Heat insulating covering for beverage containers

Abstract

A beverage container insulator which is substantially tubular and resiliently engages a beverage container has an inner surface, an outer surface, an upper end, and a lower end, the inner surface of the sleeve is configured to permit the sleeve to engage the outer peripheral surface of beverage container with the outer surface being composed of foam and the inner surface being composed of a lamination to permit a user to conveniently slide a beverage container therein.

1 . A beverage container insulator comprising: 
 a substantially tubular sleeve to resiliently engage a beverage container having an    inner surface, an outer surface, an upper end and a lower end,    the inner surface of the sleeve configured to permit the sleeve to engage outer peripheral surface of beverage container with the outer surface being composed of foam and the inner surface being composed of a lamination to permit a user to conveniently slide beverage container therein.    
   
   
       2 . The beverage container insulator in  claim 1  further comprising a shrink film layer circumferentially engaging outer periphery of sleeve while permitting indicia printed thereon.  
   
   
       3 . The beverage container insulator of  claim 1  wherein the foam is polyethylene.  
   
   
       4 . The beverage container insulator of  claim 1  wherein upper end of sleeve is tapered to substantially conform to an outside surface of a bottle.  
   
   
       5 . The beverage container insulator of  claim 1  wherein sleeve is a truncated version covering only a substantial portion of a beverage container.  
   
   
       6 . The beverage container insulator of  claim 1  wherein diameter of aperture of lower end approximates largest circumference of beverage containers, the beverage container to have a diameter approximately 2 millimeters less than diameter of beverage container insulator.  
   
   
       7 . The beverage container insulator of  claim 1  wherein foam is imprinted with indicia.  
   
   
       8 . The beverage container insulator of  claim 2  wherein shrink film is imprinted with indicia.  
   
   
       9 . The beverage container insulator of  claim 2  wherein the shrink film is polyvinyl chloride.  
   
   
       10 . The beverage container insulator of  claim 2  wherein the diameter of aperture of upper end approximates the largest circumference of circumference of an upper end of beverage container.  
   
   
       11 . A method of manufacture of beverage container insulator comprising the steps of: 
 passing a sheet of two foam layers sandwiching a lamination layer having an upper side and a lower side through a seaming apparatus and    passing the sheet of two foam layers sandwiching a lamination layer and having an upper side and a lower side through a cutting apparatus.    
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 11  further comprising a step of passing the sheet of two foam layers sandwiching a lamination layer having an upper side and a lower side through a print station apparatus.  
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 12  wherein the print station apparatus is a silk screen printer.  
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 11  wherein the cutting apparatus is a die cutter.  
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 11  further comprising a step of affixing shrink film to the outer surface of beverage container insulator.  
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 15  further comprising a step of printing indicia on outer surface of shrink film.  
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 11  wherein seaming apparatus is a heat welding apparatus.  
   
   
       18 . A method for engaging a heat insulator sleeve onto a beverage container comprising the steps of: 
 sliding beverage container into beverage container insulator;    sliding shrink film on beverage container insulator;    applying heat to shrink film such that shrink film creates an interference fit between beverage container insulator and the beverage container.    
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 18  further comprising step of printing indicia upon shrink film.  
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 18  wherein the beverage container is a bottle.