loop") having an upper opening 142 and a lower
opening 144.
The secondary loop 140 defined by the secondary ancillary portion 122 has a
generally
rectangular, horizontal cross-section and tapers inwardly from the upper
opening 142 to the
lower opening 144 giving the secondary loop 140 a truncated, generally
rectangular,
pyramidal shape. The secondary loop 140 is sized and configured to slidingly
receive and
frictionally hold an ancillary item therein when the ancillary item is
inserted into the
secondary loop 140 via the upper opening 142.
[0041] As can be seen, the ancillary portion 122 comprises a pair of
generally parallel
side wall sections 150a and 150b that are joined by a transverse outer wall
section 152. Side
wall section 150a is integral (i.e. contiguous) with and extends from the main
body portion
120. A transverse inner wall section 154 extends from the side wall panel 150b
partially
towards the side wall section 150a and is in juxtaposition with (i.e.
overlies) the outer or
outwardly facing surface 134 of the primary loop 124. A section 124a of the
primary loop
124 that extends from the distal edge of the inner wall section 154 to the
side wall section
150a completes the secondary loop 140. Fold lines 160a are provided in the
ancillary portion
122 at the intersections between the side wall sections 150a and 150b and the
outer and inner
wall sections 152 and 154. A fold line 160b is also provided in the side wall
section 150a
adjacent the primary loop 124. The fold lines 160a and 160b facilitate
collapsing of the
ancillary portion 122 into a generally flat, collapsed condition as will be
described. To
further facilitate collapsing of the ancillary portion 122, the fold lines
160a and 160b are
perforated. As with fold lines 132, those of skill in the art will appreciate
that, in other
embodiments, especially in situations where the sleeve 120 is formed of less
rigid material,
the fold lines 160a and 160b need not be perforated and may simply be creased.
[0042] The sleeve 100, in the expanded condition as shown in FIGS. 1 to 10,
provides
two side-by-side loops, namely primary loop 124 and secondary loop 140,
configured to
receive and hold a beverage container and ancillary item, such as a foodstuff
item,
respectively and in close proximity. The longitudinal centerlines of the
primary and
secondary loops 124 and 140 are generally parallel so that any beverage
container and
ancillary item held thereby are at similar orientations reducing the risk of a
held ancillary
item falling out of the secondary loop 140 while a beverage container is held
in the primary
loop 124.
[0043] Turning now to FIG. 11, a blank for constructing the sleeve 100 is
shown and is
generally identified by reference character 170. As can be seen, the blank 170
is of unitary
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construction and comprises an elongate strip of card stock material. The strip
of material has
an arcuate shape that extends from a first free end 172 to an opposite second
free end 174 and
defines an upper arcuate edge 176 and a lower arcuate edge 178. A first length
180 of the
strip, extending from free end 172 to a location 182 intermediate the opposite
free ends 172
and 174, defines the section of the strip forming the main body portion 120 of
the sleeve 100
that is used to construct the primary loop 124. A second, shorter length 184
of the strip
extending from the intermediate location 182 to the free end 174 defines the
section of the
strip forming the ancillary portion 122 that is used to construct the
secondary loop 140. The
perforated fold lines 132, that are transverse to the longitudinal centerline
of the strip, are
provided in the first length 180 of the strip at spaced locations to divide
the strip first length
into three (3) panels 190, 192 and 194 in seriatim. In this embodiment, panels
190 and 194
are generally similar in length while panel 192 is longer than panels 190 and
194. The
perforated fold lines 160a and 160b, that are also transverse to the
longitudinal centerline of
the strip, are provided in the second length 182 of the strip at spaced
locations to divide the
strip second length into four (4) panels 200, 202, 204 and 206 in seriatim.
Panels 200 and
204 define the side wall sections 150a and 150b, panel 202 defines the outer
wall section 152
and panel 206 defines the inner wall section 154 when the strip second length
is used to
construct the secondary loop 140.
