Drinking Straw Tip with Bent Stiffness Elements for Easier Piercing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing drinking straws require high piercing force to break through the pierceable portion of liquid product packages, especially when the lamination layers are made of strong materials, leading to damage and deformation during manufacturing, application, and handling, which complicates the piercing action.
Innovation Solution
A drinking straw with a tubular body that is bent and permanently deformed to form stiffness-promoting elements at the tip, increasing the stiffness of the piercing portion, allowing easier penetration through strong materials and reducing damage susceptibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If the tip portion is made with standard stiffness, then the drinking straw can be easily manufactured and handled, but high piercing force is needed to break the pierceable portion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating stiffness-promoting elements specifically at the tip portion of the drinking straw. These elements are formed by bending and permanently deforming the tubular body to create localized structural features (such as ridges or corrugations) that increase stiffness only where needed for piercing, while the rest of the straw maintains its original flexibility for handling and consumption.
2Ease of operation
If the tip portion is made with higher stiffness, then easier piercing of strong materials is achieved, but the drinking straw becomes more susceptible to damage and deformation during manufacturing and handling
Solution Approach 1:
The stiffness-promoting elements are localized to the tip portion only, allowing the piercing function to be enhanced without compromising the overall reliability of the straw. The bending and permanent deformation is applied selectively to create localized ridges or corrugations at the tip, while the main body of the tubular structure retains its original properties for damage resistance during handling.
3Strength
If the tubular body is bent and permanently deformed to form stiffness-promoting elements, then the stiffness of the tip portion is increased, but the manufacturing process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The stiffness-promoting elements are formed by bending and permanently deforming the tubular body during the manufacturing process, before the straw is put into service. This preliminary action of creating the stiffened tip structure during production allows the enhanced piercing capability to be built-in, rather than requiring additional components or post-manufacturing modifications.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The enhanced stiffness enables easier and more effective piercing of the pierceable portion, even with strong materials, while maintaining resistance to deformations and damages, thus improving handling and transportation resilience without increasing costs.
Implementation Method 1
bending and permanently deforming said tubular body so as to form two stiffness-promoting elements that bound said tip portion
Data Source
AI summary
A drinking straw comprises a tubular body (21) intended to define a passage for a liquid product and a tip portion (22) intended to pierce a pierceable portion of a container to allow consumption of the liquid product, wherein said tip portion (22) is bounded by two stiffness promoting elements (25) obtained by bending and permanently deforming said tubular body.