Cup

The present invention relates to a cup for the storage and dispensing of a liquid, for example a drink.

Paper cups are used widely in cafés and kiosks to serve hot drinks, such as coffee and hot chocolate, for consumers to drink where they are bought, or to take-away. Consumers are accustomed to drinking hot drinks from cups of this type and have come to associate them with high quality cafés and kiosks. In cafés and kiosks, drinks of this type are made to order using products, such as milk, which will quickly deteriorate in quality if stored at ambient temperatures for more than a few hours, or, at most, a few days. The cups may be provided with a lid to prevent spillage of the drink; however, the lids do not provide an air-tight seal and will not prolong the period of time for which the drink can be stored.

There is a demand for prepared drinks to be available in retail outlets, such as supermarkets, in a form that has a long shelf life so that they can be stored, and heated and consumed when desired.

According to the present invention there is provided a cup for storage and dispensing of a liquid comprising an inner cup, the open end of which is closed by an hermetic seal; and a sleeve around the inner cup engaging therewith, which extends beyond the open end of the cup.

Preferably, there is a liquid tight seal between the inner cup and the sleeve around the open end of the inner cup. Also according to the present invention there is provided a cup for storage and dispensing of a liquid comprising an inner cup, the open end of which is closed by an hermetic seal; and a sleeve around the inner cup engaging therewith such that a liquid tight seal exists between the rim of the cup and the inner surface of the sleeve.

Preferably, the filled inner cup has microbiological integrity, thus any micro-organisms on the outside of the inner cup will be unable to permeate through to the contents.

Preferably, the sleeve includes a wall closing the lower end thereof to form an outer cup.

Preferably, the sleeve and the inner cup engage together to prevent significant relative movement. In one embodiment, the inner surface of the sleeve has an annular channel with which the rim of the inner cup engages. More preferably, the rim of the inner cup has an annular flange which engages with the annular channel. This holds the inner cup in place within the sleeve to substantially prevent relative movement of the inner cup and the sleeve and can form a liquid tight seal to prevent leakage of liquid between the inner cup and the sleeve after opening.

Preferably, the inner cup is of a plastics material suitable for aseptic use. Once aseptically filled and hermetically sealed, the inner cup is substantially free from microbiological organisms so that the drink can be hygienically stored inside the inner cup at ambient temperatures for up to six months or more before consumption.

Preferably, the sleeve is paper, for example a conventional paper cup. In an aspect of the invention, and in preferred embodiments of the other aspect, the outer sleeve extends beyond the open end of the inner cup so that the consumer will not detect the inner cup with their lips. It will therefore feel to the consumer as if they are drinking from a conventional paper cup.

The hermetic seal can be provided by a lid of a metallic foil, such as aluminium foil, or a lid of a foil of a plastics material, or a lid of a laminate of a plastics material and/or metallic foils. Preferably, the lid includes a tab for removal of the lid from the inner cup when the consumer wishes to heat and drink the liquid in the cup. The tab may be at the edge of the lid or in the centre.

The cup may be used for liquids, in particular sterilised liquids, and the liquid may include solid edible pieces, for example a soup. The cup is particularly suitable for drinks and may be used for cold drinks, or for drinks which can be heated before consumption. If the drink is intended to be heated, the lid can include at least one vent hole which is sealed by the tab in order to retain the hermetic seal of the inner cup, but is openable by partial removal of the tab. The vent hole or holes can be opened by the consumer prior to heating and provide vents to avoid the build up of excessive pressure in the inner cup when the drink is heated.

The cup shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 comprises an inner cup 4 inside an outer cup 6. The inner cup 4 is a cup of a plastics material, of the type commonly used to store products which are subject to microbiological deterioration, for example dairy products such as cream and yoghurts. The main body 20 of the inner cup 4 is circular in cross section and tapers outwards from the bottom to the top. At the bottom of the inner cup 4, below the main body 20, is a lower portion 22 of a narrower diameter than the main body 20, which is connected to the main body by a shoulder 36. The lower portion 22 has a straight side wall and a bottom wall 24 with a circular recess 26, approximately 1 mm-2 mm deep. At the top of the inner cup is an upper portion 28, which flares outwards from the top of the main body 20. A flange protrudes horizontally from the edge of the upper portion to form a flat annular flange 30 around the rim of the inner cup 4.

The inner cup 4 is filled with a drink, such as a chocolate drink (not shown), which the consumer can heat up in the cup if desired. The inner cup 4 is manufactured by a conventional moulding method such as injection moulding or thermoforming and is filled with the drink in aseptic conditions, which ensures that the drink is sterile so that it has a relatively long shelf life. The drink itself may be subject to UHT (ultra heat treatment), or other treatment to sterilise it before packaging. The open end of the inner cup 4 is closed and hermetically sealed by a lid 8 made from a film of plastics material, which is adhered to the flange 30 of the upper portion 28.