Disposable beverage cup with non-removable straw
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Solution Overview
Problem
The widespread use of disposable cups and straws results in significant waste and pollution, particularly in oceans and land environments, due to their lightweight and mobile nature, and existing solutions for non-removable straws are either impractical for disposable and sanitary use or poorly suited for addressing the scale of the problem.
Innovation Solution
A disposable beverage cup design featuring a non-removable straw integrated with the cup body, which includes a conic-section shape and a main shaft with integral and non-integral portions, allowing for liquid extraction through multiple holes and reducing material usage, along with bendable and sanitary guard features to prevent collapse and facilitate stacking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If disposable cups and straws are used separately, then convenience and sanitation are improved, but waste and pollution increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the cup and straw into a single integrated disposable unit. The straw is molded as part of the cup structure, with the straw base formed within the cup cavity during molding. This integration ensures that both components are disposed of together as one unit, eliminating the risk of straw separation and reducing overall waste management complexity while maintaining the convenience and sanitation benefits of disposable items.
Solution Approach 2:
The straw is nested within the cup body during the molding process. The straw base is formed inside the cup cavity, and the straw extends upward through the cup wall. This nesting approach allows both components to be manufactured as a single integrated piece, ensuring they remain together during use and disposal, thereby reducing pollution from separated components.
2Ease of operation
If straws are made removable, then ease of disposal is improved, but straws become mobile and pollute environments
Solution Approach 1:
By merging the straw and cup into a single integrated structure, the invention eliminates the need for separate disposal of straws. The straw cannot be removed from the cup, ensuring that it remains contained within the cup structure throughout its lifecycle. This integration directly addresses the pollution problem caused by mobile, removable straws while maintaining ease of disposal through single-unit throwing away.
3Loss of substance
If non-removable straws are integrated with cup body, then pollution is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the cup structure into functional zones: the cup body, the straw, and the integrated connection region. The straw base is formed as a separate feature within the cup cavity, connected to the straw shaft. This segmentation approach allows for modular manufacturing while achieving integration, reducing the complexity compared to fully monolithic designs while maintaining the anti-pollution benefit.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses parameter changes in the molding process to achieve integration. By controlling mold cavity geometry, material flow, and cooling parameters, the straw and cup are formed as an integrated piece. This approach reduces device complexity compared to mechanical assembly methods, as the integration is achieved through process parameters rather than complex structural design.
4Productivity
If multiple holes are added to straw for liquid extraction, then liquid flow is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The molding process automatically creates the holes in the straw during fabrication. The mold design includes features that form the holes as the straw is being molded, eliminating the need for separate drilling or punching operations. This self-service approach to hole creation maintains manufacturing precision while improving liquid extraction efficiency, as the holes are formed with consistent dimensions and placement during the primary manufacturing process.
Data Source
AI summary
This document discloses a disposable beverage cup with a non-removable straw. This disposable beverage cup and non-removable straw substantially reduce, or even eliminate, a chance that the straw will end up, on its own, polluting the world's oceans or land. This is due to the straw being non-removable and, along with the disposable beverage cup, being more likely to be properly disposed of, composted, or otherwise responsibly handled.