ALEXANDRIA, Va., Dec. 2 -- United States Patent no. 12,486,098, issued on Dec. 2.
"Thermally insulating holder for disposable beverage cups" was invented by Richard Patrick Welle (Sunset Beach, Calif.).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "An insulating holder is provided for a conventional disposable beverage cup. The insulating holder includes an upward-facing flange that supports the beverage cup at its peripheral bead and without interfering with a disposable lid that may be fitted to the cup by snap fit over the peripheral bead. The insulating holder further includes a retaining mechanism that holds the disposable cup and lid in the holder without interfering with the ability of the user to drin...