Foldable cup

Abstract

A foldable cup with a reinforced structure having a cup body and a shape-fixing ring, wherein the cup body is made of soft materials, and the cup body has a cup wall, a cup bottom integrally connected with a bottom of the cup wall, and at least two folding areas formed on the cup wall; the shape-fixing ring is a rigid ring fixed to an upper part of the cup body and covers a top edge of the cup body; and the cup body can be in an unfolded state or a folded state, wherein when the cup body is in the unfolded state, a cross section of the cup wall extends along a straight line.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A foldable cup comprising a cup body and a shape-fixing ring, wherein
 the cup body is made of soft materials, and the cup body comprises a cup wall and a cup bottom integrally connected with a bottom of the cup wall, wherein the cup wall comprises an inner surface, an outer surface, and at least two folding areas, wherein each of the folding area is an annular recess formed in and around the cup wall;   the shape-fixing ring is a rigid ring fixed to an upper part of the cup body and covers a top edge of the cup body; and   the cup body can be in an unfolded state or a folded state, wherein when the cup body is in the unfolded state, a cross section of the cup wall extends along a straight line.   
     
     
         2 . The foldable cup according to  claim 1 , wherein the folding areas comprises a first folding area and a second folding area, wherein
 the first folding area is an annular recess formed in the outer surface of the cup wall, and the first folding area is located at around an upper half of the cup wall;   the second folding area is an annular recess formed in the inner surface of the cup wall, and the second folding area is located at around a lower half of the cup wall and is spaced from and parallel to the first folding area; and   when the cup body is in the unfolded state, the inner surface of the cup wall between the first folding area and the shape-fixing ring is in contact with the inner surface of the cup wall between the first folding area and the second folding area, and the outer surface of the cup wall between the first folding area and the second folding area is in contact with the outer surface of the cup wall between the second folding area and the cup bottom.   
     
     
         3 . The foldable cup according to  claim 1 , wherein the shape-fixing ring is integrally formed on the upper part of the inner surface of the cup wall. 
     
     
         4 . The foldable cup according to  claim 2 , wherein the shape-fixing ring is integrally formed on the upper part of the inner surface of the cup wall. 
     
     
         5 . The foldable cup according to  claim 1 , wherein a width of the shape-fixing ring is between one tenth and one twentieth of a height of the cup wall. 
     
     
         6 . The foldable cup with according to  claim 4 , wherein a width of the shape-fixing ring is between one tenth and one twentieth of a height of the cup wall. 
     
     
         7 . The foldable cup according to  claim 1 , wherein the shape-fixing ring is made of metal comprising copper, titanium, aluminum alloy, or stainless steel. 
     
     
         8 . The foldable cup according to  claim 4 , wherein the shape-fixing ring is made of metal comprising copper, titanium, aluminum alloy, or stainless steel. 
     
     
         9 . The foldable cup according to  claim 1 , wherein the foldable cup further comprises a cup cap, and the cup cap is made of soft materials. 
     
     
         10 . The foldable cup according to  claim 4 , wherein the foldable cup further comprises a cup cap, and the cup cap is made of soft materials. 
     
     
         11 . The foldable cup according to  claim 6 , wherein the foldable cup further comprises a cup cap, and the cup cap is made of soft materials. 
     
     
         12 . The foldable cup according to  claim 2 , wherein the shape-fixing ring is at a position higher than the second folding area. 
     
     
         13 . The foldable cup according to  claim 4 , wherein the shape-fixing ring is at a position higher than the second folding area. 
     
     
         14 . The foldable cup according to  claim 9 , wherein an internal thread is formed on an inner surface of the shape-fixing ring, and an external thread corresponding to the internal thread is formed on the outer surface of the cup cap. 
     
     
         15 . The foldable cup according to  claim 11 , wherein an internal thread is formed on an inner surface of the shape-fixing ring, and an external thread corresponding to the internal thread is formed on the outer surface of the cup cap. 
     
     
         16 . The foldable cup according to  claim 1 , wherein an intersection angle of the straight line corresponds to the cross section of the cup wall and a line perpendicular to a plane of a bearing surface of the cup body is between 1° and 12.5°. 
     
     
         17 . The foldable cup according to  claim 9 , wherein an intersection angle between the straight line defined along the cup wall and a line perpendicular to a plane of a bearing surface of the cup body is between 1° and 12.5°. 
     
     
         18 . The foldable cup according to  claim 15 , wherein an intersection angle between the straight line defined along the cup wall and a line perpendicular to a plane of a bearing surface of the cup body is between 1° and 12.5°. 
     
     
         19 . The foldable cup according to  claim 1 , wherein an average thickness of the cup bottom is less than 5 mm. 
     
     
         20 . The foldable cup according to  claim 18 , wherein an average thickness of the cup bottom is less than 5 mm.