US3211379A

US3211379A - Self-rising straw

Info

Publication number: US3211379A
Application number: US337405A
Authority: US
Inventors: Robert J Burton
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1964-01-13
Filing date: 1964-01-13
Publication date: 1965-10-12
Anticipated expiration: 1982-10-12

Description

Oct. 12, 1965 R. J. BURTON SELF-RISING STRAW Filed Jan. 13. 1964 INVENTOR. ROBERTJ. BUR TON A TTORNZZYS United States Patent 3,211,379 SELF-RISING STRAW Robert J. Burton, 14 Elk Place, Niagara Falls, N.Y., as-

signor of fifty percent to Frank P. Becker, Niagara Falls, N.Y. I

Filed Jan. 13, 1964, Ser. No. 337,405 Claims. (Cl. 239-33) The present invention relates to a bottled beverage sipping or drinking straw, and more particularly to an improved drinking straw adapted to be enclosed in bottles containing carbonated beverages and to be self-rising into conveniently usable position upon removal of the bottle cap.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved drinking straw as aforesaid which may be contained within a bottle of carbonated beverage, and which will automatically rise to drinking or sipping position when the bottle is uncapped.

Another object is to provide an improved straw as aforesaid which is of improved structural simplicity and inexpensive to manufacture; which is totally antiseptic and insoluble and otherwise inert to the beverage; and which will automatically float to sipping position with improved facility and precision.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following specification and accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view partly in section, showing a preferred embodiment of the invention disposed within a capped beverage container of the currently popular soft drink type;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view thereof after the cap has been removed and the drinking straw has risen to beverage sipping position;

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the bottom end of the straw, as suggested by line 3-3 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary section on enlarged scale showing gas bubbles adhering to one of the finger portions of the bottom end of the straw of the invention.

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate the invention in conjunction with a bottle 10, which may be formed of any suitable material such as glass, for containing a carbonated beverage as indicated at 12. The bottle is shown as having a top closure or cap 14, which of course may also be of any suitable type. The straw of the invention is de signated generally at 15, and is shown to comprise a tubular main stem portion 16, the lower end of which has been split to provide a plurality of separate finger portions 18. The fingers 18 are simply bent radially outwardly into the inclined attitudes thereof as shown in FIGS. 1, 2; whereby to present to uprising gas bubbles in the beverage, frontal areas as designated at 20 (FIG. 3) of substantial extent. It will be understood that the processes of splitting the lower end and outwardly bending thefingers 18 may be readily performed by any preferred automatic or semi-automatic machine arrangement, or the like, at almost negligible cost incidental to manufacture of the straw per se. Thus, it will be appreciated that an enlarged inverted, cup-shaped screenlike configuration has been added to the bottom end of the straw by means of simple and inexpensive manufacturing procedures.

It is well known that the currently used types of sipping straws, although being made of different materials, are generally of the same or higher specific gravity chara-cteristics as are bottled beverages of for example, the soft drink type, such as are preferably sipped through a straw. Consequently, the conventional straw tends to sink in the beverage. The present invention, provides an improved arrangement for capturing the gas bubbles which generate and rise actively within the beverage when the compression-sealed cap is removed, and especially if the bottle is incidentally shaken.

Such gas bubbles as rise from the bottom portion of the bottle beneath the screen provided by the outspread fingers 18 of the straw of the present invention, collect within this inverted cup-shaped screen-like portion of the straw and cling (due to the surface tension phenomenon) to the finger surface areas as illustrated for example at 22 (FIG. 4). Thus the clinging bubbles of gas buoy the straw upwardly; and, overcoming the previous specific gravity differential, cause the straw to rise in the body of the beverage so that the upper end of the straw extends above the uncapped top of the bottle into position offering easy access to the lips of the drinker. Simply shaking the bottle increases the rate of etfervescence or bubble generation, and therefor is instinctively employed by the user if need be to cause the straw to move more rapidly and/ or to be preferred elevation.

It is contemplated that the straw of the invention may be fabricated of any suitable material, such as plastic, or the like; the prime requisite being that the material used shall be of sanitary and non-allegric nature; insoluble and chemically inert with respect to the beverage; taste less and otherwise unobnoxious; and yet inexpensive and easy to fabricate as explained hereinabove. Thus, it will be appreciated that the invention provides a structurally simplified yet improved form of self-elevating straw which may be machine-made and inserted in a beverage bottle incidental to filling and capping thereof; whereby no human hands need touch the parts. Then upon uncapping the bottle the straw automatically rises up through the mouth of the bottle into useful position.

