US20210085109A1

US20210085109A1 - Environmentally friendly straw for easy disassembly

Info

Publication number: US20210085109A1
Application number: US17/020,779
Authority: US
Inventors: Yi-Chou Chen
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2019-09-24
Filing date: 2020-09-14
Publication date: 2021-03-25
Also published as: CN211130583U; TWM587481U

Abstract

An environmentally friendly straw for easy disassembly includes a first straw half body and a second straw half body. The first straw half body has a first extended part that extends from the bottom of the first straw half body. The second straw half body has a second extended part that extends from the bottom of the second straw half body. The second straw half body is detachably coupled to the first straw half body to commonly form a hollow tubular body. The first straw half body is separated from the second straw half body when an external force is applied to the first extended part and the second extended part, respectively.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the priority benefit of Taiwan application serial no. 108212573, filed on Sep. 24, 2019. The entirety of the above-mentioned patent application is hereby incorporated by reference herein and made a part of this specification.

BACKGROUND

Technical Field

The disclosure relates to an environmentally friendly straw, and particularly relates to an environmentally friendly straw for easy disassembly.

Description of Related Art

In recent years, environmental issues draw more and more attention. For example, disposable plastic straws are thrown away right after use, so such straws not only waste resources but also cause harm to the environment.
Therefore, how to design a straw that can be used easily and repetitively has become an issue being worked on by researchers.

SUMMARY

The disclosure provides an environmentally friendly straw for easy disassembly, which that is easy to assemble and disassemble and therefore convenient to use.
The disclosure provides an environmentally friendly straw for easy disassembly, which includes a first straw half body and a second straw half body. The first straw half body has a first extended part that extends from a bottom of the first straw half body. The second straw half body has a second extended part that extends from a bottom of the second straw half body. The second straw half body is detachably coupled to the first straw half body to commonly form a hollow tubular body. The first straw half body is separated from the second straw half body when an external force is applied to the first extended part and the second extended part, respectively.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the first extended part and the second extended part each have an arc surface part.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the first extended part and the second extended part each have two flat parts, and the arc surface part is between the two flat parts.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the first extended part and the second extended part each have a plane part and two inclined parts. The plane part is between the two inclined parts, such that the first extended part and the second extended part each form a trapezoid.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the first extended part and the second extended part each have two flat parts, and the trapezoid is between the two flat parts.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the first extended part and the second extended part each have at least one jag part.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the first extended part and the second extended part each have two flat parts, and the at least one jag part is between the two flat parts.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, an angle of the at least one jag part is between 30 degrees and 60 degrees.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the first extended part and the second extended part each have an inclined part.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the first straw half body includes a first end and a second end opposite to each other, and has a first connection part located at the first end and a second connection part located at the second end. The second straw half body includes a third end and a fourth end opposite to each other, and has a third connection part located at the third end and a fourth connection part located at the fourth end. The first connection part is detachably connected to the third connection part, and the second connection part is detachably connected to the fourth connection part.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the first straw half body includes a first end and a second end opposite to each other, and has a first bonding area located on an inner surface thereof and close to the first end and a second bonding area located on the inner surface and close to the second end. The second straw half body includes a third end and a fourth end opposite to each other, and has a third bonding area located on an outer surface thereof and close to the third end and a fourth bonding area located on the outer surface and close to the fourth end. The first bonding area is adapted to wrap the third bonding area. The second bonding area is adapted to wrap the fourth bonding area.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the first extended part is disposed on the bottom of the first straw half body along an extending direction of the first straw half body. The second extended part is disposed on the bottom of the second straw half body along an extending direction of the second straw half body.
Based on the above description, the first straw half body of the environmentally friendly straw for easy disassembly of the disclosure has the first extended part, and the second straw half body has the second extended part. A user may easily separate the first straw half body from the second straw half body through the first extended part and the second extended part, so that the inside of the environmentally friendly straw can be more thoroughly cleaned. Namely, the environmentally friendly straw for easy disassembly of the disclosure may be easily disassembled, and is convenient to use.
To make the aforementioned more comprehensible, several embodiments accompanied with drawings are described in detail as follows.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the disclosure, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.

