FOLDABLE REUSABLE DRINKING STRAW

Abstract

A foldable reusable drinking straw in the shape of a tube is provided. The tube has a tubular wall having an outer surface and an inner surface, and a wall thickness therebetween. The inner surface defines a bore with a generally constant inner diameter. The tube has a first end and a second end, and a plurality of annular grooves in the outer surface of the wall to reduce the wall thickness of the tubular wall at each of the plurality of annular grooves for bending the tube. The wall thickness of the tube from the first end to the second end, except for the plurality of annular grooves, is generally constant. The tube also has an angular transition between the first end and the second end.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Design patent application Ser. No. 29/758,023 filed Nov. 11, 2020, which is expressly incorporated herein by reference and made a part hereof.

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present subject matter relates to drinking straws, and more particularly, to a foldable reusable drinking straw and a container therefor.

BACKGROUND

Over 500 million disposable plastic straws are used and thrown away each day in the United States. This results in excess plastic in trash dumps, and unfortunately, pollution in waterways and oceans. One solution to not using plastic straws is for people to carry their own, reusable straws. But one problem is that reusable straws are often made out of glass or metal, and by nature are long and inconvenient to carry around. Glass straws are easy to break and need a bulky case to keep them from snapping. If people are to bring reusable straws everywhere, they will want somewhere clean to put the reusable straw. That means keeping the reusable straw in a case that's even bigger and bulkier than the rigid glass and metal straws in their current form. Therefore, there exists a need for a convenient reusable drinking straw that is easy to carry, store, and easy to clean.

As explained above, reusable straws are known in the art, but while such straws according to the prior art provide a number of advantages, they nevertheless have certain limitations. The present disclosure seeks to overcome certain of those limitations and other drawbacks of the prior art, and to provide new features not heretofore available. A full discussion of the features and advantages of the present disclosure is deferred to the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.

SUMMARY

According to certain aspects of the present disclosure, the disclosed subject technology relates matter relates to a foldable reusable drinking straw and a container therefor.

The disclosed technology further relates to a foldable reusable drinking straw, comprising: a silicone tube comprising a tubular wall with an outer surface and an inner surface, the inner surface defining a bore through the silicone tube, the silicone tube having a first end, a second end, and an angular transition between the first end and the second end, the tubular wall having a plurality of annular grooves in the outer surface of the wall to reduce a wall thickness of the tubular wall at each of the plurality of annular grooves.

The disclosed technology further relates to a foldable reusable drinking straw, comprising: a flexible tube having a tubular wall having an outer surface and an inner surface, the distance between the outer surface and the inner surface defining a wall thickness of the tubular wall, the inner surface defining a bore through the flexible tube with a generally constant inner diameter, the flexible tube having a first end and a second end, the tubular wall having a plurality of annular grooves in the outer surface of the tubular wall to reduce the wall thickness of the tubular wall at each of the plurality of annular grooves for bending the flexible tube, and wherein the wall thickness of the flexible tube from the first end to the second end, except for the plurality of annular grooves, is generally constant.

The disclosed technology further relates to a foldable reusable drinking straw, comprising: a tube comprising a tubular wall with an outer surface and an inner surface, the inner surface defining a bore through the tube, the tube having a first end, a second end, and an angular transition between the first end and the second end, the tubular wall having a plurality of annular grooves in the outer surface of the wall to reduce a thickness of the tubular wall at each of the plurality of annular grooves, wherein a first portion of the tube is generally linear from the first end to the angular transition, and wherein a second portion of the tube is generally linear from the second end to the angular transition.

The disclosed technology further relates to a foldable reusable drinking straw, wherein a first portion of the silicone tube is generally linear from the first end to the angular transition, and wherein a second portion of the silicone tube is generally linear from the second end to the angular transition.

The disclosed technology further relates to a foldable reusable drinking straw, wherein the second portion of the silicone tube extends at between a 20° angle and a 40° angle to the first portion of the silicone tube.

The disclosed technology further relates to a foldable reusable drinking straw, wherein the wall thickness of the silicone tube from the first end to the second end, except for the plurality of annular grooves, is generally constant.

