CollapsibleThermallyInsulatingContainer

The invention relates to a means of collapsing containers in relation, but not limited to, foodstuffs.

There is a growing awareness of the damage that single use items such as; plastic bags, plastic bottles, and disposable cups place on the environment. This is due to the fact they typically have a comparatively short product use cycle, and for the large part are not widely recycled and do not easily biodegrade.

To combat this detriment to the environment, there has been an increase of emphasis in the use of reusable items, like travel tumblers and reusable bags. Some of these developments and product types in respect to containers for foodstuffs, have adopted offering a collapsing functionality to make them easier to transport, and overall, better facilitate ease in reuse in congruence with day to day living. More specific examples of this take the form of collapsible cups and mugs. There are however some inherent limitations in performance and functionality that said design solutions offer, and the innovative steps taken within the proposed invention seek to address these with a more optimal design solution.

There are several general forms and given functions as to which the collapsing functionality have been attributed thus far and in reference to previous patents and prior art, and these can be seen as generally in relation to:

1. Single walled coaxially arranged telescopic rings—with differing means of interlocking and actioning the collapsing functionality.

2. Silicone/rubber based semi flexible body—reliant on an interplay between thick and thin sections of the given material, to utilize both the rigidity incumbent with thick sections when in its expanded form and collapsed nested position, and the flexibility offered with thinner sections to enable the action for movement between the extended and collapsed rested states.

3. Alternating flexible and more rigid materials—interposed throughout the body of the design, to experience the rigidity and thermal insulating properties of the rigid material when in its expanded ‘in use’ state, with the flexible material offering the means through which the collapsing mechanism can be actioned either way i.e. from collapsed and nested to expanded for in use, or vice versa.

4. Coaxially arranged rigid telescopic outer ring sections, coupled with a flexible inner liner—these are the most similar in function and form to the proposed invention, but suffer inherent inconsistencies and alternate modes of operation, that prohibit them from experiencing the range of benefits of the proposed design solution and the inventive steps therein. They also implicitly constrict the influence their design solutions have through the claims and respective art, and do not limit the scope of the claims of the proposed invention, which will be expanded upon.

Examples of respective prior art to groups 1-4, and inherent differences from the proposed invention, are;

1. Single walled coaxially arranged telescopic rings—U.S. Pat. Nos. 879,753, 1,093,873, 3,285,459, 5,862,932, 8,646,640, US20110303659A1, U.S. Pat. No. 6,666,329, WO2010144568A2 and potentially similar other.

Said prior art does not interfere with present invention due to respective interlocking functionalities between given coaxially arranged intersecting parts being different in nature and design, and not having an inner liner and/or separating wall of internal contents from outer ring/coaxially arranged intersecting sections.

2. Silicone/rubber based semi flexible body—DE202014101047U1, US20200305619A1, U.S. Pat. No. 9,723,942, US20050127073A1, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,384,138, 5,549,213, US20190368799A1, U.S. Pat. No. 9,492,033 and potentially similar other.

Given design solutions and art enact the collapsing functionality on very different premise to the proposed invention, namely in that they describe the compression of the upper and bottom most surfaces to facilitate said collapsing function. It also on the basis that there is a variance in thickness of the flexible body material, through which it utilizes both the rigidity to hold its rested positions in both expanded and collapsed states, with the thicker sections and the thinner sections to facilitate the stretching and given movement between said states.

They also do not experience through description or design any double walled embodiments that offer greater heat retentive qualities, and benefits therein.

3. Alternating flexible and more rigid materials—EP2997849A1, US20130032592A1, US20180194517A1 and potentially similar other.

Said embodiments incur similar limitations in function as with the singular flexible material with varying thicknesses, mainly and namely that they do not benefit from any of the insulating properties that are experience through having an offset inner liner from an outer walled structure when in the expanded form. The given rested states to which it is attributed in the; expanded, collapsed and other states, is reached in a fundamentally differing means than that of the proposed invention.

4. Coaxially arranged rigid telescopic outer ring sections, coupled with a flexible inner liner—US20110284547A1, US20130264340A1, US20150291309A1, US20110248037A1 and potentially similar other.

Though most similar in; nature, description, and design to that of the proposed invention, there are very notable implicit functional differences that make their influence different in respect to any influence as to the fundamentals of how the proposed invention works. The most important and apparent of these being; the means through which the inner liner is affixed to the outer shell sections, and the description of how each of the coaxially arranged rigid outer sections interrelates and most notably in defining and maintaining the; expanded, collapsed, and intermediary states.

For means of facilitating description and clarity therein for respective feature sets, the terms; ‘upward’, ‘vertical’ and ‘downward’ motions would be taken as that which is in perpendicular in movement from the surface of the base of the structure. Similarly the term ‘lateral’ or ‘horizontal’ movement and/or motion can be taken as to that which would be generally adjacent to the bottom most layer of the bottom ring section.

The present invention aims to supersede the; performance, utility, and functionality of the prior art design solutions, by offering several design attributes and inventive steps that make it superior to use, and more amenable to the demands of day-to-day life.

