Sleeves for Cups and Other Containers, and Methods of Manufacturing Same

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 18/465,553, filed on Sep. 12, 2023, entitled Sleeves for Cups and Other Containers, and Methods of Manufacturing Same, and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 21,338,055 on Jun. 24, 2025, which is a continuation of PCT International Application No. PCT/US2022/020276, filed on Mar. 14, 2022, entitled Sleeves for Cups and Other Containers, and Methods of Manufacturing Same, and published as WO/2022/192804 on Sep. 15, 2022, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 17/199,795 filed on Mar. 12, 2021, entitled Sleeve for Cups and Other Containers, and which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 11,814,236 on Nov. 14, 2023, and U.S. application Ser. No. 18/465,553 is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 17/199,795 filed on Mar. 12, 2021, entitled Sleeve for Cups and Other Containers, and which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 11,814,236 on Nov. 14, 2023, which are each hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

The invention relates generally to sleeves for containers, and more particularly to a sleeves adapted to extend about cups or other like containers that is configured to allow a person to hold the cup/container while providing thermal insulation between the person's hand and the cup/container, and has an absorbency sufficient to absorb liquids that may condense on and/or leave the cup/container.

Sleeves for containers that are typically held or handled, such as cups, mugs and the like, and are commonly used in coffee shops and restaurants around the world. Most disposable cups are too thin to provide adequate heat protection. Therefore, a cup sleeve is placed around a cup holding a hot beverage therein to make more comfortable for a user to hold the cup. U.S. Pat. No. 5,425,497 to Jay Sorensen illustrates a typical current hot beverage or coffee sleeve.

Existing cup sleeves are single-use products with no other functions, and accordingly are typically discarded after use (e.g., with a cup). Current cup sleeves are typically made of paperboard or similar material. Many existing cup sleeves are manufactured or made from materials that have poor insulating properties, which cause users to use double-walled cups or two cups combined (known as “double-cupping”), which is wasteful and costly. Most existing cup sleeves also have a symmetrical shape that fails to provide insulation protection to the natural finger placement of the entire human hand when holding a cup or like container.

Many people, while holding or using a cup or like container that holds a liquid (or a partially liquid or wet substance), separately utilize a napkin (i.e., a liquid absorbent, flexible sheet of material) to absorb drips from the cup and/or to soak up spills from the cup. A napkin may be utilized around iced cups to absorb condensation or act as a coaster. Occasionally, with drink cups that include a lid that defines a dinking aperture or spout, a lid plugs is used to block the aperture, and thereby prevent unintended spills or splashes of liquid from inside the cup. However, the use of these multiple single-use products (e.g., cup sleeves, napkins and lid plugs) creates additional waste and expense (e.g., to an environment and/or food service provider).

To overcome one or more deficiencies of current drink/container sleeves and accessories, advantageous sleeves for containers (e.g., cups) that advantageously provide for both effective thermal insulation, and are liquid absorbent to serve as napkins, are disclosed. Further, the sleeves may also be advantageously configured to be readily removed from a container to be utilized as typical napkin.

While certain aspects of conventional technologies have been discussed to facilitate disclosure of Applicant's invention(s), the Applicant in no way disclaims these technical aspects, and it is contemplated that the invention(s) may encompass one or more conventional technical aspects.

In this disclosure, an act or item of knowledge is referred to or discussed, this reference or discussion is not an admission that the act or item of knowledge or any combination thereof was, at the priority date, publicly available, known to the public, part of common general knowledge, or otherwise constitutes prior art under the applicable statutory provisions; or is known to be relevant to an attempt to solve any problem with which this specification is concerned.

The present inventions may address one or more of the problems and deficiencies of current thermal insulative cup sleeves. However, it is contemplated that the inventions may prove useful in addressing other problems and deficiencies in a number of technical areas. Therefore, the claimed invention(s) should not necessarily be construed as limited to addressing any of the particular problems or deficiencies discussed herein.

In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, a liquid absorbent thermal insulating sleeve configured for use with a container or cup is disclosed. The cup sleeve includes a material folded into a shape adapted to receive a cup and to engage with an outer circumference of the cup. The material is adapted to provide thermal protection. The cup sleeve includes a first section having a selected number of overlapping layers of the material, and a second section having three times the selected number of overlapping layers of the material.

