U.S. patent number 3,874,554 [Application Number 05/373,250] was granted by the patent office on 1975-04-01 for combination liquid container and drinking straw.
This patent grant is currently assigned to First Dynamics, Inc.. Invention is credited to Henry M. Chang.
United States Patent |
3,874,554 |
Chang |
April 1, 1975 |
Combination liquid container and drinking straw
Abstract
A liquid containing body substantially square in outline having
a circumferential flange on its surrounding walls, has a first lid
sealed on said flange, said first lid having an elongated recess
therein dimensioned to have a U-shaped drinking straw nest therein
and insulated from the container contents. Said first lid also has
a puncturable depression spaced from said recess and dimensioned to
permit insertion of one end of the straw to separate the walls of
said depression. A preferably transparent second lid is sealed on
said first lid thus dealing said recess and said depression from
the outside air. An unsealed tongue at one corner of said second
lid permits grasping thereof to tear back the second lid to expose
the straw and the depression. The container body and said first lid
are formed of a relatively stiff plastic sheet material and said
second lid is formed of a thinner and more flexible plastic
material.
Inventors: |
Chang; Henry M. (New York,
NY) |
Assignee: |
First Dynamics, Inc. (New York,
NY)
|
Family
ID: |
23471605 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/373,250 |
Filed: |
June 25, 1973 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
220/708; 206/217;
220/212; 220/229; 229/103.1; 215/383; 215/229; 215/388 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D
77/28 (20130101); B65D 2231/02 (20130101); B65D
2231/022 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B65D
77/28 (20060101); B65D 77/24 (20060101); A47g
019/22 () |
Field of
Search: |
;206/217 ;220/90.2,27
;215/1A ;229/75,1.5C ;222/143 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,538,893 |
|
Jul 1968 |
|
FR |
|
913,009 |
|
Dec 1962 |
|
UK |
|
Primary Examiner: Dixson, Jr.; William T.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Ledermann; Frank
Claims
What is claimed is as follows:
1. In combination, a liquid container body substantially square in
outline including a bottom wall and four upstanding surrounding
walls, said surrounding walls having a circumferential flange
extending outward from the top edges thereof, a first lid sealed to
said flange and closing said body, said first lid having an
elongated diagonal recess therein and a puncturable depression
therein spaced from said recess, a drinking straw nesting in said
recess, a second lid sealed on said first lid and covering said
first lid throughout the area of said first lid and hence sealing
said recess and said depression from the outside air, said body and
said first lid being formed of relatively stiff plastic sheet
material, said second lid being formed of plastic sheet material
which is more flexible and thinner than said relatively stiff
material, said depression being a pyramidal shape and hence having
triangular walls extending downward into said body, said triangular
walls being thinner than the remainder of said first lid and hence
readily separable upon pressing downward thereinto one end of said
straw.
2. A combination according to claim 1, said material of which said
second lid is formed being transparent.
3. A combination according to claim 2, said second lid having an
unsealed corner thereof extending outward beyond the corresponding
corner portions of said first lid and said flange thereby providing
a readily graspable tongue.
4. A combination according to claim 2, said second lid having a
corner portion thereof extending over but not beyond the
corresponding corner portions of said first lid and said flange,
said corner portion of said second lid having only an inwardly
extending portion thereof sealed to said corresponding corner
portion of said first lid thereby providing a readily graspable
tongue.
5. A combination according to claim 2, said straw being U-shaped
and consisting of two legs joined by a bendable portion.
6. A combination according to claim 5, said recess having a width a
least equal to twice the diameter of said straw, said straw having
said legs thereof positioned side by side.
7. A combination according to claim 1, said triangular walls being
three in number whence said depression is triangular in
cross-section.
8. A combination according to claim 1, one of the two side walls of
said recess having a widened portion between the ends thereof
substantiallly semi-circular in outline.
Description
Referring briefly to the accompanying drawings, FIG. 1 is a top
perspective veiw of the complete instant container, showing in
broken lines the straw in the straw-receiving recess and the
puncturable straw-insertion depression. FIG. 2 is a top plan view
of the container body per se, with both the first and second lids
omitted.
FIG. 3 is a fragmentary elevational view of the complete container
and showing in phantom the second lid partly torn back.
FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the first lid with a two-legged
U-shaped drinking straw nesting in its recess.
FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5--5 of FIG. 1.
FIG. 6 is a view illustrating how the straw may be used to puncture
the straw-insertion depression, it being assumed that the second
lid, not shown, has been torn off.
FIG. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to FIG. 5 but
showing the straw-insertion portion punctured and the straw entered
into the container body.
FIG. 8 is a fragmentary view similar to FIG. 3 but showing a
modified form of the graspable tongue at a corner of the second
lid.
Referring in detail to the drawings, the numeral 10 designates the
container body having a flat bottom wall 11 and four upstanding
side walls 12. The juxtaposed corner portions of the walls 12,
shown at 12a, are flat and lie in planes at 45.degree. angles to
the side walls. To strengthen the container walls, the portions
thereof between the portions 12a are provided with corrugations 13.
An outwardly extending circumferential flange 14 extends from the
top edges of the surrounding walls 12.
A first lid 15, complementary in dimensions to the outer dimensions
of the flange 14, is heat sealed to the flange and has an elongated
diagonal recess 16 formed therein.
A U-shaped or two-legged drinking straw 17 is shown nesting in the
recess 16. Such bendable straws, having their two end portions or
legs jointed by a fluited bendable connecting portion 20, are
readily available on the market with their legs 18 and 19 normally
aligned.
Both side walls of the recess 16 extend substantially upright from
its flat bottom wall 22, as shown at 21, and the recess has a
widened portion 23 on one side to form approximately a
semi-circular finger-ti-insertion extension to facilitate grasping
the straw to lift it from the recess.
Spaced preferably near a corner of the lid 15 other than the
corners adjacent the ends of the recess 16, is a puncturable
straw-insertion depression 24. This depression is preferably of
inverted pyramidal shape having three triangular walls 25, and it
is formed by a thermal die which thins the walls 25 without
separating them. Thus the depression normally remains closed but is
readily puncturable upon passing an end of the straw downward
thereino and through, as illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7.
A second or top lid 26, formed of a flexible and relatively thin
and preferably transparent plastic sheet material, has the same
shape and dimensions as the first lid 15 except that one corner
portion 25 extends beyond a corner portion of the flange 14, that
is, beyond a corner of the flange above a body portion 12a. Thus an
unsealed readily graspable tongue 27 is formed on the second lid 26
so that the latter may be readily torn away to expose the
depression 24 and the straw 17.
The vertical corrugations in the container side walls obviously
strengthen such walls, and the flat corner wall portions 12a
minimize possible damage to the container corners. The transparency
of the second lid 26 makes the straw and the depression 24 visible
in the marketed filled container.
An alternative graspable tongue structure as part of the top lid
26a is illustrated in FIG. 8. Otherwise identical to the lid 26,
the lid 26a does not extend beyond the flange 14 and only a rear
portion of the lid corner is sealed to the lid 15, thus leaving a
readily graspable tongue 27a.
* * * * *