Patent Publication Number: US-10765243-B1

Title: Reusable straw kit

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a kitchen utensil and, more particular, to a reusable straw kit that includes an elastic sheet. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
     In line with the trend of global environmental awareness, some straw manufacturers have proposed bamboo straws, straw-made straws, sugarcane straws, paper straws, seaweed straws (edible), stainless-steel straws, glass straws and so on, to replace plastic straws. 
     However, for those alternative products, there are some problems to overcome. For example, straws made from plants consume a lot of energy in the manufacturing, such as cleaning, sterilizing, removing eggs, removing odors, and the like. Edible seaweed straws are expensive and are difficult to push to the market. Stainless-steel straws and glass straws are difficult to clean without using special tools. Also, due to high cost of stainless steel, large stainless-steel straws have not been manufactured yet to be sold on the market. Due to fragility, glass straws are not suitable to be manufactured in large diameters; besides, large glass straws are inconvenient to carry. 
     Thus, there is a need to provide a straw that can overcome the aforementioned problems. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     One object of the present invention is to provide a reusable straw kit, which includes an elastic sheet, which can be rolled into a straw easily for drinking beverages, and can be cleaned thoroughly without using a special tool. 
     The reusable straw kit is advantageous in that: the elastic sheet made of silicone can resist high and low temperatures; the elastic sheet is soft in texture so that it does not cause damages; the elastic sheet ensures a straw rolled therefrom to be watertight; the straw formed by the elastic sheet can be disassembled and unfolded to be cleaned thoroughly without using special tools; the elastic sheet can be marked with lines to facilitate forming a straw with a desired diameter; the elastic sheet can be rolled along its lengthwise direction to become a short tube, which in turn can be received in a storage cylinder for hygiene and easy carrying; the storage cylinder can be provided with a cutting blade to facilitate cutting a sealing film of a cup; the elastic sheet can cooperate with various types of fasteners to keep a straw rolled therefrom in shape. 
     The reusable straw kit generally comprises an elastic sheet and a fastener. The elastic sheet has a first side, a second side, a third side, a fourth side, a fifth side, and a sixth side. The second side is substantially parallel to the first side. The third side extends from a bottom of the first side, at a first predetermined angle to the first side. The fourth side extends from a bottom of the second side to join with and at a second predetermined angle to the third side. The fifth side extends from a top of the first side and substantially parallel to the fourth side. The sixth side extends from a top of the second side to join with and at a third predetermined angle to the fifth side. As such, the elastic sheet can be rolled from the third side in a direction perpendicular to the third side to form a tube, and the fastener can be releasably attached at one end of the tube to keep the tube in shape, thereby forming a drinking straw. 
     According to one aspect of the present invention, the fastener can be a press stud composed of first and second parts, wherein the first part is attached at an inner surface of the elastic sheet, near the sixth side, while the second part is attached at an outer surface of the elastic sheet, near the fifth side and at a predetermined distance from the first part. 
     According to another aspect of the present invention, the fastener can be a Velcro device composed of first and second parts, wherein the first part is attached at an inner surface of the elastic sheet, near the sixth side, while the second part is attached at an outer surface of the elastic sheet, near the fifth side and at a predetermined distance from the first part. 
     According to a further aspect of the present invention, the fastener can be in the form of a ring or band. 
     The reusable straw kit may further comprise a storage cylinder for accommodating the elastic sheet that has been rolled into a short tube, wherein the storage cylinder may be provided with a blade to facilitate cutting a sealing film of a cup. 
     According to a further still aspect of the present invention, one or more lines parallel to the third side and each corresponding to a straw&#39;s diameter can be marked on an inner surface of the elastic sheet. In use, the third side can be aligned with one of the lines to facilitate the elastic sheet being rolled into a straw of a desired diameter. 
     Other objects, advantages, and novel features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows a schematic view of one embodiment of an elastic sheet being used to make a straw according to the present invention, wherein the elastic sheet is provided thereon with a Velcro device. 
