STRAW

Abstract

A reusable straw is provided. The straw can be opened and closed at a seam along its length, without requirement of one or more additional tools. The seams can be either in a single joint configuration or a double joint configuration.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable.

REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISC APPENDIX

Not Applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present disclosure relates generally to a straw. More so, the present invention relates to a resealable straw.

Description of the Related Art

Disposable plastic items have become a serious environmental hazard. Disposable plastic items such as plastic straws have featured in wildlife advocacy videos where wildlife have been harmed by straws carelessly discarded in the environment.

Biodegradable straws that are made of bamboo and recycled paper are typical alternatives. These solutions could not be put to widespread commercial use due to their high costs and side effects such as destruction of bamboo plantation for making straws. Also recycling cost is traditionally high. In addition, cleanliness of straws remains another hurdle in adoption of above alternatives. Requirements of additional tools to clean straws, especially on a large scale, has been an additional hurdle in adoption of above alternatives.

In light of the above mentioned drawbacks, there exists a need of a reusable straw that can be easily cleaned.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A primary object of the disclosure is to provide a straw that can be cleaned without requirement of a cleaning tool.

Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a reusable straw.

Yet another object of the present disclosure is to provide a straw that can be manually cleaned.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Having thus described the disclosure in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying figure, wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a straw, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 2 illustrates a cross section view of a straw, in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure.

It should be noted that the accompanying figures are intended to present illustrations of exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. This figure is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. It should also be noted that accompanying figure is not necessarily drawn to scale.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference will now be made in detail to selected embodiments of the present disclosure in conjunction with accompanying figures. The embodiments described herein are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure, and the present disclosure should not be construed as limited to the embodiments described. This disclosure may be embodied in different forms without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosure. It should be understood that the accompanying figure is intended and provided to illustrate embodiments of the disclosure described below and are not necessarily drawn to scale. In the drawing, like numbers refer to like elements throughout, and thicknesses and dimensions of some components may be exaggerated for providing better clarity and ease of understanding.

It should be noted that the terms “first”, “second”, and the like, herein do not denote any order, ranking, quantity, or importance, but rather are used to distinguish one element from another. Further, the terms “a” and “an” herein do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced item.

FIG. 1 illustrates a straw 100, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The straw 100 is a hollow cylindrical structure that can be opened along a seam 105 on its outer surface. The straw 100 can be made of flexible materials such as plastic, rubber, polymers, silicone and so forth. It should be noted that any other material with similar properties can be used. The seam 105 is extended longitudinally parallel to an axis of the straw 100. The seam is an attached detach mechanism that allows the straw 100 to be opened at the seam 105, cleaned and then closed at the seam 105. The seam 105 allows the straw 100 to be opened and closed along the seam 105 multiple times.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the seam 105 is a single joint configuration. The single-joint configuration will operate like a flexible flap that adjoins at one point in the straw 100 circumference. It can latch to attach with several methods such as pressure lock-channel seals, magnetic assistor with the ends of the straw device shall joint together with a channel locking configuration requiring the attraction properties of a magnetic flux provided by magnets, revolve around straps, binders, and clips.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the seam 105 is a double joint configuration. The double-jointed configuration leverages a sliding channel mechanism, where the two opposite sides of the straw 100 will detach and attach via a designed channel locking system. This configuration is depicted in FIG. 2. 11. In the double joint configuration, the seam has a male connection and a female connection on opposing pieces of the straw. The male connection and the female connection snap fit to form the straw 100. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, after the male connection and the female connection are snap fitted to form the straw 100, a banded mechanism is used to secure the straw 100 at both ends. The banded mechanism has a closed looped flexible band such as a rubber band. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the straw 100 and the seam 105 is made of a first material such as plastic, rubber, polymer, silicone, and so forth. In another embodiment of the present disclosure, the straw 100 and the seam 105 is made of the first material and a second material respectively. It will be understood to a person ordinarily skilled in the art that the seal can be made of several existing materials and does not impact the scope of the present disclosure.

The straw as claimed in claim 9, wherein the seam is in a double joint configuration such that the straw is secured by a banded mechanism at both ends of the straw, wherein the banded mechanism has a closed looped flexible band.

