TUMBLER SYSTEM

Abstract

A straw is disclosed for use in a tumbler system that comprises a tumbler top and a tumbler. The straw comprises an elongated body that is configured to deliver a substance from a first opening at a first end along a longitudinal axis to a second opening at an opposite distal end. The straw also comprises a base that is attached to the elongated body, having a diameter greater than an opening in the tumbler top. The straw also comprises a plurality of paddles attached to the base and configured to be rotated about the longitudinal axis, wherein the plurality of paddles comprise a tear-drop paddle, a ring paddle, or a semi-circle paddle. The elongated body includes a reusable polypropylene material.

Description

REFERENCE TO PRIOR APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority and the benefit thereof from a U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/161,967, filed on Mar. 20, 2009 and entitled CUP AND BOTTLES, the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference.

Furthermore, this application is related to U.S. design patent application Ser. No. ______, filed on ______ (Attorney Docket No. 2052986-8579DES).

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates to a tumbler, a straw, and a tumbler-straw system and methods for manufacturing the tumbler and straw.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

A variety of drinking vessels are known to exist. These drinking vessels are provided in various shapes, sizes, materials, colors and designs. For example, the drinking vessels are typically made from glass or plastic and are often clear. The vessels may be used together with, for example, drinking straws. These vessels can be disposable or reusable.

The disclosure provides a novel tumbler, a novel straw, a novel tumbler-straw system, and methods for manufacturing the tumbler and straw. The disclosure further provides a novel tumbler, a novel straw, and a combination thereof that is reusable and suitable for cold beverage use.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

According to one non-limiting aspect of the disclosure, a straw is provided for use in a tumbler system that comprises a tumbler top and a tumbler. The straw comprises an elongated body that is configured to deliver the substance from a first opening at a first end along a longitudinal axis to a second opening at an opposite distal end; a base attached to the elongated body and having a diameter greater than an opening in the tumbler top; and a plurality of paddles attached to the base and configured to be rotated about the longitudinal axis, wherein the plurality of paddles comprise a tear-drop paddle, a ring paddle, or a semi-circle paddle; and the elongated body includes a reusable polypropylene material.

According to a further aspect of the disclosure, a tumbler is provided that comprises a straw, wherein the straw includes an elongated body that is configured to deliver the substance from a first opening at a first end along a longitudinal axis to a second opening at an opposite distal end; a base attached to the elongated body and having a diameter greater than an opening in the tumbler top; and a plurality of paddles attached to the base and configured to be rotated about the longitudinal axis, wherein the plurality of paddles comprise a tear-drop paddle, a ring paddle, or a semi-circle paddle; and the elongated body includes a reusable polypropylene material. The tumbler may include a grip. The grip may comprise a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE). The tumbler may comprise a clear plastic material.

According to a yet further aspect of the disclosure, a straw is provided which is configured to prevent loss and to aid in mixing a fluid in a tumbler. The straw comprises an elongated body; and a base, wherein the base comprises a paddle. The paddle may comprise a tear-drop paddle; a ring paddle; or a semi-circle paddle. The elongated body may include a reusable polypropylene material. The base may include a reusable polypropylene material. The base may comprise at least two paddles. The elongated body may be configured to pass through an opening in a tumbler top. The base may comprise a diameter greater than the opening in the tumbler top.

According to a further aspect of the disclosure, a tumbler system is provided that comprises a straw, wherein the straw includes an elongated body; and a base, wherein the base comprises a paddle. The tumbler system may further comprise a tumbler that is configured to hold a substance; and a tumbler top that is configured to securely attach to the tumbler. The tumbler system may further comprise a gasket that is configured to provide a fluid-seal between the tumbler top and the tumbler. Still further, the tumbler system may comprise a grip that is configured to slide on to an outer surface of the tumbler. The grip may comprise a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE). The tumbler system may further comprise a fastener that is configured to attach the tumbler top to the tumbler. The fastener may comprise a quarter turn thread.

Additional features, advantages, and embodiments of the disclosure may be set forth or apparent from consideration of the detailed description and drawings. Moreover, it is to be understood that both the foregoing summary of the disclosure and the following detailed description are exemplary and intended to provide further explanation without limiting the scope of the disclosure as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the disclosure, are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the disclosure and together with the detailed description serve to explain the principles of the disclosure. No attempt is made to show structural details of the disclosure in more detail than may be necessary for a fundamental understanding of the disclosure and the various ways in which it may be practiced. In the drawings:

FIGS. 1A-1C show various views of an example of a straw, according to principles of the disclosure;

FIGS. 2A-2C show various views of an example of a tumbler system, according to principles of the disclosure;

FIG. 3 shows a cross-section view of the tumbler system of FIGS. 2A-2C;

FIG. 4 shows an exploded view of the tumbler system of FIGS. 2A-2C;

FIG. 5A shows another example of a tumbler system, according to principles of the disclosure;

FIG. 5B shows an example of a straw that may be used in the tumbler system of FIG. 5A or FIGS. 2A-2C;

FIG. 6A shows another example of a tumbler system, according to principles of the disclosure; and

FIG. 6B shows an example of a straw that may be used in the tumbler system of FIG. 6A or FIGS. 2A-2C.

