EP0341657B1 - Straw for beverage - Google Patents

Straw for beverage Download PDF

Info

Publication number
EP0341657B1
EP0341657B1 EP89108317A EP89108317A EP0341657B1 EP 0341657 B1 EP0341657 B1 EP 0341657B1 EP 89108317 A EP89108317 A EP 89108317A EP 89108317 A EP89108317 A EP 89108317A EP 0341657 B1 EP0341657 B1 EP 0341657B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
straw
section
cylinder portion
cross
polygonal cylinder
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
EP89108317A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0341657A3 (en
EP0341657A2 (en
Inventor
Akio Suzuki
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Tetra Pak AB
Original Assignee
Tetra Pak AB
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Tetra Pak AB filed Critical Tetra Pak AB
Publication of EP0341657A2 publication Critical patent/EP0341657A2/en
Publication of EP0341657A3 publication Critical patent/EP0341657A3/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0341657B1 publication Critical patent/EP0341657B1/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47G—HOUSEHOLD OR TABLE EQUIPMENT
    • A47G21/00—Table-ware
    • A47G21/08—Serving devices for one-handed persons
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47G—HOUSEHOLD OR TABLE EQUIPMENT
    • A47G21/00—Table-ware
    • A47G21/18—Drinking straws or the like

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a straw for drinking beverage by inserting the straw into the straw inserting opening of a paper container in which the liquid beverage is sealed and more particularly to a straw for drinking beverage wherein an air passage is formed in the straw inserting opening for balancing internal and external pressure of the container when the straw is inserted into the container.
  • the present invention is accomplished in consideration of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide straw with high value as a merchandise in which the above-described air passage can be processed with better finish and an appearance in good balance as well so that it is possible to form an air passage of this type.
  • a polygonal cylinder portion is formed in the longitudinal direction of the straw at a specified distance from the front end portion of the straw where the straw comes in sliding contact with the sealing film thereof, the cross section of the polygonal cylinder portion in the orthogonal direction with respect to the axial line of the straw being a polygon having a small number of sides and the length of the outer periphery thereof being substantially equal to the length of the outer periphery of the body of the straw.
  • the cross section of the polygonal cylinder portion is also possible to form the cross section of the polygonal cylinder portion as a square, and in this case, it is recommended that the square is made into a rhombus and that one end of the edge portion of the short diagonal line thereof be positioned on the side of the tip of the diagonal end portion of the straw. It is advantageous, when using the straw, to form the circumferential wall with an enlarged diameter portion which is on the opposite side of the front end portion of the straw with the polygonal cylinder portion being disposed between the front end portion and said opposite side of the straw.
  • the gap between the straw and the inner edge of the circular residue of the broken pieces of the sealing film attached to the straw inserting opening becomes large, and therefore even if large residual broken pieces of the sealing film attaching to the straw inserting opening exist, the gap is blocked only partially, so that an air passage can be maintained at the gap thereby to balance the pressure inside and outside of the container while sucking to drink beverage.
  • the cross-sectional area becomes smallest in the case of a regular triangle. Therefore, the gap becomes maximum so as to enable to form a large air passage. If in this case one end of the edge portion of a regular quadrangle is positioned in line with the tip of the diagonal end portion of the straw, two gaps of tie inner edge of the residual broken pieces of the sealing film can be positioned on the side of the tip where circular arc residual broken pieces are likely to be formed, thereby efficiently forming the air passage.
  • the cross section of the polygonal cylinder portion is made a square, generally the area of the cross section of the same circumferential length is larger than the area of a triangle, and the area for sucking to drink beverage can be made greater, whereas the gap becomes smaller.
  • the square is made a rhombus and one of the edges of the short diagonal line thereof is positioned on the side of the tip of the diagonal end portion of the straw, the area for sucking to drink beverage can be made at least smaller than that of a regular square, that is, the gap can be made larger, so that the area for sucking to drink beverage can be made larger though the gap becomes smaller than that of the regular triangle.
  • the circumferential wall of the straw on the opposite side of the front end portion of the straw is formed with an expanded diameter portion with the polygonal cylinder portion disposed between the front end portion and the circumferential wall of the straw, it becomes possible to prevent the straw from completely sliding into the container.
  • Fig. 1 through Fig. 5 show the first embodiment
  • Fig. 4 also shows the using condition of other embodiments
  • Fig. 6 through Fig. 8 show the second embodiment
  • Fig. 9 and Fig. 10 show the third embodiment.
  • Fig. 6 (a), (b), and (c) are the front view, side view, and rear view respectively of the straw of the second embodiment.
  • Fig. 7 is a sectional view of the line B - B shown in Fig. 6 (a).
  • Fig. 8 is a sectional plan view of the polygonal cylinder portion showing the formation of an air passage when the straw of the second embodiment is in use.
  • Fig. 9 is a plan view of the third embodiment.
