Drinking Straw

Abstract

Drinking straws that enable a user to drink a beverage without having to purse the user's lips around the straw. In one embodiment, a drinking straw has a tubular structure which includes a body portion and an upper end portion. A conduit is formed between the body portion and the upper end portion. The upper end portion has an elongated outer periphery which enables a user to create a seal between the user's lips and the outer periphery of the upper end portion without pursing the user's lips. The upper end portion may have a triangular shape. The conduit through the straw may have a constant cross-sectional area, or it may vary. The drinking straw may have solid lateral portions. The upper end portion of the straw may be detachable from the body portion of the straw and replaceable on a different body portion.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application 61/432,295, filed Jan. 13, 2011, which is incorporated by reference as if set forth herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates generally to drinking straws, and more particularly to methods and apparatus for reducing wrinkles around a person's mouth by reducing the pursing of the lips that is normally required to use a conventional drinking straw.

2. Related Art

People are becoming increasingly conscious of their health and the effects of aging. In particular, the appearance of wrinkles and other signs of aging has led to a greater awareness of habits that are associated with these signs. For example, furrowing one's brow may cause more wrinkles on the forehead, and pursing one's lips may cause more wrinkles around the lips. It would therefore be desirable to try to avoid these behaviors.

Conventional drinking straws are simple tubular structures, typically about 0.75 cm in diameter. In order to create suction and thereby draw a beverage up through the straw, a person must purse her lips around the small opening of the straw. This action is repeated numerous times during the consumption of the beverage. This repeated pursing of the lips increases the likelihood of developing wrinkles around the lips.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This disclosure is directed to drinking straws that solve one or more of the problems discussed above. In one particular embodiment, a drinking straw having a tubular body and an elongated opening at one end which reduces or eliminates the need to purse one's lips while drinking through the straw.

One embodiment comprises a drinking straw having a tubular structure which includes a body portion and an upper end portion. A conduit is formed between the body portion and the upper end portion. The upper end portion has an elongated outer periphery which enables a user to create a seal between the user's lips and the outer periphery of the upper end portion without pursing the user's lips. The upper end portion may have a triangular shape which tapers from a smaller width at a first end where the upper end portion meets the body portion, to a larger width at a second end at which the upper end portion is open. The conduit through the straw may have substantially the same cross-sectional area through both the body portion and the upper end portion, or it may vary. The drinking straw may have lateral portions on opposite sides of the conduit through the upper end portion where the lateral portions are solid. The upper end portion of the straw may be either rigid or flexible. The upper end portion of the straw may be detachable from the body portion of the straw and replaceable on a different body portion.

An alternative embodiment comprises a drinking straw adapter, where the adapter has a first conduit extending therethrough from a first end to a second end. The first end is configured to be coupled to a drinking straw having a second conduit therethrough. The second end has an elongated outer periphery which enables a user to create a seal between the user's lips and the outer periphery of the second end without pursing the user's lips. The adapter may have a triangular shape which tapers from a smaller width at a first end where it is attached to a drinking straw, to a larger width at a second end at which the adapter is open. The adapter may have a conduit therethrough which has substantially the same cross-sectional area as the straw to which the adapter is coupled. The adapter may have lateral portions on opposite sides of the conduit therethrough where the lateral portions are solid.

Another alternative embodiment comprises a method for drinking a beverage. The method includes providing a drinking straw having a tubular structure having a body portion and an upper end portion, wherein a conduit is formed between the body portion and the upper end portion, wherein the upper end portion has an elongated outer periphery at an upper opening. A lower end of the drinking straw is placed in a beverage. A user's lips are then placed around the upper end portion of the drinking straw, thereby creating a seal between the user's lips and the outer periphery of the upper end portion without pursing the user's lips. The user then draws the beverage through the drinking straw.

Numerous other embodiments are also possible.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other objects and advantages of the invention may become apparent upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIGS. 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating a drinking straw in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an alternative configuration of a drinking straw in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating alternative configurations of an end of a drinking straw.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an alternative configuration of a drinking straw in accordance with one embodiment.

While the invention is subject to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and the accompanying detailed description. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and detailed description are not intended to limit the invention to the particular embodiment which is described. This disclosure is instead intended to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

One or more embodiments of the invention are described below. It should be noted that these and any other embodiments described below are exemplary and are intended to be illustrative of the invention rather than limiting.

As described herein, various embodiments of the invention comprise drinking straws that enable a user to drink a beverage without having to purse the user's lips around the straw. In one particular embodiment, a drinking straw has a tubular structure which includes a body portion and an upper end portion. A conduit is formed between the body portion and the upper end portion. The upper end portion has an elongated outer periphery which enables a user to create a seal between the user's lips and the outer periphery of the upper end portion without pursing the user's lips. The upper end portion may have a triangular shape which tapers from a smaller width at a first end where the upper end portion meets the body portion, to a larger width at a second end at which the upper end portion is open. The conduit through the straw may have substantially the same cross-sectional area through both the body portion and the upper end portion, or it may vary. The drinking straw may have lateral portions on opposite sides of the conduit through the upper end portion where the lateral portions are solid. The upper end portion of the straw may be either rigid or flexible. The upper end portion of the straw may be detachable from the body portion of the straw and replaceable on a different body portion.

The present invention is designed to reduce wrinkles around the lips by reducing or eliminating the need to purse one's lips while drinking through a straw. The pursing of a person's lips while consuming a beverage through a straw can be reduced or eliminated through the use of a new straw that has an elongated portion that is held between the person's lips. “Elongated” is used herein to refer to a shape which is greater in width (left-to-right in FIG. 3) than in height (top-to-bottom in FIG. 3). In most, but not all, embodiments, the width-to-height ratio will be at least 4:1. This elongated portion more closely resembles the opening of the mouth and therefore requires less distortion of the shape of the mouth to create a seal between the lips and the straw.

One embodiment comprises a long tubular structure which has a tubular body portion and, at one end, a portion that widens to form an elongated, oval opening, as shown in FIG. 1. The diameter of the tubular body portion 10 is approximately 0.75 cm. The enlarged portion 20 remains approximately 0.75 in one dimension, but gradually widens to approximately 3-5 cm in another dimension so that the enlarged portion is triangular or Y-shaped. In other words, viewing this portion from the side, the enlarged portion tapers from a smaller width where the enlarged portion meets the body portion, to a greater width at the end (21) of the enlarged portion. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the opening of the straw at the end of the enlarged portion is an oval that is approximately 0.75 cm high and 3-5 cm wide.

The straw may be formed from plastic, paper, rubber, glass, or any other suitable material. The tubular body portion of the straw may be straight, as shown in FIG. 1, or it may have curves, bends, or the like. The body portion may be relatively rigid, or it may be flexible. The body portion may have any suitable length and width, and it may have any features that are foun in other straws, such as ridges which prevent the straw from passing entirely through an aperture in a cup lid.

The enlarged portion of the straw may be Y-shaped (i.e., it may have a triangular shape that tapers from a smaller width where it meets the body portion to a larger width at the opposite end of the enlarged portion), as in FIG. 1, or it may have other shapes. For instance, as shown in FIG. 2, the enlarged portion may rapidly widen from the diameter of the body portion to the increased-width of the enlarged portion to form a more rectangular shape.

