Buoyant advertising straw for beverage bottles

The present disclosure is directed to a beverage container having a tapered neck portion smaller than a buoyant chamber on the container advertising straw having a flexible straw the overall length of which fits from the inside of the container bottom to the inside of the container cap when the cap is seated on the container top. A mini-buoyant chamber in the geometric form of the container in which it is to be placed is on the exterior of the straw. The mini-chamber has an external diameter such as to catch against the inner neck of the beverage container to prohibit accidental separation of the straw from the bottle, but which permits removal of the straw and mini-container from the beverage container by a firm pull, which due to the constriction of the neck, will compress the mini-container from the bottle. An advertising message is on the exterior of the mini-container containing the logo of the bottler which will remain with the straw and mini-buoyant after its disassociation from the bottle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention is directed to beverage straws for use in containers 
of beverages when shipped wherein the straw contains on its exterior a 
miniature of the container in which it is shipped with the beverage and 
wherein the beverage bottler's trademark, logo or other advertising 
message is printed on the exterior of the miniature container and wherein 
the straw and mini-container may be removed from the container when the 
contents have been consumed. 
BACKGROUND ART 
Beverage bottles containing straws and floats attached thereto within the 
bottle contents capped for shipment and sale have been known at least 
since the following patents: 
U.S. Pat. No. 1,253,579 S. A. Deanes 
U.S. Pat. No. 1,309,994 J. W. McAuliffe 
U.S. Pat. No. 3,099,565 R. L. Neuhauser 
U.S. Pat. No. 3,326,695 R. L. Neuhauser 
U.S. Pat. No. 3,656,654 W. J. Brinkley III 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,305,531 H. Komatsuta 
Other bottles in combination with straws within bottle contents transported 
in the capped condition are shown in the following patents: 
U.S. Pat. No. 2,613,988 C. F. Jarbeau 
U.S. Pat. No. 3,291,331 C .R. Brisham et al 
U.S. Pat. No. 3,074,610 W. A. Pugh 
Floats in combination with straws and muddlers for use in beverage glasses 
are shown in the following patents: 
U.S. Pat. No. 1,916,646 S. Tyco 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,134,494 W. T. Wong 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
None of the art known to us at the time of filling this application for 
patent teach or suggest the combination of a beverage straw and 
mini-buoyant chamber in the miniature form of the beverage container in 
which the beverage, straw, and mini-buoyant container are shipped wherein 
the mini-buoyant container secured to the straw contains an advertising 
message during transport, while on sale display in stores, while the 
beverage is being consumed by the customer and after the straw has been 
removed from the container. During all these various stages of transport 
and consumption the mini-buoyant container has beamed the commercial 
message to all who see it either inside or externally of the bottle even 
when being played with by a child.

THE BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 
Referring now to FIG. 1, the buoyant straw 10 of the present invention is 
shown as having a major straw portion 11, having a buoyant chamber 12, 
generally shaped geometrically in one plane similar to the beverage bottle 
in which it is transported. The exterior of the buoyant chamber 12 has 
imprinted thereon at 12A the trademark or logo of the beverage supplier in 
the same type style as applied to the outside of the bottle or container 
or other desired advertising printed matter. 
Above the buoyant chamber 12 is the known pleated flexure section 13, and 
drinking portion 14 for introduction into the mouth of the consumer. 
As shown in FIG. 6, the buoyant straw 10 is placed into a container 15 
having a tampered neck which may be of the non-returnable type, filled 
with the consumable contents 16 and capped at 17. 
The buoyant chamber 12 will be of elliptical cross-section and on the sides 
on which the logo is placed will be the major axis of the ellipse which 
will correspond to the bottle shape in one plant to the company's bottle 
in which it is placed and will correspond with the bottle shape, color and 
logo. 
With the bottle cap 17 on, the buoyant chamber 12, as shown in FIG. 6 
starts about 13/4 inches from the top of the bottle with the bottom end of 
the straw 11 against the bottom of the container 15 and the top drinking 
portion 14 against the cap 17. 
When the cap 17 is removed, the straw 10 pops up approximately one inch. By 
pulling the flex extention 13 the straw extends another one to two inches. 
The buoyant chamber 12 at its wide section being the major axis of the 
ellipse will catch at the base of the bottle neck and prevent popping out 
of the bottle or container 15. As the beverage is consumed the straw will 
never drop more than the one inch due to hitting the bottom of the 
container. 
Prior to discarding the bottle, a firm pull will release the straw 10 and 
its attached mini-container 12 from the bottle 15 and whenever and 
wherever the straw 10 is taken even when used with a conventional glass 
the advertising logo on the container will continue to beam its message to 
all observers whether it is in out of a glass. 
The straw 10 and buoyant mini-container 12 may be made of conventional 
pliable plastic straw material known in the art. 
The straw 10 may be produced in different measurements to correspond with 
dimensions of old and new style bottles of different content sizes as can 
the buoyant mini-bottle 12 which may carry on its exterior any desired 
advertising message. 
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 the elliptical shape of the buoyant 
mini-container 12 while hugging the internal neck portion of the container 
17, shown in dash line at 17 in FIG. 2, will permit insertion of a finger 
to flex the container 12 to assist its passage through the container neck 
for withdrawal of the entire straw from the container 15. The elliptical 
cross sectional shape of the buoyant mini-container will permit flexure of 
the container by applying finger pressure along the minor axis of the 
ellipse or at right angles to the major axis of the ellipse.