  • Fig. 10 is a plan view of the straw shown in Fig. 9.
  • the straw (3) is manufactured by partially forming under pressure a tube of a specified length and a specified diameter consisting of materials such as polypropylene and polythylene, and the front end portion of the straw (3) is cut diagonally to form a diagonal end portion (4).
  • a portion having a specified length and located at a specified distance in the longitudinal direction from the tip (4') of the diagonal end portion (4) will be positioned in the straw inserting opening of the paper container in which liquid beverage is sealed.
  • the circumferential wall (6) of the straw (3) is formed under pressure so as to form a polygonal cylinder portion (5) over a length where the straw engages the broken sealing film of the straw inserting opening.
  • cross section in a plane orthogonal with respect to the axial line of the straw (3) is made a regular triangle and one of the edges of the regular triangle is positioned on the side of the tip (4') of the diagonal end portion (4) of the straw (3).
  • the cross section is formed into a regular triangle by forming under pressure so that the length of the outer periphery of the regular triangle is the same as the length of the outer periphery of the circumferential wall (6) of the straw where the section is circular, and because the cross sectional area of the hollow regular triangle is slightly more than 60% of the cross sectional area of the circular portion, no obstruction will occur when sucking the beverage.
  • Fig. 2 is the cross section along line (A) - (A) of the straw (3) shown in Fig. 1 (a), and shows the relation of the circumferential wall (6) and the cross section of the polygonal cylinder portion (5) of regular triangle form.
  • Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the use of the straw (3) according to the first embodiment having a polygonal cylinder portion (5) whose cross section is a regular triangle, wherein the straw (3) is inserted into the straw inserting opening (2) of the paper container in which liquid beverage is sealed.
  • Fig. 6 through Fig. 8 show a second embodiment and Fig. 6 (a), (b), and (c) are the front view, side view, and rear view respectively of the straw.
  • the polygonal cylinder portion (5) whose cross section was a regular triangle in the first embodiment, is now formed into a rhombus whose angle at the acute corners is 60 degrees.
  • one of the edges (whose angle is 120 degrees) of the short diagonal line of the rhombus is formed so as to be positioned on the side of the tip (4') of the diagonal end portion (4) of the straw.
  • the cross sectional area of the hollow rhombus portion can maintain about 60% of the cross sectional area of the circular portion. This presents no problem when drinking beverage from the container.
  • Fig. 7 is a sectional drawing along line B - B of the straw (3) shown in Fig. 6 (a) and indicates the relation between the circumferential wall (6) and the polygonal cylinder portion (5) formed in cross section as a rhombus.
  • the external air flows into the container as the beverage in the container is sucked for drinking thereby enabling smooth drinking.
  • the area of sucking for drinking is a little greater than that of the first embodiment where the cross section of the polygonal cylinder portion is a regular triangle.
  • Fig. 9 and Fig. 10 show the straw of another embodiment
  • Fig. 9 is the front view of the straw
  • Fig. 10 is the plan view of Fig. 9 showing the relation between the inner wall of the polygonal cylinder portion (5) and the side wall (6a) of the suction side of the straw.
  • an enlarged diameter portion (6a) is formed by expanding the diameter of the circumferential wall (6) on the suction side which is opposite to the diagonal end portion of the straw with respect to the polygonal cylinder portion (5) of the straw (3) whose cross section is a regular triangle as in the first embodiment.
  • the inner diameter portion of the straw inserting opening (2) of the paper container that is, the exposed sealing film (8)
  • the center of the polygonal cylinder portion (5) it is possible to cause the center of the polygonal cylinder portion (5) to be eccentric towards the opposite side of the tip (4') of the straw from the center of the axis of the straw (3) and to have one of the edges of the polygonal cylinder portion (5) positioned on the side of the tip (4') thereby forming a large air passage (7).
  • the straw according to the present invention has the following effects as described hereinafter.
  • the form of the straw makes it capable of balancing the internal and external pressure of the container by means of an air passage formed in the sealing film portion of the straw inserting opening, while if the quantity of the liquid beverage is reduced as it is being sucked for drinking, thereby avoiding any difficulty in drinking the beverage resulting from the caving in of the container.
  • the regular polygon having the sane circumferential length can have a maximum gap (air passage) to be formed in the sealing film portion of the inserting opening.
  • cross section of the polygonal cylinder portion By forming the cross section of the polygonal cylinder portion into a square, it is generally possible to increase the cross sectional area of the passage through which beverage is sucked for drinking as compared with the straw whose cross section is a regular triangle.
  • the cross section of the polygonal cylinder portion By forming the cross section of the polygonal cylinder portion into a rhombus and by positioning one of the edges of the short diagonal line to be on the side of the tip of the straw, it is possible to provide a straw in which an air passage can be efficiently formed using a polygonal cross section which has a greater cross sectional area for the passage through which beverage is sucked for drinking, as compared with the straw whose cross section is a regular triangle.

