US20100012668A1

US20100012668A1 - Environmental protection and sanitary straw cap

Info

Publication number: US20100012668A1
Application number: US12/458,300
Authority: US
Inventors: Yong-Long Hong
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2008-07-18
Filing date: 2009-07-08
Publication date: 2010-01-21
Also published as: JP3153807U; TWM351042U; DE202009005014U1

Abstract

An environmental protection and sanitary straw cap is revealed. The straw cap is a hollow tube in which one end is a close end and the other end is an open end. A straw is inserted into the straw cap through the open end. A cut is arranged at a wall of the straw cap and part of the wall of the straw cap opposite to the cut is a connection section. The width of the connection section is smaller than a diameter of the straw cap. Thereby the straw covered with the straw cap achieves sanitation. Moreover, the straw cap is environmental protective due to the reduction of material used in production of the straw cap that covers only one end of the straw and its reuses. Furthermore, the straw cap can be applied to both straight straws and bendable straws. The applicability of the straw cap is enhanced.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Fields of the Invention
The present invention relates to an environmental protection and sanitary straw cap, especially to a straw cap that is covered on one end of the straw and is reusable. Moreover, a cut is arranged at a surrounding wall of the straw. Thus the straw cap features on environmental protection, sanitation, and high applicability.
2. Descriptions of Related Art
While buying soft drinks at beverage stores, straws are provided for consumers to drink beverages. The straws are always packaged in a plastic bag or in a container. No matter what package they use, once the container is opened, the straw is exposed, contact with air and dust, and often become dirty. Moreover, the user takes the straw by their hands. If the hand contacts with part of the straw that is placed into the mouth, this affects the sanitary conditions.
As to canned drinks and bottled drinks sold in supermarkets, a straw is attached on each drink. The straw is wrapped in a single packing bag. Although the sanitary safety is achieved by such package, the cost is increased due to the use of the packing bag that covers the whole straw. After being opened, the packing bag is thrown away. This leads to waste of resources. And the waste has negative effects on the environmental hygiene and safety.
Thus a protective cap partially covered on straws is designed, as disclosed in Taiwanese Pat. App. No. 097200579. The protective cap for straws includes a main straw and a protective cap with a fixing unit. The fixing unit is disposed on a rear end of the protective cap so as to fix the protective cap onto the main straw. A front end of the protective cap is extended manually by users' hand so as to shield a front end of the main straw and avoid contamination. The protective cap is extensible.
However, one end of the protective cap is fixed on the main straw so that the protective cap exists along with the main straw. This means the protective cap is not reusable independently. Moreover, even the protective cap is disassembled to be reused. Due to the creases in the protective cap, the inner wall of the protective cap is difficult to clean up and sanitary problems raise.
Thus there is a need to provide an environmental protection, sanitary, and reusable straw cap that overcomes the above shortcomings.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore it is a primary object of the present invention to provide an environmental protection and sanitary straw cap that is covered on one end of the straw and is reusable while a cut is arranged at a wall of the straw. Thus the straw cap has features of sanitation, environmental protection and high applicability.
In order to achieve above object, an environmental protection and sanitary straw cap is provided. The straw cap is a hollow tube in which one end is a close end and the other end is an open end. A straw is inserted into the straw cap through the open end. A cut is mounted on a wall of the straw cap and part of the wall of the straw cap opposite to the cut is a connection section. The width of the connection section is smaller than a diameter of the straw cap.
The environmental protection and sanitary straw cap of the present invention is designed with different color for users to pick out the one he uses.
The environmental protection and sanitary straw cap is further disposed with an ornament on the close end. The ornament has different styles or colors. Moreover, users can add their own markers on the ornament.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The structure and the technical means adopted by the present invention to achieve the above and other objects can be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings, wherein

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a straw cap according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a straw cap disposed on a straight straw according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a side view of a straw cap disposed on a straight straw according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a straw cap disposed on a bendable straw according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a side view of a straw cap disposed on a bendable straw according to the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a straw cap according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Refer to FIG. 1, a straw cap (1) is a hollow tube in which one end is a close end (11) and the other end is an open end (12). The open end (12) is used to receive a straight straw (2), also refer to FIG. 2. Moreover, a cut (13) is disposed on a wall of the straw cap (1) and part of the wall of the straw cap (1) opposite to the cut (13) is a connection section (14). The width of the connection section (14) is smaller than a diameter (R) of the straw cap (1). And the width of the cut (13) is at least a half of a circumference of the straw cap (1).
Refer to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, in use, one end of the straight straw (2) is inserted into the open end (12) of the straw cap (1) so that one end of the straight straw (2) is covered by the straw cap (1). When a user intends to use the straight straw (2) for drinking juice, the straw cap (1) is directly removed from the straight straw (2). The device is convenient in use and is reusable.
Refer to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the straw cap (1) is disposed on a bendable straw (3). In use, one end of the bendable straw (3) is inserted into the open end (12) of the straw cap (1). The cut (13) of the straw cap (1) corresponds to a bent part of the bendable straw (3). That means by the design of the cut (13) of the straw cap (1), the straw cap (1) is also bendable and is bent along with the bending of the bendable straw (3). One end of the bendable straw (3) is totally covered inside the straw cap (1).
Moreover, the straw cap (1) of the present invention has various colors so that users can distinguish (recognize) their own straws by colors. Furthermore, the close end (11) of the straw cap (1) is connected with an ornament (15). The ornament (15) is with different shape or color, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 6. Besides the function of distinguishing, uses can also add their own markers on the ornament (15).
In summary, the environmental protection and sanitary straw cap of the present invention has the following advantages:

1. The straw cap is only covered part (one end) of the straw so that the material used for manufacturing the straw cap is reduced, the cost is down and the price goes down.
2. There is no crease on the wall of the straw cap and the straw cap is designed to be separated from the straw. Thus the straw cap is reusable and is washable so as to ensure sanitation.
3. Due to the cut corresponding to the bent part of the bendable straw, the straw cap can be applied to both straight straws and bendable straws. The applicability of the straw cap is increased.

Additional advantages and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details, and representative devices shown and described herein. Accordingly, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An environmental protection and sanitary straw cap comprising:

a hollow tube whose one end is a close end and the other end is an open end,

a cut mounted on a wall of the straw cap, and

a connection section that is part of the wall of the straw cap opposite to the cut.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein an ornament is disposed on the close end of the straw cap.

3. The device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the ornament is with different styles or colors.

4. The device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the ornament is disposed with at least one marker.

5. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein width of the connection section is smaller than a diameter of the straw cap and width of the cut is at least a half of a circumference of the wall of the straw cap.

6. The device as claimed in claim 5, wherein an ornament is disposed on the close end of the straw cap.

7. The device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the ornament is with different styles or colors.

8. The device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the ornament is disposed with at least one marker.

9. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the straw cap is with a color.

10. The device as claimed in claim 9, wherein an ornament is disposed on the close end of the straw cap.

11. The device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the ornament is with different styles or colors.

12. The device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the ornament is disposed with at least one marker.