The disclosed technology further relates to a foldable reusable drinking straw, wherein the plurality of annular grooves have a flat at a valley thereof.

The disclosed technology further relates to a foldable reusable drinking straw, wherein all of the plurality of annular grooves are provided between the first end and the annular transition.

The disclosed technology further relates to a foldable reusable drinking straw, wherein the plurality of annular grooves separate the silicone tube into different sections of the silicone tube.

The disclosed technology further relates to a foldable reusable drinking straw, wherein the different sections of the silicone tube do not all have an identical length.

The disclosed technology further relates to a foldable reusable drinking straw, wherein different sections of silicone tube can be folded approximately 180° at the annular grooves to lay adjacent another section of the silicone tube.

The disclosed technology further relates to a foldable reusable drinking straw, further comprising an angular transition between the first end and the second end of the flexible tube.

The disclosed technology further relates to a foldable reusable drinking straw, wherein the second portion of the flexible tube extends at approximately a 35° angle to the first portion of the flexible tube.

The disclosed technology further relates to a foldable reusable drinking straw, wherein the plurality of annular grooves separate the flexible tube into different sections of the flexible tube, and wherein the different sections of the flexible tube do not all have an identical length.

The disclosed technology further relates to a foldable reusable drinking straw, wherein the plurality of annular grooves separate the tube into different sections of the tube, wherein the different sections of the tube do not all have an identical length, and wherein the different sections of tube can be folded approximately 180° at the annular grooves to lay adjacent another section of the tube.

It is understood that other embodiments and configurations of the subject technology will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, wherein various configurations of the subject technology are shown and described by way of illustration. As will be realized, the subject technology is capable of other and different configurations and its several details are capable of modification in various other respects, all without departing from the scope of the subject technology. Accordingly, the drawings and detailed description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To understand the present disclosure, it will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which embodiments of the disclosures are illustrated and, together with the descriptions below are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, and serve to explain the principles of the disclosure. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front top perspective view of a foldable reusable drinking straw according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a right side elevation view of the foldable reusable drinking straw of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3A is cross-sectional elevation view about line 3-3 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3B is an enlarged view of a portion of the foldable reusable drinking in FIG. 3A.

FIG. 4 is a right side elevation view of the foldable reusable drinking straw of FIG. 1 following a first folding step.

FIG. 5 is side elevation view of the foldable reusable drinking straw in the fully folded position for insertion into a container therefor.

FIG. 6 is a front top perspective view of another foldable reusable drinking straw of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a right side elevation view of the foldable reusable drinking straw of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a right side elevation view of the foldable reusable drinking straw of FIG. 6.

FIG. 9 is a front elevation view of the foldable reusable drinking straw of FIG. 6.

FIG. 10 is a rear elevation view of the foldable reusable drinking straw of FIG. 6.

FIG. 11 is a top plan view of the foldable reusable drinking straw of FIG. 6.

FIG. 12 is a bottom plan view of the foldable reusable drinking straw of FIG. 6.

In one or more implementations, not all of the depicted components in each figure may be required, and one or more implementations may include additional components not shown in a figure. Variations in the arrangement and type of the components may be made without departing from the scope of the subject disclosure. Additional components, different components, or fewer components may be utilized within the scope of the subject disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

While this disclosure is susceptible of embodiments in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail preferred embodiments with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the disclosure and is not intended to limit the broad aspect of the disclosure to the embodiments illustrated. It should be noted that the features illustrated in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, and features of one embodiment may be employed with other embodiments as one of ordinary skill in the relevant art would recognize, even if not explicitly stated herein. Further, descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques may be omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments of the present disclosure. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the present disclosure may be practiced and to further enable those of ordinary skill in the art to practice the embodiments of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the examples and embodiments herein should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure, which is defined solely by the appended claims and applicable law.

Generally, this disclosure describes a foldable reusable drinking straw and a container for retaining the foldable reusable drinking straw in the folded state. Referring now to the figures, and initially to FIGS. 1-3B, there is shown a foldable reusable drinking straw 100. In one embodiment, the foldable reusable drinking straw 100 is flexible. In another embodiment, the foldable reusable drinking straw 100 is made of silicone.