It will of course be appreciated that although only one form of the invention has been illustrated and described in detail hereinabove, various changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A sipping straw for use in containers of the bottle type of carborated or effervescent beverages, comprising an elongated tubular straw member being split at its bottom end to provide a plurality of separate finger portions, said finger portions being bent radially outwardly to provide inclined finger devices defining an inverted cupshaped screen-like element integral with the bottom end of said straw member, said cup-shaped screen element being disposed at the bottom end thereof to be immerse within the beverage contained within a capped bottle for intercepting bubbles of effervescent gases liberated therebelow from the beverage upon release of the bottle cap and comprission forces on the beverage, which bubbles of gas cling to said finger devices and thereby act to cause said straw member to rise relative to the beverage to elevate the upper end of said straw above the uncapped opening of the bottle into beverage sipping position.

2. A sipping straw for use in containers of the bottle type for carbonated or effervescent beverages, comprising an elongated tubular straw member being split at its bottom end to provide a plurality of separate finger portions, said finger portions being bent radially outwardly to provide inclined finger devices defining an inverted comically-shaped screen-like element integral with the bottom end of said straw member, said screen element being disposed at the bottom end thereof whereby when said straw is immersed within the beverage contained within a capped bottle the screen element is disposed for intercepting bubbles of effervescent gases liberated therebelow from the beverage upon release of the bottle cap and compression forces on the beverage, whereby said 3 bubbles act to cause said straw member to rise relative to the beverage to elevate the upper end of said straw above the uncapped opening of the bottle into beverage sipping position.

3. A sipping straw for use in containers of the bottle type for carbonated or effervescent beverages, comprising an elongated tubular straw member being formed at its bottom end with a plurality of downwardly directed separate finger portions, said finger portions being bent radially outwardly to provide inclined surfaces defining a screen-like element integral with the bottom end of said straw member, said screen element being disposed at the bottom end thereof to be immersed within the beverage contained within a capped bottle for intercepting bubbles of effervescent gases liberated therebelow from the beverage upon release of the bottle cap and compression forces on the beverage.

4. A sipping straw for use in containers of the bottle type for effervescent beverages, comprising an elongated tubular straw member having at its bottom end a plurality of separate finger portions, said finger portions being inclined radially outwardly and thereby defining an inverted cup-shaped screen-like element integral with the bottom end of said straw member and thereby adapted to be immersed within the beverage contained within a capped bottle for intercepting bubbles of effervescent gases liberated therebelow from the beverage upon release of the bottle cap and compression forces on the beverage, whereby gas bubbles cling to said finger devices and thereby act to cause said straw member to rise relative to the beverage to elevate the upper end of said straw above the uncapped opening of the bottle into beverage sipping position.

5. A sipping straw for use in containers for carbonated beverages comprising, in combination,

an elongate tubular body member having a length less than the depth of the container within which it is associated,

said body portion having an integral lower end portion flaring downwardly and outwardly to terminate at the lower end of the body member in a region of substantially greater area than the area defined by the body portion, said lower end portion being defined by a plurality of separate finger members of substantially uniform widths throughout and lengths to provide slits between adjacent finger members which are progressively narrow toward the juncture of the finger members with the tubular body portion, whereby the increased area as aforesaid and the progressively narrowing slits afford maximal areas for the accummulation of bubbles for buoying the straw.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,253,579 1/18 Deanes 23933 2,979,267 4/61 Miller 239-33 3,099,565 7/63 Neuhauser 23933 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,136,439 12/56 France. 1,180,572 12/58 France.

M. HENSON WOOD, JR., Primary Examiner.

EVERETT W. KIRBY, Examiner.

Claims

1. A SIPPING STRAW FOR USE IN CONTAINERS OF THE BOTTLE TYPE OF CARBORATED OR EFFERVESENT BEVERAGES, COMPRISING AN ELONGATED TUBULAR STRAW MEMBER BEING SPLIT AT ITS BOTTOM END TO PROVIDE A PLURALITY OF SEPARATE FINGER PORTIONS, SAID FINGER PORTIONS BEING BENT RADIALLY OUTWARDLY TO PROVIDE INCLINED FINGER DEVICES DEFINING AN INVERTED CUPSHAPED SCREEN-LIKE ELEMENT INTEGRAL WITH THE BOTTOM END OF SAID STRAW MEMBER, SAID CUP-SHAPED SCREEN ELEMENT BEING DISPOSED AT THE BOTTOM END THEREOF TO BE IMMERSE WITHIN THE BEVERAGE CONTAINED WITHIN A CAPPED BOTTLE FOR INTERCEPTING BUBBLES OF EFFERVESCENT GASES LIBRATED THEREBELOW FROM THE BEVERAGE UPON RELEASE OF THE BOTTLE CAP AND COMPRISSION FORCES ON THE BEVERAGE, WHICH BUBBLES OF GAS CLING TO SAID FINGER DEVICES AND THEREBY ACT TO CAUSE SAID STRAW MEMBER TO RISE RELATIVE TO THE BEVERAGE TO ELEVATE THE UPPER END OF SAID STRAW ABOVE THE UNCAPPED OPNING OF THE BOTTLE INTO BEVERAGE SIPPING POSITION.