DISPOSABLE COATED PAPER STRAW
The invention provides a disposable coated paper straw formed by rolling one or more sheets. In the straw each one of the one or more sheets is a coated paper strip made of a coated paper which comprises a first paper-base layer and a first coating layer. The first coating layer is located at least at an exterior side of the first paper-base layer. The straw further contains an interface edge which is joined by overlapping portions of the one or more sheets in the longitudinal direction. The first coating layer is made from degradable resin. The straw provided by the present invention is not only degradable, which is environmentally friendly, but also it can maintain the strength of the straw over a long period of time.
The present invention relates to the field of beverage products, and in particular to a disposable coated paper straw.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTIONCurrent drinking straws are typically plastic straws. Although plastic straws are convenient to use, the straw discarded after use is difficult to degrade in the natural environment, which is not environmentally friendly.
With the development of the society, environmental protection has been paid more and more attention. The industry has proposed more straw technologies which are environmentally friendly.
For example, the Chinese patent for utility model CN204363641U proposes a paper straw, which is characterized in that a main body of the straw is formed by paper, and a plurality of loops are pressed at one end of the straw so that one end of the straw can be appropriately bent. Due to the use of a paper body, the straw is degradable and reduces environmental stress.
The Chinese patent for utility model CN202262782U also discloses a paper straw which adopts a paper tube body, and the tube body is flat in a folded manner to realize very small occupied space, and is unfolded and rounded from the folded manner at the time of use.
The above conventional art use paper tube body for the straw. However, the paper tube body leads to a quick damage to the strength of the tube body during operation due to immersion of the straw in the beverage, which causes inconvenience to the user.
The industry therefore requires a new straw that not only has a certain degree of degradability in the natural environment, but also maintains the strength of the straw over a long period of time.
SUMMARY OF INVENTIONThe embodiment of the invention provides a disposable coated paper straw, so that the straw does not only possess degradability, but also maintains the strength of the straw for a long period of time.
According to an aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a disposable coated paper straw formed by rolling one or more sheets. In the straw each one of the one or more sheets is a coated paper strip made of a coated paper which comprises a first paper-base layer and a first coating layer. The first coating layer is located at least at an exterior side of the first paper-base layer. The straw further contains an interface edge which is joined by overlapping portions of the one or more sheets in the longitudinal direction. The first coating layer is made from degradable resin.
In one variation of the preferred embodiments, the coated paper further contains a second coating layer on an interior side of the first paper-base layer.
In another variation of the preferred embodiments, the coated paper further contains a second paper-base layer.
Preferably, the coated paper further contains a second coating layer at an exterior side of the second paper-base layer.
In a further variation of the preferred embodiments, the first coating layer is made of a biodegradable coated resin.
In a further variation of the preferred embodiments, the end surface of the straw is a cut surface, and the first paper-base layer is exposed on the end surface.
In a further variation of the preferred embodiments, the coated paper includes a printed pattern layer which is located on an exterior surface of the first coating layer or between the first coating layer and the first paper-based layer.
In a further variation of the preferred embodiments, the interface edge extends along a longitudinal axis of the straw.
In a further variation of the preferred embodiments, one end of the straw forms an angular portion or a spoon portion.
Preferably, the spoon portion comprises one of the following a straw end face and a spoon bevel connected to each other; or a straw end face, a spoon step plane and a spoon step end face connected to each other.
In a further variation of the preferred embodiments, the straw is formed by rolling a single said sheet. The straw further contains two tubular portions.
Preferably, the two tubular portions are separated from each other along a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the straw, but are connected by the interface edge.
In a further variation of the preferred embodiments, the straw is formed by combining two said sheets which are otherwise separate from each other.
Preferably, wherein one of the two sheets is rolled to form an arc shape, and the other one of the two sheets is substantially flat.
Alternatively, both of the two sheets are rolled to form an arc shape respectively. The two arc shapes together form a tubular portion of the straw.