In one embodiment, the drinking straw 100 comprises a tube 102 having a tubular wall structure 104 with an outer surface 106 and an inner surface 108. The inner surface 108 defines a bore 110 having an inner diameter. The tube 102 has a first end 112 and a second end 114. The bore 110 extends from the first end 112 of the tube 102 to the second end 114 of the tube 102. In a preferred embodiment, the inner diameter is generally constant from the first end 112 to the second end 114 of the tube 102.

Additionally, in one embodiment, the tube 102 has an angular transition 116 between the first end 112 and the second end 114 of the tube 102. In a preferred embodiment, the angular transition 116 provides for the second end 114 of the straw 100 to extend at an angle from the first end 112 for ease of use by the user. The angular transition 116 separates the tube 102 into a first portion 118 and a second portion 120. The first portion 118 of the tube 102 extends from the first end 112 of the tube 102 to the angular transition 116, and the second portion 120 of the tube 102 extends from the second end 114 of the tube 102 to the angular transition 116. Additionally, in a preferred embodiment, both the first portion 118 of the tube 102 and the second portion 120 of the tube 102 are generally linear. The angular transition 116, however, is generally not linear, but rather has a curved or angular portion, which may be referred to as an elbow in various embodiments. Because the angular transition 116 has an angular portion, the second portion 120 of the tube 102 extends at an angle with respect to the first portion 118 of the tube 102. In one embodiment, the second portion 120 of the tube 102 extends at an angle of between 20° and 40° to the first portion 118 of the tube 102. In an alternate embodiment, the second portion 120 of the tube 102 extends at approximately a 35° angle to the first portion 118 of the tube 102.

Referring to FIG. 3A, the distance between the inner surface 108 and the outer surface 106 of the tubular wall structure 104 is defined as the wall thickness of the tubular wall 104. Preferably, the wall thickness of the tubular wall structure 104 of the straw 100 is generally constant. In alternate embodiments, however, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the straw 100 has a plurality of annular grooves 130 in the outer surface 106 of the tubular wall structure 104 to reduce the wall thickness of the tubular wall 104 at each of the plurality of annular grooves 130. In such embodiments, except for the annular grooves 103, which have a reduced wall thickness, the wall thickness of the remainder of the tubular wall structure 104 is generally constant. In one embodiment, the annular grooves 130 have a flat 132 at a valley of the groove 130, and a radius 134 between the flat 132 and the outer surface 106 of the tubular wall structure 104. The annular grooves 130 provide bend areas to bend the straw 100 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 for storage in a container 140. In one embodiment, all of the plurality of annular grooves 130 are provided between the first end 112 of the tube 102 and the annular transition 116 of the straw 100. In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3A, the straw 100 has three annular grooves 130 to divide the straw 100 into four different sections as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. As shown in FIG. 5, not all of the different sections of the straw 100 have an identical length. In a preferred embodiment, also as shown in FIG. 5, the different sections of the straw 100 can be folded approximately 180° at the annular grooves 130 so that they sections can lay adjacent other sections of the straw 102 when folded for storage in the container 140.

The embodiment(s) detailed hereinabove may be combined in full or in part, with any alternative embodiment(s) described.

A reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless specifically stated, but rather “one or more.” The term “some” refers to one or more. Underlined and/or italicized headings and subheadings are used for convenience only, do not limit the subject technology, and are not referred to in connection with the interpretation of the description of the subject technology. Relational terms such as first and second and the like may be used to distinguish one entity or action from another without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the various configurations described throughout this disclosure that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and intended to be encompassed by the subject technology. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the above description.

Numerous modifications to the present disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the foregoing description. Preferred embodiments of this disclosure are described herein, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the disclosure. It should be understood that the illustrated embodiments are exemplary only, and should not be taken as limiting the scope of the disclosure.

