Abstract: A drinking straw has an outer straw member having a lower portion, an upper portion having a top, and a mixing element, the mixing element having radially expandable and retractable vane members defined by two longitudinal slits, an upper hinge attached to the upper portion and a lower hinge attached to the lower portion and an inner straw member located internal to said outer straw member, the inner straw member having a bottom and a top, wherein the lower portion of the outer straw member is attached to the inner straw member, the outer straw member movable between a retracted position and a deployed position where stop portions of both straw members engage with each other so that the mixing element vane members radially extend away from the inner straw member and wherein the vane members retract when the outer straw member is in its retracted position.

Abstract: A drinking straw has an outer straw member having a lower portion, an upper portion having a top, and a mixing element, the mixing element having radially expandable and retractable vane members defined by two longitudinal slits, an upper hinge attached to the upper portion and a lower hinge attached to the lower portion and an inner straw member located internal to said outer straw member, the inner straw member having a bottom and a top, wherein the lower portion of the outer straw member is attached to the inner straw member, the outer straw member movable between a retracted position and a deployed position where stop portions of both straw members engage with each other so that the mixing element vane members radially extend away from the inner straw member and wherein the vane members retract when the outer straw member is in its retracted position.

Abstract: An expandable drinking and mixing straw apparatus that can be compactly stored and expanded when necessary to provide a deployed dual-functionality mixing and drinking apparatus. The several embodiments of the straw apparatus provide a unified apparatus as well as functionally equivalent embodiments with two straw sub-component members defined by an outer straw and an inner straw which sub-component members are bonded together at specified locations. When force is applied to the undeployed straw apparatus, a plurality of veins expands from the apparatus to provide mixing functionality without compromising suction functionality. Straw sub component bonding, vein bending and stopping, and method of deployment of the drinking and mixing straw apparatus are disclosed.

Abstract: There is disclosed an expandable drinking and mixing straw apparatus that can be compactly stored and expanded when necessary to provide a deployed dual-functionality mixing and drinking apparatus. The several disclosed embodiments of the straw apparatus provide a unified apparatus as well as functionally equivalent embodiments with two straw sub-component members defined by an outer straw and an inner straw which sub-component members are bonded together at specified locations. When force is applied to the undeployed straw apparatus, a plurality of veins expands from the apparatus to provide mixing means without compromising suction functionality. Straw sub component bonding means, vein bending and stopping means, and method of deployment of the drinking and mixing straw apparatus are disclosed.