The present invention relates to a combination of a cap and a straw for a beverage
container.
Conventional beverage containers require the cap to be first
opened and then the beverage in the container to be poured into
the container cap or a cup for drinking. This procedure is easy
for an adult or a big child but small children do not find it
easy and often spill the beverage during drinking.
To solve the above problem, a beverage container with an
automatically extendable straw as shown in Figures 1 and 2 was
developed. This beverage container 1 includes a body 11, a cap
12, upper and lower straws 13a and 13b and a cover 14. The body
11 is a hollow cylindrical member for containing the beverage
such as juice, water, etc.
The cap is screwed onto an outer thread of an upper open end
of the body 11. Upper and lower disk members 121, 122 are formed
with an annular groove 123 and two symmetrically cuts 124. The
cap is formed with a tube 17 having a through hole to receive the
straws 13a and 13b by means of which a user can suck the beverage
from the container body. A strip 77 is used for fastening the
upper straw 13a around the tube 17. Further, a member 125 is
disposed on the upper member 121.
The cover 14 is disposed above the cap 12 and has an open
end. Two symmetrically disposed projections 141 are formed on
the inner edge of its open end corresponding to the cuts 124 in
the cap 12. An upper wall of the cover 14 is formed with a slot
142 therein to receive the upper straw 13a which extends
therethrough. A stopper 143 is formed on the inner surface of
the upper wall in the vicinity of the slot 142.
When the projections 141 on the cover 14 are aligned with
the cuts 124 on the cap 12, the cover 14 fits on the cap 12. The
cover 14 can be rotated counterclockwise to move the slot 142 to
a position above the straw 13 which extends outwardly through the
slot 142 by means of its own resilience for a user to suck the
beverage from the body 11. Conversely, when the cover 14 is
rotated clockwise, the upper straw 13a is bent by the upper wall
of the cover 14 and withdraw back into it. The rotation of the
cover 14 is stopped when the stopper 143 abuts against the member
125 which is then just below the slot 142 to prevent the entering
of foreign objects into the cover 14.
One drawback of such known container is that the member 125
having planer surface fails to effectively shield the slot 142
formed on the slightly arcuate upper wall of the cover member 14.
Consequently, dust or other contaminants may pass through the
clearance between the slot 142 and the member 125 to contaminate
the upper straw 13a.
It is also found difficult for a user to recognize when the
cover 14 has been rotated to a position where the upper straw 13a
extends through the slot 142 and to a position where the upper
straw 13a has been well folded and the slot of the cover member
has been well shielded.
Furthermore, the use of the elongate fastening strip 77 to
secure the upper straw 13a onto the tube 17 is time costing in
assembly work. The strip 77 secured around the straw is likely
to be cut off or taken off or even swallowed by a child user to
cause injury of the child. In addition, the strip 77 has a bulge
end which is likely to scrape or hurt the child.
It is an object of the present invention to provide
an improved combination of a cap and a straw for a beverage
container, which simplifies the structure and enhances safety
during use.
This object is achieved with a combination of a cap and a straw having the features of claim
1.
Preferable embodiments are the subject matter of the appended subclaims.
Fig. 1 is a perspective exploded view of a prior art
container; Fig. 2 is a perspective assembled view of the container
shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a perspective exploded view of a container comprising a preferred
embodiment of a combination of a cap and a straw according to the present invention; Fig. 4A is a cross-sectional view of Fig. 5 along line 4-4,
showing a straw of the container of Fig. 3 in a position
ready for use; Fig. 4B is a cross-sectional view of Fig. 5 along line 4-4,
showing a straw of the container of Fig. 3 in a folded,
blocked position; Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the container of Fig.
3, showing a straw extending outside a cover member; Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view, in detail showing the
arrangement of a straw and a cap according to one embodiment of the invention; and Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view, showing an alternative
embodiment of the arrangement of Fig. 6.
Refering to Figs. 3 and 6, a container comprising a cap and a straw combination according
to an embodiment of the present invention comprises a body 2 having an inner chamber 21 for
receiving beverage and an upper open end with outer thread 23,
a cap 3 screwed on the outer thread of the open end of the body
2, a cover member 4 rotatably disposed above the cap 3, a straw
5 extending through the cap 3, and a decorative cover 9 fixed on
the cover member 4.
The cap 3 has a lower cylindrical portion 34 and an upper
portion. The upper portion is defined by a convex curved portion
31 and a lateral inclined wall 311 and shaped like a quarter of
a sphere. A circumferential groove 32 is formed extending around
the entire surface of the curved portion 31 at its lower edge.
Above the groove 32, a groove 313 with two ends is formed,
extending partially around the surface of the portion 31 and
parallelly to the groove 32. Two raised bead 315, 315' are
provided on the groove 313 in the vicinity of the two ends 315,
315', respectively.
The wall 311 of the cap 3 has a length of a cylindrical
conduit 37 opening at both ends and communicating with the
internal volume of the container body 2. The conduit 37 is
projected from the wall 311 and directed toward a slot 41 formed
on the cover 4. It is not necessary that the conduit 31 projects
outwardly as shown. For example, it may projects from the wall
311 toward the interior of the cap 3 (not shown).
The straw 5 comprises an upper straw 51 extending out the
conduit 37 and a lower straw 52 connected with the upper straw
51 and located between the cap 3 and the container body 2. The
upper straw 51 is made of elastomeric material such as silicon
rubber and has an outer diameter slightly less than the inner
diameter of the conduit 37. The upper straw 51 has at one end
two spaced outward flanges 512, 513, with the flange 513 abutting
against the free end of the conduit 37 and the flange 512
abutting against the inner surface of the wall 311. Although the
flanges 512, 513 as illustrated have the same outer diameter, the
outer diameter of the flange 512 may be greater than that of the
flange 513 such that the flange 513 may pass through the conduit
37 due to the elasticity while the flange 512 can not.
