Patent Application
20060192025
1. Technical Field
The present device relates generally to a reusable, disposable, or confectionery drinking straw with an enlarged or bulbous end, the bulbous end portion having a plurality of apertures.
2. Background Information
There have been many attempts to develop novel ways to imbibe liquids with a drinking straw. Drinking straws have in the past been sold separately from the container, or they are attached to, and purchased with, a beverage container.
In their simplest configuration, drinking straws are freestanding, simple vertical tubes. In more complex configurations, drinking straws are freestanding, ornamental straws that spiral, loop, or bend in ways that draw the user's attention to the flow of the contents through the straw as the beverage is sipped. A drawback of the more complex straws is that they are difficult to clean and may be unsanitary.
In other configurations, a straw with a movable extension, usually made of plastic, is built into a beverage container. The user pulls up the straw from the cap of the container and extracts the contents. The straw is stored by replacing the top of the straw back into its horizontal position in the cap of the container.
In yet other configurations, the drinking straw is purchased with the container, but is removable from the container. The container is designed to allow the straw to fit through a hole in the container. This straw remains in a near vertical position when in use or in storage. In some of these configurations, the straw has a removable cap molded around a base of the straw that can fit over the straw. The removable cap for the straw is designed to snap onto the straw when the straw is not in use, so as to keep the straw clean.
The drinking straw device of the current invention can be used to imbibe the contents of a beverage from either end of the straw. However, when the bulbous end of the drinking straw device of the current invention is placed in the beverage, the straw also can be an excellent mechanism for stirring the beverage.
As the user sips from the straw of the current invention, the rush of liquid to the palate through strategically-placed or randomly-placed apertures in the bulbous end portion of the straw device provides a new experience for users, who receive a novel burst of liquid that is exciting, yet sensually pleasing to the palate.
The drinking straw of the current invention can be made from any suitable fibrous or non-fibrous material, such as metal, hard or flexible tubing, plastic, resin, and paper. The present invention can be manufactured for use separately, or can be manufactured for use as an integral part of a container.
As a separately purchased straw device, the present invention can become a standard piece of cutlery used in formal or informal indoor and outdoor dining settings, depending upon the material used for manufacturing the device. Sterling silver, stainless steel, or other metals are the preferable material for use in formal and informal indoor dining settings. One advantage of the current invention is that in its simplest and most elegant configuration, it can be cleaned and sanitized for reuse in a fashion similar to other cutlery.
The straw of the current invention is also suitable for use as a new confection. Lollipops are solid, hard candy or they contain “treats” that have been stored within the body cavity of the candy. With the current invention, the straw is made of lollipop confection of any flavor. The instant confectionery straw can itself flavor a beverage through which the user sips the liquid.
In the confectionery form of the current invention, the drinking straw can be entirely edible, or only partially edible, depending upon the composition of the materials used to support the confection. The normally jaded lollipop user will have a novel confection that also can be used in a new and different way—to increase their pleasurable drinking experience as the device dissolves into, and blends with, their favorite beverage.
Children will be delighted to carry their own private drinking straws of the present invention, which are shaped in the form of a bracelet. The drinking straw bracelet is preferably made of a pliable material, such as plastic, that can be flexed to form a serpentine configuration around the child's arm. The enlarged end of the novelty drinking straw is preferably in a child-attractive shape, such as a bird, dolphin, fruit, flower, or cartoon character. In this configuration, the straw can be made from single or multiple colors for carrying and use, for example, at amusement parks. The drinking straw of the current invention also would be suitable as a party favor, for example, at a child's birthday party.
The present invention is a straw device comprising a first end portion having a single aperture connecting to a central bore within the first end portion, and an opposite, bulbous end portion. The bulbous end portion has a plurality of apertures, which may be same sized or vary in size. The enlarged, or bulbous, end portion may be in the shape of a geometric, animal, fruit, flower, mineral, vegetable, or cartoon shape, or any object. The drinking straw device is optionally attached to or in the form of a bracelet.
A more complete understanding of the invention and its advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein examples of the invention are shown, and wherein:
In the following description, like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views. Also, in the following description, it is to be understood that such terms as “inside”, “outside”, “within”, and the like are words of convenience and are not to be construed as limiting terms. Referring in more detail to the drawings, the invention will now be described.
Referring first to
The bulbous end portion 13 may be hollow and globe-shaped, as shown in
The bulbous end portion 13 may be placed into the beverage, or it may be placed in the user's mouth, according to the user's preference. In the former case, the drinking straw device 10 can double as a stir stick. Where the bulbous end portion 13 is a confection, stirring it in the beverage imparts some of it to the surrounding fluid, particularly where the beverage is hot or warm in temperature. When a candy bulbous end portion 13 is in the mouth, the user's saliva will slowly dissolve the confection into the user's mouth, so the user receives both the taste of the beverage and the taste of the confection on his or her taste buds. Alternatively, the user may chose to suck on the candy bulbous end portion even without using it to imbibe a beverage.
The drinking straw device 10 can be made of a reusable material, such as plastic, or a disposable material, such as paper. The drinking straw device 10 can alternatively be made of a suitable candy material. The bulbous end portion 13 may be edible, and the first end portion 11 may be edible or not.
Referring to
Referring to
From the foregoing it can be realized that the described device of the present invention may be easily and conveniently utilized as a drinking straw. It is to be understood that any dimensions given herein are illustrative, and are not meant to be limiting.
While preferred embodiments of the invention have been described using specific terms, this description is for illustrative purposes only. It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that various modifications, substitutions, omissions, and changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention, and that such are intended to be within the scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims. It is intended that the doctrine of equivalents be relied upon to determine the fair scope of these claims in connection with any other person's product which fall outside the literal wording of these claims, but which in reality do not materially depart from this invention.
Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention.
Benefit is claimed under 35 USC 119(e) of provisional U.S. patent application No. 60/653,721, filed on Feb. 17, 2005.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60653721 | Feb 2005 | US |
