US 12,351,382 B2
Beverage container
Braxton J. Bragg, Evansville, IN (US); Jonathan Eickhoff, Evansville, IN (US); and Jeffrey A. Mann, Evansville, IN (US)
Assigned to Berry Global, Inc., Evansville, IN (US)
Filed by Berry Global, Inc., Evansville, IN (US)
Filed on Dec. 28, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/563,254.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/256,205, filed on Oct. 15, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/131,062, filed on Dec. 28, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0204247 A1, Jun. 30, 2022
Int. Cl. B65D 81/38 (2006.01); B65D 1/26 (2006.01); B65D 21/02 (2006.01)
CPC B65D 81/3869 (2013.01) [B65D 1/265 (2013.01); B65D 21/0233 (2013.01)] 11 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An insulative container comprising
an outer cup including a cup brim, a cup floor, and a cup body that extends and interconnects the cup brim and the cup floor to locate the cup body between the cup floor and the cup brim, the cup body including at least one annular reinforcement rib, and
an inner gap support configured to fit within an interior space of the outer cup, the inner gap support including a gap-support brim, a gap-support floor, and gap-support body that extends between and interconnects the gap-support brim and the gap-support floor to locate the gap-support body between the gap-support floor and the gap-support brim,
wherein the inner gap-support is spaced apart from the outer cup to provide an insulative air-gap therebetween and the gap-support body includes a spacer section between the gap-support brim and the gap support floor and including a plurality of projections that provide outwardly-projecting peaks to maintain the insulative air-gap, a retainer section coupled to a lower end of the spacer section and including a plurality of retainer tabs configured to engage with the at least one reinforcement rib of the cup body to retain the inner gap support to the outer cup, and a stacking section coupled to the retainer section so that: (i) the insulative container may be stacked with similar containers and (ii) the inner gap support may be stacked with similar inner gap supports separately from the outer cup, the stacking section including a plurality of stacking tabs offset circumferentially about a central axis of the inner gap support from one another and from each of the retainer tabs and arranged to extend radially inward toward the central axis,
wherein the stacking section is spaced apart from the gap-support floor and is located above the gap-support floor,
wherein the annular reinforcement rib has an innermost diameter and the retainer tabs have an outermost diameter greater than the innermost diameter of the annular reinforcement rib, and
wherein each retainer tab includes a pusher ramp forming a lower portion of each retainer tab, a retainer forming an upper portion of each retainer tab, and a peak formed at a junction between the pusher ramp and the retainer to provide the outermost diameter, and wherein the pusher ramp of each retainer tab is configured to engage the annular reinforcement rib during insertion of the inner gap support into the interior space of the outer cup to cause the outer cup to change from an un-deformed state to a deformed state as the pusher ramp rides along the annular reinforcement rib during insertion of the inner gap support into the interior space of the outer cup, and the outer cup is configured to return to the un-deformed state once the peak clears the annular reinforcement rib and the retainer resides below the annular reinforcement rib.