In one embodiment, the cup sleeve includes no adhesive material (and thereby void of an adhesive that bonds overlapping layers of the material together). The foldable material has absorbent properties (i.e., is substantially absorbent to liquid, such as water). The cup sleeve has an assembled initial folded position that retains its shape for distribution to users. The cup sleeve is adapted to retain its the shape while engaged with the outer surface (e.g., circumference) of the cup, and the sleeve is further adapted to be unfolded into a third shape adapted to function as an absorbent napkin or towel.

In some embodiments, the cup sleeve has an upper edge having a first point/portion and a second point/portion, the second point/portion being higher than the first point/portion when the cup sleeve is engaged with the outer circumference of the cup or otherwise in an open configuration (i.e., arranged such that the sleeve defines an open inner opening, cavity or gap) (and potentially in second folded position). The cup sleeve may further include a section/portion proximate to the second point that, when the cup sleeve is engaged with the outer circumference of the cup otherwise in an open configuration, is positioned higher than the first point.

In some embodiments, the material forming the sleeve is a substantially liquid absorbent sheet of material. In some such embodiments, the material is a textured sheet of material. In some embodiments, the substantially liquid absorbent sheet of material is a napkin.

In some embodiments, the cup sleeve is formed from/by an elongate sheet of liquid absorbent material having a total length between about 12 and about 14 inches, and/or a total width between about 8 and about 11 inches. For example, the cup sleeve may be formed from a sheet of material having a length of 13 inches and a width of about 10 inches. The sheet of material may be folded or otherwise layers, for example, to form an elongate strip with a total length between about 10 and about 16 inches (e.g., about 12 and about 14 inches), and a total width between about 1 and about 5 inches (e.g., between about 1-½ and 3-½ inches, or between about 2 and 3 inches). Other dimensions may be used such as any dimension resulting in a sheet or sheet-like material with two long sides and two short sides (e.g., a generally rectangular shape).

It is noted that the sheet of liquid absorbent material may be folded upon itself one or more times to form the elongate shape, and thereby include a plurality of overlapping layers. In such embodiments, the sheet of liquid absorbent material may be freely folded over upon itself such that the layers are not adhered or coupled together such that the sheet can be freely manually unfolded (e.g., along a height direction) from the elongate shape that forms the sleeve construct into a larger (e.g., larger along the width, length and/or height directions to define a relatively larger surface area). In this way, the sheet of liquid absorbent material may be freely selectively manually unfolded or reconfigured from the sleeve configuration or arrangement into a larger napkin configuration or arrangement.

In some embodiments, the elongate sheet of material forming the sleeve (e.g., a folded sheet of liquid absorbent material) may have a total length L (of a unit of measurement) of approximately 2 (W(Radical (3)))+2(W), where W is the total width of the sheet of folded material in the unit of measurement. Stated differently, in some embodiments, the total length L (of a unit of measurement) of the elongate sheet of material forming the sleeve (e.g., a folded sheet of liquid absorbent material) may be equal to 2(W√3)+2W, where L is total length (in a unit of measurement) and W is the total width of the folded material (in the unit of measurement). In some embodiments, the elongate sheet of absorbent material forming the sleeve may define/have a total length ratio of 1 short side unit to about 5.5 long side units (or about 0.18 short side to long side units).

In some embodiments, the sleeve has a first folded position, arrangement or configuration that defines an annular sleeve shape with an inner opening configured to accept a container (e.g., a cup, such as a cup with a conically-shaped outer wall) therein such that the sleeve extends about the exterior side wall of the container, and a second open position wherein the sleeve does not define the annular sleeve shape and serves as a napkin In the first container/cut sleeve configuration, the sleeve is adapted to receive a cup and engage with the outer circumference of the cup.