FIG. 1A is a three-dimensional view of an environmentally friendly straw for easy disassembly according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 1B is an exploded view of the environmentally friendly straw for easy disassembly of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 1C is a spread schematic diagram of a bottom of a straw half body of FIG. 1B.

FIG. 2 to FIG. 6 are spread schematic diagrams of bottoms of straw half bodies according to other embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 7A is a spread schematic diagram of a bottom of a straw half body according to another embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 7B is a schematic diagram of a material bar of the straw half body of FIG. 7A.

FIG. 8A is a spread schematic diagram of a bottom of a straw half body according to another embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 8B is a schematic diagram of a material bar of the straw half body of FIG. 8A.

FIG. 9 is a three-dimensional view of an environmentally friendly straw for easy disassembly according to another embodiment of the disclosure.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Generally, it is not easy to clean the inside of an environmentally friendly straw, and even with a brush, it is impossible to clearly confirm the cleanliness inside the environmentally friendly straw, and it is very easy to derive health problems. In recent years, a part of environmentally friendly straws is designed to be detachable, so that the inside of the straw can be more thoroughly cleaned and the internal cleanliness of the straw can be confirmed. For example, a user needs to stretch his finger into the narrow straw to disassemble the detachable environmentally friendly straw. However, due to structural defect such as a small volume of the straw itself causing insufficient force-applying points, the above-mentioned method does not easily disassemble the straw quickly. The disclosure provides an environmentally friendly straw for easy disassembly to resolve the above problem.
FIG. 1A is a three-dimensional view of an environmentally friendly straw for easy disassembly according to an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 1B is an exploded view of the environmentally friendly straw for easy disassembly of FIG. 1A. FIG. 1C is a spread schematic diagram of a bottom of a straw half body of FIG. 1B.
It should be noted that the straw 100A of FIG. 1A only schematically shows relative positions of the components, and is for reference only, and an actual size ratio thereof is not close to that shown in FIG. 1A. Moreover, for simplicity's sake, in FIG. 1C, the bottom of the first straw half body 110 is illustrated in a manner of being spread into a plane, and spreading of the bottom of the second straw half body 120 is similar to the first straw half body 110, which is not repeated.
Referring to FIG. 1A to FIG. 1C, the environmentally friendly straw for easy disassembly 100A includes a first straw half body 110 and a second straw half body 120. The second straw half body 120 is detachably connected to the first straw half body 110 to commonly present a hollow tubular body.
In the embodiment, the top of the first straw half body 110 and the second straw half body 120 is flat. The first straw half body 110 has a first extended part 111 that extends from the bottom of the first straw half body 110. The second straw half body 120 has a second extended part 121 that extends from the bottom of the second straw half body 120.
To be specific, the first extended part 111 is disposed on the bottom of the first straw half body 110 along an extending direction of the first straw half body 110. The second extended part 121 is disposed on the bottom of the second straw half body 120 along an extending direction of the second straw half body 120. The first extended part 111 and the second extended part 121 each have an arc surface part A1.
When an external force is respectively applied to the first extended part 111 and the second extended part 121, the first straw half body 110 may be detached from the second straw half body 120. For example, a user may pinch the first extended part 111 with the thumb and the index finger of his left hand, and pinch the second extended part 121 with the thumb and the index finger of his right hand, and exert a force along an arrow direction of FIG. 1A to separate the first straw half body 110 from the second straw half body 120, as shown in FIG. 1B.
An advantage of such a design is that the first extended part 111 and the second extended part 121 may provide force applying point to user's finger, and the user's finger may be prevented from being confined to a wall of the straw 100A, and may easily and comfortably hold the bottom of the straw 100A. Namely, the first extended part 111 and the second extended part 121 enable the user's finger to hold the bottom of the straw 100A in a larger space to disassemble the first straw half body 110 and the second straw half body 120. In this way, the user may quickly and easily separate the first straw half body 110 and the second straw half body 120 from each other.
In the embodiment, the straw 100A is made of a waterproof and thin material (less than 2 mm), and the material is, for example, a food grade and flexible plastic, but in other embodiments, the material of the straw is, for example, metal, paper, silicone, glass or plastic, for example, stainless steel, polypropylene (PP) or polyethylene (PE). It should be noted that since the straw 100A of the embodiment may be used multiple times, it may mitigate the problems of waste and environmental hazards caused by most of today's disposable plastic straws.
In the embodiment, a manufacturing method of the straw 100A is, for example, injection molding. The first extended part 111 and the first straw half body 110 of the embodiment are integral, and the second extended part 121 and the second straw half body 120 are integral to facilitate manufacturing. But in other embodiments, the manufacturing method of the straw 100A may also be extrusion molding or casting, which is not limited by the disclosure.
