Insulating cup wrapper and insulated container formed with wrapper

Abstract

A thermally insulated cup is formed from a single-walled paper or plastic inner cup and an insulating outer wrapper. The insulating outer wrapper comprises a paper base sheet or outer sidewall blank, optionally printed on one side, and a corrugated paper or foamed plastic insulating insert. The insulating insert is similar in shape to the outer sidewall blank but smaller in size. The insert is glued in a centered position to the non-printed side of the sidewall blank to form a two-layered insulating wrapper. Less than 20% of the area of the insert is glued to the base sheet. Specifically, no glue is applied to the area adjacent to the cut side edges of the insert, and as such these edges are not attached to the base sheet. The wrapper is then wrapped around the single walled inner cup. The side edges of the base sheet of the wrapper overlap and are sealed directly together to form a side seam. The side seam is itself adhesively secured to the side wall of the inner cup. The side edges of the insert do not come between the seal between the side seam of the base sheet and the inner cup. The wrapper can also be adhered to the inner cup by one or more beads of cold glue (paste adhesive) or a thin layer of polyethylene (or similar heat sealing material) can be pre-applied to the inside cut edges of the base sheet. This is then heat-activated immediately prior to wrapping the wrapper around the inner cup, and pressing the overlapping side seam to the sidewall of the inner cup to simultaneously glue the side seam together, and to glue the insulating wrapper to the side wall of the cup.

1 . A thermally insulated cup wrapper, comprising: 
 an outer base sheet having a plurality of boundary edges and a corresponding plurality of edge portions adjacent said boundary edges, respectively,    an insert sheet having a plurality of edges,    at least one of said outer base sheet and said insert sheet being made of insulating material to provide an insulating layer,    said insert sheet being adhered to one side of said outer base sheet to form a thermally insulated cup wrapper,    said insert sheet being smaller in size than said outer base sheet and being positioned on said outer base sheet so that said plurality of edge portions of said outer base sheet extend beyond said edges of said insert sheet,    whereby said thermally insulated cup wrapper can be wrapped around and adhered to a single wall cup to form a thermally insulated cup.    
   
   
       2 . The thermally insulated cup wrapper of  claim 1  wherein said insert sheet is made of insulating material.  
   
   
       3 . The thermally insulated cup wrapper of  claim 2  wherein said insert sheet is made of a material selected from the class consisting of corrugated material and foamed plastic.  
   
   
       4 . The thermally insulated cup wrapper of  claim 1  wherein said base sheet and said insert sheet each have a generally rectangular shape with four bounding cut edges, two of said edges being opposite side edges that are oriented at an acute angle to each other, the other two of said edges being opposite top and bottom edges that are curved and are oriented concentrically to each other.  
   
   
       5 . The thermally insulated cup wrapper of  claim 1  wherein said base sheet and said insert sheet are made of paper.  
   
   
       6 . The thermally insulated cup wrapper of  claim 1  wherein said insert sheet is coated with reflective material on at least one side thereof.  
   
   
       7 . The thermally insulated cup wrapper of  claim 1  wherein said insert sheet is made of insulating material selected from the class consisting of corrugated material and foamed plastic, said base sheet and said insert sheet each have four bounding cut edges, two of said edges being opposite side edges that are oriented at an acute angle to each other, the other two of said edges being opposite top and bottom edges that are curved and are oriented concentrically to each other and said base sheet and said insert sheet are made of paper.  
   
   
       8 . The thermally insulated cup wrapper of  claim 1 , further including a cup having a bottom and a side wall, said thermally insulated cup wrapper being wrapped around and adhered to said cup.  
   
   
       9 . A thermally insulated container, comprising: 
 a cup having a side wall, said side wall having an inside and an outside surface,    a thermally insulated cup wrapper being wrapped around and adhered to said outside surface of said side wall of said cup,    said cup wrapper comprising a plurality of layers comprising an outer base sheet and an insert sheet,    said outer base sheet having a plurality of boundary edges and a corresponding plurality of edge portions adjacent said boundary edges, respectively,    said insert sheet having a plurality of edges,    at least one of said base sheet and said insert sheet being an insulating layer,    said insert sheet being adhered to one side of said outer base sheet,    said insert sheet being smaller in size than said outer base sheet and being positioned on said outer base sheet so that said plurality of edge portions of said outer base sheet extend beyond said edges of said insert sheet.    
   
