Nestable cups and holders

Claim 2

A cup of a thin-walled, expendable, nestable kind, said cup being of substantially truncated conical shape having an open top and being symmetrical about a longitudinal axis through the center thereof, a sidewall on said cup inclined upwardly and outWardly to said longitudinal axis, a rim on the upper section of said sidewall reinforcing the same about the top opening of the cup, a bottom wall integrally attached to a lower section of said inclined sidewall, said bottom wall including an outer ring portion and inner, downwardly tapering, pointed portion projecting below said sidewall, a series of locking rings spaced longitudinally along and formed in a limited and predetermined portion of an intermediate section of the inclined sidewall, said locking rings increasing in size from a lower locking ring to an upper locking ring, said locking rings having a reversely inclined ring wall being defined by a larger diameter at its lower edge than at its upper edge, a shoulder wall joining a lower edge of one ring wall with the upper edge of an adjacent ring wall and being disposed substantially transverse to the longitudinal direction, and an internal stacking ring formed in the lower section of said sidewall to engage said outer ring portion of the bottom wall of a telescoped cup nesting therein.

Claim 3

A combination comprising a cup and a holder therefor, said combination including a thin-walled, expendable, nestable cup of substantially truncated conical shape having an open top and being symmetrical about a longitudinal axis through the center thereof, a sidewall on said cup inclined upwardly and outwardly to said longitudinal axis, a rim on the upper section of said sidewall reinforcing the same about the top opening of the cup, a bottom wall integrally attached to a lower section of said inclined sidewall, a series of locking rings spaced longitudinally along and formed in a limited and predetermined portion of an intermediate section of the inclined sidewall, said locking rings increasing in size from a lower locking ring to an upper locking ring, said locking rings having a reversely inclined ring wall being defined by a larger diameter at its lower edge than at its upper edge, a shoulder wall joining a lower edge of one ring wall with the upper edge of an adjacent ring wall and being disposed substantially transverse to the longitudinal direction, a substantially, truncated conically shaped wall on said holder disposed closely adjacent to the inclined sidewall of said container, a plurality of locking seats in said holder wall for snap fit interlocking with said locking rings, said locking seats having transverse support walls each of which slopes downwardly and inwardly toward the longitudinal axis of said cup to abut and flex one of the cup shoulder walls inwardly and to support the next above shoulder wall, said locking seats including a ring wall joining adjacent ones of said transverse support walls and defining a space into which a shoulder wall may expand after being flexed whereby the locking rings may be interlocked with said locking seats.

Claim 4

A combination comprising a cup and a holder therefor, said combination including a thin-walled, expendable, nestable cup of substantially truncated conical shape having an open top and being symmetrical about a longitudinal axis through the center thereof, a sidewall on said cup inclined upwardly and outwardly to said longitudinal axis, a rim on the upper section of said sidewall reinforcing the same about the top opening of the cup, a bottom wall integrally attached to a lower section of said inclined sidewall, a series of locking rings spaced longitudinally along and formed in a limited and predetermined portion of an intermediate section of the inclined sidewall, said locking rings increasing in size from a lower locking ring to an upper locking ring, said locking rings having a reversely inclined ring wall being defined by a larger diameter at its lower edge than at its upper edge, a shoulder wall joining a lower edge of one ring wall with the upper edge of an adjacent ring wall and being disposed substantially transverse to the longitudinal direction, a substantially, truncated conically shaped wall on said holder disposed closely adjacent to the inclined sidewall of said container, a plurality of locking seats in said holder wall for snap fit interlocking with said locking rings, said locking seats having transverse support walls each of which slopes downwardly and inwardly toward the longitudinal axis of said cup to abut and flex one of the cup shoulder walls inwardly and to support the next above shoulder wall, said locking seats including a ring wall joining adjacent ones of said transverse support walls and defining a space into which a shoulder wall may expand after being flexed whereby the locking rings may be interlocked with said locking seats.

Claim 5

The combination of claim 2 in which said transverse supporting walls of said holder are inclined downwardly and inwardly to facilitate camming of said flexible container ring walls inwardly during the snap fit interlocking.

Claim 6

The combination of claim 2 in which said ring walls of said holder are inclined to the longitudinal axis of said holder with a larger diameter at the lower edge than the upper edge thereof.

Claim 7

The combination of claim 2 in which locking rings and seats in said cup and holder are located above the midpoints of their respective sidewalls.

Claim 8

The combination of claim 2 in which said transverse support walls of said holder are inclined downwardly and inwardly to facilitate camming of said flexible container ring walls inwardly during the snap fit interlocking.

Claim 9

A molded, one-piece, plastic, nestable holder for thin-walled, expendable cups comprising, a substantially truncated conically shaped wall inclined upwardly and outwardly to a longitudinal axis through the center thereof, a lower portion of said conical wall having a diameter smaller that that of the portions thereof above and serving as a base for the holder, a plurality of rigid, traNsverse shoulder walls formed in the upper and interior portion of said truncated, conically shaped wall to provide locking seats for snap fit interlocking with an inserted cup, a handle extending outwardly from adjacent the top of said truncated conically shaped wall, the lower portion of said conically shaped wall having a plurality of ribs spaced angularly along the interior of the lower portion of said truncated conically shaped wall, said ribs extending upwardly from said base, shoulders formed at the tops of said ribs to support the base of another nested holder, said shoulders being spaced upwardly from the base of said holder by a distance greater than the distance said handle extends downwardly from the top of the upper portion of said holder to prevent said handles from interfering with insertion of a base to a position in abutment with said shoulders.

Claim 10

A molded, one-piece, plastic, nestable holder for thin-walled, expendable cups comprising, a substantially truncated conically shaped wall inclined upwardly and outwardly to a longitudinal axis through the center thereof, a lower portion of said conical wall having a diameter smaller that that of the portions thereof above and serving as a base for the holder, a plurality of rigid, traNsverse shoulder walls formed in the upper and interior portion of said truncated, conically shaped wall to provide locking seats for snap fit interlocking with an inserted cup, a handle extending outwardly from adjacent the top of said truncated conically shaped wall, the lower portion of said conically shaped wall having a plurality of ribs spaced angularly along the interior of the lower portion of said truncated conically shaped wall, said ribs extending upwardly from said base, shoulders formed at the tops of said ribs to support the base of another nested holder, said shoulders being spaced upwardly from the base of said holder by a distance greater than the distance said handle extends downwardly from the top of the upper portion of said holder to prevent said handles from interfering with insertion of a base to a position in abutment with said shoulders.

Claim 11

A holder in accordance with claim 7 in which said transverse shoulder walls for snap fit interlocking with an inserted cup are sloped downwardly and inwardly toward said longitudinal axis to cam inwardly portions of a cup being inserted therein.