Other embodiments are provided below for further description. It should be noted that reference numbers of the components and a part of contents of the aforementioned embodiment are also used in the following embodiment, where the same reference numbers denote the same or like components, and descriptions of the same technical contents are omitted. The aforementioned embodiment may be referred for descriptions of the omitted parts, and detailed descriptions thereof are not repeated in the following embodiment.
FIG. 2 to FIG. 6 are spread schematic diagrams of bottoms of the straw half bodies according to other embodiments of the disclosure. It should be noted that since the first straw half body and the second straw half are symmetrically designed, only the bottom of the first straw half body is illustrated for description.
Referring to FIG. 2, in the embodiment, a difference between the straw 100B and the straw 100A of FIG. 1C is that the first extended part 111B of the first straw half body 110B has two flat parts S1, and an arc surface part A2 is between the two flat parts S1.
To be specific, the arc surface part A2 is connected between the two flat parts S1. An advantage of such design is that the user's finger may grip an extended area E1 formed by the arc surface part A2 of the first extended part 111B, and since the extended area E1 may be sized to conform to a size of the user's finger, the user may find a better force exerting point when disassembling the straw 100B. On the other hand, due to the design of the two flat parts S1, the user's finger may easily separate the two straw half bodies from each other without being limited by the straw wall.
Referring to FIG. 3, the first extended part 111C of the first straw half body 110C has a plane part P1 and two inclined parts I1. The plane part P1 is between the two inclined parts I1. To be specific, the plane part P1 is connected between the two inclined parts I1. The plane part P1 is perpendicular to a length direction N1 of the first straw half body 110C, and the inclined parts I1 are inclined to the plane part P1. The plane part P1 and the two inclined parts I1 form an extended area E2.
The extended area E2 is trapezoidal so that the user may hold the bottom of the straw 100C stably, so as to separate the two straw half bodies from each other quickly and easily.
Referring to FIG. 4, in the embodiment, the straw 100D is slightly different to the straw 100C of FIG. 3, and a difference there between is that the first extended part 111D of the first straw half body 110D has two flat parts S2. A trapezoid formed by the extended area E3 is between the two flat parts S2.
An advantage of such design is that the user's finger may grip the extended area E3 of the first extended part 111D, and since the extended area E3 may be sized to conform to the size of the user's finger, the user may find a better force exerting point when disassembling the straw 100D. On the other hand, due to the design of the two flat parts S2, the user's finger may easily stretch into the straw 100D to separate the two straw half bodies from each other without being limited.
Referring to FIG. 5, the first extended part 111E of the first straw half body 110E has a jag part J1. Since the bottom of the straw 100E has a structure of the jag part J1, it is easy to separate the two straw half bodies, and easy to puncture a beverage with a sealing film.
In the embodiment, an angle α1 of the jag part J1 is, for example, 45 degrees, but in other embodiments, the angle of the jag part may be between 30 degrees and 60 degrees, which is not limited by the disclosure.
Referring to FIG. 6, in the embodiment, the straw 100F is slightly different to the straw 100E of FIG. 5, and a difference there between is that the first extended part 111F has two flat parts S3, and the jag part J2 is between the two flat parts S3.
FIG. 7A is a spread schematic diagram of a bottom of a straw half body according to another embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 7B is a schematic diagram of a material bar of the straw half body of FIG. 7A. Referring to FIG. 7A first, the first extended part 111G of the first straw half body 110G of the embodiment has an inclined part 12. The inclined part 12 is inclined to the length direction N1 of the first straw half body 110F, such that the bottom of the first straw half body 110G has a bevel connection.
An advantage of such design is that during the process of manufacturing the straw 100G, the material bars of a plurality of straw half bodies may be connected head-to-head and back-to-back, so as to reduce generation of waste materials to avoid waste, as shown in FIG. 7B. It should be noted that only four straw half bodies are illustrated in the material bar of FIG. 7B, but the actual quantity and length are determined based on the process requirements.
FIG. 8A is a spread schematic diagram of a bottom of a straw half body according to another embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 8B is a schematic diagram of a material bar of the straw half body of FIG. 8A. Referring to FIG. 8A first, the first extended part 111H of the first straw half body 110H of the embodiment has two jag parts J3. In the embodiment, contours of the two jag parts J3 are different from each other. However, in other embodiments, contours and quantity of the jag parts J3 are not limited to the above description.
In the embodiment, the bottom of the straw 100H has a structure of the jag parts J3, and is easy to puncture a beverage with a sealing film. On the other hand, during the process of manufacturing the straw 100H, the material bars of a plurality of straw half bodies may be connected head-to-head and back-to-back, so as to reduce generation of waste materials to avoid waste, as shown in FIG. 8B. It should be noted that only four straw half bodies are illustrated in the material bar of FIG. 8B, but the actual quantity and length are determined based on the process requirements.