Alternatively, each of the two sheets has a first portion that is rolled to form an arc shape, and a second portion which is substantially flat. The first portion of one of the two sheets corresponds to a second portion of the other one of the two sheets to form a tubular portion.
In a further variation of the preferred embodiments, the straw is formed by rolling a single said sheet. The straw further contains a tubular portion and a flat portion; the tubular portion located off-center along the direction of a line connecting the tubular portion and the flat portion.
According to another variation of the preferred embodiments, the biodegradable coated resin is a petroleum-based coated resin or a bio-based coated resin.
In one specific implementation, the straw has a cylindrical cross section.
In another specific implantation, the first coating layer is implemented on the exterior side of the first paper-base layer by printing.
Preferably, the first coating layer is implemented on the exterior side of the first paper-base layer by flexographic printing.
Since the straw is made of coated paper which can slow the contact and soaking of the paper-base layer with the beverage during use, the paper-base layer does not soften prematurely. As a result, the straw is able to maintain sufficient use strength for a certain period of time. At the same time, since the coated paper is mainly made of paper, the straw has good degradability and is environmentally friendly.
Accompanying drawings are for providing further understanding of embodiments of the disclosure which form a part of the disclosure and are for illustrating the principle of the embodiments of the disclosure along with the literal description. Apparently, the drawings in the description below are merely some embodiments of the disclosure, a person skilled in the art can obtain other drawings according to these drawings without creative efforts. In the figures:
In order to make the technical solution of the present invention better understandable by a person skilled in the art, technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention are clearly and integrally described in the following with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Apparently, the described embodiments are merely part of the embodiments of the present invention, but not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by a person skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without departing from the inventive scope should fall within the scope of the present invention.
It should be noted that the terms “first”, “second”, and the like in the description, claims, and figures of the present invention are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not necessarily used to describe a particular order or precedence order. It is to be understood that the materials so used here are interchangeable where appropriate, so that the embodiments of the invention described herein can be implemented in a sequence other than those illustrated or described herein. Moreover, the terms “comprises” and “comprising” and any variations thereof are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion.
Similarly, when terms indicating directions like “length”, “width”, “upper”, “lower”, “horizontal”, and “vertical” are used in the detailed description, they are only used to better described the relative spatial relationships between different components of the product or between different portions of a component, in particular in certain views of the product such as in a cross-sectional view. None of these terms is intended to limit the invention in any absolute spatial dimensions in which the product is positioned.
The coated paper of the straw in
To achieve the waterproof effect, the coating layer 12 is made of a degradable resin. For example, biodegradable resin is one type of the degradation resins, and degradation resins will also include other resins such as compost resin.
In an exemplary implementation, the coating layer 12 is made of a biodegradable coated resin. The coating process of the approved biodegradable resin coated on papers (paper-base layer) can be made reference to a general coated paper production process. The coated resin that can be used includes but not limited to the following two types:
1. petroleum-based coated resin: Polyethylene (PE)/Polypropylene (PP) containing photo-oxygen biodegradable additives. The photo-biodegradation additive (such as Reverte BD93835) is mixed into PE/PP to form a petroleum-based coated resin, which can be used for paper coating.
2. bio-based coated resin: it can be for example poly(butylene succinate) (PBS), polylactic acid (PLA) and Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) or the like, and these bio-based coated resin can be directly coated on papers.
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According to some further embodiments of the invention, one or both ends of the straw have an end face as a cut surface and the paper-based layer is exposed on the end face. Since the end of the straw are cut at the time of production, the cut portion does not have protection from the coating, and the water will slowly invade the body of the straw from the cutting portions at both ends. As a result, the ends of the straw are softened after a period of use which is just beneficial to be blunt and soft after the discarded straw is thrown into waterbody, so that it cannot harm creatures inside the water, and is beneficial to the protection of the natural ecological environment such as the ocean.