In some embodiments, in the first arrangement, the sleeve defines a first portion that extends annularly (e.g., ring shaped (of any cross-sectional shape, such as circular, elliptical or other shape)) about the inner opening (i.e., and thereby a container positioned thereon), and a second portion that is folded/extended over a portion of the first portion (e.g., the top or bottom edge thereof that defines the width) such that the first portion is positioned between inner and outer portions of the second portion (e.g., in the thickness direction). As such, an inner portion of the second portion may be positioned between the inner cavity/container and the first portion, and the second portion may be positioned between the inner portion and an outer portion of the second portion. The sleeve, in the first arrangement, may thereby comprise at least three overlapped layers of the sheet of absorbent material along a portion thereof. Further, as disclosed above and in further detail below, the sheet of material may be folded or otherwise comprise multiple overlapping layers. In such embodiments, each of the three overlapped layers of the sheet of absorbent material may comprise one or more layers of the sheet of absorbent material, and thereby the overlapped portions of the sleeve in the first arrangement may comprise three, six, nine, etc. total overlapped layers of the absorbent material.

In some embodiments, the first portion of the sleeve may comprise a first portion of the sleeve extending along the length thereof from a first longitudinal end, and the second portion of the sleeve may comprise a second portion of the sleeve extending along the length thereof from a second longitudinal end to the first portion. In some such embodiments, the second portion of the sleeve may be folded over the top (or bottom) edge of a portion of the first portion that is proximate to the first end (e.g., a portion extending longitudinally from the first end toward the second end).

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, a method for manufacturing or making a liquid absorbent thermal insulating container/cup sleeve is disclosed. In some embodiments, the method comprises layering, such as by folding, a sheet of absorbent material, a selected number of times to produce a multi-layer sheet of material having two long sides and two short sides.

The method then comprises defining a triangular section of the layered sheet of material at one end along the length thereof (i.e., at potion the sheet of material proximate to/extending from one the short side edges). The triangular section may comprise a triangular corner portion of the sheet of material that includes a short side edge and portion of the top or bottom long side edge. The method comprises folding/layering the triangular section over an inner face of the sheet of material from the hypotenuse of the triangular section (the hypotenuse thereby being a fold or folded edge). The folded-over triangular section may have a first side having a total length W formed from the short side of the layered/folded material, and a second diagonal side formed from a portion of the top or bottom end of the long side of the layered/folded material (depending on if the hypotenuse/fold line extends from the bottom or top corner of the end of the material, respectively).

In some embodiments, the second diagonal side of the folded-over triangular section may comprise a length of W√3, and the hypotenuse may comprise a length 2W, where W is the width of the material along the short side (and the short side defines the first side of the triangular section (which is a shortest side), for example). The intersection of the first side and the hypotenuse may form an angle which may be, in some exemplary embodiments, about 50-70 degrees (e.g., about 60 degrees), and the intersection of the second diagonal side and the hypotenuse forms an angle which may be, in some exemplary embodiments, about 10-40 degrees (e.g., about 30 degrees). These angles are exemplary and not disclosed in a limiting sense, as the method may utilize other differing angles.

In some embodiments, the folding over of the triangular section about/along the hypotenuse thereof forms first folded-over overlapping sections with the diagonal edge of the triangular section extending from the top (or bottom) long side edge of the sheet of material toward the second short side end edge and the bottom (or top) long side edge thereof. In some such embodiments, the fold/hypotenuse of the triangular section may extend between and intersect with the top and bottom long side edges of the sheet of material, and/or the diagonal edge of the first folded-over section extends past the bottom (or top) long side edge. For example, in some embodiments, the hypotenuse may extend from the top long side edge to the corner/junction of the respective short side edge and the bottom long side edge, and the diagonal edge of the first folded-over triangular section may extend to and past the bottom long side edge. In such an embodiment, the first side (W) of the triangular section (i.e., the respective short side of the sheet of material) extends downwardly past the bottom long side edge and toward the other short end side of the material.

In some embodiments, the method may further comprise folding the first folded-over overlapping sections of the sheet of material (i.e., the triangular section and the portion of the sheet of material extending beneath/under or overlapped with the triangular section) over the inner face of an adjacent medial portion of the sheet of material such that the hypotenuse edge of the triangular section (i.e., the first fold line) is substantially aligned with and extend along the top (or bottom) long side edge of the material (depending on if the hypotenuse/fold line extends from the bottom or top corner of the end of the material, respectively), to form second folded-over overlapping sections. The second folded-over overlapping sections thereby may comprise the first folded-over overlapping sections as a set of outer layers formed of the sheet of material, and the medial portion of the sheet of material as at least one inner layer formed of the sheet of material.