The present disclosure is further described in the detailed description that follows.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

The disclosure and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments and examples that are described and/or illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description. It should be noted that the features illustrated in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, and features of one embodiment may be employed with other embodiments as the skilled artisan would recognize, even if not explicitly stated herein. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques may be omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments of the disclosure. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the disclosure may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments of the disclosure. Accordingly, the examples and embodiments herein should not be construed as limiting the scope of the disclosure. Moreover, it is noted that like reference numerals represent similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

The terms “including”, “comprising” and variations thereof, as used in this disclosure, mean “including, but not limited to”, unless expressly specified otherwise.

The terms “a”, “an”, and “the”, as used in this disclosure, means “one or more”, unless expressly specified otherwise.

Although process steps, method steps, algorithms, or the like, may be described in a sequential order, such processes, methods and algorithms may be configured to work in alternate orders. In other words, any sequence or order of steps that may be described does not necessarily indicate a requirement that the steps be performed in that order. The steps of the processes, methods or algorithms described herein may be performed in any order practical. Further, some steps may be performed simultaneously.

When a single device or article is described herein, it will be readily apparent that more than one device or article may be used in place of a single device or article. Similarly, where more than one device or article is described herein, it will be readily apparent that a single device or article may be used in place of the more than one device or article. The functionality or the features of a device may be alternatively embodied by one or more other devices which are not explicitly described as having such functionality or features.

According to one non-limiting example of the disclosure, FIGS. 1A-1C show various views of an example of a straw 100, according to principles of the disclosure. In particular, FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C shows a perspective view, a top view, and a bottom view, respectively, of the straw 100. The straw 100 includes a body 110 and a base 120. The body 110 has an elongated structure that is configured to deliver a substance (not shown) from an opening 123 in the base 120 to an opening 113 at an opposite end of the straw 100. The body 110 may include a cylindrical (shown in FIG. 1A) or a rectangular, elongated structure (not shown). The base 120 may include a plurality of paddles 130. The paddles 130 may be configured to rotate about the longitudinal axis of the straw 100 as the straw 100 is rotated, so as to mix a substance.

The body 100, base 120 and paddles 130 may be made from a material that includes, e.g., plastic, wax-coated paper, metal, ceramic, glass, wood, or any combination thereof. The plastic may include a thermoplastic such as, e.g., polypropylene, which may be blended with colorants. The base 120 may include fewer (or greater) than the four paddles 130 seen in FIGS. 1A-1C.

The straw 100 may be manufactured as a single unit, including the body 100, the base 120 and the tear-drop paddles 130. Alternatively, the straw 100 may be assembled from two or more individual units. In this latter regard, the body 100 may be inserted into the base 120, which may or may not already include the paddles 130.

As seen in FIGS. 1A-1C, the base 120 may include tear-drop paddles 130. Alternatively, the base 120 may include a plurality of ring paddles 530 (shown in FIG. 5B), or a plurality of semi-circle paddles 630 (shown in FIG. 6B), or any combination of the tear-drop paddles 130, ring paddles 530, or semi-circle paddles 630. It is noted that other shapes may be used for the paddles, including, for example, squares, rectangles, ellipses, or the like. The straw 100 is configured to prevent loss of the straw 100 and to aid in mixing the substance, which may include, e.g., a fluid (e.g., a beverage) or a fluid-solid combination (e.g., a milk shake) provided in a tumbler 200 (e.g., shown in FIG. 2A).

FIGS. 2A-2C show various views of an example of a tumbler system 300, according to principles of the disclosure. The tumbler system 300 includes the straw 100 and a tumbler 200. The tumbler 200 may include a tumbler top 210 and a grip 220. The tumbler 200 includes a bottom 230, which may include high friction components, such as, e.g., rubber, magnetic material, or the like, to prevent the tumbler 200 from sliding when placed on, e.g., a flat surface (not shown). The tumbler top 210 may include legends 214, 218, such as, e.g., OPEN 214 and CLOSE 218, as well as directional arrows 219, to assist the user in manipulating the tumbler top 210 to engage or disengage the tumbler top 210 with the tumbler 200.

FIG. 3 shows a cross-section view of the tumbler system 300 along the line A-A, shown in FIG. 2A. The tumbler 200 includes a tumbler body 250 and a fastener portion 260. The fastener portion 260 may include, e.g., threading (e.g., quarter-turn threading), tongue-and-groove, hook-and-loop, and the like. The tumbler body 250 may be configured to have a capacity of, e.g., but not limited to, 8 oz., 16, oz. 24 oz., 32 oz., or the like. The bottom portion of the tumbler body 250 may be configured to have an angle 255 with the bottom 230 that is substantially greater (or less) than, e.g., 90°, but preferably in the range of, e.g., about 93° to about 96°.

