SAME

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to a drinking straw, and more particularly to a telescopic paper drinking straw and a method of producing thereof.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

Drinking straw is a common consumer product that utilizes the principle of a change in air pressure to cause a fluid to rise above a settled level in a container. It is widely used because of its convenience to reach the beverage and assists people to consume a beverage out of the container especially when driving or for people with mobility impairments.

Modem drinking straws are mostly made of plastics material due to a number of advantages. Plastics drinking straw is generally very light in weight. The material as well as manufacturing costs for plastic drinking straws are also much economical. Plastics drinking straw can withstand long exposure to fluid and can handle hot fluid well. It is fairly rigid and resilient, even after accidental bending, and can be easily formed into various shape and size.

Over the years, plastics drinking straw is not only in its basic form, which is straight for its full length. They can be customized to various forms that cater for different purposes or uses. One common example is the telescopic drinking straw which consists of two or more tubes of different diameters and telescopically slidable with respect to each other, such that the length of the drinking straw can be conveniently adjustable. With such configuration, the length of the drinking straw, when retracted, is reduced. This advantageously allows the telescopic drinking straw to be able to be attached to and be provided along with a beverage container of a shorter height, without having the drinking straw projecting beyond the container. For hygienic purpose, the telescopic drinking straw in this circumstance is usually wrapped with a plastics packaging.

Global plastics pollution is increasingly alarming and part of it is contributed by these used plastics drinking straws when discarded, mostly after a single use. As such, many countries have imposed bans of plastics drinking straws as part of numerous campaigns to reduce plastics waste being released to the environment. Alternatives to plastics drinking straw are readily available, such as those made of metal, glass, silicone or paper. Single use paper drinking straws are however more acceptable to the public as they are biodegradable, cheaper and hygienic.

Despite there exist numerous alternatives to plastics drinking straw, they are not as widely received as the plastics drinking straw. There are critics that these alternatives, especially paper drinking straws, are non-durable and difficult to produce into forms other than straight, such as the telescopic drinking straw. In light of the current pushes by the governments and environmental bodies to reduce usage of plastics drinking straws, there is a need to have an improved paper drinking straw which solves the abovementioned drawbacks and a method of producing the same.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a solution to the above problems.

The present invention describes a method of producing a telescopic drinking straw comprising the steps of: (a) providing a first and a second elongated hollow tubes of a paper material, wherein the first tube is slidably insertable into the second tube; (b) reducing the diameter of a portion of each of the first and the second tubes, in such a way that the reduced portion of the second tube permits the reduced portion of the first tube to pass therethrough while prevents the unreduced portion of the first tube from further movements when they are engaging with each other, wherein the moisture content of the tubes is maintained at 16% or above so that the tubes are sufficiently soft to undergo the diameter reducing step.

The method may suitably further comprises a step of: (c) forming a stopper on the second tube while the first tube being inserted into the second tube, wherein the stopper prevents the first tube from removal from the second tube. Preferably, the stopper is formed by reducing the diameter of a portion of the unreduced portion of the second tube. More preferably, the diameter of the stopper is the diameter of the reduced portion of the second tube.

Accordingly, the diameter of the unreduced portion of the first tube is smaller than that the diameter of the unreduced portion of the second tube. The diameter of the reduced portion of the first tube is smaller than the diameters of both the reduced and unreduced portions of the second tube while the diameter of the reduced portion of the second tube is smaller than the diameter of the unreduced portion of the first tube.

In one embodiment of the invention, the diameters of the first and second tubes are reduced by pressing the outer wall of the tubes while a mandrel of a diameter corresponding to the reduced diameter being inserted into the tubes.

The elongated hollow tubes may be made from a paper material impregnated with a fluid impermeable material, wherein the paper material may weigh 30 g/m ² (gsm) to 250 g/m ² (gsm). Preferably, the elongated hollow tubes have a wall thickness of 0.3 mm to 1 mm. More preferably, the elongated hollow tubes are constructed from 2 plies to 4 plies of spirally wound paper strip.

A further embodiment of the invention discloses a telescopic paper drinking straw produced by a method according to any of the preceding description.

The invention advantageously provides a biodegradable telescopic paper drinking straw and a method of producing thereof. The drinking straw has two tubes telescopically slidable with respect to each other, such that the drinking straw is length adjustable by extending and contracting the tubes lengthwise. The telescopic paper drinking straw, unlike conventional paper drinking straw, is strong, durable and highly resistant to tearing. With the present invention, the current issues of plastics pollution could be addressed.

The preferred embodiment of the invention consists of novel features and a combination of parts hereinafter fully described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings and particularly pointed out in the appended claims; it being understood that various changes in the details may be effected by those skilled in the arts but without departing from the scope of the invention or sacrificing any of the advantages of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For the purpose of facilitating an understanding of the invention, there is illustrated in the accompanying drawing the preferred embodiments from an inspection of which when considered in connection with the following description, the invention, its construction and operation and many of its advantages would be readily understood and appreciated.

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a telescopic paper drinking straw in fully (a) extended and (b) contracted states.

FIGURE 2 shows an illustration of steps of producing a telescopic paper drinking straw.

