Abstract:
A straw accessible compartmented container is provided which consists of a beverage container having a plurality of compartments, each outer compartment individually accessed by drinking straws contained within concave bowl shaped depressions located in container shoulder portions. The bowl shaped depressions have centrally located apertures to receive the drinking straws. The drinking straws have corrugated middle portions that are located adjacent to and are larger in diameter than the apertures so that the drinking straws are anchored within the bowl shaped depressions and can pop outward when a depression covering cap is opened.

Description:
This application is a divisional application and continuation-in-part of U.S. patent Application Ser. No. 09/933,703 filed Aug. 22, 2001 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,450,351 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to beverage containers having internal drinking straw access, mainly, a compartmented beverage container having individual compartment drinking straw means so that more than one user can drink from the same container in a convenient, clean and sanitary manner. In addition, this straw accessible compartmented beverage container can provide small quantities of different beverages, each beverage to be consumed at the desire of the user. Each beverage can remain pressurized and sanitary until accessed by drinking straw means. 
     2. Prior Art 
     Currently, a combination comprising a beverage container equipped to hold more than one beverage with each beverage having individual drinking straw access does not exist. Various designs have been proposed in the prior art for straw equipped beverage containers. U.S. Pat. No. 4,448,316 granted to Hiroshige, describes a single compartment liquid container with a spring activated straw designed to pop out of a container mouth when a container seal is removed. The present invention has no spring requirement. U.S. Pat. No. 5,172,827 discloses a single compartment beverage container with a rotatable tab designed to pull up and release a drinking straw. There is no rotatable tab in the present invention. U.S. Pat. No. 5,848,721 granted to Cornell, et at, describes a two straw equipped single compartment beverage container. In this case, a straw dispensing mechanism employs a float. U.S. Pat. No. 6,010,034 granted to Walthers discloses a combination outer drink container designed to deliver a drink by straw means and an inner sports spray bottle container designed to spray a cooling liquid. While a dual chambered container is disclosed, each chamber has an entirely separate structure and function. None of the references cited above suggest or teach a compartmented container holding distinctive beverages, each beverage having easily accessed drinking straw means. 
     The present invention addresses a need for a multi liquid container where each liquid can be separately, sanitarily and safely accessed by drinking straw means. At present, one, two and three liter beverage containers contain one liquid each. They are not compartmented. Once opened, if pressurized, the liquid can lose carbonation and become stale. Also, these one, two and three liter beverage containers have single openings without self contained straw access means. If more than one user drinks directly from the container, disease organism transmission is a threat. 
     A primary objective of the present invention is to provide a single container having a plurality of beverage containing compartments, each compartment having an independent means for quick drinking straw beverage delivery. 
     Another primary objective of the present invention is to provide a means for sanitary and safe beverage drinking from one container by two or more individuals. 
     Another objective of the present invention is to provide a compartmented container having separate compartment drinking straws wherein the drinking straws come in a variety of sizes. 
     Still another objective of the present invention is to provide a compartment container having separate drinking straw means for each compartment so that a beverage can be consumed from one compartment while another or the same beverage remains pressurized and sealed in another compartment. 
     Another objective of the present invention is to provide an attractive, convenient easily handled container for sanitary drinking by more than one individual. 
     The foregoing objectives and advantages are achieved by the present invention comprising a multi compartmented container as described in patent Application Ser. No. 09/933,703, incorporated herein by reference. In the present invention, each compartment has a shoulder located concave depression and each depression houses a compressed partially corrugated straw held in place by hinged cap means. Upon cap opening and straw release, the corrugated straw springs forth to enable a user to enjoy a beverage contained within the compartment. A straw access assembly is provided for each outer container compartment. If a drinking straw is damaged, easy one step replacement is possible. Drinking straws can vary in size depending on the thickness of a beverage within a compartment. 
     The above mentioned objectives and features of the present invention along with novel features that characterize the present invention will become apparent and better understood by those skilled in the art from the subsequent description, appended claims and accompanying drawings in which are illustrated the preferred embodiment of the invention. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a cross sectional elevational view of a straw accessible compartmented container showing an enclosed drinking straw and an unenclosed drinking straw. 
     FIG. 2 is a top view of a neck portion of a straw accessible compartmented container. 
     FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of a straw accessible compartment container and straw accessible multi compartmented container drinking straw assembly. 
     FIG. 4 is a cross sectional elevational view of a straw accessible multi compartmented container showing an enclosed drinking straw and an unenclosed drinking straw. 
