US20070001022A1 - Drinking straw - Google Patents
Drinking straw Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20070001022A1 US20070001022A1 US11/349,160 US34916006A US2007001022A1 US 20070001022 A1 US20070001022 A1 US 20070001022A1 US 34916006 A US34916006 A US 34916006A US 2007001022 A1 US2007001022 A1 US 2007001022A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- drinking straw
- surface layer
- drinking
- inner layer
- flow path
- 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.)
- Abandoned
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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
- A47G21/18—Drinking straws or the like
- A47G21/187—Drinking straws or the like with means for cooling the liquid
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a drinking straw, and in particular to a drinking straw which can isolate or ease off a certain degree of temperature between lip and fluid when people suck in drinks with the drinking straw.
- drinking straws people usually use drinking straws to take in fluid, which is not limited to drinks. With a drinking straw being inserted into the container of drinks, people can suck in drinks. Until now, drinking straw is still one of the most effective tools to take in fluid food.
- hot drinks are not uncommon, for example but not limited to soy bean milk, milk, hot mesona, and so on.
- people less often use drinking straws to take in hot drinks; instead people use cups, bowls, and so on because conventional prior art of drinking straws are not suitable for taking hot drinks.
- U.S. Pat. No. 6,460,776 discloses a heat insulating drinking straw, in which double tubes with a gap between them to slow down heat conduction and in turn achieve a certain degree of heat insulation.
- Many perspectives, however, can be used to tackle a problem. It is believed that there is a need for further alternative novelty of drinking straws.
- the drinking straw disclosed in the present invention is aimed to tackle the same problem of heat insulation with a different approach.
- FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-section of a preferred embodiment of a drinking straw according to the present invention
- FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-section of another preferred embodiment of a drinking straw according to the present invention.
- FIG. 1 is a schematic cross section of a preferred embodiment of a drinking straw according to the present invention.
- FIG 2 is a schematic cross section of another preferred embodiment of a drinking straw according to the present invention.
- a preferred embodiment of a drinking straw according to the present invention is a long, tubular body which is extruded and then cut to a certain length, comprising a surface layer 11 and an inner layer 12 encompassing a flow path 13 .
- the surface layer can be made of, for example but not limited to, PP, Ps, PE, Nylon, and PET with a preferable thickness of 1 ⁇ 3 mm.
- the surface layer 11 is directly in contact with people lips and may therefore, for example but not limited to, be colored or illustrated. However, these prior arts are commonly known and will not be discussed further.
- FIG. 2 another preferred embodiment of a drinking straw according to the present invention is a hexagonal tube, in which the surface layer 11 is a hexagonal cross section and the inner layer 12 forms a circular flow path 13 .
- the flow path 13 may be any other shape, corresponding to or not corresponding to the cross section of the surface layer 11 or the inner layer 12 , i.e. the cross section of the flow path may be circular or any other shape.
- the choice of the cross section of the flow path 13 is a matter of mold design, which will not be discussed further.
Landscapes
- Table Equipment (AREA)
Abstract
A drinking straw is disclosed, comprising a surface layer which is a tubular exterior made of polymer; and an inner layer which is made of the same material with the surface layer and foamed to become the inner wall of the surface layer such that the hollow flow path is formed.
Description
- The present invention relates to a drinking straw, and in particular to a drinking straw which can isolate or ease off a certain degree of temperature between lip and fluid when people suck in drinks with the drinking straw.
- People usually use drinking straws to take in fluid, which is not limited to drinks. With a drinking straw being inserted into the container of drinks, people can suck in drinks. Until now, drinking straw is still one of the most effective tools to take in fluid food.
- People usually drink cold drinks, but hot drinks are not uncommon, for example but not limited to soy bean milk, milk, hot mesona, and so on. In general, people less often use drinking straws to take in hot drinks; instead people use cups, bowls, and so on because conventional prior art of drinking straws are not suitable for taking hot drinks.
- It is known that conventional drinking straws are tubular structure made of thin polymer. The drinking straws made of thin polymer are ineffective in heat insulation, or, to put in more precisely, effective in heat conduction. Consequently, the temperature of hot drinks will effectively transfer to people's lips. Since human's lips are sensitive to temperature, people usually feel unbearable when first sucking in hot drinks, and then pour the hot drink into other containers. People usually blow the hot drinks to cool them down when they try to take in the hot drinks.
- U.S. Pat. No. 6,460,776 discloses a heat insulating drinking straw, in which double tubes with a gap between them to slow down heat conduction and in turn achieve a certain degree of heat insulation. Many perspectives, however, can be used to tackle a problem. It is believed that there is a need for further alternative novelty of drinking straws. The drinking straw disclosed in the present invention is aimed to tackle the same problem of heat insulation with a different approach.
