Integral Or Nonseparable Patents (Class 215/389)
  • Patent number: 5597089
    Abstract: A beverage container 10 suitable for liquids includes a vessel 12 which defines a filling orifice proximate a first end thereof. A drinking straw 14 is integral with, and external of, the vessel 12 so that the straw 14 and the vessel 12 form a one-piece article, the straw 14 communicating with the interior of the vessel 12 proximate ends thereof remote from the filling orifice. A free end of the straw 14 is sealed by a rupturable membrane. A closure element 40 sealingly closes the filling orifice of the vessel 12. The closure element 40 includes a tamper indicating means. A closure cap 56 is formed integrally, as a one-piece article, with the tamper indicating means of the closure element 40. The closure cap 56 is mountable on said free end of the straw 14, after rupturing of the membrane, to close off said free end of the straw 14.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 1994
    Date of Patent: January 28, 1997
    Inventor: Willem J. Smith
  • Patent number: 5582315
    Abstract: A threaded closure for large-mouth containers has a handle which swings up or down on a horizontal pivot, and closes a vent hole when in the downward position. A pour spout rotates on an inclined off-vertical axis, to store the pour spout closely alongside the top surface of the closure, sealing off the pour spout, or to rotate outward to an upwardly inclined pouring position in which the spout is open. The vent hole in the top of the closure has a negative draft for a snap fit with a nipple or plug on the handle. Another preferred element of the closure construction is that the handle is held onto the closure body with polygonally shaped pegs extending into similarly shaped holes in the closure body. The handle thus tends to stay in different selected positions when pouring. The plastic handle itself is molded to a smaller reach width, so that it is stretched when assembled and continuously exerts a force inward against the closure body, reliably holding the pegs in the holes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 1994
    Date of Patent: December 10, 1996
    Assignee: Innovative Molding, Inc.
    Inventor: Grahame W. Reid
  • Patent number: 5522524
    Abstract: A liquid container including at least one integral straw is disclosed. The liquid container includes a hollow container having a top, a bottom, and a side wall with the walls forming an interior space for containing a liquid. The first aperture is formed in one of the walls. A first hollow conduit is positioned within the first aperture and has an upper portion extending outside the container and a lower portion terminating proximate the bottom of the container. The conduit has a first L-shaped configuration in which a portion of the conduit is collapsed and forms a seal. A second aperture is formed in one of the walls as the first aperture. Sealing means are provided for sealing the second aperture. A key operatively connected to the upper portion is provided for causing the first conduit to be shifted from the L-shaped configuration to a second open configuration and for similtaneously breaking the sealing means and opening the second aperture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 1994
    Date of Patent: June 4, 1996
    Inventor: Abdulatif M. T. Nmngani
  • Patent number: 5518142
    Abstract: A beverage container is equipped with a rotatable cover and an automatically extendable drinking straw. The container includes an open ended body closed by a removable cap, a straw unit inserted through a conduit on the cap, a cover member rotatably fitted on the cap for rotational movement relative to the cap between a first position allowing the straw to extend through a slot of the cover member and a second position folding the straw unit and closing the slot. A groove formed on the cap engages a raised spot formed on the inner edge of the cover member for indicating when the cover member is rotated to either the first or second position. The straw unit includes a first straw made of elastomeric material and a second straw made of rigid material and sized so that the first straw is held between the conduit and the second straw in a coaxial relation without the use of fastening elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 1994
    Date of Patent: May 21, 1996
    Assignee: Shing Hong Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Bang H. Lin
  • Patent number: 5513762
    Abstract: A drinking container such as a water bottle with a pair of telescoping straws, one of which is attached to a lid for the container and the other of which is threaded on a nut mounted on the lid for longitudinally sliding the second straw in the first straw when the nut is rotated and blocking an airway when the second straw is retracted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 1994
    Date of Patent: May 7, 1996
    Assignee: Double J Company
    Inventor: Saeid Janani
  • Patent number: 5437389
    Abstract: A unitary beverage container includes a main body defining a container volume. A flexible straw is fluidly connected at a proximal end with the volume adjacent the bottom of the main body. The flexible straw also includes a distal end in the form of a hollow mouthpiece having a central aperture therein with the mouthpiece is located adjacent the top of the main body. In many configurations of the mouthpiece, the mouthpiece includes a cylindrical base portion from which levers extend. An attaching mechanism removably attaches the mouthpiece of the flexible straw to the top of main body and closes the aperture of the mouthpiece. The attaching mechanism includes a short hollow bridge extending from the aperture at the distal end of the flexible straw which is broken during removal of the flexible straw to uncover the aperture prior to use. The hollow bridge is connected to a hollow chamber which is attached to the top. A concavity in which the mouthpiece is received is provided at the top.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 1992
    Date of Patent: August 1, 1995
    Assignee: Kraft Foods, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard H. Kaufman, Theodore J. Kovacic, Hideyoshi Okita, Martin M. Bostwick, Andrew T. Kostanecki, Robert H. Brainard, Patrick B. Nolan
  • Patent number: 5431297
    Abstract: A pop-up straw device for containers such as cans and bottles having necks narrower than the body of the bottle. When the device is employed in a can, a vertical guide assembly aligns a telescoping straw assembly with a beverage container's mouth. The telescoping straw assembly includes interior and exterior straws. The interior straw extends out of the mouth of the beverage container once the container is opened. A floater, having a density less than that of the liquid in the container, urges the telescoping straw assembly to protrude out of the container's mouth. In an alternative embodiment, a bracket assembly is mounted to the interior top of the can and aligns the telescoping straw assembly with the mouth of the can. When the device is utilized in a bottle only the floater and the telescoping straw assemblies are required.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 1993
    Date of Patent: July 11, 1995
    Inventor: Agustin A. Rosello