International Paper Company

Stephen M Blackman

Kurt D Jensen

David E Stier

A paperboard cup holder for use with a hot coffee cup, the cup being tapered as in the form of a cross section of a right circular cone of relatively small taper angle. Such cups are generally of paperboard or plastic and are often used in vending machines and fast food retail outlets for serving hot coffee. The holder is formed from a flat, generally arcuate unitary paperboard blank having a convex outer edge and a concave inner edge. The arcuate length of the blank is substantially the same as the mid circumference of the cup, and the ends of the blank are glued together to form an annular holder. The upper edge of the blank integrally carries a plurality of apertured flaps which bend 180 degrees to as to lie parallel with the main portion of the blank. When the holder is slid onto a cup, the apertured flaps are sandwiched between the outer (hot) surface of the cup and the main portion of the holder. The flap apertures define small, closed air chambers which assist, with the paperboard of the holder, in inhibiting heat flow to the fingers of the person holding the cup. Spaces between the flaps define air filled channels which further assist in inhibiting heat flow from the hot coffee to the finger tips of the user.

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Maineville, OH, United States of America

Stephen M Blackman