- To further explain the details of the drinking straw according to the present invention, please first refer to the schematic figures, wherein
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-section of a preferred embodiment of a drinking straw according to the present invention andFIG. 2 is a schematic cross-section of another preferred embodiment of a drinking straw according to the present invention. - The present invention can be more fully understood by reference to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which:
-
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross section of a preferred embodiment of a drinking straw according to the present invention; and - FIG 2 is a schematic cross section of another preferred embodiment of a drinking straw according to the present invention.
- Referring to
FIG. 1 , a preferred embodiment of a drinking straw according to the present invention is a long, tubular body which is extruded and then cut to a certain length, comprising asurface layer 11 and aninner layer 12 encompassing aflow path 13. - The surface layer can be made of, for example but not limited to, PP, Ps, PE, Nylon, and PET with a preferable thickness of 1˜3 mm. The
surface layer 11 is directly in contact with people lips and may therefore, for example but not limited to, be colored or illustrated. However, these prior arts are commonly known and will not be discussed further. - The
inner layer 12, made of the same material with that of thesurface layer 11, is foamed to become its shape. T foaming ratio of the inner layer is 2 to 10, to form a plurality of cells inside, which can also provide heat insulation. The thickness of theinner layer 12 is preferable 0.3 to 5 mm. More specifically, the outer diameter of thedrinking straw 1 is preferably less than 20 mm and theflow path 13, for the pass of fluid, encompassed by theinner layer 12 is preferably less than 15 mm. As described earlier, a drinking straw according to present invention is produced by extrusion, and thus theinner layer 12 can be foamed during the process of extrusion, which is a conventional prior art and will not be discussed further. - Referring to
FIG. 2 , another preferred embodiment of a drinking straw according to the present invention is a hexagonal tube, in which thesurface layer 11 is a hexagonal cross section and theinner layer 12 forms acircular flow path 13. Furthermore, with proper mold design, theflow path 13 may be any other shape, corresponding to or not corresponding to the cross section of thesurface layer 11 or theinner layer 12, i.e. the cross section of the flow path may be circular or any other shape. The choice of the cross section of theflow path 13 is a matter of mold design, which will not be discussed further. - Furthermore, a
drinking straw 1 according to the present invention may be made a series of grooves at a proper portion such that thedrinking straw 1 can be flexed to facilitate drinking. The process of making such bendable drinking straws is also a conventional prior art and thus will not be discussed further. - Consequently, by putting the present invention into practice, the main advantages of the present invention includes the following points.
- (1) Simple manufacturing process: the conventional extrusion process can be used to make the drinking straw according to the present invention and subsequent cutting may also be completed by conventional prior art such that the cost is low and thus suitable for disposable use.
- (2) Effective heat insulation: with different thickness of the inner layer and the choice of foaming ratio, the degree of heat insulation can be selected to meet specific demand.
- While the invention has been described with reference to the a preferred embodiment thereof, it is to be understood that modifications or variations may be easily made without departing from the spirit of this invention, which is defined by the appended claims.
Claims (10)
1. A drinking straw, comprising:
a surface layer which is a tubular exterior made of polymer; and
an inner layer which is made of the same material with the surface layer and foamed to become the inner wall of the surface layer such that the hollow flow path is formed.
2. The drinking straw as defined in claim 1 , wherein the surface layer and the inner layer may be made of PP, PS, PE, Nylon, and PET.
3. The drinking straw as defined in claim 1 , wherein the drinking straw is extruded to shape and cut to required lengths.
4. The drinking straw as defined in claim 1 , wherein the surface layer can be circular, square, hexagonal, or oval.
5. The drinking straw as defined in claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the inner layer can be uniform or varying.
6. The drinking straw as defined in claim 1 , wherein the drinking straw can be made to form a series of grooves such that the drinking straw can be flexed.
7. The drinking straw as defined in claim 1 , wherein the surface layer can be illustrated with pictures or words.
8. The drinking straw as defined in claim 1 , wherein the foaming ratio of the inner layer is 2 to 10 times.
9. The drinking straw as defined in claim 1 , wherein the largest diagonal distance of the exterior of the drinking straw is from 3 to 10 mm.