FIGURE 3 shows an illustration of enlarged cross-sectional view of an elongated hollow tube, with a mandrel being inserted thereto, adjacent to a press roller during diameter reduction.

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view showing a telescopic paper drinking straw being secured to a beverage container. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, the invention shall be described according to the preferred embodiments of the present invention and by referring to the accompanying description and drawings. However, it is to be understood that limiting the description to the preferred embodiments of the invention and to the drawings is merely to facilitate discussion of the present invention and it is envisioned that those skilled in the art may devise various modifications without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

The present invention generally relates to a drinking straw, and more particularly to a telescopic paper drinking straw and a method of producing thereof.

The invention discloses a method of producing a telescopic drinking straw (10) comprising the steps of: (a) providing a first (12) and a second (14) elongated hollow tubes of a paper material, wherein the first tube (12) is slidably insertable into the second tube (14); (b) reducing the diameter of a portion of each of the first (12) and the second (14) tubes, in such a way that the reduced portion of the second tube (14C) permits the reduced portion of the first tube (12C) to pass therethrough while prevents the unreduced portion of the first tube (12D) from further movements when they are engaging with each other, wherein the moisture content of the tubes (12, 14) is maintained at 16% or above so that the tubes (12, 14) are sufficiently soft to undergo the diameter reducing step.

The telescopic drinking straw (10) is length adjustable by extending or contracting its two or more elongated hollow tubes (12, 14) that are telescopically slidable with respect of each other. The drinking straw (10), when in use and usually in its fully extended state, is essentially a cylindrical tube having generally cylindrical sidewall extending between two open ends (18A, 18B), one of which serves as a top (18A) and the other bottom (18B). The use of the ends (18A, 18B) as a top and a bottom of the drinking straw (10), although not necessarily always the case, may be similarly defined in a similar fashion as for a conventional plastics drinking straw when in use. Similar to a conventional plastics drinking straw, when in use, a user draws a liquid from one bottom end (18B) of the drinking straw (10), through an interior of the drinking straw (10), to an opposed top end (18A) and into the user’s mouth for consumption.

The invention will now be described in greater details, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. l exemplifies a telescopic drinking straw (10) predominantly made of a paper material. The drinking straw (10) comprises a first elongated hollow tube (12) slidably disposed within a second elongated hollow tube (14), wherein each tube respectively comprises a first end (12A, 14A) and an opposite second end (12B, 14B). Particularly, the diameter of the first tube (XI) is smaller than the diameter of the second tube (Yl).

Each tube (12, 14) has a diameter reduced portion (12C, 14C) suitably provided at the first end of each tube (12A, 14A), with the rest of each tube being referred to as a diameter unreduced portion (12D, 14D). The diameter of the reduced portion of the first tube (X2) is smaller than both the diameters of the reduced and unreduced portions of the second tube (Yl, Y2) and the diameter of the reduced portion of the second tube (Y2) is smaller than the diameter of the unreduced portion of the first tube (XI). Thus, when the drinking straw is fully extended, the reduced portion of the second tube (14C) comes into engagement with the unreduced portion of the first tube (12D), thereby preventing the first tube (12) from further movement and slipping out of the first end of the second tube (14A). A possible bending of these tubes (12, 14) at the point of engagement is also effectively prevented. The point of engagement also provides a tight fitting between the tubes (12, 14) so that air is prevented from flowing in through the point of engagement while consuming a beverage through the drinking straw (10), thereby ensuring smooth drinking. The diameter reduced portion of the first tube (12C) is preferably prolonged by an appropriate length, depending on the desired length of the first tube (12) to pass through the second tube (14).

A stopper (16) is preferably provided at the second end of the second tube (14B) so as to prevent the first tube (12) from removal from the second tube (14), when the drinking straw is fully contracted. More preferably, the stopper (16) is a diameter reduced portion on the second end of the second tube (14B), such that the unreduced portion of the first tube (12D) comes into engagement with this reduced portion of the first tube (16), thereby preventing the first tube (12) from unintentionally slipping out of the second end of the second tube (14B). In this regard, the diameter of the reduced portion of the second end of the second tube (Y3) is smaller than the diameter of the unreduced portion of the first tube (XI). Preferably, the diameter of the reduced portion of the second end of the second tube (Y3) is the diameter of the reduced portion of the first end of the second tube (Y2).

For ease of reference, hereinafter, the diameter of the unreduced portion of the first tube (XI) is referred to as a first diameter (XI); the diameter of the unreduced portion of the second tube (Yl) is referred to as a second diameter (Yl); the diameter of the reduced portion of the first tube (X2) is referred to as a third diameter (X2); the diameter of the reduced portion of the first end of the second tube (Y2) is referred to as a fourth diameter (Y2); and the diameter of the reduced portion of the second end of the second tube (Y3) is referred to as a fifth diameter (Y3).

To produce the telescopic paper drinking straw (10), it is necessary to first provide a first (12) and a second (14) elongated hollows tubes of a paper material, each tube (12, 14) having a generally cylindrical sidewall of a constant diameter extending between two open ends (12A, 12B, 14A, 14B). In this regard, the tubes (12, 14) may essentially be any straight paper drinking straws or the like. The first tube (12) has a first diameter (XI) that is smaller than a second diameter (Yl) of the second tube (14), such that the first tube (12) is slidably insertable into the second tube (14).

