Dripless paper cup

Abstract

A paper or foam cup having an aperture in the cap positioned to enable a user to drink from the cup through the aperture. Leakage through a gap between cap and cup, normally found in caps of the prior art formed by a step in the rim of the cup at the meeting location of the cup rim and seam of the cup, is prevented by any one of sevearal embodiments of the invention.

I claim:  
     
         1 . A beverage dispenser for enabling a user to drink from said dispenser which comprises: 
 a cup, being a sheet of paper having a thickness', and being substantially rectangular, and having a first pair of opposing edges and a second pair of opposing edges;    said sheet rolled to where one edge of said first pair of edges overlaps and adheres to another edge of said first pair of edges; whereby a truncated cone being side of a cup is formed having a seam of double said thickness formed by said overlapping first pair of edges;    a bottom panel adhered to one edge of said second pair of edges whereby a bottom of said cone is formed enabling said cup to hold said beverage;    another edge of said second pair of edges operably rolled to form a rim extending around said cone along said another edge of said second pair of edges whereby said cup, being a truncated cone with a closed bottom and open top with a rim, is formed;    a cap having a drinking aperture and arranged to snap onto said rim enabling a user to drink beverage from said cone through said aperture from said cup;    means for preventing spillage from said beverage dispenser resulting from one of: 
 (i) formation of a gap between said cap and said rim at a location where said rim meets said seam, said gap, without said means, resulting from a step in said rim formed by said double thickness of said seam in combination with a single thickness of said sheet remote from said location;  
 said gap resulting in leakage of beverage through said gap when said aperture in said cap is proximal to said gap when said user attempts to drink from said cup through said aperture.  
 (ii) said aperture in said cap, without said means for preventing, being proximal to a gap between said cap and said rim at a location where said rim meets said seam, said gap resulting from a step in said rim formed by said double thickness of said seam in combination with a single thickness of said sheet remote from said location.  
   
     
     
         2 . The beverage dispenser of  claim 1  wherein said spillage results from formation of said gap between said cap and said rim at a location where said rim meets said seam.; 
 said gap resulting in leakage of beverage through said gap when said aperture in said cap is proximal to said gap when said user attempts to drink from said cup through said aperture.  
 
     
     
         3 . The beverage dispenser of  claim 1  wherein said means for preventing formation comprises: 
 a strip of one of paper and polyethylene straddling and adhered along said rim including said location;  
 said strip secured by a non-toxic sealant;  
 said strip having feathered edges extending on both sides of said seam;  
 said cap having sufficient compliance to enable said cap to form a seal along an entire length of said strip.  
 
     
     
         4 . The beverage dispenser of  claim 3  wherein said strip has a trapezoidal shape operably arranged to provide that the thickness of the rim at the seam has a slope away from both sides of the seam.  
     
     
         5 . The beverage dispenser of  claim 2  wherein a second rim ( 36 ) is secured over said rim  
     
     
         6 . The beverage container of  claim 2  wherein said means for preventing formation comprises a shoulder formed in a corner of said sheet where said one edge of said first pair of edges meets said another edge of said second pair of edges providing that said entire rim comprises a single layer of rolled paper.  
     
     
         7 . The beverage container of  claim 2  wherein said means for preventing comprises said first pair of edges being feathered and joined to one another in an operable arrangement whereby thickness of said seam is substantially the same as the thickness of said sheet.  
     
     
         8 . The beverage container of  claim 7  comprising a rod inside said rim at said seam whereby said rim is strengthened.  
     
     
         9 . The beverage container of  claim 2  wherein said means for preventing spillage comprises a compliant gasket securely mounted on said cap arranged to form a seal with said rim when said cap is mounted on said rim.  
     
     
         10 . The beverage container of  claim 2  wherein said means for preventing leakage comprises said step being shaved at said step to where said step is converted to a sufficiently gradual slope to prevent formation of said gap.  
     
     
         11 . The beverage container of  claim 1  wherein said spillage results from said aperture in said cap being proximal to a gap between said cap and said rim at a location where said rim meets said seam, said gap resulting from a step in said rim formed by said double thickness of said seam in combination with a single thickness of said sheet remote from said location and said means for preventing spillage comprises: 
 means for avoiding placement of said cap on said cup with said aperture proximal to said seam.  
 
     
     
         12 . The beverage container of  claim 11  wherein said means for preventing spillage comprises: 
 said cap having a cap rim with a circumferential channel operably arranged to mate with said rim of said cup;  
 said channel having a channel width that varies from a maximum value at one cap rim location to a minimum value at a diametrically opposite cap rim location;  
 said cup rim having a width that varies from a maximum value at one cup rim location to a minimum value at a diametrically opposite cup rim location providing that said cup will mate with said cap only when said cap is oriented with respect to said cup in a position where said aperture is distal from said seam.  
 