   
       10 . The thermally insulated cup wrapper of  claim 9  wherein said insert sheet is made of said insulating material.  
   
   
       11 . The thermally insulated cup wrapper of  claim 10  wherein said insulating material is selected from the class consisting of corrugated material and foamed plastic.  
   
   
       12 . The thermally insulated cup wrapper of  claim 9  wherein said base sheet and said insert sheet are made of paper.  
   
   
       13 . The thermally insulated cup wrapper of  claim 12 , further including a coating of reflective material on at least one side of said insert sheet.  
   
   
       14 . The thermally insulated cup wrapper of  claim 9  wherein said base sheet and said insert sheet each have four bounding cut edges, two of said edges being opposite side edges that are oriented at an acute angle to each other, the other two of said edges being opposite top and bottom edges that are curved and are oriented concentrically to each other.  
   
   
       15 . The thermally insulated cup wrapper of  claim 9  wherein said insert sheet is made of insulating material selected from the class consisting of corrugated material and foamed plastic, said base sheet and said insert sheet each having four bounding cut edges, two of said edges being opposite side edges that are oriented at an acute angle to each other, the other two of said edges being opposite top and bottom edges that are curved and are oriented concentrically to each other and said base sheet and said insert sheet are made of paper.  
   
   
       16 . A method of forming a thermally insulated container, comprising; 
 providing an outer base sheet having a plurality of boundary edges and a corresponding plurality of edge portions adjacent said boundary edges, respectively,    providing an insert sheet having a plurality of edges,    at least one of said outer base sheet and said insert sheet being made of insulating material to provide an insulating layer,    adhering said insert sheet to one side of said outer base sheet to form a thermally insulated cup wrapper,    making said insert sheet being smaller in size that said outer base sheet and positioning said insert sheet on said outer base sheet so that said plurality of edge portions of said outer base sheet extend beyond said edges of said insert sheet,    providing a cup having a closed bottom and a side wall,    wrapping said thermally insulated cup wrapper around said side wall of said cup and adhering said thermally insulated cup wrapper to said side wall,    
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 16  wherein said insert sheet is made of said insulating material, said insulating material being selected from the class consisting of corrugated material and foamed plastic, said base sheet and said insert sheet each having four cut edges, two of said edges being opposite side edges that are oriented at an acute angle to each other, the other two of said edges being opposite top and bottom edges that are curved and are oriented concentrically to each other, and said base sheet and said insert sheet are made of paper.  
   
   
       18 . A cup made by the method of  claim 16 .  
   
   
       19 . The thermally insulated cup wrapper of  claim 16  wherein said insert sheet is made of said insulating material.  
   
   
       20 . The thermally insulated cup wrapper of  claim 19  wherein said insulating material is selected from the class consisting of corrugated material and foamed plastic.  
   
   
       21 . The thermally insulated cup wrapper of  claim 16  wherein said base sheet and said insert sheet each have a generally rectangular shape with four bounding cut edges, two of said edges being opposite side edges that are oriented at an acute angle to each other, the other two of said edges being opposite top and bottom edges that are curved and are oriented concentrically to each other.  
   
   
       22 . The thermally insulated cup wrapper of  claim 16  wherein said cup is made substantially from plastic material.  
   
   
       23 . A thermally insulated container, comprising: 
 a cup having a side wall,    an insulating wrapper wrapped around said side wall of said cup, said insulating wrapper being comprised of a base sheet and an insulating insert sheet, said base sheet and said insulating insert sheet each having cut side edges, said insulating insert sheet having a smaller surface area than said base sheet,    said insulating insert sheet being adhered to said base sheet such that said cut side edges of said base sheet extend beyond said cut side edges of said insert sheet, and at least one area adjacent said cut side edges of said insert sheet is free of said base sheet,    said cut side edges of said base sheet being overlapped and sealed directly to each other to form a side seam, and    said base sheet being adhesively attached to said side wall of said cup.    
   
   
       24 . The thermally insulated cup of  claim 23  wherein said insulating insert sheet is made of a material selected from the class consisting of corrugated material and foamed plastic.  
   
   
       25 . The thermally insulated cup of  claim 23  wherein less than 20% of the area of said insert sheet is adhesively attached to said base sheet.  
   
   
       26 . The thermally insulated cup of  claim 23  wherein said cup is made from substantially plastic material.  
   
   
       27 . The thermally insulated cup of  claim 23  wherein said cup is made from substantially paper material.