NL2007236C2 - Carton plug for retaining a straw in a drinking carton, drinking carton, and method for facilitating drinking from a drinking carton. - Google Patents

Description

P95669NL00

Title: Carton plug for retaining a straw in a drinking carton, drinking carton, and method for facilitating drinking from a drinking carton

The invention relates to a novel carton plug for retaining a straw in a drinking carton.

A drinking carton, or so called carton or paper carton, is a package used for storing and transporting a beverage, such as a fruit juice, soft drink, 5 milk, chocolate milk, or yoghurt drink. There are different known cartons, typically brick shaped, but cartons having other shapes are known as well, e.g. gable top cartons or substantially circular cylindrical cartons. The carton can be made of plastic coated paperboard, for instance, liquid packaging board.

Often, a person who eventually consumes the beverage from the 10 carton is a little child. Such a child may lack sufficient skills, such as good eye-hand coordination, for executing certain acts, such as drinking a beverage out of an open container without spoiling. Due to the lack of sufficient skills, opening a gable top carton by pushing open the gables at the top, drinking from an unfolded gable top carton, and/or pouring a beverage from a carton 15 into a glass may be problematic acts for a user of a drinking carton, especially for a little child. To address these issues, different devices have been proposed.

For example, cartons with fitments to assist in opening and pouring the contents, e.g. cartons with screwable caps, have been developped. However, especially for children, such fitments are not always convenient to use, and 20 may therefore still result in making a mess.

Further, drinking cartons comprising a burstable, typically piercable, surface area have been proposed. Generally, said burstable area comprises a circular hole in the plastic coated paperboard, covered with a covering foil, such as an aluminium foil, a plastic foil or a foil laminate. The 25 covering foil can be pierced with a straw, which, for this purpose, may be pointed and/or be provided with a sharp edged. Conventionally, an individually 2 wrapped straw, or so called drinking straw, is provided with the drinking carton, e.g. by gluing its wrap to the outside of the carton.

Although drinking through a straw counteracts spoiling of beverages to some extent, spoiling is still an issue. For example, some children tempt to 5 remove the straw from the carton. Further, children may move the straw downwardly and upwardly for fun, by which the straw can accidently be withdrawn from the carton. The stiffness of the straw and/or its pointed distal end may decrease by multiply squeezing the straw and/or by putting the straw back into the carton. The decreased stiffness may hamper placing the straw 10 back into the carton, thereby increasing the risk of making a mess. Besides, by removing the straw from the carton, the straw may get lost, which is problematic since it is often the only straw on hand.

American patent publication US 2005/0 087 619 discloses a straw for drinking fluids that has conical rings or any extensions attached on the outside 15 of it to make it go into a hole of a vessel with ease, but make it difficult to remove. However, manufacturing of such straws is cumbersome and may involve complicated and expensive machinery. Furthermore, many consumers, especially adults, experience said straws as childish and/or awkward since they can not pull said straws upwardly easily, which may be inconvenient.

20 Another disadvantage of straws with conical rings or other extensions is that such rings or extensions may easily damage the wrap in which the straw is packed, thereby exposing the straw to dirt, which is unhygienic and highly undesired.

It is an object of the invention to alleviate or solve at least one of the 25 disadvantages mentioned above. In particular, the invention aims at providing a solution to the problem of messing beverages from an opened drinking carton.

Thereto, there is provided a carton plug for retaining a straw in a drinking carton, the carton plug comprising: a cover part having an inner 30 surface for at least partly covering a portion of a circular cylindrical outer 3 surface of the straw when said straw is at least partly inserted into the plug, and the cover part being arranged for counteracting withdrawal of said at least partly inserted straw; and at least one expanding element for expanding at least in a substantially radial direction of the carton plug. It is noted that the 5 substantially radial direction of the carton plug may at least mean a direction being substantially transverse to a direction in which the plug can be inserted into the drinking carton and being directed away from a central axis of the carton plug.

By providing a carton plug having an expanding element withdrawal 10 of the carton plug from a carton can be counteracted. By further providing the carton with a cover part being arranged for counteracting withdrawal of a straw being at least partly inserted into the plug, it may be counteracted that a straw inserted in a plug which is inserted in a carton can be easily withdrawn from said carton. Therefore, the carton plug provides for a device 15 that can counteract messing beverages from an opened drinking carton.

By providing a separate (e.g. loose) carton plug a user of a drinking carton can be given the freedom to choose to use the plug or not. For example, a carton may be provided which is provided with both a straw and a separate plug. Alternatively, a straw may be provided which is already pre-inserted into 20 the plug, but which may be removed from the plug, e.g. by pulling it all the way through the straw in the inserting direction, or by pulling it sidewardly out of the carton plug.

