US20170079453A1

US20170079453A1 - KoffieStraw

Info

Publication number: US20170079453A1
Application number: US15/270,021
Authority: US
Inventors: Rita Diorio; Joseph M. Diorio; Charles N. McGlynn
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2015-09-21
Filing date: 2016-09-20
Publication date: 2017-03-23

Abstract

A drinking straw for transferring fluids is provided with a body shaped as a cylindrical tube and one aperture. The body includes a first end, a second end, and an outer surface. Furthermore, the aperture extends from the first end of the body to the second end of the body and the aperture defines an inner surface. Additionally, the straw includes an angle point where the upper region of the straw is displaced at a fixed angle with respect to the lower region. Both the outer surface of the straw and the inner surface have the same non-circular shape.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application No. 62221545, which was filed on Sep. 21, 2015.

BACKGROUND

Field
The disclosure pertains generally to a fluid transferring apparatus, and more particularly to a drinking straw.
Description of Related Art
Drinking straws are a common necessity for most hot beverages not only to control the volume of fluid the user is consuming, but also to limit or prevent teeth stains and enamel erosion.
Current straws are made of various materials to tailor each straw to a specific need; these materials include plastic, glass, and metal. Thin plastic disposable straws have a very low cost, so they are mostly desired for restaurants and other scenarios where it is more efficient to just dispose after using. Traditional plastic disposable straws are not recommended for drinking hot liquids due to the material make-up of the straw. The thin plastic of the traditional straws undoubtedly leech toxins into the beverage when exposed to hot temperatures or acidic liquids. These toxic substances include but are not limited to BPA, plasticizers, and the like.
To avoid leeching harsh chemicals into the daily consumer's beverage, straws are now made of glass, metal, or thermoplastic materials such as polypropylene or polyethylene, these materials are able to withstand the high temperatures of the beverage without releasing the toxins. The main drawback to these materials is the rigidity of the straw. This rigidity can cause discomfort for the user due to the fact that most people bite the straw, as a means of holding the straw, while drinking. Additionally, glass straws pose an obvious drawback, which is its breaking point. Since most users bite their straw, biting on glass could pose certain hazards. Furthermore, metal straws are undesirable due to the thermal conductivity of metal. Placing a metal straw into a very hot beverage will cause the straw to reach very hot temperatures, which could lead to burning the user's lips. Overall, these existing straws leave the user either at risk for leeching toxins into their beverage, burning their lips, shattering the straw while biting on it, and most importantly, these straws leave the user in discomfort from the rigidity of the non-leeching straw.

SUMMARY

The present invention overcomes the disadvantages in the related art in drinking straws. The device is a straw for transferring fluids. The straw generally includes a body having a cylindrical tube shape. The body of the straw has a first end, a second end, an outer surface, and one aperture extending from the first end of the body to the second end of the body. The aperture defines an inner surface.
The straw further includes an angle point, which is disposed between the first end and the second end of the body, and the angle point defines a lower region and an upper region of the body. The upper region is disposed between the angle point and the second end, and the lower region is disposed between the angle point and the first end. Additionally, the upper region is angled from the lower region at the angle point.
Furthermore, the angle for the upper region is between 30-45 degrees.
Additionally, the outer surface has a non-circular cross-section.
Likewise, the aperture has a non-circular cross-section.
Lastly, the cross-section for the aperture and the cross-section for the outer surface are the identical.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure will become better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like numerals are used to indicate like structure throughout the various figures.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the KoffieStraw.

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the KoffieStraw.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the KoffieStraw.

FIG. 4 is a first top view of the KoffieStraw.

FIG. 5 is a second top view of the KoffieStraw.

FIG. 6 is a left-side view of the KoffieStraw.

