LIQUID HOLDING SYSTEM WITH INTEGRAL STRAW
An integrated straw and container. The container includes an interior bottom surface and defines an opening near an upper portion of the container. A cap can be placed onto the container to close the container, and then removed to open the container. The straw includes a shape that operates as a spring operates to create two states: a resting or expanded state and a compressed state. In the resting state of the straw, the overall distance from the first end to the second end is greater than the distance from the interior bottom surface of the container to the opening of the container. The straw is placed into the container and the container is sealed forcing the straw into a compressed state. Upon removal of the cap, the straw returns to a resting state in which the upper end protrudes from the container opening.
The present invention relates to liquid holding systems and, more particularly, to liquid holding systems having an integral means for extracting the contained liquid. Specifically, disclosed herein is a system that comprises, at a minimum, a container with an integral straw aspect.
One could argue that our lives today are busier than ever. Perhaps one of the most demanding occupations of today's hectic lifestyles is that of the proverbial soccer mom. Every waking hour for a soccer mom entails service to her kids and, sometimes, even kids belonging to other soccer moms. She carts kids to school, band practice, baseball tryouts, music lessons, play dates, church functions, etc., etc., and so forth. There is seemingly no end to the demands on her time. Is it any surprise, therefore, that the preferred victuals of soccer moms everywhere is not the product of hours slaved in her kitchen but, rather, the contents of a bag passed through a fast food drive-through window? Should we find it curious that she doesn't truck her carload of kids home to sit down at a dining room table but, rather, frequently opts to dole out the ready-made fare to her juvenile passengers as she continues on to the next appointment?
Regardless of how we would prefer a soccer mom to provide comestibles to those in her care, we must admit that her methods are inevitably born from extreme demands on her time. While pulling through a drive-through window is one way to quickly distribute nourishment to the kids in her backseat, the process is not without its unique hassles. For instance, a particularly cumbersome step involves inserting straws into drink containers before passing them back to the parched passengers.
Though the task of inserting straws into containers sounds simple on its face, it is actually a multi-step process in, and of, itself. The first step, of course, is to remove a cap, top, cover or otherwise open the container. Next, as it is commonplace for liquid containers purchased at restaurants to be equipped with safety seals, any seal must be at least partially removed in anticipation of inserting a straw. Third, the straw itself must be extracted from its paper or plastic wrapper prior to being inserted into the freshly opened container. Only after the combination of the aforementioned steps can the assembled drink system finally be passed to the waiting hands in the backseat.
It should also be noted that many dental professionals recommend that individuals should consume drinks with a straw. The use of a straw directs liquids around the teeth and into the throat. For many liquids, especially those with sugar or staining capabilities, the use of a straw advantageously promotes the maintenance of strong and healthy teeth. As such, there is a need in the art to facilitate the ease of use and availability of straws for beverages.
Notably, the common system and method outlined above is not only involved in its steps but also produces waste in the multiple forms of the drink container, the safety seal, the straw, and the straw wrapper. Further, it is cumbersome to assemble and prone to spillage when wielded by children in the backseat of a moving vehicle. Therefore, what is needed in the art is a system for the delivery of a liquid that includes an integral straw aspect, is operable to be safely sealed until use, requires minimal steps in preparation of use, and produces minimal articles of waste.
BRIEF SUMMARYVarious embodiments, aspects and features of the disclosure encompass a system and/or a method for the delivery of a liquid to customers of a food establishment, convenience store, or other outlet. Various embodiments include an integrated straw and container. One embodiment includes a container defining an interior portion suitable for containing a liquid. The container includes an interior bottom surface and defines an opening near an upper portion of the container. The opening defines a cap receptacle that can receive a cap. The cap can be placed onto the container to close the container, and then removed to open the container. In some embodiments the cap may be replaceable. Further, the embodiment includes a tube having a first end and a second end. The tube, which functions as a straw, includes a shape that operates as a spring. For instance, the shape may be a helical coil, an S bend, a curve or any of a variety of other configurations. The shape, which will be referred to as the spring, resides between the first end and the second end of the tube. As such, the tube has two states: a resting or expanded state and a compressed state. In the resting state of the tube, the overall distance from the first end to the second end is greater than the distance from the interior bottom surface of the container to the opening of the container. In operation, the tube and a liquid are placed into the container and the container is sealed. In sealing the container, the tube is forced into a compressed state wherein the tube is compressed in the interior of the container between a lower surface of the cap and the interior bottom surface. The spring retains a force in a compressed state that is released when the cap is removed and the tube can return to a resting state in which the upper end of the tube protrudes from the container opening.
