Drinking straw

Abstract

A drinking straw that can be easily inserted through a lid or into a beverage pouch or box but that cannot be easily removed, for example, by a child, once the straw is in place. Preferred embodiments of the present invention provide a drinking straw apparatus with a mechanism that makes it difficult to remove a straw once inserted through a lid or opening into a beverage container. One or more retaining extensions extending from a sleeve attached to the straw provide force against the underside of the lid of a container, preventing the straw from being pulled out of the container. One or more retaining extensions can also be formed integrally with the straw. Preferred embodiments are also inexpensive to manufacture so that the products are suitable for use as single-use, disposable straws.

Description

[0001]The present application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 124,244, filed Apr. 15, 2008, and from U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 156,523, filed Mar. 1, 2009, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference.TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The invention relates to drinking straws, more particularly to a drinking straw with a safety feature to prevent easy removal from a beverage container.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]As is commonly known, a drinking straw is a cylindrical tube having two open ends. One end is placed in a beverage and the other end is placed in a person's mouth. By applying suction through the straw, a small amount of the beverage is drawn up through the straw and into the person's mouth. Because a straw allows a person to drink without having to lift a full cup, straws are often provided to children who would have difficulty drinking from a cup or glass without spilling the contents.[0004]For the same reason, drinking cups...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0010]Preferred embodiments of the present invention provide a drinking straw assembly that can be easily inserted through a lid or into a beverage pouch or box but that cannot be easily removed by a child once the straw is in place. Preferred embodiments are also inexpensive to manufacture so that the products are suitable for use as single-use, disposable straws.

Problems solved by technology

While the drinking lids and the construction of the juice boxes help prevent large spills, parents often struggle with preventing young children from pulling drinking straws out of drink containers at inopportune times and either spilling the drink liquid or throwing the straw down onto a table or floor.

The result is often a mess to be cleaned up and / or a straw that is dirtied and soiled and no longer re-usable for its intended purposes.

Further, the child is then left without a straw and may be unable to drink any more of the beverage.

Beyond that, it is also environmentally unfriendly as the straw is no longer usable and a new, clean one has to be obtained and used.

The apparatus taught by Manganiello is not designed to be disposable.

The apparatus is too complicated and difficult to manufacture to be suitable for a one time use.

The straw would not be suitable for use with another lid, such as the typical disposable lids placed on drinks in fast-food restaurants.

Finally, the Manganiello straw must be inserted from underneath the lid, making more difficult to use for drinking lids and making it impossible to use with juice boxes and the like.

Both of these embodiments, however, would be difficult to use and to manufacture.

This would obviously be difficult for an adult and nearly impossible for a small child.

The cone embodiment as shown in Frauenthal would make a larger hole in the lid or juice container, requiring more effort to insert the straw and making it more likely that there would be leakage or spilling around the straw.

Finally, both embodiments would be difficult and expensive to manufacture and could not be produced using the typical extrusion molders currently used in drinking straw manufacture.

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