In respect to a general overview of how this is accomplished and the performance features therein, it is by:

This enhancement in design and given attributes are accomplished through having an outer body shell that comprises of numerous coaxially arranged telescopic rigid ring section, which facilitate the collapsing and expansion of said design, offering the rigidity required when in either of the end states i.e. collapsed and/or expanded, and also intermediary states of rest. Said outer shell is semi permanently affixed to a flexible inner liner at the upper most ring section at the top, and potentially lower most ring section on the inside bottom also to ensure internal structural consistency in performance.

The means through which the inner liner and outer shell sections are connected, is dependent on the flexibility and respective surface friction coefficient of the contact of both materials of the respective ring section and inner liner, with each the top and potential bottom connections having a male/female connection in some form. For example this could be a plurality of tabs or plugs on the upper most ring section, that insert into respective holes in the inner liner upper section, through which a secure and semi fastening connection is made.

Likewise with the potential fixation at the bottom of the design, that could be the inner liner offering the male connection, that inserts into a gap through which the flexible material is to cause friction when inserted into. Both examples could operate in a vice versa basis, with the male and female offerings being essentially interchangeable to offer the same fundamental functionality.

The end states of; the collapsed position, the expanded set state, and intermediary states of rest, are dictated and facilitated through the relation of a plurality of grooves on the inside of given coaxially arranged telescopic ring sections, and plurality of respective tabs that are proximate the top of numerous ring sections and directed effectively outward from the given ring sections. These tabs and respective grooves, limit the movement given to the ring sections when they are being acted upon, either to maintain their current semi-permanent resting state, or are effectively unlocked to move vertically between said numerous resting states.

Within each of the said grooves on the inside of the telescopic ring sections, there are ridges located proximate to the upper most and lower most rested states, which limit the movement of the tabs in the grooves. This allows for the user to enact whether the rested and nested position should be in use, or whether a change in state is enacted.

There are essentially two positions and states that the tabs which are nested in the respective grooves can be in, and that is the ‘locked’ position and the ‘unlocked’ position, both of which are only terms of reference and do not express a state that is in any way permanent. It is through the ridges within said grooves, that the limitation of said positions is enacted, and on the users part it is through counter twisting of given telescopic sections to transpose the overall state of the structure from one state to the other, for example ‘locked’ to ‘unlocked’ or vice versa.

On the base/lower most section, there are means through which to enact this twisting force such as grooves on the bottom surface, and otherwise for the intermediary and upper most telescopic sections the force is generally applied through a pincer and clamping action on the outside general surface of the ring sections. There alternatively could be further outward facing tabs through which this counter twisting is enacted for the intermediary and upper most ring sections, to move the tabs on the inside that are deferential to the inner grooves over the ridges from a ‘locked’ position to ‘unlocked’, or vice versa.

The ridges that have been hitherto described as being within the grooves on the inside surface of the telescopic rings, are positioned such that they are in effect perpendicular to the bottom surface of the bottom ring section. This limitation precludes and mitigates motion between the ‘unlocked’ and ‘locked’ positions without being actioned by the user, as has been previously noted, and the actionable motion of the tab is offered laterally across the prohibitive ridges.

The extensive motion that is offered by the grooves and deferential tabs is longitudinal, or rather upward and downward, due to the fact it is when in the ‘unlocked position’ that the transition between rested states is enacted which is larger in scope than when alternating between ‘unlocked’ and ‘locked’ states. There are respectively upper and lower limits within this structure, that prohibit movement beyond a certain extent, to maintain the overall integrity of the design and structure. These limits are either given solely within the grooves, with the grooves themselves prohibiting certain longitudinal motions with the deferential outward facing tabs, or additional structural means facilitating this functionality through other appropriate mechanisms, such as additional tabs on the inner surface of each of the telescopic ring sections limiting motion proximate to the top of the ring sections.

The invention pertains to a collapsing thermally insulating container of food stuffs, as illustrated with a preferred embodiment in, in both the maximally expanded state, and fully collapsed state. Fundamentally the invention relies on the interplay and interaction of a number of core constituent product areas and respective functionality types, namely; the lid, the inner sleeve, and a plethora of coaxially orientated telescopic sections.

With both the lid sectionand the body, there are also a number of potential constituent parts that facilitate the overall functionality, and in some cases are non exclusive in their functionality type, and others a more optional embodiment. A more expanded view is given inthat details this to some extent in this embodiment.

When the invention is in its collapsed stateor any of the intermediary states, the inner sleevebeing flexible in nature, naturally folds and accommodates the change in internal limits and volume placed upon it. The inner sleeve material would be something akin to; liquid injection moulded silicone, compression moulded silicone, TPE, TPU or the like thereof

The body of the product, which could otherwise be known as the outer shell, consists of numerous coaxially orientated telescopic rings, that enable the product to effectively collapse and expand to a given height. The intermediary sectionsbear similar core constituent functionality type, with the upper section/bottom lidand bottom sectionretaining a lot of the features, but differing in some respects as to what they offer the overall functionality.

It is this similarity of the functionality types of the intermediary sections, which enables the invention to be set and semi permanently locked, at several different heights, as exemplified in.