The lower straw 52 is made of rigid material such as
polyester (PE) material and has an outer diameter slightly
greater than the inner diameter of the upper straw 51, but less
than the inner diameter of the conduit 37. The lower straw 52
has a taper end 521 for easy insertion into the upper straw 51.
Thus, when the lower straw 52 is inserted into the upper straw
51 already inserted through the conduit 37, the upper straw 51
is expanded to contact the inner surface of the conduit 37. The
upper straw 51 is therefore connected with the lower straw 52 and
held in position due to frictional force in a coaxial relation,
with its outer surface in surface contact with the inner surface
of the conduit 37 and its inner surface in surface contact with
the outer surface of the lower straw 52. The surface contacts
form seals, preventing the flow of beverage in the container body
therebetween.
The cover member 4 is disposed above the cap 3 and has a
upper dome-typed wall 47 and an open end 45. The dome-typed wall
47 of the cover member 4 is formed with a slot 41 for the upper
straw 51 to extend outwardly therethrough for a user to use. Two
symmetrically disposed projections 42 are formed on the inner
edge of its open end for slidably engaging the groove 32 on the
curved portion 31 of the cap 3, allowing the cover member 4 to
be rotated relative to the cap 3 as known.
The wall 47 of the cover member 4 is so sized that the inner
surface of the wall 47 slidably engages the outer surface of the
curved portion 31 of the cap 3, such that the slot 41 of the
cover member 4 can be tightly closed by the curved portion 31 of
the cap 3 to keep the straw 51 from being contaminated when the
container is not used. Preferably, the inner surface of the
dome-typed wall 47 and the outer surface of the curved portion
31 have the same curvature. As shown in Figs 4B and 5, the straw
51 is folded and stored in a space defined by the wall 311 of the
cap 3 and the inner surface of the cover member 4 while the slot
41 of the cover 4 is tightly closed by the curved portion 31 of
the cap 3.
A projecting plate 46 is formed on the inner surface of the
curved wall of the cover 4 above one of the projections 42 and
near the slot 41. Between the plate 46 and the slot 41, a
projecting stopper 48 is provided. Above another projection 42,
a raised spot 43 is formed on the inner surface of the cover 4
approximately opposing the plate 46 for slidably engaging the
groove 313 on the curved portion 31 of the cap 3.
Thus, the cover 14 can be rotated counterclockwise to move
the slot 41 from a folded position shown in Fig. 4B to a position
facing the upper straw 51 and permitting the straw 51 to extend
outwardly therethrough as shown in Fig. 4A for a user to suck the
beverage from the container body 2. Upon the slot 41 arriving
at the position shown in Fig. 4A, the spot 43 on the cover 4 just
moves over the raised bead 315 and a pop sound is generated due
to the deformation and recover of the cover 4, signaling a user
that the cover 4 has been well located. The projecting plate 46
concurrently abuts against an edge of the inclined wall 311 to
stop further rotation of the cover 4, as shown in Fig. 4A.
Meanwhile, the spot 43 is positioned on the groove 313 between
the bead 315 and one end of the groove 313.
Conversely, when the cover 4 is rotated clockwise from the
position shown in Fig. 4A to a position shown in Fig. 4B, upon
the upper straw 51 being bent by the plate 46 of the cover 4
against the inclined wall 311, the spot 43 just moves over the
bead 315' and a pop sound is generated, signaling the user that
the cover 4 has been well located to fold the straw 51 and that
the slot 41 on the cover 4 has been tightly closed by the curved
portion 3 of the cap 3. Meanwhile, further clockwise rotation
of the cover 4 relative to the cap 3 is prevented by the stopper
48 which is abutting against an edge of the inclined wall 311,
as shown in Fig. 4B. The spot 43 now is located on the groove
313 between the bead 315' and the other end of the groove 313.
A decorative cover 9 designed with attractive pattern may
be fixed above the cover 4 as shown in Figs. 3 and 5. The
decorative cover 9 is formed with a through hole 91 corresponding
to the slot 41 of the cover 4 for the upper straw 51 to extend
therethrough. The cover 4 is formed with a projecting section 44
engaging a corresponding recess 92 formed on the decorative
cover 9 such that the cover 4 can be rotated by rotating the
decorative cover 9.
Fig. 7 shows an alternative embodiment of a combination of
a straw and a cap of a beverage container of the present
invention wherein the straw extends through a horizontal portion
of the cap rather than an inclined wall as shown in Fig. 6.
A cap 6 as shown in Fig. 7 has a horizontal wall 61 which
has a vertical cylindrical conduit 612 opening at both ends and
communicating with the internal volume of a container body (not
shown). A straw 7 comprises an upper straw 71 extending out the
conduit 612 and a lower straw 72 connected with the upper straw
71. The upper straw 71 and lower straw 72 are made of the same
material as those of the upper straw 51 and lower straw 52 of
Fig. 6.
Similar to the arrangement shown in Fig. 6, the upper straw
71, lower straw 72 and the conduit 612 are sized so that the
upper straw 71 is connected with the lower straw 72 and held in
position in a coaxial relation, with its outer surface in surface
contact with the inner surface of the conduit 612 and its inner
surface in surface contact with the outer surface of the lower
straw 72. The surface contacts form seals, preventing the flow
of beverage in the container body therebetween.
It should be noted that the above embodiments are only
examples of the present invention and any modification or
derivation thereof should fall within the scope of the present
invention.