Landscapes

  • Packages (AREA)
  • Table Equipment (AREA)
  • Details Of Rigid Or Semi-Rigid Containers (AREA)
  • Tea And Coffee (AREA)
  • Vending Machines For Individual Products (AREA)
  • Cartons (AREA)
EP89108317A 1988-05-09 1989-05-09 Straw for beverage Expired - Lifetime EP0341657B1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
JP1988060924U JPH01164873U (ja) 1988-05-09 1988-05-09
JP60924/88U 1988-05-09

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0341657A2 EP0341657A2 (en) 1989-11-15
EP0341657A3 EP0341657A3 (en) 1991-11-21
EP0341657B1 true EP0341657B1 (en) 1994-08-31

Family

ID=13156420

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP89108317A Expired - Lifetime EP0341657B1 (en) 1988-05-09 1989-05-09 Straw for beverage

Country Status (6)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0341657B1 (ja)
JP (1) JPH01164873U (ja)
KR (1) KR950006722Y1 (ja)
AT (1) ATE110544T1 (ja)
DE (1) DE68917775T2 (ja)
ES (1) ES2059614T3 (ja)

Families Citing this family (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5039012A (en) * 1988-01-07 1991-08-13 Koichi Inaba Straw for beverages
AU6113894A (en) * 1993-03-03 1994-09-26 Carnaudmetalbox Plc Drinking tube & container end
JP3380219B2 (ja) * 2000-03-23 2003-02-24 昭和電工プラスチックプロダクツ株式会社 ストロー管、その製造装置および製造方法
KR100370438B1 (ko) * 2000-07-27 2003-01-30 이규상 밸브 기능을 갖는 스트로우
KR20020072316A (ko) * 2001-03-08 2002-09-14 임희봉 대롱으로 되는 비닐팩의 공기주입 밸브와 그 제조방법 및장치
US20070211562A1 (en) * 2006-03-07 2007-09-13 Pitsis Andrew J Combination straw, muddler and stirrer
GR1009655B (el) * 2018-07-04 2019-11-21 Στυλιανος Αβρααμ Βεϊσακης Καλαμακια ροφηματων πολυγωνικης διατομης, παραλληλογραμμης διατομης ή διατομης σε σχημα αστεριου
EP3685710A1 (de) * 2019-01-24 2020-07-29 Capri Sun AG Getränkeverpackung mit trinkhalm

Family Cites Families (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2036773A (en) * 1932-12-30 1936-04-07 Theodore M Prudden Drinking straw or the like
US3346187A (en) * 1966-03-28 1967-10-10 Flexible Plastic Straw Corp Flexible drinking straws
US3718282A (en) * 1972-01-20 1973-02-27 Raymond Lee Organization Inc Drinking straws
US3780944A (en) * 1972-02-14 1973-12-25 S Zubalik Drinking straws
SE7603954L (sv) * 1976-04-02 1977-10-03 Novia Livsmedelsindustrier Ab Sugror
JPS55136753A (en) * 1979-04-11 1980-10-24 Fujitsu Ltd Compressed data recovery system

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP0341657A3 (en) 1991-11-21
DE68917775T2 (de) 1995-03-30
ES2059614T3 (es) 1994-11-16
ATE110544T1 (de) 1994-09-15
EP0341657A2 (en) 1989-11-15
KR890022476U (ko) 1989-12-01
JPH01164873U (ja) 1989-11-17
DE68917775D1 (de) 1994-10-06
KR950006722Y1 (ko) 1995-08-19

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