For example, the carton plug may be provided in a wrap together with the straw. Said wrap can, for instance, be glued to the carton. By, 25 alternatively, providing the plug wrapped in a separate wrap, damaging a second wrap, covering the straw, may be counteracted. It is noted that the plug does not need to be provided together with a carton. For example, one or a plurality of plugs may be sold separately from one or a plurality of drinking cartons. For instance, the cover parts of plugs may have standard inner 4 diameters corresponding to outer diameters of standard straws and/or of straws normally provided together with drinking cartons.

By providing at least one expanding element which is or comprises at least one barb, a relatively simple and convenient expanding element is 5 provided. The barb may be formed as a wing. Further, the barb may be attached to the plug, preferably to the cover part, more preferably near the proximal end of the drinking plug.

The barb may in a first position, prior to a partly insertion of the plug into a drinking carton, lie against the cover part, and may be arranged to 10 expand during and/or after said partly insertion, whereby it moves into a second position in which the barb is expanded and is at least partly radially protruding from the plug. Hereto, for instance, the barb may near its topside be connected to the plug, e.g. to a rim, wherein the connection may be breakable, i.e. may be that weak that said connection will easily break, e.g.

15 due to a force acting on the connection due to the partly inserting of the plug. However, the barb does not need to be connected to the plug near the barb’s topside. Alternatively or additionally, the barb may be arranged to be pushed towards and/or against the cover part, i.e. in a radially inward direction, for instance, due to a force working on the barb due to the partly insertion of the 20 plug into the carton. For example, because the barb may near a bottom side of the barb be resiliently connected to the cover part, the barb can expand after said barb is completely inserted into the carton.

By providing at least two expanding elements withdrawal of the plug may be counteracted relatively well.

25 By substantially evenly distributing the expanding elements about a peripheral direction of the plug said withdrawal may be counteracted even better.

By providing at least one retaining element for counteracting at least partially withdrawing the straw with respect to the plug when said straw 30 is at least partly inserted into the plug, withdrawing the straw from the plug, 5 and thus from the carton, may be counteracted. For example, the retaining element or elements may comprise at least one bump, pricker, barb, and/or substantially rough surface area, e.g. provided at an inner surface of the cover part.

5 By shaping the cover part as a substantially tube, preferably an elongated tube, a plug may be provided which adds relatively little surface area to a straw inserted in said plug, and which therefore may be relatively easily be inserted into a carton, e.g. through a burstable area of the carton. It is noted that adding relatively little surface area to the straw means adding 10 relatively little surface area in a plane being substantially transverse to the insertion direction of the plug. It is further noted that the insertion direction of the plug means the direction in which the plug will be inserted into the drinking carton.

By chamfering the proximal end of the plug, i.e. the end at a side of 15 a plug arranged for entering the carton firstly, relatively smoothly insertion of the plug into the carton can be accommodated.

By providing a rim near the distal end, i.e. the end at the side of the plug substantially opposite to the side arranged for entering the carton firstly, it may be prevented that the plug can undesirably be pushed completely into 20 the drinking carton. Alternatively and/or additionally, the plug may near the distal end be provided with one or a plurality of substantially radially extending portions, such one or a plurality of radially protruding fingers.

By providing a crack in the cover part, which crack extends from the distal end to the proximal end of the cover part, preferably from the distal end 25 of the plug to the proximal end of said plug, sideward insertion and/or removal of the straw into or out of the cover part and/or plug may be made possible, respectively. Preferably, the crack has such a width, that it is wide enough to snap the straw substantially sidewardly into the cover part, thereby providing an easy and/or convenient way of attaching the straw into the plug.

30 Alternatively or additionally, the plug may be arranged to let the straw be put 6 into the plug from the distal end of the plug and/or cover part, by pushing the straw in the insertion direction of the plug.

By making the plug, the cover part, the first expanding element and/or the retaining element of a resilient material, preferably a resilient 5 plastic material, said plug, part and/or element may be resilient. The resilient material may temporarily widen the crack for facilitating snapping in the straw. Besides, the resilient material may facilitate temporary pushing the expanding element inwardly in a radial direction of the plug and may accommodate relatively fast expanding of said element after said element has 10 been completely inserted into the carton, thereby facilitating a fast and convenient snagging of the plug in the carton.

The invention also relates to a drinking carton and a method for facilitating drinking from a drinking carton.