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According to some embodiments of the invention, an interface side formed in the straw may extend in the direction of extension of the longitudinal axis of the straw, i.e., in parallel with respect to the longitudinal axis (no matter if the longitudinal axis of the straw is straight or curved), or may extend in a spiral shape in the direction of extension of the longitudinal axis of the straw. This depends on the rolling equipment and the rolling process. The interface side is joined by overlapping portions of the two sides of the coated paper strip in the longitudinal direction.
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The exemplary embodiments of the present invention are thus fully described. Although the description referred to particular embodiments, it will be clear to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced with variation of these specific details. Hence this invention should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein.
While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only exemplary embodiments have been shown and described and do not limit the scope of the invention in any manner. It can be appreciated that any of the features described herein may be used with any embodiment. The illustrative embodiments are not exclusive of each other or of other embodiments not recited herein. Accordingly, the invention also provides embodiments that comprise combinations of one or more of the illustrative embodiments described above. Modifications and variations of the invention as herein set forth can be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, and, therefore, only such limitations should be imposed as are indicated by the appended claims.
It is to be understood that, if any prior art publication is referred to herein, such reference does not constitute an admission that the publication forms a part of the common general knowledge in the art, in Australia or any other country.
Having introduced various embodiments of the invention above, in summary the technical effects of the embodiments of the present invention include, but not limited to the followings:
1. The straws according to embodiments of the present invention can be produced with an appearance of a general conventional cylindrical plastic straw, but with a material replaced by a biodegradable single paper-base-layer coated paper or double-base-layer coated paper as the basic material.
2. Since each straw is made of a piece of paper by crimping, different patterns can be printed with food-grade ink before the crimp molding.
3. A cylindrical structure maintains the best geometric stability during use, and also facilitates the user drinking beverages containing large particles such as pearl milk tea.
4. Biodegradable coated paper is used as the material. After the straw is discarded, in addition to being able to be recycled, the glue film (coating layer) can also be biodegraded together with the paper in case the straw is not recycled. The environmental pollution can be greatly reduced.
5. Moreover, the coated paper is waterproof for a certain period of time, so that the straw can maintain its shape within a few hours without obvious softening, which effectively maintains the texture of use. However, after several hours of soaking, the two ends of the straw as well as other cutting portions, because of the lack of glue film for protection, will become soft and blunt, which is beneficial to the degradation of materials in the natural environment, and is also particularly beneficial to reduce the damage of the straw to aquatic organisms, thus contributing to ecological protection.
There could be many variations to the invention. For example,
In some of the embodiments introduced above, an end of the straw may have a shape of angle cut/spoon. However, those skilled in the art would realize that the end of both ends of a straw may be cut in any other shape according to practical applications.
According to a variation of the invention, the coated paper may contain a printed pattern layer (not shown) which can be located at an exterior surface of the coating layer. As an alternative variation, the printed pattern layer may also be located between the coating layer and the paper-based layer.
Those skilled in the art would realize that the length of the straw can be cut according to different requirements, and in any event as mentioned above it can also be cut into an angle cut shape or a spoon shape to meet different requirements.
According to variations of the invention, the interface side of two edges of a rolled coated paper may extend in the direction of extension of the longitudinal axis of the straw, i.e., in parallel with respect to the longitudinal axis (no matter if the longitudinal axis of the straw is straight or curved), or may extend in a spiral shape in the direction of extension of the longitudinal axis of the straw. This depends on the rolling equipment and the rolling process.
For example, the width of the overlapping portion can be set to 2-7 mm, preferably 3-5 mm. After determining the width of the overlapping portion of the coated paper strip according to the diameter of the straw, the total width of the coated paper strip can be determined. Take a straw with a diameter of 7 mm and a length of 200 mm as an example, the width of the coated strip can be set to be about 26 mm.
As an example, the coated papers for straws according to embodiments of the invention can be manufactured by 1) melting PE/PP colloidal particles at a high temperature and 2) coating the colloidal material by a paper PE coating machine) on the surface of the paper. Such a process is also known as lamination and the coating machine is also referred to as a laminating machine.