This and various other embodiments will be more fully described in the detailed description.
Embodiments and aspects of the present invention provide a solution to the above-described need in the art, as well as other needs in the art by providing the user with a liquid holding device that contains an integral straw. Additional aspects of the invention may provide a user with a system operable to be hermetically sealed or otherwise sealed for safety. Further, advantageous aspects of the disclosed system may include convenience and simplicity of operation or the production of minimal waste.
Embodiments of the disclosed system are useful for the delivery of products including, but not limited to, milk, juice, low viscosity yogurt products or the like. Variations of embodiments of the liquid delivery system disclosed herein comprise a straw aspect that is either integral to the liquid holding container or, at least, readily contained within the overall system. Advantageously, the inclusion of the straw aspect alleviates the need for a user to apply a separate straw device in order to gain access to the liquid contained within.
Users of embodiments of the disclosed system may be required to remove a cap, puncture a seal, or apply a force in order to position an integral straw aspect such that liquid can be extracted. Regardless of the specific method for conversion to a form operable to provide access to a gained liquid, embodiments of the system reduce the number of separate devices and/or steps and provide a user with a convenient, efficiently packaged liquid delivery system
Turning now to the figures, where like labels represent like elements throughout the drawings, various aspects, features and embodiments of the present invention will be presented in more detail. The examples as set forth in the drawings and detailed description are provided by way of explanation of the invention and are not meant as limitations of the invention. The present invention thus includes any modifications and variations of the following examples as come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
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Various aspects, features and characteristics of the present invention have been described. Not all of the aspects, features or characteristics are required for each and every embodiment of the present invention. However, it will be appreciated that the various aspects, features, characteristics and combinations thereof may be considered novel in and of themselves. Further documentation in support of the description detailed herein is appended to this application.
Claims
1. An integrated straw and container comprising:
- a container defining an interior portion suitable for containing a liquid, the container including an interior bottom surface and defining an opening near an upper portion of the container, the opening defining a cap receptacle;
- a cap that mates with the cap receptacle of the container for sealing the container; and
- a tube having a first end and a second end and being formed in the shape of a helical coil over at least a portion of the length between the first end and the second end, the tube being constructed such that in a resting state, the overall distance from the first end to the second end is greater than the distance from the interior bottom surface of the container to the opening of the container and, when the tube is compressed in the interior of the container between a lower surface of the cap and the interior bottom surface, the helical coil retains a force in a compressed state that is released when the cap is removed and the tube can return to a resting state.
2. An integrated straw and container comprising:
- a container that defines an interior portion suitable for containing a liquid; and
- a tube that resides in the interior portion of the container in a sealed state and, which can be partially extracted from the container for dispensing of the liquid when the container is opened.
3. The integrated straw and container of claim 2, wherein the tube includes an upper end and a lower end and a structure that resides over at least a portion of the tube between the upper end and the lower end such that when a force is applied on one end towards the other end, that the structure compresses and when the force is removed, the structure decompresses.
4. The integrated straw and container of claim 3, wherein the structure is an S bend.
5. The integrated straw and container of claim 3, wherein the structure is a helical coil.
6. The integrated straw and container of claim 5, wherein the container further defines a cap receptacle for receiving a cap, wherein when the cap is placed onto the container the tube is forced into a compressed state.
7. The integrated straw and container of claim 5, wherein the container further defines a cap receptacle for receiving a cap, wherein when the cap is positioned on the container, the tube is held in a compressed state and when the cap is removed from the container the tube expands to an at rest state.
6. The integrated straw and container of claim 5, wherein the container further defines an opening for receiving a seal, wherein when the seal is placed over the opening of the container the tube is forced into a compressed state.
7. The integrated straw and container of claim 6, wherein the seal is a screw on cap.
8. The integrated straw and container of claim 5, wherein the container further defines an opening for receiving a seal, wherein when the seal is positioned on the container, the tube is held in a compressed state and when the seal is removed from the container the tube expands to an at rest state.
9. The integrated straw and container of claim 6, wherein the seal is a screw on cap.
Type: Application
Filed: May 21, 2009
Publication Date: Nov 25, 2010
Inventors: Brent Anderson (Johns Creek, GA), Matthew T. Hoots (Athens, GA), Gregory S. Smith (Watkinsville, GA)
Application Number: 12/470,114
International Classification: A47G 19/22 (20060101);