Connection method of the straw half bodies is introduced below.
Referring to FIG. 1B, in the aforementioned embodiment, the first straw half body 110 includes a first end 112 and a second end 113 opposite to each other, and has a first bonding area 114 located on an inner surface thereof and close to the first end 112 and a second bonding area 115 located on the inner surface and close to the second end 113.
In the embodiment, a range of the first bonding area 114 is, for example, from the top to the bottom of the first straw half body 110 and on the inner wall close to the first end 112, and a range of the second bonding area 115 is, for example, from the top to the bottom of the first straw half body 110 and on the inner wall close to the second end 113.
The second straw half body 120 includes a third end 122 and a fourth end 123 opposite to each other, and has a third bonding area 124 located on an outer surface thereof and close to the third end 122 and a fourth bonding area 125 located on the outer surface and close to the fourth end 123.
In the embodiment, a range of the third bonding area 124 is, for example, from the top to the bottom of the second straw half body 120 and on the outer wall close to the third end 122, and a range of the fourth bonding area 125 is, for example, from the top to the bottom of the second straw half body 120 and on the outer wall close to the fourth end 123.
It should be noted that in FIG. 1B, the ranges of the bonding areas are indicated by dotted lines, and dotted line frames indicate the extended parts, but in practice, the range of the bonding area may be adjusted according to the size of the straw half body, and is not limited by the disclosure.
The first bonding area 114 is adapted to wrap the third bonding area 124. The second bonding area 115 is adapted to wrap the fourth bonding area 125, as shown in FIG. 1A. To be specific, the straw 100A of the embodiment uses its own material characteristic to achieve a structural effect of bonding. In the embodiment of FIG. 2 to FIG. 7A and FIG. 8A, a connection method of the straw half bodies is the same with the connection method of the straw 100A, and details thereof are not repeated. But in other embodiments, the connection method of the straw half bodies is not limited thereto.
FIG. 9 is a three-dimensional view of an environmentally friendly straw for easy disassembly according to another embodiment of the disclosure. Referring to FIG. 9, the first straw half body 110I includes a first end 1121 and a second end 1131 opposite to each other, and has a first connection part 1121 located at the first end 1121 and a second connection part 1131 located at the second end 1131.
The second straw half body 1201 includes a third end 1221 and a fourth end 1231 opposite to each other, and has a third connection part 1221 located at the third end 1221 and a fourth connection part 1231 located at the fourth end 1231. The first connection part 1121 is detachably connected to the third connection part 1221, and the second connection part 1131 is detachably connected to the fourth connection part 1231.
In the embodiment, the first connection part 1121 and the second connection part 1131 are respectively clamping blocks, and the third connection part 1221 and the fourth connection part 1231 are respectively clamping slots. The first connection part 1121 is detachably clamped to the third connection part 1221. The second connection part 1131 is detachably clamped to the fourth connection part 1231. For example, the clamping method is similar to a method of a chain clamping bag, or a method of concave-convex fitting, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the structural characteristics are not limited that described above, and as long as the first connection part 1121 may be detachably connected to the third connection part 1221, and the second connection part 1131 may be detachably connected to the fourth connection part 1231, it is considered to be within a protection scope of the disclosure.
In the embodiment, the bottoms of the first straw half body 110I and the second straw half body 1201 of the straw 100I each have a first extended part MI and a second extended part 1211, and the first extended part MI and the second extended part 1211 each have an arc surface part A3. In this way, the user may stably hold the bottom of the straw 100I, so as to achieve the effect of quickly and easily separating the first straw half body 110I from the second straw half body 1201.
In other embodiments, the pattern of the bottoms of the first straw half body 110I and the second straw half body 1201 may also be the same as the patterns shown in FIG. 2 to FIG. 7A and FIG. 8A, and is not limited to the above description.
In summary, the first straw half body of the environmentally friendly straw for easy disassembly of the disclosure has the first extended part, and the second straw half body has the second extended part. A user may easily separate the first straw half body from the second straw half body through the first extended part and the second extended part, so that the inside of the environmentally friendly straw can be more thoroughly cleaned. Namely, the environmentally friendly straw for easy disassembly of the disclosure may be easily disassembled, and is convenient to use.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the scope or spirit of the disclosure. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the disclosure covers modifications and variations provided they fall within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. An environmentally friendly straw for easy disassembly, comprising:

