Container/drinking straw combination

Abstract

A container/drinking straw combination comprising: means for remvably disposing a folded straw circularly in a bottom recess of a container; and means for simultaneously removing and straightening the folded straw from the recess for use in drinking a beverage from the container.

Description

FIELD

The present invention relates to a beverage container/straw combination, and more particularly, a beverage container having a drinking straw as a unitary packaging combination, wherein the drinking straw is removably attached to the container to enable easy access for drinking a beverage within the container.

BACKGROUND

At present, drinking straws are separately packaged for later use when a user wishes to insert it in a container to drink a beverage; however, this arrangement is a cumbersome one where the drinking straw is separate from the container and therefore necessitates extra effort to associate it with a beverage container when the user is ready to drink the beverage contents.

Further, rigid drinking straws are not efficient in retrieving beverage from a container as they are characterized by an inflexibility that does not enable adequate reach into all areas of the container.

There is a need in the beverage container industry to provide a customer with a unitary beverage container/straw combination that is packaged as a single unit or item, in which the straw is removably attached so that a minimum amount of effort is employed to remove the straw to render it capable of being sanitarily wiped, prior to placing into the container. The straw, when detached must be flexible enough when inserted into the container to retrieve liquid contents from all areas of the container, unlike the case when a rigid straw that is non-unitary with the beverage container is purchased.

SUMMARY

The embodiments disclosed herein address the above stated needs by utilizing as one objective, a beverage container that provides a customer with unitary beverage container/straw combination sanitarily packaged as a single unit or item.

Another objective is to provide a beverage container/straw combination packaged as a single unit or item that is removably attached so that a minimum amount of effort is employed to remove the straw.

A further objective is to provide a customer with a unitary beverage container/straw combination packaged as a single unit or item, in which the straw is removably attached so that a minimum amount of effort is employed to remove that straw to render it capable of being sanitarily wiped prior to placing it in the container.

A yet further objective of the invention is to provide a beverage container that provides a customer with a beverage container/straw combination, packaged as a single unit or item, in which the straw is removably attached so that a minimum amount of effort is employed to remove the straw to render it capable of being sanitarily wiped by pulling on a tab or enclosure which encloses the straw, so as to extend or elongate the compactly removably attached straw to enable the straw to have adequate flexibility to retrieve the beverage from all areas of the container,

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts a beverage can with a “pop-top” opener that is part of the prior art.

FIG. 1A shows a beverage container/straw combination of the invention after a removably attached enclosure is taken from the can's bottom to expose the folded straw.

FIG. 1B shows the removed straw partially unfolded after detachment from the can's bottom and prior to wiping with the interior of the circular enclosure from the bottom of the can.

FIG. 1C shows a pair of hands straightening the straw from the partially folded position preparatory to using it to drink from the can.

FIG. 2A shows a beverage container/straw combination of the invention after a removably attached enclosure is taken from the can's bottom to expose a straw comprising alternating folded and unfolded sections.

FIG. 2B shows the removed straw partially elongated after detachment from the can's bottom and prior to wiping with the interior of the circular enclosure from the bottom of the can.

FIG. 2C shows a pair of hands completing straightening of the straw from the partially elongated position preparatory to using it to drink from the can.

FIG. 3A shows a beverage container/straw combination of the invention after a removeably attached enclosure is taken from the can's bottom to expose a straw folded in its entirety.

FIG. 3B shows the removed folded straw partially elongated after detachment from the can's bottom and prior to wiping with the interior of the circular enclosure from the can's bottom.

FIG. 3C shows a pair of hands completing straightening of the straw from the partially elongated position preparatory to using it to drink from the can.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as example, instance or illustration.” Any embodiment described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments.

In general, the invention is a container/drinking straw combination comprising: means for removably disposing a folded straw circularly in a bottom recess of a container; and means for simultaneously removing and straightening the folded straw from the recess for use in drinking a beverage from the container.