     FIG. 5 is a front view of a straw accessible compartmented container and a straw accessible multi compartmented container showing a sports graphic on the container front wall. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring now to the drawings, in FIG. 1, a cross sectional view of a straw accessible compartmented container  10  is depicted including a neck portion  12 , a shoulder portion  14  and a body portion  16 . The neck portion  12  retains a cap  18  by screw means. The cap  18  can also be snapped on to neck portion  12 . The body portion  16  is divided into a plurality of compartments,  20 ,  20   a , by a dividing wall  22  that extends substantially in a longitudinal direction in the body portion  16  as a vertical extension of a bottom wall  24  which is contiguous with a side wall  26 . The dividing wall  22  is thicker at a top surface  28  than at the bottom wall  24 . The top surface along with a neck wall  30  top surface define semi circular openings  32 ,  32   a  as illustrated in FIG.  2 . Each opening is covered by larger than opening, flexible, foil seals  34 ,  34   a  with tabs  36 ,  36   a . The seals  34 ,  34   a  enclose compartments  20 ,  20   a  so that any beverages contained in compartments  20 ,  20   a  remain fresh and pressurized until a seal  34 ,  34   a  is removed. In addition, a plurality of drinking straw assemblies  38  as depicted in FIG.  1  and detailed in FIG. 3 not only provide additional means for maintaining beverage freshness and pressure but also furnish an added access to contained beverages. The drinking straw assembly  38  is comprised of a concave bowl shaped depression  40  located within the straw accessible compartmented container  10  shoulder portions  14 , each compartment  20 ,  20   a  having an associated shoulder portion  14 . The concave bowl shaped depression  40  is closed and opened with a cover  42  preferably hinged to prevent cover  42  loss and for easy opening and closing, the cover  42  shown in a closed position and also shown in an open position in FIG. 1. A snap on cover without a hinge can also be used. This cover  42  has a collar  44  that could snap on to an annular ring projection  46  located around a perimeter of the concave bowl shaped depression  40  or the cover  42  could have screw means to connect to shoulder portion  14  and cover the concave bowl shaped depression  40 . Concave bowl shaped depression  40  has a centrally located aperture  48  sized to fit a drinking straw  50  so that there is a snug fit when a drinking straw  50  distal portion  52  is slipped through aperture  48  and immersed into a beverage contained in a straw accessible compartmented container  10  compartment  20 ,  20   a . However, the snug fit is such that a damaged drinking straw  50  can easily be replaced. The drinking straw  50  has a corrugated portion  54  below an open proximal end  56  for user beverage access. With a plurality of drinking straw assemblies  38 , more than one user can simultaneously and sanitarily drink separated beverages from the same container. The corrugated portion  54  is located in the concave bowl shaped depression  40  adjacent to and larger in diameter than aperture  48  and, therefore cannot slip through aperture  48 . The corrugated portion  54  anchors drinking straw  50  to the bowl shaped depression&#39;out wall  58 . Aperture  48  can vary in diameter allowing for a variance in diameter for the drinking straw  50  distal portion  52 . A large diameter aperture  48  and drinking straw  50  distal end portion  52  can be used for thick liquids and a smaller diameter aperture  48  and distal portion  52  can be used for thin liquids. The drinking straw  50  proximal end portion  56  diameter can be adjusted to coincide with the distal end portion  56  diameter. Since each straw accessible compartmented container  10  is fitted with more than one drinking straw assembly  38 , the drinking straw assembly  38  can have drinking straws  50  and apertures  48  all of the same diameter or of different diameters depending on the beverages contained therein. 
     As show in FIG. 1, when the concave bowl shaped depression  40  is sealed by cover  42 , the corrugated portion  50  is compressed within the concave bowl shaped depression  40 . On the other hand, when the concave bowl shaped depression  40  is not covered, the corrugated portion  50  is expanded and urged outward readying the drinking straw  50  open proximal end  56  for a user&#39;mouth acceptance. 
     Another embodiment of the straw accessible compartmented container  10  is shown in FIG.  4 . Here a straw accessible multi compartmented container  60  has a plurality of dividing walls,  61 ,  61   a  disposed to form compartments  62 ,  62   a ,  62   b . Dividing walls  61 ,  61   a  can be an extension of bottom wall  64  and are substantially parallel, extending in a longitudinal direction. Dividing walls  61 ,  61   a  are attached to or can be molded from side wall  65 , shoulder walls  66 ,  66   a  and neck wall  67  to terminate at a height equal to the neck wall  67  top surface  68 . The dividing walls  61 ,  61   a  are thicker at the straw accessible multi compartmented container neck wall  67  top surface  68  than at the bottom wall  64 . The thickened portions top surfaces and the neck wall  67  top surface  68  defining openings  70 ,  70   a ,  70   b , each opening separately sealed with a flexible, foil cover, each cover having a tab for easy opening. A plurality of drinking straw assemblies  38  as described herein reside within the straw accessible multi compartmented container  60  shoulder walls  66 ,  66   a . Access to beverages contained with the straw accessible multi compartmented container  60  outer compartments  62 ,  62   b  can be achieved through openings  70 ,  70   b  by removing each flexible foil cover covering openings  70 ,  70   b  or through the drinking straw assemblies  38  drinking straws  50 . Access to beverage contained within inner compartment  62   a  is achieved through opening  70   a  when the associated flexible foil is removed. In this embodiment, more than two users can drink beverages from the multi compartmented container, each outer compartment  62 ,  62   b  user having separate sanitary drinking straw access to a separate beverage. 
     FIG. 5 shows the straw accessible compartmented container  10  or the straw accessible multi compartmented container  60  with body portions  16  or  72 , respectively, having a sports motif illustration  74  that can be a surface illustration or embossed on the body portion  16  or  72 . The sports motif can be baseball, golf, football, soccer, tennis, volleyball or any other sporting event where participants and onlookers desire to drink liquid beverages. The sports motif illustration  74  can be colored and use symbols to identify a certain sport. In addition, a generic illustration and generic symbols can be placed on the straw accessible compartmented container  10  or the straw accessible multi compartmented container  60  front body portion  16  or  72 , respectively. 
     It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to illustrations and certain embodiments and versions described and shown herein, which are deemed to be merely illustrative of the best and preferred modes of carrying out the invention, and which are susceptible to other versions in regard to arrangement of parts, form, size and mode of operation. Therefore, the present invention is intended to encompass all such versions which are within its spirit and scope as defined by the appended claims.