a first straw half body, having a first extended part that extends from a bottom of the first straw half body; and

a second straw half body, having a second extended part that extends from a bottom of the second straw half body, and detachably coupled to the first straw half body to commonly form a hollow tubular body, wherein the first straw half body is separated from the second straw half body when an external force is applied to the first extended part and the second extended part, respectively.

2. The environmentally friendly straw for easy disassembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first extended part and the second extended part each have an arc surface part.

3. The environmentally friendly straw for easy disassembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first extended part and the second extended part each have two flat parts, and the arc surface part is between the two flat parts.

4. The environmentally friendly straw for easy disassembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first extended part and the second extended part each have a plane part and two inclined parts, the plane part is between the two inclined parts, such that the first extended part and the second extended part each form a trapezoid.

5. The environmentally friendly straw for easy disassembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein the first extended part and the second extended part each have two flat parts, and the trapezoid is between the two flat parts.

6. The environmentally friendly straw for easy disassembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first extended part and the second extended part each have at least one jag part.

7. The environmentally friendly straw for easy disassembly as claimed in claim 6, wherein the first extended part and the second extended part each have two flat parts, and the at least one jag part is between the two flat parts.

8. The environmentally friendly straw for easy disassembly as claimed in claim 6, wherein an angle of the at least one jag part is between 30 degrees and 60 degrees.

9. The environmentally friendly straw for easy disassembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first extended part and the second extended part each have an inclined part.

10. The environmentally friendly straw for easy disassembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first straw half body comprises a first end and a second end opposite to each other and has a first connection part located at the first end and a second connection part located at the second end, the second straw half body comprises a third end and a fourth end opposite to each other and has a third connection part located at the third end and a fourth connection part located at the fourth end, the first connection part is detachably connected to the third connection part, and the second connection part is detachably connected to the fourth connection part.

11. The environmentally friendly straw for easy disassembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first straw half body comprises a first end and a second end opposite to each other and has a first bonding area located on an inner surface thereof and close to the first end and a second bonding area located on the inner surface and close to the second end, the second straw half body comprises a third end and a fourth end opposite to each other and has a third bonding area located on an outer surface thereof and close to the third end and a fourth bonding area located on the outer surface and close to the fourth end, the first bonding area is adapted to wrap the third bonding area, and the second bonding area is adapted to wrap the fourth bonding area.

12. The environmentally friendly straw for easy disassembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first extended part is disposed on the bottom of the first straw half body along an extending direction of the first straw half body, and the second extended part is disposed on the bottom of the second straw half body along an extending direction of the second straw half body.