Fluid sprinkling – spraying – and diffusing – Fountains or drinking tubes and straws – Drinking
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-22
2004-02-03
Evans, Robin O. (Department: 3752)
Fluid sprinkling, spraying, and diffusing
Fountains or drinking tubes and straws
Drinking
C239S024000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06685103
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a straw tube for sucking a drink in a drinking container. More specifically, the present invention relates to a straw tube capable of preventing the pressure inside the drinking container from decreasing while sucking.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Beverage products enabling drinking of a drink in a drinking container by inserting a straw tube into a closed drinking container having a hollow part in the inside thereof are available on the market.
FIG. 12
is a view showing one example of a beverage product. This beverage product
40
is constructed by a rectangular parallele-piped container body
42
having formed on the upper surface thereof a sucking hole
41
sealed with a plastic film or the like and a two-stage straw tube
44
housed in a bag
43
and fixed to the lateral side of the container body
42
. The “two-stage straw tube” as used herein means a straw tube where an inner tube and an outer tube different in the diameter are combined to allow free sliding for extension or retraction.
When drinking a drink in the container body
42
, the two-stage straw tube
44
is extended by sliding the inner tube
45
and the outer tube
46
, the plastic film sealing the sucking hole
41
is broken through by the distal end of the two-stage straw tube
44
, the two-stage straw tube
44
is inserted into the container body
42
. Then, the drink in the container body
42
is sucked through the basal end of the two-stage straw tube
44
.
However, when the two-stage straw tube
44
is inserted into the container body
42
and the drink in the container body
42
is sucked, the pressure inside the container body
42
is reduced. As a result, the container body
42
is deformed, making the drinking inconvenient or when the sucking is interrupted or finished, air abruptly enters into the container body
42
through the two-stage straw tube
44
to generate uncomfortable noises.
To overcome these problems, a straw tube having a groove formed on the outer circumferential wall of the outer tube and extending in the longitudinal direction has been proposed, for example, in JP-U-A-59-70574 (the term “JP-U-A” as used herein means an “unexamined published Japanese utility model application”), JP-U-B-3-49570 (the term “JP-U-B” as used herein means an “examined Japanese utility model publication”), Japanese Patent No. 2582005, JP-A-7-163450 (the term “JP-A” as used herein means an “unexamined published Japanese patent application”), Registered Design No. 957695, JP-A-7-222664, JP-A-7-222665 and JP-A-7-322948.
As shown in
FIG. 13
, the straw tube having forming thereon such a groove can form a void
48
between the peripheral edge
47
of the sucking hole
41
on the container body
42
and the groove
51
on the straw tube
50
, so that an air can be introduced even at the time of sucking. As a result, the pressure inside the container body
42
can be prevented from decreasing and the deformation of the container body
42
or the generation of uncomfortable noises can be inhibited.
However, the groove
51
on the straw tube
50
is shallow and therefore, the void
48
formed between the peripheral edge
47
of the sucking hole
41
and the groove
51
on the straw tube
50
is small. Depending on the case, the peripheral edge
47
of the sucking hole
41
is accustomed to the groove
51
on the straw tube
50
and the peripheral edge
47
of the sucking hole
41
clogs the void
48
during sucking. As a result, the pressure inside the container body
42
is often reduced.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a straw tube for a drinking container of a type such that a straw tube is inserted into a hole provided on a drinking container and the drink is sucked through the straw tube, which can prevent the pressure inside the drinking from decreasing while sucking to ensure convenient drinking and no generation of uncomfortable noises. Another object of the present invention includes providing an apparatus and a method for producing the straw tube.
More specifically, the straw tube of the present invention comprises a tube having formed on the outer circumferential wall thereof a groove extending in the longitudinal direction and a convex streak adjacent to the groove and projecting outward from the datum level of the outer circumferential wall.
Also, the straw tube of the present invention comprises a tube having formed on the outer circumferential wall thereof a plurality of grooves extending in the longitudinal direction and a convex streak sandwiched by these grooves and projecting outward from the datum level of the outer circumferential wall.
The straw tube of the present invention may be a multistage straw tube comprising two or more tubes different in the diameter and combined to allow free sliding for extension or retraction.
The straw tube of the present invention may be a straw tube wherein a groove and a convex streak are formed on the outer circumferential wall of at least one tube of the two or more tubes.
The straw tube of the present invention may be a straw tube wherein a groove and a convex streak are formed on the outer circumferential wall of the outermost tube located in the outermost side of the two or more tubes.
Preferably, the number of the grooves is two and one convex streak is formed therebetween to come adjacent to these grooves.
The groove and the convex streak each preferably has a length of ⅓ to ¾ the length of the tube on which the groove and the convex streak are formed.
The convex streak preferably has a height of 0.05 to 1.0 mm from the datum level of the outer circumferential wall of the tube on which the convex streak is formed.
The groove preferably has a depth of 0.1 to 0.8 mm from the datum level of the outer circumferential wall of the tube on which the groove is formed.
The straw tube of the present invention preferably comprises a propylene-&agr;-olefin random copolymer having a melt flow index of 3 to 16 g/10 min.
The propylene-&agr;-olefin random copolymer is preferably a propylene-ethylene random copolymer.
The ethylene content of the propylene-ethylene random copolymer is preferably from 2 to 20% by mass.
Furthermore, the straw tube of the present invention preferably comprises a propylene-&agr;-olefin block copolymer having a melt flow index of 3 to 16 g/10 min.
The propylene-&agr;-olefin block copolymer is preferably a propylene-ethylene block copolymer.
The ethylene content of the propylene-ethylene block copolymer is preferably from 2 to 20% by mass.
Still further, the straw tube of the present invention preferably comprises a homopolypropylene having a melt flow index of 3 to 16 g/10 min.
The apparatus for producing a straw tube of the present invention is an apparatus used for producing a straw tube comprising a tube having formed on the outer circumferential wall thereof a plurality of grooves extending in the longitudinal direction and a convex streak sandwiched by these grooves and projecting outward from the datum level of the outer circumferential wall. The apparatus comprises a rotating drum having formed on the outer circumferential wall thereof a plurality of tube loading grooves into which tubes are loaded and which extend in the axial direction, a female rod capable of being inserted into or drawn out from a tube within the tube loading groove by the reciprocation of a cam mechanism and having a plurality of grooves formed at the position corresponding to the surface of a tube exposed from the tube loading groove, and a male roller having a male mold which has convex streaks corresponding to the grooves of said female rod and is provided at a plurality of portions on the circumferential wall. The male roller is disposed such that the grooves of the female rod and the convex streaks of the male roller engage through a tube and wherein the female rod and the male roller are synchronized.
In the apparatus for producing a straw tube of the present invention, the female rod preferably has two grooves and the male mold prov
Hosi Katumasa
Ishiwatari Kiyokazu
Suyama Minoru
Evans Robin O.
Showa Denko Plastic Products Co., Ltd.
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