Abstract:
A water bottle-straw assembly comprising a screw-threaded cap base including a lift-lower cap attached at one side thereof and a through hole in which a suction base is inserted. The suction base has a protruding suction end having a valve and a flange providing an air guiding groove. A straw is inserted into the suction base and a flexible tube is telescopically connected to the lower end of the straw to allow use with containers of varying sizes.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to an improved structure of a water bottle-straw assembly and particularly to a water bottle-straw assembly that employs a simple structure and has the advantages of preventing air from being sucked in subsequent suctions, providing better sealing free from water leakage, completely sucking up water in the bottle, and being applicable to water bottles with various capacity depths. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     In a commercially available water bottle, there is generally provided with a straw assembly for convenience. For example, please refer to FIGS. 1 and 2, which are two side sectional views of a conventional water bottle-straw assembly, illustrating the cap of a lift-lower type used in the assembly is in an open and a closed states, respectively. The straw assembly essentially consists of a cap base  10  and a straw  20 . The cap base  10  can be screwed to the open end of a water bottle  30 , and a circular groove  11  is provided at the center of the cap base  10 . A through hole  12  is fonned on the bottom of the circular groove  11 . The cap base  10  is also provided with a cap  13  of a lift-lower type. The straw  20  goes through the through hole  12  of the circular groove  11  and is capped with a sucker  21 . A spring  22  is disposed between the sucker  21  and the bottom of the circular groove  11  in such a way that the sucker  21  can be pushed up above the cap base  10  by the spring  22  when the cap  13  is in an open state as shown in FIG. 1, and that the sucker  21  can be pushed down into the circular groove  11  when the cap  13  is in a closed state as shown in FIG.  2 . In addition, the lower end of the straw  20  generally approaches the inner bottom of the water bottle  30 . 
     Although such a water bottle-straw assembly can provide convenience in water drinking, there are several drawbacks as described below. 
     Because the upper end of the straw  20  simply leads to the lower end thereof, the water sucked up in the straw  20  will flow back to the bottle  30  when a user&#39;s mouth no longer contains the sucker  21 , resulting in that the air will immediately fill in the space above the water level in the straw  20 . Consequently, when the user sucks again, he must completely suck the air in the straw  20  before the water in the bottle  30  comes up into his mouth through the straw  20 . By the way, the lower the water level is, the more air is sucked. Users usually suck so much air into their stomachs that they may feel sick during or after drinking. When the cap  13  is in a closed state as shown in FIG. 2, it presses against the upper end of the sucker  21 . However, since there is a gap between the sucker  21  and the circular groove  11 , the water in the bottle  30  can leak out from the circular groove  1   1  through the through hole  12 . 
     During sucking, users, especially children and babies, may be hurt at their teeth because the sucker  21  is usually made of hard plastics. 
     Furthermore, the straw  20  will move up and down as the sucker  21  moves up and down due to the opening and closing of the cap  13 . Accordingly, it is usually a principle that the straw  20  is not so long and does not touch the inner bottom of the water bottle  30  when the cap  13  is in aclosed state, as shown in FIG.  2 . Obviously, such a length of the staw  20  always makes a distance between the lower end of the straw  20  and the inner bottom of the water bottle  30  when the cap  13  is in an open state, as shown in FIG.  1 . Therefore, users cannot completely suck the water out of the bottle  30 , and there is always some water left in the bottle  30  after use. 
     Thus, there is a need to improve conventional water bottles for better sucking. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The objective of the present invention is to provide an improved structure of a water bottle-straw assembly, which employs a simple structure and has the advantages of preventing air from being sucked in subsequent suctions, providing better sealing free from water leakage, completely sucking up water in the bottle, and being applicable to water bottles with various capacity depths. 
     In accordance with the present invention, the improved structure of such a water bottle-straw assembly, comprises: 
     a cap base screwed to the open end of the water bottle body, wherein a through hole and an air inlet are formed on said cap base, a rabbet groove is provided around said through hole beneath said cap base, and said cap base is also provided with a cap of a lift-lower type at its edge; 
     a suction base made of silicone and being made integral, wherein a flange is formed around said suction base, a suction end is protruded on said suction base, another flange is formed around the low part of said suction end, a valve is provided at the top of said suction end, an air-guiding groove is formed either on said flange or on the corresponding position beneath said cap base, an air inlet valve is provided in said air-guiding groove; 
     a straw, the tipper end of which is connected into said suction end of said suction base and the lower end of which touches the inner bottom of the water bottle body; 
     wherein said suction end goes through said through hole of said cap base in such a way that said two flanges of said suction base are rabbetted with said rabbet groove and the edge of said through hole, respectively, and that said suction end is protruded above said cap base; and 
     wherein said air-guiding groove on said flange corresponds to and is thus air-connected to said air inlet on said cap base. 
     Moreover, a flexible tube can be telescopically connected to said lower end of said straw, thereby the total length of said straw being adjustable to make said tube touch the inner bottom of the water bottle body by means of telescoping, in order for use in water bottles with various capacity depths. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The above and other objectives, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed descnption of preferred embodiment in connection with the accompanying drawings in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a conventional water bottle-straw assembly, illustrating the cap of a lift-lower type used in the assembly in an open state. 
     FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of the assembly shown in FIG. 1, illustrating the cap of a lift-lower type used in the assembly in a closed state. 
     FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the water bottle-straw assembly in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 3A is a partial, enlarged view of area A in FIG.  3 . 
     FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the assembly shown in FIG. 3, wherein the cap of a lift-lower type used in the assembly is in an open state. 
     FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of the assembly shown in FIG. 3, wherein the cap of a lift-lower type used in the assembly is in a closed state. 
     FIG. 6 is a side sectional view of the assembly in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention applied to another water bottle that has a different size from the water bottle shown in FIG.  3 . 
     It is noted that the drawings of the invention are not to scale. The drawings are merely schematic representations, not intended to portray specific parameters of the invention, rather to illustrate the principles of the invention. The drawings are intended to depict only a typical embodiment of the invention and therefore should not be considered as limiting the scope of the invention. 
     