In some embodiments, the first folded-over overlapping sections are folded over the inner face of the adjacent medial portion of the sheet of material toward the first short side of the sheet of material to form the second folded-over overlapping sections. For example, the first folded-over overlapping sections may be folded over the inner face of the adjacent medial portion of the sheet of material toward the first short side of the sheet of material via a second fold line that extends from the junction/intersection of the second diagonal side of the triangular section and the top long side edge (or bottom long side edge). In such an embodiment, the second folded-over overlapping sections may thereby comprise the entirety of the triangular section of the first folded-over overlapping sections overlapped with the medial section/portion of the sheet of material. Further, the second fold line may thereby be non-perpendicular to the top and bottom long sides of the sheet of material. For example, in such a configuration, the second fold line will be angled toward the first short side end of the sheet of material as it extends across the width of the sheet away from the junction/intersection of the second diagonal side of the triangular section and the respective long side edge extending therefrom and the opposing long side edge (e.g., as it extends from the top long side edge to the bottom long side edge).

The method further comprises folding over a first end section of the sheet of material extending from the first short end of the sheet of material over the inner face of the adjacent medial portion of the sheet and inserting/positioning the end section between the second folded-over overlapping sections, to form an annular or ring shaped sleeve member from/by the sheet of material that defines an inner cavity that is configured to receive a cup/container therein such that the sleeve member extends about the cup/container. For example, the first end section may be folded over the medial portion via/at a third fold line that extends perpendicularly between the top and bottom long sides of the sheet of material, and that may extend from at or adjacent to the tip/corner of the third side (W) and the hypotenuse of the triangular portion. Further, the top (or bottom) long side edge of the first end section may abut and extend along (e.g., parallel with) the interior of the first fold line (the hypotenuse of the triangular portion).

The inner face of the medial portion, and portions of the inner faces of the first end section and the triangular section, may thereby cooperatively form the inner cavity and engage the cup/container when positioned therein. Further, the inner cavity may define an axis, and the inner cavity (and thereby the faces of the sleeve material forming the cavity) may form a conical shape that extends outwardly away from the axis as it extends from the bottom side to the top side of the sheet of material/sleeve.

As noted above, the sheet of material is preferably a sheet of liquid absorbent material, such as paper towel, napkin or like material. The liquid (e.g., water) absorbency of the sheet of material may be markedly greater than that of cardboard or paperboard. The sheet of material may thereby form, and be able to be utilized as, a napkin or like device for absorbing liquid (e.g., spill or drips from the container/cup), during transport and when the sleeve is removed from the container/cup and manually disassembled or unfolded (at least partially). The sleeve may also absorb condensation from ice drink containers.

It should be appreciated that all combinations of the foregoing aspects and additional concepts discussed in greater detail below (provided such concepts are not mutually inconsistent) are contemplated as being part of the inventive subject matter and to achieve the advantages disclosed herein.

These and other objects, features and advantages of this disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description of the various aspects of the disclosure taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Aspects of the present disclosure and certain examples, features, advantages, and details thereof, are explained more fully below with reference to the non-limiting examples illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Descriptions of well-known materials, fabrication tools, processing techniques, etc., are omitted so as not to unnecessarily obscure the relevant details. It should be understood, however, that the detailed description and the specific examples, while indicating aspects of the disclosure, are given by way of illustration only, and are not by way of limitation. Various substitutions, modifications, additions, and/or arrangements, within the spirit and/or scope of the underlying inventive concepts will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.

Approximating language, as used herein throughout disclosure, may be applied to modify any quantitative representation that could permissibly vary without resulting in a change in the basic function to which it is related. Accordingly, a value modified by a term or terms, such as “about” or “substantially,” is not limited to the precise value specified. For example, these terms can refer to less than or equal to ±5%, such as less than or equal to ±2%, such as less than or equal to ±1%, such as less than or equal to ±0.5%, such as less than or equal to ±0.2%, such as less than or equal to ±0.1%, such as less than or equal to ±0.05%. In some instances, the approximating language may correspond to the precision of an instrument for measuring the value. Any examples of operating or configuration parameters are not exclusive of other parameters of the disclosed embodiments.

Terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular examples only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, references to “one example” are not intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional examples that also incorporate the recited features. Moreover, unless explicitly stated to the contrary, the terms “comprising” (and any form of “comprise,” such as “comprises” and “comprising”), “have” (and any form of “have,” such as “has” and “having”), “include” (and any form of “include,” such as “includes” and “including”), and “contain” (and any form of “contain,” such as “contains” and “containing”) are used as open-ended linking verbs. As a result, any examples that “comprises,” “has,” “includes” or “contains” one or more step or element possesses such one or more step or element, but is not limited to possessing only such one or more step or element.

As used herein, the terms “may” and “may be” indicate a possibility of an occurrence within a set of circumstances; a possession of a specified property, characteristic or function; and/or qualify another verb by expressing one or more of an ability, capability, or possibility associated with the qualified verb. Accordingly, usage of “may” and “may be” indicates that a modified term is apparently appropriate, capable, or suitable for an indicated capacity, function, or usage, while taking into account that in some circumstances the modified term may sometimes not be appropriate, capable or suitable. For example, in some circumstances, an event or capacity can be expected, while in other circumstances the event or capacity cannot occur-this distinction is captured by the terms “may” and “may be.”

The term “coupled” and like terms are used herein to refer to both direct and indirect connections. As used herein and unless otherwise indicated, the term “entirety” (and any other form of “entire”) means at least a substantial portion, such as at least 95% or at least 99%. The term “entirety” (and any other form of “entire”), as used herein, is thereby not limited to 100%, unless otherwise indicated. As used herein, the term “layer”

The terms “cup” and “container” are used synonymously herein to refer to a device that includes a cavity configured to contain material therein, such as but not limited to a liquid (e.g., aqueous) or partially-liquid substance therein, that is at a temperature above at least 100 degrees Fahrenheit. In some embodiment, the cup/container is specifically configured to contain a liquid beverage or other food product, such as but not limited to a beverage. While the exemplary cups/containers discussed and illustrated herein for reference are disclosed as having an outer wall of a circular cross-section, e.g., of a truncated cone shape, the sleeves of the present disclosure may be configured to extend about the outer wall of a cup/container of any shape (e.g., with a non-circular cross-section and/or non-conic shape) and size/dimensions. In some embodiment, a cup/container may include a wall portion that defines the outer shape of the cup/container, and the inner cavity, that define a vertical axis when a bottom side/surface of cup/container is positioned on a horizontal support surface (i.e., extends/oriented horizontally).

Components, aspects, features, configurations, arrangements, uses and the like described, illustrated or otherwise disclosed herein with respect to any particular embodiment may similarly be applied to any other embodiment disclosed herein.

In accordance with the present disclosure, an exemplary pliable cup sleeveformed by at least one sheet of material folded into an annular (i.e., ring-shaped) shape within an inner opening/cavity that is open at top and bottom sides of the sleeve and is adapted to receive a cup/container therein such that an inner side/face of the sleeveengages with an outer circumference of a cup, as shown in. The inner open cavity, and thereby the sleeve itself (e.g., the annular wall thereof) may define an axis X-X that extends through the top and bottom openings of the sleeve, as shown in. The material is adapted to provide thermal protection and liquid absorbency of that of a napkin, towel or the like. As discussed in more detailed below, the sheet of material is folded in such a manner/configuration to form the annular shape with a first section thereof having a first number of layers of the material, and a second section thereof having a second number of layers of the material that is three times the first number of layers.

shows a side view of a cup sleevein accordance with an embodiment. The sleevemay be formed of at least one sheet of material. For example, cup sleevemay be formed from at least one thermally insulative and high liquid absorbency sheet, such as a napkin, towel, tissue or like material. In some embodiments, the sheet of material may be a soft, thin, pliable, and absorbent paper sheet, such as a paper towel or airlaid paper napkin. For example, the absorbent sheet may comprise cellulose, and/or comprise a non-linting and/or non-static non-woven fabric. In some such embodiment, the sheet of material may also comprise a resin or other binder material configured to retain the structure of the sheet of material when is it wet. In some other embodiments, the sheet of material may comprise a woven fabric.

