FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention relates to system and method for beverage cups, more specifically to
system and method for pre-coated single serving beverage cups eliminating the use of
sachets.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Health drink supplements or ready to drink beverage compositions are commonly packed
and provided in a sachet form. These sachets are opened by the users and the contents of it
are emptied and mixed with water in a tumbler for consumption. This practice is not
convenient and hence not appreciated by the consumers because these take time for the
contents to be dissolved completely and the drink cannot be consumed immediately without
any waiting period. Several methods have been developed to coat the surface of the
container with beverage mix using an apparatus for coating.
US3526316 discloses a single service container containing a premeasured amount of
hydratable concentrate for the preparation of a dentifrice solution, coffee, cocoa, etc. upon
introduction of water into the drinking receptacle.
US20060286219 relates to a beverage container with pre-salted rim for alcoholic and non-
alcoholic beverages. This invention provides a beverage container having a coating of
margarita salt securely attached to the rim by a food-grade adhesive. The prior art also
discloses a method of producing the said beverage container having a rim pre-coated with
salt.
The cited prior art refers to a ready to drink beverage solution in the cup as compared to
beverage mix coated on the cup walls. Also the coating is limited to salt coated on the rim.
US20060222743 relates to a beverage container having candy adhered to an upper portion
thereof around the rim of a disposable cup. This prior art also discloses a method for
making a candy-coated beverage container such as a paper cup.
US 5571324 relates to an apparatus for coating of cups. The prior art discloses an apparatus
where the cups are mounted and rotated simultaneously for uniform coating. Further US

'324 also disclose that air is blown on the inside of the cups while the cups are rotated so
that the content is dried along with uniform distribution of the content.
US 5707687 relates to rotary-cup coating apparatus and method of coating object for
uniform distribution. Further the invention also states that ambient air is introduced through
the vent holes.
However the apparatus used for coating and method of coating followed above are limited
in view of their disadvantages such as uneven coat distribution, dripping of the contents
along the sides of the container walls and so on.
Hence there is a need for an efficient method and apparatus for coating the internal surface
of the beverage container evenly with beverage mix, such that the contents will not drip
along the sides of the container and also provides enhanced dissolution of contents into the
solvent without any waiting time, thereby enabling the user to consume the contents
instantly.
OBJECT OF INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a pre-coated single-serving beverage
cup or container that eliminates the use of sachets.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a method for coating the side walls
of the container uniformly with beverage mix and to ensure the sustained/slow release of
actives and flavors into the solvent.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus that uniformly coats the
internal side walls of the disposable paper cups with beverage mix and reduces the overall
time taken for dissolution of the said beverage mix into the solvent.
BREIF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
Figure 1: Apparatus setup for coating walls of the paper cup with beverage mix.
Figure 2: Top view of paper cup coated with 1 serving of beverage mix.
Figure 3: Side view of paper cup coated with 1 serving of beverage mix.

Figure 4: Sealed paper cup coated with 1 serving of beverage mix.
Figure 5: Graphical representation of likeability data collected from the survey conducted
to analyze the consumer preference between two pre-coated cups, A (Coated
only on the rim) and B (Coated inside of the cup as per the present
invention).
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention resides in single serving beverage mix coated cups and method for
coating the beverage mix on the walls of the cup.
In an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus setup (figure 1)
used for coating the inner walls of the cup with beverage mix is illustrated. The numerals in
the figure indicate respective elements of the apparatus setup. The said apparatus mainly
comprises of a rotating disc (1) (perpendicular to the table top) with clamps for holding
paper cups. The rotation speed of this disc is controlled by a motorized unit (2), which can
be set as desired. The setup also consists of an adjustable stand (3) for holding a spreader
(glass/plastic) (4). The setup includes a hot air blower (5) placed under the cup mounted on
the rotating disc.
It has been surprisingly found that the present invention provides an apparatus design that
ensures even coating, faster drying.
The rotating disc is made up of metal or fiber. The rotating disc rotates at a speed ranging
from 10 to 300 rpm. The radius of rotating disc ranges from 2-6".
The adjustable stand is made up of metal or fiber. The spreader is made up of plastic or
glass. Please list out the other materials which make up the spreader.
The temperature of said hot air blower ranges from 70 to 80° C.
In another embodiment of the present invention there is provided a process of coating the
inner walls of the single serving beverage cups comprises steps of adding the premix into
the insides of the cup wall closer to the base. The mixture is then coated onto the walls by
the spreader which is held at an angle to the cup wall. As the premix is added, the disc is
rotated at a certain speed. The rotation speed is gradually increased. As the disc rotates, the