The tumbler body 250, tumbler top 210, grip 220 or bottom 230 may be made from a material that includes, e.g., plastic, wax-coated paper, metal, ceramic, glass, wood, or any combination thereof. The plastic may include a copolyester which may be blended with colorants, or may be made clear. The grip 220 may include a textured material such as, e.g., a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) to provide a non-slip grip for the tumbler 200. The tumbler top 210 may include, e.g., clarified ABS.

The tumbler body 250 and the bottom 230 may be manufactured as a single unit, or as two or more separate units. In the later case, the bottom 230 may be attached to the tumbler 250 by a fastening mechanism (not shown), including, e.g., threads, tongue-and-groove, or the like.

The tumbler system 300, including the straw 100 and tumbler 200 may be configured to be, e.g., dishwasher safe.

Further, the elongated body 110 of the straw 100 may be configured to pass through an opening in the tumbler top 210. The base 120 may have a diameter that is greater than the opening in the tumbler top 210 to prevent the straw 100 from separating from the tumbler system 300 and being lost.

FIG. 4 shows an exploded view of the tumbler system 300, according to principles of the disclosure. As seen in FIG. 4, the tumbler system 300 further includes a gasket 212, which may include a material, such as, e.g., silicone, rubber, metal, or the like. The gasket 212 material may be colored or clear. The gasket 212 is configured to provide a fluid-seal between the tumbler top 210 and the tumbler 200, so as to prevent leakage or spillage of a substance that may be contained in the tumbler 200.

FIG. 5A shows another example of a tumbler system 400, according to principles of the disclosure. The tumbler system 400 includes the straw 100 and a tumbler 500. The tumbler system 400 may further include a tumbler top 510 and a grip 520. The various elements of the tumbler system 400 may be made from the same, or similar materials described above with regard to the tumbler system 300.

FIG. 5B shows another example of the straw 100 that may be used in the tumbler system 400 (or 300). The straw 100 may include a plurality of ring paddles 530, as shown in FIG. 5B.

FIG. 6A shows another example of a tumbler system 700, according to principles of the disclosure. The tumbler system 700 includes the straw 100 and a tumbler 600. The tumbler system 600 may further include a tumbler top 610 and a grip 620. The various elements of the tumbler system 700 may be made from the same, or similar materials described above with regard to the tumbler system 300.

As seen in FIG. 6A, the tumbler top 610 may include a dome shape and the bottom of the tumbler 600 may include a traction ring 635, which may include a material such as, e.g., rubber, silicone, or the like, to prevent the tumbler from sliding when placed on a flat surface (not shown).

FIG. 6B shows another example of the straw 100 that may be used in the tumbler system 600 (or 300). The straw 100 may include a plurality of semi-circle paddles 630, as shown in FIG. 6B.

While the disclosure has been described in terms of exemplary embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the disclosure can be practiced with modifications in the spirit and scope of the appended claims. These examples are merely illustrative and are not meant to be an exhaustive list of all possible designs, embodiments, applications or modifications of the disclosure.

Claims

1. A straw for use in a tumbler system that comprises a tumbler top and a tumbler, the straw comprising:

an elongated body that is configured to deliver the substance from a first opening at a first end along a longitudinal axis to a second opening at an opposite distal end;

a base attached to the elongated body and having a diameter greater than an opening in the tumbler top; and

a plurality of paddles attached to the base and configured to be rotated about the longitudinal axis,

wherein the plurality of paddles comprise a tear-drop paddle, a ring paddle, or a semi-circle paddle; and the elongated body includes a reusable polypropylene material.

2. A tumbler that includes the straw of claim 1.

3. The tumbler of claim 2, wherein the tumbler comprises a grip.

4. The tumbler of claim 3, wherein the grip comprises a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE).

5. The tumbler of claim 2, wherein the tumbler comprises a clear plastic material.

6. A straw configured to prevent loss and to aid in mixing a fluid in a tumbler, the straw comprising:

an elongated body; and

a base,

wherein the base comprises a paddle.

7. A straw of claim 6, wherein the paddle comprises:

a tear-drop paddle;

a ring paddle; or

a semi-circle paddle.

8. The straw of claim 7, wherein the elongated body includes a reusable polypropylene material.

9. The straw of claim 7, wherein the base includes a reusable polypropylene material.

10. The straw of claim 6, wherein the base comprises at least two paddles.

11. The straw of claim 7, wherein the base comprises at least two paddles.

12. The straw of claim 7, wherein the elongated body is configured to pass through an opening in a tumbler top.

13. The straw of claim 12, wherein the base comprises a diameter greater than the opening in the tumbler top.

14. A tumbler system that comprises the straw of claim 6.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

a tumbler that is configured to hold a substance; and

a tumbler top that is configured to securely attach to the tumbler.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

a gasket that is configured to provide a fluid-seal between the tumbler top and the tumbler.

17. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

a grip that is configured to slide on to an outer surface of the tumbler.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the grip comprises a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE).

19. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

a fastener that is configured to attach the tumbler top to the tumbler.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the fastener comprises a quarter turn thread.