Alternatively, the coating layer can be implemented on the paper-layer in the straws using different techniques. For example, the coating layer may be printed on the paper-base layer using flexographic printing. The material of the coating layer can be for example CH-Polymer® CHP BAR 3600 material, with which the suggested amount of the material to be printed is 9-20 grams each square meter, followed by a drying process under the temperature of 70-80 Celsius degrees. Those skilled in the art should understand that other types of printing methods, and/or other types of coating materials may be used as well for the purpose of making the straws in the present invention.
In fact, all types of degradable material which is water-resistant and which complies with relevant food contact compliance can be used for the purpose of the coating layer on the straws in the present invention. The coating layer can be implemented on the paper-base layer using various techniques including but not limited to the ones introduced above.
Claims
1. A disposable coated paper straw formed by rolling one or more sheets, the straw characterized in that:
- each one of the one or more sheets is a coated paper strip made of a coated paper which comprises a first paper-base layer and a first coating layer; the first coating layer located at least at an exterior side of the first paper-base layer;
- the straw further comprising an interface edge which is joined by overlapping portions of the one or more sheets in the longitudinal direction;
- wherein the first coating layer is made from degradable resin.
2. The disposable coated paper straw of claim 1, characterized in that:
- the coated paper further comprises a second coating layer on an interior side of the first paper-base layer.
3. The disposable coated paper straw of claim 1, characterized in that:
- the coated paper further comprises a second paper-base layer.
4. The disposable coated paper straw of claim 3, characterized in that:
- the coated paper further comprises a second coating layer at an exterior side of the second paper-base layer.
5. The disposable coated paper straw of claim 1, which is characterized in that:
- the first coating layer is made of a biodegradable coated resin.
6. The disposable coated paper straw of claim 1, which is characterized in that: the end surface of the straw is a cut surface, and the first paper-base layer is exposed on the end surface.
7. The disposable coated paper straw of claim 1, which is characterized in that: the coated paper comprises a printed pattern layer which is located on an exterior surface of the first coating layer or between the first coating layer and the first paper-based layer.
8. The disposable coated paper straw of claim 1, which is characterized in that: the interface edge extends along a longitudinal axis of the straw.
9. The disposable coated paper straw of claim 1, which is characterized in that: one end of the straw forms an angular portion or a spoon portion.
10. The disposable coated paper straw according to claim 9, which is characterized in that: the spoon portion comprises one of the following:
- a straw end face and a spoon bevel connected to each other; or
- a straw end face, a spoon step plane and a spoon step end face connected to each other.
11. The disposable coated paper straw of claim 1, wherein the straw is formed by rolling a single said sheet; the straw further comprising two tubular portions.
12. The disposable coated paper straw of claim 11, wherein the two tubular portions are separated from each other along a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the straw, but are connected by the interface edge.
13. The disposable coated paper straw of claim 1, wherein the straw is formed by combining two said sheets which are otherwise separate from each other.
14. The disposable coated paper straw of claim 13, wherein one of the two sheets is rolled to form an arc shape, and the other one of the two sheets is substantially flat.
15. The disposable coated paper straw of claim 13, wherein both of the two sheets are rolled to form an arc shape respectively; the two arc shapes together forming a tubular portion of the straw.
16. The disposable coated paper straw of claim 13, wherein each of the two sheets has a first portion that is rolled to form an arc shape, and a second portion which is substantially flat; the first portion of one of the two sheets corresponds to a second portion of the other one of the two sheets to form a tubular portion.
17. The disposable coated paper straw of claim 1, wherein the straw is formed by rolling a single said sheet; the straw further comprises a tubular portion and a flat portion; the tubular portion located off-center along the direction of a line connecting the tubular portion and the flat portion.
18. The disposable coated paper straw of claim 1, wherein the first coating layer is implemented on the exterior side of the first paper-base layer by printing.
19. The disposable coated paper straw of claim 18, wherein the first coating layer is implemented on the exterior side of the first paper-base layer by flexographic printing.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 7, 2019
Publication Date: Dec 19, 2019
Inventor: Chi Wing Don Wan (Kowloon)
Application Number: 16/434,820