10. The drinking straw as defined in claim 1 , wherein the diagonal distance of the flow path is from 1 to 6 mm.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
TW094211231U TWM280748U (en) | 2005-07-04 | 2005-07-04 | Straw |
TW094211231 | 2005-07-04 |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20070001022A1 true US20070001022A1 (en) | 2007-01-04 |
Family
ID=37153901
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US11/349,160 Abandoned US20070001022A1 (en) | 2005-07-04 | 2006-02-08 | Drinking straw |
Country Status (2)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US20070001022A1 (en) |
TW (1) | TWM280748U (en) |
Cited By (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20080227059A1 (en) * | 2007-03-13 | 2008-09-18 | Jong Hak Choi | Educational Aid for Vocabulary and Recognition of Form Spatial Structure and Word Enigma Straws |
CN103654194A (en) * | 2013-12-05 | 2014-03-26 | 镇江新区惠聚机电科技有限公司 | Radiating straw |
US20150047113A1 (en) * | 2013-08-16 | 2015-02-19 | Tiax Llc | Structured material for impact protection |
US20150335186A1 (en) * | 2014-05-21 | 2015-11-26 | Gregory Michael MacDonald | Cooling Straw |
USD808702S1 (en) * | 2015-11-10 | 2018-01-30 | Lance Hollander | Beverage consumption straw |
USD831397S1 (en) * | 2016-08-25 | 2018-10-23 | Rita Diorio | Drinking straw |
USD853165S1 (en) * | 2017-12-14 | 2019-07-09 | Light My Fire Sweden Ab | Drinking straw |
Citations (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US4216801A (en) * | 1976-08-27 | 1980-08-12 | Flexible Plastic Straw Corporation | Flexible tube |
US5405665A (en) * | 1991-06-28 | 1995-04-11 | Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. | Multi-layered foam heat-shrinkable tube |
US20010010849A1 (en) * | 1998-01-21 | 2001-08-02 | Kent Blizard | Method and apparatus for microcellular polypropylene extrusion, and polypropylene articles produced thereby |
US20020030115A1 (en) * | 1998-11-10 | 2002-03-14 | Float Ardele Y. | Bendable insulated drinking straw for drinking hot and cold liquids |
US20020134850A1 (en) * | 2001-03-22 | 2002-09-26 | Hollenberg David H. | Drinking straw prepared from flattened polymeric tubular conduit, method of making same and dispenser therefor |
US6541055B1 (en) * | 1998-02-02 | 2003-04-01 | Worlddrink Usa, Lp | Porous plastic dispensing article |
US6579141B2 (en) * | 2000-02-29 | 2003-06-17 | Spearmark International Ltd. | Novelty attachment for a drinks receptacle |
-
2005
- 2005-07-04 TW TW094211231U patent/TWM280748U/en not_active IP Right Cessation
-
2006
- 2006-02-08 US US11/349,160 patent/US20070001022A1/en not_active Abandoned
Patent Citations (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US4216801A (en) * | 1976-08-27 | 1980-08-12 | Flexible Plastic Straw Corporation | Flexible tube |
US5405665A (en) * | 1991-06-28 | 1995-04-11 | Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. | Multi-layered foam heat-shrinkable tube |
US20010010849A1 (en) * | 1998-01-21 | 2001-08-02 | Kent Blizard | Method and apparatus for microcellular polypropylene extrusion, and polypropylene articles produced thereby |
US6541055B1 (en) * | 1998-02-02 | 2003-04-01 | Worlddrink Usa, Lp | Porous plastic dispensing article |
US20020030115A1 (en) * | 1998-11-10 | 2002-03-14 | Float Ardele Y. | Bendable insulated drinking straw for drinking hot and cold liquids |
US6579141B2 (en) * | 2000-02-29 | 2003-06-17 | Spearmark International Ltd. | Novelty attachment for a drinks receptacle |
US20020134850A1 (en) * | 2001-03-22 | 2002-09-26 | Hollenberg David H. | Drinking straw prepared from flattened polymeric tubular conduit, method of making same and dispenser therefor |
Cited By (10)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20080227059A1 (en) * | 2007-03-13 | 2008-09-18 | Jong Hak Choi | Educational Aid for Vocabulary and Recognition of Form Spatial Structure and Word Enigma Straws |
US7789665B2 (en) * | 2007-03-13 | 2010-09-07 | Jong Hak Choi | Educational aid for vocabulary and recognition of form spatial structure and word enigma straws |
US20150047113A1 (en) * | 2013-08-16 | 2015-02-19 | Tiax Llc | Structured material for impact protection |
US10219575B2 (en) * | 2013-08-16 | 2019-03-05 | Tiax Llc | Structured material for impact protection |
CN103654194A (en) * | 2013-12-05 | 2014-03-26 | 镇江新区惠聚机电科技有限公司 | Radiating straw |
US20150335186A1 (en) * | 2014-05-21 | 2015-11-26 | Gregory Michael MacDonald | Cooling Straw |
US10159369B2 (en) * | 2014-05-21 | 2018-12-25 | Gregory Michael MacDonald | Cooling straw |
USD808702S1 (en) * | 2015-11-10 | 2018-01-30 | Lance Hollander | Beverage consumption straw |
USD831397S1 (en) * | 2016-08-25 | 2018-10-23 | Rita Diorio | Drinking straw |
USD853165S1 (en) * | 2017-12-14 | 2019-07-09 | Light My Fire Sweden Ab | Drinking straw |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
TWM280748U (en) | 2005-11-21 |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |