Beverage Bottle with Integrated Straw

Abstract

A plastic beverage bottle has an integrated straw through which the user can drink the bottle's contents. The straw insert follows the contours of the exterior wall of the bottle, so as to minimize intrusion and interference with the flow of liquid in the bottle. Moreover, by hugging the side of the bottle, the straw can be readily engaged by the drinker's mouth. The drinking end of the straw is located within the interior of the bottle neck, while the rest of the straw runs along the exterior of the bottle in a channel or indentation provided for that purpose.

Description

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. provisional patent application No. 62/010,254, filed Jun. 10, 2014.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of beverage containers, and more particularly to beverage containers with integrated straws.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Beverages are commonly sold in screw-top plastic bottles, from which they are also typically drunk. Drinking directly from the bottle can be difficult, especially if the drinker is in motion, and often results in spillage. Use of a straw is certainly preferable, but beverage bottles are not usually sold with straws. Even if the drinker has a straw, it often tends to fall inside the bottle and is often not long enough to reach the bottom of the bottle.

Consequently, there is a need for a plastic bottle designed with an integrated straw, which has a fixed position, is accessible from the open bottle neck, and extends to the bottom of the bottle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a plastic beverage bottle with an integrated straw through which the user can drink the bottle's contents. The straw insert follows the contours of the exterior wall of the bottle, so as to minimize intrusion and interference with the flow of liquid in the bottle. Moreover, by hugging the side of the bottle, the straw can be most readily engaged by the drinker's mouth, as depicted in FIG. 19.

The proximal drinking end of the straw is located within and almost flush with the mouth of the bottle, as best seen in FIG. 3, while the rest of the straw runs along the exterior of the bottle until the distal end of the straw reenters just above the bottom of the bottle, as best seen in FIG. 11.

The foregoing summarizes the general design features of the present invention. In the following sections, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in some detail. These specific embodiments are intended to demonstrate the feasibility of implementing the present invention in accordance with the general design features discussed above. Therefore, the detailed descriptions of these embodiments are offered for illustrative and exemplary purposes only, and they are not intended to limit the scope either of the foregoing summary description or of the claims which follow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of an integrated-straw beverage bottle according to a first embodiment of the present invention, in which the straw extends downward from the mouth of the bottle through an indented straw channel in the exterior wall of the bottle;

FIG. 2 is a side profile view of the integrated-straw beverage bottle according to the first embodiment depicted in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-section view of the integrated-straw beverage bottle according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, taken along the line 3-3;

FIGS. 4-6 are top plan views of integrated-straw beverage bottles according to the first embodiment of the present invention, showing three alternate configurations of the straw;

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of an integrated-straw beverage bottle according to a second embodiment of the present invention, in which the straw is supported in the straw channel by a longitudinal flange;

FIG. 8 is a cross-section view of the integrated-straw beverage bottle according to the second embodiment shown in FIG. 9, taken along the line 8-8;

FIG. 9 is a cross-section view of the integrated-straw beverage bottle according to the second embodiment depicted in FIG. 7, taken along the line 9-9;

FIG. 10 is a side profile view of the integrated-straw beverage bottle according to the second embodiment depicted in FIG. 7;

FIG. 11 is a cross-section view of the integrated-straw beverage bottle according to the third embodiment, taken along the line 11-11 shown in FIG. 12;

FIG. 12 is a top plan view of an integrated-straw beverage bottle according to the third embodiment;

FIG. 13 is a cross-section view of the integrated-straw beverage bottle according to the third embodiment shown in FIG. 11, taken along the line 13-13;

FIG. 14 is a cross-section view of the integrated-straw beverage bottle according to the fourth embodiment, taken along the line 14-14 shown in FIG. 15;

FIG. 15 is a top plan view of an integrated-straw beverage bottle according to the fourth embodiment;

FIG. 16 is a cross-section view of the integrated-straw beverage bottle according to the fifth embodiment, taken along the line 16-16 shown in FIG. 17;

FIG. 17 is a top plan view of an integrated-straw beverage bottle according to the fifth embodiment; and

FIG. 18 is a cross-section view of the integrated-straw beverage bottle according to the fifth embodiment shown in FIG. 16, taken along the line 18-18.

FIG. 19 is an illustration of a person drinking from an integrated-straw beverage bottle according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIGS. 1-3, a first embodiment of the present invention 10 comprises a plastic bottle 11 having a substantially cylindrical neck 12, which flares out into a larger diameter body 13, also substantially cylindrical and terminating in a substantially flat or slightly concave bottom 14.

A substantially tubular straw 15 extends within the interior of the bottle from less than ¼ inch below the mouth 16 of the bottle 11, along the outer contours of the neck 12 and the body 13, to less than ¼ inch above the bottom 14, where the straw 15 terminates.

FIGS. 4-6 depict three alternate configurations of the straw 15 with respect to the mouth 16 of the bottle 11.

Referring to FIGS. 7-10, a second embodiment of the present invention 10 comprises the same components as the first embodiment, except that the exterior of the neck 12 and the body 13 of the bottle 11 have an indented channel 17 with a longitudinal flange, which supports the straw 15 as it extends from just below the mouth 16 to just above the bottom 14 of the bottle 11.

Referring to FIGS. 11-13, a third embodiment of the present invention 10 has a substantially rectangular body 13. On one side of the neck 12 and the body 13 extends a longitudinal flange 18, which supports the straw 15 as it extends from just below the mouth 16 to just above the bottom 14 of the bottle 11.

Referring to FIGS. 14 and 15, a fourth embodiment of the present invention 10 has a substantially rectangular body 13 with a handle 19. In this embodiment, the straw 15, supported by the longitudinal flange 18, forms the handle 19 of the bottle 11.

Referring to FIGS. 16-18, a fifth embodiment of the present invention 10 has a semi-circular body 13. The straw 15 extends through an exterior longitudinal flange 18 from just below the mouth 16 to just above the bottom 14 of the bottle 11.

In FIG. 19, a person is drinking from an integrated-straw bottle 11 of the first embodiment type, by tipping the bottle 11 slightly toward her and lifting the straw 15 to her mouth.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that many additions, modifications and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.

Claims

1. A beverage container comprising:

a bottle having an open bottle mouth and, below the mouth, a substantially cylindrical bottle neck, which transitions into a larger diameter bottle body, which terminates in a substantially flat or concave bottle bottom, wherein the bottle neck and the bottle body together define an interior bottle contour and an exterior bottle contour;

a substantially tubular integrated drinking straw, having an open proximal end located inside the bottle neck and proximate to the bottle mouth, and having an open distal end located inside the bottle body and proximate to the bottle bottom, wherein the drinking straw extends longitudinally along the exterior bottle contour, from the bottle neck, within a quarter-inch of the mouth, to within a quarter-inch of the bottle bottom.

2. The beverage container of claim 1, wherein the bottle neck and the bottle body together define, within the exterior body contour, an indented longitudinal straw channel, and wherein the drinking straw extends through the straw channel from the bottle neck, within a quarter-inch of the mouth, to within a quarter-inch of the bottle bottom.

3. The beverage container of claim 2, wherein the drinking straw is supported within the straw channel by a longitudinal flange extending orthogonally from the straw channel.

4. The beverage container of claim 1, wherein the drinking straw is supported by a longitudinal flange extending orthogonally from the exterior bottle contour.

5. The beverage container of claim 4, wherein the drinking straw and the exterior bottle contour together define an oblong handle aperture, and wherein the drinking straw extends around the handle aperture so as to define a bottle handle.