Several alternative embodiments and examples have been described and illustrated herein. A person of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate the features of the individual embodiments, and the possible combinations and variations of the components. A person of ordinary skill in the art would further appreciate that any of the embodiments could be provided in any combination with the other embodiments disclosed herein. Additionally, the terms “first,” “second,” “third,” and “fourth” as used herein are intended for illustrative purposes only and do not limit the embodiments in any way. Further, the term “plurality” as used herein indicates any number greater than one, either disjunctively or conjunctively, as necessary, up to an infinite number. Additionally, the term “having” as used herein in both the disclosure and claims, is utilized in an open-ended manner.

As used herein, the phrase “at least one of” preceding a series of items, with the terms “and” or “or” to separate any of the items, modifies the list as a whole, rather than each member of the list (i.e., each item). The phrase “at least one of” does not require selection of at least one item; rather, the phrase allows a meaning that includes at least one of any one of the items, and/or at least one of any combination of the items, and/or at least one of each of the items. By way of example, the phrases “at least one of A, B, and C” or “at least one of A, B, or C” each refer to only A, only B, or only C; any combination of A, B, and C; and/or at least one of each of A, B, and C.

To the extent that the term “include,” “have,” or the like is used in the description or the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprise” as “comprise” is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim. Phrases such as an aspect, the aspect, another aspect, some aspects, one or more aspects, an implementation, the implementation, another implementation, some implementations, one or more implementations, an embodiment, the embodiment, another embodiment, some embodiments, one or more embodiments, a configuration, the configuration, another configuration, some configurations, one or more configurations, the subject technology, the disclosure, the present disclosure, other variations thereof and alike are for convenience and do not imply that a disclosure relating to such phrase(s) is essential to the subject technology or that such disclosure applies to all configurations of the subject technology. A disclosure relating to such phrase(s) may apply to all configurations, or one or more configurations. A disclosure relating to such phrase(s) may provide one or more examples. A phrase such as an aspect or some aspects may refer to one or more aspects and vice versa, and this applies similarly to other foregoing phrases.

A reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless specifically stated, but rather “one or more.” The term “some” refers to one or more. Underlined and/or italicized headings and subheadings are used for convenience only, do not limit the subject technology, and are not referred to in connection with the interpretation of the description of the subject technology. Relational terms such as first and second and the like may be used to distinguish one entity or action from another without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the various configurations described throughout this disclosure that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and intended to be encompassed by the subject technology. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the above description. No claim element is to be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112, sixth paragraph, unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for” or, in the case of a method claim, the element is recited using the phrase “step for.”

While this specification contains many specifics, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of what may be claimed, but rather as descriptions of particular implementations of the subject matter. Certain features that are described in this specification in the context of separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination. Moreover, although features may be described above as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, one or more features from a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from the combination, and the claimed combination may be directed to a subcombination or variation of a subcombination.

The title, background, brief description of the drawings, abstract, and drawings are hereby incorporated into the disclosure and are provided as illustrative examples of the disclosure, not as restrictive descriptions. It is submitted with the understanding that they will not be used to limit the scope or meaning of the claims. In addition, in the detailed description, it can be seen that the description provides illustrative examples and the various features are grouped together in various implementations for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. The method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed subject matter requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the claims reflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed configuration or operation. The claims are hereby incorporated into the detailed description, with each claim standing on its own as a separately claimed subject matter.

It will be understood that the present disclosure may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or central characteristics thereof. The present examples and embodiments, therefore, are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and the Claims are not to be limited to the details given herein. Accordingly, while the specific embodiments have been illustrated and described, numerous modifications come to mind without significantly departing from the spirit of the disclosure and the scope of protection is only limited by the scope of the accompanying Claims.

Further, the claims are not intended to be limited to the aspects described herein, but are to be accorded the full scope consistent with the language claims and to encompass all legal equivalents. Notwithstanding, none of the claims are intended to embrace subject matter that fails to satisfy the requirements of the applicable patent law, nor should they be interpreted in such a way.