mixture gets coated on the cup walls and is simultaneously dried by the hot air blower.
Once the premix solidifies on the walls, the cups are removed and sealed.
The disc is rotated at a speed of 35 to 55 rpm for 1 to 3 minutes.
The speed of the disc is gradually improved to range from 145-175 for 5-7 minutes.
Figures 2 and 3 depicts the top and side views of the paper cup, where in the side walls are
coated with beverage mix. The beverage mix gets adhered to the side walls and gets
retained on the surface with the help of a food-grade adhesive. Figure 4 illustrates the
sealed cup that is coated along its inner surface with beverage mix.
The beverage mix used to coat the internal side surface of the paper cup may be prepared
by mixing cocoa solids, skimmed milk powder, powdered sugar and water soluble food
grade adhesive and water. The food grade adhesives used generally include sodium
carboxymethyl cellulose, gaur gum. Gum Arabic but preferably gum arabic is used as an
adhesive.
The composition of the coated premix includes cocoa solids ranging from l-3gms,
Skimmed milk powder in an amount ranging from l-4gms. Powdered sugar is present in an
amount ranging from 2-4gms, Gum Arabic is found in an amount 100-300mg. The above
dry mix is blended first then together with water to prepare a concentrated mix. This is then
coated onto the inside walls of the cup as described in the method of coating. Water is
generally added in an amount ranging from 0.5-5ml.
Although the present invention describes single serving coated cups using cocoa as a
beverage mix, other choice of compositions in place of cocoa can also be used as beverage
mix such as coffee, hot chocolate and the like., and hence not limited to cocoa alone. The
invention also finds importance in the preparation of various sustained release health drinks
and supplements which can be easily coated on to the surface of the cups.
The sustained release health drinks and supplements include Protein powders, sustained
energy drinks, capsules such as niacin
According to the present invention, the beverage mix pre-coated cup releases the actives
into the solvent in a sustained release manner. However this process requires a time span of

30-40 seconds for the contents to dissolve completely in the presence of a solvent or
alternatively it may take 10-12 seconds if a stirrer is used to mix and solubilize the contents
of the drink.
The present invention is now described by way of non-limiting examples. This enables a
skilled artisan to best utilize the invention but not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the
scope of the invention.
Example 1: Preparation of cocoa beverage premix composition for coating the cup:

The above dry mix is blended together with water to prepare a concentrated mix, which is
then coated onto the inside walls of the cup.
Example 2: Process for the coating the beverage cups
The method for coating of the beverage cups comprises steps of:
a. adding the beverage pre-mix onto the inside surface of the cup wall closer to the
base;
b. coating the beverage pre-mix onto the walls uniformly by a spreader of the coating
apparatus;
c. rotating the disc at a speed of 35-175rpm, holding the beverage cups at a specified
speed to obtain uniform coating; and
d. simultaneously drying the coat of beverage mix by blowing hot air at a temperature
70-80 deg C such that the premix on the walls of the cup gets solidified.
Example 3: Mode of operation of apparatus
The apparatus is used for coating the inside walls of disposable paper cups with beverage
mix. This setup comprises of a rotating disc (perpendicular to the table top) with clamps for

holding paper cups. The rotation speed of this disc is controlled by a motorized unit. The
setup also consists of an adjustable stand for holding a spreader (glass/plastic). The setup
includes a hot air blower placed under the cup which is mounted on the rotating disc. To
coat the cups, the premix is added into the insides of the cup wall closer to the base. This
mixture is coated onto the walls by the spreader which is held at an angle to the cup wall.
As the premix is added, the disc is rotated at a speed of 50 rpm for 1 minute. The rotation
speed is gradually increased to 150 rpm for 5minutes. As the disc rotates, the mixture gets
coated on the cup walls and is simultaneously dried by the hot air blower. Once the premix
solidifies on the walls, the cups are removed and sealed.
Example 4: Survey to analyze consumer preference between two pre-coated cups A
and B.
Cup A was coated only on the rim, with the pre-mix of the instant drink while Cup B
(present invention) was coated onto the inner sides of the cup, with pre-mix of the instant
drink. The respondents were asked to indicate their preference based on parameters such as
appearance, ease of use, conceptualization as health drink and overall acceptability. The
target consumer groups analyzed were children, travelers, working professionals and house
hold. Figure 5 graphically represents the survey results with respect to consumer preference
for cup A versus Cup B.

WE CLAIM:
1. An apparatus for coating beverage cups comprising of:
a. rotating disc with clamps;
b. motorized unit;
c. adjustable stand;
d. spreader; and
e. hot air blower
wherein said apparatus ensures uniform coating and quick drying of the solution.
2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rotating disc is made up of metal
or fiber.
3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said adjustable stand is made up of
metal or fiber.
4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the spreader is made up of plastic or
glass.
5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the temperature of said hot air blower
ranges from 70-80 deg C.
6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said rotating disc rotates at a speed
ranging from 10 to 300 rpm.
7. A method of coating beverage cups on the sides walls comprises the steps of:
a. adding the beverage pre-mix onto the inside surface of the cup wall closer to
the base;
b. coating the beverage pre-mix onto the walls uniformly by a spreader of the
coating apparatus;
c. rotating the disc holding the beverage cups at a specified speed to obtain
uniform coating; and
d. drying the coat of beverage mix by blowing hot air such that the premix on
the walls of the cup gets solidified.
8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein said beverage mix is a specified
composition of cocoa solids, skimmed milk powder, powdered sugar and food grade
adhesive in water.
9. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein said beverage mix is a specified
composition of water based drinks such as ginger honey hot drink.

10. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the uniform coating is achieved by at
least one spreader configured to adjustable stand of the coating apparatus.
11. The method as claimed claim 7 wherein the disc holding the beverage cups is
rotated preferably at a speed ranging from 35 rpm to 175 rpm.
12. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein said disc is rotated for a time period of
1-5 mins.
13. A method as claimed in claim 7 where in the temperature of hot air used for drying
is 70 to 80 deg C.
14. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein said hot air is blown for 6 to 8 minutes.

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides an apparatus and a method for coating single serving
beverage cups eliminating the use of sachets.