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US-20260124661-A1 - TAPERED CUP AND METHOD OF FORMING THE SAME

US20260124661A1US 20260124661 A1US20260124661 A1US 20260124661A1US-20260124661-A1

Abstract

A metal cup and method of forming the same is provided. Metal cups of the present disclosure comprise a plurality of thin, straight-walled sections and a tapered profile. A domed portion is provided in the bottom of the cup. The cup may comprise a disposable cup, a reusable cup, or a recyclable cup.

Inventors

  • Jonathan A. Whitmore
  • Sean K. Fitzsimons
  • Linda A. Hines

Assignees

  • BALL CORPORATION

Dates

Publication Date
20260507
Application Date
20250729

Claims (20)

  1. 1 . A tapered metallic cup comprising: an upper end and a lower end, and a height extending therebetween; the upper end comprising a peripheral curl; a plurality of panels provided between the upper end and the lower end, with a transition provided between each of the panels; and wherein adjacent panels of the plurality of panels comprise successively smaller diameters, and wherein the transition provided between each of the panels comprises a transition in diameter of the cup; and a semiannular projection extending along at least a portion of a circumference of the cup.
  2. 2 . The tapered metallic cup of claim 1 , wherein the semiannular projection comprises an outwardly oriented projection.
  3. 3 . The tapered metallic cup of claim 1 , wherein the height is between approximately 3.0 inches and approximately 7.0 inches.
  4. 4 . The tapered metallic cup of claim 2 , wherein the semiannular projection is provided at a transition between an uppermost panel and an adjacent panel.
  5. 5 . The tapered metallic cup of claim 1 , wherein the semiannular projection comprises an inwardly oriented projection.
  6. 6 . The tapered metallic cup of claim 5 , wherein the semiannular projection is provided at a transition between the peripheral curl and a first panel.
  7. 7 . The tapered metallic cup of claim 1 , wherein a minimum wall thickness of the plurality of panels comprises a thickness of less than approximately 0.0096 inches.
  8. 8 . The tapered metallic cup of claim 1 , wherein the lower end of the cup comprises a standing surface, and wherein a domed portion is provided within the standing surface.
  9. 9 . The tapered metallic cup of claim 1 , wherein at least some of the panels comprises a substantially constant wall thickness and a tapered profile.
  10. 10 . A tapered metallic cup comprising: an upper end and a lower end, and a height extending therebetween; the upper end comprising a peripheral curl; a plurality of panels provided between the upper end and the lower end, with a transition provided between each of the panels; and wherein adjacent panels of the plurality of panels comprise successively smaller diameters, and wherein the transition provided between each of the panels comprises a transition in diameter of the cup; and a semiannular projection provided on an uppermost panel of the plurality of panels extending along an entirety of a circumference of the cup; and wherein the uppermost panel comprises a first diameter and the semiannular projection comprises a second diameter, and the second diameter is between 1.001 and 1.2 times larger than the second diameter.
  11. 11 . The tapered metallic cup of claim 10 , wherein the uppermost panel comprises a vertical panel.
  12. 12 . The tapered metallic cup of claim 10 , wherein the height is between approximately 3.0 inches and approximately 7.0 inches.
  13. 13 . The tapered metallic cup of claim 10 , wherein the semiannular projection is provided at a transition between the uppermost panel and an adjacent panel.
  14. 14 . The tapered metallic cup of claim 10 , wherein the semiannular projection comprises a radius that is between approximately 0.0050 inches and 3.0 inches.
  15. 15 . The tapered metallic cup of claim 14 , wherein the semiannular projection is provided at a transition between the peripheral curl and the uppermost panel.
  16. 16 . A tapered metallic cup comprising: an upper end and a lower end, and a height extending therebetween; a plurality of panels provided between the upper end and the lower end, with a transition provided between each of the panels; wherein adjacent panels of the plurality of panels comprise successively smaller diameters, and wherein the transition provided between each of the panels comprises a transition in diameter of the cup; and wherein an uppermost panel comprises a straight walled section having a vertical straight walled section, a first diameter and a peripheral curl formed at an upper end of the uppermost panel; at least one outwardly oriented annular or semi-annular projection proximal to a bottom of the uppermost panel to provide a contact point for adjacent cups, and wherein the at least one projection is formed by an operation wherein at least the top edge of the cup is held in place and the projection is forced outwardly into a die; wherein the projection comprises a second diameter that is between 1.001 and 1.2 times larger than the first diameter and creates a limit to the extent to which the first cup can extend into an adjacent second cup of the same construction and such that a contact point is provided between the projection of a first cup and a curled top edge of the adjacent second cup, and an offset between bottom portions of the first cup and the adjacent second cup is provided by the contact of the projection of the first cup and the curled top edge of the second cup; wherein a variable distance is provided between adjacent cups along a height of the cup below the contact point; and wherein a gap is provided between a lowermost portion of the first cup and an upper portion of a first panel of the second cup, said gap comprising a gap of between approximately 0.001 inches and 0.006 inches.
  17. 17 . The tapered metallic cup of claim 16 , wherein the height is between approximately 3.0 inches and approximately 7.0 inches.
  18. 18 . The tapered metallic cup of claim 16 , wherein the at least one outwardly oriented annular or semi-annular projection comprises a radius that is between approximately 0.0050 inches and 3.0 inches.
  19. 19 . The tapered metallic cup of claim 16 , wherein the at least one outwardly oriented annular or semi-annular projection is provided at a transition between the peripheral curl and the uppermost panel.
  20. 20 . The tapered metallic cup of claim 16 , wherein a minimum wall thickness of the plurality of panels comprises a thickness of less than approximately 0.0096 inches.