By using the method of claim 11, it can be made possible to prepare 15 a drinking straw assembly, comprising a carton plug and an at least partly therein inserted drinking straw. Such a prepared straw assembly may be handed out, e.g. to a child, together with an accompanying drinking carton.

The assembly may counteract removal of the straw from the carton and thus counteracting spoiling of a beverage from said carton. Therefore, said method 20 may counteract making a mess. For example, a professional, such as a teacher or childminder, may prepare a multiple number of straw assemblies for a multiple number of children. As a result, e.g. a day care, school, or children’s home may be kept relatively clean without extensive supervision.

Advantageous embodiments according to the invention are described 25 in the appended claims.

By way of non-limiting example only, embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying figures, in which:

Fig. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a first embodiment of a 30 carton plug according to the invention; and 7

Fig. 2 shows a schematic perspective view of a second embodiment of a carton plug according to the invention.

It is noted that the figures show merely a preferred embodiment according to the invention. In the figures, the same reference numbers refer to 5 equal or corresponding parts.

Figure 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a carton plug 1 according to an example of the invention. The carton plug 1 is suitable for retaining a straw 2 in a drinking carton. The straw 2 comprises an elongated hollow tube portion 2’. For example, the straw may further comprise an 10 accordion type flexible portion which makes the flexible portion bendable and/or retractable in the longitudinal direction of the flexible portion. The flexible portion may comprise ring shaped elements with a diameter wider than the diameter of the elongated hollow tube portion 2’, and may therefore counteracts that the straw 2 can be pushed all the way through the plug 1, 15 thus counteracting that the straw becomes pushed completely into the carton. On top of the flexible portion, the straw 2 may comprise a mouthpiece portion at a distal end of the straw 2, the mouthpiece portion may be a second elongated hollow tube portion. Furthermore, the straw 2 may comprise a piercing portion at a proximal end of the straw 2, for piercing a covering 20 piercable foil covering a drinking opening of the drinking carton.

Here, the plug 1 comprises a cover part 3. The cover part 3, being substantially formed as an elongated tube, has an inner surface 4 for at least partly covering a portion 5 of a circular cylindrical outer surface 6 of the straw 2 when said straw 2 is at least partly inserted into the plug 1. Further, the 25 cover part 3 is arranged for counteracting withdrawal of said at least partly inserted straw 2.

Further, the carton plug 1 comprises two expanding elements 7 for expanding at least in a substantially radial direction RD of the carton plug 1. The two expanding elements 7 are shaped as two barbs 7. Alternatively or 8 additionally, the expanding elements 7 may comprise other elements, e.g. conical rings.

Here, the two barbs 7 are placed at opposite flanks of the plug, i.e. the two barbs 7 are spaced substantially 180° from each other in the peripheral 5 direction PD of the plug. Alternatively, another number of barbs 7 or other expanding elements 7 may be substantially evenly distributed about the peripheral direction PD of the plug 1. For example, three or four barbs may be located at substantially 120° or 90° from each other, respectively.

Further, the carton plug 1 comprises two retaining elements 8, i.e.

10 two second barbs 9, which are located attached to the inner surface 4 of the cover part 3. The second barbs 9 do not or do only very little hamper moving the straw 2 in a downward direction DD relatively to the plug 1. It is noted that the downward direction DD is a direction directed in substantially the same direction as the insertion direction ID in which the plug 1 is inserted into 15 the carton. Additionally or alternatively, the plug 1 may comprise one or a plurality of other retaining elements for counteracting at least partially withdrawal of the straw 2 with respect to the plug 1 when said straw 2 is at least partly inserted into the plug 2. It is noted that the withdrawal of the straw means moving the straw at least partly through and/or out of the plug 1, 20 in a withdrawing direction WD being substantially opposite to the downward direction DD.

Here, the carton plug 1 comprises a radial extending portion 10, formed as a rim 11. The radial extending portion 10 is located near a distal end 12 of the plug 1 and the radial extending portion 10 extends substantially in a 25 radial direction RD of the plug 1.

The proximal end 13 of the plug 1, i.e. the end 13 at a side of a plug arranged for entering the carton firstly, is chamfered to some extent. The chamfer 14 may provide for a relatively smoothly insertion of the plug 1 into the carton.