The sleevemay be configured such that it can be readily selectively manually disassembled or reconfigured from the sleeve configuration to an “open” configuration such that the sheet of material can be used as a traditional napkin or towel. Further, in the sleeve configuration, the sleevemay be configured to absorb drips/spills from the cup, and/or condensation that formed on the outside of the cup. The sleevecan also be removed from the cup, and utilized as a napkin or towel without opening or disassembling the sleeve configuration.

The at least one sheet of material forming the sleevemay thereby be configured such that it readily absorbs water and other liquids. The at least one sheet of material may thereby be a high liquid absorbency sheet, such as but not limited to a highly water absorbent paper sheet of material (i.e., a paper towel or napkin). In some embodiments, the sheet of material (per single layer of the sheet of material, or for the material as folded for the sleeve configuration (as discussed below)) has a water absorbency rate of at least 0.1 g/sec, or at least 0.125 g/sec, or at least 0.15 g/sec, or at least 0.175 g/sec, or at least 0.2 g/sec, or at least 0.225 g/sec, or at least 0.25 g/sec, or at least 0.275 g/sec, or at least 0.3 g/sec, or at least 0.325 g/sec, or at least 0.35 g/sec for at least the first 2 seconds of water contact. In some embodiments, the sheet of material (per single layer of the sheet of material, or for the material as folded for the sleeve configuration (as discussed below)) has a water absorbency rate of at least 0.025 g/sec, or at least 0.05 g/sec, or at least 0.075 g/sec, 0.1 g/sec, or at least 0.125 g/sec, or at least 0.15 g/sec, or at least 0.175 g/sec, or at least 0.2 g/sec, or at least 0.225 g/sec, or at least 0.25 g/sec, or at least 0.275 g/sec, or at least 0.3 g/sec, or at least 0.325 g/sec, or at least 0.35 g/sec for at least the first 5 seconds of water contact. The water capacity of the sheet of material (per single layer of the sheet of material, or for the material as folded for the sleeve configuration (as discussed below)) may be determined based on a sample circular sample with a 3.375 inch diameter and a Capacity and Rate Tester device as is known in the art (see, e.g.,David Loebker and Jeffrey Sheehan, 2011 PaperCon Conference, pages 1210-1218). In some embodiments, the sheet of material (per single layer of the sheet of material, or for the material as folded for the sleeve configuration (as discussed below)) has a detached water capacity of at least 0.01 g/in, or at least 0.0175 g/in, or at least 0.02 g/in, or at least 0.0225 g/in, or at least 0.025 g/in, or at least 0.0275 g/in, or at least 0.03 g/in, or at least 0.0325 g/in, or at least 0.035 g/in, or at least 0.0375 g/in, or at least 0.04 g/in.

When arranged/configured as the cup sleeve, as shown in, the sleevemay be in a first folded (closed) position. In the first folded position the sleevemay be substantially flat and thin (e.g., collapsed) with the inner cavity being substantially closed as shown in, as opposed to a second unfolded (open) position with the sleevedefining an enlarged or open configuration (e.g., of a generally circular or conic shape) with the inner cavity being open as shown in. The sleevemay comprise a flattened/compressed annular shape with about half of the sleevefolded/compressed over the other about half of the sleevesuch that the two portions are stacked or overlaid (e.g., adjacent and abutting or close to each other) on each other, as shown in. The sleevemay be arranged in the first folded position prior to (and/or after) use thereof, for example.

In the first folded position, cup sleeveincludes a first lateral side/side edge, a first corner or pointbetween the first lateral sideand a top side/side edge, a second lateral side/side edge, and a second corner or pointbetween the second lateral sideand the top side, as shown in. In the first folded position, the first and second pointsandform corners. In some such embodiments, the first pointmay define a substantially right angle, and the second pointmay form an acute angle, in the first folded position, as shown in. The top and bottom sides of the sleeve may be substantially linear and extend parallel to each other in the first folded position, as shown in.

It is noted that in the first folded position, the sleevemay be arranged in a closed annular shape such that the inner cavity is substantially closed. None-the-less, the sleeveis annular in that it forms an annular wall. It is also noted that as the sleeveis pliable, it can be readily manually deformed or rearranged into the second open position, or another different closed position as discussed below.

illustrate a third folded (closed) position/arrangement of the sleeve. As shown in, the pliable sleevemay be closed or folded flat such that the first and second points,are substantially aligned and the corresponding potions of the sleeveare overlapping. In the third folded position, the sleevemay be substantially flat and thin (e.g., collapsed) with the inner cavity being substantially closed, as shown in. The sleevemay comprise a flattened/compressed annular shape with about half of the sleevefolded/compressed over the other about half of the sleevesuch that the two portions are stacked or overlaid (e.g., adjacent and abutting or close to each other) on each other, as shown in. The sleevemay be arranged in the third folded position prior to (and/or after) use thereof, for example.