     
     
         13 . The beverage container of  claim 11  wherein said means for avoiding comprises: 
 markings adjacent said cup rim and markings adjacent said cap rim and instructions on at least one of said cap rim and said cup rim directing a user to align said markings adjacent said cup rim with markings adjacent said cap rim arranged to provide that said aperture is distal from said seam.  
 
     
     
         14 . The beverage container of  claim 11  wherein said means for avoiding comprises: 
 said rim of said cup and a rim of said cap each configured with a thread dimensioned to permit screwing said cap onto said rim;  
 each said thread having a block operably arranged to provide that when said cap I screwed completely onto said rim, said block in said rim abuts said block in said cap where said aperture is distal from said gap.  
 
     
     
         15  A beverage dispenser for enabling a user to drink from said dispenser which comprises: 
 a cup, being a flexible sheet of one of paper and plastic having a thickness', and being substantially rectangular, and having a first pair of opposing edges and a second pair of opposing edges;  
 said sheet rolled to where one edge of said first pair of edges overlaps and adheres to another edge of said first pair of edges; whereby a truncated cone being side of a cup is formed having a seam of double said thickness formed by said overlapping first pair of edges;  
 a bottom panel adhered to one edge of said second pair of edges whereby a bottom of said cone is formed enabling said cup to hold said beverage;  
 another edge of said second pair of edges operably rolled to form a rim extending around said cone along said another edge of said second pair of edges whereby said cup, being a truncated cone with a closed bottom and open top with a rim, is formed;  
 a cap having a drinking aperture and arranged to snap onto said rim enabling a user to drink beverage from said cone through said aperture from said cup;  
 means for preventing spillage from said beverage dispenser resulting from one of: 
 (i) formation of a gap between said cap and said rim at a location where said rim meets said seam, said gap, without said means, resulting from a step in said rim formed by said double thickness of said seam in combination with a single thickness of said sheet remote from said location;  
 said gap resulting in leakage of beverage through said gap when said aperture in said cap is proximal to said gap when said user attempts to drink from said cup through said aperture.  
 (ii) said aperture in said cap, without said means for preventing, being proximal to a gap between said cap and said rim at a location where said rim meets said seam, said gap resulting from a step in said rim formed by said double thickness of said seam in combination with a single thickness of said sheet remote from said location.  
 
 
     
     
         16 . The beverage container of  claim 9  wherein said compliant gasket comprises a sponge.  
     
     
         17 . The dispenser of  claim 15  further comprising: 
 a sponge, being one of a ring secured around a circumference of said cup adjacent said rim and a sponge piece secured to an outside surface of said cup in an area of said surface including said seam and adjacent said lip.  
 
     
     
         18 . The dispenser of  claim 15  further comprising: 
 a sponge, being one of a ring secured around a circumference of said cap inside said cap adjacent said a rim of said cap and a sponge piece secured to an inside surface of said cap in an area adjacent said rim of said cap operably arranged to prevent leakage of beverafe through said gap.  
 
     
     
         19 . The dispenser of  claim 18  further comprising a hole in a surface of said cup positioned between said sponge and said lip arranged to provide that beverage that, when a user drinks from said cup with said cap mounted on said cup, beverage will be short circuited into said sponge through said hole and avoids flowing through said gap.  
     
     
         20 . The dispenser of  claim 17  wherein said sponge is material selected from a group of materials that consists of paper, cloth, synthetic material  
     
     
         21 . The dispenser of  claim 18  wherein said sponge is material selected from a group of materials that consists of paper, cloth, synthetic material.  
     
     
         22 . The dispenser of  claim 15  further comprising: said cap having a rim with a convoluted extension operably arranged to capture leakage of beverage that would otherwise spill onto the user.  
     
     
         23 . The dispenser of  claim 15  further comprising a band around said cup with an edge adjacent to the rim of the cup flared away from the cup to absorb or redirect leaking beverage away from the drinker.  
     
     
         24 . A method for preventing leakage onto a drinker of a beverage from a cup having a seam on a side of said cup forming a step in a lip of said cup and a cap that snaps onto said said rim, said cap having an aperture adjacent said lip for drinking said beverage, said leakage resulting when said gap is adjacent said gap, said method incluiding the step of instructing the drinker to avoid mounting the cap onto the cup with the cap oriented to where the aperture is adjacent said gap.