9

Figure 2 shows a schematic perspective view of a second embodiment of a carton plug 1 according to the invention. The carton plug 1 comprises a cover part 3 substantially formed as an elongated tube. Here, an inner surface 4 of the cover part 3 does not entirely surround a circular 5 cylindrical portion 5 of a circular cylindrical outer surface 6 of a straw 2. This is, the cover part 3, made of a resilient plastic material, comprises a crack 15, extending from the distal end 12 to the proximal end 13 of the cover part 3. Here, the crack 15 has a width W, which is wide enough to snap the straw 2 substantially sidewardly into the cover part 3. For example, the width W is 10 substantially 2%, 3%, 5%, 7%, 10%, 12%, 15%, 20% or 25% smaller than the outer diameter of the straw 2 and/or of the elongated hollow tube portion 2’ of the straw.

Here, the carton plug 1 comprises a retaining element 8 implemented as a pricker 16 located at the inner surface 4 of the cover part 3. 15 Here, the pricker 16 comprises a sharp point 16’. When the straw 2 is sidewardly inserted into the plug through the crack 15, the pricker pricks a small hole into the straw, which hole substantially gets filled up by said pricker 16. Therefore, the pricker may affix to the straw, and thus retain the straw 2 and substantially close off the hole it created. By substantially closing 20 off the hole, the pricker 16 may counteract leaking of fluids, both gasses and liquids. Therefore, the pricker 16 may avoid difficulties which may be caused by creating the hole, such as streaming out of the straw of a beverage sucked out of the carton and/or hampering proper sucking up of the beverage due to sucking in false air through said hole. Although in this embodiment one 25 pricker 16 is provided, a plug according to the invention may comprise a plurality of prickers 16, for instance two, three, four, five, or six prickers, e.g. substantially provided above each other in the longitudinal direction LD of the plug 1. However, other, e.g. non linear, pricker placements are possible as well.

The invention is not restricted to the embodiments described herein. 30 It will be understood that many variants are possible.

10

For example, in the second shown embodiments the straw 2 is sidewardly inserted in the plug and attached to the pricker 16. However, the prickerlö, or a multiple number of provided prickers, may be flexible in the downward direction DD. Therefore, the straw 2 may be inserted into the plug 1 5 from the distal end 12 of the plug, without getting pierced by pricker(s). When the straw subsequently is moved in an upward direction WD, e.g. is being pulled upwardly, the pricker(s) may bend back to some extent and/or pierce the straw, creating a hole and retaining the straw, preventing the straw being withdrawn from the carton.

10 Other such variants will be apparent for the person skilled in the art and are considered to lie within the scope of the invention as formulated in the following claims.

Claims (14)

A drinking pack plug for holding a drinking straw in a drinking pack, comprising: a cover part with an inner surface for at least partially covering a part of a circular cylindrical outer surface of the drinking straw when said drinking straw is at least partially received in the plug, wherein the cover member is adapted to prevent the withdrawal of said at least partially received straw; and at least one expansion element for expansion in at least a substantially radial direction of the drink pack plug. A drinking pack plug according to claim 1, wherein the at least one expansion element or the plurality of expansion elements comprises at least one barb. 3. Drinking pack plug according to claim 1 or 2, comprising at least two expansion elements, preferably substantially evenly distributed around a circumferential direction of the plug. 4. Drinking package plug according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising at least one retaining element for preventing at least partial withdrawal of the straw relative to the plug when said straw is at least partially included in the plug. Drinking pack plug according to claim 4, wherein the at least one retaining element or the plurality of retaining elements comprises at least one second expansion element, preferably a barb. The drink pack plug according to claim 4, wherein the at least one retaining element or the plurality of retaining elements comprises at least one pin. Drinking package plug according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the cover part is substantially a tube, preferably an elongated tube. A drinking pack plug according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising at least one radially extending portion, preferably an edge, near a distal end of the plug, the radially extending portion extending substantially radially in a radial direction of the plug. 9. Drinking package plug according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cover part comprises a slit extending from the distal end to the proximal end of the cover part, the slit preferably having a width wide enough to substantially extend the straw clicking sideways in the cover part. 10. Drinking package plug according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the plug, the cover part, the first expansion element and / or the retaining element is made of a resilient material or comprises the resilient material, preferably a resilient plastic material. 11. Drinking package, comprising a drinking package plug, wherein the plug 20 is according to one of the preceding claims and / or wherein the plug is adapted to be at least partially received and get caught in the drinking package. 12. A method for facilitating drinking from a drinking pack, comprising the steps of: providing a drinking pack plug, which is according to any one of claims 1-10 and / or which is arranged to be at least partially included in and get stuck in the drinking suit; and incorporating a straw in the drink pack plug. 13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of incorporating the drink pack plug into the drink pack. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of incorporating the straw into the drink pack plug is performed at least in part prior to or simultaneously with the step of inserting the drink pack plug into the drink pack. 5