Solo Cup Company

Solo Cup Operating Corporation

Randy Golden

Stephen Alan Smith

Warren Giles Wiedmeyer

Kevin Ray Smith

Kimberly Vaile Healy

Rudy DesChamps

Irshad Khan

John Howard Loudenslager

Brian C Bone

Jan Rolf Stillerman

Bryce C Rutter

A container is disclosed, generally having an open top defined by an annular rim, a base, and a sidewall extending between the top and the base. The sidewall has two arcuately formed longitudinal recesses, an annular rib, an annular shoulder located between the longitudinal recesses and the base, and a lower portion extending between the annular shoulder and the base. The annular shoulder is characterized by two arched portions aligned with the longitudinal recesses, and the lower portion has two beveled portions aligned with the longitudinal recesses. This container is more ergonomic, and has greater sidewall strength and rigidity, than existing containers.

Ergonomic disposable cup having improved structural integrity

A lip rolling apparatus for open-mouthed stacked thermoplastic containers is disclosed. One particular apparatus includes components for presenting a nested stack of containers having unrolled lips to a rim roller, engaging individual cups on a screw assembly, heating a supply of air in a heater to a desired temperature, discharging the supply of heated air toward the containers as they are engaged on the screw assembly, and rolling the lips of the containers in the screw assembly. The present invention may be designed to prevent the screw assembly from operating until the supply of air reaches the desired temperature. Additionally, the heater (e.g., a forced air heater) may be moved between an initial position proximate the nested stack of containers and a safety position in response to a signal. Such a signal may be generated in response to a temperature sensor, system error, or any other such triggering episode.

Apparatus for forming rolled lips on thermoplastic containers

Shoulder of a disposable cup

Ergonomic disposable cup

A system and method for stacking a predetermined number of nestable objects is disclosed, including several alternative embodiments. The system is preferably designed for use with a plurality of nestable objects each having a measurable thickness. A cavity is configured for containing the nestable objects in an orientated position. The objects may be taken directly from a manufacturing process or otherwise loaded to the system at a receiving end. An ejector mechanism operates at the receiving end of the cavity to tamp, by relatively short strokes, successive objects into the cavity until a predetermined number of objects is achieved. At the point of tamping the last object into the cavity, the ejector executes a longer stroke to advance the now vertically oriented and stacked objects toward a discharge end of the cavity. A flange is functionally positioned proximate the discharge end of the cavity to create a span within the cavity having a length. In use the flange halts the advancement of an edge of the stacked arrangement of objects while the remaining edges continue forward. The result is a change in the orientation of the stacked arrangement of nestable objects upon reaching the predetermined number of objects within the cavity. The reorienting objects are simultaneously discharged from the cavity. The length of the span created by the flange and the cycled ejector strokes cooperate within the cavity to allow for the reorientation of the same number of stacked objects each cycle.

System and method for stacking a predetermined number of nestable objects

A lip rolling method for open-mouthed stacked thermoplastic containers. One particular method includes presenting a nested stack of containers having unrolled lips to a rim roller, engaging individual cups on a screw assembly, heating a supply of air in a heater to a desired temperature, discharging the supply of heated air toward the containers as they are engaged on the screw assembly, and rolling the lips of the containers in the screw assembly. The present invention may be designed to prevent the screw assembly from operating until the supply of air reaches the desired temperature. Additionally, the heater (e.g., a forced air heater) may be moved between an initial position proximate the nested stack of containers and a safety position in response to a signal. Such a signal may be generated in response to a temperature sensor, system error, or any other such triggering episode.

Method of forming rolled lips on thermoplastic containers

Growing community of inventors

Ada, OK, United States of America

Randy Golden