As shown in, in the third folded arrangement, and with the axis X-X of the cavity/wall oriented vertically, the pointof the upper/top edge/side is positioned higher (i.e., above) the other portions of the sleeve(e.g., the other portions of the top edge), including point. Also, as shown in, in such an arrangement and orientation, the front side portion of the sleevemay include a substantially linear bottom side/edge (potentially arranged horizontally), and/or a substantially linear top side/edge (potentially arranged horizontally). As, the top edge of the sleevemay extend downwardly (e.g., on a straight angle or arcuately, for example) high pointto lateral side edges or corners,, and/or the remining portion of the top edge of the sleevemay extend laterally between the lateral side edges or corners,(and comprise the point). In some such embodiments, the portion of the top edge of the sleevemay extend substantially horizontally laterally between the lateral side edges or corners,in the third folded arrangement and orientation, as shown in. As also shown in, the portions of the top side and bottom side of the sleeveat the front of the sleeve, in the third folded arrangement, may extend substantially parallel to each other. As shown in, the portions of the top side and bottom side of the sleeveat the back of the sleeve, in the third folded arrangement, may extend parallel to each other.

As shown in, in some embodiment, an angled or slanted edgemay be visible at the outer side of the sleeve, which may extend along a portion of the sleevebetween (e.g., completely between) the top and bottom sides thereof. The edgemay comprise one edge formed by a single layer of the sheet of material forming the sleeve, or a plurality of edges formed by a plurality of layers of the sheet of material forming the sleeve. For example, as shown in the exemplary illustrative embodiment in, the edgemay comprise three edges of the sheet of material forming the sleeve. In some other embodiments, the edgemay or may not be visible at the outer side of the sleevein the first folded position.

The sleevemay be transformed from the first or third folded position into the second open position, for example, by pressing on the lateral sides of the sleeve, or pulling/pushing the adjacent portions away from each other to expand the area/size of the inner cavity. In the second open position, the sleevemay define a substantially circular cross-section (e.g., the outer and inner faces thereof may define a substantially circular cross-section, and/or the inner cavity may have a substantially circular cross-section), as shown in. It is noted that in some embodiments, in the second open position, the sleevemay define a top opening (to the inner cavity) with a larger size (e.g., circumference) than the bottom opening. For example, in accordance with some common cups, the outer and inner faces, and thereby the inner cavity, may define a conic shape with the top portion thereof being larger than the bottom portion thereof). In use, a cup may be inserted through the inner cavity from the top opening and then through the bottom opening. As explained further below, in the open position with the axis of the cavity oriented vertically, the top end, side or edge of the cup sleevemay include or define a high point, a low point, and side portions,extending therebetween. It is also noted that the sleevemay be formed/deformed into other open positions such that the inner and outer face, and the inner cavity, take on other shapes with the inner cavity being enlarged as compared to the first folded position, such as to accommodate or engage cups of other cross-sectional shapes and/or sizes.

The sleevemay be configured to advantageously receive and engage with cups of various sizes and shapes.show several views of the sleeveengaged with the outer wall of an exemplary conical cupabout the circumference thereof. As shown in, the cupmay have a lidwith a spout, drink opening or designated drinking spot.illustrate the construction and shape of the sleevewhen the cup sleeve is fitted around a cup.

As shown in, the sleeveis configured such that when engaged with a cuppositioned within the inner cavity, the cup sleevehas a bottom/lower side/edgeand a top/upper side/edgethat extend substantially parallel to each other. Lower edgeand upper edgeare configured such that they do not extend horizontally when the axis X-X is oriented vertically (e.g., when the axis of the cupis oriented vertically, such as when it rests on a horizontal surface). In one embodiment, the cuphas a conical frustrum shape. Cups and containers having other shapes and sizes may equally be used with the sleeve.