Description

This U.S. Non-Provisional Patent Application is a Divisional of and claims the benefit of priority from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/514,496, filed Oct. 29, 2021, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 12,370,594, which claims benefit and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/108,102 filed Oct. 30, 2020, the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference. This Application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/214,477, which is a Continuation-in-Part of and claims the benefit of priority from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/811,032, filed Nov. 13, 2017, and claims the benefit of priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/455,697, filed Feb. 7, 2017, the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference. FIELD The present disclosure relates generally to metal cups and methods of forming the same. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to beverage cups formed from a metal. Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide for a thin-walled beverage cup that is stackable with cups of similar construction. BACKGROUND Existing disposable beverage cups and drinking containers typically comprise a plastic material. Plastic cups are manufactured from injection molding or thermoforming operations, whereby many lightweight and disposable cups may be formed. Existing metallic beverage containers generally comprise drinking cans including an end closure secured to the upper end of a filled can. U.S. Pat. No. 4,366,696 to Durgin et al., which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, discloses a nestable can and method of forming the same from a blank. Durgin et al., however, fail to disclose various features of the present disclosure including, for example, a tapered or stepped geometry as shown and described herein and methods of forming the same. U.S. Pat. No. 4,914,937 to Bulso et al., which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, discloses a method of forming a tapered container. Bulso et al. provide a straight-walled cup and a method of forming the same, but is devoid of various teachings of the present disclosure. U.S. Pat. No. 6,463,776 to Enoki et al., which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, discloses a manufacturing method for bottle-shaped cans with a neck and shoulder portion. Enoki et al. fail to disclose various features and methods of the present disclosure. For example, Enoki et al. fail to provide a cup-shaped container with tapered, straight sidewalls. SUMMARY Accordingly, there has been a long-felt and unmet need to provide a metal cup that is reusable and recyclable. There has also been a need to provide a tapered metal cup that is stackable to enhance shipping and storing of a plurality of cups. In various embodiments, a tapered metal cup is provided that comprises shallow wall angles. Shallow wall angles, at least as used herein, comprise wall angles that are less than 30 and preferably less than approximately 10 degrees as measured from a vertical center line or vertical axis of the cup. The angular sides and shallow wall angles of cups as shown and described herein allow for stackability of at least two cups, which provides advantages for shipping and storage. In some embodiments, wall angles are provided that are larger than 10 degrees. In some embodiments, wall angles are provided that are between approximately 8 and 20 degrees. In various embodiments, metal cups are provided comprising thin-walled aluminum. Preferably, metal cups are provided comprising a recycled aluminum alloy. Various embodiments, including those comprising thin-walled aluminum provide cups that are lightweight, are formed of a recycled and/or recyclable material, and are more rigid, useful, and durable than conventional plastic cups, for example. In preferred embodiments, a metal cup is provided with a constant wall thickness along at least a portion of the cup. An incoming gauge of the cup is reduced to a thinner wall thickness in the sidewalls of the cup. Horizontally-extending steps or ribs preferably extend around an entire circumference of the cup, and are provided to add strength to the finished cup while maintaining a lightweight character of the cup. The steps or ribs are provided as transition points between sections of the finished cup having different diameters. Alternatively, a tapered cup is provided without ribs, where the cup comprises a relatively smooth and linear sidewall which extends from the upper end of the tapered cup to the closed lower end. In various embodiments, a method of forming a metal cup is provided. In one embodiment, a method of forming a metal cup comprises feeding an aluminum coil into a cupping press and producing a straight-walled cup from a substantially circular blank cut from the aluminum coil. The cup preferably has a constant wall thickness that is approximately equal to the incoming gauge of the aluminum. The cup is then fed into a bodymaker