Fluid sprinkling – spraying – and diffusing – Fountains or drinking tubes and straws – Drinking
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-29
2003-07-01
Evans, Robin O. (Department: 3752)
Fluid sprinkling, spraying, and diffusing
Fountains or drinking tubes and straws
Drinking
C239S024000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06585170
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a straw with a mouthpiece and a method of manufacturing the same, and more particularly, to a straw with a mouthpiece which ensures an easy and safety drinking for a little child and the manufacturing method thereof.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, a straw which is an elongate tube having an outer diameter constant from one end to the other is widely used.
In cases where babies and little children (hereinafter simply referred to as “little children”) drink beverages with the aforementioned conventional straw, since the tip portion of the straw is small and constant in diameter, there are such problems that the straw easily slips out of their mouths after holding the straw in their mouths, and therefore little children spill the beverage from their mouths when the straw slips out of their mouths in the middle of drinking the beverage.
Moreover, since the end of the conventional straw is exposed as it is, little children unfamiliar with the handling of a straw may accidentally poke their throats with the end of the straw. Especially, there is a risk of being injured when little children fall down in the middle of walking with the straw in their mouth.
In order to reduce the aforementioned risks, Japanese Utility Model Laid-open Publication No. 59-28376 proposes a straw with a mouthpiece forcibly inserted into an end of a straw main body. As shown in
FIG. 15A
, the straw
101
is comprised of a straw main body
102
and a mouthpiece
104
. The straw main body
102
is provided with a plurality of stepped circular engaging protrusions
103
formed on the inner peripheral surface of one end of the straw main body
102
. The mouthpiece
104
is provided with a plurality of stepped circular engaging protrusions
105
to be engaged with the aforementioned engaging protrusions
103
of the straw main body
102
. The engaging protrusions
105
of the mouthpiece
104
is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the inserting portion
104
a
of the mouthpiece
104
to be inserted into one end of the straw main body
102
. As shown in
FIG. 15B
, the mouthpiece
104
is forcibly fitted into the straw main body
102
, whereby the mouthpiece
104
is connected with the straw main body
102
with the engaging protrusions
105
formed on the outer peripheral surface of the inserting portion
104
a
of the mouthpiece
104
engaged with the engaging protrusions
103
formed on the inner peripheral surface of the straw main body
102
.
However, according to the aforementioned straw
101
, there is a possibility that the mouthpiece
104
is unintentionally detached from the straw main body
102
when the straw is in use. Since the mouthpiece
104
is forcibly fitted into the straw main body
102
to be connected thereto, if unexpected tensile stress or the like is imparted by being bitten by little children, unexpected pulling force may be imparted to the mouthpiece
104
or the cross-sectional shape of the straw main body
102
may be deformed. This may cause a detachment of the mouthpiece
104
from the straw main body
102
. As a result, there is a possibility that little children may accidentally swallow the detached mouthpiece
104
because of the small size.
Moreover, since both the straw main body
102
and the mouthpiece
104
are manufactured separately and then combined with each other, the manufacture process of the straw main body
102
, the manufacture process of the mouthpiece
104
and the combination process thereof are required. Thus, manufacturing the aforementioned straw with a mouthpiece requires several processes, which results in inferior productivity.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a straw with a mouthpiece which enables little children to drink a beverage easily and safely.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a straw with a mouthpiece in which the mouthpiece will not be detached from a straw main body unintentionally.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a straw with a mouthpiece which can prevent an accidental swallow of the mouthpiece even if the mouthpiece is detached from the straw main body.
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a straw with a mouthpiece with excellent productivity.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, a straw with a mouthpiece includes a straw main body having openings at both ends thereof and a mouthpiece integrally connected with a tip portion of the straw main body. The tip portion of the straw main body is provided with at least one engaging aperture penetrating a peripheral wall constituting the straw main body, and the mouthpiece is provided with at least one engaging protrusion inwardly protruded from an inner peripheral surface thereof. The engaging protrusion is engaged with the engaging aperture, whereby the mouthpiece is integrally connected with the straw main body so as not to be detached therefrom.
With this straw, since the mouthpiece is integrally connected with the tip portion of the straw main body, the straw will not be unintentionally detached from the user's mouth even in cases where little children hold the straw in their mouth, resulting in an easy-to-use straw. Furthermore, the engaging protrusion of the mouthpiece is engaged with the engaging aperture penetrated in the peripheral wall constituting the straw main body, the mouthpiece will not be unintentionally detached from the straw main body. Thus, there is no possibility that little children accidentally swallow the detached mouthpiece when in use, resulting in a safety straw.
It is preferable that the mouthpiece has a passage having an internal diameter smaller than an internal diameter of the straw main body. In this case, it is possible to prevent little children from sucking up an excessive beverage in a single suck to be choked with the beverage. Thus, an easy-to-drink straw can be provided.
It is also preferable that the mouthpiece is integrally formed on the tip portion of the straw main body by an insert molding method. In this case, the connecting strength between the mouthpiece and the straw main body is excellent, which can assuredly prevent the detachment of the mouthpiece from the straw main body.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a straw with a mouthpiece includes a straw main body having openings at both ends thereof, a mouthpiece integrally connected with a tip portion of the straw main body, and a cylindrical reinforcing member downwardly extending from a lower end of the mouthpiece so as to cover and reinforce a predetermined length of the tip portion of the straw main body. The cylindrical reinforcing member is integrally connected with the mouthpiece.
With this straw, since a predetermined length of the tip portion of the straw main body is reinforced by the cylindrical reinforcing member, the predetermined length of the tip portion is prevented from being deformed due to bites, which in turn can prevent a detachment of the mouthpiece from the straw main body due to the cross-sectional deformation of the straw main body at the lower end side of the mouthpiece. Furthermore, since the mouthpiece is integrally connected with the cylindrical reinforcing member, even if the mouthpiece is detached from the straw main body, the mouthpiece will be detached from the straw main body together with the cylindrical reinforcing member. However, since the cylindrical reinforcing member is a relatively long member having a predetermined length, an unintentional swallow of the mouthpiece by little children can be prevented.
It is preferable that the cylindrical reinforcing member is fixed to an outer peripheral surface of the tip portion of the straw main body so as to cover the outer peripheral surface from outside thereof and that the mouthpiece is fixed to the tip portion of the straw main body such that the mouthpiece covers an outer peripheral surface of the tip portion of the cylindrical
Evans Robin O.
Mameita Co., Ltd.
Parker, Esq. Stephen B.
Rothwell Figg Ernst & Manbeck P.C.
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