INSULATED SLEEVE PATENTS AND PATENT APPLICATIONS | WEEK #5

Hey guys,

For this week's blog post, I will be discussing the backgrounds, priority dates, technologies, specifications, diagrams, and claims of the following patents:

1. US 6343735 B1: Insulating sleeve
2. US 2661889 A:  Thermal coffee cup
3. US 8,251,277 B1: Thermal sleeve, method for manufacturing a thermal sleeve, and combination cup and thermal sleeve
4. US 7,922,031 B1: Insulator sleeve for a beverage container
5. US 8118189 B1: Temperature-indicating sleeve and related container
6. US 6152363: Sleeve construction for improved paperboard cup insulation
7. US 20080078824 A1: Beverage cup sleeving system and method
8. US 20100019023 A1: Protective sleeve
9. US 20140151385 A1: Hot and cold cup sleeve

This will be a longer post, so for the sake of time, I am just going to dive right into it!

Patent #1:

• US 6343735 B1: Insulating sleeve
• Priority Date: May 4th, 2000
• Background: Hot beverages used to be served in foam plastic containers because of their strong insulation, but foam plastic has raised environmental concerns over the course of the last decade.
• Technology: Provides the user with a gripping surface that remains at a comfortable temperature despite the temperature of the liquid.
• Specifications: Ridges that run from top to bottom and from top to middle and two side cardboard folded sections with air gaps in order to reduce heat transfer.
• Claim Analysis: The invention is a sleeve with a top and bottom opening that wraps snugly around a cup containing liquids with high temperatures. It has two cardboard side flaps that offer an area of separation between the cup and the user's hand, allowing the beverage to cool down.

Patent #2:

• US 2661889 A:  Thermal coffee cup
• Priority Date: July 20th, 1948
• Background: This was the first invention that provided insulation from hot beverages that raised the temperature of the surface of the cups they filled.
• Technology: A coffee cup that insulates hot beverages without the use of any third-party objects or sleeves.
• Specifications: An outer frusto-conical shaped sleeve and an inner corrugated lining.
• Claim Analysis: The invention is a cup that contains an inner layer and an outer surface that provide an area of separation between the user's hand and the hot beverage. It has a bottom surface like all cups, but also has the functionality of being able to screw on a lid on the top for further heat retention or emission.

Patent #3:

• US 8,251,277 B1: Thermal sleeve, method for manufacturing a thermal sleeve, and combination cup and thermal sleeve
• Priority Date: April 15th, 2005
• Background: Prior to the creation of the thermal sleeve, multiple cups were often used to provide a layer of thermal insulation.
• Technology: The thermal sleeve provides insulation to protect a user's hand when holding an article that is hot or cold. The thermal sleeve can be referred to as a cup sleeve when it is used to wrap a cup.
• Specifications: Includes a layer of creped paper in order to provide thermal insulation.
• Claim Analysis: The invention includes claims on a cup sleeve, a cup sleeve in the form of a laminate, a thermal sleeve, a combination cup and cup sleeve, and a method for manufacturing a cup sleeve.

Patent #4:

• US 7,922,031 B1: Insulator sleeve for a beverage container
• Priority Date: March 1, 2006
• Background: With the increase of disposable paperboard coffee cups, various types of disposable coffee cup sleeves have been devised to eliminate the previous practice of “double cupping,” wherein an additional paperboard coffee cup was used to insulate the heat of the coffee from the consumer's hand. 
• Technology: A reusable insulation sleeve that provides a transparent area to allow for increased customizability.
• Specifications: Includes an opaque frusto-conical inner sleeve and a frusto-conical outer sleeve which may be made from vinyl, silicon rubber, or any other material with strong insulation properties.
• Claim Analysis: The invention includes claims on a reusable insulating sleeve with two frusto-conical layers that provide a layer of separation between the user's hand and hot surface of the disposable coffee cup.

Patent #5:

• US 8118189 B1: Temperature-indicating sleeve and related container
• Priority Date: December 15th 2006
• Background: When hot beverages are purchased for immediate consumption, they are most often sold in a disposable, insulated cup. Because the cup is at least partially insulated, it is very difficult for the consumer to know if the beverage is too hot for consumption, unless they feel the contents.
• Technology: A temperature-indicating sleeve capable of being placed on or around and in contact with an outer surface of a container. 
• Specifications: The sleeve comprises a top opening, a bottom opening, at least one sleeve wall having an outer surface; and a visually observable temperature indicator on or in the sleeve wall. The temperature indicator is calibrated according to the known insulating property of the container and/or the sleeve and is capable of determining a temperature of contents of the container to an accuracy of within about 4 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Claim Analysis: The claim provides for the temperature indicating sleeve itself, a container in combination with the sleeve, a sleeve for a container that insulates a hot or cold container from the user's hand, and the method for making it.