It will be apparent to a person ordinarily skilled in the art that various types of seams can be used in the straw 100 without limiting the scope of the present disclosure. The seam 105 can be opened using hands without need of an additional tool.

FIG. 2 illustrates a cross section view 200 of the straw 100, in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure. The straw 100 has the seam 105 that can be snap fitted using hands, without the requirement of additional tools. In an embodiment of the present invention, the straw 100 can have a length, outer diameter and inner diameter of 230 mm, 10 mm and 7 mm respectively. It will be understood to a person ordinarily skilled in the art that the straw 100 can have any shape and size without impacting the scope of the present disclosure.

Present disclosure provides several advantages over existing art. The straw 100 can be manually opened using hand pressure, without requirement of an additional tool. Also, the straw 100 can be manually cleaned, without requirement of an additional tool.

Claims

1. A straw comprising:

a cylindrical structure, wherein the cylindrical structure is defined by a length, an outer diameter and an inner diameter, wherein the outer diameter is greater than the inner diameter, wherein the cylindrical structure has a seam along the length, wherein the seam can be opened and closed without the use of one or more tools.

2. The straw as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cylindrical structure is made of one of a plastic, rubber, polymer, and silicone.

3. The straw as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cylindrical structure is flexible.

4. The straw as claimed in claim 1, wherein the seam is in a single joint configuration.

5. The straw as claimed in claim 1, wherein the seam is in a double joint configuration, wherein the seam has a male connection and a female connection, wherein the male connection and the female connection are on opposing pieces of the straw.

6. The straw as claimed in claim 1, wherein the seam is in a double joint configuration, wherein the seam and the straw are made of a first material.

7. The straw as claimed in claim 1, wherein the seam is in a double joint configuration, wherein the straw are made of a first material and the seam is made of a second material, wherein the seam is attached to the straw.

8. The straw as claimed in claim 1, wherein the seam is in a double joint configuration such that the straw is secured by a banded mechanism, wherein the banded mechanism has a closed looped flexible bands at both ends of the straw.

9. A straw comprising:

a cylindrical structure, wherein the cylindrical structure is defined by a length, an outer diameter and an inner diameter, wherein the outer diameter is greater than the inner diameter, wherein the cylindrical structure has a seam along the length, wherein the seam can be opened and closed without the use of one or more tools, wherein the cylindrical structure is flexible, wherein the seam is in a single joint configuration or a double joint configuration.

10. The straw as claimed in claim 9, wherein the cylindrical structure is made of one of a plastic, rubber, polymer, and silicone.

11. The straw as claimed in claim 9, wherein the seam is in a double joint configuration, wherein the seam has a male connection and a female connection, wherein the male connection and the female connection are on opposing pieces of the straw.

12. The straw as claimed in claim 9, wherein the seam is in a double joint configuration, wherein the seam and the straw are made of a first material.

13. The straw as claimed in claim 9, wherein the seam is in a double joint configuration, wherein the straw are made of a first material and the seam is made of a second material, wherein the seam is attached to the straw.

14. The straw as claimed in claim 9, wherein the seam is in a double joint configuration such that the straw is secured by a banded mechanism, wherein the banded mechanism has a closed looped flexible bands at both ends of the straw.

15. A straw comprising:

a cylindrical structure, wherein the cylindrical structure is defined by a length, an outer diameter and an inner diameter, wherein the outer diameter is greater than the inner diameter, wherein the cylindrical structure has a seam along the length, wherein the seam can be opened and closed without the use of one or more tools, wherein the cylindrical structure is flexible, wherein the seam is in a single joint configuration or a double joint configuration, when the seam is in a double joint configuration the seam has a male connection and a female connection, wherein the male connection and the female connection are on opposing pieces of the straw, wherein the straw is made of a first material and the seam is made of one of the first material and a second material.

16. The straw as claimed in claim 15, wherein the cylindrical structure is made of one of a plastic, rubber, polymer, and silicone.

17. The straw as claimed in claim 9, wherein the seam is in a double joint configuration such that the straw is secured by a banded mechanism, wherein the banded mechanism has a closed looped flexible bands at both ends of the straw.