[0044]
During construction of the sleeve 100 from the blank 170, the first strip
length 180
is folded into a loop so that a distal region 210 of the panel 190 adjacent
the free end 172
overlies (i.e. is in juxtaposition with) a region 212 of the panel 194 and the
panel regions 210
and 212 are adhered to one another to complete the primary loop 124. The
second strip
length 184 is folded about the fold lines 160a and 160b into a generally
rectangular,
pyramidal shape until the panel 206 defining the inner wall section 154
overlies (i.e. is in
juxtaposition with) a region of the outer surface of the primary loop 124 and
the panel 206
and outer surface region are adhered to complete the secondary loop 140. For
example, with
specific reference to FIG. 11, the first strip length 180 may be folded into a
loop by moving
the free edge 172 out of the page and in a right to left direction until the
back surface of the
panel 190 within distal region 210, that is not visible in FIG. 11, overlies
the visible surface
of panel 194 within region 212. In this case, the second strip length 184 is
folded into a loop
by moving the free edge 174 out of the page in a left to right direction to
bring the back
surface of the panel 206 (not visible in FIG. 11) into juxtaposition with the
now exposed back
surface of the panel 190. Alternatively, the first strip length 180 may be
folded into a loop by
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moving the free edge 172 into the page and in a right to left direction until
the visible surface
of panel 190 within distal region 210 overlies the back surface of panel 194
within region
212, that is not visible in FIG 11. In this case, the second strip length 184
is folded into a
loop by moving the free edge 174 into the page and in a left to right
direction to bring the
visible surface of the panel 206 into juxtaposition with the previously
visible surface of panel
190.
[0045] Once constructed, the sleeve 100 is ready for use to surround a
section of a
beverage container and receive an ancillary item. Prior to use, the design of
the sleeve 100
allows the sleeve to assume a generally flat, collapsed condition to
facilitate transportation
and storage.
[0046] FIGS. 12 to 14 show the sleeve 100 in the generally flat, collapsed
condition. In
the generally flat, collapsed condition, the main body portion 120 and the
ancillary portion
122 are both generally flat. When the main body portion 120 is collapsed, the
primary loop
124 bends at the fold lines 132 such that the panels 190 and 194 are brought
into
juxtaposition with panel 192 of the main body portion 122. When the ancillary
portion 124 is
collapsed, the secondary loop 140 bends at one or more of the fold lines 160a
and 160b such
that side wall section 150a becomes aligned with the outer wall section 152
and side wall
section 150b becomes aligned with inner wall section 154 and with aligned
sections 150a and
152 being in juxtaposition with aligned sections 150b and 154. To expand the
sleeve 100, a
user simply needs to manually pull the primary loop 124 and the secondary loop
140 open.
[0047] Although a section 124a of the primary 1oop124 defines a portion of
the secondary
loop 140, those of skill in the art will appreciate that the length of the
panel 206 may be
extended so that the inner wall section 154 defined by the panel 206 extends
completely
between the side wall sections 150a and 150b.
[0048] If desired, the ancillary portion 122 may include a base that at
least partially
closes the lower opening 144 of the secondary loop 140.
[0049] Although the first strip length 180 is shown and described as
comprising two fold
lines 132, those of skill in the art will appreciate that the first strip
length may include
additional fold lines to allow the horizontal cross-section of the primary
loop 124 to assume a
truer circular shape.
[0050] Although the secondary loop 140 is shown and described as having a
generally
rectangular, horizontal cross-section, it will be appreciated that in other
embodiments the
secondary loop 140 may have another suitable horizontal cross-section, such as
a semi-
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circular or crescent-shaped cross-section by adjusting the number of fold
lines 160a and 160b
provided in the second strip length 182.
100511 Although the sleeve 100 has been described as being formed of card
stock, those
of skill in the art will appreciate that the sleeve may be formed of other
suitable material such
as corrugated board, plastic etc. Depending on the flexibility or rigidity of
the selected
material, the number of transverse fold lines provided in the first and second
strip lengths and
the configurations of the fold lines may vary to facilitate folding of the
first and second strip
lengths into their respective loops.
[0052] Although embodiments have been described above and are shown in the
accompanying drawings, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that
variations and
modifications may be made without departing from the scope as defined by the
appended
claims, and the scope of the claims should be given the broadest
interpretation consistent with
the specification as a whole.
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