         FIG. 2  shows a schematic view of a middle straw made from the elastic sheet shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  shows a schematic view of a large straw made from the elastic sheet shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  shows a schematic view of a small straw made from the elastic sheet shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  shows a schematic view of a middle straw made from an elastic sheet, wherein a middle ring is used instead of the Velcro device shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 6  shows a schematic view of a large straw made from an elastic sheet, wherein a large ring is used instead of the Velcro device shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 7  shows a schematic view of an elastic sheet being rolled in its lengthwise direction into a short tube to facilitate storage. 
         FIG. 8  shows a schematic view of a storage cylinder for accommodating an elastic sheet that has been rolled into a short tube. 
         FIG. 9  shows a schematic view of another embodiment of the elastic sheet, wherein the elastic sheet is provided thereon with a Velcro device, and includes curved sides. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     To achieve the above object and understand the technical solution used in the present invention, preferred embodiments are illustrated in the following paragraphs with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a reusable straw kit  100  according to one embodiment of the present invention is shown, which generally comprises an elastic sheet or film  1 , and a fastener  2 . 
     As shown, the elastic sheet  1  has a first side  11 , a second side  12 , a third side  13 , a fourth side  14 , a fifth side  15 , and a sixth side  16 . The first side  11  extends in a lengthwise or longitudinal direction (X). The second side  12  is substantially parallel to the first side  11 . The third side  13  extends from a bottom of the first side  11 , at a first predetermined angle (Θ 1 ) to the first side  11 . The fourth side  14  extends from a bottom of the second side  12  to join with and at a second predetermined angle (Θ 2 ) to the third side  13 . The fifth side  15  extends from a top of the first side  11  and substantially parallel to the fourth side  14 . The sixth side  16  extends from a top of the second side  12  to join with and at a third predetermined angle (Θ 3 ) to the fifth side. Preferably, the first predetermined angle (Θ 1 ) ranges from 110 to 160 degrees; the second predetermined angle (Θ 2 ) ranges from 65 to 115 degrees; the third predetermined angle (Θ 3 ) ranges from 65 to 115 degrees. More preferably, the first predetermined angle (Θ 1 ) ranges from 130 to 140 degrees; the second predetermined angle (Θ 2 ) ranges from 85 to 95 degrees; the third predetermined angle (Θ 3 ) ranges from 85 to 95 degrees. In use, the elastic sheet  1  can be rolled from the third side  13  in a direction (R) perpendicular to the third side  13 . The elastic sheet  1  can be overlapped in part to form a tube for sucking a liquid, which can prevent the liquid from leaking out due to the overlapped portions. The extent of overlap in the tube depends on the first predetermined angle (Θ 1 ). The fastener  2 , which can be used to keep the tube in shape, will be illustrated later. 
     Preferably, one or more lines parallel to the third side  13 , each corresponding to a diameter of a straw desired to make, are marked on an inner surface of an elastic sheet. For example, as shown in  FIG. 1 , there are three lines  131 ,  132 ,  133  marked on the elastic sheet  1 , which are away from the third side  13  respectively at distances (BL 1 , BL 2 , BL 3 ). To form a large straw (see  FIG. 3 ), a user may align the third side  13  with line  131  and then roll the sheet in the direction (R) towards the sixth side  16 . To form a middle straw (see  FIG. 2 ), a user may align the third side  13  with line  132  and then roll the sheet in the direction (R) towards the sixth side  16 . To form a small straw (see  FIG. 4 ), a user may align the third side  13  with line  133  and then roll the sheet in the direction (R) towards the sixth side  16 . It is noticed that the small straw can also be used as a chopstick. 
       FIG. 9  shows another embodiment of the elastic sheet, wherein the fourth side  14 , the fifth side  15 , and the sixth side  16  are configured as curved sides instead of straight sides shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     The elastic sheet or film  1  can be made of silicone or other non-toxic, elastic materials that are environmentally friendly. A suitable thickness and/or hardness required for an elastic sheet or film for making a straw can be obtained according to the characteristics of a beverage that the straw will suck. 
     The fastener  2  can be in the form of a Velcro device, which is generally composed of a first part and at least one second part, wherein the first part can be a hooks portion while the second part can be a loops portion; alternatively, the first part can be a loops portion while the second part can be a hooks portion. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the Velcro device is composed of a first part  21  and three second parts  22 , wherein the first part  21  is attached at an inner surface of the elastic sheet  1 , near the sixth side  16 , while the second parts  22  are attached at an outer surface of the elastic sheet  1 , near the fifth side  15 . More specifically, the three second parts  22  are located at distances (TL 1 , TL 2 , TL 3 ) from the first part  21 , wherein distance of TL 1  is approximately equal to that of BL 1 ; distance of TL 2  is approximately equal to that of BL 2 , distance of TL 3  is approximately equal to that of BL 3 . For a large straw (see  FIG. 3 ), the first part  21  can be engaged with the second part  22  that is spaced at the distance TL 1  from the first part  21 . For a middle straw (see  FIG. 2 ), the first part  21  can be engaged with the second part  22  that is spaced at the distance TL 2  from the first part  21 . For a small straw (see  FIG. 4 ), the first part  21  can be engaged with the second part  22  that is spaced at the distance TL 3  from the first part  21 . 
     Alternatively, the fastener  2  can be in the form of a press stud, which is generally composed of a first part and at least one second part, wherein the first part can be a male part while the second part can be a female part; alternatively, the first part can be a female part while the second part can be a male part. The first part can be attached at the inner surface of the elastic sheet  1 , near the sixth side  16 , while the second part can be attached at the outer surface of the elastic sheet  1 , near the fifth side  15 . Alternatively, the fastener  2  can be in the form of a fastening device using suction cups or magnetic disks. 
     Alternatively, as shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the fastener  2  can be a ring or band, which can be fitted around an end portion of the straw formed by rolling the elastic sheet  1 .  FIG. 5  shows a middle straw, which requires a middle ring.  FIG. 6  shows a large straw, which requires a large ring. 
     While the straw is not in use, the fastener  2  can be easily unlocked or detached from the elastic sheet  1  to allow the elastic sheet  1  to be unfolded to its original state, which facilitates a cleaning operation. Furthermore, as shown in  FIG. 7 , the elastic sheet  1  can be rolled in its lengthwise or longitudinal direction (X) to become a short tube, which has a width of W (i.e., the distance between the first side  11  and the second side  12  as show in  FIG. 1 ), which is less than the height (H) of the straw formed by the elastic sheet  1 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 8 , the reusable straw kit of the present invention may further comprise a storage cylinder  200  to accommodate the elastic sheet  1  that has been rolled into a short tube as shown in  FIG. 7  to facilitate storage. The storage cylinder  200  includes a container body  220  and a cap  210 . In addition, the storage cylinder  200  can be provided on top of the cap  210  with a cutting blade  230 , which can be used to cut a plastic sealing film of a cup. 
     As a summary, the reusable straw kit of the present invention has several advantages. Firstly, the elastic sheet made of silicone is non-toxic and can resist high and low temperatures. Secondly, the elastic sheet  1  is soft in texture so that it does not cause damages. Thirdly, the elastic sheet ensures a drinking straw rolled therefrom to be watertight. Fourthly, the straw formed by the elastic sheet can be disassembled and unfolded easily and can be cleaned thoroughly without using special cleaning tools. Fifthly, the elastic sheet is marked with lines to facilitate forming a straw with a desired diameter. Sixthly, the elastic sheet can be rolled along its lengthwise direction to become a short tube, which in turn can be received in a storage cylinder for hygiene and easy carrying. Seventhly, the storage cylinder can be provided thereon with a blade to facilitate cutting a sealing film of a cup. Eighthly, the elastic sheet can cooperate with various types of fasteners to keep the straw rolled therefrom in shape. 
     Although the present invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure is made by way of example only and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the scope of the invention hereinafter claimed.