Collapsible drinking and storage receptacle

• US 6,736,285 B2
• Filed: 01/29/2003
• Issued: 05/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Theo A. Stewart-Stand
• Original Assignee: Theo A. Stewart-Stand
• Inventors: Stewart-Stand, Theo A.
• Primary Examiner(s): MOY, JOSEPH MAN
• Application Number:
  US10/353,864
• Publication Number:
  US 20030160055A1
• Time in Patent Office: 475 Days
• Field of Search: 220/666, 206/218
• US Class Current: 220/666
• CPC Class Codes: A45F 2003/205 Collapsible or foldable cups
• CPC Class Codes: A45F 3/20 of flexible material; Collapsible or stackable cups
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 21/086 Collapsible or telescopic containers B65D1/0292 and B65D21/068 take precedence

Abstract

A collapsible container such as a drinking cup has a disk-shaped bottom and a disk-shaped cover which fit one within the other and engage by catches. A molded inner cup body has its base connected to the bottom and a mouth surrounded with a ring which seals to the cover and springs up from the bottom to erect the cup when the catches are released.

Claims

1. A collapsible receptacle comprising:

a generally flat bottom member;

a memory-retentive intrinsically resilient molded one-piece cup-shaped body having a bottom connected to said bottom member, a collapsible wall extending upwardly from said bottom member to a mouth of the cup-shaped body in an erect state of said cup-shaped body;

a rim surrounding said mouth and connected to said wall;

a cover member fitting removably over said mouth and said rim; and

a catch formed on said members for releasably locking said cover member to said bottom member in a collapsed state of said receptacle and enabling said wall to spring erect upon release of said catch.

2. The collapsible receptacle defined in claim 1 wherein said members fit one within another in said collapsed state of the receptacle.

3. The collapsible receptacle defined in claim 1 wherein said cup-shaped body is composed of an elastomer.

4. The collapsible receptacle defined in claim 1 wherein said wall is a membrane of a synthetic resin material.

5. The collapsible receptacle defined in claim 1, wherein said cover member seals to said rim and closes said mouth.

6. The collapsible receptacle defined in claim 5 wherein the receptacle is a drinking cup and said wall tapers inwardly from said rim to said bottom member.

7. The collapsible receptacle defined in claim 6, further comprising a closable opening formed in said cover member through which a beverage in said cup can be imbibed.

8. The collapsible receptacle defined in claim 1 wherein said wall is formed with a helical corrugation for ordered collapse of said wall.

9. The collapsible receptacle defined in claim 1 wherein said bottom member is formed with an upwardly extending wall receivable in a downwardly extending apron formed on said cover member.

10. The collapsible receptacle defined in claim 9 wherein said catch includes projections on said apron and an L-shaped recess formed in said upwardly-extending wall of said bottom member projections to form bayonet connections therewith.

11. The collapsible receptacle defined in claim 6 wherein at least one of said cover member, said wall, said rim and said bottom member is provided with promotional indicia.

12. The collapsible receptacle defined in claim 1 in the form of a closable food-storage receptacle and wherein said members are geometrically similar and noncircular.

13. The collapsible receptacle defined in claim 12 wherein one of said member is receivable in the other of said members in a collapsed state of the receptacle.

14. The collapsible receptacle defined in claim 12 wherein one of said members is formed with a projection and the other of said members has an L-shaped recess receiving said projection to form said catch as a bayonet connection.