1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed generally to systems and methods for consuming beverages, and more specifically, to systems and methods for facilitating drinking a beverage from a beverage container through a drinking straw without obstruction by objects in the beverage container.
2. Description of the Related Art
Drinking straws are conventionally known for use in consuming various beverages. Some beverages may include various objects, such as fruit, seeds, leaves, or other objects. For these such beverages, the objects present in the beverage may be drawn into the mouth of a user during use of the drinking straw, or at least drawn into the drinking straw to cause an obstruction. This may cause coughing or other discomfort for the user. Additionally, in the case where a drinking straw is clogged, the user's ability to consume the beverage freely is disrupted.
Embodiments of the present invention are directed to systems and methods for isolating a bottom open end of a drinking straw from objects within a beverage container. Such objects may include fruit, leaves, seeds, etc. This allows users to consume the beverage through the drinking straw freely without obstruction from the objects. As can be appreciated, the devices disclosed herein are advantageous over traditional straining of a beverage to remove all of the objects by allowing the taste of the beverage and its aesthetics to be maintained. Additionally, beverages may be made relatively quickly by not requiring an additional straining step. Further, users may consume the beverage more quickly since there is unobstructed access through the drinking straw.
The top platform 12 comprises a plurality of filter openings 28 sized to allow liquid to flow therethrough but to restrict the passage of objects 30 (e.g., seeds, fruit, leaves, etc.) (see
As may best be seen in
The sieve 10 may be formed from one or more suitable materials. In some embodiments, the sieve 10 is integrally formed from a single material. Non-limiting examples of suitable materials include clear or opaque polycarbonate and clear or opaque polypropylene. Preferably, the materials used are Bisphenol A (BPA) free.
As shown in
It should be appreciated that the size and shape of the sieve 10 may be varied to accommodate different size drinking glasses. Further, although in this example the sieve 10 has a circular horizontal cross-section, in other embodiments the cross-section may be other shapes. As an example, the horizontal cross-section of the sieve could be square to accommodate a drinking glass having a square interior sidewall. More generally, the outer dimensions of the sieve may be configured to substantially match the inner dimensions of a bottom portion of a drinking glass. Additionally height of the sieve may be varied as desired.
The use of the sieve 10 is now described. As shown in
With the drinking straw 38 positioned in the drinking straw opening 32 and the bottom open end 36 of the drinking straw positioned within the cavity 34, the drinking straw and sieve 10 may be placed into the drinking glass 24 before any fruit or other objects 30, ice, or any liquid is added (see
As shown in
Once the user has consumed the liquid 56 freely without obstruction by any objects 30, the user may then lift the sieve 10 out of the drinking glass 24 by simply lifting the drinking straw 38 upward which also moves the sieve 10 upward due to the ridge 48 of the drinking straw locking the drinking straw to the sieve. The user may then rinse or wash the drinking straw 38 and sieve 10 for reuse, or may discard the drinking straw and/or sieve if they are configured to be disposable.
As shown in
As shown in
It should be appreciated that the structure of the sieves 10 and 60 allow them to also perform as beverage infusers. In this function, the top platform serves to isolate the material being steeped or brewed from the cavity in which the bottom open end of the drinking straw is positioned. The material may include tea leaves, herbs, or any other material suitable to be used with a beverage infuser.
As will be appreciated, the embodiments of the present invention described herein provide several advantages. By isolating the bottom open end of the drinking straw from any objects in a beverage, uses are able to consume the beverage freely without obstruction. Additionally, objects may be left inside the drinking glass during consumption of the beverage by the user. This improves the speed in which users may prepare a beverage by not requiring straining of the beverage into a separate drinking glass. Further, leaving the objects inside the beverage during consumption may be aesthetically pleasing and may also improve the taste of the beverage. Those skilled in the art will appreciate other advantages provided by the embodiments of the present invention.
The foregoing described embodiments depict different components contained within, or connected with, different other components. It is to be understood that such depicted architectures are merely exemplary, and that in fact many other architectures can be implemented which achieve the same functionality. In a conceptual sense, any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality is effectively “associated” such that the desired functionality is achieved. Hence, any two components herein combined to achieve a particular functionality can be seen as “associated with” each other such that the desired functionality is achieved, irrespective of architectures or intermediary components. Likewise, any two components so associated can also be viewed as being “operably connected”, or “operably coupled”, to each other to achieve the desired functionality.
While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that, based upon the teachings herein, changes and modifications may be made without departing from this invention and its broader aspects and, therefore, the appended claims are to encompass within their scope all such changes and modifications as are within the true spirit and scope of this invention. Furthermore, it is to be understood that the invention is solely defined by the appended claims. It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to inventions containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations).
Accordingly, the invention is not limited except as by the appended claims.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/638,372, filed Apr. 25, 2012, the contents of which are incorporated by reference in its entirety.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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61638372 | Apr 2012 | US |