|Publication number||US7392916 B1|
|Application number||US 09/669,245|
|Publication date||Jul 1, 2008|
|Filing date||Sep 25, 2000|
|Priority date||Sep 25, 2000|
|Publication number||09669245, 669245, US 7392916 B1, US 7392916B1, US-B1-7392916, US7392916 B1, US7392916B1|
|Inventors||Danny H. Kuighadush|
|Original Assignee||Kuighadush Danny H|
|Export Citation||BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan|
|Patent Citations (64), Referenced by (15), Classifications (5), Legal Events (4)|
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet|
This invention is generally related to an improved retractable straw for drinking containers, and more specifically, to a recloseable cap system that allows a user to conveniently drink liquids out of a container.
It is well known to straws to drink liquid out of cans, bottles, and wide variety of other containers. A straw allows a user to create a partial vacuum to draw liquid out of a container and into their mouth so that it can be swallowed. There are many reasons why using a straw may be preferable to drinking directly from the container. To begin, it is often unsanitary to drink from the exposed parts of a container. These parts of the container often become dirty when the container is shipped or awaits purchase. By using a straw, a user avoids direct contact with any of the exposed portions of the container. Another reason for using a straw is to avoid contact with sharp—and therefore sometimes dangerous—parts of a container, e.g., the mouth of an aluminum can. Yet another reason for using a straw is the added convenience it brings to drinking from a container. Specifically, when a straw is being used, the container does not need to be tipped in order to drink.
Straws typically must be purchased separately from drinks, or they are provided gratis to a drink buyer at the point of sale. Straws that are separate from containers often become misplaced. Therefore, it has been known to attach straws to some containers, e.g., drink boxes. Even more convenient is providing a drink container which includes a self-contained straw. As evidenced by prior art patents, there have been many attempts to provide such a container.
For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,194,674 to Pearson is for a container with a built in straw. The patent discloses a drinking straw that is formed with a flexible corrugated section of material that is fixed to a flexible tab. The tab may be bonded between the sealing flaps of a paper container with the straw held inside the container. Alternatively, the tab can be fixed between the seal disk and cap of a bottle so that the straw may be suspended inside a bottle. This reference provides no teaching of a cap system that is recloseable.
Another example is U.S. Pat. No. 4,109,817 to Payne et al. for a straw assembly for a liquid container. The patent discloses a straw assembly for a liquid container having a pull tab closure over an opening in its top. The straw—which has a float mounted thereon—is free to extend to its full length when the container is opened. The device disclosed in this reference is not recloseable. Moreover, this is a relatively complicated design.
Thus there is a need for a recloseable cap system for a beverage container that integrates a straw for convenient user access.
It is a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved retractable straw for use with a beverage container, that overcomes the shortcomings of prior art devices.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a retractable straw that is integrated into a cap that is recloseable.
A more specific object of the present invention is to provide a retractable straw cap system that has multiple sealing points for its recloseable cap.
A further object is to provide a cap system that is simple and easy to use.
A still further object is to provide an improved cap system that is economical in cost to manufacture.
Thus, according to one embodiment of the invention, a cap assembly is provided for use in conjunction with a container having a base portion and a top portion. The base portion has a neck and a lip. The neck and lip are dimensioned to be attached to the container. The base portion has a straw hole and preferably an air hole. In one embodiment, the top portion is attached to the base portion by a flexible bridge. The top portion has a gripping flange for sealing the straw hole and an air hole stopper for sealing said air hole. Also integral to the top portion is a clip for holding the top portion to said base portion. A straw is adapted to be positioned within the straw hole of the base.
The above description sets forth rather broadly the more important features of the present invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be understood, and in order that the present contributions to the art may be better appreciated. Further objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following description and appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, wherein like reference characteristics designate corresponding parts in the several views. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed solely for the purposes of illustration and not as a definition of the limits of the invention, for which reference should be made to the appended claims.
With the above and additional objects and advantages in view, as will hereinafter appear, this invention comprises the devices, combinations and arrangement of parts hereinafter described by way of example and illustrated in the accompanying drawings of preferred embodiments in which like reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views. The figures are not drawn to scale.
With initial reference to
With reference to
Now turning to
Now turning to
As shown in
In order to use assembly 10 shown in
Now turning to
In order drink from container 70, a user opens top portion 22 of assembly 50 and rotates it open to expose straw 47. Straw 47 may now be pulled completely from band 54 and used as a conventional straw. Alternatively, straw 47 may be pulled out slightly from band 54 to allow the user to drink more easily. Instead, a user may choose to drink from straw as it is shown in
The embodiment of the invention shown
Another embodiment of the invention is shown in
While there has been shown and described particular embodiments of the invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the invention, and therefore, the appended claims shall be understood to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. Also it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.
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|Cooperative Classification||B65D77/283, B65D2517/0049|
|Feb 13, 2012||REMI||Maintenance fee reminder mailed|
|Jun 27, 2012||SULP||Surcharge for late payment|
|Jun 27, 2012||FPAY||Fee payment|
Year of fee payment: 4
|Feb 12, 2016||REMI||Maintenance fee reminder mailed|