Patent Application
20110062168
The present disclosure relates to a tumbler, a straw, and a tumbler-straw system and methods for manufacturing the tumbler and straw.
A variety of drinking vessels are known to exist. These drinking vessels are provided in various shapes, sizes, materials, colors and designs. For example, the drinking vessels are typically made from glass or plastic and are often clear. The vessels may be used together with, for example, drinking straws. These vessels can be disposable or reusable.
The disclosure provides a novel tumbler, a novel straw, a novel tumbler-straw system, and methods for manufacturing the tumbler and straw. The disclosure further provides a novel tumbler, a novel straw, and a combination thereof that is reusable and suitable for cold beverage use.
According to one non-limiting aspect of the disclosure, a straw is provided for use in a tumbler system that comprises a tumbler top and a tumbler. The straw comprises an elongated body that is configured to deliver the substance from a first opening at a first end along a longitudinal axis to a second opening at an opposite distal end; a base attached to the elongated body and having a diameter greater than an opening in the tumbler top; and a plurality of paddles attached to the base and configured to be rotated about the longitudinal axis, wherein the plurality of paddles comprise a tear-drop paddle, a ring paddle, or a semi-circle paddle; and the elongated body includes a reusable polypropylene material.
According to a further aspect of the disclosure, a tumbler is provided that comprises a straw, wherein the straw includes an elongated body that is configured to deliver the substance from a first opening at a first end along a longitudinal axis to a second opening at an opposite distal end; a base attached to the elongated body and having a diameter greater than an opening in the tumbler top; and a plurality of paddles attached to the base and configured to be rotated about the longitudinal axis, wherein the plurality of paddles comprise a tear-drop paddle, a ring paddle, or a semi-circle paddle; and the elongated body includes a reusable polypropylene material. The tumbler may include a grip. The grip may comprise a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE). The tumbler may comprise a clear plastic material.
According to a yet further aspect of the disclosure, a straw is provided which is configured to prevent loss and to aid in mixing a fluid in a tumbler. The straw comprises an elongated body; and a base, wherein the base comprises a paddle. The paddle may comprise a tear-drop paddle; a ring paddle; or a semi-circle paddle. The elongated body may include a reusable polypropylene material. The base may include a reusable polypropylene material. The base may comprise at least two paddles. The elongated body may be configured to pass through an opening in a tumbler top. The base may comprise a diameter greater than the opening in the tumbler top.
According to a further aspect of the disclosure, a tumbler system is provided that comprises a straw, wherein the straw includes an elongated body; and a base, wherein the base comprises a paddle. The tumbler system may further comprise a tumbler that is configured to hold a substance; and a tumbler top that is configured to securely attach to the tumbler. The tumbler system may further comprise a gasket that is configured to provide a fluid-seal between the tumbler top and the tumbler. Still further, the tumbler system may comprise a grip that is configured to slide on to an outer surface of the tumbler. The grip may comprise a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE). The tumbler system may further comprise a fastener that is configured to attach the tumbler top to the tumbler. The fastener may comprise a quarter turn thread.
Additional features, advantages, and embodiments of the disclosure may be set forth or apparent from consideration of the detailed description and drawings. Moreover, it is to be understood that both the foregoing summary of the disclosure and the following detailed description are exemplary and intended to provide further explanation without limiting the scope of the disclosure as claimed.
The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the disclosure, are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the disclosure and together with the detailed description serve to explain the principles of the disclosure. No attempt is made to show structural details of the disclosure in more detail than may be necessary for a fundamental understanding of the disclosure and the various ways in which it may be practiced. In the drawings:
The present disclosure is further described in the detailed description that follows.
The disclosure and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments and examples that are described and/or illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description. 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 the skilled artisan would recognize, even if not explicitly stated herein. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques may be omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments of the disclosure. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the disclosure may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments of the disclosure. Accordingly, the examples and embodiments herein should not be construed as limiting the scope of the disclosure. Moreover, it is noted that like reference numerals represent similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
The terms “including”, “comprising” and variations thereof, as used in this disclosure, mean “including, but not limited to”, unless expressly specified otherwise.
The terms “a”, “an”, and “the”, as used in this disclosure, means “one or more”, unless expressly specified otherwise.
Although process steps, method steps, algorithms, or the like, may be described in a sequential order, such processes, methods and algorithms may be configured to work in alternate orders. In other words, any sequence or order of steps that may be described does not necessarily indicate a requirement that the steps be performed in that order. The steps of the processes, methods or algorithms described herein may be performed in any order practical. Further, some steps may be performed simultaneously.
When a single device or article is described herein, it will be readily apparent that more than one device or article may be used in place of a single device or article. Similarly, where more than one device or article is described herein, it will be readily apparent that a single device or article may be used in place of the more than one device or article. The functionality or the features of a device may be alternatively embodied by one or more other devices which are not explicitly described as having such functionality or features.
According to one non-limiting example of the disclosure,
The body 100, base 120 and paddles 130 may be made from a material that includes, e.g., plastic, wax-coated paper, metal, ceramic, glass, wood, or any combination thereof. The plastic may include a thermoplastic such as, e.g., polypropylene, which may be blended with colorants. The base 120 may include fewer (or greater) than the four paddles 130 seen in
The straw 100 may be manufactured as a single unit, including the body 100, the base 120 and the tear-drop paddles 130. Alternatively, the straw 100 may be assembled from two or more individual units. In this latter regard, the body 100 may be inserted into the base 120, which may or may not already include the paddles 130.
As seen in
The tumbler body 250, tumbler top 210, grip 220 or bottom 230 may be made from a material that includes, e.g., plastic, wax-coated paper, metal, ceramic, glass, wood, or any combination thereof. The plastic may include a copolyester which may be blended with colorants, or may be made clear. The grip 220 may include a textured material such as, e.g., a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) to provide a non-slip grip for the tumbler 200. The tumbler top 210 may include, e.g., clarified ABS.
The tumbler body 250 and the bottom 230 may be manufactured as a single unit, or as two or more separate units. In the later case, the bottom 230 may be attached to the tumbler 250 by a fastening mechanism (not shown), including, e.g., threads, tongue-and-groove, or the like.
The tumbler system 300, including the straw 100 and tumbler 200 may be configured to be, e.g., dishwasher safe.
Further, the elongated body 110 of the straw 100 may be configured to pass through an opening in the tumbler top 210. The base 120 may have a diameter that is greater than the opening in the tumbler top 210 to prevent the straw 100 from separating from the tumbler system 300 and being lost.
As seen in
While the disclosure has been described in terms of exemplary embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the disclosure can be practiced with modifications in the spirit and scope of the appended claims. These examples are merely illustrative and are not meant to be an exhaustive list of all possible designs, embodiments, applications or modifications of the disclosure.
This application claims priority and the benefit thereof from a U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/161,967, filed on Mar. 20, 2009 and entitled CUP AND BOTTLES, the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference. Furthermore, this application is related to U.S. design patent application Ser. No. ______, filed on ______ (Attorney Docket No. 2052986-8579DES).
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61161967 | Mar 2009 | US |