Patent #6:

• US 6152363: Sleeve construction for improved paperboard cup insulation
• Priority Date: May 3rd, 1999
• Background: This invention relates to the construction of sleeves for use with paperboard cups. Such structures of this type, generally, employ a paperboard sleeve backed with hot-melt glue dots which are used to improve the insulating characteristics of a paperboard cup to the same level of common polystyrene cups.
• Technology:  The invention offers a sleeve construction for providing insulation for a container.
• Specifications: Comprises a substantially smooth paperboard sleeve having a predetermined length and height and first and second sides, a plurality of air-gap means rigidly attached to the first side of the sleeve such that the air-gap means are individually spaced along the length, height, and first side of the sleeve in columns and rows, and a layer of printed graphics located substantially on the second side of the sleeve.
• Claim Analysis: The claim provides for a container sleeve that is made of a smooth paperboard material and has thermal air gaps to allow for quick and easy cooling and a section containing graphics for differentiation.

Patent #7:

• US 20080078824 A1: Beverage cup sleeving system and method
• Priority Date: April 23rd, 2006
• Background: When paper-based cups are filled with a hot liquid, soup, coffee, and tea they are difficult to handle. In addition they can be uncomfortable to handle when cold and become slippery due to condensation.
• Technology:  The invention offers an elastomer sleeve construction for providing insulation for a container and is resistant to water damage.
• Specifications: Comprises a layer of elastomer formed into a homogeneous seamless conical sleeve, the conical sleeve having an exterior surface, an interior surface an upper opening and a lower opening, wherein the upper opening is configured for receiving a beverage cup, and the inner surface of the conical sleeve is configured to contact an outer surface of the beverage cup. Another embodiment comprises a thermal cup protector comprising an elastomeric and fabric composite sleeve, a conical configuration and with opposed open top end and open bottom end, an exterior surface and an interior surface, the interior surface configured for receiving a beverage container with a frusto-conical shape.
• Claim Analysis: The claim provides for an elastomer formed into a homogenous conical sleeve with an exterior surface, an interior surface, and upper and lower boundaries.

Patent #8:

• US 20100019023 A1: Protective sleeve
• Priority Date: July 25th, 2008
• Background: Hot and cold beverages and food (e.g., coffee, tea, soft drinks, soup, ice cream, and the like) may present a handling problem to consumers when dispensed into containers such as drinking cups.
• Technology:  The invention offers a sleeve with a unique arch shape. Sleeves are sometimes used to supplement the thermal insulating properties of containers by, for example, reducing the rate of heat transfer between a container and a hand gripping the container.
• Specifications: The sleeve, when unassembled and laid flat, is a blank with top and bottom edges. The top and bottom edges have an arch-like formation created by peaks and troughs.
• Claim Analysis: The claim provides for a sleeve is disclosed having a unique arch-like shape that facilitates manufacturing material efficiency and therefore reduces material costs and environmental waste. A blank for a sleeve and a method of making a sleeve are also disclosed.

Patent #9:

• US 20140151385 A1: Hot and cold cup sleeve
• Priority Date: February 6th, 2014
• Background: Hot cup sleeves do not work well for cold drinks A cold drink gathers moisture on the outer surface of the cup. The moisture drips down onto the tabletop. The condensation makes a cardboard cup sleeve soggy when wet. Another difficulty is that moisture has a tendency to undo the glue that fastens the two ends of the cup sleeve together.
• Technology:  The invention offers a sleeve for use with hot or cold beverage cups. The sleeve is extremely lightweight, thin, inexpensive, and disposable. It is also a highly effective insulator for hot drinks.
• Specifications: The inner layer or lining is water-absorbent. This prevents condensation from dripping onto the table. The outer layer is made of a non-woven synthetic fabric for purposes of keeping the hand dry. The inner and outer layers are adhered together with a polyethylene film, which is not visible after fabrication. The two ends of the sleeve may be glued or hot-melted together.
• Claim Analysis: The claim provides for a disposable sleeve for beverage cups, comprising a water-absorbent lining, a water-repellent outer layer, and a polyethylene coating laminate film layer as an adhesive to bind said lining to said outer layer, wherein the material for said lining is selected from the group consisting of resin and pulp the material for said outer layer is selected from the group consisting of polypropylene, polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, viscous rayon, acrylic, aramid, and nylon.