The enlarged portion may have a number of different shapes. For example, the enlarged portion may be oval, as described in connection with FIG. 1 (and shown as 31 in FIG. 3). The oval shape has a substantially constant height (top-to-bottom in the figure) across its width. Alternatively, the enlarged portion may be more pointed at the ends (32), so that the height is greater in the center and tapers down towards the ends, or it may be a thin slit (33). These configurations of the enlarged portion are illustrated in FIG. 3. The area of the opening of the enlarged portion is preferably at least as great as the cross-sectional area of the body portion of the straw. The opening may be less than the outer periphery of the enlarged portion (so that the wall between the opening and the outer periphery has a varying thickness), or it may be substantially the same (so that the wall between the opening and the outer periphery has a substantially constant thickness). In the example of FIG. 4, the opening 30 of the enlarged portion is round, and the lateral portions 40 are solid, so that the effective thickness of the wall between the opening and outer periphery is variable. In this embodiment, the conduit formed through the straw has substantially the same cross section through both the body and enlarged portions of the straw.

In the embodiment of FIG. 4, the enlarged portion of the straw has an increased width in comparison to the body portion, but the opening of the straw within this enlarged portion need not be any larger than the opening at the end of the body portion. As noted above, in this embodiment the enlarged portion is solid (see lateral portions 34 and 35) except for a passageway 30 to the body portion. In one embodiment, the enlarged portion may be a separate piece that can be attached to the end of a straw such as a conventional, constant-diameter straw.

The benefits and advantages which may be provided by the present invention have been described above with regard to specific embodiments. These benefits and advantages, and any elements or limitations that may cause them to occur or to become more pronounced are not to be construed as critical, required, or essential features of any or all of the claims. As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” or any other variations thereof, are intended to be interpreted as non-exclusively including the elements or limitations which follow those terms. Accordingly, a system, method, or other embodiment that comprises a set of elements is not limited to only those elements, and may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to the claimed embodiment.

The preceding description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein and recited within the following claims.

Claims

1. A drinking straw apparatus comprising:

a tubular structure having a body portion and an upper end portion;

wherein a conduit is formed between the body portion and the upper end portion;

wherein the upper end portion has an elongated outer periphery which enables a user to create a seal between the user's lips and the outer periphery of the upper end portion without pursing the user's lips.

2. The drinking straw apparatus of claim 1, wherein the upper end portion has a triangular shape which tapers from a smaller width at a first end of the upper end portion which is coupled to the body portion to a larger width at a second end of the upper end portion at which the upper end portion is open.

3. The drinking straw apparatus of claim 1, wherein the conduit has substantially the same cross-sectional area through the body portion and the upper end portion.

4. The drinking straw apparatus of claim 3, wherein lateral portions on opposite sides of the conduit through the upper end portion are solid.

5. The drinking straw apparatus of claim 1, wherein the upper end portion is rigid.

6. The drinking straw apparatus of claim 1, wherein the upper end portion is detachable from the body portion and attachable to a replacement body portion.

7. A drinking apparatus comprising:

a drinking straw adapter;

wherein the drinking straw adapter has a first conduit extending therethrough from a first end to a second end;

wherein the first end is configured to be coupled to a drinking straw having a second conduit therethrough;

wherein the second end has an elongated outer periphery which enables a user to create a seal between the user's lips and the outer periphery of the second end without pursing the user's lips.

8. The drinking apparatus of claim 7, wherein the upper end portion has a triangular shape which tapers from a smaller width at a first end of the upper end portion which is coupled to the body portion to a larger width at a second end the upper end portion at which the upper end portion is open

9. The drinking apparatus of claim 7, wherein the conduit has substantially the same cross-sectional area through the body portion and the upper end portion

10. The drinking apparatus of claim 9, wherein lateral portions on opposite sides of the conduit through the upper end portion are solid

11. The drinking apparatus of claim 7, wherein the upper end portion is rigid

12. A method for drinking a beverage, the method comprising:

providing a drinking straw having a tubular structure having a body portion and an upper end portion, wherein a conduit is formed between the body portion and the upper end portion, wherein the upper end portion has an elongated outer periphery at an upper opening;

placing a lower end of the drinking straw in a beverage;

placing a user's lips around the upper end portion of the drinking straw, thereby creating a seal between the user's lips and the outer periphery of the upper end portion without pursing the user's lips; and

drawing the beverage through the drinking straw.