Beverage Cup Sleeve Device

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

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INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC OR AS A TEXT FILE VIA THE OFFICE ELECTRONIC FILING SYSTEM

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STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR JOINT INVENTOR

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(1) Field of the Invention

The disclosure relates to beverage cup devices and more particularly pertains to a new beverage cup device for either facilitating a user to grip a beverage cup or serving as a coaster. The device includes a sleeve that is tapered between a first end and a second end. The sleeve is positionable in a first orientation to facilitate the first end to insertably receive a beverage container such that the sleeve is positioned around the beverage container for gripping. The sleeve is positionable in a second orientation to facilitate the second end to be stretched around the beverage container. In this way the sleeve extends downwardly from the beverage container such that the sleeve can support the beverage container above a support surface.

(2) Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98

The prior art relates to beverage cup devices including a variety of cup sleeves that extend around a beverage cup, a variety of coaster devices that each attaches to a bottom end of a beverage cup and a variety of geometrically shaped beverage holders that fit around a beverage cup. In no instance does the prior art disclose a tapered beverage sleeve that is positionable in a first orientation to extend around a beverage cup to be gripped or a second orientation to extend downwardly from the beverage cup to act as a coaster.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a sleeve that has a first opening and a second opening. The first opening has a first diameter and the second opening has a second diameter. The sleeve is positionable in a first orientation having the first opening being directed upwardly to insertably receive a bottom end of a beverage container. The sleeve is positionable in a second orientation having the second opening being directed upwardly to be stretched around the bottom end of the beverage container. Furthermore, the sleeve is positionable on a support surface when the sleeve is in the second orientation to support the beverage container above the support surface thereby inhibiting the beverage container from damaging the support surface.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.

The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a beverage cup sleeve device according to an embodiment of the disclosure showing a sleeve in a first orientation.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the disclosure showing a sleeve in a second orientation.

FIG. 3 is a top view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 1 of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a perspective in-use view of an embodiment of the disclosure showing a sleeve in a first orientation.

FIG. 7 is a perspective in-use view of an embodiment of the disclosure showing a sleeve in a second orientation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1 through 7 thereof, a new beverage cup device embodying the principles and concepts of an embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by the reference numeral 10 will be described.

As best illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 7, the beverage cup sleeve device 10 generally comprises a sleeve 12 that has a first opening 14 and a second opening 16. The first opening 14 has a first diameter and the second opening 16 has a second diameter. The sleeve 12 is positionable in a first orientation having the first opening 14 being directed upwardly. In this way the first opening 14 can insertably receive a bottom end 18 of a beverage container 20 thereby facilitating the sleeve 12 to be positioned around the beverage container 20. The beverage container 20 may be a beverage cup that has a tapered outer wall 28 such as is commonly employed at fast food restaurants, for example.

The sleeve 12 is comprised of a thermally insulating material to inhibit thermal communication between the beverage container 20 and a user 21 gripping the sleeve 12. The sleeve 12 is positionable in a second orientation having the second opening 16 being directed upwardly. In this way the sleeve 12 can be stretched around the bottom end 18 of the beverage container 20. Furthermore, the sleeve 12 is positionable on a support surface 22 when the sleeve 12 is in the second orientation. In this way the sleeve 12 supports the beverage container 20 above the support surface 22 in the convention of a coaster to inhibit the beverage container 20 from damaging the support surface 22.

The sleeve 12 has a first end 24, a second end 26 and an outer wall 28 extending between the first end 24 and the second end 26. The first end 24 is open to define the first opening 14 and the second end 26 is open to define the second opening 16. The outer wall 28 slopes inwardly between the first end 24 and the second end 26 such that the first opening 14 has a diameter that is greater than a diameter of the second opening 16. The sleeve 12 is comprised of a resiliently stretchable material thereby facilitating the second end 26 of the sleeve 12 to be stretched around the beverage container 20. In this way the sleeve 12 extends downwardly from the beverage container 20 thereby facilitating the first end 24 of the sleeve 12 to be positioned on the support surface 22.

In use, the sleeve 12 can be positioned in the first orientation to facilitate the sleeve 12 to be positioned around the beverage container 20. In this way the user 21 can grip the sleeve 12 to drink from the beverage container 20. The sleeve 12 can be positioned in the second orientation to facilitate the sleeve 12 to be stretched around the beverage container 20 having the sleeve 12 extending downwardly from the beverage container 20. In this way the sleeve 12 can be positioned on a support surface 22, such as a tabletop for example, to inhibit the bottom end 18 of the beverage container 20 from leaving a ring on the support surface 22. In this way the beverage container 20 is inhibited from damaging furniture, for example, in a manner that commonly occurs without the use of a coaster.

With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, device and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.

Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.