Claims

1. A foldable reusable drinking straw, comprising: a silicone tube comprising a tubular wall with an outer surface and an inner surface, the inner surface defining a bore through the silicone tube, the silicone tube having a first end, a second end, and an angular transition between the first end and the second end, the tubular wall having a plurality of annular grooves in the outer surface of the tubular wall to reduce a wall thickness of the tubular wall at each of the plurality of annular grooves.

2. The foldable reusable drinking straw of claim 1, wherein a first portion of the silicone tube is generally linear from the first end to the angular transition, and wherein a second portion of the silicone tube is generally linear from the second end to the angular transition.

3. The foldable reusable drinking straw of claim 2, wherein the second portion of the silicone tube extends at between a 20° angle and a 40° angle to the first portion of the silicone tube.

4. The foldable reusable drinking straw of claim 1, wherein the wall thickness of the silicone tube from the first end to the second end, except for the plurality of annular grooves, is generally constant.

5. The foldable reusable drinking straw of claim 1, wherein the plurality of annular grooves have a flat at a valley thereof.

6. The foldable reusable drinking straw of claim 1, wherein all of the plurality of annular grooves are provided between the first end and the annular transition.

7. The foldable reusable drinking straw of claim 1, wherein the plurality of annular grooves separate the silicone tube into different sections of the silicone tube.

8. The foldable reusable drinking straw of claim 7, wherein the different sections of the silicone tube do not all have an identical length.

9. The foldable reusable drinking straw of claim 7, wherein different sections of silicone tube can be folded approximately 180° at the annular grooves to lay adjacent another section of the silicone tube.

10. A foldable reusable drinking straw, comprising: a flexible tube having a tubular wall having an outer surface and an inner surface, the distance between the outer surface and the inner surface defining a wall thickness of the tubular wall, the inner surface defining a bore through the flexible tube with a generally constant inner diameter, the flexible tube having a first end and a second end, the tubular wall having a plurality of annular grooves in the outer surface of the wall to reduce the wall thickness of the tubular wall at each of the plurality of annular grooves for bending the flexible tube, and wherein the wall thickness of the flexible tube from the first end to the second end, except for the plurality of annular grooves, is generally constant.

11. The foldable reusable drinking straw of claim 10, further comprising an angular transition between the first end and the second end of the flexible tube.

12. The foldable reusable drinking straw of claim 11, wherein a first portion of the flexible tube is generally linear from the first end to the angular transition, and wherein a second portion of the flexible tube is generally linear from the second end to the angular transition.

13. The foldable reusable drinking straw of claim 12, wherein the second portion of the flexible tube extends at approximately a 35° angle to the first portion of the flexible tube.

14. The foldable reusable drinking straw of claim 11, wherein all of the plurality of annular grooves are provided between the first end and the annular transition.

15. The foldable reusable drinking straw of claim 10, wherein the plurality of annular grooves separate the flexible tube into different sections of the flexible tube, and wherein the different sections of the flexible tube do not all have an identical length.

16. A foldable reusable drinking straw, comprising: a tube comprising a tubular wall with an outer surface and an inner surface, the inner surface defining a bore through the tube, the tube having a first end, a second end, and an angular transition between the first end and the second end, the tubular wall having a plurality of annular grooves in the outer surface of the wall to reduce a thickness of the tubular wall at each of the plurality of annular grooves, wherein a first portion of the tube is generally linear from the first end to the angular transition, and wherein a second portion of the tube is generally linear from the second end to the angular transition.

17. The foldable reusable drinking straw of claim 16, wherein the second portion of the tube extends at between a 20° angle and a 40° angle to the first portion of the tube.

18. The foldable reusable drinking straw of claim 16, wherein the wall thickness of the tube from the first end to the second end, except for the plurality of annular grooves, is generally constant.

19. The foldable reusable drinking straw of claim 16, wherein all of the plurality of annular grooves are provided between the first end and the annular transition.

20. The foldable reusable drinking straw of claim 16, wherein the plurality of annular grooves separate the tube into different sections of the tube, wherein the different sections of the tube do not all have an identical length, and wherein the different sections of tube can be folded approximately 180° at the annular grooves to lay adjacent another section of the tube.