The elongated hollow tubes (12, 14) can be made of paper material of any types and qualities, and preferably of weight between 30 g/m ² (gsm) to 250 g/m ² (gsm). To further enhance resistance of the paper drinking straw (10) to sogginess and degradation from prolonged exposure to fluids, the paper material may be impregnated with a fluid impermeable material. Non-limiting example of this paper material includes paper material coated with wax or paraffin. Such coating may be pre-applied to the paper material prior to using or forming the drinking straw (10). However, such coating may also be similarly applied after forming the drinking straw (10) without impinging the performance of the drinking straw (10).

The elongated hollow tubes (12, 14) are constructed from multiple spirally wound plies of paper strip, preferably pre-coated fluid impermeable paper strip. The hollow tubes (12, 14) have a preferred cylindrical sidewall thickness of approximately 0.3 mm to 1 mm. This construction provides the hollow tube (12, 14) sufficient rigidity to maintain its shape and form and to prevent bending of its cylindrical sidewall. In this regard, it is preferable to wind at least 2 plies of paper strip and more preferably, not more than 4 plies of paper strip, considering the desired thickness and the type of paper used. An exemplary methods of producing the elongated hollow tubes (12, 14) of a desired length is described in the following. A jumbo roll of paper is first slit into reels of narrower paper strips. The paper strip is then spirally wound on a mandrel to a desired sidewall thickness, secured with an adhesive and subsequently cut into elongated hollow tubes (12, 14) of desired length.

Subsequently, the diameter of a portion of the first end of the first (12) and the second (14) tubes is separately reduced to a third (X2) and a fourth (Y2) diameters respectively, such that the third diameter (X2) is smaller than both the second (Yl) and the fourth (Y2) diameters, and the fourth (Y2) diameter is smaller than the first (XI) diameter. As such, the diameter reduced portion of the second tube (14C) permits the diameter reduced portion of the first tube (12C) to pass therethrough while prevents the diameter unreduced portion of the first tube (12D) from further movement and slipping out of the first end of the second tube (14A). To reduce the diameter of the tube, a mandrel (20) of a diameter similar to the desired diameter of the reduced portion is inserted within the hollow space of the tube (12, 14) and the resultant is placed on a press roller (22), as exemplified in FIG. 3. Upon rotation and compression by both the mandrel (20) and the press roller (22), the sidewall of the tube (12, 14) is compressed and therefore reduced in diameter. To ensure the hollow tube (12, 14) not be damaged by these mechanical actions, it is necessary to maintain the moisture content of the hollow tube (12, 14) at above 16% so that the tube (12, 14) is sufficiently soft to undergo the diameter reducing operations. While the configuration of the apparatus or means of reducing diameter is described herein, this is not to be taken by way of limitation and other readily available apparatuses capable of producing the same result shall possibly be adopted without departing from the scope of the invention.

Upon removal of the mandrel (20), the first tube (12) is then inserted into the second tube (14), with the first (12A) and the second (12B) ends of the first tube (12) in the same direction to the first (14A) and second (14B) ends of the second tubes (14), as shown in FIG. 2(c).

To further enhance the drinking straw, a stopper (16) is thereafter formed on the second tube (14) to prevent the first tube (12) from removal from the second end of the second tube (14B), when the drinking straw (10) is fully contracted. Preferably, the stopper (16) is formed by reducing a portion of the diameter unreduced portion of the second tube (14). More preferably, the diameter of the second end of the second tube is reduced to the fifth diameter (Y3), which is smaller than the first diameter (XI). Most preferably, the fifth diameter (Y3) is the same as the fourth diameter (Y2). As such, the unreduced portion of the first tube (12D) comes into engagement with this reduced portion of the second tube (16), thereby preventing the first tube (12) from unintentionally slipping out of the second end of the second tube (14B).

The term“diameter” used throughout the description refers to the average diameter, taking into account the inner and the outer diameters of the tubes (12, 14). It is to be understood that, when the average diameter is reduced, both the inner and the outer diameters of the tubes (12, 14) shall also correspondingly reduced. Therefore, the inner and the outer diameters of the tubes (12, 14) are not specifically defined.

The telescopic paper drinking straw (10) may conventionally be wrapped, usually with a plastics packaging (26), and attached to a beverage container (24), as shown in FIG. 4. Although it is not shown in any of the accompanying drawings, the first end of the first tube (12A) may be obliquely cut away so as to form a pointed end in order to facilitate insertion of the straw (10) into a beverage container (24). The invention is being described for a two-part article comprising the first and the second tubes (12, 14), this however is not to be taken by way of limitation. The invention can be similarly applicable to telescopic paper drinking straw (10) with more than two tubes.

Although the invention has been described and illustrated in detail, it is to be understood that the same is by the way of illustration and example, and is not to be taken by way of limitation. The spirit and scope of the present invention are to be limited only by the terms of the appended claims.