Abstract: The outer wall of a drinking straw has a uniform circular diameter except for one or more locally deformed regions causing the straw to bulge outwardly. This allows the straw to be pushed through a hole in an article using a gentle force, with the bulges preventing back-out from the hole without an applied force in the opposite direction. Holes slightly larger than the diameter of the tube but smaller than the bulged region(s) enables the straw to cooperate with, engage, retain or capture an article or articles, including the cap of a drinking cup and signs with opposing holes that cooperate with spaced-apart bulges on the straw. A signage system includes a straw with multiple bulges, a drinking vessel with an aperture cap, and a sign or other article supported on the straw above the vessel. Each deformed region is formed only by heating the plastic tube enabling the straws packaged in a parallel, nested arrangement.

Abstract: Devices for removably supporting a cell phone above a disposable beverage cup while a user sips the beverage, include a looped straw and a phone supporting bracket formed on the top surface of a lid for the cup.

Abstract: A novelty drinking straw formed of flexible transparent tubing has a central section formed in the shape of script spelling a name or short phrase. Two end sections extend from the ends of the central section and are joined by a knot to form a necklace. Two tube sections connect at the knot to the ends of the central section and can connect to a fluid container and the user's mouth. By sucking on the mouth section, fluid is drawn from the container, through the central section and then the mouthpiece.

Abstract: A novelty item comprises a drinking cup having a sidewall formed with a groove extending about its perimeter. A jewelry item, preferably constituting a necklace, bracelet or the like, is formed with an elastic loop and a plurality of elongated jeweled dangles each having one end fixed to the loop, at spaced points, and the other end free. The loop is dimensioned so that its unstretched length is less than the perimeter of the sidewall of the cup so that the loop may be stretched to fit over the sidewall of the cup and into the groove to retain the jewelry on the exterior of the sidewall.

Abstract: Plastic drinking straws formed by extrusion from a multi-head extruder have at least partial layers of plastic on their outer and/or inner diameters, with the layers formed of scented and/or flavored plastics. These straws are generally used by children and the scents or flavors add to their novelty. They may be imprinted with spiral patterns produced by rotating the extruding straws and passing them against a rotating print wheel having its rotational axis inclined to the path of the straws.

Abstract: A multicolored drinking cup is formed by blow molding a multicolored parison. The parison is formed by feeding the outputs of a plurality of controllable rate extruders into an extruding head and varying the flow rates of the extruders in a controlled manner under computer control to produce a parison in which the colors vary in width along the height. The parison is then blow molded to form the container.

Abstract: A multicolored drinking cup is formed by blow molding a multicolored parison. The parison is formed by feeding the outputs of a plurality of controllable rate extruders into an extruding head and varying the flow rates of the extruders in a controlled manner under computer control to produce a parison in which the colors vary in width along the height. The parison is then blow molded to form the container.

Abstract: A tubular plastic drinking straw having a flat side with a message imprinted on the flat side is formed by an extruding head connected to two extruders, one of which contains an opaque plastic and the other of which extrudes a substantially transparent plastic. The plastics are fed simultaneously through an extruding die which generates a tubular shape with at least one flat side, with the opaque plastic forming a flat side. The flat side is then imprinted with a message formed of characters extending longitudinally along the length of the tube. The tube may then be bent into a sinuous shape for novelty purposes.

Abstract: Extruded, striped drinking straws are formed by coextruding at least two polymers of different color through a common extruder to form an elongated tube. An oscillator consisting of a pair of rolls supported for rotation about their central axes, extending normally to the extension of the tube, bear against opposed sides of the tube and are reciprocated in opposing directions so as to rotate the tube by a gear and spline mechanism. A straight puller draws the tube out of the extruder and through the twisting oscillator and a cutter forms the tube into straw lengths at the output of the puller.

Abstract: Cylindrical extrusions having multiple colors, capable of serving as parisons for subsequent blow molding operation, are formed in an apparatus in which plastics of each color to be incorporated in the finished product are fed by separate extruders to an extruding head having a stack of cylindrical spools each formed with a number of apertures around their periphery. The apertures in each spool are interleaved with corresponding apertures in the other spool or spools. The interiors of the apertures are fed into a conduit which extends coaxially with the axes of each of the spools so that the outputted plastic has multicolored stripes along its length. In an embodiment in which the spool is rotated in timed relation to the feed from the extruders, the output is twisted along the central axis to form a “barber pole” stripe arrangement. In an alternate embodiment a programming plate is disposed beneath the output.

Abstract: Extruded, striped drinking straws are formed by coextruding at least two polymers of different color through a common extruder to form an elongated tube. An oscillator consisting of a pair of rolls supported for rotation about their central axes, extending normally to the extension of the tube, bear against opposed sides of the tube and are reciprocated in opposing directions so as to rotate the tube by a gear and spline mechanism. A straight puller draws the tube out of the extruder and through the twisting oscillator and a cutter forms the tube into straw lengths at the output of the puller.

Abstract: Extruded, striped drinking straws are formed by coextruding at least two polymers of different color through a common extruder to form an elongated tube. An oscillator consisting of a pair of rolls supported for rotation about their central axes, extending normally to the extension of the tube, bear against opposed sides of the tube and are reciprocated in opposing directions so as to rotate the tube by a gear and spline mechanism. A straight puller draws the tube out of the extruder and through the twisting oscillator and a cutter forms the tube into straw lengths at the output of the puller.