Reinforced Drinking Straw Ends for Controller Containment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional drinking straws are prone to damage, causing controllers to escape and posing injury risks due to sharp edges when used for administering substances like granules, pellets, or powders.
Innovation Solution
A drinking straw with a reinforced section at one or both ends featuring a double-walled construction, bent inward by more than 120°, and a star-shaped internal cross-section, along with a necked-in portion and control means to prevent substance leakage and injury.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a conventional single-walled drinking straw is used, then the manufacturing process is simple and cost-effective, but the wall is prone to deformation and damage during production, storage and use
Solution Approach 1:
The drinking straw is divided into different sections: a reinforced double-walled section at the end and a standard single-walled section for the main body. This segmentation allows the straw to have enhanced strength where needed while maintaining simplicity and cost-effectiveness in the majority of the structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The double-walled construction is applied locally only at the end section of the drinking straw where reinforcement is most needed to prevent deformation and damage. The rest of the straw maintains the simpler single-walled design, optimizing the balance between strength and manufacturing efficiency.
2Reliability
If the wall is bent by more than 120° to create a reinforced section, then deformation and controller escape are prevented, but the manufacturing process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The bent reinforced section is pre-formed during the extrusion process itself, rather than requiring separate bending operations. The mold is designed to create the >120° bend and double-walled structure in one step, integrating the reinforcement feature into the base manufacturing process.
3Stress or pressure
If a double-walled construction is implemented at the end section, then the wall resistance to deformation increases, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The double-walled construction is segmented and applied only to the end section of the drinking straw where maximum stress and deformation resistance are needed. The single-walled main body maintains lower manufacturing complexity while the double-walled end provides enhanced structural support.
Solution Approach 2:
The reinforcement feature is merged with the end cap structure of the drinking straw. The bent double-walled section serves both as structural reinforcement and as the end closure, combining multiple functions into a single integrated component.
4Ease of manufacture
If the drinking straw uses a simple single-walled design, then production is cost-effective, but consumers are at risk of injury from sharp edges
Solution Approach 1:
The end section of the drinking straw is bent into a curved configuration with a radius of more than 1 mm, eliminating sharp edges and corners. This curvature provides a smooth, safe surface for consumer contact while maintaining cost-effective manufacturing through integration with the extrusion process.
Data Source
AI summary
A drinking straw with a wall having a first and a second end, wherein the drinking straw comprises a reinforced section at its first and/or second end. A method for producing a drinking straw is also provided.