The means through which the height is changed, is by actioning the mechanism to its ‘unlocked position’, which then puts the design into a state whereby the telescopic rings may freely move vertically, and height subsequently chosen to be semi permanently locked to. Inthis is illustrated as the invention being in its collapsed state, with the bottom most section being actioned from ‘locked’to ‘unlocked’. In this illustrated embodiment, there are ridges/grooveson the bottom of section, through which the user could use their two forefingers to apply pressure to, whilst holding the bottom lidwith the opposing had, to counter rotate each other.

For the body/outer shell, the intermediary sectionshave both inner groovesand external tabs proximate to the outer top edge. The bottom lidhas inner groovesbut no tabs, and the bottom sectionhas outer tabsbut no internal grooves.

The function of both the tabswhich protrude from the outer surface of the respective telescopic sections, and the complimentary inner grooves, is to guide the action of the given sections in respect to their states. These states can be seen respectively as; collapsed and rested/locked, collapsed and unlocked, moving between height levels, expanded and unlocked, and expanded and rested/locked.

Within the inner groovesthere are ridges toward the topand bottom, which limit the movement and enables the mechanism to go from its unlockedto semi permanently lockedstates, and vice versa. This means that it encourages the situation whereby it is only through intended action on the users part, that these given states are reached and chosen, in order to fulfill a given task, such as the changing of the height

As there is likely more force available on the users part due to given physiological constraints, and the mechanism would like not have as many other forces enacted on it limiting stability, the ridges toward the bottom of the inner groovesfor when going from unlockedto lockedstates or vice versa, could be in effect larger than that of the topridge for when in the collapsed state. This offers more resistance between the unlockedand lockedstates, encouraging intentionality and rigidity when in given rested expanded states.

To make sure that the tabsstay within the confines of the inner grooves, there must be a limiting function for both the lateral and vertical movements, so the body remains assembled as intended for on going use. The lateral movements are limited by the tabsprotruding past the general inner surface of the respective coaxially orientated telescopic section. For the limitation of the vertical action, there are limits enacted by the embodiment of the grooves toward the bottom of the respective sections. Without these limits, when moving from a collapsed state to expanded state, there would be nothing limiting said expansion, and the telescopic sections would in effect come apart.

For limiting the vertical action when moving from an expanded state to collapsed state, there similarly needs to be limits to make sure the telescopic ring sections remain assembled. There are a number of ways to enact a limitation on this action, and some examples of this are; the limitation enacted through contact of the top of the respective tabswith top inner surface of the internal groove, the outer top rim of the respective ring sectionwith an internal limit protruding from the inner surface of the respective ring section(full assembly of this embodiment can be seen in), and the limits being enacted with an outside protrusion of materialwith a contact groove in the respective telescopic ring section.

To give the protruding tabsmore mechanical strength and lessen the chance that they can be sheared off when enacting the given functionality, most notably in the lateral movements across locked states, there could be a respectively large bevelor chamfer. This gives greater contact area with the outer shell surface and the pip, whilst minimizing the size of the pip, meaning there is less turning between unlockedand lockedstates.

So that the pip has more strength when moved vertically, there could also be notable bevels and/or chamfers on the bottom of the pip. This maximizes the contact area and so gives a superior size to shear strength ratio. With the bevel and/or chamfers that are to the sides or on the bottom of the pips, there would need to be complimentary space given to accommodate the respective additional space required in the internal grooves.

To facilitate the movement across the limiting ridges (+) within the internal grooves, the tabs can have a chamfered endwhich compliments the smoothness in transition across states. This could be in effect built into the desired functionality of mitigating the shearing when moving laterally, as can be seen in

Greater inward travel for the tabs can be encouraged by having cuts in the material to the side of the pips, which may mean that the tab and respective internal groove ridges can be larger, and so intentionality can be clearer from the users perspective, as to which locked state is desired. The surface area that travels across the internal ridges is minimized, which lowers friction and enhances smoothness of motion when travelling vertically also.

As well as having a hand hold the general bottom lidso that the movement between the unlocked and locked states can be made, there could be an additional protruding tabthrough which to hold the bottom lid. This would give the user greater means to fix in position and enact the counter rotational force of the bottom section.

details an additional option through which the bottom sectioncan be rotated to take it from an unlocked state to locked or vice versa. Namely there could be protrusionsfrom the bottom surface through which to enact the given counter rotational force required. Further, this kind of embodiment can offer means through which the bottom section could be pulled away from the top section to expand the assembly. This illustration also gives an example of how the bottom surface groove/ridge embodimentcan have a greater plurality.

There may be a carrying methodwhich is affixed to the bottomor top lid sections, through which the product in the given embodiment may be carried. This is through having a hinge like mechanismor other more permanently affixed attributions.

In all the embodiments of the design, there needs to be means through which the inner sleeveis semi permanently affixed to the bottom lid, otherwise noted as the uppermost ring section of the body. The lid sectionis screwed onto the bottom lidwhich creates an effective seal by pinching the sleevebetween a bottom edge of the lidand the top edge of the bottom lid. This seal prohibits and limits content from unintentionally escaping the container.