When one is ready to disconnect the straw from the container/drinking straw combination to drink a beverage from the container, this is accomplished by: removing the circularly folded straw from the recess in the bottom of the container by pulling an enclosure attached to an outermost fold of the folded straw to simultaneously disconnect an innermost fold of the folded straw from the container bottom and disconnect an outermost fold from the underside of the enclosure, to straighten the straw to create a channel for a beverage to flow thru.

Reference is now made to FIG. 1A which shows a beverage container 10 with a folded straw 11 removably attached in the bottom recess 12 of the beverage container. The folded straw may be adhesively attached to facilitate easy removal from the can by removing a circular enclosure 13 adhesively attached to the lowermost section of the folded straw. In this connection, the inner portion of enclosure 13 has a strip 13a comprising a removably attached adhesive that enables the straw to unfold upon removing the enclosure. On either or both sides of adhesive strip 13a is a sanitized cloth 13b for wiping the straw prior to inserting it through the container top to drink the beverage.

As can be seen from FIG. 1B, after removal of the straw and wiping the same with the sanitized cloth of the enclosure section, the straw is partially unfolded to commence opening the channel within. The channel within the straw is fully opened as shown in FIG. 1C by simply elongating the straw 14.

In FIG. 2A, the beverage container/straw combination comprises a straw with alternating folded and unfolded sections 15. Removal of the enclosure is the same as that previously described; however, upon partial elongation of the alternating folded and unfolded sections of straw 15 after detachment from the can's bottom, the straw is fully lengthened as shown in FIG. 2C to fully open the straw's channel, after which it is sanitarily wiped, if desired, to ready it for insertion in the can to drink the beverage.

In another embodiment of the invention, as can be seen in FIG. 3A, the straw may be fully folded 16. Upon removal from the recess in the bottom of can, this fully folded straw may be partially elongated as shown FIG. 3B. Upon full elongation of the straw as shown in FIG. 3C, the channel in the straw is completely opened, thereby rendering the straw ready for insertion in the top of the beverage can to commence drinking of the beverage.

Those of skill in the art will understand that the straw in the recess may be adhered therein by any adherence means known in the removably bonded art, such as heat-sealing or thermal bonding, or pressure bonding. Similarly, the underside of the enclosure may be adhered to the fold of the straw opposite that of the fold of the straw to the can by well-known adhesive means, inclusive of heat or thermal bonding. Further, the sanitary wipe sections of the underside of the enclosure may be any art well known sanitizing materials, when desired, for wiping or sanitizing the straw prior to insertion of the same into the top of the beverage can before drinking.

While the invention has been shown in its preferred embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention, which is described by way of illustration and not limitation, in that the actual scope of the invention is defined in the claims hereafter presented, in relation to existing prior art.

Claims

1. A container/drinking straw combination comprising:

means for remvably disposing a folded straw circularly in a bottom recess of a container; and

means for simultaneously removing and straightening said folded straw from said recess for use in drinking a beverage from said container.

2. The container/drinking straw combination of claim I wherein said means for removably disposing said folded straw in said recess is an adhesive means and said means for simultaneously removing and straightening said folded straw is a circular enclosure.

3. The container/drinking straw combination of claim 2 wherein said adhesive is a pressure sensitive adhesive.

4. The container/drinking straw combination of claim 2 wherein said adhesive is a thermally bondable adhesive.

5. The container/drinking straw combination of claim 1 wherein said means for simultaneously removing and straightening said folded straw comprises an innermost side removably bonded to an outermost fold of said folded straw.

6. The container/drinking straw combination of claim 5 wherein said innermost side removably bonded is an adhesive strip.

7. The container/drinking straw combination of claim 6 wherein a sanitized cloth is disposed on either or both sides of said adhesive.

8. A method of removing a folded straw circularly disposed in a bottom recess of a container/drinking straw combination to drink a beverage from said container, comprising:

removing the circularly folded straw from the recess in the bottom of the container by pulling an enclosure attached to an outermost fold of the folded straw to simultaneously disconnect an innermost fold of the folded straw from the container bottom and disconnect an outermost fold from the underside of the enclosure, to straighten the straw to create a channel for a beverage.