FIG. 7 is a right-side view of the KoffieStraw.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as is commonly understood by one of skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains.
In the context of the present disclosure, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” can include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” as used herein, can specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
As used herein, the term “and/or” can include any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
As used herein, the term “and/or” can include any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
Spatially relative terms, such as “under,” “below,” “lower,” “over,” “upper” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms can encompass different orientations of the apparatus in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the apparatus in the figures is inverted, elements described as “under” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “over” the other elements or features.
It will be understood that, although the terms “first,” “second,” etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. Thus, a “first” element discussed below could also be termed a “second” element without departing from the teachings of the present disclosure.
Drinking straws come in many different varieties, but those current varieties leave the user at risk for leaching toxins into their beverage, burning their lips, shattering the straw while biting on it, and most commonly, these straws leave the user in discomfort from the rigidity of the non-leeching straw. The present invention provides a silicon, reusable, heat-safe, soft, environmentally friendly drinking straw, with a fixed angle to transport the fluid behind the user's teeth to prevent enamel erosion, along with having an unique opening that allows the straw to fit inside all of the common to-go cups.
The present disclosure relates to a silicone drinking straw. The drinking straw can be seen in FIGS. 1-7.
The drinking straw of the present disclosure is generally indicated at 50 in FIG. 1. The drinking straw 50 includes a body 1, an angle point 12, and an aperture 10.
The body 1 is shaped as a cylindrical tube, and is typically made of silicon, although one of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that flexible rubber, or any other heat safe, BPA free material could be used to act as the body 1 of the drinking straw 50. The body 1, has a first end 2, a second end 4, and an outer surface 6. The outer surface 6, has a smooth texture to allow the drinking straw 50 to easily slide into common to-go cup lids. The thickness of the body 1 is 1 mm to allow the straw 50 to be flexible and soft, although the actual dimension of the straw should not limit the invention.
The angle point 12 is disposed between the first end 2 of the body 1 and the second end 4 and the body 1. The angle point partitions the body 1 into two regions, the lower region 14 and the upper region 16. The lower region 14 is the region of the body 1 between the first end 2 and the angle point 12. The upper region 16 is the region of the body 1 between the angle point 12 and the second end 4. The upper region 16 is angled from the lower region 14, at the angle point 12. The fixed angle that the upper region 16 is projected at is between 30-45 degrees, although the optimal angle to displace the fluid behind the user's teeth is 37 degrees. FIGS. 6 and 7 show the side views of the straw 50, where the angle can be easily viewed. The angle also allows for the user to drink from the straw 50 without having to either tilt their head or tilt the beverage.
The aperture 10 is disposed within the body 1 of the drinking straw 50, and the aperture 10 extends from the first end 2 of the body 1 to the second end 4 of the body 1. The aperture 10 defines an inner surface 8, which is smooth and the inner surface 8 has the same coefficient of friction as the outer surface 6. The aperture 10 has a non-circular shape, such as an ellipse or an oval. This non-circular shape allows the straw 50 to fit in most of the common to-go cup lids while still providing the user with a large amount of volume of fluid as they drink through the straw 50. Additionally, having only one aperture 10 allows the user to have complete control of the volume of fluid entering the user's mouth by applying pressure on the straw through biting. Biting harder constricts the aperture, which limits the amount of fluid that can pass through the straw.
The innovation has been described in an illustrative manner. It is to be understood that the terminology, which has been used is intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than of limitation. Many modifications and variations of the invention are possible in light of the above teachings. Therefore, within the scope of the appended claims, the innovation may be practiced other than as specifically described.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A drinking straw for transferring fluids, comprising:

a straw having a body shaped as a cylindrical tube

said body having a first end and a second end;

said body having an outer surface;

said body further comprising one aperture extending from said first end of said body to said second end of said body, which defines an inner surface.

2. The straw as set forth in claim 1, further includes an angle point which is disposed between said first end and said second end of said body and said angle point defines a lower region and an upper region of said body;

said upper region is disposed between said angle point and said second end and said lower region is disposed between said angle point and said first end;

said upper region is angled from said lower region at said angle point.

3. The straw as set forth in claim 2, wherein said angle for said upper region is between 30-45 degrees.

4. The straw as set forth in claim 1, wherein said outer surface has a non-circular cross-section.

5. The straw as set forth in claim 1, wherein said inner surface has a non-circular cross-section.

6. The straw as set forth in claim 5, wherein the cross-section for said inner surface and the cross-section for said outer surface are the same.