       
         
               
             
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
               
                 Reference Numerals of the Elements in the Drawings 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                 10 
                 cap base 
                 44 
                 cap of a lift-lower type 
               
               
                 11 
                 circular groove 
                 50 
                 suction base 
               
               
                 12 
                 through hole 
                 51 
                 flange 
               
               
                 13 
                 cap of a lift-lower type 
                 52 
                 suction end 
               
               
                 20 
                 straw 
                 53 
                 flange 
               
               
                 21 
                 sucker 
                 54 
                 valve 
               
               
                 22 
                 spring 
                 55 
                 air-guiding groove 
               
               
                 30 
                 water bottle 
                 56 
                 air inlet valve 
               
               
                 40 
                 cap base 
                 60 
                 straw 
               
               
                 41 
                 through hole 
                 61 
                 tube 
               
               
                 42 
                 air inlet 
                 70 
                 water bottle body 
               
               
                 43 
                 rabbet groove 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     A water bottle-straw assembly will be described below as a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be understood, however, that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of this invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the illustrated embodiment 
     FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the water bottle-straw assembly in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 4 and 5 are two side sectional views of the assembly shown in FIG.  3 . The assembly comprises a cap base  40 , a suction base  50 , and a straw  60 . 
     The cap base  40  can be screwed to the open end of a water bottle body  70 . A through hole  41  and an air inlet  42  are formed on the cap base  40 . A rabbet groove  43  is provided around the through hole  41  beneath the cap base  40 . The cap base  40  is also provided with a cap  44  of a lift-lower type at its edge. 
     The suction base  50  is made of silicone, for example, and is made integral. A flange  51  is formed around the suction base  50 , and a suction end  52  is protruded thereon. Another flange  53  is formed around the low part of the suction end  52 , and a valve  54 , for example of a cross-type, is provided at the top of the suction end  52 . An air-guiding groove  55  is formed either on the flange  51  or on the corresponding position beneath the cap base  40 . An air inlet valve  56 , for example of a cross-type, is provided in the air-guiding groove  55 . The suction end  52  goes through the through hole  41  of the cap base  40  in such a way that the flanges  51  and  53  are rabbetted with the rabbet groove  43  and the edge of the through hole  41 , respectively, and that the suction end  52  is protruded above the cap base  40 . The air-guiding groove  55  on the flange  51  corresponds to and is thus air-connected to the air inlet  42  on the cap base  40 . 
     The upper end of the straw  60  is connected into the suction end  52  of the suction base  50 . In order for use in water bottles with various capacity depths, a flexible tube  61  is telescopically connected to the lower end of the straw  60 . Accordingly, the total length of the straw  60  can be easily adjusted to make the tube  61  touch the inner bottom of the water bottle body  70  by means of telescoping. 
     In accordance with the embodiment of the present invention, the flanges  51  and  53  of the suction base  50  are rabbetted with the rabbet groove  43  of the cap base  40  and the edge of the through hole  41  of the cap base  40 , respectively. The suction end  52  is protruded on the suction base  50 . Moreover, the air-guiding groove  55  on the flange  51  corresponds to and is thus air-connected to the air inlet  42  on the cap base  40  so that the air can fluently enter the water bottle body  70  during suction. Hence, users can suck the water fluently. 
     It is noted that, due to the provision of the valve  54  at the top of the suction end  52 , the air can flow only into the water bottle body  70  through the valve  54 . Thus, when users stop sucking, it is possible to prevent the water sucked up in the straw  60  from flowing back to the water bottle body  70  because the valve  54  automatically close the air path at that time. Consequently, air will not be sucked into an user&#39;s mouths in their subsequent suctions. It is also noted that the valve  54  at the top of the suction end  52  and the air inlet valve  56  in the air-guiding groove  55  automatically close the air path while an user does not suck. Therefore, the water bottle body  70  is substantially sealed at that time due to the provision of the valve  54  and the air inlet valve  56 . The water in the bottle is free from leakage even if the bottle is tilt or down. 
     Furthermore, due to the flexible tube  61  telescopically connected to the lower end of the straw  60 , the total length of the straw  60  can be easily adjusted to make the tube  61  touch the inner bottom of the water bottle body  70  by means of telescoping. Thus, no matter how deep the water bottle is, it is certain that users can completely suck the water out of the bottle without difficulty. No matter the cap  44  is in an open or close state, the straw  60  will not move up and down. 
     Because the suction base  50  is made of silicone that is relatively softer than plastics, it is safe, especially for children and babies, to use such a suction base. 
     While the invention has been described with specific reference to the embodiment, someone skilled in the art will recognize that changes can be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention. All changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.